The truly blessed man, or, The way to be happy here, and forever being…

3. That blessedness is a reward promised in a Covenant. It was so to man in the First Covenant. Ro. 10 5. And it is so in the New Covenant, verse 9. And as God is the only Author of it, so he never offered it to any out of the way of a Covenant; and this infers a way to it; for,

1. A Covenant promise is a promise with a condition. Herein it differs from an absolute promise, for that is incondi•ionate. A Covenant promise is as binding as that which is absolute, only the obligation of one is single, and that of the other is mutual, and so dependent: See, Jam. 1. 19. Rom. 8. 13.

1. A Covenant promise is a promise with a condition. Herein it differs from an absolute promse, for that is incondi•ionate. A Covenant promise is as binding as that which is absolute, only the obligation of one is single, and that of the other is mutual, and so dependent: See, Jam. 1. 19. Rom. 8. 13.

2. Hence the promise is to be claimed only upon the performance of the Condition. For, though the promise be firm, yet it is Relative: it stands or falls according to the tenor of it; if we fail of doing that to which the promise is connected, God is faithful to his word, and there is no falsehood in the promise, though we never receive the good of it; there is therefore expressly or implicitly contained a threatening with the promise,