The Covenant of Life Opened, Part 1 · Chapter 21 – Chapter 23
CHAP. XXI.
Ans. ACcording to the matter of the thing commanded, qu…ad rem mandatam, he commands the same, and charges upon all and every one the morall duty even as Mediator, for he cannot loose the least of these Commandements, but simply they are not the same, quoad modum mandandi. It shall not be needfull to dispute whether they be commands differing in nature: For not only doth the Mediator cōmand obedience upon his interposed Authority as Law-giver and Creator, but also as Lord Redeemer upon the motive of Gospel-constraining love. In which notion he calls love the keeping of his Commandements (if they love him, Joh. 14.) the new Commandement of love.
Q. 2. Doth the Lord Mediator, in the Covenant of Grace, command the same good works to all, th… 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,Christ one way layes Evāgelick commands upon the Elect, & another way on the Reprobate. 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 b…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 foreign, 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:Conditionall perseverance was not promised to Adam. 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, The considerable differences betwixt the influences of God given to Adam for his standing in obedience, and these influences given to us in the second Adamthat 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,The obedience of Adam only a duty, not a promised benefite, our new obedience is both a duty▪ and a promised benefite. 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. 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,Four kinds of obediences. for he obeyed most of his own, of any, from his own will purely, Ioh. 10.18. Mat. 26.…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. Its 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 Fat…ers, not the Spirits, but most properly his own, and the Sons only by way of personall termination and subsistence. The excellency of the obedience of Jesus Christ how it was his own, properly meritorious.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 Medi… God Man, and being crea…ed man, and having said (here am I to do thy will) having stric…en hands with God as Surety of the Covenant, none more oblidged, being holy and true;The obedience of CHRIST debtfull & not d…btful in diverse respects. 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:Properlie so cal'd satisfact…ō is performed by Christ. 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 onelyonly 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 duplicate page duplicate page discriminating and strengthning grace they had from Christ Mediator their head,Angels obedience properly obedience that …s of grace and not their own. 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 foreign, must so be lesse meritorious,Grace diminisheth of the nature of merite… from the obedience. 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,Of Adams obedience how proper it was. 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.
Gospel-obedience hath less of the nature of obedience, then Adams obedience.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. Its 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.The Law is made (as it were) Gospel to elect beleevers & the Gospel Law to reprobates. 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 promises to the Reprobate, though in tea…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. Its 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:Obedience from Law and from love how differenced 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, foreign, 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:Gospel obedience from grace how excellent and how far above civili…ty in its fairest lustre. 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.Tremellius & Trostius in Syria. Ver. Gal. 3. Qui non fecerit omnia. foreign Paul interpreting Moses, Deut. 26.27. Gal. 3.10. Cursed be every one, foreign ▪ 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,Hyeron… ▪ Maledictus qui non permanet. LXX. foreign. Chald. Para. Qui non permanserit. Syria. Versio. Maledictus qui non per…iceri…. Arab. Versio. Qui non confirmabit. B…za, Gal. 3.10. Qui non firmarit▪ Magna vis Verbi Jakim. Pagn…. & Ari. Montanus, Qui non statuerit. but how long he was a viator or traveller in his course of obedience no man knows