Part 2 — Chapter 10: Christ Procures the Gospel to Be Preached to All, but Undertakes Not for the Reprobate

A question it is, whether Christ undertakes in the bargain with Jehovah, for all visibly in covenant, for as is said before, these in the visible Church and their children that are baptized, Magus, Demas, and others are in covenant thus (Acts 2:39). Christ undertakes in his bargain, only for the elect, and undertakes that the Gospel shall be preached to them; but because many hypocrites are mixed with the Gentiles, and Christ is given a light to the Gentiles, preached to a visible multitude, as is foretold (Isaiah 49:6; Isaiah 55:4-5), fulfilled (Acts 13:46-47; Romans 15:8-12, etc.). Therefore he procures to many hypocrites, for whom, and for whose redemption, he undertakes not, that the covenant shall be preached by concomitancy, because they are mixed with the elect, not as an undertaker for them, but for church discipline, Christian societies, and to render such inexcusable. Hence a necessary distinction of the covenant of grace.

The new covenant must be considered: 1. As preached according to the approving and commanding will of God. 2. As it is internally and effectually fulfilled in the elect according to the decree and the Lord's will of purpose.

There must of necessity, differences be held forth between these two. For Antinomians, and legal justiciaries miserably err in both extremities: the former will have no new covenant in the days of the Gospel, but that which is made with the elect; the latter will have no new covenant but such as is made with the whole race of mankind, Pagans not excepted — so Socinians, Arminians, Papists.

1. They differ in the parties contractors: the parties contractors in the covenant preached, are God, and all within the visible Church, whether elect or reprobate, and their seed, they professing the Gospel (Matthew 28:19-20; Acts 2:39-40; Acts 3:25). "You are the children of the Prophets, and of the covenant which God made to our fathers," etc., and they were not all the chosen of God: this is against the Anabaptists also, and against these who will have the Gospel covenant to be made with all the world. But it is a rich mercy that professors are dwelling in the workhouse of the grace of God, within the visible Church; they are at the pool side, near the fountain, and dwell in Immanuel's land where Jehovah dwells in his beauty, and where are the golden candlesticks, and where there run rivers of wine and milk. Such are expectants of grace and glory; to such the marriage table is covered — eat if they will.

But the parties contractors of the covenant in the latter respect are, as in (Jeremiah 31; Hebrews 8), only the house of Judah, the taught of God, the people in whose heart the law is engraved; for as God teaches not all nations his statutes, nor sends the Gospel to them (Psalm 147:19-20; Acts 16).

So neither is the promise of a new heart made to all within the visible Church.

2. A great difference there is in regard of the covenant of suretyship or mediation, that Christ undertakes not for such as are only visible covenanters, and shall never believe: as he prays not for such, as High Priest, so he dies not for them, nor came as a designed covenanting Savior from eternity under an act of cautionary for them. How then does the Gospel come to them? It comes to them, 1. not from Christ as their Surety, since he prays not for any mediation of his own toward them; but 2. for the elect's sake: so Paul (Acts 13:26), "Men and brethren, children of the stock of Abraham, and who among you fears God, to you [illegible] is the word of salvation, to you and for your cause, that you may be saved, is the Gospel, sent." (2 Corinthians 4:15) "For all things, our suffering, our dying, are [illegible], for your sake." (2 Timothy 2:10) "Therefore I endure all things [illegible], for the elect's sake, that they may also obtain the salvation which is in Jesus Christ, with eternal glory." Hence there is no salvation but that which is in Christ Jesus our Lord, the Author and Cause [illegible], and meriting procurer of eternal salvation (Hebrews 5:9). Now, though salvation be offered, yet the salvation that is in Christ Jesus, and merited by the ransom and price of his blood, can be decreed and intended in the preached Gospel to none but to the elect, except they say that Christ did undertake to lay down his life, and to save, by his death and blood by [reconstructed: Covenant-engagement], all the reprobate within the visible Church, for whom he refuses to pray (John 17).

But Christ undertook from eternity for the fulfilling of the covenant of grace, and bestowing salvation upon them for whom he is Surety: for it is he who makes the new covenant (Jeremiah 31:31-34; Hebrews 8:10-11).

There is a twofold consideration of God's will: one is called his approving, commanding, and forbidding will, when God reveals to us what is our obligation and duty, and what is morally good, and to be done, because he commands it, and what is morally evil, and to be avoided, because he forbids it. Now whether this good or evil shall come to pass, or never come to pass, it is all one, as to the nature of the approving will of God, for though the repenting of Cain, and saving faith of the traitor Judas never came to pass, yet it is the duty of the one and the other to repent and believe, and the Lord commands and approves their obedience as good, though he never decreed by his good pleasure, that the obedience of Cain and Judas should come to pass. But his will of pleasure, his discerning will, or his counsel, purpose, or decree, is his pleasure, and appointment of things, not as good and evil, or as agreeable to, or repugnant, and contrary to an equal and just command of God, but of things as they come to pass, or shall never come to pass. Hence, in a permissive decree, God appointed the crucifying of the Lord of Life, the not breaking of a bone of Christ, but he did never will the crucifying of his Son, but forbids and hates it as execrable murder; as touching his approving will: in a word, his commanding will is of things lawful or unlawful, what we who are under a law, ought to do, or not to do. His will of pleasure is of things fixed and resolved upon, what he purposes, good or evil, shall come to pass, or not come to pass. And by the way we may make good use of the foul sins that fall out; for holy and clean is that hand and counsel of the Lord (Acts 2:27-28), which determined what Herod and Pilate should do: yet did the Jews with wicked hands slay and crucify him (Acts 2:23). And O what beauty of wisdom and mercy do they see here, who make that foul work of the slayers of Christ the subject matter of a fair Psalm (Revelation 5:12)? The thousands before the Throne sing, worthy is the Lamb that was slain. But were they worthy who slew him? Was it a worthy fact in the murderers of the Lord of Glory? No: but grudge not at the beauty of his work, who overrules all, but adore and praise. Let us not wrestle with his holy dispensation, and say, Ah! What an untoward government of the world is it, that God should suffer angels and men to sin, and overturn the whole fabric of heaven and earth by sin? In fact, he has by their fall brought in a more glorious order, when he that sits upon the Throne says, Behold I make all things new (Revelation 21:5), and it is said (2 Peter 3:13), Nevertheless we, according to his promise, look for new heavens and a new earth, wherein dwells righteousness. Peter and the disciples were to pray that they should not enter into temptation (Matthew 26:41), and were obliged not to be offended and scattered by the sufferings of the Lord; but they were not to blame and grudgingly to judge that holy decree prophesied by Zechariah, and revealed to themselves (Zechariah 13:7; Matthew 26:31), I will smite the Shepherd, and the sheep of the flock shall be scattered abroad. His part is clean and holy, even when he throws the wicked in hell, and they are obliged to sing the Psalm of the glory of his spotless justice, and that eternally, as these who are before the Throne are to hold up, for all ages, the new song of the glory of his mercy and free grace.

This ground being laid down, the Holy Ghost speaks of the New Covenant two ways in Scripture.

First, according to the approving will of God, as it stands, of promises, precepts, threatenings; and shows both what God does by promises, and what we are obliged to do in point of duty (Acts 2:39): The promise is to you and to your children. (Acts 3:25) You are the children of the Prophets, and of the Covenant which God made with our fathers. (2 Corinthians 6:17) Therefore come out from among them, and be you separate, says the Lord — and I will be a Father to you, etc. This is the whole New Covenant, holding out our duty, ordaining those that profess, to be baptized, received members of the visible church, the body to be edified as a visibly covenanted people: this excludes not, but includes the Lord's taking in members to the invisible and mystical body: which is to be observed against Anabaptists and Antinomians.

The Lord speaks often of the Covenant of Grace not so much as preached, qua foedus ennunciatum (though it so also must be preached) but as fulfilled by God, and acted in an effectual powerful way, upon the hearts of the elect only, and that according to the Lord's decree of election, and will of pleasure. So speaks the Lord of the Covenant: Jeremiah 31:31-33, Jeremiah 32:37-39, Ezekiel 11:16-20, Ezekiel 36:25-27, etc., Isaiah 59:20-21, in a pure evangelical way. In these places the Lord speaks of the Covenant, not so much as it contains our duty, as principally it holds forth his Gospel promise — what he shall effectually do according to his decree and will of pleasure overruling our corrupt will. Papists, Arminians, and Socinians utterly mistake this, and will have it to be spoken of the Covenant as preached according to the Lord's approving and commanding will, whereas there is not one word of a command in these places, and therefore they say that these places speak nothing for the efficacy and mighty power of God in converting sinners. 2. The Anabaptists from these places say none are to be baptized, but such as are so in Covenant, and as have these promises fulfilled in them, in whom the Lord has wrought a new heart, and a new spirit; and that there is no external covenanting under the New Testament. But then the whole Gentiles (Isaiah 55:4-5; Isaiah 11:10; Isaiah 60:1-3, etc.), all nations (Isaiah 2:1-2), all flesh (Isaiah 40:5; Psalm 65:2), all the kindreds of the earth (Psalm 22:26-27), the kingdoms of the world (Revelation 11:15), should be all chosen to life, taught of God, such as have the Law of God engraved in their inward parts, as Jeremiah 31:33, Ezekiel 36:26, which is most false. Now there are undeniable prophecies that the Gentiles from the rising of the sun to the going down thereof (Malachi 1:11) shall be, under the New Testament, the people of God by Covenant (Isaiah 19:18-25). Then must the generality and mixed multitude of the Gentiles be some other way in Covenant, than those of whom the Prophets speak (Isaiah 5[illegible]:20-21; Isaiah 55:10; Jeremiah 31:31; Ezekiel 11:19; Ezekiel 36:26).

3. The Antinomians do also own no Covenant of grace, but this wherein the new heart is given, and the condition is both promised and given. And Doctor Crispe says, all other Covenants of God besides this, run upon a stipulation, and the promises run upon conditions altogether upon both sides. The New Covenant is without any conditions whatever upon man's part: man is tied to no condition that he must perform, that if he does not perform, the Covenant is made void by him.

Answer: Man is under a condition of believing, and tied to believe, so as the wrath of God abides upon him, he shall not see life, nor be justified, if he believes not (John 3:18, 36; Romans 10:6-9). (2.) Man is tied to no condition which he must [illegible] — say which — he can perform without the grace of God. For have he grace, or have he no grace (the Holy Lord — O if we could plead for him and his high sovereignty — is debtor to no man), he is so obliged to believe as he sins against the preached Covenant and forfeits his salvation, if he believes not, and so breaks the Covenant. But devils or men cannot make it void; he may make it of no effect to himself, he being an heir of damnation, but being a chosen vessel God shall work him to believe, and he makes it not void to himself. If it be said that the New Covenant is without any conditions whatever upon man's part, it says too much — for the believer being under no debt, no obligation of conscience to believe, or to any duty, but as the Spirit their only law leads them. And if the Spirit breathes not upon them to forbear adultery, parricide, sodomy, or to believe, pray, praise, hear, mourn for sin, as Peter and David, they sin not — for sin is a transgression of the Law, and when the Spirit breathes not, acts not, there is no Law. And this is most [illegible]. Where observe that [illegible]: Antinomians and Familists confound the efficient cause of our obedience, which is the Spirit of Grace, and the objective cause, which is the holy rule of the command, promise, or threatening. For though the Spirit be absent, and not given at all to men in the state of nature, yet do they sin in committing of sodomy, and in not praying, for they are obliged not to sin, and commanded in the first commandment to pray to a revealed God. I know Adam was not obliged before he sinned to pray to Jesus Christ Mediator, as Stephen (Acts 7) prayed to him. The Spirit by grace does help us to obey the command and the Law, but the Spirit is not the Law, nor rule of our obedience.

2. Not only will they have the Spirit to be all the believer's law and word, and the letter of the command to lay on no obligation, but the Spirit as actually breathing and giving actual influences must be the law. For though the natural conscience or habitual light says that the man should not commit this wickedness, nor omit this duty — seeing present necessity of one starving for want, of one drowning in a water crying for my help, is a call of God to perform the duty — and if the Spirit gives inward warning that I should do the duty, yet if the Spirit actually breathes not and contributes not his actual influence, the man has no warrant of any command or law to act without his rule, since the Spirit acts not at all. And cannot so be guilty in the committing of the most vile abomination; for where no law is, no sin is.

Master Crispe, page 160, brings this argument: the Covenant is everlasting. If the Covenant stands upon any conditions to be performed by man, it cannot be an everlasting Covenant, except man were so confirmed in righteousness that he should never fail in that which is his part, but he daily fails, and so daily breaks the Covenant?

As to the first act of believing, which is a performing of the condition of the Covenant, there is no other condition required than that (Ezekiel 36:26): "I will put in you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit in you, and cause you walk in my statutes" (Ezekiel 36:27). Zechariah 12:10: "I will pour upon the house of David the Spirit of grace and supplication, and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced" — that is, they shall believe in me. That is a strong confirmation, to wit, a promise that he will work the condition in us. And so is that (John 6:37): "All that the Father gives to me shall come to me" (that is, believe in me), "and him that comes, I will in no wise cast out." Second, it is to question the perseverance of the Saints to say that God shall not confirm them into the day of the Lord, as he promises (1 Corinthians 1:8; Philippians 1:6; 1 Peter 1:4-5). Third, our daily doubtings of unbelief will not prove that we so break the Covenant, as our fails and daily slips of unbelief should render the Covenant void and null, so as it should leave off to be an everlasting Covenant. For such failings are indeed sins against the love of the Redeemer and Surety of the Covenant, for his love should constrain us to believe at all times, and to hope to the end. Nor does the eternity of the Covenant depend upon our believing, but upon his grace who gives us to believe — but it is otherwise in the Covenant of Works.

Doctor Crispe, page 162, in Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 36, Hebrews 8, and other passages where the tenor of the Covenant is contained, there is no word of a tie. Pages 163-164: there is not one word that God says to man, "you must do this." But God takes all upon himself, and says he will do this. Indeed, if faith were the condition of the Covenant, the fault of the broken Covenant should be his who works — not faith in us.

Here is the mistake of many who imagine that, in Jeremiah 31, Ezekiel 36, and Hebrews 8, the Holy Ghost sets down the whole entire sum and tenor of the new Covenant — which he does not. For, first, he speaks nothing of the whole parties of the Preached Covenant, which is all within the Visible Church: those he speaks of here are only believers in whom he works a new heart. Second, he speaks nothing of Covenant Commandments, nothing of Covenant duties directly, and nothing of the condition required of us. Third, he speaks not of the Covenant under the reduplication as Preached, or as a treaty offered to elect and reprobate, as in [reconstructed: Matthew 21:31-32], Luke 1:72, Acts 2:39, and as everywhere held out as a visible Covenant made with Abraham and his seed in both Old and New Testament, according to the approving will of God.

But he speaks only of the fulfilling of some special promises of the Covenant — heart teaching and the efficacy of the Covenant. Second, only upon the elect who shall persevere to the end (Jeremiah 31:35; Jeremiah 32:40; Isaiah 59:20-21). Third, only according to the Lord's decree and will of pleasure — not what we ought to do, but what the Lord by his powerful grace will do in us. As: first, "I will engrave my Law in their heart"; second, "I will be their God"; third, "They shall be my people" — to wit, effectually as gifted with a new heart, and such as shall never be cast off, but shall persevere to the end (verses 35-37; Jeremiah 32:40). Otherwise, by external calling, all the carnal and stiff-hearted Jews were his people in Covenant (Isaiah 1:3; Isaiah 5:25; Psalm 81:8; Psalm 50:7; Deuteronomy 7:7), as is in every page almost of the Old Testament. Fourth, "They shall be taught of God" (verses 31, 34). Fifth, "I will forgive their iniquity" (verse 34). Sixth, "I will give them perseverance, and never cast them off" (verses 35-37). So that the Covenant is a metonymy: "This is my Covenant that I will make with them" — that is, these are effects, fruits, and blessings of the Covenant which I shall by my effectual and mighty grace work in them.

Fourth, the Apostle to the Hebrews has no purpose to expound the Covenant of Grace made with Abraham — "that Covenant," says he, "they break." Indeed, it is contrary to the scope of the Apostle to set down the doctrine of the Covenant of Grace. He purposes in the Epistle to the Hebrews to exalt Christ above the Angels (chapter 1), above Moses (chapter 3), above all the Priests, the High Priest, and above all the Sacrifices — bulls, lambs, goats, etc. — he through the eternal Spirit once offered himself to God. And in chapter 8 he proves Christ to be a more excellent High Priest, a Minister of a more excellent Tabernacle, and a more excellent Ministry, because he is Mediator of a better Covenant. He is a days-man who lays his hands upon both parties at variance — both upon God and man — to bring them together; see Job 9:32-33: that is, a Mediator of a Covenant. So that here he says, Christ is engaged to the Father in a more spiritual and heavenly Covenant. None could engrave the Law of God in the heart but Christ. One might say: was not the Law engraved in the heart of some, and their sins pardoned? Were not Moses, Aaron, and many of the people of God sanctified, pardoned, and justified according to that Covenant? They were justified and sanctified, but not by the letter of the Covenant of Grace, nor by sacrifices, shadows, conditional promises, threats, but by Christ: "I the Lord Redeemer will write my Law in their heart," etc. It is then contrary to the Apostle's scope in Hebrews 8 to enter the discourse of the doctrine of the literal Law-Covenant, or the conditional Covenant of Grace. It strongly concludes his point to speak but of the half (though the choicest half) of the Covenant as fulfilled in the elect, and that exalts Christ and his Ministry — that he has a Ministry upon the heart. Now it is a shame to lay the blame of our not believing on Christ, be it a condition of the Covenant, or be it none: Christ works all our works in us, and by this reason it must be his fault (hallowed be his Name) that we sin at all, because he works not in us contrary acts of obedience. But to whom is the Sovereign Lord a debtor? And therefore this Antinomian way must be refused.