break and the smoaking flax shall he not quench He was most compassionate to sinners inviting them to come Mat. 11.28 29. crying and shouting with a loud voice to the thirsty Joh. 7.37 journeyed from heaven to seek and to save the lost Luk. 19.10 came to serve them with his heart blood Mat. 20.28 his bowels were turned with compassion to perishing souls that wanted the feeding Pastors Mat. 9.36 He sighed deeply in his Spirit at the perverse unbeleef of his deadly enemies the Pharisees Mar. 8.12 wept and shed tears at the foreseen destruction of Jerusalem Mat. 23.37 Luk. 19.41 42. and yet that City slew him Loved as the tender Physician to be much in company with sick sinners Mat. 9.11 12. Luk. 15.1 2 3. Luk. 19.1 2 3 9 10. O what rejoicing when he layes the lost sheep on his shoulder Luk. 15.5 When v. 20. he sees the home-coming sinner he ran fell on his neck and had compassion upon him and kissed him and made a feast and sang and danced for joy There is no humility like his to wash the feet of his servants there is no patience like his who when he was reviled reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously 1 Pet. 2.23 As a lamb dumb before the shâ—arer Isa. 53. How gaining of souls was he who preached in the Temple in the Synagogues in the Villages in the Ship at the Sea side at every Table he came to at every Feast at every confluence of people at every way side and stood still and talked with a woman and wanted his dinner upon that occasion And thought he dined well when he gained to the Lord the soul of a woman and of them of Samaria who hated him and refused to lodge him How faithfull and free in rebuking the Pharisees and Rulers and in declaring the truth of the Gospel that he was the Son of God though they attempted to stone him for his free Teaching None mortified to honour as he that refused to be a King Joh. 6.15 and was willing to be worse lodged then birds and foxes Mat. 8.20 and being rich for our cause became poor 2 Cor. 8.9 and endured the crosse despised the shame suffered the contradiction of sinners Heb. 12. and did run and fainted not And was he not a patern of love who laid down his life for his friends Joh. 15.10 even when we were enemies Rom. 5.10 He pleased not himself Rom. 15.3 honoured his Father Joh. 8. sought not his own glory v. 49.50 and saith true Job 5.30 I seek not mine own will but the will of him that sent me Joh. 8.29 I do alwayes these things that please him He faithfully expounded the Law Mat. 5. refuted heresies Mat. 22. glorified God with his miracles he was subject to his Parents Luk. 2.51 payed tribute to the Prince himself Mat. 17.27 and taught others to obey lawfull Governours Mat. 22.21 would not usurpe the place of a Judge Luk. 12. v. 13 14. and witnessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate 1 Tim. 6.13 and was for that cause born and for that end came he into the world that he might bear witnesse unto the truth Joh. 18.37 none so self-denied he pleased not himself sought not his own glory nor his own ease nor his own will but submitted to the will of God In all which we are 1. to look upon Christ who went about doâ—ing good Act. 10. as one who 1. was Covenant-wise designed of God and anointed with the Holy Ghost and power to do what he did and to be what he was for our good and it s much for the establishing of our faith that Christ was all this for our salvations sake by counsell and Covenant These gracious qualifications Christ-God undertook to have for our good and they were not given to Christ as personall and proper for himself but as head for we may here distinguish the grace of the person and the grace of head-ship though they must not be divided But as the light and heat of the Sun is not if we may so speak private or personall for the Sun it self but for the earth and all that live and grow out of the earth that need the influences of the Sun and have eyes to injoy the light thereof The water of the fountain is not for that hole or cave of the earth from whence the fountain doth issue but it is very often to 〈◊〉 in streaâ—â— to be a river for the use of the whole land All these excellencies and graces are in Christ not as his to speak so personall induements but as the publick treasure that we may receive of his fulnesse We should think it a strange exorbitancy in nature if all the trees flowers herbs on earth should refuse to receive influences and growing from the Sun and deny to be oblidged to the Sun for light and heat and our unwillingnesse to receive from Christ the publick grace that is made his by Covenant when a publick conâ—ignation by compact is made for our good proclaims our unbeleef and our wicked estrangement from Christ as if we had said let Christ be gracious for Christ only I shall not be his debtâ—r Nor is it from the naturall connexion between head and members or because simply Christ is man as we are though the humanity be ground thereof nor is it because Christ simply is anointed with the fulnesse of the Spirit for he is head of the body and Lord Generall Captain of his people noâ— by nature only not because of grace simply but by Covenant-purchase Rom. 14.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For this end Christ both died and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and living There 's a Covenant between the Father and the Son that Christ should die not simply but for and in the name of the heirs of glory such as are designed friends for his dying is a relative and a legall binding and buying by Covenant of so many certain persons and upon this he is made Head and Prince and exalted to give of his fulnesse to give repentance and forgivenesse of sins to the house of Israel Act. 5.30 31. Ah! how do we love to be beholdâ—â— to nature to self for Heathen and Pagan vertues by education and morall exercise which is but wild corn and we seâ— not how unwilling we are to trade with Christ or to buy from him fine gold yet it was given to him without measure as to the universall fountain and head for all his 2. All these are in Christ that he should be a living coppie which we must follow And he is a more lively example then the Gospel it self for Christ is the acted Gospel And if ye look on Christ loving beleeving hoping praying there comes more life and warmnesse from his actions then from the word when we consider that as God would have the
THE COVENANT OF LIFE OPENED Or A TREATISE of the COVENANT OF GRACE Containing something of And especially of The nature of the Covenant of Works The Soveraignty of GOD The extent of the death of CHRIST The nature properties of the Covenant of Grace The Covenant of Suretyship or Redemption between the LORD and the Son JESUS CHRIST Infants right to JESUS CHRIST and the Seal of Baptisme With some Practicall Questions and Observations By SAMUEL RUTHERFURD Professor of Divinitie in the University of S. Andrews ZECH. 6.12 And speak unto him saying Thus speaketh the LORD of Hosts saying Behold the Man whose Name is the BRANCH and he shall grow out of his place and He shall build the Temple of the LORD 13. Even He shall build the Temple of the LORD and He shall bear the glory and shall sit and rule upon His Throne c. EDINBVRGH Printed by Andro Anderson for Robert Broun and are to be sold at his Shop at the Sign of the Sun ANNO 1655. CHRISTIAN READER MAny have written to the edifying of the Godly of this excellent Subject It s not much I can do in this but have added some thoughts to what is said intending a more Practicall way of the last Points in another Treatise to wit of the application of Covenant-Promises and of the influences of the Spirit under the Covenant of Grace of which especially of the latter of these two few have practically written And it is of much concernment to make ouâ— the Union of our Duty and the breathings of the LORD and what can be done under deadnesse to either fetch the wind or to be put in a spirituall condition that the soul â—ay ly fair for the receiving of the influences of GOD. I desire in this to speak for Truth not either for or against persons of whom I am silent concealing the names of any Contradicent judging Truth so much the more desirable when it may possibly be had with peace and as little blowing or stirring of the fire of contradiction as can be What is here said in a way of Disputing the Moderate Reader who is not taken with that way may passe by and read what is practicall The Author hath been lest Truth should suffer by him a little darkned as report bears with the name I know not what of a Protester as one who hath deserted the Government and Discipline of the Church of GOD in SCOTLAND But my humble thoughts are the same they were before though I can adde nothing to the Truth I look on these men the world so names Protesters Schismaticks Separatists as sinfull men who stand in need of a Saviour and as such as desire to fear GOD and love His Name and would gladly have our practise and walk come a little more near to the Rule of the Gospel and that our Land might mourn for all the abominations committed therein which I desire to be spoken without any reflection upon any of the Godly in the Land who in that point are of another Judgement It is my desire to the LORD that he would let us hear experienced by the reality of that Thus saith the LORD As the new wine is found in the cluster and one saith Destroy it not for a blessing is in it so will I do for my servants sake that I may not destroy them all The LORD JESUS be with your Spirit Yours in the Lord Jesus S. R. Contents of the I. PART CHAP. I. and II. THe four particulars of the Treatise pag. 1. Propositions touching ADAMS state p. 1 2. ADAM was predestinate to life eternall in Christ and how pag. 2. CHAP. III. What is the intent and sense of the threatning Gen. 2.17 and Gen. 3.20 Dust thou art c. p. 3 4 5. Threatnings of the Law reveal what the Law-giver may jure inflict by justice and Law deserving not what shall come to passe p. 4. Except it be both a threatning and a Prophesie p. 5. What is carnall security ibid. What Adam was to believe in that threatning p. 5 6. How the promises and the threatnings differ in this p. 7. How Law threatnings to the Elect are Evangelick p. 8. CHAP. IV. The Elect before Conversion bear no part of the Law-curse nor is the Law-curse devided between them and Christ. p. 10.11 Faith is too near to be made a cause of satisfaction for sin by all who hold that Christ gave a satisfactory ransome for all and every one of mankind p. 11. Accepting or not accepting satisfaction is before faith and so believing or not believing can be no ground of the sufficiencie of the price payed for the Reprobate or of the laying of the sins of all upon Christ. p. 11 12 13 God may accept the satisfaction of Christ without any condition required on our part p. 13. CHAP. V. God intended a Law-dispensation but for a time 2. Adam how he was ordained for a Law life 3. How predestinate to Glory how not 4. That the heathens have no more universall grace then Divels 5. No ground for such grace p. 13 14 15. CHAP. VI. It was condiscension in the Lord to enter in Covenant with man 2. Temptâ—tions in fearing we are not chosen discovered 3. Beings and not-beings are debtors to God 4. Self denyall required in sinlesse nature as in sinfull 5. Man considered three wayes How faith layes hold upon conditionall promises and temptations of unbelief thereabout p 16 17. Oâ— the Covenant of nature p. 18 19 20. CHAP. VII It s not written in the heart of man by nature that God should promise life Eternall to man upon condition of obedience 2. The debt of justice cannot ty God 3. God punisheth not sin by necessitie of nature 4. Nor defends he his own declarative Glory by necessitie of nature 5. Nothing can be given to God All sufficient 6. No meriting of the creature 7. We are to have humble thoughts of free-Grace 8. Low thoughts of our selves 9. Promises make no strict justice between the Lord and us p. 20 21. God falls in no sort from his naturall dominion though he impose not penal Laws upon the reasonable creature p. 25 26. God loves his essentiall Glory by necessity of nature but not his declarative Glory by any such necessity p. 28 29 30. In every Covenant there is some out goings of Grace p. 35. The passage 1 Chron. 29.11 12. cleared and why none can give to God p. 37 38. Our vain boasting of self my and such proud pronoumes p. 39 40. How excellent to obey p. 45. Sanctified reason is not soft p. 45 46. How near are wee to justification by Works and to be sick of love for proud I. p. 46 47. CHAP. VIII What place death hath in the Covenant 2. What Reprobates and the damned are to do p. 47 48. What Adam was to do in the intervall between the fall and the publishing of the Gospel p. 48. How the Lord is Adams God p. 49. What life is
Christ and beleevers actually freed from satisfactory punishment So that both beleevers and Christ must actually bear the satisfactory punishment Which indeed makes beleevers half redeemers with Christ against which we disputed before 3. Arminians denies that we payed our debts to God in Christ paying them for us So that the broken man cannot be said to have satisfied the debt in and through the surety who satisfied for him which in all Law is unjust And since Arminians denies that we payed to Justice a ransome for sin because our Surety Christ payed for us he must deny that Christ was wounded for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquities or that the chastisement of our peace was upon him Contrair to Isai. 53.5 because we made him not our Mediatour and Surety but God made him Mediatour and laid our iniquities upon him Isai. 53.6 But it is accidentall in Law that the debter substitute the surety or request him to take the place of surety upon him But he is a reall and a most legall surety who not requested of free grace becomes surety and pays the very same summe in speciè in kind that the debter ought to pay this reason does prove he is both a surety and a gracious surety As a Kings son who comes in and layes down his head for a malefactor truely and really dyeth and layeth down his life in the room and place of that malefactor though there was no Covenant nor paction between him and the Kings son though neither the malefactor nor any friend in his name did request the Prince to become surety and die for him Reuben offers his two sons to Jacob as pawnds to be slain if he should not bring home Benjamin safe to the father And had Jacob accepted of the offer Reubens two sons who knew not of the bargain had been sureties for Benjamin Gen. 42.37 and Judah might have been Law-surety for Benjamin to Jacob though Benjamin requested him not to take any such place The Lord the Creditour and Christ the Cautioner did strike hands together Christ put himself in our room as an hostage pledge and surety to die for us and payed the first and second death the summe that we was owing according to a paction between the Lord and Christ and we requested not Christ to be surety only by beleeving we thank him and subscribe and say Amen to what is done But in Law we payed in regard the same nature that suffered was ours and accepted as ours But Arminians clearly refuse that Christ shall be an hostage and surety for us because the offended party of his own furnished not one that died for him and so he strikes at the root of a reall sacrifice that is satisfactory to God because one and the same cannot be both satisfied and de suo of his own furnish a satisfying surety For so as his own Socinus saith one cannot be both a satisfier and a person satisfied and this is no satisfaction at all saith Socinus 4. Our beleeving cannot effectuate this that Christ hath actually born the satisfactory punishment due to us Arminius saith that Christ hath not actu ipso actually born that punishment he must say he hath born it only potentially potentià Then its like when we beleeve he bears that punishment compleatly but he cannot die nor suffer but once only he must mean that Christ did actually bear our sins but the satisfactory punishment is not accepted as suffered in our name But our beleeving hindereth not but he hath in genere causae moralis meritoriae really as a meriting cause deserved that God in justice cannot exact from us that same satisfactory punishment that Christ hath suffered for our sins its impossible that our faith can adde any meritorious power to Christs death therefore though not in our selves and physically yet really morally legally in Christ deliverance from satisfactory punishment is due to us we being in Christ legally and life eternall is due to us being in Christ according to the rigour of justice and injuria irrogata Christo sponsori foret wrong should be done to Christ and commutative justice by which ex condigno by condignitie he hath bought freedom from hell and right to heaven to these he died for if we should suffer eternall wrath in our persons whether we beleeve or beleeve not for beleeving is no part of the meriting cause of the satisfying ransome Yea Christ by right of buying and selling and we in Christ our surety may claime freedom from the second death and right to everlasting life so as God should fail against commutative justice against Christ and break with reverence and humble submission to his Glorious Majesty be it spoken Covenant to Christ and he should buy with a price more then enough his seed and not get his wages if these he died for die the second death and come short of glory eternall if the Lord say to Christ I promise to thee a seed that they shall be delivered from the second death and have life eternall providing thou shalt give me a price abundantly sufficient to buy these to wit the life and blood of God-Man and offer thy self a sacrifice upon the Crosse to offended Justice If CHRIST shall do this and pay the ransome and Christ get no wages no saved seed but they perish through the want of faith only either must faith be a part of the ransome which none can say or then the Lord shall not keep Covenant to Christ. 5. When Arminius saith that the Lord can nullo jure by no Law nor Justice crave of us faith and conversion to God if we have payed our debts by rigour of justice exactly to God in Christ who legally in our stead and place payed for us he supposes plainly that God requires faith and obedience of us as a part of recompence made to offended Justice And Arminiâ—s saith that Christs righteousnesse is ours not as performed by him but as imputed to us by faith So that faith comes in as a collaterall price payed for us or a part of the price the very act and work of beleeving being counted ours and our righteousnesse before God Yea but God by no necessity of hurt Justice craves faith and repentance from us That CHRIST died not for our good only but in our stead is proven 1. Because Christ in some other more legall way died for us then for Angels for he died for their good that he might â—e made the Head of Angels Col. 2.10 Phil. 2.7 8 9 10 11. Rom. 10.9 11. and he died for the good of the whole Creation that he might make all things new and restore the creatures to their perfection which by the sin of man they had lost Rom. 8.20 21 22 2â— Acts 3.21 Rev. 21.5 but he died not as suffering punishment due to the Angels and the work of Creation in their stead â—s wounded for their transgressions as he died for our
act of the free-will grace and infinit wisdome of GOD be added to make good the assumption How the promises are to be beleeved and how in them we are to beleeve both the equity and event of the promises if the condition be performed and how the difference must be made between them and the threatnings The promises as annunciated and as made The Gospel promises to the Reprobate are legal how The Law-threatnings to the Elect are Evangelick and how The elect non-converted how they are not under Law-wrath The Elect non-converted bear no part of the Law-curse but CHRIST bare all Remission of sins and life eternal under the Old Testament Faith is made a cause of satisfaction for sin by all who hold that CHRIST gave a satisfactorie ransome for all and every one Elect and Reprobate Conditionall payment made for the sins of Judas is no payment at all Accepting or not accepting assenting or not assenting to the payment are not causes of the sufficiency of the payment made to justice The formal reason why God accepts of CHRISTS satisfaction is the intrinsecal sufficiency of it and why he accepts it for Peter not for another is the free election of grace How the satisfaction of Christ is refuseable how not Faith a condition of applying the satisfaction only God may accept the satisfaction of Christ without any condition required on our part The conditionall decree of Adams living if he should doe the Law was not predestination to eternall glorie How Adam was chosen to glory in Christ how not The heathen have not universall Grace The high and deep Soveraignty of God is against universall Grace Gods Covenanting with us is a gracious condiscension The errors in temptations which wee create from surmises that we are not chosen to life eternall Better faith view God Christ as self Unbelief quarrels at God and but pretends self sinfulnesse How to beleeve conditionall promises Beings and not beings are debtors to the glory of God All not beings are under the positive decree of God Our pains and sufferings are debters to the glory of God There is more self-denyall in the lifeless and unreasonable creatures in their Covenant of nature theÌ„ in man A threefold consideration of man in reference to a Covenant The Covenant naturall the Covenant in its positives of diverse considerations God neither by necessity of nature either rewardeth obedience or punisheth 〈◊〉 A naturall conscience may and doth know that GOD doth good freely to his creature but it followeth not that God doth good to his creature for that by necessity of nature Communion with GOD in Glory is a reward not due by nature but by the free gift of GOD to the most perfect law-obedience Arminius in Colla. cum Francis Junio ad propos â—2 pag. 547. Anselmus de redemptione certe Domine quia me fecisti debeo amori tuo meipsum totum imo tantum debeo amori tuo plus quam me ipsum Quantum tu es major me pro quo dedisti teipsum cui promittis teipsum Anselm Monolog 40. quid enim summa bonitas retribuet amaâ—ti desideranti se nisi seipsum No merit can wone God for he is greater nor our work Bradward de causa Dei lib. 1. c. 39. p. 343 lit E. It is not just that God shuld reward Adams obedieÌ„ce with life before God made it just Man can never come from under an obligation to his Creator and Redeemer God falls in no sort from his natural dominion though he punish not sin by necessity of nature God should have a perfect dominion over maÌ„ though he had imposed no penall but only rewarding or remunerative lawes upon him The Lords dominion over man is without Scripture or reason restricted to penal Laws Si enim lex talis non seratur necessariò possibile esset ut vel Deus jure suo naturali Dominio in creaturas caderet sic non esset DEVS vel stabilito isto jure creaturam ci non esse subditam Quod implicat contradictionem nam intercisâ obedientiâ quod fieri potuit factum est dependentia moralis creaturae rationalis à Deo illa nullo modo continuari potest nisi per poenam 〈◊〉 Jam verâ— egressus necessarios constituentes non negamus Deum tamen eam libere exercere It s not feazable without a contradiction to say God punisheth sin by necessity of nature and yet in the way measure and time of punishing he is free Suarez in opusc de justit Dei Sect. 2. 〈◊〉 9. fig. 352. God loves defends by necessity of nature his essentiall but not his declarative glory God loves defends the glory of his pardoning mercy no less then the glory of his revenging justice and if he love the one by necessity of nature he must also love the other The place Isa. 42.18 I will not give my glory to another vindicated The Scripture speaks for the most part of the Lords declarative glory God by necessitie of nature should procure his declarative glory and so by that necessitie create the world redeem man if by that necessitie he should love and defend his declarative Glory God must by necessitie of nature hinder the existeÌ„ce of sin and by the same necessitie seek his legislative Glory if he love it as he loves himself by necessitie of nature God might never have intended his glory declarative because if so it had pleased him he might never have made the world If God punish sin by necessity of justice hee must punish Adam and all his sons in their persons by necessity of justice deny them a Saviour The necessitie of declaring the righteousnesse of God in either punishing the sinner Adam or the surety Christ makes not God to punish by necessity of nature The glory of God the manifestation of his glory to Angels and Men are much different Declared glory and fundamental glory are different Qualis enim amor iste esse potest quem in ea re qua nihil opus fuit DEVS ostendit The freedom of punishing sin is objected by Socinus as contrair to the necessitie of reall satisfaction Grace and the measure of it is to be humbly looked on Being life and self are undeserved favours It is mercy that GOD rewards our obedience An admirable soveraignty in the standing of Angels and in the fall of man Gifts and habits of saving grace cannot keep creatures on foot The humbling thoughts that God needs not men nor their service nor any creature shuld take us up 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Secret in us after actings of Grace No creature can give to God Reasons why none can give to GOD from that excellent passage of David 1 Chro. 29 1â— 12. What dominion the state or communitie hath over private men Such as refuse to give self for God shall be plucked out of their place The unity of such as boast of the proud pronouns my and self Created