and Teach us and as our King to Govern and Order us in the whole course of our Lives as well as our Priest on whose Satisfaction and Intercession we are to Rely for our Acceptance with God which brings me to speak of Reliance a 3d Act of the Faith we are speaking of To proceed then 3. Farther yet there are very many of those Christian Truths 3s It is to Rely on Promissory Truths of whose Certainty we are to have a firm Belief and full Perswasion which carry in them the Nature of most precious Promises of excellent Benefits to be made good to us upon our Performance of such and such Conditions And with respect to these our Belief and Perswasion is not only to be a bare Assent of the Vnderstanding that those Promises are true nor yet a meer Consent of the Will only to Perform the Conditions upon which those Promises are made but there must be moreover a firm and steddy Reliance on God and our Saviour Jesus Christ an Affiance and Trust in Him that his Promises shall be made good to us on the Performance of the prescribed Conditions Such is the Belief of these Attributes of God His Goodness and his Mercy his Power and his Truth to Believe which is firmly to Relie upon him to help and reward us on the Performance of our Duty as being a God that is wonderfully willing and one that is equally able to do us good Such again is the Belief That Jesus is the Christ whom God the Father did send into the World to mediate a Reconciliation betwixt Himself and us and whom that there might be no Impediment on the score of the Divine Justice and Holiness to his Receiving so Rebellious a Race as Mankind into Favour again he therefore gave to offer Himself a Sacrifice a Propitiation and Atonement in our stead to Suffer under Pontius Pilate to be Crucify'd Dead and Buried that we might be redeem'd from Death Eternal To Believe which is to depend solely upon Christ's Merits and Intercession not on our own Righteousness that God the Father will upon our sincere Repentance receive us to Mercy tho' we have been the greatest Sinners And such lastly is the Belief of the Forgiveness of Sins of the Resurrection of the Body and of the Life Everlasting which are Promises of so many good things to us on condition we shall forsake our Sins and sincerely for the future obey the Gospel And to Believe these Articles is to have a steadfast Confidence in God that accordingly through Christ he will forgive us Raise up our Bodies from the Grave at the last Day and translate us into Joys everlasting if we shall repent and obey him We are not to Relie nor to depend upon God's Mercies in Christ Without our Repentance and new Obedience for this were not to Believe but to Presume upon Him for he never made any Promises no not through Christ of accepting us without our Amendment and Reformation but upon our Amendment and Reformation we may undoubtedly Relie upon him as one that is able and one that is willing to fulfil his Promises to us And this Reliance on the Promises of God is that Act of Faith which is called Rom. 4.20 a not staggering at the Promise of God through Vnbelief and v. 24. a Believing on God a Believing in Christ John 3.16 And such a Reliance and Dependance upon God the Father for Mercy through the Merits of Christ his Son appears in the Scriptures to be an Act of Faith more peculiarly well-pleasing and acceptable unto him in that it excludes Boasting which the Apostle makes very necessary to Justification Rom. 3.27 and expects all Good from God's free Mercy in Christ without any Reliance on the Merit of our own Performances The genuine Fruits and Effects of Believing are Victory over And thus having shew'd you in general What it is to Believe and in what Acts of the Mind it does consist it only remains in order to compleat this Account of the Nature of Faith which I have undertaken to give that I speak in a few Words of the Genuine Fruits and Effects of a True Christian Faith The Tree is best known by its Fruits and in like manner is Faith known by its Works as St. James tells us Chap. 2.18 And surely from what has been said it will easily appear to you that your Faith if it be compleat in all the Parts of it will undoubtedly produce a total Change in the Nature and Dispositions and Actions of that Person who does firmly Believe the Great Articles of his Christian Faith A steady Perswasion of such Concerning Truths will not sail in time to subdue all our Spiritual Enemies the World the Flesh and the Devil and all that mighty Host of Temptations they will bring against us to force or entice us from our Obedience to God I. As to the World particularly St. John does assure us 1 John 5.4 1. The World That whosoever is born of God overcometh the World and that this is the Victory that overcometh the World even our Faith Now to be Born of God is by the Quickning lively Spirit together with the Word of God to be renew'd and chang'd in our whole Nature Faculties and Dispositions so as to put off the Old Man with his Corruptions and Lusts and to put on the New Man which after God is created in Righteousness and true Holiness Ephes 4.22 23 24. And by the World is meant both the Things and the Persons of this World that would entice us into Sin The Things of this World are either Riches Honours and Pleasures and they are commonly call'd the Good Things of the World and these would withdraw us from our Duty to use unlawful means to compass 'em or they are the contrary to these viz. Poverty Disgrace and Afflictions which are usually stil'd the Evils of this World and would force us to sinful ways whereby to avoid ' em And the Persons that make up the Wicked World are those evil Men who by their Examples Society Flatteries Arguings Kindnesses or Promises or by their evil Customs would engage us in sinful Compliances The force of all these various Temptations from the World I have already laid before you and it is Faith we are here told in the Words of St. John now cited whereby he who is born of God will be able to overcome this World with all its Temptations An undoubted Perswasion rooted in the Mind of the Certainty of those Great and Powerful Truths of Christianity already mention'd will be able to pall and deaden our relish to these Pretended good Things of the World so that we shall not immoderately affect nor indulge our selves in the Enjoyment of 'em and the same full Perswasion also will most effectually baffle all the Insinuations of wicked Men lying in wait to deceive us Nor II. Will a thorough Perswasion of these great Practical Truths of Christianity 2. The Flesh
wise Father may be suppos'd to allow his Children beyond Aliens and Strangers For is it natural to such a One more easily to Pardon the Offences of his Child than of his Slave more favourably to over-look his Infirmities more readily to hear his Requests and to instate him in a surer Title to his Possessions than he will do others that have no such Relation to him Why such are the Priviledges our Heavenly Father will allow to us who are his Children by Adoption above others who stand in no such Relation to him He will be Just to all but these are properly Fatherly Kindnesses and he will Indulge 'em to none therefore but those who are his Children But more particularly Particularly First It is worthy our Consideration I. Pardon of all Sins upon hearty Repentance that we shall have this inestimable Priviledge by being his Children above the rest of Mankind namely We shall have all our Sins Pardon'd upon our hearty Repentance of 'em upon Condition we forsake 'em and return to God The unbelieving Jews and Gentiles and all Persons remaining in a State of Nature who have not Embrac'd the Gospel who have not been Baptized nor have Enter'd into Covenant with God have no Assurance from him that their Sins should be ever Pardon'd tho' they should forsake 'em because God never gave any Promise of Pardon to any other but his Children who are in Covenant with him And for want of their having any express Engagements and Promises from God of Mercies from him does the Apostle therefore speak of the State of the Gentiles as exceedingly Uncomfortable Eph. 2.11 12. in these very remarkable Words Remember that ye being in times past Gentiles in the flesh and at that time ye were without Christ being Aliens from the Commonwealth of Israel Strangers from the Covenants and Promises having no hopes of Pardon and without God in the world But we Christians who have Enter'd into Covenant with God and so are his Children have the utmost Assurance possible grounded upon the most gracious and express Promises that upon laying down our Rebellious Arms upon our Renouncing of his and our own most mortal Enemies our Sins and Coming over to him we shall have all our Sins Pardon'd Or rather as the Apostle himself does express it in the following viz. The 13 14 ver But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the Blood of Christ for he is our Peace And indeed that this Pardon and Peace with the Father does more peculiarly belong to us under the Character of his Children who had formerly stray'd afar off from him by our Sins but are now return'd Home to him by Repentance we have Exemplify'd to us in that famous Parable of the Prodigal Son Luk. 15. That Person we there read after a most Lewd and Riotous Life after he had spent and squander'd away all his Substance that his Father gave him yet upon his deep Humiliation for his Vile and Undutiful Behaviour towards his Father and his hearty Desires to return Home and to his Duty and Obedience to him was thereupon admitted to his former Interest in his Father's Affections Yea and receiv'd with more than usual Joy Why the whole Design of that Parable is to shew us how our Heavenly Father will graciously deal with us his Undutiful and Rebellious Children and that after even a very ill Life upon our laying down of our Sins the forsaking the service of our Lusts and Return to him he will graciously Pardon and Forgive us his Children II. By being his Children he will not be so severe as to mark what is done amiss as to sins of Infirmity And Secondly being his Children he will not be severe to mark what is done amiss tho' after our Return to him through the Infirmity of our Flesh we do not altogether live up to the Rule by an Unsinning Obedience provided we watch carefully against the common Infirmities of Humane Nature and do not wilfully Indulge our selves in any of ' em The Rigour of the First Covenant would admit of no less than a Perfect Exact Vnsinning Obedience the never Offending in any one Point In the day thou dost eat thereof thou shalt surely dye Gen. 2.17 But here under the Second our Father deals with us with the Indulgence of a tender Parent who does not throw off his Child and withdraw his Kindness upon the smallest Offences and such as through Ignorance Surprize or the like cannot in this our fall'n and corrupt State be avoided But as a Father pitieth his own Children even so the Lord pitieth them that fear him that is Who do not willingly displease him Psal 103.13 In a word As the Pardon of Sins whether great or small is a Mercy held out to us only in the Covenant of Grace so it is granted us under this very Notion of being Children of God as appears from Mal. 3.17 where the Prophet foretels the Happy State of Christians upon this very Score in these words And they shall be mine saith the Lord of Hosts in that day when I make up my Jewels and I will spare them as a man spareth his own Son that serveth him And more particularly yet Eph. 1.3.5.7 Forgiveness of Sins is there specify'd as the distinct Priviledge of Adopted Sons in these words God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ having predestinated us unto the Adoption of Children by Jesus Christ unto himself according to the good pleasure of his Will in him we have Redemption through his Blood the Forgiveness of Sins according to the Riches of his Grace And Thirdly which is an Appendage to this same Priviledge III. To the Children of God is granted an easier Access by Prayer to the Throne of Grace for Pardon of Sins and other Mercies A Child of God upon the Score of such his Relation is permitted to have an easy Access to the Throne of Grace and is admitted to Address himself in Prayer to God as for whatever other Mercies he stands in need of so for Pardon of Sins when he has Transgrest with a full Assurance of a gracious Answer The Gentiles who serv'd no Gods but what their own Imaginations created did it after a Slavish manner for how could they be sure the Offended Deity was to be Entreated when he had Reveal'd no such thing unto ' em And so did the Jews also who serv'd the True God it was in a Servile manner too for when they had committed an Offence against the Law they were to provide their Sacrifice and bring it to the Priest and he was to Offer it for 'em whilst they stood at a distance But now the Veil of the Sanctuary being broke upon the Death of our High-Priest We have therefore the Liberty to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus by a New and Living way which he hath Consecrated for us through the Veil that is to say his Flesh And
Leaning and Rolling themselves upon the Promises of Christ for Salvation But for any to expect to be Justify'd and Accepted by God without forsaking their evil Ways and without working out also their own Salvation with fear and trembling that is without being extreamly careful themselves to be Obedient to God's most Holy Laws is gross Hypocrisie and will miserably deceive us Hypocrisie is with vain Shews and Pretences to deceive our selves or others and to be only Hearers or Believers of the Word and not Doers is to deceive our selves St. James tells us 1. 22. And a greater than he even our Blessed Saviour himself hath assured us Mat. 7.21 That not everyone who saith unto him Lord Lord shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven but he that doth the Will of his Father which is in Heaven And as for the Pretence they have to live securely in unrepented Habits of Sin that the Grace and Mercy of Christ is more Magnify'd the greater Sinners they are I answer That the greater Sinners they have been the greater is the Mercy which Forgives 'em when they do repent according to that of the Apostle Rom. 5.20 21. Where Sin abounded Grace did much more abound that as Sin hath reigned unto Death even so might Grace reign through Jesus Christ our Lord. But to make the Magnifying of God's Grace a Reason for Security whilst Men continue in Sin this indeed was a false Conclusion that some in the First Times as well as now were apt to draw from St. Paul's Doctrine of Justification but which that Great Apostle rejected with the utmost Indignation and Abhorrence in the next Chapter v. 1 2. What shall we say then Shall we continue in Sin that Grace may abound God forbid How shall we that are dead to Sin live any longer therein No sure the Doctrine of Christianity tho' it lays aside the Original Law of Righteousness and the Law of Moses from being either of 'em a Rule of Righteousness in conforming to which we shall be Justify'd yet this Doctrine most strictly obliges us to a sincere Reformation from all former Sins and to a Newness of Life as the indispensible Condition of being Justify'd by God Nor is there the least occasion given us by this Doctrine to value our selves upon our own Righteous Performances when it is only of Grace that we are able to do any thing which is good and the Acceptance of the Good we do is owing to the Mediation of Christ who obtained such Gracious Terms and Conditions of Justification for us Which Considerations as I have already made appear do sufficiently shew that we are Justify'd freely by God's Grace in Christ and do exclude all Grounds and Occasion of Boasting A summary account of justifying Faith In a word and to conclude this whole Point the only Faith or Belief that will Justifie and Save us must be such a full Perswasion of the Truth of Christianity and all its Great Doctrines those I mean which are in a peculiar manner call'd the Articles of our Christian Faith it must be such a through Perswasion I say of those great and powerful Truths as will purifie us in Heart and Life and will effectually excite us to live up to the Rules of Christianity and make us sincerely and heartily to Obey God in all his most Holy and Righteous Laws And it must be such withal as will cause us to depend solely upon God's Mercies in Christ for the Acceptance of our imperfect Righteousness to our Justification And all those kinds of Faith call 'em what you will which are barren of unfruitful in Good Works or if they stir us up to encounter some Difficulties do not bear us up under all Temptations nor enable us to perform the more difficult Instances of Christian Duty and Obedience those which are most contrary to our Lusts and Interests as well as the more easie which are agreeable to our Profit or Pleasure The Faith that is not powerful enough to carry us through all Temptations is defective to the great Purposes of Justifying and Saving us The necessity of our often incalculating such a Faith And moreover I must acquaint you that the necessity of a working Faith to that end as it is the great Doctrine of Christianity so it ought to be throughly explain'd and often insisted upon by us Ministers of the Gospel for fear of People's Mistakes in this matter which will be most dangerous to their Souls And accordingly St. Paul lays a solemn Charge upon us Tit. 3.8 that we should in the same manner I have already done explain and inculcate the Doctrine of Faith unto you This is a faithful Saying and these things I will that thou affirm constantly that they which have Believed in God might be careful to maintain Good Works for these things or these Doctrines are profitable unto Men. THE XXXI Lecture I Believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth I Have already shew'd you what it is to Believe that our Faith must be such as rectifies and renews our Corrupt Nature as moves us to the performance of the most difficult Instances of Christian Duty and such as after all causes us to relie solely upon the Mercies of God in Christ for the Acceptance of our imperfect Obedience to our Justification And now by the Divine Assistance I shall proceed to explain unto you all those sacred Truths contain'd in your Creed which are of such mighty Importance And there are not a few such powerful and practical Truths imply'd in this one Article I Believe in God the Father Almighty Maker of Heaven and Earth Towards the full Explication of which that it may effectually work a blessed Change both in our Hearts and Lives I will do these Things I. I will in some measure declare unto you the Nature and Infinite Perfections of that Divine Being which we call God I Believe in God II. I will prove to you that this Infinitely perfect Being out of his Infinite Power Wisdom and Goodness made the Heaven and the Earth and all Things both Visible and Invisible therein contain'd Maker of Heaven and Earth III. I will explain and prove that this same God who made the Heaven and the Earth does now exercise a most Wise Just and Good Providence over it and every thing therein contain'd which is the Importance of the Word Almighty in this Article as shall be shew'd hereafter IV. I might here demonstrate to you that there is but one God for so the Nicene Creed which is but a Paraphrase upon this does teach us I Believe in one God And Lastly that in the Vnity of the Godhead there is a Trinity of Persons Father Son and Holy Ghost I Believe in God the Father And the other two Persons are also mention'd in their proper place But because I would be as little guilty as possible in this Exposition of repeating hereafter what I have said before I shall referr the Doctrine of
Eternal Redemption for us Heb. 9.12 4. They differ in respect of the Sins made pardonable by each Covenant respectively There were many sins for which the first Covenant granted no Pardon upon any terms whatsoever They that despised Moses's Law died without mercy Heb. 10.28 But the Covenant of Grace makes promise of the pardon of the Greatest Sins upon Repentance All manner of Sin and Blasphemy except the Blasphemy against the Holy Ghost are pardonable upon Repentance This difference is set down Acts 13.39 And by him all that believe are justified from all things from which ye could not be justified by the Law of Moses We may well suppose that the first Covenant did finally Condemn some which the Covenant of Mercy Pardoned David in the matter of Vriah did that which was unpardonable by the first Covenant it was a Fact to have been punished with Death by the Law but that there was none but God that could duly inflict it upon him in his capacity and yet upon his Repentance it was pardoned as to his Eternal Concerns as well as Temporal by virtue of God's Covenant of Mercy On the other hand a Man probably might be so Righteous in the Eye of the first Covenant as not to be visibly blameable and yet even then be obnoxious to the Curse of the Everlasting Covenant Paul while he was Saul and in the state of Unbelief was even then as touching the righteousness which is in the Law blameless as he himself saith Phil. 3.6 So different were these two Covenants that him whom the one Condemned the other might Justifie and likewise Justifie him whom the other Condemned 5. They differed in respect of the condition to be performed on Man's part for the obtaining of pardon Pardon was promised in the first Covenant upon condition of Doing only without reference to Faith but so are not the pardons of the New Covenant Gal. 3.11.12 But that no man is justified by the Law in the sight of God it is evident for the Just shall live by Faith And the Law is not of Faith but the man that doth them shall live in them So much concerning the first Part of the Sanction of the first Covenant Come we now to the second The other part of the Sanction of this Covenant did consist in the Curse of it denounced against the breakers of it Though it 's true that every Man is under a Condemnation that would be Eternal unless he comes to be absolved by virtue of the Law of Grace yet more than temporal Death was not expresly threatned for breach of the Political Covenant as such 1. For first a violent Death inflicted by the hand of the Magistrate for Capital Offences is called the Curse Deut. 22.23 He that is hanged is accursed of God or is the Curse of God 2. Christ who did not suffer Eternal Punishment for Man's Sin did yet suffer the Curse of the Law in that he was hanged on a Tree Gal. 3.13 It is true indeed that by that temporary Sufferings of his he redeemed us from Eternal Punishment which we were obnoxious to 3. Those who Apostatize from Christ and reject his Gospel merit sorer punishment than what was inflicted on them that despised Moses's Law and yet sorer Punishment for kind they cannot suffer if Eternal punishment had been the penalty of that Covenant as such Heb. 10.28 29. 4. As the Promises of that Covenant when particularly expressed did appear to be but temporal so the Curses of it appear to be no other in the particular enumeration of them As for instance a violent Death inflicted by the Hand of the Magistrate was the punishment threatned for many Capital Offences Such as was Idolatry Blasphemy Witchcraft Working on the Sabbath invading the Priests Office and for being a false Prophet and also for Murder Adultery Sodomy Buggery Man-stealing Cursing or Smiting of Parents or being stubbornly Rebellious against them and some other And a cutting off from among the People whither by God's hand immediately or by Man's I determine not was the penalty threatned for eating Leavened Bread within the time prohibited for not Purifying ones self when Unclean for profaning holy things for ones eating of the Sacrifice with his Uncleanness upon him for offering Sacrifice any where but at the Tabernacle for eating of Blood and for eating of the Fat of the Sacrifice for neglecting to keep the Passover and for not afflicting the Soul in the Day of general Atonement and for several other Offences And those Offences for which cutting off from among the People is threatned being less criminous than the former we have no reason to think the penalty of cutting off from among the People to signifie more if so much than the suffering of a temporal Death We may observe how the Israelites various Punishments are exprest for their manifold Crimes in the Wilderness by God's overthrowing them in the Wilderness by Pestilence and otherwise 1 Cor. 10. In brief The temporal Evils threatned in this Covenant were either Personal Domestick or National The Personal and Domestick Evils were no less than whatsoever tended to the infelicity of Man's Life as Diseases in Body Perplexity of Mind Unfruitfulness in Body in Cattel in Ground Scarcity Poverty Oppression loss of Relations fewness of Days and an untimely cutting off from the Promised Land The National were wild Beasts Pestilence Sword Famine Captivity and such like These were inflicted when the breach of the Covenant became National in the generality of the People But especially when those who had the management of Publick Affairs Civil and Ecclesiastick did not restrain the People by a due Execution of Laws but rather led them into sin by their Example and sometimes by their Commands corrupting Religion and perverting Justice Levit. 26. Deut. 28. And the Evils threatned being National as the Covenant it self was they must needs be but Temporal because there is no Judging Condemning and Executing Nations as Nations but in this World 4. Come we now to shew reason why this Covenant is called the first Covenant since there were others made before it as that with Adam in Paradise and that Covenant of Salvation with Adam after his Fall and with Noah and Abraham And 1. Negatively It is not so called as if it were the same for substance with that which was first made with Adam in Paradise as many have thought or because it was proposed upon the same terms For First That Covenant was established upon the terms or condition of perfect Innocency no provision being made in it for pardon in case of failure upon any condition whatsoever But it was otherwise in this Mosaick Covenant as I have shewed in that it contained several Laws of Indemnity for the Relief of delinquent Persons upon certain possible and practicable Conditions Secondly If this and the Paradisical-Covenant had been of the same nature then it and the Promise made to Abraham and his Spiritual Seed would have been inconsistent the
in all the material Parts of the Christian Religion to the Belief and Practice of which you have given up your Names This by the Assistance of God I shall endeavour to do and I beg your Prayers to obtain his Assistance and in the same Method your Catechism teaches you Our Catechism gives an entire Instruction in the Covenant of Grace both generally and particularly and I am sure I cannot choose a better to do it in since whatsoever is necessary to be Believ'd and Practis'd in order to Salvation you have therein taught you both generally and particularly As to a more General Institution you have the summ and substance of the Christian Religion and whatsoever is necessary to Salvation taught you that way in those Three Questions and Answers which I have now read to you The summ and substance of Christian Religion I. Generally in the 3 First Questions and Answers and whatsoever is necessary to Salvation is certainly contain'd within the Covenant of Grace for undoubtedly there can be nothing more of absolute Necessity to Salvation than what God himself has been pleas'd to Promise and Ensure unto us and we our selves have Engag'd to perform And now in these Three Questions and Answers now read to you First You have whatsoever pertains to the Nature of the Covenant of Grace expresly deliver'd I will Instance to you the particulars which pertain to the Nature of it and will point to the Words wherein they are taught And in the first place you are Instructed what are the Terms and Conditions whereof it consists both on God's Part and on Ours in these Words Wherein I was made a Member of Christ a Child of God and an Inheritour of the Kingdom of Heaven which are the Mercies and Favours made over to us on God's Part of the Covenant and in these First That I should Renounce the Devil and all his Works the Pomps and Vanity of this wicked World and all the sinful Lusts of the Flesh Secondly That I should Believe all the Articles of the Christian Faith And Thirdly That I should keep God's Holy Will and Commandments and walk in the same all the days of my Life which are the Conditions to be perform'd on our Part of the Covenant Secondly You have here taught you the Gracious Importance of this Covenant we are put thereby into A State of Salvation Thirdly You have an Account of the Original of it and by whose Mediation you obtain'd so Beneficial and Gracious a Covenant taught you in these Words Through Jesus Christ our Saviour It was through the Mediation of Jesus Christ that we obtain'd the Benefit of so Gracious a Covenant Fourthly You are Instructed by whom and how you have been call'd into this State of Salvation by Means of the Covenant of Grace It was your Heavenly Father who hath called you to this State of Salvation through Jesus Christ our Saviour And Lastly You are admonisht of the very great reason you have to thank God and our Saviour Jesus Christ for so exceeding great a Mercy as his Calling you into it And I thank God our Heavenly Father that he hath called me to this State of Salvation thro' Jesus Christ our Saviour Thus far you are instructed concerning what pertains to the Nature of the Covenant II. You have also declar'd unto you by what Sacrament or Solemnity you first enter'd into it It was in your Baptism wherein you was made a Member of Christ c. III. You have then those vast Obligations lying upon you Faithfully and Conscientiously to discharge your part of the Covenant laid plainly before you This you own in your Answer to this Question Dost thou not think that thou art bound to Believe and to Do as they have promis'd for thee To which you are taught to answer Yes verily so I will IV. You have farther yet the Means whereby you shall be enabled to perform your part of the Covenant The First is the Grace Help and Assistance of God And by God's Help so I will The Second Means both to obtain the Divine Assistance and to enable you thereby to discharge your Covenant is Prayer unto God And I Pray unto God to give me his Grace that I may continue in the same unto my Lives end And Lastly You have also Intimated herein Two material Circumstances relating to the making of this Covenant betwixt God and You viz. 1. The time of Infancy wherein you enter'd into it imply'd in these Words Wherein I was made 2. The Persons by whom as Proxies you were Initiated therein My Godfathers and Godmothers did promise and vow three Things in my Name I will endeavour to Explain all these Points unto you in this First and General Part according as they are here taught you in these Questions and Answers now read as the Text beginning First With what pertains to the Nature of the Covenant of Grace And in order to the Understanding hereof it may not be amiss to premise something concerning the more general Notion of such Covenants as are usually made betwixt Governours and their Subjects And such an One if it be perfect in all its Parts and fully exprest may be Defin'd to be An Agreement between the Two Parties wherein there are Promises The Notion of a Covenant Rewards or profitable Considerations made over on one Part and certain Conditions to be perform'd on the other And wherein also there is an Obligation on the one side of undergoing some certain Penalties in case of not performing those Conditions consented unto by him and impos'd on him by the other A Covenant I say is a mutual Agreement between Two Parties It is a mutual Agreement for if it be not mutual and both Parties are not consenting to the Terms the One to the making good the Promises the Other to the performing the Conditions the Agreement is none at all or it is not Perfected nor is it Obliging on either side There may be indeed a Law given by one that is Superiour in Power and Authority which the Inferior is bound to Obey whether he consent or no because he is plac'd by the Divine Ordinance under the Other 's Command and if he does refuse to Obey he may be justly Punisht but then such a Transaction is to be consider'd as the giving of a Law not as the making of a Covenant Nor is this a slight Difference for where a Superior has given a Law if the Inferior has also Covenanted and consented upon good Considerations and upon the Expectation of promis'd Rewards to obey that Law such a Covenant does withal lay a farther Obligation on the Party on whom the Conditions ly to be perform'd by vertue of his own Consent to do it so that in the Violation of his Duty in such a case he shall be accounted not barely Disobedient but a Covenant-breaker which is added as a more aggravated Sin Rom. 1.31 and therefore deserving a more severe Punishment As
Body the Church there are the Ordinances of Sacraments Preaching Publick and Common Prayers and such like Holy Offices Administred by Persons set apart for that Purpose to be the Conveyances of those ordinary Supplies of his Holy Spirit which he thinks necessary to preserve that Member in Health and Vigour So that thus at length you see how that in keeping in Union with the mystical Body of Christ his Church and with its Lawful Governours and Teachers and in the use of Sacraments and other Divine Ordinances those Conduits and Conveyances of his Holy Spirit to us we shall have spiritual Life and Strength and Vigour derived down to us from Christ our spiritual Head in like manner as in the natural Body of Man the Animal Life and Strength and Vigour is derived down to all the parts of the Body from the natural Head And this is a most singular Priviledge if compar'd with that little or nothing of this Nature which others who are not Members of Christ's Church do enjoy and also it will appear to be a most exceeding great Advantage if consider'd in it self And First If we compare our Happiness with Others I. Divine Grace a most singular Priviledge if compared with what others enjoy of this Nature we shall find it the peculiar Advantage of Christianity which no other Law nor Doctrine so much as pretends to that it not only clearly teacheth us and strongly perswadeth us to so excellent a Way of Life but provideth also Divine Help and Assistance to Enable us to Practice it If God would have Ordinarily and in the way of a Constant Dispensation imparted so excellent a Gift to any to be sure it would have been to the Jewish Church but we are told Joh. 1.17 That the Law was given by Moses but that Grace came by Jesus Christ that is the Graces and Gifts of His Holy Spirit as well as other Mercies and Favours so that tho' Moses deliver'd Legal Precepts it is by Jesus Christ we shall have the Assistance whereby we shall be Enabled to attain unto Holiness And as to that Measure of Grace afforded to Holy Men under the Law whatsoever it were it was through him the Promised Messiah and in Vertue of that Covenant of Grace Confirmed with Abraham before the Law but the more constant Influences of the Holy Spirit and the fuller Measures thereof are derived from him down upon us now under the Gospel And because of that more plentiful Measure of Grace and Spirit Communicated unto us from Christ under the Gospel does the Apostle call the Gospel the Ministration of the Spirit in Opposition to the Law which he styles the Ministration of Death 2 Cor. 3.8 9. And does therefore so assuredly promise himself Success in his Ministry ver 5 6. Such trust have we in Christ to Godward not that we are sufficient of our selves to think any thing as of our selves but our sufficiency is of God who hath made us able Ministers of the New Testament or Covenant not of the Letter but of the Spirit where the Gospel is styl'd the Spirit as for other Reasons so for this in the Judgment of the Learned Dr. Hammond that Grace which is the Gift of the Spirit is now join'd to the Gospel which was not to the Law In a Word and to speak in the Words of a Learned Author Other Laws for want of this are in effect Ministeries of Condemnation Racks of Conscience Parents of Guilt and of Regret Reading hard Lessons but not assisting to do after them Imposing heavy Burthens but not Enabling to bear them But our Law of the Gospel is not such it is not a dead Letter but hath a quickning Spirit accompanying it it not only soundeth through the Ear but stampeth it self upon the Heart of him that sincerely doth Embrace it it always carryeth with it a sure Guide to all Good and a safe Guard from all Evil. II. An exceeding Advantage considered in it self And this Advantage as it is proper to our Religion So it is exceeding considerable in it self The Advantage is that every Member in Christ's Body in what Station soever he be shall have sufficient Supplies of Grace derived down from Christ our Head proportionable to his Necessities by those means of Conveying it which Christ has appointed for that Purpose All the Members of Christ have Supplies proportionable to their Station in the Church I say every Member in Christ's Body in what Station soever he be For As we have many Members in one Body and all Members have not the same Office so we being many are one Body in Christ and every one Members one of another Rom. 12.4 5. that is there are different Members in the Church of Christ some are to be Governours and Teachers of Others and accordingly must be Endow'd with a Spirit of Government and Gift of Teaching and others are of a more private Capacity in the Church of Christ whatever they may in other Respects and their Business is to keep a Conscience void of Offence both towards God and Man and faithfully to discharge their Duties to God their Neighbour and Themselves And whatever I say those several Duties are which arise from their several Stations in the Church they shall have a competent measure of Divine Grace Enabling them to discharge ' em They shall not have Gifts that are necessary to the Discharge of other's Offices but be destitute of these of their own that is a private Christian call'd to no Office in the Church is not to expect nor ought to pretend to have received Gifts of Government and Teaching in a publick Ministerial way For God is not the Author of Confusion but of Peace in all the Churches of the Saints 1 Cor. 14.33 But every Member of the mystical Body by keeping himself united to the Head in such ways as has been shew'd shall have such Graces and Assistances derived down to him from Christ who is that Head as are necessary and proper for him And that too in such Measures and Proportions as according to the different Times and Occasions in the Church are wanting And also in such Measures as according to different Times and Occasions in the Church are wanting Thus in the first Plantation of the Gospel when the Work was so Extraordinary that there was need of Miracles to convince the Jews of the Insufficiency of Moses's Law and the Gentiles of the Falshood of the Pagan Superstition then did Christ bestow upon his Apostles divers extraordinary Gifts viz. Of Miracles Prophecy discerning of Spirits divers kind of Tongues and the Interpretation of Tongues 1 Cor. 12.10 And as to all Christians in general as the malice of Satan did then most violently rage against the Church Persecuting to the Death those who would not Renounce Christ and his Religion so all the Christians in those Times were very extraordinarily Strengthen'd no doubt to resist such strong Temptations But now that the Church is
having him our High-Priest over the House of God we may hence-forward draw near with a true Heart in full Assurance of Faith having our Hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience Heb. 10.19 20 21 22. that is Every Christian provided he comes not with the guilt of any unrepented Sin upon his Conscience may himself now Offer up his own Prayers to God through Christ without the Mediation of any other Priest or Sacrifice and that with a full Assurance of being graciously heard and answer'd And that this Faith and full Assurance with which we may Approach unto God to Pray to him for the Forgiveness of Sins is our Priviledge only as we are the Sons of God by Adoption is plain from St. Paul Rom. 8.15 Ye have not received the Spirit of Bondage again unto fear as under the Law but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry unto God Abba Father And again Gal. 4.6 Because ye are thus made his Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father And now Lastly If there be any other very considerable Priviledge Lastly A Child of God is more surely instated in the Inheritance of Heaven than others accruing to a Child of God from such his Relation it is That God will more surely Instate him in the Inheritance of Heaven than he will do others that have no such Relation to him And indeed if Children of God then Heirs we are told Heirs of God and Joint-Heirs with Christ Rom. 8.17 But the Vastness of this will be best consider'd by us when we come to the Explication of that Third and the last of those Priviledges made over to us on God's Part in the Covenant of Grace viz. What it is to be an Inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven The infinite reason we have to praise God for these Advantages And now upon the Review of what has been said in the Exposition of this present Article In what Admiration of God's Goodness may we all of us cry out with St. John 1 Epist 3.1 Behold what manner of Love the Father hath bestow'd upon us that we should be call'd the Sons of God And what infinite Reason have we with St. Paul thankfully to Praise him for it Eph. 1.3.5 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath Blessed us Christians with all Spiritual Blessings in and concerning Heavenly Places and Concerns of the World to come through Christ having Predestinated us to the Adoption and Priviledges of Children by Jesus Christ unto himself according to the good Pleasure of his Will He Adopted us to be his Children according to the good Pleasure of his Will This Priviledge that we should be his Children is Attended with very rich Advantages all which have accru'd to us not from any Merit and Desert of ours being suppos'd Enemies unto him but only from his free Goodness towards us which was pleas'd so to determine it And as it is both Great and Free we ought certainly with all possible Acknowledgments to Magnify and Extol both his infinite Condescension and Goodness and our own unspeakable Priviledge and Dignity therein Indeed for God to be a Father by Creation and Providence as One observes tho' it be a Mercy yet it is no Priviledge for in that Sence he is Parens rerum the common Parent of all things But that God should be thy Father by Adoption that he should make thee his Son through his only Begotten Son that he should rake up Dirt and Filth as thou art and lay it in his Bosom that he should take Aliens and Strangers near unto himself and Adopt Enemies and Rebels into his Family Register their Names in the Book of Life make them Heirs of Glory Co-heirs with Jesus Christ his Eternal Son as the Apostle doth admiringly re-count it Rom. 8.17 This is Mercy and Miracle both It is indeed an invaluable Grace and Favour that we should be Adopted his Children were it only for this that he will be ready to Pardon our Sins and Infirmities and will Admit us favourably to Address our Selves and Prayers to him But this Priviledge of being his Children will farther appear to be beyond all Expression Great since if Children as the Apostle infers Rom. 8.17 then Heirs Heirs of God and Joint-Heirs with Christ If a Child of God then which Crowns all the rest of his Covenanted Mercies Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven which yet it is said we shall be But what and how Great that Third and Last Priviledge of the Covenant is I am in the Explication of the next Article to declare unto you THE Eighth Lecture And an Inheritour of the Kingdom of Heaven HAving hitherto spoke to the Two First Priviledges made over to us in the Covenant of Grace that thereby we are First made Members of Christ and Secondly Children of God Having both Explain'd to you the Meaning and Importance of those Two Articles and laid out to you the Vastness of those Priviledges and Advantages contain'd therein I come now in like manner to Explain to you the Third which is that we are made thereby Inheritours of the Kingdom of Heaven And indeed this Last does necessarily follow from the other For as St. Paul speaks Rom. 8.17 If Children then Heirs Heirs of God and Joint-Heirs with Christ This is the Perfection of all God's Promises and Favours vouchsafed in the Second Covenant It comes last and Crowns all the rest And it will be the certain Reward of all those that persevere to the end of their Lives in well-doing and in sincere Obedience notwithstanding all Temptations to the contrary to God's most Righteous Commands Be faithful unto Death says our Saviour and I will give thee a Crown of Life Rev. 2.10 And that you may throughly understand the vast greatness of this most extraordinary Priviledge made over to you by Covenant so as to be excited thereby to render your selves worthy to be Partakers thereof according to my usual Method I will Explain to you First What is meant by the Kingdom of Heaven Secondly What it Imports to be an Inheritour of it And then Lastly I will lay out before you the Vastness of our Priviledge in being made Inheritours of the Kingdom of Heaven And First I am to Explain unto you By the Kingdom of Heaven is meant in Scripture either First the Kingdom of Grace in this Life or Secondly the Kingdom of Glory in the Life to come what is meant by the Kingdom of Heaven The Kingdom of Heaven is an Expression we do meet with above Thirty times in the New Testament and I think we may safely say That we are constantly to understand by it either First The Kingdom of Grace in this Life or Secondly The Kingdom of Glory in the Life to come By the Kingdom of Grace in this Life I mean that Happy and Blessed State of us Christians now under the Gospel wherein we Enjoy the Happiness
shame of that will engage you to commit another to hide the former And therefore it is I say the usual Policy of Satan when he has Tempted any Person to commit a Wickedness then to lay the Shame and Disgrace thereof so sensibly before him that he shall again commit a worse on purpose to cover the Knowledge of the former from the Eyes of Men. And then Tenthly When he has once Engag'd a Person into many Sins either he will lull him into a fatal Security X. Having once Engaged a Person into many Sins he either lulls him in security or drives him into despair whereby he foolishly perswades himself that God will deal more mercifully with him than he has declared in his Word or else Satan will not fail to present at last to such an enormous Sinner's Conscience the infinite Guilt and Horrour of his Crimes to make him despair if he can that ever they will be Forgiven they are so many and Monstrous That so he may never endeavour to Repent or so much as fly to God in Prayer to have Mercy on him At first he presented to the Sinner's Fancy nothing but the Beauty the Conveniency the Pleasure the Glory of the Things of this World as of the Pleasures Riches and the Honours of this Life with all their Advantages without any thing of that Sting and Remorse and Trouble that must necessarily attend them if unlawfully pursued and obtain'd But when by this Means the Sinner has run on without the least stop or stay into a vast Number of wasting Sins some of them perhaps of such a Nature that no Reparation or Restitution can be made for them as Adultery and Murder Then will he pour in all of a sudden whole Broad-sides such an Horrour and such an amazing sence of Guilt into the Soul of such a Sinner that thinking it to no purpose to Retreat he shall push on to commit the most outragious Villanies till at length when Death seizes him he goes down into Hell desperately Cursing the Day he was Born and Blaspheming that God who gave him a Being And now Lastly I shall not mention any other way wherein Satan tempts Men except it be when God in Punishment to some sort of Sinners does abandon them to the Devil Lastly there are those whom God does in a great Measure give up to the Delusion of Satan Others whom he does wholly Abandon to the Power of the Devil to be wholly in a manner Ordered and Acted by him And there are Three sorts of Sinners that do seem to be thus abandon'd by God and given up some in a great measure others wholly to the Management of Satan First Such ill-dispos'd Minds as out of Hatred to the Ways of God and out of Love to their own Lusts do endeavour to possess their Minds with such Principles and do seek such Teachers as will make Sin easy to their Consciences and will reconcile the Hopes of Heaven and a bad Life together And such are in danger of being justly left in a great measure to the Delusion of the Devil As to such Men because They receive not the Love of the Truth that they might be Saved God does threaten to send them strong Delusions that they should believe a Lye 2 Thes 2.10 11. And because the Generality of the World is so ill-dispos'd that it cannot endure sound Doctrine which would discover or hinder or gall their Consciences in their evil Practices God does therefore most justly permit so many to be Deluded by Satan I. Such ill-dispos'd Minds as out of love to their Lusts seek after such Principles Teachers as will make sin easy to their Consciences are justly left to the Delusions of Satan into the most vile Principles and Prâ—ctices Hence no doubt has the Church of Rome in these latteâ—â—ays as 't was foretold it would 1 Tim. 4.1 Departed from the Faith giving heed to Seducing Spirits and Doctrines of Devils And hence also amongst our selves do so many particular Persons When they will not endure sound Doctrines heap to themselves Teachers having itching Ears and do turn away their Ears from the Truth and are turned unto Fables 2 Tim. 4.3 4. There are a Second sort of Sinners who seem'd to be wholly abandon'd by God and yielded up to Satan to be Tempted by him at his Pleasure and they are such II. Such as by a long Course of many Damning Sins have laid wast the Conscience and have baffled all the Methods of God's Grace to Reclaim 'em these are sometimes even in this Life abandon'd by God to be acted by the Devil Who in a long Course of many damning Sins that lay wast the Conscience have baffled all the Methods of his Grace to reclaim them and have resisted and grieved his Holy Spirit so long till Grace be wholly withdrawn from them Such are called Children of Disobedience Eph. 2.2 which in the Phrase of Scripture does signify Persons extreamly Disobedient and of such it is said in the same Verse that the Evil Spirit worketh in them He does act them as the Soul does the Body and does hurry them into such vicious Extravagancies and to commit such outragious Impieties that they seem to be Devils Incarnate Thus did the Devil enter into Judas Luk. 22.3 after he had formerly Baffled all the good Admonitions of our Saviour to reclaim him from his Thievery and other Villanies and at length spur'd him on to commit the Blackest Crime that ever was heard of even to Betray the Lord of Life into the Hands of his Enemies And there are many ungodly Wretches now a-days who do seem to sin with so much Enmity and Despite against God that it is hard to say whether they are not Devils in Humane Shapes But it is the same thing they have sinn'd themselves to that Degree that God has given them up and the Devil seems to Animate them And lastly so are Witches Magicians and Conjurers who have Covenanted away both Body Soul to the Devil on Condition he will be for some time at their Beck to execute their vile and malicious Purposes A Third sort of Persons abandon'd by God and that utterly to the Power and Management of Satan to actuate them as he pleases Are Witches and Magicians or Conjurers such as was that Woman of whom we read 1 Sam. 28. And these are a sort of miserable Wretches so far forsaken of Grace and the Fear of God that they have expresly Covenanted away both Body and Soul to the Devil on Condition he will be at their Beck to Execute their vile and malicious Purposes For Envy Malice and Revenge seems to be the Soul that animates these Children of the Devil or else the Pride and Vanity of doing Wonders and an insatiable Curiosity of knowing those secret Things to come which belong to God alone to know has put 'em upon making such a Contract with Satan And these wretched Miscreants sure must be suppos'd
a Place it will not make you go there because it is a Promise that you are not Concern'd in but the other Person if he be certainly perswaded the Promise will be made good to him will certainly go to the appointed Place because it is a Promise that he is Concerned in And so likewise as to the Case in hand That a sure Promise of the Pardon of our Sins and Eternal Happiness is made over to us in the Second Covenant on Condition we will forsake the Service of Satan and of Sin that we will Repent heartily Believe practically and Obey sincerely is a Truth that the Devils to their great Grief are fully perswaded of for they believe and tremble St. James tells us But this Faith of theirs does not put them upon Repentance and Amendment because those gracious Promises do not Concern them and they have no Promise of Salvation tho' they should Repent and Amend But as to us whom they do Concern and to whom they are made if we are really perswaded that if we amend we shall be certainly Saved we shall immediately upon such Perswasion seriously Repent of what has been done amiss heretofore and take care to Obey God for the future For every Man that hath this Hope in God purifieth himself even as he is pure 1 Joh. 3.3 In short the Articles of our Christian Faith are every one of 'em so many Motives and those the most powerful ones in the World to stir us up to a diligent Reformation of our Hearts and Lives They are in themselves the most obliging Arguments to it and with respect to us they are the most Concerning and Important Truths that can be containing in the meaning of 'em either Threatnings to scare us out of Sin or Promises to allure us to Obedience Either such Considerations as are apt to excite our Fears when we are in a Course of Impiety or are Grounds whereon we may build the vastest Hopes in the Performance of our Duty And if any One does not live accordingly a Godly Righteous and a Sober Life I dare be bold to say it is owing to some spice of Infidelity lurking in his Heart whereby he is not throughly perswaded of or does not actually consider these Truths But he that does throughly Believe and Consider them can hardly fail of being a Good Liver Thus necessary you see it is that our Belief of all the Articles of our Christian Faith be such as does Influence us to good Works And then after all II. To Believe savingly we must apply our selves to Jesus Christ to intercede w th God the Father for our Gracious Acceptance II. It must be a Belief that causes us to betake our selves to Jesus Christ to Intercede with God the Father for their Gracious Acceptance This I have formerly in the beginning of my Exposition insisted upon yet such is the growing Infidelity of the World with respect to this which is the most Essential part of Christian Faith that it would not be unseasonable should I again shew you that we must depend upon the Mediation of Christ with the Father for us that our imperfect Righteousness may be graciously accepted to our Justification This is that Act of Faith which is called in Scripture Believing in Christ and to such a Believing as this it is that our Justification is Attributed by St. Paul Gal. 2.16 Know this that a Man is not Justified by the Works of the Law but by the Faith of Jesus Christ even we have Believed in Jesus Christ that we might be Justified by the Faith of Christ and not by the Works of the Law for by the Works of the Law shall no Flesh be Justified And as this Act of Faith the Relying upon God's Mercies in Christ does wonderfully exalt the Divine Justice and Mercy so it leaves no place to the Creature to Attribute any part of its Happiness to it self but does utterly exclude all occasions of Boasting God hath set forth Jesus Christ his Son to be a Propitiation through Faith in his blood to declare his Righteousness for the Remission of Sins that are past through the forbearance of God Where is Boasting then it is excluded By what Law of Works nay but by the Law of Faith Rom. 2.25.27 So that it is not enough that we Believe punctually but it is moreover necessary that we rely also on God's Mercies in Christ that our imperfect Holiness may be accepted or otherwise even our Assent to all the Articles of the Christian Faith will not avail us to our Justification and Salvation which brings me Lastly To shew you what it is to Believe ALL the Articles of our Christian Faith What to Believe All the Articles of the Christian Faith And 1. To Believe them All does Import that we must Assent to all and every one of those great Articles of Christian Doctrine contain'd in the Apostle's Creed 1. To Believe ALL these Articles does Import that we must Assent with a through Perswasion of their undoubted Truth and of their Divine Authority to all and every one of those great Articles of Christian Doctrine contained in the Apostle's Creed This Collection or Summary of Christian Doctrine is called by St. Paul Rom. 6.17 That Form of Doctrine which was deliver'd to the Christians that is that Summary of Christian Doctrine to the Belief and Practice of which they were deliver'd up and solemnly Consecrated in their Baptism And the same is call'd 2 Tim. 1.13 The Form of sound words which was heard of the Apostle himself and we are commanded to hold it fast that is to take care not to depart from it in any part thereof And as we must not shrink from the Confession and Belief of any one of those Articles which have been Handed down to us from the Apostles in that Summary or Form of sound words which makes up the Body of our Christian Faith so we must content our selves with the Belief of All those saving Truths and must not think there is any thing more to be Believ'd by our selves or others as necessary to Salvation But especially Such as tend to destroy a good Life and send us to other Mediators than Christ to Intercede with the Father for its Acceptance no Articles of Christian Faith we must take care of possessing our Minds with a Perswasion of the Truth of such Articles as do tend to destroy what the true Genuine Doctrines of Christianity viz. All the Articles of our Christian Faith do Build as do all or most at leastwise of the New Articles impos'd upon the Belief of Christians in the Romish Church Some of those Articles in the Romish Creed do plainly take away the necessity of a Good Life as might be easily made appear were it proper here to inlarge on that Point And other Doctrines of that Church do as apparently take Men off from depending solely upon the Mediation of Christ with his Father that he would graciously accept
I am sure so precious is one Soul in the sight of God that the Institution that shall contribute to the Salvation of many shall be of no small account with him Which good Effects would be much greater were the choice of Godfathers and Godmothers made according to the Canons of the Church And to the Edification of very many more I am sure this Ordinance would contribute if that choice were made of Persons for Godfathers and Godmothers which the Church prescribes For as our most excellent Church has taken an admirable Care of her Children in providing Security for their good Education and Christian Behaviour so to make that Security as good as possible and that they may be such as will be most likely to have that Care of those they stand for she Ordains in her 24th Canon That no Persons should be admitted to be Godfathers and Godmothers to any Child at a Christening or Confirmation before the said Person so undertaking hath received the Holy Communion And now if all Parents would provide such only and all Ministers would receive none other but who have Communicated then we should see much better effects of this Institution and that it would Minister very considerably to Edification for then the ungodly Crew that never approach the Holy Altar being excluded there would none but Persons of a tolerable good sense of Religion themselves be Sureties for others and from such we might expect a discharge of their Obligations But if Parents having other Respects than the good of their Childrens Souls will only provide such as are likely to make the Infant a good Present or leave it a Legacy or bestow handsomely on Midwives and Nurses let 'em be never so Loose and Lewd or mere Children or otherwise unqualify'd then no wonder if we see fewer good Effects of this excellent Institution which in it self is admirably well fitted to promote Edification But then this is the Fault of Parents not of the Church and notwithstanding this the appointment of Godfathers and Godmothers as Sureties in Baptism ought to be consider'd as a thing of a very useful Tendency as to the more decent Administration of the Sacrament of Baptism so to the better Edification of the Person Baptized to which purpose according to the Power given 'em by Christ the Governours of our Church have appointed it The Conclusion And thus in Commenting upon the Preliminary Questions and Answers of the Catechism I have at length gone through all those Heads of Discourse I did at first propose to speak to in order to give you a full Understanding of the Covenant of Grace that Covenant you enterd into with God in your Baptism For I. As to the Nature of this Covenant I have in the first place explain'd to you the Terms and Conditions of it both on Gods part and on ours In the second place I have laid before you the Gracious Importance of this Covenant shewing you how that it is a State of Salvation Thirdly I have accounted for the Original of it and by whose Mediation you obtain'd such Terms of Reconciliation with God and that it was through Jesus Christ our Lord. I have Fourthly acquainted you by whom and how you have been Call'd to this State of Salvation that it was Your Heavenly Father who hath called you to this State of Salvation through Jesus Christ our Lord. And Lastly have Admonish'd you of the very great Reason you have to thank God and our Saviour Jesus Christ for so exceeding great a Mercy as his Calling you into it So far I have let you into the Knowledge of the Nature of the Covenant of Grace And II. Having done this I have declar'd to you by what Sacrament or Solemnity you enter'd into it III. I have shew'd you the vast Obligations lying upon you faithfully to discharge your Covenant with God IV. I have directed you by what means you may perform it And Lastly That nothing might be wanting fully to Inform you in all that pertains to the Doctrine of this Covenant I have now Inform'd you in those two Circumstances relating to your entrance into it the Time when and the Persons by whom you were Initiated therein These last Points indeed I thought once to have deferr'd the treating upon till I shall come to the Last Part of the Catechism But tho' the whole Doctrine of Divine Assistance and Prayer may be treated upon when I shall come to the Lord's-Prayer and the Question which leads to it yet as they are the necessary Means of enabling us to perform our Covenant with God they ought at leastwise to be generally consider'd here And even the Doctrine of Infant Baptism and the use of Godfathers and Godmothers tho' there is a Question and Answer more direct upon both at the latter end of the Catechism yet the positive handling of 'em is properest in this place And whatever Objections can be rais'd against either will most naturally be handl'd upon these Words Why then are Infants Baptized when by reason of their tender Age they cannot perform them The Answer to which is Because they Promise them both by their Sureties which Promise when they come to Age themselves are bound to perform There is an Objection and Solution in these Words and therefore they will be the fittest to found a Discourse upon consisting of the like However I think the general Doctrine of the Covenant of Grace could not have been handl'd in all its Parts without the consideration of these latter Points and that I think may be sufficient to justifie us in treating upon 'em here so as to give you a general View as of the Covenant of Grace so of all that pertains to the Doctrine of it And now what remains but that you seriously reflect upon all that has been deliver'd upon this most important Subject of your Baptismal Covenant I do call it such and I do think it ought to be the most studied by you of any other For why First I take the Covenant of Grace or our Baptismal Covenant to comprise the whole Doctrine of Christianity even all that than which no Man as a meer Christian is necessitated to know more and than which the meanest ought not to know less No Man in any Civil Contract can perform his Bonds without knowing the Conditions of the Obligations no more can a Christian be suppos'd to perform his Covenant with God without knowing the Nature Terms and Conditions of it Secondly It is absolutely necessary that all Youth should comprehend the general Nature Terms and Conditions of their Baptismal Covenant before they go to be Confirm'd Thirdly And all Persons before they communicate in the Holy Sacrament because in both these Ordinances they ratifie their Baptismal Covenant with God Fourthly And if it be consider'd that all Persons in order to prepare for Death must strictly examine themselves concerning their Failures in all and every the Terms and Conditions requir'd on their part
days upon the Land c. Deut. 32.46 47. Set your hearts unto all the words which I testifie among you this day for it is not a vain thing for you because it is your life and through this thing ye shall prolong your days in the Land wherein ye go The latter words are exegetical of the former Through this thing ye shall prolong your days is the interpretation of those it is your Life And it may be considered also whether this Particle in which if a Man do he shall even live in them may not determine the nature and kind of that Reward which was promised in the first Covenant as it was a present Reward a Reward which was received even while the Work was doing according to that Psal 19.11 In keeping them there is great reward And this is agreeable to what fell out in the event The Lord was with them to prosper them while they were with him but when they forsook him presently Troubles overtook them The pouring out of God's Fury on them to consume them in the Wilderness being put in Ezek. 20 13 21. as the direct contrary to those words which if a Man do he shall even live in them seems greatly to favour this Notion But the house of Israel rebelled against me in the Wilderness They walked not in my Statutes and they despised my Judgâ—ents which if a man do he shall even live in them Then I said I would â—â—ur out my fury upon them to consume them in the Wilderness And indeed one main difference between the two Covenants which I â—ould have here observed lies in this to wit the presentness of the Râ—ward promised in the first and the futurity of that promised in the seâ—ond St. Paul in his Allegorical description of the two Covenants Gaâ— 4.24 c. represents those that adhered to the first Covenant by the Children of the Bond-servant to whom Abraham gave Gifts in presâ—â—t and sent them away as in Gen. 25.5 and those that adhered to thâ— second by the Son of the free-woman Isaac who was Abraham's Heir â—o whom he gave the whole Inheritance at last And the Adoptioâ— of Sons as the Privilege of the New Covenant is opposed to the condition of Servants under the Old Gal. 4.7 And what are they adâ—pted to but to an Inheritance for the future For by Adoption they are made Heirs If a Son then an Heir of God through Christ An Heir of what of an Inheritance for the future an inheritance incorruptible undefiled and which fadeth not away reserved in Heaven 1 Pet. 1.4 And therefore they are said to wait for the Adoption to wit the redemption of their Bodies at the Resurrection Rom. 8.23 Sons and Heirs serve their Father with a free and ingenuous Spirit though they have but little for the present in confidence of what he will do for them â—ereafter in another World when they shall come to Age. But those under the Old Covenant were like Servants who serve with a servile Spirit because they do it with expectation of present pay The one walk by Faith which is the substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things not seen the other were influenced in their Obedience by the expectation of present Reward because that was it which the first Covenant promised to the observers of it These Promises now insisted on were promises of Reward to the observers of this first Covenant But besides these there was another sort of Promises exhibited in the first Covenant and they were Promises of Pardon in many cases when the Laws of that Covenant were broken There were as I have shewed Laws of Indemnity which made many of the breaches of the Laws of Duty pardonable upon certain conditions And such were all Sins of Ignorance and Inadvertency and some of those also which were committed wittingly But presumptuous Sins and such as carried in them a kind of contempt of the Law these were exempted from Pardon Heb. 10.28 He that despised Moses's Law died without mercy under two or three witnesses But for the other there were promises of pardon upon certain conditions which conditions were not always the same In some cases the offering of a Sin-offering or Trespass-offering was the condition In other cases that with confession of Sin was the condition And in some other cases Sacrificing Restitution and Satisfaction were the condition And afflicting of the Soul as well as the Sacrifice for Atonement oâ— the day of general Expiation was always a condition of forgiveness These things in the particularities of them you have in the 4 5 6 1â— and 23d Chapters of Levit. And then the condition of the Promisâ—s of Purgation of Legal Uncleannesses and the penal effects from theâ— was the observing the Rules prescribed for purifying the Uncleâ—n Now the forgiveness promised by these Laws of Indemnity did â—ot free the Conscience from all obligation to Eternal Punishment but â—nly freed the Person from suffering those temporal Evils which â—ere threatned in this Covenant against those which did not continâ—â— in all things written in the Book of it Neither Sacrifices nor â—egal Purifications Sanctified but unto the purifying of the flesh and to their temporal Concerns only Heb. 9.9 10 13. And here we may observe a five-fold difference in reference â—o Remission of Sin between the first Covenant and the Coveâ—ant of Grace 1. They differ in the nature of those Sacrifices by which Atonements were made and upon which Forgiveness was promised The Blood of the Sacrifice of the first Covenant was but the blood of Bulls and of Goats and the like Heb. 10.4 But the Blood of the Sacrifice of the second Covenant is the Blood of Christ the Eternal Son of God So that the nature of the Sacrifices of the two Covenants upon which the Promise of the pardon of Sins was granted doth differ as much as the Blood of Beasts and the Blood of the Son of God differ 2. Those two sorts of Sacrifices pertaining to two kinds of Covenants differ in the proportion of Efficacy and Virtue to accomplish their respective Ends and Effects There is a greater Richness of proportion in the Blood of Christ to free the Conscience from the guilt of Sin or obligation to Eternal Punishment than there was in the Blood of Beasts to free the delinquent Person from temporal Punishments This is plainly intimated in Heb. 9.13 14. For if the blood of Bulls and of Goats and the ashes of an Heiser sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh how much more shall the Blood of Christ who through the Eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge your Conscience from dead works to serve the living God 3. They differ in the nature of the pardon promised in each of the Covenants respectively The Redemption granted in the first Covenant was but Temporal as the Covenant it self was it was but from Evils temporal But Christ Jesus by his Atonement hath obtained