covery. But, fecondly, obferve, that it was not the sufferings of CHRIST, as to his human nature, that fecured the salvation of his people; but his human nature suffering in union with the divine, that his bloody facrifice received fuch infinite value, fuch intrinfic worth, as thereby his death was commenfurate to the demands of infinite juftice; and his life, as in his mouth was no guile, was answerable to the commands of the law of GOD; therefore CHRIST could with propriety fay, It is finished.

Friendly. But, is the FATHER pleased with CHRIST'S fatisfaction?

Truth. Yes, highly pleased; for his facrifice is faid to be an offering of a sweet-fmelling favour to bim, Epb. v. 2. Befides, GOD raifing CHRIST from the dead, and giving him a name above every name, and fetting him at his own right hand in glory, and commanding all the angels of GOD to worlhip him, is an inconteftible proof of the fatisfaction of his death, and of the FATHER'S complacency and delight therein.

Friendly, But, Truth, though CHRIST has paid the debt of obedience, and the debt of fufferings, is there not a debt of duty to pay?

Truth. Yes, there is a debt of love, joy, praise and thankfulness, owing to our gracious Benefactor, and covenant GOD. and FATHER.

Friendly. But, I find great breaches in this duty, in my heart and life: therefore, where muft I flee for fuccour and relief?

Truth. Remember, my dear Friendly, that CHRIST is the mediator of the new covenant, Heb. viii. 6. which affords a rich relief in every time of need. For a mediator fuppofes a breach, an offence taking place: Now fin is an offence against God, a breach of his law: but JESUS, being a mediator between GoD and man, heals the breach with his reftoring blood, forgives the offence, and makes peace between the offending parties, GOD and man. As the mediator of the new covenant, he pleads his fulfilment of it, his fealing it with his blood, his FATHER'S engagement to him, that he should fee of the travail of his foul, the bleffings and promises it contains for the fuc cour and fupply of his people, fo that your debt of joy, love and praife, flows from CHRIST's fulness, pleading for you as the mediator of the new covenant.

Friendly. But, I find the LORD, by the prophet Jeremiah, fpeaks of breaking his covenant. which my covenant

they break; now if this covenant you have been treating of may be broken, where is my falvation fecured?

Truth. But you will obferve, my dear Friendly, that the Covenant, the LORD is there speaking of, is a national and ceremonial covenant, and depended upon condition to be performed, was changeable, and is now, by the death of CHRIST, abolished; but the covenant of grace is not fo; therefore, fays the LORD, Jer. xxxi. 31. Behold the day is come, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Ifrael, not according to the covenant that I made with their fathers. No, for this new covenant is founded on grace, delivered in abfolute promises, therefore unchangeable in its nature, and it is, by the prophet called, a perpetual covenant, never to be forgotten, Jer. 1. v. for infinite faithfulness can never forget the oath of the cove nant; therefore, fays GoD, once have I fwore by my holiness, that I will not lie unto David, Pfal lxxxix. 35. He can never forget the promise made to CHRIST, that he should fee his feed, nor the feal of the covenant, which is the blood of JESUS, for that is in the presence of GOD within the vail; nor the records of the covenant, for that is his word of truth; therefore, fays GOD, my covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips, Pfal. lxxxix. 34. The covenant of grace is as firm as the rock of ages, as immutable as his nature, and as unchangeable as his throne; therefore, fays GoD, my couenant fhall ftand faft with him, Pfal. lxxxix. 28. even Jefus, who is the fame, yefterday, to-day, and for ever.

Friendly. Dear Truth, this is a glorious covenant, the sacred bands thereof bind my heart to love, joy, and praife, and engages the powers of my foul to adore and admire the infinite. wifdom of GOD, in fixing upon fuch an established way of falvation, a way more firm than the obedience of men or angels, a way honourable to his own perfections, yet favingly happy to the offender; a way that infinite love fought for, that infinite wisdom fixed upon, that infinite power accomplished;, a way of falvation that is confirmed by covenant, ratified by oath, fealed with blood, fuch my foul fhall adore. And here

I cannot but admire the ftupendous, matchlefs love of the LORD of life and glory, that upon the view of our mifery, he should engage, in a covenant way, to fave us finners, at the expence of his life and death; that when facrifices, offerings, and burnt offerings would not do, then faid he, lo, I come! O, amazing love! never enough adored! Oh! give me an exhilarating draught of covenant love, to raise the paffions of my foul to flames of love and praife, to him that is mighty to fave!

Truth. I am highly pleafed that our conversation concerning the covenant of grace, has fo warmed your heart, and filled your mind with fuch pious flames of affection to him that has loved us, and has given himself to GOD for us. From hence I would obferve, that if the covenant of grace is fo fure, the bleffings fo rich, the promises so precious, then it yields a fweet relief in every cafe, for these two reafons: First, becaufe the Father is ever mindfal of his covenant, Pfal. cxi. 5. he is ever mindful of what he has engaged to do, and promised to bestow, therefore no cafe beyond his power, nor disease but what he by his covenant can relieve, nor want but his fulness has engaged to fupply. Therefore a drooping foul may fafely truft in the LORD when he seems to frown, hide his face, vail his providence, and fhut up every mercy; yet even then he remembers his covenant, that there are, according to his word and promife, the fure mercies of David to be opened, because he hath commanded his covenant for ever, Pfal. cxi. 9. The second reason why the covenant of grace yields fuch a relief to a drooping mind, is this, because CHRIST is given for a covenant to the people, Ifa. xlii. 6. if CHRIST be given for a covenant to the people, then all he is, all he has, all he has promised, ftand engaged to fupply them, and then what can the foul defire more? Obferve, CHRIST, the covenant, is given to the people, then every foul that fees his need of covenant mercies, pardon, peace, life, and falvation, has a right to claim its intereft therein; and may the God of hope give the foul all joy and peace, in believing, that it might abound in hope, by the power of the HOLY GHOST! It is not our right to an earthly inheritance, that gives us poffeffion to it, in many cafes, but its being made over to us by a fresh act; though we have a right to all the bleffings of grace and glory, by gift and promife, yet we cannot enjoy this inheritance until it is made over to us by an act of powerful applica tion, by the HOLY GHOST, and the feals of divine promises. Friendly. As I have been delightfully entertained with your delineation of the covenant of grace, and richly fatisfied with the truths contained therein, we will now enter into the delightful view and contemplation of the wisdom and power of GOD in the creation of the world.-Which is the fifth head propofed.

Truth. My dear Friendly, you have juft broke the intention of my mind, nothing can be more entertaining than a furvey of the wisdom, glory, and power of GoD, as difplayed in the creation. First, if we confider what it was in its original, Gen. i, 2.

The earth was without form, and void, and darkness covered the face of the deep, a heap of matter, a confufed chaos. How wonderful muft that power be, that faid, let there be light, and there was light! that spread fuch a glorious structure upon the face of fuch confufion! How glorious that wisdom that fpread fuch beauty, order, and economy, where there was nothing but darkness, and without form! The formation of the heavens and the earth, the fun, moon, and stars, their order and regularity, their usefulness and beneficence to mankind, proclaim the wisdom, glory and power of their omnipotent Creator! Here a large field opens to our view, to dilate and extend our contemplation and admiration upon. But here I shall confine my thoughts to a few lines of poetry, and close with a meditation upon the glory, wifdom, love, and power of GOD, beaming forth in the creation.

Hear how creative wisdom firft defign'd

This beauteous world, the feat of human kind;
Whom do the various beauties here excite.
Rich funds of inexhaustable delight?
What various bleffings they for men produce,
How wonderous is the elemental use.
Pleas'd the love-vifit frequent to renew,
While certain blifs my rais'd defires purfue,
To meditate my Maker, and my lays

Tun'd to his power, who gave me breath to praise :
From the terreftrial to the ftarry pole,

Praise him his works, and thou my proftrate foul!

Maker of all things fair! of all things good!

Thine is the heaven'-the heaven of heavens is thine
With their innumerable hoft! but the broad earth,
Work of thy love, has thy rich bounty given
A large poffeffion, to the fons of men!
A thousand sweets flow from thy hand,
Like dropping honey from the comb.

How fragrant is the air of these delicious fields! How fweet the furrounding profpects, furnished out for my entertainment by the hand of the GoD of nature! Has he put fo much re freshment in every perfuming breeze? Such sweetness in Bowers, fuch pleasure in colours, to give gratification to the mere animal faculties, which are by far the most ignoble part of me, that I might behold him in this glafs of nature, this

mirror of wonders? If I lift my eyes upwards, how fhall I conceive of his awful infinity, who can place a world, ten thousand times the magnitude of ours, at fo remote a distance as to appear but as a lucid point, a little twinkling ftar! If I caft them downward, what inftances are every where of amazing power, that could produce fuch an appearance of order and beauty out of fo mean and irregular a collection of duft and atoms! Haft thou provided fuch ftately furniture for these lower apartments of thy univerfal palace, and for thy meaneft attendant! O what then are the grandeurs that adorn thy prefence chamber! What thofe magnificent manfions where thou difplayeft the rays of thy beatific glory! Has created goodness all these beauties! A little earthly fpot, on which I tread and gaze, (embellifhed with his least adumbrations) fo fair a form, fuch lovely charms! O then, how infinitely lovely is He, who hath given these things all their loveliness, who hath put into them whatever sweetness they contain, or can convey! These are but copies; ah! faint copies all, of the goodness of their fair original, where there is perfect uncreated good, the enamouring image of loveliness itself! I can difcern him in every thing around me; difcover, in every fmallest part of formed matter, fome difplays of the Deity. The Former of all thefe accomplished works was also my Former. Where art thou, my apparent, yet unconceived Maker! How fhall I hold converfe with thee? Am I not related to thee by mind and fpirit, ordained a priest of this thy mute creation? But nay, I am not thine by a nearer relation and union, the brother and affociate, the lover and friend of thy incarnate Son, a member of his body, one with him, and thereby one with thee; adopted into thy family, regenerated by thy fpirit, purchased by his blood? Hath he faid, I go unto my Father, and your Father, and shall I not then call thee my Father? May I not converse with thee as my Father? Present now, prefent every where, prefent always in the most retired folitude and furvey, whilft I am meditating with delight upon thy beauteous works. But, O! what new beauties does it put into every fcene, when I confider this world I am now viewing as a kingdom of my Father's. Mean as I am, in my obfcure condition here, cenfured, overlooked, or despised, I am yet a royal child, and an inheritor of a glorious, a fure, though invifible crown! Let the great men of this earth divide their vanishing portions; a little, little while, and the GOD I live to, and converfe with here, my FATHER and my GOD, will tranflate me to a ftate of far higher honours!