A47489:88
The everlasting covenant, a sweet cordial for a drooping soul, or, The excellent nature…
The everlasting covenant, a sweet cordial for a drooping soul, or, The excellent nature of the covenant of grace opened in a sermon preached January the 29th, at the funeral of Mr. Henry Forty, late pastor of a Church of Christ, at Abingdon, in the county of Berks, who departed this life Jan. 25th 1692/3 and was interred at Southwark ... : to which is added, An elegy on the death of the said minister / by Benjamin Keach ...The everlasting covenant, a sweet cordial for a drooping soul, or, The excellent nature of the covenant of grace opened in a sermon preached January the 29th, at the funeral of Mr. Henry Forty, late pastor of a Church of Christ, at Abingdon, in the county of Berks, who departed this life Jan. 25th 1692/3 and was interr'd at Southwark ... : to which is added, An elegy on the death of the said minister / by Benjamine Keach ...
London: printed for H. Barnard, 1693
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
4. When and how are we said to have it made with us, or performed to us actually and personally, so as to have real Interest in all the Blessings and Privileges thereof? (For as it respecteth us, it only contains free and absolute Promises, like the Waters of Noah: And not a Law of conditional Faith and Obedience to be performed by us) Now we have not actual Interest in it, and so personally it cannot be said to be made with us, until we have actual Union with Christ, and do believe in him: For want of these Distinctions, I fear some Men run astray. For it seems as if some Men would have us believe, that the Covenant of Grace in the latitude of it, is but that merciful conditional Covenant of Faith, and Gospel Holiness, that God is pleased to enter into with us, and we with him, in our Baptism, and if we perform that Covenant to the end, we shall be Justified and Saved; nay, and so far as we do act in sincere Obedience, so far, we are already Justified; and if this be the Notion of these Men and that we must believe, as they do) then say I, we are not under ⟨p. 18⟩Grace, but under a Law that will keep us in Doubts and Bondage as long as we live; and if we have no other Righteousness than this, which is either within us, or wrought by us, we shall certainly drop down into Hell when we come to die.
4thly. And by making the Covenant of Redemption distinct from the Covenant of Grace, (in respect of what I am now speaking of) I fear it lay• a Foundation for those Errors which are got among us; as if we are to enter into a Covenant with God without Christ's undertaking for us, as our Surety: for say they, Christ did perform the Covenant of Works, but doth confirm, not perform the Covenant of Grace.
What is the Purport of this Doctrine, as it is improved by our new Methodists? Why, this, viz. In the Mediatory Covenant, Christ made God amends for our breach of the Law of Perfect Obedience by himself alone and for himself, that so he might be a fit Mediator, and merit a New Law of Grace of sincere Obedience; which New Law or Covenant he confirmed by his Death, (so that God now enters into a Covenant with Mankind again) and if we perform the Conditions of it, we shall thereby assuredly have Justification and Eternal Life.