The Bowels of Tender Mercy Sealed in the Everlasting Covenant, Religious treatise · Part 1 · Chapter 5 · Section 4
SECT. IV.
A fourth property of this Covenant is this, It is a free or gracious Covenant; It is a free and gracious Covenant.By grace are ye ſaved, Epheſ. 2. 5. By grace are ye ſaved, Verſe 8. Now our Lord Jeſus Chriſt himſelf, and God even our Father, who hath loved us, and hath given us everlaſting conſolation, and good hope through grace, 2 Theſ. 2. 16. Being juſtified freely by his grace, Rom. 3. 24. I will love them freely; Hoſea 14. 4. Whoſoever will, let him take of the water of life freely, Revel. 22. 17. I will give unto him that is athirſt of the fountain of the water of life freely, Revel. 21. 6. He freely forgave them both, Luke 7. 42. The things that are freely given unto us of God, 1 Cor. 2. 12.
This Covenant is gracious or free in three reſpects. 1. For the conſtitution of Free in three reſpects.it. 2. For the reception into it. 3. For the donations from it.
1. For the exceeding framing out, or conſtituting of this Covenant, when For the conſtitution of it, in reſpect ofwas it? and with whom was it? and whence was it? All theſe will plainely demonſtrate, that this Covenant is a very free and gracious Covenant.
1. Conſider the time when it was made and ſet forth; why immediately upon The time when it was made.the fall; then when man-kinde had ſinned and tranſgreſſed the firſt Covenant; then when God might have glorified his juſtice upon all ſinners, yet then was the time that he promiſed this Covenant; The ſeed of the woman ſhall break, the Serpents head, Gen. 3. 15. Surely this muſt needs be gracious, then to ſet up a Throne of grace, when ſinful man was to receive his ſentence at the Bar of Juſtice.
2. Conſider the perſons with whom this Covenant is made; It was made not The perſons with whom the Covenant is made.with fallen Angels, but with men; why not with them, as well as with us? no anſwer can be given but this of grace; I will be gracious to whom I will be gracious; and I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy; Nay, and why with fallen men at all? no anſwer can be given for this neither, but only the grace of God, and his own good pleaſure; ſo it pleaſed him, and ſo it ſeemed good unto him.
3. Conſider whence the making of this Covenant did ariſe; Did it ariſe from Whence the making of this Covenant did ariſe.any goodneſſe in any man? O no, All the world was found guilty before God, and every mouth was ſtopped by reaſon of ſinne, Rom. 3. 19. Or did it ariſe from any deſire or entreaty of man? not at all; but as man firſt brought in ſinne and death, ſo God firſt thought of mercy and life. He is found of them that ſought him not, Iſa. 65. 1. O Iſrael, thou hast deſtroyed thy ſelf, but in … is thy help, Hoſea 13. 9. The Lord ſet his love upon you to take you into Covenant, &c. becauſe he loved you, Deut. 7. 7, 8.
2. For the reception into this Covenant, here the graciouſneſſe or freeneſſe of it For our reception into it.will alſo manifeſtly appear.
Conſider the perſons taken or brought into this Covenant either abſolutely in The perſons taken into the Covenant conſidered,themſelves, or reſpectively in their dealing towards God, or comparatively with others; As to all theſe conſiderations, this Covenant is a very gracious and free Covenant.
1. Conſider the perſons now taken into Covenant, what they were is themſelves. In themſelves.The Prophet tells you what they were, in Ezekiel 16. 3. Thy birth and thy Nativity was of the Lord of Canaan; thy Father was an Am…rite, and thy mother an Hittite. Ver. 4. Thy navel was not cut, neither waſt thou waſted in water to ſupple thee; thou waſt not ſalted at all, nor ſwadled at all. Ver. 5. No eye pitied thee to do any of theſe unto thee, to have compaſſion on thee; but thou waſt cast out into the open field, to the loathing of thy perſon in the day that thou wast born. Ver. 6. And when I paſsed by thee, and ſaw thee polluted in thine own blood, I ſaid unto thee when thou waſt in thy blood, Live; yea, I ſaid unto thee when thou waſt in thy blood, Live. Ver. 8. Now when I paſſed by thee, and looked upon thee, be hold thy time was the time of love, and I ſpread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedneſſe; yea, I ſware unto thee, and entered into Covenant with thee, ſaith the Lord God, and thou becameſt mine. Yea, and the Apoſtle tells us what perſons they were, whom yet God took into Covenant. Titus 3. 3. We our ſelves alſo were ſometimes fooliſh, diſobedient, deceived, ſerving divers luſts and pleaſures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another. Ver. 4. But after that the kindneſſe and love of God our Saviour towards man appeared. Ver. 5. Not by works of righteouſneſſe which we have done, but according to his mercy he ſaved us. In theſe places we ſee that there can be nothing found in us, either as to our natures, or as to our works, which might move God to take us into Covenant; but enough in both for him to reject us; and yet notwithſtanding both, he is pleaſed to enter into Covenant with us, and ſave us; This muſt needs be grace and mercy.
2. Conſider the per…ons taken now into Covenant, in their former reſpectiveneſſe of ſtate and actions towards God; The Apoſtle ſaith, That whiles we were In their former reſpectiveneſſe of ſtate and actions towards God.yet enemies, Chriſt dyed for us; And when we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Sonne, Rom. 5. 8, 10. Surely mercy ſhewn to enemies, muſt needs be free mercy; and to receive enemies into favour, this muſt be gracious favour; yet to do this to enemies even in thei… hoſtility, for God to take his enemies into his hands of mercy, and become a ſingular friend to them, even in the time of their raging and fighting againſt him; this muſt needs be of grace. It was remarkable favour in David, to ſpare the life of Saul his enemies much more in God, not only to ſpare the lives of ſinners and enemies, but to give them their ſouls and his Chriſt, and his mercy, and his ſalvation. You read of thoſe in Acts 2. 23. they were men who had by wicked hands crucified and ſlaine the Lord Jeſus; and verſe 13. at the preſent were …king at the Apoſtles, as if they had been a company of drunkards; Theſe men are full of new wine; Yet theſe men, and at this time, and in this poſture, God laid hold on by his grace, and convinced them, and humbled them, and gave them faith, and brought them into this Covenant with himſelf, as you may ſee from verſe 37. to 47. The like you read of Saul, when he was raging and waxing …d, and breathing out perſecutions againſt Chriſt, and againſt the Church of Christ; Being in this woful wretched poſture, the Lord takes hold of him, and left him not untill he had brought him into this bleſſed Covenant of grace and mercy.
3. Conſider perſons comparatively with other perſons; you ſhall finde that the Comparatively with other Perſons.taking of any perſon into Covenant is gracious and free; in comparing of perſons with perſons, ordinarily God paſſeth by thoſe on whom we ſhould ſix admiration, and look at ſome cauſe and reaſons of pre-acceptation, and chooſeth thoſe, and brings in thoſe in whom nothing at all is to be pre-ſuppoſed. Sometimes he paſſeth by the greater perſons, and takes in the meaner perſons, he paſſeth by the wiſe, and takes in the fooliſh; he paſſeth by the mighty, and takes in the weak; he paſſeth by the noble, and takes in the baſe. 1 Cor. 1. 2…. Not many wiſe after the fleſh, not many mighty, not many noble are called. Ver. 27. But God hath choſen the fooliſh things of the world, and the weak things of the world. Ver. 28. and baſe things of the world, and things which are despiſed, and things which are not. Ver. 29. that no fleſh ſhould glory in his preſence. So ſometimes of perſons, whereof ſome are more notorious and wicked, and vile, and others are not ſo abominable; he is pleaſed to leave the leſſer ſort of ſinners, and to bring in the vileſt of ſinners; Publicans and Harlots were brought in into the Kingdome of God, when the ſuperſtitious and righteous Phariſees were excluded; Paul the chiefeſt of ſinners was taken in, and others were left; Mary Magdalon was brought in, and others paſt by; and why doth God do this, but that men ſhould acknowledge that it is no worthineſſe of the ſinne; that brings him in, nor any unworthineſſe of the ſinner that ſhuts him out? but all ſprings from the grace of God alone; that he brings not in any ſinner upon his own account, but onelyonly upon the account of free grace.
3. Laſtly, the Covenant is free as to the dispenſations and donations of it; what Free as to the diſpenſations and donations of it.is that? that is all that drops out of this Covenant; all that good flowing from it, and running down upon us, are only gracious flowings, only free bounties and gifts. The Papiſts talk of a meritum de congruo, whiles we are in the ſtate of nature; and of a meritum de condigno, after we are in the ſtate of grace. But we know no merit but that of ſin which deſerves damnation; and the merit of Chriſt which deſerves ſalvation; All our ſtanding, and all our expectation it the grace of God, that is the reaſon of all our enjoyments; God doth not give us Chriſt becauſe we deſerve a Chriſt, but becauſe he is pleaſed freely to beſtow Chriſt upon us; God doth not forgive our ſins for our own ſake, but for his own Name ſake. God doth not love us for any thing in us, but he loves us freely, becauſe he is pleaſed to love us; God doth not ſave us for any works of ours, but he ſaves us for his mercies ſake; God doth not bleſſe us for our goodneſſe ſake, but he bleſſeth us only for his Chriſts ſake, and his promiſes ſake: God doth not juſtifie us for the ſake of our own righteouſneſſe, but he juſtifies us freely by his own grace, through the Redemption that is in Chriſt Jeſus, Romans 3. 24.
Objection. But ſome may ſay, God is not free in doing of his people good, becauſe he hath by promiſe bound himſelf to do them good.
Solution. I anſwer. 1. It was the freeneſſe of his grace to make all thoſe promiſes. 2. Though he bindes himſelf in promiſes to do us good, yet he doth not accompliſh thoſe promiſes upon the reaſon of our goodneſſe or deſerts, but upon the account of his own mercifulneſſe, and goodneſſe, and graciouſneſſe.
Obj. But he promiſeth many things conditionally, and lets them out upon ſuch and ſuch conditions, and herefore not freely.
Sol. I anſwer.
1. Every kind of condition is not oppoſite to grace, as I ſhall ſhortly demonſtrate unto you.
2. Whatſoever condition he makes with his people for the enjoyment of any good, he doth freely give, and work that condition in them.
3. No condition on our part hath any reaſon of merit in it, which is the thing oppoſite to grace, but it is only a means by which we come certainly to enjoy that which God is pleaſed graciouſly to give; In this reſpect we are ſaid to be juſtified by faith, and to be ſaved by faith, and yet we are alſo juſtified by grace, and ſaved by grace; Faith you ſee is put in as a condition, and yet it excludes not grace; Nay, becauſe by faith, therefore by grace; for our faith and Gods grace can well agree, though Gods grace and mans deſerts can never agree.
Now lets make a little Uſe of all this.
Ʋſe. 1 Is the Covenant which God makes with us a gracious Covenant? O what cauſe have we poor and unworthy ſinners to bleſse God for all this! O Beloved! Bleſſe God for this.it is grace which is the life of this Covenant, and which is life to our ſouls; it is not all the love that is promiſed in the Covenant, it is not all the mercy that is promiſed in the Covenant, it is not all the holineſſe that is promiſed in the Covenant, it is not all the comforts and joyes, and peace, and bleſſings which are promiſed in the Covenant, it is not that eternal life, and glorious ſalvation promiſed in the Covenant, it is not Jeſus Chriſt, and all the purchaſes of Chriſt drawn into this Covenant; none of theſe, nor all theſe would be any hope, or any encouragement, or any life at all unto us, were the graciouſneſſe of the Covenant left out. If the Lord ſhould ſay unto us, Here is the ſweeteſt love that ever ſinner taſted of, but you muſt deſerve it; alas, then I cannot expect it. Here is the precious Chriſt, the Authour of ſalvation, but you muſt deſerve him; alas then I ſhall never enjoy him; here is pardoning mercy to forgive all your ſinnes, but you muſt deſerve it; O then I ſhall never partake of it. As he ſaid Tolle meum & tolle Deum, ſo ſay I, Tolle gratiam & tolle omnia; take away grace, and take away all; then take away Chriſt, and take away God, and take away mercy, and take away heaven, and take away hope, and take away all; the ſinner is utterly loſt upon any account, but that of grace only; it is this graciouſneſſe which makes him capable, and makes him hopeful; here is a loving God, and he will love you freely; here is a merciful God, and he will pardon you freely; here is a converting God, and he will receive you graciouſly; here is a good God, and he will bleſſe you graciouſly, &c. Now the ſinner begins to have hope, and begins to hearken; If there be a Covenant of grace, why ſhould I deſpaire? If it be altogether gracious, if it be raiſed by grace, and publiſhed by grace, and admits and receives by grace, and lets out all by grace, there is yet hope that I may eſcape periſhing, that I may be delivered, that I may find mercy and favour; grace looks for no worthineſſe, and grace paſſeth by all unworthineſſe, and grace may look on, and pity and help the greateſt of ſinners; bleſſed be God who hath ſweetened all his mercies, and all his undertakings, and all his bleſſings, and all his givings, with freeneſſe and graciouſneſſe.
2. Is the Covenant which God makes with with us, a free and gracious Covenant? then ſtand out no longer; be aliens to God no longer, be ſtrangers to his Th…n ſtand out no longer.Covenant no longer; grace makes your way clear and open; it beats down all the mountains that did ſtand in your way.
It is ſaid of Abraham, that againſt hope he believed in hope: ſo againſt all the unhopefulneſſe from your ſelves, you ſhould believe from the hopefulneſſe in the Covenant of grace; yea, and above hope, believe in hope; when you conſider the greatneſſe of the bleſſings in the Covenant, they ſeem to be above hope; but when you conſider the graciouſneſſe in the beſtowing of them, they are now under hope; Ho, all you that hear me this day, hearken unto me; The graciouſneſſe of the Covenant will prove unto you either your ſweeteſt ſalvation, or elſe your heavieſt condemnation; if it doth not prove a ſtrong encouragement to bring you into the Covenant, it will certainly prove the heavieſt and bittereſt aggravation upon you for ſtanding out againſt the Covenant. O beloved, yet be ſerious and wiſe, and make in to God! you may be received graciouſly; your ſins have been exceeding great, but the Covenant holds out more exceeding mercy joyned with more exceeding grace. Rom. 5. 20. Where ſinne abounded, grace did much more abound; If you come in to God, his Covenant is to forgive all your ſins, and to forgive them freely. Your worthineſſe is none at all, and yet you may come in, and God according to his Covenant will love you freely; you may have all freely, a God, a Chriſt, love, mercy, forgiveneſſe, the holy Spirit, then new heart, the ſalvation of your ſouls freely. Therefore,
1. Refuſe him not, and do not trifle away your precious ſouls, whiles you Refuſe not Gods offer.have a day of grace, and a Covenant of grace tendred unto you to come in; Beware you refuſe not him that speaketh, neither neglect ſo great ſalvation. God neither will, nor poſſibly can fall lower or eaſier than he doth with you in his gracious Covenant.
2. Fear not whether you ſhall be look't on, or received of God: he ſaith he will Fear not your acceptance.receive you graciouſly; If a company of poor men were envited by a rich man, Come and I will give you money, and receive and feed you freely, you ſhall have all your wants ſupplied freely, would they be afraid to accept the offer? Do not make another Covenant than God is willing to make with you; neither make any other Articles than God himſelf hath annexed unto this Covenant; he ſaith it is a gracious Covenant; ſay not you it is not ſo; he hath ſaid he will receive you graciouſly a ſay not you but he will not; he ſaith that he will love you freely, and juſtifie you freely, and ſave you freely; do not you ſay, But God will do none of theſe; O no! God is truth it ſelf, and he will perform the truth to Jacob, and his mercy to Abraham, Micah 7. 20. Therefore fear not, but catch and take hold on this grace of God.
3. Come in and make thy ſupplications to God. Come in and confeſſe thy ſins, Come in and make thy ſupplications to God.and thy unworthineſſe, and cry out unto God in the Name of Chriſt, O Lord, I have ſinned againſt thee, and I am unworthy to be made one of thy people; but yet look on me graciouſly, and bring me into the Bond of thy Covenant; Thou ſayeſt thou wilt give all, and all freely; O ſave me freely, and love me freely, and juſtifie me freely! freely give me Chriſt, and freely give me faith, and freely give me mercy, &c.
3. Is the Covenant which God makes with us a gracious Covenant? Let all in Covenant remember, To be humble all their dayes.Then let all who are brought into Covenant remember two things.
1. To be humble all their dayes; you differ indeed from other men now, and you have a different relation from them, and different conditions from them, and different enjoyments from them, and different hopes from them; I, but who or what made you thus to differ? nothing in you, nothing of your own; you were in the ſame lump of ſinne and confuſion, and in the ſame common Rode of deſtruction with other men; it was the meer grace of God that made the difference; it was his free love, and his free mercy, and his free Spirit, and his free call, and his free giving of Chriſt unto you, and of faith unto you; therefore do not bleſſe your ſelves but grace; nor glory in your ſelves but in grace; was it not the root which bred and bare the branches? glory in the root, but do not glory in your ſelves; glory in the grace of God which is the only root of your lives, hopes, enjoyments, all.
2. Remember ſtill that you are in a Covenant of grace. The Covenant is not That you are ſtill in a Covenant of gracea Covenant of grace only, whiles you are brought in, but it is a Covenant of grace after that you are brought in unto it; you could finde nothing to reſt on before; nor muſt you finde any thing to reſt on but the grace of God, after that you are got into the Covenant of grace; you ſhall find wants ſtill, and weakneſſes ſtill, and unworthineſſe ſtill; but withal remember that you are under a Covenant of grace ſtill; what's that? my meaning is, that God will ſtill deal with you in a gracious way, and you may go unto him ſtill upon his own gracious termes, and (as ſo) expect continual helps and ſupplies from him. Save me for thy mercies ſake, ſaid David. Receive us graciouſly, ſaid the Church; As your admiſſion into the Covenant owes it ſelf wholly to the grace of God, ſo your pleading and expectations, and confidences muſt ſtill look at the ſame grace; for as he loves you freely, ſo he bleſſeth you freely: and as he hath done you much good already upon gracious reaſons, ſo he will continue to do you good, and good all your dayes upon the ſame termes.
O how vainly and ſimply do we trouble and diſquiet our own ſouls, as if the gracious Covenant were ſometimes free, and ſometimes not free; that ſome of the things promiſed in the Covenant muſt drop out freely, and yet other things muſt be pumped out by ſomething of our own; that the leſſer mercies are free, but the greater mercies muſt come off upon harder termes and conditions; that our coming into Covenant, this is all of grace; but our receipts from the Covenant, theſe are not ſo! truly theſe are many times our thoughts; but the Lord knows that the thoughts of man are vain, and theſe are ſo; for as we are found by grace, and made by grace, ſo we live, and are brought up by grace till we come to glory. And as our admiſſions into the Covenant are only gracious, ſo all our receptions are ſo, and muſt be ſo all our dayes, that God alone may have all the glory.