Religion Our True Interest, Chapter 17
CHAP. XVII. The first Part of the Saints reward, Gods owning them.
2. I Come now to the reward it self, the first part whereof is Gods owning them, they shall be mine.
Expositors here vary: I take the sence of it to be, they shall be mine in Covenant, Ezek. 16.8. I entred into Covenant with thee, and thou becamest mine *Isa. 43.1.. This is no small favour to be in Covenant with God: therefore when God told Abraham that he would enter into Covenant with him, Abraham fell on his face; Gen. 17.2. as being amazed that the great God should bestow such a signal favour upon him. God never entred into Covenant with the Angels when they fell, but he proclaims himself God in Covenant with Believers, they shall be mine. This Covenant enriched with Free-grace, is a better Covenant than that which was made with Adam in Innocency. For
1. The least failing would have made the first Covenant null and void: but many failings do not invalidate the Covenant of Grace. I grant the least sin makes a trespass upon the Covenant; but doth not rescind it. Every failing in the Conjugal Relation breaks not the Marriage bond.
2. The first Covenant being violated, allowed the sinner no remedy; all doors of hope were shut: but the new Covenant allows of a Remedy: it provides a surety, Heb. 12.24. Jesus the Mediator of the new Covenant.
1 Vse. Inform.See the amazing goodness of God to his People, to enter into Covenant with them, and say, Ye are mine, 2 Sam. 23.5. He hath made with me an Everlasting Covenant, ordered in all things and sure. The first Covenant stood upon the ticklish Foundation of Works. Adam had no sooner a stock of Original Righteousness to Trade with, but he broke: but this Covenant of Grace is confirmed with Gods Decree, and rests upon two mighty Pillars, the Oath of God, and the Blood of God. That ye may see how great a priviledge this is to be owned by the Lord federally, that he should be our God, and we his people, consider,
1. If we are in Covenant with God and he saith to us Ye are mine, then all that is in God is ours. A person falling to decay marrying to a King, hath an interest in all the Crown-revenues: God having entred into a near Relation with us, and saying ye are mine, we have a share in his Rich revenues. The Lord saith to every Believer as the King of Israel said to the King of Syria, 1 Kin. 20.4. I am thine and all that I have: My Wisdom shall be thine to teach thee, my Holiness shall be thine to Sanctifie thee, my Mercy shall be thine to save thee. What richer dowry than Deity? God is a whole Ocean of blessedness. If there is enough in him to fill the Angels, then sure he hath enough to fill us.
2. If God saith to us ye are mine, then he will have a tender care of us. 1 Pet. 5.7. He careth for you *Res est solliciti plena timoris amor.. God to shew his tender anxiousness towards Israel, bare them as upon Eagles wings, Exod. 19.4. The Eagle carries her young ones upon her wing to defend them; the Arrow must first shoot through the Old Eagle, before it can touch her Young ones. A Mothers care is seen in leading the Child that it may not fall: such is Gods care. Hos. 11.3. I taught Ephraim to go, leading them by their Arms. We may argue a minori ad majus, if God take care of the meanest Infects and Animals that creep upon the earth, much more will he take care of his Covenant-Saints. He is still consulting and projecting for their good; if they wander out of the way, he guides them; if they stumble, he holds them by the hand; if they fall, he raiseth them; if they be dull, he quickens them by his Spirit; if they be froward, he draws them with cords of Love; if they be sad, he Comforts them with his promises.
3. If God saith to us, ye are mine, then he will intirely love us, Jer. 31.3. I have loved thee with an Everlasting love. The Lord may give a man riches and not love him: his prosperity may be as Israels Quails sawced with Gods wrath. Num. 11.32, 33. But when God saith, ye are mine, he cannot but love; every one loves his own. If God hath any love better than other, his Covenant-People shall have it; he will distil the Spirits of his love for them, he loves them as he loves Christ, John 17.24.
4. If God saith to us ye are mine, then he will not suffer us to want. Believers are not only of Gods family, but of Christs body; and will the head let the body starve? Psalm 37.3. Verily thou shalt be fed. God hath not promised dainties; he will not satisfie his Peoples lusts, but he will supply their wants; if the Bill of Fare grows low, what they lack in chear, they shall have in blessing, Exod. 23.25. He will bless thy bread and thy water. God will rather work a miracle, than any of his Children shall famish. The Raven that is so unnatural she will hardly feed her young, yet did turn Caterer and brought food to the Prophet Elijah.
5. If God saith to us, ye are mine, then we have great immunites: 1. We are freed from the revenging wrath of God. We are not free from Gods anger as a Father, but as a Iudge. God will not pour his vindictive Justice upon us. Christ hath drunk the Red wine of Gods wrath upon the Cross, that Believers may not tast a drop of it.
2. We are freed from the Predominancy of sin, Rom. 6.14. Sin shall not have dominion, or as the word is foreign, it shall not Lord it over you. Though Believers are not freed from the In-being of sin, nor from the Combate with it, yet they are freed from its Imperious command. As it is said of those beasts in Daniel, they had their Dominion taken away, yet their Lives were prolonged for a season, Dan. 7.12. So sin Lives in the Regenerate, but its Dominion is taken away. And to be thus freed from the jurisdictive power and tyranny of sin is no small blessing. A Wicked man is at the command of sin, as the Asse is at the command of the driver: the curse of Cham is upon him, Gen. 9.25. A Servant of Servants shall he be. He is a slave to his Lusts, and a slave to Satan. O what a priviledge is it to have ones neck out of the Devils Yoak!
3. We are freed from the accusations of Conscience. The worm of Conscience is part of the Torment of Hell †Tandem flagitia in supplicia Vertuntur, Tacitus.. But God being our God we are freed from the Clamors of this hellish Fury: Conscience sprinkled with Christs blood speaks Peace; a good Conscience like the Bee gives Hony; it is like the Golden pot which had Manna in it, 2 Cor. 1.12.
6. If God saith to us ye are mine, we shall be his for ever, Psalm 48.14. This God is our God for ever and ever. You cannot say you have health and you shall have it for ever, you have a Child and you shall have it for ever; but if God be your God, you shall have him for ever. The Covenant of Grace is Sacrum diploma, a Royal Charter, and this is the Happiness of it, it is eternized †Iustificatio nunquam rescinditur.. The interest between God and his people shall never be broken off; How false therefore is the Opinion of falling from Grace! Shall any that God makes his own by Federal union, Fall finally? Indeed if Salvation hath no better Pillar to rest upon than mans will (as the Arminians hold) no wonder if there be falling away▪ but a Christians stability in Grace, is built upon a surer basis, namely, Gods inviolable Covenant, Isa. 55.3.*foreign. Once in Christ and ever in Christ. A Star may sooner fall out of its orb than a true Believer be pluck'd away from God †Aliud est recedere, aliud excidere a gratia, Aug..
7. If God saith to us ye are mine, he will take us up to himself at death. Death breaks the union between the Body and the Soul, but perfects the union between God and the Soul. This is the Emphasis of Heavens Glory, to be with God. What is the Joy of the blessed, but to have a clear transparent sight of God, and to be in the sweet and soft embraces of his love for ever? This hath made the Saints desire death, as the Bride the wedding day, Phil. 1.23. Lead me, Lord, to that glory (said an Holy man) a glimpse whereof I have seen as in a glass darkly.
2 Vse. Comfort.Let this be a Consolatory to the Saints; there is a Covenant-union between God and them, God is theirs and they are his, they shall be mine saith the Lord. Here is a standing cordial for the Godly, God looks upon them as having a propriety in them, they shall be mine. This is Comfort 1. In respect of Satans accusations, he accuseth the Saints first to God, then to themselves; but if God saith ye are mine, this answers all Satans Bills of Indictment. Christ will shew the debt-book crossed in his blood. It was a saying of Bucer, I am Christs, and the Devil hath nothing to do with me.
2. It is Comfort in respect of Poverty? Believers are match'd into the Crown of Heaven, and all that is in God is theirs. The Philosopher comforted himself with this, that though he had no Musick or Vine-trees, yet he had the houshold Gods with him*foreign.: So though we have not the Vine or Fig-tree, yet if God be ours and we are his, this Creates joy in the most indigent condition.
And that which may raise the comfort of the godly higher, and cause a jubilation of Spirit is, that shortly God will own his people before all the world, and say, these are mine. At present the elect are not known, 1 Iohn 3.2. It doth not yet appear what we shall be. The Saints are like Kings in disguise; but how will their hearts leap for joy, when God shall pronounce that word, these are mine; These the lot of Free-grace is fallen upon, these shall lye for ever in the Bosom of my love.
2 Vse.To all who are yet strangers to God: Labour to get into Covenant with him that he may say, ye are mine. Why doth God woo and beseech you by his Ambassadours, if he were not willing to be in Covenant?
Quest.What shall a poor forlorn Creature do, to get into Covenant with God?
Answ.1. If you would be in Covenant with God, break off the Covenant with sin, 1 Sam. 7.3. What King will be in league with him that holds correspondence with his Enemy?
2. Labour for Faith; 1. Faith in the Mercy of God, Jer. 3.12. I am merciful, saith the Lord, and will not keep anger for ever. As the Sea covers great Rocks as well as little Sands; so Gods Mercy covers great sins: Manasseh a bloody sinner was held forth as a pattern of Mercy. Some of the Jews who had an hand in Crucifying of Christ, yet their sins were forgiven.
2. Faith in the merit of Christ. Christs blood is not only foreign but foreign: not only a Sacrifice to appease God, but a Propitiation to ingratiate us into Gods favour,†1 John 2.2. and make him look upon us with a smiling aspect.