The Covenant of Grace, Chapter 1
THE COVENANT of GRACE: OR AN EXPOSITION upon Luk. 1. 73, 74, 75.
The Text. LUKE 1. 73, 74, 75.
The Oath, which he sware to our Father Abraham, that he would give us; that we being delivered from the hand of our enemies, should worship him without fear, in holiness, and righteousness, before him all the dayes of our life.
CHAPTER. I.
The Context or coherence of the Text.
THese words are the sum and substance of the Covenant of grace, which the Lord made with Abraham the Father of the faithfull, and the very abridgement of the Gospel (for God, when he made this Covenant with Abraham, foreign he preached before-hand the Gospel unto him▪ Gal. 3. 8.) and therefore are most worthy both to be handled with much diligence, and to be heard with great attention and reverence. They are part of that heavenly Hymn, which Zacharias the Father of Iohn Baptist pronounced at the circumcision of his Son; for such was both the goodness of God towards him, that he did not only restore unto him his speech and hearing, the use whereof for a time he had lost through his incredulity, but also bestowed upon him the Spirit of Prophesie: And such also was his thankfulness to God, that no sooner had he recovered his speech, but he imployed it to the glory of God.
Now both these, I mean the miraculous both loss and recovery of his speech, happened aBy singular dispensation.foreign, as Theophylact hath well observed, that it might win credit to the extraordinary Ministry of Iohn the Baptist, who was to be the forerunner ofbforeign in. Christ, that he being to bear witness of Christ might be worthy of all credit.
In this Psalm Zachary Prophesieth, first, of the Son of God our Savior Christ, to the end of the 75 Verse, and after of his own Son, at the 76 Verse to the end of the Psalm.
His Prophesie concerning Christ is a Prophetical thanksgiving, wherein he blesseth God for his unspeakable Mercy to the Israel of God, in sending his own, and his only begotten Son to work our Redemption and Salvation. For although our Savior was not as yet born, and much less had payd the price of our Redemption; yet he knew him to be incarnate, and conceived in the womb of the blessed Virgin: Wherefore knowing, that now the work of Redemption was already begun by the incarnation of Christ▪ he speaketh of our Redemption, after the māner of other Prophets, as of a thing already, done, and praiseth God therefore.
His Prophesie concerning his own Son, is a Prophetical gratulation, congratulating the great favor of God vouchsafed unto him, whom the Lord had ordained to be the Prophet of the most high and the foreign or forerunner of our blessed Savior, and consequently to be more then a Prophet, then whom there had not risen a greater among the sons of women, Math. 11. 11.
But to return to the former Prophesie (which I called a Prophetical thanksgiving) out of which my Text is taken. The benefit or blessing for which Zachary blesseth God, is first propounded in these words vers. 68. Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, who hath visited his people; and afterwards twice expounded. First, more briefly in the end of v. 68. and the two verses following; and then more largely at the 71. v. to the end of my Text. The foreign or more brief Exposition in these words, hath visited, that is, hath redeemed his people, by raising up a horn of Salvation for us, (that is a mighty Saviour, as Psalm 18. 3.) in the house and linage of his servant David (whose son according to the flesh the Messias was to be) as he spake by the mouth of his holy Prophets, which have been of old. For God is said to visit men, when he doth to them, as he had foretold, whether in the better part, by way of promise; or in the worse, by way of threatning. And thus, in the better part, Moses teacheth us to expound this phrase, Gen. 21. 1. The Lord visited Sarah, that is, he did to Sarah as he had promised. Upon which words Fremelius and Iunius have this note: hence are we to take the Explication of this usuall phrase; for to visit is to put in execution the good promised, or the evill denounced. So Gen. 50. 24. God (saith Ioseph) will surely visit you, Exod. 13. 19. that is, will bring you out of this land, unto the land of promise, as he sware to Abraham, Isaak, and Iacob. And accordingly when God did send Moses to deliver his people out of Egypt, as he had promised, he is said to have visited them, Exod. 3. 16. & 4. 31. In like manner, when God sent his own Son to redeem us, as he had formerly promised. he is said to have visited, that is, to have redeemed his people, as he had spoken by all his holy Prophets in former times.
The latter and more large Exposition, or foreign beginning at ver. 71. for the man of God being ravished with the consideration of this unestimable benefit, doth as it were dwell foreign upon it, being not content to have propounded it, and once to have expounded the same, but again, by way of exultation, he amplifieth it in other words, after the manner of the godly in their songs of deliverance; as you may see in that song of Moses Exod. 15. which was his foreign or song of victory, which the Israelites had over Pharaoh and the Egyptians; as this is Zacharies foreign or song of victory, which the Israel of God hath over the spirituall Pharaoh, and all the enemies of our Salvation.
But I come to the words of the Exposition. Salvation, where we may out of the words going before, repeat the Verb foreign or foreign, as if he had said, Who, I say, hath wrought or raised Salvation, that is, saved us from our enemies, and from the hand, that is, the power of all that hate us: Verse 72. That he might work mercy with our Forefathers, that is, that he might perform his merciful promises made to our Fathers, and remember, that is, shew himself mindful of his holy Covenant: Then Verse 73. The Oath, which is either to be read by apposition, if with Theophylact we read foreign, to wit, The Oath, or to be referred to the Verb foreign or foreign, that he might perform or remember the Oath which he sware to our Father Abraham. In this latter Exposition, as the words are multiplied, and the phrases varied, so the affection of the argument is also changed: for whereas in the former Exposition it was said, He visited, that is, Redeemed his people, as he had graciously promised; here it is said, He visited, that is, Redeemed or saved us, that he might perform his promise: Where the keeping of his promise is made the end of his sending Christ to Redeem us; to let us understand, That as God was most gracious in promising our Redemption, so most faithful and just in the performance. So that the former part of this Psalm, from the beginning thereof to the end of my Text, is but one sentence or Axiome, wherein there is relation of consequence; the sum whereof is this, Because the Lord hath visited, that is, hath Redeemed his people, according to his promise, and hath saved us, that he might keep his promise, and perform his Oath; he is therefore to be Blessed, that is, magnified and praised.
This Analysis I have the rather propounded, because we repeating this Psalm daily in our Lyturgy, might, as David exhorteth, Psal. 47. 7. Sing with understanding; as also because my Text being but a part of the sentence, is not compleat in it self, but must be perfected by repetition of that which goeth before, after this manner, The Lord God of Israel is therefore to be blessed, because he hath visited, that is, hath sent his Son to Redeem us, as he hath promised; and to save us, that he might keep his promise, and perform his Oath which he sware to Abraham; the tenor whereof was this, That he would give us, &c. and this is the Coherence of my Text, Out of which we may gather these three Observations:
First, where it is said, That God did therefore send his Son to Redeem us, that he might keep his promise, and perform his Oath: we observe the immutable truth and fidelity of God in performing his promises; For in Christ all the promises of Godare yea, and amen, 2 Cor. 1. 20. If therefore the truth of God be such, that rather then he would go back from his word, he did send his own Son to suffer death for our redemption: yea, if his fidelity were such, as that therefore he sent his son that he might perform his promise, then can we not doubt of the performance of any other promise of God; this being the most difficult of all, either for God to grant, or for us to beleeve. When the world was to be made, the Lord did speak the word, and it was created. But when it was to be redeemed; he gave his Son to be a price or ransome for us. And who would ever have thought (but that the Lord hath revealed this his unspeakable mercy in his word:) that God, being of infinite Majesty and Glory, and enjoying all self contented happiness, would give his only begotten Son to dye for his enemies? If therefore to make good this promise, he gave his Son to dye for us, how shall he not Rom. 8. 32. with him give us all other good things which he hath promised? Such is the truth of God, that every faithful man may say with the Apostle, 2 Tim. 1. 12. I know whom I have beleeved, and I am sure that what he hath promised shall in due time be performed. For as he is omnipotent, and therefore able, so he is the God of truth, Psalm 31. 5. yea truth it self, Deut. 32. 4. and therefore willing; he is Iehovah, Exod. 6. 3. one that giveth being to his word; who though he can do all things, yet he cannot lye, Tit. 1. 2. nor deny himself 2 Tim. 2. 13. Wherefore, as the faithful, who lived before the incarnation of CHRIST, did faithfully and comfortably wait for the performance of that promise, as being the consolation of Israel, Luk. 2. 25. though between the making of it, and the performance, there did intercede four thousand years: So whereas the Lord hath promised his second coming for our full redemption; though it may seem to be delayed, we are with comfort to wait for it, with earnestnes to long for it, and with undoubted certainty to expect it.
Secondly, whereas Zachary praiseth the Lord for performing his promise concerning our redemption by CHRIST, we learn, what is our duty; namely to praise and magnifie the name of the Lord, as for all other his mercies, so especially for the work of our redemption; according to that, Psa. 107. 2. Let them praise the Lord, whom he hath redeemed, and delivered from the hand of the enemy. But of this more hereafter.
Thirdly, whereas Zachary giveth thanks to God for a benefit not as yet received; for as yet CHRIST was not born, and much less had he as yet redeemed us; we learn, That we are to give thanks, not only for the benefits already received, but for such also as are promised: for this is a notable fruit of a lively Faith, setting forth also most notably the truth of God in his promises; when a man in the assurance of Faith, which is the substance of things hoped for, Heb. 11. 1. giveth thanks for those benefits and blessings which as yet he hath not, as though he had already received them. It is the commendation of the faithful, Hebr. 11. 13. who having not received the promises, but having seen them afar off (as Abraham, Joh. 8. 56. saw the day of Christ) beleeved them, embraced them, and rejoyced in them: For, if he who praiseth God for benefits received, doth glorifie God, Psal. 50. 23. then much more doth he glorifie him, and magnifie his Truth, who praiseth him for benefits which he hath only promised, because this is a fruit of a greater Faith. Thus David shewed himself thankful to God for the favors which he had promised by Nathan, 2 Sam. 7. and thus ought we to be thankful for the promises of a better life. So much of the Context.