1. That every exercife of equity, towards mankind, prefuppofes a difplay of grace for its foundation. If equity be exercifed towards a ftate of perfect rectitude, it prefuppofes the favour of exiftence, and the grace of prefervation to the moment of trial. If towards men as imperfect, it prefuppofes forbearance, or mercy announced, with different degrees of explicitnefs, according to the different difpenfations under which they live. Hence the awful glory of future judgment ! 2. There is no fituation, or degree of advance in the divine favour, in this life, that in its own nature excludes the consequent exercise of mere equity, whereby the creature is endangered, from any given moment. Hence the foundation of conftant holy fear, and ftudious diligence in the way of duty. And hence the propriety of addreffing the chief of faints in fuch language as this: Let him who thinketh he ftandeth take heed left he fall. Let us have grace, whereby we may ferve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear; for our God is a consuming fire. -Wherefore, 3. While there is the exercife of equity in GoD, there is a foundation for man to fear; and while there is the exercise of grace, there is room for hope. While the day of grace continues, defpair is rebellious ingratitude; and while GoD is an equitable Governor, to difcard holy fear is irreverend prefumption. The trembling jailor is encouraged to believe for falvation, and the apostle Paul kept under his body, left he fhould lofe his dependence on grace and be caft away. Thus the prefent plan, which which regards men as fallen, but not gone beyond the confines of hope while in this world; as the fubjects of equity or grace according to the decifions of infinite wisdom; is wonderfully well adapted for the fullest exercife of moral government, 7. We now proceed to fhew in what manner the divine Governor dealt with mankind after their deviation from rectitude, and confequent expofure to punishment. While man had not the leaft claim upon GOD, either to reftore that life which was now loft, and is the well-being of the foul, or to fufpend the confequence of immediate and permanent fuffering; GOD was pleafed in fovereign mercy, to announce the MEANS of falvation: And the Lord faid unto the ferpent- I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy feed and her feed; it fhall bruife thy head, and thou shalt bruife his heel. - Though I fend forth the man from the garden of "Eden, to till the ground from whence he was "taken, I will not leave him without hope of re"covered happinefs. The woman fhall have a defcendant, who fhall prove a mighty deliverer "from fin and mifery, though he accomplish it in "the way of fuffering." The truth and importance of this promise mustbe daily corroborated by the inflitution of worship, the expreffed approbation of fervices, the pleasures of religious obedience, with occafional vifible or audible manifeftations of the divine glory. Enoch, the feventh from Adam, not only walked with God, but was an eminent prophet in his day. He an nounced nounced clearly the final judgment, with the different fate of faints and finners. "Behold, faid he, "the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his faints, "to execute judgment upon all, and to convince "all that are ungodly among them of all their "ungodly deeds which they have ungodly commit❝ted, and of all their hard fpeeches which ungodly "finners have spoken against him.” * After this favourite of heaven had lived holily, and faithfully exhorted his cotemporaries on the most important fubjects, for about three hundred years, he was taken to glory in a miraculous way. And his tranflation was a standing monument of mercy to that and every fubfequent age. It should be here obferved, that whatever intimations of grace, precepts, or fanctions, were made during this period, they were intended for universal ufe. There feems to have been no bar put in the way of any from receiving the exhibited teftimony as the foundation of faith, hope, and obedience. Mercy is proclaimed to man as guilty, depraved, and helpless; if he is found penitent, believing, and obedient, he is fafe; if otherwife, what was exhibited for life becomes the innocent occafion of feverer condemnation. It is no part of the equity of government to enfure compliance with the overtures of grace; but if any obey, it is the effect of fovereign favour. § 8. Of Noah it is exprefsly faid, that he found grace in the eyes of the Lord.+ God had a favour to him * Jude 14, 15. + Gen. vi. 8. him above all the inhabitants of the world befide; for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth, which was filled with violence. And the Lord faid unto Noah, Come thou and all thy houfe into the ark; for thee have I feen righteous before me in this generation.* After justice had cleared the earth of its rebellious inhabitants by the deluge, GoD's manifeftation of grace to Noah and his family becomes, in effect, the origin of a new difpenfation. And as the inftitution of facrifices was a fign and feal of the former difpenfation of mercy, fo now, the covenant being renewed, an additional feal is appended. "And GoD 66 spake unto Noah, and to his fons with him, "faying, And I, behold, I establish my covenant "with you, and with your feed after feed after you. And "GOD faid, This is the token of the covenant-I "do fet my bow in the cloud."+-I have had occafion before to remark on this paffage, "That "the covenant or divine charter, first given to "Noah, included the preceding; it was the fame "covenant with additional grants. - Left Noah "fhould infer that the drowning of the world in "wrath difannulled the well known covenant, GoD diffipates his fears, by faying, I will establish "my covenant." No former exhibition of mercy, or preceptive appointment, was repealed, but confirmed and augmented. § 9. When we come to the time of Abraham, the language of grace becomes more decifive, conspicuous, and rich. "I will make of thee, fays + Gen. ix. 8-13. "GOD, Gen. vii. 1. "GOD, a great nation, and I will bless thee, and "make thy name great; and thou fhalt be a bleffing: and I will blefs them that bless thee, and "curfe him that curfeth thee: and in thee fhall all families of the earth be bleffed."-" After these 46 things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vifion, faying, Fear not, Abram; I am thy "fhield, and thy exceeding great reward."—" And “when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the "Lord appeared to Abram, and faid unto him, I "am the Almighty GoD; walk before me and be "thou perfect.—I will establish my covenant between "me and thee and thy feed after thee, in their "generations for an everlafting covenant, to be a "GOD unto thee, and to thy feed after thee, "And GOD faid unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep "my covenant therefore, thou, and thy feed after "thee in their generations."* St. Paul calls this Janguage addreffed to Abraham, "the gospel preached unto him," implying that falvation was by grace to him as well as to the Gentiles, § 10. The apostle's illuftration of Abraham's covenant, with his reasoning upon it, deferves our careful attention; but because what he advances on the subject is of confiderable length, the reader will find it collected into one view, and which he may confult at his leifure, in the note below.+-[ proceed therefore, xvii. 1, 5, 7, 9. $ 11. On * Gen. xii. 2, 3. XV. I. • Abraham. For as many as are of the works of the law, are • under |