the good which we do enjoy or can enjoy or shall ever enjoy all our springs are in it 4. Sometimes that is stiled New which is diverse from what it was before It is diverse from the Covenant of works and from it self 2 Cor. 5. 17. If any man be in Christ he is a new creature that is he is not such a creature as he was before he is renewed he is changed into the image of the glory of the Lord 2 Cor. 3. 18. In this respect also is the Covenant stiled New not only because it is diverse from the Covenant of works in the foundation and condition and qualifications of the persons in Covenant but also because it is diverse from it self in respect of the administration of it after that Christ was manifested in the flesh and died and rose again from the different administration it is called Old and New Now it appears with open face without any vaile of legal Shadows and Ceremonies at all God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself and God so loved the world that he gave his onely begotten Sonne and whosoever believes in him shall not perish but have everlasting life It is now like a new Lease fairely written over with a new hand and new seals and new witnesses Though this Covenant be the same for substance in Abrahams and Moses time yet upon the coming of Christ it is new for the manner of administration it hath not those seals of Circumcision and the Passeover nor Sacrifices nor Ceremonies nor Types and Legal Figures which formerly it had it hath now the Mediator himself to deliver it and his new seals of Baptisme and the Supper and is established after a new manner even by the blood of Christ and hath many new institutions and adjuncts c. This is the Covenant which God makes with us even a New Covenant a Covenant of life upon new termes a Covenant which hath a new foundation a Covenant which hath new promises a Covenant which hath a new original and spring a Covenant which hath a new way of claime and title a Covenant which gives new hopes and a Covenant which hath new seals and confirmations Vse 1 Surely there is infinite reason for us poor and miserable sinners to bless the Lord even for this that he hath made all things New and especially for making a new Blesse God for this New Covenant Covenant had the Lord utterly left us when we left him had he held us to that first Covenant of works and proceeded against us for the breach of that Covenant we had every one of us for ever been condemned and lost but he was pleased to make a new Covenant with us where mercy is to be found for sinners and a Redeemer for transgressors and a Mediator 'twixt himself and us and our lives may yet be found in his grace and love and Christ and all this springing from his own grace and love What should oblige our hearts and raise our thankfulnesse if this doth not 2. Then there is no reason for distressed sinners to sink and despair although they have been Covenant-breakers and are never able to recompense God nor There is no reason for sinners to despair to raise up themselves for this new Covenant is made for the refuge and support of such sinners And herein God reveals himself to be a God forgiving iniquity transgression and sinne and to receive satisfaction for a sinner though not from the sinner I say for a sinner by a Mediator who hath likewise purchased reconciliation and favour and mercy and salvation for us 3. Not to refuse this Covenant this new Covenant for as it is said of Christ Refuse not this Covenant That there is no other Name given to us by which we must be saved Acts 4. 12. so there is no Covenant but this new Covenant which can relieve and save a sinner as it was with men in the time of the Deluge and the Ark all that got into the Ark were saved and all who entred not into the Ark were lost so all who get into this new Covenant they live and are saved and all who enter not into this New Covenant shall dye in their sinnes and perish SECT II. 2. A Second propriety of the Covenant is this it is a very perfect plentiful It is a perfect and plentiful Covenant and rich Covenant And this will appear weâ—her you will consider 1. The Author of this Covenant 2. Or the Mediator of this Covenant 3. Or the Covenant it self It appears by The Author of this Covenant 1. The Author of this Covenant who therein sets out all his gracious fulness here you shall finde him full of love and therefore the Apostle calls his love a great love Ephes 2. 4. and an exalted love God commendeth his love towards us in that whiles we were yet sinners Christ dyed for us Rom. 5. 8. And Saint John calls it a wonderful love Behold what manner of love the Father haâ—h bestowed upon us that we should be called the sonnes of God! 1 John 3. 1. Nay Christ himself calls it an unexpressible love God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Sonne c. John 3. 16. And the Apostle repeats the love of God as the character and pattern of all love Herein is love not that we loved God but that he loved us and sent his Sonne to be the propitiation for us In mercy in relation to this Covenant he is said to be rich in mercy Ephes 2. 4. God who is rich in mercy nay to have riches of mercy Ephes 3. 16. According to the riches â—f his glory nay to shew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindnesse towards us through Christ Jesus Ephes 2. 7. nay to be exceeding abundant 1 Tim. 1. 14. The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant abundant mercy 1 Pet. 1. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope where sinne abounded grace did much more abound Rom. 5. 20. Sinne doth exceedingly abound by way of extension and by way of intension in practice in degrees and in deserts but the mercy or grace of God it doth over-abound it is more than enough for the pardoning of the greatest sinners yea of all the sinnes of all his people his mercy is like himself infinite and unsearchable And therefore the Church cryes out Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage c. In goodnesse not only full of an essential goodnesse which is his own eternal and infinite perfection but also full of a Covenant goodnesse O how great is thy goodnesse which thou hast laid up for them that trust in thee before the sonnes of men Psal 31. 19. He is great in goodnesse Nehem. 9. 35. He is abundant in goodnesse Exod.
Law given on Mount Sinai though materially it respected works yet formally and intentionally it was not then given and established as a Covenant of works by which we should be justified and live this I shall afterwards make evident and therefore shall say no more unto it at the present 5. The Covenant of works and the Covenant of grace do differ in the condition In the condition of life promised of life promised in both Life is promised in both Covenants but upon different conditions Do this and live saith the Covenant of works Believe on Jesus Christ and live saith the Covenant of grace The condition of the one consists in giving The condition of the other consists in receiving The condition of the one is to give in a perfect righteousness of our own unto God and the condition of the other is by faith to receive a perfect righteousnesse from Christ In the Covenant of nature or of works there is forum justitiae where the sentence of absolution passeth if we be found righteous and the sentence of condemnation if we be found unrighteous the question is not then about faith but love not whether you believ'd but whether you obey'd But in the Covenant of grace there is forum misericordiae and the sentence of absolution passeth not upon our doing but upon our believing and the sentence of condemnation passeth upon all unbelievers Now here fall in two notable questions 1. Question Whither faith were not required in the Covenant of works Whether faith were not required in the Covenant of works How faith was rerequired Sol. To this I answer three things 1. Faith was required in the Covenant of works as Faith may be taken either for a dependance on God the only Authour of being and blessing or for an expectation of that good of life which God promised with a reliance upon God for it or for a perswasion of Gods love to him and acceptance of his obedience whil'st continuing upright with God As to these considerations of faith Adam who lived under the Covenant of works had faith and did exercise it for he was bound to acknowledge God as the only fountaine of his good and to depend upon him as so And he was bound to believe the possession of that life which God promised to him whil'st he should continue perfectly obedient and likewise he was bound to be perswaded of the love of God unto him in that course of obedience and also the acceptance of his obediential services unto God 2. But that faith which respected the Covenant of works was different from that faith which respects the Covenant of grace and is now required For 1. How not required That faith was such as looked on a promise of life made by God to a perfect creature and as so continuing but that faith which respects the Covenant of grace looks upon the promise of God in Christ made in respect to us sinners and lost in our selves 2. That faith looked on God as a creatour and preserver but this faith looks on God as a Redeemer and merciful Father 3. That faith was natural concreated with Adam not raised nor infused in a Gospel-way but this faith is now promised and infused in a supernatural way by the Spirit of Christ through the dispensation of the Gospel 4. That faith could not be at all in any but so long as he was perfectly righteous and therefore it ceased upon the cessation of that righteousnesse it was principally grounded upon inherent Righteousnesse But this faith is in a sinner who hath no righteousnesse of his own but relies upon the righteousness of another even the righteousnesse of Jesus Christ 3. Although there was a kind of faith in Adam under the Covenant of works Faith not required in both for the same end yet that faith was not for this end and purpose to be the condition of that Covenant There it was a part of his righteousnesse but was not stipulated as the condition of life as that upon which his life and justification did depend But the faith required in the Covenant of grace comes in purposely as the condition of life and justification for the sinner 2. Quest. Whither the Covenant of grace doth not require works as well Whether the Covenant of grace requires works Works are required in both as the Covenant of nature or of works If so what difference is there then between them as to doing Sol. Questionlesse the Covenant of grace requires good works This is a faithful saying saith Paul Tit. 3. 8. and these things I will that thou affirm constantly that they which believe in God might be careful to maintain good works these things are good and profitable unto men Let your light so shine before men that they may see your good works Matth. 5. 16. But yet there is a vast difference betwixt the good works as required in the Covenant of works But with a difference and as required in the Covenant of grace They differ in their spring and fountain and they differ in their manner of Wherein this difference lies working but herein especially they differ as to these Covenants that in the one they are a condition of life but in the other Testimonies and Evidences of life in the one they are the matter of life and justification in the other they are nothing at all they are no part no reason they have no intrest or hand at all in the justification of a sinner Faith therein wholly excludes them and fixeth only on the righteousnesse of Christ Although they are alwayes present in the justified man yet they are never present in his justification before God 6. The Covenant of works and the Covenant of grace do differ thus The In the one the least sin undoes the sinner least sin undoes the sinner under the Covenant of works but it doth not so in the Covenant of grace The Covenant of works passeth sentence against you upon the least obliquity Cursed is every one that continueth not in every thing to do it and you have no remedy against this sentence in the Covenant of works But it is not so in the Covenant of grace This is a Remedy and a Sanctuary and a City of Refuge against the sentence passed in the Covenant of works In the other there is a remedy If the condemned and distressed sinner can fly unto and reach to the Covenant of grace Christ will satisfie for him and make his peace and procure mercy for him Nay the Covenant of grace deals more favourably with us It doth not cast us out for every transgression but as a father pities his child that serves him so doth the Lord pity them that feare him Psal 103. 13. Unlesse we utterly violate the Covenant of grace we may yet find grace and mercy If any man sinne we have an Advocate with the Father Jesus Christ the Righteous and he is the propitiation for our sinnes
God and you There are four acts which God doth expresse when he becomes our God in Covenant 1. There is his choosing act he makes choyce of us before any other to be his people The Lord thy God hath chosen thee to be a special people unto himself above all the people that are upon the face of the earth Deut. 7. 6. 2. There is his loving act When I passed by thee and looked on thee Behold His loving act thy time was the time of love And I sware unto thee and entred into Covenant with thee and thou becamest mine Ezek. 16. 18. 3. There is his engaging act He bindes himself to be our God by Promise His engaging act and by Oath Ezek. 16. I sware unto thee 4. There is his imparting act He doth in this Covenant bestow himself and His imparting act all that he hath or can do upon us I am thine and I will blesse thee and do thee good And all these acts are free not compelled and they are also fixed acts never will he reverse or alter them Answerable unto these acts of God are the Acts in such who are the people of On our part God by Covenant What God acts towards them they do act by the instinct of his Spirit towards him They do also 1. Choose him before all other to be their God You have chosen you the Lord to serve him Josh 24. 22. Thou hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God We choose him Deut. 26. 27. As the wife owns the husband this is the man on whom her heart is set and none but him 2. Love him I love the Lord said David Psal 116. 1. Thou shalt love the Love him Lord thy God Deut. 11. 1. We loved him because he loved us first 1 John 4. 19. Oh how dear is his presence and his favour to them how sweet are their mutual communions 3. Engage themselves unto him Many Nations shall be joyned to the Lord in Engage our selves to him that day and shall be my people Zech. 2. 11. They yield themselves unto the Lord or as it is in the original they give the hand unto the Lord 2 Chron. 30. 8. As the custome is when men make a Covenant or Agreement they strike hands or take one another by the hand arguing hereby their consent and engagement as the people in Ezra 10. 19. gave their hands that they would put away their wives So in covenanting with God we give out the hand unto him i. e. we give up our selves unto him and binde our selves unto him 4. Impart themselves and all that they have or can do unto him their hearts Impart our selves to him and lives and gifts and services that God may have all and draw out your All All your hearts all your graces all your parts and lives and estates Josh 24. 17. The Lord is our God Ver. 24. The Lord our God will we serve Rom. 14. 7. None of us liveth to himself Verse 8. Whether we live we live unto the Lord c. Now is it thus with us have we indeed chosen the Lord to be our God and are we engaged unto him and love him and own him and are become his and none but his and have we made over our selves and all that we have unto him and count nothing no not our lives too dear for him The Lord hath passed by thousands and hath set his heart on you and have you passed by all others and set your hearts only on him But are you sure that you have not chosen some other Object with him or before him only the Lord God is chosen by you and set up by you No sinful object and no earthly object is set up And are you so become his as that you will be his for ever you are bound to him you cleave unto him nothing shall part you and your God no outward preferments afflictions and crosses do you count it your only happiness to enjoy him and your only unhappiness to be deprived of him do you say None but God none but God as the Martyr said None but Christ. But are you so his that he is the greatest desire and the greatest delight and the greatly beloved of your souls Whom have I in heaven but thee There is none on earth that I desire besides thee Psal 73. 25. Nay but may the Lord make use of you as his If he should say I must use your wisdome or your power or your authority or your zeal or your estate or your lives for the service of my glory Can you now answer O Lord I am thine I am thy servant all that I have is thine and all that I can do is thine thou shalt command my heart my parts my estate my life my All c. 2. You may know whether the Lord be your God and you be his people By our mutual interests and properties By your mutual interests and proprieties inclusively and exclusively God hath an interest in you and you have an interest in God he hath a propriety in you and you have a propriety in him in all that he hath you have an interest and in all that you have he hath an interest what he is he is for you and what you are you are for him he is only for you and you are only for him None hath that interest in you as God hath if indeed he be your God Nay you have not such an interest in your selves as God hath in you you are not your own you are wholly his if indeed he be your God and you be his people No Sinne can say You are mine and no Creature can say You are mine only God can say You are mine As in the Covenant of Marriage none but the Husband can say This woman is mine So if God be our God in Covenant none can say You are mine but God only Levit. 20. 26. You shall be holy unto me for I the Lord am holy and have sever'd you from other people that you should be mine Ezek. 16. 8. I entered into Covenant with thee and thou becamest mine Cant. 2. 16. My beloved is mine and I am his O sirs these two words mine and thine make up the Covenant Nay if I may be rightly understood this one word mine makes up the Covenant when you summe up all it is in this God is mine he is my God he is my Lord he is my Father he is my friend he is my mercy he is my wisdome he is my counsel he is my rock he is my help he is my comfort he is my hope he is my salvation he is my portion he is my life he is my happiness Domine ubi sunt omnia mea tuscis said Paulinus And when God looks on any person in Covenant with him he can say This person is mine he is my child and my friend and my servant I have all his heart and all his love and
Satan alas your own strength is insufficient to conquer for you 〈…〉 maintain the fight for you unlesse the Spirit of God put forth his actual help unlesse he take your part what one temptation of lust of doubt of feare is not too hard for you and what one temptation from Satan is not too strong for you Every little touch throws down or hazards the weak child so this c. But this is your comfort that in all your spiritual conflicts you are sure of the Spirits presence to own his own graces and to defend and secure them His gracious presence shall be sufficient for you 2 Cor. 12. 9. and his power makes it self manifest in your weaknesse he will be near to help you strengthen you to make you to resist and to conquer and to be more than conquerours through Christ that loved you We are strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Eph. 6. 10. 5. The Spirit helps them in the darknesses upon their spirits my meaning is In the darkness of our spirits in all the with-drawments of Gods favour and light of countenance and in all the sad apprehensions of their own spiritual condition when they think God is become their enemy and that themselves are forgotten of God and cast off by God and have no interest nor hope in Christ Now in these times the Spirit of God works and helps supplies supports stirs up faith against hope to believe in hope and against our own feelings yet to pray and trust and wait and look for God 6. He helps them in the captivities of their souls As when sinne or Satan In the captivity of our souls in this or that particular have been too subtile and too strong for them and have prevailed over them so that they are fallen and not able to rise even then in this condition doth the Spirit of God by his wonderful graces help them up again he makes them to see their sinnes and bewail them and raise them by renewing and strengthening faith on the Lord Jesus Christ Thus he dealt with David with Peter c. As the finding of us in our lost estate so the raising of us from our fallen estate is done by the help of the Spirit 5. The Spirit is yours in respect of his joyes â—r comforts You read of the He is ours in respect of his joyes and comforts joy of the holy Ghost Rom. 14. 17. And of the comforts of the holy Ghost Acts 9 31. And that Christ himself calls him the Comforter John 16. 7. The Spirit is given unto you not only to unite you to Christ not only to conform you unto Christ not only to lead you in the wayes of Christ not only to help you in the services of Christ but also to comfort your hearts in Christ The Spirit is a comforter in three respects He is a Comforter As he opens to us all the springs of comfort As he actuates our faith in theÌ„ As he applies them to our souls 1. He opens unto you all the true springs of comfort It is he who opens unto you the fountain of mercy and the fountain of the love and grace of God and the fountain of the blood of Christ 2. He actuates your faith to look on all these fountains of joy and wells of comfort as set open for the good and help of your souls 3. He applies all of them unto your souls he makes it evident that God loves your souls and that Christ died for your souls and that you are justified by faith in him and are reconciled and pardoned and accepted unto life and hereupon he fills you with all joy in believing even with joy unspeakable and glorious You cannot imagine what a comfort it is to have the Spirit of God to be our comfort for 1. His comforts are choice comforts There is no more comparison 'twixt the His comforts are choice comforts comforts of the world and the comforts of the Spirit than between the light of the Candle and the light of the Sunne they are the very comforts of God they are the very drops out of the Wells of Salvation they are drawn out from the proper and only grounds of joy They are comforts which of all other do most punctually answer the distresses of your souls 2. He can comfort you under all your discomfirts Who comforteth us in all our He cancomfort under all discomforts tribulations 2 Cor. 1. 4. Yea under the deepest and saddest disconsolations In the multitude of my thoughts within me thy comforts delight my soul Psal 94. 19. Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death c. thy rod and thy staffe they comfort me Psal 23. 4. He healeth the broken in heart and bindeth up their wounds Psal 147. 3. 3. He can comfort you when there is none else to comfort you when you have He can comfort when there is none else to comfort neither father nor mother sister nor brother companion nor friend when you are in prison in exile in the losse of all yet he alone when you are alone can comfort your souls he can shew you the salvation of the Lord speak peace assure you of mercy and cause you to rejoyce 4. Hâ— can comfort you and none shall hindâ—r him neither men nor divels He can comâ—ort and none â—hall hinder â—im nor your own fears and doubts He can create your peace and joyes and make comfâ—rts for you and make you to drink of them And as none can take away your joyes so none shall be able to hinder them 6. The Spirit is yours in respect of his offices There are three special offices beloâ—ging He is ours in respect of his offices Three offices of the Spirit To make all the Ordinances of Christ effectual to us unto the Spirit 1. One is to make all the Ordinances of Christ powerful and effectual unto you Take the doctrines of the Gospel they are not effectual without the Spirit and take the seâ—ls of the Gospel they are not effectual unto you without the Spirit There are excellent precepts in the Gospel and excellent offers in the Gospel and excellent promises in the Gospel the Gospel commands us to repeâ—t to mourn to deny our selves to renounce all for Christ to come and believe on Christ but it is the Spirit which makes all these commands effectual and the Gospel offers Jesus Christ to poor sinners and thiâ—sty sinners and presents singular arguments to perswade and allure and draw the hearts of sinners but it is the Spirit which makes all those offers and all those arguments effectual and the Gospel promiseth all heavenly good of love of grace of peace of joy c. but it is the Spirit which makes all these effectual And therefore the New Testamâ—nt is called the mâ—nâ—stration nâ—t of the Letter but of the Spirit who giveth lâ—fe 2 Cor. 3. 6. And the Gospel hath excellent seals
Christ in us Col. 1. 27. 3. And the holy Ghost hath an interest in you he dwells in us and abides in us 2 Tim. 1. 14. and you also have an interest in every one of the persons 1. You are in the Father the Church that is in God the Father 1 Thes 1. 1. 2. You are in the Son Of him are ye in Christ Jesus 1 Cor. 1. 30. 3. You are in the Spirit He that is joyned unto the Lord is one Spirit 1 Cor. 6. 17. I also have the Spirit of God 1 Cor. 7. 40. Now this common relation and interest of every person in the Trinity as to you and the mutual relation and interest again as to them is a matter of such infinite consequence and full happinesse as indeed I am not able to unfold it I will only touch at a few things in relation to one of these persons and that is God the Father If God be your God in Covenant then he is your Father and you are his Consider this in relation to God the Father children the Apostle admires at this in 1 Joh. 3. 1. Behold what manner of love the Father hath shewed us that we should be called the sons of God the dignity is most high that we should be the sons of the most High But let us view the comforts of it There are six comforts from this that our God is our Father 1. Your Father is the Father of mercies Blessed be God even the Father of our Your Father is the Father of mercies Lord Jesus Christ the Father of mercies 2 Cor. 1. 3. God is the Father 1. Of Christ 2ly Of every believer 3ly And of mercies All mercies are in the Father and from the Father And shall you want mercies who are in so near a Relation to the Father of Mercies 2. Your Father doth love you exceedingly Is Ephraim my dear son is he a pleasant Your Father doth love you exceedingly childe Jer. 31. 20. love is frequently given to God the Father Joh. 14. 23. 1 Joh. 2. 15. Cap. 3. 1 c. his Jewels Mal. 3. 3. Though you have offended him yet if you mournfully return unto him he will Though you have offended him yet if you returne he will be gracious Your Father hath enough to help you You may easily prevaile with your Father for all necessary good You shall be heirs who are children of this Father There is a common engagement of the whole Trinity unto you be very gracious unto you and receive you kindly When the Prodigal childe came back to his Father his Father faw him yet a great way off and ran and fell on his neck and kissed him Luke 15. 20. 4. Your Father hath enough to help you and he will take care of you In my Fathers house there is bread enough and to spare Luke 15. 17. Your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things Matth. 6. 32. 5. You may easily prevail with your Father for any necessary good If you being evil know how to give good gifts unto your children how much more shall your Father which is in Heaven give good things to them that ask him Matth. 7. 11. 6. You shall be heirs who are children of this Father If Sons then Heirs Rom. 8. 17. Heirs of God and joynt heirs with Christ Luke 12. 23. It is your Fathers pleasure to give you a Kingdom Matth. 25. 34. Come ye blessed of my Father inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world 5 There is a common engagement of the whole Trinity unto you every one of the persons is engaged to you The Father is engaged to you to do all that a God and Father can and will do for his children The Sonne is engaged to you to do all that a Christ and Mediatour and a Redeemer and Saviour can and will do for his Members The Holy Ghost is engaged to you to do all that a Spirit of truth knowledge faith comfort can do for those who do come to the Father and the Son 6. Lastly There is a communion twixt you and every person of the Trinity 1 Joh. 1. 3. Our fellowship is with the Father and with his Son Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 13. 14. Thereis a communion but wixt you and every person of the Trinity The grace of our Lord Jesus Christ and the love of God and communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all Communions with a Father with a Sayiour with a Comforter And verily these communions are most gracious and heavenly in respect of every one of them when the Father manifests himself unto you in the Relation and Testimonies of your loving God and Father And whom Christ discovers himself unto as your Head and as your Lord as your Saviour in your interests in him and his in you and when the Holy Ghost opens himself unto you in the strengthning of your graces in his comforts and evidences and assurances and fealings why These things are as life to the dead and as raine to the thirsty land they are an exceeding refreshing unto you they are a most heavenly tranquillity and joy and satisfaction unto your hearts And thus have you heard of the happinesse of those people who have God to be their God in Covenant in respect of his Attributes and in respect of Christ and in respect of the Spirit and in respect of every person of the Trinity and in their conjunctive relation and operations I will proceed a little further to some of the rest of the comforts depending upon Gods being your God which I mentioned at the first SECT XI 6. IF God be your God in Covenant and you be his people then all the promises If God be ours then all the promises are ours of God are also yours As you are the children of God so you are the children of promise and as you are the heirs of God so you are the heirs of promise and as your title is clear unto you so your possession is sure you shall certainly inherit all the good comprehended in them I have discoursed largely of the promises in general and shall God willing in the prosecution of this discourse of the Covenant speak more of the promises in particular and therefore I shall at this time only touch at two things viz. 1. The real statings of the promises upon all who have God to be their God in Covenant 2. Their singular happinesse thereby that all the promises of God are theirs 1. The promises do belong to all who are in Covenant with God They The promises do belong to all who are in Covenant with God are stated and settled upon them They are the heritage of the servants of the Lord the childrens bread Vnto us are given exceeding great and precious promises 2 Pet. 1. 4. The very nature and constitution of the Covenant do evince this which is a very cluster of promises I will be merciful to
the sickle and to reap with joy As yet thou hast not such a mercy such an help such a desired and promised blessing the reason is because it is not the season for the rain to fall it is not yet the week of thy harvest therefore still seek and trust and wait for there is an appointed week for the harvest and then thou shalt reap all the good which thy God hath promised and which thy soul hath desired 10. They are sufficient inducements and encouragements to pray unto God They are sufficient encouragements to pray to God and to depend on him and to depend upon God May you not come to your God who is good in himself and who hath promised to do you good May you not trust him who is faithful in all his promises 2 Sam. 7. 28. O Lord God thou art that God and thy words be true and thou hast promised this goodnesse unto thy servant Ver. 29. Now therefore let it please thee to blesse the house of thy servant that it may continue for ever before thee for thou O Lord God hast spoken it and with thy blessing let the house of thy servant be blessed for ever So David The promises as they are Gods assurances to help us so they are secret inducements to us to depend upon his help 11. They are powerful pleas The best and the strongest Arguments to plead with God Your worthinesse is no argument to use with God your necessity They are powerful pleas is an argument to move him we know not what to do said Jehosaphat c. But Gods promises are your best and strongest pleas Do me good O Lord though I deserve it not but yet do me good because thou hast promised to do me good Thou saydst I will surely do thee good said Jacob Gen. 32. 12. Remember thy word upon which thou hast caused thy servant to hope said David Psalme 119. 49. Remember break not thy Covenant with us said the Church Jer. 14. 21. 12. They are satisfying answers To all our fears to all our thoughts to all difficulties to all improbabilities to all silences to all contrary times to all They are satisfying answers delayes yet God hath promised to hear and help and do me good Isa 50. 10. He that sits in darknesse and feeth no light let him trust on the Name of the Lord and stay upon his God Psal 73. 26. My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the strength of my heart and my portion for ever Though you do not know when God will do you good though you do not know what way God hath to do you good though you see no proâ—ability in all the world for your good though you see every thing still contrary to your good yet if God hath promised you any needful good it shall certainly fall into your possession even because God hath promised it He alone is sufficient to make all good to be yours whatsoever he hath promised unto you SECT XII 7. A seventh comfort for you who have God to be your God in Covenant is If God be ours then all the immunities and priviledges annexed to the Covenant are ours this Then all the immunities and priviledges annexed to the Covenant of grace for the people of that Covenant they are yours I will speak something unto both these this day that you who are the people of God may see more of your happinesse in having God to be your God 1. The immunities or liberties by the Covenant of grace for such as are in Covenant Ten immunities by the Covenant From the revenging wrath of God They have ten excellent and most comfortable liberties by it 1. They have immunity from the revenging wrath of God There is you know Ira patris ira judicis A paternal anger or wrath from this they are not free In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer Isa 54. 8. A judicial anger or wrath which consists in two things 1. In a resolution by no means to cleare the wicked to acquit to passe by offences to be pacified 2. In a pouring forth the vials of his just vengeance upon transgressors according to the demerits of their sinnes and wickednesses There is a cup in the hand of the Lord and the wine is red it is full of mixture and he poureth out of the same but the dreggs thereof all the wicked of the earth shall wring them out and drink them Psal 75. 8. This judicial wrath of God it is expressed against sinners partly in this life in the dreadful terrours of conscience and in the dreadful destruction of ungodly men who are consumed by the wrath of God as the dry stubble is by the flaming and devouring fire and partly in the life to come which is called Gods reserved wrath and his prepared wrath and the day of wrath Rom. 2. 5. Nahum 1. 2. He reserveth wrath for his enemies Matth. 25. 41. Depart from me ye cursed into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his angels From this judicial wrath of God whither present or future are all the people in Covenant with God freed and delivered by Christ who is their Atonement Rom. 5. 10 11. Propitiatiâ—n 1 John 2. 1. Rom. 5. 9. Much more being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him 1 Thes 1. 10. Jesus who delivered us from the wrath to come 1 Thes 5. 9. God hath not appointed us unto wrath but to obtain salvation by our Lord Jesus Christ Now this our immunity is a singular comfort unto us It is a great matter to be delivered from the wrath of man what is it then to be freed from the wrath of God! You may observe in others how dreadful the expectation of future wrath is unto sinners and how unsupportable the burden of it is unto their consciences how it turns all their delights into gall and wormwood how it shakes the foundations of their souls and fills them with restlesse amazements and horrours and despaires And you read of that hell of his wrath on them in hell which makes the damned to gnash their teeth to cry out and roare to curse and blaspheme which they cannot endure and which they cannot escape But you who are the people of his Covenant as you shall never fall under the power of that future wrath of God so you shall never taste one drop of Gods judicial revenging wrath any one moment of your present life whatsoever your troubles and crosses and sadnesses may be yet there is no judicial wrath in them Christ hath fully drunk off the cup for you and satisfied the justice of God who by his blood is reconciled and well-pleased with you 2. They have immunity from the dominion of sinne Sinne shall not have dominion From the dominion of sin over you for you are under grace
Holy Ghost is the eternal Spirit Heb. 9. 14. and he abides with us for ever John 14. 16. 4. The mercy of God is everlasting Psal 100. 5. his mercy is everlasting and Psal 103. 17. it is from everlasting to everlasting upon them that fear him and Psal 136. from verse 1. to 26. six and twenty times it is there said his mercy endures for ever 5. The goodnesse of God is everlasting it endureth continually Psal 52. 1. 6. The love of God is an everlasting love Jer. 31. 33. I have loved thee with an everlasting love 7. The kindnesse of God is everlasting Isaiah 54. 8. with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer 8. The righteousnesse of the Covenant is an everlasting righteousnesse Dan. 9. 24. 9. The forgivenesse in the Covenant is everlasting Jerem. 31. 34. I will forgive their iniquity and I will remember their sinnes no more Micah 7. 9. Thou wilt cast all their sinnes into the depth of the Sea 10. The grace or holinesse of the Covenant is everlasting it is called abiding seed 1 John 3. 9. and the immortal seed 1 Pet. 1. beiâ—g born agâ—in not of corruptible seed but of incorruptible it is living water John 4. 10. springing up to everlasting life ver 14. 11. The joy of it is everlasting Isa 51. 11. and none shall take it from us John 16. 22. 12. So is the Consolation of the Covenant 2 Thess 2. 16. Who hath given us everlasting Consolation and good hope throuâ—h grace 13. The life of the Covenant is everlasting Jâ—hn 3. 16. he that believes shall not perish but have everlasting life 1 John 2. 25. This is the promise which he hath promised us even eternal life For the opening of this excellent and comfortable adjunct of the Covenant remember 1. That the word everlasting hath two acceptions it doth denote Thâ— word everlasting aâ—eâ— for Aâ—ong duration A perpetual duration This Covenant is everlasting 1. Sometimes a long duration in which respect the old Covenant cloathed with figures and ceremonies is called everlasting because it was to endure and did endure a long time 2. Sometimes a perpetual duration and a duration which shall last for ever in this respect the new Covenant is everlasting it shall never cease never be broken never be altered 2. And it is an everlasting Covenant in a twofold respect 1. Ex parte faederantis in respect of God who will never break Covenant In respect of God with his people but is their God and will be their God for ever and ever 2. Ex parte confaederatorum in respect of the people of God who are brought In respect of his people into Covenant and shall continue in Covenant for ever and ever you have both these expressed in 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 Mark the place it shews that the Covenant is everlasting on Gods part and also on our part on Gods part I will never turn away from them to do them good and on our part They shall never depart from me how so I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me even that fear spoken of in ver 39. that they may fear me for ever There are three things which I would deliver concerning the everlastingnesse of the Covenant 1. Some clear demonstrations of it from the Scripture 2. The reasons why the Covenant of grace is and must be everlasting 3. Some useful applications of this unto our selves 1. The demonstrations of the everlastingnesse of the Covenant in respect of the The everlastingnesse of the Covenant demonstrated From the consideration of God himself in relation to his people The election of God people in Covenant I shall present unto you four arguments to demonstrate that it is so 1. The first argument I will take from the consideration of God himself in relation unto his people as 1. his election of them 2. His love to them 3. His power for them 4. His presence with them 5. His promises to them 1. The election of God all the people in the Covenant are the elect of God thine they were and thou gavest them me saith Christ John 17. 6. As many as were ordained to eternal life believed Acts 13. 48. Now there are three things in election 1. It is a gracious decree not depending on any forinsecal causes 2. It is an unalterable decree not raised on any mutable causes 3. It is an effectual decree letting forth and communicating all the things which will infallibly bring unto salvation Rom. 8. 30. Whom he did predestinate which if it be so then certainly the Covenant is everlasting forasmuch as everlasting life and all that conduceth thereunto is unalterably decreed in Gods election and from that effectually communicated unto all in Covenant 2. The love of God that God doth love his people is most clear in the Scriptures The love of God After what manner God loves his people As he loves Jesus Christ but after what manner doth he love them we read five things of Gods love to his 1. That God doth love his people after the same manner that he loves Jesus Christ himself and with the same love John 17. 23. That the world may know that thou hast sent me and hast loved them as thou hast loved me Ver. 26. I have declared unto them thy Name that the love wherewith thou hast loved me may be in them and I in them 2. That God doth love his people with an insuperable and with and inseparable With an insuperable and inseparable love love Rom. 8. 35. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ shall tribulation or distresse or persecution or famine or nakedness or perills or sword Ver. 37. Nay in all these things we are more than conquerors through him that loved us Ver. 38. I am perswaded that neither death nor life nâ—r Angels nor principalities nor powers nor things present nor things to come Ver. 39. Nor heighth nor depth nor any other creature shall be able to separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord. 3. That God doth love his people with a most gracious love with a love With a most gracious love kindled only from love Deut. 7. 7 8. The Lord did set his love upon you because the Lord loved you Hosea 14. 4. I will love them freely that is upon the sole account and reason of my own love unto them yea his love was the only impulsive cause why he entred into Covenant with them and by oath engaged himself unto them Ezek. 16. 8. Now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold thy time was the time of love and I sware unto thee and entred into Covenant with thee saith the Lord
mercy He did not leave me to my sinful heart and life he did pity and call me and brought me in to Christ and made me one of his people who aforetime was none of his people But I still finde such a body of sin such a law in my members warring against the Law of mind so many sinful corruptions within and so many strong and violent temptation without and so much weakness and insufficency in my self that fear I shall never hold out unto the end I shall one day faile and loose all my interest in God and in Christ and grace Consider To this sad complaint I would briefly speak three things There is a twofold fear 1. There is a twofold fear There is a a fear of unbelief and this is a vexing and distressing and disabling fear it loosens our confidence in God and in his A fear of unbelief this is to be resisteâ— promises It is a naughty fear and beware of it and resist it and bewaile it And there is a fear of tenderness and jealousie in regard of the Natural deceitfulnesse of our own hearts and of the supernatural weaknesse of our own strength this is a A fear of tenderness and jealousie is good good fear and blessed is the man that thus feareth alwayes The weak child feareth and thereupon cries out to the Parent to take him to hold him to support him and by his fear of falling he is preserved from falling So the child of God fears and thereupon he cries out unto his God! Lord help thy servant forsake me not make haste to deliver me keep me who cannot keep my self establish my goings Thou hast promised to keep and preserve the feet of thy Saints This fear is that fear which God hath promised to put into the hearts of his people that they shall not depart from him And indeed this fear is their strength the more of this fear the more safe they are Let him that standeth take heed lest he fall Thou standest by faith Be not high-minded but fear work out your salvation with fear and trembling 2. Your standing or continuing in the Covenant doth not depend upon your own Our standing doth not depend upon our own strength strength nor doth God leave you unto that but it doth depend on his strength and on his power Ephes 3. 16. That he would grant you according to the riches of his grace to be strengthened with might by his Spirit in the inner man Mic. 4. 5. We will walk in the Name of the Lord our God for ever and ever Zach. 10. 12. I will strengthen them in the Lord and they shall walk up and down in his name saith the Lord Though your strength be insufficient yet the strength of your God and of your Christ is sufficient for you 1 Pet. 1. 5. We are kept by the power of God through faith unto salvation 2 Cor. 12. 9. My grace is sufficient for thee for my strength is made perfect in weakness 3. The Lord is able to keep you from falling and to preserve you faultlesse before The Lord is able to keep you from falling the presence of his glory with exceeding joy Jude ver 24. Nay and he will keep you from falling Wilt not thou deliver my feet from falling Psal 56. 13. Thou hast delivered my feet from falling Psal 116. 8. He will keep the feet of his saints 1 Sam. 2. 9. When I said my foot slippeth thy mercy O Lord held me up Psalm 94. 18. 2. The everlastingnesse of the Covenant should be a Cordial to the people of God in the time of desertions when they are apt to question whether God be not Against desertion fallen off from them and hath forsaken them But consult these Promises and you may finde these fears removed Isa 49. 14. Zion said The Lord hath forsaken me and my Lord hath forgotten me ver 15. Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb Yea they may forget yet I will not forget thee ver 16. Behold I have graven thee upon the palms of my hands Thy walls are continually befâ—re me Isa 54. 7. For a small moment have I forsaken thee but with great mercies will I gather thee ver 8. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindness will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer ver 10. The mountains shall depart and the hills be removed but my kindness shall not depart from thee neither shall the Covenant of my peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee Use 4 Is the Covenant which God makes with his people an everlasting Covenant Then blesse God and not your selves for your standing and for your continuing inCovenant with him Blesse God and not your selves for your standing in Covenant with him There are three things for which we should blesse God 1. For his restraining grace 2. For his converting grace 3. For his confirming grace that he will and doth keep you stedfast to himself in Covenant O beloved we could never keep our selves nor establish our selves were it not for the goodness and the power and the love and the faithfulness of our God we should break with God and turn aside from him and leave all truly it is almost a wonder that the people of God do hold out in keeping Covenant with God considering 1. The daily and frequent discouragements which they meet with in the world the continual scorns and threats and persecutions and affronts to their persons and godlinesse 2. The manifold allurements snares and temptations unto sin and sinful wayes by wicked example and promises and hopes and connivencies wickednesse in judgement in practice is a general infection the common aire is infected with this plague it is therefore the more hard to keep our health 3. The malice of Satan and his power and subtilty is exceeding great he desires to sift and winnow us as wheat he threw down the third part of the Stars he helped to break the first Covenant There is not any one of the people of God but may say of him as David of his enemies Psal 118. 13. Thou hast thrust sore at me that I might fall but the Lord helped me 4. How strongly some of the people of God have been hazarded in the lasting part of the Covenant Solomon Peter Asa insomuch as many from their falls have erected the Doctrine of the Apostacy of the Saints 5. Those many remaining Principles for inconstancy and failing as spiritual pride unbelief hypocrysie and worldliness much of every one of these still in our hearts 6. Adde to all these the exceeding weaknesse in all our graces How little faith how weak love and how apt to be shaken and offended Truely we must acknowledge that what we are we are by the grace of God and that if we be strong we are strong in the
Israel were both under the same Covenant Exod. 34. 27. I have made a Covenant with thee and with Israel If any doubt under what Covenant Moses did stand whether of works or grace let him peruse Heb. 11. 26. what a description he shall there finde of Moses He shall there finde him to be a Choice and eminent believer in Christ Esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures in Egypt and having respect to the recompence of reward c. Now certainly such a choice believer in Christ was not under a Covenant of work 4. That Covenant which was confirmed by blood and sprinkling which typified the blood of Christ confirming and ratifying the Covenant was no Covenant of works But the Covenant which God then made with the Israelites was confirmed by blood Exod. 24. 7. Moses took the book of the Covenant and read in the audience of the people and they said All that the Lord hath said will we do and be obedient verse 8. And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said Behold the blood of the Covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words Now this very place is quoted by the Apostle in Heb. 9. 19. He sprinkled both the book and the people verse 20. saying This is the blood of the Testament which God hath enjoyned unto you and expresly interprets it and applies it to the blood of Christ verse 14. and veâ—se 23. And therefore that Covenant with that people was not a Covenant of works which never was nor shall be confirmed by the blood of Christ 5. That Covenant which did so convince of sin that it did also shew the way of expiation of sin and of forgivenesse could not be a Covenant of works for that Covenant convinces and condemns But this Covenant at Mount Sinai shewed sin and the way of forgiveness for it taught men to look for forgiveness in the blood of Christ specified in the sacrifices 6. If the Law had been given to the Israelites for a Covenant of Woâ—ks Then upon the breaking of that Covenant all the Israelites had been cut off from all hope of salvation My Reason is this Because a Covenant of Works once broken presently condemns and as to it Salvation therefore becomes impossible it not at all admitting of repentance or of mercy or of a righteousness and satisfact on by another But there was no such Covenant made with the Israelites as the sinning against which did make their salvation thus desperate but that upon repentance they might be received to mercy And for this see Deut. 4. 29. But if from thence thou shalt seek the Lord thy God thou shalt finde him if thou seek him with all thine heart and with all thy soule verse 30. When thou aâ—t in tribulation and all these things are come upon thee even in the latter dayes if thou turn to the Lord thy God and shalt be obedient to his voice verse 31. For the Lord thy God is a mercifull God he will not destroy thee nor forsake thee nor forget the Covenant of thy Fathers which he sware unto them Lo here is a way prescribed for repentance in case of transgressions And here is mercy and acceptance in case of repentance and all this in reference to the Covenant made with their Fathers and with them And are any of these to be found in a Covenant of works or upon the transgression of it 7. It had been strange kindnesse in God to help the Children of Israel out of Egypt by an out-stretched arm and after this to make such a Covenant with them that they should never have found mercy nor salvation as in a Covenant of works there is not 3. The Covenant made with the people of Israel at Mount Sinai was at least subserviently the Covenant of Grace and given for gracious ends and purposes The Covenant at Mount Sinai was at lâ—ast subserviently the Covenant of grace I say a Covenant of Grace for the substance of it though propounded in a more dark way and in a manner fitting for the state of that people and that present time and condition of the Church namely so as to convince them of sin and of their own impotency and of the great need of Christ and to flie for mercy to God revealed in Christ and to be a Rule of life for a people in Covenant with God that so they might inherit the promises of mercy Gal. 3. 19. The Law was added because of transgressions verse 24. The Law was our Schoolmaster to bring us to Christ that we might be justified through faith This assertion I shall endeavour to make out unto you from the Word As appears by of God 1. The Praeludium unto the Law makes much for this Read it in Exod. 19. 5. The Praeludium of the Law If you will obey my voice indeed and keep my Covenant Then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people verse 6. And ye shall be unto me a kingdom of Priests and an holy Nation And the Apostle makes use of these expressions and applies them to those who are in the Covenant of grace in 1 Pet. 2. 9. But ye are a chosen Geneeration a Royal Priesthood an holy Nation a peculiar peoâ—le c. And verse 10. Which in times past were not a people but are now the people of God which had not obtained mercy but now have obtained mercy Now I beseech you mark me Is there any Covenant unlesse that of grace wherein the Lord doth thus own and thus exalt a people Is it not meerly of the grace of God in Christ by whom we are made Kings and Priests to God Is it imaginable that any people should be as it were Gods own proper goods which he loveth which he sets his heart upon which he keeps in store for himself for his own special use which he will not part withall which God accounts as his rare and exquisite and precious treasure as all this the word Segulah doth signifie and yet this people are not in a Covenant of grace The immediate Introduction to the giving of the Law 2. The immediate Introdâ—ction unto the giving of the Law Exod. 20. 2. I am the Lord thy God which have c. why there is the very Covenant of grace here is God as our God and blessed are the people who have the Lord to be their God and here is Jesus Christ the Mediator of the Covenant implied for in Christ doth God become our God and there is our redemption from sin and Satan intimated by their deliverance out of Egypt and presently there is the worship of God instituted and appointed which if acceptable to God must be performed with faith for without faith it is impossible to please God God would not command his people so to worship him as to displease him Lev. 26. 12. I will set my Tabernacle amongst you and my soul shall not abhor
by Divine mercy Sol. But Beloved there is no such matter and no such dealing of God with us the sinner may provocare he may appeal from the Court of justice unto the Throne of Gods mercy and of this he may rest assured that the definitive sentence in the Court of mercy about the forgiveness of sins is like the Laws of the Medes and Persians which stood fast for ever and remains unchangeable And as Isaac spake of his blessing of Jacob I have blessed him and he shall be blessed that may we affirme of Gods forgiving any sinner he hath forgiven him and he shall for ever continue forgiven and the Scriptures give full testimony unto this which I now deliver unto you Jer. 50. 20. The iniquity of Israel shall be sought for and there shall be none and the sins of Judah and they shall not be sound for I will pardon them whom I reserve Ezek. 18. 22. All his transgressions which he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him q. d. I will never speak of them any more Jer. 31. 34. I will forgive their iniquity and remember their sin no more And besides these places there are three other which though metaphorically yet do notably express the eternal passing over sin in Gods forgiveness of it viz. Isa 43. 25. I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake Here our sins are compared to debts written in a book and Gods forgiving of them is compared to the blotting of them out of the book if a debt-book be crossed this would much satisfie us for that supposeth a discharge but if the debt be blotted out now it can never be read against us any more it is utterly defaced and nothing of a debt can be made to appear Micah 7. 19. Thou wilt cast all their sins into the depth of the Sea If a man be cast upon the Sea or into the Sea yet he may recover again but if he be cast into the depths of the Sea into the very profundum of it he is drowned and gone the meaning of the place is that when God forgives the sins of his people they shall never rise up and appear before him again you have a phrase for the effect of this concerning Babylon Rev. 18. 21. A mighty Angel took up a stone and cast it into the Sea saying thus with violence shall that great City Babylon be thrown down and shall never be found no more at all And in this respect often God is said to cast our sins into the depths of the Sea his meaning is they shall be like men that lie drowned and buried in the bottome of the Sea and Ephes 2. 16. Having slain the enmity thereby the enmity here principally meant is sin but this by the blood of Christ is slain Mark he doth not say it is imprisoned nor it is wounded but it is slain killed out right thus when God in the blood of Christ forgives our sins they are as it were slain they dye and cease to be and can never raise a quarrel or variance more between God and us 6. What shall I say more when God forgives any man his sins all displeasure Upon forgivenesse all displeasure ceaseth ceaseth the forgiven party is now looked upon and received with that love and favour as if he had never offended God and as if God had never been offended by him Object You will say this is incredible Sol. It is a very truth and worthy to be believed and received with all thankful acceptation Hosea 14. 4. I will love them freely for mine anger is turned away from him in ver 2. Israel prays for the forgiveness of sin take away iniquity and receive us graciously this petition God heard and granted and now observe in what a posture God appears toward them not of displeasure or anger mine anger is turned away from him but of kindness and favour and tender love I will love him freely Isa 54. 8. In a little wrath I hid my face from thee for a moment but with everlasting kindnesse will I have mercy on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer Ver. 9. For this is as the water of Noah unto me for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth so have I sworn that I would not be wrath with thee nor rebuke thee Luk 15. 21. And the son said unto him Father I have sinned against heaven and in thy sight and am no more worthy to be called thy son Ver. 22. But the Father said unto his servants bring forth the best robe and put it on him and put a ring on his hand and shooes on his feet Ver. 23. And bring hither the fatted Calf and kill and let us eat and be merry Here the sins of the Prodigal are pardoned and his father receives him with such expressions of love and bounty and familiarity as if he had never sinned against him Hence it is that you read of such sweet kind tender loving comforting expressions of God towards those whose sins he hath pardoned Jer. 31. 16. Refrain thy voice from weeping and thine eyes from tears Ver. 20. Is Ephraim my dear son is he a pleasant child Matth. 9. 2. Son Be of good chear thy sins are forgiven thee Thus you see what forgiveness of sins is which God promiseth unto his people Some scruples arising from this description removed in Covenant and before I proceed any further I judge it convenient to remove some scruples which may arise upon this description of the forgiveness of sins now delivered unto you Four Quaeries 1. If our sins be thus removed covered blotted out and made to pass away in forgiveness of them whether then that assertion be not true God sees not sin in the justified 2. If God upon the forgiveness of sins be not longer displeased and will proceed against them no more how is it that we read of his anger and displeasure with his people and sharp correcting of them 3. If sins be thus blotted out and the parties forgiven be received into special love and favour with God whether then have pardoned persons any reason to mourn for their sins and repent of them 4. Whether persons justified may charge sin on themselves Whether God sees no sin in justified persons Quest 1. Whether the removing and covering and blotting out of sins in forgiveness doth not strongly hold out that assertion that God sees no sin at all in persons justified Answered Sin doth remain in them Proved Sol. For answer unto this Quaery I shall lay down these conclusions viz. First That sin doth remain even in justified and forgiven persons and four things do infallibly demonstrate it so to be 1. By Scripture 1 Joh. 1. 8. If we say that we have no sin we deceive our selves and the truth is not in us 1 Kings 8. 46. There is no man that sinneth not Eccles 7. 20. There is not a just man
platted a Crown of thorns they put it on his head and a Reed in his right hand and they bowed the knee before him and mocked him saying Hail King of the Jews so Acts 2. 13. Others mocking said these men are full of new wine And they are said in Hebr. 10. 29. to tread under foot the Son of God and to count his blood an unholy thing How amazing is this reproach and thus is it with all who sin the sin against the Holy Ghost the precious blood of Christ his holiness his truth his commands his ways his servants are the objects of their mockings and scorns and reproaches Thirdly This opposition is made against Christ and the Gospel after and against the clear Convictions of the Holy Ghost They who sinne this sin 1. Have had such a light in them as to know Jesus Christ Joh. 9. 41. Jesus said unto them If ye were blinde ye should have no sin but now ye say we see therefore your sin remaineth Joh. 7. 28. Ye both know me and whence I am Hebr. 6. 4. who were once inlightened They that sin this sin do know that Jesus Christ is the Son of God and the Redeemer and that there is salvation in him and in no Name but his and that the way which he prescribes for salvation is the true way of life and after all this they crucifie the Son of God afresh and put him to an open shame 2. The Holy Ghost hath not only illuminated their minds but hath also raised them to a kind of approbation of Christ and his truths and his ways so that they have taken upon them the profession of Christianity and side with the Gospel for a time 3. By the operation of the Holy Ghost they have attained unto some spiritual taste and experience as you may see Hebr. 6. 4. Have tasted of the heavenly gift Ver. 5. And have tasted of the good Word of God and the powers of the world to come Fourthly And yet after all this they fall away Hebr. 6. 6. Reject Christ and his truths and ways and will go on in the ways of their sinful and worldly lusts This is that sin which shall never be forgiven not only because God is pleased to shut the door of mercy against it but also because persons guilty of this sin do thrust themselves into such a desperate hardness of heart and they reject Christ in whom alone pardon is to be had that as the Apostle speaks Hebr. 6. 6. It is impossible to renew them again unto Repentance 2. Secondly They do put themselves out of a capacity of the forgiveness of their sins who will not repent of their sins i. e. who will not forsake them They who will not repent of their sins but will still persist and continue in them though they be convinced though they be reproved though they be threatned though they be assured of the inconsistence of forgiveness with impenitency This point will manifestly appear upon a threefold consideration 1. Of Gods professed resolution contrary to the presumption of mercy in the impenitent sinner indeed this sinner presumes to promise mercy unto himself though he goes on in his sins but the Lord protests that he shall have none Deut. 29. 18. Lest there should be among you a root that beareth gall and wormewood Ver. 19. And it come to pass when he heareth the words of this curse that he blesse himself in his heart saying I shall have peace though I walk in the imagination of mine heart to adde drunkenness to thirst Ver. 20. The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoak against that man and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under heaven Ver. 21. And the Lord shall separate him to evil out of all the Tribes of Israel according to all the curses of the Covenant that are written in this book of the Law So Psal 50. 21. These things hast thou done and I kept silence thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thy self but I will reprove thee and set them in order before thine eyes Ver. 22. Consider this ye that forget lest I tear you in pieces and there be none to deliver 2. Of Gods restriction of his promise of forgiveness only upon condition of repentance only to such as forsake their sins where do you find it otherwise in the whole Bible Isa 1. 16. Wash ye make you clean put away the evil of your doings cease to do evil learn to do well Ver. 18. Come now let us reason together though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow 2 Chron. 7. 14. If my people shall humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sins Isa 55. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts and let him return unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and to our God for he will abundantly pardon 3. Of Gods peremptory sentence in case of impenitency Exod 34. 7. that will by no means clear the guilty i. e. the impenitent in absolving he will not absolve i. e. whosoever finds mercy they shall not Ezek. 18. 21. Cast away from you all your transgressions for why will ye dye O house of Israel Psal 63. 21. God will wound the head of such an one as goes on still in his wickednesse Luk. 13. 3. Except ye repent ye shall perish Jer. 13. 10. This evil people which refuse to hear my words which walk in the imagination of their hearts Ver. 14. I will dash them one against another even the father and the son together saith the Lord I will not pity nor spare nor have mercy but destroy them Eccles 8. 13. It shall not be well with the wicked Isa 65. 20. The sinner dying an hundred years old shall be cursed then certainly not forgiven O think of this you who still go on in the hatred of holiness in profaning of the Sabbath in drunkenness in whoredom in pride in lying in any ungodly course who mock at reproof and despise instruction who flatter your selves with hopes of forgiving mercy Be not deceived for God is not to be mocked for whatsoever a man sowes that shall he also reap Gal. 6. 7. and Rom. 2. 6. God will render to every man according to his deeds Ver. 8. Indignation and wrath Ver. 9. tribulation and anguish upon every soul of man that doth evil Thirdly They do put themselves out of a capacity of forgiveness of their sins who do delay and defer their work of repentance When some sinners are convinced They who delay theâ—r repentance of the inconsistence of mercy with impenitency and of the necessary presence of repentance for forgiveness then seeing it must be so and mercy cannot be otherwise had
nature or desert or circumstances of it nor afflictions devolving or throwing our sins upon others as Adam did upon his Wife and she upon the Divel but it is a clear Inditement Accusation or Charge against our selves before God I have sinned against heaven and before thee said the Prodigal Luk. 15. 18. I was a blusphemer and a persecutor and injurious and of sinners the chief said Paul 1 Tim. 1. 13 15. 4. It is a fiduciary acknowledgement of our sins it is joyned with some A fiduciary acknowledgement degree of faith for it is made to God not as to a Judge only who condemns upon the Parties confession but as to a Father who knows how to pity and forgive the mourning and repenting childe who begins to accuse and condemn himself Hosea 14. 2. Take with you words and turn unto the Lord and say unto him Take away all iniquity and receive us graciously Deut. 9. 8. O Lord to us belongeth confusion of face and because we have sinned against thee Ver. 9. To the Lord our God belong mercies and forgiveness though we have rebelled against him Lord I am a sinful creature but thou art a merciful God! I deserve wrath but thou canst shew mercy I am unworthy of any mercy but thou forgivest sins freely and thou hast promised forgiveness unto them who confess their sins O forgive me all my sins for Christs sake 5. Lastly True penitential confession which shall obtain forgiveness of sins It is attended with desire of humbling and endeavors of reforming is attended with desires of humbliâ—â— and endeavours of reforming When a Patient layes open his diseases to the Physitian it is for this purpose that the Physitian would cure them as the poor man having related unto Christ the grievous distempers of his child requested Mark 9. 22. But if thou canst do any thing have compassion on us and help us So when a penitent person confesseth his sins to God it is alwayes accompanied with earnest desires O Lord heal these diseases of my soul heal my pride and heal my vain-glory and heal my filthiness and heal my impatience and heal my unbelief and heal my worldliness as David with the confession of his sins joyned this petition Psal 51. 10. Create in me a clean heart O God and renew a right spirit within me Nay moreover the right confession of sins is attended with the real endeavour of reforming our sins therefore Solomon puts these together He that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall finde mercy Prov. 28. 13. And this was the practice of the children of Israel they joyned Reformation with their Confession and good came of it unto them as you may see Judg. 10. 15. We have sinned Ver. 16. And they put away the strange gods from among them and served the Lord and his soul was grieved for the misery of Israel Thirdly The qualifications of the right turning from sin which puts us within The qualification of a right turning from sin A cordial turning in the capacity of the promise of forgiveness of our sins First It is a cordial turning Joel 2. 12. Turn ye even to me with all your heart Deut. 30. 10. If thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul 2 Chron. 6. 38. If they return to thee with all their heart and with all their soul Ver. 39. then hear thou from the heavens their prayer and their supplication and forgive their sins c. Here are singular expressions to set forth the life and truth of penitential turning from sin viz. To turn with the heart and with all the heart with all the heart and with all the soul What may these expressions mean and signifie There are two things principally intended in them 1. One is a reality of turning for he doth indeed repent whose heart repents and he doth indeed turn from his sins whose heart doth turn from sin if the heart turns not the repentance is but feigned and hypocritical Suppose you should for awhile lay ande your sins you may therein seem unto men to repent but if you still love your sins and hold them fast and will not part with them you are so far from repenting in the sight and account of God that he looks upon you as plain hypocrites who pretend only to forsake your sins when indeed you are the servants of sin and intend not at all to foâ—sake them Well then to turn from sin with the heart is to have an heart giving a Bill of Divorce unto our sins breaking the league with sin casting it off for any more love and obedience c. 2. Another is a perfection or fulness of turning that doth the turning with all the heart and with all the soul and with the whole heart signifie as when ones whole hâ—art is set upon an object or is employed in any service the meaning is that every faculty of the soul is unitedly and concurrently engaged to that object and in that service I have sought thee with my whole heart said David Psal 119. 10. i. e. Not any one faculty of my soul but is drawn out and exercised in that work So to turn from our sin with the whole heart with all the heart and with all the soul is to have every faculty drawn off from sin and disinterested of sin and as it were outing and discharging it self thereof all of them agreeing and consenting to course it away viz. First The understanding saith I will never give way to any deceitful motions of sin any more nor to any delightful contemplation of it any more I will not count it as pleasure or profit but shall esteem of it as indeed it is an object every way to be hated and rejected Secondly The Judgement turns away from it by disapproving and disallowing and condemning of it I will never reason and plead for it more I will never contrive or devise to gratifie it more I will never make pretences and shifts to colour it any more O it is the greatest evil the only dishonour of God the only cause of the death of Christ and the only danger and damnation of the soul Thirdly The conscience turns away from it O saith conscience sin hath been the thorn in my eye and the arrow in my side it hath wounded me and made me restless and filled me with bitterness I will give warning against it I will threaten aganst it I will trouble and vex you for it Fourthly The will turns away from it in resolution and purpose I will never obey sin any more in the lusts thereof I will never give over till I find the vertue of Christ to crucifie and mortifie them Fifthly And every affection of the soul turns away from sin in true repentance 1. Love saith I will never embrace thee more 2. Desire saith I will never long after thee more 3. Delight saith I will never take content in thee more 4. Hatred saith I
Pet. 1. 10. and proving and trying your selves whether Christ be in you of a truth 2 Cor. 13. 5. and working out your salvation Phil. 2. 12. Secondly The comfort of sincerity that you are on the way to be assured not resting in the want of assurance nor in idle complaints but as you pretend an opinion and judgement rightly valuing it and that your hearts are set upon it so your souls are indeed drawn forth to the ways of enjoyment Thirdly The comfort of Gods presence for it is from the Spirit of God that your hearts do thus prize and thus long for and thus labour for assurance he begets those thoughts and those desires and those prayers you have the presence of the Spirit though not the assurance of the Spirit Fourthly The comfort of hope that at length you shall see the God of gods in Zion that you shall see his face with joy that he will create peace and assurance in your hearts for he never fills the soul and stirs and draws it unto himself for his gracious favour but at length he doth make his loving kindness known unto that soul and he doth thus prepare the heart because he will incline his ear Fourthly A fourth support unto you is this although you have not this assurance in your own hearts yet you have it in Gods promise who assures you that he will sprinkle it upon you and faithful is he who hath promised who will also do it Secondly But now I come unto the Direction which I would commend to weak Direction believers for the attaining of their assurance and they are these First Diligent attendance upon the Word of God that this is a good means to attain Dâ—ligent attendance upon the Word assurance may appear by three particulars 1. God hath instituted or ordained his Word not only for the conversion but also for the consolation of his people and the assuring of them Rom. 15. 4 Whatsoever things were written aforetime were written for our learning that we through patience and comfort of the Scriptures might have hope 1 Joh. 1. 4. These things write we unto you that your joy may be full 1 Joh. 13. These things have I written unto you that believe on the Name of the Son of God that you may know that ye have eternal life Mark written for our comfort written that our joy may be full written that believers may know they have eternal life why then unquestionably the Word is a means to attain assurance c. 2. The people of God have attended the Word for this very end to gain assurance Psal 48. 9. We have thought of thy loving kindness O God in the midst of thy Temple Psal 85. 8. I will hearken what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace unto his people 3. They have found assurance upon the attending on the Word Psal 63. 1. O God thou art my God early will I seek thee my soul thirsteth for thee Ver. 2. To see thy power and thy glory so as I have seen thee in the Sanctuary Ver. 3. Because thy loving kindness is better than life He had seen experimentally the power and the glory of God in the Sanctuary i. e. the mercy and the loving kindness of God in Christ the assurance and feeling of it in the use of the Word c. Eph. 1. 13. In whom ye also trusted after that ye heard the Word of truth the Gospel of your salvation in whom also after that ye believed ye were sealed with the holy Spirit of promise Secondly Fervent prayer unto the Lord this is also a means to obtain assurance Fervent prayer Ps 119. 58. I intreated thy favour with my whole heart and two things demonstrate this unto us 1. Some special promises to this purpose viz. Isa 56. 7. Even them will I bring to my holy Mountain and will make them joyful in my house of prayer c. What is that which makes the heart of the people of God joyful David tells you in Psal 4. 6. Lord lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us and Ver. 7. Thou hast put gladness in my heart c. and where is this joyfulness promised by what means I will make them joyful in my house of prayer Joh. 16. 24. Ask and ye shall receive that your joy may be full Ver. 22. Whatsoever ye ask the Father in my Name he will give it you Here is a fulness of joy and that certainly is in assurance and that fulness of joy is promised upon prayer 2. Some particular experiences Psal 30. 10. Hear O Lord and have mercy upon me c. Ver. 11. Thou hast turned for me my mourning into dancing thou hast put off my sackcloth and girded me with gladness Object But will some say We have heard the Word a long time and we have prayed and sought the Lord a long time and yet we cannot attain to this assurance of forgiveness Sol. Therefore be sure to take in three things when you pray for this assurance 1. Apious valuation of it Thy favour is life Psal 30. 5. Thy loving kindness is better than life Psal 63 3. O visit me with thy salvation Psal 106 4. 2. A believing perswasion that God will hear you in this Luke 11. 13. How much more shall your heavenly Father give the holy Spirit to them that ask him and that Spirit is the Spirit of Adoption that witnesseth with our spirits that we are the children of God Rom. 8. 16. David hath a singular passage in Psal 119. 147. I prevented the dawning of the morning and cryed I hoped in thy Word where observe three things 1. The earliness of his prayer I prevented the dawning of the morning he could not sleep but must arise and pray 2. The earnestness of his prayer I cried he was solemn serious and fervent 3. The faith with his prayer and I hoped in thy Word in one of these our prayers do fail and so we get not our assurance 3. A patient expectation a continuance in prayer still importuning the Lord and waiting on him for this great testimony of his pardoning mercy Isa 30 18. Blessed are all they that wait for him Psal 85. 8. I will hearken what God the Lord will speak for he will speak peace c. These Ingredients are still to be remembred and taken in if you would prevail for the assurance c. Thirdly A conscientious care in all our ways to walk before God in all well-pleasing A conscientious care to walk in all well-pleasing A godly walking brings most glory to God and most comfort to our own consciences there are two excellent places for this purpose Isa 32. 17. The work of righteousness shall be peace and the effect of righteousness quietness and assurance for ever Joh. 14. 21. He that hath my Commandments and keepeth them is he that loveth me and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father and I will love
when fervency daily degenerates into formality surely tenderness is falling into hardness of heart Watchlesness over the spirit Fifthly A watchlesnesse over the spirit or soul it is not minded observed lookt unto in its motions affections transactions as formerly but the guard is drawn off there is less fear and more security less diligent care and more loose presumption The man was wont to keep his heart with all diligence narrowly observing the passages and workings of his Spirit the inclinations of his heart temptations of Satan behaviours of every day alone and in company and accordingly did apply himself with variety of petitions to God and humbled himself for what was amiss and renewed his strength in the Lord for the time to come O but now it is not thus the precious soul is neglected the City is not watched the thoughts and affections and actions are not observed the poor man is asleep and drowsie and his spirituall frame is impaired and he considers it not 2ly The sadnesse of this condition The sadness of this condition It is an evill distemper First It is a very evil and naughty distemper an hard heart softning that is good but the soft hardning again that 's very evil Was it good to tremble at the Word what is it now not to be moved by the Word was it good to think of sin and mourn what is it now to hear of thy sins and not to be troubled at all was it good to act duties with affections and life what is it now to neglect the duties or to act them with a heavy and careless Spirit There are four things which shew this hardning to be very evil 1. The marvellous ingratitude in it that the Lord should shew so much mercy to heal the disease and yet you relapse into it again 2. There is an express self-condemnation why you were exceedingly troubled at the hardness of your hearts and prayed against it and sought the prayers of others and now to harden your hearts again 3. There is presumption in it you do tempt the Lord by it Do you mean to continue in this case then you are undone do you mean to come out of it why do you then tempt the Lord by falling into it and presuming on his grace to recover you 4. If you look not speedily to your selves where think you will this hardning end perhaps in some great desertion perhaps in some great transgression perhaps in some exceeding great and long trouble of conscience Secondly It is a very uncomfortable condition How is thy Sun eclipsed It is a very uncomfortable condition and thy Spring cut off what is become of that spirit of Prayer what is become of that excellent assurance of which thou hast so much spoken where is that sweetly excusing testimony of Conscience what is become of that joy in the Holy Ghost and that peace with which thou wast wont to work Ah! thou hast suffered thy heart to harden again and God looks not on thee as he was wont and Conscience speaks not as it was wont and the Spirit of God manifests not himself as he was wont and Ordinances smile not on thee as they were wont nor doth Providence shine upon thy Tabernacle as it was wont But instead of these thou meetest with many a sharp affliction with many piercing reproofs with many a sad item and reckoning and scourges which no man knows and feels in the sting and bitterness of it but thou thy self Thirdly It is a very formal and empty estate how may it grieve thee to see It is an empty state a fruitless Vintage of thy soul Tell me what returns hast thou had all this while that this hardning distemper hath been upon thee thou hearest carelesly and negligently what hast thou been the better for all the Sermons which thou hast heard thou prayest coldly and formally and what good hath returned upon thy soul after them thou hast had no trading all this while at heaven how dull must grace be which is not used and how decaying must thy Spiritual strength be which all this while recovers no more strength Fourthly It is a very dangerour posture though it be not absolute Apostacy It is a dangerous posture yet it looks toward it Though I will not say that it is the turning of the grace of God into wantonnesse yet it bends towards it Though it be not falling from grace and though it be not a forsaking of God yet unquestionably it is a gâ—ieving of God and a provoking of him and for which he may very far leave a person 3ly Directions in this case for recovery Directions for recovery Finde out the cause First By all means find out the cause or causes of the hardning observe well 1. What conscience tells thee in thy bed at night or in the day of fear and affliction or in a day of Solemn Humiliation or in the meditation of thy short appearances before God 2. What the Word of God hints and points at in thee at what it levels and strikes there is an arrow some time or other shot which falls into thy very heart a message that is secretly delivered in way of conviction and reproof which saith Thou art the man and this is thy way and thy doings 3. What thy faithful and watchful friends say unto thee what their suspicions and fears are and unto what their friendly counsels do tend A thousand to one but some of these things which I shall mention have brought on thee this new hardness upon thy heart 1. Either spiritual pride this hath made thee to neglect thy watch and to neglect the Ordinances 2. Or a worldly surfet thou hast been taking in too much of the world and worldly business and this hath robbed thee of thy precious time to converse at heaven to meditate to examine to read to hear to pray to confer with thy Fellow-Christians 3. Or the deceitfulness of sin Thou hast ventured on lesser sins and they have ensnared thee and drawn thee to greater sins and these have brought upon thee the hardness of thy heart again c. Secondly When you have found out the spiritual causes by which your hearts Judge your selves and repent have been hardned then judge your selves and repent remember from whence thou art fallen and repent said Christ unto Ephesus Rev. 2. 5. Nay do not stay to look when this hardning will fall off from thee but hasten but compel thy self to retiredness and to a penitential consideration of thy hardning with the causes of it and the great evils in it and fall down before the Lord in humble confessions of thy great back-slidings and poure out prayer upon prayer O wrestle with the Father of mercies for his Christs sake to pity and pardon and heal and once more to cure and recover thee Follow on to seek the Lord though he doth secretly upbraid thee though for a while he delays thee though to thy
the testimonies of Gods reconciled favour O how doth the tender heart take on and judge and condemn it self if at any time it fall into sin O what a fool what a beast and why have I dealt thus with my God! why did I deal so unkindly with my kind God is this my love unto him is this my fear of him is this my tenderness of his glory O my soul what hast thou done why hast thou broken the bonds of friendship what hath the Lord been to thee that thou hast thus sinned against him And now the man falls a weeping and lamenting as if his heart would break and after some respite he thinks of his father again but he is ashamed to come to him and yet he will go to him and return with weeping and supplications O I cannot live thus I will home again to my fathers house and say I have sinned and am no more worthy to be called thy son Luke 15. Though shame and confusions belong to me yet mercies and forgiveness to him Dan. 9. O Lord heal my backslidings and forgive my backsldings and reoeive me graciously Hose 14. 2. And return again in mercy and make thy face to shine upon thy servant for the Lords sake Thus have I opened unto you the first Character or evidence of a heart spiritually soft and tender it is a heart filled with shame for sin and with grief for sin and with fear to sin and with zeal against sin and with care to be kept from sin and with restlestness till it can find God mercifully pardoning sin O that such tenderness and that such fruits of tenderness might be found in all our hearts Secondly A second Character by which we may know that we have the true The activity and life and power in conscience spiritual softness and tenderness of heart is the activity and life and power in conscience when God gives any one a soft and tender heart he gives him a conscience arrayed and enabled with other qualities and powers than in times past The Conscience heretofore was asleep but now it is awakned heretofore it was blind but now it sees heretofore it was silent but now it speaks heretofore it was loose and large but now it is strict and narrow heretofore it was dull and weak but now it is quick and powerful heretofore it was stupid and senceless but now it is apprehensive and active But I must not speak of all things about this that which I will pitch on is this the speciall Activities of Conscience where the heart is indeed tender 1. Concerning the good estate and welbeing of our souls 2. Concerning particular facts as to our doing or walking First Where the heart is tender there Conscience becomes active to clear out The conscience is active to clear our state the good and safe estate and well-being of our souls It will not suffer the poor soul to delude and deceive itself in matters of life and death to lay no grounds nor to venture all upon false bottoms and grounds of salvation and damnation of favour and wrath O saith Conscience thy soul is immortal and is for eternity and there are wayes to that eternity of Gods making and of mens making there is a reall relation to Christ and there is a seeming relation to Christ there is the power of godliness and there is the form of godliness there were virgins with oyle and there were virgins with lamps only there are some which believe and are saved and there are some that believe but for a time and perish If a man mistake himself he is undone for ever hereupon it is that Conscience in tender hearts dares not take up the estate of the soul upon trust and proud confidence and vain pretences or common grounds or every appearance but puts them on and makes them to study the Word of God and to prove what is the good and acceptable will of God and what indeed are the marks which do accompany salvation what are the infallible tokens of life of union with Christ of the new creature of a child of God born of the Spirit it causeth us to search our hearts and try our wayes to prove and examine our selves whether Christ be in us of a truth to give all diligence to make our calling and election sure and to work out our salvation with fear and trembling it will not suffer us to be careless sluggish dallying delaying c. Conscience takes those saving promises of the â—ord as unquestionable that a man must believe in the Lord Jesus Christ that will be saved and that he must repent that will have his sins pardoned and that he must be regenerated and born again who will enter into the kingdom of heaven And hereupon Conscience puts us on if our hearts be tender exceedingly to make clear and evident the assumption I do truely believe I do truely repent I am born again and my sins are pardoned and my soul shall be saved A tender heart would be sure that it is in a state of life and favour Secondly Where the heart is tender there conscience is alive in respect of the particular facts of our lives whether good or evil For good actions which concern us in our places and callings Conscience puts us upon the careful and sincere practice of them will not suffer us to omit and neglect them but enclines and hearkens unto them although danger and trouble be incident unto us for the performance of them Act. 4. 19. But Peter and John answered and said unto them Whether it be right in the sight of God to hearken unto you more than unto God judge ye ver 20. For we cannot but speak the things which we have seen and heard Act. 21. 13. Then Paul answered What mean you to weep and break mine heart for I am ready not to be bound only but also to dye at Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus Josh 24. 25. If it seem evil unto you to serve the Lord chuse you this day whom you will serve whether the gods which your fathers served that were on the other side of the flood or the gods of the Amorites in whose land ye dwell but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. For evil actions Conscience puts forth itself against them partly by warning It is evil if thou do it not partly by threatning It will be bitter unto thee it wlll deceive thee and break thy peace and confidences partly in striving with us and presenting argument upon argument consideration upon consideration Gods favour on the one hand and Gods displeasure on the other hand the happiness of walking uprightly the shortness of sins deceitful pleasures c. and all to keep us from sinning which if they prevail not then Conscience begins to be unquiet and it smites for sinning and accuses and condems and The respectiveness of our hearts to the Word of God troubles and vexes and
many times we know not what to do and cannot do any good that we would and now the Spirit of God comes and strengthens our feeble hands and supports our fainting spirits and puts out his power upon our hearts and carries us on in our wayes and works You do find it thus in several cases viz. 1. Frequently when we are to pray we are at a loss and cannot go on with Gods spirit helps us in prayer the heavenly work our ignorance our unbelief Satans temptations and distractions all these hold us down and bind us up and we cannot help and free our selves But then the Spirit of God comes in with his strength and with his help and stirs up our hearts and enlargeth our hearts and new desires flow and groans abound and affâ—â—ctions work and faith works with confidence to the throne of grace to find grace and mercy to help in time of need 2. Alwayes in our spiritual warfare with our own corruptions with Satans temptations In our spiritual warfare in these conflicts we feel our own weakness and their power and violence so that we many times cry out O wretched men that we are who shall deliver us Rom. 7. 24. Or as Jehoshaphat in another case We have no might against this great company that commeth against us neither know we what to do 2 Chron. 20. 12. And verily we may say concerning our own corruptions what he spake of his enemies If it had not been the Lord who was on our side if it had not been the Lord who was on our side when men rose up against us then they had swallowed us up quick Psal 124. 1,2,3 so if the Spirit of the Lord had not been with us and if the Spirit of the Lord had not strengthened and helped us sin had been too hard for us But in those conflicts the Spirit of God hath made us strong still to pray still to believe still to wait still to resist and at length to conquer 4ly The spirit of God which is given unto us is a reconciling and a restoring spirit He is a restoring spirit he restoreth my soul saith David Psal 23. 3. Even the people of God sometimes are circumvented by Satans temptations and are overpowered by sin that dwelleth in them what I hate that do I saith Paul Rom. 7. 15. They do many times fall very grievously and sadly and are not able by their own strength to rise again but there they lye with their weakness and losses and complaints and tears Now in this condition the Spirit of God puts forth his hand and recovers and raises them up again he doth not leave them when they are fallen but by the power of his assisting grace 1. He awakens them out of their sleep by a quick conviction upon their consciences He awakens out of spiritual sleep to see the great evil which they have done I have sinned saith David as soon as Nathan said Thou art the man 1 Sam. 12. 2. He melts their hearts into singular grief for that evil which they have done Melts their hearts into grief David watred his couch with tears Psal 6. 6. And Peter goes out and weeps bitterly Luk. 22. 62. he makes them to mourn and to be ashamed and to loath themselves 3. He stirs up their hearts to confess and acknowledge their sinnings and to judge themselves before the Lord for their unfaithful dealings and unworthy walking Stir them up to confess their sins and likewise earnest wrestlings and strivings with the Lord by prayer for pardoning mercy and restoring grace and a more stedfast spirit Psal 51. 9. Blot out all mine iniquities Ver. 10. Renew a right spirit witbin me Ver. 12. Vphold me by thy free spirit 4. He enables them by faith to lay hold on Christ to be their peace and to Enables by Faith to lay hold on Christ make Reconciliation and thus doth the Spirit of God recover and restore their fallen souls and assures them that their sin is pardoned Fifthly the Spirit of God which is given unto you is a comforting Spirit Christ He is a comforting spirit himself calls him the Comforter Joh. 14. 16. and you find him actually comforting the people of God Acts 9. 31. They walked in the comforts of the Holy Ghâ—st He is called the Comforter by way of Eminency and Excellency there is no such Comforter as the Siprit of God Psal 77. 2. For 1. He can comfort your very souls with proper comfors and consolations Thy Comforts the soul comforts delight my soul Psal 94. 19. 2. He can comfort you against all your discomforts 2 Cor. 1. 4. Who comforteth Comforts against all discomforts us in all our tribulations 1. From Conscience 2. From the Divel and the world 3. From Providence when it seems to be cross to us 3. He can comfort you under all absences when there is neither Father nor In all absence and wants Mother nor Husband nor Wife nor Child nor Friend nor Land nor House yet he can comfort you he alone can shew you the salvation of the Lord speak peace and joy and assure you of mercy and cause you to rejoyce in believing Psal 27. 10. When my Father and my Mother for sake me then the Lord will take me up 4. He can comfort you and none can hinder him nor men nor Divels nor fears nor doubts for he can create you peace and create you joy and create He cannot be hindred in comforting us you comfort he himself alone is a sufficient cause of comfort Object How so how doth the Spirit comfort Sol. 1. By opening all the springs of comfort unto you the fountain of mercy How the Spirit comforts By opening the springs of comfort By actuating our Faith Zech. 13. 1. the Fountain of grace the Fountain of the blood of Christ and of justification 1 Joh. 2. 1 2. Rom. 5. 11. We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have received the attonement 2. By actuating your faith to behold all these fountains of joy and to dig water out of the wells of salvation and making you to suck the brests of consolation 3. By applying them to your very souls clearing and witnessing your right unto By opplying them to our souls them your propriety in them that Christ dyed for your sins that God is reconciled to your souls that you are justified and accepted unto life and that you are the children of God Rom. 8. 4. By enabling conscience to testifie 2 Cor. 1. 12. Our rejoycing is this By enabling Conscience to testifie the testimony of our Conscience that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation Sixthly The Spirit which is given unto you is dwelling and an abiding spirit He is a dwelling spirit in all the people of God Rom. 8. 11. By his Spirit that dwelleth in you Joh. 14. 16. I will pray the Father and he
they should not have done well to have observed it Thirdly If the Moral Precepts were ceased as to the people of God then God would have expressed in the delivery of them a purpose after some time to have revoked them and to have exempted his people from further obedience unto them or else Jesus Christ would himself have abrogated them as now unuseful but neither of these do we find Object Yes Christ saith in Luke 16. 16. The Law and the Prophets were untill John Sol. The Law here spoken of is not to be understood de Lege Morali of the direct and commanding Law of the Moral Law prescribing obedience sed de lege Prophetante per figur as as Rivet well observes Fourthly What shall we say to that of Paul Rom. 7. 22. I delight in the Law of God after the inner man And Ver. 25. So then with the mind I my self serve the Law of God And Chap. 8. 4. That the righteousnesse of the Law might be fulfilled in us who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit What shall we say to that of David Psal 119. 1. Blessed are the undefiled who walk in the Law of the Lord Object But the Apostle saith we are not under the Law in Rom. 6 14. c. Sol. First One may be said to be under the Law in several respects How we are said to be under the law 1. For justification by the Law 2. For condemnation by the Law 3. For perfect and personal obedience to the Law 4. For a slavish and servile constraint In these respects the people of God are not under the Law nevertheless for direction and instruction to frame their lives unto the precepts of the Law thus they are under the Law But secondly the place to me expounds it self best of all The Apostle there saith We are not under the Law but under grace and this he gives as a reason why sin should not have dominion over them We are not under the Law i. e. in such a state where there is only a command given against but no power but we are under grace which is such a condition or estate where besides a command against sin we have also a power given with that command which pulls down the dominion of sin And verily all that can be concluded here is the comfortabâ—e estate of believers and regenerate persons not in this that they are utterly freed from the commanding Law of God but in that they are now under such a gracious Covenant vvhere there is not only a Law to command but grace also given to obey 2. Quest The next Question is what manner of obediential observation of God commands that is which concerns the people of God in Covenant Sol. It is an Evangelical manner of obedience or observation which hath four What obedience is required of Gods people It comes from Gospel-Principles ingredients in it First It must come from Gospel Principles even from the life and strength of Christ no man can walk without a Principle of life within him It is a living work which poceeds from a living Principle All the obediential workâ— of the people of God are performed in the vertue of their union and communion with Christ without me you can do nothing Christ doth not only give the Law unto the people of God but also he gives the Spirit unto them Heb. 8. 10. I will write my Law in their minds He doth by his Spirit write them in their hearts and makes them complying and willing to obey Secondly It must come from Gospel motives even from the mercy and love of God the people of God do obey him rather as a Father then as a Judge looking From Gospel-motives more at his goodness than at his severity They shall fear the Lord and his goodness Hosea 3. 5. And Psal 130. 5. There is mercy with thee that thou mayest be feared 2 Cor. 5. 14. The love of Christ constrains them And Ver. 15. He died for all that they who live should not hence forth live unto themselves but unto him which died for them The great love which God hath shewed unto his people in Christ inflames and swells their heart and moves cares and endeavours to walk before him in all well pleasing Thirdly It must come from Gospel-affections especially from love and delight From Gospel-affections O how love I thy Law Psal 119. If a man love me he will keep my cemmandâ—ments Joh. 14. 23. The love of God which the people of God enjoy carries out their soules in all holy obedience unto the will of God and so likewise they serve him with delight I delight to do thy will O God Psal 40. 8. And thy Law is within my heart Psal 101. 1. Serve the Lord with gladness The Commandements of God are not grievous unto his people they say not What a weariness it is to serve the Lord no but as David I rejoyce in thy testimonies and I will run the way of thy Commandements when thou shalt enlarge my heart It was Christs meat and drink to do the will of his Father O that my wayes were directed to keep thy statutes c. There is a servile serving of God which ariseth from a slavish Spirit unwilling backward constrained by threats and blows and there is an ingenuous free chearful delightful serving of God As the people of God are volunteers Psal 110. 3. of a princely spirit as the word signifies their duties though as to the rule are under a command yet as to their hearts and manner of performance they are a free-will-offering they find so much sweetness and happiness in communion with God and with a holy fervency of spirit they are not indifferent cold slothful but fervent in Spirit boyling hot serving the Lord Rom. 12. 11. their hearts are conjoyned and united in the duties of obedience intent and intensive Fourthly It looks at a Gospel-end at the glory of God and Christ Phil. It looks at a Gospel-end 1. 20. Christ shall be magnified in my body whether it be by life or death Ver. 21. For to me to live is Christ Rom. 14. 7. None of us liveth unto himself for ver 8. Whether we live we live unto the Lord. Natural men do act from themselves and for themselves but the people of God do act from Christ and for Christ 3. Quest Why the people of Gods Covenant are in a more special manner charged to walk in his statutes keep his judgements and do them Sol. I will not insist on this but briefly thus the people of God should walk in his statutes keep his judgements and do them Why Gods people should walk in his statutes First In respect of God and here are three Reasons 1. His Will Psal 119. 4. Thou hast commanded us to keep thy preceps diligently 1 Thes 4. 3. It is the will of God even your sanctification 2. His Glory They are called to shew forth
this God doth promise to give unto his people Zech. 12. 10. They shall look upon him whom they have pierced and they shall mourn for him as one that mourneth for his only son c. Ezek. 7. 16. They shall be on the mountains as the Doves of the valleys all of them mourning every one for his iniquity Psal 97. 10. Ye that love the Lord hate evil Rom. 12. 9. Abhor that which is evil This also is promised Ezek. 36. 13. Then shall ye remember your own evil wayes and your doings that were not good and shall loath your selves in your own sight for your iniquities and for your abominations Ezek. 18. 30. Turn your selves from your transgressions Hose 14. 1. Return unto the Lord All this is likewise promised to be given unto the people of God Isa 30. 22. Ye shall defile the covering of thy graven images of silver and the ornaments of thy molten images of gold thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth thou shalt say unto it Get thee hence Jer. 24. 7. They shall return unto me with their whole heart Seventhly The Lord commands his people not to suffer sinne to reign in them Rom. 6. 12. Let not sin reign in your mortal body And he promiseth that sin shall not reign in them Rom. 6. ver 14. Sinne shall not have dominion over you Eighthly And he commands his people to make to themselves a new heart and a new spirit Ezek. 18. 31. Make you a new heart and a new spirit and he promiseth to give these Chap. 36. 26. A new heart will I give you and a new spirit will I put within you Ninthly What shall I say now The Lord commands his people to walk in his statutes 1. Impartially 2ly Willingly 3ly Affectionately 4ly Uprighlty 5ly Sedfastly And all this he doth promise to cause them to do 1. Impartially Deut. 30. 8. Thou shalt return and obey the voice of the Lord and do all his Commandements 2. Willingly Psal 110. 3. They people shall be willing in the day of thy power 3. Affectionately Isa 60. 9. Who are these that flee as a cloud and as the Doves to their windows Zech. 8. 21. The inhabitants of one City shall go to another saying Let us go speedily to pray before the Lord and to seek the Lord of Hosts I will go also 4. Uprightly Jer. 31. 9. I will cause them to walk by the Rivers of water in a strait way wherein they shall not stumble for I am a Father to Israel c. Isa 61. 8. I will direct their work in truth Zech. 8. 3. Jerusalem shall be called a city of truth Isa 30. 21. Their ear shall hear a word behind them saying This is the way walk ye in it when ye turn to the right hand and when ye turn to the left 5. Progressively and stedfastly Job 17. 9. The righteous shall hold on in his way and he that hath clean hands shall be stronger and stronger Isa 40. 30. They that wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength they shall mount up with wings as Eagles they shall run and not be weary they shall walk and not faint 2ly The parallels 'twixt Gods promises and experimental instances Parallels betwixt Gods promises and the Saints experiences wherein you may find that God hath enabled his people there to walk as he hath promised First He hath enabled them to know him Gal. 4. 9. After that you have known God or rather are known of God 1 Joh. 5. 20. He hath given us an understanding that we may know him that is true 1 Joh. 2. 21. I have not written unto you because ye know not the truth but because ye know it Secondly They are enabled to trust upon him Psal 9. 10. They that know thy Name will trust upon thee Psal 18. 2. The Lord is my Rock and my Fortress and my Deliverer my God and my Strength in whom I will trust Psa 22. 4. Our Fathers trusted in thee 25. 2. My God I trust in thee 31. 1. In thee O Lord do I put my trust 52. 8. I trust in the mercy of God Thirdly They are enabled to fear him I fear God said Joseph Gen. 42. 18. One that feareth God said God of Job Job 1. 1. They that feared the Lord spake one to another Mal. 3. 16. I fear the Lord thy God said Jonah Chap. 1. 9. The Churches walked in the fear of the Lord Act. 9. 31. Fourthly They are enabled to love the Lord so David Psal 116. 1. I love the Lord. And Psal 18. 1. I will love thee O Lord my strength Fifthly And they are enabled to pray unto him and to call upon him David Hezekiah Daniel Paul and to mourn for their sins David Peter and Mary Magdalen and to hate sin David Paul Psal 119. 104. I hate every false way and to forsake sin Hose 14. 8. And 1 Thes 1. 9. Ye turned to God from Idols to serve the living aad true God and Rom. 6. 22. Seventhly And so for all the rest of the Particulars you have clear instances that the people of God have been enabled to walk willingly constantly affectionately uprightly and stedfastly in his waies 3ly The several wayes how God doth cause or enable his people to walk in his Statutes and to do them He doth cause them to walk in his Statutes How God enables his people to walk in his statutes First By giving unto them his Spirit who doth 1. Change their hearts and infuseth into them all Holy and Heavenly Graces which are so many inward principles enabling them to acts or works of obedience as our sinfull and corrupt principles make us willing and ready to walk in the wayes of sin so holy and spiritual principles do make us willing and ready to walk in paths of righteousness 2. Excite and quicken their hearts and stir them up to works of obedience by secret motions and workings and by setting the Commands and Promises of God upon their hearts with strong impressions by which they are led out unto a willing and cheerfull and upright performance of obedience 3. Comes in with his Special and Immediate Assistance to all the works which they are to do he helps their infirmities and guides their feet and strengthens their hands The servants of the Lord are strengthened with might by his spirit in the inner man Ephe. 3. 16. In the day when I cried unto thee thou heardest me and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul Secondly By giving faith unto them and enabling of them to live by faith in all their particular walkings and workings Beloved there is a living by faith for mercy and there is a living by faith for duty A man lives by faith for duty when he goes out of himself as insufficient to afford him strength to perform it and applies himself unto and relies upon Jesus Christ and the promise to give him the ability because this and that duty oâ— work of
God is al-sufficiency and this is engaged Gen. 17. 1. i. e. I am an infinitely perfectâ—fulness to my self and of my self I am absolutely enough and need or want nothing and I will be enough I will be a fulness to you you shall not need any other but my self to supply you with any good which you shall want or to secure you from any evil which you fear This is al-sufficiency To be enough and to be without any want and to be enough to us and to fill up all our wants and this al-sufficiency God doth â—ngage himself to be unto every one with whom he is a God in Covenant Gen. 15. 1. Fear not Abraham I am thy shield and thy exceeding great reward What is that It is as much as if he had said I am thy al-sufficiency and will see unto thee that thou shalt have enough thou shalt not want any thing Psal 23. 1. The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want Psal 34. 9. There is no want to them that fear him Psal 84. 11. The Lord God is a Sun and shield The Lord will give grace and glory no good thing will he with-hold from them that walk uprightly Now this is the comfort belonging to you That your God is al-sufficiency and he is your al-sufficiency all that you have comes from him and all that you want shall be supplyed by him and he hath enough of his own fully to help you in any condition and at any time and he alone is enough unto you Consider any want whatsoever whether spiritual or temporal whether inward or outward your God will be an al-sufficiency to you Do you want grace do you want peace in conscience do you want the joy of the holy Ghost do you want strength against corruptions or against temptations God is sufficient for them all He can and will give more grace Jam. 4. 6. He can and will speak peace unto his people Psal 85. 8. He can and will give you fulnesse of joy Psal 16. 11. Exceeding joy like that in harvest Isa 9. 3. and in Isa 12. 3. With joy shall ye draw waters out of the wells of salvation and he can and will be sufficiency against your corruptions Sinne shall not have dominion over you for you are under grace Rom. 6. 14. And against your temptations Mâ— grace is sufficient for thee and my strength is made perfect in weaknesse 2 Cor. 12. 9. And for any outward want My God saith Paul in Phil. 4. 19. shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus Bread shall be given him and his water shall be sure Isa 33. 16. The earth is the Lords and the fulnesse thereof If all the earth can help you you shall not want any good nay if the earth or meanes do faile God himself will not fail you but will create good and help and salvation for you 2. God is mercifulnesse The Lord the Lord God merciful c. Exod. 34. 6. The Lord your God is merciful 2 Chron. 30. 9. Turn unto the Lord your God God is mercifulnesse for he is gracious and merciful Joel 2. 13. Mercifulness or mercy doth especially denote two things in God 1. One is tender compassion and therefore the mercies of God are frequently Mercy denotes in God Tender compassion stiled his bowels Psal 25. 6. Remember O Lord thy tender mercies or thy bowels of mercies So Psal 51. 1. According to the multitude of thy bowels of mercies and so in the New Testament Through the bowels of the mercy of our God Luke 1. 78. It is remarkable that the same word in the Hebrew Chalde Syriack and Arabick which signifies bowels is used for mercy which notes two things 1. That the mercies of God to his are most inward tender affectionate compassions like the bowels of a father and of a mother to his dearest children being in misery 2. That not only the effects of mercy are the portion of Gods people but the very heart of God acts towards them and yearns over them when he shews mercy to them mercy comes from his very heart and bowels 2. Another is forgiveness of sinnes that essential propension in God to pardon sinne to pass by transgression to blot out iniquity and never to remember Forgivenesse of sins sinne any more This is the Attribute of God which is his great glory and his great delight and our only hope and life There is a depth in this mercy more than that in the Sea and a height in this mercy above all the thoughts of men and a bredth in this mercy it can pardon many sins great sinnes abundant sinnes and a length in this mercy it is everlasting and endures for ever This is the mercy or mercifulness of God! And to enjoy God in this Attribute as our merciful God as pitying as pardoning us as forgiving and forgetting all our sins and never remembring them any more O what a comfort what a settling what a joy and a rest is this Consider 1. It is the great care and the great desire almost of every man especially in distresses of conscience and times of sickness and death Be merciful unto me O Lord Lord be merciful unto me a sinner O that my sinnes were pardoned and how shall I get my sinnes pardoned He that doth not regard the holy doth yet prize and esteem very much the merciful God Every sinner doth like and long for mercy 2. All Controversie is at an end when mercy pardons sinne Now enmity is slain and wrath and curse go off for these follow sinne as unpardoned but if sin be pardoned all punishment is pardoned and God is reconciled and your souls are graciously accepted and clasped with love and favour 3. When mercy pardons sinne then conscience is at rest The broken bones are at ease and rejoyce Psal 51. True peace follows full remission of sinnes and then joy comes into the heart Be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiveâ— And then confidence of access unto God comes into the soul and then hope of salvation is raised in the soul Now mark what I say If God be your God then he is your merciful God And God is your merciful God Heb. 8. 10. This is his Covenant I will be to them a God and they shall be to me a people Ver. 12. I will be merciful to their unrighteousness and their sinnes will I remember no more Isa 40. 1. Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith your God Ver. 2. Speak ye comfortably to Hierusalem and cry unto her that her warfare is accomplished that her iniquity is pardoned Jer. 33. 8. I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned and whereby they have transgressed against me Micah 7. 19. Thou wilt cast all their sinnes into the depth of the sea Ver. 20. Thou wilt performe the truth to Jacob and the mercy to Abraham Six comforts to those who have God their merciful God
present from the world and many afflictions too 4. Good Angels are present with you 5. A good conscience is continually present And lastly a good God is present in all his excellencies for your good 3. Although God be present every where ratione essentiae yet he is in a more God is in an especial manner present with his people special manner present with his people ratione influentiae There is the presence of his special providence and there is the presence of his special grace and thus he is every where present with and for his people Hence it is that ordinarily where you read of Gods presence with his people you shall finde some other special thing annexed to that presence as I will be with thee and blesse thee and I will be with thee and help thee and I will be with thee and deliver thee and I will be with thee and strengthen thee and uphold thee and save thee c. Jer. 15. 20. Hushai's presence with David was a burden 2 Sam. 15. 33. Jobs wifes presence was but a vexation unto him our friends presence is many times fruitlesse but Gods presence is a blessing comfort help indeed He is present with wicked men but the more present he is with them the worse it is for them the presence of his knowledge and the presence of his power and the presence of his wrath c. But the presence with his people is a very gracious presence and a blessing presence and a blessed presence he is alwayes present with them for good 4. Here is yet one comfort more unto you if your God be every where present Then you shall not stay long for any good you need and therefore present every where with you then you shall not stay long for any good that you need because your God is near unto you he is nigh unto all them that call upon him to all that call upon him in truth Psal 145. 18. What Nation is there who hath God so nigh unto them as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for Deut. 4. 7. The nearnesse or remotenesse of a friend is very material and considerable in our distresses and wants I have such a friend and he would help me but he lives so farre off and such a one is able to counsel me and comfort me but he is now absent and I may be undone before I can hear from him but it is not thus with you who have God to be your God he is alwayes nigh unto you As Christ said unto his Disciples Mat. 28. 20. Lo I am with you alwayes even unto the end of the world So your God is present with you alwayes as long as you live in the world Do you want comfort the God of consolation is present with you very near unto you Do you want grace the God of all grace is present with you Do you want peace the God of peace is present with you Do you want mercy the Father of mercies iâ—s present with you Do you want friends the God of love is alwayes present Do you want safety the Omnipotent God is present with you Do you want any thing the All-sufficient God is alwayes present with you What the Apostle spake concerning the word of faith in Rom. 10. 8. It is nigh thee even in thy mouth and in thy heart That is as true of God in all his glorious excellencies for his people 11. Sovereignty or Dominion this is another Attribute of God he is I think Gods Sovereignty engaged for our good a thousand times in Scripture called the Lord the Lord c. and to him is Dominion ascribed Dominion for ever and ever 1 Pet. 4. 11. chap. 5. 11. He is the King of Kings and Lord of Lords 1 Tim. 6. 15. The Lord hath prepared his Throne in heaven and his Kingdome ruleth over all Psal 103. 19. All that is in the heaven and the earth is thine thine is the Kingdome O Lord and thou art exalted as head above all thou reignest over all and in thine hand is power and might and in thine hand it is to make great and give strength to all 1 Chron. 29. 11 12. One doth well distinguish of a twofold Sovereignty or Dominion in God There is A twofold Sovereignty 1. Jurisdictionis which is his Sovereign authority to govern all men and all Of jurisdictiâ—n creatures he may command what he will and forbid what he pleaseth and permit what he lists and appoint what punishments and what rewards as seem best to himself 2. Porprietatis which is his right or prerogative to dispose of all things and Of propriety persons and use them as he pleaseth and in this respect all the world and all in the world are his servants Gen. 14. 22. The Lord the most High God Possessor of heaven and earth And this Dominion or Sovereignty is natural unto him as he is God the God of all the world and Lord of all neither is it controled by men or Angels If God will destroy or abase or weaken or afflict or raise or blesse the creatures must yield unto his Sovereign Will And truly this is an unspeakable comfort to the people of God that their God The comfort of this is Lord of all and Lord over all that the Sovereignty is his alone and the Dominion is only his that their God is above all gods and that their God is above all Lords and that all the creatures in their whole being and working are under him that if he saith to one Go he goeth and if he saith to another Come he cometh and if he say to one Do this he doth it and if he saith to another Be still he ceaseth this is a comfort unto you against all the wicked in the world and as touching all the serviceablenesse of all the creatures in the World 1. If your God hath the Sovereign Dominion Then issues and events shall The issues and events shall not be as men contrive noâ— be as men contrive as they will or as they desire for there is a greater than they which rules and reigns in the Kingdome of men Be still and know that I am God Psal 46. 10. All the powers and all the policies and all the rage and malice of all the wicked on earth are under the Dominion of God he permits them and he restrains them and he confounds and destroys them thus far shall they go and no farther 2. Again If Sovereignty and Dominion are proper to God then you can never Then you can never be brought inâ—o any straits but God is able to help you be brought inâ—o any straits but God is able to help you and to deliver you for he is Lord of all He is the Lord of life and the Lord of safety and the Lord of deliverances and the Lord of comforts All the creatures are at his command if he will open
faithfulnesse of God yea which sets every person of the Trinity a working for you It is the love of the Father which did put him upon the thoughts and upon the gift of Christ It is the love of the Son which did put him upon the giving of himself upon dying for you And it is the love of the Spirit which did put him upon the giving of himself unto you and working all his works for you 3. This love is the reason of their delight in you you are made neer by it and become This love is the reason of their delight in you exceeding dear unto every one of them the Father takes pleasure in you and so doth the Son and so doth the Spirit they take delight in your persons and in your graces and in your services and every one of them manifests himself unto you and makes known their relations unto you 4. This love is at cost and charges for you and it makes all easie and joyful there is not a person of the Trinity but is glad if I may so expresse it with all his heart This love is at cost and charges for you to do you good it is no burden to the Father to promise nor to the Son to purchase nor to the holy Ghost to apply the riches of Grace and Glory unto you This love is that which makes them restlesse untill they have done you good the Father waits to be gracious and to shew mercy How do I long untill it be accomplished said Christ of his sufferings for us c. and unweariable in the doing of us good 5. This love of their is that which makes them so dreadful and heavy unto your enemies This love makes them so dreadful to your enmies so high in the wayes of your defence and so high in the works of vengeance on your Adversaries enemies to your enemies and friend unto your friends God by his Spirit fills their hearts with terrours and puts them into streights and drives your enemies to their feet and Christ rides conquering bathing his sword in blood 6. This love of theirs is the reason why they do all of them bear with all your infirmaties yea and cover the multitude of your sins that they deale so gently with This love is the reason why they all bear with your infirmities Five comforts from this you and accept of your weakest performances and defires and tears and sighs and greans and passe by all your failings c. Thus have you heard of the common union of the Trinity in their love unto you which I think is a clear ground of wonderful contentment for being interested in this their common love of you 1. All fears and doubts are silenced in all your approaches unto God The Father All fears and doubts are silenced in all your approaches unto God You cannot but speed very well in prayer unto whom you pray he loves you the Son by whom you pray he loves you the Spirit who helps you to pray he also loves you If you have the love of every one of them there is no just cause of any distrustful fears 2. Nay how can it be but that you must speed very well Love gives the kindest and fullest and easiest and sweetest answers and helps what will not the loving God and Father the loving Christ and Saviour the loving Spirit and Comforter what will they not do for you 3. Whatsoever God is in his greatnesse the better it is for all you who are thus beloved of him I do confesse that the greater God is if he loves us not the Whatsoever God is in his greatnesse the better it is for you more dreadful is our apprehension of him but the greater that he is if he loves us this is the more comfortable unto us The greatnesse of his power who loves us The greatnsse of his Alsufficiency who loves us The greatnesse of his Mercifulnesse Wisdom Knowledge Faithfulnesse c. who loves us can you have a greater encouragement then this that God who knows all things who hath all things who can do all things who will perform all things this God loves me unquestionably therefore I shall be the better for that power c. 4. The common love of the Trinity assures you against damnation and perishing This common love assu es you against damnation and of salvation and of salvation and blessednesse Love preserves but destroyes not love brings us near but rejects and forsakes not for how can it possibly be that any man should perish and be lost who is interested in the highest and dearest and unchangable love of God who hath the ordaining love of the Father unto salvation and the meriting love of Christ to purchase salvation and the applying love of the Spirit effectually undertaking to guide and lead him unto salvation I confesse that if God did not love you there could be no salvation for you â—or were the love of the Trinity divided and parted so that though the Father loved you intending your salvation but the Son would not undertake it with his love to die for you to procure salvation or if the Son and Father would consent in their love but the holy Ghost would not love you so far as to bring you into Christ to be partakers of him and of salvation then there would be a manifest uncertainty of your salvation or if all of them did love you with a changeable love 5. Lastly it cannot be that you should want any necessary good If that argument It cannot be that you should want any necessary good of Christs be strong against the fear of wants Matth. 6. For your heavenly Father knows that you have need of all these things surely this is stronger Your Father loves you therefore you shall not want them 2. There is a conjunctive union as in the love of the Trinity so in the will and There is a conjunctive union in the will and purpose of the Trinity in the matters of our salvation consent and purpose of the Trinity in the matters of your salvation There was one mutual will between them from eternity and there is one and the same mutual will between them unto eternity what the Father did will the Son did will and the same did the Holy Ghost will and what the Father did propose for your salvation for the matter and manner unto all of that did the Sonne and holy Ghost consent and agree and what the Father did intend and purpose with respect unto the salvation of the Elect that same did the Son and the holy Ghost intend and purpose also As the will of the Father was not nor could be hid from the other persons every one of them being one and the same God so there was a mutual will and liking and determination in every one of them as to all the matter appertaining unto our salvation Though it be most true that the persons of
the Trinity be in their respective subsistences so different that the Father neither is nor can be the Son nor the Son the Father nor the holy Ghost either yet it is as true that every one of them is the same Deity and had the same will in and for mans salvation that some should be elected of God and finde mercy and have salvation there was a mutual will and consent twixt the three persons in the Trinity That Jesus Christ the Son of God should have these bestowed upon him and he be charged to procure their salvation by being incarnated and by being humbled to the death even to the death of the Cross as to this also there was a mutual will and consent in the Trinity I will give and send you saith the Father Lo I come I will give my self saith the Son and I will anoint and sanctifie you for this saith the Spirit that the holy Ghost should be sent to open and apply the salvation of God unto the Elect of God the Father and to the redeemed by Christ the Son this also fell into their common will and consent and purpose in respect werereof the holy Ghost is said to be sent and given from the Father and from the Son Joh. 14. 26. The Comforter which is the holy Ghost whom the Father will send in my name he shall teach you all things c. Joh. 15. 26. But when the Comforter is come whom I will send unto you from the Father even the Spirit of truth which proceeds from the Father he shall testifie of me I will not enlarge my self in this discourse at this time because it will fall in more fully when I come to speak of the parties interested in the Covenant only let me tell you who are in Covenant with God that your comforts are exceeding great even from this That there was and is a mutual will consent agreement and purpose of the whole Trinity concerning you and your salvation for this will concerning you and your salvation 1. It is the gracious will of Gods decree 2. It is a fixed and invariable will 3. It is an effectual and infallible will 4. And I if may not be mistaken it is the binding will or argument of all the persons unto which every one of them as it were sets his seal and in which they are all of them bound up and according unto which every one of them doth act or expresse himself for our salvation O what infinite love and goodnesse and wisdom is this that our salvation should be thus contrived and ordered and distinctly undertaken and agreed upon with one common consent of will and purpose by the whole Trinity of persons every one of them contributing his whole self and heart and power towards it Surely your salvation must be precious and excellent and sure and we our selves as sure in our enjoyment of it 3. There is a conjunctivenesse of operation every person of the Trinity doth act There is a conjunctivenesse of operation or work for the good and salvation as will and intend it Joh. 5. 17. My Father worketh hitherto and I work verse 19. whatsoever things he doth these also doth the Sonne likewise John 14. 31. as the Father gave me commandement so do I. The Mission and Donation of Christ to save us this is the work of the Father The giving of himself for our Redemption and Reconciliation this is the work of the Sonne The calling of us and Renewing and Regenerating of us this is the work of the holy Ghost Indeed there is such an excellent co-operation of the whole Trinity in the businesse of our salvation that the greatest works conducing thereunto are promiscuously attributed to every one of them as our Vocation and Justification and Adoption and Sanctification and Glorification all these are sometimes attributed to the Father and sometimes to the Son and sometimes to the holy Ghost Sanctification is thus promiscuously attributed unto them 1. To the Father Jude ver 1. Sanctified by God the Father 2. To the Son 1 Cor. 1. 2. That are sanctified in Christ Jesus 3. To the holy Ghost Rom. 15. 16. Being sanctified by the holy Ghost Justification is also thus attributed to them 1. To the Father Rom. 8. 33. It is God that justifieth 2. To the Son Rom. 9. 5. Being now justified by his blood 3. To the holy Ghost 1 Cor. 6. 11. But ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the name of our Lord Jesus by the Spirit of our God Vocation likewise is thus attributed unto them 1. To the Father 1 Pet. 1. 15. As he who hath called you is holy c. 2. To the Sonne Rom. 1. 6. Among whom are ye also the called of Jesus Christ 3. To the holy Ghost whose mighty power it is which brings us into Christ The like you may read of Adoption ascribed unto the Father Ephes 1. 5 unto the Son Gal. 4. 6. and unto the holy Ghost Rom. 8. 15. We have a rule that opera Trinitatis ad extra sunt indivisa although the modus operandi and the Terminus actionis may be distinct and questionlesse as all the Attributes of God are affirmed of every person so all the operations proper to God are common also unto them Now what a glory and comfort is this that every one of the Divine persons hath a hand in every thing which concerns our salvation As they do all of them consent unto it and resolve upon it so every one of them doth work towards it We look upon that passage as of great weight and stay and comfort unto us in Rom. 8. 28. All things viz. here below in common contingencies work together for good to them that love God! How much more is this for our support and comfort that all the Trinity that every person in the Trinity is working together for our salvation that God the Father is working and God the Sonne and God the holy Ghost As they say about the Incarnation of Christ that every one of the Persons in the Trinity had a hand in it though the second person only was Incarnated as three may weave a garment which one of them only wears thus may we say of our salvation that every person of the Trinity acts and works towards it and will still so work untill they have come to the last work untill they have finished that work in our eternall glorification 4. There is a common union also of Relation and Interest of all the persons in every There is a common union of Relation and Interest of all the persons in every Believer and of every Believer to them believer and of every believer to them Every one of the persons hath an interest in you and relation to you 1. The Father hath an interest in you 2 Cor. 6. 18. I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my sonnes and daughters 2. The â—on hath an interest in you
having God to be your God in Covenant There are divers rights and possessions and liberties and priviledges which you do enjoy and none but you who are the people of God and have him to be your God And I will propound these 1. In the general Where be you pleased to take notice of five things In general 1. Whatsoever priviledges believers have those are yours who are the people of God The priviledges of faith are yours all that faith can pretend unto from a Whatsoever priviledges believers have are yours right in Christ and a title by Christ as Mediator in respect of suffering of satisfying of purchasing of victorious conquest of interceding they are all of them yours whatsoever advantage a soul may get by Christ and whatsoever advantage Christ is to a believing soul that is yours 2. Whatsoever priviledges belong to the friends of God they do belong unto you All the people of God are stiled the friends of God James â— 23. and the friends What priviedges belong to the friends of God are yours of Christ John 15. 14 15. Cant. 5. 1. Friends as friends have free accesse courteous welcome and entertainment liberty of speaking familiarity of converse delightful communion confident imparting and openings of their hearts one to another chearful counsel and helps of one another thâ—se in a spiritual way do you enjoy with your God and from your God who because you are the people of God are therefore the friends of God 3. Whatsoever priviledges do belong to the sonnes and children of God these also do belong to you for you are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus The priviledges of the children of God are yours Gal. 3. 26. I will be a Father unto you and ye shall be my sonnes and daughters 2 Cor. 6. 18. You are the children of the Lord your God Deut. 14. 1. Children have the priviledges of nearnesse of residence in their fathers house of dependance on their father of presence of confidence c. 4. Whatsoever are the priviledges of the Kingdome of God those are yours who are the people of God It is a Kingdome of righteousnesse of peace of joy of The priviledges of the Kingdome of God are yours The priviledges of the heirs of this Kingdome are yours In special You have twelve priviledges Liberty of appeal safety of blessing of honour of immortality c. 5. Whatsoever are the priviledges of the heires of this Kingdome those also do belong to you Forasmuch as if you be children you are then 〈◊〉 Rom. 8. 17. All the Charter and conveyances and assurances and hopes and at length possessions of the heavenly inheritance are yours 2. In special you have twelve excellent priviledges which I will touch upon a little 1. You have liberty of appeal and that appeal is accepted and ratified you have the liberty to appeal 1. From the Judgment-seat to the Mercy-seat 2. From the merits of sinne to the merits of Christ 3. From a condemning conscience to an acquiting God 4. From the Law to the Gospel 5. From your own unworthinesse to Christs righteousnesse 6. From your own feeling unto Gods promises When you see your selves cast at the barre of justice you may decline the sentence by flying unto the Throne of mercy O Lord justice condemns me but let mercy succour and save me when your hearts are overwhelmed in the apprehension and consideration of your many sinnes and the great guilt of them you may then appeal to the infinitely precious and surpassing merits of Christ whâ—re sinne abounded grace did much more abound and as sinne hath reigned unto death even so doth grace reigne through righteousnesse unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord Rom. 5. 20 21. When your conscience condemns you for sinnes past then may you appeal unto your God for mercy to pardon you God be merciful unto me a sinner saith the Publican Pardon my sinne O Lord for it is great saith David When the Law indites and pursues you as guilty then may you appeal to the Gospel as the Sanctuary to receive and secure your distressed souls when your hearts faile you because of your own unworthinesse then may you appeal to the righteousnesse of Christ and so be justified in the sight of God When you feel your selves as to your own sense utterly destitute left lost forsaken then may you appeal to the ptomises of God and there finde your selves still owned and loved and plentifully and graciously assured 2. You have this priviledge that all your communions with God are by a Your communions with God are by a Meditour Mediaâ—or and Advocate and Intercessor Or you pray not in your own names but in the Name of your Christ and Mediator and you plead not in your own names but in the Name of your Christ and you speed not in your own name but in the Name of your Christ nay you believe and hope not in your own names but in the Name of Christ There are two sad things for any man 1. To be left alone unto himself so as to have no part in Christ 2. To go alone in his approaches to God without a Christ to plead for him to have no Christ to own him to step in for him to undertake for him But this is your priviledge and this is your comfort who are the people of God that you never deal with your God but by a Mediator when you appear before your God Jesus Christ appears with you and he appears for you when you do invocare then he doth advocare when you put up your petitions then doth he make intercession he is your Advocate with the Father and he ever lives to make intercession for you 3. You have this priviledge that you trade altogether at the mercy-seat and You trade altogether at the mercy-seat at the Throne of grace God deals with you in no other Court but that of mercy and answers you from no other Throne but that of grace and you deal with God at that Seat and that Throne only When you have any sinnes to be pardoned you may go to your merciful God and to your gracious God and your merciful God will pardon them and your gracious God will freely pardon them When you would have any kinde of good and help you may go to your good and kinde God and he will give it and to your gracious God and he will freely give it 4. You have this priviledge that you may go to your God when you will You may go to your God when you will There is no space of time whatsoever but the door is open to you and your God is at leisure to speak with you You have liberty of accesse and that liberty is never restrained let your occasions be never so urgent never so many you may freely speak with your Father yea though there be ten thousand Petitioners before him yet you may put in your
this Covenant both As to the composition of it composition of it and to the happinesse in and by it 1. This Covenant of grace is so modell'd and framed with as winning and alluring a way for sinners as possibly can be drawn out by the wisdome of a kinde and good God It is made with all advantages to the sinner so that if there be any loosing or damnifying it falls rather to God than to the sinner all the expressions of it are upon the account of Gods grace And it is made with such tender respects to poor sinners that all the active part to make them to be the people of God is undertaken by God himself he undertakes to make us to be his people to give himself to give Christ to give his Spirit to give a new heart to give the Spirit of prayer to give the Spirit of faith to give pardoning mercy to give all O how might all this if seriously and rightly meditated upon melt in our hearts to God and make us willing to take him for our God! 2. And as the Covenant of grace is framed to allure in the sinner so when the sinner is brought in it settles upon him the only true happinesse and all true happiness And as to out happinesse in and by it with certainty and to all eternity As soon as ever you take God to be your God and are become his people immediately is blessednesse settled upon you as your portion and as your portion for ever Psal 34. 12. Blessed is the Nation whose God is the Lord and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheritance Psal 144. Happy is the people whose God is the Lord CHAP. V. Isaiah 55. 3. And I will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David I Have discoursed of the Covenant of grace as it stands in opposition to the Covenant of works and likewise of the vital nature of it the very marrow and summe of it in those expressions I will be to you a God and you shall be to me a people I am now in the third place to open unto you this Covenant in the adjuncts or properties of it which do as it were blazon and ennamel this Covenant or set it out in beautiful colours to the eyes of us poor and distressed sinners as God appeared unto Moses in his glory when he made himself known unto him in his gracious Attributes so this Covenant appears in The adjuncts or properties of the Covenant wonderful glory when it is opened in the admirable adjuncts or properties of it There are twelve adjuncts given unto this Covenant 1. It is a new Covenant 2. It is a plentiful or perfect Covenant 3. It is a bountiful and giving Covenant 4. It is a free or gracious Covenant 5. It is a well-ordered Covenant 6. It is a pure or holy Covenant 7. It is a sure or stedfast Covenant 8. It is the last Covenant 9. It is an everlasting Covenant 10. It is the best Covenant 11. It is a clear and open and plain Covenant 12. It is the only Covenant SECT I. 1. THis Covenant is a New Covenant I will make a new Covenant with It is a new Covenant the house of Israel and with the house of Judah Jet 31. 31. Behold the dayes come saith the Lord when I will make a New Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah Heb. 8. 8. In Scripture the word New is diversly taken 1. Sometimes that is stiled New which succeeds another in Exod. 1. 8. there The several exceptions of the word New in Scripture It succeeds another Covenant arose a New King in Acts 7. 18. this New King is called another King In this respect this Covenant is a New Covenant it succeeds another Covenant a former Covenanâ— it follows the Covenant of works Quest. It may be argued Why the Covenant of works should be first and the Covenant of grace next Sol. We may be satisfied concerning this order First from the pleasure of The reason of the order of the two Covenants God that he would have it thus Secondly from the wisdome of God who by this order glorifies his justice in the one and his mercy in the other Thirdly From the capacity of man who being at the first created righteous was thereby fitted for a Covenant of works and his created condition was unmeet for a Covenant of grace but being fallen his sinful condition became fit and meet for a Covenant of grace and utterly unfit for a Covenant of works 2. Sometimes that is stiled New which is wonderful unusual the like not It is a wonderful Covenant heard of before The Lord hath created a new thing in the earth a woman shall compass a man Jer. 31. 22. That a Virgin should conceive and bring forth a man-childe this was a new thing it was wonderful indeed so Isa 43. 19. Behold I will do a New thing I will even make a way in the Wildernesse and Rivers in the Desart this was a new work that is wonderful and unusual In this respect also is the Covenant of grace stiled New that is it is a wonderful Covenant how wonderful is it that the Lord who was so exceedingly dishonoured and injured and provoked by sinners should yet so infinitely condescend to sinners as to treat afresh with them and to offer life unto them upon better and surer terms than before and should promise such exceeding mercies and give such a gracious Redeemer and Mediator There are foure things wherein and for which God will be eternally admired 1. In making this Covenant of grace 2. In giving his only Son for a Saviour 3. In bringing any sinner to Christ and into the Covenant 4. In the glorifying of them that believe 3. Sometimes that is stiled New which is excellent and very necessary John It is an excellent Covenant 13. 34. A New Commandment I give unto you that ye love one another this Commandment is a new Commandment that is it is a rare an excellent a necessary Commandment so Revel 2. 17. To him that overcomes I will give a New name that is an excellent name to be one of the sonnes of God which is called a dignity an excellent priviledge John 1. 12. In this respect also is the Covenant of grace stiled New it is an excellent Covenant and very If it be considered necessary It is excellent consider it either comparatively no Covenant like unto this Comparatively that Covenant of works falls exceeding short of it and that Covenant with nature for the preservation of common life is not to be compared with it Or absolutely in it self it is all of excellencies an excellent love an excellent Absolutely Christ the most excellent mercies and the onely excellent happinesse Or respectively unto us our hopes our helps our comforts our life our Respectively eternal life lies in this Covenant all
gives faith Vnto you it is given to believe Phil. 1. 29. By grace are Faith you saved through faith It is the gift of God Ephes 28. And he gives repentance Acts 11. 18. Then hath God given or granted unto Repentance the Gentiles repentance unto life And he gives mercy 2 Tim. 1. 16. The Lord give mercy to the house of Onesiphorus Mercy And he also freely gives us all things Rom. 8. 32. He gives grace and he gives All things gloâ—y Psal 84. 11. And he gives unto us exceeding great and precious promises that by them we Great and precious promises might be partakers of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1. 4. This Covenant is a Covenant of gifts all that God promiseth in it is given and all that God requires of us is given and all that we are to give again to God is first given unto us by God Reasons why it is so from And there are two reasons why this Covenant is an altogether giving Covenant 1. One is our universal brokennesse and impotency and insufficiency our sinful Our universal insufficiency fall hath so ship-wrack't and ruined us that we have nothing at all left us we are naked and poor and miserable Rev. 3. 17. Without strength Rom. 5. 6. Not sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves 2 Cor. 3. 5. What hast thou that thou hast not received I Cor. 4. 7. Such a brokâ—n vessel is the sinner such a self-undoing and destitute creatures like the Prodigal who spent all and had neither bread nor rayment nor shoes nor any thing and therefore his father must provide all and give all he must give him housing and he must give him rayment and he must give him shoes for his feet and he must give him meat to eat and wine to drink Where the creature is universally miserable and utterly impotent there must be nothing but giving Mercy must give all or the sinner is undone 2. Another is Gods intenâ—ion and purpose in this Covenant and that in the Gods intention and purpose in this Covenant praise of the glory of his grace Ephes 1. 6 His intent in making this Covenant is wholly and only to exalt himself to proclaime his own glory and therefore he will give all and the sinner is to receive all that all the glory and praise of mercy of grace of blessings may be returned unto himself alâ—ne Rom. 11. 35. Who hath first given to him and it shall be recompâ—nced unto him again Ver. 36. For of him and through him and to him are all things to whâ—m be glory for ever Amen Vse 1 If this Covenant be a giving Covenant then the poor and needy may traffique at it If it were a buying and selling Covenant in proper sense then Then the poor and needy may traffique at it poor sinners must despaire but it is a giving Covenant and therefore poor sinners have hope May not the poor who keep no house of their own yet go to the rich mans door where all is given When we survey our hearts and conditions we finde a world of wants and when we survey the Covenant we finde a Heaven of supplies Objection But then we fear and dispute and reason But how shall we get this mercy and gaine that blessing and enjoy that help We have nothing and we can bring nothing the Well indeed is deep but we have nothing to draw Sâ—l True but yet God can give all though you can bring nothing and according to the tenor of this Covenant He will give all the greatest and the least But will he give me food and rayment yes he will give you bread and he will give you double cloathing O But will he give me Grace yes he will give grace and glory O But will he give me Christ yes he will give his Christ that greatest gift that ever was given to sinners he is the gift of God O but will he give me mercy to pardon my sinnes and all my sinnes yes he will shew mercy and will forgive all thy sinnes whereby thou hast sinned against him O but will he give me Faith yes he will draw you to Christ and put forth an Almighty power to make you to believe O but will he give me another heart yes I will give thee a new heart c. O but I must pray if I would have these and I cannot pray why and it is his Covenant to give you the Spirit of grace and supplication Let these things quiet your sorrowful and troubled soules There is enough in the Covenant for you and all that is there is to be given 2. Be content to come and receive seeing God is pleased in this Covenant to be Be content to come and receive giving He is all upon the giving hand and we should be all upon the recâ—iving hand The giviâ—g works is Gods work and the receiving work is our work he findes the gift you must open your hand and take it O what a blessed Covenant is this wherein you may have all for asking and receiving Mat. 7. 7. Ask and it shall be given James 1. 5. If any of you lack wisdome let him ask of God that giveth to all men liberally and it shall be given him John 4. 10. If thou knewest the gift of God and who it is that saith unto thee Give me to drink thou wouldest have asked of him and he would have given thee living water Now there are four qualities which if you could get them you Which we shall do if we have these qualities would then be content and willing to come unto God and beg of him and receive of him what he will give and without these you will not do so 1. One is poverty of spirit you must be poor in spirit the poor man speaks Poverty of spirit supplications saith Solomon It was poor Lazarus that came to the rich mans dâ—or and it is the poor sinner one who is truly sensible of his spiritual wants and miseries who will come to the door of mercy and cry out O Father of mercies give me mercy O God of grace give me grace O give me Christ c. If you be rich and encreased and stand in need of nothing as Laodicea was if you have enough of your own if you think that you are righteous and need not Christ and need not mercy c. you will never come to God and beg him to give you these 2. A second is humâ—lity of heart a proud man scornes to beg and scornes Humility of heart to receive he will not be beholding to any body it is the humble man who will acknowledge mercy and blesse for mercy and beg for mercy and be glad he may have mercy upon receiving termes God gives grace to the humble and the humble are thankfully contented to receive grace from God 3. A praying heart will be glad to be receiving A praying
heart Faith 4. A fourth is Faith Faith is a receiving grace therefore believing is stiled receiving To as many as received him he gave this dignity to be thâ— Sonnes of God even to them â—hat believe on him Faith receives Christ and receives mercy and receives love and receives righteousnesse and receives blessings and receives all the gifts of God Though God hath all to give yet you have no hand to receive untill you get faith 3. Is the Covenant a giving Covenant Is it such a Covenant wherein the Lord undertakes to give all the good mentioned therein This then yields Comfort to the people of God Hence they may conclude manifold comfort to the people of God who are in Covenant with him 1. If God undertakes to give all then certainly he undertakes to finde all good for us If he undertakes to give a Christ he must finde out that He will find all good for us Christ and if he undertakes to give you mercy he then must finde out that mercy c. 2. If God undertakes to give all then he must finde all from himself and And find all from himself of his own Men many times give away that which is none of their own but God gives nothing but what is his own but what comes out of his own stock and treasury 3. If God undertakes to give all in the Covenance then you shall be surely helped You shall be surely helped you have good reason to expect it for your Father hath all to give How much more shall your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask will not a father give to his poor child Certainly your God is an infinite God a most gracious and glorious God and perfectly al-sufficient he hath heaven and earth in his own possession he hath all the good to dispose of which is good he must needs be infinite in mercy who can give all mercies and infinite in grace who can give all grace and infinite in glory who can give all glory c. For as this shews his infinitenesse that he hath all good to give so this shews his perfection that when he hath given all this yet there is no diminution made in his stock at all 4. If God undertakes to give you all that is in his Covenant then unquestisnably Then he doth unquestionably love you he loves you Indeed he gives many things to the wicked his enemies whom he hares but to undertake to give all the good in the Covenant this proceeds from his great love and from his special love Doth not God love you who is willing to give you his love and to give you his Christ the Son of his love and to give you all the graces of his Spirit the fruits of his love Then God will not deny the least mercies 5. If God undertakes to give you all even the greatest of mercies can you reasonably imagine that he will stick with you for the least of necessary mercies and blessings How shall he not with him freely also give â—â— all things SECT IV. A fourth property of this Covenant is this It is a free or gracious Covenant It is a free and gracious Covenant By grace are ye saved Ephes 2. 5. By grace are ye saved Verse 8. Now our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God even our Father who hath loved us and hath given us everlasting consolation and good hope through grace 2 Thes 2. 16. Being justified freely by his grace Rom. 3. 24. I will love them freely Hosea 14. 4. Whosoever will let him take of the water of life freely Revel 22. 17. I will give unto him that is athirst of the fountain of the water of life freely Revel 21. 6. He freely forgave them both Luke 7. 42. The things that are freely given unto us of God 1 Cor. 2. 12. This Covenant is gracious or free in three respects 1. For the constitution of Free in three respects it 2. For the reception into it 3. For the donations from it 1. For the exceeding framing out or constituting of this Covenant when For the constitution of it in respect of was it and with whom was it and whence was it All these will plainely demonstrate that this Covenant is a very free and gracious Covenant 1. Consider the time when it was made and set forth why immediately upon The time when it was made the fall then when man-kinde had sinned and transgressed the first Covenant then when God might have glorified his justice upon all sinners yet then was the time that he promised this Covenant The seed of the woman shall break the Serpents head Gen. 3. 15. Surely this must needs be gracious then to set up a Throne of grace when sinful man was to receive his sentence at the Bar of Justice 2. Consider the persons with whom this Covenant is made It was made not The persons with whom the Covenant is made with fallen Angels but with men why not with them as well as with us no answer can be given but this of grace I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious and I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy Nay and why with fallen men at all no answer can be given for this neither but only the grace of God and his own good pleasure so it pleased him and so it seemed good unto him 3. Consider whence the making of this Covenant did arise Did it arise from Whence the making of this Covenant did arise any goodnesse in any man O no All the world was found guilty before God and every mouth was stopped by reason of sinne Rom. 3. 19. Or did it arise from any desire or entreaty of man not at all but as man first brought in sinne and death so God first thought of mercy and life He is found of them that sought him not Isa 65. 1. O Israel thou hast destroyed thy self but in â—â— is thy help Hosea 13. 9. The Lord set his love upon you to take you into Covenant c. because he loved you Deut. 7. 7 8. 2. For the reception into this Covenant here the graciousnesse or freenesse of it For our reception into it will also manifestly appear Consider the persons taken or brought into this Covenant either absolutely in The persons taken into the Covenant considered themselves or respectively in their dealing towards God or comparatively with others As to all these considerations this Covenant is a very gracious and free Covenant 1. Consider the persons now taken into Covenant what they were is themselves In themselves The Prophet tells you what they were in Ezekiel 16. 3. Thy birth and thy Nativity was of the Lord of Canaan thy Father was an Amâ—rite and thy mother an Hittite Ver. 4. Thy navel was not cut neither wast thou wasted in water to supple thee thou wast not salted at all nor swadled at all Ver. 5. No eye
our Father and we are thy people A second is the merciful nature of God ready to shew mercy and to multiply pardon A third is the death of Christ he shed his blood to make our peace and to slay all enmity A fourth is the very Covenant it self wherein God hath promised that he will not cast away and that he will heale and forgive the back-slidings of his people and though he will chastise them yet he will not forsake them 8. The Covenant of grace gives a better estate then the Covenant of works It gives a better estate we have a better estate by this then we had or could have by that 'T is true That Adam in innocency enjoyed a larger measure of knowledge and righteousness and had also free communion with God without fear and had dominion over the creatures But yet he had not knowledge of God in Christ nor any communion with God through Christ nor had he any manifestations of the glories of the Gospel by the Spirit of Christ and besides all this whatsoever enjoyments Adam had which might make up a happy estate unto him yet all that enjoyment was mutable and contingent But now in and by the Covenant of Grace our enjoyments are higher and they are also surer 1. They are higher for now we enjoy God not only as a Creator but as a Father Our enjoyments are higher we enjoy him a merciful and gracious and abundant in goodnesse and truth and we enjoy Jesus Christ in a way of union with his person being bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh as the Apostle speaks Ephes 5. 30. and in a way of communion in his death and life and victories and purchases and we enjoy the very Spirit of Christ as to all his graces and comforts and assurances 2. They are surer he enjoyed God so as yet he lost his God he enjoyed righteousness Surer so as yet he lost his righteousness and dominion so as he lost that dominion and had it not been for Christ who was immediately promised after the fall he had never found his God again nor a righteousnesse again nor any right of dominion again but in the Covenant of grace all is sure and stable and permanent God is our God for ever and we continue his people for ever Christ is our Head and we are his Members for ever we enjoy the Spirit and he abides in us for ever The Covenant of grace is a better Covenant then that of works It is better in the way and cause of Remuneration as to the way and cause of Remuneration In a Covenant of works you must earn your wages before you must be paid your wages your own doing is the price of your receiving and your reward is as your work is nothing is there expected as a bounty and gift but all runs there as debt and wages Adam could never pray under this Covenant Lord receive me graciously do me good freely for thy mercies sake But it is not thus in the Covenant of grace where he that deserves nothing may yet receive all and the unworthy sinner doth yet attain to the most excellent mercies upon the sole account of the riches of Gods grace in Christ In the Covenant of grace God doth not reward us according to our ill deeds nor doth he reward us for our good deeds But he freely pardons the ill works of his people and doth them all good not for their goodness but for his own goodnesse-sake In the Covenant of works you come to God saying Lord This I have done therefore blesse me In the Covenant of grace you come to God saying Lord This I need and this thou hast promised O give it me not for my sake but for thy truths sake and for thy Christs sake freely love me freely accept of me freely own and bless me I can shew no deserts of mine but I can shew unto thee thine own promises I can find enough in my self why thou shouldest abhor and curse me and yet I finde enough in thy self and Covenant why thou mayest embrace and help me 10. The Covenant of grace is a better Covenant than that of works in respect of a double efficacy 1. Of helping recovery 2. Of saving vertue It is better in respect of a double efficacy Of helping recovery 1. The Covenant of works never did afford help to recover any one sinner As that Commander spake of the Watchman whom he found asleep and therefore ran him through with his sword I found him dead and left him dead That we may say of the Covenant of works It findes us dead in sins and in trespasses and it leaves us dead in our sins and trespasses there is no balm for our wounds in that Covenant But the Covenant of Grace this doth help and restore sinners it is the ministry of Life and Grace and Peace But God saith the Apostle in Ephes 2. 4 5. who is rich in mercy for his great love wherewith he loved us even when we were dead in sins hath quickned us together with Christ And 1 Cor. 6. 11. Such were some of you but ye are washed but ye are sanctified but ye are justified in the Name of the Lord Jesus and by the Spirit of our God And Rom. 5. 8. God commendeth his love towards us in that whiles we were yet sinners Christ died for us verse 9. Much more then being now justified by his blood we shall be saved from wrath through him 2. The Covenant of works did never save any righteous person What saving Of saving vertue power might be found from it upon a supposition of Adams standing I dispute not but this I say There never was any one person saved actually by the Covenant of works But yet the Covenant of Grace doth save all Believers Jesus Christ came into the world to save sinners 1 Tim. 1. 15. Whosoever believeth in him shall not perish but have everlasting life Joh. 3. 15. We believe that through the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ we shall be saved even as they Ephes 2. 8. By grace ye are saved through faith 1 Pet. 1. 9. Receiving the end of your faith even the salvation of your soules Thus you see that the Covenant of grace is the best Covenant in comparison of the Covenant of works Use 1 Is the Covenant of Grace the best Covenant The best Covenant that ever God made with man and for man How great then is their sin who refuse this Covenant Then how gâ—eat is their sin who refuse this Covenant and to come into this Covenant The greater that any mercy is our sin is therefore the greater to refuse that mercy O beloved whence is it that many of your hearts are still hardned whence is it that you love darkness rather then light why do you not hearken to this Covenant whence is it that for lying vanities you forsake your own mercies 1. Are you not sinners 2. Do
not sinners need mercy 3. Can mercy be found anywhere but in this Covenant of mercy or peace anywhere but in the Covenant of peace or life anywhere but in the Covenant of life 4. And doth not this Covenant hold out mercy unto you yea the best mercy and upon the best terms The other Covenant affords you no mercy it easts you off it condemns you to death and wrath And this Covenant yet offers you mercy and life and salvation and no Covenant but this doth so What and yet to refuse to come into it surely either you know not that you are sinners and what will befall you for your sins or else you are desperately wicked to slight and refuse the mercy and grace of God in this Covenant Ezek. 24. 13. Because I would have purged thee and thou wast not purged thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee So may the Lord say unto some of us Because I would have shewed you mercy but you would not accept of mercy therefore you shall never have mercy And because I would have taken you into Covenant and you would not come into my Covenant of grace and life and peace I will never be a merciful God to you nor a gracious God to you but you shall dye in your sins and perish for ever Heb. 2. 3. Vse 2 How shall we escape if we neglect so great salvation Heb. 12. 25. See that ye refuse not him that speaketh for if they escaped not who refused him that spake on earth Then how injurious are many broken-hearted sinners to God and themselves much more shall not we escape if we turn away from him that speaketh from heaven Is the Covenant of Grace the best Covenant better then any other Covenant which God made with man Then how injurious are many broken-hearted sinners both unto themselves and unto God! who lay the Covenant of grace so low and impose such opinions upon it as if there were no difference twixt a Covenant of grace and a Covenant of works Surely it is either temptation which lies upon them or ignorance or unbelief that they thus stand off and fear and dispute and except and question and many times conclude against all encouragements to be taken into this Covenant and there to finde mercy and rest for their soules truely they do many times turn the Covenant of Grace into a very Covenant of Works O but there is no mercy to be had O but not for such great sins O but for me O but I can deserve nothing and bring nothing O but the sentence is past against me O but I have nothing to make my peace And thus they make the Covenant of Grace a very Covenant of Works no better then so a Covenant without mercy without grace without a Mediatour without a tender compassionate God and Father no City of refuge at all nor help to the poor sinner at all And when they are convinced of mercy in it and possible reception into it yet they think that God will not come off to this but upon very hard and difficult terms usually annexing the Legal condition to the promises of the Covenant of Grace Why sirs what do you mean thus to wrong God and his Covenant and your distressed souls Either there is a Covenant of Grace or there is not either that Covenant of Grace is a better Covenant than the Covenant of works or it is not If it be a better Covenant then the fallen and undone sinner may finde relief there and help there which he could not finde in the Covenant of Works for if the sinner can be no more relieved by this than by that Covenant it is then no better Covenant And now see what a slurre you cast upon the wisdome of God and upon the goodness of God and upon Jesus Christ and upon all the promises of God O distressed sinner If the merciful God if the gracious God if the giving God if the forgiving God if the freely loving God if the Lord Jesus as Mediatour and Surety if all the promises of God in Christ if all the offers of grace if all the calls of the Gospel may suffice to convince thee that this Covenant is the best Covenant that ever was or can be made for sinners with all suitableness and tenderness to the sinners condition Then dispute no more but pray for faith to give God the glory of his exceeding grace in this Covenant c. Use 3 Is the Covenant of Grace the best Covenant What a comfort is this to all believers who are effectually brought into this Covenant Is it no comfort to be Comfort to all Believers brought into such a good estate as better cannot be found or enjoyed If the Covenant of Grace be the best Covenant better then any other Covenant Then all in that Covenant are in the best condition of all other men It was a special kindness in Joseph to give his Father and his Brethren a pâ—ssession in the land of Ramesis what kindness then is that in God to make you to be his people and to become your God and to settle such a portion such a possession upon your soules as in heaven and earth a better Covenant cannot be how should you hearts rejoyce and blesse God for the Covenant of Grace and for bringing of you into that Covenant of grace where A Redeemer is only to be found and you have an interest in that Redeemer A reconciled God is only to be found and you have a propriety in that reconciled God pardoning mercy is only to be found and you have your shares in that pardoning mercy Renewing grace is only to be found and you have your portion in that renewing grace Salvation is only to be found and you have your possession of that salvation Others perhaps cry out O that we might have mercy and O that we might have Christ and O that God would be pacified towards us and reconciled to us and O that our sins might be forgiven and our soules accepted into life why you have all this and more than this Have you not cause to rejoyce who are brought into such a Covenant where you have a propriety in God and Christ and the Spirit and mercy and grace and glory yea into such a Covenant where you may finde relief and support for every want and against every fear and against every sin and against every temptation where all the sorts of mercies and helps and comforts are yours Yea unto such a Covenant where there is not only mercy but fulnesse and not only fulness but freenesse and with all these a certainty and unchangeablenesse Here is as much mercy and goodnesse and happinesse as you need and you shall surely have it and it shall continue unto you for ever Adam and God parted but you and your God shall never part you and Christ shall never part you and mercy and
enmitie God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself But which is more we are by Christ made nigh to God in a way of relation so that he is now become our God As by reason of this union Christ is not ashamed to call us brethren Heb. 2. 11. So God is not ashamed to be called our God Heb. 11. 16. Yea and as the Apostle tells us that Christ is ours Ephes 1. 3. Our Lord Jesus Christ so Christ himself tells us that God is ours I ascend to my God and to your God And by the way observe it that Christ doth not say only or first I ascend to your God yet this had been a special comfort to the Disciples that God was their God but he saith I ascend to my God and to your God and why to my God and next to your God But to inform us that God becomes our God by vertue of our union with Christ what Christ calls mine that you may call yours My God and your God and because my God therefore your God So then our union with Christ infers with it our union with God our relation to Christ infers with it our relation to God and our propriety in Christ our propriety also in God and our fruition of Christ to be ours a fruition of God himself to be ours than which a more high and blessed fruition no creature is capable of 2. Secondly our union with Christ takes in with it our union with the Father the Our union with the Father first Person in the Trinity that as God is the Father of Christ and Christ is the Son of God so now in Christ God is also our Father and we are his children Joh. 20. 17. My Father and your Father Ephes 1. 3. God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ 2. Thes 2. 16. and God even our Father Here you see that God is Father to Christ and he is also a Father to all them that are Christs And as Christ is the Son of God so are we the sons of God and how come we to be the sons of God see Gal. 3. 26. Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus and Joh. 1. 12. As many as received him to them gave he power to become the sons of God even to them that believe in his Name why As this is an unspeakable dignity for us to be raised unto 1 Joh. 3. 1. Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us that we should be called the sons of God So it is a most comfortable relation none the like It concludes within it all the love of God and goodnesse and mercy and care and help and compassion and tendernesse and blessings of God as a Father 3. Thirdly our union with Christ takes in with it also our union with the Holy Our union with the Holy Ghost Ghost in which respect he that is joyned to the Lord is said to be one Spirit 1 Cor. 6. 17. and the Spirit of Christ is said to be given us 1. Joh. 3. 24. and he is in us and dwells in us Rom. 8. 9. and hath communion with us 2 Cor. 13. 14. The communion of the Holy Ghost be with you all and we have fellowship with the Spirit Phil. 2. 1. in the participation of his 1. Graces 2. Help 3. Comforts O Christians These are glorious things indeed who would not strive after union with Christ which brings such an union with it and who cannot but rejoyce and triumph in Christ by union with whom he is thus united to the whole Trinity 2. If you be by faith united unto Christ here is yet another comfort for you Our union with Christ confers upon us an interest in every good of the Covenant We are Sons Heirs That as this union infers with it a relation to every Person in the Trinity so it doth assuredly confer upon you an interest in every good of the Covenant for by vertue of this union we are made both Sons and Heirs Sonnes Gal. 3. 26. Ye are all the children of God by faith in Christ Jesus Heirs Gal. 3. 29. And if ye be Christs then are you Abrahams Seed and Heirs according to the promise Some read it if ye be one with Christ Si unus estis in Christo vid. Beza Here you do expresly finde our Heirship to flow from our union with Christ for certainly our heirship thence ariseth from whence our sonship doth arise and that is from union with Christ Well then Believers are Christs and being Christs they are Children and if Children then Heires and Heires according to promise Quest Heirs whose Heirs and of what estate Whose Heirs Sol. An Heir strictly is the childe either Natural or adopted who upon the death of the Father succeeds into his possessions In this strict acceptation neither Christ who is the Natural Son and Heir nor Believers who are sons and heires by grace are Gods Heires for God never dies and we do not take any possession of his estate upon such a vacancy and cessation But Theologically he is an heire who is accepted and admitted into the possession promised and set forth and given by God who yet lives for ever to be our God and Father and indeed our inheritance and inheriting is neverthelesse because our Father lives but it is therefore our setled and blessed inheritance because our God and Father lives for ever Now that of which we are Heires by vertue of union with Christ Heirs of what is 1. God himself Rom. 8. 17. If children then heirs heirs of God As your children Of God are your heirs so Gods chidren are his heirs he hath never a childe but he is an heir and an heir of God There is an estate of inheritance set out for him what God possesseth of that according to his capacity and proportion shall he be possessed of holinesse glory happinesse 2. All the inheritance which Christ hath purchased and God hath intailed or setled or passed over unto you in his Covenant of no less then all this are believers Of all the inheritance which Christ hath purchased heirs This is the inheritance and the estate of which you are heirs namely all the good set out for you in the Covenant by God the Father and confirmed and sealed unto you by the blood of Christ the Mediatour of that Covenant Therefore Believers are in Scripture stiled Heirs of the promise Heb. 6. 12. of the grace of life 1 Pet. 3. 7. of the righteousnesse which is by faith Heb. 11. 7. of salvation Heb. 1. 14. of the kingdom promised to them that love him Jam. 2. 5. All the good in it for them of all things Revel 21. 7. He that overcometh shall inherit all things There is Haereditas gratiae which contains all the blessings designed for enjoyment in this life And there is Haereditas gloriae which contains all the blessednesse reserved for enjoyment in that other life
with him every Believers name and every one of their wants and necessities and for every one of them makes requests unto his Father 4. Christs Intercession in Heaven is the presenting of his will unto his Father He presents his will unto his Father for the application of the good which he hath purchased on the behalf of his servants Joh. 17. 24. Father I will that they also whom thou hast given me be with me where I am c. When you pray for mercy for grace for strength for deliverance for any good then Jesus Christ appears for you Father he is one for whom I undertook for whom I died and satisfied whom I have reconciled unto thee on whose behalf I purchased and merited all this now for my sake and upon my account hear him and answer him This is the Intercession of Christ when his blood speaks good things for us Heb. 12. 24. and obtains the application of all which he hath merited for us 5. The Intercession of Christ is powerfully and effectually prevailing and it is alwayes It is powerfully and effectually prevailing so God the Father is well-pleased with him and with us in and for him and accepteth of our persons and grants our Petitions for his sake Joh. 11. 42. I know that thou hearest me alwayes Rev. 8. 3. There was another Angel that came and stood at the Altar having a golden Censer and there was given unto him much Incense that he should offer it with the prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which was before the Throne verse 4. And the smoake of the incense which came with the Prayers of the Saints ascended up before God out of the Angels hand 6. This work of Intercession is a fixed permanent continued work My meaning It is a fixed and permanent work is that as long as there remaines any one Elect person any one Believer on earth untill every one of them be gathered up into heaven so long doth Christs Intercession continue even untill Jesus Christ hath brought them all and every one into his Fathers house and setled on every one of them eternal glory and saith Now you do perfectly enjoy as much and all that I have suffered for and purchased on your behalf 2. Now follows the Vertues and Benefits of and from the Intercession of Christ The benefits of Christs Intercession Accesse unto the Father 1. Accesse unto the Father with whom we may freely hold communion and unto whom we may put up all our requests with confidence Heb. 10. 19. Having therefore boldnesse to enter into the Holiest by the blood of Jesus verse 20. By a new and living way which he hath consecrated for us through the vaile that is to say his flesh verse 21. And having an high Priest over the house of God verse 22. let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of Faith In this Scripture the Apostle exhorts the faithful to seek and to hold up communion with God in heaven And for this end propounds several Arguments 1. Their Liberty by Christ Christ hath opened Heaven for us by his blood so that by this blood we may enter into the Holiest unto the presence of the most holy God by faith in him And we may freely speak all our minds unto him in Prayer so the word boldness signifies a freedom of speech telling God all our mind all our griefs all our fears all our desires 2. The Ground of this Liberty In the price and purchase of it even the blood of Jesus 3. The extent of this Liberty All that are brethren enjoy it all that are the Children of God and Members of Christ are Brethren and though some are strong and others are weak yet they are admitted to come and enter into heaven freely to pour out their prayers 4. There is way made for them a new way that is of grace and upon the account of Christ and a living way Christ ever lives to make intercession for them and to help them and it is consecrated for us set apart on purpose for us 5. They have Christ still for their Priest who once offered Sacrifice for Believers and reconciled them and doth still intercede for the reconciled And he is a Priest over the house of God he hath authority to bring whom he pleaseth and to speed and help them And therefore he presseth them to draw near with a true heart sinners though weak and with full assurance of Faith being setled and fully confident to be accepted through Jesus Christ and find favour and audience and dispatch by his blood and intercession 2. Encouragement against all the shortnesse imperfections and mixtures of our holy Encouragement against our imperfections services and performances Our best services are very weak and imperfect more is to be done than what we do and much sinfulness mingles with our very prayers there is the Candle and the Snuffe the Fire and the Smoake the Gold and the Dross the Wheat and the Chaffe enough in our best doings to undoe them and us to move the holy God to hide his eyes and stop his ears at our Prayers But Jesus Christ our Intercessor covers those imperfections and takes away the dross in our sacrifices and by his Merits makes them to be an acceptable offering unto the Lord and a sweet savor unto him Exod. 28. 36. Thou shalt make a plate of pure gold and grave upon it Holinesse unto the Lord. ver 38. and it shall be upon Aarons forehead that Aaron may bear the iniquity of the holy things which the children of Israel shall hallow in all their holy gifts and it shall alwayes be upon his forehead that they may be accepted before the Lord. So Jesus Christ c. Rev. 8. 3. He is that Angel having the golden Censer and much Incense to offer it witâ— the Prayers of all Saints upon the golden Altar which was before the Throne Though in respect of our selves and our own services as performed by us we cannot expect acceptance nor answer yet in respect of Christ our Intercessor that promise shall be made good Isa 56. 7. Even them will I bring to my holy Mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer their burnt-offerings and their Sacrifices shall be accepted upon mine Altar 3. A security against all charges objections and accusations and condemnations Security against all accusations Rom. 8. 33. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of Gods Elect it is God that justifieth ver 34. who is he that condemneth it is Christ that died or rather that is risen again who is even at the right hand of God who also maketh Intercession for us This sin and that failing may be objected against us but Jesus Christ maketh Intercession Father for my sake forgive it and passe it by Heb. 9. 29. Christ is entered into heaven itself now to appear in the presence of God for us and who can appear against us
for many Ages utterly unknown to the Christian world c. 3. There are some whom God never elected but passed them by he would not shew mercy unto them he intended to manifest his justice and wrath on those vessels of wrath did Christ obtain for these also Reconciliation Remission and eternal life He knew that his Father would never have mercy on them and his death was according to the Counsel of his Father and did his Father Counsel and Decree and appoint him to purchase and procure mercy for those of whom he said he would never shew mercy to them why this were strange indeed that God should put the soule of Christ to grief and make him to bear wrath and sorrow for them unto whom he never intended mercy 4. Should not all men in the world be born in a state of grace and favour For Christ hath obtained Reconciliation for them all and that Reconciliation is not forfeited untill they reject it by unbelief and that cannot be as soon as they be born How then can we all be said by nature to be the children of wrath Ephes 2. 3. seeing wrath is off and ceased when God is reconciled This Inference cannot possibly be avoided unless we will fancy that the Reconciliation purchased by Christ is kept by God as it were in Banco as a Treasure which dischargeth nothing for a while untill hereafter it be brought forth to help a person upon occasion so that the Reconciliation and Remission purchased by Christ must he as a dead stock in heaven so long untill men come to years and then God makes experiments whether sinners will make use of it or no c. But to these I shall add other Arguments 1. The Impetration of universal Reconciliation either it was an actual Reconciliation and Remission or only Potential a Reconcileableness or Remissableness If it were an actual Reconciliation and Remission then are God and all sinners enemies no longer but friends and then every sinner shall certainly be saved And is a blessed man for if we be reconciled by the death of Christ much more shall we be saved by his life Rom. 5. 10 And Rom. 4. Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven and whose sins are covered verse 8. Blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin But this I suppose none will presume to maintain Ergo. no Actual Reconciliation and Remission for all If the Reconciliation and Remission be only Potential and not Actual then 1. Why doth the Scripture take no notice of this at all But where it speaks of the death of Christ and Reconciliation and Remission thereby it perpetually delivers the one and the other as Actual Ephes 2. 13. Ye are made nigh by the blood of Christ verse 14. He is our peace ver 15. Making peace ver 16. Having slain the enmity thereby Col. 1. 20. Having made peace through the blood of his Crosse ver 21. you hath he reconciled Ephes 1. 7. In whom we have Redemption through his blood the forgiveness of sins 2 Cor. 5. 19. God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself not imputing their trespasses unto them was all this here ascribed unto the death of Christ only a power accruing unto God that he might if he would make an offer of an universal reconciliation and Remission 2. But again Jesus Christ did make an actual offering of himself and he did actually satisfie the Justice of God for all according to the Opinion of the Arminians Now if the Justice of God be actually satisfied surely there is more than a meer power and liberty acquired that God may be reconciled to us if he will and pardon us if he will and save us if he will Because the satisfaction of Christ can and doth Oblige God to this God having Covenanted with him if that he would lay down his life for sinners that then his Righteousness should justifie and reconcile them 3. What we are to believe that is true but we are to believe that God is actually reconciled by the blood of Christ and hath actually forgiven us 2. This Grand universal Impetration either God intends the real actual application of it or he doth never intend to apply it to all It were most strange that the Son of God should come down from heaven be made man be made obedient to the death even to the death of the Cross yea and be made a curse for us and by his blood purchase as they say Reconciliation and Remission and life Eternal for all and every one if God intended not actually to bestow these But I demand Did he intend and will the actual collation of these purchased benefits on all and every one or did he not The Arminians to this expresly answer two things Grevencovius Cortivus 1. Deum nec voluisse nec noluisse God did neither will and intend it neither did he nill or not intend it Why then there is a Christ given to death given for a Sacrifice to be a Propitiation for sinners to be a Redemption for all and every sinner to save all and yet after all this God is not peremptorily resolved either way of the benefit of this to any one sinner whatsoever And so the death of Christ may be in vain in respect of benefit to all the sinners in the world For although his death did satisfie Gods Justice and thereby God gained so much as that he might universally tender Redemption to all yet if there were no actual purpose or real intention in God to bestow this on any who can say that he shall be the better for that which God really intends not to bestow on him 2. Again they say that though God did not peremptorily intend to confer and bestow this upon all yet conditionally he did if so be that all will believe on Christ unto which I would reply two things First God did know that all men would not believe on Christ and therefore as to the prescience of God this condition was not universal but particular if Gods intention to impart the benefits of the death of Christ had a respect unto and foundation in a condition which he certainly foresaw to be particular only Hence it will necessarily follow That God never intended a Redemption and salvation for all From the Argument either to God or unto men it shall bind the Adversary If to God in respect of his intention then thus I frame it God intended salvation by Christ only for all who will believe in Christ but God did certainly know that all men would not believe in Christ Ergo. he did not intend it for all If to men in respect of the event then thus Salvation is obtained for all who will believe on Christ but all men will not believe in Christ Ergo. Salvation is not obtained for all Secondly I reply to that Assertion viz. That God did intend to confer or apply all saving benefits purchased by Christ upon the condition that
charity look on them as bought and redeemed persons although afterwards the contrary doth appear as all those who have but a temporary faith and make a temporary profession these seem to us to be bought and perhaps unto themselves yet really they are not And truely such kind of persons were these who are said in this place to deny the Lord that bought them they were so far wrought on that they got the knowledge of the true way of righteousness verse 12. And escaped the pollutions of the world through the knowledge of Christ ver 20. and probably were numbred in respect of profession with the people of God so that they seemed to be bought in respect of their temporary faith profession and conversation yet really they were not so for they turned Apostates ver 22. and damnable Hereticks ver 1. denying the Lord either in his Person or in his Office who bought them as others and as themselves did think Thirdly Others do yet suggest one more answer unto this place who say that these Hereticks and so other wicked men were bought by Christ though not as to the effect and state of salvation for so only the Elect and true Believers are bought by Christ as their Redeemer and Saviour yet in respect of some common fruits and benefits for those upon that account their service and fidelity are duely and properly belonging unto Christ and their sin is the greater for denying him who is their Lord also by a right of Redemption as to Common mercies And some do conjecture had it not been for the Promise of Christ as Redeemer and Gods looking on him as so all the world had been presently destroyed upon the fall of Adam but Christ interposing himself he stayed that destruction and at least procured the cause of all those outward blessings which ungodly men do enjoy in this life for which reason he may be said to buy even the ungodly in that he delivers them from present ruine and their sin is therefore the greater to deny him but I adhere to the second answer as most proper to the place But having now many other Scriptures alledged by them to the same purpose aforementioned let us consider what Reasons and Arguments the Arminians produce to prove that Christ died for all and every man and by his death Arguments of the Arminians purchased Reconciliation with God Remission of sins and eternal life for them I shall briefly mention four or five of the chiefest which they bring Argument 1 1. That which every man is bound to believe is true but every man is bound to believe that Christ died for him Ergo it is true that Christ died for every man Sol. To this Sophistical Argument two answers are given by the Learned Answered 1. One unto the Major or first Proposition viz. That which every man is bound to believe is true a thing may be said to be true in a three-fold respect Either quia promittitur because it is promised Or secondly quia narratur because it is related or declared Or thirdly quia praedicitur because it is foretold so that whatsoever a man is bound to believe that same is true either as promised or as declared or done or as foretold Not alwayes true in one and the same respect or in every respect but either as promised or declared or reported or as foretold To apply this to the Argument in hand that Christ died effectually for every man If it be a truth then it must be so because God hath promised it or declared it or foretold it if it be a truth because promised then it is with condition of faith for though the very promise be true in it self yet it is not performed unto us without believing the same promise still requiring faith for the performance of it and then this will not prove that it is true that Christ died for all and every man absolutely but only for Believers or for all men only under the condition of faith If it be a truth because only declared or foretold then whether a man believes or believes not this is true that Christ died for him the reason is all things which are true by way of Narration or Prediction they are true upon their own account they are true before we believe them our faith makes them not to be so and if we believe them not yet are they true our unbelief cannot make the truth of God a lye But I suppose that no Arminian will say that Christ dyed effectually for every man whether he doth believe or doth not believe A second answer shall be unto the Minor Proposition But every man is bound to believe that Christ dyed for him to this I would say three things First It is a material disputable Point Whether those to whom the Gospel is not revealed are bound to believe that Christ died for them because the Precept of believing is a Gospel Precept only and the punishment for unbelief is threatned and inflicted in relation to the Gospel for slighting and refusing that Christ who is revealed and offered by the Gospel unto sinners who also are therein commanded to believe on Christ and if this be so then certainly every man is not bound to believe that Christ died for him Secondly When the Gospel doth come it doth not absolutely command that every one should believe that Christ dyed for him indeed it doth command every one to believe on Christ i. e. to receive him and trust on him alone for life But it doth not command him to believe without any more ado without any condition whatsoever that Christ died for him i. e. hath by his death made his peace procured his pardon and eternal life For the Gospel doth not reveale or command any such thing It doth reveale a Christ who died for sinners and it doth offer this Christ to sinners but with all it saith Whosoever believes shall be saved and he that believes not shall be damned Doth the Gospel command every man absolutely to believe that Christ dyed for him which takes in the Application of all the fruits and benefits of the death of Christ which a soule can enjoy whether a man obey the voice of the Gospel or not receive Christ or not q. d. you are bound to believe that Christ died for you though you never by faith close with the offer of Christ though your heart never prize him or never are brought in unto him and though you still love your sins and persevere in them Tell me in good sadness did Jesus Christ ever sign such a Commission as this Go preach the Gospel and tell people that whether they receive me or will not receive me whether they become believers or continue unbelievers whether they repent or continue impenitent they are bound every man of them to believe that I dyed for them and reconciled them and have procured salvation for them Certainly if every man were bound to believe this he were bound
man can clear out unto himself that he is one of the people of Christ or one of the sheep or one of the friends of Christ or one of the body of Christ or one of the Church of Christ he may thereupon certainly conclude that he is one for whom Christ dyed and really intended to save by his death Object You will say Here lies all the difficulty to evidence to our selves that we are within the number of these Sol. I confesse it doth yet this must be evidenced if you would certainly know that Christ effectually dyed for you and upon diligent inquiry it may be evidenced forasmuch as Christs people and sheep and friends and body and Church have such signal characters and differences stamped upon them by which they may be known to be his indeed I will give some instances to help you in this They are the people of Christ his people who are given unto him of the Father and His people bought by him with a price and rescued by his power unto himself and brought into Covenant by him with the Father and do stand in a near and choice relation unto himself as their Head and Lord of these people it is said in Scripture that they are 1. A willing people in the day of his power Psal 110. 3. i. e. when the Gospel is preached unto them there goes with that Gospel such a power from Christ upon their hearts that they are overcome and perswaded and willingly leave their former station and relation to sin and to the world and to Satan and as willingly become Christs hearkening unto his call and falling into relation with him 2. A peculiar people Tiâ—â—s 2. 14. That he might redeem us from all iniquity and purifie unto himself a peculiar people His people are a peculâ—ar people in a twofold respect One because they are purged from those sins and iniquities under which other people do lye and with which they are defiled Another because they are beautified and adorned with those excellencies of grace which other people do want and attain not unto and therefore in 1 Pet. 29. An holy Nation and a peculiar people are joyned together These things being thus opened it will not now be so difficult for any mans conscience to say whether he be any one of the people of Christ yea or no for two things will plainly testifie it One is the willingnesse of his heart to become Christs and the other is the choicenesse or excellency of his nature both these are in all the people of Christ and in none but the people of Christ and if you finde these upon your hearts then are you the people of Christ and if you be his people then assuredly he dyed to save you from your sins They are the sheep of Christ his sheep for whom he did lay down his life His Sheep who do hear his voice and follow him thus doth Christ himself describe his sheep John 10 27. My sheep hear my voice and they follow me And Ver. 28. I give unto them eternal life and they shall never perish Well then hence a man Hence a man may conclude Negatively may conclude both Negatively and Affirmatively I do not hear the voice of Christ â—or do I follow him I disregard his voice and disobey his voice therefore as yet I am none of his sheep and consequently I cannot assure my self that Christ did lay down his life for me And on the contrary one can say I do hear the voice of Christ and I do follow Affirmatively him His voice saith Come unto me Matth. 11. 28. and I come unto him his voice saith Open the door Revel 3. 20. and receive me and my heart is open unto him and I do receive him his voice saith Be converted that your sins may be blotted out Acts 2. 19. and I do repent and am converted his voice saith Hearken unto me and your souls shall live Isa 55. 2. and I do obey this voice of Christ I hearken unto him and yield up my self to the service and obedience of his will Why hence I can conclude I am therefore one of the sheep of Christ and being so I am sure that Christ did lay down his life for me Again Jesus Christ saith that he layes down his life for his friends And in His friends that very place he gives two Characters of such who are indeed his friends One on their parts Joh. 15. 14. Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you The other on his part Ver. 15. I have called you friends for all things that I have heard of my Father I have made known unto you The meaning is As betwixt friends there is a reciprocal love so there is between Christ and his friends Christ loves them and they love Christ That they love Christ as friends indeed appears by their readinesse to do whatsoever Christ shall be pleased to command they are ready to take up his will and are chearfully at his command That Christ loves them as his friends appears by the manifestation and communicating unto them the secrets of his Father he tells unto them the love and minde of his Father in the great concernments of salvation which he doth not effectually make known to every man So now this stands as a firme and unmoveable ttuth that Christ did effectually lay down his life for his friends And secondly that they are the very friends of Christ who first are at the command of Christ And secondly unto whom Christ doth in a more special and familiar way make known the minde of his Father in the matters of salvation Therefore if you do experimentally finde an heart readily and chearfully affected to all the will and command of Christ What wilt thou have me to do his commands are not grievous I delight to do thy will then are you sure that you are one of the friends of Christ and if so then are you sure that Christ laid down his life for you And if you do experimentally finde such impartings of Christ to you from the Father which the men of the world know not in the sense of his love and taste of his mercy and fruits of his grace and efficacies of hâ—s Spirit thence you may certainly conclude that you are his friends for Christ effectually makes these known only to his friends and if you be his friends then undoubtedly Christ dyed for you he laid down his life to save you To this purpose might I go over the other instances of the body and of the Church of Christ but I have said enough unto this choice distinction 2. Secondly One may know that Christ dyed for him in particular by the quality of those persons who in Scripture have been able to say upon sure grounds that Christ dyed for them and redeemed them and unto whom the benefits of his death have been applied in particular It is a true rule Parium est par
support and encourage you against all the temptations of Satan and fears of your own spirits God himself is your God and God himself for whom nothing is too hard and who is faithful in Covenant he it is who undertakes to find out and give out unto you every mercy for soul and body which you do or shall need Vse 2 Do not only believe this truth but also make use of it i. e. in the sense of all your wants whether spiritual or temporal Go unto God with boldnesse unto Make use of this truth his Throne of grace that ye may finde grace and mercy to help in time of need Remember that of the Apostle in Phil. 4. 6. Be careful in nothing but in every thing by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your request be made known to God Do not vainly perplex your selves O it is impossible ever to get this sinful heart changed and this hard heart broken and those sins pardoned but â—â—nsider seriously 1. What is that which you finde promised in the Covenant Do you not expresly find the renewing of the heart promised there and the taking away of the hard heart promised there and the forgivenesse of all sins promised there 2. Who is it that undertakes to give these things promised Is it not God himself who can do it because he is Almighty and will do it because he is faithful it is not what strength and power you have for these things but what the sufficiency and fidelity of God is who undertakes to give them Object But he expects great matters from us before he will give them unto us Sol. 1. I will tell you what he expects from you he expects three things from you 1. That you acknowledge your own unworthinesse and his graciousnesse 2. That you come and pray unto him and intreat him to do these things for you 3. That you trust upon him as able and willing to help you according to his Word 2. And this which he expects from you if he hitherto hath not given them unto you yet he promiseth to give them unto you for praying Zach. 12. 10. I will poure upon them the Spirit of supplication for trusting Zephany 3. 12. I will leave in the midst of thee an afflicted and poor people and they shall trust in the Name of the Lord. Object But we must bring something or other and undertake something else God will not do all for us Sol. 1. What would ye bring to a Covenant of Grace or what should you bring but your hearts to receive what is promised in the Covenant of Grace to be given 2. All the finding and giving work belongs to God that is it which himself undertakes forgivenesse righteousnesse holinesse love joy and peace and these himself undertakes to give unto us The fountain is full and runs freely take your care only for a Vessel to receive and take in the waters which flow out of it Vse 3 Doth God himself undertake to give all the blessings of the Covenant to his people What a comfort is this unto all his people this God himself is your God Comfort to the people of God and your Father and he loves you above all the people in the world and binds himself by promise and oath unto you that in blessing he will blesse you If you were to make your choice of one to undertake your good in whose hands you would have your all to lie you would pitch on one 1. Who loves you as a friend as a father and as a near relation 2. Who is sufficient and able 3. Who is mindful and faithful 4. Who is knowing and wise 5. Who is like to live long Now First Doth not God love his people I have loved thee with an everlasting love God loves his people Jer. 31. 3. I am a Father to Israel and Israel is my first born Ver. 9. Is Ephraim my dear son I remember him still my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy on him Ver. 20. Can a woman forget her sucking child that she should not have compassion on the Son of her womb yea they may forget yet will I not forget thee Isa 49. 15. Secondly Is he not able to do you good he is the All-sufficient and Almighty God is able to do you good God nothing is too hard for him he is able to do above all that we are able to ask or think and can do whatsoever he pleaseth in heaven and in earth is it not be who stretcheth out the heavens and laid the foundations of the earth Abraham was fully perswaded that what God had promised he was able to performe Rom. 4. 21. Thirdly He knows all your distresses and wants your groans are not hid from He knows all your distresses him and all your tears are in his bottle he is mindful of his people Psal 115. 12. The Lord hath been mindful of us he will blesse us he is mindful of 〈◊〉 Covenant Psal 111. 5. He hath given meat to them that fear him he will be mindful of his Covenant Psal 105. 8. He hath remembred his Covenant for ever Fourthly He is the faithful God Deut. 7. 9. Know that the Lord thy God He is the faithful God he is God the faithful God which keepeth Covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his Covenant to thousands of generations Heb. 10. 23. He is faithful that promised Fifthly He is the wise God God only wise Rom. 16. 27. Wise in heart Job He is the wise God 9. 4. And therefore will proportion and season out proper and peculiar mercies unto his servants Sixthly He is the unchangeable God there is not so much as the shaddow of Change in him Jam. 1. 17. The living God Jer. 10. 10. The Lord is the true He is the unchangeable God God he is the living God and an everlasting King Dan. 12. 7. liveth for ever 〈◊〉 If I do understand this Assertion aright it may suffice to take off all your fears and to draw on all your hearts to come unto your God with confidence who himself undertakes to give unto you all the good of his Covevant Can more be desired or can any thing else conduce further or better to your salvation Object We confess that here is enough in respect of God but that which makes us to fear is something in respect o ourselves our unworthiness against which God may take exception and for which he may deny to give unto us the good things which he hath promised Sol. This is the greatest doubt which still sticks with us and it is the strongest exception of our unbelieving hearts and unto which I shall endeavour to give a full resolution in the last General Proposition which now comes to be handled viz. SECT IV. Doct. 4. THat all these blessings which God doth promise to give unto his people All the blessings which God promiseth to his
of them is proper to him Secondly Because unto whom the power of death and condemnation authoritatively belongs unto him also the power of life and absolution doth belong but the power of condemnation belongs only to God Ergo. These are acts seated in the same power Thirdly Because the forgivenesse of sin takes off the infinite desert of sin reaching even unto eternity of punishment eternal punishment is deserved by sin and who can relieve us from that but God alone Fourthly Because our consciences might have a resting place which they could never have if God himself did not forgive sins What if all the men in the world did forgive you if God did not clear you but still held you guilty What though all the lower Courts absolve a Malefactor as long as the Supreme Court condemns him what though the Malefactor forgive himself if the Judge do not forgive him Simile But here lies the comfort that God himself who is the Supreme Judge who hath the Soveraign Power to save or to destroy to remit or binde to acquit or to condemn whose sentence none can reverse if he will pardon our offences and sinnes against him now there is peace with him and peace in our own Consciences Secondly As forgiveness of sins solely appertains to God so God undertakes the same by way of promise which shews that he is willing to forgive sins and God undertakes it by promise that he engageth himself to forgive sins and that he will certainly forgive sins Jer. 31. 34. I will forgive their iniquity and will remember their sin no more Pro. 28. 13. Whosoever confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall finde mercy 2 Chro. 7. 14. If my people shall turn from their wicked wayes then will I forgive their sins Isa 55. 7. Let the wicked forsake his way and turn unto the Lord and he will have mercy upon him and abundantly pardon 1 Joh. 1. 9. If we confesse our sins he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins Quest Now if any should demand why God contents not himself with a Declaration Reasons of it only that he is a God who forgives sin but also he makes a promise that he will forgive sins Sol. I suppose these Reasons may be given of it First Because this is a greater relief to the troubled conscience A promise of forgivenesse is a more hopeful foundation to work upon than a meer Declaration that God hath power to forgive and it serves to answer our fears and doubts more fully You would not imagine how powerful and dreadful the guilt of sin is and how strongly working when a conscience is awakened and wounded with the sence of it How great is the apprehension of Gods wrath how amazing is the curse threatned how hard is it to look toward the Mercy seat through all the threatnings and through all the terrors how difficult is it to settle it with any apprehensions of mercy And therefore the Lord is pleased not only to declare that he is a God forgiving sins but also he makes promise that he will forgive sins for Christs sake this is apt to preserve troubled sinners from despair and to breed some hopes in them that perhaps they may find mercy for who can tell but that a merciful God and a God who promiseth mercy to poor sinners may at length shew mercy to them and forgive their sins Secondly Because this is a stronger Obligation and Argument to prevail with sinners to repent of their sins and to turn unto the Lord. Beloved I beseech you mark what I say 1. The greater inevidence and improbability there is of forgiveness of sins the more indisposition and averseness there is unto repentance If a person apprehends mercy as impossible he then looks upon repentance as unuseful either he grows despairing or desperate For saith he to what end should I repent and come into God who I am sure will shew me no mercy 2. Again the greater hopes that a sensible sinner hath of mercy the more easily and kindly is his heart wrought upon to Repent to come off from his sins to God Hos 14. 2. When taking away of sin is hinted then ver 3. Ashur shall not save us neither will we say to the works of our hands Ye are our gods for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy so Jer. 3. 12. Return thou back-sliding Israel and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you for I am merciful saith the Lord. Ver. 22. Return ye back-sliding children and I will heal your back-slidings behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Mark how this insinuation of mercy bowed in their hearts Psal 103. 4. There is forgiveness with thee that thou mayst be feared Now when a sinner sees forgiveness of sins in a promise this appears with more evidence of hope for him I may yet have mercy so great is Gods goodness and why should I stand out any longer and why should I for lying vanities forsake my own mercies I will home to my Fathers house for there is bread enough and to spare c. Thirdly Because this is the surest ground for faith you know this is the great scruple But may I find mercy and what ground have I to expect mercy Suppose I do repent what assurance have I that God will forgive my sits Why having Gods promise for the forgiveness of your sins in this case you may be confident that if you come to him and rely upon him he will unquestionably be as good as his word he will shew mercy to you Jer. 31. 18. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself Ver. 20. I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Ezek. 18. 21. If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed c. he shall surely live and not dye Ver. 22. All his transgressions which he hath committed they shall not be mentioned unto him SECT III. 3. I Now come to the third part of the Proposition of forgiveness of sins viz. God promiseth the same to all his people That God promiseth the same unto all his people all his people in Covenant Psal 85. 2. Thou hast forgiven the iniquity of thy people Isa 33. 34. The people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their iniquity Micah 7. 18. Who is a God like unto thee that pardoneth iniquity and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage Note Of the people of God some are sooner in Covenant and some are later in Covenant for some are called at one houre and some at another houre as Paul spake of Andronicus and Junia Rom. 16. 7. who were in Christ before me that may we say of people some are in Covenant before others but as soon as any of them are brought into Covenant they are pardoned immediatly their sins are forgiven unto them Again of the people of God some have been greater sinners and some have been lesser sinners but as soon as
19. Surely after that I was turned I repented and after that I was instructed I smote upon my thigh I was ashamed yea even confounded because I did bear the reproach of my youth Ver 20. Is Ephraim my dear son is he a pleasant child for since I spake against him I do remember him still therefore my bowels are troubled for him I will surely have mercy upon him saith the Lord. Luk. 7. 38. And she stood at his feet behind him weeping and began to wash his feet with tears and did wipe them with the hairs of her head and kissed his feet and anointed them with oyntment Ver. 47. Wherefore I say her sins which were many are forgiven c. v. 15. 18. I will arise and go to my Father and will say to him Father I have sinned against heaven and before thee Ver. 19. and am no more worthy to be called thy son c. Ver. 20. and he arose and came to his Father but when he was yet a great way off his Father saw him and had compassion and ran and fell upon his neck and kissed him Quest But here some may reply It is granted that all who do truely repent are within the compass of the promise of forgiveness of sins and many do think How one may know he doth truely repent that they do truely repent of their sins but how may one know that he doth truely repent that so he may safely conclude the forgiveness of his sins Sol. I thank you for the propounding of this doubt for the clear resolution whereof I shall thus deliver my self 1. I shall shew unto you the integral part of Repentance i. e. those particular Branches of which true Repentance doth consist and unto all which forgiveness of sins is promised 2. I shall shew unto you the right qualifications of those particular parts of Repentance that so you may know whether you do truely Repent or no. First For the first of these you do know as I suppose that there are three The integral parts of repentance Contrition parts of Repentance viz. 1. Contrition or grief of heart for sins committed which is called sometimes godly sorrow 2 Cor. 7. 10. and sometimes a contrite spirit Isa â—6 2. and a broken and contrite heart Psal 51. 17. and sometimes the afflicting of our soules Levit. 16. 29. and sometimes the humbling of the heart 2 Chron. 7. 14. If my people shall humble themselves c. Lam. 3. 20. My soul hath them still in remembrance and is humbled within me and sometimes a mourning Zach. 12. 10. And they shall mourn as c. and sometimes a weeping Mar. 14. 72. And when he thought thereon he wept First There is no man a penitent sinner but he is a mourning sinner his soul is No man is a penitent sinner but a mourning sinner grieved his heart is displeased and humbled for his sins If the heart be hardned it is impenitent if thy sins which have grieved and troubled God do not trouble and grieve thy soul thou art an impenitent and hardened sinner much more art thou so if thy sins be the matter of thy delight and rejoycing And on the contrary all penitent persons are mourning persons Judg. 2. 4. The children of Israel repented and the people lift up their voice and wept 1 Sam. 7. 6. They repented and drew water and poured it out before the Lord. Psal 6. 6. David repented and watered his Couch with his tears 2 Chro. 32. 26. Hezekiah Repented 2 Chron. 33. 12. and humbled himself for the pride of his heart Manasses as some think repented and he humbled himself greatly before the God of his Fathers Jer. 31. 18 19. Ephraim repented and Ephraim bemoaned himself and smote upon his thigh and is even confounded Luke 7. 38. Mary Magdalen repented and she wept and washed the feet of Christ with tears Luk. 22. 62. Peter repented and he went out and wept bitterly 2 Cor. 7. 9. The Corinthians repented and they were made sorry after a godly manner Secondly Thus you see that all truely penitent persons are broken-hearted Mourning persons for sin are in a capacity of pardon persons and mourning persons for their sins and now ye shall find that all these persons are within the capacity of the promise of forgivenesse of sins Zach. 12. 11. In that day there shall be a great mourning in Jerusalem as the mourning of Hadadrimmon in the valley of Megiddo Zach. 13. 1. In that day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David and to the inhabitants of Jerusalem for sin and for uncleannesse Jer. 31. 18. I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself c. Ver. 20. I will surely have mercy upon him Mark the place Ephraims heart is troubled for sinning and Gods bowels so are his mercies stiled are troubled for Ephraim Ephraim like a penitent Childe falls a weeping and God like an indulgent Father falls a bemoaning of him I am grieved and troubled and ashamed at my very heart that I have thus sinned against thee saith Ephraim O peace refrain thine eyes from tears saith God to Ephraim I cannot refrain my mercies from thee Lo this is thy pardon for thy sins Psal 51. 17. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit and why is a broken spirit called sacrifices of God Is it not for the acceptableness of it unto God and is it not because as upon sacrifices sins were put away so upon contrition of heart for sins there comes out the forgiveness of sins Isa 57. 15. I dwell in the high and holy place with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit to revive the spirit of the humble and to revive the heart of the contrite ones And can the contrite heart be revived without forgiveness of sins Matth. 5. 4. Blessed are they that mourn for they shall be comforted Surely this is spoken of spiritual mourning of mourning for sin for can you say of any other mourning besides these that they are blessed and their blessedness lies in this that they shall be comforted and what comfort is that which a mourning sinner looks upon as blessedness why none buâ— that in Isa 40. 1 2. Comfort ye comfort ye my people saith your God speak ye comfortably to Jerusalem and cry unto her that her iniquitie is pardoned Confession of sins 2. The second part of Repentance is confession of sinnes which flows out of a contrite heart I speak not of a formal verbal empty confession we are all sinners God help us c. but of such a confession of sin as ariseth from a true and full sense of sin when the tongue speaks out of the abundance of a troubled spirit ingenuously and humbly acknowledging iniquities and transgressions and judging himself worthy of wrath and unworthy of mercy c. This confession you shall find in Repenting sinners and those persons so confessing under the capacity of the promise of the forgivenesse of their
what is it to be justified but to be pardoned 5. And so for Repentance and Faith certainly they have been true if forgiveness of sins have been granted unto you because to none but unto such who do truly repent and who do truly believe is forgiveness of sins promised 6. And lastly If your sins be forgiven you shall be undoubtedly saved Rom. 8. 30. Whom he justified them also he glorified So Acts 26. 18. That they may receive forgiveness of sins and inheritance among them that are sanctified Secondly If your sins be forgiven you then your way is opened and cleared You have access to God with all boldness with all boldness of access and confidence to your God and Father There are three choice Cordials and Encouragements to all who have obtained pardoning mercy 1. They may look upon their God as sitting altogether and always on his Throne of grace and mercy as their loving God as their kind God as their good God as their Father as their Helper as their Saviour O what a sight of God is that sight of him in heaven where there is love and nothing but love peace and nothing but peace joy and nothing but joy favour and nothing but favour blessed communion and nothing but blessed communion Such a kind of sight of God have justified and pardoned persons here on earth they may now look on God as their God as their Father as loving of them delighting in them and rejoycing over them to do them good and what should hinder them to come with a filial confidence to such a God and Father 2. They may look up unto him for any mercy which they do need and which he doth promise unto them Psal 81. 10. Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it Hos 2. 19. I will betroth thee unto me in righteousness and in judgement and in loving-kindness and in mercy Ver. 21. And it shall come to pass in that day I will hear saith the Lord I will hear the heavens and the heavens shall hear the earth Ver. 22. And the earth shall hear the corn and the wine and the oyle and they shall hear Jezreel Beloved there is no partition wall but sin nothing that separates between God and us but sin nothing that hinders good thingâ— from us but sin now if that partition wall be broken down as certainly it is when sin is forgiven there is nothing on your part to hinder you from asking and nothing on Gods part to with-hold him from giving any thing that is good unto you 3. They may look on all their enjoyments as mercies as the fruits of love with marvailous contentment and delight mercies are sure and sweet unto them As every one of the Vessels had that inscription upon it Holiness to the Lord so every receit which the forgiven sinner partakes of hath this superscription on it A token of love from the reconciled God you have the bond and the seal the wine and the sugar the day and the Sun-shine mercies from mercy mercies in mercy this and that and my sins pardoned Thirdly If your sins be forgiven you this will be a great support strength It will be â— great support in all times and occurrences whatsoever In times of outward wants relief upholdment unto you in all occurrences whaâ—soever and in all times whatsoever 1. In times of outward wants and straits as Lactantius said of Lazarus he was sine domo but not sine Domino sine veste but not sine Fide sine cibo but not sine Christo The like may we say of the pardoned person he may be without money but not without mercy he may be without friends but he is not without a Father he may be without outward mercies but he is not without the God of mercies his body may want riches but his soul is not without forgiveness God is his forgiving God and his reconciling God and his blessed God and portion for ever and ever 2. In time of outward troubles when all the world is in combustion and distraction and there is no rest nor peace to be found amongst men why then can the pardoned sinner find rest and peace peace in his God and peace in his In time of outward troubles Christ and peace in his conscience my sins are pardoned it is God that justifies me he is at peace with me and I am so with him and therefore I can rejoyce in tribulation it self 3. In times of losses and trials God hath taken away this friend and that parent this childe and that comfort but he hath not taken away his loving-kindness In times of losses and â—ryals from me 'T is but a cross 't is not a curse 't is but a refining fire 't is not a consuming fire 't is but the rod of Father 't is not the word of a Judge 't is to heal and pacifie 't is not to harden and destroy 't is but the physick of love 't is not the sting of wrath for if sins be pardoned then enjoyments are from love and then losses are from love If God gives that is in mercy if God takes away that also is in mercy O Sirs a loss a cross sits heavily on the heart when the guilt of sin sits strongly on the conscience but if the guilt be taken off there as certainly it is upon the forgiveness of sins then may a man take up the cross and kiss it then may he stoop down and bear it then may he take in a mercy and rejoyce and then can he give back a mercy and bless that God who hath given and now hath taken c. 4. In times of sickness and death when all the world is leaving of us and when we are leaving all the world and the short minute of time is expiring In times of sickness and death and the larger date of eternity is appearing when Physitians say there is no hope and friends are taking their farewel for ever and no earthy thing can be of comfort or relief O then the fiduciary apprehension of a reconciling Christ and of a reconciled God and of all our sins as pardoned why this revives this stays this chears up our spirits this is better than life this is life in death Now let thy servant depart in peace said Simeon for mine eyes have seen thy salvation now let me dye and go to my God and Father it is certain that that man may look on death with joy who can look on Christ and the forgiveness of his sins with faith 5. In times of temptations How many temptations are answered if once our sins are pardoned In times of temptationâ— 1. God will damn thee for thy sins O no he hath pardoned my sins and therefore he will not damn me for them 2. But do not thy sins deserve hell and damnation they do so but God hath forgiven according to the riches of his grace in the blood of Christ 3. But thinkest thou
gave himself for me said Paul Gal. 2. 20. 2. Another is evidence of the propriety a knowledge that Christ is mine and that he washed my soul from my sins in his own blood without these what joy and comfort can there be Rom. 15. 13. The God of peace fill you with all joy and peace in believing that ye may abound in hope through the power of the Holy Ghost A good prayer for believers for joy for peace for hope yea and God hath promised every one of these unto them and therefore he applies unto them the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of their sins and assures them of the same Rom. 5. 11. We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ by whom we have now received the Atonement Thirdly God will be praised and blessed by his people for Christ and for all the God will be praised for Chrâ—st blessings accruing unto them by Christ and his servants do bless him for them Ephes 1. 3. Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath blessed us with all Spiritual blessings in heavenly places in Christ Psal 103. 2. Blesse the Lord O my soul ver 3. which forgiveth thy iniquities But unless the Lord did impute the blood of Christ for the forgiveness of their sins and did give them some assurance thereof how could they praise and bless him 3. Quest. I now come to the last Question viz. Why the Lord himself doth Why the Lord himself doth undertake it undertake to impute the blood of Christ unto his people for the forgiveness of their sins and to assure them thereof I will sprinkle Sol. There may be these Reasons given for it First The difficulty nay the impossibility of this work unless the Lord himself undertake it There are three things which you can never attain unless the Lord The difficulty of the work himself doth undertake for them 1. To forsake your sinnes Jer. 31. 18. Turn thou me and I shall be turned 2. To believe in Christ Ephes 1. 19. 3. To gain assurance that Christ is yours and that God hath for Christs sake forgiven you your sins As Christ spake to Peter when he confessed his Diety Flesh and blood hath not revealed this unto thee but my Father which is in heaven So say I about the particular application and assurance of your forgiveness of sins it must be God himself by his spirit which must raise us to that and make us to know that Take me a person rightly sensible of his sins although he be converted although he hath faith although he studies the promises although he hath all the grounds made clear unto him upon which he may conclude that God hath forgiven him although others can evidently discern his particular interest and propriety yet unless the Lord himself let in a special light by his Spirit to make him to see the special love of God towards him in this he cannot see it so as to be assured thereof Therefore you find in experience that this assurance is one of the longest and last and most questioned works in the soul The glory that comes to God by it Secondly The glory which God doth reserve unto himself of all the effects of his Covenant he will be known to be the Cause and Author of them all he will be acknowledged to be the God of grace and the Father of mercies and the God of love and the God of comfort and the God of joy and the God of peace I the Lord create peace the fruit of the lips peace Isa 57. 19. As none in the world can give trouble but God so none can give peace but God Job 34. 29. None can cast down the heart but he and none can raise the heart but he none can make sin known to the Conscience but he and none can make mercy known to the conscience but he All the Covenant-gifts come from him and all the knowledge and assurance that we have of those very Covenant-gifts come from him all the promises are of him and all the evidences of our propriety in them are from him in his light we see light our graces our abilities our comforts our assurances are from him Thirdly That the effect might he certain unto his people O what great things doth God promise unto his and for which he alone undertakes And if he That the effect might be certain did not so his people could never enjoy them Neither grace nor comfort c. If the Lord himself did not work the grace in our hearts which he promiseth whose soul should ever partake of it And if the Lord did not bring in that comfortable assurance of his forgiving mercy who should ever taste the sweetness of it Object Why will you say what doth hinder it what doth stand in the way but that we way enjoy it though God appears not to our help for it Sol. I will tell you what doth hinder and what will hinder unless the Lord himself remove them 1. Your own unbelief of heart doth and will hinder with such continual fears and doubts and exceptions and reasonings that unless the Lord himself doth silence that unbelief it will never be assured nor will your hearts be quieted with assurance 2. Satan will and doth hinder it by his many and subtile and strong suggestions and puzlings of your weak faith that none but the Spirit of God can answer them and settle your hearts with perswasion and assurance But now because God himself undertakes to sprinkle clean water upon them they shall be sprinkled if he will make Christ thine and forgive thy sinnes for Christs sake and make this known to them they shall certainly enjoy all for who is too strong for God who can resist his will he is too hard for our unbelieving hearts and Satan If he saith to the heart be of good comfort be at peace and it shall be so 1. Vse Doth God himself promise and undertake to sprinkle clean water upon his people so to apply unto them the blood of Christ as that every one of them shall have forgiveness and assurance of forgiveness by it Then in the first place let this serve to stir up the hearts of all the people of God Not to be sluggish or rest contented without this but to give all diligence Rest not contented without this untill they do attain the knowledge and certain evidence or assurance that their sins are forgiven to them in particular for Christs sake You have attained to much already but strive also for this The Reason why I would press this duty upon you are these 1. Many of the people of God are not yet come unto this sprinkling of assurance Reasons of it 2. Many of them are too remisse and negligent about the attaining of it 3. By reason of the want of it they are in a very uncomfotable condition 4. There is a possibility to compasse this assurance 5. The
and powerful Spirit and he puts forth a wonderful power in all them unto whom he is given e. g. First he raiseth every one of them from the dead what the Lord spake of the people of Israel touching their civil estate Ezek. 3â— 13 14. I have opened your graves O my people and brought you up out of your graves and will put my Spirit within you and you shall live That is true in a spiritual sense of all the people of God unto whom the Spirit of God is given Though before the donation of the Spirit they were dead in trespâ—sses and sinnes yet when the spirit is given unto them they are by the operation of that spirit quickned made alive and raised from that dead estate Ephes 2. 1. You hath he quickned who were dead in trespasses and sins they have the life of God and Christ in them O what a power is put forth in the raising of a dead man and yet there is a greater power of the spirit put forth in the raising of a dead sinner Secondly He enables them both to perceive and also to receive the things of God to perceive the glory and excellency of them and to receive the goodness and sweetness of them 1. To perceive them Mat. 13. 11. It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God but to them it is not given And 1 Cor. 2. 6. We speak wisdom amongst them that are perfect Ver. 7. The wisdom of God in a mystery Ver. 8. Which none of the Princes of this world know Ver. 14. Which are foolishnesse unto the natural man and which he cannot know q. they are spiritually discerned Compare these places together and you shall find two differences 'twixt them who have the Spirit and them that have not the Spirit concerning the things of God viz To the one they are wisdom yea and wisdom of God but to the other they Who have and have not the Spirit are foolishness When we preach Jesus Christ and the things of salvation the new creature self-denial living by faith in Christ promised c. and make offers of him unto a people some make light of him and regard not the offer at all they see no beauty at all in him that they should desire him Yet others see in him the glory as of the only begotten of the Father and do admire at that infinite mercy and goodness and love and life in and by him the reason is because the one knows him not but to the other it is given to know him and to discern the mystery of salvation in him 2. To receive hiâ— Joh. 1. 11. He came amongst his own and his own received him not Ver. 12. But as many as received him c. And who were these that received him See Ver. 13. Such as were born not of blood nor of the will of the the flesh nor of the will of man but of God So Acts 2. 41. They that gladly received the Word were baptized But 1 Cor. 2. 14. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God If Christ be offered the natural man will not receive him If Christ saith He that is my Disciple must deny himself This is a hard saying who can bear it Joh. 6. 60. And take up his cross and follow me the natural man will not receive this If the Word saith Repent and be converted that your sins may be blotted out Acts 3. 19. The natural man will not receive this nor will he receive that truth in Matth. 7. 41. Strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth unto life c. But every one who hath the Spirit of God as he hath a power given to perceive or discern the mysteries of the Kingdom of God and all the wayes and rules belonging thereunto so he hath also an heart given to close with the Kingdom of Christ and with every part and path of it Thirdly The Spirit enables them to pray and under the sense of their wants and troubles to come unto God as their Father and to open their conditions unto him with judgement affection and confidence Rom. 8. 15. We have received the Spirit of adoption whereby we cry Abba Father Ver. 26. Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities for we know not what we should pray for as we ought but the Spirit it self maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered Here you see that they who have the Spirit of Adoption have received the Spirit of supplication every son of God is able to call God Father and to cry unto him as his Father and that the Spirit of God is in this work of Prayer by making intercession for them appears 1. By enabling them to make requests for themselves with groanings which cannot be uttered 2. With fervency and earnestness of heart Object But will some reply This cannot be a distinguishing sign that we have the Spirit because many wicked men do pray and so do many hypocrites Isa 26. Whether the Spirit of Prayer be a sure sign of a child of God 16. Lord in trouble have they visited thee they have poured out a Prayer when thy chastening was upon them Ergo c. Sol. I answer First By way of Concession granting three things unto wicked men and hypocrites viz. 1. They may and do in their distresses put forth natural desires for help as the very beasts do under their burdens and wants 2. They may and generally do satisfie themselves with a form of Prayer which they read or hear read unto them which is another thing from the Spirit of Prayer 3. They may have the gift of Prayer or an ability to pray by the strength of gifts and parts and upon hearing of others to gather up some good expressions and fragments and â—utter them as if they did pray Secondly By way of Negation Notwithstanding those three Concessions I deny that any man hath the spirit of supplication who hath not the Spirit of grace because the spirit of supplication is given with the spirit of adoption which is proper to the sons of God Every one who hath the Spirit of Prayer he can come unto God and call him Father which none can do but such as are in Christ in whom he becomes our reconciled God and Father To pray with the Spirit of Prayer is to pray with a special My soule is sore troubled Psal 6. feeling of our wants and of our I am not worthy to be called thy sonne unworthiness and the desires of our soul c. with my whole heart and my soul follows hard after thee with affectionate earnestness of heart and with I believe therefore I have spoken confidence towards God in the name of Christ that he will give unto us the good things which he hath promised to us in his Covenant 2 Sam. 7. 27. Thou hast revealed unto thy servant saying I will build thee an house therefore thy servant
good God but also as a wise God and his delays are not his denials but only his trials and therefore hear himself speaking in this case Hab. 2. 3. The Vision is yet for an appointed time but at the end it shall speak and not lye though it tarry waite for it because it will surely come it will not tarry Micah 7. 7. I will waite for the God of my salvation my God will hear me 3. They are discoveries of many mens hypocrisie but no evidences of Gods mutability You shall have a company of men boast of their strong faith in God and of their great love to God and how they trust in him with all their hearts this they speak in the dayes of their prosperity but let the Lord put forth his hand upon them let him but blast their Jonah's Guord let him cut off those armes of flesh upon which indeed they do depend let him but break down their creature-supports and comforts and hopes and hold out never so many sutable and faithful promises why they have no hopes a word of promise is of no life or support at all unto them This evil is of the Lord why should I wait for the Lord any longer said that wicked Prince in 2 Kings 6. 33. Behold his soul which is lifted up is not upright in him Hab. 2. 4. 4. They are many times the displayings of the best mens infirmities but no tokens of any uncertainty in Gods Covenant The best men though they may attain to the knowledge of the truth of that grace in their hearts yet they may be much deceived as to the measure and strength of that grace and as many other things can declare this unto them so do these delayes and respites and contrary dealings of God much very much shew it Alas what expressions in such cases have fallen from the lips of precious men what complaints what impatience what charges of God himself what disputes what exceeding weaknesses Psal 116. 11. I said in mine haste All men are lyars thus David in that condition Jer. 15. 18. Wilt thou be altogether unto me as a lyar and as waters that fail what a sad expression is this Jonah 4. 3. Take away I beseech thee my life from me for it is better for me to dye than to live Verse 9. I do well to be angry even unto death Job 3. 3. Let the day perish wherein I was born and the night wherein it was said there is a man-childe concâ—ived c. You see what strange weaknesses God doth discover in the hearts of his own people by delays by his dealings with them in ways sensibly contrary to his promises by which they come more fully to know themselves and to be humbled before him and to seek unto him for more assistance and notwithstanding all this yet the Covenant of God is sure to his people he will yet performe all the good which he promiseth unto them though under all this they may discern their own weaknesses and unworthinesse 5. They do serve for the greater demonstration of his truth and are no diminutions of it at all that notwithstanding all visibly contrary workings and notwithstanding all the fears and doubtings and contrary opinions of his own servants yet God will be true though every man be a lyar his word shall stand and his Covenant be found true and sure Psal 31. 22. I said in my haste I am cut off from before thine eyes neverthelesse thou heardest the voice of my supplications when I cryed unto thee 4. Then be upright do not use any indirect wayes or sinful shufflings what Be upright need of these the Covenant contains as much good as you need and it is sure for the performance of all Psal 37. 3. Trust in the Lord and do good so shalt thou dwell in the Land and verily thou shalt be fed Ver. 4. Delight thy self also in the Lord and he shall give thee the desire of thine heart Ver. 5. Commit thy way unto the Lord trust also in him and he shall bring it to passe SECT VIII 8. THe eighth property of this Covenant is this It is the last Covenant it It is the last Covenant It succeeds a former Covenant may be called the last Covenant in a twofold respect 1. Because it succeds a former Covenant and removes it See Heb. 8. 13. In that he saith a new Covenant he hath made the first old now that which decayeth and waxeth old is ready to vanish away 2. Because no Covenant shall ever succeed this If any Covenant should succeed No Covenant shall ever succeed it this it must be a Covenant either of works or of grace not a Covenant of works for that would bring us all under a curse and make our condition utterly desperate nor a Covenant of grace because more grace cannot be shewn in any other Covenant than in this here is all grace and all mercy and Jesus Christ with all his righteousnesse Mediatorship merit purchase this Covenant is so perfect and is so every way accommodated to the condition of sinners that nothing can be altered nor can be added nor mended therefore it is the last Covenant O therefore take heed what you do stand not off refuse not to come into this Covenant sin not against this Covenant for that he offers it no more it is the last Covenant no hope no mercy no love no Christ no acceptance no life but in this SECT IX 9. THe ninth property of this Covenant is It is an everlasting Covenant so It is an everlasting Covenant the Text I will make an everlasting Covenant with you Isa 55. 3. Incline your ear and come unto me hear and your soul shall live And I will make an everlasting Covenant with you even the sure mercies of David Gen. 17. 7. I will stablish my Covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee for an everlasting Covenant to be God unto thee and to thy seed after thee 2 Sam. 23. 5. He hath mâ—de with me an â—verlasting Covenant c. Psal 105. 9. Which Covâ—nant he made with Abraham and his oath unto Isaac Ver. 10. And confirmâ—d the same unto Jacob for a Law and to Israel for an everlasting Covâ—nant Isa 61. 8. I wâ—ll dirâ—ct their work in truth and I wâ—ll make an everlasting Covenant with â—hem Jer. 32. 40. I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I wâ—ll not tâ—rn away from them to do them good Heb. 13. 20. Through the blood of the everlasting Covenant Hosea 2. 19. I will betroth thee unto me for ever Psal 48. 14. This God is our God for ever and ever he will be our guide evâ—n unto death All the things of the Covenant are stiled everlasting viz. All the things of the Covenant are stiled everlasting 1. God is an everlasting God Rom. 16. 26. 2. Jesus Christ is the everlasting Father Isa 9. 6. And a Priest for ever Heb. 6. 20. 3. The