A Discourse on the Everlasting, well-ordered, + sure Covenant of God with His people 2 Samuel 23:5

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A Discourse
on the Everlasting, well-ordered, & sure Covenant
of God with His people;
From the text:
"He hath made with me an everlasting Covenant
ordered in all things and sure."
(Middle clause) 2 Samuel, XXIII:5.
4th Hymn 122 pages
(1st) 9th Hymn C.M.
(2d.) 121st Hymn C.M.
(3d). 87th Hymn S.M.


9th 121st 87th
Here in David's history we find a type
of Christian character in all ages of
the world. "Whatsoever things were
written aforetime were written for
our [instruction] learning, that we through
patience and comfort of the Scriptures
might have hope." The interpretation
of this passage has been
given by a judicious commentator
to be that, "the whole of the ancient
Scriptures had been written for
the instruction of subsequent ages
as much as for that of those to
whom they were first delivered.
in order that by patiently leaving


to the Lord in faith and holy obedience
amidst all their trials and
temptations, and by taking comfort
from the daily perusal of the
Scriptures, they might possess
a joyful hope of Heaven,
notwithstanding past sins, &
present manifold defects
as well as many & grievous
trials." We may support then
that what David's experience taught
him, we also may learn for ourselves
that although when we look at
our own hearts polluted
with the dark remains of indwelling


indwelling Sin, when we look at
our lives blackened by many
acts of rebellion against God's
righteous Law, & Government, & we
may say with David Although my
house be not so with God." (i.e.) although
my household be not as pious
as it shd be, "yet He hath made
with me an everlasting Covenant,
ordered in all things &
sure." For if this declaration of
David be true with regard to himself
& his life & character, there
is no conceivable reason, why
it may not be equally true


in reference to all God's dear children.
It is true of all. They are
all under the same fatal tendency
to depart from the living God.
And all are obliged to confess
their sins, and yet there was
never a child of God, with
all his imperfections who was not
under the same covenant
and who had not a title
to its promises and to its
blessings. The same calamities
are impending over all alike
and the same fountain of
consolation is open to all.


That fountain is the everlasting
Covenant of Redemption which
to all God's children is one
"ordered in all things and
sure" and which never can
& never will be dissolved.
It is the [same] result of the same grand
Covenant into which entered as
parties the Father, Son, and
Holy Ghost, from all Eternity.
[*When I last enjoyed the privilege of addressing
you, one of my discourses
was founded upon the subject of the
eternity of the Covenant of Redemption
entered into and established between


God the Father and the Son. The purpose
I have now in view is to illustrate the
nature of another Covenant, based
upon that, and deriving its very
existence from it, which God the
eternal Father has made with every
redeemed child of His, through
the blood of His dear Son Jesus Christ.*]
When Christ & His Father entered into
this Covenant, it was distinctly and
clearly announced as His reward
that He shd. have given unto him
a peculiar people, that were to be
called "His seed." He was to have "the
Heathen for His inheritance and


the uttermost parts of the Earth, for
His possession." Before the fall of
man God had made with man a
"Covenant of works," the peculiarity
of which was that man, then innocent,
and fully able to perform what God
required, was bound & able to obey perfectly
all God's commandments. "Duty or
obedience was the foundation of privilege."
Man's work was first accepted
and then if the work was perfect
he himself in person was accepted."
But man needed no Savior then.
It was only in the event of the
Fall, which as we have shown God foresaw from all


Eternity, that the Covenant of Redemption
entered into between God the Father, & God
the Son, was to be applied to the
case of the Sinner. Under this Covenant
the way having been made secure
by it, God has instituted [another] a system
of application of its benefits which is something
[even] called the Covenant of Grace.
There is however but one Covenant
in reality. And bearing in mind the
truth that what many Theologians
call the Covenant of Grace, is only
the dispensation by which the benefits
that Christ purchased by His obedience
and death are imparted to Believers,"
there is no danger of a mistake.


The language of Scripture is to be taken
with this interpretation then when we
read, "I will make with you an everlasting
Covenant." This shall be the
covenant that I will make with the house
of Israel" tc. & in our text "He hath made
with me an everlasting covenant, ordered
in all things and sure." Now then
upon this we build the doctrine so
clearly laid down in our Confession
of Faith: "Man by his fall, having made
himself incapable of life by that covenant
the Lord was pleased to make [another] a second
commonly called the Covenant of Grace,
wherein He freely offereth unto sinners


life and salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring
of them faith in him, that they
may be saved, and promising to give
unto all those that are ordained
unto [eternal] Life, His Holy Spirit
to make them willing & able to believe."
It will be seen at once from
this definition of the Covenant of
Grace; that it is only the consequence
of the Covenant of Redemption, and
that what are conditions in ordinary
covenants are here substituted by
the effects of this covenant of Redemption;
since it is only by it that
man can possess the ability to


comply with the conditions of the
Covenant of Grace. The very term
"Grace," indicates that it is the free
gift of God. From this Covenant be
it then distinctly understood that
the idea of merit on the part of
the sinner in complying with the
conditions of this Covenant, is
wholly and forever excluded. The
term condition is used then only
in the sense of a precedent part
and not a meritorious act of the sinner.
The faith he must exercise is
distinctly called "the gift of God."
The repentance he must feel


one of the blessings Xt. was exalted to
bestow. The obedience he must yield
is the implantation of the Holy
Spirit in the heart. So that from
first to last, God is the Author
of this salvation, and furnishes
the believing, repenting & obeying
Sinner all the ability he ever obtains
to believe, repent & obey.
Nevertheless it is a Covenant
which God makes with His people.
If you will believe, repent, & obey
you shall be saved. While at
the same time He declares that
He will furnish us all that is requisite


requisite to enable us to do these things, if
we will accept the offer of this free
salvation. We are are also repeatedly
taught that the reason of man's failure
to receive the benefits of this
Covenant is that they are perversely
determined to resist all God's
calls. All the promises of God to
man imply this. All His threatenings
teach it. All the instances recorded
in the word of God, or elsewhere
of the punishment of a rebellious
sinner, emphasize the declarations
of our Savior "Ye will not come
to me that ye might have life," &


this is the solution He Himself gives
of the difficulty in His wailing
lamentation over Jerusalem
when He beheld foreshadowed
in dim futurity her awful fate,
"Oh Jerusalem! Jerusalem! tc but
Ye Would Not!"
We may leave the more general
aspect of the subject now, and for
practical advantage enter briefly
upon the consideration of the
nature of the Covenant of Grace
which God makes with the believer.
Our text indicates the particulars
to which we shall be confined.


The full description and definite
explanation of this transaction we give
in the Language of the great God Himself.
"This is the covenant which I will
make with them after those days
saith the Lord; I will put my laws
into their mind, and write them
in their hearts; and I will be to
them a God, and they shall be to
me a people; I will be merciful
to their unrighteousness, and their
sins, & iniquities will I remember
no more." And this then is the
Covenant of which David speaks
in our text, and which he describes


as 1. "everlasting," 2d "ordered in all
things," & 3d "sure."
1. It is an everlasting Covenant.
This term is no doubt used in a sense
too loose and partial in our ordinary
adoption of it. It is very commonly
supposed to mean only that which
is without end, ceaseless duration
in the future. But as our Lexicographers
definite it as synonymous
with Eternal, that which lasts
interminably both in the past,
and in the future, so a little
reflection will teach us that
the word ever is no more applicable


applicable to the future than it is to the
past. Consequently when we speak
of this Covenant as everlasting
we mean that is in its fullest sense
eternal, coeval with God. I will
not labor this point with you, as it
was discussed formerly. The force of this
consideration will be seen if we consider
that the determination to save
any particular individual [was] is
as much a part of God's nature
as the purpose to save at all
He has no parts, no mutable purposes
liable to the contingencies
of Time. What God designs He has always


designed. He has designed to save all
those for whom Christ died, and this
design has been in existence from
some past time. Now when must
we date the origin of this design?
It must either have originated in
time or from Eternity. If in time
then God changes. His attribute
of Immutability is thus destroyed.
But we have learned of God that such
is His immutability that, "no new views
can present themselves to his mind, nor
is it possible that any change of
circumstances should take place
which might render the adoption


of a different order of procedure expedient."
We conclude therefore that He must
have designed our salvation from all
Eternity. And the infinitely precious blessings
which have been experienced by
believers, and the various displays
of this blessedness in all its forms
are but the [full] actual development of
that covenant which God from
all Eternity had established long
before we were brought into existence.
[*Introduce the other here*] It is equally true, of course, that
it is to be everlasting in the future.
This being the commonly received
and popular acceptation of the term,


it needs no argument to establish.
And even those who might seem disposed
to demur to the idea of past duration we
have given to the word, will surely
admit that it must mean endless
future duration, if it mean anything.
And it is no satisfactory view which
may be given by some, that while the
Covenant itself may be everlasting
in its nature, it may be temporary
in its application to individuals.
For a Covenant supposes Parties, &
if either party be excluded then is
the Covenant dissolved. There is
no other sense of the word everlasting


in regard to the Covenant, consistent
with reason, save that which makes
it endless in the application of its
benefits to individuals. It is therefore
easy to understand the Apostle's
language when he calls it "the
eternal purpose which the Father
purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord."
And the triumphant language
of David and which may be adopted
by every believer, is easily
explicable on this theory, and
only thus! When they exclaim
"This God is our God forever &
ever, He will be our Guide,
even unto death!"


2. This covenant is not only from
Eternity, but it is also, "Ordered in
all things." It is not merely a
general outline of a Plan, or a
design of God to save man, embracing
the beginning, and easening
the end, but it is all arranged
perfectly in its most minute
details, and every particular
in the life of every Child of
God, is most certainly &
definitely provided for in
God's Plan. This [this is involved] follows from the
doctrine of a particular Providence.
And this being believed, the idea


of a [minute] full comprehension of the
most minute concerns, & events of our
lives in this Covenant, will follow
by necessary consequence. Does
any one hesitate then to receive the
doctrine that God executes the
work of Providence in "His most
Holy, Wise, and powerful preserving
and governing all His creatures
and all their actions." We will refer
to those two passages of Scripture
which are so often adduced, and for
the thousandth time demand an
explanation of them on any other
supposition save that which [is]


admits a special Providence in men's
affairs? "Not a sparrow falleth to
the ground without your Heavenly
Father." "The very hairs of your
heads are all numbered." Now
this is either figurative, or literal
language. If fig. it must mean
to convey to us the idea of a most
minute notice of small matters.
If literal, then we take it that
there is no reason which renders
it consistent with God, that He Shd.
notice the fall of a sparrow, or
number the hairs of our heads
which will not make it equally


consistent that He shd. notice all the
events however minute in the life &
history of every child of His. And
if so, then it follows from our
previous argument in reference
to His immutability, Whereby we
have seen that His plans are all
eternal, & not formed in time, that
all the events of life formed
constituent parts of the Plan
of God concerning us from
all Eternity. It is sometimes urged
by persons who are either infidel
in their tendencies, or badly trained
in Theology, that it is far more


in accordance with the proper
estimate of God's infinite Greatness,
to suppose that He establishes
general Laws, impresses them
upon the system of Nature, &
of the world, & then leaves them
to develope the various phases
which are presented, than to
introduce God as intimately
concern in every event that
occurs in the history of Life.
But this is but a revival of
the Old Epicurean doctrine
that the Gods concerned not
themselves in the affairs of the


world, but dwelt at ease, and in
a state of perfect & uninterrupted
quiet. And it seems to be but the
view of a most contracted mind
and an estimate formed of God
by men who thought of Him
as altogether such an one as
themselves. It is on the contrary
in the view of all Christians
the great token & proof that
He is God, omniscient, that
"all things," "all possible contingencies,
& exigencies, all conceivable
events that can befall the
Christian are provided for; every


difficulty, every trial, every tear, &
every struggle were forseen," by God
from all Eternity. And not only
so, but the results of these difficulties,
trials, tears, & struggles were
also foreseen. And while every
man is conscious that he is free
or others are free in that Agency which involves
him in difficulties, and which
brings upon him his trials, and
wrings from his tears, and
leads him into those struggles
which he enters upon, yet all
were foreseen, & ordered by God
in His plan of Grace, and God


also is ever near the Christian in
his trials to overrule, limit, &
bring them all to a proper issue.
If this be not admitted, then we must
deny that God is concerned in the
events in the history of the world
for They require an explanation
as truly as do the ordinary events
of Christian Life. And if we
take the ground that God is not
concerned in any thing that occurs
then is the world a self-subsisting
world, & (Pearson) "it
is as easy to conceive of a self
originated world as" such a thing.


This is done to compliment God, but
Harris (quoted by Pearson) says "the
reasoning which compliments God
out of the material universe not
unfrequently ends in excluding
Him from the Throne of His Moral
Government." And very often it
is true as is suggested by Pearson
"that the one is done for the sake
of the other." We prefer therefore
the doctrine of a particular
Providence which from all Eternity
ordered all things "according
to the counsel of His own will,"
as more in accordance with
Reason, and as the only doctrine


consistent with the teachings of
Sacred Scripture. For such is the
proper interpretation of that
passage of S.S.' which assures us
that all things shall work together
for good to them that love
God to them that are the called
according to His purpose." Yes! all
things, whether joy or sorrow, whether
health or sickness, whether wealth
or poverty, friendship or enmity, peace
or war, quiet or trouble, ease or trial
life of Death: Not a joy but shall
be brightened not a sorrow but shall
be healed, not a season of health but


shall be appropriated to God, not a pang
of disease but shall be sanctified,
not an accession of wealth but shall
be consecrated to God, not a privation
of poverty but shall be made to minister
to an increase of humility,
not [a note] an enjoyment of peace or quiet or ease
but shall suggest motives of gratitude,
not an alarm of war, trouble
or trial but shall [ultimately]
be found to be ultimately working together
for our good if we are God's
children if we love Him.
Since "our light afflictions
which are but for a moment


shall work out of us a far more
exceeding and eternal weight of
Glory." It is thus that this Covenant
is "ordered in all things." But
3d. It is also "Sure." We may infer
this from the first property attributed
to it by David; that it is
an everlasting Covenant. But
it is worthy of observation that
God leaves no doubt possible as
to this matter, when He makes
the following full, clear, &
precious declarations. "The
mountains may depart, and
the hills be removed; but my


loving Kindness shall not depart from
thee, neither shall the covenant
of my peace be removed, saith
the Lord that hath mercy on
thee." And then again says
Paul: "God willing more abundantly
to show unto the heirs
of promise, the immutability
of his counsel, confirmed it
by an oath; that by two immutable
things, in which it was impossible
for God to lie, we might
have strong consolation who have
fled for refuge to lay hold on
the hope set before us; which


hope we have as an anchor to the
soul both sure and steadfast."
The security of the Believer then
rests on another of God's attributes
viz: His Truth. If this Covenant fail
to make the Christian's salvation
safe, & secure to all Eternity without
the possibility of a fall, then is
God found to be unfaithful to His
own declarations; so untrue, so
no God. It also rests on the power
of the Redeemer. If our salvation
begun here by Christ, shall fail
to save us hereafter, then is He no
Redeemer for us. He is unable to do


the work He was sent to do. But this
contradicts the declarations of the
sacred scriptures. It is said of
Christ, God has laid keep on "One
Mighty to save." He is said to be
the Lord God Almighty "the ever
lasting Father," "Over all, God
blessed forevermore." And we
remember Paul's triumphant assertion:
"I Know whom I have believed,
and that He is able to keep that
which I have given to Him." And
to crown the whole Xt. says of
Himself "I have finished the
work thou gavest me to do." All


this testimony must go for nothing
if this Covenant of Grace be not
sure and unchangeable. And then
if any for whom Xt. died shall
fail to realize the salvation they
have embraced, then there is no
virtue in the blood of the atonement.
But hear Paul: "Neither by
the blood of goats & calves, but by His
own blood he entered in once into
the Holy place, having obtained
eternal Redemption for us." He is
here contrasting the Mosaic atonements
made by Priests with victims
sacrificed every year, with Xt's atonement


atonement, which was made once for all
Eternity. It was an atonement made
with His precious blood, and such
was its virtue that it is called
[an] "eternal Redemption," it is to
last forever. Once begun, it will
never cease until perfection
crowns the work to everlasting
days in God's Holy Heaven.
1. I infer from this discussion that
man's salvation rests for its serenity
not on man's ability to
save or preserve himself, but
on the attributes of a God who
had thoughts of Love toward him eternally


on the love of a Savior who is omnipotent, and
the Grace of a Holy Spirit which is
"free and faithful, strong as death!"
and on the solemnly pledged promise and Covenant
obligation of the [?] Jehovah, Father
Son and Holy Spirit, combined to effect
man's salvation, and against which the
very "gates (or powers) of Hell cannot prevail."
If it depended on man it could not but
fail.
2. I infer that this doctrine abounds in comfort
to the believer. "I am sure" said an aged pious saint,
"that if God had not chosen me, I never would have
chosen him." We may add each of us "I am sure
if God did not uphold me I could never
uphold myself. But he chose us, & he upholds us."


3. I infer that this doctrine cannot be abused.
A miserable travesty a burlesque of the doctrine
has been, and may be abused, but not the blessed
doctrine of God's eternal, unchangeable covenant
love. Fatalism is substituted by its opponents for the doctrine we
embrace, but [this] we teach[es] & embrace no such theory. It is the sanctification
no less than the salvation of the sinner that
is secured by [?] nay! the salvation, thro the sanctification
4. We infer lastly, that the provisions of this
covenant are for all who will accept
them and that none need be discouraged
by the idea that they are the non-elect. 1. The
invitation is universal. "Whosoever will" tc
2. It is nowhere revealed who are the elect.
3. We can only know this by experimental
individual acceptance of the terms. 4. The marks
of Conversion are clearly laid down in S.S. 5.
First be sure of your conversion and then you may
be sure of your election. Lastly, If lost it will be yr. foul


has at last lost its heinousness in a
very great measure. Such a man is
ripening rapidly for destruction. But
[*Here begin*] [*Thus it is that*]
III. We may be deceived as regards our own
character and moral state. By this
fatal principle of facility of deception
men fall into more hopeless errors as
regards themselves than in regard to
any other subject. This arises from pure
self-love, foolish and unwarrantable.
When a man undertakes to judge of himself
without Divine teaching there are
three favorite standpoints from which he delights
to contemplate his character.
(1.) He explores the past history of his life.


The cause of deception here in addition
to self love is the distance at which the
object is viewed Enchantment as in
space so in time a coloring is given
to objects. The role tendency is to call
up for inspection those parts of our
lives and character and those actions
that look most attractive, consigning
the rest to oblivion. We remember that
we gave away a sum of money in charity
but we forget that it was not half that
we should have given. We remember the
compliments we have rec.d but we
forget how little we deserved them.
We praise our own success in Enterprizes


Enterprizes, and attribute all failures to others.
We hide away all our faults or if
a too faithful memory will bring them
up we excuse them, or palliate them.
Our resentful and revengeful feelings we
call justifiable self defense, & honor.
Our cunning is wisdom; our selfishness
is prudence; and our recklessness in
pecuniary matters is generosity.
(II) When we go to judge of our present
character we exhibit the same self
deception. You can only see the rainbow
from a certain point; so it is only on account
of the position occupied by man
the selfishness that enables him to take


such rose colored views of his
own character. He claims for
himself the possession of good
qualities and traits that no one else
can discover. He is unconscious of
the possession of infirmities that
every man else can see. He claims
for himself great abilities that all
know he has not. He considers
himself brave & firm, when every
one else knows he is not. Calls
himself generous when every body
else calls him selfish. He thinks he
is not very wicked, while the bible
declares he was born a sinner and


that the wrath of God now [rests] abides upon
him. But
(III). We are deceived just as much about
our character and moral state when
we look to the future and observe
our future intentions. No matter what we
have been in time past what we may
be now we will rectify all hereafter.
We have fallen into sin that is true
but we shall no more fall. We
are possessed of self strong virtue,
we can resist temptation; we can avoid
the difficulties into which other men
have fallen. The young man imagines
that he can preserve his morals pure &


uncontaminated in the midst of surrounding
seductions. He does not see that
he is but a frail mortal as others
have been before him, and that step
by step they have gone down the
dark pathway of vice into the
regions of moral death, and that
if he rely upon his own strength
he will follow in their footsteps
and experience their fate.
The error into which we fall in this
attempt to judge of our own character
and moral state is that we wholly, &
entirely forget that [we] going forth in
our own strength we ignore bible teachings


from which we should have learned
that there is nothing good in our
past or present, nor will there be any thing
good in the future save as the result
of the influence of Divine Grace.
And until we learn this lesson
we shall make no progress, in
divine knowledge.
[*Here end*]
Having illustrated the liability to
deception in regard to the three great
matters of personal interest to us viz:
1. As to God's character. 2. As to the nature
of true Religion and 3. as to our own character
and moral State; we may profitably
pursue the subject by inquiring


into the causes of this self-deception.
And 1. I remark that it is due
in part to the limited amt. of
human knowledge, and the imperfection
of what we do know.
Perfect knowledge would prevent
deception. But ours is not of that
description. We do not know every
thing and indeed we know little.
But we know nothing perfectly.
[2] Hence we are of course liable to
be deceived.
2 The heart is deceitful & desperately
wicked we do not know it.
Elisha & Hazael ~


renders him the creature of dreams, &
fancies; weakens his judgement; establishes
the dangerous habit of judging of his state
rather by the impulse of feeling and internal
reveries than by comparing himself
with the Scriptural delineation of Christian
character. Nothing is deemed genuine unless
it is accompanied by rapturous visions
and fancied joys, and highly excited sympathies
and thus it is led by [pleasure formality] its own heated
[and overmuch] and unnatural zeal to denounce genuine,
modest, and quiet, unobtrusive
piety, as pharisian & lukewarmness.
It is the offering of ignorance, and this
leads to destruction, and as ignorance


is no excuse where there is access to
knowledge, it is a most perilous error
to mistake enthusiasm for religion.
But not more so than the opposite
evil of considering all religion as
Fanaticism; this is simple lukewarmness.
It desires to reduce religion down to
the merest formality. Ceremonial observances
are to be commended and all
pompous ritual is insisted upon, but
there must be no overstepping the limits
of a staid and genteel decorum.
The sum and substance of it is that
in such religion there is neither warmth
spirituality nor animation. All approaches


to such demonstrations are frowned
upon and provided we are not chargeable
with the grosser vices, or even though
one may practise the favorite gross vice
provided he abstain from others then
his religion will be good enough. Thus
these men have the "form of godliness
but are destitute of the power thereof."
You must not make any active zealous
efforts to promote the true progress of Xt's Kingdom;
that is Enthusiasm. You must
[have] make no extra efforts for the salvation
[for the salvation] of the souls of sinners
around you, for that is Enthusiasm.
So that as it discourages all good in


others, so it not only incites none in itself, but on
the contrary, brings about ultimately
a dreadful condition of moral
habits and thoughts within. The heart
grows cold and dead; the Conscience
dull and insensible; penitence is very superficial;
prayer grows formal, and after
a while is abandoned; the reading of
God's word is at first a task, and then
is laid aside; reflection upon Divine
truth becomes so irksome at last that
here soon ceases to be any room for it
within; faith is dead, inoperative, and
unfruitful; and Sin itself once a monster
of so horrid [mieu?] as to be hated & feared