The Covenant of God Entered with Mankind, Chapter 9
CHAP. IX.
Further Objections againſt the former doctrine Anſwered.
THe covenant of grace entred with fallen man (ſaith one) is called an everlasting covenant,Further obctions againſt the conditionality of the Covenant anſwered. and Heb. 8. 12. God ſaith, I will be merciful to your iniquities, and your ſinnes will I remember no more. Now ſuppoſe there were conditions for man to performe, and man did faile in thoſe conditions, what were become of the covenant?
Anſ. The conditions failing of the covenant is broke, the everlaſting covenant is broke, which though it ſeeme a contradiction to ſome, yet it is not ſo to the Prophet, Iſ. 24. 5. They have tranſgreſſed the Law, changed the Ordinances, and broken the everlaſting Covenant. It is ſaid to be everlaſting, becauſe it ſhall not be antiquated for another to ſucceed it, or at leaſt that man is not to put a period to it, ſo Circumciſion and the Paſſeover are Ordinances for ever, not that non-entring into it never break or tranſgreſſe it; The Elect of God Regenerate, do indeed keep covenant; ſo do not all that enter into it. There are frequent Scripture-complaints of Breach of covenant.
Secondly, It is ſaid, Man hath no tie upon him, to perform any thing whatſoever with covenant, as, a condition that muſt be obſerved on his part, let the covenant it ſelf be judge in this caſe; mark it in Jeremy, Ezekiel, or in Heb. 8.
Anſw. In thoſe Texts there are graces mentioned; as Gods work on the ſoule, and priviledges promiſed to be enjoyed. Whatſoever is there ſet forth, as Gods work upon the ſoul, is alſo required of man as duty, namely to be renued in the ſpirit of his mind, Eph. 4. 23. To make him a new heart, and a new ſpirit, Ezek. 18. 31. That the Word of Christ dwell in him richly in all wiſdome, Col. 3. 16. It will be hard for any to point out a promiſe of this nature, but it may be anſwered with a command, as an obligation unto duty; As the precepts muſt not thruſt out the promiſe, nor duty ſhoulder out free grace, So, the promiſe muſt not deſtroy the precept; In that of Jeremy, conditions on mans part are included, ſo as by the aſſiſtance of grace to be performed. The tie lies upon us, on pain of loſſe of all that the covenant promiſeth, and bearing all that-it threatneth.
Thirdly, Suppoſe (ſaith one) there ſhould be a fault, of performing in this Covenant, whoſe were the fault?
Anſw. The fault is his; who is chidden in Scripture, and beaten for it, namely thoſe that did flatter God with their mouth, and lied unto him with their tongues, whoſe heart was not right with him, nor were ſledfaſt in his covenant, Pſ. 78. 36, 37. They, upon whom he will bring a ſword to avenge the quarrel of his covenant, Lev. 26. 25. are in the fault.
Fourthly, if there be conditions, then the covenant is not free, gifts muſt be of abſolute grace and bounty, if a condition be required, the freedome of the gift is deſtroyed.
Anſw. This is true of ſuch conditions, where there is merit in the condition, whereby benefit accrues to him, that engages by promiſe, holding proportion with the reward; But, here is nothing indented by way of covenant, but that homage which is naturally due, which God may challenge from us as creatures; without either engagement unto, or exhibition of any reward at all for their paines, and what he may require without reward, when he covenants for it, the reward is free. If Abraham had made Eliezer of Damaſcus his heir, upon his faithful ſervice, the inheritance had yet been a free gift, and of grace conferr'd upon him. Make the Propoſition univerſal, All conditions in promiſes deſtroy the nature of a gift in the thing promiſed, and then it is to be denied, A covenant of grace would then be a contradiction, ſeeing it is no covenant, (as hath been demonſtrated) without a condition. Then the Prophet doth contradict himſelf in the tender of a covenant, in the moſt free manner as is poſſible, Iſa. 55. 1, 2. Ho, every one that thirſteth, &c. even their conditions are required; Incline your ear, and come unto me, Hear and your ſoul ſhall live; Let the wicked for ſake his way, the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him return unto the Lord, and he will have mercy upon him; and unto our God, for he will abundantly pardon, Here are free promiſes with conditions; Men, who have not that ſovereignty, account their gifts free, and yet require conditions from them on whom they are conferred. An Alms-houſe is founded, and endowed with revenue, conditions are put upon the Almes-people, to reſide in ſuch an houſe aſſigned, to wear clothes of the colour and forme preſcribed, or whatſoever elſe the Founder pleaſe, and yet the gift is free. Finally, God cannot covenant with man, and keep up his ſovereignty, if we leave out obedience in the Articles of the covenant. The covenant is upon equal termes, if ſubjection be excluded; to be a God in covenant, and not require ſubjection, is the higheſt of contradictions.
A Learned Writer, after a large diſcourſe held of the right that Redeemed ones have to the death of Chriſt before beleeving, ſaith, Here may be obſerved the miſtake of thoſe, who winde up the merit of Chriſt, as affecting God (as I may ſo ſpeak;) unto a conditional engagement, viz. that we ſhall be made partakers of the fruits of it, upon ſuch and ſuch conditions to be by us fulfilled▪ It will be worth our labour to enquire what is meant by the conditional engagement, unto which he ſays ſome winde up the merit of Chriſt, as affecting God with it; doth he mean ſuch conditions, that as cauſes or impulſive motives take with God to enter ſuch engagement? If this be the meaning, I ſhall freely yeeld that there is no ſuch conditional covenant, that there is no ſuch condition in any Covenant of God with man. In this ſenſe Maſter Culverwell in his Treatiſe of Faith, page 143. takes it, Having mentioned ſeveral conditional promiſes, (in which faith is expreſſely required, and ſuch wherein it is neceſſarily underſtood) he ſaith, In all which, faith is neceſſarily underſtood, for the obtaining of the benefit promiſed. But yet in all theſe, faith, is no condition properly ſo called, moving God to promiſe life. But taking it, in this reſtrained ſenſe, as moving God to promiſe life, he much miſtakes himſelf, where he ſaith, That it confounds the Law and the Goſpel, taking away a chief difference between the covenant of works and the covenant of grace, page 141. Seeing there was no condition, thus underſtood in the covenant of works; There was not any ſuch good, accruing to God by any thing that Adam was to do, that upon it, or for it, God ſhould make the promiſe of life. God hath no motives out of himſelf, to confer his rewards, Conditions taken in ſuch a ſenſe; will make the covenant of grace, and the covenant of works all unconditional. But taking the word [condition] in the ſenſe, as, it is in ordinary uſe, and as it properly ſignifies, for duty in covenant indented, agreed upon, and aſſented to, on performance, or neglect of which, the promiſe ſtands or falls, it is plain that there are ſuch conditions in both covenants, equally, in one as the other. The neceſſity of the concurrence of grace to the work of faith, will as ſoon make it no duty as no condition, and many denying the one, have learnt to deny either of both, as well duties, as conditions. Mr. Culverwel therefore conſeſſeth, that, faith in ſome ſort may be called a condition, becauſe the promiſe of life is made to perſons qualified with faith, page 143. and this conditional promiſe well underſtood (ſaith he) page 141. may be born. And if underſtood, with ſuch a reſtraint as the word will not ſuffer (we confeſſe) Chriſtians muſt not acknowledge it. This being premiſed, let us look into the reaſons brought to back the former aſſertion.
Firſt, All ſuch conditions, if ſpiritual bleſſings, are part of the purchaſe of the death of Chriſt, and if not, are no way fit to be conditions of ſuch an attainment.
Anſw. They are ſo parts of his purchaſe, that they are alſo our act, The act of man by the power of God; God gives faith and gives repentance, yet we beleeve and we repent, we may as eaſily reconcile Chriſts purchaſe, with the nature of a condition, as Gods free gift of grace with our duty, If the gift were of grace and no duty required, then there were force in the argument. This ridgidly followed, will diſingage man from all obedience to God, ſeeing all power to obey, is part of the purchaſe of Chriſt.
Secondly, It cannot be made apparent, how any ſuch conditional ſtipulation can be aſcribed to God.
Anſw. We finde ſuch a one in Scripture aſcribed to God, no condition can in more plain terms be held our. In caſe we cannot ſee how it can be, it were ſafer to lay our hands on our mouths; and acknowledge our weakneſſe, then to withſtand ſo clear evidence. He is pleaſed to give his Reaſons.
Firſt, ſaith he, It leaves no proper place for he merit of Chriſt.
Anſw. This reaſon I can by no means reach. Chriſt may merit, and upon what terms he pleaſes, confer what he hath merited; Duty in us excludes merit in Chriſt, as well as conditions impoſed upon u…. See Ball on the covenant, page 133.
Secondly, It is very improperly aſcribed to God, &c. Stipulation, or engagements upon conditions, that are properly ſo, do ſuppoſe him that makes the engagement, to be altogether uncertain of the event thereof, for which the authority of Lawyers is quoted.
If conditions among men be of ſuch uncertainty, it doth not thence follow, that it is ſo in thoſe conditions which God impoſes, on performance of which he conferres the mercies which he gives in promiſe. If there be ſo much difference between moral hope, and that Chriſtian grace which is wrought by the Spirit, that the one is only poſſible, conjectural, uncertain and doubtful, the other aſſured and never failing; The one often ending in ſhame, The other never making aſhamed; Then there may be a like difference in the conditions aſſigned by man, and thoſe aſſigned by God, Men may be ſtill uncertain, yet God may be aſſured, the event being not left to contingency or the freedome of mans will, (which is ſuppoſed to ſtand in aequilibrio,) but determined by the act of grace which is not hid from him, whoſe hand works it in the hearts of his people. This might ſeem to carry far rather force againſt all conditions in the firſt covenant, which is yet granted to be conditional, which for performance was meerly ſuſpended on mans will, but hath no colour againſt the conditions of the ſecond covenant, which God works of grace as he requires of ſovereignty.
One is pleaſed to ſay, Surely they are wide (if not very wilde) who affirm that all the ſtipulations on the part of God, upon the death of Chriſt are upon a condition, which himſelf knows to be impoſſible for them to perform, to whom they are made, which among Wiſe men are always accounted nugatory and null. And may not the like be ſaid of exhortations, promiſes, threats, commands? God as well knows our diſability to anſwer theſe, as to fulfil conditions, yet they are neither wide, nor wilde, that acknowledge ſuch exhortations, promiſes, threats, commands, without abilities in fallen man to anſwer them, farther then the concurrence of grace that is in Chriſt Jeſus ſtrengthens them; There are many more Objections raiſed by others which the Reader may ſee brought in, by Mr. Grayl and Mr. Woodbridge, and fully anſwered.