A Practical Discourse on the Sovereignty of God
WHILE THE BLESSINGS of the old covenant were conditional
and temporal, the blessings of the new covenant are
unconditional and spiritual and eternal. There would be no salvation
for poor, perishing sinners, were it not secured to them
some other way than by their own choice—their choice being to
serve Satan instead of God. If redemption only renders salvation
possible to men, and if yet it is left to their free will whether they
apply for it or not, then we have less in Christ than we had in
Adam; for in Adam we had freedom of will without any bias upon
our minds; and if yet Satan prevailed over our free will as it was,
what may we expect now since so strong a bent to evil has come
upon our minds? If free will was not able to keep off the disease,
surely now as it is it cannot effect a cure, especially when we
love the disease and hate the remedy—this is the worst symptom
of our case, and except it be removed there is no cure for
us, and nothing but free and sovereign grace will remove it. |
