Covenant-Keeping the way to Blessedness.: Covenant-keeping the way to blessedness, or, A brief… by Samuel Willard | AskReformation

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:34p. 6–7¶1

1. ^fThat it is required to every Covenant that there be two parties concerned in it: the notion of a Covenant belongs to the head of Relation, now all Relations are made up of two parties: every Relate must have its Correlate: if there be a Father, there must be a Child: if there be a lender, there must be a borrower: so if there be a Covenanter, there must be one to be Covenanted withal. It is improper to say a man Covenants with himself, or if he doth, he must put on a double respect, or represent himself under various considerations to himself. And as there must be two parties, ⟨p. 7⟩so no more than two parties are in a Covenant, absolutely necessary; nay, properly there can be no more: For although there may be ten thousand Men engaged in a Covenant (thus all the Subjects in a Kingdom do stand in Covenant-relation to their Prince) yet still they constitute but one party in that engagement. This doth not deny but that a Covenant may (in case of need) admit of an interposing Party, whose place and business may be to stand as a surety, and that either for one Party, or else between both, and for each; which latter sort of surety is also called a Mediator: ^gyet this is not essential unto a Covenant as such, i. e. there may be a proper Covenant without it: although (as cases may be circumstanced) it is sometimes very needful for the better, and more firm establishment of a Covenant: But this makes not an increase of the number of Parties, because his suretyship placeth him with, and puts him into the same state and condition in which the party or parties do stand, He being involved in the same obligation with them.

1. ^fThat it is required to every Covenant that there be two parties concerned in it: the notion of a Covenant belongs to the head of Relation, now all Relations are made up of two parties: every Relate must have its Correlate: if there be a Father, there must be a Child: if there be a lender, there must be a borrower: so if there be a Covenanter, there must be one to be Covenanted withall. It is improper to say a man Covenants with himself, or if he doth, he must put on a double respect, or represent himself under various considerations to himself. And as there must be two parties, ⟨p. 7⟩so no more than two parties are in a Covenant, absolutly necessary; nay, properly there can be no more: For although there may be ten thousand Men engaged in a Covenant (thus all the Subjects in a Kingdom do stand in Covenant-relation to their Prince) yet still they constitute but one party in that engagment. This doth not deny but that a Covenant may (in case of need) admit of an interposing Party, whose place and business may be to stand as a surety, and that either for one Party, or else between both, and for each; which latter sort of surety is also called a Mediator: ^gyet this is not essential unto a Covenant as such, i. e. there may be a proper Covenant without it: although (as cases may be circumstanced) it is sometimes very needfull for the better, and more firm establishment of a Covenant: But this makes not an encrease of the number of Parties, because his suretiship placeth him with, and puts him into the same state and condition in which the party or parties do stand, He being involved in the same obligation with them.

fArk of Covenant opened, pag. 6.
gId. Cap 7.

:35p. 7–8¶2

2. ^hIn every Covenant there is an obligation or engagement and therein it agrees with all Bills, Bonds, mortgages, or whatsoever of the like nature. That a Covenant is an obligation, will appear from the end or intent of the making of it, and that is to give the greater security to those transactions that are between men. It is that there may be afforded the best assurance that can be for the performance of a promise: Now it is the obligation under which a man stands that puts him upon it to be the more careful to stand to what he hath promised to do, who might possibly be otherwayes slack and remiss in performing of it: And hence we read of the bond of the Covenant, Ezek. 20.37. I will bring you into the bond of the Covenant. i. e either under the forfeiture of the obligation, or else to renew ⟨p. 8⟩their obligation; and so there be some that interpret it, I will afflict you till you solemnly renew Covenant. Yea, it is so essential that sometimes the Covenant receives Denomination from it, Zech. 11.7.

2. ^hIn every Covenant there is an obligation or engagment and therein it agrees with all Bills, Bonds, mortgages, or whatsoever of the like nature. That a Covenant is an obligation, will appear from the end or intent of the making of it, and that is to give the greater security to those transactions that are between men. It is that there may be afforded the best assurance that can be for the performance of a promise: Now it is the obligation under which a man stands that puts him upon it to be the more carefull to stand to what he hath promised to do, who might possibly be otherwayes slack and remiss in performing of it: And hence we read of the bond of the Covenant, Ezek. 20.37. I will bring you into the bond of the Covenant. i. e either under the forfeiture of the obligation, or else to renew ⟨p. 8⟩their obligation; and so there be some that interpret it, I will afflict you till you solemnly renew Covenant. Yea, it is so essential that sometimes the Covenant receives Denomination from it, Zech. 11.7.

hIn foedere see mutuo solenniter obligant. KeckermIn foedere se mutuo solenniter obligant. Keckerm

:44p. 10–11

That that had Conditions in it, but this hath none, but is absolute, or a free and full Promise without any Condition. To deny it to have Conditions, is to deny it to be a Covenant. In the Covenant of Grace Believers not only have a hope, but it is a grounded hope, and it is grounded in th• Covenant. Now that ground of hope which flows from the Covenant to the Pa••v standing engaged to service, is properly from the condition of it; why else might not every one to whom the Gospel is propounded enjoy this hope? contrary to, 1 Job. 3.4. He that hath this hope purifieth himself as He is pure. i. e. He Fortifieth his Hope by his Obedience: and thus every Gospel-command becomes a Covenant-command. There may be an absolute command of mere Lordship, or Sovereignty, but it cannot bear a relation to a Covenant, as a part of it, but it must, besides the nature of a Command, bear also the notion of a Condition: for, where there is a Command without a Promise, that is an act of mere Lordship, such an one proceeds according to Power, but where there is a Command with a Promise, or threatening adjoined unto it, this is now clothed with ⟨p. 11⟩the respect of a Covenant-command, & so carries the nature of a Condition in it with respect unto the Promise: as when God commands us to believe, & promiseth that if we so do we shall be saved, or threatens, that upon failure of believing, we shall be damned, Mark. 16.1•.

That that had Conditions in it, but this hath none, but is absolute, or a free and full Promise without any Condition. To deny it to have Conditions, is to deny it to be a Covenant. In the Covenant of Grace Beleevers not only have a hope, but it is a grounded hope, and it is grounded in th• Covenant. Now that ground of hope which flowes from the Covenant to the Pa••v standing engaged to service, is properly from the condition of it; why else might not every one to whom the Gospel is propounded enjoy this hope? contrary to, 1 Job. 3.4. He that hath this hope purifyeth himself as He is pure. i. e. He Fortifyeth his Hope by his Obedience: and thus every Gospel-command becomes a Covenant-command. There may be an absolute command of meer Lordship, or Soveraignty, but it cannot bear a relation to a Covenant, as a part of it, but it must, besides the nature of a Command, bear also the notion of a Condition: for, where there is a Comand without a Promise, that is an act of meer Lordship, such an one proceeds according to Power, but where there is a Command with a Promise, or threatning adjoyned unto it, this is now cloathed with ⟨p. 11⟩the respect of a Covenant-command, & so carrys the nature of a Condition in it with respect unto the Promise: as when God commands us to believe, & promiseth that if we so do we shal be saved, or threatens, that upon failure of believing, we shal be damned, Mark. 16.1•.

:45p. 11–12¶2

2. Consequents, where there is a Promise, or a threatening, or both annexed to the Condition, and engaged in: As the command is laid upon the one Party, or the Condition is undertaken by him, so the Promise is made and engaged in by the other Party: I do not say merely or absolutely a Promise, but a Promise bearing a relation or respect to the Condition. Every Covenant-Promise is an Hypothetical Promise. One may indeed, who is a free Agent, make (if he will) an indefinite Promise, or absolute to another, to do this or that for him, but here is but a single, and not a mutual obligation, and thereupon it bears not any relation unto a Covenant, where the tie is mutual: God was not tied by any necessity of nature to this or that way of dealing; He might therefore, had it seemed good in His eyes, have acted merely as a Sovereign, and promised Life and Salvation, illimitedly to these or those according to pleasure; but because He hath chosen to deal with Man in the way of a Covenant, therefore He doth not so do. An absolute Promise cannot be a Covenant-Promise, because it contradicts the nature, and takes away that which is essential to a Covenant. Hence, neither doth this distinguish the two Covenants, the first and second, that the Promises of the one follow the Conditions, the Promises of the other are without any consideration. Every Covenant must have the essential requisites of a Covenant in it, the Promises of it must therefore be conditional, and the fulfilling of them consequent upon the performance of the Condition: and in the same relation with the Promises are also the threatenings, one referring to the performance, the other to the non-performance ⟨p. 12⟩of the Condition, See, Isa. 1 19, 20. Mark. 16.16.

2. Consequents, where there is a Promise, or a threatning, or both annexed to the Condition, and engaged in: As the command is laid upon the one Party, or the Condition is undertaken by him, so the Promise is made and engaged in by the other Party: I do not say meerly or absolutely a Promise, but a Promise bearing a relation or respect to the Condition. Every Covenant-Promise is an Hypothetical Promise. One may indeed, who is a free Agent, make (if he will) an indefinit Promise, or absolute to another, to do this or that for him, but here is but a single, and not a mutual obligation, and thereupon it beares not any relation unto a Covenant, where the tye is mutual: God was not tyed by any necessity of nature to this or that way of dealing; He might therefore, had it seem'd good in His eyes, have acted meerly as a Soveraign, and promised Life and Salvation, illimitedly to these or those according to pleasure; but because He hath chosen to deal with Man in the way of a Covenant, therefore He doth not so do. An absolute Promise cannot be a Covenant-Promise, because it contradicts the nature, and takes away that which is essential to a Covenant. Hence, neither doth this distinguish the two Covenants, the first and second, that the Promises of the one follow the Conditions, the Promises of the other are without any consideration. Every Covenant must have the essential requisites of a Covenant in it, the Promises of it must therefore be conditional, and the fulfilling of them consequent upon the performance of the Condition: and in the same relation with the Promises are also the threatnings, one referring to the performance, the other to the non-performance ⟨p. 12⟩of the Condition, See, Isa. 1 19, 20. Mark. 16.16.