Sermon XII

For the mountains shall depart, and the hills be removed; but my kindness shall not depart from thee, neither shall the covenant of my peace be removed, saith the LORD that hath mercy on thee. - Isaiah 54:10

    Shewing that as God in the Covenant of Peace is our God, so we also are his People, opening what this denotes; i. e. our being God's People. (2.) How this appears to be a Covenant Privilege. And (3.) Also what a Wonderful Blessing it is.

    Neither shall the Covenant of my Peace be removed, saith the Lord that hath mercy on thee.

    THE last Day I shewed you what wonderful Gifts, Grants, Blessings, and Privileges are contained in the Covenant of Peace; particularly, that God gives himself, and his Son Jesus Christ to all that are brought into it; he has promised to be our God, &c. But to proceed.

    There is yet one great Blessing, which is included in the former, viz. That as God gives himself to be our God, so he hath promised we shall be his People; this Grant and Privilege is in the Covenant; And I will be their God, and they shall be my People, compared with Heb. 8.10. And I will be a God to them, and they shall be a People unto me.

    First, Let me by way of premise Note here four or five Things.

    1. That this is a most gracious, high, and sublime Privilege, (viz.) God to be our God is the first; and this is comprehended in it also as the second, and next in order to be esteemed by us, i. e. we shall be his People.

    2. That this is granted only as an Act of God's Free Grace and Sovereign Goodness, through Jesus Christ: Brethren, it is not upon Condition of our doing this or that, that we procure this Blessing 'tis not, as the Promise run to the People of Israel under the first Covenant: But 'tis an absolute Promise if there is any such in all the Word of God; I will be your God, and you shall be my People. Men nor Devils, Ungodly Relations, our own evil Hearts, nor our great Unworthiness shall ever hinder us from being God's People.

    3. That God's giving himself to us, is the Spring, the Cause and Reason why we become his People; we have not God, Christ, and the Holy Spirit, because we are Believers, or Penitent Persons, but he first gives himself his Spirit, &c.

    God first gives himself in working of Faith (saith Reverend Cotton) before Faith can be there.

    Therefore Faith is called, The Fruit of the Spirit; Man is passive in Regeneration, or in God's infusing the first Principle, Root, or Habit of Faith, and of all Grace in him.

    4. This implies, that we were once not actually God's People (notwithstanding the Design and Purpose of Grace that was in his Heart concerning us; ) I will call them my People, which were not my People; and her Beloved, that was not Beloved; that is, that were not actually his People, nor owned and acknowledged so to be, we lost this Relation to God by the Fall: when God ceased to be our God, by way of Special interest, we ceased to be his People.

    5. They shall be my People; this denotes the certainty of their Special Vocation, and of our being his People for ever; He shall see his Seed, all that the Father hath given to me shall come unto me; that is, they shall believe in me, &c. Now in speaking unto this Promise, Grant, and Privilege.

    1. I shall first shew you in what Respect, or Consideration we may be said to be God's People.

    2. Shew you what kind of People God's Covenant People are; I mean such that are actually owned to be his People.

    3. Shew you what a great Blessing this is.

    4. Apply both these great Privileges together.

    I shall wave several Acceptations, by which a People may be called God's People, that I may directly come to the Business in Hand.

    1. We may be said to be God's People, and he our God decretively, or by virtue of God's Eternal Election; God chose Christ as our Head, and all the Elect in him: See our Lord's Words; Other Sheep have I that are not of this Fold, them I must bring: He calls them his Sheep, and yet then they were ungodly and unbelieving ones: So he said to Paul,I have much People in this City; they were his People decretively, tho not actually his at that time.

    2. The Elect were God's People Federally, or by virtue of that Holy Covenant made betwixt the Father and the Son (as I hinted before) and now that this Relation also arises from those Covenant Transactions, is most evident; for Jesus Christ struck Hands with the Father, in behalf of all God's Elect, to procure this Privilege: But a little further to open this, pray consider that there is a Federal Union and Relation, as when the Father of a Young Man, and the Father, or Guardian of a Young Damsel shall mutually agree and Covenant, that they two shall be Man and Wife; even thus God the Father and God the Son Agreed and Covenanted in behalf of all the Elect: Christ was, as I may say, their Guardian, yea, and also he Covenanted to Espouse and Marry them to himself for ever, and God the Father gave the Elect to Christ in this Covenant. Moreover, herein he had the advantage of others; for may be such a Young Man, as before mentioned, might not Love the Person his Father Covenanted with her Guardian to be his Wife, or he might not be able to obtain her Affections, but Christ's Love was set upon his intended Spouse from everlasting, and also he knew how to gain our Love, and unite our Hearts to himself, and that by shedding his Love abroad in our Hearts by the Holy Ghost, Rom. 5.5. The Love of Christ, hath in it a Physical Operation.

    And thus, my Brethren, by Covenant, and the free donation of the Father, we become God's People, or in a remote sense, were thus brought into this Blessed Relation to him; Thine they were (that is, by Election) and thou gavest them me.

    Again he saith, I pray not for the World, but for them that thou hast given me, for they are thine.

    4. The Elect are God's People by virtue of Christ's Purchase, he bought them with his own Blood; Ye are not your own, for you are bought with a price, &c. and it was that they might be a peculiar People unto God: Hence the Apostle saith, Who gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all Iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar People zealous of Good Works; or a famous or principal People, as the Greek Word renders it. Without this Price had been laid down, we had never been brought into this Relation unto God.

    5. They are God's People by Renovation, or Regeneration, Of his own Will begat he us by the Word of Truth.

    6. By Conquest also Believers are brought into this Relation, God hath subdued them unto himself, he has by his Victorious Grace overcome them, and this way they are made his Liege People, and he becomes their God and Sovereign, as having rescued them out of the Hands of Sin and Satan, those cruel Tyrants, whose Slaves, Subjects, and Servants they were before: Christ has set them free, or made them a free People indeed, to and for himself.

    7. The Elect are actually the Lord's People, by the in-dwelling of the Holy Spirit, or by virtue of their Mystical Union with Christ by the Spirit, which is the Bond of this Union on Christ's part; and by this means we come to chose Jesus Christ as the only Object of our Affection, and Blessed Bridegroom of our Souls; and also hereby we take God to be our God, and thus we are actually and personally brought into this Relation to him, in which sense, and in respect of these and the two last things mentioned, we were not his People before; for notwithstanding the Covenant Agreement of Parents, or a Marriage by Proxy, betwixt great Persons, yet they must after that actually and personally be Married together, before they can enjoy each other, or properly be said to be Man and Wife: And so, my Brethren, it is here, for notwithstanding the Decree and Purpose of God, and his eternal Compact and Donation; and also notwithstanding the Purchase of Christ, yet till by the Spirit we are united to Christ, and do believe in him, close in and embrace him, and enter into an actual Covenant with God in and by Jesus Christ, we cannot be said to be properly God's People; for before this we were the Children of Wrath, and the Slaves of Sin and Satan: But so much to the first thing proposed.

    Secondly, I shall endeavour to shew you what a kind of People these are that are thus brought into Covenant with God.

    I. They that are God's peculiar People, have renounced all other Lords from having any claim to them, or interest in them.

    1. They have broke that Covenant which they had made with Sin, that Union is dissolved, their Love to Sin is gone for ever; I do not say the Being of Sin in them is gone; no, Sin will be in their Hearts, and in their Conversations too, but it is not in their Affections; they approve not of it, they regard it not; The Evil which I hate, that do I, saith Paul; I have vain Thoughts, saith David; to love Sin is worse than to commit it, and to hate Sin is better than to leave it; a Good Man may commit Sin, and yet loath it, and a wicked Man may leave Sin and yet love it; Ye that love the Lord hate Evil: Ye do so, or else you are none of God's People, i. e. it is your Character, and also your Duty.

    2. They have renounced the Love of this World, they are dead, nay, Crucified to the World, they that are God's peculiar People have not only Crucified the Flesh, or are become dead to Sin, but have Crucified the World also; But God forbid that I should Glory, save in the Cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom the World is Crucified unto me, and I unto the World. The World careth not for them, and they care not for the World, they are dead to the Honours, Pleasures, and Riches of the World; Moses contemned all the Glory of Pharaoh's Court, yea, all the Pleasures of Sin and Riches of Egypt; and so do all God's sincere People contemn this World: If any Man love the World,the love of the Father is not in him.

    3. They that are God's peculiar People, are become dead to the Law, to that cruel Husband, and to all their own Righteousness, accounting it but Dung, or a dead Carcase, or Dogs-meat in comparison of Christ; Ye also are become dead to the Law by the Body of Christ, &c. The Union with that Husband is dissolved, they seek not Life and Justification by the Law, or are not in love with Self-Righteousness, but dead to it, whilst others make an Idol of it, and trust in it.

    4. They have renounced themselves also, and confess they are not their own, but that their Souls, their Bodies, their Substance, their Graces, their Gifts, their Time, their Strength, their Lips, and their Lives are all the Lord's, and for him; for as all that God hath which is communicable is theirs, or freely imparted to them, and for them; so all they are and have, they account it is the Lord's, they being but only Stewards of all they have and do possess: Shall such think that they are the Lord's who live to themselves, seek themselves, or only bring forth Fruit (like empty Vines) to themselves? No, they that are the Lord's People, esteem all they have to be his, and for his Service, and are willing to render it up to him when he calls for it. Nay, they have given God their Hearts, not their Lips only, or their Tongues, nor their Ears, nor their Substance, but their Hearts also; My Son give me thy Heart. God complains of some that drew near to him with their Lips, and sate before him as his People sate, and with their Tongues shewed much kindness,but (saith he) their Hearts went after their Covetousness, after the World, these God's Soul abhors, and he will not own them to be his People: Some give their Hearts to Pleasures, to strange Women, and to Vanity, and to mere Folly, and others give their Hearts to Riches, but God's Covenant-People give their Hearts to him, not a part of the Heart, but their whole Heart; they love the Lord their God with all their Hearts, with all their Souls, and with all their Strength: Others have their Hearts divided between God and the World, between God and their Lusts; but such that love not God with their whole Heart, hate him, for the lesser Love is accounted Hatred in Scripture.

    II. They that are God's peculiar Covenant-People, are Begotten and Born of God, for they this way (as you heard) become his Children; there are none, my Brethren, that are the Lord's People by Adoption, but they are his also by Regeneration; they have his Image formed in them, they are like to their Father in Holiness, Heavenliness, in Humility, Mercy, Meekness, Love, Goodness, Charity, &c. they partake of the Divine Nature, every one resembles the Son or Daughter of a King; Then said he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of Men were they whom ye slew at Tabor? And they answered, As thou art, so were they, each one resembled the Children of a King: They are nobly descended, they have sublime Spirits, Holy Hearts, Desires, Aims and Ends in all they do; they are not mere Dunghill-Rakers, like the Men of the World, but far excel all others; The Righteous is more excellent than his Neighbour, he has an excellent Spirit, Life, and Principles in him.

    III. They that are God's Covenant-People, Trust in him as their God, as well as Love him as their God; all People trust in their God, tho it be a God of Gold, or Silver; a Worldly Man's strong Confidence is his Wealth, he makes Gold his Hope: So they that have God to be their God, trust in him, depend upon him; They that know thy Name,will put their Trust in thee: They trust in the True and Living God, God is their Hope their Confidence, they rely upon his Power, his Mercy, his Love, his Faithfulness, his Covenant, and on his Blessed Promises, and this at all times, in Afflictions, Desertion, Temptations, &c. and when called to any hard Service: in Prosperity, and in Adversity, in times of Want and Necessities, and in Times of Fulness; in Life, and also at the Hour of Death: This tends, my Brethren, to the Glory of God, and by this they shew what a value and esteem they put upon God. How often does David say, he trusted in the Lord, and because God was his God, O my God, I trust in thee. Job says, Tho he slay me, yet will I trust in him: Tho they see not, feel not, or have no sensible Comfort, or Relief, yet can and will trust in God, tho God hides his Face, or they walk in Darkness, and have no Light.

    IV. God's peculiar People highly love, value, and prize the Lord Jesus Christ: They can say with David,Whom have I in Heaven but thee? Neither is there any on Earth that I desire besides thee. They have tasted how good the Lord is, and beholding his Beauty can say, He is the chiefest among Ten Thousand; they live upon Christ, fetch all their Comfort, and Hope of Salvation from him, and rejoice in him alone; Serving God in Spirit,and have no Confidence in the Flesh. Moreover, when they have done all things that Christ hath commanded, they look upon themselves Unprofitable Servants, they live in him, to him, and by him; their living in him shews Christ is their Life, their living to him shews Christ is their ultimate End, their living by him shews Christ is their Strength; they receive the Spirit, and so live in the Spirit, and walk in the Spirit; they bring up the bottom of their Lives to the top of their Light, they do not only know what is to be done, but do what they know; the Darkness of Carnal Professors will be the blackest, because their Light seemed to be the clearest, but these are better inwardly in substance, than outwardly in appearance; in a word, they are as much in love with the Employment of Holiness, as with the Enjoyment of Happiness, or to be Holy here, as well as Happy hereafter, or to live to God on Earth, as well as with him in Heaven.

    V. God's Covenant-People ascribe all the Glory to him, and take all the Shame to themselves; Both Riches and Honour come of thee; the Power, the Glory, and the Victory is thine, and of thine own have I given thee. Luther was contented to be counted a Devil, so that Christ might be exalted; others make their End their God, but these make their God their End:

    The Glory of God (saith one) should be the Golden-Butt at which all our Arrows of Duties are shot; the only way to be Crowned in Heaven, is to cast our Crowns at Christ's Feet on Earth.

    VI. God's Covenant-People can say, there is nothing which they enjoy, that is of any worth, without God be enjoyed with it: Therefore they know to want God is the greatest Evil, and to enjoy God is the greatest Good; if God be withdrawn, all their Comfort is gone; 'tis Day when we have him, but 'tis Night when we want him: What is Health and no God? Riches and no God? Pleasures and no God, Honours and no God? Relations, Wives, Children, Friends, and no God? A little will do with God; nay, if we have nothing besides him, we have enough, nay all; but if we have all other things and no interest in God, we have nothing.

    VII. They that are God's peculiar People, are a Holy People, a Heavenly People, a Humble People; To this Man will I look that is Poor and of a Contrite Heart, and that trembleth at my Word.God resisteth the Proud, but giveth Grace to the Humble—Be ye Holy for I am Holy. My People shall be willing in the Day of my Power,in the Beauty of Holiness, &c.

    VII. They are an Obedient People, they walk in God's Ways and keep his Precepts; For all People will walk every one of them in the Name of his God, and we will walk in the Name of the Lord our God for ever and ever. They yield Universal Obedience to God, or do whatsoever Christ says, and that too because they love him; and also they are constant in their Obedience, they keep God's Precepts always even to the end.

    IX. They are an Upright People, a Sincere People, Sincere in their Obedience; Surely they are my People, Children that will not lie; not Children of Deceit, or Falsehood, but Faithful, and Upright in Heart: They are called, The Assembly of the Upright; that is, Sincere Worshipers of God, Israelites indeed, in whom is no Guile, no Falsehood, or no reigning Hypocrisy. Moreover, they are called, The Generation of the Upright, Men of clean Hearts, and Undefiled in the way, or Perfect ones, i. e. they want no Essential thing of True Christians.

    X. God's Gospel Covenant-People are an United People, being constituted or incorporated into a Church State, according to the Institution of Christ in the New Testament, being separated from the World in Worship, and all Evil Traditions, Customs, &c. Worshiping God in Spirit and in Truth,giving themselves up one to another; keeping all the Ordinances of Christ as they were once delivered to the Saints, owning the Holy Scriptures to be the only Rule of their Faith and Practice, having regular and ordained Officers, viz. both Pastors and Deacons, and walking in Love, and watching over one another as becometh Saints.

    XI. Lastly, The peculiar People of God, love all the Children of God, even such that differ from them in some things that are Circumstantials, they love as Christ loves; As they love him that begat, so they love them also (and all them) that are begotten of him:If God was your Father, you would love me, for I proceeded forth, and came from God (saith our Saviour) he that loves the Father, will love the Child so far as he resembles the Father: By this shall all Men know ye are my Disciples if you love one another—He that loveth not his Brother, abideth in Death: And this is a sign that they are passed from Death to Life. Brethren, this Love is not in Word and in Tongue, but in Deed and in Truth also: How doth it appear you love your Wife, your Children? Even so let it appear you love all the People of God, i. e. let nothing be too dear to part with for their sakes, speak well of them, and do much for them, and bear them always upon your Hearts, when you are at the Throne of Grace: If you would approve your selves to be God's People, this being so, what shall we think then of him that hates any one of the Children of God, or bears Malice in his Heart against him, and reproaches him.

    Thirdly, I shall shew you what a great Blessing and Privilege this is.

    1. Can there be a greater Privilege than to be made God's own peculiar People? For hereby God is their Father, and they his Children. (1.) He loves them as his Children. (2.) He Feeds them as his Children. (3.) He Clothes them as his Children. (4.) He Teaches them as his Children. (5.) He Pities them as his Children, Isa. 63.9, 10. (6.) He Guides, Leads, and Protects them as his Children. (7.) He Chastens them in Love as his Children, Heb. 12 5, 6, 7. (8.) And lays up for them also as his own Children; If Children then Heirs,Heirs of God, and joint Heirs with Christ—

    O! what an Honour is it to be the Sons and Daughters of God? 2 Cor. 6.16. Of the Great God, the King of Heaven and Earth? Nay, to be Begotten and Born of him, Joh. 1.12, 13.

    2. They have the Privilege to dwell in his House; nay, to dwell with God, and to walk with God, and to have Communion with him, 1 Joh. 3. Moreover,

    3. Their Enemies are God's Enemies, and their Friends are God's Friends, the Angels that are God's Servants, are their Servants, and are sent to Minister unto them, &c.

    4. They are Espoused by Jesus Christ; they are the Jewels of his Heart, Mal. 3.17. or his chiefest Treasure.

    5. God will never leave them, nor forsake them. And,

    6. All things shall work together for their good.

    7. And he will Crown them at last with Glory and Immortality.

    Question. What Assurance hath God given that they shall be his People for ever?

    1 Answ. Because his Love is Eternal, or Unchangeable, his Love is their Security; nothing can separate them from the Love of God which is in Jesus Christ our Lord.

    2. The Decree and eternal Election of God, is their Security.

    3. Because the Mercy of God, which is in Jesus Christ our Lord, endureth for ever.

    4. Because the Goodness of God endureth also for ever.

    5. Because his Covenant and Faithfulness can never fail, in which they are made his People.

    6. Because he hath put his fear into their Hearts, that they shall not depart from him.

    7. The Promise and Oath of God, is their Security.

    8. They are Justified and Pardoned for ever.

    9. Christ's Suretiship is their Security, they are put into his Hand, and none can pluck them out: (These Things have been fully opened already as you have heard.)

    10. The Death, Resurrection, Ascension, and Intercession of Jesus Christ, is their Security.

    11. Their Union with Christ, which is an indissolvable Union, is their Security.

    12. The Inhabitation of the Holy Ghost is their Security, it remains, and shall remain in all true Believers for ever; they have it as a Principle of eternal Life; and as an Earnest, Witness, Pledge, and Seal of Glory to come unto them.

    APPLICATION.

    Infer. O the Wonder of Divine Goodness! How amazingly doth it flow forth in this Covenant to sinful Mankind? (As one Notes) Herein we may see the Scheme and Model of his Thoughts, the Method of his Councils, and Treaties of Man's Recovery: Behold the Motions of his Goodness in its descent to Earth, and ascent to Heaven, carrying at last the Creature with it, to the wearing a Crown upon its Head: Here is a Medicine provided before the Disease, a Pardon for Traitors before the Rebellion broke out.

    2. We infer from hence, That the Christian Religion, Revealed Religion, excels all Religions, in that it shews the way of Peace with God.

    3. What greater Demonstrations of Love, of Infinite Love could God give? What give himself to us? What hath he more, all Happiness is comprehended in God?

    4. Behold the Excellency of Faith, as it applies Christ, and takes hold of him, and gives Peace to a Poor, Troubled, and Wounded Spirit; and also see what sure footing, and firm foundation there is for Faith in this Covenant.

    5. Moreover, from hence you may see the strength and sufficiency of Christ in all the Concerns of his Mediation, together with his Excellencies; How precious is he who is made all in all things to us?

    6. Reproof. But how doth this reprehend their Folly and Ignorance, who affirm that Believers, yea, Justified Persons, may finally and totally fall away and perish? How are such here detected?

    Terror. It may also be for Terror to such, who think they are God's People, and yet are Unbelieving, and Profane Persons, they glory they are Christians, born of Christian Parents; nay, Protestants, and know the Articles of their Religion (and were Baptized, as they call Sprinkling) but are Swearers, Drunkards, Unclean Persons, Proud, and Covetous ones, &c. Alas, what will their Religion signify? You hear who are God's People, and what kind of People they are.

    7. It also shews you the Necessity of Regeneration and Union with Christ, and that you must renounce all for his sake, that was once gain to you, or you must perish for ever.

    8. Lastly, What Comfort is here for all drooping Believers, weak in Faith? What in Covenant with God, and yet fear? What are you put into Christ's Hand, and yet doubt? Has God given you such Security that your Persons are accepted, your Sins pardoned for ever, and yet hang down your Heads? All is yours, whether you know it or not; God is yours, Christ is yours, Pardon is yours, Peace is yours, Strength in Weakness is yours, Succour in Temptation, &c. Life is yours, Death is yours, i. e. for your good, Death that is so great an Evil, and so dreaded by the Wicked, is yours—that is your great Gain, yea, a mighty Blessing to you: Bread is yours, Bread for your Souls, and Bread for your Bodies, even all that God sees good for you, is yours.