to be a Covenant so he giveth him also to worke all things needfull for our Redemption partly by his Passion and obedience unto the death of the Cross and partly by fulfilling the whole Law all righteousnesse for us The Lord Jesus Christ did fully accomplish whatsoever was requisite for him to accomplish in his owne Person 2 He doth perform all things needfull for the Application of this redemption unto our soules and to this end he it is that sheddeth abroad his Spirit into our hearts John 15.26 16.7 and when this blessed Spirit cometh he applyeth unto the soule all the gratious redemption of Jesus Christ by giving him and all the fruits of his redemption and by working all those blessed works that the souls of his people come to be partakers of and so performeth all those Conditions that are required on our parts If it be needfull for us to have faith he will work it in us If it be needfull for us to live a life of Faith he will help us so to live for it is not of our selves it is the gift of God Ephes 2.9 Thus hath the Lord made him a compleat Mediatour of this holy Covenant and whatsoever we receive we receive it from him for unto him first as the head of the Church are all blessings given and unto us all Promises in him are Yea and in him Amen 2 Cor. 1.20 for though Christ be not a sinner in his owne persons yet in respect of his Members he is many times lost in them though not in himselfe and poor in them though not in himselfe for us therefore he receiveth the Promises of God and that is the great security of them that they are laid up safe in him and belong unto us if we have Union with the head and in him we perform whatsoever God requireth whether we Pray or Preach or hear we doe all in the Name of Christ going forth in his strength and power Col. 3.17 Thus is the Lord Jesus Christ a firm Surety of the better Covenant Stablished upon better Promises Heb. 8.6 Vse 1. In the first place This may teach us a broad difference between the Covenant of works and the Covenant of Grace In the Covenant of works the Lord offereth himselfe as a Father his Son as a Redeemer his Spirit as a Sanctifier but this upon a condition of works Thou shalt have no other Gods but me and If they shall keep his Lawes and obey his voyce then they shall be a peculiar treasure unto him above all people Exod. 19.5,6 This also they undertake to doe Deut. 5.27 All that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee we will heare it and doe it But O that there were such an heart in them vers 29. When they rebelled he did not pardon them gratiously but the Angel whom he sendeth with them he biddeth them beware of him and obey his voyce and provoke him not For he will not pardon your Transgressions for my Name is in him In the Covenant of Grace he will but not in this here is indeed a Conditionall Redeemer and Saviour and so it is expressed Isa 63.8,9,10 with many of them God was not well pleased almost with none of them but overthrew them in the wilderness Thus in the Covenant of works all is given upon condition of obedience 2 The Lord giving Himself his Son his Spirit upon condition though it be but to works yet he is pleased to receive them into some kind of relative Union expressed Jer. 32.32 Which my Covenant they brake although I was an husband unto them He was marryed unto them in Church-Covenant this was some kind of Union he was their God and they were his peculiar people and yet the Lord cast them off a Generation of his wrath from this Marriage Covenant between them and him from this Union there springeth a kind of Faith by which the soule cleaveth unto the Lord in some measure else there could not be this marriage union and this faith is that which you read Psal 106.12,13 They beleeved his words they sang his praise c. So also Exod. 14.31 it is said They beleeved the Lord and his servant Moses This is that faith which men may receive and yet may Apostate from it spoken of Heb. 6.3 to 6. and Luk. 8.13 but all that faith was never grounded upon any free promise of grace but all was built upon Ordinances and Duties and upon no higher ground In the 2 Chron. 13.8 to 12. marvelously strong are the expressions of Abijah when Jeroboam came against him You think to withstand the Kingdome of the Lord in the hand of David c. Where we see what faith he did expresse and hereupon vers 18. The Children of Israel were brought under and the Children of Judah prevailed and yet this Kings heart was not perfect with the Lord his God 2 Kings 15.3 and yet mind you a strong confidence he had that the Lord was with him and that he would be present with his owne Ordinances there was faith built upon fellowship with Ordinances like unto that Faith in the Scripture before alleadged Luke 8.13 Men are affected with the word and beleeve and find comfort and all this springeth from that Relative Communion which they have with the Lord they find refreshing in their way and work and many times take it for the very Seale of the Spirit of God All which may and oftentimes is found in Hypocrites but here 's the difference in a Covenant of workes God giveth himselfe Conditionally in that of grace Absolutely in both he maketh a Covenant in the one of Grace the other of works in which the Voyce of the Lord is If you be true and faithfull to me then I will not remove you and in this Covenant is Faith found whereby they lay hold upon the head of the Sacrifice but not on Christ it is onely built upon such changes as they finde in themselves and will in the end vanish utterly away 3 There is a difference also that springeth from the fruits of these two Covenants iâ—… their continuance for tho in the Covenant of works there be a semblance of Justification and Adoption and a kind of Sanctification yet they endure but for a season and therefore he calleth them Lo-ammi for ye are not my people and Lo-ruhamah for I will no more have mercy though sometimes they were his people and he then had mercy on them They may also have pardon of sin that is forbearance of punishment for a season Psal 78.37,38 Being full of compassion he forgave their iniquity and destroyed them not yet they were such whose heart was not upright with him neither were they stedfast in his Covenant This is plainly held forth in the Parable Matth. 18.23 to the end When the Servant had not wherewith to pay his Lord he fell down and worshipped him saying Lord have patience with me and I will pay thee all his Lord was moved with compassion