Chapter 31. Of the Covenant of Grace.
A GOLDEN CHAIN
Chapter 31. Of the Covenant of Grace.
Up to here concerned the Covenant of Works, and of the Law. Now follows the Covenant of Grace.
The Covenant of Grace is that by which God freely promising Christ and his benefits, exacts back from man, that he would by faith receive Christ, and repent of his sins.
Hos 2.18-20, In that day I will make a covenant for them, etc. And I will marry you to me forever. Yes, I will marry you to me in righteousness, and in judgment, and in mercy, and in compassion. I will even marry you to me in faithfulness, and you shall know the Lord. Eze
36.25-27, I will pour clean water upon you, and you shall be clean — yes, I will cleanse you from all your filthiness, and from all your idols. And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit within you… and cause you to walk in my statutes.
Mal 3.1, The Lord whom you seek shall speedily come to His temple, even the Messenger of the covenant whom you desire. Behold, He shall come, says the Lord of Hosts.
This covenant is also termed a testament, for it has partly the nature and properties of a testament, or will.
First, it is confirmed by the death of the testator. Heb 9.16-17, Where there is a testament, there must be the death of the one who made the testament. For the testament is confirmed when men are dead. For it is not of force so long as the one who made it is still alive.
Secondly, in this covenant we do not offer much, and promise little to God; but in a way, we only receive — even as the last will and testament of a man is not for the testators, but the heirs of the commodity.
The Covenant of Grace, even though it is one in substance, it is distinguished into the old and new testaments.
WILLIAM PERKINS
The Old Testament or covenant is that which, in types and shadows, prefigured the Christ to come, and to be exhibited.
The New Testament declares Christ as having already come in the flesh, and this is shown evidently in the Gospel.
The Gospel is that part of God's word which contains a most worthy and welcome message: namely, that mankind is fully redeemed by the blood of Jesus
Christ, the only begotten son of God, manifested in the flesh, so that now — for all those who repent and believe in Christ Jesus — there is prepared a full remission of all their sins, together with salvation and life everlasting. Joh 3.14-15, As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wilderness, so must the Son of Man be lifted up, that whoever believes in him should not perish, but have everlasting life. Act 10.43, To him also, all the Prophets witness that through his name, all who believe in him shall receive remission of sins.
The end and use of the Gospel is, first, to manifest that righteousness in Christ, by which the whole law is fully satisfied, and salvation attained. Secondly, it is the instrument and, as it were, the conduit pipe of the Holy
Ghost, to fashion and derive faith into the soul; by this faith, those who believe will apprehend Christ's righteousness, as with a hand. Rom 1.16-17, I am not ashamed of the Gospel of Christ, for it is the power of God to salvation to as many as believe — to the Jew first, and then to the Grecian. For the justice of God is revealed by it from faith to faith. Joh 6.63, It is the Spirit who quickens; the flesh profits nothing. The words which I speak are spirit and life. 1Cor 1.21, It pleased God, by the foolishness of preaching, to save those who believe.
The Gospel preached is, in the flourishing estate of Christ's Church, the ordinary means to beget faith. But even in the ruinous estate of the Church, when (as by apostasy) its foundations are shaken, and the clear light of the word is darkened, this word, read or repeated —
A GOLDEN CHAIN
yes the very sound of it being heard but once — is by the assistance of God's Spirit, extraordinarily effectual for those whom God will have called out of that great darkness into His exceeding light. Rom 10.14, How shall they call on Him in whom they have not believed?
And how shall they believe in Him, of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? Act 11.19-21, And those who were scattered abroad, because of the affliction that arose about Steven, walked throughout till they came to Phoenicia, and Cypress, and Antioch, preaching the word to no man except the Jews. Now, some of them were men of Cyprus, and of Cyrene, who when they had come into Antioch, spoke to the Grecians, and preached the Lord
Jesus. And the hand of the Lord was with them, so that a great number believed, and turned to the Lord.
Joh 4.28-30, The woman then left her water pot, and went her way into the city, and said to the men, Come and see a man who has told me all the things I ever did.
Is he not the Christ? Then they went out of the city, and came to Him. Verse 39, Now, many of the Samaritans believed in Him, for the saying of the woman who testified, He has told me all the things I ever did. Verse
41-42, And many more believed, because of His own word. And they said to the woman, Now we believe, not because of what you said, for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world.
Rom 10.18, I demand, have they not heard? No doubt their sound went out through all the earth, and their words to the ends of the earth. Thus we may see how many of our forefathers and ancestors, in the midst of popery, obtained eternal life. Rev 12.17, The dragon was angry with the woman, and went and made war with the remnant of her seed, who kept the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus
Christ. Rom 11.4, What do the divine Oracles say? I have reserved for me seven thousand men, who never bowed the knee to Baal.