Home A TREATISE ON THE COVENANT OF GRACE A TREATISE ON THE COVENANT OF GRACE by John Cotton,1652.12

A TREATISE ON THE COVENANT OF GRACE by John Cotton,1652.12

by outofmydepths
9 minutes read

3. The Promises have a work of Conviction upon the Soul: if any man refuse, and despise them, they leave him unexcusable, Proverbs 1:24,25,26, &c. Because I have called, and ye have refused: I have stretched out my hand, and no man regarded: but you have set at nought all my Counsels, and would none of my reproof: I will laugh at your Calamity, Gc. thus is their blood justly upon their own head, that refuse and despise his Promises, and they aggravate their condemnation another day: and to this end the Apostle maketh use of a precious Promise of God, Acts 13:38,39,40,41, Be it known unto you men and brethren, that through this man is preached unto you forgiveness of sins; and by him all that believe are justified from all things, from which you could not be justified by the Law of Moses: beware therefore, lest that come upon you which is spoken of by the Prophets: Behold you despisers, wonder, and perish, Gc. A strange Application of such a gracious Promise; a sign there is a power in the Promises even unto this end. Thus we see there is a marvellous gracious use of Promises, before Union with Christ, as to help Ministers and people with matter of Doctrine, and Instruction, and Exhortation; so also to awaken men unto Illumination, and Affection, and Conviction, and to seal them up unto everlasting destruction, if they turn their backs upon them.

Benefit 2: As the Promises are of use before our Union with Christ: so, In our Union with him they are of great use; for when the Lord giveth himself to the Soul, he doth it in a Promise. He cometh unto the Soul riding (as it were) upon the Chariot of a Promise, and begetteth faith in the Soul by the Promise, or some such word of Grace as is equipollent to a promise, Ezekiel 37:11, whereby we receive Jesus Christ, though before him we can have no Promise, yet in a Promise we do receive him. This is the very first stroke of closing with Jesus Christ; he giveth himself, and we take him as he offereth himself, even in a Promise: such a like Dispensation of himself we read of, Acts 3:25,26, Ye are the children of the Prophets, and of the Covenant which God made with our Fathers, saying unto Abraham, And in thy seed shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed: unto you first, God having raised up his Son Jesus, sent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities: Here is Christ offered in a Promise of Free Grace, without any previous, gracious qualification mentioned. Howbeit, many of them that heard the Word, believed, and the number of the men was about 5,000; about 3,000 of them believed before: so that here are 2,000 that believe upon this gracious Promise: the Lord Christ is offered to them, and they receive him by Faith. Thus we see that Promises are not vain things, but there are great use of them; before our Union, all Promises are of excellent use, as also In our Union.

3. After our Union with Christ, they are of abundant use: They were of use before we were in Christ, for Doctrine, and for Instruction, and for Exhortation; but now they are of more efficacy in the same kind, and
1. They serve for Doctrine, to teach us, that there is not only free grace in Christ, but there are gifts of grace in Jesus Christ, and all the treasures of the good things of God are in him, and all the Blessings of the Promises made unto qualifications are laid up in him also.

2. They serve for Instruction, to direct us whither to look for qualifications, and the blessings promised unto them; namely, to the Lord Jesus Christ, to receive the blessing through him, and the qualification by the same hand: for they are first fulfilled in him; there is no good Condition, but it is found in Jesus Christ, no blessing belonging thereunto, but it is found in Christ also; in him therefore they are to be sought for: so that though a poor Soul see himself wretched, and blind, and naked, yet he hath an Husband in whom all riches is laid up: this he is taught to know by the Promise; and directed also to go to Jesus Christ, that enjoying him, he may enjoy all good things in him.

3. They are of use to stir up unto Prayer: for now, I see, that all these good things are in Christ, and in him they must be enjoyed, if they be enjoyed at all; hereupon the Soul is set a work (the Holy Ghost concurring therewith) to consider, Is there so much Grace in Christ, and in him abundantly? hath the Lord made so many gracious Promises unto such and such gracious qualifications? Whither then should I go either for the one, or for the other, but unto Christ, that he may work in us a Spirit of Faith, of love, and of a sound mind, and what else soever we stand in need of?

4. They are of use to help us to know our spiritual state, and means to discern thereof: All these qualifications to which the Promises are made, are fruits of the Spirit, and will more or less declare unto you your sanctified state, which is a marvellous blessing: Upon the Promises made unto such conditions, the Lord stirreth up the hearts of his people to seek for such conditions, to which the Promises are made; and when the Lord hath given us them, he then openeth our hearts to see what he hath given us, and so to discern our sanctified estate: Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not with-held thy Son, thine only Son from me; so the Lord said to Abraham, Genesis 22:12, wherein he bare witness to his work; and this doth fill Abraham with strong consolation, together with the Oath of God unto him: for now the Lord doth not only know it, but causeth him to know it also: so that if the Lord do but breathe in such a fruit of the Spirit, if he doth but give power to the Soul to do such a work unto which the Promise is made, and to make it appear unto the Soul to be indeed such, by the revelation of his own blessed Spirit, then doth the Lord fill the Soul with consolation, Psalm 9:18, The patient expectation of the meek shall not perish forever: When the poor soul is meekened by God’s hand, and the Lord letteth him so discern it, that now he quietly resteth upon the Lord, now the Spirit of God doth help David along be supported with some stay: and besides, the waiting of a Christian upon him who hath made the Promises, doth make him yet more patient and hopeful: and this is a fourth use of Conditional Promises.
5. They are of use to work all these qualifications in us, to which the Blessings are promised: By the exceeding gracious Promises we are made partakers of the Divine nature, 2 Peter 1:4, and this is no small work, or use of these Promises, that from them should spring all our gracious qualifications; for the Lord having promised such blessings in them, these Promises being received and enjoyed, and meditated on by us, we beholding them, and the glory of the Lord Jesus in them, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord, 2 Corinthians 3:18, this great power there is in the Promises to help an end the work of God in the soul of a Christian: So that, though they were never given to bring us to Christ, yet to this end they were given to work all those qualifications in us to which the blessings are promised.

6. They are of use to provoke and stir up Christians to all such duties to which blessings are promised; they stir them up effectually: the Lord maketh a Promise, 2 Corinthians 6:17,18, that such as touch no unclean thing, he will receive them, and be a father to them, and they shall be his sons, And mark what use the Apostle maketh of this conditional promise, chapter 7:1, Having therefore these promises (dearly beloved) let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Implying, that the having of these promises stirreth up God’s people unto duties, and the Lord is wont to breathe in them, and so to set forward the work of cleansing in the hearts and ways of his servants.

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