1. There is provision made in it against all and every sin that woidd disannul the covenant, and make a final separation between. God and a soul that hath been once taken into the bond thereof This provision is ahsohde. God hath taken upon himself the making of this good, and the establishing this law of the covenant, that it shall not by any sin bo disannulled : Jer. xxxii. 40, " I will," saith God, " make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will not turn away from them, to do them good ; but I will put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me." The security hereof de- pends not on any thing in ourselves. All that is in us is to be used as a means of the accomplishment of this promise ; but the event or issue depends absolutely on the faithfulness of God. And the whole certainty and stability of the covenant depends on the efficacy of the grace administered in it to preserve men from all such sins as would disannul it.
2. There is in this covenant provision made for constant peace and
Ver.1,2.] THE GRACE SUPPLIED IN THE COVENAK-T. 339
consolation, notivithstanding and against the guilt of such sins as, through their' infirmities and temptations, believers are daily ex- posed unto. Though they fall into sins every day, yet they do not fall into depths every day. In the tenor of this covenant there is a consistency between a sense of sin unto humiliation and peace, with strong consolation. After the apostle had described the whole con- flict that believers have Avith sin, and the frequent wounds which they receive thereby, which makes them cry out for deliverance, Rom. vii. 24, he yet concludes, chap. viii. 1, that "there is no condemnation unto them;" which is a sufficient and stable foundation of peace. So, 1 John ii. 1, " These things I write unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.''^ Our great business and care ought to be, that we sin not ; but yet, when we have done our utmost, " if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves," chap. i. 8. What, then, shall poor, sinful, guilty creatures do ? Why, let them go to the Father by their advocate, and they shall not fail of pardon and peace. And, saith Paul, Heb. vi. 17, 18, " God is abundantly will- ing that we might have strong consolation, who fly for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us." What was his condition who fled of old to the city of refuge for safety, from whence this expression is taken ? He was guilty of blood, though shed at unawares ; and so as that he was to die for it, if he escaped not to the city of refuge. Though we may have the guilt of sins upon us that the law pro- nounceth death unto, yet, flying to Christ for refuge, God hath provided not only safety, but "strong consolation" for us also. For- giveness in the blood of Christ doth not only take guilt from the soul, but trouble also from the conscience ; and in this respect doth the apostle at large set forth the excellency of his sacrifice, Heb. X. The sacrifices of the old law, he tells us, could not make perfect the worshippers, verse 1 : which he proves, verse 2, because they did never take away, thoroughly and really, conscience of sin ; that is, depths or distresses of conscience about sin. " But now," saith he, " Jesus Christ, in the covenant of grace, ' hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified,' verse 14; providing for them such stable peace and consolation, as that they shall not need the renew- ing of sacrifices every day," verse IS. This is the great mystery of the gospel in the blood of Christ, that those who sin every day should have peace with God all their days, provided their sins fall within the compass of those infirmities against which this consola- tion is provided.
3. There is provision made of grace to prevent and p)reserve the sold from great and enormous sins, such as in their own nature are apt to wound conscience, and cast the person into such depths and
340 AN EXPOSITION UPON PSALM CXXX. [Ver.1,2.
entanglements as wherein he shall have neither rest nor peace. Of what sort these sins are shall be afterward declared. There is in this covenant " grace for grace/' John i. 16, and abundance of giace administered from tlie all-fulness of Christ. Grace reigneth in it, Rom. vi. 6, destroying and crucifying " the body of sin."
But this provision in the covenant of grace against peace-iiiining, soul-perplexing sins, is not, as to the administration of it, absolute. There are covenant commands and exhortations, on the attendance whereunto the administration of much covenant grace doth depend. To watch, pray, improve faith, to stand on our guard continually, to mortify sin, to figlit against temptations, with steadfastness, diligence, constancy, are everywhere prescribed unto us; and that in order unto the insurance of the grace mentioned. These things arc on our part the condition of the administration of that abundant grace which is to preserve us from soul-entangling sins. So Peter informs us, 2 Epist. i. 3, " The divine power of God hath given unto us all things that pertain unto life and godliness." We have from it an habitual fur- nishment and provision for obedience at all times. Also, saitli he, verse 4, " He hath given unto us exceeding great and precious pro- mises, that by these we might be partal<ers of the divine nature." What, then, is in this blessed estate and condition required of us, that we may make a due improvement of the provision made for us, and enjoy the comforting influence of those promises that he pre- scribes unto us? Verses 5-7, " Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience, and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly-kindness, and to brotherly-kindness charity " that is, care- fully and diligently attend to the exercise of all the graces of the Spirit, and unto a conversation in all things becoming the gospel. What, then, shall be the issue if these things are attended unto ? Verse 8, "If these things be in you, and abound, they make you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ." It is not enough that these things be in you, that you have the seed and root of them from and by the Holy Ghost ; but you are to take care that they flourish and abound : without which, though the root of the matter may be in you, and so you be not wholly devoid of spiritual life, yet you will be poor, barren, sapless, withering crea- tures all your days. But now, suppose that these things do abound, and we be made fruitful thereby? Why then, saith he, verse 10, " If ye do these tlnngs, ye shall never fall." What! never fall into sin? Nay, that is not in the promise; and he that says, when he hath done all, " that he hath no sin, he is a liar." Or is it never fall totally from God ? No ; the preservation of the elect, of whom he speaks, from total apostasy, is not suspended on such conditions, especially not