Satisfaction for all the breaches made upon it It will have Reparation for all damages and Thunders Curses upon all that become Transgressors of it in any one Artiâ—le Gal. 3. 10. and God whose honour stands engaged to it to see that there be no injury offered to it will take care that it shall be answered to the least punctâ—lio Math. 5. 18. This Law being at first given for a Rule of Relative Justice must be exactly kept to so that there is no indulgence to be expected 3. Hence without the coming in and undertaking of a sufficient Surety there can be no discharge to man who is become a Delinquent The Scripture tells us that the Sinner is Guilty that he is bound fast that he is concluded or shut up under Sin The word that is Translated is in danger Mat. 5. 21. Signines is held fast It is a Metaphor from a condemned man who is manacled or fettered against the day set for his Execution Now the Law sets no such at liberty but by an exchange If it remove the Curse by taking it off from the Sinner some other must become a Curse in his room Gal. 3. 12. 2 Cor. 5. ult and it must be one that is sufficient one that can and will make reparation for that Sin otherwise the Sin is not legally punished 3. That none but the person of the Son of God could be a suitable and sufficient Surety for sinning man This will best appear if we consider what was requisite in such a Surety viz. 1 He must be one that might be both God and Man in One Person The nature of this Suretiship having a reference to the Law of the first Covenant required that he must be Man because it was Man that had sinned Heb. 2 14. The nature of the work to be done in this state of Suretiship made it necessary that he should be God as will appear in the following Considerations Now though the reason why this best suited the Second person in the Trinity rather than any other be abstruse to us yet in the Oeconomy of these affairs it better became the Son than any of the other persons It was meet that the Father should appoint the person and that the Holy Ghost should finish this Affair which is done in Application but Redemption which must Intervene best suited the Order of personality to be the Province of the Second Person 2. He must be one whose Obedience must be of equivalent worth to that of all those for whom he became a Surety and whatever may be pleaded in point of Active Obedience that that of a meer man might answer the Covenant for the First Adams would have done if he had stood who was but a meer man yet as to Passive Obedience or Suffering Adam could not expiate his own Guilt by suffering much less that of his posterity who are every one of them become guilty It could not be any less a personage that might engage on this account than the Son of God the Law else could not have been satisfied but violence must have been done to Relative Justice if the Debtor be discharged before all his Debts are paid He must be one that could put an Infinite merit into his Obedience who could do this and who but the Son of God had this ability 3. Hence he must be one able to bear and not sink under the weight of all the wrath which man had pulled down upon himself by his Sin Now this was Infinite Wrath and therefore the power that was requisite for the sustaining of it must needs exceed that of a meer Creature This was the Glory of his Redemption that the Work was laid upon one who was mighty to Save Isa 63. 1. Psal 89. 19. If he had broken under it the design had surely miscarried and the Salvation of Fallen Man had still been left an hopeless thing 4. He must be one whom God the Father could accept of and take content in None could force a Surety upon him no Law tied him to accept of any it was his meer pleasure to do it had he refused it from one that was never so sufficient it had been no Injustice Needs therefore must it be one in whom he could confide whom he could trust and devolve this work upon and such only was his own Son There was none found in Heaven or Earth besides but of him he gave that Testimony Math. 3. 17. 5 He must be one who bare us good will and took delight in the work of Redemption It was certainly a very great Love to Mankind that could move him to engage in such an Undertaking as this to expose himself to so sore a Travail of Soul and submit to undergo such grievous things as it was requisite for him to do in the making of satisfaction to the Justice of God and answering all the demands of the Law and tâ—ere was none but the Son of God that encertained such a respect for poor man in his misery but he did Prov. 8. 31. c. Ezek. 26. 5. 4. That the Son of God could not become actually engaged to be mans Surety so as that our Redemption should be secured by it but only by a Covenant and this will be manifest in the consideration of these things 1. It was absolately free for the Son of God to chuse whether he would be a Redeemer and Surety or no. The Son of God is a Divine Person and hath all personal properties belonging to him Now one thing proper to a Person is to be Intelligent and by consequence to have a power of Election Christ was no Surety by nature it was none of his either Essential or Personal Properties and he could not be so by Coaction for he is the Eternal Jehovah and therefore cannot be compelled The Apostle plaiâ—ly asserts his full liberty in this matter in Phil. 2. 6 7. 2 God the Father was not absolutely bound to accept any satisfaction at thâ— hands of a surety Had the Son offered it yet his Suretiship could not have beeâ— authentick but by the intervention of thâ— Fathers voluntary consent Iâ— God haâ— said and resolved that fallen man should bear his own punishment and there should be no substitute accepted in â—iâ— room who should have opposed him he had Justice on his side man waâ— the sinner yea and he did so say concerning the fallen Angels and thereforâ— they are all of them reserved in everlasting Chains The case was criminal and an exchange of an offender for an innocent person to suffer in his room is scarcely allowable among men to be sure the Judge may righteously refuse it Nor did it flow from Gods natural love to mankind for he had as much for the Angelical nature and for the residue of men who were not included in this Covenant it must then be of his free choice 3 Hence it follows that neither could the work be sure to be done nor the reward of the work be
to the Ransoming of his Chosen from sin and misery it may there fore well be called the Covenant of Redemption If the Son of God became a Redeemer by his own Consent freely and was determined unto it before the World began it infers according to our Capacity that there was something propounded to him and that he did accordingly accept of it The Transactions between the Glorious Divine Persons Infinitely Transcend our Understandings but if we will form a Conception of them it must be after this manner and God is pleased so to declare it unto us that we may be able to entertain it in our Faith and in as much as this stands among the Decrees of God in which there is the whole Idea of this work and it is in all of it ratified unchangeably there must together with the mention of all those things which relate to it be also a final and determinate conclusion about it all must be ratified In this regard the Counsel of Peace is said to be between them both Zech. 6. 13. hereupon also the proposal of it by the Father to the Son is represented under the form of a Covenant Hypothetically propounding both a Condition and a Reward Isa 53. 10. and in Psal 110. 7. there is a Connexion which amounts to the same thing for in a Copulate Axiom where there are things joyned together that are consequent the one upon the other it bears the force of a Connex and so it is in the Text and this may suffice for the evidence of the thing or that there is such a Covenant CHAP. 4. Of the Parties in the Covenant of Redemption IT follows now that we come a little nearer make a more distinct Survey of this Covenant according to the Light afforded us concerning it in the Word of God I shall therefore here explain it in such things wherein the special nature of it and its difference from other Covenants may be discerned especially the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace and here may these things be Enquired into 1. Who are the Parties in this Covenant 2. Whence this Covenant had its rise or what was the ground of its being made 3. When it was made 4. Whether it be a Covenant of Works or of Grace 5. Who are Covenanted for 6. What are the Articles of it 1. Who are the Parties in this Covenant A. It is a general Observation that in all Covenants there are two Parties and there can be neither less or more for the notion of a Covenant belongs to the Head of Relation which hath but the Relate and the Correlate and cannot exceed If then there are divers parties they suppose divers Covenants In the Covenant of Works God and Man immediately were the Parties In the New Covenant they are God and Man thro' the Interposition of a Mediator unto whom both Parties have a respect But in the Covenant of Redemption they are God the Son This is agreed on among all those that acknowledge such a Covenant but under what consideration it is debated with reference to each party and may be here particularly Explained 1. God is one Party Psal 89. 3. I have made The Party that speaks there is God himself But it may be asked whether he be to be considered Essentially or Personally and so is to be applied to the Father In the former Description given of this Covenant I have expressed it as belonging to God the Father There are some Divines who would have it taken Essentially and assigned to the Deity considered in the Essence and not in any particular Subsistence lest otherwise the Holy Spirit the Third Person in the Sacred Trinity should be excluded from being personally concerned in this Covenant This Debate needs not be eagerly pursued being easily reconcileable here then observe 1. That the Decree in which this Covenant is to be found is properly an Essential Act or belongs to all the Three Persons in common as they are one in the Essence Acts properly personal are only such as flow from their Relative Properties or at least have their Foundation in these Relations The Decrees is an act of Divine Counsel exerted by the Divine Will which is undivided and common to the three persons and thus the Deity is the one party Covenanting because the Essential acts of the Trinity are undivided Joh. 5. 17 19. 2. That in these Essential Works the Scripture frequently observes a personal propriety and an order of working according to the order of their Subsistence and manner of working so that in whatever work any one persons order of Subsistence and manner of working doth principally appear it is by way of specialty ascribed to that person not because that person is alone in it but because God doth herein manifest himself to us most clearly in such a manner of being or Subsistence The Father is the first Person hence beginning Works are Attributed to him as Election and Creaâ—ion The Son is the Second Person and therefore secondary works are ascribed to him such as Redemption The Holy Ghost is the Third and Last Person and therefore finishing works are given to him such as Application The Father works of himself by the Son and Spirit The Son works from the Father by the Spirit The Holy Ghost works from them both Joh. 5. 19. 16. 13. and this Order is to shew the Oecononomy of the Divine Persons Now in this regard Essential Works may have a peculiar Appropriation to a person not exclusive but inclusive of the other 3. That Jesus Christ in making mention of this Covenant acknowledgeth the Father to be the Party whom he had Indented withal See Psal 2. 7 8. the mentioning of the Son here spoken to and owned points us to the Father under the Personal Relation So also in Psal 89. 26. which Psalm hath a proper reference to this Covenant and how often in the Gospel have we Christ declaring his Mission to be from his Father more particularly in John 17. he challengeth of him the performance of the Promises of this Covenant and truly as this Covenant is the beginning of all our Salvation and the spring or Original from which all the good that we hope for so it is fitly attributed to him who is the first of the persons 2. The other Party is the Son of God the Second Person in the Trinity who is Coeternal with the Father The Covenant being Eternal there could not be any party in it but one who was an Eternal Person Whosoever is engaged in a Covenant which is a voluntary act must be presumed to Exist either in himself or in his Representative Nor is this disputed whether the Son of God be the other party but yet there is no little difference in the notions about the qualility or respect in which he stands as a party in this Covenant The Son of God is considered under a treble notion 1. Meerly as he is a Divine Person and so is only God 2. As he hath assumed our Nature into Union with his Person and
THE Doctrine OF THE COVENANT OF REDEMPTION Wherein is laid the Foundation of all our HOPES and HAPPINESS Briefly Opened and Improved By Samuel Willard Teacher of a Church in BOSTON Psal 89. 3. I have made a Covenant with my Chosen I have Sworn to David my Servant Boston Printed by Benj. Harris over-againâ—â—â—e 5wordâ—-House 1â—92 To the Reader THE Great and Glorious God who has an absolute Dominion over his Creatures might had he pleased have dealt with Men in a way of Soveraignty only requiring Duty and Obedience from them without any promise of reward But he has seen Good to transact with them in a Covenant way There are but Two Covenants essentially differeing which the Most High has made with men Viz. That of Works And that of Grace The first Covenant which man whilst in Paradise was concerned in is rightly termed a Covenant of Works because Works or Doing was the Condition of it Thiâ— was soon broken and so made Null 〈◊〉 then the Lord out of his Infinite Goodness was pleased to establish another Covenant The first was made with a Righteous Pâ—â—son and so a Covenant of Worâ—â— between the Holy God and him This latter was made with sinners and is therefore a Covenant of Reconciliation And it is sitly stiled the Covenant of Grace Not but that there was Grace in the First Covenant for His Divine Majesty did infinitely condescend in binding himself to his Creature but to do thus to a fallen forlorn sinful Creature is by way of Eminent Grace The Scripture speaketh expresly of Two Covenants Gal 4. 24. And that not only as Diverse but as Opposite and differeing in their Natures The Law of Faith is set in direct opposition to the Law of Works Rom. 3. 27. For a man to find the Life of his hands to live by his own Righteousness and for him to depend solely upon the Righteousness of another that is of Jesus Christ for Life and Salvation are contrary things And from thence it is impossible for a man to be under both the Covenants at the same time he cannot be the Child of two Mothers the Child of Hagar and of Sarah too That the Covenant of Grace has for the substance of it been the same in all Ages differing only in Circumstances as to the manner of dispensations is denied by the Old Pelagians and by Socinians Arminians and some Baptists at this day But the Scripture assureth us That Believers under the Old-Testament were not made perfect without us Heb. 11. 40. They we are saved by the same Christ by the same Covenant the Mediator of the Covenant has always been the same Yesterday to day for ever the same The Son of God was an Intercessor for his People before his Incarnation Zach. 1 12. Believers under the Old-Testament were secured by him Neither is there salvation in any other If then the Partriarchs were saved as we know they were it was by Jesus Christ No man was ever saved since the world began but by him Under the Old-Testament Faith in Christ was necessary in order to Justification Salvation To him give all the Prophets Witness that through his Name whoever believeth in him shall receive remission of sins Promises which do concern Spiritual and Eternal as well as Temporal blessings were made to Old-Testament believers Our Saviour proveth that the bodys of Saints shall have a Glorious Resurrection to Eternal Life from the Covenant made with Abraham They of old Looked for a City which has Foundations whose maker and builder is God Which if Heaven and not Temporal Blessings only had not been Promised them they would not have done Now if there is an Identity as to the Mediator the Condition the promises of the Covenant made with Believers in the days of the Old Testament and of the New the Covenant must needs be effectually the same When therefore by the Old the New-Covenant that of Works and of Grace are intended the distribution is of the Genus into its Species But when the Covenant of Grace as under the Legal or Evangelical dispensation is meant so it often is in the Scripture the distinction is of the same subject according to its various adjuncts There is another Covenant which that of Grace is built upon Viz. The Covenant of Redemption That there have been blessed Transactions between God the Father and the Son from the Days of Eternity concerning the Salvation of the Elect is a glorious Truth which not the light of nature but only the written word of God has revealed That speaketh of Gods Purpose and Grace given us in Christ Jesus before the world began and of Eternal Life promised before the world began These transactions were Foederal The father said of the Son im Tasim si posuerit If he shall make his Soul an offering for Sin Isa 53. 10. Whatever is required to a compleat formal Covenant between two distinct Persons is to be affirmed concerning what has passed between God and Christ with respect unto the Redemption of those that were from Eternity given to him Articles of Agreement to speak after our Nature have been concluded accepted and exactly kept unto by them both On this account the Lord Christ is said to be a Surety He is not only Fidejussor but Expromissor He has so undertaken to answer for his Elect as that they were many of them set at liberty before the price of their Redemption was actually payed that by vertue of this Covenant wherein the Father did take the word of his Son Jesus Christ that the thing should in due time be performed As to the Efficacy of his Death He was slain from the Foundation of the World Believers that dyed in the beginning of time went to heaven because the Son of God had promised to lay down his life to satisfy divine justice in their behalf Concerning the Covenant of Grace this Author has Published a judicious Treatise ten years since whereby the Churches have been edified He has here with the like solidity discoursed on the Covenant of Redemption shewing himself a workman that needs not be ashamed The Reader will find therein Gospel Mysteries with Brevity and yet Perspicuity which is rare explained confirmed applyed so as that both Learned and Unlearned God has made us Debtors unto both may thereby be built up in their most Holy Faith in some more disputable Points He expresseth his own Judgement without reflecting on those whom He differs from It has been controverted amongst very Learned men whether it is consistent with the Rectoral Holiness of that God who cannot look upon iniquity to pardon sin without satisfaction made to his injured justice Grotius Vossius Voetius Turretin Heidan and of our own Divines the great Owen and Mr. Burgess have inclined to the Negative in the Question mentioned But others of great name and worth and in particular Dr. Twiss concerning whom our Mr. Norton in his Life of Mr. Cotton does
respected as Covenanting but only â— Covenanted for inasmuch as the Divine Nature assuming the Humane wrought it into a perfect subordination to itself for it was not to have an Humane Personality but to be of the Person of the Son of God and to be an organ or instrument in and with which the Son of God was to do this work It was a body i. e. an Humanity Prepared for him Heb. 10. 5. 2 That in this nature he would become sponsor or surety for Gods Elect and so put himself under the law and stand responsible to it for all that was demanded of them whether of active obedience as they were Gods subjects or Passive as they were sinners Hence that Gal. 4. 4. 5. He was not only to be in our nature but also in our stead he was to do that we might be happy and to dy that we might be delivered from misery This is included in Isa 53. 10. Thus he became a surety by way of exchange not as bound joyntly with us but as bound alone for us Gods Holiness did expect Obedience and his Justice did exact Satisfaction from him upon our account for this reason is he called not only a Lamb but a Lamb slain from the foundation Rev 13. 8. for then was his death agreed upon and fully concluded hence when they who were the instruments of it had wâ—â—â—â—ed their malice upon him the 〈◊〉 of God acquaints us that it was according to Appointment a thing determined long before Acts 2. 23. the whole work that Christ did upon Earth was nothing else but a fulfilling of this Covenant he did not do it by any compulsion but voluntarily so he tells us Joh. 10. 17 18. 2. The obligations which God the Father bound himself in in this Covenant were of two sorts 1. Such as relate to Christs help and Encouragement in the Undertaking and Management of the work of mans Redemption and these are principally three 1. The Investing him with such Offices as were needful for the discharge of this great Work It was meet that the Son of God should come with Authority There were great things to be done in the performance of this Business and the acceptance of all depended on the good pleasure of God The Redeemer therefore must not only be designed but Invested The Son of God was in our Nature to be Inaugurated in his Mediatorly Function hence his being Anointed King was according to the Decree Psal 2. 9 8. and hereupon also he is said to be an Everlasting Priest Psal 110. 7. and a designed Prophet Isa 42. 6 7. for these Prophetical Predictions concerning him were discoveries of the Tenour of this Covenant 2. The fitting of him for this work with all the things which were requisite for his being every way furnished for the discharge of it else his Offices had been in vain God is not wont to send a Messenger without Legs If God calls any to special Service he furnisheth him and this was promised to the Son he was therefore to have an Humane Nature Hypostatically United to his Person without which he could not have actually appeared in the Business of mans Redemption or possibly have stood our Surety according to the Tenour of the first Covenant This is by a Synecdoche called a Body and his Father is said to prepare it for him Heb. 10. 5. and this refers to that ancient Covenant in which there was such a provision made as is exprest in Psal 40. 7. He was also to have this Humane Nature fitted and qualified with all the necessary Endowments whereby it might be capacitated for the doing of what was requisite and to this end was his Unction promised Isa 61 1 2 whereby he was not only Inâ—ugâ—râ—ted in his Offices but also his Humane Nature was Sanctified and all those Graces which were needful for him in his active and passive Obedience â—ere put into him in an overflowing measure Psal 45. 8. Joh. 3. 34. 3. The affording to him all the supplies of all constant assistance in his Work that so it might not fail in his Hand It was a great work and it was a frail nature in which it was to be performed for this cause it would need mighty assistance to support or uphold it so as not to â—ail There was Infinite Wrath which our Nature was to sustain and therefore a mighty arm must be underneath to bear it up elâ—e it would have been broken in pieces by it Almighty Power therefore did stand engaged for him whereby a good issue of this Affair was secured God promised him that he should not sink under the weight of it Psal 89. 21. Isa 42. 4 6. 2. Such as relate to the Fruit and Efficacy of his Undertaking and these are comprehended in two things 1. The acceptance that this work should find at the Fathers Hands We have already observed that not only the Valuableness of the Satisfaction offered but also the Acceptance of it with God is to be considered in the making of it a Redemption because it is at Gods liberty whether he will let the Prisoner of Justice go free and receive another to stand in his room Now God promised to his Son in this Covenant that he would take content in this Satisfaction of his that it should be a very grateful or pleasing thing to him and accordingly it is expressed concerning him Isa 42. 1. 2. The Reward which he should receive for this work of his There was a Reward Indented for and Christ had an Eye to it in this Work and Improved it for his Relief when he was under the sorest Agonies of Temptation Heb. 12. 2. and that was 1. In regard of himself personally that he should receive the highest honour and glory in our nature Psal 89. 27. this therefore was propounded after the nature of a reward Isa 53. 12. Phil. 2. 8 9. Yea such a Reward is promised as shall give him full content Isa 53. 11. we find that his Work and Recompence are put together Psal 110. ult He was to have the Everlasting Honour of this Work ascribed to him and to Triumph gloriously 2. In regard of those who were to be Redeemed by him As he Sanctified himself for their Sakes and undertook to Redeem them by Satisfying for them as a fruit of his Everlasting Love to 〈…〉 the Father promised him that he should Enjoy them as a Purchase and that they should be a Generation of his Praise Psal 22. 30. Isa 53. 10. He was assured that not one of all those whom he was to Dye for should ever be Lost or finally miscarry but they should all of them be brought to the Possession of that Glory which he should procure for them that they should be his Spouse and therefore we have him claiming this Reward as that which he had Indented for Joh. 17. 24. and these are the Summary Articles of this Wonderful Covenant CHAP. 10. The necessity of this Covenant in order to