to perform, and that he had fulfilled his engagement by performing the work. He then makes application for the reward promised; "And now, O Father, glorify thou me with thine own self." Christ promised to send the Comforter, the Holy Spirit, when he should go to the Father. He says, "He shall glorify me for he shall receive of mine, and shall show it unto you." John xvi. 14. It appears from these passages, and from others which might be introduced, that each person in the Godhead has a part to act in the work of saving sinners, and that there is a perfect concert in their work. It would not even be necessary that we should be able to find the word covenant, used in application to this holy concert between the Persons of the Trinity; if we find the thing, it is all which concerns us.

That there is a concert, exhibited to us under the form of a mutual stipulation between the Persons of the Trinity, about the salvation of sinners, will appear with clearness, by examining the scriptures. The passage already quoted from the 2nd Psalm, implies a covenant, where the Father, who is represented as just having exalted his Son to sit on the holy hill of Zion, says, -and I will give thee the heathen." It is implied, that there was a grant of the Gentiles previously made to the Redeemer, upon his resurrection and ascension; and that now, upon his making intercession for them, they were to be given him for his possession.

"Ask

In the 89th Psalm, where the Lord is said to make a covenant with his chosen, and to swear unto David his servant, there can be no reasonable doubt but that more is intended, than the real covenant with the literal Da❤ vid. This man after God's own heart, was in almost every thing typical of Christ. From references to the book of Psalms, which we find made in the New Testament, we are led to the conclusion, that Christ is the great Personage, to which much of that inspired book ultimately relates. If there are many things written in the Psalms concerning Christ, it would be exceedingly unnatural to suppose that no reference is had to him and his church in this 89th Psalm. What does this language import?"For I have said, Mercy shall be built up for ever thy faithfulness shait thou establish in the very heavens. I have made à covenant with my chosen, Í

have sworn unto David my servant, Thy seed will I establish forever, and build up thy throne to all generations." No doubt, primary reference is had to the covenant of royalty with David, in which there was a promise, that his seed should sit upon his throne after him: But the mercy of which the Psalmist speaks, which shall be built up forever, most naturally leads us to the kingdom of grace, which is an everlasting kingdom. How naturally are we led to the great Antitype, by what we find in the 19th and 20th verses: Then thou spakest in vision to thy holy one, and saidst, I have laid help on one that is mighty: I have exalted one chosen out of the people. I have found David my servant ; with my holy oil have I anointed him. How much more applicable to the Antitype than to the type, are these words; Also I will make him my first born, higher than the kings of the carth. And can any one doubt of the applicableness of the following verses to the mystical David, and his spiritual seed? My mercy will I keep for Him forevermore, and my covenant shall stand fast with His seed also will I make to endure forever, and His throne as the days of heaven. If his children forsake my law, and walk not in my judgments; if they break my statutes and keep not my commandments; Then will I visit their transgression with the rod, and their iniquity with stripes. Nevertheless, my loving kindness I will not'utterly take from him, nor suffer my faithfulness to fail. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing which is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness, that I will not lie unto David. His seed shall endure forever, and his throne as the sun before me. If this scrip

him.

ture will bear to be applied to the kingdom of the Son and Lord of David, the only kingdom which will be established forever, and endure as the sun; then these lessons of instruction are clearly taught in it: 1. That there is a stable covenant between Jehovah, the Father, and Jehovah Jesus, the Son, which they are bound by their holiness to fulfil to each other. 2. This covenant between the Father and the Son, has respect to the spiritual seed of Christ, for he has no other than a spiritual seed. Separately from the covenant made with the seed themselves, there is evidently a covenant made with Christ, as the Head of this holy seed. 3. It

is implied, that if his seed were any of them to be utterly rejected and disinherited on account of their miscon duct, the Father would take his loving kindness from his Son, and suffer his faithfulness to him to fail. It is implied, that this would be breaking covenant, and altering the thing which had gone out of his lips; and that it would be even lying unto David. What follows in this Psalm is not meant as a denial of the existence of such a covenant; but the church, being now in a low state, under the scourges of the rod, expostulate with the God of truth, in view of this covenant, that he would not utterly forsake them.

We think we can discover the existence of such a covenant, as that which we have called the covenant of redemption, in the 110th Psalm. The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou on my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool. From the application, which is repeatedly made of this verse in the New Testament, we learn, that in the beginning of the verse, "the Lord," means Jehovah the Father, and " my Lord," means the Son of God; and that his being invited to sit at the right hand of the Father, refers to the time of his ascension into heaven The Lord shall send the rod of thy strength out of Zion: rule thou in the midst of thine enemies. Upon the ascension of Christ, the Spirit was sent down, and the apostles and ministers of the gospel, armed with the sword of the Spirit, the rod of divine power, with which to make conquests to the King of Zion, went forth from Jerusalem. This made way for the setting up of the kingdom of Christ in heathen lands, and for his ruling in the midst of his enemies. Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power, in the beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning ; thou hast the dew of thy youth. "Thy people," must mean the people of king Messiah, now exalted to the right hand of the majesty on high. In the preceding verse we see the rod of his strength going out of Zion, and here we see the effect produced by it when accompanied with his power, that is, with the powerful influences of the Holy Ghost. It is a sweet description of the gospel, preached with the Holy Ghost sent down from heaven. His peo ple, of whom is is said, that they shall be willing in the day of his power, are not the people sent out to make

the conquests, but those who shall, by their means, become subject to the King of Zion. They are called his people, before they become obedient to him, because the Father had given them to him, to be to him for a people. In the 10th chapter of John, the Saviour says; Other sheep I have which are not of this fold; them also must I bring ' As these are called his sheep, because they were to become such; so here, they are called his people, which are given him to be his people.

Mr. B. says, "From the context it is manifest the Psalmist was speaking of the willingness of God's pecple to execute his commands in the day of his powerful vengeance." p. 216. But why then is it said, that this people shall be willing in the beauties of holiness? This looks like his converting sinners by exhibiting divine" truth, and displaying before them the beauties of holiness, while the power of the Spirit should be present to remove the blindness of their heart; rather than the calling forth of an army with carnal weapons to execute vengeance.

The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent, Thou art a priest forever after the order of Melchizedek. The Father hath sworn, or covenanted with the Son, that he shall forever be a reigning priest; that is, that by his priesthood, his sacrifice of himself, and his continual intercession, he should have a kingdom of redeemed subjects. In this I'salm then, we have the triune Jehovah introduced. The Psalm opens by showing us the Redeemer, the second Person of the Godhead, having just finished his work of suffering, and now welcomed by his divine Father to his right hand, with a promise that his gospel shall prove successful particularly among the Gentiles, it being accompanied by the power of the Holy Ghost. It implied that the Holy Ghost, the third Person in the Godhead, stood ready to fulfil his part of the work of redemption. The certainty of the success of the gospel, and the perpetuity of the mediatorial kingdom is then established, by this representation; that the whole matter had been confirmed by the oath of the immutable God. "The Lord hath sworn, and will not repent."

It was supposed in the Sermon on Perseverance, that

the 53d chapter of Isaiah reflected light on the covenant of redemption. Mr. B. says, "This text, which relates altogether to the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ, and the glorious consequences thereof, you quoted to prove that there was a covenant between the triune God in eternity! Is not this manifestly wresting scripture?" p. 217. I know that this passage of scripture relates to the sufferings and death of Jesus Christ, and the glorious consequences thereof; and yet I cannot see that I have wrested it. Is it not evident, that these glorious consequences of the sufferings and death of Christ, are promised to him by another person, as a reward for his voluntary sufferings? This is made very evident by the last verse in the chapter, which was not quoted in the sermon. Therefore will I divide him a portion with the great, and he shall divide the spoil with the strong; because he hath poured out his soul unto death. The portion which is to be divided him, is the same which is mentioned in the preceding verses, namely, his seeing the travail of his soul to his satisfaction, in a holy seed to serve him. It is evident from ant portion of scripture, that the divine Mediator stood ready, in the fulness of time, when a body should be prepared for him, to make himself an offering for sin ; and that the Father stood engaged, that this sacrifice should not be offered up in vain; but that it should issue in a glorious number of spiritual sens and daughters. We cannot read this chapter attentively, and understandingly, without seeming to hear the Father address his Son in language like this: "My Son, be assured that thou shalt not die in vain. The doctrine of the cross shall be successful. Thou shalt have a redeemed progeny-Thy benevolent heart shall be fully satisfied." If there were an engagement only for their conversion, but not for their perseverance in holiness, still there would be no assurance given by the covenant, that any should finally be saved. The same truths are certained in the three last verses of the preceding chapter, as the reader will see, if he will take the pains to turn to them.

this iminant,

The covenant of which we are now treating, presents itself to cur view, as we read the following passage out of the 6th chapter of John: "But I said unto you, that