Gods Love to Man and Mans Duty Towards God, Part 1 · Section 24 – Application
Sect. 24. PROP. XXIV. …e Condition of Man by the Fall, being ſuch as hath been deſcribed, viz. being both under the Guilt, and power of Sin, it is twice impoſſible (as I may ſay) that ever he ſhould be ſaved by himſelf, or by the Covenant of Works, and equally impoſſible, that he ſhould not be caſt, and condemned by this Covenant.
THe Covenant of Works promiſed life only upon perfect conformity to the Law, and will of …d, threatning death to any ſin: Now when once …n had broken Gods Law, and loſt Gods Image, … had his Nature vitiated and corrupted, he could more lay claim to life and happineſs, but imdiately was laid under the Sentence of Death, … did lye open to Gods wrath.
…ow if the penalty threatned, and incurred, …nflicted on the Sinner, this giveth him enough, this ſets him faſt for ever. Intollerable torment and endleſs miſeries become his portion to Eternit… ▪ If he would think of making ſatisfaction for wh… is paſt, he cannot. He can never ſuffer any thi… equivalent to everlaſting death. And if he cou… yet he ſhould not be ſaved by the old Covena… without ſome new Agreement, wherein it ſhou… pleaſe God to admit of a ſatisfaction. Satis… ction is not given to the Law, (as one note… but to the Law-giver, as above Law, who … accept of the ſolutio tantidem, vel aequivale… aliàs indebiti. But there is no proviſion in t… Covenant of Works, how a Man may eſcape a… avoid the penalty, after once he is a ſinner. N… ther is there any more poſſibility of his clai… ing and having right, and title to happineſs … the promiſe in that Covenant; the conditi… whereof we neither have fulfilled, nor can … ▪ And in theſe reſpects (as I ſaid) it is utte… impoſſible that ever ſinful Men and Wom… ſhould attain to life by this Covenant. Ala… we are all Children of wrath by Nature and … of death, dead in Law, under the Sentence death. And dead in treſpaſſes and ſins, in anoth… ſence, ſin reigneth, as death reigns; all Men N… turally are under the power of it. Naturally … are without ſtrength, no more than a dead m… can raiſe himſelf, are we able of our ſelves to h… our ſelves out of a ſinful ſtate, which leadeth death Eternal.
Application.
I Shall now conclude this Diſcourſe concerning Man's eſtate under the Covenant of Works (both …s it was before, and ſince the Fall) with a few practical Inferences.
1. What cauſe is here to admire divine conde…enſion! That ever God ſhould vouchſafe to …ter into Covenant with his own Creature, …hom he might command at pleaſure. What an …onour was it unto Abraham, to be called the …riend of God? So it was an honour (ſure) to …dam, to be taken into a League of Friendſhip …ith God; Lord what is man that thou ſhouldſt ſo …gard him?
2. What cauſe is here to bluſh at Man's Ingrati…de, and moſt unworthy dealing with his Maker? …oſ. 6.7. But they like Men, or like Adam, have …anſgreſſed the Covenant, they have dealt trea…erouſly? Oh Adam's treacherous dealing, A…m's perfidiouſneſs, breach of Covenant with God, that indeed which all his poſterity had need to … told of, have cauſe with ſad hearts to remember …d to be aſhamed of.
3. What cauſe to tremble with aſtoniſhment, …hen we ſpeak, or hear, or think of Man's Apo…acy from God, and of the woful, dreadful effects, and conſequences of it. The Crown is fallen fro… our heads, and wo to us, for we have ſinned. Th… Man who was created for the ſpecial Service a… fruition of God, now hath his back turned up God; neither fit to ſerve, nor to enjoy him. M… that at his firſt Creation was a Favourite of Go… ſince, by his fall and degeneration, is become an … my of God.
4. O what need now that we look to it, th… we get our Tenure changed! That we get out of t… firſt, into the ſecond Adam, without a change ſtate, and a change of Nature, we are miſerable… ever. O better we had never been born, than … to be born again. As we are Adam's Off-ſpring, … inherit nothing but corruption, can lay claim to … thing but hell and wrath. And wo to us now, God deal with us according to the tenure of … Covenant of Works.
Perhaps you will ſay, O but we are under … Goſpel Covenant, which is unqueſtionably a C… nant of Grace.
I grant you are ſo externally; but as to y… Eternal ſtate, you will be never the better, if y… refuſe to come up to the terms of this better … venant; that is, if you don't in a reall ſence your ſinful and undone Condition without Ch… now heartily give up your ſelves to him, to taught and guided, to be ruled and governed, well as to be ſaved by him; or which is all one you are not really willing to be ſaved by the L… Jeſus Chriſt in his own way.
I tell you, if you do not come up to the term the Covenant of Grace, you do in vain exp… you cannot have any ſaving benefit by it; no, in that caſe it leaveth you to the condemnation of the Covenant of Works; I ſay, it leaveth you where it found you.
The wrath of God ſtill abideth on you; yea, this will increaſe it, that to the breach of the Covenant of Works, you add this great provoking ſin, of ſlighting and contemning what the Lord is pleaſed to offer in the Covenant of Grace. This is the Condemnation; verily you will find it ſo, you that neglect and ſlight that great Salvation, offered in the Goſpel.
5. O what cauſe to pitty poor Children, who are ſo miſerable in themſelves without Gods free mercy in Jeſus Chriſt! Since our firſt father hath ſinned, and brake Covenant with God, his blood was tainted, his whole race and off-ſpring corrupted. This corruption though it came firſt from Adam, yet immediate Parents are the next cauſe of the derivation of it. How ſhould this turn our Bowels towards our poor Children? Are they Children of wrath by Nature, and ſhould they not be our Benoni…s? Oh how ſhould our hearts ake for them! and how ſhould we pour out our prayers, and tears daily before the Lord for them? O that Iſhmael might live in thy ſight! ſhould not tender Mothers travail in birth again, till they may ſee Chriſt formed in their Children.
And how ſhould Parents fear entailing a new Curſe upon their poſterity! There is a curſe in the houſe of the Swearer, a curſe in the houſe of the Thief, and the unjuſt perſon, the fraudulent dealer; many take care for nothing but only to lay up riches for their Children: O but take heed that you do not lay up a curſe with thoſe riches. That woul… ſpoil all.
Again, how ſhould Parents fear corrupting thei… Children more and more by a bad example; thoug… corruption comes not into the world meerly by imitation, yet evil examples do very much encreaſ… wickedneſs in the world. Aetas parentum pejor avi… tulit Nos nequiores, &c. Hor.
Laſtly, though our Children are by Nature in ſinful miſerable eſtate; yet there is a remedy provided in Chriſt, and ſet forth in the Goſpel; an… how ſhould we fear depriving our Infants of that O… dinance they are capable of, even in infancy! Infants circumciſion under the Law pointed at the co… ruption of the Naturul birth; ſo doth Infant Baptiſm under the Goſpel. They that deny thi… Ordinance to Infants, would make Chriſt leſs fa… vourable to the Children of Believers under th… Goſpel, than he was to the Children of his peop… of Old. Though we do not ſuppoſe Grace neceſſ… rily tied to the outward Ordinance, as if whoſoeve… did partake of the one, muſt neceſſarily partake … the other; nor think, as the Papiſts, that Origina… ſin hath the Nature of ſin, only before, not afte… Baptiſm; yet ſurely, we ought to prize any e… preſſion of Gods Favour towards our poor Children; and as we would not ſeem to ſlight his mercy we ſhould fear to deny Children this Ordinance which the Lord alloweth them, which they are capable of; yea, which is the only Ordinance, an… outward means that Infants are capable of. And a… we ſhould fear to deprive Children of this Goſpe… Ordinance, ſo how ſhould we fear to deprive the… of the Goſpel it ſelf! Rejecting Chriſt and th… Goſpel, was that which brought wrath, to the uttermoſt, on the Jews; ſhould we ſin away the Goſpel, then we deprive poor poſterity of the means of Grace and Salvation, and ſet them in ſuch a ſtate …s is deſcribed there, Eph. 2.12. to have no hope …n the world; Ah Sirs, the deſpiſing of Goſpel-Grace, may bring uttermoſt wrath upon us and …urs.
The End of the Firſt Part.