but only the scribe of it. Thus the enfuing difcourse is prefaced. Let us next fee,

2. The matter or speech itself, wherein we shall find the maxims and general rules of government prescribed, and the felicity of fuch a government elegantly described. "He that ruleth over men must be " juft, ruling in the fear of God. Princes being in God's place, muft exalt the righteousness of God, in the government of men; and when they do so, they shall be as the light of the morning when the fun rifeth, even a morning without clouds, &c. What halcyon days shall that happy people fee, whose lot is cast into such times and places! All this is typically spoken of David, and those pious princes who fucceeded him; but mystically and eminently points at Christ, who was to rise out of David's feed, Rom. i. 3. and to fit upon his throne, Acts ii. 30. So that in this he was raised on high to an eminency of glory and dignity indeed: he was so in his ordinary natural feed; a royal race, deriving itself from him, and fitting upon his throne in a lineal fucceffion, till the Babylonish captivity, which was about four hundred and thirty years. And after that, the Jews had governors of his line, at least rightful heirs to that crown, till the promised Meffiah came. But that which was the top of David's honour, the most sparkling jewel in his crown, was this, that the Lord Jesus was to defcend from him, according to the flesh, in whom all the glorious characters before given should not only be exactly answered, but abundantly exceeded. And thus you find the natural line of the Meffiah is drawn down by Matthew, from David to the virgin Mary, Matth. i. And his legal line by Luke, from David to Jofeph, his fuppofed father, Luke ii. 23.

Now, though the illustrious marks and characters of such a righteous, ferene, and happy government, did not fully agree to his clay, nor would do so in the reigns of his ordinary natural fuccessors, his day was not without many clouds both of fin and trouble; yet fuch a bleffed day he forefaw and rejoiced in, when Christ, the extraordinary feed of David, should arife, and fet up his kingdom in the world, and with the expectation hereof, he greatly cheers and encourages himself: Although my house be not to with God, yet hath he made " with me an everlasting covenant," &c. In which words four things are eminently remarkable.

1. Here is a fad conceffion of domestic evils.

2. A fingular relief, from God's covenant with him.
3. The glorious properties of this covenant displayed.
4. The high esteem and dear regard his house had unto it.

1. Here is David's fad and mournful conceffion of the evils of his houfe, both moral and penal. " Although my house be not so with "God," i. e. neither so holy, nor fo happy as this description of a righteous and flourishing government imports; alas! it answers not to it: For though he was eminent for godliness himself, and had folemnly dedicated his house to God, Plal. xxx. as soon as it was built,

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yea, though he piously refolved to walk in the midst of it with a per fect heart, and not to fuffer an immoral person within his walls; yet great miscarriages were found even in David's house and perfon, which God chastised him for, by a thick fucceffion of tharp and fore afflictions, Pfalm ci, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7. Tamar was defiled by her brother Amnon, 2 Sam. xiii. 13. Amnon was barbarously murdered thereupon, by the advice of Abfalom, 2 Sam. xiii. 28. Absalom unnaturally rebels against his father David, and drives him out of the royal city, and perishes in that rebellion, 2 Sam. xv. 1. then Adonijah, another darling-fon, grafps at the crown fettled by David upon Solomon, and perishes for that his ufurpation, 1 Kings ii. 25. Ο what a heap of mischiefs and calamities did this good man live to fee within his own walls, befides the many foreign troubles that came from other hands! How many flourishing branches did God lop off from him, and that in their fins too? So that his day was a day of clouds, even from the morning unto the evening of it; Pfal. cxxxii. 1. "Lord, remember David, and all his afflictions." Well might he say, his house was not so with God." But what then, doth he faint and defpond under these manifold calamities? Doth he refuse to be comforted, because his children are gone, and all things involved in trouble? No, but you find,

2. He relieves himself by the covenant God had made with him: " Yet hath he inade with me a covenant." He looks to Chrift, "There is more in the covenant than this my house before God," as the Chaldee turns it*. This little word yet, wraps up a great and fovereign cordial in it. Though Amnon, Abfalom, and Adonijah be gone, and gone with many fmarting aggravations too; " yet hath he " made with me a covenant," yet I have this sheet-anchor left to fecure me. God's covenant with me, in relation to Chrift, this underprops and shores up my heart.

This covenant was, without controversy, a gospel-covenant. It was David's gospel: For all his falvation and all his defire were in it; which could never be, except Chrift had been in it, who is the falvation of all the ends of the earth, and the defire of all nations.

It is true, it was a more obscure and imperfect edition of the covenant of faith; yet clearer than those that were made before it; it came not up to the fulness and clearness of the discoveries made by Jeremy and Ezekiel: But yet in this covenant with David, God revealed more of Christ than had been ever revealed before; for the light of Chrift, like that of the morning, increased still more and more, till it came to a perfect day. It is worthy our observation, how God made a gradual discovery of Christ from Adam, down along to the New Testament times. It was revealed to Adam, that he should be the feed of the woman, but not of what nation, till Abraham's time; nor of what tribe, till Jacob; nor of what fex and family, till David; nor that he should be born of a virgin, till Ifaiah; nor in what town, till Micah. The first revelation of this covenant with David, was by Nathan the prophet; 2 Sam. vii. 12, 13, 14. afterwards enlarged and confirmed, Pfal. Ixxxix. By it he knew much of Christ, and wrote much of him. He spake of his perfon, Pfalm xlv. 6, 11. Pfalm vill. 4, 5, 6. of his offices, both prophetical, Pfalm xl. 8, 9, 10. priestly, Pfal. cx. 4. and kingly, Pfalm ii. 6. of his incarnation, Pfalm viii 5. of his death on the cross, Pfalm xxii. 16, 17. of his burial, Píalm xvi. 8, 9, 10. refurrection, Pfalm ii. 7. and triumphant ascension, Pfalm Ixviii. 18. there was the sum of the gospel discovered, though in dark and typical terms and forms of expreffion; but if out of this covenant, as obfcure as its revelation was, David fetched fuch strong fupport and confolation amidst such a heap of troubles, then the argument is good a fortiori: What support and comfort may we not draw thence, who live under the most full and perfect display of it, in all its riches and glory; enough hath been faid to prove it a gospel-covenant; but if any doubt should remain of that, it will be fully removed, by con

fidering,

3. The eximious properties and characters of the covenant, as we find them placed in the text; and they are three, viz.

(1.) Everlasting.

(2.) Ordered in all things, and

(3) Sure.

(1.) It is an everlasting covenant, or a perpetual covenant, a covenant of eternity, not in the most strict, proper, and absolute sense : For that is the incommunicable property of God himself, who neither hath beginning nor end; but the meaning is, that the benefits and mercies of the covenant are durable and endless to the people of God: For Christ being the principal matter and substance of the covenant, there must be in it an everlasting righteousness, as it is called, Dan. ix. 24. everlasting kindness, Ifa. liv. 8. everlasting forgiveness, Jer. xxxi. 34. and in consequence to all these, everlafting confolation, Ifa. li. 11. in all which the riches and bounty of free grace shine forth in their greatest glory and splendor.

(2.) It is a covenant ordered in all thing, or orderly prepared, difpofed, and fet, as the word importst. Every thing being here difpofed and placed in the most comely order, both persons and things here keep their proper place: God the Father keeps the place of the most wife contriver and bountiful donor of the invaluable mercies of the covenant; and Chrift keeps the proper place both of the purchafer and furety of the covenant; and all the mercies in it; and believers keep their place, as the unworthy receivers of all the gratuitous mercies and rich benefits thereof, and the most obliged creatures in VOL. VI.

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all the world to free grace, saying, although my house, yea, although my heart and my life be not fo with God, yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant. And as perfons, so things, all things in this covenant stand in the most exquifite order, and exact correfpondence to each other. O it is a ravishing fight to behold the habitude and respect of the mercies in the covenant, to the fins and wants of all that are in it! Here are found full and suitable supplies to the wants of all God's people. Here you may see pardon in the covenant, for guilt in the foul; joy in the covenant, for forrow in the heart; Arength in the covenant, for all defects and weaknesses in the creature; ftability in the coveniant, for the mutability in the creature. Never did the wisdom of God shine forth more in any contrivance in the world, (except that of Christ, the furety and principal matter of the covenant) than it doth in the orderly dispose of all things in their beautiful order, and comely proportions in this covenant of grace.

(3.) It is a fure covenant, or a covenant fafely laid up and kept, as the word imports*; and upon this account the mercies of it are called, "The fure mercies of David," Ifa. lv. 3. And fo Pfalm lxxxix. 28. speaking of this very covenant, God faith, "My covenant shall " stand fast with him;" there shall be no vacillancy, nor shaking in this covenant: and ver. 34. "My covenant will I not break, nor al" ter the thing that is gone out of my lips." Every thing is as its foundation is. Now, God's covenant being founded in his unchangeable counsel and purpose, wherein there can be no lubricity, and Christ being the furety of it, it must needs be, as the text calls it, a sure covenant, wherein the faithfulness of God is as illustriously displayed, as his bounty and wisdom are in the two former properties of it. And fuch a covenant as this, so everlasting, aptly disposed, and fure, muft needs deserve that precious respect and high esteem from every believing foul, which David here doth pay it, in

4. The fingular and high valuation he had of it, when he faith, "This is all my falvation, and all my defire," or as some tranflate "all my delight, or pleasure;" i. e. here I find all repaired with an infinite overplus, that I have lost in the creature: Here is a life in death, fulness in wants, security in dangers, peace in troubles. It is all my falvation; for it leaves nothing in hazard that is essential to my happiness; and all my defire, for it repairs whatever I have loft, or can loofe: It is fo full and complete a covenant, that it leaves nothing to be defired out of it. O it is a full fountain! Here I repose my weary foul with full fatisfaction, and feed my hungry defires with sweetest delights, fo that my very foul is at rest and ease in the bosom of this bleffed covenant. Thus you have the parts and sense of the text. The notes from it are three.

Observation 1. That God's covenant people may be exercised with many sharp afflictions in their perfons and families, Eccl. ix. 9.

Even David's house was the house of mourning; " Although my " house be not so with God, though he make it not to grow." All forts of outward afflictions are incident to all forts of men. " All " things (faith Solomon) come alike to all: "There is one event to "the righteous, and to the wicked; to the clean, and unclean; to " him that facrificeth, and to him that facrificeth not." The providences seem one and the fame, though the fubject on whom they fall be vastly different. Estates and children, health and liberty will still be like themselves, vanishing comforts, whoever be the owners of them. No man's spiritual estate can be known by the view of his temporal estate. A godly family cannot be a miferable, but it may be a mournful family. Religion secures us from the wrath, but it does *** not fecure us from the rod of God. The Lord hath chofen another way of expreffing, his love to his people, than by temporal and external things: Therefore "all things come alike to all." The covenant excludes the curse, but includes the cross. "If his children for"fake my law, &c. then will I visit their iniquity with the rod, and " their fin with stripes: nevertheless my loving-kindness will I not " utterly take away."

Nor indeed would it be the privilege of God's covenanted people, to be exempt from the rod; a mark of bastardy can be no man's felicity, Heb. xii. 8. to go without the chastising discipline of the rod, were to go without the needful instructions and blessed fruits that accompany and result from the rod, Pfalm xciv. 12.

Let us not therefore say as those irreligious persons did in Mal. iii. 14. "It is in vain to serve God, and what profit is it that we have " kept his ordinances, and walked mournfully before him?" Surely none serve him in vain but those that serve him vainly. Godliness cannot fecure you from affliction, but it can and will fecure you from hell, and fanctify your afflictions to help you to heaven. But I stay

not here.

Observation 2. A declining family is a fore troke from the hand of God, and fo to be acknowledged wherever it falls.

It was a growing forrow to David, that his house did not grow; and he eyed the hand of God in it, 66 He made it not to grow," as he speaks in the text. He felt as many deaths as he had dead children. It is God that builds and destroys families; he enlargeth and straiteneth them again. A family may decline two ways, viz. either,

i. By the death: or,

2. By the degeneracy of its offspring.

1. By their death, when God lops off the hopeful springing branches thereof; especially the last and only prop of it, in whom not only all the care and love, but all the hope and expectation of the parents is contracted and bound up. For,

The hearts of tender parents are usually bound up in the life of an only fon*.. As a man's wife is but himself divided, fo his children