The Natural Mans Case, Part 1 · Sermon 9
SERMON, IX.
EPHES. 2. 12.
—And ſtrangers to the Covenants of Promiſe—
HAving ſhewn you in 14. particulars, your great happineſs in being under the covenant of grace, from the miſery you would have lain under, had you been under the covenant of works: I come now to the ſecond Uſe, Uſe. 2 which is a Uſe of dread and terrour, to lay before you the great miſery of thoſe that are ſtrangers to this covenant of promiſe; and here I might lay before you much aſtoniſhing and perplexing matter, to all thoſe that are not in the covenant of grace: I ſhall be the larger upon this particular, becauſe the laſt day I ſpent half an hour about a uſe of comfort, in ſhewing you your happineſſe in being under the covenant of grace, and therefore now I ſhall ſpend the like time in declaring the miſery The miſery of being ſtrangers to the Covenant of Grace.of all thoſe that are ſtrangers to the covenant, which I ſhall compriſe under theſe ſix heads.
1. This is one part of your miſery, you are bound to keep the whole Law of God, and that in your perſons, elſe you can never be ſaved: and oh how impoſſible is this for any man to do! he that is under the covenant of grace, God the Father accepts of Chriſts keeping and fulfilling of the Law for him, as if it were done by him in his own perſon; but to ſuch as are not in this covenant of grace, God ſayes to them, if you doe not keep the whole Law, and that perſonally, you ſhall be damned eternally, as in Gal. 5. 3. ſayes the Apoſtle there, I teſtifie again …o every man that is circumciſed, that he is bound to keep the whole Law; if you will not accept of Chriſt, and accept of Salvation by his bloud alone, but run to circumciſion; I tell you ſaith the Apoſtle, that you are debters to keep the whole Law of God, and he will caſt you into hell, upon the leaſt breach of the Law. Oh thou unhappy man, upon how hard termes canſt thou hope for ſalvation, even upon impoſſible termes; thou canſt as well keep the ſea in thy fiſt, as keep the whole Law of God in thy own perſon; God ſayes to thee, if thou doſt break but one command, though thou ſhould keep all the reſt, yet thou ſhalt die and be damned eternally; but if you be under the covenant of grace, though you break the Law again, and again, yet Chriſt doth redeem you from the curſe of the Law, he being made a curſe for you.
2. Thou that art a ſtranger to the covenant of grace, thou haſt no ſtrength but thy own to help thee in the diſcharge of all thy duties; but now a man that is under the covenant of grace, God doth command him a duty, and does with the command give him a power to perform the duty; God bids him act grace, and powers upon him a ſpirit of Grace; he bids him pray, and gives him a ſpirit of prayer; God commands him a duty, and gives him a flexible, willing, and an obedient heart, and abilities to perform the duty: when in Scripture God does command a duty, he does likewiſe promiſe to aſſiſt and enable us to the performance of the duty; as for example, the Lord bids us, to waſh us and make us Iſa. 1. 16.clean, and put away the evill of our doings, and a poor ſoul ſaith, Oh Lord I am not able to waſh my heart, nor cleanſe my wayes, nor to do any thing that is good of my ſelf, and therefore ſayes God again, I will waſh you and make you whiter then ſnow; ſo God Ezek. 36. 25,bids us to get new hearts, and then again he promiſeth, to create in us new hearts, and renew rights ſpirits within us: I might inſtance in ſundry other particulars; but now this is thy unhappineſſe oh man that art a ſtranger to the covenant of grace; God bids thee keep his commands, but he gives thee no power to fulfill his commands; he bids thee act grace, and never gives thee a ſpirit of grace; he bids thee pray, and yet never powres out upon thee a ſpirit of prayer; and if Adam in his innocency, when he was perfect, was not able to keep Gods commands; how much more unable art thou to doe any thing that may pleaſe God? thou by thy own ſtrength art as well able to make a world, as to make one prayer, or perform any duty in a holy and ſpirituall manner; thou canſt as well deſtroy the whole world with thy own hands, as ſubdue any luſt by thy own ſtrength; but under the covenant of Grace, God tels us, that though we cannot keep the Law, yet he will accept of his Sons keeping it for us; and he hath promiſed to help and aſſiſt us in the performance of every thing, that he commands us.
3. You that are ſtrangers to the covenant of grace, herein lies your miſery, you have no Advocate to plead for you, nor Mediator to ſtand between God and you; you have an angry God frowning upon you, and a galled conſcience ready to accuſe you, and every thing elſe in the World againſt you, but no friend either in heaven or in earth to plead or ſpeak for you; Chriſt is a mediator to thoſe only that are under a covenant of grace; now what canſt thou ſay for thy ſelf oh man, why thou ſhouldſt not be condemned, and damned in hell for ever, for thy drunkenneſſe, adultery, ſabbathbreaking, prophaneneſſe, ſwearing, lying, and thy ungodly practiſes? thou canſt have nothing to plead for thy ſelfe, but muſt needs be caſt out into hell fire irrecoverably; but now a godly man that is under the covenant of grace, he can ſay, Lord here is Chriſt my mediatour, that pleads with thee for the pardon of all my ſins, and for the obtaining of heaven, and happineſſe, and glory for me, through his obedience and merits; but thou that art under the covenant of works, thou canſt not ſay, I have Chriſt to plead for me, and to be an Advocate with the Father, to beg for pardon of ſin, and life and ſalvation for thee, thou canſt not ſay ſo, for without the covenant of grace, there is no Mediator, Chriſt is the Mediator onelyonly of the new covenant; therefore what ſad condition art thou in, ſeeing as verily as thou ſtandeſt here now, ſo thou muſt one day ſtand before 2 Cor. 5. 10.Gods tribunall to anſwer and be judged for every thing thou haſt done in thy body, whether it be good or evill, and then thou wilt have no body to plead for thee, but muſt inevitably be caſt into everlaſting burnings.
4. Being out of the covenant of grace, this is your miſery, God will in exactneſſe and rigour of juſtice proceed againſt you for your ſins, without any mixture of mercy at all. (Beloved) God hath no mercy without his covenant, but in the covenant of grace, he is a God gracious and mercifull, ſlow to anger, Exod. 34. 6, 7.and of great kindneſſe, abundant in mercy and truth, pardoning iniquity, tranſgreſſions, and ſins, but he is cloathed with juſtice and rigour to all that are without this covenant. As it is in courts of judicature in point of life and death, the Judge will take no notice whether the man be a ſorrowfull man or no, the Law is not to ſhew mercy, but to puniſh the offence, the Law does not enquire whether the man be penitent and ſorry for what he hath done, but whether the fact be done or no, if it be, he muſt dye for it, there is no remedy: juſt ſo it is here, God doth not enquire under a covenant of works, whether you are ſorrowfull for breaking of his Law, but he enquires whether you have broken it, or no; and if you have, he will condemn thee, and caſt thee into hell fire, and then the poor ſoul cryes out, Oh Lord be mercifull to me this once, it ſhall be a warning to me, I will never ſin againſt thee, nor diſpleaſe thee more, but will from henceforth walk more humbly, and holily, and circumſpectly before thee, and yet all this that thou haſt promiſed, if thou wert able to perform it, will not avail thee, for God will hear none out of Chriſt, and out of the covenant of grace.
5. A man out of the covenant of grace, he hath no true and ſpeciall title to any of the bleſſings of God here in this world, Gods bleſſings go along with his covenant, and therefore it is very obſervable, that in that chapter where God does promiſe the bleſſings of the covenant of grace, in that very chapter he promiſeth the bleſſings of this life, as you may ſee in the 36. of Ezek. ſayes God there, I will powre clean water Ezek. 36. v. 25, 26. 27, 28.upon you, and you ſhall be clean, yea from all your filthineſſes, and from all your Idols, will I cleanſe you: a new heart will I alſo give you and a new ſpirit will I put within you, and will take away the ſtony heart from you, and will give you a heart of fleſh, and will put my ſpirit within you, and cauſe you to walk in my ſtatutes, and you ſhall keep my judgements and doe them, and you ſhall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers, and you ſhall be my people, and I will be your God; all theſe are the meroies of the covenant of grace: now mark the next words (ſaith God) I will call for ver. 29, 30.corn, and will incereaſe it, and lay no famine upon you, but I will multiply the fruit of the trees, and the increaſe of the field, and ſo in the 10, v. 10, 11.11 ver. of that chap. And I will multiply men upon you, and the cities ſhall be inhabited, and the waſtes ſhall be builded, and I will multiply upon man and beaſt, and they ſhall increaſe, and bring fruit, and I will do better to you then at your beginnings, and ye ſhall know that I am the Lord: Here the Lord entails earthly bleſſings to the covenant of grace, intimating, that all that are under the covenant of grace they have a title not only to all ſpirituall, but to temporal bleſſings likewiſe; but no wicked man out of the covenant of grace, hath any true title to any outward bleſſings; they that are of the faithfull, are bleſſed with faithfull Abraham, and enjoy outward bleſſings, as a bleſſing; but wicked men, it is true they have ſomething allowed them, but it it as to priſoners, in a priſon they have ſomething to keep them alive untill their execution; and ſo wicked men they have priſon allowances till the execution day.
6. Your miſery, (that are ſtrangers to the covenant of grace) lies in this, God will not give acceptance to any of your ſervices, though you may doe as much, for the matter of them, as any godly man doth; nay thou mayſt hear more Sermons, and ſay more prayers, and perform more duties, then a godly man does, and yet not be accepted, when the others ſhall, as you may ſee in Gen. 4. 4, 5. Cain and Abel they both of them brought ſacrifices to God, one of his flock, and the other, of his grounds; and the Apoſtle ſpeaking of this, ſayes, that by faith Abel offered a more Heb. 11. 4.excellent offering then Cain; it was not more excellent in regard of the matter of it, for in all probability and likelihood, Cains ſacrifice was of more value then Abels, for his was but a few young lambs, the firſtlings of his flock, but Cains was of the firſt fruits of his ground; and yet Abels ſacrifice was accepted, and the others rejected, becauſe Abel was a godly man, under the Covenant of Grace, by which God did accept of what he did, though it were leſſe then Cains: and ſo Solomon, The ſacrifices of the Prov. 15. 8.wicked are an abomination to the Lord, but the prayer of the upright is his delight: a ſacrifice you know is a great deal more coſtly then a prayer, for that coſts a man nothing but his breath, when the other will coſt a great deal of money, and yet a coſtly ſacrifice is hated by God coming from a wicked man, when a pennileſſe prayer coming from a godly man is accepted: ſo that under a covenant of grace, though you do leſs for the matter of the duty then wicked men doe, yet yours ſhall be accepted, when theirs ſhall be rejected.
Thus I have done with the uſe of terrour in laying down to you this ſixfold miſery of thoſe men that are ſtrangers to the covenant of grace; and here becauſe I would not have any poor ſoul, that is under the covenant of grace, and partaker of all the great priviledges of it, to goe away with a ſad heart, I ſhall onelyonly leave with you two or three words of comfort to them; You children of the covenant, that are under the covenant of grace, let not your hearts be troubled, at what hath been ſaid this day, concerning the miſery of thoſe men that are ſtrangers to this covenant, and to bear: up and ſupport your ſpirits, I ſhall give you two or three comfortable conſiderations.
1. That all the outward bleſſings that you enjoy, comes to you in a covenant way, God hath given you theſe bleſſings as an appendix to the covenant, and by vertue of an entail to his covenant; the Lord never gives you a common bleſſing, but you ſee the love of a Father, and of a husband, and of a friend, and the love of God in that bleſſing; and therefore as I told you before in that very chapter, where God promiſeth the bleſſings of the covenant of grace, he promiſeth the bleſſings of this life too, as an intail to the covenant; wicked men may have bleſſings but not by vertue of a promiſe, not by vertue of the covenant of grace. But now if you ask mee how you may know, whether the bleſſings you enjoy come unto you by vertue of the Covenant of Grace: I anſwer, you may know it by theſe two things:
1. In caſe you doe uſe and imploy all the bleſſing you receive from God, to the honour of God: thus Abraham did, as you may ſee in Gen. 17. 1, 2, 8, 12. his uſing the bleſſings of God to promote the ſervice of God, did demonſtrate that thoſe bleſſings came to him from God, in a covenant way, but thoſe that are ſtrangers to this Covenant, the mercies they enjoy are given them for their hurt.
2. When bleſſings are as cords to draw you nearer to God, and as bands to tye you faſt to God, then they come to you in a Covenant way: as in Jer. 31. 11, 12. For the Jer 31. 11, 12.Lord hath redeemed Jacob, and ranſomed him from the hand of him that is ſtronger then he, therefore they ſhall come and rejoice in the height of Sion, and ſhall run to the bountifulneſſe of the Lord, even for the wheat, and for the wine, and for the oyle, and for the increaſe of ſheep and bullocks, &c. That is, all the mercies of God, ſhall make them to come nearer and nearer, and cleave cloſer to God; you then that do enjoy your ſhare of the bleſſings of God, and they do not endeer you and draw you nearer to God, you cannot look upon them as flowing in upon you in a Covenant way.
2. You that are in covenant with God, know this for your comfort, that the Lord does accept of a little, that you do in his ſervice, better then a great deal that a wicked man performs to him; God will accept of a few turtle doves of you, when he will not accept of 1000 Rams, or 10000 rivers of oyle of the wicked, he will accept of a cup of cold water given to a righteous man, in the name of a righteous man, when he will not accept of the costlieſt ſacrifice from the wicked: Oh what a happy condition art thou in, that art under the covenant of grace, wicked men may heare more Sermons, and performe more duties, and ſay more prayers to God then you, and yet in all their duties be rejected, when thou art accepted.
3. Take this for your comfort that when ever you offend God, and provoke him to anger, you have a Mediator to ſtand between God and you; though you are guilty, yet you have an Advocate to plead your cauſe for you; you that are under the covenant of grace, you may ſay to Chriſt your Mediator, as the Iſraelites ſaid to Moſes, when they had offended God, goe thou and ſpeak unto God for us; ſo may you ſay when you have nothing, but thundring and lightning and tempeſts in your ſouls, and the flaſhings of hell fire in your conſciences, then you may ſay to Chriſt, go now to God and ſpeak for me, mediate with thy Father for the pardon of all my ſins; I have offended God, o… intercede with him in my behalf, I have committed a great offence, oh plead with thy Father, and beg a pardon for me; thus thou maiſt ſay to Chriſt, being under the covenant of grace.
But here leſt any one ſhould lye under a ſpirituall deluſion, and think himſelf under the covenant of grace, when he is a ſtranger to it, leſt the Dogs ſhould ſnatch at the Childrens meat, I ſhall lay down to you ſome diſtinguiſhing Characters, whereby you may know whether you are under the covenant of grace or no; and before I make entrance upon this, I will only premiſe four ſad and diſmall concluſions, which will make way the better for what I have to handle in the examination.
1. Take in this concluſion, that a man may be within the outward and common priviledges of the covenant of grace, and yet be without the ſaving and ſpirituall priviledges of it, as pardon of ſin, having God to be your God, and Chriſt to be your Saviour, &c. as in Deut. 29. 10, 11, Deut. 29 10, 11, 12.12. ſayes Moſes there, You ſtand this day all of you before the Lord your God, your Captains of Tribes, your Elders, and your Officers, with all the men of Iſrael, your little ones, your wives, and the ſtranger that is in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood, unto the drawer of thy water, that thou ſhouldſt enter into covenant with the Lord thy God: Now here you ſee, were all from the rich to the poor, to enter into covevenant with God, and yet it is not imaginable that all theſe did partake of the inward priviledges of the Covenant of grace, they did all partake of circumciſion, which was the ſeal of the covenant, of the outward priviledges of it, but not all did partake of the inward and ſpeciall mercies of the covenant of grace, as pardon of ſin, peace of conſcience, joy in beleeving, God to be their God, and Chriſt to be their Saviour; and ſo in Rom. 9. 4, 5. ſayes the Rom. 9. 4, 5.Apoſtle, They are the Iſraelites to whom pertaineth the adoption, and the glory, and the covenants, and the giving of the Law, and the ſervice of God, and the promiſes, of whom are the Fathers, and of whom as concerning the fleſh Christ came, theſe were very great priviledges, and yet ſaies the text in verſ. 8. Theſe are Verſ. 8.not all the children of God, though they had the externall bleſſings of the Covenant, yet they were not all the children of God; ſo that you ſee, you may be within the Church of God, and partake of the outward bleſſings of the Covenant, and yet want the inward and ſpirituall bleſſings of it.
2. Take in this ſad concluſion, that the moſt of men in the world, are without the common and outward mercies of the covenant of grace, as all that are in the ſtate of Judaiſme, Turciſme, and Paganiſm, and theſe being without the outward priviledges of the Church, they can hope for no ſalvation. If you ſhould divide the world into one and thirty parts, there is but a fift part of them are Chriſtians, there is nineteen parts of the world that are Jews, and Turks, and ſeven parts that are Pagans; ſo that there is but five parts that are Chriſtians; the moſt of men in the world are without the outward and common bleſſings of the Covenant of grace, and therefore can obtain no ſalvation by Chriſt.
3. Take this concluſion yet further, that the moſt of thoſe men that are within the outward and common bleſſings, are yet without the ſaving and ſpirituall bleſſings and priviledges of the covenant of grace; this concluſion is anſwerable to that phraſe in Mat. 2. Many are called, but few are choſen, there are but a few choſen to life and happineſſe, amongſt thoſe that are partakers of the externall mercies of the covenant of grace, as in Zach. 13. 8, 9. And Zach. 13. 8, 9.it ſhall c…me to paſſe, that in all the land, ſaith the Lord, two parts therein ſhall be cut off and die, but the third ſhall be left therein, and I will bring the third part through the fire, and will refine them, as ſilver is refined, and will try them as gold is tryed, they ſhall call on my name and I will hear them; I will ſay it is my people, and they ſhall ſay, the Lord is my God: there was but one part of three that were godly, and as it was then, ſo it is now; but one part of three that can ſay truly, they have an intereſt in the covenant of grace, and therefore (Beloved) this may be ſome of your lot, there are many of you that have a ſhare in the outward bleſſings of the covenant, that have the Ordinances and meanes of grace, and make profeſſion of Chriſt, and yet few of you that have any ſpeciall and peculiar bleſſing from Chriſt. As when Chriſt was thronged in the multitude, there were a great many that touched him, but one onelyonly that got any vertue from him, ſo there are a very few that enjoy the ſpeciall and peculiar bleſſings of the covenant, to have ſin pardoned, and their corruptions ſubdued and their duties and ſervices accepted, God to be their God, and Chriſt to be their Saviour.
4. Take this concluſion likewiſe, that ſuch is the pride and deceitfulneſſe of mans heart naturally, that from their being within the compaſſe of the outward bleſſings of the covenant, that they will conclude themſelves, to have an intereſt in the inward and ſpirituall bleſſings of the covenant of grace, as you ſhall finde the Jews did in Joh. 8. 33, 39, 41. in verſ. 33. Joh. 8. 33.ſay they, we are the ſeed of Abraham: and verſ. 39. we have Abraham to be our Father; 30.and from hence they conclude in verſ. 41. that God was their Father too, though 41.Chriſt told them plainly they were of their father the Devill: wicked men are very apt to deceive themſelves, and think they have an intereſt in the ſpirituall bleſſings of the covenant of grace, becauſe they partake of the Sacraments, and outward ordinances; whereas in Baptiſme you may have your face ſprinkled with water, and yet never have your hearts ſprinkled with the bloud of Chriſt, you may be born in the Church, and yet never be of the Church of the firſt born in heaven; you may have the Church to be your Mother, and yet never have God to be your Father; there is but a remnant according to the election of grace, the main body is caſt away, there is but a remnant ſaved, and yet the Jewes did boaſt of themſelves, that becauſe they had the Adoption, and the Glory, and the Covenant, and the Promiſe, &c. therefore God was theirs too, and heaven and happineſſe, and all theirs, when there was no ſuch matter.