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VERSE 10.
YE have seene what it is not: now consider what it is; which hath three branches.
1. A renovation of their hearts to keepe his lawes, Verse 10.
2. An illumination of their understanding to know his will, Verse 11.
3. The remission of all their sins against his Law, and so con∣sequently eternall happinesse, Verse 12.
He points out this New Testament, much discrepant from the other; which I will dispose: As we say, I ordaine this my last will and Testament in manner following: So this is the Testament which I ordaine: the Testament which I testate.
With the house of Israel: under the which the house of Iudah is comprehended, that is the whole Church.
In those dayes: when Christ the Sonne of righteousnesse shall clearely shine in the preaching of the Gospell, saith the LORD, which is not as man that he should repent, nor the Sonne of man that hee should lye.
I will put my Lawes. In the Hebrew it is the singular number; in the Greeke, the plurall. All my Lawes, appertaining to the first and second table, I will leave none of them out.
Into their minde, the discoursing faculty of the minde: whereby they shall conclude within themselves, that it is the best course they can take, to serve me; That they may understand it. Into their hearts, that they may love, embrace and keepe it. Hebrew, into the middest of them.
Not in Tables of stone, as at the first, but in the fleshie tables of their heart. This is the difference betweene the Law and the Gos∣pell, 2 Cor. 3.3. and 6. God will not only put his Lawes into our eyes, eares, tongues, hands, feete. In these parts the wicked may have the Law of God; they may looke on the Scriptures, talke of them, heare Sermons, &c. but he will put them into our hearts, and the heart shall set all the members of the body on worke. He will write them there; engrave them, that they shall never be rased out: nothing shall blot out that writing.
Then followes the conditions of the covenant on both parts: as it is in all covenants. On Gods behalfe; he will be our God, hee will protect and defend us, provide all good things for us, for this life and the life to come: no enemy shall hurt us, he will give us all things, that bee good. On our part; we must be his people, that is worship him, depend on him by a lively faith, live in obedience to him, serve him and no other. Happy is the people that have God for their Lord. God is a good God to us, but we are an ungracious and un∣thankefull people to him.