The Covenant of God Entered with Mankind, Chapter 36
CHAP. XXXV.
The Covenant of Grace in Goſpel-times admits Chriſtians, in a state of unregeneration, and is not limited in the bounds of it to the Elect regenerate.
THe two former ſuppoſed differences did lay the firſt covenant too low, not vouchſafing it the honour of a Goſpel-covenant, or at the beſt, a mixt Goſpel; Two others follow, which will hold us longer, that put too great a limit to the ſecond covenant,A third ſuppoſed difference between the Old and New Covenant. in reſpect of the latitude and extent of it. A third difference therefore aſſigned by ſome, is, that the firſt covenant took in all the ſeed of Abraham, by Iſaac and Jacob, as many as profeſſed themſelves to be of the Faith, and that were willing to joyne in the worſhip of the God of Abraham. The New Covenant, they affirm, admits no more than Elect Regenerate perſons. The Goſpel ſtrips us of all relative Covenant holineſſe, of all holineſſe that is not real, and intrinſecal, and God ownes none, as his Covenant-people, but Elect regenerate perſons. In the firſt place we ſhall take what is yielded, or at leaſt not gain-ſayed, and after proceed to the examination of what is affirmed.
In Old Teſtament-times the covenant was made with Iſrael in the uttermoſt latitude and extent,All of Iſrael were in Covenant in Old Teſtament-times. with all that bore the name of Iſrael, as we may ſee, Deut. 29. at large held forth. There is a covenant entred, and the words of it expreſt, 1. With Iſrael, verſe 1. 2. With all Iſrael, verſe 2. 3. With them to whom God had not given an heart to perceive, eyes to ſee, and eares to hear, ver. 4. viz. with unregenerate perſons. 4. It is made with Captaines of Tribes, Elders, Officers, little Ones, Wives, Strangers, Hewers of wood, Drawers of water, verſ. 10, 11. 5. With them that were preſent, and with them that were abſent, verſe 14, 15. All this clearly ſhews in how great a latitude this covenant is entred; No Iſraelite of any Sex, Age, Rank, nor any that joyned themſelves to that body are exempted▪ Which alſo farther appears in thoſe innumerable places of Scripture, where God owns that people generally, promiſcuouſly as his people, profeſſing himſelf to be their God, and he is the God of none, but a covenant-people, of his own covenant-people, others are without God, Eph. 2. 12. He was the God of all that came out of Egypt, Exod. 20. 2. I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the houſe of Bondage; Of all that whole family, Amos 3. 1. Hear this word that the Lord hath ſpoken againſt thee, O children of Iſrael, againſt the whole family which I have brought up from the land of Egypt. Hear, O Iſrael, the Lord our God is one Lord, Deut. 6. 4. Yea, Iſreal at the very worſt is thus owned as Gods in covenant; Hear, O my people, and I will teſtifie unto thee, O Iſrael, if thou wilt hearken unto me: but my people would not hearken to my voice, Iſrael would have none of me, Pſal. 8 8, 11. The Oxe knows his Owner, the Aſſe his Maſters crib, but Iſrael doth not know, my people doth not conſider, Iſa. 1. 3. Therefore my people are gone into captivity, becauſe they have no knowledge, Iſa. 5. 13. My people are deſtroyed for lack of knowledge, Hoſ. 4. 6. And when they entred into the Heathen, whither they went, they prophaned my holy Name; when they ſaid unto them, Theſe are the people of the Lord, Ezek. 36. 20. This is brought as a motive to withhold Iſrael from ſin; Ye are the children of the Lord your God, ye ſhall not cut your ſelves, nor make any baldneſſe between your eyes for the dead, for thou art an holy people to the Lord thy God, Deut. 14. 1, 2. This is pleaded as an aggravation of ſin; You have I known of all the Nations of the earth, and therfore you will I puniſh for all your iniquities, Amos 3. 2. This is brought as a motive to prevail with God under miſery for mercy; Behold we beſe…ch thee, we are all thy people; Iſa. 64. 9. Yea, this covenant takes with God for national mercies: The whole of the Nation then is in covenant. Then will I remember my covenant with Jacob, and my covenant with Iſaac, and alſo my covenant with Abraham will I remember, and will remember the land, Levit. 26. 42. The Apoſtles authority puts it out of queſtion, Reckoning up the priviledges of Iſrael according to the fleſh, nine in number, Rom. 9. 4. This is one, The covenants, Iſrael then after the fleſh was in covenant; All Iſrael were the covenant-people of God. There were many not Elect, not Regenerate; but there was not a man not in covenant, not owned of God as viſibly his; Thou haſt avouched the Lord this day to be thy God.—And the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his people, Deut. 26. 17, 18. This was the ſtate of the Church of old. But now, as is affirmed, it is far otherwiſe. God is not ſo large in his priviledges, nor ſo ample in his munificence, none have honour to be in covenant in Goſpel-times, but real beleevers, men truly ſanctified and regenerate.Some Divines ſeem to put too great a reſtraint upon the Covenant in New Teſtament. …im. …. And here it cannot be denied, but there are many expreſſions, ordinarily found in many Orthodox Writers, and like paſſages frequently heard in Sermons from godly Miniſters, ſeemingly implying, if not aſſerting it, and reſtraining the covenant onelyonly to the elect and regenerate. As when they give Marks and ſignes of mens being in covenant with God, this muſt needs imply that ſome profeſſing Chriſtians are in covenant with God, and ſome without, which is yet farther evidenced, when they conclude, that in caſe a man be in covenant with God, then happineſſe and ſalvation follows; But when theſe men fully explain themſelves, they yeeld up again to us, that which ſeemingly they had taken from us, and ordinarily do diſtinguiſh of an outward, and inward covenant, acknowledging the outward covenant to be made with every member of the Church and the Parents, with that hear and profeſſedly accept the promiſes, and their children, But the inward covenant as they ſay, belongs to them onelyonly, that receive the benefits of it, and are upright in it. An eminent Divine putting the Queſtion, and returning anſwer, How a man may know himſelf to be in covenant with God; preſently foreſees an Objection againſt any ſuch Quaere. As Saul and all the people of Iſrael were in covenant with God, ſo all profeſſing Chriſtians are covenanters likewiſe; and hereby all diſtinguiſhing notes of Profeſſors, ſome in covenant, and ſome without muſt needs fall to the ground, one member then of the diſtinction, having no being for ſolution of the doubt, he layes down a diſtinction.Diſtinctions holding forth the meaning of theſe Divines in theſe expreſſions. There is (ſaith he) a twofold covenant. 1. A ſingle Covenant which God makes with his children when they are baptized, which is this; if ye will believe, repent, and walk in my ways, ye ſhall be ſaved, now if they break this condition, God is freed. 2. A double covenant to performe both parts, which is this, if you will repent and beleeve, ye ſhall be ſaved, and I will give you an heart, and you ſhall repent, believe, and be ſaved: So Preſton on Attributes, part 2. page 85. 86. Theſe diſtinctions, plainly yeeld that there is a covenant between God and man, in this latitude, of which we ſpeak, and which here is expreſt, and that all profeſſed Chriſtians ſo called, are in an outward and ſingle covenant, which puts them into a capacity of Sacraments, and their children, which is a covenant properly ſo called, and which Scripture holds out for the covenant of God with his people. Theſe Divines yeelding ſo much, and their meaning being ſo Orthodox, there is no reaſon of contraverſie with them, or contention about words; Yet I ſhould chooſe rather to expreſſe my ſelf in Pareus his words againſt Stapleton the Jeſuite, on 1 Cor. 7. 14. objecting againſt this doctrine,Eſſe in foedere dicitur dupliciter, vel quoad jus foederis, vel quoad foederis beneficia. Eſt in foedere, vel qui obtinet beneficia foederis, quae ſunt remiſſio peccatorum, adoptio, regeneratio, ſalus, vel qui tantum habet jus, vel ſymbolum foederis externum, ut ſocius foederis, non alienus cenſeatur. for it is a doctrine which Antipaedobaptiſts, and Independents have borrowed from Jeſuites, and we have them all in this, as in many other things our Adverſaries, To be in covenant, ſaith he, is taken two ways, either according to tiole to the covenant, or to the benefits of the covenant. He is ſaid to be in covenant, that either obtaines the benefits of the covenant, which are remiſſion of ſinnes, adoption, &c. Or elſe that hath onelyonly the title, and outward badge of the covenant, ſo that he is repute to have intereſt in it, and is not an alien from it. The right of covenant belongs to all that externally make profeſſion. Theſe engage themſelves upon Gods termes. The benefit of the covenant, remiſſion of ſinnes, juſtification, adoption, &c. belongs only to the Elect regenerate. Or farther we may diſtinguiſh of the covenant of grace, and the grace following the covenant, The covenant of grace is in the latitude before mentioned, the grace following the covenant in that reſtriction that ſome contend for, or elſe we may diſtinguiſh of entring covenant, and ſtedfaſtneſſe and faithfulneſſe in the covenant; All enter that are viſible profeſſors, onelyonly the elect and faithful are ſteady in it. This diſtinction is evidently grounded on Pſal. 78. 34. They remembred that God was their rock, the high God their Redeemer, nevertheleſs their heart was not right in them, neither were they stedfaſt in his covenant. All covenant-enterers, are not covenant-keepers. To take off this reſtriction, and for overthrow of this imaginary difference, it were enough to require of theſe Aſſerters of this covenant-reſtriction, and limit, where God hath put any ſuch reſtraint, for affirmanti incumbit probatio, and to require ſome reaſon, why men in nature, in Old Teſtament-times, ſhould be honoured with that neare relation to God, as to be of the Common-wealth of this people, enjoying not barely civil and domeſtick Priviledges, but ſaving Ordinances, and under the Goſpel, muſt ſtand ſhut out of all ſuch viſible relations, why unregenerate men in order to regeneration, may not come under the diſcipline of God under the Goſpel, as well as under Old Teſtament-diſpenſations? Why poore ſinners that confeſſe with their mouth with the Eunuch, that Jeſus Chriſt is the Sonne of God, Acts 8. 37. may not be indulged thoſe proviledges (now Chriſt is come in the fleſh to ſave ſinners) whereby they may be brought to be beleeve with the heart that they may be ſaved? To thoſe that would make ſuch a diſtance between the covenants, as to throw out of the covenant of God, and viſible communion, all that are unregenerate, we may ſpeak in Chriſts words, From the beginning it was not ſo, and either we muſt ſee ſome good ground, that in this there is by the will of God, this great change, or elſe we ſhall beleeve, as it was then, ſo it now. But I ſhall deale more liberally, and make it appear, that the Goſpel doth not only not quit us of it, but eſtabliſhes it; doth not only not aboliſh it (as it doth the Types of the Law) but holds it forth, and gives teſtimony of the continuance of it.