The true nature of a Gospel church and its government

17. THERE is nothing herein, which any Man who hath a conscientious sense of his Duty in a professed subjection unto the Gospel, can question for the substance of it, whether it be according to the mind of Christ or no. And whereas the nature and essential properties of a Divine Covenant are contained in them, as such it is a Foundation of any Church State.

18. THUS under the Old Testament, when God would take the posterity of Abraham into a new peculiar Church State, he did it by a Solemn Covenant. Herein, as he prescribed all the Duties of his Worship to them, and made them many blessed promises of his presence, with powers and privileges innumerable; so the people solemnly Covenanted and engaged with him, that they would do and observe all that he had Commanded them; whereby they coalesced into that Church State, which abode ⟨p. 26⟩unto the time of Reformation. This Covenant is at large declared Exod. 24. For the Covenant which God made there with the people, and they with him, was not the Covenant of Grace under a legal dispensation; for that was established unto the Seed of Abraham Four Hundred years before in the Promise, with the Seal of Circumcision; nor was it the Covenant of Works under a Gospel dispensation; for God never renewed that Covenant under any consideration whatever: But it was a peculiar Covenant which God then made with them, and had not made it with their Fathers, Deut. 5.2, 3. whereby they were raised and erected into a Church State, wherein they were entrusted with all the Privileges, and enjoined all the Duties which God had annexed thereunto. This Covenant was the sole Formal Cause of their Church State, which they are charged so often to have broken, and which they so often solemnly renewed unto God.

18. THUS under the Old Testament, when God would take the post•rity of Abraham into a new peculiar Church State, he did it by a Solemn Covenant. Herein, as he prescribed all the Duties of his Worship to them, and made them many blessed promises of his presence, with powers and privileges innumerable; so the people solemnly Covenanted and engaged with him, that they would do and observe all that he had Commanded them; whereby they coalesced into that Church State, which abode