the coals of that hellish furnace and kindle a fire before night 3. They being under the Law of Nature are to rely on infinite mercy able to save Their witty darknesse of unbeleef saith they beleeve but they hate mercy in the generall toward others as to themselves 2. For a doubting child of God because the light of evidence which to them in that case is dimme comes nearer to the naturall light of reason then to spirituall light therefore faith must be set on work to act as faith and faith acts most strongly when reason is weakest Naturall causes work more strongly under opposition the fire burns most vehemently in winter frost and the internall heat of the body is most mighty for concoction when the coldness of the air is most piercing without faith sees God most piercingly at midnight in Job when rottennesse and deadness speaks the contrair Job 19. I know surely so the word Exod. 8.1 Psal. 31.8 that my Redeemer lives Isa. 50.10 He that walks in darknesse and hath no light of evidence let him trust on the Name of the Lord and let him stay himself upon his God Rom. 4.19 20. 2. There is a peece of unseen wilfulnesse in unbeleef and two refusalls in it as we see in Thomas Joh. 20.25 as there is a masse of sanctified will required in sincere faith Rom. 10.9 10. Mark 9.24 and so resistance must be made to that blind impulsion of will in unbeleef by which we please our selves in doubling our doubting 3. Should the commanding of killing the Son Gen. 22.2 seem to contradict the whole Gospel of the promised Seed Gen. 15.4 yet knowing both to come from God Abraham did well to leave the supposed contradiction to be solved by God and beleeve both as we are to beleeve food in no food and in famine Q. Where was there a word that God was Adams God Ans. Not directly For 1. that Covenant was like Letters of the King raised to such a day and the date being expired the Letters cease to be in force 2. Adam was to winne and purchase as it were God to be his God by consumate obedience God never said that he would be Adams God by giving him influences to obey and to obey to the end all influences granted to Adam to will and to do were granted to him 1. By God Creator not by the grace of a Redeemer as in the Covenant of Grace to walk Ezek. 36.27 to love Deut. 30.6 to persevere Jer. 32.39 40. 2. These influences were free gifts but not promised 3. They seem to be ordinis naturalis naturall though they did bow and previously inclince the will but not so in the New Testament for the whole Covenant is called by the promise of the giving of a new heart Heb. 8.10 Isa. 54.9.13 Jer. 31.31 32 33. Ezek. 11.19 20. Hos. 2.18 19. And therefore better it is that God be Lord of my heart and it be his then that I be lord of it and my heart be mine own heart the lesse of our heart be upon our heart the more upon God the better Ah! we cannot skill to guide a heart 3. The threatning of death to Adam if he should sin Gen. 2.17 may infer a Covenant of life and that God should be Adams God if he should obey CHAP. IX What life is promised in the Covenant of Works 2. Whether all we especially the Reprobate by the fall lost all right to the creatures 3. How the Lord is our God Q. WHat is meaned by life promised in the Covenant of Works A. 1. Not a life in Christ and the fruit of the merit of blood as our life is in the New Covenant Joh. 10.11 Joh. 3.16 For Adam was not Mediator of reconciliation here he was a sort of publick Law-head in whom he was to stand or fall if any please to call him so a Mediator 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 but it is a Law-life happily a communion in glory 2. But the life he lived and the creatures for his service seems not to belong to this life for the creatures were given to Adam he not working for them Yet I should not oppose if any say that earthly blessings were given to Adam as a reward of an actuall obedience as they are given to such as keep the Law Deut. 28. But sure our gain in Christ of such a life bought by so noble a Ransome as the Blood of God-man is not little It s rawnesse and greennesse of wit to value it so low as we do Children see not what a hireing and taking apple Heaven is Q. Whether or no did Adam and all the Reprobats in his loyns by sin losse right to the creatures A. There is a three-fold right 1. Naturall 2. Providentiall 3. Spirituall A naturall right may be conceived two wayes 1. Absolutely so creature and man not created can have no jus or claime to being or life the Creators free gift is our best Charter to life and being 2. This right may be conceived conditionally as if God create the Sun a power to give light is congruous and debita naturae Solis suteable to the nature of the Sun nor can the creature plead for this as debt but if the Lord give being to injoy this being can not be sin because there is no law and command to nothing to receive or not to receive being and life from the Creator And where there is no Law there is no transgression And therefore to have being and life cannot be in it self a sin 2. Providentiall right is but a continuating of life and being untill the same power that gave it shall remove it by way of punishment For God as Creator of his Soveraignty gives being and life and the comfortable use of the creatures but as a Judge ordinarily for sin he removes it though he I deny not out of his Soveraignty may and possibly doth annihilate the meat that the Angels in assumed bodies and which the Man Christ after the Resurrection did eat 3. The spirituall right is that new supernaturall Title which the Elect beleevers have in order to a supernaturall end and all these being made theirs to promove their salvation 1 Cor. 3.21 All things are yours Rev. 21.7 He that overcometh shall inherit all things by Covenant-right so he adds And I will be his God and he shall be my Son Psal. 37 10. A drink of cold water by this Charter is better then a Kings Crown and hath refreshed some more then all the choise wine the earth yeelds The love of the Giver is better then wine Cant. 1.2 and here the Charter is by many thousands more precious then the Land For nature common to all is over-gilded with free-Grace And the naturall life and being and the materiall heavens we shall injoy are blessed in another manner to the glorified then these they now injoy 1 Cor. 15.40 41 42 43 c. 2 Pet.
an essence that consists in indivisibili and cannot be parted 3. A new heart is a fixed and established heart by Grace it 's a new state not a new transient flash a new heart Deut. 5.27 All that the Lord our God will speak unto thee we will hear but the Lord saith verse 19. O! that there were such a heart in them but it is not in them 4. 1 Sam. 10.9 God gave Saul an other heart then a changed heart is not a new heart a new spirit or a new gift in Jehu is not a new heart It 's not newnesse that makes the heart new but Gods new ingraving Jer. 31.33 5. A heart keeped with all keeping is a new heart Prov. 4.23 both the words note exact diligence in keeping as watchmen and sheepherds with all keeping at all times Psal. 119.119 some pull their hearts to pray and hear but not while the sabbath or under a storme of conscience and the heart is a word in some company not at other times and in other company 6. The heart is new where the affections are all faith as it were and all sanctified reason and zeal is a lump of angry reason and fear a masse of shining reverence and love only soul sicknesse and pure adherence to God the instinct of faith wholly on God as the last and only end 2. The heart is new when the affections are equivocally or at least at the second hand set upon the creature but as nothing can be seen but what either is colour or affected with colour so nothing is fixedly sought after but God he onely feared and served Mat. 4.10 Deut. 10.20 only desired Psal. 73.25 only loved Deut. 10.12 Cant. 3.2 3. the soul sick of love for only only Christ Cant. 2.5 Cant. 5.8 he only trusted in Jer. 17.5 7. Psal. 62.5 1. Nothing is all good and all desirable but God and God in Christ Mat. 19.17 Cant. 5.16 the shadow of the Sun in the fountain is not the reall Sun the stirrings of the pulse of the affections towards the shadowed good of the creature should be lent and like the beating of the pulse of a dying man with a godly contradiction loving and not loving joying and not joying 1 Cor. 7.29 30. mourning and not mourning CHAP. XIX 1. The place of Evangelick works in the New Covenant 2. Possession of glory and right to glory considerably different 3. A twofold right to life 4. We are not justified by Works 5. The place of declarative justification by Works Jam. 2. discussed 6. Faith and Works different 7. Possession of life and right to life cleared 8. Faith and finall believing both commanded in the Law finall unbelief not the sin forbidden in the Gospel onely 9. How life is promised to works Evangelick IT 's a grave and weighty Question to rid marches between the two Covenants in their conditions the one requiring the obedience of Works the other Faith It 's not to be said that for fifeteen hundred years no man did doubt of the necessitie of good Works Paul propones the objections of the Antinomians Shall we sin and continue in sin that Grace may abound Rom. 6.1 this they spake through the occasion of what he taught chap. 5. some have said they are hurtfull because we abuse them some arbitrarie and indifferent because they are not necessary to justification O! what pronnesse in us to suck out of the doctrine of free Grace poyson how kindly to desire there were no Law against treason because the Prince pardons All sin is virtually Atheisme to wish the existence of a Law and so of a just holy and unchangeable God were not and we can hardly believe this And 2. what rising of heart and carnall reason is there against the first acts of providence why and what necessity was there to make a Law to forbid the eating of an Aple God foreseeing that thence should come the ruine and endlesse damnation of all It had been good God had never created such a Tree 2. That the eating thereof had never been forbidden 3. That it had never had such a name as the the tree of knowledge for it deceived Evah 4. That God had not given free-will to Adam 5. That he had given him confirming grace in the first moment of Creation But Observe 1. Satan started first the dispute concerning the equity of the Law and that we are Disciples of and apprâ—ntises to Satan when we tosse and rackot arguments in our carnall heart-Logick against the holy Law of God Gen. 3.2 and make the heart a ferrie boat to cary messengers and divellish thoughts hither and yonder in questioning the goodnesse of the Law and the acts of providence and therefore it is speaking Grace to close with the sweetnesse not only of the Law written in the heart and these inbred principles of honesty and truth to hurt none to obey God for Satan raised not the first dispute about these but with all the judgements and testimonies of God as David Psal. 119.127 128. vers 86. All thy commandements are faithfull 1 Sam. 12.7 Stand still that I may reason with you of all the righteous acts of the Lord. It s a mind like Christs that hath an heart prejudice at no one command by an other and is sweetly friended with all that God commands Math. 3.15 It becomes us to fulfill all rightenesse and O! how sweet to have no heart quarrell but a sweet stouping of soul unto and an adoring of God in all providences and acts or decrees he hath concluded or done in time or from Eternitie These draw deep in the decree of Reprobation God had an hatefull designe against me 2. The Gospel is an untrue and fabulous dispensation What a spirit is Galaenus who reproacheth Moses because he teacheth not that God works ever and by necessity of nature what is most good for the creature And that Prince who said that if he had been Counsellour to God in the time of the Creation many things should have been created ordinatius melius in a better order and state then they were Let the man be remembred who called the Gospel a fable and the spirits who reproach the Scripture as inkie wisedom 1. A bare dead forme bare flesh c. and weak ones under desertion who feed upon reports and lying news from Satan God hated me before time and carries on a design of eternall ruine to me therefore I have no right to hear to pray to eat to sleep 2. Yet the necessity of good works is asserted by Luther the Augustine Confess and Apol. Arti. 20. docent nostri c. Evangelick works are necessarie not to merite but by the will and commandement of God Calvin calleth them inferiour causes of the possession of our salvation The dispute began upon occasion of the book called Interim Anno M.DLXVIII and in Colloquie at Altenburge Melanthone and the Divines of Wittenberge assented
to the necessitie of good works but the followers of Flaccius Illyricus dissented The Authors of the book of Concord condemne these of Flaccius their way and deny a necessity of efficiency in works to deserve salvation but yeeld a necessity of their presence that the work of salvation be not hindered 3. These distinctions are necessary 1. There is a jus and right to Gospel life eternall And 2. there is actuall possession of life eternall 2. There is a twofold jus One by the purchase of merit and the payed ransome of blood There is a right secundary by promise every promise giveth a right in a manner but its unproper 3. There is promise of life formally federall 2. There is a promis◠of life consequentèr federall 4. There is an order of things one going before the other as the Antecedent and the Consequent and in order of cause and effect 5. Law-obedience doth much differ from Gospel-obedience as Law-commands from Gospel-commands 6. GOD sent his Sonne to justifie persons but not to justifie works not to make inherent obedience perfect or our righteousnesse before God Asser. 1. If the new Covenant be considered strictly and formally in its essence he that beleeveth whether his faith be weake or strong is justified and saved Joh 3.18 36. Joh. 5.24 Act. 15.9 10 11. Rom. 3.16 Rom. 4.1 2 3 4 5. Rom. 5.1 for faith justifieth as lively faith and not as great or small Otherwise none should be justified and saved but the strong beleever whereas Christ died for the weak in the faith Rom. 14. Hence Mr. Sibs excellently Know that in the Covenant of Grace God requires the truth of Grace not any certain measure and a spark of fire is aswell fire as the whole element thereof we must look to Grace in the sparkle aswell as the whole flame all have not the like strong yet the like precious faith whereby they lay hold and put on the perfect righteousnesse of Christ a weak hand may receive a rich Jewell a few grapes will shew that the plant is a vine not a thorne There is a roome in heaven for thee who judges thy self for the number of lambes and babes weak in the faith in this Kingdome do far exceed the number of the strong and aged in Christ for the Scripture names the whole flock little ones babes his sheep they are not a flock of fathers and strong ones Asser. 2. There is a right to life by promise he that beleeves shall be saved Promissio facit jus creat debitum Godlinesse hath the promise of this life and of that which is to come And because a promise as a promise cannot create an equality betwixt the work and the wages as is proven this is an unproper right and not proper debt and takes not away the nature of a free gift This is no consequence at all the performing of the condition of the Covenant of Works doth justifie Adam by Law-works so as he is no sinner hath fulfilled the Law hath right to life eternall Ergo to beleeve to the end and fulfill to the end and fulfill the condition of the Covenant of Grace doth justifie the beleever by Evangelick works make him no sinner but a perfect fulfiller of the Covenant of Grace and one who hath due right by working to life eternall Certainly then 1. doing Evangelick gives us as good right to eternall life without the price and ransome of blood as doing legall gives to the same life 2. When we sin and fall in atrocious offences Adulteries Paricide Robbing we have as good right to Justification by works and life eternall by Evangelick works suppose he be a robber all his life as was the repenting theef as Adam suppose he had perfectly fulfilled the Law Now though believing be the condition of the Covenant of Grace it is of a farre other nature then perfect doing to the end and constant fulfilling of the whole Law in thought word and deed with all the heart and the soul and mind and all the strength For there is no sin here and so no place for punishing justice or wrath none can so believe but he sins and so deserves everlasting wrath If it be said that by the Covenant of Works he doeth deserve it but not by the Covenant of Grace for Christ hath merited to him life eternall Ans. 1. We speak now of the right that a Believer hath by Evangelick works to justification and life as contradistinguished from the merits of Christ this opinion saith that a man is justified by Evangelick doing because God hath made the like promise and the like jus and right by promise to doing Evangelick that he made to Law-doing if Christs merits be added to qualifie Evangelick works to adde to them the worth that they have then Christs merits must give life eternall by way of merit or a vertue of meriting condignly to our Evangelick doing as Papists say and so Christ hath made us saviours and redeemers of our selves and this is a right to life ex condigno more then Adams most perfite Law-obedience had 2. The Covenant of Grace commanding faith doeth by this opinion command all that the Law of Works doeth but in an Evangelick way that they be done sincerely Ergo it must forbid all sin which the Law forbids But the Law forbids not only unbelief finall unbelief but all the works of the flesh Also Christ must come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to louse and dissolve the Law which he denyes Math. 5. for if the Covenant of Grace condemne nothing but finall unbelief Christ in this Covenant must dissolve the Law but Christ sayeth he that breaks or teacheth men to break these is the least of the Kingdome of God But there is an other jus and right to life eternall by which Christ dying hath satisfied the Law expiated our sins restored as much and more glory to God by passive obedience by his sufferings as we had taken glory from God by our evill doing and so merited to us life eternall If any say abusing that place Rev. 22. 14. that we obtain this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and right to the Tree of Life and to Christ our life and everlasting glory which is our only right the only Charter of blood by keeping the Commandements Evangelically he must say that we first may keep the Commandements Evangelically before we have right to life to Christ and so before we beleeve 2. That we merit Christs right or merite by doing and that by Evangelick works we buy right to Christ and Christs merits and so Christ hath not merited to us a jus and right and title to life everlasting by dying and grace and a gracious right to do his Commandements by his death but that we by doing his Commandements do earne and sweat for a right to Heaven which is to say that we by doing merite and deserve the price of Redemption and that we merite Christ to our selves
Now except it be yeelded that James speaks of two â—aiths one dead and empty ascribed to the hypocrite ver â—â— 15 16. another lively and working ascribed to Abraham â—er 23. and except this be denied that Abraham was 〈◊〉 ver 23. not by that same faith It must follow that Aâ—â—ahams empty beleeving ver 23. was that which was countâ—â—o him for righteousnesse Gen. 15.6 but James cannot be so â—â—derstood but when he saith the Scripture Gen. 15.6 〈◊〉 â—ulfilled for his faith in beleeving the promised seed Geâ—â— he shows that Abraham was justified by faith without 〈◊〉 as Paul Rom. 4. and when he saith he was justified 〈…〉 â—orks in offering his son as Gen. 22. he saith he was 〈◊〉 â—â—â—lared just or not justified by the empty and idle faith of 〈◊〉 hypocrites but by a faith that did prove it self to be lively So that James proveth that we are not justified by a dead faith that neither hath nor can have good works As his Adversaries said and Paul proves Rom. 4. that we are not justified and saved by works that is by our own inherent perfect righteousnesse because Rom. 3. all have sinned Jew and Gentile Because Abraham then should boast as a perfect man free of sin and he needed no Redeemer the Law of works should save him and so he needed not remission of sins nor the non-imputation of iniquity But there is a mids between these and Iames saith that is to be justified by faith by a metonymie of the effect by faith made known to be lively not to the world only but to their own conscience for if Iames should mean that we are justified by works properly as counted to us for righteousnesse he could not say vers 21. Abraham was justified by works when he offered his son vers 22. he cannot infer vers 2â— thou sees that his faith wrought with his works What faith He had spoken of works vers 21. not one word of Abrahamsâ—aith â—aith yet he saith because Abraham was justifâ—â—d that is declared to be really before God to his own consciencâ— and others justified his faith did work in a lively way as reall in anâ— by his works and you see that Abrahams faith Gen. 15.6 was perfectâ—â— by works Gen. 22. when he offered his son Now it was not 〈◊〉 as touching the nature of it and the act of justifying for 〈◊〉 Rom. 4. cites Gen. 15.6 to prove that Abraham was justified by 〈◊〉 faith in beleeving the promise of the blessed seed some 25. yearâ— as others reckon 30. years before he sacrificed Isaac Gen. 22 â— that it must follow that Abraham was not justified by works noâ— his 〈◊〉 perfect in its lively operations untill he offered his son Isaac â—hen the contrair of this the Scripture tells us for by faith he 〈◊〉 his Countrey C. 12. By faith beleeving the promise he was 〈◊〉 Rom. 4. many yearâ— before Therefore these words seest thou 〈◊〉 faith must mean that his faith came out to view by his works But theâ—e be learned and godly Protestants who 〈◊〉 that James must speak of â—ustification reall and before God and 〈…〉 declared Justification before men only Answ. It s true 〈…〉 to name them But these are subordinate James speaks not 〈◊〉 a faith only declared nor of a justification onely declared to the world But of a declared Justification that is reall before God 2. That is declared to the man himself and to the world And that James speaks of a Justification before God the Text saith Because he saith ver 14. What can that faith profite Which is empty he must mean what can it profite before God to save and justifie As the word 1 Cor. 13.3 if I have not love 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it profits me nothing before God 2. Can that faith it is not well translated leaving out the particle in the new Translation can faith save him save him Then he must speak also of reall faith and so reall salvation and so of justification before God 3. The examples of the Justification of Abraham of Rahab which were reall must say something to the same purpose 2. That he speaks of reall Justification to the mans own conscience as well as to the world if clear in the Text also For James speaks to the conscience and privitie of the man who saith that he is justified and hath faith vers 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou hast faith thou beleeves the Devils also beleeve he would have the hypocrite to discusse his own conscience and solidely to know whether his Faith and Justification be reall or not And James wakens all visible professours in this Epistle as Iohn also doth to try his Religion whether it be true and solide or vain by Chap. 1. being a doer of the Word and not a hearer only 23 24. by visiting the fatherlesse vers 27. by loving and respecting the poor that are Godly as well as the rich Ch. 2. by trying his faith whether it be dead or lively by bridling the tongue Ch. 3. And therefore the Arminians and others do but lose their labour who say Iames doeth not speak here of Justification declared to the world because the world cannot judge infallibly whether our works by which we are declared to be justified are sincere or not For 1. we say that Iames doth speak of Justification declared to the world for he speaks of real Justification before God but as declared not to the world only but to the conscience also of the doer 2. Because the world can not infallibly judge of our Justification and works therefore they cannot judge at all It s a loose consequence For we may declare our selves to our own conscience and to others by our good works that we are before God justified Otherwise because men connot see our good works nor the principles from which they proceed whether from saving faith or not nor the ends for which they are whether for the glory of God or not men should not glorifie our heavenly Father Contrair to Matth. 5.16 nor should the Gentiles glorify God in the day of visitation As 1 Pet. 2.12 because they cannot infallibly 〈◊〉 whether they be good works or not and done in faith and for Goâ— Nor is Abraham declared to be justified because of a secret heart-â—â—tention to offer his son to God in the court of men but in the coâ—â—t of his own conscience he may yet his journeying to the place where he was to sacrifice his son his building an Altar his laying on wood his binding his son and stretching out his hand to kill him may well declare him to be a justified man to the world and to men Trelcatius the Professours of Leyden Calvine Beza Paraeus yea a Papist Cajetan hath said well to this point Not to adde that Scripture shall never admit that Abrahams and Rahabs sins were pardoned their iniquities not imputed and they delivered from condâ—mnation
24. 2 Thes. 1.7 8. But it seems against all Scripture that Christ should die for these for whose sins he dies not And so that 1. Christ should half and part the sins of the Reprobate and the Scripture I judge shall not admit that Christ bare in his own body on the tree some sins of the Reprobate to wit all their sins against the Law absolutely or conditionally and he that bears not either absolutely or conditionally their other sins against the Gospel to wit their finall unbeleef and rebellion for Christ was wounded and bruised for the transgressions and iniquities of these for whom he died He must then have been wounded for some of their transgressions and not wounded for other of their transgressions And so the sins of the Reprobates are divided between Christs satisfaction upon the Crosse and their own satisfaction in Hell But he suffered one may say conditionally only for the Reprobates sins against the Law upon the Crosse if they beleeve not otherwise Ans. The same reall satisfaction conditionally that he performed on the Crosse for the Elect the same say the Authors he performed for the Reprobate conditionally if either beleeve but because the one beleeves it is accepted for payment for them and the other beleeves not it is not accepted for them 2. As there is a satisfaction performed for some sins not for all not for finall unbeleef that sin then must be in the same case with the sin of the fallen Angels there is no sacrifice for it nor is Christs death applicable by divine ordination to purge men from finall unbeleef more then to purge Devils from any sins they commit 3. The same incorruptible price of the blood of the Lamb that is given to ransome all from wrath Matth. 20.28 1 Tim. 2.6 conditionally is given to buy all for whom Christ died from their vain conversation also 1 Pet. 1.18 that is to merite faith to them conditionally Shew us the condition of the one more then the other If a condition cannot be shown Christ must have payed the price of blood upon the Crosse for some upon intention for others upon another unlike intention 4. If Christ died for all not because they did will and beleeve but that they might will and beleeve and if Jesus suffered without the Camp that he might sanctifie the people by his own blood Heb. 13.12 Heb. 10.10 That he might wash them from their sins and make them Kings and Priests to God Rev. 1.5 6. That they might offer up themselves holy living sacrifices to him Rom 12.1 upon a great designe of love to cleanse them with the washing of water by the Word and present them a glorious Church without spot or wrinkle Eph. 5.26 27. If he gave himself for them that they should live to righteousnesse being dead to sins 1 Pet. 2.24 That they might be delivered from the present evill world Gal. 1.4 If Christ gave himself for these for whom he dyed that he might redeem them from all iniquity and might purifie them to himself a peculiar people zealous of good works Tit. 2.14 Then did he die to redeem all men from iniquity even from finall unbelief the great iniquitie and from the vain conversation of finall unbelief and that they might be dead to sins especially the sin of finall unbelief Except it be said that Christ gave a price to buy faith to all Reprobate and Elect and to redeem them from finall unbelief if all would be willing But to commit to their free-will the efficacie of Redemption which Prosper saith maketh the will of God valide and effectuall and unvalide and weak according as the will of man which Davenantius Bishop of Salisburie if that opus posthumum have been written by him in his riper years and revised by himself justly censures as the boyl of Pelagian Doctrine which Faustus Rhegiensis did covertly teach The Lord saith he redeems such as are willing being a rewarder of their good or evill wils Now hardly can these eschew this Pelagianisme who teach that the death of Christ is an universall salve applicable by the decree of God to save all and every one of mankinde Christian and Pagan so they actually believe For it cannot be said that Christ hath died to make all mankinde saveable upon condition of actuall faith to receive Christ preached for so Infants to whom Christ preached is in no tollerable sense applicable that way by any ordination of God if they actually believe shal be no parts of the world they must be excluded from Baptism And it cannot be said that this argument shal militate against us for we do not defend such a conditionall applicabilitie of Christ upon condition of faith actual in preached Christ even to infants in the Visible Church yet we teach they are in Covenant with God and so God hath his decree of election to Glory and Redemption in Christ among infants as among aged professours 2. There is a providentiall and to many thousands of Pagans who never heard nor could hear of Christ an invincible impediment and so Christ is not applicable by Gods decree to them upon condition of actuall beleeving Rom. 10.14 How shall they beleeve in him of whom they have not heard It seems to me physically impossible that there is such a thing as the Indians worship Satan under such a name and in such rites if I never heard of the Indians or of their God or their worship So neither can they worship Christ in a Gospel-way who never heard of him It s impossible to beleeve a non ens Christ offered in the Gospel is very nothing and so not applicable to thousands by any decree of God 3. This is not written in Scripture God hath decreed that Christ be Preached and life be offered actually to all and every one of all and every Nation under Heaven and this opinion saith that Christ died and satisfied offended Justice for the sins of all and every one of all and every Nation under heaven except for finall unbâ—leef The Antecedent is clear by Scripture and experience God fulfills his decrees irresistibly But he never sent the Preached Gospel to as many as these Authors say he died for Nor can they themselves teach any such thing Nor is this true God hath decreed that Christ in the Preached Gospel and salvation may be offered to all and every one old and young of all and every Nation in all Generations upon condition of actuall beleeving And yet for all these without exception Christ died say they For not to say God never decreed that such may be offered to infants of Pagans for whom they say Christ died To make a thing that physically is possible the object of a decree of God we must say that God hath decreed to give the gift of tongues to all Professours and Pastours to speak to all and every Nation in their own Language and to make an offer of Christ
much feeling of pain argues much life And such as in this regard say I thank God I was plagued and pained but now nothing ails me I have peace I am rich I have need of nothing Revel 3.17 I am all whole must be in a dangerous case Indeed the complaining of want of justification and of the righteousnesse of God in a believer and a raising of the foundation as Psal. 31.22 Jonah 2.4 I am cast out of thy sight are both false and bastard-feelings and hastie unbelief for this is a reflection upon and a reproaching of the Office of the Healer of sinners This is contrair to faith and the former is a complaining of the body of sin that can hardly be sclandered so a complaining of self and the feeling of inherent corruption weakens not but strengthens faith And complaining thus and triumphing in a believed justification do well consort in Paul Rom. 7.24 O wretched man c. v. 25. I thank God through Jesus Christ our Lord and Rom. 8.1 Then every feeling of sin is not contrair to faith as Mr. Town and other Antinomians teach some godly tender feeling foments faith Q. 6. How cometh it to passe that seldome feeling of sin wanteth unbeleef Ans. Our looking in a Legall not in an Evangelick way upon sin doth occasion unbelief for looking to the sicknesse of the sinner is but abused when this use is made of it that the question which Christ hath aboundantly answered Ah he hath not who satisfied and payed my ransome justified me also by the Redemption that is in him but the strong body of sin which leads me captive Rom. 7.23 doth also lead rather mislead me to doubt whether the ransome was sufficiently payed and I sufficiently and freely by his grace and the Redemption that is in Christ Jesus justified as Rom. 3.24 And because the sinner feels the stirring and too vigorous acting of a body of sin which is his own work he removes the foundation-stones laid by Christ and questions the well done work of Christ and thrusts in his sickle into Christs harvest which is upon the mater to say Ah my sanctification is nought or small Therefore Christs satisfaction is weak so the man laying the burden upon the wrong back will take and pull off the burden that Christ in his own body did bear on the tree as 1 Pet. 2.24 and wrestle under his own body of sin himself and he thinks he will do the busines better himself then Christ. This is that which Antinomians imput to us groundlesly but it is our sinfull weaknesse so to be troubled at the indwelling of a body of sin as we doubt of and call in question the work of Justification and the satisfaction of Christ. But there is good cause why the sinner quarrel with himself and complain of a body of sin and yet not only quarrell with Christ but exalt Christ and by faith close with the absolutenesse of his gifted satisfaction and righteousnesse And this is as easie by the Grace of God as we see the more that a gracious soul abases himself as one carnall and sold under sin Rom. 7.14 as one in whom there dwells no good as touching the flesh v. 18. in whom sin dwells v. 20. as one brought into captivity to the Law of sin and a wretched man 24. so much the more doth he exalt Christ the only deliverer Rom. 7.25 Rom. 8.1 23 33 34 35. and why should not our blacknesse commend Christs beauty our deadness exalt his life our sinfull wretchednesse his glorious office in saving and our emptinesse and drynesse his fulnesse of the anointing who is all fulnesse CHAP. XXVIII Christ died not to blot out the sense of sin but rather to quicken a Godly sense thereof THe more of Christ and his sufferings be apprehended the more Godly sense of sin so far is Christs death from bloting out all sense of sin For if sense of sin be all one with a simple reflecting knowledge that we once sinned then the Godly in this life from grace not from the stirring of the Law do both know and acknowledge what they were 1 Tim. 1.13 I thank Christ Jesus our Lord c. I was before a blasphemer and a persecuter and injurious but I obtained mercy Tit. 3.3 We our selves were also sometimes foolish disobedient c. Yea the glorified cannot before the Throne sing the glory of the Lamb slain and the price of Redemption payed Rev. 5 12. to redeem them from sin but there must be even in glory this sense of their debt though without heart break or sorrow Then it cannot be a Doctrine of the Gospel that paying of our debt and the ransome doth score out of a gracious memory the counts of a payed debt The more I know what Christ hath done the more I should kisse and imbrace the gracious surety and these kisses of Glory and that song worthy is the Lamb c. say that grace and the faith of the price payed do inlarge rather the holy memory and sense of sin then obliâ—erate it Hence the translated out of sense of grace cast back their eye to the pit the drudgerie of bondage they were once in Epâ— 2.3 4 5. Tit. 3.3 4 5. 1 Tim. 1.13 14. with loving and praising the riches of grace And must it not be good to read old counts and weep for joy and cast and dart up praises to him who is at the right hand of the Father and sorrow for old debts and love much him who freely pardons 2. If sense of sin be taken for the unbelieving feeling of and judging my self cast out of his sight and condemned whereas yet I am in Christ and it is God who justifies me who is he shall condemn Rom. 8.33 34. We shall agree with Antinomians this is indeed the hastie sense of unbeleef Psal. 31.22 Joâ— 2.4 Hence let them be rebuked who say not that Christ in the Gospel hath taken away this sense of sin Yea many redeemed of the Lord are weary and laden but they render themselves weary and then sinfully complain that Christ will not ease them In which unconverted ones in the dead-throw are more to be justified then they the one being under a reall burden and the spirit of the Law acting upon them the other act the Law at their own hand and will receive the spirit of bondage to fear again whether it be reason or not He is the less to be pittied who casts himself with his own hand in prison 3. There is a Gospel-sense of in-dwelling of sin bringing forth the mourning of the dove and tears that are so innocent as they wrong not Christ or his work of redeeming and justifying Of this Rom. 7.24 Christ sure takes not this away Beleevers lodge a body of sin in them as sighing patients and as captives half against their will at least their renewed will does contradict this guest Rom. 7.14 15 16 17 18 c. 23 24.
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
excludes not but includes the Lords taking in members to the invisible and mysticall body which is to be observed against Anabaptists and Antinomians The Lord speaks often of the Covenant of Grace not so much as Preached quâ foedus ennunciatum though it so also must be Preached but as fulfilled by God and acted in an effectuall powerfull way upon the hearts of the elect only and that according to the Lords decree of election and will of pleasure So speaks the Lord of the Covenant Jer. 31.31 32 33. Jer. 32.37 38 39. Ezek. 11.16 17 18 19 20. Ezek. 36.25 26 27 c. Isa. 59.20 21. in a pure Evangelick way and in these places the Lord speaks of the Covenant not so much as it contains our duty as principally it holds forth his Gospel promise what he shall effectually do according to his decree and will of pleasure over-ruling our corrupt will which Papists Arminians and Socinians utterly mistake and will have it to be spoken of the Covenant as Preached according to the Lords approving and commanding will whereas there is not one word of a command in these places and therefore they say that these places speak nothing for the efficacy and mighty power of God in converting sinners 2. The Anabaptists from these places say none are to be baptized but such as are so in Covenant and as have these promises fulfilled in them in whom the Lord hath wrought a new heart and a new spirit and that there is no externall Covenanting under the New Testament But then the whole Gentiles Isai. 55.4 5. Isai. 11.10 Isai. 60.1 2 3 c. all Nations Isai. 2.1 2. all flesh Isai. 40.5 Psal. 65.2 all the Kindreds of the earth Psal. 22.26 27. the Kingdoms of the world Rev. 11.15 should be all chosen to life taught of God such as have the Law of God ingraven in their inward parts as Jer. 31.33 Ezek. 36.26 which is most false Now there are undenyable Prophecies that the Gentiles from the rising of the Sun to the going down thereof Mal. 1.11 shall be under the New Testament the people of God by Covenant Isa. 19.18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25. Then must the generality and mixed multitude of the Gentiles be some other way in Covenant then these of whom the Prophets sâ—eak Isa. 5â— 20 21. Isa. 55.10 Jer. 31.31 Ezek. 11.19 Ezek. 36.26 3. The Antinomians do also owne no Covenant of grace but this wherein the new heart is given and the condition is both promised and given And D. Crispe saith All other Covenants of God besides this run upon a stipulation and the promises run upon conditions altogether upon both sides The New Covenant is without any conditions whatsoever upon mans part Man in tyed to no condition that he must perform that if he do not perform the Covenant is made void by him Ans. Man is under a condition of beleeving and tyed to beleeve so as the wrath of God abides upon him he shall not see life nor be justified if he beleeve not Joh. 3.18.36 Rom. 10.6 7 8 9 2. Man is tyed to no condition which he must 〈◊〉 say which he can perform without the grace of God For have he grace or have he no grace the Holy Lord O if we could plead for him and his High Soveraignty is debter to no man he is so oblidged to beleeve as he sins against the Preached Covenant and forefaults his salvation if he beleeve not and so breaks the Covenant but devils or men cannot make itâ— void he may make it of no effect to himself he being an heir of damnation but being a chosen vessel God shall work him to beleeve and he makes it not void to himself If it be said that the New Covenant is without any conditions whatsoever upon mans pure It says too much for the beleevers being under no debt no obligation of conscience to beleeve or to any duty but as the Spirit their only Law leads them And if the Spirit breath not upon them to forbear adultery paricide sodomie or to beleeve pray praise hear mourn for sin as Peter and David they sin not for sin is a transgression of the Law And when the Spirit breaths not acts not there is no Law and this is most â—ilde Where observe that â— Antinomians and Familists confound the efficient cause of our obedience which is the Spirit of Grace and the objective cause which is the holy rule of the command promise or threatning For though the Spirit be absent and not given at all to men in the state of nature yet do they sin in committing of Sodomie and in not praying for they are oblidged not to sin and commanded in the first Command to pray to a revealed God I know Adam was not oblidged before he sinned to pray to Jesus Christ Mediator as Steven Act. 7. prayed to him The Spirit by grace does help us to obey the command and the Law but the Spirit is not the Law nor rule of out obedience 2. Not only will they have the Spiritâ— to be all the beleevers Law and word and the letter of the command to lay on no obligation but the Spirit as actually breathing and giving actuall influences must be the Law For though the naturall conscience or habituall light say that the man should not commit this wickednesse nor omit this duty seeing present necessity of one starving for want of one drowning in a water crying for my help is a call of God to perform the duty And if the Spirit give inward warning that I should do the duty yet if the Spirit actually breath not and contribute not his actuall influence the man hath no warrand of any command or Law to act without his rule since the Spirit acts not at all and cannot so be guilty in the committing of the most vile abomination for where no Law is no sin is M. Crispe pag. 160. brings this Argument The Covenant is everlasting if the Covenant stand upon any conditions to be performed by man it cannot be an everlasting Covenant except man were so confirmed in righteousnesse that he should never fail in that which is his part but he daily fails so daily breaks the Covenant Ans. To the first act of beleeving which is a performing of the condition of the Covenant there is no other condition required then that Ezek. 36.26 I will put in you a heart of flesh 27. I will put my Spirit in you and cause you walk in my statutes Zech. 12.10 I will powrâ— upon the house of David the Spirit of grace and supplication and they shall look upon me whom they have pierced that is they shall beleeve in me That is a strong confirmation to wit a promise that he will work the condition in us And so is that Joh. 6.37 All that the Father gives unto me shal come unto me that is beleeve in me and him that cometh I will in no wise
all threatnings and promises we are not to believe that though we sin we shall actually quoad eventum die and though we obey and beleeve wee are not to beleeve that GOD shall fulfill his promise and that our salvation shall come to passe only we are to believe jure that we deserve to die and that we shall have eternall life jure promissionis but not actually and according to the event Answ. Something is to be said of the threatnings then of the promises As touching the sense we are to beleeve In the threatnings conditionall as yet fourty days and Nineveh shall be destroyed and in that day thou eats thou shalt surely die in thy person and all thine the first and second death we are not to believe the event nor is it carnall security not to beleeve such an event we are only to have a godly fear and to tremble at the dreadfuâ—l deserving of such threatnings legall as alway are to be exponed and beleeved by all within the Visible Church with an Evangelick exception of repentance If therefore Adam did beleeve that he and all his should in their own persons actually suffer the first and second death and that irrecoverably he had no warrand for any such belief and the like may be said of Nineveh For when the Lord said in the day that thou eats thou shalt die the first and second death thou and all thy children personally His meaning was except I provide an Evangelick remedy and a Saviour Godly fear trembles more at the darkning of the glory of the Lord in a broken Law then at the event of inflicted wrath were it even Hells fire Obj. Adam was to beleeve no such exception Answ. True Because it was not revealed nor was he to beleeve the contrary that he should irrecoverably and eternally perish because that was not revealed But the threatning of the Law doth not deny the Evangelick remedy as it neither doth affirme it Obj. Then was Adam to believe it was true which the Serpent said ye shall not surely die quoad eventum but ye shall be as Gods living and knowing good and evill Ans. Neither doth that follow for in the meaning of the liar it was not true that they should not die either by deserving for Satan brangles the equity and righteousness of the Law and threatning or actually and in the event for both were false and neither revealed and faith is not to go beyond what is revealed of God And Sathan disputed against both the equity of the threatning as if it had been unjust in Law and against the event as a fiction and a thing that should not come to passe in the event which indeed did not come to passe but not according to the Serpents lying and false principles Obj. Was then Adam to despair and to beleeve nothing of a Saviour Ans. He was not obliged to despaire but to rely by vertue of the first Commandement of the Decalogue upon God infinitly powerfull mercifull gracious and wise to save for that was revealed and written in his heart and that is far from despairing But in the intervall between the fall and the Lords publishing the blessed Gospel and news of the seed to come he was so to trust in God for possible deliverance in generall as the Law of Nature requireth but he was to beleeve nothing of unrevealed particulars far lesse of the mystery of the Gospel which was kept secret since the world began Rom. 16.25 Obj. Then may also the damned in Hell who are not loosed from their obligation to the Law of Nature and the first Command be obliged to rely on an infinite and Almighty God for their deliverance for they are not obliged to despair nor is there an obligation to any sin Ans. There is not the like reason for though the damned be not loosed from the Law of Nature but are to rely upon God in his whole al-sufficiency yet with exception of his revealed Justice and Truth Now he hes expresly revealed that their worm never dieth and their fire never goeth out And to believe that is not to despaire Obj. What are then such Heathens to beleeve as touching that threatning who never heard of the Gospel Ans. They are under the Law of Nature and to beleeve that sin deserves wrath according to the infinitnesse of the Majesty against whom it is committed and to obey the Law of Nature and read the Book of the Creation carefully But and if the news and rumor of a Saviour come to their ears their sin cannot but be Evangelick in not pursuing the reality and truth of such a soveraign remedy Yet it is not to be thought that though the Gospel be come to all Nations Rom. 16.26 that that is to be meant 1. Of every Generation of all Nations Or 2. of the individuall persons either young or come to age of every Nation under Heaven experience and Scripture speaketh against both Obj. But is not the Covenant of Grace contrary to the Law and Covenant of Works Answ. A diversity there is but contrary wills in the holy Lord cannot be asserted Yea the Gospel may be proven out of the Law and from the first Commandement of the Decalogue if any act of the Lords free will and infinite wisedome shall be added to prove the Assumption So If the first Command teach that God is infinitely wise mercifull gracious just and able to save then if so it please him he shall save But the first Command teacheth the former And the Gospel revealing the unsearchable riches of Christ Eph. 3.8 expresly saith so much Ergo. As to the promises they contain not only the jus equity and goodnesse of the thing promised but also that the Lord shall actually perform yea and intends to perform what he hath promised upon condition that we perform the required condition And in this the promises differ not a little from these threatnings that are only threatnings of what God may do in Law but not from these threatnings which are both threatnings and also Propheticall predictions of what shall come to passe therefore must we here difference betwixt threatnings and such and such threatnings The promises are considered as they are Preached and anunciated to all within the Visible Church and as they are made in the intention of God with the Elect and Sons of the promise The same way the threatnings admit of a two-fold consideration The promises to the Elect as intended of God reveal that both the Lord minds to give the blessing promised and the condition that is grace to perform the condition and so they are promises Evangelick both in the matter and in the intention of the Lord But as proponed to the reprobate who are alwayes from their birth to their death under a Covenant of Works really as touching the LORDS holy Decree they are materially Evangelick promises but formally and in the Lords intention legall as every dispensation to
it must either be a Covenant of Works or of Grace or a third Covenant But the truth is the Law as pressed upon Israel was not a Covenant of Works 1. The Law as the Law or as a Covenant of Works is made with perfect men who need no mercy But this Covenant is made with sinners with an expresse preface of mercy I am the Lord thy God that brought thee out of the land of Egypt c. It is made with stiff-necked Israel Deut. 29. Deut. 30. c. 31. c. 32. and that is called a Covenant from the end and object as motions are denominate from their end for the end of the Lords pressing the Law upon them was to bring them under a blessed necessity to seek salvation in their true City of Refuge Christ Jesus who redeemed them out of the spirituall bondage of sin 2. It was the Covenant made with Abraham which was a Covenant of Grace and though it be called Deut. 29.1 a Covenant beside that which was made in Horeb Because 1. Renued again after their breach 2. Repeated a litle before the death of Moses Deut. 31.28.29.30 3. Because there were some additions of speciall blessings cursings Ceremoniall Commands that were not in the formerly proposed Covenant Exod. 20. yet the same it was in substance to love the Lord with all the heart Deut. 2.10 12 13 14. The same with that of Abraham Deut. 8.18 That he may establish his Covenant which he sware unto thy fathers as it is this day When he is to deliver them out of Egypt Exod. 2.24 And God heard their groaning and remembred his Covenant with Abraham and Isaak and Jacob. So the Lord expones it in his appearing to Moses Exod. 3.6 Jer. 31.32 Not according to the Covenant which I made with their fathers in the day that I took them by the hand to bring them out of the Land of Aegypt Now that was the Covenant which God made with Abraham of which Circumcision was a seal Gen. 17. not of a temporary Canaan only but of heart Circumcision Col. 2.11 For the Lord expresâ—y tells thâ—â— when he took them by the hand as his married people to bring them out of the Land of Aegypt and out of the house of bondage Exod. 20. He meant no other Covenant then he made with Abraham of believing Gen. 15. and of walking before him and being perfect Gen. 17.1 2. which is somewhat more legall as Moses and the Lord himself expones it Exod. 2.24 Exod. 3.6 Exod. 20.1 2. And he showes them Lev. 26. if in their enemies land they repent and shall come out and meet the rod and their uncircumcised hearts shall willingly accept of the punishment of their iniquity 42. Then saith the Lord I will remember my Covenant with Jacob and also my Covenant with Isaac and also my Covenant with Abraham will I remember Beside there are not here three Covenants but one there is no word of the subservient Covenant with Israel in Sinai Except that when he mentions the one he excludes not the other For to walk before the Lord required in Abrahams Covenant Gen. 17.1 is to walk in all the ways of the Lord to fear and love him Deut. 10.12 13. and Samuel 1 Sam. 12.22 Joshua Josh. 24.22 23 24 25. And Mary Luke 1.55 And Zacharie ver 70 72 73. refer to the Covenant made with Abraham and Deut. 6. the Covenant at Horeb the Lord made with Abraham to give Canaan to his seed ver 10. Deut. 7.12 If thou hearken to these judgements to do them it shall come to passe that the Lord thy God will keep unto thee the Covenant of mercy that he sware unto thy fathers c. 3. This Covenant hath the promise of a circumcised heart Deut. 30.6 and of the word of faith that is near in the mouth and of the righteousnesse of faith clearly differenced from the righteousnesse of the Law by doing For so Paul Rom. 10.5 6 7 c. expones Moses Deut. 30.11 12 13 14. 4. The Covenant of Works taught nothing of the way of expiation of sin by blood typifying the Ransome of blood that Christ was to pay for our sins as this Covenant all along had sacrifices and blood to confirm it Exod. 24.8 And Moses took the blood and sprinkled it on the people and said behold this is the Blood of the Covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words Now the words were the ten Commandements See Heb. 9. v. 18 19 20 21 22 23 24. 5. This Covenant is made with Israel only Exod. 20. Deut. 5. c. 6. Deut. 6.5 6 7.12 The Covenant of Works is made with all mankind 6. No people under the Law can be justified and saved thereby nor have their sins pardoned Rom. 3.9 10 11. 19 20. Rom. 4.1 2 3 4. Rom. 9. Rom. 10. Psal. 130 3. Psal. 143.2 Gal. 3.1 2 3. 10 11 12 13. But in this Covenant Abraham David Gen. 15. Psal. 32. Rom. 4.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9. And the Jewes by faith have remission of sins and salvation as also the Gentiles have Acts 10.43 Acts 15.11 7. The Lord minds to lay aside the Law as inconsistent with the Covenant of Grace Gal. 3.18 If the inheritance be by the Law then it is not by promise but God gave it to Abraham by promise For to live by this Covenant is a life of promises all being here promised both faith the condition and perseverance therein and a new heart righteousnesse pardon and life A man that hath his estate in papers and in good words that are transient things may seem a poor man but to live by promises here is the rich life of the heirs of hope this is strong consolation under deadness absence faith working under-ground in the dark Gal. 3.21 If there had been a Law which could have given life verily righteousnesse should have been by the Law Though he commanded them to do the Law it was not that they should live thereby and though he commanded us the same it is another command as it were it is not so much now that we obey from the Authority of God Law-giver under pain of damnation though that be not laid aside but urged in a Gospel intention upon heirs as from the love of God Grace-giver as also there is an intrinsecall amaenitie in Christ drawing and obedience now becomes connaturall free delightfull Let these consider to whom the yoak of obedience is a torment and a man-mill 8. The Passeover and Circumcision Gen. 17.7 all along were seals of the Covenant as Baptism one with Circumcision in substance Col. 2.11 is the seal of the same Covenant Acts 2.39 40 41. Now the Law required no Circumcision no shedding of blood no Repentance no new heart but eternall condemnation followed the least breach thereof Paul saith indeed Gal. 5.3 If ye be Circumcised as the false Apostles would have that thereby you may be justified saved
34.15 16. 1 King 11.2 Ezra 9.2 12. Nehem. 13.23 Judg. 3.6 7. Judg. 4.2 3. Except there be some middle between a cursed and a blessed seed a seed in the Church and in Covenant and the seed of the Serpent of Heathen without the Covenant 2. A middle between the Kingdom of darknesse of Satan and the Kingdom of God of his dear Son Contrair to Eph. 2.2 3 4. Acts 26.18 Col. 1.13 14. 1 Pet. 2.9 10. Eph. 5.8 which is unknown to Scripture Yea the Covenant is made to Christ and his seed Gal. 3.16 and the same blessings of Abraham comes on us Gentiles Gal. 3.13 14. But he and all his seed were blessed and in grace by the externall call of the Covenant Ezek. 16.1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8. Deut. 7 7 8. Rom. 10.25 I will call them my people that were not my people and her beloved which was not beloved And this externall calling is of Grace and so Grace no merit as well as predestination to life is grace or for grace For whosoever are called not because Elect but because freely loved of such a God and without merit called Father and Son they are in a state of graceâ— But so are all within the Visible Church If any object by Christs comming all the Nations old and young are not become the Nations of the Lord and of his Christ but only true Believers even by our Doctrine Answ. They are become the Kingdoms of the Lord not only because they are truely converted but because they are the chosen of God in the Office-house of Christ and Christ reigns over them by the Scepter of his Word whom he is to convert And external Covenanting with God is of it self free Grace and a singular favour bestowed of God Psal. 147.19 20. Deut. 5.1 2. Mat. 21.42 43. Luke 14.16.21 2. It is free Grace that God will have hypocrites and real infidels to beget children to him that are internally in Covenant with him and fills up the number of the Elect by Reprobate Parents who are instrumentall to the in-coming in the world and into the Visible Church of many Heirs of Glory and in so doing there is a Church right communicated from Reprobate Parents to their Children that are Heirs of Glory 3. Externall Covenanting goes before internall Covenanting as the means before the end and the cause before the effect For faith comes by hearing of a sent Preacher Rom. 10.14 and the Preaching of the Gospel is a saving means of begeting a new heart and of a new spirit Hence 1. All must be first externally in Covenant before they can be internally and really in Covenant 2. God is a God simply to some and no more but a God to them in regard of outward Church priviledges as the Word Seals Protection Peace Hedge of Discipline his planting and watering by a Ministry But he is to speak so more then a God to others Hos. 2.19 I will betroth thee unto me for ever yea I will betroth thee unto me in righteousnesse in judgement and in loving kindnesse and in mercy Now the Lord is joyned to back-sliding Israel in an externall marriage Covenant But Jer. 3.14 not in righteousnesse in loving kindnesse and mercy in reference to the rotten party In regard of which he saith v. 2. Plead with your mother plead for she is not my wife neither am I her husband Zech. 8.7 Thus saith the Lord I will save my people from the East Countrey and from the West Countrey 8. And I will bring them and they shall dwell in the midst of Jerusalem and they shall be my people and I will be their God in truth and in righteousnesse Then he is not to all a God in truth and righteousnesse fulfilling the first and substantiall promise of ingraving the Law in the heart not that he keeps not Covenant even to external confederatâ— to wit the conditionall Covenant for if they should beleeve they should be saved but he promised not a new heart and faith to them 3. Because he is a God externall to the Elect and that of free Grace therefore he is a God in truth and righteousnesse to ingrave his Law in their heart But externall confederation is not the adequate cause for then he should give a new heart to all with whom he externally Covenants but the adequate cause is confederation external tali modo out of his discriminating love and free grace he is a God to some 4. He is a God to his Elect that he may ingrave his Law in their heart and inward parts so that the promising to be a God tali modo is the cause and the ingraving of a new heart is the effect Jer. 31.33 Jer. 32.38 And they shall be my people and I will be their God That is the cause 39. I will give them one heart and one way that they may fear me for ever for the good of them and of their children after them See the same order Ezech. 11.19 20. though the words ly not in that order there and here And Heb. 8.10.5 God is not then a God to any because they have a clean heart and the Law ingraven therein for then they should be in Covenant before they be in Covenant And so this is true because he is our God in truth and righteousnesse therefore we beleeve but this is not true because we beleeve therefore he is our God except we argue from the effect to the cause But to return Calvine on Matth 19.14 We hence gather that the grace of Christ is extended to Infant age for whole mankind had perished Beza Infants are also comprehended in the free Covenant Pareus its unlawfull to â—â—barre these from baptism and the Church whom Christ â—â—ds come to him c. Obj. But Christ commands not they be baptized Answ. Nor doth Christ in this place command the Parents to bring them up in the nurture and admonition of the Lord Nor speak the Evangelists of any Parentall duty shall we from that conclude it was not Christs mind that the Parents take care of the fourth fifth Command Pareus saith it was neither time nor place Mat. 28.19 he bids baptize all 3. He who prayed for them blessed them laid his hands upon them invited them to bring Infants to him of all which Infants were as uncapable as of the use and ends of Baptism and of actuall confession of sin and of beleeving judged they ought be Baptized 4. It s never to be found where any are Baptized but the Head of the Family is Baptized And when we read that houses were Baptized 1 Cor. 1.16 Acts 16.33 There is no more ground to say Infants are not Baptized then to say when the Lord saith to Abraham Gen. 12.2 I will blesse thee and make thy name great And 22.17 in blessing I will blesse thee And when the Lord saith Isai. 19.25 blessed be Aegypt my people he should mean he would blesse Abraham
upon the name of the Lord and shall be saved He not only yeelds that the Israelites have heard but he confirms it from Psal. 19. Yea their sound c. It is an argument à minore from the lesse to the more The whole world hath heard of God either by the preaching of the creatures from the beginning or by the Apostles in the revealed Gospel far more then the Jewes to whom the Oracles of God were committed and to whom first the Gospel must be preached have heard And therefore not all that hear do believe though faith come by hearing nor do all call upon God and are saved So Pet. Martyr so Calvin Hyperius Faius It 's not strange that the Gospel is preached to the Gentiles for God spake to them by the knowledge of the creature Pareus observes that Paul cites not the place Psal. 19. and saith not As it is written but alludes to it only Spanhemius If it be well said that the sound of the heavens is gone to the end of the world that may be said truly of the Preaching of the Gospel Junius to that sense But 1. the place saith not that God called with a will to save the Gentiles The Scripture saith he winked at them and called them not Acts 14.16 But now God commandeth all men every where to repent Acts 17.30 and he revealed not his Testimonies to them Now was not the same Gospel-book in the Pages of the works of Creation as legible to the Gentiles before as after the coming of Christ in the flesh Nor can the Gospel which never came to the ears of many Indians and millions of people it being to them a non ens and an un-heard of Doctrine explain the book of Creation as the thing that shadows out Christ as the New Testament clears the Types of the Old Nor doth the Scripture any where tell us what work of Creation or Providence expresseth Christs dying for our sins rising for our righteousnesse Nor doth the Scripture tell us of an Embleme in nature of God Incarnate of the Man Christ in glory pleading at the right hand of God for us And no doubt the Lords naturall desires of saving all calling and inviting all to Repentance of Christs dying for all his naturall willingnesse that all and every one should obey do not ebbe and waxe and decrease as the Sea and Moon do and therefore his taking such a course with all the Gentiles that no word of the Covenant comes to their ears so that then at that time they were without Christ being aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and strangers from the Covenant of promise having no hope and without God in the world Eph. 2.12 And in time past were no people in Covenant and had not obtained mercy 1 Pet. 2.9 10. and were far off Acts 2.39 must evince that the sense of the Gospel was not written in Sunne and Moon and the book of Creation is not the Gospel and therefore he hath been shewing that the Gentiles were not in Covenant before the Incarnation and since no word of the Gospel comes to millions now they are yet not in Covenant And this is a Gospel-truth now that stands after the Incarnation as before Rom. 9.18 He hath therefore mercy upon whom he will and hardens whom he will And he said it in the Old Testament Exod. 33.19 and repeateth it to us Rom. 9.15 I will have mercy upon whom I will have mercy and I will have compassion upon whom I will have compassion And if any man say that he hath the like antecedent naturall good-will to save eternally all these whom he calleth and moveth finally to obey and the greatest part of mankind whom he so moveth and calleth as he knoweth they shall never obey whereas he can move all finally to obey without straining their naturall liberty He speaks things that cannot consist with both the wisedom and liberty of God And if amongst these to whom the word of the Covenant comes some are externally only and never saved Matth. 22.14 Rom. 9.6 7. Others internally personally and really in Covenant and saved why but some may be neither wayes in Covenant if they never heard the word of the Covenant and if the Heathen and Americans were under the Covenant of Grace Preached to them in that sound that goes to the end of the world Why but Moab Ammon and Assyrians Philistines Chaldeans Persians are the Israel of God his chosen people his Sion and must not the principall promise of the Covenant be made to them and are we not to beleeve that God will write his Law in the hearts of Cain Pharaoh Saul Doeg Ahab Judas Magus and of Moabites Ammonites Aegyptians and of all and every one of mankinde if they be in Covenant with him Contrair to Psa. 147.19 20. Hos. 8.12 Exo. 20.1 Neither can it be said that all mankind have received a subjective power to beleeve and receive Christ holden forth in the Gospel to us Printed to be read and heard in the book of Creation called the objective Gospel as Adam had power to fulfill the first Covenant for Adam had the Image of God concreated in his soul by which he was able to fulfill the Law then must they give us a Scripture to prove that all Adams sons are converted and restored to the Image of God born over again for by no other power but by a new heart and the actings of God can men beleeve the Gospel objective or come to Christ and do good works Evangelicall by which they are justified and if it be a remote power that may grow it is not the like power which Adam had to keep the Law 2. This power is either naturall or supernaturall Naturall it cannot be for then flesh and blood might beleeve and the wisedom of the flesh might be subject to the Law of God which the Scripture denies Mat. 16.16 17. Rom. 8.7 2. There should be no need that Christ die except only to satisfie for our breach of the Law not to purchase new grace to us by his merits and such a power should be no grace of Christ. If it be a supernaturall grace merited by Christ then have Pagans and all the Heathen that supernaturall inherent grace to beleeve in the Son of God and yet the object thereof the Gospel is not revealed to them which is an incongruous dispensation not warranted by the Scripture that the Lord should give a supernaturall power to beleeve they know not what 2. A supernaturall power to beleeve is saving grace and a power to love Christ and can saving grace be in Pagans or in any and they know not of it 3. Yea sins of Pagans for which they are condemned must be the Gospel-sins for they cannot be Law-sins for if all mankind be under the Covenant of grace there can none at all be under the Law For there can be none under the Covenant
purpose of heart to obey either obedience or faith formally 5. If to be justified by faith in Christ as not only Jesus who saves but as Lord who commands then we are justified by love for we are to love him not as Jesus only but also as Lord 1 Cor. 16.22 Eph. 6.24 especially since all the works of the Law come under the command of love Matth. 22.3.7 Luk. 7.27 Deu. 6.5 Rom. 13.8 6. All these thy faith hath saved thee Matth. 9. Luk. 7. only beleeve must be of this truth thy good works hath saved thee only do good works And it is strange that Paul saith Eph. 2.8 By grace ye are saved through faith and that not of your selves it is the gift of God 9. Not of works lest any man should boast Nor could Paul make an opposition between grace and works as in Rom. 11.6 if the grace of beleeving and good works were one in the New Testament for so we should be saved by works and not by works And Paul by an 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 takes that away Yea but we are saved that is justified and delivered from obligation to wrath by the works of free-grace He answers nay but neither are we saved or justified by these works of grace as by means or causes For we are first saved and justified before we can do good works for good works are the fruits of free-grace since v. 10. we are his workmanship created in Christ Iesus and so justified and saved in Christ Jesus to good works that we should walk in them Yea and Paul undenyably removeth this doubt 1 Cor. 4.4 I know nothing by my self that is by his grace I am free of such sinnes as bring condemnation and so he must abound in works of grace 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 yet thereby and notwithstanding of all my inherent holinesse by works of grace I am not justified 7. There should be no ground of gloriation and boasting more then this by the Socinian and Arminian way if we should be justified by works which come from free-will not determined by any grace either habituall or actuall which is merited by the death of Christ but do proceed from pure free-will which separateth the beleever from the non-beleever Then might we glory and boast that we are not in the debt of Christ or of his grace for that which is our formall righteousnesse before GOD and so no flesh can say they are justified by grace but that we are justified by nature the same way that Adam should have been justified without being beholden to CHRIST or to his death Asser. 3. There are not properly the same causes of the possession of Life Eternall and of the righteousnesse of Life Eternall The ransome of Christs blood is only the cause of the right For jus or right to Life Eternall is a legall and a morall thing eâ—s morale and hath a morall cause as a man hath right to such a City being the Lord and owner thereof by birth or money or conquesse or by gift or grant of a Prince or of the Citizens themselves but possession and injoying the houses and rents of the City is a Physicall thing ens Physicum and hath a Physicall cause as eating drinking lodging sleeping wearing of cloaths to defend the body from the cold So the legall right a man hath to the bread and lodging he hath in an Innes but the Physicall causes are hunger appetite bodily necessities so require and his pleasure to make use of such necessities Hence the eating drinking may be Physically good and the right jus legale very bad he may have no right to the bread when he comes to it only by spoil and rapine So the legall right jus legale to life eternall is the ransome of blood that Christ payed our Goel our friend and kinsman to make the inheritance ours but that great I may say almost Apostolick light Mr. John Calvin saith good works are as it were the inferiour causes of the possession of life So simple possession is one thing and quâ— jure aut titulo but by what Law-right he possesseth is another thing But 1. Good works are necessary necessitate praecepti by the command of God and promise 1 Thes. 4.4 1 Cor. 6.20 Eph. 2.10 Matth. 28.20 and where it is said 1 Tim. 4.8 Godlinesse is profitable to all things having the promise of the life that now is and of that which is to come 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the promise is opposed to the Law And that is a strong Argument Gal. 3.18 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 If the inheritance be of the Law it is no more of promise but God gave it to Abraham by promise Covenant-promise What is that to the Galatians and to us Gentiles Mâ—ch every way For three notable points are therein 1. The heavenly inheritance promised to the seed to Christ and his ver 16. not a pâ—or earthly Canaan as Sociniâ—ns and Papists say were promised to Abraham and his seed except they say that an earthly Canaan was promised to Christ. 2. That Covenant-promise of an heavenly inheritance made to Abraham the same is made to the believing Galatians the Gentiles and their seed else Paul saith nothing for the Doctrine of Justification by faith to the Gentiles contrair to the purpose of the Apostle 3. There is an inheritance by Covenant-promise a promise of eternall life made not to works as the price that buyes the right for sure then Christ must have dyed in vain 3. Works are not necessary simply necessitate medii for then we must exclude all Infants But the necessity of a Precept inferreth a necessity of means ordinary to all capable of a Command that they do good and sow to the Spirit that they may reap of the Spirit life everlasting Gal. 6.8 3. They are necessary for the glory of God Math. 5.16 1 Pet. 3.1 2. 1 Pet. 2.12 4. They are necessary by the law of gratitude which is common both to the Covenant of Works and of Grace as we are debters to God for being so to God-incarnate as ransoned ones for everlasting life 1 Cor. 6.20 Luke 1.75 1 Pet. 1.18 and eternall well-being But such as will have our works the formall cause of our justification they put them in the chair of Christs merite and they must be meritorious as Adams legall obedience should have been yea but not but by and of gracious estimation God so esteeming them say they True but as is proven neither was Adams obedience meritorious but by Gods estimation Yea and Calvine gives a power of meriting ex pacto to our works But our works of grace are dyed and washen in Christs blood and justified that they may justifie us But the Scripture speaks nothing of justifying of works or not imputing sin to our works Antinomians dream of a freeing of both the person and works of a justified man from Law-obligation and that is a way indeed to justifie works of murther
Commandement of love Q. 2. Doth the Lord Mediator in the Covenant of Grace command the same good works to all thâ— same way Ans. Rom. 3.19 The Lord in the Law must speak one way to these that are under the Law that is under the jurisdiction and condemning power of the Law and a far other way to these that are not under the Law CHRIST speaks to reprobats in the Visible Church even when the matter of the command is Evangelick as to non-confederates of grace in a Law way and in a Law intention For he cannot bid them obey upon any other ground then legislative authority not upon the ground of Redemption-love bestowed on them or that he died out of love to save all and every one For we disclaim that ground or because he died out of a speciall design to save them as his chosen ones For there is no ground for that untill we beleeve But they are to obey upon the ground of Redemption-love so they first beleeve and fiducially rely upon Christ the Saviour of all But he commands Law-obedience to his chosen even as Mediator 1. Upon a Gospel intention to chase them to Christ Gal. 3.23 2. When they are come to bâ—dge them in with Law-threatning to adhere in a Godly fear more closely to Christ. But the Lord commands no beleever to believe hell in the event to be their reward but to beleeve perseverance and life but hell in the deserving Hence that 1 Tim. 1.9 The Law 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not made for the righteous to condemn them as if God thereby opened up to them their doom but for the lawlesse c. to let them be damned and see their damnation CHAP. XXII The differences in the promise of the Covenants Quest. WHat is the speciall difference of the promise of the two Covenants Ans. It is known that only life eternall is promised in the Law if a right to the things of this life was promised to Adam it is like he behoved to compleat his course of obedience and merit a right legall to the herbs and fruit of the earth beside the right he had by gift of Creation ex dono Creatoris non jure operum But 2. There was no promise made to Adam of perseverance and so no promise made to him of influences to work in Adam to will and to do so the influences by which he obeyed was purum donum Creatoris a meer gift of the Creator not a gift of either the grace of Christ or a promised grace though in a large sense it may be called a grace or donum gratis datum For God gave that influence upon no obligation Now that it was not a grace promised is evident by Adams fall for God who is true fulfills his promises 2. Augustine and our Divines teach Dedit Deus posse ut vellet non velle ut posset a power to stand but not the gift of actuall perseverance If any say that the Lord promised to Adam perseverance conditionally which in one sense is true in another false if he pleased in that he gave to him all necessaries required for actuall standing Ans. 1. This is to teach that perseverance was promised the same way in the Covenant of Works that Arminius saith it is promised in the Covenant of Grace and that the free-will was absolute lord of standing and falling and to deny God to be the nearest cause of our standing and persevering in either the one or the other and to bid us first and last sacrifice to our own free-will 2. Willing perseverance actuall cannot be promised conditionally for the question should be Upon what condition doth the Lord promise to work in Adam actual perseverance if he should be willing to persevere But the question shall remain whether that willingnesse to persevere since it is the greatest part if not whole perseverance be promised or not If it be not promised the contrair whereof they hold if it be promised conditionally the question shall recur what shall be the condition and another condition then the willingnesse of the will to persevere cannot be given and so the argument shall rise against it self and the issue must be God gave to Adam actuall perseverance if he should be willing to persevere that is he gives to Adam perseverance if he give him perseverance for willingnesse to persevere is perseverance or a very large part thereof 3. But persevering grace and so influence of grace to persevere is promised in the Covenant of Grace Jer. 31.35 that they shall continue in Covenant more sure then the night and the day Jer. 32.40 I will put my fear in their hearts that they shall not depart from me The meaning cannot be I will give them a power never to depart from me if they will For so nothing is more promised in Christ to the second Adams heirs then to Adam and the Angels that fell for the like say they was promised to them And 2. If notwithstanding of that fear both promised and put in the heart and in the will yet lubrick free-will may stand or fall and remain indifferent to either then the sense shall be thus I will make an everlasting Covenant I will put my fear in their heart by which they may either depart from me and turn apostates or not depart from me but persevere But so the Covenant made with Adam and the fallen Angels should be an everlasting Covenant and yet it was broken For the Image of God of it self inclined Adam and the fallen Angels never to depart from God For sure Adams fear being a part of that Image which sanctified his affections inclined him but not undeclinably and immutably not to depart from God and not to hearken to the lying Serpents suggestions But it is not that new Covenant-fear promised and given in the second ADAM Ier. 32.39 40. 4. That these influences were purchased by Christs death is clear because they are the nearest causes of our actuall believing and coming to Christ of faith and perseverance that are given freely and repentance and faith are given of Christ Acts. 5.31 Zech. 12.10 2 Tim. 2.25 Phil. 1.29 Ephes. 2.1 2 3. Ezek. 36.26 27. Eph. 1.17 18 19 20. John 6.44 45. 5. So obedience to the Covenant of Works was Adams own 2. And came from his concreated self the Image of God that was his own by a common influence and neither was the Image of God nor the influences of God acts of free grace or the purchase of grace properly so called 2. Adam had a Law-claim to the Crown without sin if he had continued in obedience and did merite ex pacto life eternall our new Covenant obedience in habituall and actuall performance is so a duty that it is also promised and a benefite merited to us by the death of Christ whereas Adams obedience was purum officium non officium promissum as our Gospel-obedience is 6. Hence in obedience distinguish two
be also spirituall and lively and seek of us the lost Image of GOD by way of commanding yet there is no promise of the Spirit made in the Law neither gifts nor grace and both are given by the Preaching of the Gospel 2. No miracles are wrought by the Law to confirm the Doctrine of the Law for it is not new nor is the gift of miracles given as a reward of Law-obedience miracles in genere causae finalis are wrought to avenge Pharaoh and the Aegyptians Law-obedience but the miracles are wrought by the Name of Jesus Act. 4. and for the confirming of the Gospel and for the good of the Church See Gal. 3.1 2 3. CHAP. XXVI Of the property of the Covenant of Grace the perpetuity thereof Quest. VVHerein stands the eternity of the Covenant of Grace And what other properties there be of the Covenant Ans. The Law and Covenant of Works is a rule of everlasting righteousnesse and so may be called an everlasting righteousnesse containing precepts of the Law of nature intrinsecally good such as to know love fear trust in him as the only true God and in this sense it is an eternall Covenant But 1. it is not eternall in the positives of the second and fourth and fifth Commands the way of worship the means as Ceremonies Sabbath Magistracie and such like which are not to continue in the life to come and so neither faith nor hope in God through Christ 1 Cor. 13.13 Rom. 8.24 25. 2 Cor. 5.7 nor a Temple nor Ordinances nor the Kingdom of Christ as now dispenced are to be the binding rule for eternity to such as are confederats of the Covenant of Grace Rev. 21.22 23. 1 Cor. 15.24 though more of the smell and remnants of the Covenant of Grace of the Lamb of praises to him who was slain Rev. 5.9 11 14. be in the life to come then of the Law-Covenant in regrad of our standing in a state of glory for evermore by the Mediator to keep the nature in an eternall union for evermore by the Lord Christ his being cloathed with our nature glorified for ever Rev. 3.21 Rev. 5. Rev. 7. Rev. 20. Rev. 21. Ch. 22. And in that we shall be ever with Christ God-Man Luk. 23.42 Joh. 17.24 1 Thess. 5. 2 Cor. 5.8 Phil. 1.23 17. in an eternall state of glory though not in regard of an advocation and intercession for fallen sinners As 1 Joh. 2.1 2. or of praying that our faith fail not when winnowed as Luk. 22.31 32. In a word there is a mediation of the triumphing reign for the standing of the glorified nature and a mediation for the reconciling of and interceeding for of sinners The latter must cease when the Kingdom is given up by the Sonne to the Father 1 Cor. 15.24 The former is eternall and shall never cease 2. The Law as a possible and standing way of justifying and saving sinners is not eternall but is now ceased to all flesh the Man Christ only excepted but the Covenant of Grace stands as the only way under heaven by which sinners may be saved and after the Covenant of Grace there is no dispensation which Libertines and Familists call more spirituall without Ordinances and a way as they speak of all spirit of pure spirit 3. The Covenant of Grace is eternall in regard in it there is promised actuall grace and continuall influences of grace from the Head Christ the High Priest to keep the confederats in obedience and in perseverence to the end And no such influences either for the habit of grace or for the continuated acts thereof are promised in the Covenant of Works in regard Adam a man and poor men in him do undertake to obey Whereas Christ-Man binds and undertakes as head Covenanter and Surety for all the under confederats and for sinners in the Covenant of Grace Which difference is much to be observed between the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace And for that cause the Covenant of Works is 1. more independent and requires more of mans strength and less grace then the other 2. It stands more by precepts lesse by promises having only one promise of a reward and hyre to the obeyer and consists all of precepts the other though it want not precepts especially it is his command that we believe in the Son of God yet stands most by promises and this Covenant gets the name of a promise or the promise Acts 2.39 Rom. 8.9 compared with Acts 3.25 Gen. 12.3 3. The Covenant of Works hath more of hyre more of man of nature of earning and working and more of mans Covenant where he binds for himself and the other partie for himself without the mutuall help of any of the confederate parties 4. The Covenant of Grace is thus also eternall in that the buried and dead parties Abraham Isaac and Jacob are still in the Covenant of Grace and there remains a Covenant-union between Christ and their rotten flesh sleeping in the dust which is not an union by faith or by any actings obedientiall of dead men as is most evident if we compare our Saviours words Matth. 22.32 with the Lord speaking out of the Bush to Moses Exod. 3.6 and God is not the God of the dead but of the living noâ— is the rising of the body promised in the Covenant of Works nor is there a standing Law-Covenant between the Lord and dead Abraham requiring the condition of faith from buried men Onely there is a warrand to say that the Covenant is everlasting because it goes beyond time and stands with the dead in Christ Matth. 22.32 2. Because two great promises of the Covenant the rising of the body and life everlasting are fulfilled after time is ended Joh. 6.38 39. 1 Thess. 4.14 16 17. and adde to this the publick owning and confessing of the Saints before the Father and the holy Angels which is publick remission and declared justification before the world of Elect Men and Angels Luke 12.8 Matth. 10.32 3. Because after all these to walk among them as their God and dwell among them Rev. 7.15 16 17. when they are cloathed in white Robs and are before the throne serving him night and day and that the Lord should be their God Rev. 21.7 after they have overcome all temptations is fulfilled eternally in heaven Now for God to walk among a people and be their God is to be a Covenanting God to them as is evident from 2 Cor. 6.16 Lev. 26.11 12. Jer. 32.38 Zech. 13.6 2. The second and principle propertie of the Covenant is the graciousnesse and freedome thereof therefore is it made with sinners without hire or price and every article and lith of it is Grace 1. The whole Gospel is the word of Grace Acts 20.32 Col. 1.6 the Bargaine a pâ—ction of Grace and the new Covenant Heb. 8.8 for Grace is a new thing and nature an old thing the condition of the Covenant to beleeve
It is sinfull doctrine to say that CHRIST takes away this sense of sin For 1. this is the very true tendernesse and gracious smitings of heart under any guiltinesse As 1 Sam. 24.5 2 Sam. 24.10 Davids heart smote him after he had cut off the lap of Sauls garment and numbred the people 1 Joh. 3.20 Job 27.6 And in some it is the naturall conscience accusing and challenging after sin is committed now CHRIST came not to extirpate conscience nor the power of feeling and discerning the obligation to wrath that the conscience apprehendeth after sin is committed nor the legall evill deserving of sin nor the contrariety between it and the Law 2. Christ by his death gives repentance and mourning for sin Acts 5.31 Eze. 12.10 11. 3. Christ commends this Jer. 31.18 I have surely heard Ephraim bemoaning himself 2 King 22.19 Because thine heart was tender and thou hast weept before me I have also heard thee saith the Lord. Luk. 7.44 She hath washed my feet with tears 4. If Christ by his death should remove this hee should bring on by his death a heart passed feeling and burnt with a hot iron which is condemned Eph. 4.19 1 Tim. 4.2 5. It speaks a gracelesse rockinesse of heart to sin and not care for it Act. 18.17 18. Pro. 30.20 Far lesse would the Lord have us to dream that a Christan is annihilated and melted into God where they leave off to know will desire feel act or do any thing but God is all and all in this life and that to the eye of faith though not to the eye of reason all sense of sin is destroyed this is a destroying and overturning of all of Law Gospel of all humble walking with God and removes all necessity of fearing hoping believing praying hearing and changes us over into blocks PART II. Of the Mediatour of the Covenant CHAP. I. Q. WHat room or place hath Christ the Mediator in the Covenants A. He hath place in the Covenant of Works as a satisfier for us 2. As a doer and an obedient fulfiller thereof in all points And he is Mediator and Surety of the Covenant of Grace 2. The first Adam marres all the second ADAM who makes all things new mends all The first Adam was a publick sort of stirresman to whom was committed the standing and falling of all mankind and in reference to man the standing of Heaven Earth and Creatures in their perfection and he spoiled all put all things a-reeling The second ADAM received in his arms the whole Creation that was a-falling for in him all things 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 stand fast Col. 1.17 And he bears up all by his mighty word Heb. 1 3. He satisfied for our sins and for our breach of the Covenant of Works 2. He is a full doer and fulfiller of the Covenant of Works most perfectly by doing 1 Joh. 3.7 He who does righteousnesse is righteous As he who suffers for the broken Law fulfills the Law Rom. 6.7 He that is dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is freed justified from sin in the obligation of it to punishment So Paul vers 8. If wee be dead with Christ we beleeve that we shall live with him This dying is to beleeve that he died for us at least it excludes not that And if we keep the Law we are not oblidged to suffer for the Law does not oblidge man in absolute sense both to perfect doing and to perfect suffering copulatively but to one of them But if we be legally dead with Christ as his death so excellent doth exhaust sins punishment and is a perfect satisfaction therefore we are freed or justified from sin not to suffer or satisfie by suffering for it as Rom. 8.3 For what the Law could not do so that it was weak by accident not of it self through the flesh God sending his own Son in the likenesse of sinfull flesh and for sin condemned sin in the flesh 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the righteousnesse of the Law the passive righteousnesse in suffering for the breach of the Law might be fulfilled in us 2 Cor. 5.2 And Isai. 53.5 But he was wounded for our transgressions c. 6. The Lord laid upon him the iniquity of us all But though some suffer as the reprobate do and suffer in this life the beginning of satisfactory judgement yet are they not loosed from active obedience to the Law as the Law though they cannot having once sinned be under the Law as a Covenant of Justification and life nor is any flesh under that Covenant now Q. What place hath Christs righteousnesse here Ans. Pareus with some others distinguish between the Righteousnesse of Christs person which contains his essentiall Righteousnesse as God the habituall and actuall conformity of the Man Christ and the perfect holinesse of the Man Christ. Such a High Priest became us as is holy harmlesse c. Heb. 7.26 And The righteousnesse of his merit in the satisfaction of his suffering the satisfaction is the formall cause of our Justification which is counted ours this latter righteousnesse is acquired the former is essentiall Now the active obediēce of Christ falls under a twofold consideration 1. As the Man Christs perfect conformity to the Law of God so as man he was oblidged to do and suffer all that he did and suffered even to lay down his life for man But had he been only man his righteousnesse had neither been by condignity meritorious no◠yet satisfactory for us But 2. The whole course of Christs obedience from his birth to the grave by doing and suffering is to be considered as the doing and suffering of so excellent a person his being born his praying preaching dying coming from a Person God-Man Now the Law required not praying preaching of God-man the blood of God or the dying of him who was God-Man And so all these being both so excellent and then so undue have respect of satisfaction to God 2. The active obedience of Christ all that Christ did and suffered were performed by him in his state of humiliation In which he was poor 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Cor. 8.9 for us so also by the same ground a weeping man hungry thirsty weary for us made lower then the Angels by the suffering of death Heb. 2.9 Humbled by partaking of flesh and blood because of the children Heb. 2.14 Emptied himself for us Ph. 2. This was as Pareus well saith perpetua quaedam passio paena peccatorum nostrorum fuit tota vita Christi All these have a respect of punishment and suffering For since Christ was both a viator and a comprehensor and such a holy sinlesse person he ought to have had the actuall possession of the Crown of Glory from the womb and so should have been free of weeping hunger thirst wearinesse groaning sighing sadnesse persecution reproaches c. all which adhered to all his active holinesse and therefore in that his actions were
this because God sent his Son to die for all and every one of these Antipods and made the Gospel-Covenant with all and every one of them before the Authors shall be ebbe of Scripture here And if these Antipods should all and every one refuse the Gospel and kill the Preacher and never one either receive the Gospel or propagate to any that may receive it Then such an Apostolick mission is not in Scripture and the lawfulnesse of that mans call to me is to be questioned and I should judge his own Spirit not God sent him Nor is this true that the Gospel is and was Preachable and of it self may be preached to any age Job lived before the giving of the Law and Melchisedeck and they had the call of God to Preach to them to whom they Preached 2. It shall be denied that Jonah had sinned if he had not preached to Nineveh except God had expresly commanded him to preach to Nineveh otherwise it had been the sin of Godly Prophets who lived with him in the time of Joash King of Judah 2 King 14.25 and they had been guilty as Jonah in not Preaching to Nineveh Yea all the Ministers and Apostles and Prophets had sinned in not Prophecying to the Phylistins Syrians Persians Bythinia Samaria whereas the Apostles Matth. 10.5 Act. 16.6 were forbidden to Preach the Gospel to the Gentiles to Asia and it were strange to say Ezekiel sinned in not preaching to a people of an unknown Language whereas the Lord expresly says he sent him not unto them Ezek. 3.5 6. and that Rom. 10.15 How shall they Preach except they be sent is meant of the Apostles and of all lawfull Pastors And there may be running and no sending of God to Nations Jer. 23.21 and Psal. 147.19 20. when he denies he declared his judgements and his statutes to any Nation by sent Prophets as he did to Jacob if the Gospel then was of it self Preachable to all Nations Prophets unsent might have Preached these same judgements to other Nations that were Preached to Jacob though not sent of God But that place Psal. 147. and diverse others would say he choised only Israel as his Covenanted people As Deut. 7.7 8 9. Deut. 10.12 13 14 15. Exod. 20.1 2. Psal. 78.5 6. Amos 3.1 2. Deut. 27.1 2. to them only he revealed the Covenant of Grace then was it not a Covenant of its own nature that might at any age be Preached to all Nations But what is then revealed in these decrees if the Reprobate beleeve they shall be saved Ans. Not Gods intention conditionall or absolute to save them or to give them faith or grace merited by Christs death to beleeve for then some good-will and love of election the Lord should bear toward the election of such and should desire all the Reprobate to be saved so they would believe and yet by this way no more is there grace purchased to them by Christ to beleeve then there is grace purchased to them to performe obedience to the Law Now the Authors will not say that by Christs dying for all there is a conditionall will in Christ or in the Father to give life to all who perfectly keep the Law for this conditionall will or means and end was in God before and suppone Christ had never died for sinners 2. This would say that the Reprobate were to beleeve that Christ died to save them having purchased life to them and to believe that he died not to save them all for whom he died because they are not to believe he died to purchase faith by his death or grace to beleeve without which salvation is impossible it cannot be said that God absolutely intended to save them whether they beleeve or not even while as there is such a decree in God because he hath decreed both the end and the means to wit having ordained for them salvation and having ordained for them faith nor is there any such decree in God toward any but the Elect only therefore this conditionall decree if all and every one beleeve all and every one shall be saved can infer no love of God through Christ to the persons of all and every one to have them saved more then this can infer a love of saving all and every one to be in God or to have been in the Lord before the fall of Angels and men if all and every one of Angels and men shall perfectly without sin to the end keep the Law then all Angels all men Elect and Reprobate shall be saved eternally Now no man found in judgement can say this conditionall can infer that God had a good will to save some Angels not to save others More then this if all and every man beleeve in Christ they shall be saved can infer that God hath a good-will to save Reprobate men and not fallen Angels In a word no simple conditionall propositions can infer the desire or good will of God to the persons of men or to have the things done except God effectually work the condition As this if all fulfill the Law perfectly men and Angels and all men shall be saved by the Law cannot infer that God hath a good will to the persons of all Angels and all men to justifie and save them all without exception by the works of the Law the contrair whereof he decreed For this connex proposition may stand true with the salvation of all Angels of all men of no Angels or no men according as the Lord shall be pleased of his good pleasure and free grace to work or not to work the condition of moving the will of Angels and men to keep the Law And therefore these connexions nihil ponunt absoluti they place nothing absolutely to persons but only to things to wit 1. that it is the duetie and obligation of all Angels and men to perform absolute obedience to the Law as they would be justified and saved by the Law and its the duty of all men in the Visible Church to beleeve in Christ. if they would be justified and saved in Christ. 2. That there is a wise connexion between means and end obedience legall and life faith and life according to the approving will of God and yet neither means nor end may ever come to passe or fall out and neither means nor end may ever be decreed of God to fall out Yea God may decree absolutely that none of the extreams shall exist as God decrees if Zedekiah shall yeeld to the King of Babylon Jerusalem shall not be burnt and yet according to his decree or will of purpose the Lord hath decreed that the yeelding of Zedekiah and the safety of the idolatrous Citie should not come to passe but the contrair So God decrees if Judas repent and beleeve he shall be saved according to the will of precept and yet according to the Lords will of purpose neither did the Lord decree or intend the repenting and saving beleeving of
condition of justifying faith laying hold on him who justifies the ungodly is required of us in our Covenant There is no such condition required of Christ in his Covenant of suretyship The faith of Christ is the faith of dependency but not as a condition of the Covenant of suretyship but in another account Q. But is it not hard that Christ is in one Covenant and beleevers in another It s not hard when the Lord Christs Covenant and our Covenant cannot be separated and when Christs room in the Covenant of Redemption is to be the designed person Covenanting who undertakes for us as the surety witnesse and Angel or Messenger of the New Covenant who makes sure our Writs makes valid and strong our Charters Rights and Evidences of our Inheritance Q. How is it that the promises are made to Christ as to the seed Gal. 3.16 Ans. Our Divines Beza Piscator Deodati the English Divines in their Annotations expound the Seed Christ of Christ Mystical as the Church the body 1 Cor. 12.12 is called Christ. Judicious Pareus saith that the Apostle expounds the Seed not collectivelie of many and of all the posterity of Abraham but individuallie of one Christ from whom flowes to the beleevers not so much the corporall blessing as the spirituall that is righteousnesse and eternall life And so saith he the Apostle saith that this blessing or the inheritance is given to Abraham and believers not by the Law that is by no merit in Abraham but by the promise and by faith in Christ. Among Papists Liranus the promises are made to the seed scilicet Christo in quo impletae sunt non in alio ideo dicitur semini in singulari numero that is to Christ in whom the promises are fulfilled and in none other therefore it is said to the seed in the singular number So also Cajetan Semini autem ejus tanquam cui promissa sunt in quo adimplenda erant promissa Corn. Ã lapide If the word seed semen were taken collectively the promise could not stand for its sure all the Jews were not blessed in the seed Yea many of them saith Calvin were a curse Estius saith the word seed is a collective name and notteth many and hath not in the Hebrew the Plurall Number Augustine saith he will have all Christians following the faith of Abraham to be here noted for they are that seed to which the promise is made whereas Christ is properly he in whom the promise is to be fulfilled and in whom all are one by faith and all are reduced to the Singular Number There is no reason to expound the Seed Christ of Mysticall Christ and of his Seed 1. Because the Seed is he in whom the Nations are blessed both Jews and Gentiles v. 14. And the Seed made a curse for us v. 13. But this seed is only Christ not mysticall Christ head and members for neither are we blessed in Christ mysticall nor was Christ mysticall the Church made a curse for us Nor did the Church mysticall pay a price of satisfaction to offended justice for us v. 19. The word seed seems to have the same signification v. 16. and v. 19. Consider then v. 19. Wherefore then serveth the Law It was added because of transgressions untill the seed come to whom the promise was made Now the seed coming is Christ coming in the flesh to take on our nature If the seed were taken for Christ mysticall the Apostle must say The Law was added because of transgression untill the seed should come that is untill Christ mysticall his Church should come in the flesh which is non-sense 3. Whether the promise be of Canaan and of life eternall thereby holden forth Or of Christ to come of Abraham in whom all flesh shall be blessed or of righteousnesse by faith not by the works of the Law Or of all these coming under the name of the inheritance the promise is made to many in number like the Stars For the Lamb and the hundreth fourty and four thousands standing with him on Mount Zion and the thousands of thousands which none can number Rev. 7.9 are many and may well be called seeds And though they be all one in Christ yet the Apostle must speak too ambiguously when he said The promise of righteousnesse and life is made to the seed that is to Christ head and members for the promise is so made to Christ especially of life pardon righteousnesse as the blessings promised are fulfilled given through for Christ as the only meritorious cause as all grant which way the promises are in no sense made to believers who cannot come in as joint satisfiers with Christ as joint meritorious procurers with Christ of the blessings promised to us 4. The promise is made to the seed coming in the flesh and assuming our nature in a personal union v. 19. as is by confession of all expounded Now this restricts the promise to God incarnate and must exclude the members 5. It runs most connaturally to the Text and comfortably to us if neither Christ Gal. 3.16 be understood as a private man the Sonne of Mary nor yet as Christ mysticall as 1 Cor. 12.12 But as Christ a publike person and Head and Lord-Mediator 1. He represents all the Elect and so the word seed is taken individually He takes all the promises and the weight of the whole Covenant of Grace and Covenant-promises off the Lords hand as the second Adam representing all the Family and House Behold I and the children that God hath given me As the weight of the Covenant of Works and of the promises thereof was upon the first Adam as he should manage these promises so should it fare ill or well with all his seed And so as Christ having the Gospel and Covenant-promises committed to him so should it be with us and this Tutor cannot miscarry and so shall it be well with the Pupils and Minors Were it no more but that Joh. 14.19 Because I live ye shall live also ye shall live by promise the free promise of life eternall it s no small vantage 2. The promises are laid down in Christ as in a publike Lord-Keeper Christ is that excellent Ark in which are the Tables of the Covenant and the Book of the Law and Covenant Deut. 31.26 1 King 8.9 and as the first subject of the promises he keepeth them Yea and Christ is the fountain and originall cause of all the promises for he merited by his blood remission righteousnesse perseverance eternall life all grace which the Lord makes ours by free promise 2. In Christ they are made and published to us so they are dear mercies to Christ they stand Christ at a dear rate they are ours freely for no price or hire 3. Hence nothing hinders but the promises as made to Christ the first Heir and Son of promise for Christ is the chief and principall thing promised and other things
sprinkled Altar was also sprinkled with blood for saith the Holy Ghost Heb. 9.22 Almost all things are by the Law purged with blood and without shedding of blood there is no forgivenesse of sins There was no guiltinesse in the Book but these written Lawes and Ceremonies were the hand-writing of Ordinances which was against us which was contrary to us which Christ by his bloody death behoved to blot out take out of the way and nail to His Crosse Colos. 2.14 But another Question riseth Exod. 24.6 What needed the sprinkling of the people with one half of the blood and the sprinkling of the Altar that is Christ the Mediator with the other For 1. Neither the work of dying to redeem man can be divided between Christ and the people nor needed Christ our true Altar forgivenesse of sins Ans. The typicall sprinkling of the people is expounded Heb. 9.14 the purging of the conscience from dead works to serve the living God to obey the Gospel 1 Pet. 1.3 But the sprinkling of the Altar Christ with the blood is a far other thing So the Holy Ghost Heb. 9. He who is constitute the Mediator of a Testament his death must interveen to ratify and make valide in Law the Testament v. 16 17. That the friends of the Testator may have right to the goods that are bequeathed to them in the Testament But Christ is the Mediator of the New Testament v. 15. Ergo c. Now we are to know that Christs dying is considered 1. As a paying of ransone for captives by which in Law and by way of meriâ—e the ranson of the blood of God exceedeth the worth of the bought captives or the crime committed by the captives and so Christs death meriteth to his friends ransoned righteousnesse life pardon 2. His dying is considered as a Testament of a dying friend Now the living friends by vertue of a Testament as a Testament have not â—us and right by buying and selling to the goods tested The essence and nature of a Testament is saved whether the goods that are bequeathed in legacy be the free gift of the Testator not bought with a price by him or goods of the father of the friend to which the friend being a German-brother hath as good right or the same right by birth that the Testator hath How ever the comparison holds in this Christ 1. hath bequeathed to believers these goods 2. The Testament is no Testament nor valide in Law except the Testator be dead No man can sue by Law tested goods if the Testator himself be living Nor can we have right to a new heart forgivenesse perseverance eternall life to grace and glory except Christ our Testator had died But because the Tested goods are more then goods left to us in Testament they are left to us by such a Testament as is both a Testament and a death perfectly meritorious this is superadded to the nature of a Testament and beyond all Testaments yea a death which is a price to ransone us from the wrath to come Therefore Christ so dying in our stead of justice meriteth that the friends should have these goods though they belong by meer grace and free promise to the friends Now this is a most clear ground Christ hath a well purchased right by giving a condign price for the goods and blesâ—sings promised in the Covenant of Grace to us This right he hath by paying a price laying down his life for us This buying is not by necessity of nature of justice but by a voluntary free and uncompelled agreement and Covenant Joh. 10.18 Isai. 53.6 No man can exact upon him Psal. 89.22 2. If the Old Testament was confirmed by the blood of beasts then must the New Testament be confirmed by the blood of Christ prefigured in these But the Old Testament was so confirmed Heb. 9. v. 18 19 20 21 22 23. Ergo now neither Testament nor Covenant was confirmed by blood simply but by the blood of a living creature slain 3. Hence the making of a Covenant was by cutting a calf or a beast in twain and passing between the parts thereof Jer. 34.18 and so they entered into a curse Nehem. 10.29 devoted themselves to destruction wishing they might be cut 〈◊〉 which is a strange kinde of death Math. 24.51 if they should break the Covenant Hence the Phrase of striking a Covenant So the Romans slew a sow So the Romans and Albani made a Covenant as Livius A Herauld or Officer at Arms slew the beast and prayed a curse on the people of Rome that they might be the same way stricken if they should break the Covenant It s like they had it from the Jewes So Christ died to ratifie and confirm the Covenant Exod. 24.6 This is the blood of the Covenant Now the Covenant hath no blood This blood of slain beasts for it is a figurative speech is a signe confirming the Covenant that believers shall have remission of sins in that blood of Christ which is shaddowed forth by the blood of these beasts So Christ the great Shepheard of the flock Heb. 13.20 is said to be brought from the dead 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 by the blood of the everlasting Covenant Juâ—ius the Article is understood Or as the Hebrew Phrase 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is put for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as Calvin and Piscator The question may be How did God bâ—ing Christ again from the death by the blood of the everlasting Covenant had the blood of Christ any influence to bring himself back from the dead Or did he by dying merit his own resurrection Ans. Some read the word thus and shun the Question The God of peace who brought again from the dead the great sheepherd of the sheep Understanding 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being the great sheepherd or feeder by the blood of the everlasting Covenant So Beza who maks these words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to be referred to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So as Christs right to be Pastor is in and by his blood and suffering And the words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 so is not to be constructed with the particle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 But Beza confesseth that he changed the situation of the words But if Christ be made a Pastor and feeder of the sheep by the blood of the eternall Covenant then is he called to be a Pastor by Covenant And what influence hath his death in his Pastoral Office Is it by way of merit Or did Christ merit to himself Hardly if not curiously can we say that though I nothing doubt but Christ gave perfect obedience as man to the Covenant of Works and he did merit as man jure operum life eternall the way that Adam should have merited life eternal so he had never fallen But the words naturally bear this sense as Deodati expounds them that Christ is risen by vertue of his death As it is well said the just surety
be the Son of God by the resurrection from the dead That was a judiciall declaration Acts 2.24 Having loosed the pains of death 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as a King by authority and judicially looses a prisoner from his fetters having no more to say against him Psa. 105.20 The King sent and loosed him Isa. 50.8 He is near that justifies me who is he that contends with me in judgement Rom. 6.9 Knowing that Christ being raised from the dead dieth no more death shall no more have Lordship or Lordly dominion over him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 So the word Luk. 22.25 The Kings of the Gentiles bear dominion over them Rom. 14.9 Death had some Kingly dominion in Justice and by Law over him But Christ by Law of satisfactory payment who was also the mighty Son of God wrought himself out of the grips and fetters of death So in Christ death hath lost Law-dominion over the beleever It is against Justice and the just Covenant between Jehovah and Christ that we should be for ever among the worms and not at length be loosed from the sting and victory of the grace O death thou shalt thou must let the captives go free 1 Cor. 15.55 Hos. 13. the prison must be a free Jayle when iron gates and fetters are broken We have in Christ a good cause the cause and action of Law is win and carried on our favours 2. There is a promise of heavenly influences made to Christ Isa. 50.4 He wakeneth morning by morning he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned 5. The Lord hath opened mine ear and I was not rebellious Some great Divines say Christ had no sleepy nor closed ear he must there speak of Isaiah But so there was no sinfull drynesse in Christ Was He not therefore anointed Isa. 42.1 I will put my Spirit upon him Then all influences are promised also Isa. 11.2 The Spirit of the Lord shall rest upon him 3. And shall make him of quick understanding in the fear of the Lord and he shal not judge after the sight of his eyes c. 2. Christ was assured he could not sin and so of influences to duties Joh. 5.30 Joh. 8.26 27 38 50 55. Joh. 10.38 though he wanted influences at a time as touching consolation and the felt fruition of God being forsaken for a time Psal. 22.1 Luk. 22.44 Math 27.45 But Adam as he was not to beleeve perseverance nor yet sinfully to fear falling so neither was he to beleeve influences to all acts of obedience they not being promised to him Yet was not Adam to beleeve his own reprobation for it was neither true nor a revealed truth Then the only nearest way against deadnesse and drynesse is to have recourse to the fountain and fulnesse of life that is in Christ. Literall quickning of our selves miskenning Christ out of whose fulnesse we receive produceth but literall fardinesse 3. The speciall and cardinall promise I will be his God Psal. 89.26 and he shall cry to me Thou art my Father my God and the rock of my salvation is bound up with Christ in the Covenant of Suretyship and is the key and corner stone of the frame and building of the Covenant of Grace Joh. 20.17 Go to my Brethren saith Christ to Magdalen and say unto them I ascend unto my Father and to your Father and to my God and your God It s comfortable talking that Christ saith to us I and you Beleevers are the Children of the same Father and have one Covenant-relation to one God though as is said Christ bear the relation of a Surety-Covenant to God and we of a Covenant of Mediation and notwithstanding of the differences yet it may be said that Christ and Beleevers are in one writ and one letter of acquittance dischargeth both from condemnation Christ from condemnation of punishment us from condemnation of inherent guiltinesse and punishment Blessed we to be unite to him every way and to joine our Amen and consent to the Covenant yea and in regard of profession we should subâ—cribe and write our names to it Isa. 44.1 2 3. Our maimed and broken and half consent proclaims an overly and cold Covenanting It s true parties are but once married once Covenanting by oath is as good as twenty but frequent and multiplied acts of marriage-love adde a great deal of firmnesse and of strength to the Marriage band they are confirmations of our first subscription Renewed acts of faith to take Christ for Jesus and Redeemer and renewed acts of love do more and more ingadge the heart to Christ as Lord and King Little conversing with Christ deadens marriage-love Rare visits and thin bring on worn out acquaintance We are apt to complain he visits us seldome that is because we have not the childish hire of consolation and feeling we refuse to work and yet we should look at comfort for the duty and not on the duty for the comfort when it s a duty to our Father And who looks upon the comfort both as a comfort and a duty 1 Thes. 4.18 Comfort one another with these words and so must they comfort themselves Comfort is mainly for beleeving Colos. 2.2 Heb. 6.18 and there is a feast and a fill of joy in beleeving Rom. 15.13 We seek but a comfort and a joy of chearing and solacing our selves and that is all 4. There is promised to Christ a seed Isa. 53.10 When thou shalt make his soul an offering for sin he shall see his seed Heb. 2.13 Behold I and the children that God hath given me Jacob by Covenant served for Rachel Christ also served suffered and died of love for his Spouse Eph. 5.25 26. Isa. 53. he shall be satisfied A Redeemed seed was his end and we endure hard labour for a desired end and we are sick till we get the great end we aim at It s true the honour of God was the speciall end Joh. 12.28 c. 17.1 yet it was heart satisfaction to Christ to have all his off-spring and children with him Joh. 17.24 How should Christ not be our end See if ye do all and suffer all to fetch this shoar Phil. 3.8 9. Examine comparative ends by-ends self ends It s impossible a man can be ignorant of his last and main end so strong an impulsion it hath upon his heart 5. There 's not onely a seed but a rich conquest the heathen promised and the ends of the earth Psal. 2.8 9. Dominion from sea to sea Zech. 9.10 Psal. 72.8 Dan. 7.14 and both this and the former satisfies Christ. There is not a sight so desirable to the eye of Christ as to see all his Redeemed ones conquering and last in the fields and fairly landed on the shoar passed Gun-shot and reach of all temptations We satisfy our unbeleeving hearts too much Ah! who can stand temptations are so strong But as JEHOVAH fully satisfies Christs soul his hope his aim and intended
so he should fail against justice with all glory to him be it spoken if he should exact these from us Christ died not for our good only but also in our stead There be considerable differences between Christs punishment and that punishmeÌ„t which was due to uâ— eternally A fivefold onenes law identity samenes betweeÌ„ Christ the surety and sinners for whom he satisfied Scripture and arguments froÌ„ Scripture prove that Christ died in our room and stead If Christ was made the curse that was due in law to us that blessing not due to us might coÌ„e upon us then he suffered in our place Oratio pro Arâ—hia Poeâ—à Oratio pro Marcello 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Demosthe 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Isocrates 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Col. 1.24 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Homer 〈◊〉 5. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Three for one slain 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rex 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Il. 1. Rom 9. ◠〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 10.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 15.13 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Joh. 11.50 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Rom. 5 6· 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 7. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 2 Sam. 18. Syria versio Quis dabit me mori loco tui Chaldae Paraph Vellem quod mortuus essem tu mansisses â—odiè fili mi. Ge. 22. LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Gen. 44. LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mar. 10. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat. 20.28 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 23. dabis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Daebis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prov. 11.8 LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Job 34. â—4 Heb as before Ps. 45.16 LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Job 16 4 LXX 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Mat 2.22 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Trostius Syria versio 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Loco Herodis patris sui 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tremel Trostius vice piscis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ro 12.17 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Syr. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Tremellius Trostius 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro multis sed Mat. 2.22 vertunt loco 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro vel vice omnis hominis 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 loco seu vice vestri 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 loco â—â—ium suarunt 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 vice populi 1 Tim. 2.6 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 loco omnis hominis 1 Pet. 2.11 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pro nobis vice nostri In stead or â—or another cannot note alwayes for the profit and good of another but it must make non-sense Socinus de Servato l. 2. c. 8. Cateches Raccoviens c. 8. pa. 183 184. The vain reason of Socinians that Christ died not in the place and room of sinners because he died not in the place and room of sinnes and transgressions retorted answered We legally died suffered for sin in Christ altho many of us for whom he died were not then born and neither we nor our sins had any being CHRIST willeth not that we answer plea's that he hath answered and that by unbeleef wee trouble our selves with debt that he hath payed Socinus de Servato l. 2. c. 8. Quomodo igitur vice loco nostri Christus est mortuus si nos quoque perpetuo â—idem mortis generi expositi sumus Crellius adversus Grotium c. 9. par 9. How wee die though Christ have died for us We depose CHRIST with reverence to his holiness from his office of Mediator when we embark having once beleeved in him in a new plea with the Law We are not to act of new a plea with the Law being now in another kingdome and freed from the Law We are not to desire a Law-wakening under Gospel-deadnesse VVe sinned in AdaÌ„ though we had neither being nor hand in making Adam either our naturall or Law-head so may we be legally crucified with Christ our surety though we had no hand in appointing Christ to be our surety All the requisits to a reall satisfaction are in Christs dying for us What mortification is Mortification comes froÌ„ Christs death as from a real cause and from a real new principle procured by the death of Christ. Gospel arguments how and upon whoÌ„ they work When reasoÌ„ is green adherence to a course by perswasion is unstable Four sorts of considerable actings in one mortified 1. No actings are in the mortified at most moving objects The motions of grace are quiet slow The actings of a mortified man in order to all created things are indifferent not peremptory not so absolutly fixed but he can qâ—iâ—e them 〈◊〉 Goâ— Actings terminated on God may be fiery Mortification sweetly closes with all providences Mortification or deadnesse meerly naturall only because the Tools are broken the horse wearied hath nothing to do with the death of CHRIST 2. Compelled mortification is not froÌ„ Christs death 3. Philosophick and bookish mortification not from Chrst crucified 4. Superstitious and religious mortification Luther Com. on Gal. 6 14 5. Pharisaâ—cal mortification 6. Civil mortification D. Preston Serm. 1. of mortification p. 8 p. 9. 1. Mortification to self 2. Mortification to will Much will much life all will is no mortification 3. Mortification to life 4. Mortification to wisdom there is a paper sicknes for maÌ„y books 5. Mortification to learning books Ptolemaeus Philadelphius King of Egypt gathered in the Bibliotheck of Alexandriâ— 40000. books ad luxuriam non ad utilitatem ait Livius and they were all burnt Serenus Sammoniâ—â—â— left in Testament to Gordianus junior three score and two thousand books Petrarcha Librorum larga copiae est operosa sed delectabilis sarcina animi jucunda distractio libri quosdam ad scientiam quosdam ad insaniam deduxere dum plus hauriâ—nt quam digerunt Vt stomachis sic ingentis nausea saepius nocuit quam fames 6. MortificatioÌ„ to riches The simple desire of riches is not the sin Whether acts of covetousnesse may consist with mortification and how 7. Deadnesse to honour Sis pro nobis peripsema Plutarchus De profectu virtutum lib. 11.5.237 Themistocles somnum sibi Miltiadis Tropheo adimi eoque se excitari electo Plutarch ib. pag. 239. Quid mihi nunciaturus es nisi Homerum revixisse Men may judg themselves mortified to honour because they are deadned to riches and not be mortified Plutarch de capienda ex hostibus utilitate lâ—bel n. 3â— pag. 241. Zeno cum nunciaretur navim ipsius qua negotiabatur fractam Bene facis inquit fortuna quae nos intra palliolum compellis All sins are not mortified with the like labour 8. Deadnesse to injuries Plutarch lib. de liberis educandis moral 1. n. 15.20 pag. 17. Aâ— si me Asinus calce feriisset jussuri eratis ut contra eum calcem impingerem Omnibus hoc ei exprobrantibus calcitronem adolescentem appellantibus