Bonitatis Dei donumeft, quod Liberare nos vo· luit: quod verò aliter quam ta li modo libera. ve nos noluit, prccatorum noftrorum eft me of Grace, he gives the reward of theere and rich grace, and that to the creature which hath deserved Hell. This Covenant entered immediately upon the fall, and fo may be called a Covenant of Reconciliation, not of friendship. At the very inftant, when God holy and true, was pronouncing judgements upon the feverall delinquents in the fall, fetting downe his fentence against the Tempter, toth in his instrument the Serpent, and the maine Author Sathan, he brings in the party who fhould execute the fame, in which execution is-unfolded the Covenant of grace for the Salvation of the creature, that the Serpent had destroyed, that God might be knowne in wrath to remember mercy. At the very fall, and before judgement was pronounced upon the delinquents that were tempted, the Covenant of mercy was proclaimed, that by vertue of this Covenant God might prevent further waste of his creature, which Sathan might haue wrought upon his new advantage in following his good fucceffe, and that the tempted might have fome comfort before their judgement, least they might have been fwallowed up of wrath. The Authour of this Covenant is God, confidered as a mercifull and loving Father in Iefus Chrift: as a Creator he ftrooke Covenant with Adam in his integrity; as a Saviour he looked upon the poore creature plunged into finne, and mifery by reafon of fin. The caufe that moved the Lord to make this Covenant, was not any worth, dignity or merit in man: for man never had ought, which he had not received; and now by his difobedience, had deserved to be caft off for ever: neither was the prefent mifery into which he had caft himselfe the caufe that moved the Lord to receive man into favour: for the Angels more excellent by creation, as miferable by their fall, he hath referved in chaines of darkneffe: The fole moving caufe, why God made this Covenant, was the love, favour and mercy of the Lord. Deut. 7.7;8. Only the Lord had a delight in thy fathers to love them, (faith Mofes) and he chose their feed after them. Deut. 10. 15. When I paffed by thee, and faw thee polluted in thine owne blood, I faid unto thee, when thou wast in thy blood, live. Ezek. 16. 6. Scc Ezek. 36.32. Luk. 1. 54,55,72,78. This Covenant was made in Chrift, in and through whom we are reconciled unto God: for finte God and man were feparated by by finne, no Covenant can paffe betwixt them, no reconciliation can be expected, no pardon obtained, but in and through a mediatour. Sinnes were never remitted unto any man, no man was ever adopted into the place and condition of a fonne,by grace and adoption, but in him alone, who is the fame yesterday, to day, and for ever, Jefus Chrift, true God and true man. 4.4 12. Heb. 13.8. The fall of our first parents was occafion of this Covenant : for God fuffered him to flip, that he might manifeft the riches of his mercy in mans recovery. Mercy freeing man from mifery poffible might have taken place before tranfgreffion, and have difcovered it felfe in the preventing of finne, and fo of mifery: but it feemed good unto Almighty God to fuffer mifery to enter upon man through finne, that he might make knowne the infinite riches of his mercy, in fuccouring and lifting him up, being fallen and plunged into a ftate remedileffe and defperate for ought he knew. Befides, we may conceive, that Almighty God, upon juft grounds difdaining, that fuch a base creature falne by pride, fhould thus upon advantage of the mutability of his reafonable creature, ruinate the whole frame of the Creation, and trample the glory of his name under foot: and withall looking upon the Chaos which finne had brought, and would further make, if fome speedy remedy was not provided; did out of his infinite and boundleffe love to man (though in the tranfgreffion,) and just and dreadfull indignation against Sathan, give forth this gratious and free Covenant. The forme of this Covenant ftands in gratious and free promifes of all good to be repaired, restored, augmented, and a reftipulation of fuch duties as will stand with free grace and mercy. For the Covenant of Grace doth not exclude all conditions, but fuch as will not stand with grace. The Covenant which was made of free love, when we lay wallowing in our blood, and which calls for nothing at our hands but what comes from, and fhall be rewarded of meere grace, is a Covenant of grace, though it be conditionall. So the pardon of finne is given of grace, and not for workes, though pardon be granted only to the penitent, and faith on our part, a lively, unfained and working faith be required to receive the promise. The parties covenanting are two, and fo are the parts of the D Covenant, the one in refpect of God, the other in refpect of man. A Covenant there is betwixt God and man, but no mutuall ob ligation of debt: for fuch mutuall obligation is founded in fome equality; but there is no equality between the Creator and the creature, much leffe betwixt the Lord moft high, and man a finner. Ifman had never offended, God almighty, who gave him his being and perfection, could not have been indepted unto him, but as he was pleafed to recompence the good of obedience, in the creature that never deferved punishment: much leffe can God be indepted to the creature that hath offended, who can neither endure his prefence nor beare the weight of his wrath, nor fatisfie Juftice, nor deliver his foule from the thraldome of finne. The obligation of man to God is of double right and debt : but it is of rich grace and abundant love, that God doth bind himtelfe unto man. God doth promife in this Covenant to be God and Father by right of redemption, and Chrift to be Saviour of them that be leeve in God by him, and in faith do yeild fincere, uniforme, willing, upright and conftant obedience unto his Commande ments. fer.31.31,32,33 Dent.31.6. Ezek. 36.25,26. Gen.15. 1,4,5. Jer. 32.40. & 33.9. Heb.8.10,11,12. Isa 54.7. Hof.2.19. The ftipulation required is, that we take God to be our God, that is, that we repent of our iniquities, believe the promises of mercy and embrace them with the whole heart, and yeeld love, feare, reverence, worship, and obedience unto him, according to the prefcript rule of his word. Repentance is called for in this Covenant, as it fetteth forth the fubject capable of Salvation by faith, but is it felfe only an acknowledgement of finne, no healing of our wound, or caufe of our acquittance. The feeling of paine and ficknesse, caufeth a man to defire and feeke remedy, but it is no remedy it felfe. Hunger and thirft make a man to defire Ezck, 18. 27, and feeke for food, but a man is not fed by being hungry. By repentance we know our felves, we feele our fickneffe, we hunger and thirst after grace, but the hand which we ftretch forth to receive it, is faith alone, without which repentance is nothing but darkneffe and defpaire. Repentance is the condition of faith and the qualification of a perfon capable of Salvation: but faith alone is the caufe of Juftification and Salvation, on our part required. It is a penitent and petitioning faith, wherby we receive the pro mifes of mercy, but we are not juftified partly by prayer, partly Luke 13. 5+ A&. 11. 18. 2 Cor. 7. 10. by Rom. 3.21,22 28,30 by repentance, and partly by faith, but by that faith, which flirreth up godly forrow for finne, and enforceth us to pray for pardon and Salvation. Faith is a neceffary and lively inftrument of Juftification, which is amongst the number of true caufes, not being a caufe without which the thing is not done, but a caufe wherby it is done. The caufe without which a thing is not done, is only prefent in the action, and doth nothing therein; But as the eye is an active inftrument for feeing, and the care for hearing, fois faith alfo for justifying. If it be demanded whofe inftrument it is? It is the inftrument of the Soule, wrought therin by the Holy Ghost, and is the free gift of God. In the Covenant of workes, werkes were required as the cause of life and happineffe: but in the Covenant of grace, though repentance be neceffary and mult accompanie faith, yet not repentance, but faith only is the caufe of life. The caufe not efficient, as workes fhould have been, if man had ftood in the former Covenant, but inftrumentall only for it is impoffible that Chrift, the death and blood of Chrift, and our faith fhould be together the efficient or procuring caufes of Juftification or Salvation. When the ApoAle writeth, that man is not justified by workes, or through workes, by the Law or through the Law (oppofing faith and workes in the matter of Iuftification, but not in refpect of their prefence: faith, I fay, and works, not faith and merits which could never be) without doubt he excludes the efficiency and force of the Law and workes in juftifying: But the particles By and of doe not in the fame fenfe take Iuftification from the Law and workes, in which they give it to faith. For faith only doth behould and receive the promises of life and mercy, but the Law and works refpect the Commandements, not the promises of meere grace. When therfore Iuftification and life is faid to be by faith, it is manifeftly fignified, that faith receiving the promise, doth receive righteoufucffe and life freely promifed. Obedience to all Gods Commandements is covenanted, not as the caufe of life, but as the qualification and effect of faith, and as the way to life. Faith that embraceth life is obedientiall, and fruitfull in all good workes but in one fort faith is the caufe of obedience and good workes, and in another of Iuftification and life eternall. Thefe it feeketh in the promises of the Covenant : thofe it worketh and produceth, as the cause doth the effect. Faith was the efficient D 2 caufe Gal.246.17. Deut.7.11. & 10. 13, Luk. 10.27 Mar.12,30 Heb,11.4,7, &c. cause of that pretious oblation in Abell, of reverence and preparing the Arke in Noah, of obedience in Abraham: but it was the inAtrument only of their juftification. For it doth not justific as it produceth good workes, but as it receiveth Chrift, though it can not receive Chrift, unleffe it brings forth good workes. A difpofition to good workes is neceffary to juftification, being the qualification of an active and lively faith. Good works of all forts are neceffary to our continuance in the state of justification, and foto our finall abfolution, if God give opportunity: but they are not the cause of, but only a precedent qualification or condition to fi nall forgiveneffe and eternall bliff. If then, when we fpeake of the conditions of the Covenant of grace, by Condition we understand whatsoever is required on our part, as precedent, concomitant or fubfequent to juftification, repentance, faith and o bedience are all conditions: but if by Condition we understand what is required on our part, as the caufe of the good promised though only inftrumentall, faith or beliefe in the promifes of free mercy is the only Condition. Faith and workes are oppofed in the matter of Juftification and Salvation in the Covenant, not that they cannot stand together in the fame fubject, for they be infeperably united, but because they cannot concurre or meete together in one & the fame Court, to the Iuftification or Absolution of Man. For in the Court of Iuftice according to the first Covenant either being juft he is acquitted, or unjust he is condemned :: But in the Court of Mercy, if thou receive the promise of pardon, which is done by a lively faith, thou art acquitted and set free, and accepted as juft and righteous: but if thou believe not, thou art fent over to the Court of Juftice. Obedience is two-fold, perfect in meafure and degree, this is fo farrerequired, that if it be not performed, we must acknow ledge our finne in comming (hort: And this God is pleafed to exact at our hands, that we might walke in humility before him, ftrive after perfection, and freely acknowledge his rich grace and mercy in accepting and rewarding the belt fervice we can tender unto his Highneffe, when in the Court of Iuftice it deferveth to be rejected. 2. Sincere, uniforme and conftant, though imperfect in measure and degree, and this is fo neceffary, that without it there is no Salvation to be expected. The Covenant of Grace calleth for perfection, accepteth fincerity, God in mercy pardo |