A treatise of the divine promises in five bookes : in the first, a generall description of their nature, kinds, excellency, right use, properties, and the persons to whom they belong : in the foure last, a declaration of the covenant it selfe .../ by Edvvard Legh ...

2. Blessings by CHRIST to the Godly.

1. Redemption.

Who gave himselfe for us, that hee might redeeme us from all ini∣quity, Tit. 2.14. We have redemp∣tion through his blood.* 1.1 Ephes. 1.7. And he shall redeeme Israel from all his iniquitie, Psal. 130.8. He hath redeemed them from the curse of the law, by being made a curse for them, Gal. 3.13. CHRIST JESUS by his owne bloud entred into the holy place, having obtained eter∣nall redemption for us, Heb. 9.12.

CHRIST is made unto us Re∣demption, 1 Cor. 1.30.

2. Effectuall Calling; our par∣ticular

calling doth interest us in the promises of GOD, Acts 2.39. For the promise is unto you, and to your children,* 1.2 and to all that are a farre of, even to as many as the LORD our GOD shall call, there is the condition.

3. Justification.

By his knowledge, shall my righ∣teous servant iustifie many, Esay 53.11.

By him all that beleeve, are iu∣stified, Acts 13.39.

In the LORD shall all the seed of Israel be iustified, Esay 45.25. Who shall lay any thing to the charge of GODS Elect? it is GOD that iustifieth, Rom. 8.33.

He iustifieth the ungodly, Rom. 4.5. that is, saith Beza, he makes him righteous in CHRIST, who is unrighteous in himselfe.

• 1. Justification consists of two parts,
  • 1. Not impu∣ting sinne, 2 Cor. 5.19.
  • 2. Imputing righteousnes, Gal. 3.6.

Promises of forgivenesse of sinnes.

This great benefit of forgive∣nesse of sinne by CHRIST, is plentifully proclaimed unto us miserable sinners.

* 1.3Behold the Lambe of GOD which taketh away the sinnes of the world, John 1.29. Hee shall beare their iniquities, Esay 53.11. Once in the end of the world hath hee appeared to put away sinne by the sacrifice of himselfe, Heb. 9.26. He was manifested to take away our sinnes, 1 Joh. 3.5. The blood of JESUS CHRIST cleanseth us from all sinne, 1 Joh. 1.7. He hath by himselfe purged our sins, Heb. 1.3. He bare our sinnes on the tree, 1 Pet. 2.24. He loved us and wa∣shed

us from our sinnes in his owne blood, Rev. 1.5. He is the propi∣tiation for our sinnes, 1 John 2.2.

Hereunto agreeth that invi∣tation of our Saviour: Come un∣to mee all yee,* 1.4 that are weary and heavie laden, and I will ease you, Mat. 11.28.

GOD of his rich grace and mercy in JESUS CHRIST doth make offer of free and full forgivenesse of sinnes, to every burdened, thirstie, and penitent soule.

Let the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and let him returne unto the LORD, and hee will have mercy upon him, and to our GOD, for hee will abundantly pardon, Esay 55.7. Returne thou backesliding Israel, saith the LORD, and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you, for I am mercifull, saith the LORD, and I will not keepe mine anger for ever, Jer. 3.22. I will cleanse

them from all their iniquity, where∣by they have sinned against me, and I will pardon all their iniquities whereby they have sinned, and whereby they have transgressed a∣gainst mee, Jer. 33.8.

GOD when he forgiveth us, so fully acquitteth us of our sins, as if we had committed no sinne at all.

This appeareth by many Me∣taphors used in the Scrip∣ture.

I am hee that blotteth out thy transgressions, saith the LORD, Esay 43.25. It is a Metaphore taken from Creditors, who when they purpose never to exact a debt, will blot it out of their bookes:* 1.5 I have put away thy transgressions as a cloud, and thy sinnes as a mist, saith the same LORD, Esay 44.22. The clouds which are driven away by the windes appeare no more, nor the mist which is dried up by the Sunne; so the sinnes which GOD forgiveth, returne not

againe: thou hast cast all my sins behind thy backe, saith Hezekiah to GOD, Esay 38.17. that which a man would not look on or regard, that he casteth behind his backe.

Thou wilt cast all their sinnes into the depths of the Sea,* 1.6 saith Micah to the LORD. When a man would have a thing utterly forgotten, hee will cast it into the bottome of the Sea, from whence there is no fetching it againe.

The Psalmist pronounceth him blessed, whose sinne is covered, Psal. 32.1. A thing covered is not seene, hee hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob, nor seene perversenesse in Israel, Numb. 23.21.

The same Psalmist pronoun∣ceth him blessed, to whom the LORD imputeth not sinne,* 1.7 Psal. 32.2. a sinne not imputed, is as not committed: as Merchants when they will forgive a debt, put it not into the reckoning, and so do not impute it.

GOD himselfe saith, I will forgive their iniquities,* 1.8 and I will remember * 1.9 their sinne no more, Ier. 31.34. the latter clause ex∣pounds the former; to forgive is to remember no more, that is, ne∣ver to call that to account, which was once remitted.

Thus GOD blotteth out our sinnes, that they condemne us not. Putteth them away, that they hurt us not. Casteth them behind his backe, as though he regarded them not. And into the Sea, that they drowne us not. Covers them, that they appeare not. Doth not impute them, as though they were not. Forgetteth them, so that he punisheth them not.

All the blessings in the new Covenant are given with remissi∣on of sinnes. When GOD for∣gives a mans sinnes, then hee gives him all other things, San∣ctification, and whatsoever else, as we see at large. Ezek. 36.26. The LORD there, after he had promised to forgive all their sins,

hee saith, hee will give them a new heart, hee will cause them to walke in his waies; and then hee comes with outward mer∣cies too, hee promiseth them deliverance from their ene∣mies, and other good things in the rest of the Chapter, but all other things come in with remission of sinnes, Acts 10.43. To him give all the Prophets witnesse, that through his name, we have re∣mission of sinnes. The Pro∣phets gave witnesse concerning CHRIST of many other things besides remiss••on of sins, that we have in his name, which wee have by him, but all other things come with this. GOD was in CHRIST reconciling the world to himselfe, 2 Cor. 5.19. a marvellous great mercy, it consists in this, that their sinnes were not imputed. The priviledges of the new Covenant are chained toge∣ther: Whom hee hath predestina∣ted, them also hee called, and whom he called, them also he iustified, and

whom hee iustified, them also hee glorified, Rom. 8.30.

2. Promises to make us righ∣teous.

As by one mans disobedience, many were made sinners, so by the obedience of one, shall many bee made righteous, Rom. 5.19. there∣fore we are said, to be the righ∣teousnesse of GOD in him, 2 Cor. 5.21. For this cause CHRIST is called The LORD OUR RIGHTEOUSNESSE, Ier. 23.6. & 33.16. CHRIST is made un∣to us righteousnesse, 1 Cor. 1.30. He is said to be the end of the law for righteousnesse, to every one that beleeveth, Rom. 10.4. and the Sa∣craments are said to be the Seales of the righteousnesse of faith. Rom. 4.11.

* 1.10He hath covered mee with a robe of righteousnesse, Abraham belee∣ved GOD, and it was imputed to him for righteousnesse, Gal. 3.6.

This imputed righteousnesse the Papists scoffe at,* 1.11 and call it a pu∣tative righteousnesse; and yet the phrase is used tenne times in one Chapter.

4. Reconciliation.

By CHRIST wee are re∣conciled to GOD.

GOD hath reconciled us to himselfe by JESUS CHRIST. GOD was in CHRIST, reconci∣ling the * 1.12 world unto himselfe, 2 Cor. 5.18, 19. CHRIST is our peace, who hath made both one, that he might reconcile both unto GOD, Ephes. 2.14, 16.* 1.13 You that were some∣time alienated, yet now hath he recon∣ciled, Col. 1.21.

5. Adoption. Promises 1. of it.

Behold what manner of love the Father hath bestowed upon us,* 1.14 that we should be called the sonnes of

GOD, 1 Joh. 3.1, 2. But to as ma∣ny as received him, to them gave he power to become the sonnes of GOD, even to them that beleeve in his name, Iohn 1.12. That is a gra∣cious promise which the Apostle citeth out of the Prophet Hosea, Rom. 9.26. And it shall be in the place, where it was said unto them, yee are not my people, that there they shall be called the children of the living GOD. So the LORD promiseth to such as shall sepa∣rate themselves from the wicked, 2 Cor. 6.18. Hee that overcom∣meth shall inherit all things, and I will be his GOD, and hee shall be my sonne, Rev. 21.7. Blessed are the peace-makers, for they shall be called the sonnes of GOD, Mat. 5.9.

It was GODS promise to David concerning Salomon, 2 Sam. 7.14. I will be his father, and hee shall be my sonne. Where∣upon David much affected and ravished, saith, verse 18. O LORD GOD, what am I, or my

fathers house, that thou shouldst vouchsafe me so great honour and happinesse, as to finde my childe, yea to take him for thine owne, and to become his Father?

See that excellent place, Gal. 4.4, 5, 6, 7. & Rom. 8.17.

2. To it, paternity promiseth all blessings, Mat. 7.11. and all forbearance, Psal. 103.13. Heb. 12.5, 6.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Col. 1.14
• * 1.2

  Rom 8 28.30.
• * 1.3

  See Luk. 14 47. Act 5.31.10.43. & 13.38.
• * 1.4

  He came to call sinners, Luk. 5 21.
• * 1.5

  Col. 2.14.
• * 1.6

  Micah. 7.19. As if hee should say, looke as God subdu∣ed Pharaoh and all his hoast in the bottome of the Sea; so he will cast and put a∣way the sins of his people. Psal. 85.2.
• * 1.7

  Rom 4.7, 8.
• * 1.8

  Heb. 8, 12. & 10.17.
• * 1.9

  That which the Heathen Orator spoke flat∣teringly of Iuliu•• Caesar, is most true of God, nihil obli••iset so let, nisi iniu¦rias, He for∣gets nothing but the sins of penitent suppliants.
• * 1.10

  Esay 61.10. Zach. 3.3, 4,
• * 1.11

  Rom. 4.3, 5, 6 8, 9, 10, 11, 22, 23, 24.
• * 1.12

  That is, all belee∣vers tho∣rough the whole world.
• * 1.13

  See Rom. 5.1.10.
• * 1.14

  For yee are all the chil¦dren of God by faith in Christ Iesus Gal. 1 20. Ephes. 1.••.