The Covenant of God Entered with Mankind, Chapter 40
CHAP. XL.
Profeſsed believers, are under a Covenant of Grace, and not a Covenant of Works.
IT neceſſarily follows,Firſt Corollary by way of Corollary, from that which hath been delivered, that no profeſſed believer, that is a member of the Church viſible, is under a Covenant of Works, but eo nomine, that he, profeſſedly, gives his name to Chriſt, he is under a Covenant of grace. That a man cannnot be under two Covenants, reſpective to the ſame thing, I ſuppoſe, is agreed upon, on all hands. A man that holds by one title, if he accept a ſecond, makes void the firſt; whether his former title were better, or worſe; whether it tends to his prejudice, or benefit, thus to make change of it; As it is with covenants among men, ſo it is in the Covenant between God and man. If the New Covenant make void the Old, where both Old and New are ſubſtantially the ſame; and the difference only circumſtantial, as the Apoſtle ſheweth that it does Heb. 8. 13. much more then, in thoſe covenants, which are eſſentially differing, as are the Covenant of Works, and the Covenant of grace. Some, that would limit the Covenant, only to the regenerate, and men of juſtifying faith, as to the juſt latitude of it, make uſe of this Maxime, that the ſame man cannot be under two Covenants; which is, indeed, a right way of arguing; from principles granted on both parts. Now they aſſume, that all unregenerate, and perſons not juſtified, are under a Covenant of Works. This, they take for granted, when it reſts to be proved; and ſo conclude that theſe are under no Covenant of Grace, but a Covenant of Works. I aſſume, on the other hand, that ſo many of them as are Chriſtians, though, not Regenerati, but, Regenerandi, as Pareus ſpeaks, are under a Covenant of Grace, and therefore, they are not under a Covenant of Works. Here to avoid miſtakes ſome things are to be premiſed, 1. That many of them have not any explicit knowledge of either Covenant, either that, under which originally they were, or that, under which, through grace, they are. They are the people of God (and therefore under a ſaving Covenant with God though not emproved for ſalvation) that periſh for lack of knowledge, Hoſ. 4. 6. all that bear the name of believers in primitive times, were not got up in knowledge to the firſt principles. 2. As to their preſent qualification and condition, they are in no better an eſtate, than if the obligation of the Covenant of Works, were ſtill upon them. A man, dealing falſely in the Covenant of grace, is in as ſad a condition, as he that is under that hopeleſſe, and deſtructive Covenant of Works, yea, his condition admits of many ſad aggravations, in that treachery is above rebellion, and perfidiouſneſſe exceeds bare diſobedience. They were a people in Covenant, that God owned as his, to whom he ſaid, Ezek. 16. 48. As I live, ſaith the Lord God, Sodom thy ſiſter hath not done, ſhe, nor her daughters as thou haſt done, thou, and thy daughters. Bleſſedneſſe, is no where in Scripture ſaid to be on the head of all thoſe that are in covenant, unleſſe it be meant comparatively, or reſpectively only, but, on ſuch as keep his covenant, and remember his commandments to do them, Pſal. 103. 18. And, if all that were in covenant, did keep covenant, there would not be ſo much complaint as there is in Scripture, of breach of covenant, nor could men be under that charge, that their hearts are not ſtedfaſt in covenant. 3. They are yet in a more deſirable eſtate, and in fairer way towards happineſſe, than thoſe, that are as the Apoſtle ſpeaks, ſtrangers from the covenant of promiſe, Eph. 2. 12. As the Jewes were a people nigh to the Lord, Pſal. 148. 14. So they are, Eph. 2. 13. Salvation is of theſe, though they be not as yet, by a thorough work of grace in a ſaving ſtate. There are of theſe that ſhall be ſaved, Acts 2. 47. and ſo there is not, for ought that Scripture ſpeaks among thoſe that are without covenant, ſuch are, in Scripture-language, without God, without hope, Eph. 2. 12. under the wrath and indignation of God, Jerem. 10. 25. Pſal. 79. 6. When the Apoſtle therefore, had ſpoken much againſt the Jew outwardly, and the circumciſion of the fleſh. (that is, men circumciſed in fleſh and not in heart) Rom. 2. upon the queſtion put, yet concludes, that theſe Jewes have; This circumciſion hath much profit, every way much advantage, and the advantage is, as he expreſſes it, eſpecially, the Oracles of God, which are the covenant-draughts, and if they were utterly out of covenant, I would deſire any to ſhew, where the advantage lies. That they are in covenant with God and in a covenant of grace appears therefore.
1. In that they have the Oracles of God. To them, that is, to the Jew outwardly, theſe Oracles were committed, as the Apoſtle tells us, Rom. 3. 1. They were committed to them as their inheritance, Deut. 33. 4. They were poſſeſt of them, in order to everlaſting life, John 5. 39. And theſe Oracles, being Covenant-tables, Covenant-draughts, the profeſſed believer, that by favour from God, ſtands poſſeſt of them, is in Covenant with God.
2. They have the ſeals of the covenant. Covenant, and right to the ſeale, where ſeals are appointed, cannot be ſevered as ſhall be ſhewen. They are in covenant, as Abraham was, and, they have the ſeales of the covenant, as Abraham and his ſeed had, Thoſe were circumciſed, and theſe are baptiſed; and, that it may appear, that they had not this honour barely from man, without approbation from God (as ſome ſeem to hint, in their diſtinction of Forum Dei, and Forum Eccleſiae, as though the Church received them, when in the ſight of God they had no right to be received) we finde, 1. That the Spirit of God, in the Scripture, ſtill calls them, in way of honour, by the name of circumciſion, and men may, but God will not thus give, an equivocal or nick-name to them. As they were circumciſed in the fleſh, ſo it was the minde of God, that they ſhould beare in their fleſh, this ſigne and ſeale of the Covenant. 2. Upon it, they had many and great priviledges, yea, all Church priviledges, followed upon this leading priviledge, though otherwiſe, ſtrangers to the Common-weale of Iſrael, now they were look't upon as of Iſrael.
3. Anſwering unto, and in ſincerity making good, that unto which they do actually engage, the whole bleſſing of the Covenant is theirs. They that undertake the termes, on which covenant-ſalvation according to the Goſpel is had, are actually veſted in a a ſaving covenant; but they undertake the termes, on which covenant-ſalvation according to the Goſpel is had, they are therefore in a ſaving covenant.
4. In caſe unbelief and impenitence in them, be not only Law-tranſgreſſions, but alſo Goſpel-ſins, and breaches of a Goſpel-covenant, then theſe profeſſed believers are under a Goſpel-covenant. This is evident; They ſin not againſt the Goſpel that are not under the Goſpel, they break not covenant that were never in covenant, but their unbelief and impenitence are above Law-tranſgreſſions, they are Goſpel-ſins, and breaches of covenant, as I think, need not to be proved, and therefore it is plain that they are in covenant.
Upon this account, I confeſſe, I have often marvelled why many eminent and godly Divines do earneſtly perſwade their people to whom they ſpeak, to enter covenant with God, giving directions what way they are to take to come into covenant with him; telling them that it is of great concernment to them to know under what covenant they are, whether under a covenant of Works, or a covenant of grace; when the ſame men expreſſely ſay that we all entred covenant in baptiſme; and that unbelief and impenitence at leaſt, if not every ſin, is a breach of our baptiſm, vow and covenant. Might not any think that theſe did perſwade to be baptiſed? and that they tell their people that it is of great concernment, to know what covenant it is that baptiſme ſeales, whether it ſeales the covenant of Works, or the covenant of Grace. If we enter in covenant in our baptiſme, as they truly ſay, that we did, as to the Jus in re, then how comes it to paſſe that any that are baptiſed are out of it, and being already actually in it, how are they perſwaded to enter into it. Theſe perſwaſions therefore, and motives to enter covenant, I think ſhould be to preſſe men on to keep covenant, and ſo the directions which they lay down are indeed of divine and excellent uſe. And when they ſay it ſo much concernes men to know what covenant they are under, I conceive it ſhould rather be to let them know of how great concernment it is to them to ſee that they have their intereſt in the mercies of the covenant through grace anſwering to the termes of it, and requiſites in it, and ſo the entring of covenant, which is done, as theſe ſay, in baptiſme, and keeping of covenaut, or obtaining the mercies of the covenant, would not be confounded but diſtinguiſhed. Their labours would likewiſe be of excellent uſe which otherwiſe ſcarce ſuit either with their own words or the Scriptures. It may be objected, that in caſe they are from under the covenant of Works, and under the covenant of Grace, then they are exempted from the curſe, and acquitted from the condemnation which is annext to that covenant, which cannot be affirmed of any meer Profeſſour of Chriſtianity in unbelief and impenitence, and enough is ſpoken in this Treatiſe it ſelf againſt it. To this I anſwer, 1. The curſe may follow upon the tranſgreſſion of the Law, as a Law, without conſideration of any covenant at all, whether of Works or Grace, and it is not intereſt in Covenant, but intereſt in Chriſt, (which theſe, ſuppoſedly ſuch, have not) that frees from condemnation. 2. What if it be yielded that they beare no more than the penalty annext to the breach of the Covenant of grace. If the Goſpel be conſulted that is ſufficiently ſad and heavy. If they be put to beare that, nothing more needs to be added to the burden, and indeed with ſubmiſſion to better judgments, not reſolvedly determining any thing, it is my thoughts, that profeſſed Chriſtians in unbelief and impenitence, ſuffer not upon account of the penalty annext to the breach of the covenant of Works, but upon account of the penalty annext to the breach of the covenant of Grace; and let not any here object that the tranſgreſſion of the Law ſhall not then be laid to their charge, for the Goſpel bindes us to the obedience of the Law, though not in exact perfection, yet in ſincerity and truth. And this, I ſuppoſe, receives ſtrength from that of the Apoſtle, 2 Theſ. 1, 7, 8. The Lord Jeſus ſhall be revealed from heaven with his mighty Angels in flaming fire, taking vengeance on them that know not God, and that obey not the Goſpel of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, which character therof [not knowing God] Interpreters (ſaith Dr. Slater upon the words) generally take to be a deſcription of the Gentiles, who though they know God by his Works, yet they know him not by his Word, and to this he ſubſcribes. The other character of [not obeying the Goſpel of Jeſus Chriſt] is, as he ſaith, a circumſcription of Chriſtians, according to Interpreters; Goſpel-diſobedience is then their guilt, and upon account of this they ſuffer. Had they believed and yielded ſincere obedience which they profeſſed, and to which they engaged themſelves, they had not periſhed, and the want of this appears to be their deſtruction.