Selected quad for the lemma: death_n
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A53077
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The covenant of grace effectually remembred being the substance of a sermon or two / preached by a minister of the Gospel.
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Newcome, Henry, 1627-1695.
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1682
(1682)
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Wing N894; ESTC R13264
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17,290
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32
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the fulness of time was come the blessed Christ came the Covenant Isa 42.6 and the Mediator of it The word which he hath Commanded to a Thousand Generations i. e. The word of promise which he hath commanded that is hath appointed to be thrown out for his Servants to rely upon that which is firm and setled is said to be commanded as Psal 42 8. God commands his loving-kindness and Psal 133.3 he commands the blessing And it is a certain number for an uncertain a Thousand Generations that is for ever God engages with fallen man upon royal and blessed terms to be reconciled and engaged to him He will forgive and give grace and glory Man is to believe repent and obey Poor sinners could claim and expect nothing but God makes himself a debtor to his truth and promise and oath This Covenant is everlasting ordered in all things and sure 2 Sam. 23.5 2. Tim. 1.1 The blessed Apostle stiles himself an Apostle a messenger of God to Souls and the matter of his message The promise of life which is in Christ Jesus 1 Joh. 5.11 12. This is the record the whole business of the Gospel Written and Preached that God hath given us eternal life and this life is in his Son c. Life is promised and is to be Preached to sinners if they come in and close with Christ He will pardon sinners give them grace change their hearts give them peace keep them to persevere bring them through Death to Glory Man is to believe repent and obey and to walk worthy of it According to that of Ezekiel 16.8 I sware unto thee and entred into Covenant with thee said the Lord God and thou becamest mine 2. God always remember his Covenant It is sacred to him Many forget their promises and keep them not but God is known by his truth and faithfulness He hath exalted his word above all his name Psal 138.2 1. He remembers his Covenant to perform it faithful is he that hath called you and that upon his promiser of acceptance and he also will do it What promise he makes you may write upon it He is not as man that he should lye he will not alter the thing that is gone out of his lips None of his words shall fall to the ground He is a God keeping Covenant for ever Mic. 7.20 He will perform the truth to Jacob and the mercy to Abraham which God hath sworn from the days of old It was Mercy in the Original it is Truth in the pursuance of it What he hath promised in his infinite Mercy he will perform in his inviolable Truth To all intents and purposes he will perform the Covenant for he ever remembers it 2. More particularly He is mindful of his Covenant to perform many glorious things for believers that are the result of the Covenant which the Soul was undone without and could never be looked for but for the promise The Covenant obtains it 1. For infinite forbearance and long-suffering Haenc longanimitatem Deum sapientissimo consilio erga homines adbibere quia ut ritè August notavit nisi expectaret impium non inveniret quem glorificaret pium Rivet in Exod. 34.6 He hath promised to suffer long to wait to be gracious he is slow to anger Exod. 34.6 One Orient Jewel in that royal Character and Name of his is that he is long-suffering 1. To bear with us till we repent how is it that we are not destroyed for sin before the time of repentance comes but from this infinite patience of God 2. To bear with us after we repent and sin again That delivers us yet again tho' we have broken our vows with him 3. To bear with them that never repent Ro. 9.22 That sinners that repent not nor never will are not immediately ruined and destroyed from the presence of the Lord is sure from the Covenant and that the wickedest are not destroyed as soon as they are is sure from the Covenant and from Christ whom God doth ever remember 2. For pardon upon repentance He hath promised to forgive iniquities trangression and sin Exod. 34.7 All words put in to signify Sin to make the assurance of pardon full and strong Mic. 7.18 19. Psal 103.8 11 12. Here is a poor sinner convinced of the evil of sin and of his own particular wickedness his Eyes are opened as Adams were and he sees his wickedness What can a poor wretch do in this case Whither can he go he may as Job say I have sinned Job 7.20 what shall I do unto thee O thou preserver of men To know what it is to be Guilty before God detected of villany and seized and bound over by conscience to answer all to the God that made me is a sad and tremendous state of Soul The Angels sinned and find no place for repentance No more could we if it were not for the Covenant by this Covenant there is place and room for repentance he delighteth in mercy and therefore penitents are pardoned It would little avail at mans bar if convicted of the crime alledged to say It is true my Lord I have done this thing but I am sorry for it I grieve that I did it c. Alas the answer would be Friend I pity you that you took no better care but our work is to see that you have Justice done you and that the matter of Fact be evidently proved and if it be we do Justice to Execute the Law upon you And God might do so too with every convicted sinner but the Covenant is otherwise he hath promised to forgive such as repent abundantly to pardon Isa 55.7 to multiply forgiveness to those that come with their multitudes of iniquities The poor Rebel comes in upon the Proclamation of Grace falls down at the Soveraigns feet acknowledges the iniquity of his sin and he then remembers his Covenant and is ready to forgive nay he takes as great pleasure in forgiving a great offender as such a one can take to receive a pardon His bowels are moved towards the broken-hearted penitent and remembers his Royal word towards them when ever they come to relieve and comfort them and to speak peace unto them What penitent was ever yet turned back He looketh upon men Job 33.27 28. and if any say I have sinned I have perverted that which is right and it profited me not poor miserable wretch that I am I have sinned sadly and wretchedly I have done unjustly and dishonestly to the laws of my Creation and Nature basely and unworthily and find also it never did me good to do on this manner I have gotten nothing but Guilt horror and sorrow by my perverse way But I repent I fly to the Mercy of the Covenant in the case why he looketh for such and if such a one come thus to him he will remember his Covenant and will deliver his Soul from going into the pit Num. 14.17 18. and his life shall
He will bring me forth unto the light and I shall behold his righteousness Read Isa 40.27 to the end 6. For a sanctified sufficiency of outward things Godliness hath the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come 1 Tim. 4.8 And seek the Kingdom of Heaven first and these things shall be added Psal 111.5 Mat. 6.33 your father knoweth that ye need these things and he doth remember his Covenant and he doth give them He hath given meat to them that fear him he is ever mindful of his Covenant Are any truly good extreamly poor Why 1. You take no notice how many good men prosper in the World and more than others this is not noted but if but one be poor this must be noted to be sure 2. Good men less will serve them than other men 3. They make conscience to avoid idleness and to take pains in their places and God doth usually bless the diligent they stand fairer for these things than any 4. It may be more might be had if the promise and providence of God were more eyed and relyed upon than it is 5. However God makes it out to the truly good whatever their condition is And they have all since they want not what they have not and this content is from the Covenant-Grace Godliness with contentment is great gain 1 Tim. 6.6 He supplies his Children with fresh necessaries and excuses them the care and trouble and reckoning for abundance But he is faithful in his Covenant for the worldly concerns of all that are his 7. For necessary seasonable and sanctified afflictions As a father chasteneth his Son Deut. 8.5 so the Lord thy God hath chastened thee It is so far from being in the Covenant that you should not be afflicted fain poor wretches would have it so that it is expresly a part of this blessed Covenant that we must be afflicted Heb. 12.5 6. And God remembers for us his blessed Covenant about our afflictions in the greatest goodness truth and faithfulness 1. To see that all his be afflicted when they need 1 Pet. 1.6 2. That they be afflicted in measure Isa 27.7 8. 3. To be supported under them 1 Cor. 10.13 4. To be delivered out of them Psal 34.19 5. To have good by them Ro. 8.28 Psal 25.10 He will not have them in the furnace to be consumed but only to be tryed tho he cause grief yet he will have compassion according to the multitude of his mercies Lam. 3.31 32. and as a Father pities his Children so the Lord pities them that fear him for he knows their frame and remembers they are but dust Psal 103.13 14 c. He remembers for them his Covenant when they are in distress Psal 106.45 I know O Lord that thy judgments are right and that in faithfulness thou hast afflicted me Psal 119.75 O my blessed God! true and faithful is thy Covenant the word that thou hast commanded to a Thousand Generations thou hast remembred thy Covenant for me to my Soul to my outward supplies and in my needed good afflictions which I could not have been without no not one of them This a good Soul will say after all 8. For safety at death and for eternal life It is his express Covenant to give eternal life Again and again Christ hath said I give unto them eternal life Joh. 10.28 and 17.2 Thou wilt guide me with thy counsel and afterward bring me to glory Psal 73.24 Death is terrible to Nature but when I come to dye God will remember his Covenant with me and will help me to dye The good man cried out not in vain when dying Lord be thou now present with thy poor Servant that is contesting with whole eternity thou art now leaving all thou knowest thine age is departed thou must now go into an unknown state to leave the world and men and to go amongst Spirits but God will remember thee then he will send to help thee he will send comfort to thee he will deliver thee from the evil of death and from the fear of death Heb. 2.14 15. 2 Tim. 1.12 He will keep the Soul for eternal life which thou hast committed to him 2 Tim. 1.12 and 4.7 8. The ship in the dry harbor cannot be lanched but when the tide comes in it goes out with ease If heavenly comforts flow in upon thee thou shalt go hence with ease and triumph he will remember his Covenant for his dying Servants and make their last act easie safe and blessed 9. For posterity The blessed Covenant is with us and with our Children for he keepeth mercy for thousands Exod. 34.7 that is for thousands of Generations As he visiteth the Sins of the Fathers upon the third and fourth Generation so he keepeth mercy for Thousands of Generations of them that love him As there is keeping of judgment for Posterity in some cases so there is much more a keeping of Mercy for Posterity and because he delighteth in Mercy as Mic. 7.18 therefore it is on this side a thousand to three or four He remembereth his Covenant for Childrens Children to such as keep his Covenant and remem bers his Commandments to do them Psal 103.17.18 The Children of thy Servants shall stand fast in thy sight and their seed shall be established before thee Psal 102. ult For grace it self the promise goes from the Posterity of the Godly Isa 44.3 I will pour out my Spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon their offspring He is a Fountain of rich and infinite Mercy and he hath laid up after he hath laid out He hath as surely and fully shewed Mercy to thee as if thou hadst been the first come-over and as if thy Father had spent him none before thee and he hath Mercy as ready for thy Child as if he had laid out none upon thee such it is to live upon infinite and inexhaustible goodness that is always full and over-flowing and can never be drawn dry He thus remembers his Covenant for ever the word which he hath commanded to a Thousand Generations And for the sad Objection that some make in this case That so many of the Children of good parents do so wofully miscarry it doth not cloud this truth For. 1. We take no notice of the many Children of good Parents that do well wherein Gods Covenant doth most graciously obtain to the comfort and joy of such Parents and to the Observation of others But if one Child of a good man misprove this is greatly noted as indeed well it may be nay sometimes but one or two of several miscarry and several others do well and God is not glorified as he should be for this great Mercy 2. There are some Children of bad Parents are converted and do well and how can we tell but that this is from the Covenant that some remote Parents were in and God remembers them when they are forgotten in the World and takes their Children's