268 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [ CHAP. Iv.
effectual. Hence every threatening includes a promise in it, and every promise hath also the nature of a threatening in its proposal. There ‘is a mutual inbeing of promises and threatenings in reference unto the ends of the covenant. God expressing his mind in various ways, hath still the same end in them all. The first covenant was given out in a mere word of threatening: “The day thou eatest thou shalt die.” But yet none doubteth but that there was a pro- mise of life upon obedience included in that threatening,-yea, and principally intended. So there is a threatening in every promise of the gospel. Whereas, therefore, there is a great threatening, con- firmed with the oath of God, in these words, that those who believe not should not enter into his rest; there is a promise included in the same words, no less solemnly confirmed, that those who do believe should enter into rest: and thence doth the apostle confirm the truth of his assertion. From what hath been discoursed we may observe, that,—
Obs. III. There is a mutual inbeing of the promises and threat- enings of the covenant, so that in our faith and consideration of them they ought not utterly to be separated.
Wherever there is a promise, there a threatening in reference unto the same matter is tacitly understood. And wherever there is a threatening, that is no more than so, be it never so severe, there isa gracious promise included in it; yea, sometimes God gives out an express threatening for no other end but that men may lay hold on the promise tacitly included. The threatening that Nineveh should perish was given out that it might not perish. And John Baptist’s preaching that the axe was laid to the root of the trees was a call to repentance, that none might be cut down and cast into the fire. And the reasons hereof are,—
1. Because they have both of them the same rise and spring. Both promises and threatenings do flow from, and are expressive of the holy, gracious nature of God, with respect unto his actings to- wards men in covenant with himself. Now, though there are dis- tinct properties in the nature of God, which operate, act, and express themselves distinctly, yet they are all of them essential properties of one and the same nature; and what proceeds from them hath the same fountain. So declaring his nature by his name, he ascribes that unto his one being which will produce contrary eftects, Exod. xxxiy. 6, 7: That he is “gracious, long-suffering, abundant in goodness and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving iniquity, trans- gression, and sin,” he expresseth in and by his promises; that he “will by no means clear the guilty,” but “ visit iniquity,” he ex- presseth by his threatenings. They do both of them but declare the actings of the one holy God, according to the distinct properties of his nature, upon distinct objects, This is the foundation of that
VER. 3.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 269
mutual inbeing of promises and threatenings whereof we dis- course.
2. Both of them, as annexed to the covenant, or as the covenant is administered by them, have the same end. God doth not design one end by a promise, and another by a threatening, but only diffe- rent ways of compassing or effecting the same end. The end of both is, to increase in us faith and obedience. Now, this is variously effected, according to the variety of those faculties and affections of our souls which are affected by them, and according to the great variety of occasions that we are to pass through in the world. Faith and obedience are principally in our minds and wills; but they are excited to act by our affections. Now, these are differently wrought upon by promises and threatenings, yet all directing to the same end, The use of divine threatenings is, to make such a representa- tion of divine holiness and righteousness to men, as that, being moved by fear, an affection suited to be wrought upon by the effects of them, they may be stirred up unto faith and obedience. So Noah, upon God’s warning, that is, his threatening the world with destruc- tion, being “moved with fear, prepared an ark,” Heb. xi. 7; which our apostle instanceth in as an effect of his faith and evidence of his obedience. The threatenings of God, then, are not assigned unto any other end but what the promises are assigned unto, only they work and operate another way. Hereon faith coming unto the con- sideration of them, finds the same love and grace in them as in the promises, because they lead to the same end.
3. Again, threatenings are conditional; and the nature of such conditions is, not only somewhat is affirmed upon their supposal, and denied upon their denial, but the contrary unto it is affirmed upon their denial; and that because the denial of them doth assert a con- trary condition. For instance, the threatening is, that he who be- lieveth not shall not enter into the rest of God. Upon a supposition of unbelief, it is affirmed herein that there shall be no entrance into rest. Upon the denial of that supposal, not only it is not averred that there shall be no such entrance, but it is also affirmed that men shall enter into it, And this because the denial of unbelief doth include and assert faith itself, which plainly gives the threatening the nature of a promise, and as such may it be used and improved.