elf-where the Covenant of the Lord. What Covenant, but of grace and mercy? even that wherein God promifeth to be their God, and take them to be his people, if they obey his commandments. For fince the fall of Adam, the Covenant which the Lord hath entered into with his people, was ever free and gracious. For when all men are finners by nature, dead in trefpaffes, and enemies to God, how can a Covenant betwixt God and man be ftricken without forgiveneffe of former tranfgreffions? If in the ftate of innocency perfect obedience should have been rewarded with life from justice: now that man is fallen by tranfgreffion, Chald. Parapha perfect obedience cannot merit forgiveneffe of fins paft, purchase Gods favour being juftly displeased for fin, and deserve everlasting yov, Pet.2.5. βασίλειον life. When the wicked and their best works are an abomination & Badinerov ie ράτευμα. Sept. to the Lord, it cannot be imagined, that any Covenant should i Pet.2.9. paffe betwixt God and man a finner, wicked,ungodly,miferable,but in and through a Mediatour. is Exod.19.5. dotes & mul & Onkelos, 1527. It was fuch a Covenant whereby the spirituall feed was made a Kingdome of Priests, an holy Nation, and a peculiar treasure unto the Lord. The word Segullab fignifies ones owne proper goods which he loveth, and keepes in ftore for himfelfe, for his fpeciall ufe: a rare and exquifite treasure; a thing defired, deare and fingular or proper to a man himselfe. The Hebrew Logicians call res illas ab their fift predicable, Segullah: Ochers interpret the word,a beloved illo auferre, treasure,a glorious thing to be defired,an holy treasure, a treafure quarü nulla pri which hath both magnificence, fplendour and ornament, Ecclef. dem facultas 2.8. the peculiar treasure of Kings. Aquila renders it fubftance: fuit. D. Simo Sym: treafure, or peculiar fubftance, the Septuagint, plenty of log.c.10. Bafil. riches, fo as it doth import multitude or great abundance: Vata- R Salom. blus, a treasure entirely beloved, 1 Chron.29.3. I have of mine R. Abrah. owne proper good, of gold; of my proper goods of excellency, R.David. that which was moft deare unto me; of gold moft pure and refi- oxía ned, that which is chofen and laid up in a treafury. A peculiar people then is a people entirely beloved of the Lord, which is proper to him, the poffeffion whereof pertaines to none other, which he layeth up (as it were) in his treasure, Exod.19.5. The Chaldee Paraphraft renders it, ye shall be beloved before me. Theodots a chiefe, fpeciall, or excellent people and fo Deut.26.18. The Paraphraft hath it, he chose to himselfe Ifrael his beloved, and in other places. And fo other Hebricians, Segullah fignifieth, that they s Sept. ὁ πεποίη Vox Segulab fignificat rem quandam aucta charam, five thefaurus fuerit, feveres alia quacunq Leo Iudah, peculium. Vatabl, ut the faurus unicè di. they should be beloved before him, as a defirable treasure, which a King delivereth not into the hands of any of his officers, but keepeth to himfelfe. R. Menachen in Exod.19. Mal.3.17. The Greek translation turns it, a people for peculiar poffeffion. Aqu. Lectus præ cun a peculiar people, deare and precious, which he will not part Et is populis. withall. In the new Teftament both expreffions are used, for Theod. aige. Paul calleth them a peculiar people: Peter, a people for peculiar 70, Sept. meir. poffeffion, which God doth challenge as proper to himfelfe. Vulg. or, abundantia. Populus acquifitionis, Eph.1.14. This was the priviledge of the abundant aute Jew, which he obtained by this Covenant, and it is often mentioornamenta,que ned to the praile of Gods free-grace and love towards them, Deut. (unt pretiofa, tag, recondunt 7.6. & 14.2. & 26.18. The Lord hath chofen Jacob unto himfelfe: Ifrael, for his peculiar treafure, Pial.135 4: But this priviledge they could never obtain by the Covenant of works by it they could never have been a Kingdome of Pricfts, or a peculiar people they could never have obtained the adoption, or have inherited the Kingdome of Heaven. These are priviledges vouchfafed of meere grace in Jefus Chrift, in whom we are adopted, and made Kings and Pricfts unto God. etiam, &c. εις περιποιησιν smena mewa, λαθει περιά. 01, Tit. 2.14. εἰς περιπάτησιν, 1 Pet, 2.9. t Calu Inftit. lib.z.ca.7.Sect. 7. Rom.9.4. 1 Pet. 2.9. Revol.1.5. &5.10. Exod.20.2. Deut, fo. 14. Pfal.33.12. & 144.15% Jer. 31. 32. & 32.38. Ezek 11 Secondly, in the promulgation of the Law, the Lord proclaims himfelfe to be the God of Ifrael, faying, I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage. Some hold thefe words to be the affirmative part of the Commandment, in which the Gospel is preached, and the promifes contained therin offered. Others, that it is a Preface to the whole Law, or prefixed as a reafon to perfwade obedience to the firft Commandment. But univerfally all acknowledge them to be the free Covenant, which promifeth pardon of fin, and requireth faith in the Meffiah. God is the God of all creatures, because he made and doth conferve all but by peculiar right he is the God of his Church, because he hath chofen it to be heire of his Kingdome whence the people are faid to be bleffed, that have God for their God. The Covenant of grace is expreffed in these words, I will be thy God and thou shalt be my people: Wherein God promifeth to be favourable to the iniquity of his fervants, and to remember their fins no more: and to bleffe them with all fpirituall bleifings in heavenly things. When God then faith to Ifrael, I am your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt ; doth he not propound himselfe as their King, Judge, Saviour and Re : deemer : tag. Decal. Levit, 19.4,, 11,12,16,50, 31,32,37 deemer Spirituall Redeemer from the bondage of fin and Satan, whereof that temporall deliverance was a type. And although Hemming. Syn. there be no expreffe mention of a Mediatour in the Law, yet it is included in the word of promife, I am thy God. From Evangelicall promifes, and the remembrance of them, and a late type, the Lord makes beginning, when he gave his Law. And it is further to be noted, that as thefe words, I am the Lord thy God, are prefixed to the first Commandment in the Law, fo are they annexed to all others in fundry places of Scripture, as an argument to move to fincere obedience. Leaft the Jewes fhould feare (as it commeth to paffe in doubtfull matters) they heare that the rule of life is prescribed unto them of the true and only God, who is theis by Covenant. Leaft diffidence fhould make them flacke, God comes familiarly, and commends his gracious Covenant unto them. The reafon from all this is plaine, that Covenant wherin the Lord promifeth, or proclaimeth himfelfe to be the God of Ifrael, is the Covenant of grace, which God made with Ifrael. But in giving the Law upon Mount Sinai God promised, and proclaimed himself to be the God of Ifrael. Levit, 18.5. Deut,6,16 Exod. 17.7. Thirdly, Chrift our Saviour thus reciteth the first Commandment, Heare O Ifrael, the Lord our God is one Lord, therefore Mark 12 29. thon fbalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart. And Mofes, Deut.6.4. in the explication of the Decalogue condemneth incredulity, faying, Ye shall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Maffah; for there they tempted God by incredulity. Where it is moft apparent, that in this first Precept we are enjoyned to take God to be our God, to choose him to be our portion, to cleave unto him, to trust in him as our only Saviour. And it can hardly be queftioned, whether that Covenant wherin we are bound to take God to be our Father, King and Saviour be the Covenant of grace or no? And by the fame reafon it is manifeft, that the Law requireth faith as well as love and obedience, and doth build thefe upon it as a foundation. It prefcribeth faith in the first place, and throughout, namely that we acknowledge God the Law-giver, to be the Lord our God, the only true God, and teftifie that faith unto him, by an univerfall and uniforme obedience to that whole Law and every title thereof. The Law was given for this end, that it might inftruct us in faith, which is the mother of a good confcience and of love. Chrift and faith is the end and foule of the Rom.10.4. Law, not understood of the Jews. The fumme of the Law is faith or love, and both thefe carry the fame fence, because though Mofes make mention of love, and Paul of faith, yet that love doth Calv. on Deut. comprehend faith, and this faith doth contain love. Certainly, Deut.10.12. 10.12. Rom.14.23. Heb.1 1,6. What foever is not of faith is finne, even all works, though good in fhew, and for fubftance feeming agreeable to the rule of the Law, if they iffue not from faith, they are vaine and hypocriticall, if they be not quickned and enlivened by faith, they are but the carkaffe of a good worke. And then if God command not faith in the Law in fome fort, why doth he command other things, which without it are frivolous? Our best works are unfavoury before God, if they be not seasoned with faith: For without faith it is impoffible to pleafe God. Therefore the Lord in Covenant commanding the obfervation of his Law, exacteth faith also, without which the Law cannot be obeyed in an acceptable mannier. For when the Law is fpirituall, and commandeth true wership and invocation, how can it be obferved without faith? Would the Lord have the Ifraelites remaining in infidelity to observe the Law? Or did he ever allow man fince the fall of Adam, to come or have acceffe unto him, but only in the name of a Mediatour? Or was life and falvation ever promised to man fince the fall, but upon condition of faith in the Meffiah Indeed the condition of obedience, which God requireth and man promiseth, is the chiefeft thing urged in the Law: but free and gracious pardon, wherein confifteth the happineffe of the Saints is therein promised and proclaimed. They under the old Teftament lightly following the letter, miftooke the meaning, not looking to the end of that which was to be abolished, whereunto Mofes had an eye under the vaile. For they perceived not fo well the grace intended by the legall Teftament, which the perfection of the morall Law, whereof they could not but faile, fhould have forced them. to feeke; and the imperfection of the typicall Law, which made nothing perfect, fhould have led them to find: but they generally refted in the worke done, as was commanded by either Law, when as themselves were unable to do the one, and the other was in it felf as unfufficient to help them.. Fourthly, after the giving of the Law a Covenant betwixt Deut. 4.37. God and Ifrael was cftablished by mutuall and willing confent, Exod. 24.314 the people promifing to obey and doe whatfoever the Lord com manded, Deut. 29.1,9. manded. In the Land of Moab Mofes was commanded by the Lord to make a Covenannt with the children of Ifrael, befide the Covenant which he made with them in Horeb. This Covenant they entred into was the fame that God made with them upon Mount Sinai, even the fame that did containe the bleffings and curfes before pronounced. But this Covenant was a Covenant of Grace, not of works: for God never commanded his people,that he might fet them on high above all people of the earth, and that they might be an holy people unto him, to avouch him to be their God by a Covenant of works: Mofes would Deut, 19.1a. never have exhorted the people by Oath to bind themselves unto the Lord in a Covenant of works: for that had been to bind themselves unto the most dreadfull curfes, whereas they were to enter into this Covenant that they might profper in all that they Deut.19.9. doe. That Covenant is of Grace, wherein the good things promifed are all free and gratious: but it was of grace that God promised to be the God of Ifrael: and therefore the Lord, when he Deut.7.12. 2 Chro.5.14. keepeth Covenant with Ifrael,is faid to keep the mercy which he fwore unto their Fathers, and when he established them for a people unto himselfe, and is their God, he is faid to performe the Oath, which he fwore unto their Fathers, to Abraham, to Ifaac, and to facob. Deut.29.13. The Legall Covenant or Covenant of works cannot be renewed after it is once broken, seeing it admitteth not repentance of finne past, but exacts perfect and perpetuall obedience. But this Covenant made with the Ifraelites might be renewed after tranfgreffion,did admit repentance; when thou art in tribulation, and Deut. 4. 30,3 1. all these things are come upon thee, even in the latter dayes, if thou turne to the Lord thy God, and shalt be obedient unto his voice: (for the Lord thy God is a mercifull God) he will not for fake thee,neither deftroy thee, nor for get the Covenant of thy Fathers, which he swore unto them. And if the Covenant after tranfgreffion may be renewed, it is of grace. The Law which is written in the heart of the fpi- Ki8.34,35. rituall feed is part of the Covenant of grace: for the righte- Pfal.106.45. oufneffe of faith fpeaketh on this wife; This Commandement Eze 16,61,61. which I command thee this day, it is not hidden from thee, nei- Deut.30.11, ther is it farre off. It is not in heaven,that thou shouldeft fay, Who fhall goe up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may heare it, and doe it. Neither is it beyond the fea, that thou shoul See Deut. 30. 1,2,3. 1,13,14 Rom.10.6,7: |