let us be readie to do good to the soules and bodies of our fellow creatures specially let us desire and endeavour to be instrumental for the saving of others 6. Did God give such a price for us Couns 6. Then let us remember that we are not our ovvn vve are not Satans therefore we must not live as we list must not seek to please our selves must not be ruled by Satan If God hath given such a price for us Nor be devoted to the world he is worthy to have us and we must be wholly his own therefore let us yeild our selves unto God as those that are alive from the dead as the Redeemed of the Lord and our Members as Instruments of Righteousness unto God Consider my beloved wherefore God gave his Son and to what end Christ gave himself viz. That he might Redeem us from all Iniquity Tit. 2.14 and purifie to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Christ died not only to redeem us from Hell and Condemnation but also from our vain and wicked Conversation 1 Pet. 1.18 Christ was given to Death for us not only that we should not die for sin 1 Pet. 2.24 but that we should die unto sin and live unto Righteousness We are taught in Zacheriahs Song Lu. 1.74 That for this end Christ hath delivered us from the hands of our Enemies that we might serve him in holiness and Righteousness and if we refuse to serve our Redeemer thâ—s is to deny the Lord that bought us This was an Argument which the People used to provoke one another to return to their obedience to David and to cleave to his Service 2 Sam. 19.9 even the consideration of the deliverance that they had by him and this is the Argument which Ezra useth to tye himself and the people to strict Obedience to God Seeing thou O Lord hast given us such a deliverance as this Ezra 9.13 14. should we again break thy Commandements O let us Consider what a deliverance God hath wrought for souls by the Dâ—ath of his Son and let us think what horrible ingratitude this would be if we should deny his service and serve his Enemies Well to conclude this Use and so to finish this point Do vve lay claim to Christ and pretend to an interest in his Death vvhich he suffered for the Redemption of souls then let not the Devil have any more service from us let not lusts be any longer obeyed let us not make provision for the flesh let us not serâ—e Mammon Christ died to Redeem us from these Tyrants to himself therefore let us willingly serve our Redeemer and let us glorifie God in our soules and bodies for they are Gods I Come now to speak something to that other great point which I promised to take into consideration He who hath delivered up his own Son for us h w shall he not with him freely give us all things Sâ—e the te Text upâ—ned and dvided in the beginning of this dcoâ—rse and you will be able to prevent me in raising from hence the point which I am now about to hold forth to you from the Apostle his way of arguing and manner of expression this truth naturally â—â—weâ—â— Iesus Christ is the greatest and best gift of God Doctrine 2 I shall give a brief but full account of this assertion clearing up the truth of it and then shall improve it Christ is the principal best gift because 1. He is the most comprehensive good demonstration 2. He is a conveighing gift as well as a gift conveighed 3. He is the Engaging gift of God the Father 1 Iesus Christ is the most comprehensive good carrying in him that which serve 's for a supply of all the wants of Soules Hence it is that we have such resemblances of Christ that he is compared to those things which are most useful and comfortable Iohn 6. He is bread to feed the hungry Soul and to nourish it to everlasting life Ieâ— 2 13. He is a fountain of living waters of which who so drinketh shall never thirst more but this water shall be in the soul a well of water springing up unto life eternal Ioh. 4.14 hiâ— flâ—sh is meat indeed Ioh. 6.55 ch 15. v. 1. and his bloud is drink indeed he is a vine the true vine which beareth the sweet grapes of consolation Rev. 3.17 for the comforting and glading of the souls of his people he is rayment to cover the nakedness of people and to put a comliness upon them and adorne them Rom. 13.14 put ye on the Lord Jesus Christ he is a father and a husband to every believer his Name shall be called the everlasting Father Thy maker is thy husband Now Christ is held forth to us under such notions Isay 9.9 c 54. v. 5. and by such metaphors not only to way-lay our thoughts that we should look up to Christ in all these things but to teach us that whatsoever sweetness is in the creature all that and much more is to be found in Christ Is bread usefull is water useful is wine usefull is rayment usefull is a tender father or a good husband or wife or a towardly hopefull off-spring a blessing and a comfortable enjoyment why of more use of more concernment a greater comfort than any of these yea than all these is Iesus Christ to the soules that enjoy him 2. Christ is a conveighing gift he is the Lord high-Steward as I may say of God the Father who by the appointment of God giveth to every one of the houshold his portion It is in and by Christ Iesus that God blesseth us with blessings spiritual and temporal we are elected in him adopted in him justified by faith in his bloud sanctified through him and by his spirit and saved by him and all things are bestowed upon the people of God through him whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name ye shall receive Ioh. 16.23 Now it is good for us to note the fulness and the freeness of the conveighance of mercies and blessings made to us in and through Christ It is a full conveighance the fullness that was put into the person of the mediator was all for poor souls that of his fulnes we might receive grace for grace and there is through him a conveighance of all things pertaining to life and godliness 2 There is a free conveighance of Gods bounty to us through Christ Jesus how shall he not with him freely give us all things If the first gift were free the accessories must be free also but the first gift was free whether we look to the decree or the execution what was there to move God to appoint his Son to be mediator and to send him in the fulness of time to work out the redemption of sinners surely nothing unless it were the creatures misery 3 Jesus Christ is the engaging gift of God the Father
which is to be applyed we say a blind man may catch a Hare it is possible though not probable but a blind ignorant soul cannot apply the Covenant of Promise as it is fabulously reported of Ixion that he imbraced a dusky dark Cloud instead of bright beautiful June So do ignorant souls imbrace the delusions of Satan and the phantasmes of their own deluded spirits instead of the true real Covenant of Promise therefore before I exhorted you to application I advised you to study the Covenant of Grace 2 You must apply the Covenant as God's Covenant of Grace offered to sinners There are three specialties in this to be taken notice of 1 It is God's Covenant 2 A Covenant of Grace 3 A Covenant offered to sinners 1 It is God's Covenant not mans and seeing it is God's Covenant It is worth the laying hold on for God doth not covenant to give to the Heirs of Promise small petty things but great matters indeed 2 Pet. 1.4 The Apostle saith that God hath given us exceeding great and precious promises such are the things promised to be given exceeding great and precious God gives like himself gifts worthy the giver Gods Covenant of Promise is the riches and treasure of the heirs of promise This is one consideration to draw us in to the Covenant to make us desirous of it it is worth the having 2 Seeing it is God's Covenant we may be sure it shall be performed A mans covenant with God or man may be broken because either he may be unable to make it good or he may prove false and deceitful and oh what falshood is there found with men and how common a sin is covenant-breaking but now we cannot question God's performance 1 Because there can be no want of power for the fulfilling of his Covenant To thee O Lord Ps 62.11 belougeth Power We are taught in the Lord's prayer to ascribe this unto God Thine is the Kingdom and the Power God is Almighty so that there cannot be any check given to his Power by the greatest difficulty that can be imagined there is nothing too hard for God to do nothing at all difficult to him Hereby Abraham his Faith in the Promises was born up because he was perswaded that what God had promised Rom. 4.21 he was able to perform 2 There can be no failing of God's truth and faithfulness he is not as man that he should lye nor as the son of man that he should repent Dent. 32.4 The Lord is a God of truth These considerations will make the soul desirous to apply the Covenant when it considers that it is Gods Covenant and a covenant concerning very great matters and a covenant that shall surely be performed by the Almighty faithful unchangeable God And as this consideration may serve to draw the soul to the Covenant so it may give direction and be helpful respecting the right manner of applying it 1 If it be the Covenant of God it is to be applyed humbly and with self-denial and self-abasement O Lord I would have it I desire to close with it but truly I am most unworthy of it Blessed and glorious God what am I that thou should'st tender to me the covenant of thy love 2 If it be God's Covenant concerning great and precious things that he will give then it is to be applyed earnestly We are too earnest and greedy to catch at the things of the world which we look upon as great matters though they are not so indeed Oh if we did understand the things which concern the wealth and peace and happiness of our souls then we should be as earnest to lay hold on the riches of God's Covenant the good things therein promised which are great matters indeed 3 If it be the covenant of God Almighty and unchangeable who abideth faithful for ever then apply it fiducially without staggering at the promise as being confident of the performance Thus much of the first particular it is God's covenant The second specialty to be taken notice of in the second general rule of direction is this 2 It is God's covenant of Grace this is to be considered Now this consideration will be of special use in the application of the Covenant Nothing moved God at first to make this Covenant but his own goodness herein he expressed his love and discovered his free grace which was the ground of the Covenant and truly that is it which carries it on to full accomplishment by every step and in every parcel of it The whole business of saving from first to last is meerly of grace Now see what a direction and help this will be in the application of the Covenant 1 If it be a Covenant of Grace then we must go out of our selves to take it and must take it wholly as a Covenant of Grace I say we must go out of our selves i.e. we must be taken off from our own bottom so as to have no confidence in our selves nor any conceit of our own worthiness we must come off from our graces and duties from our own righteousness must have no Opinion of that though the work of grace in us clear to us may be our warrant to apply the Covenant to our selves when we find this effect of the Covenant in our own souls this condition of enjoying the promises yet our graces and duties must not be lookt upon as giving us any right to it or rendering us any way worthy of it no it must be a self-denying application taking it by Faith as purely from grace 2 This consideration that it is a Covenant of Grace will help to carry on the self-judging self-condemning soul to an application of it A precious sweet Covenant saith a poor heart that hath a sight of its own sinfulness and vileness oh it is a blessedness to have an interest in it but I vile wretch am unworthy what have I to do with the Covenant of the great and holy God it belongeth to holy ones to those that have better hearts then I have and are more in duty then I am and perform duties in a better manner then I do and that have greater abilities to serve and glorifie God Now let such a soul consider the freeness of the grace of God in the Covenant Dost thou judge thy self before the Lord and mourn over the corruption and carnality and laziness and barrenness and deadness of thy heart Dost thou bewail thy unworthiness and unprofitableness and thy backwardness to holy duties and thy miscarriages in them Are thy sins thy souls burden and thy weaknesses the matter of thy grief and complaint Why to thee the Covenant doth belong which is a Covenant concerning Sanctification as Justification and a Covenant of Grace holding forth the mercy and goodness of God to those that have need of it and not to those that deserve it The good God gives his Covenant as a gift of grace to all those whom he takes into
I better to thee then ten sins as if she should be satisfied in him but suppose she had had ten such comforts as she longed for ten Sons and imagine her Elkanah to be an enjoyment ten times more comfortable then he was yet all this could not be satisfactory Ahabs Kingdom was as nothing to him till he had Naboths Vineyard and was he think you satisfied when he had that Could not a World satisfie Al xander no more would the whole World content us These things when we seek to fill our selves with them seem to say to us as Jacob to Rachael What are we to yâ—u instead of God The good that is satisfactory to the Soul must be aptimum maximum the best good that it may sistere appetitum fix the appetite there being nothing so desirable as it and the greatest good that it may implâ—re appetitum fill the appetite there being nothing needfull beside it Now when faith is acted upon the Covenant the soul takes up such a comfort such a good viz. Deum optimum maximum God the best good there being nothing so desirable as he is and God the greatest good even the all comprehending good that brings all with him and so is satisfactory to the Soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have fed said the Epicure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have found said the Philosopher there was a kind of a sudden ravishment with the enjoyment of their sensual and intellectual pleasure an empty delight but when the believer acting faith upon the Covenant as his feeds upon the goodness of God in it he may wel cry out 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have fed upon that which fills me with a gratful satiety My sâ—ul is satisfied as with marrow and fatness 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 I have found that which contents me which fills me with delight let David come in and attest this when acting faith upon the Covenant he had tasted afresh the consolation of his interest in God he cries out Ps 73.25 Whom have I in Heaven but thee and there is none on Earth thâ—t I desire beside thee God is mine I have enough 3. Covenant comforts those which faith fetchâ—th from the Covenant have this excellency in them beyond all Creature comforts that they are durable abiding comforts Creature comforts have in them a vanity of Corruption as well as a vanity of emptiness they last but for a time even a short time like Jonah's gourd they are transient and momentary we can have no assurance of any worldly comfort no not for a day fâ—r who knows what a day may bring forth But now the comforts which faith doth fetch from the Covenant are streams issuing from a living Fountain that is always yeilding out they are day comforts and night-comforts summer-comforts and winter comforts to support and refresh the Soul in the night of trouble and the winter of adversity as well as in the day of outward peace and summer of prosperity Gods Covenant is an everlasting Covenant which yields everlasting comfort to those that are interested in it and if a Soul that hath an interest in it do at any time or in any case want comfort from it it is for want of a lively acting of faith upon it 4. The best of Creature-comforts are applicable only to some particular condition they are not a salve for every sâ—râ— but the comforts of the Covenant are suitable to every condition of a believer It is not the God of all comforts who hath given us this Covenant in which he hath given himself to us so that there is no case wherein the sould acting faith upon the Covenant shall not find comfort in its God 5. To urge one argument more that may perswade to the acting of faith upon the Covenant This will be a notable means of making a sweet and happy improvement of our interest in the Covenant I shall shew this in particulars 1. By familiarizing God to the Soul through the frequent constant actings of faith upon God in Covenant with us the thoughts of God will be sweet and comfortable to us The greatness and power and jealousie and justice of God when sâ—â—oâ—sly thought upon must needs be troublesom and terrible to those that are lirangers to him and have no apprehension of an interest in him but this will be matter of comfort to the believer that is interested in the Covenant of Gods love and frequently acteth faith upon it Why this is may God his greatness and his power and his justice shall be for my advantage put forth for my good and Oh! what a comfort will it then be to the soul to consider my God is merciful and gracious abounding in goodness and truth forgiving miquities healing diseasâ—s redeeming the life of his people from destruction and crowning them with his loving kindness and tender mercies 2. By thus acting faith upon the Covenant which God hath given us we shall be sweetly emboldned in our requests to God O Lord I come to thee now in a weighty case and in my great necessity to implore thy goodness toward me and why should not I with an humble boldness approach to the Throne of thy Grace being confident of acceptance through Christ seeing thou art verily my God and hast given me a promise to hear me and help me and to grant my requests for thy Sons sake 3. This will wonderfully sweeten all mercies When my heart is kept up in a believing frame and my acquaintance with God is encreased and assurance of his love toward me strengthened by renewed acts of faith what comfort may I now take in my enjoyments what sweetness may I find in inseriour good things and in those that comparatively are small matters why this is from my God and that is from my Father this is a gift of God's good will it cometh from a Father's love this is part of the blessing of the Coverant and all these gifts are the beginnings and earnest of everlasting mercies 4. By acting Faith upon the Covenant and by a frequent believing recognition of our interest in God we shall be enabled to bear afflictions patiently and to undergo them with chearfullness The sting of afflictions and the burden of the Cross is the apprehension of Gods anger in it but while this perswasion is kept up in the Soul that God is my God that the Covenant of his love is with me here is a surpassing comforting consideration in the greatest affliction Surely my God means me no harm he intends no evil to me in this he hath promised that all things shall work together for my good while he afflicts me he is my God still he threatens me and loves me still it is all for my profit I know that in faithfullness he afflicteth me all Gods ways are mercy and truth to his Covenanted ones O my Soul lye quietly under the red chear up under his affliction it is a fathers rod it is the dispensation of