The Abridgment of the Gospel, Sermon 5
THE FIFTH SERMON.
VERS. 72.
That he might ſhew mercy towards our Fathers, and remember his holy Couenant.
73.
And the oth which he ſware to our Father Abraham.
NOw followeth the inducement or Reaſon moouing God to vouchſafe this great Deliuerance: and that was, the manifeſtation and diſcouerie of two things. 1. His merciemercy: That hee might ſhew mercy, &c. 2. His truth: And remember his holy Couenant, The 1. Doctrine.&c.
In the former of theſe, two things muſt bee handled. 1. That the worke of Redemption by Chriſt, was intended by God, as it were a ſtage, in which the Fulneſſe and euen the riches of his mercy might be ſeene. 2. A queſtion, how this worke now wrought (as it were) in the worlds laſt quarter, might be ſaid to be a worke of mercy to the Fathers, who liued in the prime daies of the world, long before Chriſt was exhibited in the fleſh.
To manifeſt the firſt of theſe two, this firſt is in generall to bee noted, that the Elect of God, which are redeemed by Chriſts precious blood, are called Veſſels of mercy eRom. 9.23.: becauſe in the eternal counſel of God they were choſen to this end, that the Lord might declare the riches of his glorie, and that their ſaluation might be to the praiſe of the glorie of his grace fEph. 1.6.. The Lord intending a memorable inſtance of his vnſpeakable mercy, choſe ſome in Chriſt, to be redeemed from eternall ſlauerie by his death. Secondly it is woorthy the obſeruing, that the whole worke of our ſaluation is called by this one word Mercy g1. Pet. 2.10.. The reaſon is, becauſe to which part ſoeuer of it we caſt our eies, we ſhall ſee more than prints and footeſteps of his grace; the whole frame of it, is (as it were) made of mercy. If wee begin at the foundation of all, (Gods eternall election) and paſſe downe along by the period and full point of all (the glory which ſhall be ſhewed heereafter) and aske from what root ech part did ſpring, this one mercy, muſt bee the ſum of eueryevery anſwer: There was mercy in chuſing; mercy in ſending Chriſt; mercy in calling vsus; mercy in iuſtifying vsus, and what can it be but mercy, that we ſhall be admitted to an Inheritance immortall and vndefiled h1. Pet. 1.4.? Mercy the beginning mercy the progreſſe, the concluſion mercy. In diſcourſing heereof the burden of our ſong muſt ſtill bee like that of the Pſalme, For his mercy endureth for euer iPſal. 136.1. &c.. This very ſame thing, is ſhewed in that parable of the Prodigall. In the whole paſſage therof, we ſhall ſee nothing but the fruits of exceeding mercy: He ranne and fell on his necke, he kiſſed him, he commanded to bring foorth the beſt robe, and to kill the fat calfe, &c kLuc. 16.20. &c.: What was heere but mercy? The ſame is true in the dealing of God the Father with thoſe to whom hee is reconciled in his Sonne: Chriſt being for them made ſinne, feeles the edge of his iuſtice; but they, being made righteous through Chriſt, enioy the fulneſſe of his mercy.
The 1. Vſe.This is, firſt, matter of information and of ſettlement in the truth. For heere we ſee, againſt the Papiſts, that in the whole worke of mans redemption by Chriſt, there is no footing left for humane merit. Light and darknes, God & the diuell are not in a more direct line of oppoſition either to other, than mercy and merit: It is vnpoſſible that theſe two ſhould admit any compoſition. It is ſaid by Philoſophers, that in lower degrees, contraries may hauehave ſome concurrence: as light and darkneſſe in the twilight: But take two contrarie qualities, and let one of them be in the height and full ſtrength, there is no poſſibilitie of place for the other. So then, ſeeing in the worke of ſaluation, the Lord hath intended to make ſhew, not of ſome parcels (as it were) but of the verie fulneſſe of his mercy, there is no more roome for merit, than there was for Dagon before the Arke of Iehouah l1. Sam. 5.3.. I remember what is ſaid of him that went into the field to gather herbes, hee found a wilde gourd, and ſhred it into the pottage: But when the pottage came to be taſted, the eaters cried out, Death is in the pot m2. Kin. 4.39.40.. Such cookes the Papiſts are: they take vponupon them to make readie a potion of comfort, for a perplexed ſoule; but when they temper with this herbe of Grace, the leaues of this wilde gourd of humane merit, which neuer grew in the Lords garden, or at leaſt was neuer planted by him, but crept in (as a weed) by the negligence of the dreſſers, they hauehave giuen occaſion to make the ſame crie, Death is in the pot, and with it they hauehave poiſoned a world of ſoules, and hauehave dealt as iniuriouſly with the Church of God, as the Philiſtims did with Izhak, when they ſtopped and filled vp with earth all his Welles nGen. 26.15.; ſo with this earthly traſh they hauehave choaked vp the Fountaine of Grace oZach. 13.1., that it cannot ſtreame out comfortably, for the refreſhing of the wearied ſoules of Gods people. Thus (as Iob ſaid to his friends) they hauehave forged lies, and by that meanes are Phyſicians of no value pIob 13.4..
Neither is this to be obſerued only becauſe of Papiſts, but euen becauſe of the common people, inaſmuch as the doctrine and opinion of Merit, (that is, of doing ſomewhat whereby to further our owne ſaluation) is grauen as with an iron pen qIer. 17.1., in the tables of eueryevery naturall heart. Experience ſheweth, that the ſowreneſſe of this Popiſh leauen remaineth in many: Good prayers, and good doings; meane well, and doe well; theſe and the like are the ſlaues they leane vntounto. It is ſaid, that the children of the Iewes which married wiues of Aſhdod, ſpake halfe in the ſpeech of Aſhdod rNoh. 13.24.: Such is the religion of many: Talke with them of ſaluation, they ſpeake halfe popiſhly, and halfe ſoundly: They will ſpeake of mercy and grace, and ſeeme to magnifie and eſteeme it; yet ſomething of their owne ſhall be brought in too, and a man ſhall hauehave ſomewhat adoe before he can coniure out this diuell, and bring them to an abſolute dependance vponupon the freedome of Gods merciemercy. Remember we then the doctrine of this place: God intented the myſterie of Chriſt, in which to ſet out to the ful, the vnſearchable riches of his merciemercy; to couple with it ought els, more or leſſe, is iniuriouſly to darken the beautie of that which the purpoſe of God was to hauehave to be ſeene and beheld in whole without impeachment.
Secondly, this doctrine is a matter of comfort.The 2. Vſe. There cannot be a matter of greater ſecurity to the ſoule of a Chriſtian, than to laie his whole hope vponupon Gods mercy. The reaſon is, becauſe the mercy of God is (as himſelfe) infinite, eternall, and vnchangeable. Where ſhall I finde a more certaine refuge? When I ſee a plaiſter as large as my ſore, there is my comfort. The perplexed conſcience groaning vnderunder the weight of ſinne, and panting for grace, is the fitteſt Iudge in points of this nature. Well then, let a mans Bones be full of the ſinne of his youth ſIob 20.11., let his heart be broken with one breaking vponupon another tIob 16.14., let his conſcience be ſet vponupon the racke, the Lord writing bitter things againſt him uIob 13.26.; you will tell him of the mercy and grace of God. You doe well: but you will adde withall, that his comfort in this muſt bee eyked out with ſomething of his owne: Hee muſt crie out vponupon you as Iob did vponupon his friends, Miſerable comforters yee are all xIob 16.2.. Hee will ſee ſuch weakneſſe, ſuch ſcantneſſe, ſuch maimedneſſe, ſuch imperfection in his beſt performances, that hee will not dare to bring them into a reckoning before God, yea the verie thought of them, will but adde affliction to his griefe. Thus will his comfort conſume like a rotten thing, and as a garment that is moth-eaten yIob 13.28.. But teach him to build all vponupon Gods mercy, labouring that nothing of his owne may be once thought vponupon in this buſines, hee ſhall ſtraight ſee ſuch a breadth and length, depth and height zEph. 3.18.of comfort, which will bee as colde waters to his wearie ſoule aPro. 25.25.. Thus this doctrine is matter of inſtruction to ground vsus in knowledge, and matter of refreſhing to furniſh vsus with comfort. The ſoule of a Chriſtian is as the Done which went out of Noahs Arke bGen. 8.9.; It findes no footing but vponupon the rocke of Mercy; and it is but an imagination of merciemercy when any thing is coupled thereunto. This truth hath forced euen the greateſt aduerſaries to acknowledge it: according as wee finde, that no meane Papiſt, after long labouring againſt the doctrine of Iuſtification by only Faith, doeth in the end confeſſe, that yet it is the ſafeſt way to place a mans truſt vponupon Gods onelyonly mercy and fauor cBellar. lib. 5. de Iuſtif. c. 7..
The next matter to bee treated is the Queſtion; How the worke of Redemption wrought by Chriſt, can be ſaid to be a worke of mercy to the Fathers? For the reſoluing of this queſtion, this is to be knowne, that there is but one way of ſaluation to the Fathers before and vnderunder the Law, and to vsus which hauehave liued ſince the reuelation of Chriſt in the fleſh: Ieſus Chriſt, yeſterday, to day, the ſame for euer dHeb. 13.8.. Heereupon Chriſt is ſaid to be the Lambe ſlaine from the beginning of the world eReu. 13.8.: whereof this is the meaning, that albeit he was manifeſted in the fleſh in the latter end of the world, and not ſlaine before, yet all the holy men and women, euen from Adam, were ſaued by his blood. The moſt perſons of note vnderunder the Law, were types of Chriſt, and all their ſacrifices and ceremonies tended to this one thing, to cheriſh in them the hope of the Meſſias; and to acquaint them with the whole myſterie of Redemption, which was wrought by his meanes. There is not one little circumſtance in the carriage of our ſaluation by Chriſt, but the ſame was ſhadowed out in the ancient complements of the Law: Euen Abraham ſaw the day of Christ fIoh. 8.56.. To them that liued before Chriſt, Chriſt was crucified in the Sacrifices and bloodſheddings of the Law; among vsus he is crucified gGal. 3.1.by the preaching of the Goſpell: They beleeued on Chriſt to come; we beleeue on Chriſt already come. Zeeharie therefore doth heere mention the Fathers, to teach,The 2. Doctrine. That the efficacie of Christs death is not restrained or limited to one point of time, but is ſtretched euen to the ages by-past, and that the Fathers from the beginning of the world came within the compaſſe of this mercy which God ſhewed to mankind in Chriſts incarnation: And this to bee true hath beene prooued in the opening and clearing of this queſtion: Paul ſaid, that the Chriſtian Religion which hee profeſſed, was the Hope of the promiſe which God made to the Fathers hAct. 26.6.; and Peter in his Oration made in the Synode at Ieruſalem, ſpeaking of beleeuing to be ſaued through the grace of the Lord Ieſus Christ, ioyneth the Fathers with them who then liued; We beleeue, euen as they iAct. 15.10.11..
This is firſt, matter of Reſolution in a needfull doubt.The 1. Ʋſe. I am taught if I will be ſaued, to beleeue onelyonly in Chriſt Ieſus; the Miniſtry of the word doeth ſtill (like Iohn Baptiſt) point out him vntounto me, as the onelyonly perſon which taketh away the ſinnes of the World kIoh. 1.29., it ſaith, that he is the only way lIoh 14.6.; and that there is no ſaluation in any other mAct. 4.12.. It telleth mee moreouer, that this Chriſt was crucified manie hundred yeeres ſince, and that now in reſpect of his bodie, Heauen must containe him nAct. 3.21., till the end of all things. But now heere my faith wauereth and is in doubt, asking how his blood, which was ſhed ſo long ſince, can bee of force for the purging and cleanſing of my ſinne. This ſcruple is taken away by conſidering that which is heere ſaid: Zecharie affirmeth, that the mercy of God in Chriſt, did concerne euen the Fathers, which had long before gone the way of all fleſh, and which were aſleepe in the duſt of the earth. Now then, looke how the Fathers, ſo long before might hauehave benefit by his death to come, by the ſame means may we now ſo long after receaue comfort by his death paſt. By faith they beheld Chriſt to be offered, and are now entred into reſt: by faith we may alſo looke backe vponupon Chriſt already ſacrificed, and be admitted into the fellowſhip of eternall happineſſe. The two Cherubins placed at the two ends of the merciemercy-ſeat, had their Faces one to another oExo. 25.18. &c., and both vponupon the Arke: So the age by-paſt, and the age after, looke either on the other, but both vponupon Chriſt.
The 2. Vſe.Secondly, this is matter of much contentment to a true beleeuer. For heere he may ſee, that be he neuer ſo poore, or deſpiſed, or baſe, though he lie among the pots pPſa. 68.13., or bee behinde the Ewes with yoong qPſa. 78.72., yet he is by Chriſt called into the fellowſhip, and partaking of the ſame ſaluation, which the holie Fathers and Prophets doe now enioy; Adam, Enoch, Noah, Abraham, Moſes, &c. theſe were woorthy men, and in great account with God. How truely maieſt thou ſay with Dauid t1. Sam. 18.18., What am I, that I ſhould enioy that mercy which God hath prepared for them? In ſuch a maner doeth our Sauiour deſcribe the happineſſe of the ſaued; They ſhall ſit downe with Abraham, Izhak and Iacob in the kingdome of Heauen ſMatth. 8.11., and it is one circumſtance of the torment of the wicked: yee ſhall ſee Abraham, Izhak and Iacob and all the Prophets in the kingdome of heauen, and your ſelues thrust out at doores tLuk. 13.28. What ſhall then become of vsus, who neglect ſo great ſaluation uHeb. 2.3.? Who, when God hath promiſed ſuch glorious things xPſal. 87.3.for vsus, euen the ſame ſaluation and mercy which the chiefeſt of his Saints do now enioy, yet had rather be malicious with Cain; tyrannizing with Nimrod; profane with Eſau; ſcoffing with Iſhmael; extorters with Ahab; proud with Ieſabel; ſuperſtitious with Ieroboam; catching with Iudas; playing the belly-gods with Diues; reſiſting the trueth with Elymas; rayling with Rabſhakeh; murmuring with Core; vicious with the Sodomites; (of which perſons we hauehave no other teſtimonie, but that they are reſerued in euerlaſting chaines vnderunder darkneſſe vntounto the iudgement of the great day yIude 6.:) than ſeeke to raigne with Abraham, Izhak, Iacob, and the Prophets. If wee deſire the ſame happineſſe, wee muſt goe by the ſame way. It is vnpoſſible to hauehave the Pleaſures of ſinne zHeb. 11.25., and the Felicitie of the choſen aPſal. 106.5.too.
The other thing which God intended to make knowen in the worke of our Redemption, is his Truth. To remember his holy couenant, and the oth &c. Heere wee muſt treat touching this Holy Couenant, what it is, and how it was confirmed by an Oth: and then next, how God can bee ſaid to bee mindfull of his Couenant and Oth. As for the former, we all know the nature of a Couenant. By it heere are meant thoſe Articles of agreement which are betwixt God and man concerning life eternall. The ſubſtance of this Couenant is, I will be thy God, and thou ſhalt be my people. This Couenant is twofold. The one of Works, the condition whereof is, perfect Obedience. The other of grace, of which the condition is Faith bIoh. 1.12.. Theſe two couenants are one: they differ in maner of diſpenſation, the one being in types and ſhadowes after a more obſcure maner, and called The old Couenant: the other being more plaine and perſpicuous, deliuered after a new faſhion, and therefore called The New: But the ſumme of both, was and is, Chriſt Ieſus: No other foundation can be laid c1. Cor. 3.11.: and it was euer a trueth, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world vntounto himſelfe d2. Cor. 5.19.. Now this couenant is called a Holy couenant, becauſe it was made by a holy God, and tended vntounto holineſſe, both to make Chriſts holineſſe to become ours, and to binde vsus to ſhew foorth the fruits of holineſſe in our liues. Touching the confirmation of it by an oth, (By my ſelfe, ſaith God, I hauehave ſworne eGen. 22.16.,) in it, briefly we muſt examine the qualitie of the oth: and the reaſon why God ſware. The qualitie of the Oth is, By himſelfe. The Lord doeth binde (as it were) his Godhead for the performance of that which he promiſeth, as though hee ſhould ſay, If this be not ſo, let me be God no more: Now for the other, it may bee indeed doubted, why God ſhould ſweare, ſeeing his word is certaine in it ſelfe and needs no confirmation: but we muſt know, that God ſware not to win more credit to his promiſe, but he did it for the better confirmation of our faith, being willing more abundantly to ſhew vntounto vsus the ſtableneſſe of his Counſell fHeb. 6.17..
Now for that, how God can be ſaid to remember his couenant and oth, ſeeing God cannot forget, thus it muſt bee vnderſtood: The long delaying of the actual performance of the promiſe touching the Meſſias, might giuegive occaſion to ſome to thinke that God had vtterly forgotten it, and that it was but a verball promiſe without any purpoſe of accompliſhment. But now (ſaith Zecharie) hee will fulfill all to the vtmoſt, and by ſo doing make it manifeſt, that whatſoeuer men might ſuppoſe, yet the performance of the Couenant was euer in his minde. The ſenſe then of the whole place is this; that wheras God had freely and of his owne accord made a holie league with his church, grounding the ſame vponupon Chriſt, and binding it (for better aſſurance) with an Oth, which notwithſtanding becauſe of the delaies of ſo many yeeres, might ſeeme to bee euen buried in forgetfulneſſe; hee would now make knowne his neuer failing faithfulneſſe, and ſhew to the world, that nothing of all that he had ſaid, ſhould fall to the ground vnfulfilled.
The doctrine here is,The 3. Dotrine. the abſolute and vnchangeable certaintie of Gods promiſes. One end of the incarnation of Chriſt was, that there might in it be an euidence giuen to the world, that the Lord neither could nor would be vnmindfull of his promiſe. Ieſus Chriſt was a Miniſter of the Circumciſion for the truth of God, to confirme the promiſes made to the fathers gRom. 15.8. I will not falſifie my truth, my couenant will I not breake, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips hPſal. 89.33.. It was a worthie reſolution of the Prophet, long before Chriſt was borne: Thou wilt performe thy truth to Iacob, & mercy to Abraham, as thou haſt ſworne to our fathers in old time iMica. 7.20.. God can not lie kTit. 1.2., nor denie himſelfe l2. Tim. 2.13.: Thou art the ſame (ſaith the Pſalme mPſal. 102.27.): I am the Lord, I change not nMal. 3.6. The 1. Vſe.. This is the reaſon he is called Iehouah, becauſe as he giueth being to all things, and hath his owne being from himſelfe; ſo he makes that to be which he hath promiſed.
Of this there is a double vſe. Firſt, here is much matter of vpholding for the faith of a Chriſtian. God hath promiſed; that is much: he hath bound his promiſe with an oath; this is more. Hee hath ſent his ſonne in the fulneſſe of time oGal. 4.4., in whom all his promiſes are Yea and Amen p2. Cor. 1.20.. What can be more abſolute? The faith which is ſtrengthened with this threefolde cord can not eaſily be broken. It is an olde cuſtome of the diuell to lay ſiege to the truth of Gods word: Yea, hath God indeed ſayd qGen. 3.1.? So now, the main point that he laboureth in, is, That God will not be ſo good as his word, he will forget to be mercifull, and his promiſe will faile for euermore rPſal. 77.89.. To put backe this aſſault, remember this one inſtance of the manifeſtation of Chriſt: all promiſes had their reference to him. His birth and ſufferings are left as an vndoubted pledge of the performance of whatſoeuer God hath ſpoken. We may ſay as the Apoſtle, He that gaue vsus Chriſt, how ſhall he not with him giuegive all things alſo ſRom. 8.32.? So, he that hath performed the promiſe concerning Chriſt, wherein ſhall he faile? He that hath kept his word in this, I will make no queſtion of his truth in any thing.
The 2. Vſe.Secondly (for a ſecond vſe) here is matter of very needfull aduertiſement to vsus all. Heere is mention made of the couenant of God, of the oath of God, and of the certeintie of both. This couenant conſiſteth of two parts: in the one God bindes himſelfe to vsus, to be our God; in the other we binde our ſelues to him, to be his people. I will ſay to them, Thou art my people; and they ſhall ſay, Thou art my God tHoſ. 2.23.. His is a couenant of mercy, ours is a couenant of obedience. He promiſeth happineſſe, we holineſſe; he glory, we dutie: he hath tied himſelfe by an oath, we hauehave bound our ſelues by the vow of baptiſme. Will he be mindfull of his couenant, and ſhall we forget ours? Will not he alter, and ſhall we faile? Will not he trifle with vsus, and ſhall we dally with him? God forbid. Yet, this faltring in that part of the couenant which concernes vsus, is a common euill. The moſt of our liues rather argue a reſolution to breake promiſe, than a purpoſe and endeuour to performe it. Bleſſed be thou of the Lord (ſaid Saul to Samuel) I hauehave fulfilled the commandement of the Lord. But Samuel ſaid, What meaneth then the bleating of the ſheepe in mine eares, and the lowing of the oxen which I heare u1. Sam. 15.13.14.? So, it is like enough, we will be readie to iuſtifie our ſelues; and when we are challenged for breach of promiſe, will be ready to ſay, like the gainſaying Iewes, Wherein xMal. 3.8.13.hauehave we treſpaſſed? But it ſhalbe ſayd to vsus, as it was to Saul, What meane then theſe and theſe things? If we make conſcience of the couenant, what meane theſe groſſe ſinnes, which crie loud in the eares of the moſt high, and vnderunder which hee is preſſed, as a cart that is full of ſheaues yAm. 2.13., ſwearings, whoredomes, drunkenneſſe, oppreſſions, cruelties, contempt of the Word and Sacraments, and all theſe with an High hand zNum. 15.30; many being grown to that extremitie that they cannot hauehave any ſhame aIer. 8.12.: the very triall of their countenance teſtifieth againſt them bIſay 3.9.? Is this our promiſe? Is this to be mindfull of our couenant? With what face can we lay claime to the couenant of mercy, when we ſhall be ſo manifeſtly conuicted to hauehave troden vnderunder our feet the couenant of Obedience? How euer it be, God will keepe his word, but not of fauour, but of iuſtice, euen that which Moſes ſpeaketh of, enough to make his two eares to tingle c1. Sam. 3.11., and his bellie to tremble dHab 3.16.that heareth it: The Lord will not be mercifull vntounto vsus, but his wrath and ielouſie ſhall ſmoke againſt vsus, and eueryevery curſe that is written ſhall light vponupon vsus, and the Lord ſhall put out our name from vnderunder heauen eDeu 29.20.. This is their portion, which forget God and deale falſly concerning his couenant fPſal. 44 17.: this is the heritage that they ſhal hauehave of God for their workes gIob 20.29.. Remember then, as the ſubſtance of the couenant on Gods part, ſo the condition on ours: hee hath couenanted, ſo hauehave we: he hath ſworne, ſo hauehave we alſo: he will not forget his part, let vsus make conſcience to remember ours.