The Gospel Method of Gods Saving Sinners, Discourse · Proposition 7
PROPOS. VII. Of God's tranſacting with Man by Covenant.
THE particular way, and medium, that Divine Wiſdom hath been pleaſed to make choice of, in, and by which to intereſt ſinners in the ſaving benefits of his Son's undertaking, 'tis per modum Foederis, by way of Covenant, or mutual Compact betwixt himſelf and the Creature. What this Covenant is, and whether a Covenant in a proper ſenſe, that is afterwards to be enquired into; that which now I have to make good, is to ſhew in general, that 'tis by Covenant that the Fruits of Chriſt's death are made over to us. And here it is to be obſerved, That this is the way in which God hath ever treated Man, both before, and ſince his fall. For though God, by virtue of his abſolute Soveraignty and Dominion over the Creature, might have impoſed what Laws he thought meet upon Man, and have exacted perfect and perpetual Obedience at his hands, without ever giving, much more without obliging himſelf to give, any thing by way of reward for his obedience: And though Man, by virtue of his neceſſary and eſſential dependance upon God, from whom he received his all, was thereupon indiſpenſably obliged to obey, and ſerve him ſo long as he had a Being; yet ſuch hath been the particular good will and bounty of God to Man, that he never yet dealt with him ſtricto jure, or in a way of abſolute Right and Dominion, but rather hath choſen to encourage him to obedience by the promiſes of reward. That God indeed ſhould give Man a Law, that, ſuppoſing him a reaſonable Creature fit for Government, ſeems no leſs than neceſſary; yea, but that God ſhould turn his Laws into a Covenant, and thereby make himſelf a Debtor to his Creature, as Auguſtine ſpeaks; that is, become ingaged to Man, to reward him for that ſervice, which was antecedently due to him, this is to be deemed an act of meer Grace and infinite condeſcenſion. But thus was God pleaſed from the firſt to treat Adam, whilſt yet he was in his primitive ſtate of integrity. This generally is conceived to be the meaning of thoſe words, Gen. 2.16, 17. And the Lord God commanded the Man, ſaying, Of every Tree of the Garden thou mayeſt freely eat, but of the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou ſhalt not eat of it, for in the day that thou eateſt thereof, thou ſhalt ſurely dye.
In theſe words, we have firſt an expreſs command given to Adam, that he ſhould not eat of the Tree of knowledge of good and evil, together with a free and gracious conceſſion to eat of the Fruit of every Tree of the Garden, excepting that; as alſo a ſevere commination annexed to this Grant and Command, aſſuring him that if he ſhould dare to eat of the forbidden Fruit he ſhould certainly dye; and in this threatning there is a promiſe alſo neceſſarily implyed (ſince all Negatives are judged to include their contrary Affirmatives) that if he continued in his obedience to the Law of God, he ſhould not dye but live, and ſo we find the Apoſtle commenting upon the words, Rom. 10.5. and Gal. 3.12. And a Poſitive Law requiring obedience of the Creature, to which there is annexed a promiſe of ſome good, provided he continue to pay and perform the homage and duties required of him, together with a threatning of evil and puniſhment in caſe of default, this according to the proper meaning and import of the word, is no other than a Covenant, ſuppoſing only that both parties do mutually agree, and yield their conſent to the terms, which in the caſe in hand is ſufficiently evident: Firſt on Gods part, ſince he made and propounded this Law, with its reſpective immunities and conditions to Man. And on Man's part alſo 'tis neceſſary to be ſuppoſed, ſince he being but a Creature eſſentially depending upon his Maker, is thereby eſſentially obliged, to give his conſent to whatever he ſhall pleaſe to propoſe to him. But however we ſhall pleaſe to call this, whether a Law or Covenant, no ſooner was this primitive inſtitution made void by Man's tranſgreſſion in eating of the forbidden fruit, but God is pleaſed to erect a Covenant of Grace for life and ſalvation with fallen Man; the firſt foundations of which we have laid in that firſt Evangelical promiſe, Gen. 3.15. The Seed of the Woman ſhall break the Serpents head. The Promiſe indeed is abſolute, and nothing therein is mentioned, more than that God would raiſe up a Saviour unto Man, from the Seed of the Woman, by whom he fell. But who knows, how far God might or did further diſcover himſelf to Adam, and the Primitive Ages of the World, either as to this or other concerns of his and their duty and reward; ſince 'tis abundantly evident, that in the Revelations made to Moſes, God's deſign was not to make known all the tranſactions that had before paſt betwixt himſelf and the Creature, but only ſuch as were moſt requiſite for the People of Iſrael, and the ſucceeding Generations to be acquainted with? Beſides 'tis impoſſible, that the particularities of all tranſactions for ſo many hundreds of years, ſhould all be recounted and ſummed up in ſo ſhort an Hiſtory, as that of Geneſis. Yet this we find, that the Sons of Adam, immediately upon the giving out of this gracious promiſe, offer Sacrifice to the Lord, which is a ſufficient teſtimony, (1.) Of their own guilt, that they had ſinned, and deſerved to dye, acknowledged in the death of the Sacrifice. (2.) Of their Faith in a Meſſiah, and expectation of ſalvation by his death and ſufferings, typified in thoſe of the Beaſts they offered. For as the Apoſtle argues in his Epiſtle to the Hebrews, chap. 10.4. 'Tis impoſſible that the Blood of Bulls and Goats ſhould take away ſin: And yet without ſhedding of blood he alſo tells us there is no remiſſion, chap. 9.22. and therefore by neceſſary conſequence, only by the blood of Jeſus Chriſt, which he alſo infers, chap. 9. v. 10.14. (3.) Of their obedience, and entire reſignation of themſelves to the Divine Will. And in theſe three you have the ſubſtance of all that the Covenant requires on the Creatures part to be performed.
But what ever were the methods (not particularly made known to us) in which God treated the firſt Ages of the World, yet ſo ſoon as ever he began to frame a peculiar People to himſelf, and to make any incloſures, wherein to plant an holy Seed, he then more expreſly engageth them to himſelf, and makes them his by way of Covenant. Thus he treats with Abraham, Gen. 15.18. And afterwards with the Iſraelites, the multiplyed Seed of Abraham, Exod. 24. And becauſe there were certain Shadows, and temporal Appendices annext to this Covenant, which were only ſuited to the infancy of the Church, the preſent State of the Jews, and therefore to be aboliſhed, at the appearance of the promiſed Meſſiah; he further declares by his Prophets, that when this ſhould be done away, he would yet make another Covenant with them, and all his Saints, comprehended under the name of Iſrael, Jer. 31, 32, 33, &c. Ezek. 34.25. and 37.26. which the Author to the Hebrews applies expreſly to the Goſpel times, Heb. 10.16.8.9, 10, 11, 12, 13. As all our Mercies are purchaſed for us by the blood of Chriſt, ſo they are given and conveighed to us only by the Covenant founded in his blood. From firſt to laſt all's by Covenant. Doth he give Adam an earthly Paradiſe? Abraham a bleſſed Seed? Iſrael the Land of Canaan? and the Saints in all ages a Crown and Kingdom of Life and Glory? 'tis ſtill by Covenant. Yea, our very temporal Bleſſings become ours, not by virtue of any abſolute grant and donation, but by a federal right, 1 Tim. 4.8. And therefore 'tis no good plea to argue thus, Jeſus Chriſt hath given full ſatisfaction to the Father, and fulfilled all righteouſneſs, and purchaſed eternal life and glory, and therefore there's no doubt but our ſins will be pardoned, and our Souls ſaved. No, Whatever Jeſus Chriſt hath done and ſuffered, or purchaſed by either, we for our parts can expect no more advantage by it, than what the new Covenant makes over to us, nor upon any other terms than what are therein propounded, nor yet, without preſumption, lay claim to any right or propriety in any of the benefits reſulting from it, unleſs we can firſt prove our ſelves to be within the Bond of the Covenant. For though the ſatisfaction that Jeſus Chriſt hath made be the foundation of our general hopes in God, and incouragement in our addreſſes to him for mercy, yet 'tis the Covenant only that gives us intereſt and propriety.