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A47465 The display of glorious grace, or, The covenant of peace opened in fourteen sermons lately preached, in which the errors of the present day about reconciliation and justification are detected / by Benjamin Keach. Keach, Benjamin, 1640-1704. 1698 (1698) Wing K58; ESTC R19782 172,719 330

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the Ministry will either soften or harden it will either work effectually by the Ministry of the Spirit according to the Nature of an Absolute Promise and unto such it becomes a Savour of Life unto Life or else it works only in the Letter and unto such it Kills or is a Savour of Death unto Death or an Aggravation of Death and Condemnation But all its Divine Efficacy is according to the Purpose Will and Good Pleasure of God But having occasionally spoken much before of the Absoluteness of the Covenant I shall say no more but Conclude at this Time SERMON IX Further opening the Nature of the Covenant of Peace that 't is a well-order'd Covenant a Glorious Covenant a Full Covenant a Seasonable Covenant c. ISA. Liv. x. Neither shall the Covenant of my Peace be removed saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee Doct. THAT there is a Covenant of Peace made or agreed on and stands firm in the behalf of all God's Elect. I am my Brethren upon the Third General Head of Discourse which is to open the Nature of the Covenant of Peace 1. I shewed you it is the Covenant of Grace And that as considered in it self 3. 〈◊〉 It is an Absolute Covenant Fourthly To proceed It is a well-order'd Covenant See 2 Sam. 23.5 Yet he hath made with me an Everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure c. I. This Covenant is well-ordered in all things in respect of the Revelation and Manifestation of all the Perfections and Glory of the Three Divine Persons in the Godhead 1. The Perfections Work and Glory of God the Father shines forth and is displayed in this Covenant 2. The Perfections Work and Glory of God the Son shines forth and is displayed herein also 3. The Perfections Work and Glory of God the Holy Ghost shines forth and is displayed in it likewise as hath been shewed II. This Covenant is well ordered in all Things respecting the Manifestation or Revelation of the Perfections and Glory of all the Divine Attributes of God and as they also in this Covenant appear to meet together in Sweet Harmony III. This Covenant is well ordered in all things to the utter Overthrowing Defeating and Destroying for ever the Design Devices Works and Kingdom of the Devil For to this End was the Son of God manifested IV. This Covenant is well ordered in all things to magnifie the Sanction and Honour of the Holy Law of God in that rather then the Law shall fall to the Ground or be violated or rendered contemptible in God's Saving lost Sinners the Son of God comes and takes our Nature on him and yields Perfect Obedience to it and to greaten its Glory he died the Cursed Death of the Cross to answer the Just Punishment it doth denounce upon Mankind for the Breach thereof Moreover V. This Covenant is well ordered in all things for our Good both in respect of Grace here and Glory hereafter or in respect of what by it we are delivered from and of those high Priviledges Dignities and of that Unchangeable and Eternal Honour we are raised up unto hereby But because I have lately upon another Text spoken unto these Things largely in two Sermons on the Covenant I shall not add any thing further on this Account Fifthly It is a Glorious Covenant I. It must needs be a Glorious Covenant in respect had to the Time when it was made or entered into between the Father and the Son and this was as you have heard before the World began even in Eternity 2 Tim. 1.9 Tit. 1.2 Hence Jesus Christ 't is said was a Lamb slain before the Foundation of the World Rev. 13.8 and what Pilate and the People of Israel and the Gentiles did to him was whatsoever God's Hand and his Counsel determined before to be done Act. 4.28 Certainly that Covenant that was so early even from Everlasting contrived by the Sublime Wisdom of God and entered into between such Glorious Persons as the Father and the Son must be a most Glorious Covenant and this I say in respect to the Time when and to the Persons who entred into it certainly it must be some great Thing that is contained in this Covenant that was so early and by the Eternal God concluded upon II. It must needs be a Glorious Covenant in regard that there was also a Council held about it in Eternity for it was made as the Result of a Great and Glorious Council Him being delivered by the Determinate Council and Fore-knowledge of God ye have taken and by Wicked Hands ye have Crucified and Slain The Father Son and Holy Spirit then agreed That the Second Person should assume the Nature of Man and die to make our Peace tho 't is true elsewhere it is said The Counsel of Peace was between them both viz. the Father and the Son yet since it is ascribed to God without distinction of Persons and also seeing the Holy Ghost hath his part in this Covenant to act and do in order to the actual and compleat Accomplishment of the whole Transactions agreed on in that Glorious Council I see no reason to exclude the Holy Ghost from being concerned therein Moreover let us consider the great Things Consulted about in that Glorious Council 1. It was how God might be Just or Magnifie his Justice and yet be Gracious and Magnifie his Mercy and Infinite Love and Goodness or how God might preserve his own Honour and yet become our Redeemer 2. How Sin might be punished and the Odious Nature and Infinite Evil that is in it be exposed and yet the guilty Sinner be acquitted III. It is a Glorious Covenant because in it there is a display of God's Highest and most Glorious Wisdom the Gospel contains the Manifestation of God's Hidden Wisdom and the Wisdom of God in a Mystery nay Paul calls it a Glorious Mystery To whom God would make known what is the Riches of the Glory of this Mystery There is much of the Wisdom of God seen in his Works of Creation and Providence yea and there is also great Mysteries hid in those Works of God but the Chiefest and most Glorious Wisdom of God is manifested in the Work and Covenant of Man's Redemption Without Controversie great is the Mystery of Godliness God manifested in the Flesh the Word was made Flesh. This is the Wonderment of the Holy Angels and 't is mervelous indeed how an Infinite Nature should be Personally united to a Finite Nature so as to make but one Person What Wisdom of God is here displayed O who can search out the depth of this Mystery IV. It must needs be a Glorious Covenant in respect of that display of God's Glorious Love therein God so loved the World that no Created Beings can conceive of it neither Men nor Angels And so I might speak of the Glory of his Justice Power Holiness c. which amazingly shine forth herein
hath Mercy on thee This shews that the Covenant of Peace was founded for poor Creatures who were in Misery or in a deplorable Condition Man before his fall needed not Gods Mercy he was the Object of Gods Love and Favour but not of his Mercy For Mercy extended to any Person denotes he was in a forlorn and Miserable Condition before and at that Time when Bowels of Pity and Compassion were moved towards him V. We have here also the Stability of the Promise the Mountains that stand so fast shall or may sooner depart and the Hills be removed than this Covenant of Peace can be broken or he removed nay and he that saith this is the Lord the faithful and true God that cannot lie but to make it yet more firm he hath sworn to his Promise for as I have sworn that the Waters of Noah shall no more go over the Earth so have I sworn that I would not be Wrath with thee nor rebuke thee that is not to forsake her utterly So much shall suffice as to the Parts and Explanation of the Words of our Text. I shall only raise and prosecute one Point of Doctrine from hence viz. Doct. That there is a Covenant of Peace made or agreed upon and it stands firm ui behalf of all Gods Elect. In the speaking unto this Proposition I shall take this Method following viz. 1. Lay down eight Explanatory Propositions by way of Premise 2. I shall endeavour to open the main or chief Transactions about the bringing in and establish-of this Covenant of Peace 3. I shall open the Nature of this Covenant of Peace 4. I shall shew you what is contained granted or given in this Covenant 5. Shew the Nature of the Peace comprehended in this Covenant 6. Apply it Proposit. I. That God foresaw from Eternity that Man would fall from that happy and blessed State in which he was Created and that a fearful Breach would arise betwixt himself and Mankind Thereby Had it not been thus there would have been no room no need no occasion for God to enter into a Covenant of Peace with his own blessed Son in behalf of Mankind without a War foreseen there could I say be no occasion of a Covenant of Peace and Reconciliation II. Proposition That this Covenant of Peace was entered into between the Father and the Son before the World began Hence the Apostle saith aluding to this Covenant God hath saved us and called us with an holy Calling not according to our Works but according to his own purpose and Grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the World began Moreover Our Lord Jesus saith that he was set up from everlasting from the beginning or ever the Earth was That is ordained substituted and anointed to be the great Representative and Covenanting-Head in behalf of all the Elect of GOD. III. Proposition That the Breach which God foresaw would arise would be very great or a most amazing or fearful Breach betwixt himself and lost Mankind and that it was so might abundantly be demonstrated It was a Breach occasioned by Sin God did not first fall out with us or proclaim War against Mankind but we first broke that League and Covenant of our Creation with God Man rebelled against his Creator casting off his Obedience and Allegiance and subjected himself to Sin and the Devil Lo this only have I found that God hath made Man upright but they have sought out many inventions Tho all the Wickedness that is in Man's Heart that Deceit Hypocrisie and streams of Filthiness that is there Solomon the Wisest of Men could not find out Yet this he had discovered viz. the Fountain of it namely Original Sin or what it was that first caused that Breach and War which is between God and all Unconverted Men or all ungodly Ones in the World And now That it is a fearful Breach appeareth 1. In that Man run away from God and hid himself And the Lord God called unto Adam and said unto him Where art thou And he said I heard thy Voice in the Garden and I was afraid because I was naked and I hid my self That God who was before the Object of his Love and Delight was now become Terrible unto him because of his horrid Sin and Guilt which lay upon him 2. It was an unreasonable act of Disobedience and most horrid Rebellion considering what God had done for Man and how Great Noble and Honourable God had made him he formed Man in his own Image and made him capable of enjoying sweet Fellowship and Communion with his Creator he made him Lord and Governour of all things on Earth and gave him a lovely beautiful Spouse to be a sit help meet for him he gave him power to stand in that happy Estate tho he left him in a possibility of Falling to prove his Fidelity and Obedience to his Maker But Man cast horrid Contempt upon God by his Unbelief He disbelieved the true and faithful God and believed the Devil that Father of Lies and so gave more Glory to Satan than to his blessed and most rightful Sovereign 3. The Dismal Nature of this Breach further appears on Man's part by considering of that vile and abominable Enmity which is in the Hearts of all Mankind who abide in that old Nature against God as the effects of that first Sin The carnal mind is enmity against God for it is not subject unto the Law of God neither indeed can be he doth not say it is an Enemy but in the abstract it is Enmity an Enemy as one observes may be reconciled but Enmity can never be reconciled Man by this Sin came to be alienated in the highest degree from God having the Vnderstanding darkned being alienated from the life of God And in another place saith the same Apostle And you that were sometimes alienated and enemies in your minds by wicked works yet now hath he reconciled 4. This still further appears In that all Men naturally resist God and his good Spirit they fight against God Ye stiff-necked and uncircumcised in heart and ears ye do always resist the Holy Ghost as your Fathers did so do ye Nay they are called haters of God The haters of God saith David should have submitted themselves Ye have both hated me and my Father saith our blessed Lord. What can render Sin more evil or Man more vile than to be called a Hater of God they are haters of God and despightful Their soul saith the Lord abhorred me and my Soul loathed them Moreover They are said to be Contemners of God they even dare God to his Face and harden their Hearts against him Wherefore doth the wicked contemn God He saith in his heart thou wilt not require it They fear him not they atheistically deny his Providence nay his very being or wish at least there was no God And all this is the fruit and