monnefs of interest, and thence a mutual fympathy, among confederates. And this fympathy among the confederates of heaven, regards both the head and the people of the covenant. (1.) They have a native and kindly fympathy with the God and head of the covenant. It is true, his effential glory can never be liable to diminution; nor can his eternal reft in himself be in the least disturb. ed, by whatfoever men or angels may do or fuffer: and the man Christ is now beyond the reach of fuffering. Nevertheless, his declarative glory in the world hath its times of fhining clear, and of being under a cloud. Now, as he hath a fympathy with them, in all their concerns, their diftreffes and their enlargements, their joys and their griefs, Ifa. lxiii. 9. Luke xv. 5.; which is a very tender fympathy, infomuch that the touching of them is the touching of the apple of his eye, Zech. ii. 8.; fo they alfo have a very tender fympathy with him in the con cerns of his glory. They are glad and rejoice in the profperity of his kingdom, Acts xi. 23, 24. They pray for it continually, Pfalm. lxxii. 15.; and contribute their endeavours in their ftations, to ad vance it, Philip. i. 21. For to me to live is Christ. They have a feeling of the indignities done to his Majefty, as done to themfelves, Pfalm Ixix. 9. The reproaches of them that reproached thee, are fallen upon me. And they are mourners for the fins of o thers, as well as for their own; on the account of the dishonour they do to God, because they keep not his law, Pfalm cxix. 136. The children of the covenant will neither be oppofers of the kingdom of Christ, nor will they be neuters; but will put their fhoulders to the work of their Lord, to help it forward, according to their vocation: and without fuch a public fpirit, in greater or leffer meafure, no man fhall be able to prove his faving intereft in the covenant; for fo hath our Lord himself determined the matter, Matth. Matth. xii. 30. He that is not with me, is against me; and he that gathereth not with me, fcattereth abroad. (2.) They have a native and kindly fympathy with the people of the covenant: for they are members one of another, Eph. iv. 25. The grace of the covenant difpofeth men to be loving and beneficial to mankind, but in a peculiar manner to holy men; to do good unto all men, efpecially unto them who are of the houshold of faith, Gal. vi. 10. The common bond of the covenant engageth them in a peculiar love to one another; even as in that bond they are the common object of the world's hatred. They bear the fame image with Chrift their common head; and that image will recommend all who bear it, unto one that is within the covenant himfelf, fo far as he can difcern it. Wherefore their love is a love to all the faints, Eph. i. 15. And hence arifeth the fympathy which every true Chriftian hath with the church of Chrift throughout the world, and with the feveral members thereof known to them: their joint intereft in the covenant challengeth it: for by the covenant there is a near relation among them; and from their union under the fame head, refults their communion, I Cor. xii. 12, 26. 'Therefore a fpirit of felfishness, whereby mens concerns are all fwallowed up in their own things, leaving them no fympathy with the church and people of God, is a fhrewd fign of a graceless ftate. How much more, a fpirit of reigning enmity against religion, and the profeffors thereof; where religion, and what concerns it, make men the special objects of their enmity, fpite and refentment? An habitual courfe of this is none of the spots of God's people; but it declares men to be of the world, John xv. 19. I have chofen you out of the world, therefore the world hateth you. the Spirit of the covenant will carry men quite another way; fince, taking hold of the covenant, they have embarked in the fame bottom with thofe whofe head Chrift is, and who have declared war against the devil's kingdom. To them they will fay, We will go with you; for we have heard that God is with you, Zech. viiï. 23. IX. In the last place, The laws of the covenant are in their hearts, namely, the laws of the ten commandments, the eternal rule of righteousness, Heb. viii. 10. That law, in all parts, is a copy of the divine nature, which in regeneration is tranfcribed into the heart of every one brought into the covenant and the whole of it is written there, tho' every part is not written alike clear, nor any part perfect. As is the image of God restored in us, fo is the law written in our hearts: in fanctification there is a new man created; which speaks a perfection of parts, though there is not a perfection of degrees in thefe parts, Eph. iv. 24. 2 Cor. v. 17.1 Cor. xiii. 12. This may be taken up in these four things. : 1. They approve of the whole law, fo far as it is known to them: Pfalm cxix. 128. I efteem all thy precepts concerning all things to be right. They love God and every part of the law is a line of his image wherefore loving the law is expreffing the image of his holiness, they must needs love the whole law; fince there is nothing in it but what is a tranfcript of that holiness. And as the head of the covenant is in their eyes altogether lovely, Cant. v. 16. the laws of the covenant being like him, must be so too. Why do not believers love the holy law, but because they do not love a holy God? Rom. viii. 7. But believers loving a holy God in Christ, must love the law alfo, fince in it the image of his holiness is expreffed. The holy law condemns many things in them; yea every thing of theirs, fo far as it is morally imperfect; and so they do themselves, confenting unto the law that it is good, chap. vii. 16. It condemns every fin, even one's most beloved fin, the evil he is most eafily led afide into: and for that very caufe cause the unrenewed heart hates the law. But the grace of the covenant makes a man to leave his complaint on himself; to approve the law, and condemn his own luft contrary thereto: Rom. vii. 12. The law* is holy; and the commandment holy, and just, and good. Verfe 14. But I am carnal. 2. They have an inclination of heart towards the whole law, fo far as they know it: Pfalm cxix. 5. 0 that my ways were directed to keep thy ftatutes ? There is in them a fixed principle, which lies the fame way with the holy law; bending away from what the law forbids, and towards what the law directs unto. True, there is a contrary principle in them too, which fights against it: but fo do they against that contrary principle, breathing, longing, and lufting for the complete victory over it, and for fuli conformity to the holy law, Gal, v. 17. This is a new set of heart given in the new birth; exerting itself, not in lazy wishes for conformity to the law, but in a refolute struggle for it, enduring to the end. Hence, 3. They will habitually endeavour to conform in their practice to the whole law, fo far as they know, Pfalm cxix. 6. Then fhall I not be ashamed, when I have refpect unto all thy commandments. If the law is written in one's heart, he will write it out again in his converfation: and a fanctified heart, will cer tainly make a holy life: Matth. vi. 22. If thine eye be fingle, thy whole body shall be full of light. Where is the efficacy of the holy covenant, if men may be within the covenant, and yet live like thofe that are without it? Nay, but to whom foever the grace of God hath effectually appeared, it will have taught them effectually to deny ungodliness and worldly lufts, and to live foberly, righteously, and godly in this prefent world, Tit. ii. 11, 12. If the grace of the covenant bring you not to the duties of piety towards God, you have no faving part in it. If you are T 2 brought brought unto these, but withal left at liberty from the duties of righteousness toward your neighbour, that you do not loath, but dare to be unjuft in fmaller or greater matters; you are yet in the gall of bitternefs, and in the bond of iniquity: Luke xvi. 11. If ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous mammon, who will commit to your trust the true riches? If you are brought forward unto both these, and yet not sober, but left slaves to your fenfual appetite and fleshly affections, you are no better: for they that are Chrift's, have crucified the flesh, with the affections and lufts, Gal. v. 24. But whofo have fled to the covenant of grace in Chrift for life and falvation, and withal are honeftly endeavouring conformity to the whole law in their practice, they, howbeit in many things they mifs their mark, do fhew themselves to be within the bond of the holy covenant, and ought to take the comfort thereof, as the divine allowance to them: 2 Cor. i. 12. Our rejoicing is this, the teftimony of our confcience, that in fimplicity and godly fincerity, not with fleshly wisdom, but by the grace of God, we have had our converfation in the world. 4. Lastly, Their fouls ly open to what of the laws of the covenant they know not. They are content to know them, defirous to be taught them, that they may conform unto them: Pfalm cxix. 26. Teach me thy ftatutes. There are many fins of ours hid unto us; because there is much of the laws of the covenant we do not difcern. And hypocrites do not defire to know the whole law: they are willingly ignorant of fome things thereof, because they have no inclination to entertain them. But the fincere, being content to part with every falfe way, and to take upon them the whole yoke of Chrift, hating fin as contrary to God's nature and will, and loving duty as agreeable thereto, do of courfe ly open to further difcoveries of fin and duty: they come to the |