Christ's death cover thy self wholly with his death wrap thy self wholy in his death and if God would judge thee say Lord I place the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between me and thy Judgment and no other ways will I contend with thee And if he shall say unto thee thou art a sinner say I place the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between me and my sins and if he shall say unto thee that thou deservest Damnation say Lord I put the death of our Lord Jesus Christ between thee and all my sins and I offer his Merits for my own which I should have and have not If he shall say that he is Angry with thee say Lord I place the death of Christ between me and thine Anger O Sinner here is thy relief it is in the Blood of the Covenant it is Christ's death under all Fears Temptations Dispair and Anguish of Soul here is peace even under the accusations of thy own Conscience and Satan's temptations even in Life and at the hour of Death O Blessed Covenant of Peace Who is it that is just a going to God's Tribunal that dares to plead what he hath done or is wrought in him alas all hands will be weak all hearts faint and all felf-confidence will faâ— them This Covenant is therefore all oâ—â— Hope our Peace and all our Salvation and in it there is indeed a Salve for every Sore VSE 1. Sinner take hold of this Covenant and tho thou art an Eunuch i. e. a poor dâ—â— barren and fruitless Soul yet if thou takâ— hold of God's Covenant or canst but geâ— Faith to take hold of Christ God will givâ— thee a Name in his House better than that oâ— Sons and Daughters 2. Saints do you fix your eyes also upoâ— this Covenant to plead the Blood and Merits of Christ in this Covenant Rest alonâ— upon the Lord Jesus and on the Faithfulnesâ— of God in his promises in this Covenant foâ— tho thou knowest nothing of thy self yet thâ—â— art not thereby Justified nor can thy sâ—â— condemn thee if thou art in Christ for thoâ— art perfect in him touching thy Justification before the Throne of God 3. With what comfort then mayst thou 〈◊〉 Believer take the Sacrament as a Token 〈◊〉 the Covenant-blessings Yea thou takest iâ— as a pledge from God that all his wrath 〈◊〉 over in Christ and that Divine Justice is satisfied towards thee in Christ and that all thâ— Sins are for ever pardoned that God is thâ— Father Jesus Christ is thy Saviour and Heaven is thy Inheritance but here I shall Conclude at this time SERMON X. Shewing the Covenant of Peace is a try'd Covenant that it is but one Intire Covenant viz. That the Covenant of Grace and Rededemtion are not Two distinct Covenants as some lately affirm but only one and the same Covenant That t' is a Covenant full of the Strongest consolation and lastly an Everlasting Covenant ISA. Liv. x. Neither shall the Covenant of my Peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee I AM upon the opening the nature of the Covenant of Peace or to shew you what kind of Covenant it is I have passed thro an Induction of Nine Particulars already shall proceed Tenthly It is a Try'd Covenant I. All the faithfull Children of God venturâ— their Souls and their Salvation upon it and never failed any one of them Adam no douâ—â— ventured his Soul and Salvation thereon 〈◊〉 did Abel Enoch Noah Abraham Isaac and Jacob and all the Holy Patriarchs and all thâ— Holy Prophets and the Apostles of Jesus Chrisâ— together with all the Saints both in thâ— times of the Old and New Testament anâ— they all found it having try'd it a Sure Covenant II. Multitudes of Souls departed this Liâ— are already made Perfect in Heaven by thâ— Grace and Blessings thereof they find it tâ— their own unspeakable Joy and Comfort a sum and happy Covenant For it was by the Merits and Righteousness of Jesus Christ or blooâ— of the Everlasting Covenant they are all goâ—â— to Heaven III. Never did any person venture 〈◊〉 Soul upon Jesus Christ by vertue of this Covenant by Believing truly on him but 〈◊〉 found it a Firm and saving Covenant 〈◊〉 how many have try'd and found it so tâ— be IV. Satan that great enemy of Believers and of the Souls of Men hath often tryd 〈◊〉 and endeavoured to shake the hopes of Believers and break this Covenant but hâ— to his shame and confusion sees that he cannoâ— break the bonds thereof Eleventhly It is one intire Covenant i. e. the Covenant that was made with Christ â—rom Eternity is the Covenant of Peace and â—econciliation or the Covenant of Grace â—s well as of Redemption For 1. Was it not made with him as our Coâ—enanting Head and so in him with all Gods â—lect and for them Some of late times would â—ave this Covenant to be a Covenant of Reâ—emption and not the Covenant of Grace â—nd Reconciliation but a distinct Covenant â—nd so plead for Two Covenants besides the â—ovenant of Works which we read no where â—f in the Holy Scriptures 2. Was it not wholly of the Free Grace â—f God yea and the highest Act and Deâ—onstration thereof that he was pleas'd to â—nter into that Covenant with his own Son â—s our Surety and Mediator 3. Was not all the good which we receive â—n time promised to us in Christ before the World began See Tit. 1.2 Nay was not all â—race given Foederaly to us in Christ in that Covenant See 2. Tim. 1.9 Who hath savâ—d us and called us not according to our works â—ut according to his own purpose and Grace which â—as given to us in Christ before the World beâ—an 4. Was it not that Covenant that was made â—etwixt the Father and the Son that Christ was made the Mediator and Surety of and Confirmed by his death and did not he unâ—ertake to Die for all Gods Elect when the Fulness of time was come Or was not God in Christ in and by vertue of that Covenant from everlasting a reconciling the World to himself And if so Was not the Covenant made with Christ of Redemption a Covenant of Peace and Reconciliation also Was it not representitively made then for us in Christ and actually made with us by Application and that it might be thus Apply'd to us in time did not Christ engage to see it done for us before time in that Holy Covenant then agreed on 5. Is there any one Promise one Blessing or one Priviledg which we received which was not Primarily granted to Christ for us in that Covenant viz. That our Acceptation should be in Christ that our Justification should be in him and our Sanctification should be in and by him c 6. Was not the Covenant of Redemption made with Christ as a Publick Person a Second Adam And if so was it not made in him with all his Seed Take here what a
through the Eternal Spirit offered himself without Spot to God purge your Consciences from dead Works to serve the Living God And in Heaven also he eminently intercedes for us Seeing he ever liveth to make Intercession for them and that his Atonement might be efficacious to us He now appears in the Presence of God for us therefore it is said That We are come to Jesus the Mediator of the New Covenant and to the Blood of sprinkling that speaketh bitter things than the Blood of Abel Come to Jesus c. that is to a clearer knowledge of his Work and Office Sirs all Christ's Satisfaction and Priesthood would be ineffectual for our good if he did not continue in the exercise of it in Heaven by his Intercession for it is by virtue of his Intercession that all his Merits are applied to us for if when we were Enemies we were reconciled to God by the Death of his Son or God was reconciled to us for it is that which the Holy Ghost intends much more being reconcil'd we shall be saved by his Life the design of this Office therefore was to make our Peace or our Reconciliation to God by a Price paid and to apply that Atonement that it might be effectual and continued unto us for ever Christ doth not reconcile God to us as a King but as a Priest and it is not done by what he works in us but by what he hath done for us II. As Christ is a Priest so also he is a King He is I say invested with Kingly Authority as he is Mediator Yet have I set my King upon my Holy Hill of Sion His Kingdom as one observes is not Regnum naturale which he hath as God co-essential with the Father but Regnum Oeconomicum which he hath by Donation and Vnction from his Father it is given to him as Mediator Moreover his Power as King is very great He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords the only Potentate 1. King over Sin which as a Tyrant hath long Reigned 2. King over Devils and all the Powers of Darkness 3. King over Death that King of Terrors the Keys of Hell and Death are given to him 4. King of Saints he being the Universal Head of the Church and King of Nations 5. Nay he hath Kingly Power and Headship over the Holy Angels He is the Head of Principalities and Powers yea his Power is over all Creatures God hath put all things under his Feet His Kingship and Authority is therefore Universall All Power is given to me in Heaven and Earth And hence There is nothing which he as Mediator God-man cannot do Now the Work of Christ as King 1. Is to subdue all our Enemies for us which indeed he hath effectually already done Sin the World Devils and Death being all brought under his Feet 2. To give us Laws Statutes and Ordinances for as he is Mediator he is our Law-giver but he doth not give us Laws that by our Obedience to them our Peace should be made and we be Justified In this Sense Christ is no Law-giver no to make our Peace that appertains partly to his Priestly Office as I have shewed you before and partly to his Suretiship for so he paid both our Debt of perfect Obedience and our Penal Debt also and merited all Grace and Glory for us for tho Christ is a Priest yet he is more than a Priest viz a Surety also but he gives us Laws as we are his Free-born Subjects whom he Redeemed by his Blood that we might know how to Honour and Live under him that died for us and rose again 3. His Work as King is to govern his Church and every Member thereof moreover his Laws in the New Testament do contain all those Rules for the Constitution of a Gospel-Church and also all the Rules of the Government and Discipline thereof 4. Christ's Work and Office as King is to subdue all the Elect unto himself I mean to work Grace in them and to change their Hearts and vanquish the Power of Sin and Satan for this is and must be done by that Almighty Power which he exerts by his Spirit in their Souls and so takes possession of them as King and Supream Ruler whom as a Priest he purchased by his Blood and all this as he is Mediator of this Covenant of Peace That Christ may dwell in our Hearts by Faith or sway the Scepter there 5. Moreover Christ as King will exercise his Kingly Office in taking to him his great Authority and Regal Power and Reign over all the Earth For his Right is Ask of me and I will give thee the Heathen for thy Inheritance and the uttermost parts of the Earth for thy Possession Thou shalt break them in pieces like a Potters Vessel The Kingdoms of this World are become the Kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ and he shall Reign for ever and ever And of the increase of his Government there shall be no end upon the Throne of David and upon his Kingdom to order it and to establish it with Justice and with Judgment from henceforth and for ever All the Kingdoms under the whole Heavens shall be given unto him And he shall possess the Gates of his Enemies This will be made good more fully and visibly upon the going off of the Fourth-Monarchy and upon the passing away of the second Woe or Mahomitan Power and downfal of the Beast and Mystery Babylon which is now at the very Door when Christ will save his Church from all her Enemies III. Christ as Mediator is a Prophet A Prophet shall the Lord your God raise up unto you of your Brethren like unto me He as Prophet is the Minister of the New Covenant or the chief and great Ambassador of Peace the chief Shepherd of the Sheep and Bishop of our Souls His Work as a Prophet 1. Is to reveal the Will Purpose Counsel and Design of God unto his Chosen and this he did in the Days of his Flesh in his own and in his Apostles Ministration revealing That My-Mystery that was hid from Ages and Generations He was indeed a Teacher that came from God as Nichodemus saith My Doctrine saith he is not mine but the Father 's that sent me For I have not spoken of my self but the Father which sent me gave me Commandment what I should say and what I should speak denoting that he received his Mission his Doctrine and his Authority to Preach from the Father as he is Mediator As a Prophet he gives the knowledge of Salvation to his People for without his Divine Revelation Mankind could not arrive to the knowledge of it for the Light that is in Man naturally reveals nothing of the Mystery of Redemption of the Covenant of Peace and Mediation of Jesus Christ. 2. Nor can any savingly know this but as Christ reveals it by his Spirit as the great Prophet
effect of Man's Rebellion or of his First Sin II. As this in part sets out the Nature of this fearful Breach by reason of Sin on Man's part so also hereby God is become an Enemy to Man and hence David saith The face of the Lord is against them that do evil to cut off the remembrance of them from the Earth Some conceive by the Face of God here is meant his Anger because Anger discovers it self in the Face others think by the Face of God in this place is meant all his Attributes his Justice Wisdom Power Holiness c. are set against them 2. GOD is said to abhor the ungodly the wicked boasteth of his hearts desire and blesseth the covetous whom the Lord abhorreth This is an amazing Text and enough to terrifie all greedy Worldlings or covetous Persons and such that commend and bless them True all Sinners are abhorred upon the account of Sin ' yet none more hated and abhorred than the covetous Person is Covetousness is Idolatry 3. It is said That God is angry with the wicked every day if he return not he will whet his Sword he hath bent his bow and made it ready he hath also prepared for him the instruments of Death he hath drawn his Sword his Bow is bent and his Arrows are on the string ready to shoot Ah! Who is able to Encounter with such an Enemy or to stand before his Indignation 4. He hath laid all Mankind as considered in the First Adam under the Curse of the Law Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them yea the Elect themselves by Nature are Children of Wrath as well as others All the World is become guilty before God such is the Nature of the Breach through Man's Sin and Disobedience in breaking the Law of the First Covenant 5. The Wrath of God abides upon all them that believe not Brethren the Sentence is past upon all the whole Race of Mankind in the First Adam even the Sentence of Everlasting Death They are all condemned already tho the Sentence is not presently executed IV. Proposition That the Breach betwixt God and Man was occasioned by the violation of the First Covenant which God entered into with Adam as the Common or Publick Head and Representative of all Mankind which Covenant was a Covenant of Works I say God gave a Law or entered into a Covenant of Works with the First Adam and his Seed and in that Covenant he gave himself to be our God even upon the strict and severe condition of perfect Obedience personally to be performed by Man himself with that Divine Threatning of Death and Wrath if he broke the Covenant In the Day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die Yet some may doubt as one observes whether this was a Covenant of Works because here is only a threatning of Death upon his Disobedience to this one positive Law Answ. But as he well observes Man in his First Creation was under a Natural Obligation to universal compliance to the Will of God and such was the Rectitude of his Nature it imports an exact Conformity to the Divine Will there being an inscription of the Divine Law upon Adam's heart which partly still remains or is written in the hearts of the very Gentiles tho much blur'd which is that light which is in all or that which we call The light of Nature Tho evident it is that God afterwards more clearly and formally repeated this Law of Works to the People of Israel it being written into Two Tables of Stone tho not given in that Ministration of it for Life as before it was to Adam yet as so given it is by St. Paul frequently called the Old Covenant and the Covenant of Works which required perfect Obedience of all that were under it to their Justification at God's Bar and so made Sin appear exceeding sinful and tended to aggravate Man's Guilt and Misery upon his Conscience tho the Design of God hereby was to discover unto Man how unable he was in his Fallen State to fulfil the Righteousness of God that so that Law together with the Types and Sacrifices might be a Schoolmaster to lead us to Christ. Now in that Ministration of the First Covenant given to Israel when they came out of Egypt there seemed to be a mutual Contract and Stipulation betwixt God and them God enjoin'd perfect universal and continual Obedience of them and they promised and covenanted formally so to do 2. Brethren Pray consider The First Covenant required Perfect Righteousness of Man as the condition of his Justification c. and that not enjoined by the Holy God as a simple act of his Sovereignty as some conclude but as it resulted from his Holiness and the Rectitude of his Nature It being inconsistent with the Justice Holiness or Purity of God's Nature to justifie any Man who is not perfectly righteous or wholly without sin even in Thought Word and Actions 3. That Adam before the Fall had Power to answer this Covenant of perfect righteousness and which he was obliged to do yet had no Surety to engage to God for him 4. Moreover he breaking this Covenant as you have already heard he was utterly undone and all his Off-spring in him and his Credit being lost for ever with God the Lord will not Treat with him any more nor enter into any Terms of Peace without a Surety and that too upon the Foundation of a better Covenant or not at all V. Proposition That there was none in Heaven nor Earth I mean neither Men nor Angels that could make up that Breach which Sin hath made between God and Man And as no Man nor Angel could do it so no Repentance no Tears tho Tears of Bloud no Reformation nor any Sacrifice no not a Thousand Rams nor Ten Thousand Rivers of Oil nor the fruit of the Body I say none of these could atone for the Sin of the Soul or make our Peace with God It is not enough for a Man to say he will sin no more for he hath sinned and stands obliged to God to pay Ten Thousand Talents and yet hath not one Farthing to repay neither will God forgive one Rebel or any Debter the least Mite as a simple act of Mercy but doth require a Full Satisfaction for the whole Debt Moreover Man is both a Debter and a Criminal VI. Proposition That God presenteth himself not as an unreconcilable Enemy for tho he be Just yet he is gracious Mercy and Goodness are a like glorious Attributes or Properties of his Nature as Justice Holiness c. Yet the Display of his Favour Love Mercy and Goodness ought to be considered with respect had to his absolute Sovereignty He was my Brethren No more obliged to magnifie his Mercy in a Surety and Saviour to Mankind than he was to
Divine Wrath brought him down to the Earth 3. Christ our Mediator must be God otherwise his Suffering or the purchase of his Blood could not have merited all that Grace and Glory for all God's Elect which indeed it did Brethren there is a difference between a full Satisfaction or Payment of Debts and a Price that is laid down not only to do that but also to merit and purchase a Right to great Riches high Priviledges and Honour Now if Christ had only paid our Debts or satisfied the Justice of God as to his vindictive Vengeance tho we thereby had been delivered from Hell yet that Payment could not have raised us up to Heaven no it is through the Merits of that Infinite Price Christ laid down that we come to be the Sons of God and Heirs of Glory and all this is through the Dignity of his Person and infinite Value and Worth of his Purchase as being God and also as it was the Grant of God the Father to Christ in the Covenant of Peace as the result of those Transactions 4. He must be God because otherwise he could not have subdued and overcome all his and our Enemies What meer Man is able to wrestle with and overcome Satan and all the Powers of Darkness Or how could he have prevailed against Death Overcome and have subdued Death I will ransom them from the Power of the Grave I will redeem them from Death O Death I will be thy Plague O Grave I will be thy Destruction And hence Christ says Destroy this Temple awd in three Days I will raise it up again This he could not have done except he had been the Eternal God Now this is sometimes attributed to the whole Trinity sometimes to the Father sometimes to the Holy Ghost so it is sometimes attributed to Jesus Christ which shews that the three Persons are all but one and the same God 5. He must be God in respect of his Work as Mediator in reference to Man for he was obliged to quicken all God's Elect who in the first Adam were dead in Sins and Trespasses and raise them from that Spiritual Death and overcome the Power of Sin and Satan in them as well as for them This brings me to the next Thing II. Jesus Christ also as Mediator of Peace must be Man 1. He must be Man because he must work out a Righteousness in the same Nature that had sined Man was obliged to keep the Law perfectly and this must be done by Man if ever he be Justified with God for God will in no wise clear the Guilty True this is not required in the Covenant of Peace to be done in the Person of every elect Sinner ' but in the Person of Christ who is the Representative of every one of them For as we were all made Sinners by one Man as the Head and Representative of all his Seed so we became Righteous by the compleat and perfect Obedience of one Man as the Head and Representative of all his Seed for as the Law being broken by one Man is imputed to all his Seed so the Law being compleatly kept by one Man Jesus Christ is imputed to all his Seed For as by one Man's Disobedience many were made Sinners so by the Obedience of one shall many be made Righteous Moreover Justice required that the same Nature that broke the Law should keep the Law tho room for a Substitute or Surety was reserved in the Wisdom and Council of God 2. Christ must be Man because he must die now God as God I mean the Godhead could not die Man must die to satisfie offended Justice for the Breach of the Law therefore Christ must be Man and die And by Vertue of the Union of the Divine Nature with the Humane Nature in his Person the Death of Christ was a full Satisfaction to the Justice of God 3. He must be one with us or else how could his Obedience be imputed to us For as our Sins was imputed to him so his Righteousness is imputed to us 4. He must be Man that he might be a Merciful High-Priest being touched with the feeling of our Infirmity he must have access to both he was to deal with God for Man and for God with Man Jesus Christ ought to be of the same Stock with those he Redeemed or Sanctified to God 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of one Stock of one Blood saith a worthy Author That by the Law of Propinquity of Blood he might have right to redeem us Goel the next of Kin had an Obligation upon him to redeem his Brother's Land if Mortgaged If thy Brother be waxen poor and hath sold away some of his Possession and if any of his Kin come to redeem it then shall he redeem that which his Brother sold. So of Persons If sold after he is sold he may be redeemed again one of his Brethren may redeem him So Christ is called Goel Job 19.25 For I know that my Redeemer liveth Christ is our Kinsman not only true Man but the Son of Man true Man he might have been if God had created him out of nothing or he had brought his Substance from Heaven but he is the Son of Man descended from the Loins of Adam as we are and so doth redeem us not only Jure proprietatis by virtue of his Interest as our Creator but Jure propinquitatis by virtue of Kindred as one of the same Stock and Lineage as the Son of David as well as the Son of God for Christ Jesus of all the Kindred was the only one that was free and able to pay a Ransome for us 5. He must be Man as the said Author notes That we might find a Fountain of Holiness in our Nature God hath poured out upon his Humane Nature such a measure of Holiness that he might be a common Fountain to all the Elect of his Fullness have all we received and Grace for Grace Christ as God-man is the Fountain from whence we receive all Grace 6. To give us a Pledge of that Tenderness of his Love and Compassion towards us for he that is our Kinsman Bone of our Bone and Flesh of our Flesh will not be strange to his own Flesh especially since he is one that is so not by necessity of Nature but by voluntary Choice and Assumption we could not have such familiar and confident recourse to an Angel or to one of another or different Nature from ours this made Laban tho otherwise a churlish Man kind to Jacob Surely thou art my Bone and my Flesh. III. Christ must be God and Man if he be a fit Mediator betwixt God and Man i.e. he must take our Nature into Union with his Godhead and that 1. That we might mystically be united to God or draw near to God and so be raised up into a glorious and happy State for the Spring or Foundation of our Happiness riseth from the