Kingdom and Church as sometimes it doeth in Scripture or whether it be his particular family in which there was abounding Incest Murther and Adultery and many other things or whether it be the house of his body and the tabernacle of his body his person where there were many failings like wife the meaning of the phrase Although my house be not so with God though it be not legally qualified and be not so with God as either God or I would have it for ther emust be some such thing here yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant so that before I can come to speak of his house and the failings consistent with the Covenant and of the answering their failings in the Covenant there is one thing I cannot pass and will handle it this day it 's this comparing the Objection and the Priviledge together my house is sinful it 's not so with God yet notwithstanding it be so ha hath made with me an everlasting Covenant Doctrine The Observation shall be That the Covenant made with believers it 's a Covenant of Grace it 's absolutely of Grace that Lord makes the Covenant with them although their house be not so with God yet the Covenant is made with them and this intirely proves it a Covenant of Grace I will in the work of this day comparing the Covenant with David's house handle this to you that it 's a Covenant of Grace it 's an absolutely this to you that it 's a Covenant it 's a remarkable confirmation of this you have Ezek. 36.32 The Lord hath in the former Verses set down many promises ses in the Covenant such as I will sprinkle clean water upon you a new heart will I give you and I will put a new spirit within you I will take away the stony heart I will sprinkle clean water upon you and write my Laws in your heart and Verse 32. Not for your sakes do I this saith the Lord God be it known unto you be ashamed and confounded for your own way O house of Israel Many precious promises hath he made in the Covenant yet for the rise of them be it known to you saith the Lord God not for your sakes do I this That I may follow this a little I confess it 's the great thing of our Soul it we were this day going to the grave that he should make a Covenant with you whose house is not so with God I will first prove this Covenant made with David and his seed to be absolutely and intirely a Covenant of Grace 2. I will inquire into the reasons why God will have this Covenant of Grace 3. I will clear a Question or two about it and lastly shall apply it Reas 1. First to prove it a Covenant of Grace that is a Covenant of free favour that 's made with them whose house is not so with God it 's a pathetick expression there is much more implyed than is exprest That the Covenant is a Covenant of meer grace and free favour will appear from these three remarkable truths 1. We have no accession in procuring it 2. The grounds and motives of it are only in God 3. It hath all the properties of grace and favour into it that could be expected to prove it a Covenant of Grace 1. It proves it a Covenant of free grace absolutely of free favour in regard we are altogether secluded from having any hand in procuring it It 's observed in Dispute with Papists there are four wavs by which we might be conceived to influence a thing from God and all these we are secluded from 1. By was of merit 2. By way of prive 3. By way of service 4. If there were suitableness in us to it several times there is beauty and comeliness where there is neither merit nor price nor service that will be alluring and procuring but all the four ways we are secluded from having any hand in it First There is no merit there are two things necessary to make up merit 1. The thing we give must be our own 2. It must be proportioned to the thing we receive the School-men cry down merit on these two grounds in strict Justice the thing we merit must be of something of our own we must have a proportion of the thing to what we receive and there is nothing of this in us in strict Justice Adam could not merit any thing that could have the name of merit it did refult from the Covenant and not from his obedience for it was neither his own nor proportioned to what he was to receive there could not be a proper commutative Justice betwixt God and Adam even though he had kept the Covenant of Works far less could we merit lapsed man could not merit under the Covenant of Grace 2. As we could give no merit we could give no price the reason of this is the outmost we could do was Sacrifices and Offerings all the Heathens could never go beyond this when they set their wits a-work to please their gods they took the best things they had to cast into the fire to their gods but what are Sacrifices and Offerings to him Psal 50.10 For every beast of the forrest is mine and the cattel upon a thousand hills Psal 51.16 For thou desirest not sacriace else would I give it thee thou delightest not in burnt-offerings Psal 16.2 My goodness extendeth not unto thee Micah 6.7 Shall I give my first born for my transgressim the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul What would all this signifie as a price to him 3. As we cannnot merit nor give a price so there is no service we can do there are servants that cannot buy nor merit yet there are some pieces of service by which they may bring an obligation upon their Master but there is no service we can do that can bring an obligation upon him Isaith 64.6 But we are all as an unclean thing and all our righteousness are as filthy rags Luke 17.10 So likewise ye when ye have done all those things which are commanded you say we are unprofitable servants we have done that which was our duty to do Lastly suppose we have none of these three we might influence a thingfrom God by beauty and comeliness and suitableness to his inclination but neither can this be Read the sixteenth of Ezekiel and ye wil find what he found in Israel when he first entered in Covenant with her Thou wast cast out in the open field to the loathing of thy person in the day that thou wast born he compares Israel to a Child new born as for thy nativity in the day that thou wast born thy navel was not cut neither wast thou washed in water to supple thee thou wast not salted at all nor swadled at all c. Now when I passed by thee and looked upon thee behold thy time was the time of love and I spread my skirts over thee and covered thy
I will cast you in Hell no Superiâ—â—â— especially being infinitely a Superior would have done otheâ—â—wise 2ly This makes it wonderful in regard a Covenant seems to be a Treaty among equals it 's not ordinary to maâ—â— Despotick Covenants betwixt Princes and Subjects or Covenants betwixt Masters and Servants but betwixt Friends aâ—â— Equals or Persons in Marriage they that come under a Maâ—â—rage Covenant ordinarily there is some Equality of their blooâ—â— or of their Lot but to come under a Covenant with him aâ—â— yet he to be our Maker thy Maker is thy Husband are words 〈◊〉 wonder Therefore it may be a great Question in the entry 〈◊〉 this Theme what is the reason that should move God whâ—â— being mans Maker and might call for all he could do withoâ—â— a Covenant to enter into a covenant with him it's so great 〈◊〉 Mystery that Mr. Durham pens that there is any proper covenant of Grace he says it 's so far below God to make a covenant There are many Reasons given why he hath entered in covenant with man and when they have breanched them all out 〈◊〉 seven eight nine or ten Branches they resolve all in â—â—â—ce in Love in condescendency There can be nothing â—â—â—gined to induce him to deal with man by covenant but this 〈◊〉 true man is honoured thereby and encouraged to do him â—â—â—ice and made inexcusable by it if he do him not hearty â—â—â—ice who has been pleased to come under a covenant with 〈◊〉 and to abase himself and to encourage him in his â—â—vice and when they have branched all the Reasons in all â—â—â—ir Members to the outmost there is nothing that could â—â—â—ve so great a Lord to enter in a covenant with such base â—â—â—ngs but alâ—anerly his Condescendency his Grace and his â—â—â—â—e especially if ye take in the Tenor of the covenant a covenant on such Terms that he shall take his own Son and â—â—â—er him up in a sacrifice to let us go free and of all the acts 〈◊〉 Grace that ever he yet shewed or will shew nay I may 〈◊〉 more of all the Acts of Grace he can shew there cannot 〈◊〉 a greater The third Consideration that I will give you about this 〈◊〉 that God has made two Covenants with Men I know â—â—deed there are some of our Country men speak of three â—â—venants some of four Cameron a professor in Glasgow â—â—d France is for a Covenant of Nature Mr. Dickson has â—â—d much to prove a Covenant of Redemption the current 〈◊〉 Divines reduce them to two Covenants according to that â—orld Gal. 4. Which things are an Allegory for these are â—â—e two Covenants I will not debate whether they be two 〈◊〉 three or four Covenants the Covenant of Nature the â—ovenant of Redemption the Covenant of Works the Covenant 〈◊〉 Grace I will only speak to the two Covenants that God â—s condescended to deal with men Covenant-wayes and there â—e at least two signal Covenants the Covenants of Works and â—e Covenant of Grace I 'le not dilate much on the Covenant 〈◊〉 Works for it 's in the Covenant meaned by the Text that I am 〈◊〉 it would take many Sermons to tell wherein the Covenant 〈◊〉 Works agrees with the Covenant of Grace and wherein it â—iffers I will readily have occasion to hint at it but this Covenant of Works is not the Everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and made Sure only because it falls so directly in my wâ—â— I will clear two Questions about the Covenant of Works aâ— shall say no more of it and they are indeed the two great difficulties that ly about it Quest First it 's asked what evidence is there that God maâ—â— a Covenant of Works with Adam we find not in all the Boâ—â— of Genesis in all the Writings of Moses any thing that worâ— seem to confirm this that there was a Covenant made wâ—â— Adam there was a Command and a Threatning given hiâ— but what ground was there to think that there was a Covenâ— made with him Answ For Answer to this I will not deny what Mr Burgâ— acknowledges that readily Adam might scarcely know to he was to bind for him and all his posterity I know not that can be fully and particularly evinced from Scripture 〈◊〉 that Adam came under a Covenant of Works with God thâ— things will make it appear 1. In the new Testament 〈◊〉 4.23 The transaction made betwixt God and Adam is call two Covenants expressely there meant by the bond-woman aâ—â— the free But 2. All the parties of the Covenant are mention in the Book of the Genesis Gen. 2.16 and 17. Verses Of the trees of the garden thou mayest freely eat but of the treâ— knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat of it for in the 〈◊〉 thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die These words are a diâ—â— Covenant for 1. There is a Duty imposed thou shalt not eaâ— it and there is a Threatning thou shalt surely die the Threatening contains a Promise importing this so long as thou 〈◊〉 not of the tree thou shalt not die Adam upon the oâ—â— hand accepted this Command on thir terms not only 〈◊〉 he not object against the terms but accepted them by take him to the priviledge of eating all the Trees of the Gardâ—â— and when he violat and transgressed the Command his conâ—â—â—ence terrified him and he sewed figtree-leaves together hide himself from God the terror of his Conscience â—â—â—â—ported his condescendency to the Command and Therâ—â—ning that was a direct Covenant for all the terms of 〈◊〉 Law were written in his heart and they were con-natural him he had them from his creation he had the Law wâ—â—ten in his heart as distinctly as we have the ten Commaâ—â— Many other things are brought to prove that it was a distâ—â— Covenant of Works made with Adam before his fall and as tryal was put to the Tree in the midst of the Garden and â—oses gives us account of all things of a covenant both on God's art and Adam's part Quest 2. I 'le clear another difficulty now after the fall who â—â—re the persons that are under this covenant of Works made with Adam For clearing of this I will only give this one poâ—â—tion That all natural men and all that are not effectually called they are under this Covenant of Works I have often had a design to follow this point the reasons of this are 〈◊〉 They are in the first Adam there can be no real claim to â—he covenant of Grace untill we be interessed in the covenant we can no more plead the priviledges of the covenant of Grace in a natural state than a woman can plead â—he Articles of a contract that is not married to the man â—he contract corcerning her untill we be effectually called â—nd in our effectual calling united to Jesus which is but â—he Articles of the contract of marriage betwixt Christ and Believers we have no more right to the covenant of Grace â—han
me a Covenant These four ly all in the Text. The first particular holds out the Author of the Covenant the Lord is the Maker of it as he is the maker of Heaven and of Earth so it is he that made the Covenant the word is Emphatick in the Hebrew it 's true it 's not the proper word that signifies to creat yet some Criticks think it 's sometimes used for creation The Lord hath created with me a Covenant yet I take it as it 's rendred in our Translation and in this Sermon I will speak a little to this Doctrine Though the benefit of the Covenant redound to us yet we were not the makers of it but God made it it has the smell of his Hand in it and the making of it is frequently in Scripture ascribed to him Isai 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 Jer. 31.31 It shall come to pass in these days saith the Lord that I will make a new Covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah not according to the covenant that I made with their Fathers when I brought them out of the land of Egypt but this shall be the covenant after those days saith the Lord I will put my Law in their inward parts and write it in their hearts and I will be their God and they shall be my people Constantly throughout the Scripture the making of the Covenant he takes it to himself as the Author of it and the efficient cause of it this Branch of the Verse is considerable for the truth is we had no hand in the making of the Covenant of Grace it was allanerly himself the Lord made it with me That I may clear this Branch a little to you I will dwell on these three things First I shall enquire into what respects the Covenant may be said to be made by the Lord. 2. I shall give you some Grounds to evince that in all these respects that it was made and only could be made by him And 3. shall apply it Quest First In what respects the Covenant may be said to be made by the Lord I shall desire that ye may notice these four or five particulars here Answ 1. The contrivement of the Covenant in all the Heads Clauses and Articles of it was allanerly from him it was he that contrived it in all the Clauses and Articles of it the truth is it contains a design very suitable to his Wisdom if ye will take a view of three mysteries into it ye will find it proceed from the depth of infinit Wisdom 1. If ye will take a view of the Truths in it O! such strange Truths one Person to be both God and Man How difficult was that to reconcile He was Maries Son yet Maries Maker that he was David's Son yet David's Lord What a strange Mystery is that in the Covenant that Christ should be altogether free of sin and yet justly suffer for sin The great Mysteries in the Covenant in reference to the Truths holden out in it evidence that the contrivement of it could only proceed from God 2. If ye will take a view not of the Truths only but of the Duties required in the Covenant What a number of strange Duties are contained in it that would never have entred into the heart of Man Numa Pompilius that gave Laws to the Romans Lycurgus that gave Laws to the Lacedemonians Solon that gave Laws to the Athenians their Laws never dreamed of Believing and being saved by anothers Righteousness such Duties as taking up of the Cross denying our selves walking by anothers strength and doing all that we do by a Spirit of Promise Would ever Natures Light have reached these Duties of the Covenant So take a view of these and ye will find that the contrivement of it could only come from God 3. Take a view of the Persons admitted to the Covenant if we had a secret to communicat readily we would chuse not the simple or the foolish or babes to communicat it to we would pitch on the Learned on the wise on the prudent but the Covenant is so contrived that the Truths of it are the greatest Mysteries one Person to be both God and Man and that Person to be both the Son and the Maker of his Mother that the Duties of it are strange one to Live by anothers Righteousness and that all these things should be revealed to babes and things that are not and that the learned and wise and prudent should be passed by such a contrivement had it proceeded from any man or angel it had justly been accounted the most ridiculous and strange fancy in the World as a famous Antient said of Christianity that if he were not perswaded it immediatly proceeded from God it would be the Religion of any that ever he heard that he would be furthest from Believing therefore the Covenant is from God for the contrivement of it in all the mystical Truths of it in all the Duties it requires and the persons to whom these Duties and Truths are communicat evidences it to be from God Secordly As the contrivement of the Covenant is from God so the Terms of the Covenant are made by him he not only hath made his own but our Terms before we were the Covenant was and in some respect it was from Eternity from Everlasting and before ever we were capable to give our consent he ordered both his own Terms and ours Quest Readily ye will say Was not this an injury to us that he should make the Covenant so as to make our Terms as well as his own Answ For Answering this ye may remember some Sabbaths ago I opened to you That it was a Despotick Covenant such as is made betwixt Prince and Subject Master and Servant Land-lord and Tennents that he is absolute Lord and hath power to give Laws 2. Take notice that Christ the Mediator hath represented us in the Covenant and so we had him like a Commissioner in a Shire having a Commission to go to Parliament and giving his Vote for the Shire he represents that Shire from whom he hath the Commission So we had a representative in the person of a Mediator in the Covenant 3. The Terms are made so as it was impossible to imagine them to be more to our advantage could there be an easier Clause put in than that we should accept This is is all that is required on our part that we shall consent now since the coutrivement of the Covenant and the Terms on which it runs proceeds both from God it may justly be said that he hath made the Covenant Thirdly He is said to have made the Covenant in regard the furniture for doing our part of the Covenant proceeds also from him whatever is necessary on his part or our part and the truth is he stands on both sides of
these things First We are to be express in the things we are to do it 's true we are not to make new duties nor to put in terms that are not in the Covenant already yet there are three particulars wherein a person Covenanting with God ought to study to be very express First There are the great things in the Covenant that we should believe mourn for sin and pray these things are indispensibly required in the Covenant therefore when we enter in a personal Covenant with God and would be explicite and express about it we are expresly to mention the great Articles of the Covenant on our part whatever we bind our selves to do If we bind our selves in the Covenant to build the Church and give our goods to the poor and our bodies to the fire except these great Articles of the Covenant be performed it 's not a Gospel-Covenant therefore we ought to be express in binding our selves to these great things indispensibly required by God in the Covenant 2ly in a time of tryal a Christian should be express in binding himself in a personal Covenant to the owning of these truths and interest that come to be a case of confession it 's an easie thing to owne uncontroverted truths but these things that in our generation come to be a case of confession these interests and people that are most born down we are particularly to Indenture in a personal Covenant with God especially for the owning of these Interests though we are to have respect to all his commands yet especially to these that make against the errors of the time It 's remarkable ye find the most part of the Prophets writings runing against Idolatry and the most part of Christs Sermons runing against hypocrisie the great reason of this Is in Isaiah's and Jeremiah's time Israel was prone to Idolatry and in Christ's time they were overwhelmed with Hypocrisie 3ly A Christian ought especially to bind himself to these duties at which his careless heart is most sloathful and against these corruptions he is most prone to every man is weakest at something as Samson had his particular wherein his strength lay so every man hath something wherein his weakness lyes and when we personally Covenant with God we ought to be express in it if one be negligent in Prayer a wanderer in hearing if one have a gading light heart in conversing with God they are not only to purpose and resolve but to cast over the cord of a Covenant on that levity of spirit so when we Covenant personally and particularly with God in these three above all other things the soul ought to be express and particular into it But secondly we ought to be express and particular in the conditions on which we bind to these things otherways after our Covenanting with God which affords a great deal of peace and sweetness to the soul and many of late have gone sweetly down to the grave when they have brought out their old personal Covenanting with God and renewed them and we ought to be express in the conditions especially in these three 1. It 's a promise of the covenant that God shall give strength for performing our part of the covenant he hath often promised this The feeble among you shall be as David and David as the Angel of God they shall renew their strength and mount up as an Eagle they shall walk and not to be weary run and not faint now when we bind to the great duties of the Covenant to the owning the truths and interests of the Gospel we are to put in that condition wherein it 's promised that he will do these duties viz. that all our strength must flow from him as a River and that on these terms and conditions we bind providing he give strength this is the way to make our part of the Covenant both pleasant and easie when we can go to Christ as our Treasurer to bring our strength from him to do what we have Covenanted 2ly We are to put in this condition expresly that he will accept of the will and endeavour in place of perfection if we were to make a Covenant of Works as Adam did we were obliged to bind that we should be perfect in love and perfect in faith but in the Covenant of Grace we are to bind according to the terming of the Covenant of Grace the grace of the Covenant hath trade the proposals of it run in this Channel he it is alone that works in you both to will and to do of his good pleasure and he will accept of the will in place of perfection 3ly We are to Indenture in this Covenant on these terms that all our failings shall be covered with the righteousness of a Cautioner when we have any challenge for guiltiness being in Covenant with him our only recourse like Manoah's Wife the second time that the Angel came to her she was not accustomed to speak to Angels stay till I call my Husband the Covenant holds him out as the only fit person to deal with Serpents whose heads he bruised So we are to be express in our Covenanting that our failings shall be covered with the righteousnes of a Cautioner so ye see this personal Covenanting with God is not so dreadful and scarring a thing as many take it up to be but it is easie and pleasant if it be gone about according to the method of the Gospel The second property of this Covenanting with God shall be this that as it ought to be gone about expresly explicitly and distinctly so it ought to be gone about according to the method of the Gospel no person goes about it rightly that doth not keep in it the method of the Gospel Quest Ye will readily ask What is it to keep a Gospel-method in Covenanting with Christ Ans For clearing of this I desire you may take notice of these three things that make up this Gospel method in a souls personal Covenanting with God 1 The Gospel-method is kept when the Law makes way for the Gospel I do not deny but one may enter in a personal Covenant with God that hath not had the Law work to such a hight as others have had we read of some in the Gospel that were cut to the heart before they were brought to believe so here are some of them we read of there is no more but the Lord opened their heart as the Lord opened the heart of Lydia there is no such acount of their Law-work as of others yet this ordinary Gospel-method of the Laws making way for the Gospel was typified by the stinging of the fiery Serpents before they could look for healing on the brasen Serpent and readily they will never make a sincere personal Covenant with God that have not had the challenges and threatnings of the Law like an Ax laid to the root of the Tree It 's ordinary for any when they take up a profession and readily sewes a new profession
to an old heart like a new Cloath sewed to an old Garment they will presently enter in a Covenant with God but it uses not to be sicker and lasting unless the Law hath made way for the Gospel O but they will come sweetly and accept his righteousness and bind with him upon any terms that have been sitting in prison and hath had the sentence of death in themselves and that hath lyen in the Irons and as it were been hanging over the Pit it will be but a frothy kind of work the soul will perform when there hath been no Law-work nor Legal humiliation before 2. In this personal Covenanting this method is to be kept that the absolute promises are to be eyed in order to our performing the conditional promises when we personally Covenant with God we have to do with a Covenant of promises but the promises takes in duties and in order to the performing the condition we must keep the Gospel method in the Covenant Lord I bind my self in this Covenant to accept of thy Son and to believe in him and to take him for my Husband but in order to this ye must look on the absolute promises there is a Spirit of Faith promised there is one holden out to be the Author and Finisher of Faith and we never Covenant in a Gospel method when we eye not the absolute promises in order to the performing of the condition of the conditional promises as for example a person binds himself deliberatly I am negligent in Prayer I bind my self against negligence to be more diligent I am a person wandering in hearing I bind my self in this Covenant against it they have still an eye to some absolute promise where things are promised an eye to some absolute promise 3. Ye shall take notice that every man before he enter in a personal Covenant with God he is in Covenant with death and hell Remarkable is that word Isai 28. comparing the 15th and 18th verses Because ye have said we have made a Covenant with death and with hell are we at an agreement Vers 18. And your Covenant with death shall be disanulled and your agreement with hell shall not stand and the overflowing scourge shall overtake you Every natural man is under a Covenant with death and hell now when ever we come under a personal Covenant with God that Covenant must be broken The Covenant is like a Marriage Covenant betwixt Hosea and the Woman of Fornications he is comanded to marry a Wife an Adulteress saith he to her thou shalt no more play the Harlot thou shalt be for me and not for another so will I also be for thee then we keep a Gospel method in a personal Covenant with God when the work of the Law drives the Soul to the Gospel and when we eye the absolute promises in order to the performing the condition of the conditional promises and when we break the Covenant with death and hell like a Woman that is Married she gives up with all the rest of her Wooers because she is married to another so in this personal Covenanting with God there must be a bidding Adieu to all the rest of the Suiters and we must break Covenant with death and hell and lusts for we are now married and become another Mans Wife and readily the thing that was but Fornication before will be Adultery now Thirdly And lastly This personal Covenanting with God ought to be compleat it ought not to have limitations and reservations but it ought to be compleat and entire Quest Readily ye will ask How is this personal Covenant with God compleat and in what respect is it so Answ I might instance many reservations that any would make when they come to indenture in a personal Covenant with God but I shall rather chuse to shew you three things wherein this act of personal Covenanting with God becomes intire and compleat 1. When we give our selves wholly to Christ when we give and Covenant our All to him 2. When we are content in a Covenant to take Christ for All. And 3. When we are content in the Covenant to take all Christ as he is offered to us these three makes a compleat Covenanting with him and in a personal Covenant when the Soul proceeds not dissemblingly but sincerely it 's content to make it compleat in all the three First When we are content to Covenant to give our selves all wholly to him our life our liberty we are content to be disposed of as ye were hearing as to our lot in the world yea as to our service some he calls to one piece of service some to another some he calls to do others he calls to suffer and when the Soul is content wholly to give it self and its concernment up to him that he may take their life if he please their liberty if he please and whether he calls for doing or suffering according as he calls we Covenant to obey him Many Covenant with him and they have reservations of some one thing or another but when we indeed Covenant as Christians we are to give up our selves wholly to him 2. We are to take him for all Ps 73.25 He that hath made this personal Covenant sings it over to him Whom have in heaven but thee and on the earth whom I desire besides thee He hath taken him for his all he is satisfaction to all his desires if there were nothing left him but God as the man said there is nothing left me but God and then he chideth himself and but God and what would I have more When we are content to take Christ for all for wisdom righteousness sanctification and redemption and satisfaction to all desires then the Covenant is compleat 3. When we are content to take all Christ as he is offered not only the merit of his death but the authority of his laws as a King we are content to be subject to the workings of the Spirit to the influences for consclation to convictions to lay our selves open to receive these influences and impressions of the Spirit the Covenant is compleat when all the three are performed Thus I have run through the Doctrinal part of this Head of personal Covenanting and have laboured to open it up as fully as I could in the nature of it and grounds and properties of it I will only break in on the practical part at this time and make way for following it in the afternoon Vse 1. First Is it a Duty personally to Covenant with God and particularly to be able to say The Lord hath made with me an everlasting Covenant Then first it serves for Information and it informs of five or six particulars 1. Is it a Duty thus personally to Covenant with God then certainly it must be a great sin to neglect it the neglecting of this personal Covenanting and indenturing with God must be a very great guiltiness by the Law of contraries if the one be a duty the
gave his Son 2. It was grace that he accepted his Son I confess the sacrfice he offered was of infinit value but the Law porvided that the person that sinned should die and he was not the person that sinned it 's a great wonder that he accepted from any other but from the person that sinned 3. The glorifying the Mediator for the satisfaction was a great act of grace Remember ye an Observation I had the last time we had the Communion on that Text Come to the Wedding all things are ready ye heard the difficult things were put by hand not only the decrees of Election but the satisfaction of Christ is put by hand neither could God nor Man nor Angels satisfie for us 1. God could not satisfie for he was not the person that sinned Angels could not do it upon the same ground and Man could not give a satisfaction of infinit value How should it be done then He must be both God and Man in one person what a difficult pass was this he must be God to overcome and Man to die and so ye see that Christ hath payed the Debt and purchased the Covenant and this derogats nothing from the grace of the Covenant but rather confirms it to be of grace SERMON XXXVIII 2 Samuel 23.5 Although my house be not so with God yet he hath made wiht me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure for this is all my salvaand all my desire although he make it not to grow FRom that branch of the Verle Although my house be not so with God yet he bath made with me an everlasting Covenant I did infer that the Covenant made with David was a Covenant of meer grace altogether independent form any Merit from any Price or Service or Suitableness in him without resuming any thing that I have spoken before I come to the practical part of this there is one Objection I would clear and shall say no more of the doctrinal part Object Doeth not the Covenant of grace injoin the whole Law how can it them be called a Covenant of such intire grace nay more ye have heard there are things commanded in it that are not commanded in the Covenant of Works how can it then be a Covenant of meer grace and favour Answ For opening I desire ye may notice three or four particulars 1. Obedience to the Law is not the principal condition of the Covenant of grace believing and accepting of Christ is the principal command and condition of it nay justifying Faith however there be some in this generation would fain put in love in the definition of faith either designing a Socinian or Popish errour they know not that Faith is the principal condition and that as justifying though it cannot be separat from Works they go inseparably togegher yet in its nature and essence it doeth not include them 2. I add though the Covenant command the Law and enjoin it yet it does not enjoin it as a thing to be performed in our strength Adam was to obey it by the strength of inherent Grace but we are to obey it in the strength of assisting Grace there is a Thesaurer appointed Who is made of the Father our wisdom sanctification and redemption a very necessar Truth to be observed some when they go about duties they would wring them out of their own hearts and do them in their won strength that agrees not to the nature of the Covenant the way how we are to obey the Law is to abide in Christ and bring out strength out of him and the more we depend on him and the oftner we come to him we are the welcomer he readily gives more than we ask he will do as Naaman did with Gehasi as one observes well Gehasi running after Naaman he asks a Talent of him I pray thee says he be content take two we bake beside Meal and have a Thesaurer to bear our Purse and to defray our expense in every Inns and in every strait we come to 3ly Though the Covennat command the Law yet it will accept of the will for the deed and sincerity for perfection it was not so under the Covenant of Works where it was threatned He that offends in the least is guilty of all but in the Covenant of Grace though we be commanded to be perfect yet there will be acceptation of uprightness for perfection 4ly Obedience to the Law is indeed commanded but not to be our Righteousness it would have been Adams Righteousness had he stood under the Covenant of Works but this cannot be commanded in order to our Justification there is a Righteousness accepted and that is one of the reasons why the Lord in the Covenant of Grace accepts of less than under the Covenant of Works He first considers our lapsid estate then he doth with us as a man that hath a great Sun owing him by a Creditor he gets so much from the Cautioner that he is content to accept of less from the Principal all that God could expect was from Adams self his Bond admitted not of a Cautioner but under the Covenant of Grace there is less accepted at our hand that there is so much done by the Cautioner so it does not overturn the Truch of the Covenant that this Covenant is absolutely free and a full Act of free Grace though there be a commanding of the Law in it Without insisting more on the Doctrinal part I will come to the practical use of it 1. Is this Covenant a Covenant of so free Grace and Favour made with those whose house is not so with God Is it a Covenant thus of meer Grace The motives and grounds are not derived from us but from something in God himself it serves for several practical improvements Vse 1. First I would exhort you to take heed of making the wrong Use of it so as to abuse this Doctrine of free Grace two or three sorts of people come under the abuse of it 1. Such as take liberty to sin they abuse it to take Grace and make it a prop to sin is an abuse of Grace God forbid says Paul that we should sin that Grace may abound I like the Observation a Divine hath he says there cannot be a greater wrong done to an honest ingenuous man than to say he is an encourager to Drunkenness to Swearing to Adultery to Murder and to Lying what a reflection must it be on Christ to say that his Covenant is not of Grace 2ly All they that live in any known sin and are cherishing themselves with the Doctrine of Grace they abuse it it is a Covenant of Grace indeed but as ye heard It 's ordered in all things ye cannot plead the conditional Promises before ye make use of the absolute Promises 3ly Such as are pleading for pardon without repentance they are abusing this Dectrine of Grace and there cannot be a greater injury done to Christ he hath mediat and treated this Covenant and