The Manifold Wisdom of God, Treatise · Chapter 10 – Chapter 11
CHAP. X. The difference betweene the Covenant of Nature and of Grace.
BVt as they agree in these things, so they differ divers wayes. First, though the parties are in substance the same, yet in other respects they differ.
First, in the Covenant of Nature,1 the parties God & man were friends. God was the Creator, man was his Creature made after Gods image. God was mans good Lord, and man was Gods good servant. God loved man, and man loved God with all his heart; there was not any least occasion of hatred or enmitie betweene them, but all causes of love. But at the making of the Covenant of Grace, God and Man were fallen out and become enemies. God was provoked to just wrath, and his unchangeable justice required, that man should die, and be consumed by the fire of Gods just wrath: And man was become a rebell, and an enemy, and traitor to God, and had conspired with the Devill against his Lord and King. God was to man a consuming fire, and man was as straw and stubble before him, by meanes of his sinfull corruption.
Secondly, in the Covenant of Nature,2 God revealed himselfe to man, as one God, Creator and Governour of all things, infinite in Power, Wisedome, Nature and substance. But in the Covenant of Grace God revealed himselfe one infinite God, and three persons distinguished, not onelyonly a Lord and Creator, but also a mercifull Redeemer, not onelyonly in unity of essence, but also in trinity of persons.
Thirdly, in the Covenant of Nature3 God was one party, and man alone was another: But in the Covenant of Grace, God is on both sides. God simply considered in his essence, is the party opposite to Man. And God the second person, having taken upon him to be incarnate, and to worke mans redemption, was on mans side, and takes part with man, that he may reconcile him to God, by bearing mans sinnes, and satisfying Gods justice for them. Thus they differ in respect of the parties.
Secondly they differ in respect of mediation; for in the Covenant of nature man needed no mediatour to come betweene God and him; he was pure, upright and good, created after Gods image, the nearer he came to God, the greater was his joy and comfort, Gods presence was a delight unto him. But in the Covenant of grace, because man by sinne, rebellion, corruption and enmity, was separated and alieuated in his mind, nature and disposition from God, therefore mā could not come unto God to enter into Covenant with him, but by a perfect, pure and holy Mediator, infinit in power and favour with God, that he might prevaile with him, and pacifie his wrath, and yet of mans nature and substance; that in and by the nature which had sinned, satisfaction might be made for sinne. Without such a Mediatour, there could bee no Covenant made betweene God and man. If man, being ever since the fall filthy and corrupt, should in his owne person come near to God, who is to him a devouring and consuming fire, he as stubble and straw should presently be consumed, and perish at the presence of God. And therefore in making this Covenant, a perfect Mediatour is necessarily required, both to come betweene God and man, and to make perfect satisfaction to Gods just Law in the behalfe of miserable and sinfull man, and to worke his reconciliation and attonement.
Thirdly, they differ exceedingly3 in the promises and conditions. First, the promises of God in the Covenant of nature, were onelyonly naturall life, and earthly happinesse, with all blessings necessary thereunto. But in the Covenant of grace God doth promise, over and above naturall life and felicity on earth, spirituall life and blessings by the communion of his holy and eternall spirit; not only the spirituall life of grace in this world, but also of everlasting glory in the world to come, in the presence of his glorious Majestie. Secondly, in the first Covenant God did not promise to give life, but to continue life being before already given: But in the second Covenant be promiseth to raiseman from the dust of death and eternall damnation in hell (into which he was fallen head-long by transgression) unto the light of life, and that blessednesse in heaven, of which his nature was never capable before, no not in the state of innocency. Thirdly, in the first Covenant the promised portion and possession, was of the earth and of all visible creatures which were fit to serve for mans use. But in the second Covenant God promiseth heaven, and himselfe who made the heaven, to bee the God, the shield and reward of the faithfull, and their portion and inheritance. Genesis 15. 1. Psalm. 16. Fourthly, in the first Covenant God promised and gave to man power over all living creatures, to have them as a Lord at his command, and to use them for his delight, and to rule, not to kill and eat them. But in the second Covenant God gave them to him for sacrifice, yea and also to serve for his food and nourishment.
The fourth difference ariseth from4 the conditions which God requires at the hands of man and on mans behalfe, for all these great and wonderfull blessings. In the first Covenant God required of man perfect righteousnesse and obedience to his whole law and will, so farre as it was in mans power by nature, and revealed unto him, and this he would have man to performe by himselfe in his owne person. But in the second Covenant he requires, on mans behalfe, a more excellent obedience and righteousnesse performed to the whole Law more plainely and fully revealed, and greatly enlarged, and that not by man himselfe or any meere creature; but by mans Mediatour Iesus Christ, God and man in one person, who is the end of the law for righteousnesse to every one that beleeveth. Rom. 10. 4.
Now there is wonderfull difference betweene these two. The righteousnesse required in the first Covenant, was only the righteousnesse of a pure naturall man, and able to save him onelyonly who performed it; but the righteousnesse of the second Covenant, is the righteousnesse of a perfect, pure and holy man filled with the holy Ghost, which Adam had not in innocency; yea the righteousnesse of that man, who is one person with God, and so it is the righteousnesse of God, as the Apostle calls it, 2 Cor. 5. 21. and is of value to justifie not onelyonly those who have communion of it, but also a whole world of men besides, if they were made partakers of it. Secondly, the righteousnesse of the first Covenant was onelyonly simple actuall obedience to the Law, flowing from naturall uprightnesse; But the righteousnesse of the second, consists of habituall holinesse, and of obedience both active and passive to the precepts and penalties, commands and threatnings of the Law; it hath in it both the sacrifice of righteousnesse, and also perfect satisfaction for sinne by voluntary submission to sufferings and death.
Thirdly, the righteousnesse of the first Covenant consisted onelyonly in obedience to the morall Law: But the righteousnesse of the second is obedience both to the morall and ceremoniall Law. For our Saviour Christ was circumcised, presented in the Temple, did eate the Passeover, and observed all the ceremoniall ordinances of God, yea and was baptized by Iohn (as the Gospel testifieth), and that not for himselfe (for he was free borne, without sinne, and needed not to offer sacrifice, or to be circumcised or washed) but onelyonly to fulfill all righteousnesse, and to supplie the defects of the Fathers in their obedience to Gods ceremoniall ordinances of old, and also our defects in our baptisme and other Evangelicall ordinances: so much he himselfe testifieth, Math. 3. 15. Rom. 15. 8.
Fourthly, in the first Covenant God did not promise unto man a righteousnesse performed to his hand by a surety and intercessour; but only gave man naturall strength and power to performe the righteousnesse which he required of him; but yet such mutable strength, that the devill by sudden tempration might prevent him before he was confirmed, and so pervert and supplant him: But in the second Covenant God gives both the righteousnesse performed to our hands, and also his holy spirit which workes in us faith and strength of grace to receive and enjoy it; yea, by dwelling in us as Gods immortall seed, doth unite us to Christ, and bring us to communion of all his benefits, as his sonship, righteousnesse, satisfaction and the rest, and all this God doth both promise and give freely, so that this is foedus gratuitum, a most free Covenant.
The fifth difference is in the seales;5 for though in this, both covenants agree, that seales were annexed to them, yet they differ in the seales and manner of sealing, both inward and outward. The seale of the first Covenant was the tree of life: But the seales of the second Covenant were the Sabbath of the seventh day, sacrifices circumcision, and the passeover in old time; and now the sacraments of Baptisme, and the Lords supper. The seale of the first Covenant was but a pledge to confirme man in naturall life, and in naturall beleefe and assurance. But the seals of the second have the holy Spirit of God inwardly working with them, and by them.
Lastly, they differ in successe, effect,6 strength, and perpetuity. The first Covenant had no good successe, it never tooke effect to save any one of Adams sons; yea it is abolished, only the law and condition of it stands firme in the matter and substance of it (being Gods immutable will, and eternall rule of righteousnesse) to wit, that without perfect obedience to Gods revealed will, man shall never come to eternall life, but is under the jawes of death. But the second Covenant, being made in such a perfect Mediator, and sealed with the blood of Iesus Christ, God and man, which is of infinit and eternall value, hath had good successe from the beginning, hath taken effect in all ages, and is of force and vertue for ever world without end.
CHAP. XI.
NOw the consideration of theseUse. differences serves to shew Gods infinit mercy and wonderfull bounty to miserable man; In that by Adams fall he tooke occasion to be more good unto us, and when we were become his enemies, did more exercise and shew his goodnesse, and give greater grace unto us. If God had renued againe after mans fall the first Covenant of naturall life, it had been a great favour: but as if that were but a little in his eyes, he makes a better Covenant, even an eternall, and that of better promises, even promises of spirituall life and eternall blessednesse in heaven, Also if God and man being by mans fault become utter enemies extremely contrary one to another, God had yeelded so farre as to accept of a Mediator hired by man to speake for him; surely it had been great mercy and clemency: for we see that earthly Kings will admit no intercessors for rebells and traytors, except feare and necessity drive them unto it. But God in this point shewed mercy beyond all that reason could imagine or expect; when man fled from God, and had no minde, will or inclination to sue for mercy, God sought after him, and offered freely to him a Mediatour not of the ordinary rank of creatures, but his owne Sonne out of his bosome, and that not to speake, plead, or intreat only for man; but also to be incarnate and made man under the law, and subject to the curse thereof in mans stead, and by yeelding himselfe voluntarily to a cursed death, to make a full satisfaction for mans sinne. O heavens blush, and O earth be a stonished at this, to see the sonne of God thus abased for Gods enemies; well might the sunne hide his face when this Mediatour suffered, as the Gospel testifieth. And yet the Lords bounty stayeth not here; he goeth further, & when man neglecteth & despiseth this his bounty, and neither will nor can desire or seeke to be partaker of it, he sendeth his word to call him, and his spirit to convert him and change his heart, and not only to make him hunger, and thirst after Christ and his righteousnesse; but also to unite him to Christ, and to bring him to communion of all his benefits and heavenly treasures. Thus the more that we have multiplied our rebellion and trangression against God to provoke him to wrath, the more hath he magnified his mercy, and enlarged his bounty towards us; and the more that sinne hath abounded in men, the more hath his grace abounded towards them. O let us now at length, when he hath done all these things for us, remember our selves, and turne unto him with sorrow and repentance for our sinnes past, let us labour to redeeme the time formerly mis-spent in vanity, by double thankfulnesse and obedience; and yet when we have done all we can, let us to his glory professe, that we are unprofitablenesse, we have not done halfe our dutie, and if we have any mind to glory and rejoyce, let us glory and triumph in the Lord, and give him all laud and praise for ever and ever.