The Bowels of Tender Mercy Sealed in the Everlasting Covenant, Religious treatise · Part 1 · Chapter 5 · Section 5
SECT. V.
5. A Fifth property of this Covenant, is this, It is an ordered Covenant, a well-ordered Covenant. 2 Sam. 23. 5. He hath made with me an everlaſting This Covenāt is a well ordered Covenant.Covenant, ordered in all things and ſure: This Covenant is not a caſual, ſudden, raſh, confuſed, indigeſted work, but it is an ordered work; it is made upon the counſel, and wiſdom, and love, and care of the infinite and perfect God, and ſtill ſo managed and carried on.
There are five things which do ſhew that this Covenant is an ordered Covenant, and a well-ordered Covenant.As appears,
1. The adequate ſutableneſſe or anſwerableneſſe of it to all and every one of the By the adequate ſutableneſſe of it to all a ſinners wants.ſinners wants, and ſtraits, and miſ…ries, and neceſſities, and deſires. Let any want whatſoever befall a ſinner, let his ſtrait and neceſſity be what it may be, yet here is an help, and here is a remedy, and here is a ſutable ſuccour for him in this Covenant. Do'ſt thou want a reconciled God? here he is; do'ſt thou want a Chriſt? here he is; do'ſt thou want faith, holineſſe, patience, meekneſſe, love, any ſpiritual grace? here it is; doſt thou want peace and reſt, and eaſe, and joy, and comfort for a troubled conſcience? here it is; doſt thou want any thing which reſpects thy ſoul? here it is; or any thing that reſpects thy body? here it is; take any ſinner under any want at any time of his life, the Covenant contains an anſwerable help, and therefore it is an ordered Covenant, and a well-ordered Covenant; that Common Wealth is well-ordered, where no wholeſome Law, and no wholeſome Remedy is wanting for the people.
2. The right placing of all perſons, and of all things in this Covenant; By the right placing of all perſons, and all things in this Covenant.things are well-ordered, when they are well-placed; a thing out of place is out of order; when the Maſter is in his place, and the ſervants in their place and the children in their place, now the family is rightly ordered. Now in the Covenant all the perſons are ſet in their right places; Chriſt keeps his place as Mediator, and God the Father keeps his place as a Donor, and the believing ſinner his place as a receiver; here it is revealed what Chriſt is to do, and what the Father will do, and what the believer is to do; and all things are ſet in their right place, not promiſcuouſly and confuſedly, but with an orderly regard unto ſinners; every one hath a right proportion ſet out, every one hath a right portion ſet out; here is hope for one that deſpairs, and here is eaſe for one that is laden, and here is peace for one who is broken-hearted, and here is mercy for one that is penitent, and here is a Chriſt for one that hath faith, and here is redemption for one in bondage, and here is righteouſneſſe for one that is ungodly, and here is graciouſneſſe for one that is unworthy, and here is riches for one that is poor, and here is help for one that is needy, and here is ſtrength for one that is weak, and here is balme for one that is wounded; mercy is well-ordered, and comfort is well-ordered; and a Mediator well-ordered, and righteouſneſſe well-ordered, &c.
3. The motions or workings of all things in this Covenant to the right end; The motions and workings of all things in this Covenant to the right end.when every thing acts to its right end, this ſhews a right ordering; now in this Covenant every thing works to the right end, which is to the praiſe and glory of Gods grace; God himſelf works for this, and Jeſus Chriſt works for this, and every good thing given and received works for this, and every believer who is brought into Covenant works for this. Chriſt is given, and mercy is given, and grace is given, and glory is given, and becauſe all is given, therefore all exalts the glory of Gods grace. Chriſt is the ſurety, and Chriſt is ſent, and Chriſt dyed, and Chriſt made ſatisfaction, and Chriſt made peace, and Chriſt purchaſed all for the ſinner, and this alſo exalts the grace of God towards ſinners; the ſinner is called by grace, and made a believer, and as a believer he receives all by grace, and he acts in the ſtrength of grace, and is led on and preſerved by grace, and what he is, he is by grace, and what he works, he works by grace, and what he hopes for, he hopes for by grace, and that which he reſts on is grace, and what he magnifies and ſets up, is not himſelf, nor any thing of his own, but only the grace of God.
4. All the good of the Covenant is diſpenſed in a right ſeaſon; and this All the good of the Covenant is diſpenſed in a right ſeaſon.alſo ſhews that it is a well-ordered Covenant: when things are out of time, they are out of order. If Snow or Froſt ſhould come in the time of Harveſt, this would be diſorderly; and if phyſick ſhould come when the perſon is dead, this would be diſorderly. Things are well-ordered, when they come neither too ſoon, nor too late, but in the very ſeaſon when we need them, and when they will do us good: And after this manner are all the diſpenſations of this Covenant; they are let out, and come in the very time a…d minute of our …eed. When a poor ſinner knows not what to do, then doth Chriſt appear, and then doth mercy appear, and then doth help appear: Iſa. 41. 17. When the poor and needy ſeek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirſt, I the Lord will hear them, I the God of Iſrael will not forſake them. 2 Cor. 6. 2. He ſaith I have heard thee in a time accepted, and in the day of ſalvation have I ſuccoured thee; when Davids heart was overwhelmed and ready to faint, then God took him up and comforted him: And when the Church was as a woman forſaken, and grieved in ſpirit, then ſaith God, with everlaſting kindneſſe will I have mercy on thee; when Ephraim was aſhamed, and even confounded, then ſaith God, My bowels are troubled for him, I will ſurely have mercy on him; when Paul was preſſed above meaſure, and his own ſtrength was found inſufficient againſt Satans temptations, then he received an anſwer, my grace is …ufficient for thee. O beloved! thus is the Covenant ordered that you ſhall have mercy in the fit time, and help in the beſt time, and deliverance in the beſt time, and anſwers to your prayers in the beſt time; though you have not your deſires preſently anſwered, yet your God is a gracious God, and therefore intends your good; and he is a wiſe God, and therefore knows the beſt time; and he is a faithful God, and therefore will loſe no time.
5. This Covenant is ſo framed, that there is still a ſtrong foundation It is ſo framed, that there is ſtill a ſtrong foundation of hope and confidence for a poor ſinner. A foundation laid, For the admiſſion of poor ſinners. For the impetration of all the good a ſinner needs.of hope and confidence for a poor ſinner; and by this it appears that it is a well-ordered Covenant; here is a firme foundation laid.
1. For the admiſſion of poor ſinners; If a Chriſt and Mediator, if mercy in all the abundance of it, if free grace in all the glory of it, may be eſteemed a fair foundation for hope and confidence, here every one of them ſtands ready to make way for the ſinner, I will ſatisfie for all his ſinnes, and make peace for him, ſaith Chriſt the Mediator; I will forgive and abundantly pardon all his ſinnes, ſaith the merciful God; I will love him freely, and receive him graciouſly, ſaith the God of love and grace.
2. For the impetration and aſſecution of all the good that a poor ſinner doth need or can deſire: For in this Covenant there is a Chriſt who merits all, and a God who promiſeth to give all, and hath bound himſelf to perform all, and who rejoyceth over his people to do them good, and accounts it his praiſe and honour to accompliſh and performe unto them all the good which he promiſeth unto them, and puts them upon it ſtill to call, and ſtill to truſt, and ſtill to receive from him.
3. For the preſervation and continuation of them in this Covenant; for the For the preſervation of them in this Covenant.Lord hath ſworn the everlaſtingneſſe of it, and he gives all effectually to hold up and maintain an everlaſting union and communion 'twixt himſelf and his people, and keeps them by his own power through faith unto ſalvation, and charges none other but Jeſus Chriſt himſelf to look to them, and to keep them in his Name; and he undertakes this charge, and will fully execute it, and faithfully; and therefore as he conquers all the enemies of his ſervants, (ſinne and Satan, and the world) ſo he furniſheth them with all graces accompaning ſalvation, and ſtill ſtrengthens thoſe graces untill they come to receive the end of their faith, even the ſalvation of their ſouls; Ʋſe 1 and ſurely this Covenant muſt needs be well-ordered, which opens a way to receive in poor ſinners, and which hath reaſons within it ſelf, and Then the wiſdome of God is in this Covenant, as well as his goodneſſe. Therefore do not diſplace the order God hath ſet in his Covenant. By intereſting our ſelves in the benefits of the Covenant, before we intereſt our ſelves in God.upon which the received ſinner may with confidence plead for all good, and which will keep them for ever faſt with God.
Is the Covenant of grace an ordered Covenant, and a well-ordered Covenant? then certainly the wiſdome of God is in it, as well as the goodneſs of God: the goodneſſe of God is in it, as to all the mercies and bleſſings wherewith this Covenant is furniſhed; and the wiſdome of God is in it, as to the placing and diſpoſing, and diſpenſing of all thoſe mercies and bleſſings: Therefore take heed of diſplacing that order which God hath ſet in his Covenant; we do diſplace the order of the Covenant, and conſequently do preſume to correct the wiſdome of God, when
1. We do apply and intereſt our ſelves in the benefits of the Covenant; before we do apply God himſelf, and intereſt our ſelves in him; to lay hold on his mercies before we lay hold on himſelf; to appropriate the purchaſe of Chriſt before we do embrace and appropriate Chriſt himſelf; this is to diſorder and diſplace the Covenant, which firſt propounds God himſelf, and Chriſt himſelf to be received, and then the portion of all good things promiſed after this.
2. We do disjoyne the things in the Covenant which God hath ordered to come By disjoyning thoſe things God hath put together. By expecting the gifts of the Covenant, without the reaſons of the Covenant. By limiting God in the diſpenſations of his Covenant.together; as when we will have the mercy of the Covenant, but not the repentance of the Covenant; and the hope in Chriſt, from faith in Chriſt; and the promiſed ſalvation without the promiſed holineſſe which leads unto that ſalvation.
3. We do expect the gifts of the Covenant, without the reaſons of the Covenant; upon the account of our goodneſſe, and not upon the account of Gods graciouſneſſe.
4. We do limit God in the diſpenſations of his Covenant; in his anſwers, helps and bleſſings, to our time, and to our meaſure, and to our haſte, and do not ſubmit and leave theſe to the times of his wiſdome and faithfulneſſe.
Ʋſe 2 Is the Covenant of grace an ordered Covenant, and a well-ordered Covenant? then let no man ever think to enjoy God, or any good from Gods Covenant, but in that way which God himſelf hath declared; you muſt believe and repent, There is no enjoying God … in his own way.&c.
Ʋſe 3 Is the Covenant an ordered Covenant? then doubt not of the enjoyment of mercy and bleſſedneſſe, you who are his people; but come with confidence unto your God, who hath ordered love, and mercy, and peace, and comfort, and His people ſhould not doubt of the enjoyment of mercy.bleſſings, and happineſſe for you.