The Covenant Sealed, Treatise · Chapter 11 · Section 6
SECT. VI. Sinnes that are Covenant forfeitures.
AS theſe are failings in Covenant, and ſuch as may be called violations of it, though God is not pleaſed to take hold of advantage, to proceed upon it: ſo there are forfeitures of Covenant, which do not onelyonly blurre our evidence for heaven, and bring the ſoul under Gods preſent wrath and diſpleaſure, but deſtroy all title to happineſſe and glory: or if that phraſe will not be born, they are ſuch as give full evidence that we are without all title to it. To theſe we may ſpeak in the Pſalmiſts words, What haſt thou to do to delare my ſtatutes, or that thou ſhouldeſt take my Covenant into thy mouth? ſeeing thou hateſt inſtruction and caſteſt my words behind thee, Pſal. 50.16, 17. As it is with thoſe that hold by way of Leaſe from men, they ſo fail ſometimes by non-payment of rent, waſte made, or ſervice neglected, that they may be impleaded and brought under an arreſt: Sometimes they ſo fail that they run upon forfeiture of the whole, and all right and title through careleſeneſſe is loſt. Thoſe already ſpoken to are juſtly proceeded againſt, but theſe that we are now upon are to be utterly ejected. They may with the ſons of Keturah have their portions (and the Pſalmiſt ſaies, They have their portion in this life, Pſal. 17.14,) but they muſt never inherit with Iſaac. Concerning theſe the Prophet is reſolute, Ezek. 18.13. Shall he then live? he ſhall not live, he hath done all theſe abominations, he ſhall ſurely dye. And if any object againſt this, as a legal text, we ſhall find the Apoſtle as peremptory, that they have not any inheritance in the Kingdome of Chriſt and of God, Eph. 5.5. that they ſhall not inherit the Kingdome of God, twice repeated, 1 Cor. 6.9, 10. as alſo, Gal. 5.21. Now theſe are of ſundry kinds. Some in whom there is no appearance of God,Several ſor…s of ſinners that make forfeiture of Covenant. or footſteps of piety and holineſſe, but ſuch whoſe tranſgreſſion ſpeaks within the heart of all, that there is no feare of God before their eyes: A prophane rabble that ſcarce make mention of God but when they blaſpheme: Others of a more civil, or more reſtrained courſe, that with the young man in the Goſpel, come up to the outſide, and letter at leaſt of moſt Commandments, and therefore of that generation that is pure in their own eyes, yet not cleanſed from their filthineſſe. Some are ſuch that underſtand little, or nothing of God or waies of godlineſſe, but with the high-way ground heare and underſtand nothing at all; the Devil ſtealing away that which was ſown in their hearts, leſt they ſhould believe and be ſaved. Others are men of parts and abilities, are confident of themſelves, with thoſe to whom Paul ſpeaks, Rom. 2.19, 20. That they are guides of the blind, lights to them which are in darkneſſe, inſtructers of the fooliſh, and teachers of babes, which have a form of knowledg and truth in the law; perhaps of abilities to propheſy in the Name of Chriſt with thoſe mentioned by our Saviour, that claim the Kingdome of heaven upon that account, Matth. 5.22. Some are univerſaliſts (as I may ſay) in ſinne, at leaſt, with that prophane deboiſt youth that obeyed not the voice of his teachers, nor enclined his ear to thoſe that inſtructed him, they are almoſt in all evil in the midſt of the Congregation or aſſembly, Prov. 5.13, 14. Others are of a more refined ſtamp, and ſomewhat reformed way that with Herod have learned to do many things after thoſe that they hear, but yet have their reſerved Herodias, ſome right hand that they will not cut off, ſome right eye that they will not pluck out; theſe are in the ſame condemnation. The Catalogue or ſins ſhutting out of heaven, 1 Cor. 6.9, 10. are not reckoned up copulatively, ſo that all muſt concurre to caſt a man out, but diſjunctively; any one held and continued in will ſerve for it. Neither fornicators, nor Idolaters, nor Adulterers, &c. I ſhall inherit the Kingdome of God. Some have their beloved, endeered luſts in a more open, outward way, their filthineſſe of fleſh to the defilement of the outward man in drunkenneſſe, gluttony, adultery, ſenſeual pleaſures. Others their ſpirit-filthineſſe, diſtruſt of God, inward pride, confidence in the arm of fleſh, ſelf-ſeeking and the like. Some are carried away in their affections onelyonly whether ſenſitive or rationall, fixing them upon forbidden objects, but in the mean time hold the truth thus impriſoned in unrighteouſneſſe, Rom. 1.18. Others have a taint in their judgements, not holding the head, from which all the body by joynts, and bands having nouriſhment miniſtred, and knit together encreaſeth with the encreaſe of God, Col. 2.19. Though in this age theſe have many advocates, yet their caſe is the ſame with others, already mentioned. Hereſie is a fruit of the fleſh as well as adultery, fornication, drunkenneſſe, laſciviouſneſſe Idolatry, witchcraft, and together with them ſhuts out of the Kingdome of heaven, Gal. 5.19, 20, 21. If the Apoſtle would have been in that way indulgent towards it, as many would have all to be in theſe dayes, he had never ſo whetted in all his Epiſtles his pen againſt it. Some have their poſitive ſins, as before named, others ſtand charged chiefly (I think ſeldome ſolely) with negatives. They call not upon the Lord, Pſal. 14.4. She ſtrengthened not the hands of the poor and needy, Ezek. 16.49. She obeyed not the voice, ſhe received not correction, ſhe truſted not in the Lord, ſhe drew not near to God, Zeph. 3.2. Some have their ſins of a more deep dye, of a Scarlet-colour, ſins of a great magnitude, whoſe very name might even aſtoniſh others, ſins are ſeemingly and appearingly light or ſmall, ſuch as Papiſts have accounted venial, and moſt think it would over-much rigour in God to proceed againſt them in eternal judgements, eying the matter of fact, and not the thwarting of the divine command. Some have their hand-ſins, ſins in action: Others have their thought-ſins, their tongue-ſins. Some carry their ſins more clearly without check or curb, having got a conſcience peaceably wicked: others have their girdes and gripes, many times brought into Melancholy dumps about them, with Ahab Sermon-ſick; and yet not able to bear it out againſt their luſts, but again return to their former courſes. Theſe and many others that ſtand up in a parallell equipage with theſe men in Covenant, profeſſedly Chriſtian, baptized into the Name of Chriſt, and having never profeſſedly renounced Chriſt, are forfeitures of the mercies of the Covenant. No opinion that they hold, party that they take, name that they think they have got, ſuppoſed intereſt that they have in Chriſt, can acquit them. They may be denominated unſanctified, or unholy men, (having not obtained that which the Apoſtle ſought in prayer, in behalf of the Theſſalonians, that they might be ſanctified throughout, in ſpirit, ſoul and body) ſanctification purifies all the unclean, and heales all the diſeaſed parts; And no unclean perſon can inherit the Kingdome of God, Eph. 5.5. They are truely ſtyled impenitent ones. Repentance is a return to God, in the ſame latitude as our departure by ſin was from him; In every ſin of all theſe and of the like kind, we depart from God: In repentance therefore we are to return from every ſin to God. The Prophet tells us upon what terms our ſouls may be freed from ruine by ſin, Ezek. 18.30. Repent and turn your ſelves from all your tranſgreſſions, ſo iniquity ſhall not be your ruine; and unleſſe we repent, we ſhall all periſh, Luk. 13.3, 5. They are juſtly pronounced to be void of grace, there being that contrariety between grace and ſin; that they cannot reſt in the ſame ſubject, or lodge continually in the ſame heart, without oppoſiition. Where grace is prevalent, ſin falls; and where ſin prevails, grace is excluded; and it is the grace of God that brings ſalvation, Tit. 2.11. They are void of the Spirit of regeneration. As our birth-corruption hath in it the ſpawn of all ſin, ſo regeneration hath the ſeed of all grace. And Except we be born again, we cannot ſee the Kingdome of God, John. 3.3. Theſe are the men which by their claime of Baptiſme,The uſeleſſeneſſe of Sacraments to theſe perſons. and offer of themſelves to the Lords Table, ſubſcribe the equity of their own condemnation, and juſtifie the ſentence of death pronounced againſt themſelves. They accept the Covenant on thoſe terms on which it is tendered in the Goſpel; and upon theſe terms they are under the wrath of God, and lyable to the ſentence of eternal death. Yet not remedileſſely, helpleſſely, hopeleſſely, as it is with thoſe oftentimes, that upon forfeitures of Covenant, fall into the hands of man; the forfeiture being once made, advantages are taken by many to the uttermoſt. The prodigal is an inſtance of the Fathers readineſſe to receive to mercy thoſe that have gone away from him in wayes of ſin; And the Prophet tells us, Ezek. 18.21, 22. If the wicked will turn from all his ſins that he hath committed, and keep all my ſtatutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he ſhall ſurely live, he ſhall not dye. All his tranſgreſſions that he hath committed, they ſhall not be mentioned unto him; in his righteouſneſſe that he hath done, he ſhall live. And though it be a wickedneſſe that reaches to the higheſt violation of Covenant, yet this ſhall not hinder, Jer. 3.1. They ſay, If a man put away his wife, and ſhe go from him, and become another mans, ſhall he return unto her again? Shall not that land be greatly polluted? But thou haſt played the harlot with many lovers; yet returne again to me, ſaith the Lord. He that hath hitherto come in the higheſt degree of unworthineſſe to the Lords Table, as oft as he hath come to it, yet caſting that off, which was his unworthineſſe, and coming up to Gods terms, he is now received and accepted.