The Communicant's Companion (continued)
are robbers, they are murderers, they are enemies to our peace. We will not have them to reign over us; no, no, we know them too well; we have no king but Jesus.
3. We must renounce all dependence upon this present world, and conformity to it. If we enter into a covenant which ensures us a happiness in the other world, on which we look with a holy concern, we must disclaim the expectations of happiness in this world, and therefore look upon this with a holy contempt. God and mammon, God and gain, these are contrary the one to the other. So that if we will be found loving God, and cleaving to him, we must despise the world, and sit loose to it. We must so far renounce the way of the world, as not to govern ourselves by it, and take our principles and measures from it; for we must not be "conformed to this world," nor "walk according to the course of it." We must so far renounce the men of the world, as not to incorporate ourselves with them, nor choose them for our people; because, though we are in the world, we are not of the world, nor have we received the spirit of the world, but Christ has chosen and called us out of it. We must so far renounce the wealth of the world, as not to portion ourselves out of it, nor lay up our treasure in it; nor to take up with the things of this world, as our good things, as our consolation, as our reward, as the penny we agree for. For in God's favor is our life, and not in the smiles of this world. The Lord make us cordial in thus renouncing these competitors, that we may be found sincere in covenanting with God in Christ!
(III.) We must receive the Lord Jesus Christ, as he is offered to us in the gospel. In renewing our covenants with God, it is not enough to enter our dissent from the world and the flesh, and to shake off Satan's yoke, but we must enter our consent to Christ, and take upon us his yoke. In the everlasting gospel, both as it is written in the Scripture, and as it is sealed in this sacrament, salvation by Christ, that great salvation, is fairly tendered to us who need it, and are undone for ever without it. We then come into covenant with God, when we accept of this salvation, with an entire complacency and confidence in those methods which infinite wisdom has taken, of reconciling a guilty and obnoxious world to himself by the mediation of his own Son, and a cheerful compliance with those methods for ourselves and our own salvation.—Lord, I take thee at thy word: be it unto thy servant according to that word, which is so well ordered in all things, and so sure!
We must accept the salvation in Christ's way, and upon his terms, else our acceptance is not accepted.
By a hearty consent to the grace of Christ, we must accept the salvation in his own way, in such a way as for ever excludes boasting, humbles man to the dust, and will admit no flesh to glory in his presence; such a way as, though it leaves the blood of them that perish upon their own heads, yet lays all the crowns of them that are saved at the feet of free grace. This method we must approve of, and love this salvation; not going about to establish our own righteousness, as if, by pleading not guilty, we could answer the demands of the covenant of innocency, and so be justified and saved by it, —but submitting "to the righteousness of God by faith." All the concerns that lie between us and God, we must put into the hands of the Lord Jesus, as the great Mediator, the great manager; we must be content to be nothing, that the Lord alone may be exalted, and Christ may be all in all. God hath declared more than once by a voice from heaven, "This is my beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased." To consent to Christ's grace, and accept of salvation in his way, is to echo back that solemn declaration,—This is my beloved Savior in whom I am well pleased: the Lord be well pleased with me in him; for out of him I can expect no favor.
By a hearty consent to the government of Christ, we must accept the salvation on his own terms. When we receive Christ, we must receive an entire Christ; for, "is Christ divided?"—a Christ to sanctify and rule us, as well as a Christ to justify and save us; for he is a priest upon his throne, and the council of peace is between them both. What God has joined together, let us not think to put asunder. He saves his people from their sins, not in their sins; and is the author of eternal redemption to those only that obey him. That very "grace of God which bringeth salvation, teacheth us to deny ungodliness, and worldly and fleshly lusts, and to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this world." Life and peace are to be had on these terms, and on no other; and are we willing to come up to these terms? Will we receive
Christ and his law, as well as Christ and his love? Christ and his cross, as well as Christ and his crown? Lord, I will, saith the believing soul; Lord, I do. "My beloved is mine, and I am his," to all the intents and purposes of the covenant.
(IV.) We must resign and give up ourselves to God in Christ.—God in the covenant makes over not only his gifts and favors, but himself to us: "I will be to them a God." What he is in himself, he will be to us, a God allsufficient: so we in the covenant must offer up, not only our services, but ourselves; our own selves, body, soul, and spirit, to God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, according to the obligations of our baptism, as those that are bound to be to him a people. This surrender is to be solemnly made at the Lord's table, and sealed there; it must therefore be prepared and made ready before. Let us see to it, that it be carefully drawn up without exception or limitation, and the heart examined, whether a free and full consent be given to it. We must first give our own selves unto the Lord, and I know not how we can dispose of ourselves better. By the mercies of God, which are inviting, and very encouraging, we must be wrought upon to present our bodies and souls to God a living sacrifice of acknowledgment, not a dying sacrifice of atonement; which, if it be holy, shall be acceptable, and it is our reasonable service. Thus he that covenants with God, is directed to say, "I am the Lord's," and for the greater solemnity of the transaction, to subscribe with his hand unto the Lord. Not that we do, or can hereby transfer or convey to God any right to us which He had not before.
He is our absolute Lord and owner, and has an incontestable sovereignty over us and propriety in us, as he is our Creator, Preserver, Benefactor, and Redeemer; but hereby we recognize and acknowledge his right to us. We are his already by obligation, more his than our own; but, that we may have the benefit and comfort of being so, we must be his by our own consent.
More particularly, 1. To resign ourselves to God, is to "dedicate and devote ourselves to his praise." It is not enough to call ourselves by his name, and associate ourselves with those that do so, to take away our reproach; but we must consecrate ourselves to his name, as living temples. It is a gift, a gift to God; all I am, all I have, all I can do is so; it is a dedicated thing, which it is sacrilege to alienate. All the powers and faculties of our souls, all the parts and members of our bodies, we must, as those that are alive from the dead, freely yield unto God as instruments of righteousness, to be used and employed in his service for his glory. All our endowments, all our attainments, all those things we call accomplishments, must be accounted as talents, which we must trade with for his honor. All being of him and from him, all must be to him and for him. Our tongues must not be our own, but his, in nothing to offend him, but to speak his praise, and plead his cause, as