The Covenant of Life Opened, Part 1 · Chapter 20
CHAP. XX. Whether or not suffered Christ for any sin against the Gospel only, such as unbeleef finall, which is conceived to be the only sin against the Gospel. That Christ died not for all without exception. The unwarrantablenesse of that Doctrine, how the Law commands justifying faith and repentance, how not.
IT may appear that Christ suffered not for any sin which is onelyonly against the Gospel, such as finall unbeleef: If any sins be considered in any other respect as against the Gospel only, then Christ was not to suffer for any such sin so considered, for where no death is threatened, none is explicitely due, and where it is not so due to the sinner, nor should have been execute upon him, there it could not have been due to Christ nor executed upon him, For the Gospel threateneth not death to any sin, but finall unbeleef and rebellion (and for that Christ never died) therefore Christ died not for any sin as against the Gospel, nor suffered that which is no where threatened. But this is most doubtsome and cannot well stand. Its true that Christ suffered not for finall unbeleef, it being the proper sin of some reprobates, to wit, of such as hear the Gospel, Joh. 8.21, 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,Christ suffers not for some sins of reprobates, and not for others. 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, CHRIST cannot buy all from their vaine conversation conditionally, for the condition cānot be shown in Scripturalso, 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,For whom Christ died, for their unbelief & finall vain conversation he died also. 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,Pr…sper Carmi. de ingrat. c. 13. Ergo hominis valida arbitrio divina voluntas. aut etiam invalida est, &c. 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,Ioan. Davenantius ▪ Episc. Salisburien. Dis…sert. de morte Christi. Impres. 1650. c. 1. pa. 6. Hoc enim est illud uleus doctrine Pelagianae, quo… Faustus Rhegiensis hisce verborum integ… mentis conatur oc…ultare volentes De…us red…i…, … Christs death is not a remedie applicable by the Gospel-Covenant, to all and every one of mankinde, so they actually beleeve. 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. Its 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 unb…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.This is false, that God hath decreed that Christ in the preached Gospel, and salvation may be offered to all and every one, old & young, of all and every nation in all generations, upon condition of actuall beleeving 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: For there be ma…y Nations, who never heard of Christ, and understand not writing or any of the commonest Latine and Greek, and there is not any such decree revealed in the word, and we can not but know such gifts of Tongues are not bestowed on men, and without this it is physically impossible to communicate the Gospel. It shall not help to say that Christians should travell to all Countreys and learn their Tongues, that so they may communicate the Gospel; and it is their sin they do not so. And therefore God hath decreed that the Gospel may be offered and Christ applicable. Ans. 1. What shall become of the aged, and of multitudes, for whom Christ died, who must die in Paganism, before Christians can be so mixed and learn the Tongues of all Nations under Heaven? 2. Did ever the Apostles to whom the Lord gave the gift of the tongues, go to this Nation and not to this, but by the call of the Spirit, to Macedonia, not to Bythinia, Act. 16? Is there no call of God now required for spreading of the Gospel? Some Nations would kill them, some would persecute Christians to death and not receive them: in the mean time, many for whom Christ died, perish. 3. Show from Scripture that it is the duty of Christians to mix themselves with all Nations, and to learn their Language, and that they sin in not doing so. Nor let it be said, into what N…tion soever I come, I may say, if thou beleeve in Christ thou shalt be saved. Ans. 1. You can not say that, except you P…each the Gospel to them. For they are not oblidged to believe upon one sentence, and if you Preach the Gospel to the Nation, God …th some chosen ones there, and it is no more a Pagan Nation. … Yo… are to say to any one by your way (thou art oblidged …o beleeve that Christ satisfied for all thy sins, and for the sins of the whole world) but that is a lie which you teach Pagans as a principle of the Gospel. 3. Its false that I may say and Preach truely such a thing to every Nation, and all in it. 4. Nor is it physically possible that Christians can so speak to all and every old and young. Also all is indeed referred to the free-will▪ except the Authors say that God doth insuperably determine the will of the Elect to beleeve, and the places speak of th… …fficacious redemption of the Elect only:That there be two intentions in God in dying for all without exceptiō, hath no warrand in scripture But so God had two intentions in Christs dying, one generall to render all mankind saveable; another speciall, actually to save the Elect. But 1. who can beleeve multiplied intentions in God of half redemption from wrath, and of whole redemption from both vain conversation and …ath upon their bare word, when the Scripture saith Christ in suffe…ing without the Camp▪ suffered for the world of Jew and Gentiles, that he might sanctifie them he died for? 2. What warrand to separate these two conjoined by God, to wit, that CHRIST should bear on the Crosse the sins of reprobate, and not intend that they should die to sin, and be redeemed, but not from all iniquity: be loved and washen, and not made Kings and Priests to God? That Christ should be wounded for the transgressions of many, and yet the chastisement of his peace not be upon them? 3. The dying for all and every one cannot be conditionall, in so far as the condition is referred to dying, to wit, if they believe; for so believing must go before dying, either really, which is manifestly false: for multitudes for whom Christ dyed had neith…r being nor believing, when he dyed for them;The dying for all and every one cannot be cōditional. Or in the prescience of God, and that destroyes their principles: for so Christ cannot have died for all and every one, foreseeing that all and every one would believe: for he never foresaw that the Reprobate should believe. Then must the condition of dying or Redeeming, or of paying the ransone of His blood (these being all one) be referred to Gods accepting of Christs death for so many or for all, if they should believe. And the same way the Argument is as formerly: For God accepteth the payed ransome for all and every one, if they all really believe, or if they all and every one be foreseen of God ▪ to believe bef…re the Lords accepting of them. Both are false, as is evid…t, … they say in the issue what we say, and contradict themselves, to wit, that believers, and only believers, are these for whom Christ died. We before said, the promises are conditionally to all within the Visible Church, but so as the condition relates only to the benefite promised,The promises are so made to all within the Visible Church as all are in Covenant conditionall. we shall have remission and life, if we believe, but not otherwise: But now the Covenant-promise, which is accepted of, and assented unto by Professors, in their very profession in themselves or their p…nts, is absolutely made to all within the Visible Church, and they are Covenant-wayes ingadged and say, and professe they are the Lords people, and they take him, and no other, for th…r God, whether they obey and believe, or no: for a people, not right in heart, may bind themselves in Covenant with God, De…. 29.10, 11, 12, 13, 14. compared with 21, 22, 23. Deut. 31.27. J…sh. 24.22. compared with Judg. 2.12, 13. So God absolutely intends to save all for whom Christ dies, and by his death intends to give a price to redeem them from hell and from unbelief, or their vain conversation, 1 Pet. 1.18. from all iniquitie, Tit. 2.14. from this present evill world, Gal. 1.14. Ergo, from finall unbeleef the greatest iniquity of a present evill world. But here the case widely varies, upon no condition, that we can read in holy Scripture, gave Christ a price, a ransome of blood to redeem men from unbeleef and from all iniquitie, this price must be absolutely given, and grace purchased to all whose sins Christ did …ear in the Crosse that they may bele…ve, that they may be sanctified, Heb. 13.12. 1 Pet. 2.24. 2. Sinnes of Thomas, refusing to beleeve the resurrection of Christ,The unbeleef of justified persons is against the Covenant of Grace, and diverse other sins beside finall unbelief, are the causes of condemnation. and of Peter denying the Lord before men, and the Gospel-sinnes of beleevers, after they are justified, and are inlightened, must be sins against the Covenant of Grace, as well as against the Law. And the denying of Christ before men hath a sad threatning of everlasting death, Matth. 10.32. Mar. 8.38. annexed to it, if they repent not. And shall these within the Visible Church, who receive not Christ, be in a harder condition then Sodom and Gomorrah, Matth. 10.14, 15. if no sins against the Gospel be punished with eternall death but only unbelief? Yea the Scripture saith such as live in the Visible Church and are in Covenant with God, not only for finall unbelief are condemned, but because they are unrighteous, fornicators, idolaters, adulterers, 1 Cor. 6.9. whoremongers, unclean, covetous persons, Eph. 5.5, 6. murtherers, sorcerers, dogs, liers, Rev. 21.8. Rev. 22.15. for all their ungodly deeds and hard sp…eches, Jude v. 15. 2 Pet. 2.17. for all disobedience, 1 Cor. 4.5. Matth. 12.36, 37. they are everlastingly punished. And if Christ have suffered on the Crosse for all the sinnes of the Reprobate, how are they judged and condemned for these sins, as the Scripture saith? And what Scripture saith they are condemned for the guilt of only unbelief: or that Pagans are condemned for Gospel-unbelief, where as Sodom, Gomorrah, Mat. 10.15. the men of Niniveh, Mat. 12.41. Tyrus and Sidon, Mat. 11.21. and such as have sinned without the Law, Rom. 2.12, 13, 14 15. are freed of Gospel-guiltinesse, and condemned for sinnes against the Law, and yet this same way saith that there is a Gospel-Covenant made with all, even thousands of Pagans who never heard of a Gospel, never ingadged themselves by any profession to take the Lord for their God in Christ, yet Christ bare their sins on the Tree, and made his blood applicable to them by a Gospel-Covenant, if they shall beleeve. Whence they must all break the Covenant of Grace, of which many of them never heard, and be condemned for no sins but the last act of Sodomy, gluttony, parricide, for the Gospel threatteneth not death to any sin but to finall unbelief, say they. There are not any sinnes committed against the Gospel,All sins against the Gospell, even finall unbeleefe, are also against the Law and against God Redeemer, Immanuel. but they are also sinnes against the Law: because God incarnate and Immanuel is God, and leaves not off to be God consubstantiall with the Father, because he assumes the nature of man. Then as the first Command oblidgeth Abraham to sacrifice his son Isaac, when God shall reveal that Command, and Moses and the people are by that first Command to believe their deliverance out of Egypt, and so if the fir… Command oblidge us to believe and obey all Commands and Promises and Threatnings of God, revealed and to be revealed, because the Lord is God, then must Christ God Redeemer and Immanuel be beleeved by this Command, and so finall unbelief and finall despising of Christ God Redeemer is as directly against the first Command (and so not a sin only threatned and forbidden in the Gospel) as simple unbelief and simple despising of Christ God Redeemer; For the believing & final believing, and unbelief and unbelief, continuing to the end, differ in the accident of duration, not in nature and essence, As a Rose that grows for a monethmonth only, and a Rose of the same nature that groweth and flourisheth for three moneths. Otherwise Christ could not have pronounced Peter blessed, foreign Mat. 16.17. in the present,Dicique beatus ante obitum nemo supremaque funera debet. for believing in the present: for he should not have been blessed to the end: as Solon said of his blessed man, And this cannot but subvert our faith, crush the peace, hope, consolation of weak Believers, to whom undoubtedly the promise of perseverance i… …bsolutely made, Jer. 31.31, 35. Jer. 32.39, 40. Isai. 54.10. Isai. 59.20, 21. Joh. 4.14. Joh. 10.27, 28.
2. If there be as formall a transgression of the fi…st Command in finall unbelief, as in unbelief simply considered, and in the other sins of Judas and other Apostates. Why but as Christ bare in his body the sins of unbelief and satisfied for them, he must so also bear the sins of finall rebellion and unbelief? And shall we believe that Christ payed a satisfactory ransone of blood upon the crosse for the yesterdayes unbelief of Judas, and not for the dayes unbelief?
If it be said, No man can break the Gospel-Covenant, for it is an everlasting Covenant. Ans. Its an everlasting Covenant, but yet all who sin against the commanding love and authority of our Immanuel, especially they so professing to be his, do truly break the Covenant: but they so break it, as it leaves not off to be the Covenant of life both to the breakers, if they repent and beleeve, and to others: for so is the nature of this Covenant,How the Covenant of Grace is everlasting & yet brokē by men. and so it is everlasting, but the Covenant of Works if once broken, ceases to be a Covenant of life for ever, because the nature of it is, to admit of no repentance at all. Obj. Does not the Law command the sinner offending God to mourn and be humbled, and confesse? Ans. It doth. But it injoines not repentance as a way of life, with a promise of life to the repenter, as the Law or as a Covenant of Works commands to its native and proper Covenanters obedience and every single act of obedience as a way to obtain the reward of a Law-life,The Law commands repentance but not with a promise of life, or as a way to life. nor does the Law as a Covenant of Works command justifying faith and reliance upon God Redeemer, or Immanuel: but rather as the Law of Nature, or as the Law of thankfulnesse to a Ransoning and Redeeming God, the Law does this. Though in a speciall Covenant way the Gospel command faith in Christ.
Obj. But finall unbeleef as against God Redeemer and so considered is the only breach of the Covenant of Grace: He that beleeves not is condemned, as the man that rejects the only remedie of sin.
Ans. The only breach of the Covenant of Grace, is too narrow to be the adequat cause of damnation, for many Pagans who never heard of Christ and are under no Covenant,How finall unbeleef is the onelie cause of cō demnation and to whom, and how not. but that of Works, are condemned not for not beleeving in him of whom they never heard, Rom. 10.14. nor for breach of the Covenant of Grace, but for breach of the Covenant of Works. 2. Unbelief may be called the nearest cause of damnation to such as … within the Visible Church, as the wilfull refusing of medicine which only and infallibly would heal the sick man of such a disease, is the cause of his death, but is the Morall cause. For the disease it self is the Physicall cause, or the materiall cause of the mans death. And without doubt, uncleannesse, covetousnesse, sorcerie, lying, idolatrie, &c. and many the like sinnes, beside unbeleef, are, 1 Cor. 6.9. Eph. 5.5, 6. Rev. 21.8. Rev. 22.15. Jud. 6.7, 8. 2 Pet. 2.17.10, 11, 12, 13, 2 Thes. 2.9, 10. 1 Pet. 4.3, 4. 2 Pet. 2.2, 3, 4, 5. the causes of the damnation of many visible professours, where as this way saith Christ did satisfie upon the Crosse for all th…se sins, and the damned of visible professours suffer in hell only for finall unbeleef. And it seems unjust that both Christ and they should suffer satisfactory punishment for these same sins done against the Law: And as strange that Ch…st should die for any, and not die for their sinnes, since the Scripture useth the word of dying for sinnes, Rom. 4.25 delivered from our sinnes, Christ is a p…opitiation for our sinnes, and (the same way) not for ours only, but for the sinnes of the whole world;For whom Christ died, he died for their sins, and for all their sins. he died for sinners, Heb. 2.17. that he might make reconciliation for the sinnes of the people: that is, for the sinfull people, or sinners, Heb. 9.28. so Christ was once offered to bear the sinnes of many: That is to bear the sins of the sinfull many that he died for, Heb. 10.12. But this man after he had offered one sacrifice for sin, sat down on the right hand of God: that is, after he had offered a sacrifice for sinners. 1 Pet. 3.18. Christ once suffered for sin, that is, for sinners, 1 Cor. 15.3. I delivered unto you how Christ died for our sinnes, that is, for the persons of us sinners. 1 Joh. 3.5. He was manifested to take away our sinnes. 1 Joh. 4.10. Herein is love — that he sent his Son to be a propitiation for our sinnes. Rev. 1.5. To him that loved us, and washed us from our sinnes — be glory. Gal. 1.4. He gave himself for our sinnes. Now it must not be asserted, but proven that in all these places where he is said to be a propitiation for the sins of the world; and hath taken away our sinnes▪ speaking (as these Authors say) of the whole Visible Church, and not of the elect onlie that Christ hath died and by his death hath taken away some sinnes, and hath suffered for some sinnes, and not for all sinnes, not for the finall unbeleef of sinners, if it be said, that we cannot teach that Christ suffered for finall unbeleef, we grant it: But then we say that Christ suffered not for finall unbeleevers and for the other sins of finall unbeleevers, since suffering for sins and for persons that are sinners, to bring them to God, 1 Pet. 3.18. are conjoined. And God was in Christ reconciling the world to himself, not imputing their trespasses unto them, 2 Cor. 5.19. Therefore there must be a pardoned and a justified world, and so a truely blessed world, as Paul and David teach, Psal. 3….1, 2. Rom. 4. and so a loved, John. 3.16. and chosen world followed with the separating love of God to man which saves some foolish ones and serving diverse lusts, and saves not others; and so there must be a love and mercy of predestination, amor foreign, not common to all the world; as is clear, Tit. 3.3, 4, 5. Eph. 2.1, 2, 3,There is a world reconciled to whom God imputes no sinne, and therefor all the world of Pagans & Infidels cann…t be such as Christ died for, and whose final unbelief he sati…fied for. 4, 5. We seek a warrand of Gods not imputing to this loved world their trespasses against the Law, and of his imputing to the same world the trespasses of rebellion and finall unbelief: And how Christs blood, shed for persons, both reconciles them to God, and leaves them in wrath, imputes not their trespasses to them, and makes them blessed, as David sayes, Ps. 32.1. and imputes their finall unbelief to them, and leaves them under a curse: Nor shall it help the mater to say that finall unbelief may be considered as both against the Law, and as only forbidden in the Gospel. And in the former respect Christ hath suffered for it, not in the latter. For if the foreign, the contrariety between finall unbelief and the first Command, as it is a rebellion against God manifested in the flesh, be satisfied for by Christ on the crosse; How can it condemn the person, as sure it doth? Joh. 3.18, 36. Joh. 8.21, 24. It cannot be said that Christ died for finall unbeleef, so we beleeve.
2. What speciall foreign and repugnancie to the Law of God is there in finall unbelief, that is not a repugnancie to the Covenant of Works and Grace both? And what repugnancie to the Covenant of Grace which is not also contrair to the Law? This I grant (which I desire the Reader carefully to observe) the Law and the Covenant of Grace do not one and the same way command faith,The Law & the Covenant of Gr…ce doe not, one & the same way command faith and forbid unbeleef. and forbid unbelief. I speak now of the Covenant of Works and of the Covenant of Grace as they are two Covenants specifically and formally different.
For 1. the Law as the Law commands 1. Faith in the superlative degree, as it doth all acts of obedience, and so doth it Gospel repentance. Because the Law commands all obedience most exact and perfect, and condemnes faith in the positive degree, though sincere and lively, as sinfully deficient. The Gospel doth only require sincere faith, and condemneth not for the want of the degrees of faith most perfect, though the Law of thankfulnesse to the Ransone-payer (which Law is common to both Covenants) require that we believe in the highest degree, because Christ hath expressed to us the greatest love, Joh. 3.16, Joh. 15.13.
2. The Law as the Law requires faith not finall only, but faith in Immanuel for ever, and that we be born with the Image of God that we beleeve at all times, under the pain of damnation. But, the Covenant of Grace, because it admits of repentance, and holds forth the meeknesse, forb…arance, and longa…i…itie of Christ, is satisfied with faith at any time, or what hour of the day they shall be brought in.
3. The Law requires faith, with the promise of Law-life: The Covenant of Grace requires faith, promises grace to beleeve, with promise of a Gospel-life.
4. The Law requires not faith in Christ with sinners Covenant-ways as a work to be legally rewarded, for it finding all sinners, and all by nature, Covenant-breakers, cannot indent with th…m that have broken the Covenant, to promise life to them by tennor of the Covenant, which now ceaseth to be a Covenant of life, and cannot but condemn, and is now rendered impossible to j…stifie and save,How the reprobate are under the Covenant of Works. by reason of the weaknesse of the fl…sh, Rom. 8.3. All the reprobate then are this way under the Covenant of Works, that they are (as it were) possible Covenanters lyable to suffer the vengeance of a broken Covenant, but not formally active Covenanters as Adam was. But if Christ suffer for finall unbeleef, as it is against the Law as the Law, how is it charged upon reprobates as a sin against the Gospel only? Since no wrong done to God Red…emer can be any thing but a sin against God, and a …reach of the first Command. I deny not but finall unbeleef hath an aggravation that it is the nearest barre and iron gate between the sinner and the only Saviour of sinners, but yet the putting of such a barre is a sin against the Law. Neither can it be said that only finall unbeleef is the only meritorious cause of damnation to such as hear the Gospel. For beside final unbelief there is also a contrariety betwixt the murthers, Sodomies, &c. of professours and the Law for which they suffer in hell eternally, Rev. 21.8. c. 18.7.
Quest. Whether doth the Lord Mediator as Mediator, command the same good works in the Covenant of Grace which are commanded in the Covenant of Works?