Acts ix. 17, 18. Why? the Gentiles were called the uncircumcision, Eph. ii. 11.; being abominable outcasts, whose entering into the temple, was enough to pollute it: but now the gospel declares, God will justify the uncircumcision by faith. The Gentiles were called aliens without God, without Christ, without hope; aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers to the covenant of promise, Eph. ii. 12. But now the covenant of promise is given and exhibited to the people that were aliens. Gentiles were called dogs; "It is not meet to take the children's bread and cast it to dogs," says Christ to the woman of Canaan, one of the posterity, it seems, of these accursed nations, that were devoted by that word, Gen. ix. 25. " Cursed be Canaan:" and indeed the Gentiles and Canaanites, as they were contemned by the Jews, and looked upon as dogs; so in comparison of the house of Israel, who were so much blessed, dignified, and privileged of old, Christ seems here to allow it, and assert that they were cursed, that they were dogs. But now the tables are turned, the Gentiles are called; and, in this woman, the Lord gives an instance of what mercy was in reserve for these dogs: and we Gentiles may plead the same privilege, at least, with that woman of Canaan, "Truth, Lord, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs that fall from their master's table." The door of Bethlehem, the house of bread, is open, Acts xiv. 27. God hath opened the door of faith to the Gentiles, even to dogs: the door of the covenant is open, and we dare not shut the door upon any dog in all this house; and therefore, as we use to say, At open doors dogs come in allow me in this homely comparison; for, as all the Gentiles, so all the wicked are called dogs; Rev. xxii. 15. "Without are dogs, and sorcerers, and whoremongers, and murderers, and idolaters." But the door being open to all sinners by this gospel, you may come to Christ for salvation, as freely as a dog will come in at an open door; yea, more freely and boldly; for dogs many times come in uncalled, and therefore we beat them out again; but here is both a call to come, and a promise of welcome; "Whosoever will, let him come; and him that cometh, I will in no wise cast out." Well, I say, the

Gentiles are called dogs, and if that be a part of your name, man, woman, answer to your name, and take with your name, and take the blessing that is offered to you by name. If you have no better name than that of a dog, come with that same, and set it down at the foot of the contract, by subscribing your consent to have Christ to be your covenant; and though it be a base name, he will not refuse to take in your subscription. In a word, the Gentiles are called heathens, Gal. iii. 8. The scripture foreseeing that God would justify the heathen through faith, preached before the gospel unto Abraham, saying, In thee shall all nations be blessed.” Good news to heathens and pagans, such as we in our forefathers were; and this is the gospel indeed, that was preached to Abraham long ago: " In thee shall all nations be blessed;" in THEE, what THEE? the same THEE that is in our text, which preacheth the same gospel also? "I will give THEE for a covenant of the people;" even the people that are called Gentiles, and heathens, uncircumcision, aliens, and dogs. Well, there is the name of the people whose covenant he is, they are Gentiles.

(2.) The sirname of the people is Gentiles, dark and blind; Gentiles bound and imprisoned: and see if the sirname be not yours, sirs, as well as the name. There are especially two sirnames here that the people have, The first sirname is dark and blind; this is imported in these words, "A light to the Gentiles, to open blind eyes." Well, is this your sirname? Are you darkness itself in the abstract? Are you in the darkness of ignorance, darkness of error, in the darkness of corruption, in the darkness of confusion, in the darkness of desertion, in the darkness of delusion? O! here is a brave covenant for you to sign: It is a covenant of light; he that is the covenant of the people, is the light of the Gentiles. But all the light in the world, without sight, will be uncomfortable; and therefore, is another part of your sir, name blindness as well as darkness? Have you not only sore eyes, and see ill, but are you blind, and see none at all? Are you blind with respect to sin, and cannot see it in its power and guilt? Blind with respect to duty, and cannot see what to do? Blind with respect to God,

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and cannot see him in his beauty and excellency? Blind with respect to Christ, and cannot see him in his glory, fulness, and righteousness? Blind with respect to ordinances, and cannot see the power and glory of God in the sanctuary? Blind with respect to providence, and cannot discern the signs of the times? Blind with respect to your interest in Christ, and cannot see whether that be secured or not? Blind with respect to your warrant to intermeddle with Christ and his institutions? Blind with respect to all spiritual and eternal things? Why, this covenant of the people is designed to open the blind eyes: and if darkness and blindness be the sirname of the people, for whose benefit Christ is the covenant, and if that be your sirname also, why then there is room at the foot of this covenant, to set down your name and sirname both. This covenant of the people is a covenant of light to the people that are dark; and a covenant of sight to the people that are blind. Let all them that find this to be their sirname, subscribe to this covenant and say, I am one of the dark people, and I come for light; I am one of the blind people, and I come for sight: there is my name, Lord; let it be recorded among the dark, blind people of which Christ is the covenant.-Again, the second sirname of the people, is bound and imprisoned: This is imported in these words, "To bring out the prisoners from the prison, and them that sit in darkness out of the prisonhouse." Now, whatever prison you are in, sirs, if your sirname be a bound prisoner, our text speaks to you. Are you in the prison of sin, a bond-slave and a servant unto lusts? Are you in the prison of Satan, in the devil's prison, led captive by him at his pleasure? Are you in the prison of the law, a debtor to do the whole law, and a debtor to bear the whole curse of it? Are you in the prison of carnality, clogged with things of this world? Are you in the prison of a black league with death, and Covenant with hell? Are you in the prison of a natural state, as a child of disobedience, and a child of wrath? Are you in the prison of temptations, either from without, or within, filled with dreadful suggestions, and blasphemous injections? Are you in the prison of afflic

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tion, either upon soul or body, state or family? Are you in the prison of doubts and fears and despondency, with your soul cast down within you? Are you in the prison of unbelief, concluded under it, so as you cannot for your life get an act of faith elicite? Are you in the prison of wretched carelessness, unconcernedness, and indifferency, not caring whether you be loosed and delivered out of prison or not? Are you in the prison of Atheism, and cannot believe a God, a Christ, a heaven, or hell? Are you in the prison of death, and in bondage through fear of death? Or, are you in the prison of security, fearing nothing, but sleeping in the arms of the devil? What prison-house are you in man? Answer to your name; prisoner in such a prison-house that I have named. Is the door of the prison-house bolted and barred that you cannot get out, and the heavy chains and fetters of hell about you, so as you cannot loose them any more than you can unhinge the axle-tree of the universe? Behold, this covenant of the people is a covenant of liberty for the people that are in prison. If I have not named the prison, or the chamber of the prison-house you are in, name it yourself, and say, I am a prisoner in such a prison-house; I have been so long and so long in such a dark prison, and lo, I set down my name, to wit, a bound prisoner, consenting to be liberate by the Son of God, and consenting that he would work the consent himself, and do all that concerns my liberty. Why, man, down with your name that same way; and if you be not set at liberty in God's own time and way, you will be the first that ever gave in a subscription, and was not received: nay, marked and recorded it shall be; for the covenant speaks to you by name and sirname, saying, "Go forth, ye prisoners of hope: The spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he hath anointed me to preach and proclaim liberty to the captives." This covenant of the people then is drawn up already, and signed. See who hath signed it, ver. 8. "I am the LORD, that is my name?" He hath signed it by a name, by which he is known in heaven and earth, even JEHOVAH; I am JEHOVAH, I am the LORD, that my name. O glorious name subscribing this bond!

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That is his name; what is yours? Why, can you say, am one of the people they call Gentiles? I am a dark, blind, bound prisoner; that is my name and sirname both. Yea, be your name as vile and black as hell, yet down with it in capital letters; for the infinitely fair name of the first subscriber will set it off; his name will answer for all the defects and deformities of yours: and if you wait till you be in a better condition, and have a better name to sign with, you will wait to the day of judgment, and in the mean time inevitably perish at death; and all the money of your terms, conditions, and good qualifications, which you will bring as a price in your hands, will perish with you. Nay, you have nothing to do in this covenant, but bless God that brought it to your hand, and sign it with your heart. Christ hath a commission from his Father, and we in his name, to take in the subscriptions of all the people, whose name and sirname I have mentioned; and I hope I have not missed any one here. Thus you see who the people are, for whose benefit he is the covenant: and that he is well designed the covenant of the people, seeing all the people here named have a right of access to the covenant, a warrant to seal and subscribe to it; and all the people, that are subscribers, have a right of possession to the whole good of the covenant, and to the seal thereof, the sacrament of the supper.

IV. The fourth thing proposed, was to shew, By whose authority, or by what authority, Christ is the covenant of the people: and so to hint at his divine ordination to this business, in these words, "I will give thee." Where you have, 1. The glorious person ordaining, I. 2. The glorious person ordained, THEE. 3. The gracious manner of the ordination, GIVE. 4. The gracious motive and ground, "I WILL give thee." A short word to each of these.

1st, The glorious person ordaining Christ to this work, "I will give thee;" What I? I the LORD, I JEHOVAH, I the first person of the glorious Trinity. God the Father here is the first grand party of the covenant; yea, here is God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, essentially considered, contracting with the Son, and or