The Manifold Wisdom of God, Treatise · Chapter 7 – Chapter 9
CHAP. VII.
THe New Covenant which was foretold by the Prophets, Isa. 42. 6. Ier, 31. 31. Zach. 9. 11. it is the Covenant which God hath now made by the preaching of the Gospell in this New Testament. It is the Covenant of all happinesse, all blessings, and all salvation in Christ, plainely preached and revealed, sealed also and confirmed, not by Blood of Christ in Types and Figures; but by the very Blood it selfe bodily shed on the Crosse for our sinnes; and by the two plaine Sacraments of Baptisme, and the Lords Supper, this is called foreign the New Covenant, Ierem. 31. 31. and foreign, Luke 22. 20. and 2 Cor. 3. 6. foreign, a better Covenant, Hebr. 7. 22. For in it the Lord reveales his promises so plainley and cleerely, that all men may see and know the way to life. And howbeit in this Covenant there is nothing expressed wch was not implyed and included in the general obscure promises made unto Adam, and unto Abraham & David, and the rest of the Fathers in old time; And although Iesus Christ the perfect Saviour, and Eternall Redeemer, God and Man, with all his righteousnesse, obedience, and full satisfaction, and all his benefits, blessings, gifts and graces, which serve to bring men to perfect blessednesse and salvation; and which are fully expressed in the Covenant of the Gospell, were darkely and obscurely offered unto the Fathers, and were apprehended by their faith, in that Covenant which God made with them: Yet certainely this Covenant, as it is now renewed by the comming of Christ, and by the preaching of the Apostles and Evangelists, may justly be called a New Covenant, and is truely so called, both by the Prophets and Apostles, for divers good reasons and considerations.
First, because there is as great differenceReas. 1. betweene this Covenant thus revealed, and the Covenant as it was revealed before Christs incarnation, as there is betweene an old darke house builded up strong, but yet without any whiting or painting, having very few doores or windowes in it, and those either very narrow, or else shut up with boords, or stopped with Bricks and Morter, that few can enter in, save such as are already within it; and when they are there, they have but small light, and some none at all: there is (I say) as great a difference betweene the Covenant, as it was revealed to the Fathers, and the same Covenant being now renewed with us, as there is betweene such an old darke house, and the same house when it is repaired from the very foundation, and is all whited over within and without, all painted and beautified, and trimmed from the roofe to the foundation, and is made full of faire and wide doores on every side, for all sorts of people to enter into it; and hath many large windowes made in every roome, whereof none is stopped up; but all are glazed with pure Crystall Glasse, through which the light of the day, and the bright beames of the Sunne doe shine most comfortably. This difference will appeare most evidently to us, if wee compare the Old and New Testament together, and observe the diversity of Revelation.
The Covenant which God made with the Fathers before Christ, was a sure house builded on Christ, and founded on Gods eternall Truth. It was a safe shelter against all raine and soule weather of affliction, and all stormes of temptations, and did shrowd the Fathers from the scorching heate of an evill conscience, and the fiery flames of Hell and the Devills fury: but it had few doores, and those narrow ones, such as few could enter through, to wit, onelyonly the naturall Israelites, who were all included in it by the promise made to Abraham, and those who were circumcised Proselytes. The windowes of it were few also, and those were the darke promises of Christ, wch yeelded but little light, shadowed over with Types and Figures, as with a vaile of obscurity. It had no glorious ornaments to allure men a farre off; It was not whited, nor painted, nor set forth with variety of pleasant pictures which might delight people: but it rather appeared all bloody with the blood of Bulls, Goates, Rammes and Lambs, like a slaughter house, and all blacke and smoaky with the continuall offering of burnt offerings and sacrifices, and the smoaky fumes of Incense: Yea, so many were the ceremonies to be observed, and so heavie and intolerable was the burden of them, that it appeared unto all that passed by, to be rather a Shop to worke and labour in, a Mill to grinde in, and an house of correction, then any place of rest, or pleasant and comfortable habitation. But this Covenant, as it is now renewed with us under the Gospell, is much altered, and made like an house repaired and renewed throughout from the top to the foundation. The Rocke Christ upon which it is built, is now set forth in all his glorious colours; all all the Mosse of ceremonies which did over-grow and cover him, is taken away; hee now shines like Ivory, Crystall and Adamant, most finely polished. The Truth of God in his promises, which is the ground of our Faith, is now made manifest and clear by the comming of CHRIST and by the fulfilling of his Word which he spake from the beginning; and now we dare boldly relie and rest on Gods Word, in sure hope and confidence that his Truth will never fail. The Ministeriall foundations, to wit, the writings of Moses and the Prophets, are now by the light of the Gospell changed as it were from rough and unhewen stones, and made like smooth polished Marble. The foure Gospels are, as it were, foure doores made in the foure sides of this square house, looking towards the foure winds of Heaven, ready to receive all men from all the foure corners of the earth. The many Sermons of Christ and his Apostles in the New Testament, are as so many Windowes, through which, as through Crystall Glasse, much heavenly Light is conveyed and derived unto us, even from heaven, from the throne of God; the sweet promises, and many and divers gifts of the Spirit, as Knowledge, Faith, Tongues, gifts of Healing, Prophecying, Miracles, and the like, are as pleasant and delightsome Pictures and Ornaments, able to draw, allure, and delight the hearts of all men. And the many outward blessings of peace and plenty wch follow the preaching and profession of the Gospell where it is received, are as it were a glorious painting & whiting, which doth make this house glorious a far off, and fils and enflames all that passe by with admiration and love of it. Now there is none so obstinate, nor so strict in speech, but hee will grant, that an house so altered and renewed throughout, (as I have before shewed) may truely be called, though not another, yet a new house; because it is repaired, renued and beautified in all parts, though the foundation and substance of the walls, and the Timber be the same. And therefore none can deny but that the Covenant of Grace now under the Gospell, though it be the same in substance and matter with that made to the Fathers, and hath the same foundation; yet being thus altered, renewed, and beautified, may justly be called, though not another, yet a new Covenant at least, and a better Covenant.
Secondly, the Covenant of GraceReas. 2. which before GOD made with Abraham and his seed, and which was inforce onelyonly among the Israelites before the comming of Christ, is now by the preaching of the Apostles made with all Nations, and all the people of the world are received into it, or at least have it offered unto them; and there is free accesse made unto all through the new doores which are now made in every side of the Covenant (as is before noted.) This is manifest by the very mission of the Apostles, and the Commission which our Saviour Christ gave unto them▪ Matth. 28. in these words, Goe teach all Nations.
Now experience teacheth us, that when an house is not onelyonly repaired, but also inlarged every way, and the foundation of it is stretched out an hundred times more then before, it may truely even in respect of it selfe be called a new house. And when new inhabitants come to dwell in an house wherein they never dwelt before, though the house hath beene long built, and is old in it selfe; yet to them it is a new habitation, and men in such cases call their houses new houses. Therefore by the same reason it followes necessarily, that the Covenant of Grace which was made with the Fathers, being now by the comming of Christ, the light of the Gospell, and more plentifull gifts of the Spirit, much enlarged, and made capable of all Nations, and Christ the foundation of it being stretched out to all the world; it may even in it selfe be called a new and better Covenant. Also in respect of the new people which are received into it, it may be called a new Covenant, though in it selfe it were no whit altered or enlarged at all.
Thirdly, where the seales of a CovenantReas. 3. are made new, and the old are taken away, and where the manner of sealing is altered and quite inverted, there we may call it a new Covenant, though the substance be the same. Experience teacheth this; For when a man that hath a I ease of twenty yeares in an house, gives it up, and takes another of the same terme in more full and plaine words, or when upon some defect which he findes in his deed of sale, either in the forme of conveyance, or in the sealing and the witnesses, hee gives up his former deed, and takes another of the same land sealed with other seales, and testified by other witnesses; this wee call a new deed, though the land be the same, and the purchase all one in substance and true meaning. Now thus it is betweene the Covenant of Grace now under the Gospell, and the same Covenant before the comming of Christ. Though this is the same in substance, and the salvation promised is the same, even that wch is onelyonly in Christ: yet the manner of sealing is much altered and inverted, and the outward seales also. The Covenant had before many seales, as Circumcision, the Passeover, and all the Sacrifices, Ceremonies, Types and Figures of the Law: now it hath onelyonly two, Baptisme and the Lords Supper. The old Seales were darke and obscure, and had Christs image but dimly imprinted into them: The new have a more lively resemblance of Christ. In Baptisme there is the print of the whole Trinity, The Father, the Sonne, and the Holy Ghost. And the signes in the Lords Supper are so like unto the Body and Blood of Christ, that they are called by the same name. Before the Gospell the Covenant was first sealed typically by Christs Blood; and at last by the Blood it selfe. Now the Covenant is first sealed by the Blood of Christ it selfe, and afterwards, to the end of the world, it is sealed to us by evident signes and remembrances of Christs death, given by himselfe as pledges to us.
The old seales were mutable; the new are unchangeable. The old sealing was much in outward shew, and very little inwardly by the spirit; The new is little in outward shew, but more by the inward worke of the spirit. The word of the covenant is now more abundantly written in mens hearts, according to the word of the Lord Ier. 31. 33. This is the new Covenant, I will put my law in their inward parts, and will write it in their hearts. Which words are to be understood thus; not that the fathers had not the word written in their hearts, but that it was not so deeply written, nor in the hearts of so many, as now it is. Wherefore the seales and the manner of sealing being so much renewed, and inverted, we may truely call this a new Covenant. Thus you see the description of the new Covenant now under the Gospel, and the true reasons why it is called the new Covenant, even when it is compared with the Covenant made with the Fathers, which was the same in substance with it.
But if we compare it with the Covenant of Nature, which is the Covenant of Works, and of the Law made with Man in the Creation; then it must of necessity be called new, because that went before it, and was in the time of mans innocency; this came in after the fall; that promised naturall life, this promiseth spirituall also; that tended to hold up the Old Adam, this to build up the New.
So likewise, if this new Covenant of the Gospell be compared with the Covenant which God made with Israel in the Wildernesse, it may truely and must necessarily be called new. For that was a mixt Covenant, mixt of the Covenant of Nature and of Grace, and contained in the Law, which is the Covenant of Workes; and the faith of the promise which is of the Gospell and of Grace (as is before shewed.) And therefore in respect of the first part of that Covenant which promised life to the doers of the Law, this is truely a new Covenant, differing in substance from it; and indeed the Apostles doe call this Covenant of the Gospell a new Covenant, especially and chiefly in comparison of these two Covenants, even that of pure nature, and that mixt Covenant of the Law.
CHAP. VIII.
NOw having largely described the Covenant of the Gospell, I proceed, for our better satisfaction, to shew more fully, plainely and distinctly, the true agreement and difference which is betweene the first Covenant of Nature, and the second Covenant which is the Covenant of Grace, and betweene the old and new publishing of the Covenant of Grace.
And first for orders sake I will shew how the Covenant of Nature and Grace doe agree, and differ.
Secondly, because the Covenant of Grace hath beene solemnly published three divers wayes.
First, more darkly and obscurely to the Fathers, from Adam untill the giving of the Law.
Secondly, after a mixt manner to the Israelites, by the Ministery of Moses.
Thirdly, now at last most plainely and purely since the coming of Christ in the flesh, by the Gospell preached and published to all Nations. I will shew how this last publishing of the Covenant, which is so glorious, that it is called the New Covenant by a speciall prerogative, doth agree with, and differ from the two former publications made, the one with the Fathers, Adam, Noah, Abraham, and the rest; the other with the Israelites in the Wildernesse. The cleer knowledge of which things may yeeld much fruit, profit and comfort, to the hearts and soules of true Christians.
CHAP. IX. The agreement of the Covenant of Nature, which is called the first, with the Covenant of Grace, which is called the second Covenant.
FIrst, these two Covenants doe1 agree betweene themselves, and that in three respects; First, the parties are in substance the same in both Covenants. In the the first Covenant of Workes God was the one party, and Adam the other; And in the second, the parties are still the same in Nature and substance, to wit, God and Adam, with all mankinde his posterity.
Secondly, they doe agree in divers2 of the promises and conditions. In the first God promised unto man life and happinesse, Lordship over all the creatures, liberty to use them, and all other blessings which his heart could desire to keepe him in that happy estate wherein he was created: And man was bound to God to walke in perfect righteousnesse, to observe and keepe Gods commandements, and to obey his will in all things which were within the reach of his nature, and so farre as was revealed to him. In the second also the promise on Gods part is life and happinesse, with all blessings thereto requisite, Lordship over the creatures, liberty to use them, and a true right and title to them all, and in lieu of these he requires of man perfect righteousnesse and obedience to his will and law, in every point and title, as our Saviour Christ saith, Mat. 5. 18.
Thirdly, as the one had seales annexed3 unto it for confirmation, so also hath the other. The seale of the first Covenant was the Tree of Life, which if Adam had received by taking and eating of it, while hee stood in the state of innocency, before his fall, he had certainely beene established in that estate for ever; and the Covenant being sealed and confirmed betweene God and him on both parts, he could not have beene seduced and supplanted by Satan, as some learned men doe thinke, and as Gods own words seem to imply, Gen. 3. 22. The seals of the second Covenant are the Sacraments, as Circumcision, and such like in the Old Testament, and the Sacraments of Baptisme and the Lords Supper in these dayes of the Gospel; wch whosoever hathonce truly received, and is inwardly circumcised as well as outwardly, & washed with the Laver of Regeneration, and baptised into Christ, and hath true communion with him of his Body and Blood, that man can never fall, for the seed of God abideth in him, 1▪ Iohn 3. 9.