The Covenant of Life Opened, Part 1 · Chapter 8
CHAP. VIII. What place death hath in the Covenant. 2. What such as Cain and Judas are to do in their desperate state. 3. And why the LORD is no where called the GOD of Adam.
Q. WHat room hath death in the Covenant?
A. Death hath room in the broken Covenant of Works, as the Pursevant and Sergeant of revenging justice. Hence deaths reign, [I must die whether I will or not] Unwillingnesse to die and bondage through fear of death is the Law-sting in death, from which Christ hath delivered us, Heb. 2.15.The room of death in the two Covenants. The change that Christ hath made in death. Original sin and death came and entred the world by the Covenant of Works. The Covenant of Grace made not death, but found it in the world, Christ made of an old enemy death a new servant: its now the Kings ferry-boat to carry the children over the water. Its a sutable condition to a spirituall state to die being sent for, not legally summon'd, and to die, because I desire to be dissolved, Ph. 1.23. not because I must. And better it is to summon our selves then to be summoned. Though we love heaven too much as a place of pleasure, rather then a place of holinesse, yet most men would wish a better causey to it then to sleep through th… cold grave or a dark hole in the earth.
Q. What room hath life in the Covenant? Ans. The Administration of the Law-Covenant is first habituall holinesse of works, and then a crown. The Administration of grace is first faith and a title to Christ our life and hope of glory, and then habituall holinesse, begun here and perfected hereafter. The Gospel-life is both a reward and a duty of praising and loving eternally in place of all the ten Commands, yea of Law and Gospel. The Law-life (for ought that is revealed) is a reward to be purchased by our legall obedience.
Q. If Adam in the intervall betwixt his fall and the publishing of the blessed Seed, was not to despaire, but to rely upon God as mighty to save; What should such as Judas or Cain do?
A. The conscience of Cain and of despairers, being no authentick Bible nor Judge,What Judas & Cain in their despairing mood, are to do. which can carry the controversie between them and God, so long as they are in the way, or are viators, the Gospel treaty betwixt them and Christ yet standing and not broken off upon the part of Christ, they are to cherrish and hold up the Treaty, and (as it were) to force speech out of Christ, and to pursue the news of an offered salvation. 2. There is no Spirit of God that suggests to them despaire, and bids them write themselves in the black roll of Reprobates, for though they beleeve hell, as the Devils haply beleeve there is a God, yet they blow the coals of that hellish furnace, and kindle a fire before night. 3. They being under the Law of Nature, are to rely on infinite mercy able to save. Their witty darknesse of unbeleef saith they beleeve, but they hate mercy in the generall toward others, as to themselves. 2. For a doubting child of God, because the light of evidence (which to them, in that case is dimme) comes nearer to the naturall light of reason,What weak doubters are to do. then to spirituall light, therefore faith must be set on work to act as faith, and faith acts most strongly when reason is weakest. Naturall causes work more strongly under opposition, the fire burns most vehemently in winter frost,When faith acts most strongly. and the internall heat of the body is most mighty for concoction, when the coldness of the air is most piercing without, faith sees God most piercingly at midnight in Job, when rottennesse and deadness speaks the contrair, Job 19. I know surely (so the word, Exod. 8.1. Psal. 31.8. that my Redeemer lives. Isa. 50.10. He that walks in darknesse, and hath no light (of evidence) let him trust on the Name of the Lord, and let him stay himself upon his God, Rom. 4.19, 20. (2.) There is a peece of unseen wilfulnesse in unbeleef,VVilfulness in unbeleef. and two refusalls in it, as we see in Thomas, Joh. 20.25. as there is a masse of sanctified will required in sincere faith, Rom. 10.9, 10. Mark. 9.24. and so resistance must be made to that blind impulsion of will in unbeleef,foreign. by which we please our selves in doubling our doubting. (3.) Should the commanding of killing the Son, Gen. 22.2. seem to contradict the whole Gospel of the promised Seed, Gen. 15.4. yet knowing both to come from God,VVe are to obey, and leave supposed contradictions to God in time of darknesse. Abraham did well to leave the supposed contradiction to be solved by God, and beleeve both as we are to beleeve food, in no food, and in famine.
Q. Where was there a word that God was Adams God? Ans. Not directly. For 1. that Covenant was like Letters of the King raised to such a day, and the date being expired, the Letters cease to be in force. 2. Adam was to winne and purchase (as it were) God to be his God, by consumate obedience. God never said that he would be Adams God by giving him influences to obey,VVhy it is not said, that God was the God of Adam. and to obey to the end, all influences granted to Adam, to will and to do, were granted to him. 1. By God Creator, not by the grace of a Redeemer, as in the Covenant of Grace, to walk, Ezek. 36.27. to love, Deut. 30.6. to persevere, Jer. 32.39, 40. 2. These influences were free gifts, but not promised. 3. They seem to be ordinis naturalis, naturall, though they did bow and previously inclince the will, but not so in the New Testament, for the whole Covenant is called by the promise of the giving of a new heart, Heb. 8.10. Isa. 54.9.13. Jer. 31.31, 32, 33. Ezek. 11.19, 20. Hos. 2.18, 19. And therefore better it is that God be Lord of my heart, and it be his, then that I be lord of it,Better our hearts be the Lords then our own. and my heart be mine own heart, the lesse of our heart be upon our heart, the more upon God, the better. Ah! we cannot skill to guide a heart. 3. The threatning of death to Adam, if he should sin, Gen. 2.17. may infer a Covenant of life, and that God should be Adams God, if he should obey.