The covenant of life opened, or, A treatise of the covenant of grace

2. Every doubting of Gods love to me once justified, and who have once fled to Christ for refuge, is grounded upon sin and unworthiness; now none were given by the Father to the Son from eternity upon respect of either faith, or unbelief, or holiness, or bad deserving: Its true, it is not known to me but by believing,¹ that I was given Covenant ways to the Son. But the Question is, if sin be any ground why one justified should cashier himself out of the number of the gifted ones to Christ, and committed to the Mediator. Its true, it should be mourned for as a thing that doth not a little hinder Sanctification in its progress, but should not brangle Justification, nor the faith of our interest in Christ. 4. The necessity of this Covenant appears, in that salvation is taken off free-will, and the slippery yea, and no, of free-will in the Covenant of Works, and laid upon one that is mighty, upon David, to govern Israel as their King;² but Psal. 89.19. upon Christ (as excellently M. Dickson) in all respects more eminently then David, a stronger help, mighty to save, appointed of the Father in all cases, — he is one of our kind, taken out of the people, ³acquainted with our condition, &c. The less of the creatures will, and the more of Gods will, if gracious, as here, be in a Covenant, the better: Because the more grace and stability, even the sure mercies of David, that is, of Christ, Is. 55.3▪ Eze. 34.23. Eze. 37.24. must be here.

2. Every doubting of Gods love to me once justified, and who have once fled to Christ for refuge, is grounded upon sin and unworthinesse; now none were given by the Father to the Son from eternity upon respect of either faith, or unbeleef, or holinesse, or bad deserving: Its true, it is not known to me but by beleeving,¹