Questions 18–19

It was said,¹ that the mediatour is a person reconciling parties which are at variance. Nowe this reconciliation in the scriptures is termed the Couenaunt, and Testament, which is the correlatiue, that is, hath a mutuall respect to the mediatour. Wherefore the Doctrine which treateth of the Couenaunt is linked with the place concerning the mediatour, because euerie mediatour is the mediatour of some Couenaunt, and a reconciler of parties who are at enmitie.

The chiefe questions are, 1 What a Couenaunt is. 2 Whether it can be made without a mediatour. 3 Whether there be but one and the same Couenaunt, or more. 4 In what the old and new Couenaunt agree, and in what they differ.

1 WHAT A COVENAVNT IS

A Couenaunt in generall signifieth a mutuall promise or agreement betweene the parties who are ioined in that Couenaunt, whereby is made a bond or obligation for the performance of certaine thinges on both parts, solemne ceremonies and tokens beeing added thereto, to testifie and confirme that promise and agreement. For the making therefore, declaring, & confirming of a Couenaunt serue mutual promises and outward signes and tokens of the Couenaunt. A Testament is called the last will of a Testator, whereby he at his death disposeth of his thinges, what he woulde haue done concerning them: this is ratified by the death of the Testator.

In speciall, the Couenaunt betweene God and men is a mutual promise and agreement, made by our Mediatour, confirmed by othes and solemne tokens (which we call Sacraments) whereby God bindeth himselfe to remit their sins vnto them that beleeue, and to giue them euerlasting life, for & by his son, our Mediator: & men bind themselues to receiue this so great a benefite with faith, and to yeeld true obedience vnto God; which is, to liue according to his will, that so they may declare their thankefulnes vnto god. The summe is: This Couenaunt is gods bond to yeelde vs his grace and fauour: and of the otherside our bond, to receiue this grace by faith; and to yeelde new obedience.

²Furthermore the name of Couenaunt and Testament shew the same thing, to wit, our reconcilement with God, or the mutuall agreement betweene God and men. This reconcilement is called a Couenaunt, because, as it hath been said, both God vnto vs, & we vnto god haue promised certain things to be performed of both parts, adding certaine signes and pledges of this our mutuall agreement.³ It is called a Testament, because this reconciliation was made, by the death of the Testator, Christ comming between, that so it might be firme and ratified.⁴ For while the Testator liueth, he retaineth a right to change, detract, or adde any thing. This reason is alleadged in the epistle to the Hebrews, cap. 9.16.17. The Testament, saith the Apostle, is confirmed when men are dead. For it is yet of no force as long as hee that made it is aliue. Christ hath purchased our reconcilement with God for vs with his bloud, and hath left it vnto vs, euen as Parents at their decease deliuer their goodes vnto their children. Obiection. The Testament is ratified by the death of the Testator, which is good, who cannot die. Therefore this reconcilement is not ratified, or at least wise it may not be called a Testament. Aunswere. The Minor is to bee denied. Because, God is saide to haue redeemed the church with his bloud: Therefore hee died; but he died according to his humanitie. Or, which commeth to the same; Christ is the Testator, as hee is both God, & man: but died according to his humanity only. Wherefore this reconciliation or Couenaunt may be called a Testament. Replie. But Christ is the intercessor,⁵ and god the Testator: Therefore the reconciliation is not of force. Aunswere. They differ in persons and offices. The person of Christ differeth from the person of the father and the holy Ghost in office, not in efficacie and power; and in respect of him it is an intercession, in respect of vs a reconciliation or receiuing into fauour.

2 How a Couenaunt may be made betweene god and men

That Couenaunt could not be made without a Mediatour. For without Satisfaction, and the death of the Mediatour, there could not be wrought a reconcilement, or anie receiuing into fauour. For wee were the enimies of God: neither was there an entrance open for vs to god, before he was pacified by the merit of our Mediatour. Againe, Without the Mediatour regenerating vs, we should not haue beene able to stand to the conditions, and so had the Couenaunt beene made of no force: as it hath beene shewed more at large before in the place of the Mediatour, in the second question.

3 Whether there be but one Couenaunt

There is but one Couenaunt in substaunce, and matter:⁶ two in circumstaunces, or administration. There is but one in substaunce. 1. Because there is but one god, one Mediatour of those parties, god and men, one meane of reconcilement; one faith: one way of the saluation of all who are saued and haue been saued euen from the beginning of the world vnto the ende. Hebr. 13.8. Iesus Christ yesterday, and to day, the same is also for euer. Roman. 9.5. Who is ouer all. Col. 1.18. And he is the head of the bodie of the church. Ephes. 2.21. In whom all the building coupled together groweth vnto an holie temple in the Lord. Actes. 4.12. Among men there is giuen none other name vnder heauen whereby we must be saued. Mat. 11.27. No man knoweth the father but the sonne, and he to whom the sonne will reueal him. No man commeth to the father but by me. Iohn. 14.6. I am the way, the truth, and the life. Luc. 10.24. Manie Kings and Prophets haue desired to see, that which ye see. Iohn. 8.56. Abraham reioiced to see my day and he saw it, and was glad. All therefore as wel vnder the law, as vnder the Gospel, who were to be saued, had respect to the onely mediatour Christ, by whom alone they were reconciled to God and saued: and therefore there is but one Couenaunt. 2. Because the principall conditions whereby we are bound vnto God, and God to vs, and which are called the substaunce of the Couenaunt, are both before and after Christ all the same. For in both, both in the olde and new Couenaunt or Testament God promiseth remission of sins to beleeuers and repentant sinners. In both, men are bound to beleeue and repent; that is, the grounde and foundation of doctrine in both is the same, to wit, the law and the promise of grace proposed in Christ.

Nowe the Couenaunt is also of two sortes, or there are two Couenants, as concerning the circumstances, & those conditions which are lesse principal, which are the formes of administration, seruing for the principal conditions, that the faithfull may attaine vnto them by the helpe of these. A rule here may be obserued:⁷ In all Couenaunts their conditions are euer to be considered: which if they be the same, then are the Couenaunts also the same: if diuers, then the Couenaunts also diuers: if partly the same, and partly diuers, then the Couenaunts also are in part the same, and in part diuers: as in this Couenaunt.

1 In what the old and new Couenaunt agree, and in what they differ

⁸THe new Couenaunt agreeth with the old, in respect of God, in these. 1. The same is the Author of both Couenaunts. 2. The same parties are ioined in both Couenaunts, to wit God and man. 3. The same is the mediatour of both. Moses in deede is called also the Mediatour of the old Testament, but as a type: For Christ was also in the old Testament the Mediatour but had adioined vnto him Moses as a type, but nowe he is Mediatour without that typicall Mediatour. For he is manifested in the flesh, & is no more couered with types. 4 The promise of grace is in both the same, to wit, remission of sinnes, the giuing of the holy Ghost or regeneration,⁹ & life or glorie euerlasting, to bee giuen freely by and for Christ the Mediatour to those onely who beleeue. For God promiseth grace and mercie to all who beleeue in the Mediatour. Gen. 22. In thy seede shall all nations be blessed. Gen. 3. Hee shall breake the serpents head. Gen. 17. I will bee thy god, and the god of thy seede. This is the same with the promise, which is made to the faithful of the new Couenaunt: Hee that beleeueth in the Sonne hath euerlasting life. Now here wee speake not in particular, of the circumstances of grace, but in generall, of grace it selfe which was promised. Both Couenaunts haue the same corporal promises also, but that only in generall.

Now, in respect of men, the new agreeth with the old: that in both men are bound to faith and new obedience. Gen. 17. Walke before me, and be thou vpright. I will be thy god, and the god of thy seede. But the Lord cannot be our god, except by a true faith we applie the merite of Christ vnto vs, for which alone he will receiue vs into fauour; and except wee bring forth the fruites of true repentance. The new and old Couenaunt therefore agree as concerning the principal conditions of the Couenaunt, both in respect of god, and in respect of man.

But they differ, in respect of god, in these. 1.¹⁰ In the promises of corporall benefites. For these in the old Testament were special, certaine, and definite, as the promises of the Land of Canaan, of the Church, of the gouernement and Mosaical ceremonies to be obserued in that region and nation vntil the comming of the Messias: and lastly of the Messias to be borne out of that people. In the new Testament there are no speciall promises of certaine corporall benefites, but onely generall; as that god will alwaies in this life giue his Church some abiding and resting places, although it be dispersed and scattered throughout all Nations. 2. They differ in a circumstaunce of the promise of grace. For in the olde Couenaunt they were reconciled vnto god, and saued for the Messias sake who shoulde come, or be exhibited: we in the newe Couenaunt are saued for him beeing come and exhibited. 3. In the signes or symboles of the promises. In the old were many and diuers signes and Sacramentes, as the Circumcision, the Passeouer, the Sacrifices: in the new few, and plaine, euen Baptisme, and the supper of the Lord. 4. In the olde Couenaunt were types and figures of good thinges to come, and so all thinges were the more obscure and darke; in the newe is an accomplishment and exhibiting of those things, and so all thinges more cleare. The doctrine and knowledge of the Gospell, especially nowe Christ beeing come and manifested, is more bright and plentifull, for that a declaration of thinges done vseth to bee more perspicuous than the fore-telling of thinges which shall bee done. 5. In the olde the pouring out and effusion of the gifts of the holie Ghost is more narrow and sparing, in the new more large & plentifull. Hierem. 31. vers 31. I will make a newe Couenaunt. 2. Cor. 3.6. The olde was but for a time, during vntil the comming of the Messias. The newe is for euer: According to that, I will make an euerlasting Couenaunt with them.¹¹ They differ in respect of men. First, For that in the olde testament the Church stood bound to the obedience of the whole Mosaicall lawe, Morall, Ceremoniall, and Ciuill. In the newe testament wee are bounde onelie to the spirituall or morall worship, and the vse of the Sacramentes. The Ceremoniall and Ciuil lawes of Moses binde not vs. Secondly, The olde was made to one certaine Nation. The Prophets therefore were sent vnto the people of Israell, and to them they applyed their speeches. The newe belongeth to all Nations. For God will that all bee saued, of what Nation, language or condition so euer they bee. The Apostles therefore were sent to the whole world to gather the Church of Christ out of all Nations: or, which is the same, in the old testament the Church was tied vnto a certaine Nation; In the newe it is Catholicke and vniuersall, that is, spread through all Nations.

¹²Here is to be obserued, that the old Couenāt is takē by a figure of speach called Synecdoche (which we vse when wee take the whole for a part, or a part, for the whole) for the law, in respect of that part, which was especially handled there. For in the old testament the law was more vrged, & there were many partes thereof. Contrariwise the gospel was then more obscure. The newe also is taken for the Gospell, because in the newe testament a great part of Moses law is abrogated; and the manifestation and knowledge of the gospell is to vs more cleare and ample.

Footnotes

1. The couenant is that reconciliation, which Christ the mediatour hath wrought between God and man. ↩

2. Why the reconciliation between God and vs is called a couenaunt. ↩

3. Why also it is called a Testament. ↩

4. It could not haue bin a Testament, except Christ the Testator had died. ↩

5. The same is called an intercession in respect of Christ, who by intercession worketh it: and a reconciliation in respect of vs, who are reconciled. ↩

6. There is but one couenaunt in substance, two in circumstances. ↩

7. The diuersitie of Couenaunts is knowen by the diuersitie of their conditions. ↩

8. 1. The same autor of both couenaunts. 2. The same parties in both reconciled. 3. The same mediatour of both.
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9. 4. The same promise of grace in both.
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10. How the old and new Couenaunt differ in respect of God. ↩

11. How they differ in respect of men. ↩

12. Why the old couenant was taken for the law, and the New for the Gospel. ↩