A Golden Chain, Chapter 31
CHAP. 31. Of the couenant of Grace.
HItherto concerning the couenant of works, and of the Law, now followeth the couenant of grace.
The couenant of Grace, is that whereby God freely promising Christ, and his benefits, exacteth againe of man, that he would by faith receiue Christ, and repent of his sinnes. Hos. 2.18. In that daie will I make a couenant for them, &c. 19. And I will marrie thee vntounto me for euer: yea, I will marrie thee vntounto me in righteousnesse, and in iudgement, and in merciemercy, and in compassion. v. 20. I will euen marrie thee vntounto me in faithfulnesse, and thou shalt knowe the Lord. Ezech. 36.25. I will poure cleane water vponupon you, and ye shall be cleane: yea from all your filthinesse, and from all your idols will I clense you. v. 26. And I will giuegive you a newe heart, and a newe spirit will I put within you. v. 27. And cause you to walke in my statutes. Malach. 3.1. The Lord, whome ye seeke, shall speedily come to his temple: euen the messenger of the couenant whome ye desire: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts.
This couenant is also named a testament: for it hath partly the nature and properties of a testament or will. First it is confirmed by the death of the testator. Heb. 9.16. Where a testament is, there must be the death of him that made the testament. 17. For the testament is confirmed when men are dead: for it is yet of no force, so long as he that made it is aliue. Secondly, in this couenant we doe not offer much, and promise small to God, but in a manner doe onelyonly receiue: euen as the last will and testament of a man, is not for the testators, but the heires commodity.
The couenant albeit, it be one in substance, yet it is distinguished into the old and new testament.
The olde testament or couenant is that, which in types and shadowes prefigured Christ to come, and to be exhibited.
The newe testament declareth Christ already come in the flesh, and is apparantly shewed in the Gospel.
The Gospell is that part of Gods word, which cōtaineth a most worthy & welcome message: namely, that mankind is fully redeemed by the blood of Iesus Christ, the only begotten sonn of God, manifest in the flesh, so that now for all such as repent and beleeue in Christ Iesus, there is prepared a full remission of all their sinnes, togither with saluation and life euerlasting. Ioh. 3.14. As Moses lifted vp the serpent in the wildernesse: so must the sonne of man be lift vp. 15. That who so beleeueth in him, should not perish but hauehave euerlasting life. Act. 10.43. To him also giuegive all the Prephets witnes, that through his name, all that beleeue in him, shall receiue remission of sinnes.
The ende and vse of the Gospell is, first to manifest that righteousnesse in Christ, whereby the whole law is fully satisfied, & saluation attained. Secondly, it is the instrument, and, as it were, the conduit pipe of the holy ghost, to fashion and deriue faith into the soule; by which faith, they which beleeue, doe as with an hand apprehend Christs righteousnes. Rom. 1.16. I am not ashamed of the gospell of Christ, for it is the power of God to saluation to as many as beleeue, to the Iewe first, and then to the Grecian. 17. For the iustice of God is reuealed by it from faith to faith. Ioh. 6. 33. It is the spirit which quickeneth, the flesh profiteth nothing: the words which I speake are spirit and life. 1. Cor. 1.21. It pleased God by the foolinesse of preaching, to saue such as beleeue.
The Gospell preached is, in the flourishing estate of Christs Church, that ordinarie meanes to beget faith: but in the ruinous estate of the same, when as by apostasie, the foundations thereof are shaken, and the cleere light of the word is darkened, then this word read or repeated, yea the very sound thereof beeing but once heard, is by the assistance of Gods spirit, extraordinarily effectuall, to them whome God will hauehave called out of that great darkenesse into his exceeding light. Rom. 10.14. How shall they call on him, in whome they hauehave not beleeued? and how shall they beleeue in him, of whome they hauehave not heard? And howe shall they heare without a preacher? Act. 11.19. And they which were scattered abroad, because of the affliction that arose about Steuen, walked throughout till they came to Phenice, and Cyprus, and Antiochia, preaching the worde to no man, but to the Iewes onelyonly. 30. Nowe some of them were men of Cyprus, and of Cyrene, which when th…y were come into Antiochia, spake vntounto the Grecians, and preached the Lord Iesus. 21. And the hand of the Lord was with them, so that a great number beleeued, and turned vntounto the Lord. Ioh. 4. 28. The woman then left her water pot, and went her way into the city, and said to the men, 29. Come, and see a man which hath told me all things that euer I did: Is not he the Christ? then they went out of the citty, and came vntounto him. 39. Now many of the Samaritans beleeued in him, for the saying of the woman which testified, He hath tolde me all things that euer I did. 41. And many moe beleeued, because of his own word. 42. And they said vntounto the woman, Nowe we beleeue not because of thy saying: for we hauehave heard him our selues, and knowe that this is indeede the Christ the Sauiour of the world. Rom. 10.18. I demaunde, hauehave they not heard? no doubt their sounde went out through all the earth, and their wordes into the endes of the world. Thus we may see, how many of our forefathers, & ancestors in the midst of popery obtained eternall life. Reuel. 12. 17. The dragon was wroth with the woman, and went and made warre with the remnant of her seede, which kept the commandements of God, and hauehave the testimonie of Iesus Christ. Rom. 11.4. What saith the diuine Oracles? I hauehave reserued to me seuen thousand men, which neuer bowed knee to Baal.