it He can do it Jude 24. Jude 24. and he is faithfull and will do it 1 Thes 5.24 1 Thes 5.24 it being his covenant and promise and he cannot deny himself In the covenant of works Gods highest end is the glorifying of Differ 5 his justice In the Covenant of grace it is to glorifie his Grace In the Covenant of Works God reveales himself a just God rewarding good and punishing evill condemning sin but in the Covenant of Grace he shews himself a God gracious and merciful forgiving iniquity c. as Jer. 31.31 32. Jer. 31.31 32. I will be mercifull to your iniquity c. The Covenant of Works forgiveth no sin there is nothing but strict justice in that Covenant In this Covenant God looks not at any mans repentance and turning from sin but only considers whether he hath sinned As in Courts of Justice where there are tried matters of life and death there is no regard had whether the party be penitent or no but whether the fact be committed and if found guilty he is led to execution so in Gods Court of Justice which he keeps according to the tenor of the Covenant of Works Justice acts and doth all Justice indictes Justice examines Justice pronounceth sentence Justice executes the punishment and so whosoever hath sinned receives according to the evil that he hath done And hence it is that when Adam had sinned the inquisition is not whether he repented him of the evill that he had done but what hast thou done Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I said unto thee thou shalt not eat And the Lord finding that he had offended pronounces curses and death But in the Covenant of Grace it is otherwise There God looks at the repentance of his people and accepts of humiliation and faith in Christ Hence is the counsell of the Apostle Acts 2.37 Acts 2.37 Repent and be baptized c. When they saw the horrible sin which they had done in killing the Lord of life they being the children of the Covenant he tels them that yet there was mercy for them they might obtain forgivenesse of sins Hence also Jonah 3.10 Jonah 3.10 when God saw their repentance and that they turned from their evill wayes he also turned from the evill which he said he would do to them and did it not The voyce of the Covenant of Works is like the first speech of Nathan to David Thou art a childe of death the voyce of the Covenant of Grace is like his after speech when he saw Davids humiliation and repentance The Lord hath put away thy sin In the Covenant of Works God speaks as Ezek. 18. Ezek. 18. The soul that sinneth it shall die In the Covenant of Grace he speaks as Ezek. 33.11 Ezek. 33.11 As I live saith the Lord I desire not the death of a sinner They are both expressed in one place Exod. 34.6 Exod. 34.6 The Lord gracious and mercifull slow to anger yet not acquitting the wicked but visiting iniquitie c. In one Covenant God condemnes both sin and sinner in the other he condemnes the sin but spares and gives life to the sinner to glorifie his grace thereby In the Covenant of workes he aymes to make his power and justice knowne as Rom. 9.22 cap. 2.5 Rom. 9.22 cap. 2.5 But in the other to glorifie grace as Isa 48.9 Eph. 1.6 The reason of this difference is because God will be glorified in all his attributes as he is glorious in all so he will have the glory of all to be seene He will have his power and wisdome knowne in the creation of the world his goodnesse knowne in the continuance and preservation and ordering of it his faithfulnesse in keeping covenant with us according to the covenant made his justice in a covenant of works his grace in a covenant of grace which he makes with us in Christ Jesus Vse 1 This may smite feare and terrour into the hearts of all such as are strangers unto the Covenant of grace such as never yet entred into a new Covenant with God by that new and living way which is opened to them in Christ Let such consider what hath been said that in the covenant of workes under which yet they stand there is no grace shewed but strict justice without any mercy Let such therefore bethinke themselves what a God they must meet withall and with whom they must have to do even with a just God a God of judgement a God of vengeance that will not spare their misdeeds what ever justice can require of them they must satisfie to the utmost mite were it so that mercy and justice might sit on the bench together that justice might be tempered and mixt with mercy your sentence might be the more tolerable But these two sit in two severall Courts Justice without mercy and therefore when nothing but justice shall judge you who can stand what flesh may abide it In Psal 78.5 Psal 78.5 with the cup of the Lords wrath is said to be full mixt but in Rev. 14.10 Rev. 14 10. it is said to be pure wine unmixt both together imply that it is both mixt and unmixt how both mixt of all sorts of plagues but unmixt without any drop of mercy pure wrath without any dram of mercy to allay the bitternesse of the cup of wrath and how bitter then will this cup be more bitter then gall yet this must all the wicked of the earth drinke and wring out the very dregs of it Psal 78.5 Psal 78.5 This is an hard saying but a true saying as God is true Therefore Isa 27.11 Isai 27.11 God speaking of the wicked people of the Jewes saith he He that made them will not have mercy on them neither shew them any favour And in Ezek. 5.11 Ezek. 5.11 He threatens that his eye shall not spare neither will he have any pitie And Hos 1.6 Hos 1.6 I will no more have mercy c. And James 2.13 They shall have judgement without mercy As God will be made marveilous in his mercy toward those that are vessels of mercy prepared unto glory 2 Thes 1.10 2 Thes 1.10 so as men shall wonder at the aboundance of grace shewed towards them so on the contrary God will be admired and wondred at in his judgements upon all sinfull and ungodly ones he will make their plagues wonderfull Deut. 28.59 He will deale with his own servants onely in a way of grace with these onely in a way of justice And if so what will their end be Justice will spare neither high nor low it is impartiall and alike towards all Justice will passe by no transgression but will have an account for all greater or lesse wicked thoughts idle words foolish jests Justice will not remit any part of the punishment which the Law calls for but it will have the full to the utmost furthing Let this strike
I will forgive let every soule say within it selfe Surely then I will try I will seeke I will sue for mercy that I may be forgiven But what should I doe that I may be forgiven Quest 1. Enter into thine owne heart Answ and search out all the sinnes of heart and life which thou art privie unto Lament 3.40 Lam. 3.40 This is the Lords owne direction Jer. 3.12 13. Jer. 3.12 13. when the Lord first promised that he would shew himselfe mercifull and not let his wrath fall upon them yet presently addes But know thou thine iniquitie for thou hast fallen by rebellion c. 2. When thou hast found out thy sin goe then before the Lord and confesse and judge thy selfe before him as Ezra 9.6 Ezra 9.6 Confesse thy selfe worthy to be destroyed Doe as the Prodigall did Luke 15. Luk. 15. I am no more worthy to be counted thine 3. Present before the Lord the sacrifice of the Lord Jesus bring no satisfaction of thine owne make no mention of thine own righteousnesse or good deservings but fly onely to the bloudy sufferings and sacrifice of Christ to find acceptance reconciliation through him without that bloud there is no forgivenesse Heb. 9. Heb. 9. 4. Come not before God with an heart purposing still to continue in thy sinne but together with prayer for pardon joyne prayer for a spirit of grace and holinesse to make thee a new heart and a new spirit that sin may live in thee no more be willing to bind thy selfe by Covenant to the Lord to glorifie that grace shewed on thee if he will please to be gracious towards thee in taking away this sin Hos 14.3 with 9. Hos 14.3 with 9. Thus come before the Lord and then as men that have any great legacy left them by the will of another they will intreat for it they will plead the Testament of the Testatour and if that will not prevaile they will bring it into the Court of Justice and there sue for it So let us doe beg intreat require the performance of this legacy of the new Testament which grace hath bequeathed unto us and if this obtaine not then bring our cause into the Covenant of grace and there sue and plead before the throne of grace There bring out the words of the Testament and say Lord here is thine owne Covenant and promise hold the Lord fast to his promise which he hath made and plead with him and say Lord why are thy mercies restrained from me where is thy faithfulnesse why dost not thou pardon mine iniquitie Though I be worthy to perish yet remember thy Covenant make good thy promise in which thou hast caused thy servant to trust Such importunitie the Lord will not take ill he delights thus to be overcome by the pleas of his people Doe thus and he that hath promised will also fulfill and will take away all thine iniquitie and receive thee graciously Hos 14.3 Vse 5 For singular comfort to all the people of God who doe in any faithfulnesse and truth of heart endeavour to walke according to the Covenant they have made with him To all such this word of Consolation doth belong that their iniquitie is pardoned their sin is forgiven It was a word of comfort Christ spake to the palsie man Mat. 9.2 Mat. 9.2 Sonne be of good comfort thy sinnes are forgiven thee So Isai 40 1 2. Isai 40.1 2. And thence was that speech of Christ to Mary in Luke 7.48.50 Thy sinnes are forgiven thee goe in peace There is peace indeed when Christ promiseth sin to be forgiven Now so it is to all the covenanted people of God their sin is forgiven here is their comfort See Psal 103.17 18. Psal 103.17 18. If wee keepe his Covenant his loving kindnesse and mercy is ours to forgive us our sinnes Shall man saith Eliphaz be more just then God shall man be more pure then his maker Job 4.17 Job 4.17 So may we say in this case Shall man be more faithfull then God more mindfull of his Covenant and promise then his Maker No God is the faithfull God keeping Covenant and mercy with those that feare him If we then which are so apt to breake our Covenant with God and men if wee be carefull to keepe Covenant with him how much more will God performe this promise of his Covenant towards us to pardon our sinnes If wee be not unfaithfull towards him he cannot be unfaithfull towards us Nay though we were in part unfaithfull yet cannot he deny himselfe 2 Tim. 2.13 2 Tim. 2.13 Quest But how may I know that my sinnes are forgiven me Answ 1. A plainer evidence I cannot give then this before named scil a carefull conscionable and constant endeavour to walke in Covenant with God Psal 103.17 18. Psal 103.17 18. But I have many failings in the keeping of my Covenant Object Yet so long as you doe not renounce your Covenant Answ and breake the bond till you doe agree to the loosing of the knot in which you have bound your selfe chusing to turne back after your former liberties the substance of the Covenant is not yet broken though some article of the Covenant may be violated There be some trespasses against some particular clauses in Covenants which though they be violated yet the whole Covenant is not forfeited 2. An affectionate and cordiall love to the Lord Jesus who hath washed us from our sinnes in his bloud is a sure signe that our sins are forgiven us Luk. 7.47 when wee so thinke of Christ as that nothing is too much for him nothing enough all we doe or can doe is too little for him and as nothing to that which our soule desireth this love never goes alone but is accompanied with this blessing of forgivenesse And sure thus it is with those that feele in any measure the efficacy of Christs bloud easing their consciences from the guilt of sin They could be content to wash Christs feet not with teares onely but with their hearts bloud and to dye for love of him who hath loved them and given himselfe for them to save them from their sinne 3. The mortification and dying of sinne in our hearts is a signe that our sinnes are forgiven us When Christ takes away Jacobs sinnes he also turnes away ungodlinesse from Jacob Rom. 11.26 27. Rom. 11.26 27. If sin live in us the guilt of it remaines still upon us I meane if it live in us in full strength 4. If we have a tender heart to mourne over Christ whom wee have pierced Time was when we could tread under feet that precious bloud by which we are sanctified But now it melts the heart to thinke that that bloud which wee have so despised should yet be sprinkled upon us to wash us from our sinne This kindnesse of Christ towards us makes our hearts to mourne over him Zach. 12.10 Zach. 12.10 They shall mourne over
but unto the disobedient shall be tribulation and wrath whether Jewes or Gentiles c. Where actions are alike God will deale alike with all such as are under the Covenaâ—t of workes What is just towards one is just towards another when actions and workes are alike Now God will deale justly with all He that commands us to give to every man his due Rom. 13.7 will not himselfe withhold due from any here therefore God will deale alike with all Let one fulfill the Law and he shall live thereby Let another fulfill it and he also shall have the same life Let one breake it and he shall dye and as many as breake it shall lye under the same condemnation But now it is otherwise in the Covenant of grace grace deales diversly with men that are equall in themselves where there was no difference before grace makes a difference as Rom. 3.23 24. Rom. 3.23 24 All have sinned c. there is no difference in our selves wee are all shut up in condemnation by sin but are all justified No but onely those that are of the faith of Jesus Hence saith the Apostle Rom. 9.10 11 12 13. that when Jacob and Esau were both in the same condition neither of them having done either good or evill yet grace put a difference betwixt them and preferred one before the other They were alike in themselves but yet they had not the like grace vouchsafed to them from God Justice is due but grace is free Justice must doe right but grace may communicate it selfe to whom where and in what measure it will Hence is that in Rom. 9.15 Rom. 9.15 I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy c. He doth not say I will deale justly with whom I will he cannot deale unjustly with any But concerning grace he saith I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy Therefore to manifest the freenesse of his grace the Lord sometimes preferreth those that seeme least worthy he sets the younger before the elder Jacob before Esau Ephraim before Manasseh and the Gentiles which were aliens from God before the Jewes which counted themselves to be the onely people Consider those two speeches in Mat. 20. Mat. 20.14 15 The one ver 14. Take that which is thine owne and goe thy way the other ver 15. I will doe with mine owne as I will Here is our owne and Gods owne our owne is that which we looke for according to our agreement which wee have made with God for the worke done As those hyred into the Vineyard they agreed with the Master of the Vineyard for so much and that which they so agreed for for their worke that was their owne due by Justice But that which was not by agreement nor for worke but comes by grace that is Gods owne with which he may doe even as he will our owne is that which is due from Gods justice Gods owne is the gift of his free grace To every one God will say take thine owne And where there is no difference in worke Justice will make no difference in wages And if any begin to complaine that others are better dealt with then they the Lord answers to such I will doe with mine owne as I will Grace is mine owne and I owe it to none I will shew it where I will It is grace which makes the difference herein may God deale diversly giving more to one lesse to another as pleaseth him And hereto agrees that in ver 16th He that is first shall be last and the last first He that should be last in a way of Justice shall become first in a way of grace Those that Justice would set last and lowest Grace will advance and set highest This may serve to stop every mouth that is ready to open it selfe Vse 1 against God and apt to wrangle against the dispensation of his grace you have your owne therefore complaine not you have what you can require in a way of Justice and more and therefore let God doe with his owne what he will What if God will shew more grace to another then to you Is he therefore unrighteous you your selves will take the same liberty to shew the fruits of your kindnesse and courtesie where you will And will you be more free then God Let not your eye be evill because his is good murmure not against God repine not against men if they have received more if God have given them more gifts then unto you grudge not The spirit that is in us lusteth after envie James 4.5 James 4.5 And the Jewes were moved with envie when they saw the Gentiles preferred before themselves But learne to submit to the Lords dispensation neither murmure against him nor envie against men remembring grace is free to give to whom and wâ—â—re he will Vse 2 For incouragement to such as are yet under the condemnation of the Law though you have deserved to perish and have been as deepe in sin as many of those that are now in hell so as Justice can make no separation no difference between you and them yet grace may Consider how it was with those two malefactors Luk. 23.39 to 44. Luke 23.39 to 44. they were both in the same condemnation yet one flying to grace found mercy with the Lord one went to Paradise the other to hell Though you are as vile as the damned in hell yet grace may save you Vse 3 For all such as goe on in their sinne in an impenitent course marke what you must looke for what ever plagues or judgements have befell any sinner you going on in the same sinnes must looke for the same judgements Except you repent you shall likewise perish Luk. 13.2 3. Luk. 13.2 3. God is the same his justice the same now as before It followes the same rule to judge by therefore where the sinnes are the same if you be not under grace you must look for the like vengeance Consider what the Apostle saith 1 Cor. 10.7 8 9 10. Be not you murmurers idolaters fornicators as they were lest you meet with the same judgements as befell them Therefore take heed how you goe on in an impenitent course in any sinne lest the same plagues be inflicted on you Take heed of the covetousnesse of Judas the hypocrisie of Ananias the obstinacy of the Jewes the pride of Nebuchadnezzar the murmurings of the Israelites the lukewarmnesse of Laodicea lest yee taste of the same miseries Justice can make no difference The seventh difference is this That the Covenant of workes is Differ 7 disanulled and broken by one transgression never to be made up any more But the Covenant of grace is not broken asunder by many transgressions so long as wee follow God in a way of faith and repentance After many offences the Covenant of grace may stand firme still This difference is made by the Apostle Rom. 5.16 Rom. 5.16 The guilt came of one offence unto
Chron. 2.11 So because the Lord loveth his people that hee taketh into covenant with himselfe therefore he will be King over them to rule and govern them Hence the Prophet joynes these two together Isai 49.10 Isai 49.10 God that hath compassion upon them will lead them hee out of compassion taketh the guidance of his people upon himselfe When hee will manifâ—st his wrath against a people then hee suffers them to walk after their own wills but here is infinite grace and mercy when hee taketh them into his owne government Consider this in a few particulars First consider what power we are under by nature we are under the dominion of cruâ—ll tyrants Satan the God of this world is Lord over us and we are holden under his power who labours to make a prey of our souls Ephes 2.2 Ephes 2.2 Acts 26.18 Now what a blessed change is this to be brought from under his pâ—wer and to be translated under the government of the gracious God Secondly consider how unable we are to guide and governe our selves as Jer. 10.23 Jer. 10.23 It is not in man to guide his own way The best souls would wander into the way of eternall perdition if they were left unto themselves And therefore when the Lord will become our guide to lead us in the way of life what a benefit and mercy is it It is a benefit to a traveller that when he is ready to misse his way then he meets with a guide to direct him how much more when we are ready to misse the way to eternaâ—l life We are as sheep a foolish creature which is apt to wander and this David found Psal 119.178 Psa 119.178 and therefore prayes to the Lord to lead him Thirdly as wee are not able to guide our selves so there is no other creature that can guide us aright unto life as the Lord speaks Isa 51.18 There is none to guide her among all the sons which she hath brought forth c. They may perhâ—ps guide our feet but our hearts will bee erring and wandring still As the Israelites though they had Moses himselfe that great Prophet to guide them and shew them the good way yet they erred in their heaâ—ts Psal 95.10 Fourthly consider the peace accnmpanying and following the guidance of the Lord Jer. 6.16 Ask for the old paths saith the Loâ—d which is he good way and you shall find rest to your soules Who can expresse the sweet peace of the people of God when their hearts are framed to a willing obedience to the guidance and government of the Lord Whereas when they are led by themselves and their own hearts then there is nothing but confusion and disturbance It is a misery that cometh upon a people when God will not guide them but withdrawes his government over them When there was no King in Israel then they had many miseries many troubles much more is it so in spirituall regards when God leaves us to the wandrings of our own hearts how many miseries and sinnes are we subject unto This was their curse Rom. 1.24 Rom. 1.24 to be given up unto themselves and then they ran into all manner of wickednesse And this was the misery of the Gentiles Acts 14.17 Acts 14.17 that God suffered them to walk in their own wayes Hence the Church complains Isai 63. last Isai 63. last Wee are as they over whom thou never barest rule as it is in the old translation when they had complained before how they had erred from the wayes of God their hearts had been hardened from Gods feare now they shut up all in this Wee are as they over whom thâ—u never barest rule there is the misery they complaine of Or if wee read the words as the new translation renders them it is all one in effect We are thine therefore bow our hearts to the feare of thy Name They that is our adversaries as verse 18. are a people over whom thou never barest rule they are a forlorne and forsaken people this the Church lookes at as their enemies misery Therefore it is the blessing of the people of God when God will take them into his government Vse 1 Seeing this is one of the blessings of the Covenant of grace to have God above us and over us to guide and rule us this must teach us when we enter into Covenant with God not to count our condition then a state of libertie as if wee might then walke after our owne desires and wayes as if there were none to command us and rule over us Indeed there is a spirituall liberty from our enemies but there is subjection required to the Lord. Wee must not looke onely after gifts mercies kindnesses pardon and such tokens and pledges of grace but looke also for this to be under God and to set up him on high to be a God and Lord over us And let us not count this our misery but our blessednesse that wee are brought under his gracious government Herein the Lord sheweth his marvellous kindnesse that he will take the care of us Would wee not wonder to see such a Prince as Solomon to take his subjects children to tutour them and traine them up under him Now wee are but poore ants and worms upon earth but the Lord of heaven offereth to take the government of us upon himselfe This is infinite mercy whither would our unruly hearts carry us if he should leave us to our selves Who is there that hath any experience of the sinfull evills that are in his heart but will acknowledge this to be a benefit that the Lord should rule over him with an out-stretched arme If God leave Hezekiah but a little how is his heart lift up with pride so that he must have a Prophet sent to him on purpose to humble him If God leave David to himselfe to what evills is he not ready to fall And is there not the same spirit in us The more contrariety and opposition that there is in us to the will of God the greater mercy it is that he will be King over us Learne therefore to count it no small blessing and when God beginneth with us to over-rule the rebelliousnesse of our hearts and to bring â—hem into order take heed that we spurne not with the heele nor lift up our selves But let us humble our selves and submit our selves to him that he may take the guidance of us into his owne hands Heare the rod and kisse it and take it as a mercy that he is pleased to take the care of us to correct our wandrings and bring us back into the wayes of our owne peace Take heed of walking contrary lest he say to us as to the Israelites that he will reigne over us no more For tryall and examination whether we be a people in Covenant Vse 2 with God and have taken him to be our God For if God be our God then he must be God over us
taken away from us Thirdly it is sin which brings all sorrowes and miseries upon us this is that which brings sword famine pestilence nakednesse and all such outward calamities sin iâ—â—he true cause of all these These spring not out of the dust nor come by chance but are the fruit which growes upon the forbidden tree of sin but let sin once be forgiven then are these things which are in themselves evill turned unto good unto us Affliction is good when the sin which causeth it is gone and done away one that hath his sin forgiven may rejoyce in affliction Rom. 5. Romans 5. yea hee may be exceeding joyous in all tribulations 2 Cor. 7.4 2 Cor. 7.4 When sin which is the sting of every crosse is removed is pulled out then may we take up that crosse which before we fled from as from a serpent and put it in our bosome and not be hurt by it Fourthly it turns good things into evill unto us sometimes God gives good things even to wicked and evill men making his Sunne to shine and rain to fall upon the wicked and unjust Matth. 5.45 Matth 5.45 But so long as sinne is unpardoned though the things be good in themselves yet they are not good unto them sin corrupts the good things they enjoy it turns blessings into curses as the Lord saith in Malachi 2.2 Malachi 2.2 I will curse their blessings thâ—ir health wealth peace and prosperity are as snares unto them to work their ruine Psal 69 22. Psalm 69.22 But where sin is pardoned there is no more curse Apoc. 22. Apocal 22. Then the blessing returnes to the creature and is in the creature the rain is a rain of blessing Ezek. 34.26 Ezek. 34.26 our meat and our talk a blessing our prosperity a blessing we are then blessed in all we enjoy in all we put our hands unto Fifthly what an evill sin is and what a benefit forgivenesse is we may conceive if we doe but look on such men as have felt the sting of sin in their own consciences and have felt the burthen of it â—ying on them Look upon Cain crying out in the horror of his conscience My sin is greater then can bee forgiven Gen. 4. Genesis 4. Look upon Saul complaining that God was departed from him I am saith he in great distresse 2 Sam. 28.15 Look upon Judas when his sin pressed upon his conscience how unable he was to beare it very anguish of conscience on earth makes him cast himselfe into the gulfe of hell Prov. 18.14 The spirit of a man will beare his infirmity all outward sorrowes so long as his conscience is at peace free from the trouble of sin but when sin comes and burdeneth the conscience of a man this none can beare This David found to bee a burthen beyond his strength he was not able to beare it Psal 38.3 Psalm 38.3 A stone is weighty and the sand is heavie but sin upon the conscience is heavier then them both Pro. 27.3 Prov. 27.3 This burthen makes the whole creation to groan under it Rom. 8. Romans 8. And whosoever hath felt the guilt of his own sin lying upon him such an one wil easily conceive what a blessing this is to have sinne forgiven By forgivenesse the burden is lightned the wound is healed the soule is eased of that anguish and bitternesse which it was in before While our sin was unpardoned we looked at God as an enemy to condemne us but now we have peace towards God we are reconciled the cause of the enmity being taken away All this considered well might Dâ—vid say as he did Blessed is the man whose sin is forgiven and iniquity covered Psal 32. Psalm 32. Now this great blessing God hath promised in his covenant he will forgive the sin of his people which give up themselves to walk in covenant with him Hee will not remember against them their former iniquities their sins shall be as if they had never been hee will see no iniquity in Jacob nor transgression in Israel he will passe by the sin of the remnant of his heritage he will remember their sins no more yea though their sins be great yet hee will forgive them though they abound yet his grace shall abound much more in the forgivenesse of them Rom. 5.20 See Isai 43.25 And this the Lord will doe First because mercy pleaseth him Micah 7. It is a pleasure to him to shew mercy to his covenanted people Never did we take more pleasure nor so much in the acting and committing of our sins as he doth in the pardoning of them Hee is the Father of mercy 2 Cor. 1. 2 Cor. 1. And therefore delights in mercy as a father delighteth in his children It doth him good to see the fruit of his own mercy in the taking away of the sins of his people Secondly it is the purpose which he hath everlastingly purposed within himselfe to make his grace glorious in those whom he hath by covenant given unto Christ to be saved by him he will have the praise of the glory of his grace Ephes 1.6 Ephes 1 6. Hee will not lose this glory he will be admired in the Saints 2 Thess 1.10 2 Thess 1.10 Hee will make the world to wonder when it shall bee known what sin hath been committed by them and pardoned by him Gods people are called vessels of mercy Rom. 9. Rom. 9. As those therefore which are vessels of wrath shall be full of the wrath and indignation of the Almighty to make his wrath known in them so the vessels of mercy shall be filled with mercy filled up to the brim God will have no empty vessels all shall be full one sort filled with wrath the other with mercy Thirdly The Lord hath received a satisfaction to his Justice in Christ what ever Justice could require at our hand Christ hath satisfied for us to the utmost farthing So that now Justice cannot complaine though that sin be forgiven unto us because it was fully punished in Christ Fourthly If the Lord should not forgive the sinnes of his people which believe on Christ Christ his sufferings should be in vaine To what end was it for him to suffer the just for the unjust Why was the chastisement of our peace laid upon him if wee should also suffer for our owne sinnes God would never have laid our iniquities upon him but that he intended to forgive them unto us Fifthly There is no other way to have sinne done away no other meanes to get free from sin but by forgivenes Either God must forgive sin or all the world must be condemned and lie under his curse for ever But there are a remnant that God will save from perishing in the condemnation of the world c. Sixthly The Lord hath not onely promised forgivenes and spoken it with his mouth but his act and deed gives us assurance that he will
him or for him not for our selves but for him mourning that we have pierced him and grieved his Spirit by our sinnes 5. An heart willing to forgive and to doe good unto those that have done evill against us Mat. 6.14 Mat. 6.14 when wee cannot onely forbeare them but forgive them and beare a loving heart to them that have been unloving towards us This disposition of heart in us springs from an higher fountaine of grace which hath been shed downe upon us in forgiving our sinnes When the heart can reason with it selfe to suppresse revengefull desires when they are stirring in us and can argue as Mat. 18. and Eph. 4. Mat. 18. Eph. 4. the Lord is willing to forgive me my debts and ought not I also to forgive my fellow-servant that hath offended me Such a disposition of heart is a fruit and token of the forgivenesse of our sinnes Mat. 6.14 The grace that hath been shewed us in the forgivenesse of our sinnes workes an answerable disposition in us making us ready to forgive the sinnes of our brethren 6. A free and full confession of sinne when we deale openly with the Lord freely willing to open all our whole heart before the Lord discovering knowne sinnes secret sinnes the most prevailing beloved and inward corruptions willing to take the shame of all unto our selves and still to be more vile in our selves that mercy might be glorified in our forgivenesse When we can bring out the whole pack and not keepe a sin back so farre as wee know any thing by our selves but lay all open and naked before the face of God till there be no more to be found such confession hath a promise of forgivenesse 1 Joh. 1.9 1 Joh. 1.9 There may be a forced confession as was that of Saul when he was so fully convinced of his sinne that he would no longer deny it 1 Sam. 15. And of Judas who out of extremitie of horror and rage of conscience was made to confesse his wickednesse in betraying innocent bloud There may be also a formall superficiall and partiall confession when we doe in a generall fashion confesse our selves sinners which confession hath no promise of forgivenes because these confessions are ever accompanied first with a desire if possible to maintaine our own innocency secondly with a spirit of unbeliefe and misgiving heart fearing lest our own mouth should judge us and wee become witnesses against our selves Thirdly with a spirit of pride loath to confesse our selves to be so vile as we must acknowledge our selves to be if we should confesse all our sinnes against our selves But when a man is willing to search out all his sin unto the last that he may lay open all his heart and confesse all his iniquitie against himselfe before the Lord being vile in his own eyes and desiring to be more vile loathing himselfe for all his abominations of such an one that can thus come before the Lord in humble confession of his sinnes I doubt not to say unto him Goe thy way in peace thy sin is forgiven thee If God give us a heart thus humbly to confesse it is unto us a signe there is in God a heart mercifully to forgive Exhortation to all the Saints that have tasted of this rich grace Vse 6 in the forgivenes of their sinnes Let them ascribe glory unto him that hath shewed this mercy on them extolling that grace which hath forgiven them this the Lord lookes for he would have his grace glorified by us Eph. 1.6 Ephes 1.6 The Lord himselfe publisheth this as his own glory that he is a God forgiving iniquitie transgression and sin Exod. 34.6 Exod. 34.6 And the servants of God have herein given glory unto him as Micah 7.18 Micah 7.18 Who is a God like unto thee who passeth by the transgression of the remnant of thine heritage We should make the praise of this grace to ring through the whole world that heaven and earth may take notice of it and wonder at the grace that hath been shewed on us This grace can never be sufficiently glorified by us To teach us willingly to become servants unto this God of all Vse 7 Grace who dealeth thus mercifully with his people See Hos 14.5 Hos 14.5 When the Lord there promiseth to heale the rebellions of his people by taking away their iniquities from them marke what this workes in them ver 9. What have wee say they any more to doe with Idolls with our former sinnes we will serve them them no more we will henceforth serve thee our gracious God which promisest to heale all our backslidings His will wee be him will wee serve And thus much of the second Benefit The third Benefit of the Covenant is the renewing and sanctifying of our natures by the graces of the Spirit The Lord having first justified us by his grace in the forgivenesse of our sinnes he theâ— goes on to sanctifie us that we might be an holy people unto him to serve him in holinesse and righteousnesse all our dayes Luk. 1. Luke 1. When he hath made us imputedly righteous he will have us inherently righteous also And by the promise of this benefit the Lord answers another scruple which his people might be subject unto We might thinke with our selves this is indeed a great benefit which the Lord hath promised hithâ—rto namely to forgive all my sin But though the Lord should performe all this mercy unto mee forgiving unto me all my former sins unto this day yet I have such a vile sinfull nature within mee that I shall returne and sin againe as wickedly as ever I did before and so shall bring a new guiltinesse upon my self Hereto the Lord answers No it shall not be I will renew alter and change that sinfull and wicked nature that is in you I will make your heart a new heart so as you shall be enabled to doe my will and walk in my wayes I will sanctifie you to be an holy and pretious people to my self This renovation and sanctification of our nature stands first in cleansing away our sinfull corruption and then in an infusion and filling of us with the holy graces of the Spirit As a vessell which wee intend for any honourable use first wee scoure and rinse out the filth that is in it and then we sweeten it with other things and so make it fit for service and use Satan had defiled us with his loathsome filthinesse but so many as the Lord sets apart unto himselfe to be vessels of honour in his house those hee cleanseth from all filthinesse of flesh and spirit and seasoneth them with all the sweet and gracious gifts of his Spirit Hence it is that we are said to be made partakers of the Divine Nature 2 Pet. 1.4 2 Peter 1.4 and to be renewed with the renâ—wing of the holy Ghost Titus 3.5 And we are said to be created new in Christ Jesus Eph. 2.10 because
on earth yet we shall see that there is help in heaven though none in our selves yet there is in God and in his faithfull Covenant Vse 5. To stirre up those that doe yet finde themselves destitute of all Grace not able to discern the least spark of goodnesse in themselves let them notwithstanding consider what God hath promised in his Covenant He hath therein promised a new heart a new spirit to create us anew in Christ Jesus He hath promised to poure out waters upon the dry ground Esay 44.3 where there is no sap no moisture no goodnesse but their moisture is turned into the drought of Sommer yet upon such dry grounds on such dry trees the waters of the Spirit shall be poured out and they shall be made to bring forth fruit The wilde forrest of Lebanon shall become as Carmell the Desart a fruitfill Field goe therefore thou poore lost creature thou sinfull soule who never yet to this day hadst one drop of Grace wrought in thy heart goe thou to the Throne of Grace lament thy sinfull and wicked heart before God begge this mercy of him say unto him Lord thou hast promised to give thy Spirit unto such as aske him of thee Now Lord give it unto me a poore sinfull creature make me even me also a partaker of this blessâ—ng Object But here perhaps you will say these promises are made only unto those that are in Covenant with God but alas thou art a stranger and an alien and hast ever so been unto this day thou hast no part in these promises Answ They belong to all that either are in Covenant with God or ever shall be though they be not as yet fulfilled in thee yet they may be intended unto thee these promises may be thine in respect of Gods purpose of grace and intention though not as yet in respect of actuall performance and execution To encourage all to seek after this blessing Consider with your selves three things 1. The extent of these promises I will poure out my Spirit upon all flesh Joel 2.28 Whosoever is thirsty come and drink of the waters of life freely yea turne you saith Christ to scornfull sinners at my correction and then behold I will poure out my Spirit upon you And in Ezek. 36. compare verse 20. with 25 26. There you may see that those upon whom he promiseth to poure his Spirit they were such as had polluted Gods name among the Heathen and made it to be blasphemed and yet even to those the Lord promiseth that when the time of Grace was come for mercy to manifest it selfe in them upon them hee would poure out his Spirit and cleanse them from all their uncleannesse 2. Consider the freenesse of these promises come and buy without money or money-worth Isai 55.2 drink of the waters of life freely Apoc. 22.17 3. Consider Christ forwardnesse and readinesse to give to every one that askes hadst thou but asked saith Christ to the woman in Ioh. 4.20 I would have given thee the water of life Mark the place and occasion of Christs words Christ being then weary and thirsty by reason of his journey he askes of the woman a cup of water to drink no great matter to give bring but a cup of water and being by the well side where was water enough and ready at hand yet she gives it not but stands wondering that he being a Iew should aske water of her that was a Samaritane well saith Christ thou denyest me a cup of cold water to drink being weary and thirsty but hadst thou asked of me I would have given thee the water of life Nay and did give it unto her though shee denyed him a cup of water out of the well yet Christ gave her the water of life What would the Lord Iesus have us to take notice of in this his speech unto her and her dealing towards him but that he is more forward to give that water of life his holy Spirit to a poore sinner then we are to give a cup of common water to a thirsty soule O blessed redeemer who would not come unto thee Goe therefore thou that hast denyed the least mercy and kindnesse to Christ in any of his members though thou hast thought a cup of water too much for them yet seek grace from him Aske his Spirit intreat him to make thy heart new within thee doe but aske and seek and he will doe more then thou canst hope or think plead the promise of his Covenant and wait in hope Thus much for the third benefit 4. The fourth benefit which God promiseth unto his in his Covenant is our preservation in the state of Grace to which we are called This is a part of his Covenant with us that he once taking us to be a people unto him in Christ he will never forsake us any more but keep us in that estate for ever And by this promise the Lord takes away that last great scruple which the soule is apt to make in this manner although may one think the Lord hath shewed mercy unto me thus farre that he hath given me hope of the forgivenesse of my sinnes past and hath changed my heart in some measure so as it is my desire to do his will yet for all this I finde still such strong opposition against mee by enemies within and without so many corruptions within and temptations from without that I shall never be able to hold out unto the end but as David said I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul so thinks the soule here in mids of many pursuits by the enemy I shall one day perish by the hand of Sathan I shall not be able to withstand him Now to this feare of our heart the Lord answers by this promise and benefit which he hath Covenanted to make good unto us he undertakes to keep us in the same estate of Grace to which he hath brought us he tells us no yee shall never perish feare it not he which hath begun the work will perfect it in us and for us And as God said unto Iacob in Gen. 28.15 I am with thee I will keep thee saith the Lord I will not forsake thee till I have performed unto thee all that I have promised thee So he saith unto us I will keep you till I have perfected towards you all the good pleasure of my goodnesse 2 Thes 1.11 I will keep you in my own hand I will guide you by my councell and afterward will bring you to glory Psal 73. This blessing we have promised to us in Ier. 32.39.40 They shall fear me for ever and I will make an everlasting Covenant with them that I wil never turn away from them to doe them good but I will put my feare into their hearts that they shall not depart from me and in Isai 54.8 With everlasting mercy have I had compassion on thee saith the Lord thy Redeemer For this is unto me as the waters
heaven looking for grace and mercy according to Iehoshaphats speech Our eyes are towards thee 2 Chron. 20. It hungers and thirsts after grace but feares it shall never be satisfied it feeles a need and faine would have but sence of unworthinesse consciousnesse of manifold sinnes the sentence of the Law like the thundering and lightning at Mount Sinai all of them being sharpned by Satans working in them and with them doe strike such a fear into the heart as was in Israel then that though desires be stirring and working yet hope is very feeble causing us to doe as Israel did there who though they heard the Lord say I am the Lord your God yet the terror of the thunder made them to stand afar off and so we we hear the Lord offering to be our God in covenant with us but such are the discouragements that we dare not come near to seek after the grace which is revealed Hitherto therefore the mind of the poor sinner desiring to bee in Covenant with God is unquiet within it selfe hurried too and fro finding no rest it heares of peace with God but feels it not but in stead of peace finds trouble feare doubtings discouragements to keep it off from the way of peace faith being yet yong and faint hath much adoe to sustain the heart in any hope that it sink not down in discouragement But yet though it bee weak it will be doing what it is able setting the minde to consider the promises and encouragements which God hath given us in his word how hee invites all to come unto him even every one that thirsts Esay 55. telling us That whosoever comes unto him he will not cast away Joh. 6.37 And hence while the minde is possessed with these things because so great a businesse as making a Covenant of peace with the high God and about so great an affaire as the life and salvation of our soule cannot be transacted in a tumult Therefore 4. In the fourth place faith takes the soule aside and carries it into some solitary place that there it may be alone with it selfe and with God with whom it hath to doe This businesse and multitude of other occasions cannot be done together and therefore the soule must be alone that it may the more fully commune with it selfe and utter it selfe fully before the Lord Thus the poore Church in the time of her affliction when the Lord seemed to hide himselfe from her shee sate alone as she speaks Lament 3.28 29. and Jer. 15.17 I sate alone because of thy plague The way of the Lord is prepared in the Desert Esay 40.3 when the Lord will come to the soule and draw it into communion with himselfe he will have his way hereto prepared in the Desert not in the throng of a City but in a solitary Desert place he will allure us and draw us into the Wildernesse from the company of men when he will speak to our heart and when he prepares our heart to speak unto him Hoseah 2. Not that such a one doth despise or neglect the fellowship of Gods people but he now sees and knows full well that his help is not in man and therefore waits not upon the sonnes of Adam Mich. 5.7 He is glad to hear of any hope and how others have beene succoured and pulled out of the like distresse c. but though he hath an eare open unto these and the like helps yet the soule cannot rest in them but must retire it selfe and get alone where it may think its full and satisfie it self e in thoughts of its own estate and of the offers and promises of Grace which God hath made to such lost sinners And whiles the soule is thus alone with it selfe and with God sometimes thinking of its own misery and sinne sometimes of the Lords mercy now presented in such and such promises sometimes calling to minde how others have found favour with God notwithstanding their sinnes sometimes thinking what should move the Lord thus to invite us and call us unto him and to give us these desires after him why thinks the soule should the Lord doe thus if there were no hope that he would receive me whiles I say the soule being alone is thus exercised in these thoughts at length the fire kindles so as the soule can now rest no longer but a spirit of faith being within like fire in the bones the heart hitherto having beene as a Wine-vessell which hath had no vent yet now the spirit within compels him to open his lips and to utter before the Lord the meditations of his heart And therefore 5. In the fifth place the soule resolves now to go to the throne of Grace suing for Grace proving whether the Lord will bee gracious and mercifull to accept of a reconciliation faith speaks within as they did in Jonah 3.9 who can tell whether the Lord will return c. and as Amos 5.15 It may be the Lord may yet be mercifull such an one cannot yet say that he will yet knowes not but he may be gracious and therefore doth as those lepers in 2 King 7.3 who knowing that they were sure to perish if they sate still resolved to try what might befall them in going into the Camp of the Aramites and as Esther who would try whether the King would hold out his golden Sceper towards her yea or no so the poore sinner knowing how it is with him and thinking hee must perish if he thus continue and hearing also such gracious invitations c. thereupon resolves to goe and seek the Lord begging Grace and acceptance before him Doth the Lord say seek yee my face the heart answers within Lord I will seek thy face Doth the Lord say Come unto me the heart answereth Behold we come unto thee for thou art the Lord our God Ier. 3.22 And now the soule betakes it selfe unto God sending up complaints against it selfe with lamentations for its own sinfull rebellions accompanyed with strong cryes to heaven with sighes and groanes of Spirit which cannot be expressed it confesseth with grief and bitter mourning all former iniquities smites upon the thigh with repenting Epharim lies down at Gods foot-stoole putting its mouth in the dust acknowledging Gods righteousnesse if he should condemn and cast off for ever and yet withall pleads for Grace that it may be accepted as one of his It sayes unto God Lord I have nothing to plead why thou maist not condemn me but if thou wilt receive me thy mercy shall appeare in me thou maist shew forth all thy goodnesse take away therefore all mine iniquities and receive mee graciously Hoseah 14.3 It pleads Gods promise Lord thou hast said thou wilt be gracious Lord make good this word to the soule of thy servant be my God my mercifull God and make me thy servant thus the soule lies at the throne of Grace and pleads for Grace 6. As faith is thus earnest in suing to God for Grace and
acceptance with him so it is no lesse vigilant and watchfull in observing and taking notice what answer comes from the Lord how he answers the desires we have presented before him As the prisoner at the barre not only cries for mercy but marks every word which falls from the Judges mouth if any thing may give him hope and as Benhadads servants lay at catch with the King of Israel to see if they could take occasion by any thing which fell from him to plead for the life of Benhadad so doth the poore soule that is now pleading for life and grace it watcheth narrowly to see if any thing may come from God any intimation of favour any word of comfort that may tend to peace thence it is that the Saints have so often called upon God for answer of their prayers they thought it not enough to pray but they would see how the Lord answered them Psal 102.1 2. Thus Psal 51.8 O let me heare joy and gladnesse c. David did not only pray for mercy but desires to heare from heaven a word spoken to his conscience by which he might know he was accepted though David was not in the beginning of that work we now speak of yet the case is alike he was now in his own sence as if he had been to begin anew and thus in Psal 85.8 I will heare what the Lord will say for he will speak peace unto his people c. 7. As faith doth thus wait for an answer from God so likewise according as the Lord doth either answer or not answer so doth faith demeane it selfe First Sometimes he answers not to our sence I mean and discerning as we see in Davids case he felt himselfe as one forsaken and prayed unto God but found no audience Psal 22. What doth faith in this case it followes God still and cryes after him with more strength and earnestness as resolving never to give over till the Lord either save or destroy if the Lord will destroy yet the soule chuseth to die at Gods foot as Joab did at the hornes of the Altar when he was bidden to come forth from thence to take his death in another place Nay saith Ioab but I will die here Here the humbled soule doth as that woman did in Mat. 15. shee sues to Christ but Christ seemes to have no regard of her gives her not one word but shee seeks still still she cryes after him and though still repulsed yet shee comes a third time and cryes Lord help me and though still the Lord gives her another repulse yet still she hangs upon him and follows him for mercy and would never give over till she he had gotten even what shee desired Even as Christ in his agony when he saw deliverance came not he prayed more earnestly Luk. 22.44 so doth the poore sinner in the time of his agony when he is striving as for life and death if help come not at first call he prays againe and that more earnestly faith will be urgent with God with an humble importunity and the more slack the Lord seemes to be in answering the more instant is faith in plying God with prayers It will be wrastling with God as Iacob did with the Angel it will not rest without a blessing it will take no denyall but will crave still as hee did blesse me even me also send me not away without a blessing it resolves to wait and look up untill the Lord shew mercy Psal 123.2 Lament 3.49 50. Secondly Sometimes againe the Lord doth answer but yet he speaks but as out of the dark cloud giving somâ— little ease but not speaking full peace much like as he spake to the woman Ioh. 8.11 Goe thy way and sinne no more saith Christ he doth not say goe in peace thy sinne is forgiven thee that had been a word of full comfort but goe thy way and sinne no more a middle kind of expression neither assuring her that her sinne was pardoned nor yet putting her out of hope but it might be forgiven And hereby faith gets a little strength and looks after the Lord with more hope and begins to plead with God as Moses did Lord thou hast begun to shew grace unto thy servant goe on Lord to manifest in me all thy goodnesse here faith takes a little hold on the Covenant though with a feeble hand as yet shaking and trembling for want of strength and yet now it begins to follow the Lord with more encouragement as finding that its former seeking hath not been wholly in vaine Thirdly Sometimes againe the Lord speaks more fully and satisfactorily to the soules of his people applying some promise of Grace to the conscience by his own spirit letting the soule feele and taste the comfort of such a promise more effectually then ever it could before it hath often heard and thought on such a promise but could never feele any peace in it because it could never apply it to its own particular but now being applyed by the help of the Spirit it finds and feeles peace Here then the Lord doth not any longer hold the soule in suspence and doubting by propounding unto it such promises of hope as I may so call them It may be yee shall bee hid in the day of wrath Zeph. 2.3 but he speaks full peace as Esay 41.10 Feare not for I am thy God I will subdue your iniquities and cast all your sinnes behind my back and I will remember them against you no more I have received a reconciliation Iob 33. Goe in peace Here â—aith waxeth bold and with a glad heart entertaineth the promise thus brought home unto it the Apostle expresseth this with a word very significant calling it an embracing of the promise Heb. 11.13 embracing implyes an affectionate receiving with both armes opened to shew an heart enlarged to those that come unto us and now the soule having thus embraced the promise and the Lord Iesus Christ in the promise and having him like Simeon in our armes it layes him in the bosome and having before gone forth to meet him hee being now come it brings him into the chamber of the heart there to rest and abide for ever now the soule possesseth him as her own rests in him and is satisfied with him layes it selfe down in a holy rest after all its former troubles praysing God for his mercy as Simeon did when he had Christ in his armes and committing it selfe for ever to that mercy and goodnesse which hath been thus revealed unto it And thus the poor soul which hath been at emnity with God comes by little and little to touch the top of the golden Scepter and to enter into a Covenant of peace with the high God now the hand is given to the Lord as Hezekiah spake 2 Chron. 30. As God reacheth out to us the hand of Grace and of saving help so doe wee give unto him the hand of faith yeilding up our selves unto him committing our selves
not regarded It 's a thundering speech of the Apostle in Heb. 10.29 where he saith That those that sinned under Moses Law dyed without mercy and yet much sorer vengeance shall be unto those that despise the Gospel of Christ Can any thing be worse then to dye without mercy Yes saith the Apostle those shall have sorer vengeance It shall be vengeance that they suffer yea sore vengeance and sorer then those suffered which under Moses law dyed without mercy and yet more it shall be much sorer yea so much sorer as cannot be uttered but is left to our consideration to thinke How much sorer vengeance saith the Apostle and it must needs be such when the Lord himselfe professeth he will laugh at such mens destruction and mocke when their misery comes Prov. 1. And saith that he will rejoyce over them in destroying of them Deut. 28.63 No plagues like the plagues of such as reject the Gospel of Christ Reason 1 This sin sets more of God against us then was before before the Gospel came unto us we had justice against us armed with power both which were provoked by us but yet mercy was ready to save us if we would come in and accept of the grace offered mercy was not yet become our enemy as not yet being provoked by us but when it is brought to us by the Gospel and is despised by us now mercy and grace it selfe also is against us and is made our enemy now mercy joynes with justice and increased wrath Reason 2 There is in this sin a speciall indignitie offered unto Christ himselfe the Son is despised in it which the Father will not suffer It is one great part of the Fathers counsell to honour and advance his Son for the Father loveth the Son and will have all men to honour the Son as they honour the Father Joh. 5.23 As the Son did all things to honour the Father Joh. 8.49 Joh. 17.4 So it is the Fathers purpose and will to honour the Son Acts 3.13 2 Pet. 1.17 This contempt therefore which is offered unto Christ when he is offered in the Gospel and is set light by God the Father will avenge to the full As the bloud of Abel cryed to God for vengeance against Cain so doth the contempt done to the bloud of Christ cry to heaven against the despisers of it much more Christs bloud hath a double cry and it will prevaile both wayes First To prevaile for mercy towards those that count it precious and trust in it for them it saith Father forgive them But it cryes also for judgement against the despisers of it that God would avenge the contempt of it upon them and this bloud will be heard whatsoever it calls for whether for mercy or judgement Vse This may serve to be a warning to all such people to whom the Gospel of Christ is come let them in the feare of God take heed lest they neglect so great salvation Heb. 2. and let them with thankfulnesse and love entertain the grace which is brought unto them by the revelation of Jesus Christ 1 Pet. 1. If you become despisers God will work such things among you as who so heareth them his eares shall tingle Acts 1. and your hearts shall ake in the suffering of them much more Heb. 2. for if every transgression and disobedience committed against the Law or against the dim light of nature doe receive a just recompence of reward if those which are without the Law perished in those sinnes which they committed without the Law and if those which are without the Gospel perish in their ignorance because they know it not how then shall those escape which have both law of grace and Gospel of grace revealed unto them and yet doe neglect those great things Be warned and take heed It will be your wisdome now in this your day to consider the things which concern your peace 2 Cor. 6.1 feare lest you should receive the grace of God in vaine take heed of despising and setting light by the tydings of your salvation lest the same things which were ordained to be unto life be found to be unto you unto death Rom. 7. and then the greater meanes you have had to bring you to life the more bitter will your death be This is the great condemnation of the world that when grace is revealed and tendered unto men yet it is not received with love that they might be saved by it Joh. 3.19 It 's put away and is not esteemed lamentable is the case of such people This made Christ to weep over Jerusalem Luk. 19.41 42. because they knew not they regarded not the things of their peace no peoples case more to be pitied and mourned for then theirs that injoy the Gospel but esteeme it not Let such consider what is said of the Jewes when they put away the Gospel from them they did thereby judge themselves unworthy of eternall life Acts 13.46 Not that they did thinke themselves unworthy of life nor did they with their mouthes speake any such thing but as a man may shew hâ—s judgement of a thing as well by his fact as by his words so did they by their fact in that sinfull rejecting of the Gospel of salvation they did as it were pronounce a sentence against themselves by which all men might see that they were unworthy of the salvation preached to them such therefore as do reject the Gospel do by that contempt testifie and pronounce judgement against themselves that they are unworthy to be saved These as they love not the blessing of the Gospel so it shall be farre from them and as they choose the wayes of sin and death so it shall come unto them they shall dye in their sinnes with a double destruction And heare O England my deare native Countrey whose womb bare me Admonition to England whose breath nourished me and in whose armes I should desire to dye give eare to one of thy children which dearely loveth thee Be thou exhorted thankfully to accept the grace which is now ready to be revealed unto thee The way is now preparing the high mountaines which with their shadowes caused darknesse are now a laying low and the low valleys ready to be exalted the crooked things to be made straight that all flesh that lives within thy borders may see the salvation of our God Thy light is now coming and the glory of the Lord is now rising upon thee though darknesse hath covered a part of thee hitherto through the wickednesse of those that hated light yet now the Lord himselfe I trust will rise upon thee and the glory of the Lord shall be seene upon thee Now therefore stirre up thy selfe with thankfulnesse and joy of heart to embrace the things of thy peace which shall be brought unto thâ—e See that thou love the Gospel not in word and in shew onely but in deed and in truth and not for novelties sake
with this spirit of submission and seek peace from him go and put thy rope about thy neck like Benhadads servants and confesse thy own guiltinesse without this God will never enter into covenant with thee God will have thee know thou must take thy life as a free gift of grace and that thou standest at his mercy either to save thee or destroy thee 3. Come with an humble submission to yeeld up thy self to the obedience of the will of God wee must receive him from the law of our life by which we must live When you come to make a covenant with God you must not come to give lawes unto God but to take lawes from God not to impose lawes upon him that he shall save you so and so but you must leave God free to make the conditions of the covenant after his own minde and will think it honour enough that you may be a people in covenant with God and have your life granted by covenant from him but for the conditions leave them to God let him command and require what he will he must be free or else he will not make a covenant with you This is that which Hezekiah exhorted to to come and give the hand to the Lord and serve him we must come and make a covenant with God as a servant with his master as Subjects with their Prince a covenant of service not to be our own Lords the sons of David and princes of Israel when Solomon sate upon the Throne came and gave the hand unto Solomon 1 Chron. 29.24 they made a covenant with him but it was with submission to his power such is the covenant which we must make with God we must give the hand under God submitting to him to be ruled by him Thence it is that we are called upon to deny our selves If any one will be my disciple let him deny himself c. we must not cleave to our selves to our wills and make our own Lawes we must deny our own inclinations wills and affections refuse to be governed by them and resign up our selves to the will of God this is the resolution we must come unto if we will enter into covenant with God as it was in the sacrifice of the Law he that offered it laid his hand upon the head of it as dedicating it to God and quitting it from himself as if he should say I have no more to do with this bullock it is now the Lords that was in part the signification of that action so if we will be the Lords people in covenant with him we must resigne our selves only and wholly to be for him Rom. 12.1 2. we muâ—t present our bodies as a living and acceptable sacrifice consecrate and devote them to God to live unto him and to be our own no more as it is in a marriage covenant when a man and woman make a covenant they do resigne up themselves one to another not to be to themselves any more it is a marriage covenant that we make with God I will marry thee to my self saith the Lord therefore we must do as the Spouse doth resigne up our selves to be ruled and governed according to his will 4. If we would enter into covenant with God we must come before him in the name of a Mediator that is the Lord Jesus in the mediation of his sacrifice we must offer up to the Lord a satisfaction for all our treacherous rebellion against him in that sacrifice we must come and seek reconciliation and the renewing of our covenant with God without such a sacrifice whereby Gods justice may be satisfied there is no hope of a covenant to be made between God and you As in the Law Exod. 34.1 to 8. they come and sacrifice and so the covenant is made between God and them Now these were types of Christs sacrifice come therefore sprinkled with the blood of Christ and say Lord here is the blood of the sacrifice which maketh satisfaction for my rebellion and in this blood enter into covenant with me They that make a covenant with God do it by sacrifice Psal 50.5 And therefore in the mediation of Christs blood and by faith in it look for a re-union and knitting of God and us together 5. After all this that you have broken your covenant with your sins judged your selves for them submitted your selves to the will of God and come in the name of a Mediator then by faith look at the gracious invitation of God and consider his readinesse and willingnesse to enter into covenant with you though there be an infinite disparity between the God of glory and us yet he is pleased to invite us to make a covenant with him if you seek to him he will not turn away his face from you as Hezekiah saith to the people 2 Chron. 30.8 9. though he might turn away from you in wrath and displeasure yet he will not but will enter into a gracious Covenant with you He that cometh to me I will in no wise cast off saith Christ Joh. 6.37 In that manner therefore goe thou and humble thy selfe before God confesse thy treachery and rebellion and looke at God as having a golden scepter in his hand and intreat him to enter into a Covenant with thee and submit thy selfe wholly to be at his command plead the promise of his grace touch the top of the scepter and take hold of the Covenant and then certainly in time the Lord will speake to thy soule and conscience by the testimony of his Spirit that he will be a God unto thee and take thee to be one of his people Thus you see the way to enter into Covenant with God It may serve for all such as are already entred into Covenant Vse 3 with God to admonish such to looke unto themselves and to take heed they be not unfaithfull in the Covenant that they have made with him Take heed of breaking Covenant but let us walk according to the covenant that we have made with him This the Lord expects Exod. 19.5 that if wee enter into covenant with him we should be carefull to keepe it In the things of this life a strict eye is had to the covenant In all conveyances of Lands we look narrowly to the covenants and if they be broken all is gone Now ouâ— life lyes upon our keeping covenant with God labour therefore so to walke that it may appeare that you have a care to keepe the covenant which you have made with God Wee have made a covenant with him in our Baptisme in our conversion and turning unto God and coming to the Lords Supper Now it is not enough to enter into Covenant but wee must keepe it wee have broken the first covenant of workes take heed wee breake not a second there being no more place for any more covenants Now therefore cleave to the Lords Covenant and live unto him Let there not be in any of us an unfaithfull heart to
all their hearts who are yet under a Covenant of workes with a feare of this just God who will judge them without mercy And let this cause them to fly to the throne of grace and there to enter into a new Covenant with God As the Angel counselled Lot so doe I counsell thee hasten to get shelter under the wing of grace that thou mayst be freed from the wrath of the just God Vse 2 Seeing Gods end in the Covenant of grace is to glorifie his grace in us we may by this in some measure discerne what part wee have in the grace of this Covenant And wee may doe it by this if our aymes and Gods aymes our ends and Gods ends meet in one when we come to seek grace in his sight Many an one comes before God begs mercy and yet obtaines it not as Prov. 1.28 Prov. 1.28 because they aske amisse they seek it not in Gods way Consider therefore what seekest thou in begging mercy at his hand Dost thou seek onely to have thy sin pardoned onely to be saved from wrath this will not argue thy peace that thou art under grace But dost thou as well seeke the glorifying of his grace towards thee as the obtaining of thine own peace with him if God have put this disposition of heart into thee that thou couldest be content to lie downe in the dust and to take shame for thy sin before Angels and men so that the aboundant riches of his grace may be glorified in taking away thy sinne if thy desire be not onely that thou maist see his salvation but that the Lord himselfe may be made marvellous and his grace magnified in thee then thou art herein another David a man after Gods own heart thy thoughts are as Gods thoughts thy intents and ends the same with Gods ends Take this therefore as a pledge of his grace towards thee Never couldest thou so desire the glorifying of that grace if God had not a purpose of grace towards thee Naturall desires of our own good may perhaps worke a desire to have our sin forgiven but nature though elevated to the highest cannot reach this to desire the glorifying of grace as our end Vse 3 For comfort unto such as see their own unworthinesse and are discouraged thereby from seeking after grace with God They are so vile in their own eyes that they thinke it is impossible that ever such as they are should find favour and acceptance with God But let me aske cannot the riches of grace when it shall set it selfe on purpose to glorifie it selfe to the full cannot such grace make thee accepted Thou darest not deny it Hold here then grace can make thee accepted if it will please to glorifie it selfe now then consider this is the very end which the Lord aymeth at in saving his people scil to glorifie his grace in such as seeing their owne unworthinesse doe fly to grace alone to be accepted in Christ Jesus I say more If thou wert not unworthy there could not be any communication of grace to thee for were there not unworthinesse in us there could be no grace shewen from God When God will glorifie himselfe in a way of justice he will abase all the haughtinesse of man no excellency of man can then stand in his presence so on the contrary when God will glorifie himselfe in a way of grace there is no unworthinesse of man can hinder it he will exalt the most vile the abject the most despised and contemptible that not we but grace it selfe may be glorified 1 Cor. 1.27 28. 1 Cor. 1.27 therefore doe not wrong the grace of God but fly thereto in the sense of thine own basenesse and this is the readiest way to find acceptance It may serve for direction unto all such as desire to enjoy the Vse 4 blessings of this grace which God offers in his Covenant let them seeke it with the same minde that God offers it with a purpose and desire to have grace exalted and magnified doe not onely seeke it that you may be exalted by grace but that grace may be exalted in you Goe to God for grace with the same minde as Moses did and then we shall obtaine it as he did Now Moses sought it for this end that his mercy might appeare Exod. 32.32 Exod. 32.32 If thou wilt pardon their sin thy mercy shall appeare this reading I chuse and embrace as the best as if he should say they have indeed committed a great sin but the greater their sin is the more shall thy mercy and grace appeare if thou wilt forgive Thus Moses prayes and see how it prevailes with God In ver 10. the Lord seemed to have been resolved to consume them and bids Moses let him alone that his wrath might wax hot against them I will destroy them saith God I will not be intreated for them yet Moses notwithstanding goes before God confessing their vile and hainous sin but withall prayes Oh yet forgive and then thy mercy shall be magnified And this prayer of his prevailed with God he stayed his hand he changed his minde as ver 14. and destroyed them not These are prevailing requests with God when wee plead for the glorifying of his owne grace In Joh. 12.28 Joh. 12.28 our Saviour prayes to his Father Father glorifie thy Name and there comes a voice out of the cloud I have glorified it and will glorifie it againe so let us seeke grace from God for this end that it may be glorified in us Father glorifie thy grace and then the Lord in his time will answer us I have both glorified it and will now glorifie it againe In this way wee cannot misse of obtaining the thing wee seeke for at Gods hand Differ 6 In the Covenant of workes God deales alike with all that are alike in themselves Looke how he deales with one so will he doe with another if they walke in the same way The same work shall have the same reward whether in good or in evill They that are alike in sin shall be alike in punishment Justice which is Gods rule in the Covenant of workes maketh no difference between persons that are equall in themselves It hath its ballance in its hand to give to every one according to their workes It is no respecter of persons Therefore God speaking of Bâ—asha 1 Kings 16.2 3. 1 King 16.2 3 saith that because he walked in the wayes of Jeroboam the son of Nebat who made Israel to sin therefore God would make his house like the house of Jeroboam They both make Israel to sin and therefore they are both alike in punishment so also he speakes of Jerusalem Ezek. 23.31 Ezek. 23.31 that because shee walked in the way of her sister that therefore he would give her cup into her hand Hence saith the Apostle Rom. 2.6 to 17th Rom. 2.6 to 17 â—h That every soule that continues in well-doing shall have glory and honour
condemnation but the gift is of many offences unto justification c. Adams one sin brought guilt upon him and all his posteritie because he was under the covenant of workes and therefore justification can be had by that Covenant no more But it is not so in the Covenant of grace neither one sin nor many sinnes doe exclude from life in this covenant But this gift is of many offences c. And this holds true not onely of such sinnes as are committed before our entrance into a covenant of grace with God but of such sins as are committed afterward as is evident Psal 89.31.34 God having made a Covenant with them though he chastise them yet his Covenant will be not breake c. The reason of this difference is from the summe and scope of the Covenant of workes which is to bind us to a totall full perfect and constant obedience of the Law in all things unto the end Gal. 3.10 so that one or once fayling breakes that Covenant But in the Covenant of grace God promiseth not onely to forgive but to multiply forgivenesses Isa 55.7 Isai 55.7 Hence though in many things we sin all as James 3.2 yet 1 Joh. 2.2 1 Joh. 2.2 wee have an Advocate with the Father And 1 Joh. 1.7 The bloud of Christ cleanseth us from all sin No number of sinnes doth exclude from salvation till they be accompanied with finall Apostasie impenitency and unbeliefe till as Heb. 3.12 wee doe by an evill heart depart away from the living God Hence also saith the Apostle Rom. 5.19 Where sin abounds there grace abounds much more God will glorifie his grace by our sinne As sin takes occasion by the Law Rom. 7.10 so grace takes occasion by our sin God will glorifie his grace thereby and make it marvellous in the eyes of the world so that men shall wonder that such grace should be shewed in pardoning such sinnes that they shall say as Micah 7.18 Micah 7.18 Who is a God like unto thee who passest by the transgression of the remnant of thy people Consolation to the weake Saints of God Vse who are often cast downe in themselves through sense of their own infirmities and the many falls they are subject unto by reason of which they are cast into sad feares and doubts concerning themselves yea so farre as to make conclusions against themselves that they cannot belong unto God because as they thinke if they were the Lords people and his grace were effectuall in them they should not be so often overcome But such must know that so long as the sinnes that are in us be repented of and mourned for it is not one nor many infirmities which can make voyd the Covenant of grace which wee are entred into or hinder us of the blessing that comes thereby Wee must remember that we are not under the Law but under Grace wee must not be too severe against our selves like Novatians denying pardon to second falls In so doing we set such limits to the grace of God as he himselfe hath not set God hath not said He will pardon once and no more or that he will pardon sinnes before grace received but not those committed after God never so stinted his grace but his gift of grace is against many offences unto justification of life In denying therefore of pardon to our selves for sins iterated and for our often infirmities so long as there is a spirit of repentance working in us and we are humbled for them before God we doe not onely wrong our selves and deprive our soules of the peace we might enjoy but we do wrong to the grace of God as if that grace were not sufficient for us as if that God could not or would not renew his gracious pardon to us as wee renew our repentance towards him Let such consider what the Lord hath commanded us to doe we must not onely forgive seven times but seventy times seven times if our brother turne againe and say it repenteth me And can wee thinke that God lookes for more mercy from us towards our brethren then he will shew towards his owne children He hath bidden us daily to pray for the forgivenesse of our sinnes as knowing that we are subject to daily infirmities and doe stand in need of daily mercy and forgivenesse And therefore to limit Gods grace as we are apt to doe is in effect to turne the Covenant of grace into a Covenant of workes as if there were no more grace under the one then under the other Know therefore that whiles there is in us an holy watchfulnesse against the sin that dwells within us whiles it is our desire and care to please the Lord whiles we feele in our selves the spirit of grace causing us to mourne over him whom we have pierced by our sinnes though we be overtaken again and again through the infirmity of the flesh that is in us yet know that it is not one nor many offences that can deprive us of the blessing of this covenant of grace in which God hath promised to multiply forgivenesses according to the multitude of his great mercies Yet let no man abuse this doctrine unto carnall liberty this is childrens bread impure dogges and carnall livers that make no conscience of sinning have nothing to doe with this consolation it is onely to support the weak to comfort the feeble minded not to encourage the wicked and impenitent in their sin Let such know that though God abound in mercy and do multiply forgivenesses unto such as are humbled for their sins yet he will multiply plagues also upon impenitent wretches that goe on in their evill way To such neither many nor any one of all their sins shall be forgiven but being under the law they shall make an account to God for every transgression God will repay them all their wickednesses not one shall be forgotten or forgiven He is indeed abundant in goodnesse reserving mercy for his people and so he is also abundant in wrath against rebellious sinners and will abundantly reward the proud doer That the covenant of works if it be accomplished and fulfilled Differ 8 leaves in man matter of glorying and boasting in himselfe but the covenant of grace excludes all glorying in a mans selfe and leaves him nothing of his own to boast of but in the grace of God If Adam who was under the covenant of works had fulfilled that covenant he might have come before the Lord and said Behold Lord I have fulfilled the commandment which thou gavest me and done thy will now therefore justifie me and give me the life which thou hast promised here Adam had had something in himselfe to glory in Thus the Apostle speaks of Abraham that if he had had the righteousnesse of works by his fulfilling of the Law he should have had whereof to glory before God Rom. 4.1 Rom. 4.1 he might have said as the elder son did in Luk. 15.29 Luke 15.29
a mind to returne to the Law though they had had grace revealed to them We have a mind to live and dye under that Covenant as the fish in the Sea and the mole in the earth But see what it is a severe and rigid Master the will of it can never be accomplished Therefore fly from it to this amiable and gracious Lord that accepts of weakest indeavours so they be done in sinceritie So long as wee strive to doe the will of the Lord and fly to grace for pardon and acceptance wee doe fulfill the Covenant of grace Therefore cast off that yoke which cannot be borne and take the yoke of Christ upon us for that is easie and his burthen light Mat. 11.29 30. Mat. 11.29 30 Though we doe by sin breake the Covenant of workes and so Differ 11 make it voyd that there is no life and salvation to be had thereby yet there is hope and helpe by flying to the Covenant of grace But if the Covenant of grace be broken and made voyd as it may to those which onely externally lay hold on it there is no more helpe for such a soule It 's in vaine to fly back to the Covenant of workes I deny not but many sinnes may be committed by those that are under the Covenant of grace which yet doe finde helpe and mercy from God as was shewed out of Rom. 5.16 Rom. 5.16 Because the bond of the covenant is not broken As it is between man and wife though shee be foolish passionate and wilfull yet these doe not breake the Covenant of marriage so long as shee remaineth faithfull So here But if the Covenant of grace be made voyd then there is no more helpe nor hope It is in the Covenant of workes as it was under the Law Num. 35.6 25. If a man had committed man-slaughter he was subject to the avenger of bloud yet there were Cities of refuge for him to fly unto where he was to remaine to the death of the High-Priest so it is with those that sin against the Covenant of workes though one hath committed bloudy sins yet there is a refuge for him which the Apostle seemes to allude unto Heb. 6.18 Heb. 6.18 We have strong consolation that have made our refuge c. The Covenant of grace is as Isa 25.4 a refuge against the tempest c. Here is a safe Sanctuary it saves such as are condemned by the Covenant of workes But if a man sin against the Covenant of grace so as to make it voyd to himselfe there is no refuge for him no remedy for him as Solomon speakes of those that being often reproved harden their neck Prov. 29.1 Hence is that in Heb. 10. from 26. to 31. If we sin wilfully after we have received the knowledge of the truth there remaines no more sacrifice for sinnes c. The reason of this difference is Because in the Covenant of workes we have to doe with justice but in the covenant of grace with grace and mercy and therefore as when a man hath committed a trespasse against the Law and Justice condemnes him yet the grace and favour of the Prince may save him but if he contemne the favour of the Prince then he must dye So though we have provoked justice yet we may fly to grace and get helpe there but if wee have offended against mercy and made grace our enemy whither can wee then goe there is no refuge then left for us Vse To let us see the great danger of sinning against Grace there is danger in sinning against the Covenant of workes but it is more dangerous to sin against Grace For there is helpe for such as breake the Covenant of workes but no helpe for such as make voyd the Covenant of grace to themselves These are the killing and destroying sinnes that leave no remedy It is true as was said before that the Lord passeth by many weaknesses of his servants that desire and indeavour to cleanse themselves from all filthinesse and spareth them as a Father his sonne Mal. 3.17 Mal. 3.17 But contemptuous sinnes against Grace are beyond all helpe This is to sin desperately Herein men stumble at the stumbling stone they thinke that now under the dayes of grace though they be yet under the Law they may sin without danger and continue in their evills but here the danger is the greatest therefore take heed how you make Grace your enemy If the Law condemne us Grace may save us But if Grace save us not who shall plead for us How doe men sin Quest so as to make the Covenant of Grace voyd unto themselves and to make Grace their enemy 1. By neglecting and slighting the offers tenders of Grace Answ which are made unto them hereby they become guilty of sinne against Grace In Mat. 22. and Lak 14. the Father invites men to the marriage of his Sonne and so to receive all the blessings that are prepared and made ready There is mercy ready forgivenesse ready c. But marke their answer They cannot come the profits and pleasures of the world hinder them â—rom embracing the tenders of Grace What follows then the sentence goes out of the mouth of Grace it selfe They shall not taste of my Supper Grace invites but it is refused and therefore passeth that direfull sentence So Psal 81.11 Psal 81.11 God offers himselfe to be a God unto them but they will have none of him Then he gave them up to walke after their own hearts lusts c. When we will not have his Grace upon his tearmes then God gives up to Justice When God calls upon us as he doth upon his people Isai 55.1.3 Isai 55.1.3 Come unto me and incline your eare take me to be a God unto you and I will make a sure and everlasting Covenant with you if then wee depart away from God as Hos 11.2 Hos 11.2 and wee will have our lusts and keepe the Idols of our hearts then the offers of grace are made voyd unto us 2. When men turne back from the grace which they have received and grow weary of it when we are convinced of the excellency of grace and doe take hold of the Covenant as it were with one hand but not with all our heart and therefore doe Apostatise and turne back to our own lusts then doe we frustrate all the promises of grace to our selves This exposes grace to contempt as if there were more good to be found in sin and in the world then in the grace of Christ Hence saith the Apostle Heb. 10.26 39. Heb 10.26 39. That they that sin wilfully after they have received the knowledge of the truth there remaines no more sacrifice for sin They that draw back doe it to their own perdition and so Psal 73.27 Psal 73.27 They that turne back from thee shall perish If they be entangled againe saith the Apostle Peter 2 Pet. 2.20 2
know the difference between the service of the Lord and of the God whom you have obeyed Come in therefore and seeke the Lord and give up your selves to be his people that he may raigne over you come within the kingdome of his grace here and he will prepare a kingdome of glory for you hereafter Thus much of the first and greatest blessing of the Covenant of grace I will be your God The second blessing of the Covenant followes which is that the Lord promiseth to his people the pardon and forgivenes of sinnes as is expressed Jer. 31.34 Jer. 31.34 I will forgive their iniquitie and remember their sin no more By this promise the Lord takes away that great scruple and feare that might fill the hearts of his people as thinking that the greatnesse of their sinnes would exclude them from ever having benefit by the former promise for if the soule hearing such a promise revealed I will be your God should now reply and say Yea he will be the God of the just as of Abraham and such as have not sinned against him but I have sinned and my transgressions are exceeding many and they stand up as a partition wall between God and me how can he then be a God to me or communicate himselfe and his goodnesse unto me so vile and sinfull Now the Lord in this promise taketh away this objection and saith I know you have sinned I have seene your rebellions against mee yet this shall not hinder but yet I will be your God and what ever sinnes you have committed I will doe them away and put them out of my sight and will be your God and thus the Lord seemes to answer his people Isai 48.4.9 compared together The Lord having promised deliverance to his people they might say Wee are unworthy I know it saith the Lord that thou art obstinate and yet verse ninth For my Names sake I will deferre my anger c. As if he should say In regard of thy selfe and thy own stubbornnesse thou deservest to be cut off and left in thy misery yet for my praise I will doe thee good The sinnes therefore of Gods people shall not breake off their interest in God they may serve to magnifie the grace of God toward them but shall not lessen nor hinder it Well therefore may this promise be reckoned amongst the blessings of the Covenant of Grace and be set in the next place to the former promise I will be your God This promise of pardon and forgivenesse of sinne is one of the great blessings of the Covenant of grace as sounding forth nothing but Grace and blessing Grace from God and blessing to us Grace from God according to that Exod. 34.6 7. Exod. 34.6 7. The Lord gracious and mercifull pardoning sin forgiving iniquitie and transgression c. So it also imports kindnes and blessing to us as Psal 32.1 Psal 32.1 Here is Grace yea rich Grace in this promise of forgivenesse of sin as Eph. 1.7 Ephes 1.7 It is grace because nothing but grace and mercy can forgive God is just but it is not justice that doth pardon sin Justice taketh vengeance for sin it will not spare our misdeeds but grace taketh pitie and forgiveth Againe it is grace because we have nothing to satisfie withall for the evills which wee have done and therefore there is the more grace to us in pardoning Againe there is grace in it because God hath power in his hand to take vengeance He doth not passe by sin as men doe offences when they dissemble forgivenes because they cannot tell how to be avenged and yet carry rancor and malice in their hearts but God forgives though he hath power to destroy and take vengeance as Deut. 32.35 Deut. 32.35 He is able to destroy Mat. 10.28 Mat. 10.28 and yet chooseth to forgive Hence Exod. 34.6 Exod. 34.6 the Lord joyns these together strong and gracious c. This shews him to be gracious that he is strong and yet pardoneth There is infinite grace shines forth in forgiving the sinnes of men And this will appeare if wee consider these things First consider the nature of sin which is a kind of wrong doing unto God there is injurious provocation in it provoking the jealousie of the mighty God As if a wise should wrong her husband by forsaking him and joyning her self to another man how could such a wrong be recompenced Yet such wrong we doe unto God for in every sin wee commit there is a turning unto the creature and forsaking the Creator Here is grace therefore in forgiving such injuries as Jer. 3.1 If a man put away his wife and she become another mans will he return to her again c. But thou hast plaid the harlot with many lovers yet return unto me saith the Lord. Wherein doth grace and kindnesse appeare more then in pâ—ssing by wrongs It is an easier thing to shew many courtesies and benefits to one that never wronged us then to forgive one petry injury yet here is the grace of God unto us c. Secondly consider against whom our sins have been committed and that will set forth grace more They are not committed against man alone but against the Lord. Now a Prince will sometime forgive a trespasse against a common ordinary subject but that which is against their own person they seldome spare Our sins are against God 1 Sam. 2.25 1 Sam. 2.25 and yet he passâ—th by such transgressions This is abundant grace Thirdly consider to whom sin is forgiven and to whom it is not forgiven it is forgiven to us that were enemies but not to his own deare Sonne when hee came to be a mediator between God and us Hee could not have one sinne forgiven him God would not spare him Rom. 8.32 Rom. 8.32 but took the full satisfaction of sin from him but yet hee spareth us that were enemies Here is grace indeed Fourthly consider the quality of the Lords forgivenesse both in the freenesse and fulnesse of it he forgiveth freely as Rom. 3.24 25. Rom. 3.24.25 Being justified freely by his grace c. Hence saith the Lord Isai 48.9 11. Isai 48.9.11 For my Names sake will I deferre my anger c. For my own sake will I doe it for how should my Name bee polluted and I will not give my glory to another I will doe it freely for if I should take any satisfaction from thee I should pollute my Name and darken the glory of my grace and give it to thee that thou wouldest think that thou wert pardoned for thy sacrifices and thy goodnesse The sin that God pardoneth he doth it freely for his praise sake Papists may talk of their satisfaction to God for their sinnes but these are but the words of men and they cloud over the glory of Gods grace and take the glory of God to themselves But upon such termes God will never forgive Amongst men though one
faithfully performe unto us that which he hath promised his dealing with us doth evidently declare his gracious inclination towards us and his readinesse to forgive First His great patience in waiting for our repentance and turning unto him he waits for this very end that he might be gracious Isai 30.18 Isai 30.18 Secondly His proclaiming of his Name as he doth in Exod. 34.6 The Lord the Lord gracious mercifull forgiving iniquities why doth the Lord thus proclaime his Name and tell us openly that he is a God forgiving iniquities c. but that we might take notice of his graciousnesse towards us and might be encouraged to looke unto him for forgivenesse Even as Kings proclaime their pardon that they might be acknowledged to be gracious Lords Thirdly His gracious invitation also assures us that he will forgive Come unto me saith Christ Mat. 11.28 If sin burthen you I will ease you Yea he entreats us to accept of reconciliation and to be reconciled unto God 2 Cor. 5.20 Fourthly Consider his commanding of us to forgive one another he commands other men to forgive us which is an argument that himselfe will forgive For first herein he shewes his love towards us that he would not have the hatred of any creature to lye against us no not so much as the displeasure of a weake man but would have us to enjoy their love how much lesse then will he let his owne wrath lye upon us which is infinitely more heavie then the displeasure of all the creatures in the whole world and secondly If he would have us to forgive one another which have so littlâ— love and compassion in us how much more will he forgive us his compassion being so tender and pitifull towards the worke of his own hands These acts of his goodnesse doe confirme this unto us that he is a gracious God ready to forgive This lets us see the onely way to get free from the guilt of our Vse 1 sinne which lyes upon us here is the way and there is no other but to fly to grace and mercy to obtain free forgivenes The wicked hypocrite thinkes to escape by denying his sin as Saul did 1 Sam. 15. 1 Sam. 15. or by hiding it from the eyes of the Almightie as they doe Psal 94.7 Psal 94.7 Others thinke that God cannot know them as Job 22.13 14. Job 22.13 14. or that he will not regard them as Psal 94.7 But marke what the Lord himselfe saith Hos 5.3 Hos 5.3 I know Ephraim and Israel is not hid from me And in Amos 5.12 Amos 5.12 I know your manifold transgressions and your mightie sinnes And in Hos 7.2 Hos 7.2 I remember all their wickednesse saith the Lord yea he hath Our sinnes laid up as amongst his treasures Deut. 32.34 Deut. 32.34 and sealed up as in a bag Job 14.17 Job 14.17 to bring them forth against such Atheisticall hypocrites in the day of his visitation Others thinke to make amends for their sinnes that they will appease God with thousands of Rammes and ten thousand rivers of oyle as Micah 6.7 but the Lord will be appeased by none of these Our onely way is to fly to grace and to free forgivenesse all other meanes whether pardons from men or satisfactions from our selves will not free us from the guilt of the least sin the taking away of our sinnes must either be by free forgivenesse or they must lye upon us for ever Is forgivenesse of sinnes one of the blessings of the Covenant then Vse 2 surely it reacheth no further nor to no more then to such as doe give up themselves to God to walke in Covenant with him such therefore as walke contrary to the Covenant which is between God and his people such as will be bound in no bonds but cast away all bonds from them and will walke at libertie and will not be restrained let such know that the bond of the Covenant as the Prophet speakes in Ezek. 20.37 and the blessing of the Covenant goe together so as those that will not come within the bond of it shall never partake of the blessing When God drawes his people into the bond of his Covenant then he is about the forgiving them their sinnes Consider that of the Apostle Rom. 11.26 27. Rom 11.26 27. when God doth take away the sin of a people then doth he also make a Covenant with them and takes away ungodlinesse from them A loose ungodly walking contrary to the Covenant which God makes with his people is an evident demonstration that our sinnes are still bound fast upon us and they will be as fetters and snares to bind us hand and foot to cast us into utter darknesse This benefit of forgivenesse of sinnes is proper onely unto those that are a people in Covenant with God and doe by Covenant bind themselves unto him to walke before him as becoming his people Vse 3 For incouragement unto all such as doe desire to renew their communion with the blessed God and to returne into acquaintance and fellowship with him you desire to have God to be your God you would faine draw near and get into Covenant with him that he may be a God unto you and you a people unto him but this dismayes you this puts you back you have so much guilt lying upon you so many sinnes standing up betwixt God and you that you thinke it impossible that the holy God should ever take such a sinfull wretch by the hand and enter into Covenant with him to become his God But let such consider this sweet promise of grace I will be mercifull to their iniquities and remember their sinnes no more When he had before said that he would be their God now lest any should be beaten off from drawing neare unto him to renew their communion with him he subjoynes this promise I will forgive their iniquities As if he should say though you thinke I will not be a God unto you any more because of your sinnes yet these shall not hinder for I will forgive them they shall stand in my sight no more Vse 4 Hath God thus promised forgivenes of sin in his new Testament and Covenant then let us for our parts labour to partake of this rich blessing lye no longer under the guilt of our sinnes but seeke to have them forgiven Say not there is no hope we have a promise and we may be the children of the Covenant to whom the promise is made Thinke what the Prophet saith in Amos 5.15 Amos 5.15 It may be the Lord will be mercifull to the remnant of Joseph though before in ver 12. the Lord had told them that he knew their manifold and mighty sinnes yet the Prophet here puts them in hope it may be the Lord will yet be mercifull much more should wee be incouraged by the plaine promises of God And therefore when we heare the Lord say I will be mercifull
as in our first creation we were then created holy and righteous after the Image of God so now we are renewed unto the same image again The Lord doth with us as the Potter doth with his vessell when the first fashioning of it is broken he returns and makes it another vessell as seems good in his eyes Jer. 18.3 By this work of renovation and changing our natures there is a new disposition wrought in us clean contrary to that which was before Whereas before the wisdome of the flesh and our corrupt will was quite contrary and even enmity against the Law of God and would by no meanes bee brought into subjection Rom. 8.7 Rom. 8.7 yet now we are made to love the Law and delight in the Commandements of it in our inward man Rom. 7. Rom. 7. The law is not now any more a law without us to urge and enforce us but it is a law within us it is written not in Tables of stone but in the heart according to that promise Jer. 31. Jeremy 31. I will write my lawes in your heartâ— and in your inward parts will I put them By which writing there is stamped upon the heart an inward disposition and inclination of mind and will to doe the things which the law doth command The law being there within us it is unto us as our own bowels loving it and making pretious account of it This blessing the Lord promiseth in his covenant as we may see in Ezek. 36.25 26 27. Ezek. 36.25 26 27. I will powre clean water upon you and yee shall be clean yea from all your filthinesse will I cleanse you A new heart also will I give unto you a new spirit will I put within you and I will take away the stony heart out of your body and give you a heart of flesh and I will put my spirit withiâ— you c. And hence I think it is that the Lord calls himselfe Psalm 71.21 The holy One of Israel not onely because he is holy in himselfe and will be so acknowledged by them but because he sanctifies his Israel unto himselfe making them holy according to that Levit. 20.8 Levit. 20.8 I am the Lord which sanctifieth you And in Isai 43.15 Isaiah 43.15 I am the Lord your holy One. And in Habbak 1.12 Habbak 1.12 the Prophet calls the Lord his holy One. Art not thou of old O Lord my God my holy One He is not onely our mercifull God to pardon us but our holy one to sanctifie us And for the same cause we read of the promise of the Spirit Gal. 3.14 Gal. 3.14 Because God hath promised to give his Spirit unto those that hee takes to bee a people to himselfe This blâ—ssing of sanctification the Lord will perform unto all his people making them an holy people unto himselfe First because hee hath for this end chosen them that they might be holy Eph. 1. Ephes 1. and therefore he will bring them to that estate of holinesse to which hee hath chosen them What he hath chosen us to he will bring us to Gods purposes are not in vain hee will perform to us all the good hee hath intended towards us Secondly Christ hath purchased the spirit of grace for us Joh. 17.19 John 17.19 For their sakes saith Christ sanctifie I my selfe offering up himselfe as a consecrate offering unto God that they may bee sanctified by the truth It was for our sanctification that he offered up himself Thirdly hee hath filled himselfe with all grace for that same end that we might bee filled by that abundance of grace which is in him Psal 68.18 Psalm 68.18 he received gifts for men not to keep them to himselfe alone but to communicate unto us that out of his fulnesse wee might all receive grace for grace John 1.16 And therefore Christ is said to bee not onely righteousnesse unto us but sanctification because he hath filled himselfe to the end that he might also fill us with his own sanctity and holinesse Fourthly Christ hath prayed for our sanctification John 17.17 And wee know that hee was heard alwayes no prayer of his ever returned empty but came back with a full blâ—ssing Fifthly Gods covenant is to give us all things that pertain to life and godlinesse 2 Pet. 1.4 2 Pet. 1.4 Sixthly the Lord is an holy God and therefore will have those that are in covenant with him to bee an holy people Lev. 11. It would be a dâ—shonor to God to have his name called upon a sinfull and prophane people Ezek 36.20 Ezek. 36.20 And beside the end of the covenant betwixt him and his people is Communion God takes a people into covenant with him that he might communicate himselfe unto them that hee might possesse them and they enjoy him but God cannot communicate himselfe in the sweetnesse and familiarity of his love unto unsanctified ones And therefore he will have his covenanted people to be holy that he may communicate himself unto them Seventhly when the Lord gives himself unto a people to be a God unto them he gives himselfe wholly unto them keeping back nothing from them which might make them an happy and blessed people And therefore as he doth communicate himselfe to them in his mercy and grace to pardon their sin so he doth also in his purity and holinesse to sanctifie them and to cleanse them from their sin Eighthly God will be glorified in all his people whom he takes neer unto himselfe Levit. 10.3 Levit. 10.3 and in Isai 43.21 Isaiah 43.21 This people have I formed for my selfe they shall shew forth my praise But God could have no glory from us in this world if he should not sanctifie us Herein is he glorified when wee bring forth much good fruit John 15. John 15. and shine forth in good works Matth 5. Matth. 5. and shew forth the vertues of him that hath called us c. 1 Pet. 2. In these things God is glorified by us but this glory wee can never bring to God till he have sent down his Spirit of glory and grace upon us Now lest this blessing of sanctification should seem too little to be reckoned among the great blessings of the covenant let us therfore consider how great a priviledge this is to be renewed sanctified by the grace of Gods holy Spirit This is intended to us as a blessing in Isai 44.1 2 3. Isa 44.1 2 3 The Lord maketh many sweet promises to his Israel and in verse 3. I will saith the Lord powre my Spirit upon thy seed and my blessing upon thy buds When God powres on any his Spirit then hee would have us to know that he powres on them a rich blessing My Spirit and my Blessing saith God As it is a mans curse to bee left under the power dominion of sin so contrà it is a blessing to be set free from sin
but legall Christians and legall Preachers as allowed this way All her assurance was from revelation it was revealed unto her that shee was one of the Elect of God and shee knew all things by immediate revelation from above but I fear she knows not that her glorious revelations were but Satanicall delusions Let her damned heresies shee fell into denying the resurrection c. and the just vengeance of God by which she perished terrifie all her seduced followers from having any more to doe with her leaven which shee spred among them Beware of her sinne least yee perish in her plague Vse 2. Is there a condition of the Covenant Then let this provoke us all who look for the blessing which it brings to be faithâ—ull with God in keeping our Covenant with him take heed we fall not short of the condition least we be deprived of the blessing this is that which the Apostle teaches us Heb. 4.1 Seeing we have a promise left us of entering into his rest there is the blessing promised let us feare least through unbeliefe any of us should be deprived there is the condition required The words through unbeliefe are not in the Text expressed but they are evidently implyed as appears both by the coherence with the third Chapter and by that which followes Chap. 4.2 To be deprived of such a blessing is a heavy losse such as can never be recompenced and the preventing of this losse so far as concernes us is by keeping of our Covenant which the Lord commands us to walk in If we forsake the condition we forsake the promise and therefore it is also that when God took Abraham into a Covenant with him he did not only tell Abraham what he would be unto him a God to blesse him but he brings Abraham to walk in Covenant with him Thou also shalt keep my Covenant saith the Lord Gen. 17.9 Thou shalt walk before me and bee upright Gen. 17 1. When God takes us into Covenant with him we are said to be brought into the bond of the Covenant Ezek. 20. to teach us that now we must look at our selves as tyed and bound unto God in a Covenant never to be broken we are not now any longer at our own liberty to walke as we list but must observe our Covenant to walk therein when we walk so that we may truly say before the Lord our heart is not turned back from thee neither have we dealt falsely with thee in thy Covenant as it in Psal 44.17 18 this keeps the heart in a comfortable expectation of the blessed hope which is set before us Thus Paul I have kept the faith I have finished my course and now henceforth there is laid up for me a crown of righteousnesse 2 Tim. 4.7 8. Let us carefully walk in the condition and then the promise will be sure not only sure in it self but suâ—e to us 2 Pet. 1.10 These bonds of the Covenant are not like the fetters of a prison they are like the pleasing bonds of wedlock vincula nuptiarum which every one gladly enters into Oh let us love these bonds give up both our hands unto the Lord yea and our hearts also to be bound in them for ever these are sweet bonds they work no griefe seek not therefore to break them Psal 2. nor cast them from you say not we will be our own and walk by our will such lawlesse and licentious spirits as will be at liberty they shall be at liberty to their wo they shall have such a liberty as Jeremy threatned to the rebellious Jewes a liberty to the sword to the famine and to the pestilence Jer. 34. a liberty to goe to hell to their eternall destruction a liberty with a curse granted unto them in wrath which shall end in chaines of everlasting darknesse and bring them into that prison from whence there is no going out Therefore let all such as look for the blessing and life promised in the Covenant Let them walk faithfully in the condition of it and in this way expect the mercy which is promised Thus wee have shewed First That there is a condition of the Covenant Secondly Why the Lord hath put a condition unto it 3. The third point follows to shew what the condition is which though it hath been obiter mentioned before yet is now to be spoken of more particularly The condition then of the Covenant of Grace is faith Rom. 4.16 Rom. 10.9 10. If thou believest in the Lord Jesus thou shalt be saved so Acts 18.31 Joh. 3.16 hence in Rom. 3.27 The Gospel is called the Law of Faith because as the Law of works doth put works as the condition of that Covenant so the Gospel puts faith as the condition of the new Covenant Quest But why is faith made the condition of the Covenant Answ 1. The blessing of life promised is not in our selves but in Christ Christ is life and he which hath the Sonne hath hath life and he which hath not the Son hath not life 1 Joh. 5.12 We are dead Colos 3.3 and our Works are dead Heb. 9.14 there is no life in them they cannot bring life unto them that doe them nor can wee quicken our own soules but Christ is the life of men Joh. 1.4 Colos 3.4 and the way to receive Christ and the life which is in him is only by faith Ioh. 1.12 unbeliefe rejects Christ and puts him away But faith as an hand puts forth it selfe to receive him in whom our life is If we had life in our selves and could have found it in our own works it had then been needlesse to appoint faith as the condition of the Covenant but being that both we our selves are dead in sinne and our works are dead works nothing but death to be found in either therefore it s required that wee believe in Christ that we may receive life from him 2. The condition of the law is now become impossible unto us through the infirmity of our flesh Rom. 8.3 and therefore the Apostle saith that the Law cannot possibly give life Gal. 3.21 Therefore the Lord would go that way with us no more the Lord saw by Adam what would be the fruit of that condition if we had been put upon the same as Adam was we should have done as he did we should have shewed our selves men like men transgressing the Covenant as Hoseah speaks Hos 6.7 This condition being above our ability to performe the Lord hath in goodnesse appointed another which is possible through grace to be fulfilled by us having now received a spirit of faith 2 Cor. 4.13 It is now given us to believe Phil. 1.29 this is possible 3. It is by faith that it might be by grace Rom. 4.16 The Covenant is stablished upon the condition of faith that it might appeare to be by grace that wee obtain the blessing the condition must answer the nature of the Covenant therefore being a Covenant of grace the
and Christ in the promise Joh. 1.12 Heb. 11.13 A man may have an hand and yet not have the gift which is offered him unlesse hee put forth his hand to receive it faith is the hand of the soule and the putting of it forth is the act by which wee receive Christ offered 2. Look as it was with Adam in that Covenant made with him he had an habituall righteousnesse within him but that was not the condition of the Covenant betwixt God and him but the acting of that inward habit in acts of obedience was the condition of the Covenant so here in the Covenant of grace first God puts into us the habit of faith and then requires of us act of faith to lay hold of the promise and to receive the grace which iâ— offered in the Covenant 3. It is not an habit of faith but a life of faith which is required of the Saints that are in Covenant with God it is the habit which enables and fits us to live by faith but the life of faith consists in the acts of faith put forth according to the severall occasions we meet withall Gal. 2.20 2 Cor. 5.8 Heb. 11. 4. There must needs be a difference betwixt that which God promiseth as a part of the Covenant on his part and that which he requires of us on our part now the habit is that which God promiseth to us when he saith I will give you a new heart c. and this he worketh in us in our effectuall calling and then the acting of that faith received is that which is required on our part Quest But what is that act or acts of faith by which we perform the condition of the Covenant Answ 1. First there is an act of faith by which we doe as it were first close with the Covenant revealed and offered unto us 2. There is also another act of it by which we are carried on to an answerable walking before God according to the Covenant made with him 1. For the former before we give a direct answer we must lay down these two grounds First That in the making up of the Covenant betwixt God and us God is first with us he is the first mover he begins with us before we begin with him we should never seek to be in Covenant with him if he did not allure us and draw us unto him Thus in Ezek. 20.37 I will bring them saith the Lord into the bond of the Covenant It is the Lord which brings them they doe not first offer themselves And first God prepares his own way for entering into Covenant with us and then he finisheth the work and in this preparation he doth these three things 1. He breaks us off from our Covenant with Hell and Death makes us sensible of our undone estate makes us see that we are without God without Christ without hope Ephes 2. that we are not under mercy that wee are not of his people 1 Pet. 2. 2. He opens unto us his minde and will shewing himselfe willing to receive us to grace and to enter into a new Covenant with us yet againe to take us to be his people and hee to be our God he goes into the streets and open places as it is in Prov. 1.20 21. and there makes publike proclamation Ho ho every one that will Come yee unto me and I will make an everlasting Covenant with you Esay 55.3 Esay 65.1 yea more he comes and beseeches us to be reconciled unto him 2 Cor. 5.20 and speaks to us as pittying us Jer. 3.12 and lamenting over us Ezek. 33.11 thereby to perswade us to come into a Covenant with him 3. By the hearing of these promises and offers of grace the Lord usually scattereth some little seeds of faith in the hearts of those that he will bring unto himselfe which seed being sown doth sometimes quickly put forth and acts towards the Covenant propounded and layes hold of it as we see in Lydia the Jaylor Zacheus and such others but sometimes and that most usually before that faith hath done any great thing in seeking after God to make a Covenant with him the Lord doth againe withdraw himselfe and goes away as Hoseah 5. end hiding himselfe as if he would regard us and look after us no more so that now if we will get into Covenant with him we must seek after him as he before sought after us and must sue unto him for grace to take us into Covenant with himselfe and herein faith begins to shew it selfe beginning to work and move towards the Covenant which the Lord offereth to make with us For though the Lord hath withdrawn himselfe yet he hath left such a touch of his Spirit upon the heart as makes the soule affectionate towards him so as now it cannot rest but feeling its own wo being without God and without Covenant and having heard of the Lords willingnesse to enter into a Covenant with us it now begins to seek after the Lord to be in Covenant wirh him This is the first ground that God is first he begins with us Secondly The second is that whatsoever faith doth in seeking to enter into Covenant with God it doth it alwayes in that way and according to that order in which the Lord hath gone before us in the offer of his Covenant unto us faith doth alwaies follow the Word and doth nothing but as it hath a word of Faith to guide its way it goes step by step as it hath the light of the word directing and going before faith doth not prescribe unto God it will not presume to appoint the conditions of the Covenant onely it answers and applyes it selfe to Gods offer taking conditions of peace but giving none It doth not seek to wind about the promise of grace to our own minde and will It doth not say I will have it thus thus it shall be or else I will admit of no conditions of peace but the soul now finding that the everlasting estate of it for weal or woe life or death stands at the meer good pleasure and mercy of God and knowing that either it must submit to that way of the Covenant and to those conditions which the Lord is pleased to set down or it must perish for ever it gladly comes in humbly accepting the offer of grace in the same way as it is tendred and offered unto us of God Here then that we may see how faith closeth with the Covenant propounded we must see first how God offers himselfe in his Covenant unto us Now in that main promise of the Covenant which is indeed the sum of all I will be thy God God offers himself unto us two wayes as hath been before shewed in the opening of that promise First he offers himselfe unto us as a God of mercy to pardon us as a God of blessing to blesse us with all sufficient blessings 2. As a God over us and above us to order us and to rule us
in all our wayes to governe us according to his owne will that he may be glorified in us Thus God offers himselfe unto us in his Covenant c. Now the answer is ready to the question propounded how faith doth act in closing with the Covenant the work of faith herein is to carry the soule towards the Covenant in the same order and way as it is propounded First accepting the grace offered resting upon God for all the mercy which he hath promised 2. Taking God to bee a God over us submitting to his government and authority to command us and to rule us in all things according to his own will these two things faith doth and so takes hold of the Covenant in the same way and order as God offers it 1. God makes himself known to us as a God of mercy gracious long-suffering pardoning iniquity transgression and sin he offers himselfe to be reconciled unto us though we have rebelled against him promising to be a Father unto us and to accept of us as his sons and daughters in his beloved Now the worke of Faith in respect of this offer of grace is only to accept the grace offered to lay hold on it and take it unto our selves being so freely offered Faith brings nothing to God of our owne it offers nothing to stand in exchange for the mercy offered it receives a gift but giveth no price The Lord holds out and offers the free grace of the Covenant faith receives it and makes it our owne Hence is that expression used by the Prophet in Esay 56. where we are said to lay hold of the Covenant God holds it forth and we take hold of it the hand of grace offers it and the hand of faith receives it and makes it our owne and this it doth by such steps and degrees as these that follow wherein though I should not limit the Lords dealing with all his yet I will shew what I conceive is the most usuall and ordinary course of Gods dispensation towards those whom he brings into Covenant with himselfe Here then faith closeth with the Covenant in this manner 1. By hearing the great things proposed in the Covenant it stirs up in the heart a deep and serious consideration of the blessed condition of those people that are in Covenant with God Oh what a blessed estate is it thinkes such a one to be in favour with God to be one of his covenanted people It makes him say with Moses Blessed art thou O Israel a people saved by the Lord Deut. 33. It saith with David No people O Lord is like thy people Israel whom thou hast redeemed unto thy selfe 2 Sam. 7.23 Time was when we counted the proud blessed and placed our felicity in other things as in riches preferments favour and credit with men c. but now these are become vile and things of no value faith makes us change our voice and to speake with a new tongue and to say not Blessed are the people that be so but Blessed are the people whose God is the Lord Psal 144. ult This high esteeme of grace being accompanied with a sence of the want of it wee seem unto our selves as undone men lost wretched miserable The poor soul thinkes with it selfe no sin like my sin no misery like my misery I am separated from the Lord an alien from his people Oh blessed are they that are are at peace and in covenant with him this is now the onely pearle of price the rich treasure in the field for which such a one is content to give all the substance of his house In the prodigall when he began to thinke of returning to his father these two things were found in him First a deep sence of his owne misery I die for hunger Secondly a consideration of the wellfare of those that were in his Fathers house they have bread enough So it is with those poor soules in which faith begins to work to draw them back into Covenant with God sensible are they of their own woe highly also doe they prize the excellency of grace if by any means they might attain to have a part in it 2. This high esteem of grace and being in Covenant with God begets a longing desire of it good being beleived cannot but be desired and longed for and therefore faith now beleeving the benefit of being in favour and Covenant with God it cannot but work desires after it desire naturally springeth from the apprehension of any good made knowne Faith is both in the understanding and in the will as it is in the understanding it opens the eye to see and clearly to discerne the blessing of the Covenant and then stirs up the will to pursue and desire the attaining of the grace revealed Never did David more long for the waters of the well of Bethlehem then such a soul touched with the sence of sin doth desire to be at peace with God and in covenant with him and therefore it is that they are said to thirst after the the Lord Psal 42.2 to pant after him Psal 42.1 to gaspe after him Psal 119. longing for communion and peace with him Thus in Esay 26.9 with their soules they desire him in the night and with their spirit in the morning the desire of their soul is set upon him and cannot be satisfied by any thing without him peace with him is their life and to be separated from him is unto them as the shadow of death 3. Faith being yet weak and but as in the bud or in the seed and being yet unacquainted with the Lords dealing with his people not knowing how he useth by terrors of death to bring them to life and peace hence it comes to passe that the soule being pressed with sence of sin therefore though its desires be strong yet hope of obtaining is but feeble and vveak vve seeming to our selves utterly unworthy as indeed we are and uncapable which we are not of so high a priviledge as this is to be in favour and Covenant with the most high God Here therefore faith is taken up with many thoughts thereby to support and keepe up the heart in hope carrying the eye of the soul towards God though as beholding him afarre off faine would the poor soul be joyned to the Lord Isai 56. but being as yet dismayed with the sence of sin he stands like the poor Publican afar off as one afraid to come neere into the presence of the holy God as yet faith can scarce speak a word to God it cannot come neer to call upon him only it can with Ionah look towards his holy Temple as being like the poor weak babe which lies in the cradle being both sick and weak and speechlesse and can onely look towards the mother for helpe the cast of the eye after a sort expressing and signifying what it would say Thus doth faith being yet weak it would speak unto God but cannot onely it hath its eye towards
1 King 20. It counts those subjects happy that are free of this Kingdome and those servants happy that stand before this King 1 King 10. It makes the soule lament its bondage under other Lords as in Esay 26.13 Lord saith the Church there other Lords besides thee have ruled over us but in thee is our onely hope having felt the misery of those former slaveries in which it hath been holden having been in the Iron Furnace of Aegypt and sate by the waters of Babel and wept there having been under such cruell Lords now they are weary of the yoke of the oppressor and now the blessing of the Lords government the Laws of God which were before counted as cords and bands fitter for bondslaves then for free-men are now esteemed holy and just and good Rom 7. Faith believes that which the Lord hath said that he hath given us his Commandements for our good that it may goe well with us for ever Deut. 12. 4. Faith reconciles the heart unto God it doth not only believe that he is reconciled unto us but also reconciles us unto God whereas before we hated him and would none of him and thrust him away from us as the Israelites did Moses Acts 7.27 Yet now the soule having by faith believed his goodnesse towards us is thereby reconciled unto him it layes down all weapons of defiance and submits in love Like as a Traytor having found the gracious favour of his Prince in pardoning his treacherous practises his naughty heart which was before so full of treachery is now overcome with this undeserved favour so we also having been in times past rebels against God haters of him enemies unto him having had our mindes set upon evill things Col. 1. are now overcome by his goodnesse towards us our heart is turned to him our hatred is turned into love faith working love causing us to love him for that great love wherewith hee hath loved us in Christ 1 Joh. 4. So that now we come to God as they did to David in 1 Chron. 12.18 Thine are we we are wholly thine And thus faith slayes the hatred and puls down the partition wall which was betwixt God us reconciles the enmity and makes of two one working peace and love so that now the believing soule desires nothing more then to bee subject to his government and grieves when it is hindred that it cannot doe that which he hath commanded And thus the Covenant is made up in both parts of it offered unto us by God and received of us by faith 1 King 20.34 2. As faith closeth with the Covenant and brings us into Covenant with God so it doth also act and work in us to enable us to walk with God according to the Covenant which we have made with him there is a keeping of Covenant required of us as well as a making of Covenant with God Gen. 17 7 9. in Psal 50.5 the Saints are said to make a Covenant with God but in Psal 103.18 they are said to keep his Covenant so there is both a making and a keeping of Covenant and both these are done by faith faith doth first enter us into Covenant with God as we have seen above and then by the same faith we are carried on to a keeping of the Covenant made and that according to both parts of the Covenant before laid down 1. Whereas God enters into Covenant with us to heale our back-slidings to blesse us with all kinds of blessings convenient for us Now the work of faith is to carry on the soule in a continuall dependence upon God for all the good which he hath promised If we be in danger faith looks unto God for safety and deliverance 2 Chron. 14.11 Acts 27.25 It believes the promises of deliverance and depends upon them If we have sinned and done the things wee should not faith brings the soule back unto God againe in a way of repentance and looks to the faithfulnesse and stability of his Covenant hoping still to finde mercy and forgivenesse with him albeit we have sinned against him and so in all other occasions which befall us in this life according as any evill presseth upon us or any blessing is wanting unto us faith hath recourse to the promise and Covenant of God waiting upon him for all that mercy which we stand in need of in every kind And when we doe thus put forth our faith in the exercise and acts of it depending by it upon God in all our occasions this is the life of faith which the Scripture speaks of this is to live by faith Hab. 2. and to walk by faith 2 Cor. 5. And this life of faith is then especially seen when the course of Gods providence and dealing with us seemes to make against his promise herein the life of Abrahams faith was seen that though his body grew more impotent and dead every yeare yet God having promised him a Son Abraham believes even above hope notwithstanding the deadnesse of his body and of Sarahs womb And so Moses God having promised good to Israel though for the present he saw nothing but wants and necessities and mortality among the people so many thousands dying in the Wildernesse yet was he so confident of Gods goodnesse towards that people that he was bold to promise good to Jethro his Father-in-Law in case he would joyn himselfe unto them and be one of them Come with us saith Moses unto him and we will doe thee good for God hath promised good unto Israel Num. 10.29 When Moses promised to doe him good hee might have said You may bring me to sorrow and misery enough here you are in a miserable Wildernesse where you sometimes want water and have nothing to eat and here you die and your carkases fall in the Wildernesse what good can I expect that you can doe for mee and yet Moses by the power of faith is confident to promise him good God saith he hath promised good unto Israel Moses looks beyond the present workes of Gods providence and considers the stability of Gods promise and that doth he rest upon God not being as man that he should lye or repent 1 Sam. 16. therefore Moses concludes Let the Lord for the present doe as he will let all things seem to crosse his promise never so much yet this I am sure of God hath promised good to Israel and therefore good shall come and thus doth faith enable the soule to walke in Covenant with God depending upon him for that mercy and goodnesse which he hath promised God saith I will be a God unto thee to blesse thee and to doe thee good and this I require of thee that thou trust to me and depend upon me for all the good thou standest in need of and faith doth so it rests upon Gods promise And thus faith fulfills this part of the Covenant 2. As for the other part of the Covenant I will be a God over thee and thou shalt glorifie
Eph. 2.8 9. ye are saved by grace through faith There is first the maine blessing of the Covenant yee are saved There is secondly the fountaine or cause of it by grace yee are saved by grace Then thirdly there is the condition through faith And if any should now ask how it could be by grace and yet depend upon the condition of faith the Apostle goes on and shews how that may be namely 1. Because faith is not of our selves but it is the gift of God and 2. Because faith doth not come to God boastingly to claime life by the works of righteousnesse which we have done but comes to him with an empty hand to receive what grace and mercy is willing to give such a condition as this doth no more derogate from the freenesse of grace then doth the beggers receiving of the almes given him derogate from the kindnesse of him that gave it 4. The grace of the Covenant is free notwithstanding the condition because we doe not put any condition as antecedent to the Covenant on Gods part whereby to induce and move the Lord to enter into Covenant with us as if there were any thing supposed in us which might invite and draw him to take us into Covenant with himselfe only we suppose a condition antecedent to the promise of life which condition we are to observe and walk in and in the observation thereof to expect the blessing of life which the Covenant promiseth If God had not purposed to have dealt with us after his rich grace he might have said to us when he saw us polluted in our bloud I will no more have mercy as it is in Hoseah 1.6 9. ye shall no more be my people neither will I be yours But yet he is pleased to over-look all our sinfull pollutions and to sprinkle clean water upon us and then to take us by the hand and to enter into Covenant with us here is grace free notwithstanding the condition of faith to which the promise is made In a word The Lord out of his free grace purposing life and salvation to his chosen then to make way for the accomplishment of his purpose in bringing us to life first he works in us renewing grace and puts within us a spirit of faith and so leads us on in the way of faith to the obtaining of that great blessing the salvation promised the one of these being antecedent and as a condition to the other 5. It s a good consideration which Doctor Ames hath in Coron Arâ—ic 5. cap. 3. That eadem res absolutè promittitur quia certò efficietur cum conditione quia non alià s efficietur nisi per media in illis mediis hominis ipsius exigitur cura thus forgivenesse of sinne is absolutely promised Esay 43. For mine own sake will I put away thy transgressions and yet it is promised also with condition 1 Joh. 1. If wee confesse our sins he is faithfull and just to forgive us our sinnes These promises are both of them promises of free grace the annexing therefore of a condition doth not impaire the free grace of the Covenant Vses And first from this that faith is the condition of the Covenant from whence first we may conceive how it is that even in the Covenant of grace life is promised unto good works and to well-doing as it is in Iohn 5.29 Luke 14.14 Gal. 6.9 1 Tim. 6.18 19. Hebr. 6. by all which it might seeme that works have the same place in the Covenant of grace as in the Covenant of works even to be proper causes of salvation but where we finde the promise of life made unto good works we must not look at them as works of the Law but as works and fruits of faith wrought by a beleever wrought forth by the power and by the life of faith which being a living grace cannot be idle and fruitlesse but will be working and fruitfull in well doing These kind of promises which promise life unto works are if I may so call them not casuall but declarative making manifest who be those true beleivers to whom the life promised in the Covenant doth belong In these promises workes are not set as the causes of our salvation but as evidences and signes of those that do beleeve unto life distinguishing betwixt beleevers and unbeleevers between those that are sincerely faithfull and seeming professors which professe and say they beleive but indeed their faith is but a dead faith and therefore vaine the promise is made to works not as the cause of our salvation but to note out the nature and quality of that faith which is the condition of life seeing faith is a grace more inward and that act of it by which it saveth is secret and cannot be seen for who knows our resting on or adhering unto Christ therefore this saving faith shews it selfe by some other acts of it setting love a worke which discovers it selfe by obedience in all righteousnesse and true holinesse and these fruits being seen do make knowne the tree from whence they come although therefore the promise of life is made sometimes to faith sometimes to workes yet this is not to note out a twofold condition of the Covenant as if the condition were partly faith and partly works but to note out the property and nature of that faith which hath the promise of life belonging to it not an idle but a working faith not a dead faith but living not ineffectual in word or tongue only but operative and effectuall making us carefull to shew forth good works Tit. 3.8 Otherwise if we look at workes by themselves as separated from faith to such works there is no promise of life made in the Covenant of grace The same work done by a beleever hath a promise of reward and the same work being done by an unbeleever hath no promise which shews that the promise is made rather to the worker or to the beleever thus working then to the worke it selfe and by this meanes the promise of life being made to this kinde of faith which doth thus work hereby the faithfull are enabled the better to see their own estate in the promise of life as having a good foundation of assurance thereby that they shall obtaine eternall life 1 Tim. 6.19 hereby also carnall professors who talk of saith but have no works walking unholily are convinced to have no part and right thereunto 2. This may let us see the kindnesse and love of God towards us in that he hath appointed such a condition of life unto us as through his grace is possible for us to fulfill To fullfill the righteousnesse of the Law is now become impossible through the infirmity of our flesh but it is not impossible to beleeve on him who hath fulfilled all righteousnesse for us Here is grace in appointing such a possible condition for though the Lord should have fully pardoned all our former breaches of Covenant with him and
should have said unto us you have once broken my Covenant and yet if you will at last fulfill my Law which I gave unto you I will yet accept you as just unto life yet we could not have done it the condition was too hard for us to perform If we had been held close to this condition of fulfilling the Law we should have missed of life for ever The Lord therefore seeing and pittying of our infirmity was pleased to propound unto us another condition saying unto us only beleive Beleive on my son trust on my grace and thou shalt be saved herein the Lord hath condescended to our weaknesse taking compassion of our infirmities laying upon us no other burthen but this Beleeve my promise accept my grace and rest upon it and this thy faith shall save thee Thou shalt never perish 3. It serves for comfort to all Gods faithfull ones that have beleived through grace if you have received this first gift if it be given you to beleeve you shall not fail of a second gift even the gift of eternall life through Iesus Christ our Lord Though your repentance be lesse then to equall the measure of your sins though your obedience be imperfect yea though your faith it selfe be weak also yet if it be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 unfained syncere and sound this your faith is accepted of God and is imputed to you for righteousnesse Those that are of faith are blessed with faithfull Abraham saith the Apostle Gal. 3.9 Blessed is shee that beleeveth saith the Angell Luke 1.45 and the Son of God comes in as a third witnesse testifying that whosoever beleeveth in him shall not perish but is passed from death to life Iohn 3. Here are three witnesses from heaven and earth all witnessing the blessed estate of such as do beleive Faith is well termed precious faith 1 Pet. 1.2 Pet. 1.1 because it makes us partakers of all the precious blessings of grace which are contained in the Covenant The faithfull are inheritours of all the priviledges which God hath promised to his chosen and therefore it is that they are called heires of promise Heb. 6.17 and heires of blessing 1 Pet. 3.9 You beleevers be exhorted to see and owne your blessednesse take notice of the great things the Lord hath done for you he hath made a covenant with you even a Covenant of peace and blessing and life for ever God is become your God he will be all things unto you and when all helpes under heaven fail you yet from himselfe he will do you good all your sins are forgiven you his spirit is yours to lead you to sanctifie you and to heal the evils that be in you he will uphold you in that state wherein you stand and will keep you that you shall never perish and will at last bring you to a full injoyment of himselfe in his heavenly Kingdome where you shall for ever blesse him and be made blessed by him and shall rejoyce before him with joy unspeakable and glorious pluck up your hearts therefore and be glad lift up your heads strengthen the weak hands and the feeble knees serve the Lord with gladnesse and joyfulnesse of spirit considering the day of our salvation draweth neer though now for a time you may be in heavinesse through manifold temptations and afflictions in this evill world yet faint not you being partakers of that precious faith you have the holy and faithfull God in Covenant with you to love you to blesse you and to save you and yet a little while and he that shall come will come and receive you to himselfe and then you shall fully know what it is to have beleived and to have been in Covenant with God what it is to have God to be your God when you shall see him and enjoy him as he is Only nourish your faith and live by faith make much of this precious grace cherish it by thinking often on the promises and of that grace which hath been shewed upon you from on high study to walke worthy of that mercy received and in so doing wait for the end of your faith the salvation of your soule 4. If faith be the condition of the Covenant then woe to all unbeleevers that go on in their impenitency and unbeleife Their unbeleife deprives them of that good which the Lord hath by his Covenant promised to his people they have no part nor portion in God they are without God without Christ without Covenant without promise without mercy their sins are unpardoned they are under the curse the wrath of God abides upon them there is nothing to take it away from them but if they abide in unbeleif wrath abides upon them for ever There is a wrath wherby God is angry with his own people but that anger lasts but for a little season it is but for a moment Isai 4.7 8. it passeth away and abides not upon them but the unbeleiver hath wrath abiding on him for ever John 3.36 In Iude 5. it is said that God afterwards destroyed those Israelites that beleived not when once they had had the means of grace made known then not beleiving God afterwards destroyed them you that tread in the steps of their unbeleif you are little troubled to thinke what misery is comming upon you as not knowing that you are in danger but you are under wrath your judgement hastneth and your damnation sleepeth not be awakened therefore be thinke your selves and consider what your end will be by your unbeleif you put a bar to exclude your selves from the blessing of life promised to Gods people you thus continuing the Lord neither will nor can save you You will thinke this an hard saying but you will finde it too true God cannot lye Titus 1.2 much lesse can he forswear but God hath sworne this that such shall never enter into his rest Psal 95. and Hebr. 3. ult In Mat. 13. ult It s said Christ did not many great works in his owne country for their unbeleifes sake But in Marke 6.5 it s said hee could not doe them he neither did them nor could do them unbeleif stops the course and diverts the stream of Gods goodnesse from comming unto us Christs usuall speech to those that expected any blessing from him was this According to your faith be it unto you faith makes all things possible Marke 6.23 It will reverse the sentence of death which is passed upon us and bring us back unto life but unbeleife makes it impossible so that we cannot be saved The Lord can do nothing against his own counsell and will and he hath concluded this with himselfe to save none but such as beleive and that whosoever beleeveth not shall perish all you unbeleevers consider this your unbeleefe will bee your destruction Secondly Is there such a work of faith in bringing us into Covenant with God and in enabling us to walk in Covenant with him 1. This serves to direct all the people of God
how to live and walke before God look at your selves as such as have God in Covenant with you to blesse you with all blessings meet and expediâ—nt for you whether they be blessings of this life or that which is to come you are no more strangers and forreiners you are not aliens from the Covenant or common-wealth of Israel All the good which God hath promised to his Israel belongs to you Live therefore a life of faith resting upon the Covenant which the Lord hath made with you Naturall men live by sence and reason live you by faith in Gods Covenant and promise and there is much use to be made of this consideration 1. In case we have sinned and done things that we should not and thereby have grieved the Lord as David did of whom it is said that the thing that David had done displeased the Lord yet herein make use of our faith trusting still to his grace and mercy for forgivenesse according to his Covenant we must not now fly away from God and stand afar off or cast away our hope as if we had lost our God and had no more part or portion in him but still beleive that we renewing our Repentance before him he will still be our God and love us still and will be mercifull to our iniquities Now is a time to put forth faith in Gods promise we must remember we are not under that hard condition of workes but under the condition of Faith It s the weaknesse and sinfull infirmity of many of Gods people who walk in much discouragement of spirit because of some failings which they see in themselves by which they become uncomfortable to themselvs and to others when yet their conscientious walking and tendernes is manifest to all such a discouraged spirit might well become a childe of the Law that is under the condition of Workes but it becomes not such as are under the condition of Faith Hath the Lord said that if his people sin against him after hee hath taken them into Covenant with himselfe he will cast them off and acknowledge them no more See what Samuel speaks to the children of Israel in 1 Sam. 12.19 20. Ye have indeed sinned a great sin and done all this wickednesse yet feare not depart not from following the Lord for the Lord will not forsake his people The Lord knowâ—â— our frailty and remembers we are but dust and therefore hath told us that he will spare us as a father spareth his son that sâ—rveth him Mal. 3.17 and will be mercifull to our sins If we were or could be without sin we should not have needed such promises of forgivenesse but when the Lord tooke us into Covenant with himselfe he knew we should still need daily mercy and compassion to heale our backslidings and foreseeing our need of such promises he hath made them knowne unto us that we might live by them looking up unto him by faith in the fence of our daily infirmities for a gracious acceptance of us and forgivenesse of our sins 2. In case we want any blessing suppose some speciall grace to enable us to walke more fruitfully in our particular places and callings look herein at the Covenant as a storehouse full of all rich blessings and make use of faith which is the condition of the Covenant set that aworke and draw out of this fountain as much as we need if we want wisedome boldnesse meeknesse temperance remember by what means we must receive them we receive the spirit by faith Gal. 3.14 beleive this promise therefore wherein the Lord hath said he will give the Holy Ghost to them that desire him Luke 11.13 This is the way the Saints have taken David when he found his heart defiled with those lusts what course took he to get it cleansed from these impurities he flyes to God by the prayer of faith desiring to have a clean heart created in him when the Church found her self shut up under deadnesse and hardnesse of heart they fly for help to Gods Covenant Thou art our father and we are thy people Breake not thy covenant with us Isai 63. and 64. Ier. 14. 3. In case we be troubled with feares of Apostacy and backsliding as thinking though we have begun well yet we shall never be able to continue Persecutions discouragements temptations are so many so violent that we thinke we shall never stand out against them here also live by faith God will give an issue to all our temptations in the mean time commit our soules to God in well doing and beleeve as Paul did that he will deliver you from every evill work and preserve you blamelesse to his heavenly Kingdome 2 Tim. 4. If Satan annoy with his temptations say as Jehoshua did The Lord rebuke thee O Satan Zach. 3. and remember the promise The Lord will shortly tread him under our feet Rom. 16. 4 In case of any service or duty to be performed unto God remember his Covenant I will make you able to keepe my judgements and to doe them Ezek. 36.27 In 1 Chron. 15.26 it is said God helped the Levites in bearing the Arke so will he help us to undergoe the burthen of that work which is too heavy for us if we rest upon him by faith if we have a word of faith to assure us that the work to be done is for the generall Gods worke and that it is particularly required of us as Our works a worke of our calling we have then good warrant to depend upon his help he hath called us he hath sent us to the work and therefore he will be with us according to that speech of his to Gideon in Judges 6.14 16. I have sent thee and therefore I will be with thee This is written not for him only but for us also that being called to any ministration or service we might by faith look for the same presence of God with us the same assistance as he had Many other particulars might be named but these may suffice to give a short direction how to live by faith in the promise and Covenant of God according to the severall occasions which befall us 2. As we must depend upon God by faith for all good things which the Covenant promiseth so we must remember the other part of the Covenant That God will be a God over us as well as a God to blesse us and therefore here our care must be to advance the Lord on high that it may be seen by our subjection unto him that we doe acknowledge him to be our God above us and over us he hath humbled himself to take such underlings as we are into Covenant with himselfe and hath thereby advanced us above our selves our duty is to set up him that hath abased himselfe for our sakes and to humble our selves to walke with our God Micah 6.8 It is said of Abraham that by his faith he gave glory to God if we be the children of Abraham let
and so it was with those mockers Act. 2.13 37. here were no dispositions and preparations before on their part but tree and unexpected grace from God 5. Compare those that are taken into Covenant with other that are left out for all are not taken in Ephes 2.12 there be that are without God without Covenant and this will also make it manifest it is free grace by which any are taken in For 1. If we look upon those that are taken into Covenant and those that are left we shall finde that there is no difference in themselves betwixt one and other we have all sinned and there is no difference saith the Apostle Rom. 3.22 23. No reason therefore in us why one is taken into Covenant and not another but only free grace in God for if it be not free grace towards them that are taken in then there is injustice and wrong done to those that are left If there were any worth in those that are taken there was as much in those that are left and therefore either it must be free grace towards the one or there is injustice and wrong towards the other but what blasphemous mouth dare impute unrighteousnesse and wrong to the righteous God he owes nothing to any he may truly say to all men I doe thee no wrong Matth. 20.13 Thou hast as much as I owe thee Both sorts therefore being in themselves alike and no wrong done to those that are left it must needs be free grace in those that are taken in apply Ioh. 14.22 Matth. 11.25 2. As sometimes there is no difference betwixt one and other so sometimes God chuseth the worse takes in the more unworthy and leaves those that are better then they Paul a chiefe of sinners 1 Tim. 1. Publicans and Harlots Matth. 21. Mary Magdalene possessed with seven Devills these were taken in and the righteous generation as they were reputed which justified themselves and were justified by others were left and passed by In Ezek. 3.7 8. The Lord tells the Prophet that if he would have sent him to another strange people as he sent Jonah to the Ninevites they would have hearkned unto him and obeyed him but the house of Israel will not obey thee and yet for all this God sent his Prophet to them and not to the other to the worse and not to the better and so Matth. 11.23 Thus it is in the communication of himself in the Covenant of grace he sometimes passeth by such as seeme better and takes the worse to the end that it might appeare that he respects none for any thing that is in them but that the freenesse of his grace might be seene in those whom he takes unto himselfe This is that which the Apostle points at 1 Cor. 1 27 28 29. God chuseth the foolish things of the world the weak things base and despised things things which are not passing by the wise the mighty and things which are in esteeme that all might see it is nothing in man but the grace of God by which we are taken into communion and Covenant with him c. 2. As the grace of the Covenant is thus free in the making of it so it is also in the accomplishment of it the blessings of the Covenant are as free grace in the bestowing as they were in the promising Not that God is now free to performe or not to performe for he cannot but performe that which he hath promised but yet he owes the blessing to us in regard of his own promise faithfulnesse and goodnesse not in regard of any worth that is in us for though there be our obedience of faith intervening and comming between Gods promise and between his performance yet the performance is as free grace as is the promise because there is no such worth in any of our obedience as to which the blessing should be done in a way of justice He cannot deny himselfe 2 Tim. 2. nor can he alter the thing which is gone out of his lips Psal 89.34 otherwise the blessing of the Covenant is as well freely given as it was freely promised And therefore it is that the Prophet speaking of the performance of the Covenant which God made with Abraham but was to be performed to his seed he speaks in this manner Thou wilt performe truth unto Jacob and mercy unto Abraham as thou hast sworn unto our Fathers in old time Micah 7.20 Gods truth gives assurance that hee will doe it thou wilt performe truth unto Jacob but yet its mercy when it s performed thou wilt performe mercy unto Abraham c. and thence it is that in Iude v. 21. the Apostle speaking to the Saints exhorts them to wait for the mercy of the Lord unto eternall life and in Rom 6.23 Life eternall is called a gift freely given by free grace and in 1 Pet. 3.7 we are said to be heires of the grace of life because grace is the cause as well of our inheriting life as of Gods promising for though we have received a Spirit of grace to renew and sanctifie us yet in many things we offend still standing in need of forgivenesse from day to day and where there is need of forgivenesse there life must needs be of grace and not of merit or works The Reasons why the Lord would have his Covenant to stand upon this foundation of free grace are these 1. To be a ground of hope to such as see themselves unworthy of acceptance with God If the grace of the Covenant were not free such unworthy ones could have no hope 2. It is the glory of grace to be freely communicated Esay 55.1 Come and buy without money It darkens the glory of grace when it is vouchsafed for any benefit received as Potiphar favoured Ioseph because he saw God prosper the things that were under his hand Gen. 39.3.4 but where favour is wholly free there it shines forth in the glory of it and thence it is that when the Lord had made his promise to the dispersed Jewes concerning their gathering in againe he tells them that it is not for their sakes but for his own name sake thereby to maintaine the glory of his free grace towards them 3. The Lord would have his Covenant to be a Covenant of free grace that the blessing of it might be sure unto those to whom the promise is made The Lord saw the unstability of the former Covenant of works the promise being made with respect to that which was in us or to be done by us and so would this new Covenant have been also if it had been built upon the like foundation therefore that the blessing of it might be sure the promise is made to depend not upon any thing to be done by us but upon the free grace of God Rom. 4.16 Vse 1. To enforme us from what hand to expect the blessing of life promised to us in this Covenant even from mercy and from grace not from justice he
that will have life and wring it out of the hand of justice in stead of life shall have the wages of death as his deserved and just reward See 2 Tim. 1.18 It is mercy which the best must look for at that day Vse 2. This may be a ground of incouragement to such as are or at least seem to themselves to be afar off aliens to God strangers to his Covenant let them draw neer and seek to be partakers of this grace so freely offered the blessings whereof are great of infinite value yet are they as free as great in respect of greatnes they might seem to be above hope but in respect of the freenesse of them they are under hope by this consideration the Lord encourageth his people to seek unto him for acceptance Receive us graciously Hos 14.2 and if any say but alas how can we which have forsaken our God and gone after our Idols and done such abominations be accepted by him hereto the Lord answers I will love them freely he looks for no worth in us for which he should shew grace unto us but only that we must accept that which is so freely offered It s usuall with such as most desire and long after grace to be most fearfull and doubtfull of obtaining Oh there is so much unworthinesse in them how can they hope to finde acceptance with God they can see nothing in themselves for which God should accept them and t is true but though you can see nothing in your selves yet you may see enough in God Looking downward you see unworthinesse in your selves but look upward and then behold riches of free grace in God Grace is never the further off because you can see no worthinesse in your selves nay the more you discerne your selves unworthy the more neer is the aboundance of grace to be manifested in you if ye trust unto it say not therefore you are unworthy thereby nourishing distrust in your selfe but say rather though I be unworthy yet I will commit my selfe to that free grace of God which is vouchsafed to unworthy ones nay I say more such as are not unworthy shall never taste of this mercy and grace of God it s given to none but to unworthy ones The very thought and opinion of our own worthinesse dwelling in us excludes us and cuts off from grace here is then a prop to our weak faith this puts a plea into the mouthes of all dejected souls let them look to this sweet name of grace here take hold here rest here cast anchor in this harbour we shall be safe in the midst of all stormes and as the Church in Lam. 3.8 considering the greatnesse of her affliction shee said Her hope was perished from the Lord yet considering again how her heart was humbled within her she re-assumes her hope which before was perished my soule saith she is humbled within me therefore have I hope shee hoped then even when her hope was perished so let us do when our hope is perished in respect of any goodnesse in our selves yet considering the free kindnesse and grace of God let us stir up our hopes and say as she did I have hope because the Lord is gracious freely offering grace to the unworthy were it not for this Name of grace we should never tell how to open our mouthes before the Lord If he should say unto us what can you say for your selves why I should not condemne you We must answer truly nothing Lord nothing in our selves onely thou art gracious who freely pardonest the sins of thy people I cannot desire to be accepted of thee for any thing that is in me but I commit my selfe to thy free and rich grace which is able to do for me abundantly above that I can aske or thinke And here to adde a word more concerning the absolute promises of which I have spoken something before we may by that which hath been spoken discerne the right use of those promises they are to be incouragements or attractives to draw us to rely upon free grace in such times when we are most discouraged in our selves there be severall seasons in which both kinds of promises both absolute and conditionall are of speciall use there is a time wherein the soule is apt to slumber being overtaken with a spirit of security apt to presume and to walke negligently there is a time also of dismayednesse and dejection of Spirit every thing causing feare though we walke in conscionable care before God Now when that security and carelesness prevails in us then is a time for us to look unto the conditionall promises and the qualifications expressed in them not giving rest unto our selves untill we finde them in our selves contrariwise when the soule lyes under fear pressed downe with sence of our owne vile unworthinesse then is a time to looke unto the absolute promises considering with our selves though we be poore lost wretched miserable yet the Lord hath promised for his own sake to succour us and to do us good To apply absolute promises to one of a loose carnall and sensuall spirit it is as if you should give him a cup of poison to drink but to apply the same to a poor dejected spirit sensible of its owne vilenesse here it is as new wine which glads the heart of man Every thing is beautifull in its season as Solomon speaks so are these promises in their severall seasons the absolute promises to incourage the weak and dejected the conditionall to search to waken and stirre up the secure Vse 3. To exhort us to honour this free grace of God by which we are taken into Covenant with him all that God doth towards us being done for the praise of this glorious grace of his Ephes 1.6 This is Gods end and this was Pauls practice 1 Tim. 1.13 14. ever seeking to magnifie this grace and Ephes 2.4 and Isai 63.7 where there is mention of rich mercy great love exceeding riches of grace great goodnes tender love great mercy multitude of loving kindnesses Reserve we therefore the whole glory of our salvation intire unto grace alone mixe nothing with it adde nothing to it adding and mixing debaseth it as water mixed with wine or copper with gold It was Davids expression which he used when he had received those ample promises from God for thy words sake and according to thine own heart saith David hast thou done all these great things unto thy servant 2 Sam. 27.21 so thinke we all that mercy and goodnesse which the Lord hath done for us he hath not done it for our sakes or according to our worthinesse but according to his owne heart according to the purpose of his grace towards us say therefore Not unto us O Lord not unto us but to thy Name be the praise it is enough for us that we have life the blessing the comfort let grace alone have all the glory Vse 4. To stir us up to imitate this free grace of God
stands firme betwixt him and us he mediates with the Father for us when he sees him provoked by our sin he mediates with us also by his Spirit bringing us back to God in a way of repentance so renewing our Covenant towards him and helping us to take new hold of his Covenant towards us Christ is a Priest for ever to be Mediator of an everlasting Covenant Vse 1. Here is a spring of everlasting consolation to those that are in Covenant with God this fountaine of comfort will never be dryed up Let other things end or change as they will yet God is ours in an everlasting Covenant never to be broken off death may put an end to other Covenants betwixt man and man but this Covenant betwixt God and us stands fast for ever Though Abraham be dead yet God is Abrahams God still and by vertue of this Covenant betwixt God and him Abraham shall be raised up and live againe This may stay the minds of weak ones in time of desertion when they seem to be dead livelesse lost and cast off as if God would remember them no more yet then consider Gods Covenant is an everlasting Covenant so that if ever you gave up your selves to God by Covenant to be one of his this Covenant shall continue and abide for ever If ever you found your selves infolded in the bands of this Covenant know for certaine the Lord will not loose you he will remember his Covenant and promise and will return and love you again and that with an everlasting love what he hath been unto you the same he will be for ever and ever You will say perhaps you have sinned and now he is angry with you for your sin suppose it be so he may be angry with his dearest ones as he was with Moses Deut. 1.37 but he will not alwayes chide Psal 103.9 nor will he cast off for ever Lament 3.31 he will be pleased againe and will love you with an everlasting love see Psal 89.28 29. to 38. Here is a ground of everlasting consolation in this everlasting Covenant Vse 2. For exhortation First Let this stirre us up for ever to magnifie that riches of mercy which hath taken us into the bond of this everlasting Covenant There is no end of this mercy and goodnesse Oh that there might be endlesse prayses sounding from us with enlarged desires to publish this grace shewed on us If this Covenant had been for a little season it had been the lesse mercy but that we should have the High God to enter into an everlasting Covenant to be our God for ever who can sufficiently admire this goodnesse When God had made that large promise to David concerning his House and Kingdom for ever 2 Sam. 7.16 See how David was taken up with admiration Lord saith he who am I and what is my house that thou hast brought me hitherto namely to the Kingdom And yet this was but a smal thing in thy sight O Lord God and therefore thou hast spoken of thy servants house for a great while vers 19. This enlargement of Gods love to Davids house for a great while even to stablish it for ever this enlarged Davids heart and mouth towards God as not knowing how sufficiently to set forth the praise of his goodnesse Truly such is the mercy shewed us in making this Covenant with us that if we might live unto eternity we should think we never had day enough or time enough to magnifie this everlasting mercy shewed on us 2. Let it admonish us to be constant in our Covenants and in all duties of love according to what we have Covenanted and promised It s mentioned as one of the sinnes of the Gentiles that they were Covenant-breakers Rom 1.30 Let it rest with Gentiles let it never be said that it is the sinne of those that professe themselves the children of an everlasting Covenant 3. Let all those that are as yet without and have no part in this Covenant of God Let them seek to partake in it come within the bond of it it brings an everlasting blessing which failes not In the things of the world the more continuance any thing is of the more esteem it is of Inheritances are preferred before leases c. All the things of the world are but temporal the things of God which he passeth over to his by his Covenant are eternal â— Cor. 4.1 the things which are temporal please us so long as they last but when they are past the comfort of them is vanished with them and many times it irkes us that we had them and now have them not but the things of this Covenant are everlasting if we be once possessed of them we shall never grieve for the losse of them they shall never be taken away because they are given to us by an everlasting Covenant Come off therefore from the dying and perishing things of the world and seek the things of this everlasting Covenant in them is continuance and we shall be saved Esay 64. 4. The fourth property is that it is a holy Covenant Deut. 19.24 Luke 1.72 And it is so called an holy Covenant in these respects 1. In respect of the parties contracting and entering Covenant one with another which are the holy God and his holy Saints First the holy God that God to whom the Seraphins cry Holy Holy Holy Esay 6. he is one party that is confederate in this Covenant Secondly his holy Saints are the other party in it Psal 50.5 For God doth not take the wicked by the hand as Job speaks Iob 8.20 to enter into Covenant with them He doth not allow them so much as to take his Covenant into their mouths Psal 50.17 He is the God of the just of the righteous and holy people he is the King of Saints Apoc. 15. he will have no fellowship with the wicked 2. In regard of the parts of the Covenant whether we look at the promise on Gods part or at the condition on our part First the promise on Gods part is holy Psal 105.42 he remembers his holy promise he hath spoken it in his holinesse Psal 60.6 And the substance of his promise is holinesse which he hath promised to work in the soules of his people he hath promised to sanctifie us to take away the stony heart to poure clean water upon us to cleanse us from all our filthinesse and to make us holy Ezek. 36.25 26. Zach. 3.3.4 Secondly the condition on our part which iâ— faith by which we lay hold of the Covenant is holy also therefore called by the Apostle holy faith Iude 20. It is a most holy grace of the Spirit purifying both heart and hand not daring to touch or lay hold of the Covenant with unwashen hands 3. In respect of the Commandement it commands holinesse Be ye holy saith the Lord for I the Lord your God am holy Levit. 11.44 19.2 20.7 and therefore it is that Gods calling is termed