The covenant of grace – Thomas Brooks
“He has made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things, and sure. Will He not bring to fruition my salvation and grant me my every desire?” 2 Samuel 23:5
All mankind would have been eternally lost had God not, of His own free grace and mercy, made a new covenant with sinful man. The fountain from whence His new covenant flows, is the sovereign grace and mercy of God. There was nothing outside of God, nor anything in God, but His mere mercy and grace which moved Him to enter into covenant with poor sinners, who were miserable and loathsome and polluted; and and were actually in arms against Him!
As there was nothing in fallen man to draw God’s favor or affection towards him; just so there was everything in fallen man which might justly provoke God’s wrath and indignation against him! Therefore it must be a very high act of favor and grace for the great, the glorious, the holy, the wise, and the all-sufficient God to enter into covenant with such a forlorn creature as fallen man was!
Oh, the admirable counsel, wisdom, love, care and tenderness of the blessed God which sparkles and shines in the well-ordering of the covenant of grace! Oh, how lovely and beautiful, with what symmetry and proportion, are all things in this covenant ordered and prepared! Oh, what head can conceive, or what tongue can express that infinite wisdom which God has manifested in ordering the covenant of grace so as it may most and best suit to all the needs, and straits, and necessities, and miseries, and desires, and longings of poor sinners’ souls! Here are fit and full supplies for all our spiritual needs! In the covenant of grace, every poor sinner may find . . .
a suitable help,
a suitable remedy,
a suitable support,
a suitable supply!
The covenant of grace, is so well ordered by the unsearchable wisdom of God, that you may find in it . . . remedies to cure all your spiritual diseases, cordials to comfort you under all your soul-faintings, and a spiritual armory to arm you against . . .
all sorts of sins, and
all sorts of snares, and
all sorts of temptations, and
all sorts of oppositions, and
all sorts of enemies whether inward
or outward, open or secret, subtle or silly.
Do you, O distressed sinner need . . .
a loving God,
a compassionate God,
a reconciled God,
a sin-pardoning God,
a tender-hearted God?
Here you may find Him in the covenant of grace!
Do you, O sinner need a Christ . . .
to counsel you by His wisdom,
to clothe you with His righteousness,
to enrich you with His grace,
to enlighten you with His eye salve,
to justify you from your sins,
to reconcile you to God,
to secure you from wrath to come,
to bring you to heaven?
Here you may find Him in a covenant of grace!
Do you, O sinner! need the Holy Spirit . . .
to awaken you,
to convince you of sin, righteousness and judgment,
to enlighten and teach you,
to lead and guide you in the everlasting way,
to cleanse you,
to comfort you?
Here you may find Him in the covenant of grace!
O sinner! Do you need grace, all grace, great grace, abundance of grace, multiplied grace? Here you may find it in the covenant of grace!
O sinner! Do you need peace, or ease, or rest, or quiet in your conscience? Here you may find it in the covenant of grace!
O sinner! Do you need contentment, or comfort, or joy, or satisfaction? Here you may have it in the covenant of grace!
O sinner, sinner! whatever your soul needs are they may all be supplied out of the covenant of grace! God, in His infinite wisdom and love, has laid into the covenant of grace, as into a common storehouse,
all those good things, and all those great things, and
all those suitable things that either sinners or saints
can either desire or need!
