The Covenant of Life Opened, Part 1 · Chapter 7

The Covenant of Life Opened · Part 1 · Chapter 7

p. 20CHAP. VII. Its 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,God neither by necessity of nature, either rewardeth obedience, or punisheth …. 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 p. 21rei, 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 an… 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?A naturall conscience may and doth know that GOD doth good freely to his creature, but it followeth not that God doth good to his creature for that by necessity of nature. And because by force of a naturall conscience, all know that God is good and bount…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.

p. 22But 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.Communion with GOD in Glory, is a reward not due by nature, but by the free gift of GOD, to the most perfect law-obedience. 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,Arminius in Colla. cum Francis Junio, ad propos. …2. pag. 547. 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 p. 23Adams 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 the Lord had followed Adams obedience, with no reward at all; For man as a creature, owes himself to God, Anselmus de redemptione certe Domine, quia me fecisti debeo amori tuo meipsum totum, imo tantum debeo amori tuo plus quam me ipsum. Quantum tu es major me, pro quo dedisti teipsum & cui promittis teipsum. Anselm. Monolog. 40. quid enim summa bonitas retribuet ama…ti & desideranti se nisi seipsum.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.No merit can wone God, for he is greater nor our work. Bradward. de causa Dei lib. 1. c. 39. p. 343 lit. E. 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,It is not just, that God shuld reward Adams obediēce, with life, before God made it just. 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, p. 24upon 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 ju…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,Man can never come from under an obligation to his Creator and Redeemer. 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 p. 25not be God, if all his Lawes imposed upon men, were only promissorie and void of all threatnings.

What? could not God have said,God falls in no sort from his natural dominion, though he punish not sin by necessity of nature. 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, God should have a perfect dominion over mā, though he had imposed no penall, but only rewarding or remunerative lawes, upon him.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 obedienc… 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?

p. 26(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,The Lords dominion over man, is without Scripture or reason, restricted to penal Laws. 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 confirmed Angels, and holy as the Man Christ, and brought them so to glory, should he not have been God in that case, and should he have lost his naturall dominion over men in that case? 4. The dominion of God over men is not only in one particular, of penall Laws, it is in remunerative Laws also, in giving predeterminating influences to obey and persevere in obedience,Si enim lex talis non seratur necessariò, possibile esset ut vel Deus jure suo naturali & Dominio in creaturas caderet, & sic non esset DEVS, vel stabilito isto jure, creaturam ci non esse subditam. Quod implicat contradictionem — nam intercisâ obedientiâ (quod fieri potuit & factum est) dependentia (moralis creaturae rationalis à Deo) illa nullo modo continuari potest, nisi per poenam …. in not leading into temptation, in hyring and alluring us to serve God, in terrifying men with examples of the Lords Judgements on others, he spared not the Angels, &c. 2 Pet. 2.4. Jud. 6. and therefore, to say, that God falls from his naturall dominion over man, and leaves off to be God, except he impose penall Laws upon men, is first an errour in Logick, à negatione speciei ad negationem generis, nulla est consequentia: If God have not a dominion over man, in one particular of penall Laws, he falls from his whole dominion naturall, in other things: It is an undue inference. 2. It cannot be but too darring to tye the blessed God-head, and his essentiall dominion over man, to only making of penall Laws: it smells of Scripturelesse boldnesse with the most High, and limits the Holy One, that he cannot be God, except he be God in our way: And saith, he hath no way to preserve his glory, but by creating a Hell: And therefore let that stand as an unproven position, since it hath no probation; The reason that is given is as weak as the weak conclusion; Though water may bear up water, yet it cannot support the earth. For 1. it saith, if man be created a reasonable creature under a Law, he may sin, intercidi potuit obedientiâ, and he may be created under a Law, with perfect morall dependence upon God Creator, as the Elect Angels and the Man Christ, and yet never sin, and yet God falls not from his dominion, and leaves not off to be God. (2.) This lookes somewhat the Arminian way, that man cannot be under the subjection of, properly so called, Morall obedience, except his will be indifferent as Adams was, to stand or fall, to run to Heaven or Hell, which indeed saith, that the most perfect obedience of Christ, p. 27who was obedient to the death, Phil. 2.8. and delighted to do the will of God, Psal. 40.8. John 4.34. is no proper obedience, that is, perfect obedience is not proper obedience. And that obedience of Elect Angels the samplar of our obedience, Mat. 6.10. Isa. 6.2, 3. Psal. 103.20. is not proper obedience. 3. Whereas it is said, if man sin, his morall dependency cannot stand, except God punish him, but so not only God shall not be God, nor have dominion over man, except he impose a penall Law upon man, but he shall not be God except he actually punish man, or his surety Christ.Jam ver… egressus necessarios constituentes, non negamus Deum tamen eam libere exercere. But the same pen saith that the out-goings of justice are free, that is to say, it is free to God to punish sin; and yet he falls from his naturall dominion over man, and leaves off to be God, if he punish not sin. But we do deny that God falls from his naturall dominion over man, though he never impose a penall Law upon him, and never punish, and desire that this may be proven, nor is it imaginable, how God by necessity of nature, must punish sin; And yet, in the way, measure, and degree of punishment, and in the time when, he can use moderation. Its not feazable, without a contradiction, to say God punisheth sin, by necessity of nature, and yet in the way, measure, and time of punishing, he is free.Which is as good as to say, the fire must, by necessity of nature, burn, the Sun cast light; But the fire hath free will to burn when it pleaseth, and at this time, and not at this time; and the Sun must shine, by necessity of nature, but it is free to shine at ten hours of the day, and not at twelve, and it may shine as bright as the Sun, or as dimme as the Moon. Or God the Father loves himself, but it is free to him to love himself to day, not to morrow, and to love himself so much, not so much. And so he may say, God is so mercifull and just to day, as he may be no merciful, no just, to morrow; and God is infinitly mercifull and just, and yet he is lesse mercifull and more mercifull essentially according to his good pleasure, which are speaking contradictions. Yea this is that which misjudging Suarez saith, that the creature may do a reall injurie to God, Suarez in opusc. de justit. Dei, Sect. 2. …. 9. fig. 352.and take away from God jus Dei ad gloriam, his right to glory, but the truth is, the creature by sin darkeneth or overcloudeth his declarative glory, but can take away no essentiall glory, nor any reall right or reall good from God, so Elihu, Job 39.6. If thou sinnest, what dost thou against him? If thy transgressions be multiplied, what dost thou to him? To take his declarative glory from God, p. 28is no lose to him, no more then it is lose to the Sun, that ye hinder it to shine upon the wall, when yet ye take no light from the Sun, for it shines upon an interposed body. Job 35.8. Thy wickednesse may hurt a man as thou art, and thy righteousnesse may profite the Son of man. It is needfull (say some) that God preserve his own glory safe, but if sin be without infliction of punishment, it is impossible that he can defend his ow… glory. Ergo, of necessity he must punish sin. The proposition is out of controversie, for all confesse that God must preserve his own glory, … by necessity of nature he must do so; quoniam seipsum non potest non amare. Because he cannot but love himself, and he hath said, my glory will I not give to another.

God loves & defends by necessity of nature his essentiall, but not his declarative glory.To this is answered, the glory internall, eternall, and essentiall to God, the Lord must defend and love as he loves himself, by nec…ssity of nature; and if any say that the egressions and out-goings of God to defend and love his own essentiall Glory, and his own holy Nature, so as he may use moderation in the degrees and time of these, and he may love himself and his own essentiall glory, more or lesse, and touching the time, he may delay to love himself, and he may love himself and his own essentiall glory to morrow, not to day, As the Author sayes, the out-goings of revenging justice are moderated in punishing; he speaks wonders and things unworthy of God. The place, Isa. 42. speaks not of this glory, for no idol, no creature,God loves & defends the glory of his pardoning mercy, no less then the glory of his revenging justice, and if he love the one, by necessity of nature, he must also love the other. can more take away from the Almighty this essentiall glory of God, nor his blessed Nature can cease to be, but there is a glory declarative of pardoning merciemercy, as well, as of revenging justice; It must be a carnall conception and a new dream, that God by necessity of nature, loves himself as cloathed with revenging justice, or as just, and his own glory of revenging justice, but that God loves himself as mercifull and ready to forgive, or his own glory of pardoning merciemercy freely, and by no necessity of nature: Which the Author must say, for the place, Isa. 45. should otherwise bear this sense, my glory of revenging justice only, I will not give to Idol gods and creatures. But the place of Isa. ch. 42.8. should not conclude, but they might ascribe the glory of salvation and mercifull deliverances and victories over Judah, the Temple, the Sanctuary to their idol gods, the contrair whereof is intended p. 29by the Prophet; But if the Lord, by necessity of nature,The place, Isa. 42.18. I will not give my glory to another, vindicated.Isa 42:18 love his declarative glory, as he loves himself, then he must love glory of one attribute, as well as of another, and so as his Nature, not freedome or soveraignty puts him to it, to defend the glory of justice, when man sins; Yea so as he cannot be God and essentially just, except he vindicat his glory of justice; Yea so he must love the glory of saving and pardoning mercy, as himself, for the one glory is no lesse essentiall to God (if it be essentiall at all) then the other. And by this means, God, by necessity of nature, to preserve safe the glory of saving merciemercy, must send his Son, and by the like necessity, by which he loves himself, he must redeem man; Now the Lord does not love himself, of free grace, for he every way, for the infinite excellency of his Nature is love-worthy, and there is no interveening of freedome, or free grace, or soveraignty in the Lords loving of himself and his own essentiall glory. There is a declarative glory, which is not essentiall to God, of which the Scripture, Prov. 16.4. The Lord made all things for himself, The Scripture speaks for the most part, of the Lords declarative glory.that is, for his glory, to be declared. Eph. 1.6. He hath chosen us to the praise of the glory of his grace, v. 11. In Christ we have obtained an inheritance. 1…. That we should be to the praise of his glory. Rom. 11.36. All things are to him, to his glory. Isa. 43.21. This people have I formed for my self, they shall shew forth my praise. All these are to be understood not of the essentiall glory of God, but of the declarative glory of God, that shines ad extra. God by necessitie of nature, should procure his declarative glory, and so by that necessitie, create the world, redeem man, if by that necessitie, he should love and defend his declarative Glory.And this glory is not essentiall to God as so declared, for he was infinitly glorious from eternity, and should eternally be essentially glorious, though neither world, nor man, nor Angel, had been created. And the meaning of that, Isai. 42.8. is mistaken, the length of the Heaven, toto Coelo. It is not this, as I love my self, so by necessity of nature I will, and desire that my glory due to me, as God, be not given to idol gods, and creatures. 1. What by necessitie of nature God wills, that certainly, and by necessitie of nature is and existeth, as he loveth himself, and his Son by necessitie of nature, and begets his Son by necessitie of nature, so also by necessitie of nature God is loved, and the Son of God is loved, and the Son is by necessitie of nature, begotten of the Father. But it is most untrue, that by necessitie of nature, the Glory p. 30of God is not transferred to Idol gods and creatures; The Scriptures cry the contrare. When ever Idolatrie is committed, Isa. 40. and 41. Isa. 46. Rom. 1. Acts 17. his Glory declarative is given, most sinfully to another against his approving will. 2. What ever sin God forbids, he forbids the existence of it, by his approving will, not by necessitie of nature, for if God essentially and by nature willed that sin and Idolatrie should never be, he would efficaciouslie hinder it; But what God wills by his commanding will, we see he does not efficaciouslie hinder the existence thereof: For then sin and Idolatrie should not be at all, nor have any existence, which is contrare to Scripture and experience; And surely, if God love his declarative Glory essentially as himself, he must essentially no lesse love to keep this glory, when Angels and men do obey him, and to hinder the taking away of this Glory by sin, then to revenge the taking away of this glory by punishment, for every sin against a positive Law, to eat of the tree of knowledge, or for the Jews to eat swines flesh, before Christ abolished such Lawes, as well as sins against the Law of nature, are contrare to the Glory of God, God must by necessitie of nature hinder the existēce of sin, and by the same necessitie seek his legislative Glory, if he love it, as he loves himself by necessitie of nature.and so contrare to that essentiall love that God hath to his Glory, and to the Glory of the Lord, the Law-giver himself, Ergo, by necessitie of nature, because he cannot but love himself. he should preserve his legislative Glory, (it is as properly and essentiallie the Glory of God, which he requires of us, in doing his will, as the Glory of suffering punishment for sin committed, is his Glory) therefore, by necessitie of nature, because God cannot but love himself, he should essentially hinder sin: And if God absolve the guiltie, where is the Glory of his justice? True, it should be lost, so when God suffers the Angels to fall, and Adam to sin, where is the Glory of his legislative Majesty? it is lost so far. God is oblidged to defend the Glory of his Justice: say and prove that he is oblidged by necessitie of nature to defend the Glory of his Justice, more then by the same necessitie he must defend his legislative Glory. 3. God must defend all his Glory with the same necessitie, except the Scripture make some exception of some Glory which he must preserve, as dearer to him then some other Glory, which is unwarrantable to say, and if God must, by necessitie of nature, and as God, because naturally he loves himself and p. 31his own Glory, defend his own Glory, then, by necessitie of nature he must defend the Glory of all his Attributes, of Holinesse, Graciousnesse, Greatn…sse, Omnipotencie, Eternitie, Infinite knowledge, &c. that the Glory of not one of these be taken from him by sin: And because the Lord maketh, and worketh all, that he doth without himself, in the creature, for his own Glory. Prov. 16.4. Rev. 4.11. Rom. 11.36. in all that he doth, he must by necessitie of nature love his own Glory, quoniam seipsum non potest non amare, because he loves himself. Ergo, by this ground the Lord doth nothing freely without himself, and so the Lord makes not the rain to fall, the tree to bud, the sea to ebbe, the wind to blow, the fowls to flee, the fishes to swim, for the declaration of the Glory of his goodnesse, or his power, or his mercy, his holinesse, with any freedome, but all these he must do for Glory to himself by necessitie of nature, which Glory he loves as himself, for his Glory in all he doth without, he loveth by necessitie of nature, as he loves himself saith the Author. And therefore as he cannot preserve the Glory of his Justice, but by punishing sin, and that by necessitie of nature, so he cannot preserve the Glory of the rest of all his Attributes (which Glory also he loves as himself) but by doing all without himself in like maner by necessitie of nature, which utterly destroyes the libertie and freedome of God in all his works of Providence and Creation, and so God shall be a naturall agent in all his works without himself,God might never have intended his glory declarative because if so it had pleased him, he might never have made the world. not a free agent in Creating and Redeeming. 4. The Scripture sayes, he works all things according to the counsell of his will, for his Glory, and therefore he intends not his own declarative Glory as he loves himself: For by necessitie of nature he loves himself, and cannot but love himself. But he might, if so it had pleased him, never have intended to shew forth his own Glory, and does not show it forth by necessitie of nature as he loves himself. Yea he might never have created the world, never have acted without himself: For he was sufficient within himself and stood in need of no declarative Glory: Gen. 17.1. Acts 17.25. 5. Yea if by necessitie of Justice, God cannot but punish sin, especially this justice shall cary him to follow the Law of Works without any Gospel moderation, which is that the same person that sins, and the same soul, Ezek. 18. and p. 32no other,If God punish sin, by necessity of justice, hee must punish Adam and all his sons in their persons, & by necessity of justice, deny them a Saviour. should die for sin: for all these. Thou shalt destroy all the workers of iniquitie. Thou art of purer eyes then that thou can behold iniquitie, and the like, are expressions of a pure legall proceeding in the Lord, against such as are out of Christ, under the Law, not under the Gospel, to wit, the workers of iniquity whom the Lord in justice shall punish in their person, not in their surety. And if there be such a connexion objective ex naturâ rei, between sin and punishment, it must be between punishment and the very person and none other, but the same that sinned: For among men this is justice. Noxa sequitur caput, so that by necessitie of nature, God shall not be God, nor essentially just, if he punish not eternally Adam and all mankinde in their own persons, and so by necessitie of justice, he cannot punish Christ; And it cannot be denyed but there is a dispensation of free Grace, and that it is no act of Justice but of Grace, that God make Christ sin, i. e. a sacrifice for sin for us, 2 Cor. 5.21. And that the Lord laid upon him the iniquities of us all, Isa. 53.6. and made him our surety. Nor let any man object, how could God make Christ a propitiation for sin to declare his righteousnesse? Or how could such justice, by that action be debarred? since justice did not exact such an action: If without violation of justice it might have been omitted, if God should have been infinitely just from Eternitie, if he had done no such thing? Shall a Prince get himself glory in the name of justice, by doing that which, by his absolute Soveraignety, he may leave undone without hurt of justice. The necessitie of declaring the righteousnesse of God in either punishing the sinner Adam, or the surety Christ, makes not God to punish, by necessity of nature.It is Answered, this is to measure God by mortall men: Shall an earthly father freely for no reall good to himself beget hundreds of children, when he needs not, and yet he foresees the largest number of them shall perish eternally, and the eldest must die and be made a curse, to save the rest. The Lord punished Christ for us to declare the glory of his Justice in punishing sin in his own Son, who was the sinner by imputation, for out of the depth of infinite wisedome, the Lord freely imposes a law upon his creatures: He might have imposed no such law under such a punishment. By no necessity of nature did the Lord threaten death, for the eating the fruit of that tree, prove, that God should not have been God, except he had threatned death for the eating of that fruit, and except he had punished p. 33that eating with death, either to be inflicted upon the eater or his surety. Quid haeres? Prove that by the Word of God, it is sin to eat, when God forbids; but the Lords soul hates sin. True, but does the Lords soul hate sin naturally, as he loves himself and by necessity of his essentiall justice as contradistinguished from his immutabilitie, and his truth and faithfulnesse, according to which attributes, he decreed and said, that the soul that sins shall die, and (he that eats shall die) and he cannot change, nor alter, what he hath decreed, and cannot but be true in his threatnings. But the Question is, whether (laying aside the respect of Gods unchangeablenesse and truth) there be such a connexion internall, between eating and dying, or between eating forbidden of God, and punishment, as God cannot be equally and essentially just, nor can he be God, except he punish forbidden eating; for sure eating of that fruit, is not of its nature, sin, but it is sin, from the only forbidding will of God, for the Lord had been no lesse essentially just, had he commanded Adam to eat of the Tree of Knowledge. Ergo, it is punished from the forbidding will of God, for say that to be punishable or to be punished be essentiall to sin, if eating of such fruit be sin from the forbidding will of God, the essence thereof must be from the same forbidding will, then must it follow that God hates not all sin, by necessity of nature; And that he hates such eating only conditionally, if he forbid it; but … from his meer free will, did forbid it. So the Question shall not be, whether God in justice, punished Christ, and made him a propitiation to declare his justice, but what the relative justice ad extra is, by which God punisheth sin, and whether God should leave off to be God (hallowed be his high Name) if he should not make first penall Laws to threaten all sin with punishment. 2. Whether he should not be God, if he should not punish all sin, even the eating of the forbidden tree.The glory of God, & the manifestation of his glory to Angels and Men, are much different. 3. What can be said that is more weak and watrie, to enervat the glory of free Grace, then to confound the Glory of Gods Justice in giving Christ to die for sinners, and this glory as manifested and declared: For sure the manifestation of that glory is a work of free Grace, and most free, if God do any thing freely, he must freely, and by no necessity of Justice, Mercy, Omnipotency, Patience, Grace, &c. manifest the glory of all p. 34these to men and Angels,Declared glory and fundamental glory are different. and these attributes and the internall splendor, beauty, or (to speak so) the fundamentall glory of all the attributes of God is essentiall to God, and his very Nature. And they deny the Lord, who teach that any attributes or such glory are in God freely or contingently (if I durst so speak) for then might we say, these may go and come, ebbe and flow in the Lord, and he should be God, though Mercy, Omnipotency, Gloriousnesse, Graciousnesse, were now and then wanting in him, as he punishes not alway…, and yet he is eternally just, he saves not alwayes, and yet he is eternally mighty to save, and abundant in compassions. but as to the manifestation of Power, Mercy, Justice, that is freely in God: He sent his Son, and gave his Son to death for us, out of love, Iohn 3.16. But it is against common sense, to infer, Ergo, God sent his Son, by necessity of love, and mercy, and free Grace. So that he should not have been infinitly loving, mercifull, gracious, if he had never sent him. And it is as poor Logick to say, because of grace and free-love he sent his Son, and so might not have sent him, as to say he loved where there was no need,Qualis enim amor iste esse potest, quem in ea re, qua nihil opus fuit, DEVS ostendit? & it is in vain to shew the glory of Justice (saith the Author) when God can take away sin, out of free-pleasure, and why should he expose his Son to shame, death, and a curse, whereas he might have taken away sin freely, because it is his pleasure? This is the very thing that Socinians say, there is no need of blood, and satisfaction by blood, if God out of his absolute Soveraignty can take sin away without blood, and so there was no need of reall satisfaction;The freedom of punishing sin is objected by Socinus, as contrair to the necessitie of reall satisfaction. This is against the Holy Ghost, and we may hear it. All the Scriptures cryes that out of free grace the Lord sent his Son, and delivered him to death; By the grace of God He tasted death for every man, Heb. 2.9. Shall we infer there was then no necessity that he should die? It is safest to say the only wise God decreed that sin should be. 2. That the glory of his Justice should appear in taking away sin, not in our way, but in the way of God, to wit, in a way of justice, of mercy, of free grace, in incomparable love, of mighty power; and in all these so acts the Lord as he should not leave off to be the Lord, but acts most freely, though he had not taken that course. But far be it from the godly not to adore him in this, as the admirable way beyond the thoughts of men and Angels.

p. 35It were safest to draw holy practises by way of use from this.Grace and the measure of it is to be humbly looked on.

In all pactions between the Lord and man, even in a Law-Conant there is some out-breakings of Grace. Its true, there was no Gospel-Grace, that is a fruit of Christs merite in this Covenant. But yet if grace be taken for undeserved goodnesse: There are these respects of grace. 1. That God might have given to Adam something inferiour to the glorious Image of God, that consists in true righteousnesse, knowledge of God, and holinesse, Gen 1.26. Eph. 4.24. Col. 3.10. It was a rich enough stock, this holy Image to be so badly guided. And who looks spiritually to their receipts? Its either too much of grace and holinesse that another hath, and too little that I have, so arises virtuall sighing and grudging at the dispensation. Or 2. a swelling that it is so much, as if it were not receiving. I am holier then thou, Isa. 65.5. a miskenning of him that makes me to differ, 1 Cor. 4.7. A blecking of others, Luk. 18.11. A secret quarrelling at God as too strick and hard in his reckoning, Mat. 25.24. And what pride is this, because I am a meer patient under gifted holinesse, to usurpe it as mine own? As if a horse should kick and fling, because he wears a borrowed sadle of silk for a day.

2. Being and dominion over the creatures is of undeserved goodnesse. Who looks to a borrowed body and a borrowed soul,Being, life, and self▪ are undeserved favours. yea and to self, and to that which is called I, as to a thing that is freely gifted? So that though thou be in an high opinion of self, self is self, and what it is, from God. And when thou rides, whence is it that I am the rider, and the wearied horse the carrier, but from God? 3. The Covenant of Works it self, that God out of Soveraignty does not command, is undeserved condescending; that God bargains for hire, do this and live, whereas he may bide a Soveraign Law-giver and charge and command us, is overcoming goodnesse. Law is honeyed with love, and hire; it is mercy that for our penny of obedience,It is mercy that GOD rewards our obedience. so rich a wadge as communion with God is given. 4. The influences to acts of obedience, come under a twofold consideration. 1. As congruous and suitable concurrences of God to Adams acts of obedience: And so they were free gifts to Adam not promised, as we shall hear in the New Covenant. 2. As such influences by which the standing Elect Angels (who p. 36were under this Covenant as well as Adam) were differenced from the Angels that fell,An admirable soveraignty in the standing of Angels and in the fall of man. and were confirmed that they should not fall, in this latter respect. Absolute Soveraignty shines in Adams fall, so if a Sparrow cannot stir its wing without God, Mat. 10.29. nor a hair fall from our head, ver. 30. far lesse could Adam fall, and all his, without a singular providence; And farre lesse could Adam go on and act without influences from God. And if strong Adam and upright, created in holinesse, could not then stand his alone; Shall our clay legs now under the fall bear us up? What Godly trembling is required in us?Gifts and habits of saving grace cannot keep creatures on foot. 5. The gift of Prophesie, Gen. 2.23. seems to be freely given, besides the Image of God, and Adams knowledge, Gen. 2.19. of every living creature, according to their nature may be proven, but it appears to be naturall, and he is a lamentable example to us of abusing the Image of God, and good gifts; But no habite without the continued actings of God can keep us in a course of obedience: There is no ground to make habits of grace our confidence. 3. There can be no giving and taking between the creature and the Creator. Elihu pleads well for him, Job 35.7. If thou be righteous what gives thou to him? Or what receiveth he of thy hand, v. 1. Thy wickednesse may hurt a man, as thou art, and thy righteousnesse may profite the Son of man. The humbling thoughts that God needs not men, nor their service, nor any creature, shuld take us up.Job 22.2. Can a man be profitable unto God, as he that is wise may be profitable to himself? Is it pleasure to the Almighty that thou art righteous? Or is it a gain to him that thou makest thy wayes perfect? So Eliphaz. And David, Psal. 16.2. My goodnesse extendeth not to thee. Acts 17.25. Neither is the Lord worshipped with mens hands, nor with their spirits: as if he needed any thing, seeing he giveth to all life & breath and all things. What then is the glory of the creatures obedience to him? It is some shining of the excellency of God upon men and Angels, from the works of God, and our obedience to him. But suppose there were no creature to pay the rent of this glory to him, is the Lord a loser therefore? Hath he need of our songs of glory? Or that creatures should be Heraulds of his praise? Or needs he the workmanship or structure of Heaven, Sun and Moon to be a Printed Book to spell and sound his glory? If he need not the Book (as he needeth nothing created.foreign Who sayeth I am the Lord Al-sufficient) p. 37he needs not one letter, nor any sense of the Contents of the Chapters of that Book. There is a secret carnall notion of God in us, when we act and suffer for God, that brings a false peace,Secret in us after actings of Grace. and some calmes of mind, we have pleased him once, and beside that peace, a scumme and a froath smoakes up unsensible in the heart, we are profitable to God, it would be the worse with him, if he wanted our prayers and service: but had the Lord any missing of Heaven and of Angels and Men, in these infinite and innumerable ages of duration, that went before any created being? When he was upon these infinite and self-delighting thoughts, solacing himself in that infinite substantial fairenesse and love his Son Christ, Prov. 8.89.30.No creature can give to God (2.) You can give nothing to God Creator of all, but it must be either an uncreated God-head, but he who perfectly possesseth himself, will not thank you for that, or your gift most be a created thing: But how wide is his universall dominion? can you give to one that, of which he was absolute Lord before? all the Roses are his, all the Vineyards, all the Mountains, he is the owner of the South and the North, of the East and the West, and infinite millions of possible Worlds, beyond what Angels and all Angels can number, for eternitie of ages, are in the bosome of his vaste Omnipotencie; He can create them if hee will.

And what ye give to another, it was out of his dominion, but all things are in his dominion, for who spoiled him of what he had? David blessed the Lord, when the people gave for the Temple, excusing himself and the people, that they took on them to give to the great Lord-giver: 1 Chro. 29.11. Thine, O Lord, Reasons why none can give to GOD from that excellent passage of David, 1 Chro. 29.1… 12.1 Chr 29:1is the greatnesse, and the power and the glorie, and the victorie, and the majestie, for all that is in the heaven and in the earth is thine, thine is the Kingdome, O Lord, and thou art exalted as head above all. vers. 12. Both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest, and in thy hand it is to make great, and to give strength unto all. 14. But who am I, and what is my people, that we should be able, so willingly, to offer after this sort? for all things come of thee, and of thine own have we given thee. Hence, none can give to Gd. 1. Because he is JEHOVAH the Eternall God, then he gives all and nothing can be given to him. 2. Because of the greatnesse p. 38and infinitenesse of God. Giving is an adding to him, to whom we give. But nothing can be added to him, for thine is the greatnesse, the power, and the majestie. 3. Nothing can be given to him who is universall and full Lord and Possessour of heaven and earth, and all things therein, for all that is in the heaven &c▪ are thine. 4. Nothing can be given to him, who is so Lord, that he is exalted as Head, Prince and King, above all created Kings, and their dominions over their own. 5. But all the goods of the Subjects are the Princes, or the Commonwealths. The Jurists distinguish as the Schoolman Theod. Smising, Tom. 1. de Deo, tractat. 3. disp. 4. q. 5. fig. 65. a two-fold jus, What dominion the state or communitie hath over private men.jus altum & jus bassum: The Prince and Commonwealth, have a sort of eminent right to the goods of the Subjects, to dispose of them for the publick good, as they may demolish a castle belonging to a private man in the frontiers of the enemies land, because it hurts the country, and may be better made use of by enemies against them for the countrey; And they may compell him to sell it, but this hinders not, but every Subject hath a dominion and right to his own goods, to use them at his pleasure, which the Prince cannot do. Ahab the King hath no right nor dominion over the vineyard of Naboth to compell him to sell it or give it against his will to his Prince; For the earthly Prince, nay the man himself, the just Proprietor before men cannot bear that, so as it may be said of God, vers. 12▪ both riches and honour come of thee, and thou reignest over all: For God created the being of gold and of every thing, that we can give to God, which no earthly Prince can do.

6. Nothing can be given to him, in whose hand is power and might, and to make great and to give strength: For 1. Riches and things we give are of him. 2. Power, might and strength to give, either Physicall, to bear a burden to his house: Or, 2 Morall, a willing mind and heart to give is in his hand: Or, 3. A mixt power, the being of the act of giving is his. v. 7. Of thine own we give thee. Can we give to any that which is his own already? Can ye give to a Crowned King over such a Kingdome his own Crown? Can ye give to the righteous owner of his own lands, his own Garden, and his own vineyard, in gift? but every being created is the Lords.

p. 398. Saith David, v. 15. We are strangers before thee, and sojourners as all our fathers were: And that saith, the Lord is the only Heritor, and we but Tennents at will, and strangers both fathers and sons, though for five hundreth or a thousand years fathers and sons have lineally and in heritage before men possessed such lands: yet before thee (saith he) we and our fathers have but Tennent-right, and are strangers from thee. And what can a meer stranger to life and being give to the just Heritor and Lord of life and being?

9. And our dayes (saith David) on the earth are as a shadow, and there is none abiding life, and being is a shadow of being, and God is the only first excellent being: and suppose we should give life and being to and for him, it is but a borrowed shadow that we give him; And we are not lords of our own being, we have not absolute right over our selves to give our selves to him. If Do…g will not give himself to God, and act for God, Psal. 51.2.Such as refuse to give self for God, shall be plucked out of their place. God shall take thee away and pluck thee out of thy dwelling place, and root thee out of the land of the living. Job 27.21. the east wind of God carrieth him away, and as a storm hurleth him out of his place. Ye shall bestow life and being worse then upon God. God shall make morter of thee, O fool! who makes a god of borrowed I, great I and poor Nothing-self: Nay if there be a Pronoun in thee O let it be this: Oh if my separation from Christ and the blotting …f my name out of the Book of Life, and my heaven might be a foot…tool to heighten the glory, the high glory of the Lord in the salva…ion of many. The unity of such as boast of the proud pronouns, my, and self.2. This Pronoun self and mine is a proud usurper against God. Was he not an Atheist or a churle, and his name folly, who said, 1 Sam. 25.11. and breathed out so many my's? Shall I take my bread and my waters, and my flesh which I killed for my hearers, and give it to men whom I know not whence they be? And he was as madde a fool who thus speaks, Isa. 10.13. By the strength of my hand have I done it, and by my wisdom, for I am …rudent: & I removed the bounds of the people—14. And my hand hath found as a nest the riches of the people, and as one gathereth …ggs that are left, so have I gathered all the earth, and there was …one that moved the wing, or opened the mouth, or peeped. This … the fool-axe boasting against him that heweth with it. And ano…her fool said: Make an agreement with me by a present, and p. 40come out to me, Isa. 36.16. And this mad-nothing is above God, chap. 37.10. Let not thy God in whom thou trustest deceive thee. The Tyrant of Egypt, the great Dragon that lyeth in the midst of the river said, My river is mine own, and I have made it for my self, Ezek. 29.3. God made the Sea and all the Rivers. There be three Pronouns in the mouth of another proud Monarch, Dan. 4.30. And the King spake and said, Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of the Kingdom, by the might of my power and the honour of my Majesty? So soon as there falls from the great Lord of being a chip or shadow of created being, especially where being is rationall and under a Law, there follows and results (the Lord withdrawing) a proud supposed I and a vain conceit of self, Created sinlesse self, is to be denyed.and a dream of God-head comes in with borrowed being; And therefore created sinlesse self is to be denyed. Adam denyed not himself and thought in his sick imagination he should be like God knowing good and evill, Gen. 3. Christ the more excellent Adam pleased not that noble self, Rom. 15.3. foreign. He denyed himself as man, as a gracious meer man, to be God or more then a man. And this self-deniall is in elect Angels, who blush and are sinlesly ash…med of self, and cover their faces with wings before shining Infinitnesse of Glory, and proclaim him thrice Holy, holy, holy, Isa. 6.2, 3. And who knowes not we owne grace as our own? my prayers, my faith, my holiness, my tears, as if grace had a relish from self, not from God: but Paul, 1 Cor. 15.10. Not I, but the grace of God (not my grace in me) that was with me, foreign.

4. But is there no paction between GOD and the creature? Surely we must say that the covenant between GOD and Adam is of another nature, yea and promises also, then these that are between man and man;The Covenant between God and man is of a far other nature, then the Covenant between man and man. for there is proper giving and taking betwixt the creature. 2. The proper covenants between man and man require that both parties be free and independent one of another, there may interveen a jus, a right and a debt upon the promissor to him to whom the promise is made. Omne promissum ex ore fideli cadit in debitum. Jurists say there is no proper binding Covenants between the father and the son, the lord and the servant; for the son and the servant are not lords of themselves nor sui juris. p. 41The father by no paction can remove the foundation of the debt of nature that the son oweth to the father: for impossible it is, but if such a man be son to such a man, but he owe to his father as to an instrument, quod sit & vivat, being and living, and the son can not satisfie by paying the father for that summe, and the father can not cancell the band nor give him an acquittance. Far lesse can any recompence the Lord for life and being. The fallen Angels and damned in hell and all wicked men are in the Lords Compt-book everlasting debters to him for being. But God who is more then a Father (to whom men are but painted fathers) may thus farre loose the bond, as he may command the son to sacrifice the father, as well as once he commanded the father Abraham to offer up his son to God. But God cannot resigne his right that he hath over the creature to a creature, because he cannot leave off to be Creator, and so cannot lay aside or make over Creator-right, jus Creatoris, to any.God cannot quite or part with Creator-right & universall dominion over all things that may be given, and therefore nothing can be given to him. 2. Say that a creature had a jus or right over the Creator, it is either an uncreated right or a created right, so to pursue God by Law, as to cause him do him justice; it cannot be an uncreated right; for that were near to blasphemie: For no created head can bear the royall Crown of the King of Ages. If it be a created right, this created right must be under the dominion of him who is universall Lord of all: then may the Lord make use of it at his pleasure; then may not the man make use of it at his pleasure: for an absolute dominion of one and the same thing cannot be in the hands of two absolute Lords, who may have contradictory desires concerning the same thing: such as the holy Lord and sinfull men often are. Let us correct the bold pleadings and the daring charges that our vain hearts put upon the Lord: Why dost thou strive against him (saith Elihu, Job 33.13.) for he gives not account of any of his matters? Men dare say, when they are under the vengeance of ordinary sufferings, The wayes of the Lord are not equal, Ezek. 33.10. If our transgressions and our sins be upon us, and we pine away in them, how shall we then live? But upon whom should sins and transgressions and the punishment thereof be,We are not to strive with the gracious Lord. if not upon the carcases of the Authors? Will ye raise letters to summond him? Where is the judge? Where is the Tribunall? But he promised so and so; But this is not the Question of strict justice: p. 42that saith something against the veracity and faithfulnesse of God, but nothing against the justice. But neither doth a promise as a promise raise a plea of unjustice against the holy and glorious Lord, suppose he should not fulfill his promise. For 1. A paction by promise creats no equality of justice between thing and thing, between wage and work: otherwise he that is called to the Vineyard, and labours from the third hour, hath a just plea: for he should have more wages then a penny, which he gets who labours but one hour.The Covenant, but not the proportion betwixt works and wage is the Lords rule in rewarding our labour, nor should we be gainers, if the Lord shuld so deal with us. But the Lord makes not the equality or proportion between much labouring for many hours, and the quantity and degree of the wage his r…le. But the Lord pleads the free Covenant for his standing rule. Mat. 20.13. Friend, I do thee no worng: didst thou not agree with me for a penny? And vers. 15. Is it not lawfull for me to do what I will with mine own? Hence read our sickly queroulus nature. 1. Naturally we argue from much working, and would conclude God, much running, long swea…ing, and pains in keeping the Covenant of Works should binde God, except he be unjust, to give me as many ounces and pound weights of Glory everlasting, as I have fasted moments, and told over prayers upon beads, and uttered sighs: Wherefore have we fasted and thou sees… not? We work and keep the Covenant of Works, but God payes us not our wage. Though it be a doubt to me, if the Covenant of Works had stooden, and Adam and all his had fulfilled it perfectly; if the Lord should weigh in an even ballance, by ounce weights, our poor labour, and great reward of Glory, for had he entered such a market, the losse had been ours; we could not have obtained life eternall that way, for our stock of time-working should have dryed up.There is a commutative and a distributive justice, between God & us, the former hath no place in the absolute Lord. The vertue of justice stands in the equality of that which is given and received. Now there is a two-fold equality, one rei ad rem between thing and thing, ane Arithmetick justice, so many ounces of naturall actings, and the same number of ounces of grace and glory: This commutative justice is not in God, as the soundest and learned'st School men teach. There is another justice of proportion duarum rerum ad duas alias res, of two things proportionally answering to two things, distributive justice is this, and it keeps a Geometricall proportion, Augustine with Scripture saith, God is become our debter p. 43not by receiving any thing from us, August. serm. 16. de verb. Apostol▪ debitor nobis factus est Deus, non aliquid accipiendo, sed quod e… placuit promittendo.but by promising what he pleaseth.

2. It followes from the Parable, that Gods bargaining with us depends not upon the equality between thing and thing, the work and the wage; But upon his own free pleasure of disposing of his own: And it is the froathinesse of our nature to judge the penny of Glory, that we get by labouring to be our own, whereas after the promise, and after we have fulfilled the condition, it is not ours, but Gods, and he calls it his own, and it is to be disposed on by the Lords free-grace. Friend, may not I do with mine own, what I please? Mat. 20.15.Glory is not our own after we have wrought for it. 2. No promise as a promise can give us a proper right, by way of strict justice, to plead with God. 1. A promise of grace is a free promise, and no man can say, because God promises the new heart to most undeserving men, that are of a stony heart, and doe profane his holy name, amongst the Gentiles, that therefore it is just by condignitie of the thing,A promise as a promise can give us no right of strict justice to any reward. that a new heart should be given to them, that are foolish, disobedient, and serving diverse lusts. The farrest that hard faced Jesuits go in this, is to tell us of the poor penny of the merit of congruity, for the right weight of the summe and thousands of saving grace which Papists have refused as ashamed thereof.

3. If a promise as a promise should make an equalitie between one thing and another, and so lay a band of strict commutative justice upon God, then should every promise do the like, quod convenit foreign convenit foreign, but that cannot be said: For then if God should promise glory of ten thousand millions of degrees above the glory that Angels and men now injoy, for speaking one good word, that should be a free promise, but that promise should not make an equality between so hudge and rich a reward of glory, and so hungry and poor a work as the speaking of a good word, so as God should fail of justice, if he should deny a reward so great, for so small a work: For the denying thereof should be against the veracitie and faithfulnesse of God, if he should not fulfill his promise, but he should not fail against strict justice either in not rewarding the work with a condigne reward, or in not giving to the man that spake the good word his own. For there is no just equality between work and wage here. Nor can ever so feckless p. 44a work, or all the works of men and Angels, make the glory of life everlasting our own. For glory remains ever the proper gift of God, and under his dominion.

4. A promise is, by order of time or nature, latter and posterior to the good thing promised, as words of truth are latter to things, and things have the same valor and worth, before and after the promise,A promise being posterior to things promised, cannot alter the worth or value of things. yea if one promise to give for a plot of ground, a summe of money of value, five hundred times above the worth of that plot of ground, that promise can not make the unequall and unjust price to be a just and equall price. Even so the promise of God to give eternall life to the obedience of Adam can make no equality of strict justice between the reward and the wage; For the reward promised for the wages is equall and just before the promise, and ex naturâ rei; and so must lay bands on the Lord, so as he cannot do contrair unto it, which is against all reason.

And who gave first to the Lord, and it shall be recompensed to him, None gave first to the Lord, men or Angels.and he that gave first to him, man or Angel, must give his own (or then it is no giving) which he received not from God, either created being, or gift, or work (for any uncreated gift none can give to him) as is said. 2. What is given is amongst the all things that are of him, as the efficient, and to him, as the last end, and through him, as the conserver of all, and so can be no gift to him, Rom 11.36.

And what God of free goodnesse, decrees to do, that he may decree not to do; and things falling under his decree, are not necessary, he cannot decree that man should be a reasonable creature▪ for it involves a contradiction to be a man, and not to be a reasonable creature. But no shadow of contradiction there is for the Lord to forbid to eat; and to forbid to eat under a punishment: And the not created world (it being from eternity nothing and a non ens) could not have any jus or right to plead that God would stand to what he decreed,God was no debtor …o Justice to give being to the world. and give being and create a world, for if the Lord should not give being to it, and create what he had decreed from eternity to create, he should fail against his own unchangeable Nature, but should do no unjustice to an uncreated world, except we say God should be unjust, if he had not created the world▪ For being of justice is due to the world, and God refuses p. 45to pay the debt of being to the uncreated world,Non entis nulla sunt accidentia. which is non-sense. And upon the same ground, if he should annihilat the world or take away life from living things, he should be unjust; It is safer therefore to say that God oweth the creature nothing, but we are his debtors, for service and praises, while we have any being.

4. Use. If God, of his free will, so placed Adam to reward his obedience: We think hard to serve God for wages,We should not take ill to obey & serve God, who hath so noble servants. and to be placed in a condition of obedience. Evah, and we with her, sucking the same milk, thirst after such lawlesse Independency to be from (Gen. 3.5, 6.) under God; Whereas Adam and Angel-courtiers that have wings to obey, and the Noble and High Heir who learned obedience through the things he suffered were in this condition, and Christ a King in the shape of a Servant was obedient to death, to the death of the Crosse, Phil. 2. Hence, to weary of submitting to God, speaks much unnaturall pride, yea will not be under God. 2. There is little of Christ in such, for it was life to Christ and meat and drink, Psal. 40.8. Heb. 10.8. John 4.34. Act. 10.38. to obey, and it is the Angels life, Jsa. 6.2, 3. Psal. 103.20. Rev. 4.8. and they are neer him, who both at once serve and Raigne, Rev, 22.3, 5. much delight to obey, speak much of God in the heart. Tyre not of your Master; examine more,The beasts and lifeless creatures shal depon in judgement against us who break Covenant with God▪ untowardnesse to pray, to confer, to give, &c. if it be not a cause of deadness and be not a way of backsliding.

5. Use. If creatures keep their Covenant-naturall with God, shal not the oxe, the cran, Isa. 1.3. Jer. 8.7. the asse, 2 Pet. 2.16. who never had a design of rebellion, depon against us in Judgement? Ah! what an unnaturall policie, the first evill wit of him that sinned from the beginning, John 8.44. and whom we follow at the heels, it is to please our own wit, in Covenant breaking. Such as are sick of love for their own wylie time-serving custome;Our soft nature is too soone brokē with poor rewards, and too little moved with great things. If all naturall men in their death bed damne not this folly, aske them and they shall speak.

6. Use. If God Covenant with us for hyre, when his absolutenesse may bear him to command, how sinfully soft are our spirits, and weak is reason, that is broken with a straw, when an apple conquers Evahs eye and heart? Talents of Silver, and a wedge of p. 46Gold Achan, and Gehazi; A drink of water, if not at hand, in time of thirst, make the people murmure against God; the more sanctified, defecat and spirituall reason be, the farther it is above that which crusheth Balaam and Judas; The first heavens motion, the primum mobile, which draws all the rest, must be the most excellent, and the moving power must be most spirituall; its neither heavinesse which is in stones or clay, nor lightnesse in the aire and fire, but a more heavenly force, which throwes about that body, so the motions of sanctified reason which is sweyed and driven by no Argument, but from eternity, communion with God, a Kingdom above time, must be most spirituall. The dogge is moved with a bone, the oxe with hay.

7. If no law and poor obedience of ours can buy a communion with God, let us examine the peace that flowes from obedience; Its purer and more solid peace,Justification by works is our own element, Christ and his righteousnesse strangers to us. that flowes from Justification, and more immediatly removes the warre between God and us, Rom. 5. 1. and comes by a purer and nearer emanation from God and from the ransome of Redemption that is in Christ, then that which flowes from created acts of inherent holinesse. (2.) Our first Adams Element is Justification by works, in which we love to live and die. The Law is an home-born Idol in us: Our apprehensions of our own actings are lively and vigorous, the 3000. Acts 2.37. Saul, Acts 9.6. and the Jayler, Acts 16.30. aske what we shall doe? foreign. But it is not the law word of working, Rom. 4.2, 4, 5, 6. Rom. 3.20▪ 28. Its much to be dead to the Law, and to Law-righteousnesse: Gal. 2.19, 20. I live not, but Christ lives in me. Christ (2.) is a stranger to us, and comes from without, gifted righteousnesse comes from heaven. Grace only makes us willing debters to grace. The pride of self, will neither begge nor borrow from, nor be debter to a Crucified Saviour, when it despiseth him untill the roof of the house fall. 3. Seldome do these two concurre, deadnesse to works of grace,Seldome deadnesse to works, and lively activity in works is one. and lively activity in the doing of them. Paul attained to both (but every man is not Paul) 1 Cor. 15.9, 10. I laboured more abundantly then they all. But fearing and trembling at at that (I) foreign, he strikes sail to Christ, yet not I, but the grace of God in me. This pride Paul notes in the Jewes, they stouped not, nor bowed (as inferiours to their Master, King, or p. 47Lord, or Father and Husband,Rom. 10.3. foreign.Rom 10:3 so the word) to the righteousness of God. When (I) (self) or nature meets with working, yea with grace often, there followes some loftinesse, except it be humbled and mortified (I) which can weep and say. Lord what am I?