2. With Whom Does God Make a Covenant?
William Bridge
Fourthly, who are the subjects of this covenant, and who are the persons that God makes this covenant with?
This covenant of grace is not made with all the individual men in the world; God made a new covenant with the house of Israel, not with all the individual men in the world. If this new covenant of grace were made with all the individual men in the world, they would all have the law of God written in their hearts and would all know God and all have their sins pardoned, for so says the covenant, by an absolute promise which must be fulfilled.
On this account, it follows that Christ did not die for every individual man in the world, for Christ is the Mediator of the new covenant. Therefore if the new covenant is not made with every man, Christ did not die for every man. But the new covenant is not made with all the individual men in the world, as you have heard.
Neither is it made with all that live under the gospel. Though Ishmael lived in Abraham’s house, and so the skirt of the covenant might be thrown over him, yet God says, “In Isaac shall thy seed be called”. A man may be in a church, yet not of the church; as a man may be in a house and yet not of the house. This covenant is not made with all the individual men that live under the gospel.
But who is it made with? On the one hand, it is natural to a heathen to do the work of nature, because the law of nature is written in his heart. But on the other hand, plainly, if the law of the gospel is written in your hearts, so that it is natural for you to do the work of the gospel2, then is this covenant made with you, for thus runs the covenant, I will write my law in your hearts.
If you are taught by God, you have a holy instinct to what is good As the bee, being taught by God, finds the way home to the hive by instinct; and the lamb, being taught by God, finds out its mother among a thousand sheep; so I say, If you are taught by God, having an holy instinct unto what is good, then you are in covenant with God; for thus runs the covenant, You shall all know Me, and every one shall be taught by God.
1Taken with editing from a sermon on “And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant, and to the blood of sprinkling, that speaketh better things than that of Abel” (Heb 12:24). It comes from The Works of William Bridge, vol 3. Last month’s article answered the question, “What kind of covenant is it?”
2Especially to believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. “This is the work of God, that ye believe on Him whom He hath sent” (Jn 6:29). (Ed.)
If a heart of stone is taken away and a yielding heart is given unto you, whereby you yield to the impressions God makes on you, to God’s instructions and to God’s corrections, then you are in covenant with God; for thus runs the covenant: I will take away the heart of stone, and give an heart of flesh. A heart of flesh is a yielding heart.
If you are begotten again to God by the promise, especially the absolute promise, then are you in covenant with God. Abraham had two sons: the child of the bondwoman and the child of the freewoman. The Apostle says these were types, and wherein did they differ? Why, the child of the bondwoman was born after the flesh, but the child of the freewoman was born by the promise – only by the promise, an absolute promise. Therefore I say, If you are born again by the promise, the absolute promise, then you are in covenant with God.
And to say no more but this, if you are the seed of Christ, then is this covenant made with you, for it is made with Christ and His seed; and if you are Abraham’s seed, you are the seed of Christ; for you may see how they go together, in Galatians 3: “Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.” And if you believe as Abraham did, then you are Abraham’s seed. Thus you see briefly who this covenant is made with and who are the subjects of it.