Of The Promises In General
OF THE PROMISES IN GENERAL
As to the promises in general, two things are to be inquired into: 1. What are the general kinds of them? 2. To whom they are made?
I. As to the general kinds of the promises; considering the parties on whom the promises of the covenant of grace have their direct and immediate effect, they appear to be of two general kinds.
1. Some of them have their direct and immediate effect on Christ himself, the head of the covenant; such as the promise of assistance in his work, and the promise of a name above every name. So in the first covenant, there were promises which were to have their direct and immediate effect, on Adam himself, and looked not, but mediately and indirectly, to his posterity, such of them, at least, as should have lived after the complete fulfilling of the condition of the covenant; namely, the promises of natural life continued in vigour and comfort, and of spiritual life in favour and fellowship with God, during the course of his probationary obedience.
2. Others of them have their direct and immediate effect on Christ's spiritual seed, comprehended with him in the covenant; such as the promises of regeneration, of the new heart, and cleansing from the defilement of sin. So in the first Adam's covenant, the promise of life contained a promise of the holy conception and birth of his natural seed; in respect of which the promise would have had its direct and immediate effect, not on Adam himself, but on his posterity.
II. The next thing to be considered, is, To whom they were made? And we may take up this point in two things.
First, The promises of the first sort, namely, those having their direct and immediate effect on the person of Christ, were made to Christ himself. Of this no doubt can be moved. And they were made to him as head of the covenant, the second Adam, the representative of his seed. This appears from our text, wherein he is called the Chosen, the head-elect, and representative of the election, David God's servant; in which capacity, the covenant was cut off, or made to him, by the Father. It is evident, that all the promises of assistance in his work, and of his subequent reward, were made to him in view of his performance of the condition: and therefore since he performed the condition, as head of the covenant, second Adam, and representative of his seed, these promises were made to him in that capacity.
The promises of this kind then were made to Christ only. And that was the peculiar honour put upon the head of the covenant, in the promissory part; as it was his peculiar burden to fulfil the conditionary part. So he hath the name which is above every name, and is anointed with the oil of gladness above his fellows. In the election, whereof he is the head, he shines above the rest, as the sun in his meridian brightness above the twinkling stars. He is the Benjamin at God's table with his brethren, whose mess of promises in the covenant is five times so much as any of theirs; the Joseph, who was separated from his brethren, in fulfilling the condition of the covenant, and hath a double portion in the promised land made over to him, as the first-born amongst many brethren.
Nevertheless, as the honour and prosperity of the head redound to the members, their interest, in respect of their union and communion, being a joint interest; so the glory and honour settled on Christ by promise, are a spring of grace and glory to his members, an enriching treasure, their glory and crown. He is that head of gold which puts a glory on the body: and the ointment poured upon the head, cannot miss to go down to the skirts of his garments. And hence is, (1.) The continual cry of prayer by the whole company of the faithful, for the accomplishment of the promises made to the Mediator, Psalm 72:15, "Prayer also shall be made for him continually." It is evident that psalm concerns the Messias. But prayer made continually for Christ! how can that be? Why, till the world's end, that cry in prayer shall never cease among the faithful, Thy kingdom come, Matth. 6:10. It began with Adam's embracing the promise by faith, was carried all along the time of the Old Testament; and now it hath been sounding in the New Testament church more than sixteen hundred years, and shall not cease until the consummation of all things. (2.) Hence also the joyful acclamations of praise, by the same company, for the accomplishment of promises to the Mediator. Whensoever there appears any such accomplishment made, it is matter of joy to the church; and the more there appears of it, the joy is the more increased. Thus the church hath a song upon the fulfilling of the promise of the gathering of the nations unto him, Isa. 12:1; of this victory over Antichrist, Rev. 19:1; of the calling of the Jews, ver. 6. And when, the end being come, all the promises made to him shall be accomplished, that will afford them an everlasting song of praise.
Secondly, The promises of the other sort, namely, those having their direct and immediate effect on the elect, are made to Christ primarily, and to them secondarily: first, to the head; then, to the members, through him.
1. The promises having their immediate effect on the elect, are made to Christ immediately, primarily, and chiefly. God hath in the covenant promised grace and glory, all that pertains to life and godliness, unto a select company of mankind: but the promise of all these was first and chiefly made to Christ their head; so that he hath not only an interest in these promises, but the chief interest in them. This appears by several documents from the word cf God.
1st, The apostle testifies, that the promises were made to the seed, which is Christ, Gal. 3:16. And the promises he speaks of, are, promises of the blessings, of the Spirit, ver. 14; of the inheritance, ver. 18; the promises received through faith, ver. 14. Even these are made to Christ the head of the body. This is confirmed by those passages which shew God's covenant to be made with Christ, and in the meantime explain it by a promise of the happiness of his seed, Psalm 89:3, 4; ver. 28, and 29, ver. 35, and 36. And what is more natural, than to make a promise to a father in favour of his children?
2dly, Our Lord Jesus is constitute the heir of all things, (Heb. 1:2.), in virtue of the promise of the covenant, "I will make him my first-born," Psalm 89:27. Now, if Christ, as the second Adam, be heir of all things, by his Father's promise, the promises of all things are made to him; and consequently, the promise of eternal life, comprehending all happiness to his people, is made to him in the first place. So Christ is the first and chief heir; and they are secondary heirs in and through him. Hence, in view of the great promise of the covenant, "I will be their God," our Saviour hath that endearing expression, "I ascend unto my Father and your Father, and to my God and your God," John 20:17, compare Rom. 8:17. "And if children, then heirs; heirs of God, and jointheirs with Christ."
3dly, As in the covenant of works, God promised life to Adam's natural seed; upon condition of his perfect obedience; which is evident from death's coming on them by his disobedience: so in the covenant of grace, he hath promised life to Christ's spiritual seed, upon condition of his obedience; for "as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive," 1 Cor. 15:22. But that promise of life for Adam's natural seed, was primarily made to Adam himself, while as yet none of them were in being; and they were to partake of it only through him, to whom it was made as their representative. Therefore the promise of life to Christ's spiritual seed, was made chiefly to Christ himself; and to them only in and through him. Accordingly we are told, that the promise of eternal life, upon which the hope of believers is built, was made before the world began, Tit. 1:2. And to whom could it be then made immediately and primarily, but to Christ the head of the covenant?
Lastly, These promises contain a part of the reward made over in the covenant to Jesus Christ, "who, for the joy that was set before him, endured the cross," Heb. 12:2. A great part of which joy lay here; "He shall see his seed, the travail of his soul," Isa. 53:10, 11. All of these promises were the price of his blood to him, the purchase of his obedience and death; therefore called the New Testament in his blood. To whom could the reward be chiefly promised, but to him who, performing the condition, wrought the work? Unto him therefore it was of debt, namely in virtue of the promise, which made it due to him upon his performing the condition. The blessings of the covenant which come on the elect, are certainly to be considered as a reward to Christ, as well as a free gift to them. And considering them in the first of these views, there is no more absurdity in the promise of the new heart's being made to Christ, than in a physician's making a promise to a father to cure his lame child, when he hath given him security for his fees: in which case, the child cannot look on the promise as made to himself at all, but secondarily, through his father, who was the party-contractor.
This is a point of considerable weight, and serves both to inform our minds, and direct our practice; for the following inferences from it are native.
(1.) The promises of the covenant are not made to the believer's good works; but to Christ's works, and to the working believer in him. Unto the believer they are absolutely free, and not of debt; and therefore are not made to his works; for "to him that worketh, is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt," Rom. 4:4. There is indeed a comely order of the promises, whereby the promise of purity of heart to the elect, goes before the promise of their seeing God in heaven; the promise of humiliation, before that of lifting up; whereupon it is declared in the administration of the covenant, that the pure in heart shall see God; that they who humble themselves, shall be lifted up: and thus "godliness hath promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come," 1 Tim. 4:8. But the foundation of all these promises, whether of things that are our duty, or our privilege, what they all depend upon as their proper condition, is the obedience of Christ allenarly; they being all made to him in the first place, the latter as well as the former.
(2.) The first grace whereby the dead elect are quickened, and made to believe and unite with Christ, is conveyed to them in the channel of a promise, as well as the grace following faith: Ezek. 36:27, "I will put my Spirit within you." For although in their natural state they are not capable of a believing pleading of the promise; nor have they, at that time, a personal saving interest in the promises; yet the Lord Jesus knoweth them that are his, and for whom the promises were made to him; and having the administration of the covenant in his own hand, he cannot fail of seeing to the accomplishing of them, in the appointed time. Howbeit they, being dead in trespasses and sins, cannot consult their own interest; yet he having the chief interest in the promises, will not neglect his own cause, but will see them exactly accomplished.
(3.) The way to be personally and savingly interested in the promises, for time and eternity, is to unite with Christ by faith; "for all the promises of God in him are yea, and in him amen," 2 Cor. 1:20. Would ye fain know how the great and precious promises may become yours? Why, they are all his; they are all made to him. Take him, and they are yours: even as he who marries the heiress, hath a right to her portion, and all the bills and bonds wherein any of it is contained.
(4.) When through deadness and darkness of spirit, whether arising from some conscience-wasting guilt, or otherwise, your faith of the promise is failed, and you cannot again fasten your gripe upon it, because you can see no good in you; embrace Christ again, and the promise in him; notwithstanding of your seen and felt sinfulness and utter unworthiness; and by no means stand off from the promise until you be in better case; but say with the Psalmist, "Iniquities prevail against me: as for our transgressions, thou shalt purge them away," Psalm 65:3. For as the goodness in you was not the ground of the promise; so the evil in you doth not overturn it, and make it of none effect. The foundation of the promise stands sure in Christ, whatever alterations the frame and case of a believer's spirit do undergo. It is established as the moon, (Psalm 89:37.), which is still the same in itself, notwithstanding of the variety of its appearances to our sight, one while waxing, at another time waning.
(5.) The true way to plead the promises, is to come to God in the name of Christ, and plead the fulfilling of them to us for his sake: John 16:23, "Whatsoever ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will give it you." Matt. 21:22, "Believing, ye shall receive." Dan. 9:17, "O our God,—cause thy face to shine upon thy sanctuary that is desolate, for the Lord's sake." To ask in Christ's name, believing, is to present one's self before the Lord, as a member of Christ, joined and cleaving to him offered unto us in the gospel; and for the sake of the head, to implore the free favour of the promise, relying on his merit for obtaining it. This is the import of that passage, Gen. 12:3, as it relates to Christ, "In thee shall all families of the earth," to wit, that shall be blessed, "be blessed;" or rather, as the original word properly signifies, be made to kneel, namely, to receive the blessing; all that are blessed, being blessed in Christ, Eph. 1:3. Compare Phil. 2:10. This is the method in which God dispenseth the favours of his promise: 2 Sam. 7:21, "For thy word's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all these great things." Compare 1 Chron. 17:19, "For thy servant's sake, and according to thine own heart, hast thou done all this greatness;" i. e. for the sake of the word, thy servant, the Messias: for as both these passages are a narration of the very same thing, there is no manner of difference at all between them in the original, save that where the one hath thy word, the other hath thy servant.
(6.) Believers may hereby strengthen their faith of the accomplishment of the promises to them. Whatever easy work some have, in maintaining their presumptuous hopes of the mercy of God to eternal life; while not seeing the heinous nature of their sin, they build their hopes on something in themselves, rather than upon the free promise of the covenant in Christ Jesus; yet unto the serious godly, no small difficulty in believing doth arise, from the joint view of the greatness and preciousness of the promises, and the greatness of their sins and of their unworthiness. Hence they are ready to say, Can ever such promises be made out to such a one as I am? And truly there is nothing in them that can furnish an answer to this grave case. But here is a satisfying answer to it: The promises are all of them made to Christ chiefly, even to him who purchased them with his blood; and justice requires that they be performed to him: and being performed to him, they must needs have their effect on all his members, for whom, because in themselves unworthy, he merited them. So the soul may say, However unworthy I am, yet He is worthy for whom God should do this.
2. The promises having their immediate effect on the elect, are made to themselves secondarily, in and through Christ. As he hath the fundamental and chief interest in them, so they have a derived interest in them through him. There was from eternity a legal union between Christ and them in the covenant; whereby their debt became his, and the promises made to him became theirs. As upon the one hand, "The Lord laid on him the iniquity of us all," Isa. 53:6; so, on the other hand, "grace was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began," 2 Tim. 1:9. In time there is a real mystical union made between him and them, upon his taking possession of them by his Spirit, and dwelling in them by faith. The former constituted a right for them unto the promises, in Christ the head; the latter vests them with a right thereto, in their own persons, through him; as being actual members of his body. In respect of the one, eternal life is said to be promised, and grace said to be "given us, before the world began," Tit. 1:2; 2 Tim. 1:9; in respect of the other, believers are called "the heirs of the promise," Heb. 6:17; "partakers of his promise in Christ," Eph. 3:6; and the "promise is given to them that believe," Gal. 3:22.
Thus it appears, that these promises are made to Christ's spiritual seed, as well as to himself; though primarily to him as the representative, on whom the fulfilling of the condition was laid; and but secondarily to them as the represented, who were to receive the benefit. And hence ariseth another difference, namely, that, properly and strictly speaking, the promises were conditional to Christ, but they are absolute and free to us; even as the promise of life, in the first covenant, was conditional to Adam, which would have been absolute to his natural seed, the condition once being fulfilled. Thus Christ's merit and the free grace of God, meet together in the covenant: justice is fully satisfied, and grace runs freely, in that channel; the promises being all purchased at the full rate, but no part of the price advanced by us. Hence we obtain precious faith, with all other saving benefits, through the righteousness of God, and our Saviour Jesus Christ, (or rather, the righteousness of our God and Saviour Jesus Christ), as the proper condition of them all, 2 Pet. 1:1. And in the meantime, God "blotteth out our transgressions for his own sake," Isa. 43:25; and "all things that pertain unto life and godliness, are given (or gifted) unto us," 2 Pet. 1:8.
HAVING spoken of the promises in general, we come now to take a more particular view of them; and first of the promises peculiar to Christ himself. These are many, but may all be reduced to three heads; to wit, the promise of assistance, of acceptance, and of reward of his work.
First, Our Lord Jesus had a promise of assistance in his work: Psalm 89:21, "Mine arm shall strengthen him." Having undertaken the work of our redemption, he had his Father's promise, that when it came to the setting to, he would strengthen and uphold him in going through with it, Isa. 42:1–4. And in the faith of this covenanted assistance, he went through the hardest pieces thereof, chap. 50:6, "I gave my back to the smiters, and my cheeks to them that plucked off the hair; I hid not my face from shame and spitting." Ver. 7, "For the Lord God will help me." Accordingly, in his heaviness in the garden, "there appeared an angel unto him from heaven, strengthening him," Luke 22:43. And this promised assistance was the token of his Father's good pleasure in, and liking of the work, while it was a-doing.
Secondly, He had a promise of the acceptance of his work when once done; of the acceptance thereof, as a full discharge and performance of the condition of the covenant, intitling him to the promised reward. Hence in view of the sure performance of his work the acceptance thereof was, at his baptism, proclaimed by "a voice from heaven, saying, This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased," Matth. 3:17. And it was renewed at his transfiguration, a little before his passion, chap. 17:5. Unto this promise of acceptance belongs the promise of his resurrection, and of his justification.
1. The promise of his resurrection from the dead: Psalm 16:10, "Thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine holy One to see corruption;" which is expounded of the resurrection of Christ, Acts 2:31. God, by raising Christ from the dead, did in effect declare his acceptance of the work by him performed. It evidenced the debt to be fully cleared, that he who laid him up in the prison of the grave, did bring him out of it again; sending his angel to "roll away the stone from the door" of it, and so to dismiss him legally. For thus it was agreed in the covenant, that as Christ should give himself to the death, for the satisfaction of justice: so the Father should bring him again from the dead, in respect of that satisfaction made by his blood, Heb. 13:20.
2. The promise of his justification: Isa. 1:8. "He is near that justifieth me." The accomplishment of which is observed by the apostle, 1 Tim. 3:16, "God was manifest in the flesh, justified in the Spirit." Our Lord Jesus Christ having no personal sins to be pardoned, needed no personal justification; but as he was the surety of the elect, and had the iniquities of them all laid on him, it was provided in the covenant as just, that, the work he had undertaken being performed, he should have an official justification. Having paid the debt, he had by promise a full and ample discharge thereof, under the hand and seal of heaven. And here lies the great security of his people against the law's demand of satisfaction from them.
Lastly, He had a promise of a glorious reward to be conferred on him, as a proper merit of his work done, there was a joy set before him in the promise, for which he endured the cross, despising the shame, Heb. 12:2. Never was there such a work wrought; and never was there such a reward promised. Unto it there belongs a fivefold promise.
1. The promise of a new kind of interest in God, as his God and and Father: Psalm 89:26. "He shall cry unto me, thou art my Father, my God." Our Lord Jesus had God to his Father, by eternal birth-right: but there was a new relation constituted between God and Christ as the second Adam, head of the covenant, founded upon his undertaking and fulfilling the covenant condition; whereby he became heir of God as his heritage, according to that of the apostle, Rom. 8:17, "Heirs of God, and joint heirs with Christ;" namely, with Christ as the primary heir. For by his obedience unto death, he purchased the enjoyment of God as a God and Father. I do not say, he purchased it for himself; the man Christ needed not to do that, forasmuch as he had it, in virtue of the personal union of the two natures: but he purchased it for sinners, who had lost all saving interest in God, but could not be happy without it.
2. The promise of a glorious exaltation, to be the Father's honorary servant, prime minister of heaven, as great administrator of the covenant: Isa. 52:13, "Behold, my servant shall deal prudently, he shall be exalted and extolled, and be very high." Chap. 49:8. "I will give thee for a covenant of the people." In fulfilling the condition of the covenant, he took upon him the form of a bond-servant, and humbled himself even unto the death of the cross: wherefore God also, according to the promise of the covenant, hath highly exalted him to the prime ministry of heaven, and given him a name as great administrator of the covenant, which is above every name; that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, Phil. 2:7. 8, 9, 10. The nature, vast extent, and importance of this promise, will afterwards be unfolded, when we come to treat of the administration of the covenant, in virtue thereof put in the Mediator's hand.
3. The promise of a seed and offspring, numerous as the stars of heaven: Isa. 53:10, "He shall see his seed." Gen. 15:5, "So shall thy seed be;" namely, "as the stars of the sky in multitude," Heb. 11:12: even the whole multitude of the elect, all of them to live by his death, and to bear his image, as a child doth that of his father. He consented to suffer the pangs of death; but they were travailing pains, to issue in a numerous birth. He was as a corn of wheat to fall into the ground, and die; but the promise secured to him, on that condition, his bringing forth much fruit, John 12:24. It is in pursuance of the accomplishment of this promise, the gospel continues to be preached from age to age; forasmuch as, in virtue thereof, "as many as are ordained to eternal life, shall believe."
4. The promise of his inheriting all things, as primary heir; Psalm 89:27, "I will make him my first-born." So the apostle says, God hath appointed him heir of all things, Heb. 1:2. And Christ himself declares his being put in possession accordingly, Matt. 11:27, "All things are delivered unto me of my Father." Thus he hath by promise suitable treasures for the supporting of the dignity conferred on him. But of this also more afterwards.
5. Lastly, The promise of victory and dominion over all his, and his people's enemies: Psalm 89:23, "I will beat down his foes before his face." He was to encounter with Satan, sin, and death, in the quarrel of the designed heirs of glory; and no sooner was he engaged against them, but the wicked world of men began a war with him too: but he had his Father's promise, for victory and dominion over them all: that, howbeit he should get the first fall, and die in the battle, yet his death should be the destruction of Satan's dominion, sin's power, and death's bands over his people; and that whosoever should go about to support that tottering interest, should fall under him: Psalm 110:1, "The Lord said unto my Lord, Sit thou at my right hand, until I make thine enemies thy footstool."
And thus far of the threefold promise peculiar to Christ himself, in the covenant.
OF THE PROMISE OF ETERNAL LIFE TO THE ELECT,
CONSIDERED IN THREE PERIODS
THE promises common to the elect, made in and through Christ unto them in the covenant, are also many. A particular enumeration of them I intend not, though every one of them is more precious than the gold of Ophir: but it would be profitable for serious Christians, as they read through the Old and New Testament, to mark them in their bibles, for their spiritual treasure, stored with such variety, as affords what is suitable for every case they can be in. They are all comprehended in, and may be reduced unto this one, to wit, the promise of eternal life: for which the two following texts may be viewed.
Tit. 1:2, "In hope of eternal life, which God that cannot lie, promised before the world began."
1 John 2:25, "And this is the promise that he hath promised us, even eternal life."
In which words, three things for our purpose offer themselves to be observed. 1. The great and comprehensive promise of the covenant of grace, the sum of all the promises therein, to sinners; namely, the promise of life eternal: that is the order of the words in the original. The covenant is a covenant of life, designed for restoring dead sinners to life: and so the promise of it is a promise of life. And that life is eternal. 2. The date of this promise, before the world began. While as yet time was not, and the foundation of the world was not laid, it was made, and eternal life thereby secured to the elect. 3. The parties concerned in it. The maker of the promise was God that cannot lie; whose promise therefore must needs take effect. And, by special appropriation, it was the Father: it was HE that made it: ver. 24, "Ye also shall continue in the Son, and in the Father." Ver. 25, "And this is the promise that he hath promised us," &c. The party it was made to, is, (1.) and chiefly, Jesus Christ, the second Adam, head of the covenant: for there is no necessity to recede from the proper signifition of the word here used, which is promising, to a catachrestical one, to wit, purposing: since the promises were made to Christ, Gal. 3:16. And he really was before the world began, and consequently then capable of having a promise made to him. (2.) The elect in him. He hath promised us, namely, us legally in him before the world began; that is the elect who apply and plead the promise then, when they believe.
And hence ariseth this truth, viz. The great and comprehensive promise to Christ's spiritual seed, in the covenant, is the promise of life eternal, made from eternity to Christ, and to them in him.
For opening of this promise of the covenant, we shall view it, (1.) More generally, (2.) More particularly.
I. In the general, it speaks two things, to wit, all true happiness and the everlastingness of that happiness.
First, It comprehends, as the matter thereof, all true happiness. For life is used for happiness in the holy language, 1 Sam. 25:6. So John 4:50. And it is so used in the style of both covenants: Rom. 10:5, "The man which doth those things, shall live (i.e. be happy) by them." Hab. 2:4, "The just shall live (i.e. be happy) by his faith." The damned have a life in hell that will last for ever: but, in the style of the Holy Ghost, they never see life, they are deprived of eternal life; because their life is not a happy life, but a miserable one. It is evident from the writings of the prophets and apostles, that the death threatened in the covenant of works, comprehended all misery, in this world and in the world to come; and, consequently, that the life therein promised, comprehended all happiness in time and eternity. Forasmuch then as the life promised in the covenant of grace, was designed for retrieving the loss sinners sustained by the fall; it must needs, in its comprehension, go as wide as the death which thereby they became liable unto. From all which we conclude, that God, in promising life to the elect in Christ, hath promised them all happiness: which accordingly goes under the name of life simply in the Scripture, 1 John 5:12, "He that hath the Son, hath life." And thus the covenant-life extends to all welfare of the whole man, and to all the means by which it is compassed.
1. The covenant-life extends to all welfare of the whole man, soul and body; the latter as well as the former. And therefore from the covenant our Lord proves the resurrection of the body, against the Sadducees, Matth. 22:31, 32. Though the soul is the principal part, it is not the only part, therein provided for. In virtue of the covenant, "the body is for the Lord, and the Lord for the body;" as well as the soul is for him, and he for it, 1 Cor. 6:13. As the body had its share in the death threatened in the first covenant; so it hath, and shall have its share in the life promised in the second. Since the price of the Redeemer's blood was paid for the bodies of his people, in his fulfilling the condition of the covenant; the life secured in the promise must extend to them, as well as to their souls.
2. It extends to all the means by which that welfare is to be compassed, begun, advanced, and perfected: "Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours," 1 Cor. 3:22. For the securing of the benefit itself by promise, secures all the means by which it is to be brought about. Hence the covenant descends even to the bread and the water, necessary for the support of natural life, Isa. 33:16.
Secondly, The promise comprehends the everlastingness of that happiness. It is not only life that is promised, but life eternal, life for evermore, Psalm 133:3; which, from the moment it is given, shall never be extinguished, through the ages of time and eternity. In the style of the Scripture, eternal life is not restricted to the state of glory in heaven. But the life communicated to a sinner, in the first moment of his union with Christ, is eternal: it is the eternal life promised in the covenant, according to the Scripture, John 3:36, "He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life." See chap. 5:24; 1 John 5:11, 12. Hence, from the promise of the covenant, "The just shall live by faith," the apostle proves the perseverance of the saints, Heb. 10:38. A plain evidence, that perseverance in grace, in this our state of imperfection, is a part of the eternal life promised in the covenant, as well as heaven's happiness. And thus the covenant-life extends to that which now is, and that which is to come, 1 Tim. 4:8.
1. It extends to the life that now is in the world. And this is that eternal life begun in the several parts thereof, with respect both to soul and body. If men measure happiness by the smiles and frowns of common providence, no man indeed can be counted happy before death. But the sacred oracles teach us to take our measures of it another way, to wit, by a personal saving interest in the covenant; and do pronounce them happy, whose God is the Lord, whatever be between them and the grave, Psalm 144:15. So there is promised in the covenant, happiness begun in this life, both as to soul and body; the happiness of the way to the kingdom; salvation happily begun, and infallibly to be carried on.
2. It extends to the life that is to come in the other world. And that is the same eternal life consummated and perfected, in respect both of soul and body, in heaven. There the promise of the covenant is to receive its full accomplishment; of which believers now have the earnest, which is not only a part of the things promised, but an assurance of the whole.
II. For a more particular view of the promise of eternal life to the elect, it may be considered in three periods: (1.) Before their union with Christ; (2.) From their union with Christ, until death; and, (3.) From death, through eternity. Of the operation of the promise, in the first and the last of these periods, we know but little; and indeed not much of it, in the middle period. For it is like a river issuing from a hidden spring, and running far under ground; then rising above ground, and running on, till it go forth into the ocean. The hidden spring from whence the promise of eternal life to the elect issueth forth, is God's free grace, which was given us in Christ Jesus, before the world began, 2 Tim. 1:9. It runs under ground, undiscernible even to the parties themselves, till the moment of their union with Christ, in effectual calling; then rising, it runs on, as it were, above ground, in visible streams, until death; and thereafter, it runs full and perspicuous through the ages of eternity. We shall take a view of the great lines of the promise, in these its several periods.