17. Four excellencies in the covenant of grace

Four excellencies in the covenant of grace

Thus you see how many ways the administration of the covenant of grace now is more excellent than the administration of the covenant of grace was then. In a word it hath four excellencies especially, as,

First, Liberty and freedom from the bondage of ceremonies and of the law. In a great part they had little gospel and a great deal of law mingled with it. We have much gospel and little law. We have more freedom and liberty.

Second, And thereupon we have more clearness. We see Christ more clearly. ’With open face we behold the glory of the Lord.’

Third. And thirdly, there is more intension of grace. The Spirit works more strongly now, even to a change. The ministry of the gospel hath the Spirit with it, whereby we are changed from the heart-root inwardly and thoroughly.

Fourth, And lastly, in the extension. It is more large. ’We all,’ Gentiles as well as Jews, ’behold,’ &c.

Hence, let us seriously and fruitfully consider in what excellent times the Lord hath cast us, that we may answer it with thankfulness and obedience. God hath reserved us to these glorious times, better than ever our forefathers saw.†

There are three main parts of the text: Our communion and fellowship with God in Christ. ’We all now in a glass behold the glory of the Lord.’ And then, Our conformity thereupon. By beholding we are changed into the same image. The third is the cause of both; the cause why we ’behold the glory of God,’ and why by beholding ’we are changed from glory to glory;’ it is ’the Spirit of God.’ This text hath many themes of glory. All is glorious in it. There is the glorious mercy of God in Christ, who is the Lord of glory, the gospel in which we see the grace of God and of Christ; ’The glorious gospel,’ 1 Timothy 1:11, the change by which we are changed, a glorious change ’from glory to glory,’ and by a glorious power, by ’the Spirit of the Lord,’ all here is glorious. Therefore blessed be God, and blessed be Christ, and blessed be the Spirit, and blessed be the gospel, and we blessed that live in these blessed and glorious times! But to come to the words.

’But we all as in a glass,’ &c. The happiness of man consists especially in two things: In communion with God, in conformity to God. The means how to attain them both are laid down in this verse.

I shall speak of them in order. First, of our communion with the chief good; and then of the conformity wrought upon that communion. And in the communion, first of God’s discovering of himself by his Spirit. And then of our apprehension of him by beholding.

’We all with open face behold the glory of the Lord,’ &c. In the glass of the gospel we see Christ, and in Christ the glory of God shining, especially of his mercy. The point then here is, that,