pt When we come to the communion, we think we do God a great deal of service ; but we must consider we enter into covenant with God, as well as he binds himself to us. He gives us Christ, and all his blessings. He reacheth forth Christ with all in him, if we will receive him. Aye, but we bind ourselves to God, to lead a new life, and to be thankful, and to shew it in obedience. And so in baptism ; we do not only receive in the sacraments, but we yield, we bind ourselves to God. And we must be careful of what we promise to God, as well as expect that which he promiseth to us. If we expect his truth, we must be faithful, and careful of performing our covenants to him.
Quest. Oh, but how shall I do that ? saith the distressed soul. I have no gi'ace.
Ans. God knows that well enough ; therefore he that promiseth, he pro- miseth grace to perform the condition ; that is one j^art of the covenant, to give grace to fulfil the covenant. For he that saith. If we believe and repent, &c., he will give us hearts to repent, if we ask them ; he hath pro- mised to circumcise our hearts, to give us new hearts, and to give us his Holy Spirit if we ask him. AVhj% Lord, thou knowest I have no grace in myself to fulfil the covenant ; no, but thou must perform both parts ; thou givest the grace, and good thing promised, and grace to keep the covenant too ; therefore let none be discouraged.
^ Many things are required, it is true ; but the things are promised that are required, if in the use of means we depend on him by prayer. For the promises are legacies as well as promises. What is the diflerence between a legacy and a covenant ? A covenant is with condition, with stipulation ; a legacy is an absolute thing, when a man gives a thing freely without any condition. So, though the promises be propounded by way of covenant, with stipulations to and fro in the passages of them, as a covenant ; yet in regard of God's gracious performance, to them that depend upon him, all the promises are legacies.
Therefore God's promises, and God's covenant they are called a testa- ment, as well as promises. They are called a will. A will, shewing what God will give us freely in the use of means, as well as what our duty is in the covenant. Therefore our estate is happy in Christ, if we depend upon God in the use of means. He will give us all things that are necessary that he hath promised ; nay, he will give grace to fulfil the covenant, if we beg it.
If a man be careless and live in sins against the covenant, he cannot perform the covenant ; and let him not allege this, that he cannot, for God will give grace to them that are careful to fulfil it. Let such a man as neglects the performance on his part, expect no good from God while he is so, let him expect vengeance ; for all the thrcntcuutf/s of God are 'yea and amen,' as well as his promises, to them that live in sins against con-
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science. Those that will not expect grace to serve him for the time to come, all the throatenings are ' yea and auicn.' There is no comfort for such.
I beseech }\n' therefore consider, it is a temblc tliinf,' to live in a state without God, and without Christ ; to have no care of tlie performance of that that wo have; bound ourselves to God by the sacrament, and in our particular vows ; for his throatcninf;;s are eflectual as well as his promises. In Zech. i. 5, there he tells the Jews of the prophets that had threatened many thinjjjs. The prophets are dead, saith he, that threatened your fathers ; but ibr all that, the throatenings li<^hted on them. ' The prophets, where are they'?' They were but men, but when they were gone, the threatenings lighted on your fathers. Jeremiah died, but the captivity that he threatened, it did not die ; they were carried captive seventy years. So we threaten the vengeance of God on obstinate sinners, that will not come in to the gospel ; we are not ' yea and amen ' in regard of our being, we die ; but our threatenings are ' yea.' If they be not reversed by repentance, the threatenings arc ' amen,' as well as the promises. It is an evidence there- fore we do not believe, if we have not care to make good the covenant on our part.
7. Again, another evidence of a child of the promises, of a man that be- lieves the promises, it is imrard opjiosition of the ficHh, and hatred of fleshly men; for as it is. Gal. iv. 29, ' The son of the bondwoman persecuted the son of the freewoman.' A true, downright believer is a son of the free- woman, a son of promise ; and the flesh in us opposeth it, like Ishmael, like Job's wife, and like Sarah, that laughed when the promise was made. We have an Ishmael and a Sarah in us. Aye, can this promise of life ever- lasting when I am rotten, and this promise of forgiveness of sins, and that goodwill, be good to me if I crack not'^' my conscience ? If I take this and that course, shall these promises be performed ? Here is opposition. We cannot believe the promises without much opposition.