This indeed is that,1 wherein the Covenant of Grace lifts it self up above the Covenant of works; in that of works, the stock was in mans hand; but in this of Grace, it is in Gods; in that there was no promise of perseverance, but in this there are many such promises, God shall confirm you unto the end, 1 Cor. 1.8. He will put his fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from him. Jer. 32.40. The Apostle praying for the Thessalonians, that they may be preserved blameless unto the coming of Christ, immediately ⟨p. 93⟩adds, Faithful is he that calleth you. who also will do it. 1 Thess. 5.23, 24, Evidently God undertakes it, and engages his faithfulness in it; shall we take the matter out of Gods hand into our own, or turn about to the old Covenant? Shall we take these promises conditionally? Then we must utterly evacuate these promises; for they must run thus, if we will persevere, we shall persevere, and so much was true under the old Covenant, and without any promise at all: Mr. Watson argues thus, If any branch be plucked away from Christ, it is either because Christ is not able to keep it, or because he is willing to lose it: But saith the Author, May not sin dissolve the union? What if the believer will not stay with Christ? I answer, This doth not at all answer the Argument from Christs power; Hath he not power to prevent sin from being, or from being final? Hath he not power to strengthen believers, in that which is good, or if they lapse, to raise them up again? If so, his promise cannot fail, his faithfulness will make it good; neither doth sin committed, un-saint a believer, as the Author hints; this was the remarkable difference between the two Covenants; in Adam one sin expelled ⟨p. 94⟩perfect holiness, but in believers it doth not extinguish inherent Grace, though imperfect; still there is a seed of God abiding in them, a well of water springing up unto everlasting life; through Grace they shall be revived again: But saith Mr. Shepherd, Christ hath taken upon him to purge his Spouse; upon which the Author, If she be not purged, whose fault can it be but his own? To which I answer, Christ hath undertaken to purge believers, but not so as to prevent all lapses; when they are purged, it is merely of Grace, but when they sin, it is of their own: By such lapses God lets them know, as he did Hezekiah, what is in their heart.
This indeed is that,1 wherein the Covenant of Grace lifts it self up above the Covenant of works; in that of works, the stock was in mans hand; but in this of Grace, it is in Gods; in that there was no promise of perseverance, but in this there are many such promises, God shall confirm you unto the end, 1 Cor. 1.8. He will put his fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from him. Jer. 32.40. The Apostle praying for the Thessalonians, that they may be preserved blameless unto the coming of Christ, immediately ⟨p. 93⟩adds, Faithful is he that calleth you. who also will do it. 1 Thess. 5.23, 24, Evidently God undertakes it, and engages his faithfulness in it; shall we take the matter out of Gods hand into our own, or turn about to the old Covenant? Shall we take these promises conditionally? Then we must utterly evacuate these promises; for they must run thus, if we will persevere, we shall persevere, and so much was true under the old Covenant, and without any promise at all: Mr. Watson argues thus, If any branch be plucked away from Christ, it is either because Christ is not able to keep it, or because he is willing to lose it: But saith the Author, May not sin dissolve the union? What if the believer will not stay with Christ? I answer, This doth not at all answer the Argument from Christs power; Hath he not power to prevent sin from being, or from being final? Hath he not power to strengthen believers, in that which is good, or if they lapse, to raise them up again? If so, his promise cannot fail, his faithfulness will make it good; neither doth sin committed, un-saint a believer, as the Author hints; this was the remarkable difference between the two Covenants; in Adam one sin expelled ⟨p. 94⟩perfect holiness, but in believers it doth not extinguish inherent Grace, though imperfect; still there is a seed of God abiding in them, a well of water springing up unto everlasting life; through Grace they shall be revived again: But saith Mr. Shepherd, Christ hath taken upon him to purge his Spouse; upon which the Author, If she be not purged, whose fault can it be but his own? To which I answer, Christ hath undertaken to purge believers, but not so as to prevent all lapses; when they are purged, it is meerly of Grace, but when they sin, it is of their own: By such lapses God lets them know, as he did Hezekiah, what is in their heart.
- 1Answer.
