Remember, I say, that the covenant of grace is distinct in the whole kind from the covenant of works ; yet this, they are both in the church, and both taught, one subordinate to the other ; as thus, the covenant of works is taught to shew us our failing, that seeing our own disability to perform what the law requireth, we may be forced to the new covenant of grace. And therefore, saith Paul, ' By the law I am dead to the law,' Gal. ii. 19. It is an excellent speech, ' By the law I am dead to the law ; ' by the cove- nant of works I am dead to the covenant of works. That is, by the law's exacting of me exact and perpetual obedience in thought, word, and deed, I come to see that I cannot fulfil it, and therefore am dead to the law ; that is, I look for no salvation, for no title to heaven by that ; and therefore he saith, ' The law was added for transgression.' Why was the law added to the promise of salvation by Christ made here to Abraham ? Why was the covenant of works added in the wilderness afterwards ? It was for trans- gression, to increase the sense of transgression, that we by the law might see what we should do, and what we have not done, and that we are by that come under a curse, and so might fly to the promise of grace in Christ. I have stood the longer in the clearing of this, because it is a main point. But to come to that which I specially intend. The words, as I said before, contain the renewing of this blessed and gracious agreement between God and man to Abraham, the father of the faithful.
' I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, in their generations, for an everlasting covenant, to be thy God, and the God of thy seed after thee.'
The words, you see, contain a covenant; and here are all things — all the articles and circumstances that agree to any covenant whatsoever.
Here are the parties, both that make the covenant and that are cove- nanted with.
6 THE FAITHFUL COVENANTER.
Here is the substance of the covenant, and the (qualities of the covenant, and tlie condition of the covenant.
The party making the covenant is God, ' I will be ///// God.'
God is the party covenanting. God indeed is both the party covenanting and the substance of the covenant : ' I will be a God to thee.' They fall both together in one. It is a most sweet sign of God's great love, that he will stoop so low as to make a covenant with us, to be our God ; to be him- self all in all to us. For consider but both these parties : God and we ; the Creator and the creature ; the immortal God and mortal man ; the glorious God and ' dust and ashes ; ' the holy God and sinful man ; the great King of heaven and earth, and rebels and traitors as we are. For him to condescend so low as to make a covenant with us, to enter into terms and articles of agreement with us, it is a wondrous sign of his gi'a- cious mercy and love. What can we but hope for from so gracious a God ? But I shall have occasion to touch that afterward.
The parties covenanted with, are Abraham and his seed — his seed by promise.
The substance of the covenant is, ' I will be a God to thee and to thy seed after thee.'
The qualities of the covenant are, first, it is a sure covenant : ' I will establish my covenant.'
Secondl}', It is an everlastimj covenant : ' I will establish my covenant for an everlasting covenant.'
Thirdly, It is a peculiar covenant : ' I will establish my covenant between me and thee and titij seed ; that is, only between me and thee, and thy seed ; not with the refuse of the world, but only with thy seed by promise ; only believers, whether Jews or Gentiles.
Fourthly, It is a most free covenant. It was made to Abraham, whom God called out of Ur of the Chaldees, out of an idolatrous nation, out of an idolatrous famity ; even as it was at the first most freely made to Adam in paradise, when he was in a most desperate estate. When he was as low as hell in a manner, ready to sink into despair, then the * seed of the woman' was promised. So here it w-as freely made to good Abraham : First, the love of God was free to him when he called him, being an idola- ter ; and then it was freely renewed afterward, when he was good, as we shall see anon.
And lastly, It is a covenant consisting most of spiritual things. It is a spiritual covenant. I mean especially, promising spiritual favours, although the other things, as appendices of the main, are likewise meant. For after that the covenant was made to Abraham and his posterity, they endured many afHictions. After the promise was renewed to Jacob, we know he fled from his brother Esau, to whom the covenant of grace was not made, and yet of Esau presently came duke such a one, and duke such a one, Gen. xxxvi. 15, setj. ; and poor Jacob was fain to fly for his life in regard of the promise. So that I say it must be specially of spiritual blessings.