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T H E By J O H N.B U N Y A N. 1659. The last book John Bunyan wrote before being placed in Bedford Prison for twelve years. |
THE CONDITIONS OF THE NEW COVENANT.
he conditions also were concluded on and agreed to be fulfilled
by Him: as it is clear, if you understand His saying in the 12th of John, at the
27th verse, where He foretelleth His death, and saith, "Now is My soul troubled;
and what shall I say? Father, save Me from this hour: but for this cause came I"
into the world "unto this hour"; as if He had said, My business is now
not to shrink from My sufferings that are coming upon Me; for these are the things
that are a great part of the conditions contracted in the covenant which stands between
My Father and Me; therefore I shall not pray that this might be absolutely removed
from Me; For, "for this cause came I" into the world; even this was the
very terms of the covenant. By this you may see, "we are under grace."
Now in a covenant there are these three things to be considered—First. What it is
that is covenanted for. Second. The conditions upon which the persons who are concerned
in it do agree. Third. If the conditions on both sides be not according to the agreement
fulfilled, then the covenant standeth not, but is made void. And this new covenant
in these particulars is very exactly fulfilled and made out in Christ.
First. The thing or things covenanted for was the salvation of man, but made good
in Christ—"The Son of Man is come to seek and to save that which was lost. The
Son of Man did not come to destroy men's lives, but to save them. I gave My life
a ransom for many. And this is the will," or covenant, "of Him that sent
Me, that of all which He hath given Me, I should lose nothing, but should raise it
up again at the last day" (John 6:39).
Second. As touching the conditions agreed on, they ran thus— 1. On the Mediator's
side, that He should come into the world; and then on the Father's side, that He
should give Him a body. This was one of the glorious conditions between the Father
and Christ; "Wherefore, when He cometh into the world, He saith, Sacrifice and
offering Thou wouldest not"—that is, the old covenant must not stand, but give
way to another sacrifice which Thou hast prepared, which is the giving up My Manhood
to the strokes of Thy justice—"for a body Thou hast prepared Me" (Heb 10:5).
This doth prove us under grace.
2. On the Mediator's side, that He should be put to death; and on God the Father's
side, that He should raise Him up again; this was concluded on also to be done between
God the Father and His Son Jesus Christ. On Christ's side, that He should die to
give the justice of His Father satisfaction, and so to take away the curse that was
due to us, wretched sinners, by reason of our transgressions; and that God His Father,
being every ways fully and completely satisfied, should by His mighty power revive
and raise Him up again. He hath "brought again— our Lord Jesus"; that is,
from death to life, through the virtue or effectual satisfaction that He received
from the blood that was shed according to the terms "of the Everlasting Covenant"
(Heb 13:20).
3. On the Mediator's side, that He should be made a curse; and on the Father's side,
that through Him sinners should be inheritors of the blessing. What wonderful love
doth there appear by this in the heart of our Lord Jesus, in suffering such things
for our poor bodies and souls? (Gal 3:13,14). This is grace.
4. That on the Mediator's side there should be by Him a victory over Hell, death,
and the devil, and the curse of the Law; and on the Father's side, that these should
be communicated to sinners, and they set at liberty thereby—"Turn you to the
stronghold," saith God, "ye prisoners of hope; even today do I declare
that I will render double unto thee" (Zech 9:12). Why so? It is because of the
blood of My Son's covenant (Verse 11); which made Paul, though sensible of a body
of death, and of the sting that death did strike into the souls of all those that
are found in their sins, bold to say, "O death! where is thy sting? O grave!
where is thy victory? The sting of death is sin." That is true, and the terrible
Law of God doth aggravate and set it home with insupportable torment and pain. But
shall I be daunted at this? No, "I thank my God through Jesus Christ He hath
given me this victory." So that now, though I be a sinner in myself, yet I can,
by believing in Jesus Christ, the Mediator of this new covenant, triumph over the
devil, sin, death, and Hell; and say, Do not fear, my soul, seeing the victory is
obtained over all my enemies through my Lord Jesus Christ (1 Cor 15:55-57). This
is the way to prove ourselves under grace.
5. That on the Mediator's side He should by thus doing bring in everlasting righteousness
for saints (Dan 9:24); and that the Father for this should give them an everlasting
kingdom (1 Peter 1:3-5; Eph 1:4; 2 Tim 4:18; Luke 22:28,29). But,
Third. [How the conditions are fulfilled]. In the next place, this was not all—that
is, the Covenant of Grace, with the conditions thereof, was not only concluded on
by both parties to be done, but Jesus Christ [Christ is put into office by the Father,
to do all things contained in the new covenant]. must be authorized to do what was
concluded on touching this covenant by way of office. I shall therefore speak a word
or two also touching the offices, at least, some of them, that Christ Jesus did and
doth still execute as the Mediator of the new covenant, which also were typed out
in the Levitical law; for this is the way to prove that we are not under the law,
but under grace.
THE SECOND PART
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