The Bowels of Tender Mercy Sealed in the Everlasting Covenant, Religious treatise · Part 1 · Chapter 2
CHAP. II. Of the Covenant in ſpecial.
I Shall now deſcend to ſomething more ſpecial, to ſhew unto you, what that Covenant is which God makes between himſelf and his people.
There are who do diſtinguiſh of a twofold Covenant.
1. There is Foedus abſolutum, which is ſuch a promiſe of God, as takes in no ſtipulation or condition at all, that There is an abſolute Covenāt.runnes altogether upon abſolute termes; ſuch a Covenant was that which God made with Noah, that he would never drown the world any more, Gen. 9. 11. and ſuch a kind of Covenant is that, when God promiſeth to give faith and perſeverance unto his elect, Heb. 8. 10, &c. Both theſe Covenants are abſolute, and without any condition; there is nothing in them but what is folded up in the promiſes themſelves.
2. Foedus Hypotheticum, which is a gracious promiſe on Gods part, with an obligation to duty on our part; for although it be natural to God, to recompence And an Hypothetical Covenant.any good, as it is to puniſh any evil; And although man doth owe unto God whatſoever God covenanteth with him for; yet it ſo pleaſeth his Divine Will thus to deale with us, that in binding of us to duty unto himſelf, he binds himſelf in reward unto us, and promiſeth ſuch and ſuch a recompence, upon the condition of ſuch and ſuch a performance.
Now this kind of Covenant is twofold.The Covenant is either The Covenant of nature;
1. Foedus Naturae, (as ſome ſtile it) or Foedus operum, the Covenant of works as we uſually call it; the Apoſtle calls it the Law of works, Rom. 3. 27. This is the Covenant which God made with man in the ſtate of innocency before the fall; wherein God promiſed unto man life and happineſſe, upon condition of perfect and perſonal obedience; and it is ſummed up by the Apoſtle, Gal. 3. 12. Do this and live. God having created man upright after his own Image, and ſo having furniſhed him with all abilities ſufficient for obedience, thereupon he made a Covenant with him for life upon the condition of obedience; I ſay, he made ſuch a Covenant with Adam as a publick perſon; and as he promiſed life to him and his poſterity, in caſe of obedience, ſo he threatened death and a curſe unto him and his poſterity in caſe of diſobedience. In the day thou eateſt thereof, thou ſhalt ſurely die, Gen. 2. 17. Curſedis every one that continueth not in all things written in the book of the Law to do them, Gal. 3. 10.
2. Faedus Gratiae, the Covenant of Grace, the Apoſtle calls it the law of faith, Or the Covenant of grace.Rom. 3. 27. and it is eſpecially expreſſed thus, He that believes ſhall be ſaved, Mark 16. 16. The juſt ſhall live by faith, Gal. 3. 11.
This is that Covenant of which the Text ſpeaks, and of which (by Gods aſſiſtance) This is ſtiledI intend to diſcourſe.
This Covenant, which is ſometimes ſtiled the Covenant of life; life is reſtored, The Covenant of life.and life is promiſed, and life is ſetled by the Covenant; no life for a ſinner out of it.
And ſometimes it is ſtiled a Covenant of peace; Numb. 25. 12. Behold I give Covenant of peace.unto him my Covenant of Peace. Peace is the comprehenſion of all bleſſings and proſperity; our good is in this good Covenant of grace; and all peace flowes out of it, peace with God, and peace of coſncience.
And ſometimes it is called a Covenant of ſalt, Num. 18. 19. 2 Chron. 13. 5. A A Covenant of ſalt.firm, ſure, uncorruptible Covenant which laſts for ever.
Sometimes it is ſtiled the promiſe, Pſal. 105. 42. He remembred his holy promiſe, The promiſe.and Abraham his ſervant.
It is called the promiſe by way of eminency; it is made up altogether of promiſes; all on Gods part, which he will do, is under promiſe; and all on our part which we are to do, is likewiſe under promiſe.
Sometimes it is called the mercy and the truth, Mic. 7. 20. Thou wilt perform The mercy and the truth.the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham.
The Covenant is called mercy, becauſe mercy only drew this Covenant; It was meer mercy which moved God to make new bonds with us, yea all mercy is wrapped up in it. And it is called Truth, becauſe the Lord God who makes this Covenant, will certainly and truly performe all that good and mercy, which (in it) he makes over unto his people.
Hence alſo it is called the oath, Luke 2. 73. The oath which he ſware unto The Oath.our father Abraham. You do not read of Gods Oath in the Covenant of works (that Covenant wanted a Mediatour, and was not ſealed with an oath) but in this Covenant of grace there is the oath of God, to declare unto us, and to confirm us, as touching the immutability of his will and purpoſe, for the accompliſhment of all that good mentioned in this Covenant.
And it is called a Teſtament, and a new Teſtament, Matth. 26. 28. My A Teſtament, and New Teſtament.blood of the New Teſtament, Heb. 9. 15. He is the Mediatour of the New Teſtament. A Teſtament is, Teſtatio mentis, that which we commonly call a mans Will, about the beſtowing of his eſtate amongſt his children, &c. The new Covenant is called a Teſtament, becauſe it is ratified and confirmed by the death of the Teſtator, and becauſe it is as it were his laſt Will written down. There are precious Legacies beſtowed and ſetled by God the Father in this Covenant upon all his children, and all of them are confirmed and ratified to them by the death of Chriſt.
This Covenant of grace (thus gloriouſly ſet out in the Scripture) wherein God proclaimes all his goodneſſe to us, which is the foundation of all our lives and comforts, hopes and happineſſe, which is the foundation of all godlineſſe and holy walking, which is a ſure and our only anchor, I am now in a more diſtinct way to diſcourſe of.
In the handling whereof, I ſhall confine my ſelf to theſe ſix particulars.
1. The differences of this Covenant of grace from the Covenant of works.
2. The proper nature of this Covenant in the abſolute conſideration of it.
3. The adjuncts and properties of this Covenant.
4. The condition of the Covenant of grace.
5. The Mediatour of this Covenant.
6. The ſpecial gifts and legacies that are bequeathed in this Teſtament.