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Whence it is evident, that they who truly love Chrift, do keep his Commandments; and that they who live in Difobedience to them, do not fincerely love him, whatsoever they may profess and they are not real Christians.

If

In John viii. 42. Jefus faid to the Jews, God were your Father, ye would love me: For I proceeded forth, and came from God. Therefore they who do not love Chrift have not God for their Father, and are not real Chriftians.

I would further obferve that real Chriftians, are Perfons in Covenant with God. There is an holy Agreement, or Covenant between the great God and them: It is the Way, the Almighty has inftituted of dealing with his beloved People: God made a Covenant with Noah. For it is faid, God Spake unto Noah, and his Sons with him, saying, And I, behold, I establish my Covenant with you, and with your Seed after you; Gen. ix. 8, 9.

God alfo made a Covenant with Abraham. We read in Gen. xvii. 1, 2. that, The Lord appeared unto Abram, and said unto him, I am the Almighty God, walk before me, and be thou perfett, And I will make my Covenant between me, and thee.

Here are two Engagements in this folemn Covenant, viz. 1. God's gracious Promife to be Abraham's God, which implies the greatest Happinefs and Honour, and also Abraham's Obligation to walk (or live) before God according to his Will, with Uprightness of Heart: 2. Abraham's Confent to walk as God required. And thus there was a mutual Agreement or Covenant between God and Abraham.

Frequent Mention is made throughout the Old Teftament of God's Covenant: David in a Pfalm of thanksgiving, faid, He is the Lord our God, bis Judgments are in all the Earth, be ye mindful al

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ways of bis Covenant: The Word which be bas commanded to a Thoufand Generations, 1 Chron. xvi. 14, 15.

In Pful. xxv. 15. It is faid, The Secret of the Lord is with them that fear him, and he will shew them bis Covenant. He will make known to them, who are truly pious, fome of his fecret Purposes; and the Bleffedness of their being in Covenant with him; but unto the Wicked God faith, What has thou to do to declare my Statutes, or that thou fhouldeft take my Covenant in tky Mouth? Pfal. I. 16.

Which plainly implies that the Wicked have no Intereft in God's Covenant, and that he did not approve of their being Teachers of his Laws.

In Isaiah xlii. 5, 6. we read, Thus faith God the Lord, (that is to the Meffiah) I the Lord have called thee in Righteousness, and will hold thine Hand, and will keep thee, and give thee for a Covenant of the People, for a Light of the Gentiles.

Thefe Words import that God's Covenant with his People was intended to continue, not only till Chrift came, but through the Times of the Gospel.

In Jer. xi. 1-4. It is written, The Word that came to Jeremiah from the LORD, Jaying Hear, ye the Words of this Covenant, and speak unto the Men of Judah, and to the Inhabitants of Jerufalem, and Say thou unto them, Thus faith the LORD GOD of Ifrael, curfed be the Man, that obeyeh not the Words of this Covenant, which I commanded your Fathers in the Day that I brought them forth out of the Land of Egypt, from the Iron Furnace, faying, Obey my Voice and do them, according to all which I command you: fo fhall ye be my People, and I will be your God.

Hence

Hence do appear the mutual Engagements between God, and his People in the Holy COVENANT, viz. on the People's Part, God commanded them to obey his Voice, and keep all his Commandments, and this the People confented, and promifed to do.

They expreffed to Mofes their Confent, Exod. xxiv. 3. All the People answered with one Voice, and fad, All the Words which the LORD bath faid will we do.

In ver. the 7th, we read. And he (i. e. Mofes) took the Book of the Covenant, and read in the Audience of the People, and they faid; all that the Lord bath faid, will we do, and be obedient.

This Engagement the People entered into:

On the Part of God, he confented to, and by Promife agreed that they fhould be his People, and himself would be their God.

It is likewife evident, that they who will not obey the Words of God's Covenant, and keep his Holy Commandments are Curfed.

God ftill deals with Men in the Way of a Covenant: Our glorious Redeemer is called by the Prophet Malachi, the Meffenger of the Covenant, when he spake of the Meffiah's Coming into the fecond Temple, Mal. iii. 1, where it is faid, Behold I will fend my Meffenger, and he fall trepare the Way before me; and the Lord whom ye Seek ball fuddenly come to bis Temple; even the Mejenger of the COVENANT whom ye delight in; Bebald be fhall come, faith the Lord of Hofts.

And in the Epiftle to the Hebrews, he is declared to be the Mediator of the Covenant, (which under the Difpenfation of the Gospel, is called a new Covenant, Heb. viii. 6. where the Apoftle fays, But now bath he (that is Chrift) obtained a more excellent Miniftry, (that is better than the Ministry of Mofes,) by how much also he is the E 2 Medi

Mediator of a better Covenant, which was established upon better Promifes.

In Heb. xiii. 20, 21. the Apostle fays, now the God of Peace that brought again from the Dead our Lord Jefus, that great Shepherd of the Sheep, through the Blood of the everlasting Covenant, make you perfect in every good Work to do his Will, working in you that which is well pleafing in his Sight, through Jefus Chrift; to whom be Glory for ever, and ever Amen.

Hence is appears that the Covenant of which Chrift is the Mediator is an everlasting Covenant, ratified, and made fure by the fhedding of his precious Blood for us on the Crofs.

And all real Chriftians do devote themselves to God in Covenant; they defire to have the Lord for their God, their Lawgiver, their Portion and Happiness, and in the name of Chrift give themselves to be his Servants; they defire to have Chrift as the Mediator between God and them, they defire to have the Lord Jefus in all his Offices, and truft in him alone for all the Salvation they want; and they defire the Holy Spirit may dwell in them as a Sanctifier, and work in them both to will and to do, and to be always their Guide, and their Comforter.

Thus they do confent to be the Lord, and to live according to his Holy Will.

And all the Promiles of the Gospel, fhew God's confent to be their God; and thus it appears, that there is a mutual Agreement, or Covenant between the Holy God, and all fincere Chriftians.

There is another Thing to be observed as to real Chriftians, true Believers and of the utmost Importance, viz. that they have the Holy Spirit dwe ling in them; they were born of the Spirit, and the Holy Spirit abideth in them.

The Predictions on Record in the Old Teftament are a folid Ground for the People of God under that Dispensation, and for all true Believers under the Gospel, for expecting the great Bleffing and Dignity of having the Holy Spirit dwelling

in them.

In Ezek. xxxvi. 27. The God of Truth says, I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my Statues, and ye fhall keep my Judgments, and do them. A precious Promife! Which may comfort the Hearts of the Saints when they meet with Difficulties in the Way of their Duty; and may well encourage them when they meet with the Temptations, and Buffettings of the Devil.

And this great Bleffing, the In-dwelling of God's Holy Spirit we fhould pray for it; and we are incouraged to do fo, by the Words of our gracious Redeemer, in Luke xi. 13. where he lays, If ye then being evil, know how to give good Gifts unto your Children: How much more shall your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to them that afk bim?

In John vii. 38, 39. Chrift fays, He that believeth on me, as the Scriptures bath faid, out of his Belly fhall flow Rivers of living Water. But this Spake be of the Spirit, which they that believe on bim fhould receive.

In John xiv. 17. the bleffed Jefus, fpeaking of the Holy Ghoft, fays, Even the Spirit of Truth, whom the World cannot receive, because it feeth him not, neither knoweth him: But ye (said Chrift to his Disciples) know kim, for he dwelleth with you, and Shall be in you.

In Gal. iii. 14. the Apoftle fays, That the Bling of Abraham might come on the Gentiles through Jefus Chrift; that we might receive the Promife of the Spirit (or the Spirit promifed) through Faith.

Whence

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