A Discourse of the True Gospel Blessedness in the New Covenant

p. 1Of the Covenants.

A Discourse of the true Gospel blessedness in the New Covenant, or the distinction of the two Covenants.

Text. HEB. 10. 9. The latter part of the Verse.

He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second.

THe Apostle, or Author of this Epistle mainly and chiefly treats of the excellency of Christ, and the Gospel Covenant or ministration above that of the Law.

1. Of the excellencie of Jesus; a truth of very great concernment, and as it is the duty, so it should be the care of every Gospel Minister and Christian, to keep up the dignity and p. 2excellency of Jesus Christ in his person, work, and offices; I mean the true Messiah, Jesus that was born of Mary the Virgin according to promise, Matth. 1. 20, 21. Luke 1. 31. and 2. 7. Isay, 7. 14. Behold a Virgin shall conceive, &c. Who was, and is truly the the Son of God and the Son of man, Of the seed of David according to the flesh, Rom. 1. 3, 4. Acts 2. 30. made of a Woman, and declared to be the Son of God, with power by his resurrection from the dead. I say, it concerns us to know and have faith in this Jesus, thus Promised, and Born, and Crucified, and Raised, and Ascended into Heaven, who is at the right hand of God, Angels, and Principalities and Powers being made subject unto him. A principle of truth it is, being truly believed and lived in, will preserve souls in life and truth, and root out and vanquish the new Notions and imaginary fancies about Christ, making Heaven, and Christ, and the right hand of God, and all to be within them, a bottomless fancy, an imaginary Christ and salvation.

But to our work, which is to exalt the true Christ, whom God hath exalted, and to honour him whom God the Father hath honoured, John 5. 22, 23. 2 Pet. 1. 16, 17, 18. In this Epistle our Apostle, or Authour, exalts Christ, or rather discovers his exaltation by the father:

1. Above Angels, chap. 1, 4. not onely above bad Angels but also good Angels.

2. Above Moses, chap. 3. 5, 6. Moses a servant, Christ a Son over his own house.

p. 23. Above the Priests, or Priesthood under the Law, chap. 5. and 7. and so consequently above the old Testament-Ministry, and Ministration, viz. in Authority, Dignity, and Excellency.

Hence he came to take away or put an end to that Ministry, or Priesthood, and Covenant, which is the second special work of the Apostle in this Epistle, and p. 3should be of all good men, to exalt the New Covenant above the Old, which is the truth declared in the Scripture read unto you, viz. He taketh away the first, that he may establish the second, viz. The first or old Covenant or Testament, that he might establish the second.

Now that it is the two Covenants that is here intended, is clear; for the word He, and first and second are Relatives: The word He, relates to Christ, chap. 9. v. 24. and 28. first and second relates to the first and second Covenants, chap. 8. 6, 7, 8. called also the old and the new Covenants, chap. 8. 13.

So that the true sense and meaning of the words, is this; That God sent Jesus Christ, and Jesus Christ came to take away the first, the old Covenant, that he might establish the second, the new Covenant, which we usually call the Covenant of grace, because its the ministration of grace, and all is grace from first to last in it. So that the words afford us two lessons.

Doct. 1. That there is in Scripture held forth two Covenants, the first and second, or the old and new Covenant.

Doct. 2. That Jesus Christ hath taken away the first, and established the second Covenant.

Or thus, That it was the will of God that Jesus Christ should come to take away the first covenant and ◊ stablish the second.

1. That there is in Scripture held forth two Covenants, the first and second, or the old and new, &c. And my beloved friends, this is a truth of very great and special concernment for every Christian to be acquainted with the distinction of the Covenants.

◊hat there are two covenants is clearly evident; old and new, first and second, Jer. 31. 31, 32. Behold, the dayes come (saith the Lord) that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Jud◊h, not according to the covenant I made with p. 4their Fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the Land of Egypt, &c. Mark you beloved, its a new covenant, another covenant, not such a covenant, but a covenant distinct from that covenant, where you have the first and and second, the old and new, in sense and substance. So Heb. 8. 7. Its called the first and second, for finding fault with the first he established the second, where the Apostle makes application of Jer. 31. ver. 8, 9. For finding fault with them, he saith, Behold, the dayes come, saith the Lord, that I will make a new covenant, &c. And vers. 13, in that he saith a new, he hath made the first old: So that its a new covenant and not such a covenant, a first and second, a new covenant that hath made the first old. And vers. 6. the new covenant in opposition to the old, is called, A better covenant established upon better Promises; But further, Gal. 4. this truth is cleared by the Apostle in Sarah and Hager, the free, and Bond-women, vers. 22. which things are an allegory. or these are the two covenants, vers. 24. And they are here held both to be two distinct covenants, even as Hagar the Bond maid, and Sarab the Free-woman were two. And must be separated when the time was come, so that the covenants of the Old and New Testament are not one, as some imagine, but two, old and new, first and second, and that clearly to be distinguished, and not confounded together, no more then light and darkness.