the Holy Ghost, and by the inviolable oaths of God, who has sworn to Christ our covenant head, and to the elect, who are the chosen generation, or covenant seed: "I have made a covenant with my chosen; I have sworn unto David my servant," Psal. lxxxix. 3; which is Christ. My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips. Once have I sworn by my holiness, that I will not lie unto David. seed shall endure for ever."

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His

Next, the Lord swears to the chosen seed: "For a small moment have I forsaken thee, but with great mercies will I gather thee. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment; but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer. For as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be wroth with thee, nor rebuke thee. For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed, but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the Lord, that hath mercy on thee." Is this promise and oath made to all the race of Adam? No; "The children of the flesh, these are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted for the seed;" and to these, and these only, is the oath and promise made: "Surely, in blessing I will bless thee;" there is the promise. "And because God could swear by no greater, he sware by himself. Wherein God, wil

ling more abundantly to shew to the heirs of promise the immutability of his council, confirmed it by an oath that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have a strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold upon the hope set before us: which hope we have as an anchor of the soul, both sure and stedfast."

If all the forts of carnal reason in the world were to be opened at one time, assisted with all the floating batteries of free thoughts, and they should continue one perpetual and unremitted storm, even till the archangel's trumpet proclaim the God of armies coming, Zion's foundation, and her chief corner stone, would stand as unshaken as the everlasting hills, the bases of heaven, or the throne of God. Not one lively stone of mercy's building could ever be removed or displaced: The Highest himself hath established her, she shall not be moved, Psal. xlvi. 5. "Mercy shall be built up for ever." "Once more, I shake not the earth only, but also heaven; which signifieth removing of those things that are shaken [free thoughts among the rest], that those things which cannot be shaken may remain: but we have received a kingdom that cannot be moved, Heb. xii. 26-28,

It hath been proved that the heirs of promise are loved with an everlasting love; and that the children of the flesh are not the children of God; but the children of the promise are counted for the seed; that the elect are such as God forc

knew; they are the sheep which the Saviour knows: "I know my sheep, and am known of mine." The others are the children of the flesh, which are not the children of God; are called strangers he provides for these, and displays his care over them; they are the work of his hands. "He doth execute the judgment of the fatherless and widow, and loveth the stranger, in giving him food and raiment." These persons are not foreknown in God's decree; strangers they are called; strangers they will remain; and such they will be esteemed at the great day: "Depart from me, I know you not.” Depart from me, I never knew you." These are not the promised seed of Christ; For they shall all know the Lord, from the least of them to the greatest of them. All Christ's children shall be taught of the Lord. The rest are strangers; he loveth them in executing judgment for them, and giving them food and raiment, and no further.

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I come now to consider the mercy of God. "The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works." But these works are distinguished from the saints in the next verse: "All thy works shall praise thee, O Lord; and thy saints shall bless thee." This goodness and tender mercy that is over all God's works, is extended both to man and beast. God saves them from many dangers. The Lord it is that preserveth both man and beast, Psal. xxxvi. 6. God is kind

to the unthankful and to the evil,

Luke vi. 35.

"He maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the

good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." Thus far is the goodness of God extended to the non-elect; but to the small number of God's elect, his goodness is spoken of on this wise, "Fear not, little flock, for it is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom." But to those excluded from that number he speaketh thus, "I thank thee, O Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that thou hast hid these things from the wise and prudent, and hast revealed them unto babes. Even so, Father, for so it seemeth good in thy sight."

I shall now consider the mercy of God more fully. It hath been observed, that God's tender mercies are over all his works. And this is sometimes displayed in a conspicuous manner, as it was to Saul, by making him king, and delivering Israel by his hands. But this is only a temporal mercy, and is conditional, and may therefore be taken away in case of non-performance, because it is not secured by a covenant of grace. Children of wrath may have this. The Lord took hold of the hand of Lot, and of his wife, and of his two daughters, the Lord being merciful to them, and bid them escape for their life, and not look back, nor tarry in all the plain. The conduct of Lot's two daughters is well known; and we are commanded by way of caution to remember Lot's wife, who was an unbeliever. God gave the house of Israel a king in his anger, and took him away in his wrath. God calls the gift of the kingdom to

Saul a mercy, which afterwards he recalled from him. But the mercy of God to his elect is spiritual and eternal, and eternally secured by a covenant of grace, made with David and his seed, which is Christ, and is sure to all the elect seed which were chosen in him. "And when thou [David] shalt sleep with thy fathers, I will set up thy seed after thee," which is Christ, the fruit of David's loins according to the flesh, Acts ii. 30. "He shall build an house for my name, and I will establish the throne of his kingdom for ever." So said Christ, "Upon this rock will I build my church." "And I will establish the throne of I will be his father, and My mercy shall not depart took it from Saul, whom I

his kingdom for ever. he shall be my son. away from him, as I put away before thee. And thine house, [which is the household of David, upon which the Spirit of grace and supplication is poured,] and thy kingdom shall be established for ever before thee: thy throne shall be established for ever," 2 Sam. vii. 12-16. "God hath fulfilled the promise made to our fathers, in that he hath raised Jesus from the dead; "as it is also written in the second Psalm, Thou art my Son, this day have I begotten thee; and as concerning that he raised him up from the dead, now no more to return to corruption, he said on this wise, I will give you the sure mercies of David," Acts xiii. 35, 34. This mercy is not temporal nor conditional; it is one of the spiritual blessings given us in Christ Jesus. It is the mercy