OF THE PART WHICH THE
FATHER
TAKES IN THE
COVENANT
John Gill
The various parts which each
contracting Party take in this covenant, are next to be considered.
The Father, the first person
in the Trinity, takes the first place, and gives the lead in this covenant.
"All things are of God", that is, of God the Father; they are of him
originally, they begin with him; all things in creation; he has made the world,
and created all things by his Son; and so all things in the salvation of men,
"who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus
Christ"; he set on foot the council of peace, and so the covenant of
peace, "God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself"; that is,
God the Father; he planned the reconciliation of men in council, and proposed
it in covenant, and settled it with the other two persons; and he is not only
the proposer, but the prescriber and enjoiner of things in the covenant; he both
proposed the work to be done, and took upon him the
authority, by agreement, to prescribe and enjoin it: hence we read of the
injunctions and commands laid on Christ with respect to his discharge of his
office, as the mediator of this covenant, #Joh 10:18 12:49 14:31 it was the
Father that called Christ from the womb of eternity to be his servant, and
directed and enjoined his work and service, as appears from #Isa 49:1-6 and promised a reward to him on condition of his performing
the service, and to bestow benefits on the elect in him, and for his sake. And
let us,
1. First, Consider the work he
proposed to Christ, which is the great and only condition of the covenant, and
which he prescribed and enjoined him to do; which was,
1a. To take the care and charge
of the chosen ones; these, as he chose them in him, he put them into his hands,
not only as his property, but for their safety; and here they are safe, for
none can pluck them out of his hands; hence they are called "the sheep of his hand", not only because they are guided by
his hand as a flock, but because they are under his care and custody; they were
not only given him as his portion and inheritance, but to be kept and saved by
him; when they were committed to him, he had this charge given to him by his
Father, that "of all" that he had "given" him he
"should lose nothing", not anyone of them; they were told into his hands, and the full tale of them was expected to be
returned: and which respects the whole of them, as their souls which he has
redeemed, and does preserve, so their bodies likewise; for the injunction was
that he "should lose nothing", no part of them, not even their dust
in their graves, "but should raise it up again at the last day", #Joh
6:39 as he will. God not only made a reserve of them in Christ for himself, but they were preserved in him, and therefore are
called the "preserved of Israel", #Jude 1:1 Isa 49:6 and that Christ,
in a covenant way, by his own consent, was laid under such an obligation to
keep and preserve the elect safe to glory, appears from his own account, both
from what he says in his intercessory prayer; "those that thou gavest me,
I have kept, and none of them is lost", #Joh 17:12 and from
what he will say at the last day, when they are all brought in; "Behold,
I, and the children which God hath given me", #Heb 2:13 all kept safe, and
presented faultless; the kingdom of priests, the whole number of the chosen
vessels of salvation, will be delivered up complete and perfect, agreeable to
the charge committed to him, and his own voluntary undertakings.
1b. Whereas these same Persons
made his care and charge, would fall in Adam, with the rest of mankind, and
that into a state of sin and misery, and under the curse and condemnation of
the law, he proposed it to him, and enjoined it as his will, that he should
redeem them from all this; and hence agreeing to it, he was sent to do it, and has done it; this work, as proposed and prescribed in the
covenant of grace, is expressed by various phrases, in #Isa 49:5,6 as by
"bringing Jacob again to him"; by Jacob is meant the elect of God,
especially among the Jews, the remnant according to the election of grace: and
"bringing" them "again", supposes they were gone aside,
apostatized from God, and turned their backs on him, and were gone
out of the right way, gone astray, and become lost sheep: and the work of
Christ, as enjoined him in covenant, and he undertook, was to bring them unto
God, and set them before him, to use Judah's words, when he offered to be
surety for Benjamin, #Ge 43:9 to bring them nigh to God; which he has done, by
his obedience, sufferings, and death, #Eph 2:13 1Pe 3:18 and also this work of
Christ is expressed by "raising up the tribes of
Jacob"; meaning the same persons sunk into a low estate through the fall,
into an horrible pit, into the mire and clay, into a pit wherein is no water:
out of this low estate Christ was to raise them, as he did, by the blood of the
covenant, and made them kings and priests unto God; and likewise by
"restoring the preserved of Israel", even the same chosen ones, among
the people of Israel; who, by the fall, lost their
righteousness, and forfeited their happy life in innocence; these Christ was to
recover from their fallen sinful estate, and restore them, as he has done, to a
better righteousness, and to a life more abundant than what they lost, to an
higher state of grace, glory, and happiness: and if this should be thought by
Christ to be too "light" and too "low" a thing for him to
be the Saviour of the elect among the Jews; it is farther
proposed, that he should be "the light of the Gentiles", and
"the salvation" of God "unto the end of the earth", be the
Saviour of all God's elect, both among Jews and Gentiles; not only to die for
his people among the Jews, but to bring again, raise up, restore, and gather
together the children of God, scattered abroad throughout the whole world; and
be the propitiation, not for the sins of the chosen among
the Jews only, but of those in the whole world of the Gentiles; so that this
takes in the whole work of redemption and salvation, the work which Christ's
Father gave him to do, and which he undertook, and has finished, #Joh 17:4 and
with respect to the Gentiles, as well as Jews, our Lord says, "Other sheep
I have" to take care of, to lay down his life for, besides those
among the Jews, "which are not of this fold", of the Jewish church
state, but out of it; the Gentiles, them also I must bring, bring them again,
raise up, and restore, and set before his Father; bring them into his church,
and among his people, into an open state of grace, and to eternal glory; and
this he says he must do, because his Father enjoined it, and he agreed to do
it.
1c. In order to this, the
Father proposed to the Son to assume human nature in the fulness of time, which
was necessary to the work of redeeming the chosen people; as this was advised
to in council, it was fixed in the covenant; "A body hast thou prepared
me", #Heb 10:5 not only in the purposes and decrees of God, in the book of which "all the members of it were written, which, in
continuance, were fashioned, when, as yet, there was none of them", before
they were in actual being, #Ps 139:16 nor only in the prophesies of the Old
Testament, in which it was foretold and promised, that the Messiah should become
man, be the child born, and born of a virgin, and that the Man, the Branch,
should grow up out of his place; but this was provided in
covenant, not an human body only, nor an human soul only, but the whole human
nature; which, though it had not a real and actual, yet had a covenant
subsistence, as it may be called; that is to say, the Father proposing it, and
the Son assenting, as he did, by the above words; there was an agreement, a
compact between them, that he should take into union with himself, a true body,
and a reasonable soul; both which were necessary, to suffer
the whole curse of the law; a true body, in which he might get his bread by the
sweat of his brow, and suffer pains, sorrows, and death; bear the sins of many
in it, and be offered up for them; and a reasonable soul, that he might endure
the punishment of loss and sense; of loss, in being deprived for a while of the
gracious presence of God, as when on the cross; of sense,
in feeling the wrath poured into his soul, which made it exceeding sorrowful,
as in the garden. And this nature proposed to be assumed, and was assumed, is
of the same kind with that which sinned, and to which death was threatened, as
it seems proper it should; the same flesh and blood with the children, and in
which he was made like unto his brethren, excepting sin; and to assume such a nature was necessary, that Christ might have somewhat to
offer, that would be acceptable to God, and satisfactory to his justice; this
was part of the will of God enjoined in covenant, and which Christ agreed to
do; that whereas ceremonial sacrifices would be disapproved of by him, as
insufficient to take away sin, he would assume the body, or human nature,
prepared and provided in covenant for him, and offer it up,
that sin might be condemned, and the righteousness of the law be fulfilled; for
it is "by this will", or the doing of it, that "we are
sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all",
#Heb 10:5-10 and this being the will of the Father, what he proposed and
prescribed to be done; hence he is always represented as concerned in this
affair: he promised to bring forth his Servant the Branch,
the Man the Branch, that should grow out of its place; and he sent his Son, in
the fulness of time, made of a woman, and in the likeness of sinful flesh, to
put away sin by the sacrifice of himself, #Zec 3:8 6:12 Ro 8:3 Ga 4:4.
1d. Another branch of the work
assigned to Christ, in the covenant, by his Father, and to
which he agreed, was to obey the law in the room and stead of his people; to
which Christ has respect when he says, "thy law is within my heart",
or I am heartily willing and ready to obey and fulfil it; and which designs not
only the law of mediation, or the command enjoined Christ as Mediator, with
respect to the performance of his several offices as such: so with respect to
his prophetic office Christ says, "The Father which
sent me, he gave me a commandment what I should say, and what I should
speak---whatsoever I speak therefore, even as the Father said unto me, so I
speak", #Joh 12:49,50. And with respect to his priestly office, his laying
down his life for his people; "I have power to lay it down, and I have
power to take it up again; this commandment have I received of my Father",
#Joh 10:18 14:31. And with respect to his Kingly office;
"I will declare the decree"; that is, of his Father, the ordinance,
statute, law, and rule of governing his people; for this refers not to what
follows concerning the generation of Christ, but to what goes before, concerning
his Kingly office: but also the moral law, which he agreed to be made under,
and was willing to fulfil, and for which he came into the world, and did become the fulfilling end of it, whereby he magnified it, and
made it honourable; as it became him to do, as the Surety of his people, and
which was necessary to their justification; for "by the obedience of One,
many are made righteous", #Ro 5:19.
1e. Another part of the work
proposed to him, and enjoined him by his Father, was to
suffer the penalty of the law, death; which must be endured, either by the
sinner himself, the transgressor of the law, or by his Surety, #Ge 2:17
wherefore it became the wise, holy, and righteous Being, "for whom, and by
whom, are all things--to make the Captain of salvation", his Son, whom he
appointed to be the Saviour of men, perfect through sufferings, for the
satisfaction of law and justice; and therefore he enjoined
him to bear them, #Heb 2:10 hence Christ says, speaking of laying down his life
for the sheep, "This commandment have I received of my Father", #Joh
10:18 and hence his sufferings are called, "the cup" which his Father
had given him; not just then put into his hands, for he spake of it long
before, as what he was to drink of; but was what was ordered him in the
everlasting covenant, #Joh 18:11 Mt 20:22 and hence also
they are spoken of by all the prophets from the beginning of the world: and
this being the Father's will in covenant, hence likewise it is that the Father
had so great an hand in them, as to bruise him and put him to grief, to awake
the sword of justice against him, and smite him; not to spare him, but deliver
him up by his determinate counsel, into the hands of wicked men, and to death itself; and the covenant having somewhat of the nature
of a testament, or of a man's last will, there was a necessity of the death of
the testator to ratify and confirm it; which was to be done by the blood of
Christ, called therefore, the blood of the everlasting covenant, #Heb 9:15-17
13:20.
1f. When
the Father signified in covenant, his dislike of the continuance of legal
sacrifices, as insufficient to take away sin; he strongly suggested it was his
will that his Son should become a sacrifice for it, and therefore prepared him
a body, or human nature, in the covenant, capable of being offered up; and it
was by his will expressed therein, that his covenant people are sanctified
through the offering up of the body of Christ, #Heb
10:5-10. This is the great condition of the covenant, and on which all the
blessings of it depend: "When thou shalt make his soul an offering for
sin", or rather, "When his soul shall make an offering for sin";
that is, when he shall heartily and willingly offer up himself, soul and body,
a sacrifice for sin, then the benefits following should be conferred both on
Christ, and on his spiritual seed, #Isa 53:10-12. And,
1g. Farther, it was the will
of the Father, in the covenant, that Christ should hereby make atonement for the
sins of the chosen ones; this was the work which was assigned him in covenant,
and is marked out in prophecy for him to do; namely, "To
finish the transgression, to make an end of sin, and to make reconciliation for
iniquity", #Da 9:24 and as he agreed to do it, for this purpose he became
man, and by his bloodshed, sufferings, and death, has made it; which lays a
foundation of solid joy in his people, #Heb 2:17 9:26 10:14 Ro 5:10, 11.
1h. In
close connection with the former, his work assigned him in covenant was, to
bring in everlasting righteousness, for the justification of the elect. God the
Father in covenant, "called him in righteousness", or "to
righteousness", to work out a righteousness for his people, commensurate
to the demands of law and justice; and this call and proposal he answered and
agreed to; hence the church of old could say, "Surely
in the Lord have I righteousness and strength"; and by virtue of the
suretyship righteousness of Christ, and his engagements in covenant, all the
Old Testament saints were justified, #Isa 42:6 45:24,25.
1i. Lastly, The work which the
Father proposed to, and prescribed to the Son was, "to
feed the flock of slaughter"; to which he replied, "I will feed the
flock of slaughter"; even all the elect of God, #Zec 11:4,7 and this
feeding the flock committed to his charge, takes in his whole work as a
shepherd; taking care of his sheep, laying down his life for them, gathering
the lambs in his arms, carrying them in his bosom, gently leading those with
young, protecting them from all harms and enemies, bringing
them into his fold here and above, setting them at his right hand, and
introducing them into his kingdom and glory. This is the work that was before
him; and his reward was with him, next to be observed, #Isa 40:10,11.
2. Secondly, On condition of
Christ's engaging to do the above work proposed and prescribed
to him, the Father promised in the covenant many things; some to him
personally, and others to the elect, whom he represented and represented in it.
2a. Some things to himself,
respecting his work, assistance in it, &c. a glory on the nature in which
he should do it, the honourable offices he should be invested with in it, and the numerous offspring he should have.
2a1. As the
work assigned him was to be done in human nature,
which needed
qualifications for it, strength to do it, help
and
assistance in it, support under it, preservation from
enemies,
and encouragement of success: all this was promised
him, that as
his human nature should be formed by the Holy
Ghost without
sin, so it should be filled with his gifts and
graces; that
the Spirit should be put upon him, and rest on
him, as a
Spirit of wisdom, counsel, might, knowledge, and
of
the fear of God, whereby he would be qualified to execute
his offices
of Prophet, Priest, and King, #Isa 11:1,2
#Isa 42:1
61:1 and which was bestowed upon him without
measure, #Ps
45:7 Joh 3:34 and that whereas the human
nature, in
which this work was to be done, would be attended
with
weakness, with all the sinless infirmities of human nature,
as it was at
last crucified through weakness; God promised to
strengthen
him, and he believed he would be his strength,
and,
accordingly, he was the Man of his right hand, whom he
made strong for
himself, #Ps 89:21 Isa 49:5 Ps 80:17 and
that,
as he would need help and assistance in that nature,
it was
promised him, and he expected it, asked for it, and
had it, #Ps
22:1,19 Isa 50:7,8 49:8 and as it would want
support,
under the mighty load of sin, and sense of wrath,
that it might
not sink under it, this was promised and
granted;
so that he failed not, nor was he discouraged or
broken, #Isa
42:1,4 and as it would have many enemies, who
would seek to
take its life away before its time; God
promised that
he would keep and preserve him, and hide him
in the shadow
of his hand, and in his quiver, and so secure
him,
as he did from Herod, and the wicked Jews, #Isa 42:6
#Isa 49:2,6
and since he would be treated with great
contempt in
that nature, be despised by men, abhorred by the
nation of the
Jews, and be a servant of rulers; he was told, for
his
encouragement, that the Lord would choose him, and express
delight
and pleasure in him as his elect: and though disallowed
of men, would
be chosen of God, and precious, #Isa 42:1 49:7
and
accordingly, delight and well pleasedness in
him were
expressed by his Father, when both obeying and
suffering,
#Mt 3:17 Joh 10:17 yea, success in his work was
promised
him, that "the pleasure of the Lord should prosper
in his
hand"; that is, the work of the Lord be succeeded,
which it was
his will and pleasure to put into his hand. Now
all this was
promised him in covenant, as an encouragement
to engage in
this work.
2a2. As he
was to do and suffer much in his human nature, so it
was promised
him, that he should have a very great glory
conferred on
him in that nature; not only that the glory of
his Deity
should be manifested and displayed, which was hid,
especially
from many, during his state of humiliation; for
which, when
he had done his work, he may be thought to pray,
pleading a
promise made to him, #Joh 17:4,5. But there was
a glory to be
put on his human nature, which was promised in
the
everlasting covenant, and which he had with his Father,
in
promise, before the world was; hence the prophesies of
the Old
Testament, which are founded on covenant engagements,
speak, as of
the sufferings of Christ, so of the glory that
should
follow, and of Christ's entering through sorrows and
sufferings,
into his kingdom and glory; and Christ believed
and
expected that he should be "glorious", notwithstanding
all his
meanness in a state of humiliation, #Isa 49:5
#Lu 24:26
particularly it was promised him, that though he
should die
and be laid in the grave, yet that he should not
lie so long
as to see corruption, but be raised again the
third
day, as he was, and so had the glory given him, and
which he had
faith and hope of, #Ps 16:9-11 1Pe 1:21 as also,
that he should
ascend to heaven, and receive gifts for men,
or in man, in
human nature; and accordingly he did ascend
above all
heavens, to fill all things, and gave the gifts to
men
he received, and that in a very extraordinary manner;
whereby it
appeared he was glorified, as was promised him,
because the
Spirit was not given in such a plentiful manner
till Jesus
was glorified, exalted at the right hand of God,
and made and
declared Lord and Christ, #Ps 68:18 Eph 4:8-10
#Joh
7:39 Ac 2:32,36. Moreover, it was promised him, that in
human nature
he should sit at the right hand of God; a glory
and honour
which none of the angels was ever admitted to;
but, in
consideration of his obedience, sufferings, and
death, he was
highly exalted, as it was promised he should,
and
a name given him above every name; being placed on the
right hand of
God, angels, authorities, and powers being made
subject unto
him! #Ps 110:1 Heb 1:13 Php 2:7-9 1Pe 3:22
and now he is
seen crowned with glory and honour, and will
come a second
time in his own glory, and in his Father's
glory,
and in the glory of the holy angels, all according to
the covenant
agreement. In a word, it was promised him in
covenant: on
condition of making his soul an offering for
sin, among
other things, that God would "divide him a portion
with the
great"; give him as large and ample a portion, yea,
a
larger one, than any of the great men of the earth: that he
would make
him his firstborn, higher than the kings of the
earth: and
that he should "divide the spoil with the strong",
or take the
prey out of the hands of the mighty, and deliver
the lawful
captive; which spoil and prey being taken out of
the
hands of the strong, should be his portion and
inheritance;
and that because he poured out his soul unto
death, was
numbered with the transgressors, and bore the sins
of many, #Isa
53:12.
2a3.
As an encouragement to Christ to engage in the above work
proposed to
him in covenant, it was promised him, that he
should be
invested with, and sustain several honourable
offices,
which he should execute in human nature; as, that
he should be
the great Prophet of the church; not only "the
minister
of the circumcision for the truth of God" to the
Jews, but be
"for a light of the Gentiles"; which is twice
promised,
where plain traces of this everlasting covenant
are to be
seen, #Isa 42:6 49:6 and he accordingly was
expected to
be a light to lighten the Gentiles, as well as
to
be the glory of the people of Israel, #Lu 2:32 and he was
so, by the
ministry of his apostles, in the Gentile world,
and still is,
by the preaching of his ministers in it;
whereby men
are turned from darkness to light, and to show
forth the
praises of him who has called them out of the one
to
the other, #1Pe 2:9 Eph 2:17 Ac 26:18. It was also
promised, and
swore to by an oath in covenant, that he
should be a
Priest; an honour which no man takes to himself,
but he that
is called to it, as was Aaron; even Christ
glorified not
himself, to be called an High Priest; but his
Father,
who invested him with this office, by an oath, to
show the
immutability of it; and that he should continue in
it, and be a
priest on his throne, #Ps 110:4 Heb 5:4,5 7:21
#Zec 6:13.
Likewise, that he should be King of Zion, of
saints, over
his church and people, and have a kingdom very
large,
from sea to sea, from the river to the ends of the
earth; of
which government, and the increase of it, there
should be no
end; a dispensatory kingdom, besides that of
nature and
providence, which he had a right to, as a divine
Person; but
this is a kingdom disposed of to him in covenant
and
by promise; "I appoint unto you a kingdom", says Christ,
"as my
Father hath appointed me", dieyeto, has disposed of
or appointed
in covenant to me, #Lu 22:29. Once more, God
has appointed
him in covenant to be the judge of quick and
dead; and has
appointed a day in which he will judge the
world
in righteousness, by that Man whom he has ordained;
and
accordingly, he has committed all judgment to him, that
all men
should honour him as they honour the Father,
#Ac 10:42
17:31 Joh 5:22,23.
2a4.
In consequence of fulfilling the condition of the covenant,
engaging to
do, and doing the above work proposed in it; it
was promised
to Christ, that he should "see his seed, and
prolong his
days", #Isa 53:10 that is, that he should have a
spiritual
offspring, a seed that should serve him, and be
accounted
to him for a generation; that he should be an
everlasting
Father to them, and they be his everlasting
children;
that as the first Adam was the common parent, and
federal head
of all his posterity, who sinning, conveyed sin
and death to
them; so the second Adam becomes the Father and
federal
Head of a spiritual offspring, and conveys grace,
righteousness,
and life unto them: it was promised him, that
this seed of
his should be numerous, and continue long; yea,
that these
children should endure for ever, and his throne
be as the
days of heaven; and that these should be his
portion,
and his inheritance; not only the elect among the
Jews, but
those among the Gentiles also; and therefore he
was bid to
ask of his Father in covenant, and he would
"give"
him "the heathen for his inheritance", and the
uttermost parts
of the earth for his possession; which
accordingly
he asked, and has, and is well pleased with his
portion, and
says, the lines are fallen to him in pleasant
places, and
he has a goodly heritage, #Isa 9:6 Ps 22:30
#Ps 89:29,36
2:8 16:6 yea, it was promised him, that all
persons and
things should be put into his hands, to subserve
his
mediatorial interest, and the good of his spiritual
seed, his
covenant people; even all the wicked of the earth,
whom he
disposes of as he pleases, and rules with a rod of
iron: he is
given to be an Head over all things to the
church; for
its preservation and security; and has power
over
all flesh, that he may give eternal life to as many as
the Father
hath given him; and accordingly all things are
put into his
hand, and all creatures are at his dispose; all
power in
heaven and in earth is given unto him, so that he
can order and
appoint whatsoever he pleases for the good of
his
people, #Ps 2:9 Eph 1:22 Joh 17:2 3:35 Mt 28:18.
2b. There are other things which
God the Father promised in covenant, respecting the elect, the persons for whom
Christ was a covenantee, and whom he represented in the covenant, and for whose
sake he was to do all the work proposed to him, and which
he undertook. And,
2b1. It was promised,
that upon Christ's engaging in, and
performing
the work of redemption, they should be delivered
out of that
state of misery sin brought them into, even out
of
the pit wherein is no water, through the blood of the
everlasting
covenant, #Zec 9:11 that they should be redeemed
from all
their iniquities, original and actual, which
should be
cast behind God's back, and into the depths of the
sea, never to
be seen and remembered more to their
condemnation,
#Ps 130:8 that they should be ransomed from
the hand of
Satan, stronger than they, and the prey be taken
from the
mighty, and the lawful captive delivered,
#Jer 31:11
Isa 49:24,25 that they should be freed from the
law, its
curse and condemnation, Christ being made a curse for
them,
and sin condemned in his flesh, #Ro 8:1,3,33 Ga 3:13
and that they
should be secured from hell, wrath, ruin, and
everlasting
destruction their sins deserved, #Job 33:24.
2b2. That
upon the faithful discharge of his office, as a
Servant,
particularly in bearing the sins of his people,
they should
be openly justified and acquitted; that his
righteousness
he would bring in, should be made known unto
them, and
received by faith; and so they should be
manifestatively,
and in their own consciences, justified in
the
name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our God,
#Isa 53:11
1Co 6:11 Eze 36:25.
2b3. That all
their iniquities should be forgiven them, for
Christ's
sake, and their sins and transgressions be
remembered
no more. This is a special and particular article
in the
covenant, to which all the prophets bear witness,
#Jer 31:34 Ac
10:43.
2b4. That
they should be openly adopted, and declared the
children
of God, and be dealt with as such; that God should
be their God,
their Father, their Portion, and Inheritance;
and they
should be his people, his children, and heirs of
him, and be
treated as such by him; as they would be when
chastised for
their sins, the rod being provided for them in
covenant,
as well as their inheritance, #Jer 32:38 2Co 6:18
#Ps 89:30,34
Heb 12:7.
2b5. That
they should be regenerated, their hearts spiritually
circumcised
to love the Lord, and his fear put into them,
and
be made willing in the day of his power upon them, to be
saved by him,
and to serve him, #De 30:6 Jer 32:39 Ps 110:3
that they
should be made new creatures, have new hearts and
new spirits
put within them, in which are new principles of
light, life,
and love, grace and holiness, joy, peace, and
comfort;
that the stony heart should he taken out of them,
the hardness
and impenitence of it removed, and an heart of
flesh given
them, soft, penitent, and contrite; or, in other
words, that
true, spiritual, evangelical repentance for sin
should be
granted to them, #Eze 36:26.
2b6. That
they should have knowledge of God, as their
covenant God
and Father; even the least, as well as the
greatest, be
all taught of God, as his children, and so
believe in
Christ; for those that hear and learn of the
Father,
come to Christ; that is, believe in him, #Jer 31:34
#Isa 54:13
Joh 6:45. So that repentance and faith are not
terms and
conditions of the covenant, but are free
grace gifts
granted, and blessings of grace promised in the
covenant, and
are as sure to the covenant people, as any
other
blessings whatever, #Ac 11:18 5:31 Eph 2:8.
2b7. It is
another promise in this covenant, that the law of God
should be put
into their inward parts, and written on their
hearts; that they
should have a spiritual knowledge of it,
and
a cordial respect unto it, a real delight in it, and
serve it with
their minds and spirits, and yield a constant,
ready, and
cheerful obedience to it, #Jer 31:33 Ro 7:22,25
as well as by
the epistles of Christ, and have the law of
faith, or
doctrine of the gospel, take place in their
hearts,
and dwell richly in them, and they yield a professed
subjection to
it.
2b8. It is
further promised by the Lord, in this covenant, that
whereas they
are weak and strengthless, and unable to do any
thing
spiritually good of themselves, that he will put his
Spirit within
them, who should work in them both to will and
to do; and
strengthen them with strength in the inward man,
and enable
them to walk in his statutes, and to keep his
judgments,
and do them, #Eze 36:27 so that likewise new
spiritual
and evangelical obedience, both to law and gospel,
is no term
and condition of the covenant, but a blessing
secured in
it, which absolutely provides with grace and
strength to
perform it.
2b9.
Another article in this covenant, respecting the chosen and
covenant
people, is, that they shall persevere in grace, in
faith, and
holiness, to the end; this is absolutely promised
in it, and
the faithfulness of God is engaged to perform it;
"I will
put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not
depart
from me", #Jer 31:40 1Th 5:23, 24.
2b10. Glory,
as well as grace, is promised in this covenant; and
to whom God
gives the one, he gives the other; eternal life
was promised
before the world began; and the promise of it
was
made unto Christ in the everlasting covenant, and put
into his
hands for his people; and it is represented as if
it was the
only promise in it, being the grand, principal,
and
comprehensive one; "This is the promise that he has
promised us,
even eternal life", #Tit 1:2 2Ti 1:1 1Jo 2:25
hence
our Lord, in an authoritative way, as it were, demands
the
glorification of ALL the Father has given him, and he
undertook for
in covenant, #Joh 17:24.