and God the Son, in the council of the Trinity, before the world began. II. The Sum of the covenant of redemption is this; God having freely chofen unto life, a certain number of loft Mankind, for the glory of his rich grace, did give them, before the world began, unto God the Son, appointed Redeemer, that, upon Condition he would humble himself fo far as to affume the human nature of a Soul and a Body, unto Ferfonal union with his divine nature, and submit limfelf to the law, as furety for them, and fatisfy juftice for them, by giving obedience in their name, even unto the fuffering of the curfed death of the cross, he should ranfom and redeem them all from fin and death, and purchase unto them righteou nefs and eternal life, with all faving graces leading thereunto, to be effectually, by means of his own appointment, applied in due time to every one of them. This condition the Son of God (who is Jefus Chrift our Lord) did accept before the world began', and in the fulness of time) came into the world, was born of the Virgin Mary, fubjected himself to the law and compleat ly paid the ranfom of the crofs but by vertue of the forefaid bargain, made before the world began, he is in all ages, fince the fall of Adam, ftill upon the work of applying actully the Purchased benefits unto the elect: And that he doth by way of entertaining a covenant of free grace a reconciliation with them,through faith in himself; by which covenant, he makes over to every believer a right and intereft to himfelf and to all his Bleffings. III. For the Accomplishment of this covenant of redemption, and making the elect partakers of the benefits thereof in the Covenant of Grace, Chrift Jefus was clad with the threefold office of Prophet, Prieft, and King. Made a Prophet, to reveal all faving knowledge to his people, and to perfwade them to believe and obey the fame; made a Priest to offer up himself a facrifice once for them all, and to interceed continually with the Father, for making their perfons and fervices acceptable unto him; and made a King, to' fubdue them to himself, to feed and rule them by his own appointed Ordinance and to defend them from their enemies, HEAD. III.* The outward Means appointed to make the Elect Partakers of this Covenant, and all the reft that are called to be inexcufable, Mat xxii. 14. Many are called. HE outward means and ordinances for making men Par takers of the covenant of grace, are fo wifey difpenfed, as the elect fhall be infallibly converted and faved by them and the reprobate, among whom they are, not to be justly ftumbled. The means are especially thefe four; 1. The word of God. 2. The Sacraments, 3. Kirk-Government. 4. Prayer. In the word of God preached by fent meffengers, the Lord makes offer of Grace to all finners upon condition of faith in Jefus Chrift; and whofoever do confefs their fin, accept of CHRIST offered, and fubmit themselves to his ordinances, he will have both them and their Children received into the honour and privileges of the covenant of grace. By the Sacraments, God will have the covenant fealed for confirming the bargain, on forefaid condition. By Kirk-government, he will have them hedged in, and helped foreward unto the keeping of the covenant. And by prayer, he will have his own glorious Grace, promifed in the Covenant, to be daily drawn forth, acknowledged and employed. All which Means are followed either really, or in profeffion only according to the quality of the covenanters as they are true or counterfeit believers. II The covenant of grace fet down in the old Testament before Chrift came, and in the new fince he came, is one and the fame in fubftance, albeit different in outward Adminiftration: for the covenant of the old teftament, being fealed with the Sacraments of circumcifion and the Pafchal Lamb, did fet forth Chrift's death to come,and the benefits purchased thereby, under the fhaddow of bloody facrifices and fundry Ceremonies; But, fince Chrift came, the covenant being fealed by the facraments of baptifm and the Lord's fupper, doth clearly hold forth Christ already crucified before your eyes, victorious over death; and the grave, and gloriously ruling Heaven and earth, for the good of his own people, HEAD HEAD IV. The bleffing which are effectually conveyed by thefe means to the Lord's elect, or chofen ones Mat. xxii. 14. Many are called, but few are chofen. B Y these outward ordinances, as our Lord makes the reprobate inexcufable, fo, in the power of his fpirit, he applies unto the elect, effectually, all faving grace's purchafed to them in the covenant of Redemption, and maketh a change in their perfons. In particular, T. He doth Convert or Regenerate them, by giving fpiritual life to them, in opening their understandings, renewing their wills, affections and faculties, for giving fpiritual obedience to his commands. 2. He gives them faving faith by making them, in the fenfe of deferved condemnation, to give their confent heartily to the covenant of grace, and to embrace Jefus Chrift unfeignedly 3. He gives them Repentance, by making them, with godly forrow, in the hatred of fin, and love of righteoufnefs, turn from all iniquity to the fervice of God. And, 4. He Sanctifies them,by making them go on and perfevere in faith, and fpiritual obedience to the law of God, manifested by fruitfulness in all duties, and doing good works, as God offereth occafion. II. Together with this inward change of their perfons, God changes all their state: For, fo foon as they are brought by faith into the covenant of grace, 1. He Juftifies them, by imputing unto them that perfect obedience which Chrift gave to the law, and the fatisfaction also which upon the cross Christ gave unto justice in their name. 2. He Reconciles them, and makes them friends to God, who were before enemies to God. 3. He Adopts them, that they shall be no more children of Satan but children of God, enriched with all fpiritual privileges of his Sons. And laft of all, after their warfare in this life is ended, he perfects the holiness, and bleffedness, firft of their foul at their death, and then both of their fouls and their bodies, being joyfully joined together again in the refurrection, at the day of his glorious coming to judgment, when all the wicked fhall be fent away to Hell, with Satan whom they have ferved: But Chrift's own chofen and redeemed Ones, true believers, ftudents of holiness, thall remain with himself for ever,in the State of Glorification. The PRACTICAL USE Contained in Scripture, and holden forth briefly in the forefaid Confeffion of Faith and Cate chifms. THE HE chief general ufe of chriftian doctrine, is to convince a man of fin, and of righteoufnefs, and of judgment, John xvi, 8. partly by the law or covenant of works, that he may be humbled and become penitent; and partly by the gofpel or Covenant of grace, that he may become an unfeigned believer in Jefus Chrift and be ftrengthned in his faith upon folid grounds and warrants, and give evidence of the truth of his faith by good fruits, and fo be faved. The Sum of the covenant of works, or of the law, is this, If thou do all that is commanded and not fail in any point, thou Shalt be faved: But if thou fail, thou shalt die, Rom. x. 5. Gal. iii. 10. 12. The fum of the gofpel, or covenant of grace and reconcili ation, is this, If thou fee from deferved wrath to the true Re deemer Jefus Chrift, (who is able to fave to the uttermoft all that come to God through him) thou shalt not perish, but have eternal life, Rom. x. 8. 9. 11. For convincing a man of fin, of righteoufnefs, and of judg ment by the law, or covenant of works, let thefe Scriptures a mong many more be made ufe of. 1. For convincing a Man of fin by the law, confider Jer. xvii. 9, 10. HE heart is deceitful above all things, and defperately wicked, who can know it? I the Lord fearch the heart, I try the reins,even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings, Here Here the Lord teacheth thefe two things; 1. That the fountain of all our miscarriage, and actual finning against God. is in the heart, which comprehendeth the mind, will, affections, and all the powers of the foul as they are corrupted and defiled with original fin; the mind being not only ignorant and uncapable of faving truth, but also full of error and enmity against God; and the will and affections being obftinately difobedient unto all God's directions, and bent toward that only which is evil: The heart (faith he) is deceitful above all things, and defperately wicked; yea, and unfearchably wicked, fo that no man can know it; and Gen. vi. 5. Every imagination of the thoughts of man's heart is only evil continually, faith the Lord, whofe Teftimony we must truft in this and all other matters; and experience alfo may teach us that, till God make us deny ourselves we never look to God in any thing, but fleshly self-intereft alone doth rule us, and move all the wheels of our actions. 2 That the Lord bringeth our original fin, or wicked in-clination, with all the actual fruits thereof, unto reckoning be fore his judgment-feat; For he fearcheth the heart, and tryeth the reins to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings, Hence let every man reafon thus ; "What God and my guilty conscience beareth witness of "I am convinced that this is true. "But God and my guilty confcience beareth witness, that my heart is deceitful above all things, and defperately wicked;and that all the imaginations of my heart, by nature, are only evil continually. "Therefore I am convinced that this is true." Thus a man may be convinced of fin by the law. II. For convincing a man of righteousness by the law, confider Gal. iii. 10, S many as are of the works of the law, are under the curfer for it is written, Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them. CC 4 Here |