Gods Love to Man and Mans Duty Towards God, Part 1 · Section 20
Sect. 20. PROP. XX. This is the direct and dreadful conſequence, the ſad and woful effect of Man's ſin and breach of Covenant, that thence forward he can lay no claim to the promiſe, but immediately falleth under the curſe and threatning annexed to it.
THe condition of the Covenant of works being nothing leſs than perfect obedience, one ſinviolates it on mans part, as well as a Thouſand. Thus by one Act of diſobedience man quite forfeited all his right and title to all good and happineſs, which he had in preſent poſſeſſion, or hoped for in regard of Gods promiſe, by one act of diſobedience he brought himſelf under the curſe. That according to the Tenor of this Covenant, after once he had ſinned, he could no more expect any goo… at Gods hands for ever. And thus by ſin man ruined himſelf, caſt himſelf out of Gods favour, of a friend made himſelf an enemy, became ſubject to Divine wrath and vengeance, to all the miſeries of this life, to death ſpiritual, and temporal, and eternal.
Here I may ſpeak ſomething to the Queſtion, How far the Covenant of works is abrogated?
Anſ. Here I fear not to aſſert, that we are all ſtill bound to what the Covenant required; that is, to obey perfectly, though we are not bound up to it; that is, ſo bound up as to fall under the Sentence of Death unavoidably, and to have no hope of happineſs, if we do not obey perfectly. I ſay we are …ot thus bound up to it; becauſe there is a new Covenant ſet on foot. But that in ſome ſence it is ſtill …n force, we muſt all grant, as roundly and confidently as ſome aſſert the repealing, and nulling of it.
1. As concerning the preceptive part, what God required of Man in that Covenant; it was no other than the Law of his Creation. As we are Men, as we are reaſonable creatures, it is our indiſpenſible duty to obey God in all things. I ſay by the Law of Creation we are bound to obey God in all things; and that Law continues to oblige us, ſo long as we are creatures.
Some tell us believers are freed not only from the condemning, Mar. of Mal. die. p. 148.but from the commanding power of the Covenant of works. Now I would ask ſuch, Is it not every Man's duty ſtill to obey God in all things? If ſo, then by what Law? Doth the Law of Faith inſiſt upon perfect obedience? Or is not this the demand of the Law of works? Though we are not bound to keep the Law of God in all things neceſſitate medii, as the condition of life, yet we are bound neceſſitate praecepti, ſo that we ſin whenſoever we tranſgreſs it in any thing: And either believers are under the commanding power of the Law, requiring perfect Obedience, (though Chriſt hath power again, according to his ſuperadded Law of Grace, to ſuſpend and take off the Penalty) or they do not ſin, in not yielding perfect obedience, and ſo need no pardon. Where there is no Law, there is no tranſgreſſion and where is no tranſgreſſion, there needeth no pa… don. So Chriſt ſhould not have procured pardo… for the ſins of believers, but rather this priviledge of exemption from the ſtrict Obligation of th… Law, that what are ſins in others, are no ſins in believers. If it be ſaid, the Law requiring perfect obedience is ſtill in force, but only as it is in th… hand of Chriſt. I anſwer, it did not ceaſe to b… Gods Law, in becoming the Law of Chriſt.
But thus you muſt ſay, the preſeptive part of th… Covenant of works (being the Law of Man's Creation) is ſtill in force. It being eternally th… bounden duty of a Creature to obey its Maker in all things.
2. As to the minatory part as it threatned deat… to every ſin, determined and declared the puniſhment due to ſin and ſinners. (And a threatning as … threatning, doth no more, doth not neceſſarily predict the event) we muſt ſay this is ſtill in force or deny that ſin now deſerves legally what Go… threatned unto Adam. It is a very groſs miſtak… for any to think that the ſins of believers do no… deſerve hell and wrath. The reatus ſimplex, a du… neſs of puniſhment to ſin, is ever inſeperable fro… ſin. And ſo by the Old Original Law, that puniſhment is due to the perſon of the ſinner. Only he… ſteps in a Remediant Law, a Law of Grace, tha… ſayes, if thou art a true believer, if thou art o… that truly repents, the puniſhment is not to be i… flicted upon thee; for Chriſt hath ſatisfyed, and h… ſatisfaction God hath accepted for thee; But I pra… mark it, if the old Original Law be not in force, … charge guilt upon us, we have no need of a diſcharg… in, and from the Goſpel, what need of a diſcharge from that, which no Law can charge us with? ſo we muſt ſay, a believer hath no ſins to be pardoned. For a pardon does neceſſarily and eſſentially import a diſſolving of the Obligation to puniſhment. Now there can be no Obligation to puniſhment, where the penal Law is no more in force: And where there can be no Obligation to puniſhment, there cannot be properly any diſſolving of that Obligation; and ſo properly there can be no pardon.
Thus you ſee to what iſſue the matter is brought, if we ſhould deny the old Law in force, as threatning death to every ſin, ſcil. conſequently we deny that there can be ſuch a thing as pardon.
3. As to the promiſſory part of the Covenant of works, or Law of Innocency, that cannot be ſaid to be abrogated, but only ceaſeth, ceſſante capacitate ſubditi, ſince the fall Man is no capable ſubject. For a Man to be a ſinner, and yet to be capable of claiming life and happineſs by the Law of Innocency, is indeed a plain contradiction. Such a Law, or Covenant, when once the condition becomes naturally impoſſible (as learned Mr. Baxter ſomewhere noteth) tranſit in Sententiam, it ceaſeth to promiſe in this caſe, and inſtead of that, paſſeth Sentence upon men. Yet cannot ſinners blame God, that righteouſneſs and life come not this way, as if the failure was in his promiſe. No, it is in themſelves, their not anſwering the condition; when Chriſt (a capable ſubject) came, the Law of innocency justified him, and ſo it would juſtifie us, ſuppoſing we were, and did all, which the Law requireth. So much ſeemeth to be implyed in that ſpeech of our Saviour to one that deſired to juſtifie himſelf, (ſaying, what ſhall I do to inherit Eternal life, whereupon, Chriſt to give him enough, referreth him to the Law, [This do, (obey perfectly) and thou ſhalt live.] Luk. 10.25.28. not that any man ever did, o… ever can attain to life and happineſs by the works of the Law. Certainly, the Romanists are quite miſtaken in the ſcope of our Saviour's ſpeech here, who cry out, Hear, O ye Lutherans, the Lord Chriſt ſaith not, Crede & vives: ſed, fac hoc, Not [believe, and live] but [do this, and live.] Daring wretches, that to ſtabliſh their own prou… Opinions, would have Jeſus Chriſt to contradict himſelf. Rather the deſign of our Saviour's ſpeech was to convince a man of his own inability, to ſave himſelf. And yet this ſeemeth to be implyed in it, that if there was any one in the world, Lex non falſo ſalutem promittit ſuis cultoribus, ſi quis plene obſervet quicquid. Mandat. Coelo.every way ſuch as the Law of God requireth to be, ſuppoſe ſuch an one as is failing and deficien… in nothing, and then [Do this, and live] would entitle him to life and happineſs, ſuch an one ſhould attain to happineſs without Chriſt, or pardoning grace, in as much as he had no need of a pardon. But ſeeing it is naturally impoſſible, that ſinners (and we are a… ſinners) ſhould ever attain to the condition of the Covenant of works, which is full conformity and perfect Obedience to Gods will, therefore that promiſe is indeed ceaſed as to us.
But to think that Man's ſin could abrogate the Covenant, that God had made, is very unreaſonable. As if a man could ſatisfie and diſcharge a Bond by forfeiture. As if a ſubject by breaking the Law, could make himſelf lawleſs. He may thereby deprive himſelf of the benefit & protection of the Law, it's true, but cannot exempt himſelf from the Duty of Subjection to it. Again, to think that God would abrogate it, and take Man's failing in his duty, as a ground of excuſing him from his duty, is as unreaſonable. Then might one not have ſaid, Noli ergo imperare, now give up the Government of the world.
Again, to think that Chriſt would give himſelf, and improve his intereſt for the abrogation of it, would be an unworthy reflection on him. As if in his office and undertaking, as Mediator, he had not carried equally, indifferently conſulting the Intereſts of both parties, with the like real tenderneſs. As if he had not been as true to his Father's honour, in preſerving his right in, and authority over his creatures, as to his peoples ſafety; but did too partially incline to us, though the offending party.
It was enough for the ſecuring of the ſalvation, and happineſs of his redeemed ones, that he procured a new Law of Grace written in his own blood, [That all that believe in him ſhould be juſtified, and ſaved,] notwithſtanding the old Original Law continued ſtill in force.
Nay, I tell you Chriſtians, this does advance and ſet forth the free Grace of God, and exalt the praiſe and merits of your Redeemer; that for his ſake, your ſincere, though weak, imperfect obedience is accepted, from whom yet perfect Obedience is is as due to God, as from any; and that for his ſake your ſins are pardoned, which are as properly ſins, and as truly deſerve hell and wrath as the ſins of any.
Thus I ſay, there is no reaſon to think, the firſt Original Law is made void by the after remediant Law. For both may ſtand in force together; as that ſtrict Law given to the Common-wealth of the Jews, for putting Tranſgreſſors to death; to which was ſuperadded this Law of Grace, that in ſuch and ſuch caſes the Law-giver, the Rector did admit of a Commutation, that upon offering a Beaſt in Sacrifice, the Tranſgreſſor's life ſhould be ſpared (though forfeited by the Law) Lev. 5.17, 18. So this Original Law, whoſoever ſtands indebted to another, ſhall ſatisfie his Creditor, or be liable to an arreſt, and to be caſt into Priſon, remains in force; notwithſtanding we ſuppoſe ſuch a relieving Law as this made afterwards, That if any perſon in Debt, ſhall ſerve in the Wars, &c. while they are ſo imployed for the publick, they ſhall be protected from any arreſt. Theſe inſtances may help to clear the Queſtion I am upon, eſpecially the former.
Many think, that becauſe the Law of works ſerves not to the ſame uſe and end, for which it was given to Man in the ſtate of Integrity, therefore it muſt needs be abrogated, that we are no more obliged by it. Not conſidering that the reaſon why righteouſneſs and life cannot come by the Law, is not any weakneſs in the Law, but our weakneſs and incapacity to fulfil it. The Law of Ceremonies indeed cannot juſtifie, becauſe of its weakneſs. (For it is not poſſible, that the blood of Bulls and Goats, ſhould take away ſins, Heb. 10.4.) But the Law of righteouſneſs, which I am ſpeaking of, were it not for Man's weakneſs, would juſtifie. Therefore that we cannot be juſtifyed by the Law of works now, let us not lay the fault on the Law, but on our ſelves.
Truely, I cannot but wonder at ſome, that would have this a Queſtion of great difficulty, but of little moment whether the Law of works, given to Adam, continue in force to all Mankind; methinks it is of very great moment, ſo that if we ſuppoſe the abrogation of it, we give the Antinomian no little Advantage. And methinks it is very plain, that it muſt continue to bind Man (obedience to God in all things being no more than he is for ever obliged to, as he is a creature) though for non-performance of ſuch obedience as that Law requires, God is not bound to Man by that Law.
I conclude therefore the Law of works is ſtill in force, that none of us can ſay, If we obey God ſincerely, we pay him all we owe, he requires no more; we cannot ſay that our ſins do not legally deſerve Eternal death; but only that though the Law of God looks upon us as ſinners, and condemns our ſins, as well as the firſt ſin of Adam, yet this we may plead againſt the Execution of the ſentence, and condemnation of the Law. There is alſo a new Law of Grace, an Act of General Indempnity and Oblivion which Chriſt hath procured, which God hath paſſed, that frees us from the curſe and penalty of our ſins, if we repent, believe, obey the Goſpel, i.e. if we lay hold on the Grace offered to us, with an unfeigned deſire and reſolution to live and be, as this Grace that bringeth Salvation teacheth us.