being the foundation of the covenant, tlicre must be agreement in him. Now^Chvist is the foundation of the covenant, by satisfying God's justice, else God and we could never have come to good terms, nor conscience could ever have been satisfied ; for God must be satisfied before conscience be satisfied. Conscience else would think God is angry, and he hath not received full satisfaction ; and conscience will never be satisfied but with that that God is satisfied with. God is satisfied with the death of the mediator ; so conscience being sprinkled with the blood of Christ, applying the death of Christ, conscience is satisfied too. Now, what doth shew that the death of the Mediator is a sufficient sacrifice and satisfaction ? The resurrection of Christ ; for Christ our surety should have lain in the grave to this day, if our sins had not been fully satisfied for.
Christ is the foundation of the covenant of grace, by his humiliation and by bis exaltation, whereof the resurrection was the first degree. Now, in this as in other covenants, there is the party promising, making the cove- nant, and the parties that answer in the covenant. God promises life everlasting, forgiveness of sins, through the death of Christ, the mediator. We answer by faith, that we rely upon God's mercy in Christ ; this is the answer of conscience. Now, this sound answer of conscience, it doth save us, because it doth lay hold on Christ that doth save us. Christ properly saveth us, by his death and passion. An argument of the suflficiency of his salvation was his resurrection. He is now in heaven triumphing; but because there is somewhat in us that must lay bold of this salvation, it is attributed to that that is the instrument of salvation, that is, to the answer of a good conscience. Now, this answer of a good conscience doth afibrd us this observation, that
There must he something in lis before we can make use of ivhat good is in God or Christ.
In a covenant, both parties must agree. There must be somewhat wrought in us that must answer, or else we cannot claim any good by the promises in Christ, or by any good that Christ hath wrought : that is the answer of a good conscience. Or else Christ should save all, if there were not the answer of a good conscience required, that only God's elect chil- dren have. But to shew the reasons of this, that there must on our part be this answer.
lieason 1. The reason is partly from the nature of the covenant. There must be consent on both sides, or else the covenant cannot hold ; there are indentures drawn up between God and us. God promiseth all good, if we believe and rest on Christ; we again rest upon Christ, and so have interest in all that is good. There is a mutual engagement then in the covenant. God engageth himself to us, and we engage ourselves to God in Christ ; and where this mutual engagement is, there the covenant is perfect ; as here, there is ' the answer of a good conscience.' That is the first reason, then, from the nature of the covenant, there must be this answer.
Reason 2. The second reason, that there must be somewhat in us, is because wJien tuo agree, there must be a like dispositio7i. Now, there must be a sanctifying of our nature, from whence this blessed answer comes, before that God and we can agree. There must be a correspondency of disposition. Of necessity this must be, for we enter into terms of friend- ship with God in the covenant of grace. Now, friends must have the same mind ; there must be an answering. Now, this answer is especially faith, when we believe, and from faith, sanctified obedience. That is called the restipulation or engagement of a good conscience to God.
THK DEMAND OF A GOOD COXSCIEXCE. 483
When the promise is made, we engage ourselves to believe, and to live as Christians.
Use. Now from this, that there must be an answer in us, an engagement on our part, I beseech you, let us in general therefore know that we must search our oivn hearts for the evidence of our good estate in religion, Let us not so much search what Christ hath done, but search our own hearts how we have engaged ourselves to God in Christ, that we believe and witness our believing, that we lead a life answerable to our faith, renounce all but Christ. This mutual engagement is in the form in baptism, that was used by the apostles and by the ancient church; for we know that in the ancient church that thej" that were baptized, they were questioned. Do you believe? I do believe. Do you renounce the flesh, and the world, and devil ? I do renounce them. These two questions were made. Now, when they answered this question from a good conscience, truly, faithfully, and sincerely, then they had right in all the good things by Christ. Some- thing alway therefore in the church was required on our part. Not that we answer by our own strength, for it is the covenant of grace. Why is it a covenant of grace ? Not only because the things promised are promised of grace, but because our part is of grace likewise. We believe of grace, and live holily of grace ; every good thought is from grace ; it is by grace that we are that we are. Ail is of grace in the new covenant, merely of grace. God requires not any answering by our strength, for then he should require light of darkness and life of death. There is nothing good in us. He requires obedience, that he may work it when he requires it. For his commands in the covenant of grace, they are operative and work- ing. When he commands us to believe and obey, he gives us grace to believe and obey. It is ourselves that answer, but not from ourselves, but from grace. Yet notwithstanding let us make this use of it, let us search ourselves, though it be not from ourselves, that we answer God's promise by faith and his command by obedience ; yet we must have this obedience, though from him, before we can challenge anything at God's hands. It is arrogant presumption to hope for heaven and salvation before we have grace to answer all God's promises and commands, by a good conscience.