suitable to mans intire nature to love God yet to love him so and so by obeying the command of not eating the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge and some other Commands is not so connaturall but God might have commanded the contrair without any thing done contrair to mans nature Yet from this it followes no more that these are two Covenants then that there be two Covenants of Grace Because faith in God and the Morall Law in an Evangelick way are therein commanded and also some duties touching the seals by a positive Law are therein contained CHAP. VII It s not written in the heart of man by nature that GOD should promise life eternall to man upon condition of obedience 2. And that the debt of Justice can not tye GOD. 3. GOD punisheth not sin by necessity of nature 4. Nor defends he his own declarative Glory by that necessity 5. Nothing can be given to GOD Al-sufficient 6. No meriting of the creature 7. We should have humble thoughts of free-Grace 8. How low thoughts of our selves 9. Promises make no strict justice between GOD and us SUre it is not repugnant to the yet innocent and intire nature of man to know that God may reward all such as seek and serve him but that he must reward obedience either in the generall or so and so is neither written in mans heart nor hath it any truth For it were nothing against justice or bounty or any attribute of God not to reward his creature which is obliged to serve him and though there be a sort of quietnesse of conscience which is the naturall result of obedience in Adam and of all men yet it cannot inferre that there is an intrinsecall connexion ex naturâ rei between our obedience and a reward to be given of God Therefore nor will it be a good inference because there is disquietnesse in the conscience after sin and that it is naturall to a sinner to apprehend a revenging power pursuing sin committed that therefore it is naturall anâ— essentiall to the Lord to pursue sin with punishment in generall For a naturall conscience may and does know that God doth freely create the world and that he might not have created it that he doth good freely to his creatures and that he is not a debtor to his creatures Will it follow by any Logick that God creates the world by any naturall obligation And because by force of a naturall conscience all know that God is good and bountâ—full to his creatures in giving and doing good to them we cannot therefore infer that actuall beneficence is so essentiall to the infinite Majesty as he should not be God if he did not extend that goodnesse to them Common sense will say no more followeth but goodnesse and bounty intrinsecall are essentiall to God and these attributes are essentiall to him and were from eternity in him and are his good and bountifull nature Though not either man Angel or any thing else had been created to which he doth actually extend his goodnesse Ergo this actuall extension of goodnesse is not essentiall to God so neither is the actuall punishing of sin essentiall to God but free though Adam apprehended God would punish his eating of the forbidden tree Yet if he apprehended that he should not be God if he did not punish it his apprehension was erroneous And this only followes that there is an intrinsecall and internall Justice in God naturall and essentiall in God but so that the out-goings of his Justice the egressions are most free and that is said by some without all reason because the apprehensions we have naturally of God that he punisheth sin Vniversales apprehensiones nequaquam sunt eorum quae Deo vel adesse vel abesse possunt pro liberrimâ voluntate Universall apprehensions therefore they are not apprehensions of such things as may be or not be in God according to his free pleasure if the apprehensions of Gods doing good to Angels to men to all his creatures freely be in all by nature and cannot be rooted out and be universall then these apprehensions cannot be of such things as are in God according to his most free will and may be in the Almighty or not be in him But the conclusion hath neither reason nor sense for there are universall apprehensions in all men and they canot be rooted out that God does good to Angels men and creatures freely Ergo by this Logick the doing of good freely to Angels men and creatures is not a thing that is in God according to his free-will and may be in the Almighty or not in him Then the so doing must be in God essentially 2. Then must God not be God if he do not good freely to them 3. Then must God not be God except he create men Angels and creatures 4. But since he is God everlasting he must from everlasting have created men Angels and the creatures and from everlasting he must punish sin Life may be considered 1. As life 2. As such an excellent life to wit a communion with God In the former consideration life is either considered as the end or secondly as a free reward In the former respect To live an intellectuall life in obeying God was to Adam so created a connaturall end as to burn is to fire and to give light to the Sunne And God may put the respect of a reward upon any obedientiall end But that Adam should have such an eminent life for the reward of his obedience as a communion with God which is farre above his obedience is the free donation of God nor is there any necessary connexion between Adams perfect obedience and so high and eminent a life nor can this Covenant as touching such a promise be written in his heart God then never loved to make any Covenant yea even that of Works without some acts and out-goings of grace and the hyre was grace how is he not to be served who loves to hyre and allure us to be happy Arminius saith the reward of keeping the Covenant of Works cannot be spirituall nor can the punishment be spirituall because you teach saith he that the obedience is naturall Ans. It followeth not for the reward is spirituall yea and supernaturall from the free promise of God It was that God should recompence our naturall obedience coming from connaturall principles with so eminent a Crowne as communion with God Creator in a life of glory And this came from no innate proportion between a naturall work and supernaturall reward Otherwise we must say first that there is such an intrinsecall connexion ex naturâ rei between Adams work and so high wages as that glorious communion was as the Lord could not but in justice so have rewarded his obedience except he would be unjust but there is nothing in the creature that can conclude limite or determine his will 〈◊〉 wisdome who is infinite 2. It had been nothing against justice if
1. The nature of obeence 2. The worth and excellencie of obedience The more the obedience be from our selves the more it partakes of the nature of obedience Hence four kinds of obedience are to be considered 1. Christs obedience was the most legall obedience and also the most perfect for he obeyed most of his own of any from his own will purely Ioh. 10.18 Mat. 26. â—9 42 44. His own blood Hebr. 9.14 Rev. 1.5 My blood saith he Matth. 26.28 He gave his life a ransome Matth. 20.28 He gave himself a ransome 1 Tim. 2.6 By himself he purged our sins Heb. 1.3 Gave himself for his Church Eph. 5.25 Offered himself Heb. 9.14 And therefore the satisfaction that he made was properly his own It s true the life flesh and blood which he offered to God as common to the three Persons was equally the life flesh blood of God by way of Creation and efficiency For God as God created His Man-hood and gave him a body but that Man-hood in abstracto was not the offering but all these in concreto and the self including the value and the dignitie was not the Fatâ—ers not the Spirits but most properly his own and the Sons only by way of personall termination and subsistence 1. There are contradictory tearms affirmed of this holy self the Son and of the Spirit and the Father The Son was God incarnate 2. The son offered himself his own life his own blood to God for our sins Neither the Father nor the Spirit at all is God incarnate neither Father nor Spirit offered his own life his own blood to God Neither the Father nor the Spirit hath to speak so a personall or terminative dominion over the flesh and blood of Christ. 2. Christ was in no sort oblidged to empty himself and cannot be under a jus or obligation to the Creator or the creature Of free love and his own will he became Mediâ—â—â—â— God Man and being creaâ—ed man and having said here am I to do thy will having stricâ—en hands with God as Surety of the Covenant none more oblidged being holy and true And therefore though Christ-Man was most strictly tyed to give the Father obedience yet he was not oblidged to give him such and such obedience so noble so excellent from a personall Union for Christ God cannot properly come under any obligation Hence the obedience of Christ is most meritorious because maximè indebita in regard of the God-head most undebtfull and yet obedience most debtfull in regard of the Man Christ. 3. Most from his own will personally considered the affection love the bended will highest delight to obey lay personally near to the heart and holy will of Christ God With desire have I desired to eat this Passeover He went foremost in the journey to Ierusalem when he was to suffer Much of the internall propension of the will makes much and as it were heightens and intends the nature of obedience so that Christs and our obedience have scarce an univocall definition 4. He gave and restored more glory to offended justice by such a noble incomparably excellent death then Adam and all his Sons took of glory from God therefore against impure Socinus it is a most reall satisfaction and compensation where glory by obeying and suffering is restored in liew of the glory taken away All that Socinians say that God cannot be a loser and needs not glory and nothing can be taken from him and nothing can be given to him proves nothing but that it is not such a satisfaction as one creature performs to another nor is it a satisfaction that brings profite to God For can a man be profitable to the Almightie Nor such a satisfaction as eases a disquieted minde Which proves not Christ to be a Saviour painted in a meer coppy to us and only a godly Martyr who saveth onely by preaching and witnessing and not by a most reall and eminently clear satisfaction 2. The Elect Angels next to Christ gave obedience in their Law course but not so properly of their own as Christ for some discriminating and strengthning grace they had from Christ Mediator their head Col. 2.10 that they should not fall and something from the Election of Grace which do not necessarily agree to the Covenant of Works which they performed without sin and the more extrinsecall help from grace the lesse merit so farre is grace from being as Jesuites say the essentiall requisite of merit that the work is lesse ours and so the lesse meritorious that it hath grace Let not any say then Christs obedience that came from the fulnesse of the Spirit without measure 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 must so be lesse meritorious which is absurd for the reason why grace in Angels and men who are meer creatures diminishes the nature of merit is because grace is not their own nor their proper due but supernaturall or preternaturall and so hurts the nature of the merit but to the meriting person Christ-God-Man nothing is supernaturall nothing extrinsecall nothing not his own Grace is his own as it were by a sort of personall dominion not to say that the Man Christ as man did not merit yet as man he was born sinless and with the full Image of God 3. Adam gave more faintly obedience more indeed of his own but it was lesse obedience and lesse will in it then the obedience of Angels and had he continued his obedience had been proper obedience but this is to be observed none did ever actu secundo and by the only help of simple nature attain Justification and Salvation by the simple Covenant of Works but men and evill Angels fell under both though that was a possible Covenant and holy and spirituall yet God set it up to be an inlet to pure Justice in the reprobate Angels and so to free grace in elect men 4. The obedience of faith or Gospel-obedience in the fourth place hath lesse of the nature of obedience then that of Adam or of the Elect Angels or that of Christs It s true we are called obedient Children and they are called the Commandements of Christ and Christ hath taken the Morall Law and made use of it in an Evangelick way yet we are more as it were patients in obeying Gospel-Commands not that we are meer patients as Libertines teach for grace makes us willing but we have both supernaturall habits and influences of grace furnished to us from the Grace of Christ who hath merited both to us and so in Gospel-obedience we offer more of the Lords own and lesse of our own because he both commands and gives us grace to obey And so to the elect beleever the Law is turned in Gospel he by his Grace fulfilling as it were the righteousnesse of the Law in us by begun new obedience Rom. 8.4 and to the reprobate the Law remains the Law and the Gospel is turned in the Law for all conditionall
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
salvation upon their own Socinian faith that is their indifferent relying upon the Saviour Jesus and their own holiness watchfulnesse obedience love to God Sure the comfort joy peace assurance subjective that they have in their conscience can be no stronger then the objective and fundamentall certitude of standing persevering overcoming flowing from free-will which is woefully free and indifferent to persevere and stand or not to persevere not to stand but to fall away It s a stronger consolation and the strongest should be the Christians choise that is founded upon the Fathers giving and the Sons receiving of sinners and the faith of salvation to me which relies and leans upon Christs undertaking for me that I shall not be lost nor casten out then upon my undertaking for my self The fifth Argument is from Christs receiving the Seals Who so receives in his body the Seals of the Covenant of Grace Circumcision and Baptism and yet needs no putting off of the body of the sins of the flesh by Circumcision and needs no forgivenesse of sin no regeneration no burying with Christ in Baptism as Col. 2.11 12. Rom. 6.3 4 5. and eats the Passeover and needs not that the Lamb of God take away his sins as Joh. 1.29 since he is holy and without sin he must be under the Covenant and God must be his God in some other Covenant then sinners are for these seals are proper to a Covenanted people strangers and Pagans might not receive them but these in Covenant only Gen. 17.7 Exod. 12.48 Matth. 28.20 Col. 2.11 12. and Christ must have received Seals for other uses and ends then sinners received them to wit to testifie that he was the God of both Jews and Gentiles and that he was the undertaker for us in a Covenant of suretyship for us to perfect a higher command then any mortall man was under to wit to lay down his life for sinners Joh. 10.18 and beside that for our cause he was made under the Law to fulfill all righteousness and so was Circumcised Luk. 2.21 Baptized Matth. 3.13 16 17. did eat the Passeover with the Disciples Mat. 26.18 19 20. Mar. 14.18 Luk. 22.13 14. he in coming under that state in which he must because a man fulfill the Law and be under even Gospel commands so far as they were suteable to his holy Nature testifieth in obeying all commands even of the Morall Law and as the Son of God he was under no such obligation that he was under a speciall ingagement and compact to God for the work of Redemption And we are taught to feel what imbred delight and sweetnesse of peace is in duties when Christ Covenants with God to come under the Law and under the hardest of commands to lay down his life for sinners because it was a Law and command by Covenant that hath most of obedience which hath most of a Law Q. Was Christ such an one as needed seals to his speciall Covenant with the Father Ans. He needed no seals at all to strengthen his faith of dependency for there was no sinfull weaknesse in his faith yet he was capable of growing Luk. 2.52 For the Law requires not the like physicall intention and bendednesse of acts of obedience from the young as from the aged 2. In that the receiving of the seals proves Christ to be Surety of the Covenant of Grace it makes good that he was under the other Covenant and to perform the obedience due to the speciall command of dying as to a command of Covenant 6. Argument is from the Lords libertie If God might in justice have prosecuted the Covenant of Works and Adam and his might justly have suffered eternall death for sin for the Law is holy and just and the threatning Gen. 2.17 just except the Lord had of grace made another Covenant then must the Lord send or not send a Saviour to suffer and be a suffering Redeemer and Surety as pleased him or not pleased him and if Christ may refuse to undertake or willingly agree as pleased him and Christ being Godâ—consubstantiall with the Father might have stood to the Law-way of works For who or what could have hindered him to follow a course of justice against all men then if both agreed to dispense with that Law-way to save man Here is Covenant-condiscension between JEHOVAH and the Son of quieting Law and pitching on a milde Gospel-way 7. Argument from the promises made to Christ He to whom the promises are made as to the seed so as in him they are yea and Amen and he who is eminently the chief heir of the promises as ingaged to make good the promises on the Lords part to give forgivenesse Jer. 31.34 Heb. 8.12 perseverance Jer. 32.39 40. Isa. 54.10 Isa. 59.21 peace Ezek. 34.25 Lev. 26.6.11 12. yea and a new heart Jer. 31.33 Ezek. 11.19 Heb. 8.10 life eternall Joh. 10.28 and to make good the promises upon our part by fulfilling the condition and giving habituall grace Jer. 31.33 Ezek. 36.26 and actuall influences Jer. 31.34 to know the Lord Ier. 32.39 40. Ezek 36.27 to and with him God must strike a Covenant of suretyship that he shall have the anointing in its fulnesse above his fellows without measure to make good all these promises as Mediatour for it is not simply grace and life that the Lord bestows upon his people but grace out of the store-house of the Mediatour God-Man Now this must be given to Christ by promise Gal. 3.16 Now to Abraham and his seed were the promises made he saith not and to seeds as of many but as of one and to thy seed which is Christ He cannot well mean mysticall Christ that is Christ and all his for they are indeed many and numerous as Isai. 2.1 2. Isai. 60.1 2 3 4 5 6. Psal. 22.27 compared with Rev. 5.11 Rev. 7.9 for the promises are made to Christ-God-Man eminently not formally For 2 Cor. 1.20 All the promises of God in him are yea and in him Amen For the promise is made to us for Christ and through his grace then the promise is made first to him and more eminently and to us for him Propter quod unumquodqueâ—ale id ipsum magis tale 2. The promises are fulfilled and made good not because we fulfill the condition but for Christ in whom and by whose merit both the grace promised and the grace habituall and actuall to perform the condition be it faith repentance humility c. is freely given to us 3. Christ is he who makes the Covenant and all the promises Act. 7.32 Who said to Moses I am the God of thy fathers the God of Abraham 34. I bave seen I have seen the affliction of my people which is in Aegypt and I have heard their groaning and am come down to deliver them And now come I will send thee unto Aegypt And v. 35. Moses is made a Ruler and a deliverer by the hands of the Angel that appeared to
THE COVENANT OF LIFE OPENED Or A TREATISE of the COVENANT OF GRACE Containing something of And especially of The nature of the Covenant of Works The Soveraignty of GOD The extent of the death of CHRIST The nature properties of the Covenant of Grace The Covenant of Suretyship or Redemption between the LORD and the Son JESUS CHRIST Infants right to JESUS CHRIST and the Seal of Baptisme With some Practicall Questions and Observations By SAMUEL RUTHERFURD Professor of Divinitie in the University of S. Andrews ZECH. 6.12 And speak unto him saying Thus speaketh the LORD of Hosts saying Behold the Man whose Name is the BRANCH and he shall grow out of his place and He shall build the Temple of the LORD 13. Even He shall build the Temple of the LORD and He shall bear the glory and shall sit and rule upon His Throne c. EDINBVRGH Printed by Andro Anderson for Robert Broun and are to be sold at his Shop at the Sign of the Sun ANNO 1655. CHRISTIAN READER MAny have written to the edifying of the Godly of this excellent Subject It s not much I can do in this but have added some thoughts to what is said intending a more Practicall way of the last Points in another Treatise to wit of the application of Covenant-Promises and of the influences of the Spirit under the Covenant of Grace of which especially of the latter of these two few have practically written And it is of much concernment to make ouâ— the Union of our Duty and the breathings of the LORD and what can be done under deadnesse to either fetch the wind or to be put in a spirituall condition that the soul â—ay ly fair for the receiving of the influences of GOD. I desire in this to speak for Truth not either for or against persons of whom I am silent concealing the names of any Contradicent judging Truth so much the more desirable when it may possibly be had with peace and as little blowing or stirring of the fire of contradiction as can be What is here said in a way of Disputing the Moderate Reader who is not taken with that way may passe by and read what is practicall The Author hath been lest Truth should suffer by him a little darkned as report bears with the name I know not what of a Protester as one who hath deserted the Government and Discipline of the Church of GOD in SCOTLAND But my humble thoughts are the same they were before though I can adde nothing to the Truth I look on these men the world so names Protesters Schismaticks Separatists as sinfull men who stand in need of a Saviour and as such as desire to fear GOD and love His Name and would gladly have our practise and walk come a little more near to the Rule of the Gospel and that our Land might mourn for all the abominations committed therein which I desire to be spoken without any reflection upon any of the Godly in the Land who in that point are of another Judgement It is my desire to the LORD that he would let us hear experienced by the reality of that Thus saith the LORD As the new wine is found in the cluster and one saith Destroy it not for a blessing is in it so will I do for my servants sake that I may not destroy them all The LORD JESUS be with your Spirit Yours in the Lord Jesus S. R. Contents of the I. PART CHAP. I. and II. THe four particulars of the Treatise pag. 1. Propositions touching ADAMS state p. 1 2. ADAM was predestinate to life eternall in Christ and how pag. 2. CHAP. III. What is the intent and sense of the threatning Gen. 2.17 and Gen. 3.20 Dust thou art c. p. 3 4 5. Threatnings of the Law reveal what the Law-giver may jure inflict by justice and Law deserving not what shall come to passe p. 4. Except it be both a threatning and a Prophesie p. 5. What is carnall security ibid. What Adam was to believe in that threatning p. 5 6. How the promises and the threatnings differ in this p. 7. How Law threatnings to the Elect are Evangelick p. 8. CHAP. IV. The Elect before Conversion bear no part of the Law-curse nor is the Law-curse devided between them and Christ. p. 10.11 Faith is too near to be made a cause of satisfaction for sin by all who hold that Christ gave a satisfactory ransome for all and every one of mankind p. 11. Accepting or not accepting satisfaction is before faith and so believing or not believing can be no ground of the sufficiencie of the price payed for the Reprobate or of the laying of the sins of all upon Christ. p. 11 12 13 God may accept the satisfaction of Christ without any condition required on our part p. 13. CHAP. V. God intended a Law-dispensation but for a time 2. Adam how he was ordained for a Law life 3. How predestinate to Glory how not 4. That the heathens have no more universall grace then Divels 5. No ground for such grace p. 13 14 15. CHAP. VI. It was condiscension in the Lord to enter in Covenant with man 2. Temptâ—tions in fearing we are not chosen discovered 3. Beings and not-beings are debtors to God 4. Self denyall required in sinlesse nature as in sinfull 5. Man considered three wayes How faith layes hold upon conditionall promises and temptations of unbelief thereabout p 16 17. Oâ— the Covenant of nature p. 18 19 20. CHAP. VII It s not written in the heart of man by nature that God should promise life Eternall to man upon condition of obedience 2. The debt of justice cannot ty God 3. God punisheth not sin by necessitie of nature 4. Nor defends he his own declarative Glory by necessitie of nature 5. Nothing can be given to God All sufficient 6. No meriting of the creature 7. We are to have humble thoughts of free-Grace 8. Low thoughts of our selves 9. Promises make no strict justice between the Lord and us p. 20 21. God falls in no sort from his naturall dominion though he impose not penal Laws upon the reasonable creature p. 25 26. God loves his essentiall Glory by necessity of nature but not his declarative Glory by any such necessity p. 28 29 30. In every Covenant there is some out goings of Grace p. 35. The passage 1 Chron. 29.11 12. cleared and why none can give to God p. 37 38. Our vain boasting of self my and such proud pronoumes p. 39 40. How excellent to obey p. 45. Sanctified reason is not soft p. 45 46. How near are wee to justification by Works and to be sick of love for proud I. p. 46 47. CHAP. VIII What place death hath in the Covenant 2. What Reprobates and the damned are to do p. 47 48. What Adam was to do in the intervall between the fall and the publishing of the Gospel p. 48. How the Lord is Adams God p. 49. What life is
the Lord had followed Adams obedience with no reward at all For man as a creature owes himself to God and as sweetly and pithily Anselme saith as a redeemed one I owe my self and more then my self to thee because thou gave thy self who art so farre more then my self for me and thou promises thy self to me Now God who is more and greater then Adam promised himself to be enjoyed by Adam if he should continue in obedience For what can the highest goodnesse sayeth he give to one that loves it but it self 3. If God of justice give Adam life Adam might compell God to pay what he oweth him else he should be unjust But the creature can lay no necessitie on the Creator either to work without himself nor can he cause him to will 4. The proper work of merite saith great Bradwardine and of him that works must go before the wages in time or in order of nature And if the worker receive its operation and working for wadge from God first and by his vertue and help continue in operation and working he cannot condignely merit at the hand of God but is rather more in Gods debt after his working then before his working because he bountifullie receives more good from God then before especially because he gives nothing proper of his own to God but gives to God his own good But no man first acts for God for God is the first actor and mover in every action and motion As that saith Who gave first to the Lord and it shall be recompensed him 5. If this was yesterday just that life eternall is due to Adam for his work before God made it just and due then from Eternitie and before any decree of God it was just and due Certainlie God upon the same reason was debtour to make such a Covenant that was just before he made it just And this is no Covenant of God for God not making the justice of the Covenant and the juâ—t connexion between work and wadge he cannot be the Author of the Covenant But neither is Adam the Author of the justice nor of the just Covenant Upon the same ground it was then an everlasting justice without and before God from Eternitie Non datur justum prius primo justo 6. If God did more for Adam then he can recompence God for it as the Father hath done to the Son then he could not merit at the hand of God But God did more to Adam in giving to him being faculties mind will affections power habites his blessed Image then Adam can never be in a condition in which he can recompence God or give him more annuall and usurie in his acting of obedience then the stock was he received in proportion As the Son can never give the Father in recompence so much or the captive ransomed from death can never give to his ransome payer who bought him so much as the one and the other shall no more be under an obligation and debt of love and service to father and ransomer then to a stranger that they never knew Nor could Adam thus be freed of God so as he should be owing nothing to him If any say God may freely forgive all this obligation and debt To which Bradwardine Answers well 1. The forgiving of the debt when the debtor hath nothing to pay is a greater debt taken on 2. God saith he may forgive so in regard of actuall obligation that he is not oblidged ad aliquid faciendum sub poena peccati to do any thing under the pain or punishment of sin as the hireling is obleiged to work when he hath made a Covenant to work and so we are not oblidged to do as much as we can for God But in regard of habituall obligation God cannot forgive the debt that the reasonable creature owes to God for so he might dispence with this that the reasonable creature owe no obedience to God suppose he should command it which is impossible They seeme therefore with eyes of flesh to look upon God who say that God by necessitie of justice must punish sin yea that the most High cannot be God except he punish sin and that he should not be God if all his Lawes imposed upon men were only promissorie and void of all threatnings What could not God have said eat not of the tree of knowledge for if ye eat not your obedience shall be rewarded with life eternall and no more might he not have laid aside all threatning What Scripture or reason teacheth to say that God if he create a reasonable creature and under a morall dependencie which it hath and must have of God then must God by necessitie of nature punish the sinner yea so as if he punish not he should not be God nor just but must fall from his naturall dominion except he make penall laws and so he should not be God except he say to Adam if thou eat thou shalt die or shalt be punished for eating but this is not proven by one word except this the reasonable creature is not nor cannot be subject to God Creator except God punish the sinner But that is denyed Adam should have had a Morall dependance upon God and God should have been God and essentially just if sin had never come into the World and if God had kept Adam under a Morall Law as he did the Elect Angels who never felt or knew the fruit of a Morall Law broken and transgressed And God if he imposed any penall Law upon the Elect Angels as penall which shall be an hard work to prove yet had a naturall dominion over the Elect Angels and suppose no Law but only a rewarding and remunerative Law had been over their heads should God be no God in that case and if any deny that God hath a perfect dominion over the Elect Angels he is not worthy to be refuted 2. Shew me in all the Old or New Testament any penall Law of active obediencâ— as penall imposed upon the man Christ or where is it written If the Man Christ sin he shall eternally die I tremble at such expressions Is the Lord therefore not the Lord and hath the Lord fallen from his naturall dominion over his Son the Man Christ Or 3 will any man deny but the Lord might justly have laid upon all men and upon the Elect Angels a Law only remunerative not penall at all a Law only with the promise of a reward and void of all threatning of death first or second or any other punishment and yet he should have been the Lord and had a naturall dominion over Angels the Man Christ and all mankind 3 Suppose the Lord had never imposed the Law penall forbidding the sin against the Holy Ghost upon the Elect beleevers nor any other penall Law but by vertue of the most sufficient ransome of the Blood of God payed for man he had made them now after the fall as the
promises to the Reprobate though in teaâ—ms Evangelick yet are Law to them if Cain do well he shall be saved if Judas beleeve he shall be saved because God by Grace fulfills not the promise in them Obj. 1. Then shall Gospel-obedience be of lesse worth then Law-obedience which floweth not from Grace which Christ hath merited by his death Ans. It s not denyed but it is obedience so the Scripture Heb. 5.9 Rom. 1.5 Rom. 6.17 Rom. 16.19 2 Cor. 10.5 1 Pet. 1 5. Act. 6.9 Act. 5.32 37. But 2. It hath lesse of the nature of obedience but more excellency Who would say Peter labouring in the Vineyard of John for wages does properly obey if we suppon that Peter hath from John not only soul will body arms and legs but the inward infused principle of willingnesse the habite and art of dressing Vines the nearest propension and determination of will to work so have we in the Gospel but in the Law though the Lord who gives being does also give his Image to Adam and his influence to obey yet the Image of God is concreated and Adams own grace especially merited by Christ is supervenient and a meer stranger to us and the influence though it did predetermine Adams will yet it is connaturall as it were naturae debita not merited by Christs death and so we give more of our own when we give the fruit of Creation which God hath bestowed on the Pismire and the Worm then when we give the obedience of Grace 2. The obedience of Adam though rationall and perswasive there being a lamp of light in the mind yet came from the feared authority of the Law-giver under the pain of damnation the Gospel-obedience is by the word Act. 2.37 is by way of perswasion Christ saith not Peter thou art afraid of hell feed my Lambs but Peter loves thou me feed my Lambs For a Law-obeyer is not to beleeve life eternall but in so far as he shall keep the Law perfectly the Gospel obeyer so obeyes as he beleeves deliverance from wrath and life eternall but his beleeving is not reckoned to him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of Law-debt but of love and Grace-debt See Rom. 4.4 Matth. 6.12 these promises 1 Tim. 4.8 Luk. 12.31 Matth. 19.29 are exponed by the promises made to the overcomer Rev. 2. Rev. 3. which is by faith 1 Joh. 5.4 5. 3. But it is most true Gospel-obedience hath these excellencies 1. It is a plant of a more noble Vine coming from the merit of blood yet is not our obedience comparable to Christs for a work of Law or Gospel Grace hath a necessary reference to no wages of its own nature but only by the interveening of the free pleasure of God But Christs obedience intrinsecally from the excellent dignity of the person hath a meriting vertue 2. It works more eminently then nature It is a pillar to support sowning nature and acts in more excellent subjects in CHRIST in the Elect Angels in the Redeemed ones and makes them stones of another nature and this is the handie-work of CHRIST Isai. 54.11 I will lay thy stones with fair colours and lay thy foundations with Saphires v. 12. I will make thy windows of Agats and thy gates of Carbuncles and all thy borders of pleasant stones What do morall men that work on clay and make clay pots all their life and know nothing of the actings of saving Grace Fairest civility is but roustie iron the basest of Mettals and they sweat and hammer upon Law-works being strangers to Christ and his gold O! what a difference between praying and hearing out of discretion and by necessity of the office and praying in the Holy Ghost and hearing in faith CHAP. XXIII Q. VVHat sort of doing the Law requireth The Scripture is clear that consumate and continued in doing to the end is required by the Law Paul interpreting Moses Deut. 26.27 Gal. 3.10 Cursed be every one 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 who continueth not in all that are written in the Law to do them Deut. 26.27 Cursed is he who shall not confirm It is a word they use in inacting of Laws when we say Be it statuted and ordained the word in Piel is three times in the Book of Esther to ordain by a Law Which clearly saith that the Covenant of Works was a work of justice and such a time God set to Adam so as to the end he was to run it out but how long he was a viator or traveller in his course of obedience no man knows CHAP. XXIII Whether faith as lively and true or faith as continuing to the end be the condition of the Covenant of Grace THese who in all points as in this make this new Covenant a Covenant of Works contend that faith as enduring to the end must be the condition of the new Covenant 1. Because the promise of the reward 2. The reward is given to him that endures to the end And this faith say they is the adequat and compleat-condition of the Covenant of Grace as full and consumate obedience to the end in degrees and parts 2. But faith as lively and sincere is the condition of the Covenant the nature and essence of this faith is to continue to the end but continuance to the end is an accident all condition of this onely essentiall condition of the Covenant faith quae which endures to the end but not quâ aut quatenus as it endures to the end is that which saves us and justifies us as the condition of the Covenant 1. Faith as lively units us to Christ and justifies whether it be come to the full perfection or not Otherwise 1. no man should be ingrafted in Christ as brâ—nches in the Vine Tree no man partakers of the Divine nature no man quickened but he that dies in finall beleeving Whereâ—s Joh. 5.24 he that beleeveth before his finall continuâ—nce to the end 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath passed from death to life and shall never come to condemnation And in this is the difference of the condition of the Covenant of Works that Adam had no right to life by one or two the most sincere acts and highest in measure except he continue 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Law saith Deut. 26.27 Gal. 3.10 to the end otherwise at the first act of obedience perfect in degrees and parts God behoved by Covenant except the Lord should break the first Covenant himself before man sin which is blasphemous to have given him confirming grace and the reward of life but the condition of the Covenant of Grace is that He that beleeves Joh. 3.36 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 is not condemned yea is freed from all condemnation Rom. 8.1 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 hath life being really unâ—ted as the member to the head as the branch to the tree mystically as the wife to the husband legally as the debter and the surety becomes one person in Law the summe one
break and the smoaking flax shall he not quench He was most compassionate to sinners inviting them to come Mat. 11.28 29. crying and shouting with a loud voice to the thirsty Joh. 7.37 journeyed from heaven to seek and to save the lost Luk. 19.10 came to serve them with his heart blood Mat. 20.28 his bowels were turned with compassion to perishing souls that wanted the feeding Pastors Mat. 9.36 He sighed deeply in his Spirit at the perverse unbeleef of his deadly enemies the Pharisees Mar. 8.12 wept and shed tears at the foreseen destruction of Jerusalem Mat. 23.37 Luk. 19.41 42. and yet that City slew him Loved as the tender Physician to be much in company with sick sinners Mat. 9.11 12. Luk. 15.1 2 3. Luk. 19.1 2 3 9 10. O what rejoicing when he layes the lost sheep on his shoulder Luk. 15.5 When v. 20. he sees the home-coming sinner he ran fell on his neck and had compassion upon him and kissed him and made a feast and sang and danced for joy There is no humility like his to wash the feet of his servants there is no patience like his who when he was reviled reviled not again when he suffered he threatned not but committed himself to him that judgeth righteously 1 Pet. 2.23 As a lamb dumb before the shâ—arer Isa. 53. How gaining of souls was he who preached in the Temple in the Synagogues in the Villages in the Ship at the Sea side at every Table he came to at every Feast at every confluence of people at every way side and stood still and talked with a woman and wanted his dinner upon that occasion And thought he dined well when he gained to the Lord the soul of a woman and of them of Samaria who hated him and refused to lodge him How faithfull and free in rebuking the Pharisees and Rulers and in declaring the truth of the Gospel that he was the Son of God though they attempted to stone him for his free Teaching None mortified to honour as he that refused to be a King Joh. 6.15 and was willing to be worse lodged then birds and foxes Mat. 8.20 and being rich for our cause became poor 2 Cor. 8.9 and endured the crosse despised the shame suffered the contradiction of sinners Heb. 12. and did run and fainted not And was he not a patern of love who laid down his life for his friends Joh. 15.10 even when we were enemies Rom. 5.10 He pleased not himself Rom. 15.3 honoured his Father Joh. 8. sought not his own glory v. 49.50 and saith true Job 5.30 I seek not mine own will but the will of him that sent me Joh. 8.29 I do alwayes these things that please him He faithfully expounded the Law Mat. 5. refuted heresies Mat. 22. glorified God with his miracles he was subject to his Parents Luk. 2.51 payed tribute to the Prince himself Mat. 17.27 and taught others to obey lawfull Governours Mat. 22.21 would not usurpe the place of a Judge Luk. 12. v. 13 14. and witnessed a good confession before Pontius Pilate 1 Tim. 6.13 and was for that cause born and for that end came he into the world that he might bear witnesse unto the truth Joh. 18.37 none so self-denied he pleased not himself sought not his own glory nor his own ease nor his own will but submitted to the will of God In all which we are 1. to look upon Christ who went about doâ—ing good Act. 10. as one who 1. was Covenant-wise designed of God and anointed with the Holy Ghost and power to do what he did and to be what he was for our good and it s much for the establishing of our faith that Christ was all this for our salvations sake by counsell and Covenant These gracious qualifications Christ-God undertook to have for our good and they were not given to Christ as personall and proper for himself but as head for we may here distinguish the grace of the person and the grace of head-ship though they must not be divided But as the light and heat of the Sun is not if we may so speak private or personall for the Sun it self but for the earth and all that live and grow out of the earth that need the influences of the Sun and have eyes to injoy the light thereof The water of the fountain is not for that hole or cave of the earth from whence the fountain doth issue but it is very often to 〈◊〉 in streaâ—â— to be a river for the use of the whole land All these excellencies and graces are in Christ not as his to speak so personall induements but as the publick treasure that we may receive of his fulnesse We should think it a strange exorbitancy in nature if all the trees flowers herbs on earth should refuse to receive influences and growing from the Sun and deny to be oblidged to the Sun for light and heat and our unwillingnesse to receive from Christ the publick grace that is made his by Covenant when a publick conâ—ignation by compact is made for our good proclaims our unbeleef and our wicked estrangement from Christ as if we had said let Christ be gracious for Christ only I shall not be his debtâ—r Nor is it from the naturall connexion between head and members or because simply Christ is man as we are though the humanity be ground thereof nor is it because Christ simply is anointed with the fulnesse of the Spirit for he is head of the body and Lord Generall Captain of his people noâ— by nature only not because of grace simply but by Covenant-purchase Rom. 14.9 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 For this end Christ both died and rose and revived that he might be Lord both of the dead and living There 's a Covenant between the Father and the Son that Christ should die not simply but for and in the name of the heirs of glory such as are designed friends for his dying is a relative and a legall binding and buying by Covenant of so many certain persons and upon this he is made Head and Prince and exalted to give of his fulnesse to give repentance and forgivenesse of sins to the house of Israel Act. 5.30 31. Ah! how do we love to be beholdâ—â— to nature to self for Heathen and Pagan vertues by education and morall exercise which is but wild corn and we seâ— not how unwilling we are to trade with Christ or to buy from him fine gold yet it was given to him without measure as to the universall fountain and head for all his 2. All these are in Christ that he should be a living coppie which we must follow And he is a more lively example then the Gospel it self for Christ is the acted Gospel And if ye look on Christ loving beleeving hoping praying there comes more life and warmnesse from his actions then from the word when we consider that as God would have the