The Doctrine of the Covenant of Redemption, Chapter 13
CHAPTER XIII. The Farther Application by Way of Exhortation, and Conſolation.
USE II.
For EXHORTATION, and DIRECTION, to the People of God; and that in Four Reſpects.
1 LAbour to Clear up and to be ſatisfied in your Intereſt in and Relation to this Covenant. Reſt not Contented till you have gotten ſome good Evidence that your Names were written in the Book of Life, and to move you hereto, Conſider theſe Two Things.
1. It is a Thing that may be known. Although the Eternal Tranſaction between GOD the Father, and GOD the Son, be a Secret Hidden from the World, and no Man can have any particular knowledge of it referring to himſelf, till he be made partakers in the ſpecial fruits of it: yet the Believer in regard of himſelf, may obtain a clear acquaintance with it: he may be able to diſcern and read it. There is a way Revealed in the Scripture whereby we may come to know what was contrived about us in the days of Eternity, and be aſſured that Jeſus Chriſt hath paid the full Price of our Redemption: not only that he hath done ſo for ſome, but for us in particular. Were it not ſo, that Precept in, 2. Pet. 1. 10. had been ſuperfluous: yea all the Commands given us to Prove and Try our own State were vain: For unleſs our Trial Iſſue here we are ſtill left at a loſs. But there is a Promiſe made to the People of God that … him, that He will ſhow them His Covenant, Pſal. 25. 14. i. e. The Great ſecret of the Covenant of Redemp…ion, ſhall be diſcovered to them, by making of them to know that God loved them with an Everlaſting Love.
2 The foundation of all your Conſolation is laid in this Covenant. All the Comfort of the Children of God reſolves ultimatly into this, that Chriſt Loved us and gave himſelf for us: but this he did not do for all the world but only for a ſelect company, whom his Father had given unto him, and theſe are they whom he Covenanted for before the world was made. If ever we be ſaved, it muſt be by the vertue and application of the ſatisfaction of Chriſt to us; this is applied to none but thoſe whom he indented for, and was appointed by his Father to Redeem: ſo that if we would know whether our ſins are Pardoned, and Juſtice be atoned to us, it muſt be by knowing that Chriſts death is become ours, and accepted for us: and the way to be ſatisfied in this, is by finding our names … that roll or liſt, which was entred in …he record: of Heaven before time was: and till we come to underſtand this, how can we be free from the fears and terrors of the wrath to come!
Now the Scripture way wherein we are directed to arive at this knowledg, is by following of the ſtreams up to the fountain. There are ſome ſtreams of common bounty, which flow from God the Fountain of Goodneſs, to all the World; he being the common Benefactor to all his Creatures; and there are none but do partake more or leſs of his Benignity, Pſal. 145. 9. Mat. 5. 45. But yet a man may ſwim in the fulneſs of all theſe favours, yea be glutted with them, and yet be an utter ſtranger to this Covenant, Pſal. 17. 14. Theſe are kindneſſes which God can allow to his Enemies. But there are other diſtinguiſhing favours, which the great King reſerves to beſtow only on thoſe whom he hath ſet his heart upon, & is reſolved to make them his ſpecial favourites: ſo that whoſoever is made to enjoy any of theſe, he may hereby certainly know that God hath a mind to honour him, and intends Eternal Life for him. There are peculiar tokens of the Love of God which he gi…es to none but ſuch as have found Grace in his ſight; and thoſe that enjoy them, may from thence unerringly conclude that they were given to Chriſt in an Everlaſting Covenant. We may read the deſcent of theſe in Rom. 8: 29. 30. There is a white Stone, and a new Name which is not Legible by any but him who hath it. This God beſtows upon none other but thoſe who were thus Covenanted for. There is a powerful work of Converſion wrought in the Soul, by cauſing the man to paſs from death to life, the donation of the Spirit of Adoption by which we are enabled to Cry, Abba Father, the infuſion of the Grace of Sanctification, in which there is a wonderful change made, a New Creature brought forth, all old things paſt away, and all things become new in him. Now theſe are all the gifts of ſaving Grace, they are the ſecret conveyance from the Well-head of Electing Love, they are the Covenant Mercies, and things that Accompany Salvation: if then you are called by his power, ſeized by his Spirit, ſanctified by his Grace; you may by this be aſſured that you were Choſen in Chriſt, and Covenanted for with him. Theſe benefits are not ſcattered promiſcuouſly, but are given peculiarly. Labour therefore to have and diſcover ſuch Operations as theſe in your hearts, and to be more and more acquainted with the reality of them: this will be the way to derive joy and conſolation from the Fountain, and fetch down comfort into your Souls as far as from Eternity.
2 Be exhorted to make improvement of your intereſt in this Covenant, for your eſtabliſhment againſt the temptations which may aſſault you. We may ſafely determine, that all the ſhakings or unſettlings of a believers ſaith, and all the diſcouragements under which he Labours at any time, do ariſe either from a want of his being fortified in this Covenant, or from a neglect of applying and improving it ſeaſonably: For this hath enough in it to diſſolve all doubts, and anſwer all objections, if it be wiſely improved by us: uſe it therefore;
1 To ſilence all the accuſations which may ariſe from the Covenant of Works. A Believer is ſometimes greatly Puzled, and in a Shock of ſore Temptation he is hurried to the Old Covenant, where ſin is declared againſt, and the ſinner is condemned, and Juſtice ſtands engaged to do execution accordingly: and now he is greatly perplexed to think how the Law and Grace can conſiſt, and ſo how ſuch a Sinner as he is can be Saved, and he is ready to ſink under it. Indeed in the Covenant of Grace he hears of pardon and forgiveneſs, which are aſſured to the Sinner upon believing, and that is a precious thing; but he knows not how to reconcile this to what the Law ſaith; that God is Holy and of purer eyes than to behold Iniquity, that Sinners ſhall not ſtand in his ſight; & ſuch an one hath he notoriouſly been; and how ſhould he make thoſe things to bear? Now Repair to the Covenant of Redemption, and take a through view of it, and there you ſhall find that all this is ſufficiently taken care about, and every difficulty that you can think of, is altogether removed. The Covenant of Grace indeed ſpeaks of favour and mercy to Sinners, freely to be beſtowed upon them by God through Chriſt, but in the Covenant of Redemption you may ſee how all this is brought about, and be ſatisfied … it: for in this Covenant there is an O… fering provided, a compleat Sacrifice la… in: here is the Blood of a Saviour to be ſhed, his precious life to be laid down in exchange for the life of the Sinner, in which there is infinitely more value than in the lives of all the World; and therefore all the Law require… at the hands of the Sinner is here anſwered. Here is Juſtice ſitting in Triumph, Holineſs gloriouſly Exalted, the Law fulfilled to the utmoſt of all that it can demand: here God declares his hatred againſt Sin ſufficiently, and all that was demanded in the Covenant of Works, is made good to the utmoſt farthing; and now what ſhould hinder the flowing down of the Grace of the New Covenant to the Salvation of Gods Elect, ſince it appears, that he can be both Juſt and the Justifier of them that believe?
2 To remove all the doubts that may ariſe in you reſpecting the Covenant, of Grace. In this very Covenant, Satan the adverſary of Gods People ſeeks to find many ſlaws, and thereupon to peſter their minds and diſturb their tranquility, ſo as that many times they cannot with that quietneſs repoſe themſelves upon it, or ſuck that ſweet and comfort out of it, which is therein provided for them: and the uſual ſtratagem which he is wont to entangle them by, is the conſideration that though there are very great and Precious Promiſes held out to the Children of God in that Covenant, enough to ſatisfy their moſt enlarged deſires, if they could appropriate them to themſelves; yet in the Goſpel all theſe Promiſes come with conditions annexed to them, and therefore they are no farther ours than the condition is to be found wrought in us, and we can no more uſe Them for our Eſtabliſhment, than we are able to make out theſe conditions: & theſe conditions are of two ſorts; viz. either ſuch as are required in order to our being made Partakers in theſe Promiſes, or ſuch as are requiſite in order to our coming to the compleat fruition of the good laid up in them. Reſpecting the former, there is ſo much Counterfeit in the world, and it is a thing ſo eaſy to be miſtaken about: and led into a vain preſumption, yet he troubles them with doubts whether they are indeed true Believers, or have ſincerely Repented and Turned to God. Now for the clearing up of this, they are to confer the Rules given in the Scriptures, and wait for the Co-Witneſs of the Spirit.
But to the latter, the trouble is, a believer finds Satan filling him with fears whether he ſhall ever be able to perform them: his faith is ſo weak, and the Temptations which Aſſault him are ſo ſtrong, that he ſhall fail, and his faith give in: his Obedience is ſo poor and uneven, that it will never find acceptance with God: and this Perſeverance is a Terrible thing; how ſhall he ever be able to hold out againſt all the Furious Shocks which he is to encounter, and be faithful to the Death, and if he do not, be muſt expect to loſe the Crown: It is an hard thing to maintain his Integrity, in the midſt of all the Allurements and affrightments that are in his way, and if he fail or fall ſhort he is loſt after all: Now if you find your ſelves to be at any time thus ſhaken, your buſineſs is, preſently to repair to the Everlaſting Covenant, and there you ſhall find ſatisfaction and good ſecurity againſt theſe fears. For,
1 You ſhall here find all theſe conditions which are thus required of you in the Covenant of Grace to be firmly and faithfully undertaken for by the Lord Jeſus Chriſt. For, we obſerved before, that in the Covenant of Redemption, one Condition that was laid upon and required of the Son of God, was that he ſhould bring many Sons to Glory; and for that end he undertook to do all that for them and in them, that was requiſite for the accompliſhment of it: ſo that he ſtands obliged not only to anſwer the Law for them, but the Goſpel too. The fulfilment of every condition that is neceſſary in order to their Participation in Life Eternal, is incumbent on him to ſee to; If there be any thing, which is a neceſſary medium to Glory, required of us, he is engaged to ſee it done in us and for us, elſe it would not be a Compleat work of Redemption. If He ſhould deliver us from the Law, ſo far as to make it a poſſibility for us to be ſaved by Grace, and yet leave us to Periſh for want of the Evangelical Obed… ence, without which there is no Salvation, we were in a miſerable ſtate; for we can no more do this of our ſelves than we could the other: but it is far otherwiſe. That would be an Arminian mock Redemption; and it would be but to ſave us from one Hell, to throw us into a Worſe. But, as the Son of God was to anſwer the Law for us, ſo was he to give us the Grace and Strength to anſwer the Goſpel in all the Demands of it: and therefore the ſecurity is in him, whoſe Strength will Manifeſt and Magnify it ſelf in our Weakneſs
2. Hence you ſhall here find all thoſe Abſolute Promiſes which are upon Scripture Record, given for your comfort. It is true an Unbeliever can make no challenge of them to himſelf, or make a living of them: they are not a Diſh that is ſet before every one to feed upon: but a believer may and ought to reckon them to be his own, and to ſuck all the Marrow and Fatneſs out of them. And when you have well pondered of theſe Promiſes you may ſtrengthen your Faith by arguing after this manner; viz. That although in the Covenant of Grace all theſe things are required of you, and they muſt be found in you if ever you be ſaved; yet in the Covenant of Redemption all this is undertaken for: for this is the proper language of theſe Promiſes. When God ſaith He will give you a New Heart, and put his Spirit upon you, and put his Fear into your Hearts, and you ſhall never depart from him, and the like; theſe Promiſes belong to ſome, there are they who are deſigned & pointed at by them, and who are they but ſuch as are Ordained to Salvation from Eternity? and theſe are they who are Effectually called in Time. You may therefore upon the conſideration of your vocation be aſſured of the Accompliſhment of them in you; for though you might fail, yet God cannot.
3. Hence alſo Jeſus Chriſt hath Promiſed to ſend his Spirit into the hearts of his people, to dwell in them, to teach them, to keep them by his Power, and that through Faith to Salvation. When Jeſus Chriſt left this earth as to his bodily preſence, he then gave his Spirit to be the Guardian of his People, that they might not be left Orphans: and it is he who hath undertaken to do all that in them and for them which they need: to keep their weak Grace alive; to prevent its being quenched by the many waters of Temptation that would otherwiſe ſwallow it up, and utterly extinguiſh it in them: and this is a Fruit alſo of the Covenant of Redemption. And hence it comes to paſs, that though Adam in his integrity, loſt all his ſtock by the prevelancy of a Temptation, that was too hard for him, yet a believer in the hand of the Spirit of God, notwithſtanding all the frailties that attend upon him, ſhall never loſe his little ſtock, but both keep and encreaſe it. So that if, when we look upon the Condition required in the One Covenant, we lay by it, the conſideration of the undertaking and Proviſion that is made for the performance of it in another Covenant, that may quiet and ſatisfy our ſouls in this regard, and enable us to Triumph over all Doubts and Fears, which Aſſaults us.
3. Be therefore directed whither to go for all the ſtrength and aſſiſtance, for the diſcharge of the Duty, which is lying upon you, and required of you in your place and ſtation; and for comfort in the doing of it. We are often diſcouraged by the weight of Duty, and are ready to ſink under it, upon the experience we have of our own imperfections; whereas if we look back unto this Covenant we ſhall there find that taken care for effectually; for here we may obſerve.
1. That the Perfect Obedience which was required, and was to Merit our acceptance with God, was laid upon Jeſus Chriſt; and hereupon it is taken off from us.
He was to do as well as to Dy. We have taken notice that his Active Obedience was required in, and became a Condition of this Covenant, as well as his Paſſive; and God hath reſpect to it: he looks upon i…, and imputes it to us: and ſo the Law is anſwered, and all the happineſs which man once forfeited is purchaſed. What though we cannot perfectly obey? yet becauſe he hath done it for us, there is our Security, and we may account it ours, becauſe it was performed in our Name.
2. That Sincerity, under our greateſt imperfections render our performances acceptable to God. If our hearts be right in the Duties we do, if they are True and Faithful to God, if we can truely plead Uprightneſs and Integrity; they ſhall preſerve us. No weakneſs that inf…uenceth our Obedience, ſhall cut it off from his favour, or prevent his ſmelling a ſavour of reſt in it. He that had not a Lamb to offer, might offer Two Turtle Doves. The ground of this is here, becauſe Chriſt is accepted for us in the Covenant of Redemption, and ſo we come to be accepted through him in the Covenant of Grace.
2 That Chriſt is engaged not only to do for us, but in us, too, all the works that are needful. All that is requiſite to our pleaſing of God, and obtaining of Glory. His Almighty power ſtands concerned in it: hence Pauls Prayer for his Coloſſians, Col. 1. 9, 10, 11. In a word, This Covenant hath provided a Chriſt for us to go to for all that we can ſtand in need of, in order to the bringing of us home to the Kingdom: For the Subduing of all our Enemies the Conquering of our Corruptions, the Recovering of us from our Apoſtaſies, the Eſtabliſhing of our Grace, the Perpetuating of our Perſeverance; So that there can nothing be wanting for the ſatisfaction of a believing Soul, but here it is to be had fully: and the encouragement to go to him with boldneſs for it, is fetched from the conſideration of this Covenant; Becauſe GOD the FATHER ſtands firmly Engaged to His SON, for the doing of all this for us; and he cannot deny us when we come and humbly and believingly claim it at his hands, upon this ſcope.
4. Labour we to ſee, admire and Magnify thoſe riches of Grace that are laid up for poor man in this Covenant. The Covenant of Redemption hath matter enough in it for us to ſtudy upon and contemplate for ever. A believer, when himſelf, cannot look upon this Covenant without admiration, and Extaſy: it is full of unſearchable wonders. Here are the greateſt engagements imaginable to oblige us to love and ſerve God. Here is matter enough to Elevate our Praiſes to the higheſt ſtrain! for,
1 Here we learn what were the Everlaſting thoughts of God concerning us, even thoughts of mercy and peace, when we find our names written in That Book, we are ſure that God Remembered us before we were or any other creature to make mention of us to him: and what a ſweet and raviſhing contemplation is here. The Phyſician was provided before the Malady was contracted, when we were not, God thought of us for good, and made the way of this good ſure and unalterable: he enrolled a Covenant for us in the Records of Eternity. The Father and Son did, of their own accord, thus conſult for the Everlaſting welfare of a company of worthleſs Worms: they contrived the matter between themſelves, reſolved to build the Declarative Glory of Divine Grace upon ſo mean a Subject as ſorry man. Here we ſee what a difference was put between us and the Children of Wrath; how precious Gods thoughts of us were, that among ſuch multitudes whom he paſſed by, he ſhould fix his heart upon us, and mark us out for a Kingdom, and how aſtononiſhing a thing is this?
2. Here alſo we may obſerve the Infinitely Wiſe Contrivance of mans Salvation. There are all the Myſteries of Wiſdom concerned in this Covenant. Here is a way found out to Save Fallen Man, which would altogether have puzled and non-pluſt the Underſtandings of Angels and men; if they had ſat themſelves to ſtudy about it, it would never have come into their thoughts. Nay, the Angels themſelves are ſtill amazed at it, and deſirous to be Gazing into the Myſtery of it, although it be Revealed. Who could ever have told God, had he ſeen meet to enquire of him, how a Sinner ſhould be Saved, and Juſtice remain Inviolated. Now in this Covenant, we ſee that all things are ſo contrived as that there is no flaw, nor any the leaſt diſagreement between the Covenant of Works, and the Covenant of Grace, but both have their honour and glory, and yet the ſinner is ſaved out of the hands of the Law, and delivered from Wrath and Vengeance, Rom. 3. 26.
3. Here we ſee how ſure a ground and foundation there is laid for the certain Salvation of all Gods Elect; in that every thing which was requiſite to i…, in all the parts of it, is here fully provided: and all that might poſſibly have hindred it, is taken care about that it be removed out of the way. The Guilt of Sin lay as a great Mountain to ſeparate between God and us; and as long as it there lay, there was no coming at him: he was a conſuming Fire; but now this Guilt is removed away, and this Mountain is thrown into the depths of the Sea. The pollution of ſin lay as a woful obſtruction to mans happineſs, and whilſt it abode, he muſt needs be miſerable: but here is a waſhing and a cleanſing prepared, a Fountain opened for it, which can take it all away. There was a Legal Obedience required as the Condition of mans happineſs, and without ſuch a Righteouſneſs, he could not be entituled to it: but here is an Everlaſting Righteouſneſs brought in, and whatſoever elſe might be mentioned, here it is to be found: ſo that there is now nothing to hinder the Eternal Salvation of every Believer.
4. Here we may read the Faithfulneſs of God to his own Word and Promiſe made to his Son; when we find our ſelves Converted, and made partakers in ſaving Grace; and ſo we may be led up to the true reaſon of our accepting of Chriſt, by faith in him, not to be in us, or any natural good diſpoſitions of ours, but in the fidelity of God. If he ſhould have let us alone to our ſelves, and not have ſought us up and brought us home to Chriſt, as we ſhould never have come to him, ſo we could never have accuſed him of falſhood; for we did not know our ſelves to be the Subjects of thoſe promiſes, till by the effect he made it known to us. But becauſe he had promiſed it, therefore he fulfilled it: and this is the reaſon why the Goſpel which became a ſavour of Death to others, was made a ſavour of Life to us: the ſame means that hardened others in their ſins, ſoftned us, and brake us off from our ſins, and brought us home to God; and this will help to confirm us in the aſſurance that the ſame Faithfulneſs will do the reſt that remains to be done for us, in the accompliſhment of our compleat Salvation.
5. Here alſo we may acquaint our ſelves with what deep engagements Jeſus Chriſt hath laid upon us to love, and fear, and ſerve him, in that he undertook for our Redemption and Salvation from Eternity; and that which ſerves more eſpecially to ſet forth our Obligation and Debt to him in this reſpect, is the conſideration how he was circumſtanced in this Covenant, in thr… or four reſpects.
1. That it was a free and voluntary engagement on his part. He was under no tie of natural neceſſity to do this work. He was a perſon at full and free liberty in himſelf to be engaged or not engaged for us. It was at his own pleaſure whether he would become a Surety, and give himſelf up for our Redemption: Hence that Joh. 10 18. I have Power, &c. the word implies a Liberty or a Right to a Thing. He was a Divine Perſon, and therefore enjoyned in himſelf the higheſt Liberty and Soveraignty over his own actions. If he had refuſed to do this for us, he had not injured us at all. And needs muſt it be a very great bond which is laid upon us, by one that doth us the greateſt kindneſs, who was no farther obliged to it, than he himſelf pleaſed to make himſelf to be: for the more free the love is, the greater doth it appear to be.
2. That he thus engaged for us before we deſired it of him. He did not tarry to be asked by us; he did not wait for our peti…ions to be put up to him requeſting him that he would put in for us, and become our Propitiation: but before we had a being, or were in any capacity of enquiring after him, he then put in, undertook, and made himſelf faſt by a Convenant and a Promiſe. It had been incomparable love for him to have undertaken ſuch a thing for us, upon our moſt ardent and importunate entreaties: yea it would have looked like a thing that was unreaſonable, for us ever to have requeſted him to engage himſelf in our behalf: but for him to interpoſe, and take up our cauſe, and become reſponſible for us, Unſought! this carries the greateſt Force in it, 1 John 4. 9.
3 That the … took upon him … moſt condeſc… … been,; viz … ſinners room … provoked the … againſt him … Wrath an… … Law wer… … him now … our ſins … to the … for us, … to ſuffer … againſt … and dre… … God, … in maki… … Who … like unto … things an … tention, 1 …
4 The … for, … men, no… … …emies Rom… … …ittle kindne… … is a great …. They … page missing
End of the text · Samuel Willard, The Doctrine of the Covenant of Redemption (1693)