Изображения страниц
PDF
EPUB
[ocr errors]

perfe& obedience is exacted, fo that if there be but the least failing in any jotor title, and that but once, a man can never be justified thereby,nor can the breach be made up by any repentance : But in the Covenant of Grace obedience is required, repentance admitted, and fincerity accepted: If a man finne and goc aftray,if be returne unfainedly, he fhall be received into favour. In the Co venant of Nature obedience and workes were commanded as the caufe of life and juftification: in the Covenant of Grace, Faith is required as the inftrumentall caufe of Remiffion and Salvation, obedience as the qualification of the party juftified, and the way leading to everlafting bleffedneffe. The object of obedience in the Covenant of Nature was God: in the Covenant of Grace God in Chrift.

4. They differ in the fpeciall confideration of the Subject. The firft Covenant was given to man pure, perfect, intire and found, able to do what God required: But the Covenant following was mado with man a finner, miferable and by nature the child of wrath. And fo that was a Covenant of friendship, this of firme Reconciliation.

5. In the speciall and peculiar refpect of the end. For the former Covenant was made for the praife of Gods wifdome, good. neffe,bounty and juftice. But the Covenant of Grace was made to declare and fet forth the riches of Gods grace and mercy. In it the wifdome,goodneffe,power and justice of God is more illuftriaus then in the former: and the mercy, long-fuffering and rich grace of God is greatly magnified, which did not appeare of Thine forth at all in the former.

6. And in their Effects and Properties. For not the Covenant of Nature,but of Grace doth exclude boafting. By the Covenant of Nature Adam was not advanced above the condition of an honourable Şervant. In the Covenant of Grace, man by nature the child of wrath, is made the child of God by grace and adoption, The Covenant of nature was neither the laft nor everlasting, but being first made way for a better, and being broken was antiqua ted or difanulled to our fingular comfort but the Covenant of Grace fhall continue firme and immoveable for evermore.

The fecond thing to be gathered is, That the Fathers before Christ, ever fince the fall of Adam, and Chriftians in the times of the Gofpell, did live under the fame Covenant for fubftance, but

not

[ocr errors]

A&.4.1a.

and 17.1,7. Lev. 16.12

not for manner of administration, which is most cleare by evident Heb. 13.8.
teftimonies of holy Scripture, and by the very forme of the Cove- Rev.13.8.
nant, which was one before and after the comming of Chrift. The and 15.11.
fame God that callethus, called them to the hope of eternall life: Gal,3.29.
they were endued with the fame fpirit, and lived by the fame Rom. 3.30.
faith: Their Sacraments for fubftance in fignification agree with Eph.a. 2.
ours: and they expected an Inheritance everlafting and undefiled. Gen.15.1
Religion for fubftance was ever one and unchangeable, and fuch
as were truly religious walked in the fame way, and waited for
the fame heavenly Inheritance and everlasting crowne of glory.
The Church before Chrift may be confidered as an heire, or as an
Infant, according to the fubftance of the Covenant, or according
to the manner of adminiftration. In the first refpect the Church is
under the Covenant or Promife, and her people are called a free
and willing people,an heire of heavenly and fpirituall bleffings. In
the latter refpect the is under the Covenant, in respect of the diffe
rent administration, and her people are called a fervile people in
comparison, an heire under Tutors and Governors, not differing
from a fervant.

Exod.3.6.
Matth.2.3 2.
2 Cor.4.13.
Heb.11.6,7,8.

Rom.4.120
Heb. 11.9,19,

[ocr errors]

He

CHAP. IIII.

of the Covenant of Promife.

Gen.3.15.
Gen.12.1.

and 15. 1.

Gal 4 4.

I Pet.1.10.
A&.3.25.

Gal.3.16,17
Eph. 2.12.

The Covenant of Grace is either promifed or promulgated
and established. Promised to the Fathers, first to Adam, and
afterwards to the Patriarchs, and laftly to the people of Ifrael, and
that before their comming into the Land of Canaan, and after
their returne from the Babylonish captivity. Promulgated, after
the fulneffe of time came. And hence the Covenant of Grace is
diftributed into the Covenant of Promife, or the New Covenant,
fo called by way of excellency. For the Foundation and Media
tour of the Covenant of Grace is our Lord Jefus Chrift, but either
to be incarnate, crucified, and raised from the dead, or as already
incarnate, crucified, and truly raised from the dead, and afcended Ad.4 12.
into Heaven. For there was never fin forgiven but in him alone, Heb.13.8
who is the fame yesterday, and to day, and for ever. Therefore al
though before the Incarnation,Chrift was only God, he was our

E 2

Mediatour,

༣.

Mediatour, yet not fimply as God, but as the divine perfon, who fhould take our flesh, and in it fhould finish all the Mysterie of our Redemption, and therefore he is called the Lambe of God flaine from the beginning of the world, and the Fathers by his grace were faved, even as we. In the acts of Mediation three things may be confidered. Reconciliation, by which we are accepted of God. Patronage, by which we have acceffe unto the Father, Dow arine, whereby God hath made himselfe knowne unto men by a Mediatour. This third act might be done before he affumed our Alefh, and indeed was done: but the two firft did require his comming in the flesh, although the fruit of them was communicated to the Fathers under the Old Teftament, by force of the divine Promife, and certainty of the thing to come with God.

If it be objected, that the caufe is before the effect, and therefore the incarnation and death of Chrift muft goe before the communication of the fruit and benefit thereof unto the Fa

thers.

2

The answer is, That in naturall caufes the Propofition holds true, but in morall caufes the effect may be before the cause : and fo the fruit and vertue of Chrifts death was communicated to the Fathers before his Incarnation. But although the Sonne of God before he was manifested in the flesh, was our Mediatour with God (to whom future things are prefent) because he should be, and therfore for his fake finnes were remitted, men did teach and learne by his Spirit, the Church was governed by him yet the manner and reafon of that Mediation was propofed more obfcurely, the force and efficacy of it was leffe, and did redound to fewér. The Covenant of Promife then was that Covenant which God made with Adam, the Fathers and all Ifrael in Jefus Chrift to be incarnate, crucified and raised from the dead : And it may be defcribed the Covenant, wherby God of his meere grace and mercy in Jefus Chrift to be exhibited in the fulnese of time, did promife forgiveneffe of finnes, fpirituall adoption and eternall life, unto man in himselfe confidered a most wretched and miferable finner, if he should embrace and accept this mercy promifed, and walke before God in fincere obedience.. God the Father of his meere and free grace and mercy looking upon man in Jefus Chrift, in whom he is reconciled, is the Author and caufe of this Luk. 1.5455. Covenant. He hath bolpen his fervant Ifrael in remembance of his

Deut.9.5.

Gal.3.18.

CA

[ocr errors]

mercy,

mercy, as he spake to our Fathers, to Abraham, and to his seed for ever. Thus faith the Lord God of Ifrael, your Fathers dwelt on Jof.24.2, the other fide of the floud in old time, even Terah the Father of Abraham, and the Father of Nahor, and they ferved other gods. And I took your Father Abraham from the other fide of the flaud, and led him throughout all the Land of Canaan, and multiplied his feed, and gave him Ifaac.

The condition required in this contract,is the obedience of faith. Remiffion of finnes, gratious adoption in Chrift, and the Inheri tance of eternall life is promiled to beleevers and eternall con demnation peremptorily threatned against unbeleevers.

Chrift, whom God hath exhibited in the Gofpell, as he was promised to the Fathers in the Scriptures of the Prophets, is the object of this Covenant.

The end thereof is the praife of the glorious grace and mercy of God in Chrift to come.

In this Covenant there is a mutuall compact betwixt God and man: God in mercy promifing, and man in duty binding himself unto the Lord.

It was made with man a finner, and reacheth to the faithfull and their feed, as God hath promifed to accept the children of beleeving parents, upon due and religious tender of them made unte his Highneffe according as he hath prescribed: but faving effectually it was made with them only, who beleeve in him that jufti fieth the ungodly, be the heires of salvation, and walke in the steps of our Father Abraham.

This Covenant doth beget children to liberty, doth administer the righteoufneffe of faith,and the inheritance by faith: hope, peace of conscience,life in Chrift, and fpirituall joy is the effect thereof. Internally the Spirit doth feale up the truth of this Covenant in the hearts of the faithfull. For when the adoption and the inheri tance pertained to the Fathers under the Covenant of promife, the fpirit of adoption and earneft of the inheritance pertained unto them likewife. Externally it was delivered and confirmed by word and oath, and fealed by the Sacraments."

For fubftance alfo this Covenant was everlafting and unchange able: The New Teftament did not abolith the former, but the. former was fulfilled by the latter. And in all these things it doth agree with the new Covenant: which here only are but briefly

E 3

named,,

2 Cor.4:13. Rom.9.4.5.. Gal.3.18. Gal.3. 14. Gen 13.16. Luk. 1.73.

Rom. 8.15.

Pfal. 105.10..

Epb.2.18,19,

30.

and 4.4,5.

Rom, 11.17.

I Cor. 10.2,3. 2 Cor. 4. 13.

Heb. 14.9.

named, because the confirmation of them must be fought in the Chapters following.

And if the Covenant of Promife, and the New Covenant doe thus agree in fubftance, then it must neceffarily follow, That there is but one Church of the Elect,the fame Communion of Saints,one Faith,one Salvation,and one way of obtaining the fame, viz. by Faith in Chrift.

Secondly, that the Word of God was no leffe incorruptible feed to the Fathers and the Ifraelites then to us: That the Fathers did cat the true flesh of Chrift by faith, as well as we in the times of the Gofpell: That they and we are partakers of the fame Spirit: and that the Sacraments of the Jewes did fignifie and feale to them, the fame promises of eternall life, which our Sacraments doe to us. The Sacraments of the Old Teftament were not types of our Sacraments, as fometimes they are called by Divines: but they typified the fame things that ours doe. For as the Covenants under which they and we lived, were one for fubftance: fo are the Sacraments one in their common nature and fignification.

Thirdly, that the faithfull before Chrift were faved by the free mercy of God in Chrift, did know God and Christ, had the Pfal.105.15. spirituall promife of life eternall, and were equall to us Chriftians Ifai. 51.6. in all fubftantiall graces of the Covenant.

A&. 15.11.

Fourthly, and from the fame grounds we may conclude, that the foules of the faithfull, who departed this life before the comming of Christ in the flesh, were immediately received into Heaven. For they were taken to glory,and faved as we: Now fuch as are taken to glory, are taken to Heaven. For the Scripture knoweth no place in which God doth ordinarily display his glory, but Heaven. And what should hinder their tranflation into the heavenly Jerufalem,when they are removed out of this earthly tabernacle? Not their finnes, for they which could not hinder them from Sanctification, fitting them for Heaven, could not hinder them from Heaven: Not want of Faith, who now have that faith which Abraham, and many of them had: No want of efficacie in Chrift, he was the Lambe flaine from the beginning of the world,he was yesterday, to day, and for ever; his death was effeAtuall to cause them to find pardon,and the Spirit of Sanctification. Not any priviledge of Chrit: for not fimply to afcend into Heaven was Chrifts priviledge,but to afcend foule and body, as heire

of

« ПредыдущаяПродолжить »