imply that the Lord giveth himself to be the staffe and strength of them so that you shall see the presence of God in them he will not only give a man Wife and Children and Ordinances and Providences but he himself will be in all these and blesse his people in the enjoyment of them all so as that they shall enjoy God in all Psal 16.5 6. The Lord is the portion of mine inheritance He saw the Lord in what he did enjoy and when he had any thing it was in God and when he wanted any thing it was supplied in him The like did Jacob finde when his brother Esau came against him with 400. men and the Lord turned him from the fierceness of his wrath here was the Covenant of Abraham the Lord gave him the mouth and arms and tears of his brother Esau what saith Jacob to all this Gen. 33.10 I have seen thy face as though I had seen the face of God He saw the power and mercy of God in changing the countenance of his elder Brother and that is it which sweetneth all that a man doth enjoy the loving kindness of God in all is the Blessing of all and this likewise doth Jacob acknowledge Gen. 33.5 These are the Children which God of his grace hath given me and so he looked at them as Gods wives and children and servants and cattel and this is the very life of the Covenant of Grace when as the Lord is wrapped up in all his Blessings when as he giveth himself and in himself his Christ and in Christ Peter and Paul and all things unto his Church This is the main thing given God himself the God of the Covenant his Persons Nature Ordinances Providences and now Abraham is made the Lord of the world and so the Apostle doth interpret it Rom. 4.13 The Promise that he should be heir of the world was not to Abraham nor to his seed through the Law but through the righteousness of Faith and this is that which Abraham did receive in receiving the Lord to be his God 2. In the order of giving the Covenant there is something to be observed 1. God giveth first and not the Creature it was not Abraham that gave unto God first for which of all the creatures shall offer a Covenant unto the mighty God Rom. 11.35 Who hath given unto him first and it shall be recompensed unto him again the Lord hath the pre-eminence in giving for what should Abraham give unto God if God give not something unto him first he is the first giver 2. He is also the first thing in order that is given For doth he give the world first or ordinances first or any other spiritual or temporal blessings first No doubtless the Lord is the first thing that he giveth by his Covenant and with himself all things else also Rom. 8.32 and there is the precedency of Jesus Christ he is given and in him all spiritual blessings as the Apostle saith Eph. 1.3 Blessed be God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Jesus And this for the order in giving the Covenant not obedience first nor faith first nor any thing else first but Himself is Donum primum primarium and in him all his goodness 3. For the Manner of giving in that he giveth himself there is implied both the freedom and eternety of the gift Firmness therefore and that unto eternity In that he giveth himself it must of necessity be done freely for what can any creature give to purchase God if a man could give thousands of worlds they were not enough to redeem or purchase one soul and if he had millions of worlds to give what were they all to purchase so great a gift as God himself is therefore it must needs be of free gift for the creature can do nothing to prevent God God indeed may give with a purpose to receive back again but he looketh to receive no more then what he first giveth us and giveth us strength of Will and Deed to give him back again He required this of Abraham that he should walk before him and be upright Gen. 17.1 but the very truth is though Abraham shall perform these things in an Evangelical manner yet God himself doth undertake in this Covenant to be the Author and Finisher both of his Faith and Obedience Heb. 12.2 And this doth argue the marvelous freedome of the Covenant of Grace for the Lord offereth it out of his Grace without the foresight of Faith or Works for he undertaketh to give both Will and Deed of his good pleasure Phil. 2.13 But it may be said Object Did not the Lord except it that he should give himself back again or else the Lord would not give himself Truly then it had not been of Free-grace Answ But as you see sometimes great Princes will take in a neighbour-Nation into league with them and not tell them of it so doth the Lord deal with his elect ones he maketh a Covenant with Christ and taketh us into that Covenant otherwise he should not at all intend it effectually nor ever give himself unto us for we are not able to give our selves unto him till he first take us For if Abraham did give himself it was because God did take him first and therefore it is that the Apostle telleth us that the Lord took hold of Paul that he might take hold upon the Lord Phil. 3.12 I follow after if that I may apprehend that for which also I am apprehended of Christ Jesus is not he the Father that hath bought us hath not he made us established us Deut. 32.6 If we give up our selves unto the Lord it is because the Lord hath taken hold upon our hearts first But doth not the Lord require of him to circumcise his seed the eighth day Object So he doth indeed Answ but the Lord giveth him that also God the Father seeth it needfull for their everlasting Salvation therefore he doth give him Circumcision and giveth him the grace to circumcise his children I know that the Lord doth call for many things under a covenant of Grace but then the Lord doth 1. Work those things in them And 2. He will have them know that those things are nothing without the working of his Grace It is true he may circumcise Isaac but who shall circumcise the heart of Isaac it is a small matter to circumcise the flesh so it is a small matter for us to baptize with water but who must wash us from our sins save only the Lord our God so that he doth secretly intimate that what his poor servants do outwardly he would do it inwardly and effectually The children of Israel shall at the Lords commandment march about the city Jericho seven daies together and not speak a word and hereby the wals of the city shall fall down flat of what use were these weapons to such an
end what would the Lord shew his people hereby hereby he teacheth them to know by what ability and power to bring mighty things to pass they shall do duties as the Lord commandeth them but he himself will breath in them to make them effectual For though we do never so much yet we cannot reach unto the accomplishment of any good thing not by might nor by strength but by my Spirit the Lord therefore by his Spirit must work all our works for us Here is the freeness of Gods Covenant in that the Lord giveth himself first Jer. 32.40 I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I will not turn away from them to do them good but I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me You may speak of Conditions in this kinde but the Lord doth undertake both for his own part and for our parts also for as the Covenant is free so the Lord will freely maintain and preserve all his Elect and all from the immutable Nature of God it is not possible that God should lye I am Jehovah I change not Mal. 3.6 therefore ye sons of Jacob are not consumed Hence springeth our Eternity and perseverance unto it Rom. 11.29 for the gifts and callings of God are without repentance And I am perswaded saith the Apostle Paul that he that hath begun this work will perfect it until the day of Jesus Christ Phil. 1.6 The Lord took your Father Abram and brought him from the other side of the floud Josh 24.3 and he being called obeyed Heb. 11.8 Thus mind ye the Lord dealeth in the Covenant of Grace he looketh towards those that look not towards him as is held forth Hos 3.3 where the Lord biddeth the Prophet love a woman that was an adulteress and say unto her Thou shalt be for me and I will be for thee this is a branch of the Covenant when the Lord doth undertake to receive Abraham and his seed unto himself his giving himself unto them doth breed a reciprocal returning of them unto him Now it may be demanded How the Lord did take Abraham and his seed to be his people Quest By a double Act As Answ 1. Of Preparation not on Abrahams part nor on his seeds part but on his own part the Lord prepared them 2. The Lord did invest him with the Blessings of this Covenant 1. For Preparation the Lord prepareth them by a double work of his Spirit which are manifest in all the seed of Abraham 1. By a spirit of bondage whereby he cutteth off the seed of Abraham from all worldly intanglements and delights thus God took Abraham and brought him from beyond the floud and so doth he take men off from their countreys and fathers houses he separates them from all such things that he might draw them unto himself thus he dealt with the children of Israel and called them to be a singular People unto himself Deut. 7.6 7 8. Thus doth the Lord deal with all those whom he receiveth to be a people unto himself by this spirit of Bondage he draweth them from all their sinful lusts and passions so as that they can finde no life in them nor any hope of mercy at all in any thing by this Bondage the Lord setteth home unto the consciences of men the weight and danof their sins and bindeth them under the sense of his wrath unto fear of Damnation The Romans first received the spirit of Bondage to fear before ever they came to receive the Spirit of Adoption Rom. 8.25 But thus the Lord doth even shut a Soul out of doors that he may open to him another and a better way 2. The Lord also prepareth his people by a Spirit of burning which upon a Spirit of Bondage he doth shed abroad into the hearts of men this we read of Mal. 4.1 Behold the day cometh that shall burn as an oven and all the proud and all that do wickedly shall be as stubble and the day that cometh shall burn them up and it shall leave them neither root nor branch It is spoken of the Ministery of John Baptist which did burn like an oven against all the Scribes and Pharisees and left them neither the root of Abrahams Covenant nor the branch of their own good Works He cutteth them off from the Covenant of Abraham Mat. 3.9 Think not to say within your selves that you have Abraham to your Father for I say unto you that God is able of these stones to raise up children unto Abraham and so by cutting them off from the Root he leaveth them no ground to trust on From their good Works also the Lord Jesus Christ cutteth them off Mat. 6.2 When thou dost thine alms sound not a Trumpet before thee as the Hypocrites do that they may have the glory of men and vers 5. When thou prayest thou shalt not be as the Hypocrites are c. and vers 16. When ye Fast ye shall not be as the Hypocrites are of a sad countenance c. This was a Spirit of Burning which the Lord conveyed by the Ministry of Christ and of John Baptist to burn up all the Hypocrites like stubble and the beauty of their works were blasted by it and this is Gods usual manner of dealing Now there are many under a spirit of bondage that never came under a spirit of burning and they being convinced of sin and of the danger thereof yet hope to wrestle it out and work it out by their own performances till the spirit of Burning come and consume all that false confidence But when the spirit of Burning cometh he then blasteth all the fruits and branches of their righteousness and burns up all that a man hath wrought or can work And this is that which the Prophet Esay chap. 4.4 speaketh of that the Lord will purge away the filth of the Daughter of Zion with a Spirit of Judgment and of Burning the one is a spirit of Sanctification and the other is a consuming Fire which forceth them not to build any comfort upon any works that they have done this may Hypocrites reach unto in their judgments so as that they may be convinced that they have neither root within them nor branch growing upon them and yet in the mean while they may not come unto a Spirit of Adoption but hereby also the Lord useth to prepare his people Some bless themselves in worldly courses and never came unto a spirit of bondage Some do finde comfort in their performances and never saw the vanity of their own Righteousness But there are those whom the Lord doth carry further unto a spirit of burning even unto a sensible feeling of Gods wrath burning against whatsoever is as stubble and such is a mans own gifts and parts and worth so that now the poor soul findeth that he hath no Root not any sure mercy of the Covenant of Grace that he can rest upon no green branch of righteousness remaining but all
besides the waiting of a Christian upon him who hath made the promises doth make him yet more patient and hopefull and this is a fourth use of conditional promises 5. They are of use to work all these qualifications in us to which the blessings are promised By the exceeding precious promises we are made partakers of the Divine nature 2 Pet. 1.4 and this is no small work or use of these promises that from them should spring all our gracious qualifications for the Lord having promised such blessings in them these promises being received and enjoyed and meditated on by us we beholding them and the glory of the Lord Jesus in them are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord 2 Cor. 3.18 this great power there is in the promises to help an end the work of God in the soul of a Christian so that though they were never given to bring us to Christ yet to this end they were given to work all those qualifications in us to which the blessings are promised 6. They are of use to provoke and stirre up Christians to all such duties to which blessings are promised they stirre them up effectually The Lord maketh a Promise 2 Cor. 6.17 18. that such as touch no unclean thing he will receive them and be a father to them and they shall be his sons And mark what use the Apostle maketh of this conditional promise chap. 7.1 Having therefore these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthinesse of the flesh and spirit perfecting holinesse in the fear of God Implying that the having of these promises stirreth up Gods people unto duties and the Lord is wont to breath in them and so to set forward the work of cleansing in the hearts and wayes of his servants 7. They are of use further to strengthen faith for the Lord that hath made such promises will accomplish them for his servants Genes 32.9 10. Jacob there putteth the Lord in minde of his promise and saith O God of my father Abraham God of my father Isaac and the Lord which said unto me Return unto thy Countrey and to thy kindred and I will deal well with thee and he was now returned according to the appointment of God but what now doth he plead the condition minde in the next words I am not worthy of the least of all the mercies and of all the truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant Yet now though hepleadeth not any worth at all yet seeing the Lord hath promised such a mercy to him he prayeth for it vers 11. Deliver me I pray thee from the hand of my brother thus his faith is strengthened though he doth not plead his worthinesse to receive mercy So also do absolute promises strengthen faith and the prayer of faith 2 Sam. 7.13.14 c. the Lord there promiseth David that he would build him an house and that he would not take his mercy from his Children this stirreth up and strengtheneth the faith of David vers 28 29. Now O Lord thou art that God and thy words be true and thou hast promised this goodnesse unto thy servant therefore now let it please thee to blesse the house of thy servant c. this well ordered and sure Covenant of God was all his stay and all his salvation though his house was not so with God 2 Sam 23.5 So when the Lord promiseth to heal the back-slidings of his people Hosea 14.4 their hearts are strengthened to come unto the Lord and to say O Lord thy words are true let it please thee to heal the back-slidings of thy servants Thus by the promises of God the faith and faithfull prayers of Gods servants are both of them strengthned together Now let me further say thus much Let us rightly discerne what use to make of the principal part of the Scriptures take heed you do not close with promises before you have Jesus Christ specially take heed you make not use of promises to a qualification to give you your part in Jesus Christ neither be taken aside to make account that the Lord did give you himself gratiously in a conditional promise for these are aberrations from the Covenant of Grace Consider therefore well what the Promises be and what use the Lord would have us to make of them It is not for a woman to take her husbands inheritance before she take his person and you know that all the blessings and all the promises are as it were the Inheritance of the Lord Jesus given unto him and to no other but in his name and therefore there is not any Soul under Heaven that can challenge his right in Christ at the first by any promise till Christ first be given if you know that you are in Christ you may then know that the promises are yours otherwise you shall not be able to know your right in Christ by your right in the promises and therefore do not turn them upside down beyond the scope and intendment of the Covenant of Grace we may take occasion by them to admire the goodnesse and grace of God as David did Psal 31.19 O how great is thy goodnesse which thou hast laid up for them that fear thee thus ought we to consider of them and whither to look that we might enjoy them and the blessings in them If you shall say We have been converted and we have had gratious changes wrought within us be not deceived such work may reach no farther then conviction and you may come at the last to turn your backs upon Jesus Christ Consider therefore did ever the Lord give himself to be one with you whensoever the Lord doth strike up the bond of Union it is in an absolute and free-promise of his grace Trust not therefore unto every leaning of your Souls upon conditional promises for so you may build upon a Covenant made upon a work and in the end you and your Covevenant will fail together but when you read how the Lord hath made such promises to such and such qualifications then consider that those things are indeed requisite to be found in you but who is there in heaven or earth that is able to work them in you there is none but Jesus Christ and unlesse you have him to be in you you cannot have any of these things wrought in you But will a poor Soul say I am not able to reach the Lord Jesus Christ therefore all the promises of the Gospel do fall heavy upon a man and he seeth that they are too burdensome and weighty for him he doth not say Here is the qualification and here is the blessing promised to it and therefore I will take it to my self but one that is taught of God doth forthwith go and pray unto God that he will set him in the way of those blessings and that so he will make him partaker of them he prayeth that God will give him his
had put away his sin he should not dye yet still he prayed for mercy Psal 51.1 and for establishment with Gods free Spirit ver 12. and Make me to hear the voice of joy and gladness ver 8. why had he not heard it already it was a most gracious word that Nathan spake true but he is not yet clear in it it is that Holy Ghost that must make him to hear the voice of joy and gladness otherwise though a man hath much experience of Gods goodness to him and sits and talks of the wonderful things that God hath done for him to the warming of the hearts of all that hear him yet the soul cannot reach that abundant satisfaction which he doth desire till at length the Lord comes in some Ordinance of his and beareth witness freely of love bestowed upon us and such a testimony will marvelously settle and establish any soul in the world so that it is the Spirit that beareth witness unto faith and nothing can do it but the Spirit only and yet if the Spirit should breath out of the word it were but a delusion Isai 8.20 To the law and to the testimony if they speak not according to that it is because they have no light in them And therefore the Lord couples his word and his Spirit together Isai 57.19 I create the fruit of the lips peace peace though it be creating work yet it is by the fruit of the lips so likewise Isai 59.21 My Spirit that is upon thee and my words that I have put in thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed from henceforth and for ever Thus the Spirit of God in the word is mighty to begin and mighty to carry an end spiritual work in the soul Now the ordinary manner of the revelation of the Spirit is if he reveal Gods free justification of us it is by revealing his free grace in a promise not made to works no not to faith it self but rather as a thing to be created by the word of a free promise unto sanctification indeed he doth bear witness in any promise as if the question be about Abraham's sanctification how did the Lord reveal it we may see Gen. 22.12 By this I know that thou fearest me seeing thou hast not withheld thy son thine only son from me but for his justification the Lord had revealed that in another promise Gen. 15.5 6. wherein God brought him forth and bids him Look now towards heaven and tell the stars if thou be able to number them and he said unto him So shall thy seed be and among them he shews him that seed that shall be a blessing unto all nations this is a thing beyond his capacity but this he believed and it was counted unto him for righteousness now in this the Lord reveals nothing but his free grace without any respect unto any goodness in Abraham faith was in him before and had put forth it self by faith when he was called he went out not knowing whither he went Heb. 11.8 but a man is justified not by the habit of faith only but by every act of faith and as often as this is revealed so often is the grace of God revealed unto the soul for it is nothing that God seeth in Abraham for which he doth reveal his justification to him but this he doth freely of his grace and so Abraham receives it Rom. 4.4 5 6. c. To him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted to him for righteousness which shews us that Abraham looks at himself as an ungodly man when he considereth his justification not but that Abraham was now godly in Scripture account before but he looketh at him that justifieth the ungodly as David describeth the blessedness of the man to whom the Lord imputeth righteousnesse without works for thus the Lord setteth it home unto the heart without works saying Blessed is the man whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered so it is free blessedness that the Lord reveals unto the soul and lest you should think that these things were peculiar to Abraham and David c. he tels us ver 23 24. that it was not written for his sake alone that it was imputed to him but for us also c. As it was with the Father of the faithful so it is also with all believers which are his children that as he considered not his own body that was dead nor the deadness of Sarah's womb so neither should we consider this or that in our bodies or souls for if we were thus and thus fitted for justification then the reward would be of works and so a debt unto us now though works be there when justification is again and again revealed yet it comes not into sight for a double reason First Reas 1 Because when the Lord appears as justifying the soul he sits upon a throne of justice and a throne of grace together not accepting any righteousness but that which is compleat and adequate Rom. 3.26 To declare I say at this time his righteousness that he might be just and the justifier of him that believeth in Jesus it is not justice for God to pronounce a man just upon any other righteousness besides the righteousness of his Son for if God should mark what we have done no flesh living should be justified in his sight Psa 143.2 but through the righteousness of Christ which is perfect the Lord justifies every one that believeth in him and that act of faith whereby a man taketh hold on Christ and receiveth Christ that is it which quieteth the soul for it is not meet that the Lord should justifie any simple work of mine for if the Lord should justifie me so mine own cloathes would defile me and if I should come before him with any work which he hath wrought in me to be accepted for it this would be preposterous and out of place for he will have a full righteousness to accept me before he will pronounce me righteous and therefore I am first called to his Son for as there is no more required to make me a sinful man but that I be found in Adam so there is no more required to my justification but that I should have union with the second Adam Secondly Reas 2 As the Lord doth sit upon a Throne of justice when he justifies a soul so he doth also upon a Throne of grace Rom. 3.24 We are justified freely by his grace therefore he will not justifie any man upon works lest they should boast before him and therefore you shall finde it to be true that if the Lord be to declare his acceptance of the sanctification of his people he will not do it in respect of the worth of their works but according to the grace of his promise But is not my sanctification a work of free
A TREATISE OF THE COVENANT OF GRACE As it is dispensed to the Elect Seed effectually unto Salvation BEING The substance of divers Sermons preached upon Act. 7.8 by that eminently holy and judicious man of God Mr. John Cotton Teacher of the Church at Boston in N. E. The second Edition by a Copy far larger then the former and Corrected also by the Authors own hand This Copy was fitted for the Press by Mr. Tho. Allen Minister in Norwich LONDON Printed by Ja. Cottrel for John Allen at the Rising-Sun in Pauls Church-yard May 1659. The 13. of the third Moneth THe Works of this Reverend Author now with God have already praised him in the gate The name of Cotton is as an oyntment poured out nor needs there more to commend a Book to any godly Readers acceptation then to say 't is his But as the name of this Author puts a great value upon the Work so the Subject matter doth it much more The Covenant of Grace is a taking Title How free is Grace how sure is the Covenant The freeness of grace and the sureness of the Covenant of Grace as made with Jesus Christ for us or with us in Jesus Christ is the Subject of this excellent Piece That unbelievers may be inticed into the bonds of this Covenant and believers grow up in the joy and comfort of it and that the unsearchable riches of grace may be admired by all are the reasons of this Publication Joseph Caryl THE STATIONER TO THE READER THe former Edition of this excellent Treatise of the Covenant of Grace containing the sum and substance of divers Sermons preached by that precious servant and man of God Mr. John Cotton Teacher of the Church at Boston in New England having found good acceptance amongst godly and judicious Christians and the Book being much desired and sought for still by divers I am encouraged to publish this second Edition and so much the rather too in regard that by the good hand of the Lords Providence I have of late received from a neer Friend and Relation one of the reverend Elders of that Church another Copy of the said Treatise far larger then the former above a third part corrected also in some places by the Authours own hand before his death the reason of which enlargement is not from any addition by any other hand but as may easily be conceived from the diversity of the Amanuenses who did take the Notes of his Sermons some writing the same more largely and exactly then others and several Copies so taken being presented to the reverend Author to correct He as he had leasure willing and ready to gratifie the desire of his Friends did peruse and rectifie the sense with his pen as he went cursorily over the same 'T is not for me to say any thing by way of commendation of the Book and what is contained in it and therefore I shall wholly forbear it being sufficient to speak for it self only I shall crave leave to say thus much viz. That in the judgment of some who have perused it were there only one of them to be had 't were worth its weight in gold J. A. A Table of the Contents Doct. THe Coherence of the Text Pag. 1 In the Covenant which God made with Abraham God gave himself to be a God to him and his seed and received Abraham and his seed to be a people unto himself and the chiefest of this seed the Lord Jesus Christ he took to be the Meditator or Surety of this Covenant between them both Pag. 3 In the Covenant these three things are implyed Pag. 4 Viz. 1. That God gave himself to be a God unto Abraham and his seed 2. That God did receive Abraham and his seed to be his people 3. That God takes the Lord Jesus Christ to be the Mediator and Surety of this Covenant 1. God gave himself unto Abraham containeth three things 1. The Blessing given viz. 1. The whole Nature of God and all the Persons Pag. 6 2. All the Ordinances Creatures and works of God Pag. 8 2. The Order in which it is given 1. God doth first give and not the Creature Pag. 11 2. God is the first thing that is given ib. 3. The Manner of giving wherein the Freedom Of the Gift Pag. 12 Eternity Of the Gift Pag. 12 Object The Lord did require that he should give himself again Answ Pag. 13 Object The Lord did require that himself and seed should be circumcised Answered ib. 2. The Lord did take Abraham and his seed by a double act Pag. 15 1. By preparing them by a spirit of Bondage Pag. 16 Burning ibid 2. By giving of himself to them and taking possession of them by his Spirit Pag. 19 Quest How doth the Lord give himself unto his people and they receive him ib. Answ 1. The Spirit takes up his seat in the soul making it his Temple ib. 2. The Spirit also worketh faith in the soul to Give it self to the Lord. Pag. 20 Receive Jesus Christ Pag. 20 Which Faith is built upon some absolute Promise of grace Pag. 22 From Union with Christ there springeth Communion with him in spiritual blessings Pag. 24 Viz. 1. Relative blessings not created in us adoption and justification ib. 2. Positive blessings created in us sanctification and glorification Pag. 25 3. The Lord did take Jesus Christ the chiefest of Abrahams seed to be the Mediator of his Covenant Pag. 27 Quest How did the Lord constitute him so to be ibid Answ 1. By taking Jesus Christ the Son of the Virgin Mary to be one Person with the second in Trinity ib. 2. By giving him to be a Covenant ibid. Wherein He Receiveth from God all the Promises and gracious gifts requisite for him to be King Priest and Prophet Pag. 28 Performeth all things needful for Application of redemption unto the souls of his people ib. Use 1. To teach the difference between the Covenants of works and of grace Pag. 29 1. Difference in the one God offereth himself upon condition of obedience not so in the other ibid 2. In that of works the union that is between God and a soul is by that faith from which people may apostate Pag. 30 3. In that Covenant the fruits which flow from it viz. the semblance of justification adoption and sanctification endure but for a season Pag. 32 Quest Is that sanctification the same that is in Gods children ibid Answ No being the sanctification either of Washed Swine Pag. 34 Goats ibid 4. In respect of the Mediator of the one and the other Pag. 36 Use 2. It holdeth sorth an Argument against the whole body of Arminianism Pag. 37 Use 3. To teach Gods people to bear a gracious respect to them that are under a Covenant of works and not forthwith to condemn them ibid Use 4. To clear up sundry passages that concern the Covenant of grace by answering of divers Questions 1. Quest What is the first gift that the
that 't is not safe to build upon Qualifications in our selves until Christ be first received in some Promise Pag. 150 Use 4. Of Consolation to such as rest upon the free grace of God in Christ Jesus revealed in some Promise Pag. 151 9. Quest How doth God the Son give himself to Abraham and his seed Pag. 152 Answ 1. By his taking our nature upon him and giving himself to redeem us by his obedience whether active or passive Pag. 153 2. By revealing the Father unto us and his free grace Pag. 158 Whence ariseth liberty From the burden of fears Pag. 160 Of hope through the filling of the Spirit Pag. 162 3. By keeping us in this state Pag. 163 Both by Praying for us Pag. 164 His ruling Providence ib. Use 1. Then our state before redemption is a state of Bondage Pag. 166 2. To teach such as are in bondage where their Redemption lieth Pag. 167 3. To teach Christians to hold on in this way Pag. 170 4. To wait on the Lord for this his Redemption ibid 5. To stand fast in our Christian liberties Pag. 171 Quest 10. How God the Holy Ghost doth give himself to Abraham and his seed ibid 1. For Inhabitation Pag. 172 Which is necessary 1. For Union with Jesus Christ Pag. 173 2. To keep possession against all adversary powers Pag. 174 2. For Sanctification opened at large Pag. 177 3. For Revelation and what things he doth reveal Pag. 185 How he doth reveal viz. by Witnessing to our spiritual state Pag. 188 Making known all necessary truth yea even our faith and justification Pag. 192 For Application 't is useful 1. To teach Christians not to be afraid of the word Revelation Pag. 199 2. Not to look for any Revelation without the Word Pag. 201 3. In Justification to look for no word but such as holds forth some absolute Promise of free grace ib. 4. The fourth work of the Holy Ghost is Consolation Pag. 203 Viz. by Bearing witness with an abundant measure of consolation Pag. 204 A more constant and abiding comfort Pag. 205 A powerful and strong consolation ibid Here two Queries 1. What is the Seal of the Spirit and how it doth seal Pag. 206 1. By confirming the Promises to the soul ib. 2. By engraving the likeness of Christ in the soul Pag. 210 3. By distinguishing the Saints from others Pag. 211 2. How is the Holy Ghost an earnest Pag. 212 Answ 1. As he bindeth the bargain between God and the soul ibid 2. As he is the first fruit of the payment ibid Use 1. To teach us how to speak of the Seal of the Spirit Pag. 213 2. To teach the danger of laying claim to a Promise by any work of grace before we have the Seal of the Spirit ib. Yet the Spirit doth not seal immediately but by and in some word of Promise Pag. 214 3. To teach such as have received the first fruits of the Spirit to know that they have received an earnest of an everlasting possession Pag. 215 4. To teach us that if we have received Christ never to rest till the Holy Ghost doth stampe more of the image of Christ in us Pag. 216 The second branch of the Doctrine That God received Abraham and his seed to be a peculiar people unto himself Pag. 217 For which three things are opened 1. That God did take Abraham and his seed to be a peculiar people to himself Pag. 218 2. How he did so take them to be his people ibid 3. Who are meant by Abraham and his seed Pag. 219 Quest Whether the carnal seed had any portion in the Covenant of grace Pag. 219 Answ 1. They were called to outward fellowship of the Covenant Pag. 220 2. They are not far from the kernel and blessing of the Covenant ibid 1. They have not only outward Ordinances and common gifts of the Spirit but a liberal use of the Creatures much patience of God ibid 2. They have the Offer of the sure mercies of David Pag. 222 Now the Causes of their being discovenanted are Either Mocking or persecuting of the Covenant ib. The love of worldly sensual blessings Pag. 223 A self-confident cleaving unto gifts received by the Covenant Pag. 224 The Vse 1. To justifie the righteousness of God in the confusion of the children of Christian Parents Pag. 227 What we may think of the Infants of Parents in Covenant if they die Pag. 229 2. To teach Parents that are in Covenant to bring up their children under the wing of the Covenant Pag. 230 3. To teach them that are in Covenant to be all themselves and theirs for God Pag. 231 Here is a ground 1. For Family-duties ibid 2. To improve all we have for the glory of Gods grace Pag. 232 4. To look to the Lord in all duties to receive us and ours Pag. 233 The third Branch of the Doctrine That the Lord took the chief of Abrahams seed the Lord Jesus Christ to be the Mediator and Surety of the Covenant between God and Abraham Pag. 234 Christ is a fit Mediator in respect Of his Person being God-man whereby he is Fit to be the ground of union with God Pag. 235 Able to maintain it ib. Offices by Removing offences ib. Communicating good things ib. 1. As a Priest offering Sacrifice making intercession c. Pag. 236 2. As a Prophet he teacheth us all things 3. As a King he applies all to us subdues Us to himself ibid The creature to us ibid In particular He is a Mediator of the Covenant in a threefold respect 1. In that he is the Messenger of it to publish it Pag. 237 2. In that he doth ratifie and confirm it by a threefold Seal 1. By his bloud ib. 2. By his Spirit ib. 3. By the Seals of the Covenant Pag. 238 3. In that he is the Prince and Head of it ibid Which implyeth three things 1. That all the Covenant is made first with him ibid 2. That he doth inherit the blessings of the Covenant Pag. 239 Therefore He Fulfilled all the conditions of the Covenant ib. Communicateth the blessings of the Covenant ib. 3. That he doth apply the comforts of the Promises to us ib. Use 1. For refutation of the Popish Doctrine that deviseth other Mediators Pag. 240 Object We pray the Saints to pray for us Resp 1. Christ bath bidden us to pray one for another but not to the Saints in Heaven ibid 2. We do not depend upon the merit of their Prayers 241 2. For Instruction how to make an holy use of all the gifts of Gods grace and duties of Gods worship Pag. 242 3. A ground to strengthen faith and for encouragement to the duties and fruits of it Pag. 246 THere seems to be a gross mistake or Errata through the leaving out of one word not in pag. 240. within 3 or 4. lines of the bottom 'T is said it were Idolatry I think it should be It were not Idolatry THE COVENANT OF GRACE
As it is Dispensed to the Elect Seed effectually unto Salvation Act. 7.8 the former part of the verse And he gave him the Covenant of Circumcision THis blessed servant of God Steven being called to account concerning what he had said touching Jesus Christ his destroying the Temple it is the scope of his whole Discourse throughout this Chapter to justifie the Doctrine that he had taught that though he had taught Jesus of Nazareth should destroy that place yet in so teaching he taught no Blasphemy And this he doth in an Historical Narration make clear and evident 1. From the sweet Communion which their Fathers had with God before either Temple or Tabernacle was built and if so then he would not have them look at it as unsafe for them or as an utter ruine to Religion if that both the Temple and the Ordinances of the Temple were destroyed in themselves and fulfilled in Him Three passages of Abrahams communion with God Steven doth relate and maintain that he had them before any of Moses his Customes were known 1. God did effectually call him which call he did also obey 2 3 4. ver though as yet he knew no Circumcision 2. God giveth him a trial of his Faith wherein he found Abraham faithful 5 6 7. verses God promised to give him the land of Canaan for a Possession but he gave him not a foots breadth He promised to give it unto his Seed when as yet he had no childe and when God gave him Seed yet they should sojourn in a strange Land and be in Bondage four hundred years 3. God gave him the Covenant of Circumcision in the words of the Text. And Abraham in the strength of the Blessing of God begat Isaac and circumcised him according to Gods direction and all this before Moses gave any Ordinances unto them to keep and before either Temple or Tabernacle was built From hence we have heard that the soul may have very spiritual and gracious communion with God before it partake in any seal of Church-fellowship For Abrahams Faith was throughly tryed before he had the Seal of Church-Covenant given him We heard also this propounded which is the words of the Text that God gave unto Abraham the Covenant of Circumcision which Doctrine doth imply in it four principal parts all of them serving to clear Stevens meaning 1. The Author and manner of dispensing it God gave so it was by Gift 2. The Articles of it and they are to be inquired into 3. The Confederates and they are expressed God on the one side and Abraham and his Seed on the other side 4. The Seal of it Circumcision which was also the Seal of Church-Covenant These four parts do yeeld so many Notes the first of them was spoken unto in the last point formerly handled Now for the second and third parts to wit the Articles of the Covenant and the Confederates we comprehend them both in this one Note That in the Covenant which God made with Abraham Doct. God gave himself to be a God to Abraham and to his Seed and received Abraham and his Seed to be a People unto himself and the chiefest of this seed the Lord Jesus Christ he took to be the Mediator or Surety of this Covenant between them both This is the sum of the Articles and of the Confederates what the Articles be is not here mentioned but Gen. 17.7 they be for to speak of Circumcision before the Covenant it is but a seal to a blank where the Lord expresseth himself thus saying I will stablish my Covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee in their generations for an everlasting Covenant to be a God unto thee and to thy seed after thee As for other parts of the Covenant they were more properly given unto himself as to be exceeding fruitful and to be the Father of many Nations to inherit the land of Canaan c. those things were more peculiarly proper unto Abraham though they have also a moral and universal use and force in all the Faithful whom the Lord doth make fruitful and giveth them a Nail in his Tabernacle In the Covenant these three things are implied 1. God gave himself to be a God unto Abraham and to his Seed this is such an Argument as the strength and wisdome of men and angels cannot unfold It is a Catechism-point and by way of Catechism to be opened as the Lord hath revealed it I mean plainly and familiarly 2 God did receive Abraham and his Seed to be his People this is implyed and necessarily inferred by the rule of Relatives for if God do give himself to be a God to Abraham and to his Seed and doth not firstly require it of Abraham and of his Seed that they should give up themselves to be his People then it must of necessity follow that the Lord will undertake to receive them to be a People unto himself and so he will perform both his own part of the Covenant and Abrahams part also according to what we read Deut. 7.6 7 8. The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special People unto himself Not because ye were in number more then any people for ye were the fewest of all people but because he loved you and would keep the Oath weâ— he had sworn unto your fathers therefore hath be brought you out with a mighty hand c. when as they were in a land of Idols and the Lord lifted up his hand to have destroyed them there yet he remembred and wrought for his own Names sake So that though they were far off yet the Lord to make good his Covenant brought them out of Aegypt and so from one Covenant to another by all which things it doth appear that the Lord will keep our part of the Covenant also and this is necessarily implied in that he promiseth to be a God unto Abraham and to his Seed and there is no Restipulation on Abrahams part we see this likewise held forth Deut. 29.1 13. where the Lord entereth into another Covenant with them in the land of Moab besides the Covenant which he made with them in Horeb and in this Covenant he doth establish them to be a People unto himself as well as give himself unto them to be their God ver 13. And as God required it of them to circumcise the outward man even the foreskin of their children so he will also circumcise them taking possession of them and circumcising their hearts taking away the stoniness of them and so fitting them to be a Temple for himself to dwell in 3. The Lord in this Covenant taketh the chiefest of Abrahams Seed even the Lord Jesus Christ to be the Mediator and Surety of the Covenant and unto him do all the Promises belong so the Apostle doth expound it Gal. 3.16 Unto Abraham and to his seed were the Promises made He saith not And to his seeds as of many but as of one And to thy seed
which is Christ And so by him are all the Promises and Blessings of the Covenant conveyed unto Abraham and to his seed his faithful seed all the world over and therefore he is called the Mediator of a better Covenant Heb. 7.22 meaning the Covenant of Grace Heb. 3.6 These three things do contain the sum of the Covenant of Grace and of the Gospel of Jesus Christ and would therefore be plainly discovered unto Christians As 1. What is the meaning of this that God gave himself unto Ahraham 2. How doth he take Abraham and his seed and make them his People 3. How doth he take Jesus Christ and make him the surety of the Covenant between them both For the Covenant is established and so is a firm and sure and everlasting Covenant Now in this gift that God gave himself unto Abraham Observe 3. things 1. The Blessing given 2. The Order in which it was given 3. The manner of giving it 1. In the Blessing given when God doth by Covenant give himself to be a God it doth imply 2. things 1. That God doth give himself the Father the Son and the Holy Ghost the whole Nature of God and all the Persons of the Godhead with all the Attributes of that Nature and all the Offices of those Persons For it is not a confused God that vanisheth away in a general imagination but God distinctly considered in his Persons Attributes Properties c. thus the Lord giveth himself to Abrabam and to his seed I will be a Father unto you 2 Cor. 6.28 and that is not spoken to the Jewes only but unto all the Israel of God He giveth the Son also Isa 9.6 Vnto us a Son is born c. and God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son Joh. 3.16 And for the Holy Spirit This is my Covenant with them Joh. 16.7 13. saith the Lord Isa 59.21 My Spirit that is upon thee and my words that I have put into thy mouth shall not depart out of thy mouth nor out of the mouth of thy seed nor out of the mouth of thy seeds seed from henceforth and for ever and this is it which the Apostle also saith Gal. 4.6 God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father thus the Lord giveth himself unto his servants from one generation to another If therefore the Lord God the Father give himself he will not be wanting to draw his people unto the Son Joh. 6.44 No man can come to me except the Father which hath sent me draw him And what is the chief business and work that the Son hath to do about us No man can have fellowship with the Father but he must have fellowship with Jesus Christ so our Saviour himself saith Joh. 14.6 No man can come unto the Father but by me this therefore the Lord Jesus Christ will do for all the elect seed of Abraham He will open their eyes to see that the Father did not draw them to Damnation nor utter desolation but unto Salvation by him this hath he promised to do And if it be the work of the Spirit of God to establish us both in the Father and the Son then will he convince the world of Sin of Righteousness and of Judgment Joh. 16.8 to 11. and so will stablish our hearts in the Comforts of the Lord our God and this is that which the Apostle prayeth for the Ephesians chap. 3.16 That the Lord would grant unto them according to the riches of his glory to be strengthned with might by his spirit in the inner man and hence it cometh to passe that what the Lord would have us to do he is present by his Spirit to teach us and to strengthen us and so to do it for us All these things doth the Lord work for Abraham and for his seed so that look what is meet for a Father to do or for a Brother to do or for the Spirit of God to do that will the Lord do unto his elect ones and so he giveth all his Attributes and they are even God himself and therefore when Moses desired to see his Glory and he desired it from the Grace that God had shewed him Exod. 34.6 the Lord proclaimed his Name before him Jehovah Jehovah strong merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in goodness and truth thus doth the Lord give himself and all the Persons in the Godhead as they are called and Attributes they are no more nor other then God himself 2. And as God himself is implyed so when God is given by Covenant all the Ordinances and Creatures and Works of God are given also For so it was in all Covenants of old time when Jehosaphat maketh a Covenant with Ahab King of Israel 2 King 22.4 then I am as thou art and my people as thy people and my ho ses as thy horses and all that he hath is for Ahabs service as the King goeth so goeth his strength So thus it doth come to passe that if the Lord of Hosts be for us and give himself unto us then also doth he give us his eternal Election and Redemption and whatsoever he hath wrought for the salvation of his Elect He hath not so dealt with any Nation Psal 147.20 but only with the Israel of God unto them hath he given his Lawes and shewed them his Judgments And for his Creatures they are all given to be for his people to whom he hath given himself If God be a God unto Abraham then shall all Gods people be sor him Melchizedeck shall blesse him Aner Eshchol and Mamre shall be confederates with him The Sun Moon and Stars shall fight in their courses for the people of God the Sea shall give way unto them to passe through it on dry ground What ailed you ye streams of Jordan to go backward Why all the creatures of God must stoop unto the people of God when he is in Covenant with them this is that which the Lord promiseth unto his people Hos 2.18 to 22. when the Lord shall marry them to him in faithfulness In that day saith the Lord I will make a Covenant for them with the beasts of the field and with the fowls of the heaven and with the creeping things of the ground and I will break the bow and the sword and the battel out of the earth and I will make them to lie down safely And it shall come to passe in that day I will hear the Heavens and they shall hear the Earth and the earth shall hear the Corn and the Wine and the Oyl and they shall hear Jezreel Whether Paul or Apollo or Cephas or the World or Life or Death or things present or things to come all are yours 1 Cor. 3.22 This is the large Gift of Gods Covenant Nay and which is wonderful and beyond all comprehension when I say all the creatures and ordinances of God are ours the very expression of the phrase doth
sandy foundation What say you then to works after conversion All works after conversion are fruits of Faith and if they proceed from Faith then faith went before then a mans faith was not built upon a conditional promise how is it possible that it should when as all works after conversion are either fruits of Faith or else they are no true sanctification then faith went before in order of Nature and so was not built upon works but works upon it Our Faith closeth with Christ upon a promise of Free-Grace Calvin Inst l. 3. c. 2. s 29. otherwise as saith Calvin my faith would alwaies be trembling and wavering as my works be Upon a promise of Free-Grace therefore my Faith is built as upon the promise of God in Christ reconciling the world unto himself 2 Cor. 5.18 19. The word is it may be spoken outwardly unto all Christians but if God do set it home particularly unto any Soul that man receiveth this Gift of God and it is made his own First he beleeveth the promise of Free-grace and then afterward come other promises that do bear witness unto the right application of that promise unto the soul but I am first built upon a promise of Free-grace or else there is no true closing with Jesus Christ well then being thus united unto Christ from this union with Christ do flow all other blessings and benefits of the Covenant of Grace for hence springeth communion with Christ in all spiritual blessings that the Lord hath wrought for us in him and they are two of them Relative blessings as they are called by Divines two of them positive blessings The two Former are laid up in Gods own Hand and are not created in us the other two positive Blessings are created in us 1. For the uncreated Blessings They are 1. Adoption 2. Justification And they spring immediately simul semel from the former union with Christ for as soon as ever the Spirit of God is in our hearts and hath wrought faith that we do not spurn against Jesus Christ but receive him now is the Divine Nature of Christ in us and we are now become the sons of God as Christ himself is Look as in a mans first natural conception as soon as ever one doth live there is an heir of Adam even so soon as the soul liveth so it is in the new spiritual Birth as soon as the Holy Ghost cometh and hath wrought this Faith now is the Seed of God in us the Life of Christ and the Spirit of God and now we are the Sons of God as we read Joh. c. 12. As many as received him to them he gave power to be the sons of God Immediately upon this union with Christ we are Sons by Adoption and as we are adopted so likewise our sins are now imputed unto Christ and his righteousness unto us and so our persons are justified For how and when was Adams sin imputed unto us Psal 51.5 Behold I was shapen in iniquity in sin did my mother conceive me So soon as over there was life it was the life of Adam and then the imputation of Adams sin falleth immediately upon the soul So when we do receive Christ by this living Faith having the Life of Christ in us we have the righteousness of Christ the second Adam imputed to us For what doth the childe in the womb though it doth neither good nor evil but is meerly passive yet sinful it is and a childe of Adam So also in this our Regeneration the soul receiveth Christ by that Faith which the Lord hath wrought in it whereby also it is made capable of the priviledg of Adoption and so the Lord accounteth us his children and imputeth the Righteousness of his Son unto us whereby we are Justified These things do dwell in Gods Bosome and the meaning of them is afterwards revealed unto the soul but communicated they are both that of Adoption and this of Justification by this gift of faith wrought in us But we are still upon the first work of conversion wherein a Christian is only passive and receptive and truly it must needs be so in the first work of God upon us 2. Now for the Positive Blessings that are wrought in us They are 1. Sanctification 2. Glorification 1. When we are called then are we Sanctified then are we Glorified 1 Cor. 1.2 as in our natural conception as soon as ever the childe liveth Adams sin is first imputed and then there is a proneness in it to carry it captive unto fin and to make it backward unto any goodness So when the Life of Christ is dispensed unto the soul now the Lord comes to convey with it Justification or pardon of sin and then there is a promise in a Justified person to walk in the spirit Gal. 5.25 If we live in the Spirit let us also walk in the Spirit By Faith our hearts come to be purified Acts 15.9 and the same Spirit quickneth us unto holy duties so that we live yet not we but Christ liveth in us neither are we only in his hand but the Spirit sanctifying draweth us into an holy confederacy to serve God in Family Church and Common-wealth and this Sanctification groweth and encreaseth more and more 2 Cor. 7.1 1 Thes 4.1 5.23 2. The other positive gift is Glorification which we read of Rom. 8.30 Whom he called them also he justified and whom he justified them also he glorified this the Apostle Peter mentioneth 1 Pet. 5.10 The God of all grace hath called us into his eternal glory it Christ Jesus And in truth he hath begun the work from the time that he first began to sanctifie us 2 Tim. 1.9 He hath saved us and called us from the very first time that God worketh upon the soul graciously there is a glorious work in that soul and others may see it though himself sometimes seeth nothing that he hath received Thus we see the second branch of the Doctrine opened How the Lord doth receive Abraham and his seed unto himself preparing them by a spirit of Bondage and of Burning and then taking possession of them savingly by the inhabitation of the blessed Spirit the same Spirit begetting Faith we are alive in Jesus Christ and so come to be Adopted and Justified in him the same Faith which receiveth Adoption and Justification doth begin to stir a little and to breath forth into gracious desires and some holy mourning and beginneth now to put forth such works as the holy Ghost carrieth the soul an end in working all our works in us and for us 3. Now for the third and last part of the Doctrine The Lord took the chiefest of Abrahams seed to be the Mediator of this Covenant unto whom all the Promises were made Gal. 3.16 How did the Lord constitute him so to be Quest 1. By a double Act first Answ by receiving Jesus Christ the Son of the Virgin Mary to be one Person with the
as there is a real difference in the presence of the Spirit so also in the work of Faith in hypocrites and the children of God for the one putteth confidence in himself and the other in Jehovah This is the first difference of Sanctification 2. There is difference also in the Rule whereby they are guided though both seek to the Word of God and take delight in that insomuch as you shall not be able to difference them there yet a great difference there is in the apprehension of the word the one is so confident of the strength and comfort that he hath in the word as he will be ready to take it ill at Gods hand if he finde not assistance from him and acceptance before him Now the other see their need they have of the Lord to maintain their strength and comfort for them this manner of affection we finde in David when as the Lord had brought him and his people into a sweet frame and temper of spirit to offer willingly towards the building of the Temple what saith David now doth he think this to be enough No no But he prayeth to the Lord 1 Chron. 29.18 O Lord God of Abraham Isaac and Israel our Fathers keep this for ever in the imagination of the thoughts of the heart of thy people and prepare their heart unto thee thus is he sensible that these comforts and strength would soon fail them and they should again wax barren and uncomfortable if the Lord should not still keep them and here is the nature of true strength and consolation in Christ to look up unto the Lord to preserve and maintain it and so he is still drawn nearer and nearer unto Jesus Christ But now though both attend unto the Word as their Rule of Sanctification if you take it in the way in which the one and the other hold it forth yet there is a great difference Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect unto all thy commandments Psal 119.6 Here is a Rule what may not Hypocrites walk according to this Rule Truly they profess no less and they think it is enough if they have but a rule in their eye and therefore under a spirit of Bondage they are confident and say Whatsoever the Lord commandeth us we will hear it and do it Deut. 5.27 and what saith Balaam Though Balak would give me an house full of gold and silver I cannot go beyond the commandment of the Lord Numb 22.18 and yet he loved the wages of iniquity and indeed those that undertake so much in their own strength they come afterward to be weary of the Lord and weary of his commandments as Amos 8.5 When will the new Moon be gone that we may sell corn and the Sabbath that we may set forth wheat c. and they say at last It is in vain to serve God and what profit is it that we have kept his ordinances Mal. 3.14 These are but like washed Swine that will crop grass for a while in a fair pasture but if you keep them long there they will not delight in such manner of feeding but will rather choose to go into the myre and into a jakes that I may so speak with reverence to the Assembly but as for Goats they will delight in the commandments of the Lord Isa 58.2 They delight to know my ways and delight in approaching unto God It is not a very hard thing unto them nor grievous to keep solemn fasting-days together they come willingly they delight to come therefore the difference will hardly be discovered and unless you be a Christian of a very clear discerning you will not finde the difference But an Hypocrite will not delight in all Gods commandments if you take Herod Object he will delight in John Baptists preaching and reform many things but if it come to his not having his brother Philips wife then put John into prison and in the matter of Herodias off with Johns head We see what hypocrites profess Deut. 5.27 Answ Whatsoever the Lord commandeth us we will hear it and do it But you will say Not always It is true a difference in time will grow but whilest they hold forth universal obedience how will the difference be discerned Discerned it will be when the Lord leadeth them forth with workers of iniquity but many may be led on to their death before they can be discovered and therefore what will the servants of God say I have seen hypocrites to outward view well rooted and more comfortable then I my self and for zeal and love the Galatians would have plucked out their eyes to have done Paul good they thought themselves blessed in his ministery blessed souls they took themselves to be whereas the dear servants of God are slow to see so much goodness in themselves they see so much corruption But you will say Object An hypocrite cannot aim at God as his last end but will out-shoot God in his own bow and at the highest he seeketh no more but his own salvation without respect unto the glory of God in it It is true Answ and in time will appear that every hypocrite thinketh to out-reach God in all the gifts that he hath received but in the mean while it is much that an hypocrite will do and so much that a poor Christian will be put to much exercise to finde a difference between himself and them Jehu did not only think that he had zeal for the Lord as he said Come see my zeal for the Lord of Hosts but good Jonadab likewise did so perswade himself and therefore did readily joyn with him in his reformation and when he proclaimed a sacrifice for Baal he thought that Jehu would do no harm to himself in the Temple of Baal Thus therefore sometimes it cometh to passe because an hypocrite may for a long time finde all his own ends attained in seeking the glory of God as Jehu did but but in conclusion when a man and his own honour must part then either he must hold to his own glory or else he must neglect it and keep him close to the honour of God but in the mean time what can I tell but that I may shake hands with and bid farewell unto Gods glory when his and mine lie at stake together But may not a man perceive a plain difference when it cometh to persecution Object No Answ persecution will not clear the difference For though the stony ground indeed fell off upon point of persecution yet the thorny soyl did not so Many Papists have died for their Religion and how much more then may some hypocrite do it for the Truth yea even give his body to be burned and yet want Jesus Christ and everlasting salvation by him 1 Cor. 13.3 Now when a poor Christian cometh and seeth how much such an one doth magnifie God both in doing and suffering and yet falleth away It maketh him conclude Surely I also shall at length turn away from
a second thing is expressed An Hypocrite may have a Taste of Jesus Christ in the Promises and be so affected with him that he doth despise all other things in comparison of him so as that he cometh to resolve for his part never to forgo him and hath so much confidence in God that he saith with Haman Whom will the King delight to honour more then my self and this illumination he taketh to be a strong and effectual conversion unto the Lord. 3. The Promises have a work of Conviction upon the Soul if any man refuse and despise them they leave him unexcusable Prov. 1.24 25 26. c. Because I have called and ye have refused I have stretched out my hand and no man regarded but you have set at nought all my Counsels and would none of my reproof I will laugh at your calamity c. thus is their bloud justly upon their own head that refuse and despise his Promises and they aggravate their condemnation another day and to this end the Apostle maketh use of a precious Promise of God Acts 13.38 39 40 41. Be it known unto you men and brethren that through this man is preached unto you forgivenesse of sins and by him all that believe are justified from all things from which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses beware therefore lest that come upon you which is spoken of by the Prophets Behold you despisers wonder and perish c. A strange Application of such a gracious Promise a sign there is a power in the Promises even unto this end Thus we see there is a marvelous gracious use of Promises before Union with Christ as to help Ministers and people with matter of Doctrine and Instruction and Exhortation so also to awaken men unto Illumination and Affection and Conviction and to seal them up unto everlasting destruction if they turn their backs upon them As the Promises are of use before our Union with Christ Ben. 2 so In our Union with him they are of great use for when the Lord giveth himself to the Soul he doth it in a promise He cometh unto the Soul riding as it were upon the Chariot of a Promise and begetteth faith in the Soul by the Promise or some such word of grace as is equipollent to a promise Ezek. 37.11 whereby we receive Jesus Christ though before him we can have no Promise yet in a Promise we do receive him This is the very first stroke of closing with Jesus Christ he giveth himself and we take him as he offereth himself even in a Promise such a like Dispensation of himself we read of Acts 3.25 26. Ye are the Children of the Prophets and of the Covenant which God made with our fathers saying unto Abraham And in thy seed shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed unto you first God having raised up his Son Jesus sent him to besse you in turning away every one of you from his iniquities Here is Christ offered in a Promise of free grace without any previous gracious qualification mentioned Howbeit many of them that heard the word believed and the number of the men was about 5000 about 3000 of them believed before so that here are 2000 that believe upon this gracious Promise the Lord Christ is offered to them and they receive him by faith Thus we see that Promises are not vain things but there are great use of them before our Union all Promises are of excellent use as also In our Union 3. After our Union with Christ they are of abundant useâ— They were of use before we were in Christ for Doctrine and for Instruction and for Exhortation but now they are of more efficacy in the same kinde and 1. They serve for Doctrine to teach us that there is not onely free grace in Christ but there are gifts of grace in Jesus Christ and all the Treasures of the good things of God are in him and all the blessings of the promises made unto qualifications are laid up in him also 2. They serve for instruction to direct us whither to look for qualifications and the blessings Promised unto them namely to the Lord Jesus Christ to receive the blessing through him and the qualification by the same hand for they are first fulfilled in him there is no good Condition but it is found in Jesus Christ no blessing belonging thereunto but it is found in Christ also in him therefore they are to be sought for so that though a poor Soul see himself wretched and blinde and naked yet he hath an husband in whom all riches is laid up this he is taught to know by the Promise and directed also to go to Jesus Christ that enjoying him he may enjoy all good things in him 3. They are of use to stirre up unto prayer for now I see that all these good things are in Christ and in him they must be enjoyed if they be enjoyed at all hereupon the Soul is set awork the holy Ghost concurring therewith to consider Is there so much grace in Christ and in him abundantly hath the Lord made so many gracious Promises unto such and such gracious qualifications whither then should I go either for the one or for the other but unto Christ that he may work in us a spirit of faith of love and of a sound mind and what else soever we stand in need of 4. They are of use to help us to know our spiritual state and means to discern thereof All these qualifications to which the Promises are made are fruits of the Spirit and will more or lesse declare unto you your sanctified state which is a marvellous blessing upon the promises made unto such conditions the Lord stirreth up the hearts of his people to seek for such conditions to which the promises are made and when the Lord hath given us them he then openeth our hearts to see what he hath given us and so to discern our sanctified estate Now I know that thou fearest God seeing thou hast not withheld thy Son thine onely Son from me so the Lord said to Abraham Gen. 22.12 wherein he bare witnesse to his work and this doth fill Abraham with strong Consolation together with the oath of God unto him for now the Lord doth not onely know it but causeth him to know it also so that if the Lord do but breath in such a fruit of the Spirit if he doth but give power to the Soul to do such a work unto which the promise is made and do make it appear unto the Soul to be indeed such by the revelation of his own blessed Spirit then doth the Lord fill the soul with consolation Psal 9.18 The patient expectation of the meek shall not perish for ever when the poor soul is meekned by Gods hand and the Lord letteth him so discern it that now he quietly resteth upon the Lord now the Spirit of God doth help David along to be supported with some stay and
have feared well enough but here is his confidence vers 15. God will redeem my soul from the power of the grave for he shall receive me But will not this make a Christian wanton against God and cause him to abuse his libety to hardness of heart no no brethren this is the kindly melting of a godly heart to consider a Redeemers love drawing him from the power of the grave and that he should by his sins pierce the Lord Jesus Christ this melteth his heart more then all his other sins specially considering the abounding Grace of God which where sin hath abounded grace aboundeth much more thus when a man doth not look for life by his own Righteousness but knoweth the Redemption of souls to be more precious then so this sheweth a man not to be under a Covenant of Works and then his very iniquity shall not make him afraid there is such a state in Christianity and let all men know it But will it not make men think the worse of Christian profession No David will have all to know it that they may see the difference between all worldly confidences and the confidence of Christians all their glory will leave them to be like the Beasts that perish and cannot redeem their souls that the Lord onely might be exalted 2. As a Christian looketh not for salvation by his obedience to the Law nor feareth condemnation by his disobedience so neither doth he seek for any blessing from his obedience nor fear any curse from his disobedience he seeketh not for blessings from his obedience and therefore if there be any promises of blessing made to any obedience though God should help him to as much obedience as might be he doth not look for any blessing from that obedience Rom. 4.4 5 6. To him that worketh the reward is not reckoned of grace but of debt but to him that worketh not but believeth on him that justifieth the ungodly his faith is counted to him for righteousness even as David describeth the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputeth righteousness without works He looketh not for his blessedness from his works though he should perform all the conditions to which the promises are made yet he expecteth all his blessing from free justification and union with the Lord Jesus Christ Blessed is the man to whom the Lord imputeth not sin this is the blessedness of Christians It is true the Lord doth bless the workings of his servants and accept them Mat. 25.34 35 36. The king shall say unto them on his right hand Come ye blessed of my father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world for I was an hungry and ye gave me meat I was thirsty and you gave me drink I was a stranger and ye took me in naked and ye cloathed me sick and ye visited me I was in prison and ye came unto me Thus Christ blesseth them but they are not sensible of their good deeds so as to expect blessings for their obedience sake and therefore they make answer and say Lord when saw we thee an hungry and sed thee or thirsty and gave thee drink c. neither do they fear the curse of God or that their sins should separate them from God those that are under the Law are cursed indeed if they do not continue in all things that are written in the Law to do them but this curse is removed from the elect by Jesus Christ 3. This also is a third effect of the freedom from the Covenant of Works that a Christian doth not look for conjugal comfort from his obedience nor fear conjugal divorce from his disobedience In a Covenant of works it is with a man as it was with Leah Jacob's wife who expected love and fellowship from her husband because of her fruitfulness Gen. 29.32 when she brought forth her first-born she said Now therefore will my husband love me and when she brought forth her third son ver 34. Now this time will my husband be joyned unto me but thus doth not a man under a Covenant of Grace for when he hath done all he can he is ready to say I am an unprofitable servant Luk. 17.10 and doth not challenge God for any of his dealing with him he seeth he deserveth not his daily bread and so looks for no reward from his good works though the Lord will graciously acknowledge his servants in what they do according to his will yet they are not wont to plead any such thing which is very observable in the practise of Jacob Gen. 32.9 10. c. O Lord God of my father Abraham and God of my father Isaac the Lord which saidst unto me Return unto thy country and to thy kindred and I will deal well with thee I am less then the least of all the mercies and truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant So he doth not press his performance of Gods Commandment to procure blessing but acknowledgeth his unworthyness and looketh for Grace from the Promise of God Deliver me I pray thee from the hand of my brother for thou saidest I will surely do thee good Nor doth a child of God fear divorce by his disobedience though it have been very great Sometimes the people of God have not onely rejected the servants of God but the Lord himself 1 Sam. 8.7 but when Samuel had pressed hard upon them for their sin Chap. 12. and they were truly humbled then Samuel said unto them vers 20 21 22. Fear not ye have done all this wickedness yet turn not aside from following the Lord but serve the Lord with all your heart and turn you not aside for then you should go after vain things that cannot profit nor deliver for they are vain for the Lord will not forsake his people for his great Name sake because it hath pleased the Lord to make you his people therefore fear you not he will not cast you off So that mind you a poor Christian doth not fear divorce from his disobedience for if we should look for blessing from the one or cursing from the other we were not under Christ but under the Law but he that is freed from the Covenant of Works is freed also from expecting salvation or fearing damnation from what he doth he knoweth the Lord will hide his face from him if he doe evil but he knoweth the Lord will not cast him off for ever yet he dares not commit sin but being under Grace he is the more affected if he shall at any time displease God and procure chastisement to himself and by this means the Lord doth mortifie his distempers On the other side if he do well he will not say Now my husband will cleave unto me and dwell with me no no we are freed from the Law Rom. 7.4 which we were not if we look for conjugal love from God for our obedience to the Law it is true if a man be married to the Law his
greatest falls have been in their most exemplary gifts If you shall mark the sins of all the servants of God they have been chiefly found in the very exercise of their best gifts Let us take a little taste of them that we may learn to use our gifts in the strength of Jesus Christ Abraham a man full of faith none went beyond him in Old nor New Testament yet if you read of any failing in him it is in want of the acting of faith What made him afraid not once but the second time that his wife would be taken away from him by Pharaoh Gen. 12. by Abimelech chap. 20. had not the Lord promised that he would bless him wheresoever he came Gen. 12.2 He had so much of the knowledge and grace of God shining in him that Sarah needed not have dissembled and Abimelech a poor Heathen could say as much chap. 20.16 Behold thy husband it a covering of the eyes to all that are with thee and with all other thus she was reproved as if he should say Thou needest no shifts and lies for thy protections and to be a vail unto thee this a poor Heathen can discern that such a man as hath God with him needeth no other shifts nor covering to defend and shelter him Thus we see that these great failings of Abraham were proper acts of unbelief Moses a meek man none like him for meekness on the face of the earth there is but one sin storied of him after he was called to the Government of that State and this was his failing Hear now you rebels Must we fetch you water out of this rock so he lift up his hand and with his rod he smote the rock twice Numb 20.10 11. they provoked Moses as meek as he was sometimes when Aaron and Miriam dealt as peremptorily with him he was not moved from the meekness of his spirit but now he falleth into Passion and this was the very sin for which the Lord excluded him out of Canaan Numb 27.12 13 14. It was the breach of this royal grace chap. 20.12 Because ye believed me not to sanctifie me in the eyes of the children of Israel therefore you shall not bring this congregation into the Land which I have given them which words shew us the reason of his failing in the grace wherein he so much abounded because ye believed me not The Lord will have him know that he must live by his fiath in his meekness If any man think himself to be a meek man and nothing shall over-wrastle him there if you believe not in God but in your meekness your confidence will soon fail you Peter a man full of courage and you read of two of his principal failings and both in point of courage he failed in the high Priests hall at the voice of a Damsel and in the porch at the speech of another Maid and the third time at the voice of one that stood by Mat. 26.69 c. whereas afterward when he lived by faith he became undaunted Another failing of his in point of courage we read of Gal. 2.12 He feared those of the circumcision and whereas before he did eat with the Gentiles when certain of the Circumcision came from James he withdrew and separated himself and so dissembled and others likewise with him insomuch that Barnabas also was carried away with their dissimulution Thus the Apostle Peter's most eminent gifts did not bring forth their fruits Know therefore that the best of all your gifts faith meekness courage wisdom love to your brethren will fail if you trust in them and you will be most apt to fail there wherein you do most excel If a man be wise he shall fail in that point and it may be in nothing so much as in that even in those things wherein he thinketh he walketh most wisely and such an one will find most trials in point of his wisdom and the like will be found in all other graces and all to this end to teach the Israel of God to know that no man liveth by his wisdom nor by any thing in himself but by faith in Jesus Christ whom God hath given unto his people and who is only able to give new supplies of his Spirit unto his servants to act every gift which he hath given them I might have mentioned the example of Sarab a meek and a quiet godly spirited woman subject and obedient to her husband and called him Lord whose daughters you are while you do well 1 Pet. 3.6 and yet you know one of her greatest failings was in point of Reverence to her husband Gen. 16.5 When she saw that she was despised in the eyes of her maid whom she had given unto her husband she said to Abraham My wrong be upon thee and the Lord judge between me and thee Where is the reverence of Sarah now Will you have the daughters of Sarah to imitate her herein What had her husband done There was no fault in him in this matter she had no reason to tax him upon this point it was her own counsel ver 2. that he should go in to her maid that I may obtain children by her therefore there was no colour of any just complaint on her part yet see this meek-spirited woman failed in the point of her meeknesse herein and did express no greater failing all her life long that we read of she was weak in faith once but there was great reason for that her womb was dead and her Lord as she called him was old also nor doth the Angel so much blame her about it but that action wherein she most failed was against that grace wherein she most abounded And though every grace of the Spirit be of great force when the Lord doth act and move it yet let a man go forth in the strength of his greatest gifts and if ever his heart fail him it will be in them Think not when you have done all you can that you are worthy of any thing but say that you are unprofitable servants for though Sanctification be the way wherein the Lord will pour out all his blessings upon his servants yet he doth require them to boast in none of their excellencies but look at them all as freely given them of God and consider that the right unto all springeth from fellowship with Jesus Christ that so not only the gift it self is grace but the blessing that followeth upon it is grace also And suppose that we have attained all that we pray for shall we then exalt our own gifts No but let us say with Jacob Gen. 32.10 I am less then the least of all the mercies and truth which thou hast shewed unto thy servant Do not trust upon gifts nor upon duties performed by those gifts to reach the blessing so look not for your justification from thence at all for the Apostle is plain that he looked not for any thing for his righteousness before his conversion and after his
in his Son Rom. 8.32 for he that spared not his own Son but delivered him up for us all how shall he not with him also freely give us all things So then this is the first and the great work of God that he hath given his Son out of his own bosom to take our nature upon him to lead a miserable life and to die a cursed death and in him hath given all his attributes his mercy and power unto the sons of men an undoubted sign that God intendeth to give himself in the Covenant of Grace unto his people when he giveth Jesus Christ himself in that Covenant as he doth say expresly Isa 42.6 I the Lord have called thee in righteousness and will hold thine hand and will keep thee and will give thee for a Covenant of the people for a light of the Gentiles Wherein we may see that God giveth another even that God the Father giveth God the Son thus it is a gift of the Covenant that the Lord giveth Christ to be the foundation of the Covenant and the chief blessing of it in chap. 49.8 He speaketh to the same purpose In an acceptable time have I heard thee and in a day of salvation have I helped thee and will preserve thee and give thee for a Covenant of the people c. No man hath seen God at any time Joh. 1.18 nor can see him nor will God the Father have immediate fellowship with any creature but the only begotten Son of the Father the Lord hath given him that he might reveal him Thus we may perceive that the Lord is gracious and marvelous gracious in that he giveth us his dear Son the second person in Trinity and thus he saith to his elect I will be a God unto thee and give thee my Son that shall redeem thee out of all distress and danger This doth the Lord for his people and it is a clear evidence of his grace and sheweth that his love unto his people is beyond all banks and bottoms for the Lord to give us his Son and this Son so soon as he was promised not the Lord only but his people saw him afar off Job 8.5 6. Your father Abraham rejoyced to see my day and he saw it and was glad For when the Lord Jesus Christ was promised unto him Gen. 17.16 17. and the Lord had said unto him I will bless Sarah and give thee a son of her yea I will bless her and she shall be a mother of many nations kings of people shall be of her then Abraham fell upon his face and laughed he did rejoyce that the Lord would give him a Saviour out of his loynes how it could be brought to passe it may be he knew not but by a Spirit of Prophecie did he discern it much no doubt This is the first work of God in giving himself by Covenant and this was done long ago before we were born he gave him in his eternal Counsel when he did elect us in him he gave him when he sent him into the world but this is more when he giveth us unto his Christ by Covenant and draweth us unto him and giveth Christ unto us also and this grace of God cometh neerer unto us the other did leave us like Lambs in a large pasture but now as he giveth us unto Christ so he giveth him to us and both in present possession and this the Father doth Joh. 6.44 for no man saith Christ can come unto me except the Father which hath sent me draw him and every one that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me Now this hearing and learning of the Father is a strange kind of learning which the Lord teacheth the soul by when he draweth him unto Christ an effectual Teaching and powerful 1 Cor. 1.9 God is faithful by whom ye were called unto the fellowship of his Son Jesus Christ our Lord. This is our effectual calling and this is the Lords giving us unto his Son Joh. 6.37 All that the Father giveth me shall come unto me all this is properly the work of the Father Men are said to be well given when they give themselves to their Books to their Works and business but this we may well say that we are indeed well given when the Lord giveth us unto his Son for otherwise we are but in an ill state which way soever we are given Quest If you shall ask how the Father giveth us and calleth us and draweth us to fellowship with his Son for they are Scripture-phrases and all of them of like value in Scripture-sence Ans In a word The Lord draweth us unto his Son by his Spirit and calleth us as by his Word so by his Spirit also and giveth us by his Word and Spirit unto Jesus Christ In this thing I shall speak no more unto you then what you have often heard and I suppose long ago received as that the Lord calleth his people out of their sins by the light of the Law and by the spirit of bondage he setteth home the Law effectually unto the soul and thereby draweth us from sin and from the world in some measure that we have now no might to those things which before we were full of delight in whether they be sins against the Law or sins against the Gospel it is the Lords usual dealing by his Spirit to set home sins against both Insomuch that thereby we come to be afflicted with some kind of trembling and fear and torment about our spiritual estate and thus it was with Saul who afterwards was Paul Act. 9.3 4 5 6. when Jesus Christ called unto him out of heaven he all trembling and astonished said Lord what wilt thou have me to do So it was with the Jaylor Act. 16.29 after the Lord had shaken his heart with an earthquake which is a sanction of the Law and a ratification of it as all Gods Judgements are he called for a light and sprang in and came trembling to Paul and Silas Thus the Lord draweth men out of themselves and their sinful waies by a spirit of bondage whereby they are greatly and deeply afflicted with fear concerning which the Apostle Paul saith 2 Tim. 1.7 God hath not given us the spirit of fear or bondage but of power of love and of a sound mind c. such fear also the Apostle John speaketh of 1 Joh. 4.18 when he saith Perfect love casteth out fear for fear hath torment which cometh from the sence of a mans state whereby he is many times forced to cry out and to say Wo worth my soul that ever I was born for the Lord causeth me to possess all my sins and presseth me down to the nethermost hell this is one work of the spirit of bondage by which the Lord draweth the soul out of itself and its sins though of it self the spirit of fear goeth no further then to shake a mans carnal confidence but there is a further act of the spirit
of bondage according to that power which was given to the faithful witnesses Revel 11. Besides this spirit of bondage the Lord hath another work which is called a spirit of burning Mal. 4.1 The day cometh that shall burn as an oven and all the proud yea and all that do wickedly shall be as stubble and the day that cometh shall burn them up saith the Lord of hosts and it shall leave them neither root nor branch This is a spirit of burning let us speak unto it a little The Prophet saith It shall leave them neither root nor branch There are two things in the root 1. First is the root of Abraham's Covenant which this people much trusted upon and that is it of which John Baptist speaketh Now the ax is laid to the root of the tree c. and this he spake Mat. 3.9 after he had said Think not to say with your selves We have Abraham to our father ver 8. So that all the confidence that they had in Abraham's Covenant and Temple and Tabernacle and such things is burnt up and so they have no root left them to stand upon And this is one thing intended by the root But 2. There is something more in it for with this spirit of burning the Lord by the power of his Spirit doth cut us off from any power of our own natural gifts or parts and spiritual gifts also whereby we thought to lay hold on Jesus Christ and we are cut off hereby from all that confidence that we have in our own sufficiency when once the Lord intendeth to bring a soul unto himself for there is an usual prefidence that we have of our own state though the Lord have cut us off from hope in the righteousness of our parents and from boasting of his Ordinances yet we think there is some power still left us and therefore we hope and will seek that the Lord may reveal himself to us in mercy and peace but when the Lord cometh neerer unto us he will shew us how unable we are to take up the least good resolution we shall be like bruised reeds and not find our selves able to hold up our heads for Christ came to seek and to save that which was lost So that Christ will not seek us until we be lost and therefore he saith Mat. 16.24 If any man will come after me let him deny himself and follow me and according hereunto it is that those converts Act. 2.37 do cry out when they were pricked in their heart and said unto Peter and to the rest of the Apostles Men and brethren what shall we do Hence it is also that the poor souls that came unto Christ Mat. 12.20 were like bruised reeds that could not hold up their heads for the Lord in this case bruiseth them and layeth them low that they see no more hope of mercy no likelihood that God should shew them any hope Thus doth the Lord burn up the root of Abraham's Covenant wherein men trust and the root of all our self-sufficiency that now we find our selves dried up and our strength consumed that now we are not able to think as of our selves a good thought And again The Lord by this spirit of burning doth burn up all our branches also how fair and green soever they have been all our fastings and humiliations and alms-deeds and prayers such things as the Pharisees much boasted in Mat. 6.1 2 3. c. but these things are all burnt up This is a spirit of bondage partly as it worketh a trembling and fear and partly as it worketh to the burning up of all the hope that we have in our selves There is a spirit of bondage I confess that only worketh unto fear and now all the hope is that a man setteth upon reformation but if the Lord love a mans soul he will not let him stay there but goeth further with him and sheweth him that his prayers fastings are all empty and fall short of the life and power of Jesus Christ I but yet the soul is not quite out of hope though the Law cannot save me if it cannot I must get me to Jesus Christ then and lay hold upon him for salvation as if all were to be had by faith in Jesus Christ if once he can lay hold upon him and nothing else were required but faith in Jesus Christ and my laying hold upon him I see plainly saith a man in this case that there is no hope in me as hath been rightly observed therefore he trusteth upon Jesus Christ and giveth himself to Jesus Christ but now if the Lord love thy soul he will not suffer thee there to rest the spirit of burning will not leave thee so How comest thou by faith in Jesus Christ Why Thou tookest it up of thy own accord thou thoughtest all thy gifts and duties were in vaine and therefore now thou wilt believe in Jesus Christ Is it so easie a matter Can any man come unto Christ except the Father draw him And is thy faith any more then a resolution of thine own when thou wast convinced of the emptiness of thine own gifts and abilities When this spirit of burning hath blasted this thy faith also and that by the clear evidence of the Gospel put upon it now saith the soul I see that I am not in Christ though I said I would trust in Christ yet I see it is not every one that saith Lord Lord shall enter into the kingdom of heaven now I see it is not my faith that will reach Jesus Christ it is not a faith of my own undertaking that will serve the turn I see now Christ alone must work this great work in me and Christ in the way of his own Ordinances therefore I must look for it in his word and in the fellowship of the Sacraments therefore I will look up unto the Lord in all these and wait for him and seek him therein And so the poor soul maketh account that in time he shall find Jesus Christ in the Ordinances and so hammereth out a faith from thence and therein blesseth himself Now minde you the Spirit of God when the Lord God the Father will draw home the soul throughly to Jesus Christ will burn up all thy confidence for if thy soul be not utterly lost so long as it hath any root or power in it self though I cannot work I will believe and if I cannot believe I will wait that I may believe and so here is still the old root of Adam left alive in us whereby men seek to establish their own righteousness whereof the Apostle Paul often maketh mention This old root putteth forth it self and will not suffer the soul to be wholly for Christ and for Christ alone and all because there is a spring of Adam still in the soul whence it is that the soul is marvelous apt to have hope and confidence more or less from some vertue or power in himself therefore it is
no small matter to be cut off from Adam that 's contrary to nature Rom. 11.24 as saith the Apostle For if thou wert cut out of the olive tree which is wild by nature and wert graffed contrary to nature into a good olive-tree this is marvelous strong work when the Spirit of God cometh to act contrary things to nature for nature is fully possessed that what God commandeth I am able to do it nature will not be perswaded to the contrary If I hear God command any thing I will do it saith a carnal heart and if I cannot do it I will believe and if I cannot believe I will wait that I may believe this is still but nature Now when the Lord cometh indeed to engraft us into Jesus Christ this is quite contrary to nature Why wherein is it so contrary to nature I answer whereas nature is active for it self now it cometh to passe that whereas a soul hath been stirring and busie in his own strength at length the Spirit of God by the mighty power of his Grace being shed abroad into the soul doth burn up root and branch not only the root of Abraham's Covenant but all the fatness of the root of the wild Olive by which we are fat and lively to spiritual work in our apprehensions so that we work in our own strength untill the Lord come and cut us quite down and make us to see that there is not in us the least good thought as of our selves and therefore unless the Lord be wonderfully gracious to us we cannot be saved till it come unto this the soul is not fit for Jesus Christ Thus the Spirit of God may work powerfully in the hearts men and burn up their root and branch and this a spirit of burning may do and yet leave the soul in a damnable condition for ought I know and such as many a soul may be in and yet never come to enjoy saving fellowship with Jesus Christ Therefore as this is one arm of God stretched forth for the salvation of his people when he draweth them home to Jesus Christ so 2. Secondly there is a further work of God when he giveth the spirit of adoption which reacheth beyond all the former work he hath cut us off from our selves and now we stand in a state quite contrary to nature and if any saving-work be wrought in us it is quite contrary to nature if any thing fall upon the heart and soul of a man to bring his will to this passe to lie down at Gods feet that he knoweth not what to do and yet whatsoever the Lord calleth him unto he is willing if it were possible to be done he would run through fire and water to do it but he findeth himself unable to do any thing and now he will tell you that to believe is as impossible for him as to build a world Why then bid him wait wait saith he I but I cannot wait and if I seek the Lord I cannot find him and I see others of the servants of God wrought upon graciously but dead hearted I nothing will work upon me Now in such a case as this the Spirit of adoption cometh into the heart of a Christian and taketh possession of the soul for Jesus Christ and so draweth the soul unto Jesus Christ and maketh it there to stay and there to lie down and to be willing to be drawn yet neerer and neerer to Jesus Christ and to be carried an end by him to take all from him and to give all the glory to him This spirit of Adoption doth give a man a son-like frame to lie prostrate at his Fathers will like unto the Prodigal son Luk. 15.17 18 19. who when he came unto himself and saw how unable he was to provide for himself and how unworthy he was that his father should do any thing for him he came and lay down as it were at the feet of his father for he is unable and unworthy of any mercy now this stooping of the heart unto God and yielding unto him to do with us as seemeth good in his own eyes is such a prostration of the heart wherein the Lord hath taken possession of the soul that now a man is led unto fellowship with Jesus Christ that there is none in heaven but him none in the earth in comparison of him that the soul desireth after and now a man waiteth upon Christ to see what he will do for him and though he cannot tell you that he waiteth yet he doth wait that he may be helped of God to depend upon him thus he receiveth all from Christ and giveth all unto Christ This is the Fathers drawing of the soul which is expounded to be the hearing and learning of the Father of which John speaketh chap. 6.45 He that hath heard and learned of the Father cometh unto me which is when the Lord hath drawn the soul out of his natural corruptions legal reformations pretences of faith and waiting upon Christ in his own strength for faith if it be wanting then when the soul doth lie at his feet to disposed of according to the will of God and is in some measure subject unto the Lord though not so much as he could be desirous he were and therefore now the soul doth not content and bless himself in his faith not any other gifts or works of his own but yieldeth himself humbly unto the Lord to work in him both will and deed of his own good pleasure and to teach him how to seek and wait and believe and long after Jesus Christ these things he waiteth for otherwise until he be thus taught of God the soul will alway think that he can do something and is not able to come out of himself to an utter denial of himself but if any man will come unto Christ he must deny himself even all his own gifts and parts and good works whatsoever for a man is never utterly denied until there be nothing left of which a man can say This I am able to do or this is an excellent thing in me and when it cometh unto this passe then will the soul lie down at the will of God and acknowledge that if the Lord would never shew him mercy just and righteous are his judgements Now when the soul and will of a Christian are convinced of these things as well as his judgement that now he waiteth upon Christ as well that he may be able to wait and seek the Lord as he doth for any other good thing from the Lord he waiteth now upon the Lord for a poor spirit and cannot perk up himself as a bruised reed cannot do Thus when it cometh unto saving-work the will and soul of a man is so cast down that a man cannot tell what to make of himself but there he lieth to see what the Lord will do with him whether he will reach forth the hand of salvation unto him In this case the soul
unless the Lord come in with his immediate power above the power of any Ordinance all that you have received amounteth not to the faith of Gods elect and unless it be the Spirit of God that enlighteneth we have received no saving light and when he doth come to seal up Jesus Christ unto our souls he ever speaketh in some promise of the free grace of God for the Lord justifieth no man upon an imperfect righteousness but in that work doth ever declare himself to be just and a justifier of him that is of the faith of Jesus Rom. 3.26 therefore seeing in this work he sitteth upon a throne to declare his own righteousness there is no place now for our righteousness to appear hence it is that if he justifie it is freely by his grace Rom. 3.23 thus God dealt with Abraham when he shewed him the innumerable stars of heaven and told him So shall thy seed be He believed God and it was imputed to him for righteousness Gen. 15.5 it was the free grace of God which he mentioneth unto him But suppose the Lord should reveal a work unto you as a work there is in every soul that is justified if you should see any work in your soul yet unless the Spirit of God should above the power of the work breathe in it it is not possible that it should beget a Divine Faith it is only the work of the Spirit of God it is he also that shews you your acceptance with God and that manifesteth your sanctification and makes it a sign unto you of your justification otherwise neither word nor work can set on a promise with power upon the soul until the Holy Ghost confirm it it is his immediate work What then Object doth the Spirit do this immediately without the word No Answ if he speak peace unto the soul he ever doth it in some word of promise and if he testifie our acceptance it is in some word and in that respect it is mediate but he doth set on a power above the word and in that respect I call it immediate and therefore if a man shall seek to hammer out any thing by his own knowledge though he may add to his knowledge yet he can do nothing to the begetting of faith unless the Lord come in by a power above the word and when he doth speak in any word of his grace he doth not in the first place speak to you of your own righteousness but first convinceth you that you are a chief sinner as when he said to Saul Why persecutest thou me when he sends his Spirit it is first to convince the world of sin Joh. 16.8 9 c. and what of your sanctification next no of your justification next he will convince the world of righteousness that is of his righteousness and afterward of judgement and that is sometimes put for sanctification Mat. 12.20 A bruised reed shall he not break and smoaking flax shall he not quench until he bring forth judgement into victory But it is the Spirit that doth all this and therefore let not men deceive themselves in any conclusions that they can make for their enlightened conscience is but a creature and unless the Lord come in with a greater light then your conscience will afford you all will be but lost work unto your souls you will build but castles in the air which in time of temptation will vanish away In the third place Use 3 this may teach all the servants of God that have received in any measure the first fruits of the Spirit to know that they have received an earnest of an everlasting possession that Spirit will never leave you till you become a full vessel and running over if he have given you one promise he will give you more and if he have given you Christ he will with him give you all things else In the fourth and last place Use 4 it may teach us That if we have received Christ and our hope be in him never to rest until we do more fully and clearly see that the Lord is our God until the Holy Ghost do fill your hearts with more power and stamp more of the image of Christ in you grow more and more sensible how dead and insufficient you are unto any thing that is good be meek and lowly in heart think meanly of your selves you cannot pray you cannot preach you cannot of your selves perform any Christian duty it is Christ that must work all our works for us know therefore that if you be lively and active it is because your life is hid with Christ in God he it is that stirreth up your faith to look up unto Christ to expect all help from his hand Sometimes you must look to be severed from the world and the more clear the truths of God are unto you the more they are hidden from the world for if a man cannot look upon a candle how shall he look upon a torch and much less upon the shining Sun Therefore it behoveth all the servants of God to grow up in the power of God and the strength of his might not holding forth insolency of Spirit nor uncharitable censoriousness such things are far off from expressing the Spirit of Christ but it is the part of the servants of Christ to be faithful meck lowly humble and couragious in the waies of the Lord and when you have done all be contented to be counted the off-scouring of the world as 1 Cor. 4.9 for it must be the part of all that fear God to take heed that you give none occasion to any to speak evil of us for if we do consider the great hope of our calling how should it cast holy shame upon our faces that we walk so unworthy of our calling for if there be any work of God upon our hearts it is no transient work if God begin He will perfect until the day of Christ the work of grace is an uncessant work but as in the first creation the Spirit of God hatched upon the face of the waters till the work of Creation was perfected so doth the Lord by his Spirit in his Saints he doth not leave hatching in their hearts till he hath separated light from darkness and made every thing fruitful in the soul We must not rest therefore in former weak beginnings but if we be born of God and under a Covenant of grace we must look to grow up in all well pleasing unto God that we may not be strangers to any of all the heavenly works of the grace of God but that we may grow up to abound in fruitfulness in them all Thus having explained Second Branch of the Doctrine how the Lord gives himself in a Covenant of grace unto Abraham and to his seed we now come unto the second part of the Doctrine which is that he received Abraham and his seed to be a peculiar people unto himself which although we have spoken somewhat unto in
the opening of the point let us further premise these three things before we come to the Use of it 1. First That the Lord did take Abraham and his seed to be a peculiar people unto himself 2. Secondly How did he so take them to be his people 3. Thirdly Who are meant by those whom he did so take to make them a peculiar people unto himself 1. For the first of these That he did so take Abraham and his seed c. we finde it plain in Deut. 7.6 7 8. The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself c. and ver 8. Because the Lord loved you and because he would keep the oath which he had sworn unto your fathers The like we read in 2 Sam. 7.23 24. Thou hast confirmed to thy self thy people Israel to be a people unto thee for ever and thou Lord art become their God and this mercy doth he magnifie toward them when they had no thoughts of him but as he sometimes called his Apostles when they were mending their nets so he called his people Israel when they were making bricks in Aegypt then he said to Pharaoh Let my people go and again If thou slay my son my first born I will stay thy son thy first born and as he sometime took Abraham himself out of Caldea so he took his seed out of Egypt that they might serve him in the Wilderness Now secondly Quest 2 If you shall ask how the Lord called them I answer Answ chiefly two waies 1. First By solemn outward Covenant and that partly in the loyns of Abraham and partly in mount Sinai and yet more solemnly in the plains of Moab Deut. 29. for that was a Covenant of Grace wherein the Lord promised to circumcise their heart and the heart of their seed Deut. 30.6 2. And secondly In one word by this Covenant he doth draw them into union with himself and with his Son from whence it comes to pass that we have communion with him both relative in adoption and justification and positive in sanctification and in fulness of time perfect glorification In the third place Quest 3 What is meant by Abraham and his seed doth God call all the seed of Abraham into a Covenant of grace with himself The answer is shortly this Answ Abraham doth here principally stand as the father of the faithful and so received Circumcision as the Father of the faithful not only of such as were Circumcised but also of such as were uncircumcised The Covenant he received when he was uncircumcised and the seal when he was circumcised that he might be the father of the faithful among Jewes and Gentiles and all the Jewes are not the seed of Abraham but the children of the promise are counted for the seed for they are the seed unto whom the promises are made and he saith it not Unto thy seeds as of many but To thy seed as of one even Christ Gal. 3.16 so that unto Christ and unto all those that have the seed of Christ in them is this Covenant made You will say unto me Object But is it made unto the carnal seed also have they no portion in the Covenant of grace was not Ishmael circumcised as well as Isaac and is it not said Unto them were committed the covenants of God Rom. 9.4 so that both the Covenants were committed to them that fell away from God and hath not God said to those that were circumcised Though Moses and Samuel stood before me yet my mind could not be towards this people and the Lord rejecteth them Jer. 15.1 and 6. ult and 7.29 and yet these whom God rejecteth were made partakers of the seal of the Covenant would God call them to the seal and not to the Covenant would he call them to prophane the Covenant the point is weighty shortly and plainly to speak something to it 1. First they had their part in the Covenant of Grace this they had that they were all called to the solemn receiving of the covenant Deut. 29.10 to 15. Ye all stand this day before the Lord your God c. that thou shouldest enter into covenant with the Lord thy God c. this was the Covenant of grace now thus far are all the carnal seed of Christian Parents called into the outward fellowship of the Covenant But why would God call them to the outward fellowship of the covenant Object and seal of it and mean while not give them the blessing and kernel of the Covenant this is weighty and considerable how it standeth with the faithfulness of God For answer Answ The Blessings of the Covenant are not far from them for there are two sorts of blessings Some do consist in the outward letter of the Ordinances the Gospel of grace the Sacraments and seals of it and sundry common gifts of the Spirit that are plentifully dispensed in the fellowship of the Church besides a liberal and bountiful use of the creatures for they are all serviceable to the People of God and all these things do flow from the Covenant of grace which God hath made with their Fathers When as Abraham had understood that God would establish the Govenant with Isaac and thereupon made a sad prayer unto God that Ishmael might live in his sight Gen. 18.18 20. the Lord answereth him As for Ishmael I have heard thee behold I have blessed him and will make him fruitful c. and which is wonderful he had the liberty of all the Ordinances until he cut himself off from them Unto this Covenant belong those gifts which the Lord bestows on men from the bloud of Christ Heb. 10.29 so that it is not a meer blank for by it here are sundry spiritual and outward blessings the patience and bounty of God is abundantly poured out upon the carnal seed of Christian Parents as in the wilderness when the displeasure of God was ready to kindle against that carnal generation and he was ready to cut them off he remembred the covenant of his mercy to Abraham and oft times spared them so that if you see much patience extended to the children of Christian Parents and many gifts bestowed upon them whereby they become very serviceable sometimes in the Commonwealth sometimes in the Church know that all these things spring from the Covenant of God with their Fathers I Object but if the very life and kernel of the blessing be wanting if Ishmael do not live in Jesus Christ what will all these blessings do him good will they not aggravate his damnation For answer Answ minde you this that the Lord may be justified he doth not only call them to Church liberty and fellowship nor only bestow upon them sundry gifts of grace and great bounties and manifold preservation from evil but likewise he doth offer them the sure mercies of David for so God doth distinguish the sure mercies of the Covenant Isai 55.3 Encline your ear and come unto me hearken and
your soul shall live and I will make an everlasting covenant with you even the sure mercies of David wherein you see the Lord putteth it upon such terms that if the soul come not by it it is because he would not not that any can come when they will as by the power of their own will but this the Lord will leave upon the children of Christian Parents that they shall not say that God forsook them until they have forsaken him and that when there lay no necessity upon them but voluntarily they did despise the grace of the Covenant for do but observe the causes wherefore the Lord hath discovenanted the children of gracious Parents 1. The first that ever fell off from the Covenant of grace made with Abraham it was Ishmael and what was the ground of it he mocked Isaac Gen. 21.9 10. what mocking was it in regard of humane frailty no no it was a plain persecution and that implies such a persecution as was cast upon him in respect of the Covenant of grace made with him as if he should say Here is the child of promise or the like insomuch that Sarah could not endure he should tarry any longer in the house for this was not humane frailty but humane insolency against the Covenant whereas happy he if he might have fallen under the wing of it 2. The second that you read of who fell from the Covenant fell not upon those terms but the love of worldly sensual blessings did choak the affections of Esau toward the Covenant of grace which was the chief blessing of the first born in the days of Abraham and Isaac but he coming in hungry selleth his birthright for a mess of red pottage Gen. 25.31 c. Thus Esau despised his birthright so this sort of children despise the grace of God not out of a malicious frame of spirit but they are choaked with the cares of this world and the best seed that was sown in them becomes unfruitful and this is the case of all the good husbands of the world that despise the Covenant of grace for when once a man is taken up with the profits and pleasures of this life he then cares not a rush for the Covenant of grace mount Sion is not now commodious for him so prophanely do they undervalue the Covenant of grace in comparison of sensual lusts and do men thus fall from the Covenant of grace because it is a duty above the power of nature no no the very common gifts they had might have restrained the one of these from mocking and the other from selling his birthright for a mess of pottage it is evident that the children of Christian Parents when as they come to fall off from God they do not fall upon such things as they are not able to prevent but either they scorn and persecute the things of God or else they prefer sensual lusts before them 3. A third way whereby the children of Christian Parents fall from the Covenant of grace is a self-confident cleaving unto those gifts of grace which by the Covenant they have received besides these causes of their falling from the Covenant of grace I have observed no more in Scripture nor have I found any more in mine own experience When men are invested with many spiritual blessings sweetly indowed with many sprinklings of the bloud of the Covenant whereby they come to be great in knowledge and sometime excel in a spirit of prayer and some are good at one thing and some at another and being full of such gifts it may easily come to pass that they may grow so confident of these that they will not subject themselves unto the righteousness of God in Christ Jesus And this was the rejection of the whole house of Israel Rom. 10.3 They being ignorant of Gods righteousness and going about to establish their own righteousness have not submitted themselves unto the righteousness of God and hence the Covenant of grace is unto them turned into a Covenant of works they are now become the children of the bond-woman and not the children of the free-woman for they that have their faith in themselves and not in Christ they fall under a Covenant of works So that minde you the Lord is just and righteous in all these his dispensations I said before God did receive Abraham and his seed into this Covenant I mean the faithful seed and they are received into the second sort of blessings of the Covenant which are truly saving for the Lord receives them into inward fellowship with his Son so as that they shall be justified sanctified and glorified But are the carnal seed then rejected no but they partake in many bounties of God and grow up and live in his sight what in the enjoyment of outward blessings only no of spiritual blessings also I but the Lord gives them not the spiritual blessing of saving grace by the Covenant doth he not and why is it not because he doth not offer it to them but because they fall off from it upon such terms wherein there lay no necessity upon them that they should so fall off Ishamel needed not have mocked Isaac Esau needed not have sold his birth-right for a mess of pottage never let them pretend the necessity of corrupt nature corrupt nature putteth no such necessity upon us to sell away such blessings upon such terms And for others that trusted in their own righteousness had not the Lord convinced them that it was not their own righteousness that could save them did not David say If thou Lord mark iniquity Lord who shall stand Psal 130.3 and in thy sight shall no flesh living be justified Psal 143.2 so that it is not the blindness of mans nature that excuseth but this flows from a malignant and affected self-confidence therefore now they are justly disinherited for the Jewes were not rejected until it was made plain to them that their righteousness would not stand before the Lord therefore saith the Apostle Act. 13.46 It was necessary that the word of God should first have been spoken unto you but seeing you put it from you c. and he had said before They contradicted and blasphemed and why was it necessary that the word should be spoken unto them truly that God might be faithful in his Covenant for if all the children of Christian Parents may not have liberty in the means of grace then the Lord should be wanting to his Covenant so that if they be Jewes by nature the Lord is bound by Covenant that they shall not for want of means perish nor upon such grounds as are far above the nature of creatures to reach unto for though it be above the power of the creature to repent and believe yet it is not above the power of nature to abstain from prophaneness and malignity and such strong confidence in their legal righteousness therefore doth he call them to Church-priviledges and common gifts and graces things that are
the Lord doth in giving himself give us all his Persons Attributes Ordinances Providences for he is the Lord of hosts and therefore all that is Gods is ours also It will follow semblably that we must be as God is and our children as his children and our servants as his servants and our wits and parts and authority and power and times must all be for God and not for our selves moreover all that is in our Churches is for God Cant. 7. ult At our gates are all manner of pleasant fruits both new and old which I have laid up for thee O my beloved Now from hence two things follow 1. First Here is a ground for family-duties for if all that I have must be the Lords for he takes me as he gives himself then it is for us to give up all our relations unto him as much as lies in us we can do nothing but set them before the Lord but it will be requisite that we should constrain them to duty pray with our children and servants teach them the will of God restrain them from wickedness I know Abraham saith the Lord That he will command his children and his houshold after him and they shall keep the way of the Lord c. Gen. 18.18 and the Lord commandeth Parents to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Ephes 6.4 we must therefore teach them to know the God of their Fathers as David 1 Chron. 28.9 And thou Solomon my son know thou the God of thy father and serve him with a perfect heart and with a willing minde c. and so old Lois and Eunice were careful to train up Timothy in the knowledge of the Scriptures from a child this the Lord requireth of us as ever we look to have right in his Son he will have right in our sons if we have right in his Spirit he hath right in our spirit if you have any right in his servants he hath right in your servants and therefore use the means to draw them home to him and leave the blessing unto the Lord but if Parents be watchless in conveying the blessing to their children and children careless in receiving it God is faithful and his Covenant faithful though they fall short of it 2. Secondly This also follows that as God betrusteth us with any gifts or parts or talents with honour wealth health strength beauty liberty or what else soever if the Lord have given us any blessing it is wohlly his for we must be unto God as we would have him be unto us and therefore the Lord took it unkindly from his people Hos 2.8 That the corne and wine and oyl and silver and gold which he had given them they prepared for Baal Israel is an empty vine when he bringeth forth fruit unto himself Hos 10.1 so likewise he taketh it ill Ezek. 16.20 21. that they took his sons and his daughters and sacrified them unto Moloch so sometimes men count it a gentile thing to train up their children to idleness and other vanities whereas in truth it is as if they trained them up to Moloch and this the Lord doth abhor and will sadly require it in his own time If therefore we must give up our selves and ours unto God then here is a foundation for family-duties and also to improve our selves and all that we have wholly to advance the glory of the grace of God in Jesus Christ else we pluck asunder the Covenant of grace In the fourth place Use 4 If the Lord in this Covenant receive us to be a peculiar people unto himself something we are to learn in the manner of the performance of all holy duties for as we are still to be doing in the use of means to help our knowledge and faith so in all let us still be expecting from the Lord to lay hold upon us and ours and to receive us for our hope standeth more in Gods receiving us then in our giving our selves unto him rest not therefore in all the good means that you use for that will not hold unless the Lord be pleased to receive us and ours Joh. 6.37 All that the Father gives me shall come unto me so that unless the Lord give our children to his Son though we devote them to him it is a question whether he will take them or no look we up therefore unto the Lord that he may take them graciously unto himself the Prophet exhorteth Israel to return unto the Lord Hos 14.1 2. But how shall they return not unless the Lord take away their iniquity and receive them graciously and thus the Propher teacheth them to pray so that they do not stand upon their own reformations nor look to this and that which they can do no no take with you words and say Take thou away our iniquity otherwise we shall never get it out he also must receive us graciously and so shall we render unto him our selves and all that we can do This is the way of the Covenant of grace whatsoever duties the Lord requireth to be done on our parts let us look unto him in all to receive us and ours otherwise we and ours shall soon turn our backs upon God and upon his Covenant which he hath so graciously invited us unto in Jesus Christ We now come to the third and last Branch of the Doctrine Third Branch of the Doctrine which is That the Lord took the chief of Abrahams seed the Lord Jesus Christ to be the mediator and surety of the Covenant between God and Abraham this is expressed Gal. 3.16 To Abraham and his seed were the promises made he saith not And to his seeds as of many but as of one And to thy seed which is Christ so that he is the chiefest of the seed with whom the Covenant is established as also the Prophet Isaiah testifieth chap. 42.6 and 49.8 I will give thee for a covenant of the people and a light of the Gentiles c. and the Apostle speaketh fully when he saith Heb. 8.6 that he is the mediator of a better covenant and a surety of the Covenant Heb. 7.22 Christ is therefore the chiefest of the seed and the Mediatour and Surety of the Covenant Now a Mediatour he is between both parties partly in respect of his person and partly in respect of his Office 1. In respect of his person as he is God and man he is a fit person to be the ground of our union with God and to maintain our communion with him for what is a Mediator but a middle person to bring two persons that are at difference into one now Christ as he is God-man is most fit for this work 1. First To be the ground of our Union for being God-man he hath united both the differing natures into one so he is a middle person and fit to be the foundation of our union and therefore he is called Immanuel Isa 7.14 That is God with us 2.
fitness in your selves to stand in Gods sight In the mean while this is a point of much consolation that the Lord hath laid up the promises in a safer hand then our own so as that now there is no fear of breaking between God and Abraham and his faithful seed for the Lord hath promised to take us to be his people and given Christ to be the Mediatour of the Covenant then he will see this Covenant maintained and perfected and all the blessings promises and treasures of it accomplished to us from day to day do but know him and be acquainted with him and it will be of effectual power to root out all the diffidence that is in us look upon Jesus Christ and wait on him and yet neither can we bring our waiting unto him but it is our part to be convinced of our own poverty and insufficiency and then all our power and help and hope is in maintaining our fellowship with Jesus Christ wait upon him that he may carry an end the whole work of a Mediatour for you and that he may never leave you till you be settled in heaven nor then neither for even the Angels in heaven would not be steadfast but that the Lord hath laid a sure foundation in a middle person that he might unite God and the creatures together There is comfort in knowing this though we have but little experience of it because there is comfort laid up in it therefore that we might not ravel out our time in vain know we that there is an Aliquid ultra something further to be sought after besides what we have found in our selves we sometimes hear of conditional promises but as the Lord Jesus is the first and last in other things so in the Covenant he is the first and last condition he doth first bring us unto God and so to the right of the Covenant and when we are in Christ we cannot be active of our selves nor keep our peace with God but through him if you stay in any thing that you can do you have forgotten that Christ is the last condition you have no right unto the Covenant before you have him you have no condition of the new Covenant unless you have him But when I have Christ have I not now the condition in my self which the promise requireth truly you have not for Jesus Christ is the last condition as well as the first and if your right unto the promise be not maintained by him you forfeit the promise as soon as you lay hold of it you must therefore look back again unto Christ not only to give you the right unto the promise but the accomplishment of it otherwise you may stay many a seven years if you look for it in your own works though thou hadst right in Christ and fellowship with Christ and shalt look for comfort from thine own duties thou mayst look till thine eyes fail and not finde it Christ is the first and the last in the Promises he gave you the Yea and he must be the Amen therefore know that in all the duties you perform you must as it were be dressing a meal for Jesus Christ Luk. 17.7 8 9 10. and he content to feed after him and upon him who is the beginner and maintainer of the Covenant for us and will perfect all the powerful blessings of it in us and for us in his own time FINIS Books sold by John Allen at the Sun-rising in Pauls Church-yard Viz. Caryl on Job Vol. 5. quart Caryl on Job Vol. 7. quart Caryl on Job Vol. 9. quart Beza Novum Testamentum fol. Allen's Scripture-Chronology quart Baxter's Call to the Unconverted twelve Lukin's Practice of Godlinesse twelve Burges of Original sin fol. Davenport and Hook of New-England their Catechism Gataker against that wicked Cheat Judicial Astrology proving it to be the Abomination of the Heathens and that it ought not to be tolerated in a Christian Commonwealth Isa 47.12 Jer. 10.2 The Faith and Order practised in the Congregational Churches in England agreed and consented unto by their Elders and Messengers at their Meeting at the Savoy Octob. 12. 1658.
above the power of nature to reach unto and he doth also preserve them from many evils and tenders unto them the sure mercies of the Covenant but if they will maligne it and cast it behind their backs and choose other things before it such degenerate children of godly Parents their bloud shall be upon their own heads The Use hereof in the first place Use 1 may serve to justifie the righteousness of God in the confusion of the children of Christian Parents if thou seest any child of the godly perish write upon him He is either a persecutor or a worldling or a presumptuous hypocrite otherwise he had been an heir of grace The spirit of God dealeth fairly and sweetly and comfortably with them whence it is that they are oft-times sweetly trimmed up with many good gifts and parts that you would wonder to see how forward and dexterous they are in their places and how comes this is it not from the faithfulnesse of Gods Covenant that we might see and say That on Gods part there was no want unto his salvation but it was his own ungracious gracelessnesse that cast off grace in the means of it let Ishmael perish and Esau perish and all civil justiciaries perish and their bloud will be upon their own heads the Lord and his Throne is guiltless it 's not for want of grace offered unto them for though he had not purposed to save them meerly of grace yet he meant to let them see that he did not only deal justly with them but also graciously in some kinde What a warning should this be to the children of godly Parents take heed what you do Ishmael had a godly Father and Esau both godly Father and Mother therefore blesse not your selves in that Take heed also that you rush not upon another rock for you will be ready to say Notwithstanding the fair Covenant which I am under I cannot have grace unless God work it in me stand not with God upon those terms for either God will bring you home unto himself or else you shall fall upon such terms as that God will take you by the throat one day and make it appear that you did forsake the Covenant of grace upon such grounds as many a Reprobate in Hell would never have parted with it upon the like either you do maligne the grace of God or are prophane or else you stand upon your own righteousness and stablish that and then your heart begins to rise against your Parents and you think your self wiser then seven men that can render a reason or if you break not out upon these terms then you will begin to see that God hath enlightened your minde and to seise upon your heart and then you see that you can do something you can pray and you can hear with profit and the like and hereupon you come to build an undoubted hope of salvation you believe upon this that your soul is wrapped up in a bundle of life and peace and if any man come to shake your foundation you are like a stone-wall that beateth back all therefore if thus you fall off the Lord and his throne is guiltless and you are justly miserable it is the bloud of the Covenant that did sanctifie you but it will not save you because you did not look to be justified by it so that as you have despised the Covenant of God you are now cut off from the saving fellowship of it which else the Lord had called you to enjoy It was not the Jewes crucifying the Lord of life and glory in their ignorance that cut them off from God for notwithstanding that Christ prayed for them Luk. 23.34 Father forgive them they know not what they do but when they grow malignant and despise and contradict and blaspheme Act. 13.40 45 46. and put off from them the word of life now they are cast off Therefore let all the children of Christian Parents understand it and the danger of it do not think that you shall be saved because you are the children of Christian Parents but take heed of scorning of Religion and of high-prizing the world and if you be forward in spiritual gifts take heed of blessing your selves in them for if you have any thing of your own to build upon you will in time tread under foot the bloud of the Son of God wherewith you were sanctified if you be not justified by it work out therefore your salvation with fear and trembling otherwise by one means or other you will fall off from God upon such base and unworthy terms whereby it will appear that the Lord is just in rejecting you and you justly left in a state of perdition You will say Object But what shall we think of Infants Peter Martyr saith Answ If they die when they are Infants they are certainly saved I cannot say it so fully nor have I any thing against it this I can say That they are holy for so saith the Scripture and therefore they are in the Covenant generally sometimes Parents may cut off the free passage of their Cavenant from their seed though God give them one child and another they are not greatly sensible what need the poor Infant standeth in of a Covenant of grace they do not believe for their children nor humble themselves in respect of them and then no wonder if the child miscarry through the unbelief of his Parents Otherwise I do not know whether ever God reject any upon other grounds then what we have alredy laid down In the second place Use 2 for Use It teacheth all the servants of God that are under the Covenant to be careful to bring up their children under the wing of the Covenant it may be some of you have sold away great estates from them these were but the appurtenances of the birth-right but if you have parted with great inheritances for the liberty of the Ordinances you do your children no wrong for as ever you desire that they may have a share in the Covenant bring them under the Ordinances of the Covenant for faith comes by hearing Rom. 10.17 Received you the Spirit by the works of the law or by the hearing of faith Gal. 3.2 and this is the door of the Covenant Jesus Christ believed on Joh. 10.7 9. Act. 14.27 therefore whatsoever inheritances you sell if it were the inheritance of a Kingdom bring them to the Ordinances of God if they cannot be brought to them and so you have done your part and then if your childrens blood be upon their own heads through their own forsaking of the Covenant the Lord is guiltless and his Covenant guiltless they have forseited their birth-right which is not to be bought again for many worlds In the third place seeing that Use 3 as the Lord receives the faithful seed of Abraham into the Covenant of his grace and in like manner taketh not only you but all of yours by vertue of the Covenant and seeing that