The Bowels of Tender Mercy Sealed in the Everlasting Covenant, Religious treatise · Part 1 · Chapter 6 · Section 8
SECT. VIII.
4. Ʋſe IS uniting Faith the condition of the Covenant of Grace, ſo that all Believers Inſtructions.in Chriſt are really in Covenant with God, and God with them? Then you who are believers (who are by faith united unto Chriſt) learn from hence the duties which do eſpecially concern you as Believers intereſted in Chriſt, and in the Covenant: The duties which do much concern you are theſe. 1. Improve your faith to a dependance on your God. 2. Improve your faith to an obſervance or keeping Covenant with your God. 3. Remember that it is Jeſus Chriſt upon whoſe account you and God are in Covenant.
1. Being united by faith unto Chriſt, and ſo brought into Covenant, now improve Improve your faith to a dependance upon God.your faith to a dependance upon your God, who is your God in Covenant: Come unto him in the name of Chriſt as unto your God, and rely on him, and expect to receive from him, all the good for which he hath engaged himſelf unto you in Covenant: For the better mannaging of this inſtruction, I wil briefly ſhew unto you
1. That it is an expreſſe and peremptory duty incumbent on you (who are by Faith brought into Covenant) to depend by faith on your God in Covenant.
2. How farre you may by vertue of your union with Chriſt by faith depend upon your God.
3. What encouragements there are for all who are by Faith united unto Chriſt to depend and rely on their God for whatſoever good themſelves do need, and God in his Covenant hath promiſed unto them: I beſeech you who are Believers, diligently to regard and remember theſe things.
1. It is an expreſſe and peremptory duty incumbent on you being brought This is a peremptory duty.(by faith on Chriſt) into the Covenant, to depend by Faith on God, who is your God in Covenant, Iſa. 8. 19. Should not a people ſeek unto their God? Pſal. 20. 7. Some truſt in Chariots, and ſome in Horſes, but we will remember the Name of the Lord our God. Pſal. 115. 9. O Iſrael! truſt thou in the Lord, Pſal. 91. 2. I will ſay of the Lord, He is my Refuge and my Fortreſſe, my God, in him will I truſt, Iſa. 50. 10. Who is he that ſits in darkneſſe and ſees no light? Let him truſt in the Name of the Lord, and ſtay upon his God. Iſa. 26. 4. Truſt ye in the Lord for ever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlaſting ſtrength. See Pſal. 62. 8. Zeph. 3. 12. Iſa. 12. 2. Iſa. 14. 32. 2 Cor. 1. 9, 10. 1 Pet. 3 5.
Beloved! This is the end of your union with Chriſt, that you might have communion with God, that you might have acceſſe unto him, Epheſ. 2. 18. and that you might come boldly to the throne of Grace, that you may obtain mercy and grace to help in time of need, Heb. 4. 16. And this is the end for which this faith is given unto you, not only for admiſſion into the Covenant, but for participation of all the good of the Covenant: It is given unto you to make you children, and it is given to you to make you heirs; it is given unto you in a paſſive ſenſe that you might be received into the Covenant; and it is given unto you in an active ſenſe, that you may receive the good out of the Covenant; It is given unto you to take off your hearts from all confidence, but upon your God alone, and to ſet all your hopes on him, and expectations from him; and it is given unto you that you might give glory to all the truths of God; and what glory do you give to his p…omiſes, if you think him a God not to be truſted? &c.
2. How far (by vertue of union with Chriſt) Believers may depend upon their How far Believers may depend on God in Covenant. So far as Chriſt is made over to you by God.God in Covenant. I will deſcribe thoſe Bounds unto you in ſix Propoſitions.
1. So far as Jeſus Chriſt is made over unto you by God, your dependance on God, may, and ſhould extend. Iſa. 9. 6. Ʋnto us a Son is given, and the government ſhall be upon his ſhoulders; his Name ſhall be called wonderfull, Counſell…r, the mighty God, the everlaſting Father, the Prince of Peace; He is by God ſet forth to be a propitiation, Rom. 3. …5. And he is made of God unto us Wiſdom, and Righteouſneſs, and Sanctification, and Redemption, 1 Cor. 1. …0 And God hath made him to be ſin for us, that we may be made the Righteouſneſs of God in him, 2 Cor. 5. 21. And he is given to be a Redeemer, a Saviour, a Light, a Salvation: As to all theſe reſpects you may confidently depend upon your God, that Jeſus Chriſt ſhall be unto you a Redeemer.
2. So far as Chriſt hath purchaſed for his Members, as far as his purchaſe extends, ſo far your dependance on your God may extend; whatſoever good or As far as his purchaſe extends.bleſſing he hath laid down a price for, and bought by his blood and death for all that believe on h…m, for all that may you by faith depend upon your God (in time) to ſettle upon you; whether it be remiſſion of ſin, or reconciliation with God, or grace, or peace in conſcience, or acceptance, or aſſiſtance, or joyes of the Holy Ghoſt, or perſeverance, or eternal glory, for all of it are you to depend upon your God, to ſettle upon you in their order and meaſure.
3. So far as the promiſes of God do extend, ſo far may, and ſhould your dependance So far as the promiſes extend.on your God extend: whatſoever he undertakes to give you in his Covenant, for all that may, and ſhould you depend upon him for according to his Covenant: His Covenant is full of promiſes, and thoſe promiſes are full of good for ſoule, for body, for both, for this life, for the next life, for grace, for glory; why! All theſe promiſes are the childrens bread, and the believers portion: and as where God hath a mouth to ſpeak to us in the way of Precepts, there we ſhould have an eare to hear him in the way of obedience; ſo where God is pleaſed to abound in promiſes unto us, we are bound to enlarge our Faith in a dependance upon him for all that promiſed good: unbelief diſpleaſeth and diſhonoureth God in his promiſ…s, as diſobedience doth diſhonour and diſpleaſe him in reſpect of his commands.
4. So far as the real exigences of our ſoules and bodies do extend, ſo far may, and ſhould our faith of dependance extend upon our God: Though the childe hath no So far as the real exigences of our ſouls and bodies do extend.reaſon to depend upon his father to ſupply him of his vanities; yet he hath warrant enough to rely upon him to relieve all his neceſſities. If the childe wants bread, and rayment, or Phyſick, the childe may come, and the Father will help: and this holds 'twixt God our Father, and his children. How much more ſhall your heavenly Father give good things to them that ask him? Matth. 7. 11. If it be a want indeed, an exigence indeed, a ſtrait indeed, you may go to your God and truſt on him, and he will not faile you. Pſal 84. 11. No good thing will he with-hold. Pſal. 34. 10. They that ſeek the Lord, ſhall not want any good thing. Iſai. 41. 17. When the poor and needy ſeek water, and there is none, and their tongue faileth for thirſt, I the Lord will hear, I the God of Iſrael will will not forſake them.
Let your want or exigence be temporal, or ſpiritual, if it be indeed an exigence by reaſon of temptation from Satan, or from the inſolent op…rations of ſinfull corruptions, or from the greatneſſe of afflictions, or heav…neſſe of miſery, or diſtreſſe of poverty, or any other preſſure, I ſay, if it be a reall exigence that you know not what to do, in every ſuch caſe your eyes ſhould be upon your God, you ſhould truſt on him, and ſtay upon his Name.
5. So far as your prayers may extend for your ſelves, ſo far may, and ſhould So far as our Prayers may extend.your dependance on your God extend: I do not ſay every mans asking and faith of dependance are co-extenſive: Nor do I ſay that every good mans asking and faith of dependance are to be paralleld: But this I ſay, that ſo far as you may pray, ſo far you may and ought to believe, to depend on your God, 1 Joh. 5. 14. This is the confidence that we have in him, that if we ask any thing according to his will, he heareth us. Joh. 14. 13. Whatſoever ye ſhall ask in my Name, that will I do, that the Father may be glorified in the Son: you may pray for whatſoever God hath commanded you to pray, and you may pray for whatſoever God hath encouraged his people to pray; you may pray for whatſoever God hath promiſed to hear and and anſwer Prayer; and for whatſoever Chriſt may be looked upon as an Interceſſor: And for all theſe may you depend upon your God. Nay you ſhould do ſo; for as your God would have you thus to pray unto him, ſo he would have you to pray in faith, to ask in Faith, believing that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently ſeek him.
6. Laſtly, Match but conditions and circumſtances, whatſoever good, and in So far as any childe of God hath extended his faith in like condition.whatſoever like caſe any Child of God, or ſervant of Chriſt hath extended his faith of dependance upon his God, for all that good may you (being now in the ſame relation and condition) exerciſe your faith of dependance upon your God: If you be in the ſame ſtrait that Jehoſhaphat was, or in the ſame diſtreſſe that Hezekiah was, or in the ſame calamity that Job was, or in the ſame dejection & deſertion that David was, or in the ſame ſpiritual conflicts, and temptation that Paul was, or in the ſame trouble and terror of conſcience that Heman was, &c. whatſoever mercy, or grace, help, or comfort, or goodneſs, they might look up unto God for as their God in Covenant, for the very ſame may you look up to God, and depend upon God for as your God. Whatſoever any one hath pleaded for with God, and truſted upon God for, becauſe he was their God, upon the ſame account, in the ſame condition may every Child of God plead with him, and depend upon him for, becauſe God is alſo his God: Parallel but conditions and circumſtances, and then the ſame Covenant will unqueſtionably afford unto you the ſame ground for confidence and dependance.
3. Theſe things being ſo, let us advance now into the third place, viz. What Encouragements to depend upon God.encouragements there are for all who are by faith united unto Chriſt, chearfully and confidently to depend upon their God for whatſoever good he hath ſtated out for them in his Coenvant.
Sol. If any people in the world have grounds of encouragement to depend on God for the good of his Covenant, then certainly you have who are by faith united unto Chriſt; and you have theſe three choice encouragements; viz. 1. Relation. 2. Promiſes. 3. The Name and Office of Chriſt.
1. There is a very near relation between God and you; ſo near that there is a mutual propriety between you, Zech. 1…. 9. I will ſay It is my people, and they ſhall There is a near relation 'twixt God and you.ſay The Lord is my God, 2 Cor. 6. 18. I will be a Father unto you, and ye ſhall be my Sons and Daughters, ſaith the Lord Almighty. Iſa. 54. 5. Thy Maker is thy Husband (the Lord of Hoſts is his Name) and thy Redeemer, &c. Can there be any Relation greater or nearer than theſe Relations? My God, and my people; our Father, and my Sons and Daughters; my Husband, and my Wife. Surely theſe are the neareſt Relations for union, and they are the tendereſt Relations for affection, and they are the ſtrongeſt Relations for obligation: The Father himſelf loves you, ſaid Chriſt to his Diſciples; I will marry thee to my ſelf in loving kindneſſe, ſaid God to his Church. Love will do much, eſpecially love ſet in a near relation. Why are our hands ſo open to our Wives, and Children, and Friends, but becauſe our hearts are enlarged in love towards them? And why do any of theſe repair unto us (and not to others) for help, but becauſe of their neer relation unto us? they are our Children, and we are their Fathers, they are our Wives, and we are their Husbands? There is near relation, and there is love, and there is readineſſe, and there is ſpecial obligation, and therefore they come to us, and depend upon us, and we do help them. Do you finde encouragement to depend upon your friend, becauſe he is your friend and loves you? and have you not a greater encouragement to depend upon your God, becauſe he is your God and loves you? Can the Childe finde encouragements enough (by vertue of his relation) to go to his Father and rely on him? and cannot you (who are by faith the children of God) diſcern greater encouragements to go to your Father, and depend on him? your Relation is higher, and your love is infinitely purer and ſtronger!
2. If the nearneſs of Relation be not ſatisfactory, then remember there is alſo You have the Bond of the Promiſes.the bound of promiſes: To you are the promiſes made and given, which are the very bonds of God, and your names are in thoſe bonds; God will not be at liberty, he knows how incredulous we are, we muſt have his Word to tell us how he ſtands affected towards us; nay, and we muſt have his word of promiſe, binding and engaging his honour (as God) to do us good, and not to faile us: Nay, perhaps his word of promiſe will not ſuffice us, but beſides that we muſt have his Oath (which yet we never put any man on earth unto, and unto whom we come for help) but God comes off with all this to encourage us to come unto him, and to depend on him. He is ours in Affection, he becomes ours in Relation, and he tells us how good a God he intends to be unto us, and then engageth himſelf in promiſes for all that good; and moreover he takes his Oath, ſwears by himſelf that he will not faile us nor forſake us, and that in bleſſing he will bleſſe us. Beloved! what would you have more to encourage, to aſſure you, to give you confidence that you may draw near to your God, and depend, and truſt upon him; ſaith God, you have my Word, and you have my Oath, and I am yours, I have no greater ſecurity to make unto you.
3. Well, and beſides this you have another encouragement to come and You have the name and Office of Chriſt to encourage you.depend upon your God, and that is the Name of Chriſt, and the Office of Chriſt.
Object. True, will you ſay, we can deſire no more on Gods part; but ſomething makes us to fear, and doubt on our part; He is good, but we are unworthy; and he is willing to do us good: but how ſhall we plead with him?
Sol. I anſwer, Jeſus Chriſt is yours, and in his name you may go to the Father, and as you may plead with the Father in his Name, ſo doth he plead for you with the Father in his own Name: Joh 16. 23. Verily, verily, I ſay unto you, whatſoever ye ſhall ask the Father in my Name he will give it you. As if he ſhould ſay, I grant that you (of your ſelves) are unworthy, and you cannot prevaile upon your own account of worthineſs; this will not carry it with the Father; therefore when you come unto him uſe my Name, plead my worthinſs, entreat him to do you good for my ſake, and I aſſure you that will prevaile with him, Heb. 9. 24. Chriſt is entred into heaven itſelf, now to appear in the preſence of God for us. Heb. 7. 25. He is able alſo to ſave them to the uttermoſt that come unto God by him: Seeing he ever liveth to make interceſſion. You ſee in theſe places that Jeſus Chriſt appears in the preſence of God for you; when you appear before God in prayer, Chriſt alſo appears in the preſence of God for you, and makes interceſſion for you; he owns your perſons, and he owns your petititions, you plead and Chriſt pleads, you make requeſts, and Chriſt makes interceſſion. Father! Theſe are they whom thou haſt given to me; Thine they were, and they are mine; for them I dyed, and for them I purchaſ…d all the good which thou didſt promiſe unto me, that they ſhould have, if I would lay down my life for them: Now therefore let them enjoy what thou haſt promiſed, and what I have purchaſed for them. Thus have you the firſt duty belonging unto them who are by faith united to Chriſt, and brought thereby into Covenant with God: Now follows the ſecond.
2. Being united by Faith unto Chriſt, and ſo let into the Covenant, Improve your Faith to an obſervance or keeping Covenant with your God: And indeed Faith is Improve your faith to a keeping Covenant with God.given unto you alſo for this end, that you may be able to keep and hold faſt the Covenant made between you and your God, that you may obey his will, walk in his Statutes and wayes, be ſincere and upright, and remain faithfull and ſtedfaſt with him to the end.
Queſt. But can faith do this? Is it in the power of our faith thus to enable us? How doth faith enable us to keep Covenant with God.How can, or doth faith enable us to keep Covenant with our God?
Sol. This is an excellent queſtion, and I would reſolve it thus: Faith doth enable us to keep our Covenant with God ſix wayes.
1. By pleading the Covenant; by enabling us to go unto, and reſt upon our God in Covenant, to let out that ſtrength and ſufficiency of that grace which By pleading the Covenant.he hath promiſed unto all his people in Covenant with him; the ſtrength to keep the Covenant lies in the Covenant, and by faith you get it.
Thou ſaid'ſt that thou wouldſt do me good, ſaid Jacob, Gen. 32. 12. So Lord thou ſaid'ſt that thou wouldeſt give me thy Spirit to cauſe me to walk in thy ſtatutes and to do them, Ezek. 36. 27. Thou ſaid'ſt thou would'ſt write thy Law in my heart; Now Lord! according to thy word and Covenant help, ſtrengthen, keep, direct, eſtabliſh my heart, ſubdue mine iniquities, ſuffer me not to be tempted above what I am able, let thy grace be ſufficient for me, make thy power manifeſt in weakneſs, &c.
2. By keeping up communion with Chriſt, and drawing vertue and influence from By keeping up communion with Chriſt.him: without me ye can do nothing, ſaid Chriſt; I can do all things through Chriſt that ſtrengthens me, ſaid Paul: Why! It is in and by Chriſt, that we are what we are, that we do what we do, that we are ſtrengthened with all might, that we ſtand, that we walk, that we work, that we run our race, that we finiſh our courſe, that we continue in wel-doing to the end: Now faith keeps up our hearts, and keeps up communion with Chriſt our Head, our Root, our Life, our Fountain, our Strength, and our Sufficiency, and receives out of his fulneſſe, and makes us partakers of his life, and of his death, and of his victories over ſin, and Satan, and the world, and of his ſtrength for active and paſſive obedience.
3. By taking us off from all our own ſelf-ſufficiencies, and ſelf-confidences (which By taking us off from our own ſelf ſufficiency.breed nothing but pride and preſumption, and hypocriſie, and apoſtaſie, and careleſneſs) and exciting our hears to pray, and to fear, and to watch, and diligently to attend the Ordinances of Chriſt; all which are meanes to ſtrengthen and preſerve us in well-doing, &c
4. By obſerving the continual mercies of God to us in the things of this life, and By obſerving the continual mercies of God to us.the gracious performance of his promiſes unto us, both which are as ſo many cords to bind us faſter unto God, and are of great force with a believing heart to engage it more unto God, and to walk the more cloſely, and faithfully, and exactly, and fruitfully before him: to be the more aſhamed to ſin againſt him, to be barren and uneven with ſo bleſſing and encouraging a God!
5. By letting in the love of God in Chriſt (the goodneſs and ſweetneſs of his favour) By letting in the love of God in Chriſt into our hearts.into our Conſciences. It is faith which hath the ſight of all the kindneſs of God, and conveyes unto us the taſts of all the mercy of God, how God ſtands affected to us, how accepted we are with him, what grace our poor ſouls have found in his eyes, what his thoughts are of us, and how dear we are to his ſoule: And verily if Faith be the glaſſe (as it were) for us to ſee the face of our loving God, O how will this inflame and knit our hearts in love to God again! and how will that love continue us to the choiſeſt, to the fulleſt, to the chearfulleſt, to the faithfulleſt ſervice of obedience!
5. By holding out before us, both the honour of God, and the reward of God: By holding out before us the honour of GodOur faithfull walking with him is an honour to him, and a delight to him, Theſe are my people, theſe live like a people of God, they glorifie him: and that is the great Argument which faith uſeth to make the people of God and the rewards of God.to be faithfull and ſtedfaſt, Herein is my Father glorified, Joh. 15. 8. And beſides that, it holds out the crown of life, the great recompence of reward, that Well done good and faithful ſervant! enter thou into the joy of thy Lord: Hold faſt that which thou ha…, that no man take thy …. He that continues, to the end ſhall be ſaved. And faith he … w…a… God hath done for us, and what God …s ſtill to us, and what an immortal inheritance, and exceedingly exceeding weight of Glory he hath prepared and reſerved for us, doth thereupon quicken, encourage, ſupport, draw out our hearts to be induſtrious, obedient, diligent and faithful.
3. The third and laſt duty from this, that you are by Faith united to Chriſt, Remember Jeſus Chriſt,and brought into the Covenant, is this, Remember your Jeſus Chriſt, remember that it is Chriſt only upon whoſe account you and God are in Covenant: he is the door of your hope, he is the Way, the Truth, and the Life; in him are ye found, and in him have you found life, and love, and mercy, and grace, and peace, and ſalvation. You could never have ſeen the reconciled, loving, gracious God as your God, but in and by him: He hath made you near, and accepted, and beloved, and bleſſed; He alone! Therefore.
1. Never magnifie your ſelves, but Chriſt; never aſcribe any thing to your To magnifie him.worthineſs, but aſcribe all to Chriſt: O Chriſt, I had never ſeen, nor taſted, nor enjoyed this, nor that, nor any thing but for thy ſake.
2. Love Jeſus Christ exceedingly for himſelf, and for all the treaſures of To love him.the Covenant opened for you, and laid out upon you, &c.
3. Go ſtill in his Name unto the Father: By him you come into Covenant, Go unto the Father in his Name.and by him you obtain ſucceſſively every good … Co…enant, &c.