The Bowels of Tender Mercy Sealed in the Everlasting Covenant, Religious treatise · Part 1 · Chapter 5 · Section 2
SECT. II.
2. A Second propriety of the Covenant is this, it is a very perfect, plentiful, It is a perfect and plentiful Covenant.and rich Covenant. And this will appear we…her you will conſider,
1. The Author of this Covenant. 2. Or the Mediator of this Covenant. 3. Or the Covenant it ſelf.It appears, by The Author of this Covenant.
1. The Author of this Covenant, who therein ſets out all his gracious fulneſs; here you ſhall finde him full of love, and therefore the Apoſtle calls his love, a great love, Epheſ. 2. 4. and an exalted love; God commendeth his love towards us, in that whiles we were yet ſinners, Chriſt dyed for us, Rom. 5. 8. And Saint John calls it a wonderful love; Behold what manner of love the Father ha…h beſtowed upon us, that we ſhould be called the ſonnes of God! 1 John 3. 1. Nay, Chriſt himſelf calls it an unexpreſſible love. God ſo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Sonne, &c. John. 3. 16. And the Apoſtle repeats the love of God as the character and pattern of all love; Herein is love, not that we loved God, but that he loved us, and ſent his Sonne to be the propitiation for us.
In mercy, in relation to this Covenant he is ſaid to be rich in mercy, Epheſ. 2. 4. God who is rich in mercy; nay, to have riches of mercy. Epheſ. 3. 16. According to the riches …f his glory; nay, to ſhew the exceeding riches of his grace in his kindneſſe towards us through Chriſt Jeſus, Epheſ. 2. 7. nay, to be exceeding abundant; 1 Tim. 1. 14. The grace of our Lord was exceeding abundant, abundant mercy, 1 Pet. 1. 3. Bleſſed be the God and Father of our Lord Jeſus Christ, who according to his abundant mercy hath begotten us again to a lively hope; where ſinne abounded, grace did much more abound, Rom. 5. 20. Sinne doth exceedingly abound by way of extenſion, and by way of intenſion, in practice, in degrees, and in deſerts; but the mercy or grace of God, it doth over-abound; it is more than enough for the pardoning of the greateſt ſinners; yea, of all the ſinnes of all his people; his mercy is like himſelf, infinite and unſearchable: And therefore the Church cryes out, Who is a God like unto thee? that pardoneth iniquity, and paſseth by the tranſgreſſion of the remnant of his heritage, &c.
In goodneſſe; not only full of an eſſential goodneſſe, (which is his own eternal and infinite perfection) but alſo full of a Covenant goodneſſe; O how great is thy goodneſſe which thou haſt laid up for them that truſt in thee before the ſonnes of men! Pſal. 31. 19. He is great in goodneſſe, Nehem. 9. 35. He is abundant in goodneſſe, Exod. 34. 6. How great is his goodneſſe? Zach. 9. 17. The riches of his goodneſſe, Rom. 2. 4. No good thing will he with-hold, Pſal. 84. 11.
2. The Mediator of this Covenant; how full and rich is Jeſus Chriſt? Of his By the Mediator of this Covenant.fulneſſe do all we receive, he fills all in all: The Godhead dwells bodily in him, in him are all the treaſures of wiſdome and knowledge; there are the unſearchable riches of Chriſt; he is a perfect Redeemer, and is able to ſave to the utmoſt.
3. The Covenant it ſelf: There is nothing left out, and there is nothing which can be added unto it; the wiſdome and goodneſſe of God have made it a By the Covenant it ſelf.compleat ſtore-houſe and treaſury of all the good, and of all the help which all the children of God have, do, or ever ſhall need. Here is grace, and here is glory; here is all things pertaining to life, and all things pertaining to godlineſſe; here is for the life preſent, and for the life which is to come; here are all ſorts of comforts for the diſtreſſed, and all ſorts of helps for the needy, and all ſorts of defences for the expoſed; here is the Sunne, and the Shield, and exceeding great reward.
Ʋſe. This is an exceeding ſtay and comfort to all the people of Gods Covenant; other people are in want, and know not whether to go for help, or for any good; but This is ſtay to Gods people.you have a good God to go unto, and a good Covenant to go unto. Other people may know whither to go for this or that particular good, but they know not whither to go for all the good which they do need; they may go to one friend for counſel, and to another for almes, and to another for phyſick; but to whom can they go for mercy to pardon their ſinnes, or for peace to eaſe their troubled ſouls? but you who are the people of God, you have a Covenant to go unto which contains all manner of good for all the conditions of your ſouls, and for all the conditions of your bodies. Here is mercy to pardon, and loving-kindneſſe to comfort, and righteouſneſſe to juſtifie, and grace to ſanctifie, and peace to quiet, and glory to ſave; here is food for the body, and rayment, and ſafety, and bleſſing, and defence; here is all; others may give, and finde a little help, and a little comfort, and a little proviſion; but you have a Covenant to go unto which can give you all things richly to enjoy, abundant goodneſſe, abundant compaſſions, abundant mercies, abundant love, abundant grace, abundant joy, abundant conſolation, and abundant ſalvation; all things, all good things are treaſured up in this Covenant, and there they are in their perfection; not one good without another, but all good together; not a little of one, and a little of another, but every good in perfection and fulneſſe; a perfect God, and a perfect Mediator, and perfect love and mercy, and righteouſneſſe, &c.
2. This is an exceeding encouragemtnt unto you under any wants, or in any And an encouragement in wants to go to God in faith.great diſtreſſes, to go by faith unto your God, who hath made a full and perfect Covenant with you. O thou diſtreſſed ſinner, here is mercy enough laid up for thee, and here is peace enough, and goodneſs enough, and power enough, and grace enough, and help enough. God doth not promiſe unto you a little of his mercy, nor a little of his kindneſſe, nor a little of the righteouſneſſe of Chriſt, nor a little of holineſſe, nor a little of ſpiritual joy; Pſal. 81. 10. Open thy mouth wide, (enlarge the deſires of your hearts, you do not crave enough) and I will fill it, (I will plentifully anſwer, and ſatisfie you) Eat O friends, drink, yea, drink abundantly O beloved! Phil. 4. 19. My God ſhall ſupply all your need, according to his riches in glory by Jeſus Chriſt. Heb. 4. 16. Let us come boldly unto the Throne of grace, that we may obtain mercy and grace to help in time of need; you have no cauſe to be dejected, either with the multitude of your wants, or with the depth and greatneſſe of your diſtreſſes; nor have you any cauſe to doubt and fear the ſupply and redreſſe of theſe; for God hath made a full, rich and perfect Covenant with you; whiles there are anſwerable ſupplies, and ſuper-abounding helps, and theſe in a Covenant, and for you, there is more reaſon to ſet your faith on work to fetch in the ſupplies, than to ſet your feare on work becauſe of your wants; in all your diſtreſſed and needy conditions, be pleaſed to look on this Covenant, (ſeriouſly do ſo) bring your wants and diſtreſſes thither, and there ſhall you finde proper helps, and plentiful engagements; and now ſtirre up your faith to believe, and to take hold on God: Lord, here is the mercy which I need, and here is the exceeding riches of mercy which I do need, and here is the love, the great love, and here is the grace, the abundant grace, and here is the comfort, and the abundant comfort, and here is the ſtrength, the greatneſſe of that ſtrength which I do need, here it is laid up for thee by me; I come unto thee in the Name of Chriſt, (whoſe I am) and I beſeech thee abundantly to pardon me, to ſupply all my need according to thy riches in glory.