iâ— in our own Persons 1 Epist Iohn 2.1 Thirdly To meditate on the fulness of this Covenant that iâ— contains promises of all things concerning life and godliness this life and a better 2 Peter 1. 1 Timothy 4.8 That he will be a Sun and a Shield give grace and glory and will with-hold no good thing Psal 84.11 Fourthly On the unchange ableness of this Covenant that it is an everlasting Covenant Jer. 17.7 Jer. 32.39 40. Mal. 3.6 Heb. 13.6 Tenthly To meditate on the duties you owe to God in respect of this new Covenant of grace as First To be still admiring and adoring the free and rich grace of God in making such a Covenant with you notwithstanding you had abused this grace in the first Covenant and that he should bring you forth under the dispensations of the new Covenant that so far excels the old as you have seen in the clearness easiness and efficaciousness of it and further should so manifest and magnifie his grace towards you as to make his Word and Rod effectual to bring you within the Bonds of the Covenant Secondly Study well this Covenant of grace and acquaint your selves more and more with the many and precious promises contained in it Especially those that most concern your present wants and necessities and labour to suck out the sweet and comfort of all by Meditation Faith and Prayer Thirdly Let it be your care to walk worthy of and suitable to the grace of the new Covenant remembring you are under a better Covenâ—nt than that made with them under the old Testament and therefore you ought to have better lives seeing you have a better Mediator and better Promises and better Means than they had and therefore should have better Conversations The mysteries of the Gospel are more clearly reveal'd to you Christ's Yoke is an easie Yoke and his Burden a light Burden in comparison what they were under his Spirit poured out more plentifully than heretofore upon ordinary Believers therefore all these should be as so many Engagements so many encouragements to a morehumble holy spiritual and Heavenly walking before the Lord and a more thankful chearful faithful and fruitful service of the Lord Luke 1.74 75. 2 Cor. 7.1 2 Pet. 1.4 to the 12. 1 Cor. 15. last Fourthly Having at any time relapsed into sin especially gross and scandalous sin to renew as our humiliation under it so our Covenant of more circumspection and watchfulness against it after that Example Jer. 50.5 And the rather because there is a great proneness in us as well as others unto back-sliding and there are continual out-goings of corruption in us as well as others to deal falsly with God in our Covenant as they in Ps 78.36 37. And therefore our duty is that who are in Covenant with God upon our breach of Covenant to renew our Covenant of more circumspection for the future especially in times of Affliction and on Days of Humiliation and when we are to draw neer to God in that great Ordinance of the Lord's Supper but still remember we go out of our selves and fetch strength from God's Covenant to inable us to it Eph. 6.10 And thus much of the Covenant of Grace Now Fourthly the Works of God Sect. 4. And the Works of God are either his Works before time or in time First His Work before Time is his Decree now the Decree of God is his unchangable purpose with himself from all Eternity concerning the making of the World and all the Creatures in it especially Men and Angels their ends and the means to bring them to those ends for the manifestation of his glory Eph. 1.11 And in and about this Decree we may profitably meditate on these things First The infinite goodness of God in having us in his heart for so much good not only before we were but before the World was even from all Eternity Secondly The distinguishing love of God in this that we being all in his hands as the Clay in the hands of the Potter to make either Vessels of Mercy or Vessels of Wrath he should not appoint us unto Wrath but to obtain Salvation by Jesus Christ 1 Thes 5.9 Thirdly The infinite wisdom of God in appointing not only the ends of all his Creatures but the means to bring them to those ends Hosea 2.21 22. Fourthly On the unchangeableness of this Decree Mal. 3.6 I am Jehovah that changeth not 2 Tim. 2.19 All these should make us cry out with the Apostle Rom. 11. last 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Oh the depth of the wisdom of God! Secondly For his Works in time they are Creation and Providence First Creation and herein 1. Take notice what it is sc that first outward act of God whereby according to his Eternal purpose of nothing by his very Word he made the World and every Creature in it very good Gen. 1. last Secondly To look into and study this Voluminous Book of the Creation wherein every Page will afford you fresh matter of Meditation and every Creature have a Tongue to tell you of those glorious Attributes of God that shine forth in all especially in that curious Master-piece of Man Psal 139.14 I am fearfully and wonderfully made c. and here to meditate on these five things the Eternity of God the Almighty Power of God the infinite wisdom of God the unsearchable goodness of God and the excellent end wherefore he did all this First The Eternity of God he must needs be an Eternal Beeing seeing he was before all Beeings he that made Time and all things must needs be before Time and all things and so Eternal without beginning and without end Psal 102.25 26. Secondly The Almighty Power of God in that He was able to make so great and glorious a Fabrick and all things in it of nothing by his very Word Psal 89.11 12 13. Thirdly The infinite wisdom of God in makeing all things in such an excellent Order harmony and beauty appointing every Creature its proper place and use making all serviceable one to another and all to the good of the Universe Psal 104.24 Fourthly The unsearchable Goodness of God in that notwithstanding he was infinitely good and blessed in Himself without a Creature yet should communicate his goodness and blessedness to the Creature Acts 17.24 25 26. His goodness also appear'd in making every Creature good and providing all things for the good of the Creature but above all in making the World and all things in it for Man and man for Himself What should the Meditation hereof but cause all of us to be still singing and saying with David Psal 18 1. Oh Lord how excellent is thy Name in all the Earth Oh Lord what is man thou should'st take such notice of him and make such account of him Fifthly To meditate on the excellent end of his doing all this viz. that he might have his glory from us Revel 4. last He did not make any thing for any need
willing as he is able Psal 84.11 1 Tim. 4.8 More particularly First That he will give them his Spirit to work all in them and for them Ezek. 36.26 Luke the 11. Secondly That he will give them the sanctifying knowledge of himself and his will Ezek. 36.26 Thirdly That he will pardon all their sins and look upon them as righteous in his Christ 2 Cor. 5.19 21. Fourthly That he will sanctifie their natures to the mortifying of their corruptions and the quickning of their graces Rom. 6.4 5. 8. the 13. Jer. 31.33 Ephes 2.1 Fifthly That he will take away their heart of Stone and give a heart of Flesh the double Spirit and give a single Spirit the froward Spirit and give a teachable Spirit Ezek. 11.19 and chap. 36. Sixthly He will not only give grace but growth in grace Malach. 4.2 Lastly That he will never leave the work of his grace until he hath perfected grace in glory Jer. 32.39 40. Phil. 1.6 Seventhly To meditate of the Signs of being actually in Covenant as First a lively faith working by love to God and all that is God's John 3.16 Gal. 5.5 Secondly A Reciprocation of promises as God promised to be our God so we to be his People Deut. 26.16 17. as he promised to give Christ and grace and glory so we promise faith and love and new obedience Thirdly The Counterpane or Copy of the Covenant they that enter into Covenant one with the other you know each Party hath a Counterpane or Copy of it so is it between God and the Soul as the Covenant is reciprocal so the Copy of the Covenant is drawn on the heart Jeremy 31.34 Fourthly They have the Spirit of God to reveal and make known this Covenant to them Jeremy 31.34 and to enable them to do what is required in the Covenant Ezek. 36.26 27. Fifthly Such as are in Covenant they have the fruits and effects of of it as First Softness of heart Ezek. 11.19 Secondly Sincerity of obedience Ezek. 11.19 20. Thirdly Growth in grace 2 Cor. 7.1 Fourthly Perseverance in grace Jer. 32.39 Fifthly A conscionable care to renew their Covenant with God upon every breach of it Jer. 50.5 Eighthly To meditate on the means of getting an interest in the Covenant if you do not yet find your selves actually in Covenant as First To humble your selves under the abuse of his grace in the first Covenant Secondly To give him the glory of his grace in vouchsafing to enter into another and a better Covenant not only to give grace but perseverance in grace Thirdly To be willing to Covenant with God as he with you Deut. 26.16 17. This Day the Lord thy God hath c. Fourthly To close with the great design of God in saving of poor lost sinners in making such a Covenant with them in Christ and in order to it to renounce the former Covenant of works all your own righteousness and desire with the Apostle to be found only in Christ having his righteousness that is by faith the righteousness of God Phil. 3.9 Because by the works of the Law no Flesh living can be justified Rom. 3. The Jews going about to establish their own righteousness made void to them the righteousness of Christ Rom. 10.3 Yea and you are to renounce all other Covenants with Sin Satan and the World for God will never enter into Covenant with those that are in Covenant with his Enemies Isai 28.15 2 Cor. 6.14 to the end Fifthly To go unto God by servent and constant Prayer and entreat him to remember his Covenant and glorifie his grace in it upon you by giving his Spirit for the enabling you to close with his great Design in the Covenant That he would put his Law in your heart and write it in your inward parts and give you that new Spirit which may cause you to walk in his Statutes and keep his Commandments and do them Ezek. 36. Ninthly To meditate on the many and weighty motives there are to quicken every one to get an interest in this Covenant of Grace as First The sad and miserable condition of all such as are without Covenant They are without God in the World and without hope viz. of a better life After this Eph. 2.12 They must look to be judged by a Covenant of works and if Men be not able to yield obedience to any one command of God as they ought and yet bound to yield obedience unto all the whole Law or no life do they must all or die eternally for the breach of the least Commandment Deut. 27. last The consideration of this should make every wicked man tremble to continue a moment in his natural unregenerate state and speedily to come unto Christ Yet further consider the miserable condition of men in this so long as they are without Covenant they cannot expect any blessing or mercy from God either corporal or spiritual outward or inward for all blessings and mercies they are conveyed to a People in and by virtue of the Covenant Zach. 9.11 Whatsoever men have and enjoy being out of Covenant they have it in wrath and not in mercy as a curse and not a blessing Mol. 2.2 Secondly Meditate on the happy and blessed estate of such as are actually in Covenant they have an interest in God and Christ his Spirit and all that is theirs 1 Cor. 3. two last Hos 2.18 to the end And as all that is good in God and Christ is yours so all that evil that is yours in Christ's Your sins 2 Cor. 5 last and your sufferings Isaiah 63. He is afflicted in all your afflictions Secondly You may go boldly to the Throne of Grace for the supply of all your wants Heb. 4. last and with assurance to be accepted and answer'd in whatsoever you shall ask according to his will 1 Ioh 5.14 Thirdly It 's that will bring you comfort in the saddest condition you are or can be in When they spake of stoning David He encouraged himself in the Lord his God 2 Sam. 23.5 Again To meditate on the excellent properties of this Covenant How that it is the most free sweet full and unchangeable Covenant First For the Freeness of it there was nothing in Us to move him to it but his own grace therefore call'd a Covenant of grace nothing requir'd on our part but only faith Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ and thou shalt be saved Acts 16 31. Secondly For the Sweetness of it you may see it in these three things First He requires no more of us than he promiseth to work in us by his Spirit Ezek. 36.27 Secondly He promiseth to overlook all our unwilling trespasses faultings and failings where they are bewail'd by us and to accept the will for the deed the endeavour for the work 2 Cor. 8.12 our imperfect obedience for perfect Heb. 11.17 Thirdly He will look upon accept of the perfect Obedience the full satisfaction of Jesus Christ for us as if we had yielded
he had of it or of us but that he might discover his unsearchable goodness to us and to this end did create us after his own Image gave us a reasonable and understanding Soul whereby we might come to know him and contemplate all his glorious excellencies which shine forth in the Creation of the World for the invisible things of God viz. his Eternal Power and God-head are seen by the Creation of the World Rom. 1.20 and therefore a just cause of humiliation to us that we eye him and answer him no better in the ends of our Creation but of this more hereafter The Second Work of God in Time is His Providence In this Head of Meditation I shall stay the longer because it is generally so much neglected and in opening of it I shall do these things First Shew you What it is Secondly Give you some Grounds for your Meditation on it Thirdly Shew you What those things are you are to meditate on in and about it First What it is viz. That continued act of God whereby He takes notice of preserves and governs all and every Creature to those ends and by those means which he appointed with Himself to the glory of his Name and the good of his Elect. Secondly For the Grounds or Reasons why you are to meditate on this First Because it will make you to acknowledge God in all your ways Prov. 3.6 Secondly It will cause you to see the loving kindness of the Lord Psal 107.43 Thirdly It will quiet your Spirits under whatsoever befalls you Job 1. last Psal 39.9 Fourthly It will enlarge your hearts in thankfulness for his distinguishing providences over you Psal 103.1 2 3. Psal 116.1 2. Yea it will make you admire and adore him in them as it did David Psal 8.3 4 Psal 144.3 2 Sam. 7.18 19. Fifthly It will wonderfully quicken you to an holy dependance on Him for the future as Jacob Gen. 48.15 and the Apostle 1 Cor. 1.10 Thirdly For the things to be meditated on in the providences of God they are these the kinds of it the parts of it the extent of it the ends of it the experiences you have had of it all full of admiration and how to carry your selves under all sad and glad Providences First For the Kinds of it First There is God's general Providence over all from the greatest to the least and there is his special Providence over his Church and People in a special manner takeing notice of them and the care of them which made Austin to cry out O bone Omnipotens Oh good God which dost so govern all as not to neglect any so look'st after thy Children as if all were but one and so respects every one as if one were all Secondly The providences of God are either the providences of his Mercy or of his Justice First For his merciful Providences here take notice of and meditate on the properties of this Mercy and the special branches of this mercy First For the properties of this mercy First It 's a free mercy He is merciful to whom he will be merciful Rom 9.15 Secondly That it is a rich mercy Rom. 10.12 Thirdly An everlasting mercy Psal 103.17 To whom he is once merciful he is ever merciful he can as soon forget to be as forget to be gracious and merciful to his and more then so Fourthly He delights to shew mercy to his Micah 7.18 Secondly Meditate on some of the special Branches of this Mercy to the Body to the Soul First To the Body as these the Lord 's forming and fashioning us so handsomely and comely in the Womb bringing us forth in perfection of parts upholding our Souls so long in life giving and continuing to us the use of our Senses and Limbs when others want them and would give a World for them if they had the use of them and all these from God and not from Parents and all of free-grace there being no more in us than others to move Him to this Mercy and to distinguish us as he does in his Mercies so as to give us health when others are in sickness and strength when others in weakness and maintenance when others in wants and liberty when others in bonds and peace when others in trouble should also give us perfection of parts when others are Monsters give us our sight when others are blind our hearing when others are deaf our speech when others are dumb our feet when others are lame The serious meditation on these Body-mercies will let us see what abundant cause we have of thankfulness and improving all to his glory Secondly To meditate on God's special Mercies to your Souls as these his Electing-mercies unto life his enlightning mercy with the saving knowledge of himself his Calling-mercy not only to the knowledge and profession but the faith love and obedience of the Gospel his adopting mercy to be the Sons and Daughters of the everliving God his justifying-mercy freely of his grace his Sanctifying-mercy with his grace his strengthning and establishing-mercy in the ways of grace the continuance of the precious means and seasons of grace to build you up still further in grace and gracious practises In short the giving Himself to be your Father and Portion hs Son to be your Redeemer and Saviour his Spirit to be your Sanctifier and Comforter Serious meditation on these Soul-mercies will cause you to say with David Psal 103. Praise thou the Lord O my Soul c. More particularly distinctly and fully To meditate on these merciful providences His converting-providence his protecting-providence his disposing-providence his correcting-providence his supporting-providence and his refreshing-providence First His Converting-providence in bringing us forth under the light of the Gospel and causing the light of his glorious grace in the face of Jesus Christ to shine into our hearts to turn us from darkness to light and from the Power of Satan unto God in placing us under a faithful Ministry and blessing the Ministry to our Conversion and Edification in saving-knowledg and grace when he leaves others under the same Ministry in their dark dead Christless and graceless condition Amongst other things which Beza in his last Will and Testâ—ment gives thanks for this was the first and chief that at the Age of 16. Years God had called him to the knowledge of the truth Although we cannot tell the Time or Person yet if we can find the Work a thorow-change of heart and life let us still remember to meditate on God's distinguishing-love and grace and mercy in it Secondly Take notice of and meditate on God's Protecting-providence how he hath watched over us and ours from the Womb to this very Day protecting us from many sins temptations and dangers we have been exposed to and others have miscarried by as for instance from the rage of Satan malice of Men violence of the Creature from Fire falls many tormenting sicknesses and diseases others lie groaning under how wonderfully and graciously