God from eternity made a gracious covenant or plan, ordered in all things and sure, for the salvation of men.1 The parties to this covenant are the blessed Persons of the Trinity - the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit.2 The Father represents the honour and glory of God’s attributes and government, contemned and dishonoured by man;3 the Son, as their covenant Head and mighty Surety, represents and stands in the stead of all those of the human race who are elected and believe in him unto salvation;4 the Holy Spirit engages to work in the elect as the Spirit of Christ, as Sanctifier and Comforter.5 The conditions of this covenant on the part of Christ, the Surety of his people, were that he should perform on their behalf all that was owing from them to God and his law.6 Exceeding great and precious promises have been given by the Father in the covenant to Christ and his seed; the entire sum of all the promises which were given to the Surety, and will be fulfilled to his covenant seed, is eternal life.7
God in his own time reveals this covenant through the gospel to all his people, and, by bringing them to approve and embrace it, brings them into the bond of the covenant, and into actual possession in their own persons of its grace, gifts, and privileges.8 The covenant of grace was revealed by degrees, and under various dispensations; but the gospel dispensation is the last and most glorious.9 This covenant is free, sure, holy, advantageous, and eternal.10
1 Psa. 40:6-8; Isa. 49:1-6; Isa. 53:10-12; John 17:4-5. 2 Psa. 89:3; Zech. 6:13. 3 John 10:18; John 12:49; John 14:31; John 18:11; Heb. 2:10; Heb. 9:15-17; Heb. 10:5-10; Zech. 13:7; Isa. 53:10-12. 4 Psa. 40:6-8; Heb. 7:22; Heb. 10:5-10; John 6:39; John 17:2,12; Eph. 1:22,23; Eph. 5:23; 1 Cor. 15:21,22, 45-49. 5 Isa. 59:21; Heb. 2:4; John 7:39; John 14:16,26; John 15:26; John 16:8-9; 1 Thess. 1:5,6; 2 Cor. 3:6-8; Gal. 4:6. 6 Isa. 53:5,6,10,11; Psa. 40:6-8; Rom. 5:6; Rom. 8:3,4; 2 Cor. 5:21; Gal. 4:4,5; Matt. 20:28; 1 Peter 2:24. 7 Psa. 110:1-3; John 6:39-44; John 17:2,4,5; Isa. 49:5,8; Isa. 53:10,12; Acts 2:33-36; Phil. 2:6-8; Luke 24:26; Tit. 1:2; Rom. 5:10; Rom. 8:17,33,34; 2 Tim. 1:9; 1 Cor. 1:30; 2 Cor. 1:20. 8 Ezek. 20:37; Ezek. 36:24-28; Zech. 9:11; Isa. 49:24,25; Rom. 8:1,17,33; Heb. 8:8,10; Jer. 31:31-40; 2 Tim 1:1; John 17:24; Eph. 2:8; 1 Cor. 3:22,23; 1 John 2:25. 9 Heb. 1:1,2; Heb. 4:2; Heb. 8:8; Heb. 12:28; 2 Cor. 3:6-18. 10 Hos. 14:4; Isa. 54:10; Luke 1:72; 1 Cor. 3:21-23; Zech. 8:8; Heb. 9:12; 2 Sam. 23:5
