The Trial and Triumph of Faith, Sermon 8
SERMON VIII.
THe condition of the covenant is Faith: holiness and sanctification is the condition of Covenanters,4. The conditio… of the covenant. Gal. 4.21.22.23.24. Rom. 10.4.5.6.7. This do was the condition of the Covenant of Works: This beleeve, is the condition of this Covenant; because Faith sendeth a person out of himself, and taketh him off his own bottom, that in Christ he may have his righteousnesse: works is a more selfy condition, and giveth therefore, 2. lesse glory to God: Faith holdeth forth God in Christ in the most lively and lovely properties of Free-grace, mercy, love transcendent; hence a believer as such cannot possibly glory in himself; all that Faith hath, is by way of receiving, and begging wise.
But some teach, that this Covenant hath no condition at all:Object. Dr. Crisp Christ alone exalted, Ser. 6. pag. 160. So Dr. Crispe and other Libertines; For this is an everlasting Covenant, Man is not now so confirmed in grace, but he may fail in beleeving, and so soon as the Condition faileth, the Covenant faileth, as we see in the first Covenant. Ans. 1. That we have no confirming grace to establish us to the day of Christ, is to teach with some Familists, that There is no grace in sound Believers, Rise raign & Ruine of Antino… Families Er. 16. p. 4.different in kinde and nature, from that grace which is in many Hypocrites. Yea, but the pure in spirit are blessed, and shall see God, Hypocrites are not so. And what else is this but the Kings Road way to the Apostacy of the Saints, if believers have not Christ for their undertaker to bring them to glory?Libertines deny all conditions of the covenant of Grace. To intercede for them, Heb. 2.10. Luk. 22.32.33. 2. And though they believe not at the first hour, yet this Gospel-Covenant is not frustrated, even if poor souls beleeve at the eleventh hour; the former Covenant leaveth sinners for the first breach with out remedy, or hope of life, by the tenour of the Law, not so this Covenant. Christ knocketh while his locks be wet with night rain.
Obj. 2.Object. 2. (I will put my Law in your inward parts) is no condition to be performed by us, but by God only, and so all the tie lieth upon God, if God do not this as he promiseth, Ier. 31. Must not the fault or failing be his who is tied in a covenant to perform his part, The new covenant hath conditions to be performed by us.& doth it not? Now this God promiseth, Ier. 31. Heb. 8.10. Ezek. 36.26.27. Ans. Either doth God promise to give us Faith, and to cause us to walk in his wayes, Ezek. 36.26.27. and to circumcise our hearts to love the Lord. Deut. 30.6. which Arminians deny, contrary to the clear day-light of Scripture, or then, when ever we sin who are under the Covenant of Grace, by committing and acting works of the flesh, and omitting to beleeve, pray, praise, humble our souls for sin, God is to be blamed, who worketh not in us by his efficacious Grace to will and to do, as he hath promised, Phil. 2.13. Ezek. 36.26.27. and the regenerate cannot sin at all, because its the Lords fault (God avert blasphemy) that we sin, for for without his giving of a new heart, and his efficacious moving us to walk in his way (to which God is tyed by Covenant, Ezek. 36.27. Deut. 30.6.) We cannot chuse but sin; hence they teach we are not obliged to pray, nor do we sin in not beleeving, in not praying, when the breath of the wind of the Holy Ghost doth not blow, and act us to those holy duties. Rise, raign of Antinomian Er. 22. page 5▪Hence also it is taught, That none are exhorted to beleeve, but such whom we know to be the elect of God, or to have his spirit in them effectually working
Obj. 3. To do any thing in conscience to a commandement is to be under the Law, Obj. 3.and contrary to the Covenant of Grace, ib. Er. 33. Ans. The Law of Grace or Gospel hath Commandements, as Rom. 6.12. Let not sin raign therefore in your mortall bodies, And this is backed with a reason taken from the promise of Grace, v. 14. For sin shall not have dominion over you: A two fold Dominion of gracious and supernaturall acts.for you are not under the Law, but under Grace, so Phil. 2.12. Work out &c. for vers. 13. Its God who worketh in you, Though we have no Physicall dominion over the assisting grace of God so as I can forceably command the winde of the Spirit to blow, when I please, yet have we a certain Morall Dominion by vertue of an Evangelick promise, so as faith is to have influence in all acts of sanctification, & to look to the promise of assistance, which he who cannot lie hath promised, though he be not tied to my time and manner of working; yet do I sin in not praying, and in not believing, even when his wind bloweth not: Gods liberty and freedom of grace doth not destroy the Law of either works, or grace, and free me from a duty.
Object. 4. Beleeving and obedience of Faith, is but a consequent of the Covenant, Obj. 4not an antecedent, so I must beleeve upon other grounds, but not in way of the condition of the Covenant, for in that tenour I am to do nothing. Ans. The Apostle, Rom. 10. Expresly distinguisheth between the righteousnesse of the Law, vers. 5. Which requireth doing as a condition; and the righteousnesse of faith, ver. 6. Which requireth believing, ver. 10. and Gal. 5.5. We through the spirit wait for the hope of righteousnesse through Faith: nor can any have claim to the Covenant but such as beleeve.
Object. 5. The covenant is Gods love to man, to take him to himself, Obj. 5and that before the children do good or ill, Crispe 16.167.and to him that worketh is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt. Ans. The covenant is a fruit and effect of Gods love, but it is not formally Gods love, for because God loved Israel, therefore did he enter in covenant with them, Deut. 7.7, 8. Ezech. 16.8. and Arminians expound, that of Iacobs imbracing of the covenant by Faith, and of Esaus rejecting of it through unbelief: Whereas Paul speaketh of Iacob and Esau, as they lay stated in the eye and view of God from eternity, ere they were borne, and had as yet neither done good nor ill: Now the covenant of Grace or Gospel manifested to Iacob and Esau, is not eternall, but proposed to them after they are borne, and when the offer of Christ in the Gospel is made, and how could Esau ere he was born refuse the Gospel, except you say he did evil before he did evil? which is non-sense: 2. Paul saith plainly, To him that believeth is the work reckoned.
Object. 6. Our act of believing is a work, and no work can be a condition of the covenant of Grace; yea Christ alone justifieth, Obj. 6.Crispe 16.168faith is not Christ, nor any partner with him in the worke; yea we are justified before we believe, and Faith only serveth for the manifestation of justification to our conscience, for we believe no lie, when we believe we are justified, but a truth, then it must be true that we are justified, before we believe. Ans. 1.We are not justified before we believe. Christ alone as the meritorious cause justifieth, and his imputed righteousnesse as the formall cause; and this way Christ alone justifieth the Patriarchs, Prophets, Apostles and all believers, ere they be born, but this is but the fountain ready to wash: but believe it, Christ washeth not, while we be foul, he clotheth us not, while we be naked, he giveth not eye-salve, while we be blinde, nor gold while we be poor, nor is his name our righteousnesse, while we be sinners: 1. Men not born cannot be the object of actuall righteousnesse, the unborn childe needeth no actual application of Christs eye-salve, of his gold and righteousnesse; now justification is a real favour applyed to us in time, just as sanctification in the new birth, 1 Cor. 6.11. And such were some of you, but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified, but ye are justified; then they were sometimes not washed: 2. Poverty putteth beauty, worth, and a high price on Christ; sense of sin saith, O what can I give for precious Iesus Christ? But his Father cannot sell him. 2. Yet is Faith a palsie hand under Christ to receive him, Ioh. 1.11. Its an Evangelick act, and not a meer passion, but of grace deputed to be a receiver, a certain Inne keeper to lodge Christ; and so Christ his alone doth not justi…ie us, being meer Patients, this is not to put Faith in the chair and Throne of Estate with Christ, Faith giveth glory to Christ, and taketh Grace as an almes, but taketh no glory from him, Rom. 4.20. But he was strong in the Faith giving glory to God: We cannot be justified before we believe: 1. We are damned before we believe, he that believeth not is condemned already, Iohn 3.2. He that is justified is glorified, Rom. 8.30. and saved, Mar. 16.16. 3. We are borne, and by nature the sons of wrath, Ephes. 2.2. We our selves were sometime disobedient, &c. But he hath saved us: v. 7. That being justified by his Grace, we should be made heirs according to the hope of eternall life, Rom. 7. Paul maketh clearly two different times and States of the Saints, on v. 5. When we were in the flesh, and the motions of sins which were by the Law did work in our members, to bring forth fruit unto death, then our first husband the law was living, and we under a mother and father that begat children to death, and so we were justified: v. 6. But now we are delivered from the Law, and Rom. 6.14. Yea are not under the Law, but under Grace, when Christ our second husband marrieth the widow freed from her first husband the Law, then are we under grace and justified, and then new Lord, new Law: 4. By Faith we are only united to Christ, possessed of him, Christ dwelling in us, Ephes. 3.17. Living in me by Faith, Joh 11.26. Gal. 2.20. Receiving Christ, Ioh. 1.11. Having Christ, 1 Joh. 5.12. Married to Christ, Eph. 5.32. Eating and drinking Christ by Faith, Joh. 6.35, 47, 45. Coming to him as to a living stone, 1 Pet. 2.4. Abiding in him as branches in the Tree, Joh. 15.4, 5. Now if we were justified before we believe, we should have a Union by the vitall act of Faith, before we be justified, and so we should live before we live, and be new creatures, while we are yet in the State of sin, and heirs of wrath: 5. This justification without Faith casteth loose the covenant.Rise and Reign of Anti. er. 38. p. 7. ib Err. 48. p. 9. I will be your God: But here a condition. God is not bound and we free, therefore this is the other part: And ye shall be my people: Now it is taught by Libertines: That there can be no closing with Christ in a promise that hath a qualification or condition expressed, and that conditionall promises are legall: Its true if the word (condition) be taken in a wrong sence; the promises are not conditionall; For, 1. Arminians take a condition for a free act,A condition taken in a threefold notion. which we absolutely may perform by free-will, not acted by the predeterminating grace of Christ, so Jurists take the word, but this maketh men Lords of Heaven and Hell, and putteth the keys of life and death over to absolute contingency: 2. Conditions have a Popish sence, for doing that which by some merit moveth God to give to men wages for work, and so promises are not conditionall: But Libertines deny all conditions: But taking condition for any qualification wrought in us by the power of the saving Grace of God: Christ promiseth soul ease but upon a condition which (I grant) his Grace worketh that the soul be sin-sick for Christ; and he offereth wine and milk, Isa. 55.1. And the water of life freely, Rev. 22.17. Upon condition, that you buy without money; no purse is Christs Grace-Market, no hire and sence of wretchednesse, is a hire for Christ,Its not a proper condition by way of strict Wages & work when we are said to be justified & saved upon condition of Faith. Rise and Reign, Err. 36. p. 7. and the truth is, its an unproper condition, if a father promise Lands to a son so he will pay him a thousand Crowns for the Lands, and if the Father of Free-grace can only, and doth give him the thousand Crowns also, the payment is most unproperly a hire or a condition, and we may well say the whole bargain is pure Grace; for both wages and work is Free-grace; but the ground of Libertines is fleshly lazinesse, and to sin, be…cause Grace aboundeth; for they print it, that all the activity of a Believer is to sin: So to be…lieve must be sin; to run the ways of Gods commandments, with a heart inlarged by Grace, must be no action of Grace, but an action of the flesh.
6. Paul in the Epistle to the Romans, to the Galatians, taketh for granted, that justification is a work done in time, transient on us, not an immanent, and eternall action remaining either in God from eternity, or performed by Christ on the Crosse before we believe; and so never taketh on him to prove that we are justified before, we either do the works of the Law, or believe in Iesus Christ: but that we are justified by Faith, which certainly is an act performed by a regenerate person, for a new creature only can perform the works of the new creature, and Faith is not the naked manifestation of our justification, so as we are justified before we have Faith; satisfaction is indeed given to justice by Christ on the Crosse, for all our sins before we believe, and before any justified person who lived these fifteen hundred years be born; but alas, that is not justification, but only the meritorious cause of it, that is, as if one should say this wall is white since the creation of the world, though this very day only it was whited, because whitenesse was in the world since the creation; justification is a forinsecall sentence in time pronounced in the Gospel, and applied to me now, and never while the instant now that I believe; its not formally an act of the understanding to know a truth concerning my self, but its an heart-adherance of the affections to Christ as the saviour of sinners; at the presence of which a sentance of free absolution is pronounced: Suppose the Prince have it in his minde to pardon twenty Malefactors, his grace is the cause why they are pardoned, yet are they never in Law Pardoned, so as they can in Law plead immunity, while they can produce their Princes Royall sealed Pardon.
5. The properties of the Covenant I call: 1. The freedom of it consisting in persons:5. The properties of the Covenant: 2. Causes: 3. Time: 4. Manner of dispensation: 1. Men, and not condemned, Angels are capable of this covenant: 2. Amongst men some Nations,1. Freedom in regard not others, Psal. 147.19, 20. 3. So many, not any other: 4. The Father, not the Son, the poor, not alwayes Kings; the Fool, not the wise man;1. Of Persons. the husband, not the wife, not these who were bidden to the Supper, but beggers, halt, withered, lame. 2. Causes, 2.Of Causes.in the first covenant there was Grace not deserving, and therefore now as the Law is propounded, it is a Pursevant of Grace, and the Gospels servant to stand at Christs and the Believers back, as an attending servant: 2. Yea mercy unto thousands, toward those who have but Evangelick love to Christ, cometh into the Law, Christ having (in a sort) married the two Covenants: 3. I am the Lord thy God, Exod. 20. Is Grace standing at the entry of the door, to these that are under the Law, to bring them out, but in the Gospell all is unmixed Grace: 1. Not personall obedience is my heaven, but I stand still, and another doth all that may merit glory: Christ saith, Do ye but stand still, behold me, and see, friends, my garments rolled in blood; I bind for you, only consent, put your hand to the Pen, but I am the only undertaker to fight it out for you: 3. For time, the first breach of the Law is wrath;3.Of time. and no place by Law for repentance, but here come to Christ, who will, and when you will, after thou hast plaid the Harlot with many lovers: bring Hell and sins red as scarlet and crimson, come and be washen, come at the eleventh hour and welcome; fall and rise again in Christ; run away, and come home again and repent.4.Of manner of dispensation. 4. The maner is: 1. That so much as would have bought ten thousand worlds of men and devils, was given for so many only, an infinite superplus of love, so (as I may say) Christ did more then love us. Aegypt and Aethiopia was not given for our ransom.2. Property of the Covenant Eterna…. 2 A sure and eternall Covenant, bottom'd upon infinite love: Why may not the link be broken, and the sheep pluckt out of his hand? Why the Father that gave them to me, is greater then all. Where dwelleth he? In what Heaven? Who is stronger then the Father? The covenant with night and day, is naturall, and cannot fail; confirming Grace in the second Adam is more connaturall: 3. Well ordered Christ keeping his place,3. Well ordered. the Father his place, Faith its place, the sinner his place.
6.1. Vse· All without this covenant are miserable;1. Use. Christ undertaketh not for them: The Lord dealeth with them by Law, read Deut. 28. Lev. 26.Al without the covenant are under the curse of the Law. Job 20. chap. 18. and 27. They have bread, but its not sure, not so the beleever, Isa. 33.16. His bread shall be given him, his waters shall be sure: The beleever has all by the free holding of Grace, his bread by covenant, his sleep by promise, safety from the sword, to lie down, and no man shall make them afraid by covenant; his land is tilled by the Covenant of Grace, Ezek. 36.34. The man not in this covenant hath all by tenour of the condemning Law, the weapon of Steel shall go through bones and liver, by vertue of the curses of the Law.
2. Use.2. Men never try their standing, whether they be under the first husband of the Law,Men try not if they be in covenant with God. or if they be married to the better husband Christ, and under Grace, where art thou O sinner, in Christ or no? They live at random, and by chance not knowing that the two covenants hath influence on eternity, a man is judged according to his state, rather then his actions.
3. No state so stable and sure,3. Use. as the covenant of Grace.They are stable & sure, and cannot fail. Christ is surety for the believer that he fall not away: Christ honour is ingaged, he shall not have shame of his Tutory, Isa. 50.7. I know I shall not be ashamed, saith Christ: Its his honour to raise me when I fall.
4. We may use arguments of Faith, challenging God, Jer. 31.18. Turn thou me, 4. Use.We may plead Mercy from the covenantand I shall be turned: why, For thou art the Lord my God, The Covenant is Faiths Magna Charta, the grand mother-promise, all prayers must be bottomed on this, Jer. 14.21. Do not abhor us: Why, vers. 22. Art not thou he the Lord God, Isaiah 64.9. Remember not our iniquity for ever, behold, see we beseech thee: Why, we are all thy people; every one doth for its own, the Prince for his own People, the Father for his own children; yea, the damme for her own young ones, the Shepherd for his own sheep, and God for his own in covenant with him; an offensive, and defensive covenant of Peace and War taketh in the believer, and all that serveth him, the stones of the field, Job 5.23. and in covenant with the horse thou ridest on, that it shall not cast thee, and crush thee; in covenant with the sword, with the Canon and Musket, with the Spear and Bow: yea, with Death as a Boat to carry thee over the water to thy fathers Land: So the Covenant, I'le blesse them that blesse thee, and curse them that curse thee, Isa. 54.16. I have created the water to destroy: Creation is a work of omnipotency only, no creature can do it. Then fire cannot consume, water cannot drown the Saints, except by a dispensation of the Lord.
5. Christ is not fastned as a loose nail, or as one broken or rotten wedge in the covenant:5. Use. He is there as a nail in a sure place, Zach. 10.4. Isa. 22 23. Hang all the vessells of the Fathers house on Christ: He cannot break; O sweet! we are given to the Surety of the covenant, Ioh. 17.3. Son answer for him, thy life for his life, thy glory for his glory; and render account of him, when the Kingdom shall be given up to the Father: Adam was surety in the first covenant, and so it fell out, free-will holdeth all sure in the Arminian Covenant.
6. Use.6. In desertion, to swim upon the covenant keepeth from sinking; so Christ in his sad and black hour, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me?