Covenant of redemption

“ The world's redemption is therefore fully comprehended in the Abrahamic covenant.
Some will possibly ask, How about the children of Abraham going into the promised land under Joshua? Was not that a fulfillment of the Abrahamic promise? This, indeed, is the position generally taken by those who have subverted the covenant and substituted in its place the theory of heaven-going. But this question is settled as clearly as it is possible for any question to be settled if we take the word of God as our authority, and what else can we take? There is no other authority worth considering. ”

“ Here we see that a covenant is of no force while the covenant sacrifice, that which ratifies it, is alive, which means that the covenants of promise were of no force without the death of Christ, the real covenant sacrifice. ”

“ For where a covenant exists, the death of that which has ratified it is necessary to be produced; because a covenant is firm over dead victims, since it is never valid when that which ratifies it is alive. ”

“ By typical sacrifices covenant relationship between God and man was made possible as soon as man fell and redemption became a necessity. Had no provision been made till the real covenant sacrifice Christ was offered upon the cross, all who died from Adam to Christ would have hopelessly gone down into death and the grave under the sentence, "Dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return." ”

“ They are trusting in the law. They are depending on their own love and faithfulness to the king for redemption, and not on the king's love, promise and faithfulness to them. Here then we see the righteousness of the law in those two prisoners; in another we see the effect of unbelief; and in those three who remained disobedient under the first covenant, we see the righteousness which is of faith when they heard the glad tidings of redemption in the second covenant. ”

“ Then the schoolmaster raised the trumpet of the Gospel to his lips and announced the great mystery of Redemption, without concealing what the Greeks would have called its foolishness. 'Let us turn then,' he exclaimed, 'to the Mediator, who has consummated the alliance and purified us by his own blood, with which our consciences are sprinkled and watered. The Old Covenant always depended on the blood of beasts; the New Covenant depends on new blood. Eternal Redemption was effected by an eternal sacrifice. ”

“ In a glorious sense, however, redemption is far more than remedy of a mischief, or relief, even with advantage, for an injured, ruined creation. Creation, rather, is the servant of redemption; for "redemption is no afterthought." For the pleasure of Him who sits upon the throne all things are and were created. But that very throne has the rainbow round about it (Rev. iv.) , the sign of covenant faithfulness, and that all things were to stand in redemption, or in the value of the blood of Jesus. ”

“ Even facts show that the world was adapted to both. That [Pg 220] the facts of providence upon our world, however, which have occurred in consequence of a system of forbearance, which depends on the arrangements of the Covenant of Redemption, and others that show his grace, flow directly from these, is most manifest. The erection and continuance of the Church in the world, directly flow from that covenant. Faith in God in every age, interests in Christ the surety, and through him in all the blessings of the covenant. ”

“ When they passed between the parts, they were considered as having passed into the death, as it were, of the victim. Having died to sin, and put off the alienation, they were now in a state of reconciliation, a reconciliation admitted by a covenant relationship between them and God. They had passed into the covenant sacrifice which had made for them an atonement, and so at-one-ment took place. Now all this finds its fulfillment in Christ. Christ's death has met Divine justice and blended it with Divine mercy, so that in Christ God can be just and yet justify sinners. ”

“ In this Covenant of redemption betwixt God and the second persone, designed Mediatour betwixt God and Man, the elect wer designed and condescendit particularlie upon their number and names, with their gifts and graces of grace and glorie to be bestowed upon them, and the tyme and meanes to bestow it, was all condescendit and agried upon.
3. The pryce of the redemption, what and how much should be payit by the Redeemer for the purchase of all these gifts, how lang he should be holden captive of death, &c., all was determined. ”

“ That shines out, when man has perversely fallen, by the Covenant of Mercy, by finding out for him a Redeemer. And thus the two events in the history of mankind, which the Scriptures present as infinitely surpassing all others in importance, which are cardinal to the destinies of the human race, upon which all our woe, and, in the highest sense, all our weal are hung, become the subject of the work—the Fall of man consoled by the promise and undertaking of his Redemption. ”

“ The {234} redemption wrought by Christ, and the intercession still made in our behalf by Christ, are both equally declared to us by the most sure warrant of Holy Scripture; of any other intercession by saints in glory, by angels, or Virgin, to be sought by our suppliant invocations to them, the covenant of God speaks not. ”

“ The law knows of no deliverance —no redemption. It simply serves as a school master to teach them the difference between right and wrong—to teach them the will of the king, and thus prepare them to receive a better covenant, which is to be revealed to them by the king's Son. But under the covenant they now are, they have no motives to prompt them to obedience, but the fear of punishment and the hope of reward. In our next, this will be fully illustrated.
SERMON VI "For what if some did not believe, shall their unbelief make the faith of God without effect? ”

“ If Jeremiah could trust to those sealed documents in the earthen vessel under Baruch’s care, may we not trust to the full satisfaction made through redeeming blood, and the perfect security of the covenant of God as sealed, ratified, and preserved p. 88by Jesus Christ Himself? Of course when persons have no interest in that redemption, when they have no part in that redeeming work, we cannot then say that their title is secure, for, poor people! they have neither title nor inheritance; they have no hope in the restoration as they are without God in the present. ”

“ Had we our stock before hand, we should quickly spend all, and prove bankrupts: God hath laid up all our treasure of "wisdom, righteousness, sanctification, and redemption in Jesus Christ," and will have us live from hand to mouth, that so we might be safe, and God's free grace be exalted: "It is of faith, that it might be by grace, to the end your promise might be sure to all the seed." Wherefore, holy brethren, partakers of this heavenly calling, look up to Jesus Christ, who is the covenant of His Father, and your covenant ”

“ Coming down to the time of Noah when the wickedness of man became great and God's justice and vengeance required the destruction of almost everything that existed, provision being made for the safety of Noah and his family and sufficient of the animal kingdom to give the world a fresh start, another covenant of promise was made. ”

“ And then Christ hath not obtained of the Father by his death, that he should remit sins, but that he hath power to remit them: he hath not obtained redemption, but a possibility of redemption, or the redemption purchased is a potentiall remission of sinnes: he hath not merited sanctification, but a right that he may sanctifie or sanctifiablenesse: he hath obtained also that God might pardon sin, as well as that man might be pardoned or reconciled; and notwithstanding any redemption that Christ hath purchased, every man might perish, and be condemned for ever. ”

“ Nor does it set aside redemption, for it is on redemption that the whole sonship depends. There is nothing independent of that most precious blood of Christ. It is through that blood of His that the curse is removed, and the judicial forgiveness granted; through that blood of His that we receive the adoption of sons, and are brought into the sacred relationship of children in a Father’s family. It is through that blood of His that we are preserved in that relationship, and stand before the Father in a covenant union p. ”

“ If it be actuall and effectuall, why is it not applyed and given to every man? will not God give to every man, that which Christ hath merited and purchased for every man? The merit of reconciliation by Christ, and the application thereof must be distinguished: but for whomsoever eternall redemption is purchased, for them he hath obtained grace and glory, and upon them he will actually conferre that grace and mercy, sanctifying them to be a peculiar people to himselfe. ”

“ What the former dispensations announced as to come, this concluding dispensation has exhibited in actual accomplishment. The long-expected Redeemer has been manifested; he has made the promised atonement for the sins of mankind; he has{177} shewn himself as the mediator of the new covenant, and the doubts of ages have vanished before the light of the Gospel.”
I ventured to interrupt my uncle, to ask why it is called the new covenant, as if it was of a different nature from the two former ones. ”

“ At that time they were strangers and pilgrims, but when they come to the realization of the promises they will no longer be strangers and pilgrims, for then they will be of those spoken of by our Saviour, in His promise, "Blessed are the meek for they shall inherit the earth," and they will join in that grand song of redemption, "Thou hast made us unto our God kings and priests and we shall reign on the earth." ”

“ God himself comes down, and not for any such end as vengeance, though just, but to publish and hold forth a covenant of reconciliation and peace, to convince man of sin, and to comfort him with the glad tidings of a Redeemer, of one to be sent in the likeness of flesh. It is the grandeur and majesty of kings and great men to let others come to them with their petitions ”

“ But from these he would be inevitably drawn up to the great promised Deliverer and Redeemer of his nation and his race, because he would see after all how incomplete the deliverance wrought by these must be, and his faith in the promise made to his fathers and to his nation—the covenant of God in which he felt himself to be included—would and could be satisfied with nothing less than a full and perfect deliverance, a Redeemer who should be the Head of men, the Son of man, and the Son of God. ”

“ Say unto God, Lord, Thou hast sworn to take away my heart of stone, and to give me a heart of flesh, Thou hast sworn to write Thy law in my heart, Thou hast sworn to circumcise my heart, Thou hast sworn to give me Christ, to be my king, priest and prophet. And God cannot but be a covenant-keeper. By virtue of this covenant, God cannot but accept of a poor penitent sinner, laying hold upon Christ for pardon. In a word, we may challenge pardon and heaven by our covenant. God is not only merciful but just to forgive us; we may challenge heaven through Christ, out of justice. ”

“ As for the word which they call combinations, it reserves always the honour of God, and the honour of the king; protesting, that we mind nothing that may tend to the diminution of the king's greatness and authority. Yea, I know no other means under heaven to make many loyal subjects, but by renewing our covenant. ”

“ The deliverance is the consequence of atonement, and the atonement is the cause of deliverance, but both one and the other are included in the full idea of redemption, as we may see, for example, in the song sung before the throne, ‘Thou wast slain, and hast redeemed us to God by thy blood, out of every kindred, and tongue, and people, and nation.’ Rev. ”

“ The term new covenant, as used here, seems to mean that grand plan of agreement or reconciliation which God made between himself and mankind, by the death of Jesus Christ; in consequence of which, all those who truly repent, and unfeignedly believe in the great atoning sacrifice, are purified from their sins, and united to God. ”

“ Reconciliation, as the Scripture speaks of it, imports not any change in God, nor the externall good will or love of God, which remains in himselfe, and worketh not any change in the creature: but a blessing granted to us in time, that we who were the children of wrath by nature, should be the Sons of God by grace; we who were enemies, and hated in respect of the effects of wrath, and desert of sin, should be made friends and deare to God, the enmity being taken away by the bloud of Christ. And from hence we may learne how the new Covenant in many things hath the prerogative above the old. ”

“ So the pardon of sinne is given of grace, and not for workes, though pardon be granted only to the penitent, and faith on our part, a lively, unfained and working faith be required to receive the promise.
The parties covenanting are two, and so are the parts of the Covenant, the one in respect of God, the other in respect of man. A Covenant there is betwixt God and man, but no mutuall obligation of debt: for such mutuall obligation is founded in some equality; but there is no equality between the Creator and the creature, much lesse betwixt the Lord most high, and man a sinner. ”

“ We have followed for the most part the counsels of flesh and blood, and walked more by the rules of policy than piety, and have hearkened more unto men than unto God."
In the conclusion of the Solemn League and Covenant there is a profession and declaration "before God and the world of our unfeigned desires to be humbled [28] for our own sins and for the sins of these kingdoms [29] ”

“ Thanks, all thanks to our new covenant Head for the stability of the covenant; we change, but he changeth not. He himself is the covenant given to the people, and because he lives, his people shall live also, in spite of Satan and his colleague sin in our hearts: sin may, and does bring his people into captivity, but it shall not keep them in bondage for ever. The time of deliverance shall come, when they shall revive as the corn. ”