READER, THE providence of God hath led me to the publication of the ensuing treatise, much beyond my first intentions. There came to my hands a Synopsis of the covenant of grace on God's part, with a Soliloquy annexed-both penned by the worthy author of that form of man's covenanting with God, inserted in my Vindicia Pietatis, attended with the author's desires, and of divers other christians, that this also might be incorporated into the same book. These desires, neither being able to resist, nor willing to deny, I prepared some meditations to be premised, with a purpose to have put forth another edition of that book with this addition; but finding it to grow into too great a bulk to be there inserted, both this on God's part, and the former on man's part, come into thy hands in this distinct treatise, followed with my prayers-that the good land, whereof some clusters are here presented to thee, may be thine inheritance. See and take. Thine, because the Lord's covenant servant, July 8, 1665. R. ALLEINE. 1. The Covenant hath its cross. 2. By virtue of the Covenant, The blessing of the cross stands, 1. In its being separated from 4. In the Chap. XVII.-A synopsis of the Covenant of grace, on God's part. Chap. XVIII.-A Soliloquy representing the Believer's Triumph in God's Covenant, and the various conflicts, and glorious conquests of faith over unbelief. By CHAP. XIX.-An exhortation to sinners, with directions for their HEAVEN OPENED. The Introduction. GOOD news from heaven! the day-spring from on high hath visited this undone world! After a deluge of sin and misery, behold the bow in the cloud! the Lord God hath made and established a new covenant, and this is it that hath cast the first beam on the dark state of lost and fallen man, and hath brought life and immortality to light. This covenant is the hope of sinners, the riches of saints, the Magna Charta of the city of God. The forfeited lease of eternity renewed; God's deed of gift, wherein he hath, on fair conditions, granted sinners their lives, and settled upon his saints an everlasting inheritance. Hear, O ye forlorn captives, who have sold yourselves to eternal bondage, spoiled yourselves of all your glory, sealed yourselves up under everlasting misery, you are dead in your sins, guilty before God, under wrath, under a curse, bound over to eternal vengeance. But behold, there is yet hope in Israel concerning this thing; the Lord God hath taken compassion upon you, hath opened a way for you to escape out of all this misery and bondage. Lift up the hands that hang down, comfort the trembling knees; an ark, an ark hath God prepared, in which is salvation from the flood; a covenant, a new covenant hath he made and established, which, if you lay hold on it, will recover all you have lost, ransom you from death, redeem you from hell, and advance you to a more sure and blessed condition, than your original state from which you have fallen. This is the hope of sinners; this is the heritage of the servants of the Lord. Glorious tidings, good news indeed! but what is this covenant? Or what is there that is given and granted therein? Why, in sum, there is all that heaven and earth can afford; all that can be needed or desired; and this, by a firm and irrevocable deed, made over, and made sure to all that will sincerely embrace it. Particularly, God hath in his covenant granted and made over, First. Himself. Eighth. The kingdom. Ninth. All the means of salvation. CHAPTER I.-God in the Covenant. THE Lord God hath made over himself in this covenant. That is the great and comprehensive promise, "I will be their God," Jer. xxxi. 33. I am God, and what I am, it is all theirs; myself, my glorious incomprehensible essence, all my glorious attributes, my omnipotence, my omniscience, my wisdom, my righteousness, my holiness, mine all-sufficiency, my faithfulness, &c. I will make over myself to them to be henceforth and for ever theirs. Their Friend, their Portion, their Sun, their Shield. I. Their Friend. I was angry, but mine anger is turned away; I was an adversary, I had a controversy with them, but I am reconciled; I have found a ransom, the quarrel is composed, my wrath is appeased, I am friends with them: "I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin will I remember no more,' Jer. xxxi. 34. I will take away their iniquity and receive them graciously; "I will heal their backsliding, I will love them freely; for mine anger is turned away from them," Hos. xiv. 4. 'Glory be to God on high, on earth peace, goodwill towards men." Fury is not now in me; favour and friendship, love and goodwill, is all they may henceforth expect from me. Sinners, what is there to be feared? what is there dreadful, but an angry provoked God? Thence is sorrow and anguish, thence is famine, and pestilence, and sword; thence is death and hell: he doth not know what the wrath of God means, who does not see in it all the plagues above ground, and all the vengeance of eternal fire. Whatever terrors or torments have seized upon thee; upon thy body upon thy soul; whatever losses, crosses, vexations, afflictions, plague thee on this earth; whatever horror and anguish, whatever amazing, confounding torments are like to meet thee, and feed upon thee in the lake beneath, thou mayest say of all, This is the wrath of God. That day the Lord says to thee, Fury is not in me, he saith also, Fear shall be no more to thee. That hour the Lord saith, I |