Page:A Treatise of the Covenant of Grace (John Ball).djvu/115

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els-where the Covenant of the Lord. What Covenant, but of grace and mercy? even that wherein God promiseth to be their God, and take them to be his people, if they obey his commandments. For since the fall of Adam, the Covenant which the Lord hath entered into with his people, was ever free and gracious. For when all men are sinners by nature, dead in trespasses, and enemies to God, how can a Covenant betwixt God and man be stricken without forgivenesse of former transgressions? If in the state of innocency perfect obedience should have been rewarded with life from justice: now that man is fallen by transgression, perfect obedience cannot merit forgivenesse of sins past, purchase Gods favour being justly displeased for sin, and deserve everlasting life. When the wicked and their best works are an abomination to the Lord, it cannot be imagined, that any Covenant should passe betwixt God and man a sinner, wicked, ungodly, miserable, but in and through a Mediatour.

It was such a Covenant whereby the spirituall seed was made a Kingdome of Priests, an holy Nation, and a peculiar treasure unto the Lord. The word Segullah signifies ones owne proper good, which he loveth, and keepes in store for himselfe, for his speciall use: a rare and exquisite treasure; a thing desired, deare and singular or proper to a man himselfe. The Hebrew Logicians call their fift predicable, Segullah: Others interpret the word, a beloved treasure, a glorious thing & to be desired, an holy treasure, a treasure which hath both magnificence, splendour and ornament, Eccles. 2. 8. the peculiar treasure of Kings. Aquila renders it substance: Sym: treasure, or peculiar substance, the Septuagint, plenty of riches, so as it doth import multitude or great abundance: Vatablus, a treasure entirely beloved, 1 Chron. 29. 3. I have of mine owne proper good, of gold; of my proper goods of excellency, that which was most deare unto me; of gold most pure and refined, that which is chosen and laid up in a treasury. A peculiar people then is a people entirely beloved of the Lord, which is proper to him, the possession whereof pertaines to none other, which he layeth up (as it were) in his treasure, Exod. 19. 5. The Chaldee Paraphrast renders it, ye shall be beloved before me. Theodot. a chiefe, speciall, or excellent people: and so Deut. 26. 18. The Paraphrast hath it, he chose to himselfe Israel his beloved, and in other places. And so other Hebricians, Segullah signifieth, that