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  A View of the Covenant of Grace from the Sacred Records: Wherein the Parties ...
  By Thomas Boston
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  manner, administering the covenant to any finners of mankind: Prov. viii. 4. Unto you, O men, I call, and my voice is to the fons of men. The object of his administration is not this or that party of mankind, under this or the other denomination; but men, any men, fons of men indefinitely. So the gospel, in which he adminifters the covenant is good tidings to all people, Luke ii. 10. a feaft made unto all people, Ifa. xxv. 6. though many, not relishing the tidings, never tafte of the feaft. Aecordingly, he commiffionated his apostles for that effect, in terms than which none can imagine more extenfive, Mark xvi. 15. Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature. The Jews called man the creature, as being God's creature by way of eminence: fo by every creature is meant every man. There are in the world, fome men, who by reason of their monftrous wickedness, are like devils; there are other men who, by reafon of their favagenefs, feem to differ little from brutes: but our Lord faith here in effect," Be what they will, if ye can but know "them to be men, ask no questions about them on "this head, what fort of men they are: being men, "preach the gospel to them, offer them the covenant; and if they receive it, give them the feals "thereof: my Father made them, I will fave them."
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  4. If we enquire, who they are to whom Christ ftands related as a Saviour? or whofe Saviour he is, according to the fcripture? we find, that confidered as an actual Saviour, faving actual and eventually, he is indeed only Saviour of the body, Eph. v. 23.; but considered as an official Saviour, a Saviour by office, he is the Saviour of the world, 1 John iv. 14. John iv. 42. Thus one having a commiffion to be the physician of a fociety, is the phyfician of the whole fociety, by office; and fo ftands related to every man of them, as his phyfician: howbeit, he is not actually a healer to any of them, but fuch as employ
  him. Though fome of that fociety fhould not employ him at all, but on every occaffion call another physician; yet he is ftill their phyfician by office : tho' they fhould die of their disease, being averse from calling him: yet ftill it is true, that he was their pyfician, they might have called him, and had. his remedies; and it was purely their own fault, that they were not healed by him. Even fo our Lord Jefus Chrift hath Heaven's patent, coftituting him the Saviour of the world: by the authority of his Father he is invefted with that office: and wherefoever the gospel comes, his patent for that effect is intimate, 1 John iv. 14. And we have feen and do teftify, that the Father fent the Son to be the Saviour of the world. Wherefore, none of us fhall perish for want of a Saviour. Jefus Chrift is the Saviour of the world; he is your Saviour, and my Saviour, be our cafe what it will: and God, in and by him, is the Saviour of all men, specially of thofe that believe. 1 Tim. iv. 10. Hence Chrift's falvation is the common falvation, Jude 3.; and the gospel is the grace of God that bringeth falvation to all men, Tit. ii. 11. marg. Chrift then ftands related as a Saviour by office to the world of mankind: he is their Saviour: and he is fo related to every one of them, as finners, loft finners, of that fociety, 1 Tim. i. 15. Chrift Fefus came into the world to fave finners. Luke xix. 10. The Son of man is come to feek and to fave that which is loft. Let no man fay, "Alas! I have no
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  thing to do with Chrift, nor he with me; for 1 "am a finner, and a loft finner." Nay, upon that very ground there is a relation between him and you. Since you are a finner of mankind, Chrift is your Saviour: for he is by office Saviour of the family whereof you are a branch, If you will employ an other than him, or pine away in your difeafe, rather than put yourself in his hand, ye do it upon your peril; but know affuredly, that you have a Saviour
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  of your own, chofen of God for you, whether you' employ him or not. He is by his Father's appointment the phyfician of fouls; ye are the fick; and the lefs fenfible ye are, the more dangeroufly fick : there is a valuable relation then betwixt Chrift and you, as fuch, Matth. ix. 11, 12. He is the great burden-bearer, that gives reft to them that labour and are heavy laden, Matth. xi. 28. Pfal. li. 22. Ye Jabour, spending your labour for that which fatis fieth not; and are laden with iniquity, even heavy laden, and nothing the lefs fo, that ye are not duly fenfible thereof: there is a relation then betwixt Chrift and you, on that very score. Now, if Chrift ftands related to the world of mankind finners, as their Saviour, then they are the object of his administration of the covenant. ì
  5. Lastly, If it were not fo, then there would be fome excepted perfons of the world of mankind finners, for whom there is no warrant, more than for devils, to take hold of the covenant, by believing in Chrift; contrary to the constant voice of the gospel, John iii. 16. Mark xvi. 15. For furely they have no warrant to take hold of the covenant, to whom the administrator is not impowered to give it. Which of the world of mankind finners can thefe excepted perfons be? Not Pagans, and other infidels, who hear not the gofpel: for howbeit, in the depth of fovereign wildom, that warrant is not intimated to them; yet it doth really extend to them as included under that general term, whofoever, John iii. 16. And if it did not extend to them, the covenant could not lawfully be preached and offered to them by minifters of the gofpel; more than a carrier could lawfully go and proclaim and offer the king's indemnity to thofe who have no concern in it, but are excepted out of it. The minifterial gospel offer is ́ undoubtedly null and void, as far as it exceeds the bounds of the object of Christ's administration of the covenant;
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  covenant; as being, in fo far, from one or more having no power to make it. Neither are any who hear the gofpel excepted: for the not taking hold of the covenant by faith in Chrift, is the great fin and condemnation of all who, having the gofpel, do fo entertain it, Prov. viii. 36. John iii. 19. Mark xvi. 16. But it could not be the fin of fuch perfons; because it can never be one's fin, not to do a thing which he had no warrant from God to do. Much lefs are the non-elect excepted: for at that rate, not only fhould their misbelief be none of their fin; but the elect themselves could never believe, till fuch time as their election were in the first place, revealed to them, which is contrary to the ftated method of grace: for none can believe in Chrift, till once they fee their warrant; forafmuch as that warrant is the ground of faith.
  Wherefore we conclude, that finners of mankind indefinitely are the object of Chrift's adminiftration. of the covenant; that he is impowered to administer it to you, and every one of you, whatever you are or have been; and that you muft either take hold of the covenant for life and falvation, or perifh as defpifers of it, fince ye have heard the gospel.
  III. The Ends of the Administration of the Covenant.
  The ends of the adminiftration of the covenant, which make the business of the adminiftrator as fuch, are these three; to wit, (1.) the bringing of finners into the covenant; (2.) the management of them therein, according to it, in this world; and (3) the completing of their happiness, according to it, in the
  other world.
  1. The bringing of finners perfonally and faving. ly in the covenant, Ifa. xlix 5. And now, faith the Lord that formed me in the womb to be his fervant, to bring Facob again to him, though Ifrael be not gathered, yet fhall I be glorious in the eyes of the Lord.
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  Though the covenant was concluded from eternity, when we could neither confent nor diffent; yet, by the constitution thereof, it is provided, that, even to the end of time, any finner of the race of Adam, who shall believe, his receiving and embracing the covenant by faith, fhall be as good and valid to enter him into it, as if he had perfonally fubfcribed it at the making thereof, John iii. 16. Thus it is left open to mankind-finners, that they may come into it, taking place therein under Chrift the head; and fo become perfonally confederate with Heaven, to their eternal falvation. And there is room enough within the compafs of the infinite name of the fecond Adam, for all of us to fubfcribe our little names. Wherefore, notwithstanding of all that have already fubfcribed, in that name, faying, I am the Lord's, i. e. the Lord Chrift's, Ifa. xliv. 5. fince Eve first fet down her name there, by believing the promise first, whereby fhe then commenced, and actually was the mother of all living, Gen. iii. 20. ; yet the voice of the gospel still is, and will be even to the end, And yet there is room, Luke xiv. 22. For typifying of which Noah's ark was, by the appointment of Heaven, made all little rooms, Gen. vi. 15. called in the margin there, nefts. Now, the Mediator is authorised to treat with finners, rebels to God, and fubjects of Satan's kingdom, to bring them over to Heaven's fide again; and for that effect to adminifter the covenant unto them, to propofe it to them, and gather them into the bond thereof. Wherefore, having gone forth on that errand, he teftifies his earneftnefs in the work, Matth. xxiii. 37. How often would I have gathered thy children! and declares himself the door of the sheep, John x. 7, 9.
  2. The management of them in the covenant, according to it, during their continuance in this world. When finners are, by the Mediator's adminiftration, brought within the bond of the covenant, they are