University of California Berkeley 
 
THE LIBRARY 
 
 OF 
 
 THE UNIVERSITY 
 OF CALIFORNIA 
 
 PRESENTED BY 
 
 PROF. CHARLES A. KOFOID AND 
 MRS. PRUDENCE W. KOFOID 
 
THE 
 I 
 
 OECONOMY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 COVENANTS, 
 
 BETWEEN 
 
 GOD AND MAN. 
 
 COMPREHENDING 
 
 A Complete Body of Divinity. 
 
 BY HERMAN WITSIUS, D. D. 
 \\ 
 
 Late Profeflbr of Divinity in the Univcr Titles of Franequer, Utrecht, 
 
 and Leyden ; and alfo Regent of the Divinity-College of 
 
 the States of Holland and Weft Friefland. 
 
 TO WHICH IS PREFIXED, 
 
 THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. 
 
 A New Tranjlation frcm the Original Latin. 
 
 IN THREE VOLUMES. 
 VOLUME I. 
 
 NEW-TORK: 
 
 PRINTED BY GEORGE FORMAN, No. 64, WATER-STREET^ 
 FOR LEK & STOKES, No. 25, MAIDEN LANS. 
 
 1798. 
 
/ t 
 
 PREFACE TO THE EDINBURGH EDITION, 
 BY THE TRANSLATOR. 
 
 JL H E following celebrated work cf the great WlTSIUS, 
 originally wrote in elegant Latin, was firft publifhed when the 
 author was Profefibr of Divinity at Franequer. It pafled through 
 two editions before the year 1693, when he republifhed it with ve- 
 ry confiderable additions and improvements, and prefixed a dedi- 
 cation to King William III. the gloi Ions deliverer of the Britifn 
 "nation from all the horrors of popery and flavery, and a pacific 
 addrefs to the Reverend the profeiTors of divinity and minifters of 
 the gofpel in the United Provinces. The book was eagerly read 
 and highly valued by all, who had a true tafte for the excellent 
 gofpel-truths it contains and illuftrates. A tranflation of it into 
 Englifh was firft published, in three large volumes Octavo, at 
 London, in 1763 ; and, though indifferently executed, yet met 
 with great encouragement. A demand being made for the work 
 in this country, freed from the many grofs typographical blunders 
 and other errors with which the London copy abounded, the Edi- 
 tor has been prevailed upon to review the whole tranflation ; has 
 carefully compared every fentence with the original, corrected ma- 
 ny miftakcs, fupplied a variety of omifHons, and endeavoured to 
 give the author's true fenfe. In making the tranflation, the feve- 
 ral editions have been confulted, particularly the third, and one 
 printed at Hefborn in 1712, four years after the author's death. 
 And though the Editor dare not fay, the work is free from faults, 
 yet he flatters himfelf the Public will overlook all inaccuracies, and 
 favorably receive a book, honeftly intended and plainly calculated 
 for general utility. 
 
 As this excellent Body of Divinity was for near a century only 
 known to perfons {killed in the learned languages, to the very great 
 iofs of thofe who had not received a liberal education ; and as eve- 
 ry attempt for fpreadirtg the knowledge of gofpel-truths, particu- 
 larly thofe relating to the covenants of works and grace, which en- 
 ter fo deeply into the Mediatorial fchcme, merits the public atteu- 
 
iv PREFACE. 
 
 tion ; fo the Editor hopes, that his countrymen will give fuitable 
 encouragement to a work, eminently calculated for explaining the 
 fc-ripturnl doclrincs concerning the fall of man, and the method of 
 his recovery by the obedience, fatisfaclion, and grace of the Lord 
 Jefus Chrift. And he begs, that minifters and other gentlemen 
 v.'ho have read this work, and know the value thereof, will recom- 
 mend it unto others, who have not enjoyed that advantage, as a 
 book very proper to be read not only by the clergy and (Indents of 
 divinity, but by all forts of perfons with pleafure and profit. 
 
 The following recommendations were prefixed to the former 
 Engliih tninflation of this work. 
 
 The famous HERMAN WITSIUS, ProfciTor of Divinity at 
 Leyden, in Holland, and the author of a treatife entitled, The 
 Qecononty of the Covenants between God and Man, and various other 
 learned and theological trails, was a writer, not only eminent for 
 his great talents, and particularly folid judgment, rich imagina- 
 tion, and elegancy of compofition ; but for a deep, powerful, and 
 evangelicalfpirituality and favour of godlinefs : and we moft heartily 
 concur in the recommendation of his works to ferSous Chriftians of 
 all denominations, and especially to minifters, and candidates for 
 that facred cilice. 
 
 JOHN GILL, D. D. JOHN BRINE, 
 
 JOHN WALKER, L. L. D. WILLIAM KING, 
 
 THOMAS HALL, THOMAS GIBBONS, M. A." 
 
 And the late excellent Mr. Hervey, in his Th?ron and Afpajlo, 
 vol. iii. p. 90. of his work?, Edinburgh edition, 1769, haying men- 
 tioned a work of this author, adds, " The Qeconomy of the Covenants, 
 
 written by the fame hand, is a Body of Divinity, in its method fo 
 \velldigefted; in its doctrines fo truly evangelical ; and (what is 
 not veiy ufaal with our fy Hematic writers) in its language fo refined 
 and elegant ; in its manner fo alFedlionate and animating ; that I 
 would recommend it to every (Indent in Divinity [and to 
 Chrlftian."^ I would not fcruple to r'Jk all :ny reputation upon the 
 merits of this performance : and I cannot but lament it, as one of 
 my greateft knTes, that I was no ited with this moft 
 
 excellent author ; allwhofe works have fuch a delicacy of cornpo- 
 fition, and fach a favour of holinefs, that I know not any c6n;p.iri- 
 fon more prop-r to reprc^iit their true ch , lia'n th: gnuim 
 
 -i-'ich bad ntanna ; and was ou: ith bumiflied g-cld, 
 
 imvardly - .[." 
 
AMERICAN RECOMMENDATION, 
 
 Ti 
 HE Author of the CEcoNOMY OF THE COVENANTS 'was a Pro~ 
 
 fffir of Divinity in Holland, very eminent fcr bis piety, and jujlly celebrat- 
 ed for a writer of great talents, accurate judgnitnt, and refined tajie* 
 Among his worts, winch are all In high efllmation wiih ths harned of 
 every denomination, there are none more intsreft'wg and univsrf ally admired 
 than this upon the Covenants. Great erudition, f olid argument, and accu- 
 rate critic i fm, are here happily employed in eftabl'/Jhing ibs truth and vindi- 
 cating the peculiar doctrines of the GofpeL No book that has b^n publifti- 
 edfince the reformation of the Church is more worthy the attention and 
 Jludy of candidates for the mini/try ; and every pious reader, who ivtfbes 
 to have his faith confirmed^ and religious qflltfions ra:fed, "Mill hers be, 
 full"; grained. Thofs ivho can pcrujs It in the original Latin, will dif- 
 cover a beauty andfublimiiy rf J}y^, which ihs ti-anflator Las not been 
 able to reach ; tbs i>crjicn however is abundantly accurate to convey the 
 ideas, and is not dsfliiute ofjufficient neatnefs to plea fs a candid r:adsr. 
 
 As it has long been our iv'fa that an American Edition of this invalua- 
 ble work might appear, ice comply without the lea/I hefitaiion 'with the 
 rcqueft of the Editor, to exprffs our Jentimtnts rcfpcS'mg tb; ^^, and 
 earneftly recommend it io alt thofe <zvho have a rei'Jh for found doSrine and 
 a tafiefar elegant literature. IVLil: the prefs is daily teeming with the 
 frivolous produclions of romance, cr the more pernicious ejfujions of infide- 
 lity, we havs no doubt there arejiill many to be found tuho pr?fzr edifica- 
 tion to amuftment, and truth to error, and therefore hope the probofals will 
 meet -with immediate and fuitabl* encouragement, 
 
 J. H. LIVINGSTON, SAM. MILLER, 
 (Signed) \VM. LINN, JOHN M'KNIGHT, 
 
 JOHN M. MASON, G. A. KUYPERS, 
 JOHN N. ABEEL,' BENj. FOSTER, 
 JOHN RODGERS, PHILIP MILLEDOLER. 
 
 We the Miniftcrs of the Gofpel, m Phil-adelnlila, heartily con- 
 cur \vidi our Brethren of New-York, in the foregoing recommen- 
 dation. 
 
 J. HENRY CH. HELMUTH, WM. ROGERS, 
 
 ASHBEL GREEN, WM. HENDEL, 
 
 WM. MARSHALL, THOMAS U3TICK. 
 ROBERT ANNAN, 
 
TO THE FRIENDS OF PtTRE CHRISTIANITY, 
 OF EVERY DENOMINATION* 
 
 THE FOLLOWING WORK 
 
 OF THE 
 
 GREAT DOCTOR WITSIUS, 
 
 A WORK 
 
 CONSPICUOUS FOR 
 
 ELEGANCE OF STYLE, 
 
 PURITY OF DOCTRINE, 
 
 SOLIDITY OF JUDGMENT, 
 
 STRENGTH OF REASONING, 
 
 CANDOUR OF SENTIMENT, 
 
 WARMTH OF ADDRESS, 
 
 AND 
 FERVOUR OF PIETY; 
 
 CALCULATED 
 
 TO PROMOTE GENUINE CHRISTIANITY, 
 INSTRUCT THE IGNORANT, 
 RECLAIM THE ERRONEOUS, 
 ESTABLISH THE ORTHODOX, 
 
 AND 
 
 VINDICATE GOSPEL-TRUTH 
 AGAINST ALL ADVERSARIES WHATEVER* 
 
 fS MOST RESPECTFULLY DEDICATED 
 B Y 
 
 THE EDITOR. 
 
CONTENTS. 
 
 TPage 
 HE life of the author , 9 
 
 A pacific addrefs to the profejfors cf divinity and 
 minifters in the United Provinces, 31 
 
 OEGONOMY OF THE DIVINE 
 COVENANTS. 
 
 BOOK I. 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Of the divine covenants in general, 45 
 
 II. Of the contracting parties in the covenant of 
 
 works, 58 
 
 III. Of the law, or condition, cf the covenant cf 
 
 works, 72 
 
 IV, Of the promifes of the covenant of -works, 83 
 
 V. Of the penal fanttion of the covenant of 
 
 works, 104 
 
 VI. Of the facraments of the covenant of works, 137 
 VII. Of the firjl Sabbath, 155 
 
 VIII. Of the violation of the covenant of works on 
 
 the part of man, 182 
 
 IX. Of the abrogation of the covenant of works 
 on the part of God* 
 
viii CONTEXTS. 
 
 BOOK II. 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Introduction to treating on the covenant of grace , 223 
 II. Gf the compact between the Father and the 
 
 Son. 226 
 
 III. The nature of the compaft between the Father 
 
 and the Son, more fully explained, 243 
 
 IV. Of the perfon of the Surety, 265 
 
 V. Of the fdretiJJnp and fatisfaclion cf Chrijl, <z 
 VI. What fufferings of Chrijl arefatisfaftory, 293 
 VII. Oftheejfecl of Chrijl' s faii sj 'a ft ion, 327 
 
 VIII. Of the nccejjity cf Chrijl' sfatisf act ion, 343 
 
 IX. Of the perfonsfor -whom Chrijl engaged c 
 
 faiitftd, 359 
 
 X. After -what manner Chrijl ufed the facra- 
 
 rtit. . 382 
 
 BOOK III. 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Of the covenant of God with the dcil, 397 
 
 II. Of the onenefs of the covenant of grace, ai> to 
 
 its fub fiance, 411 
 
 III. Of the different (Economics c: 
 
 434 
 
THE 
 
 Q F X H S 
 
 AUTHOR, 
 
 EXTRACTED FROM DR. MARCK'S FUNERAL ORA- 
 
 TION ON HIM. 
 
 H 
 
 ERMAN WITS (or, as he is commonly called 
 Witjius) was defcended from reputable parents. His 
 father, Nicholaus Wits, was a gentleman univerfally ef- 
 teemed by his fellow citizens at Enkhuyfen, to whom he 
 endeared himfelf by his fidelity, modefty, juftice, be- 
 nevolence, and unaffecled piety in every character he 
 fuftained, either in the church or in the city; for in the 
 former he was firft a deacon, and afterwards a ruling el- 
 der, and treafurer in the latter. His mother was Jo- 
 &nna 9 a gentlewoman of great piety and prudence, the 
 daughter of Herman Gerhard ; who, after many dan- 
 gers and diftreffss, obtained a calm and fecure fettle- 
 . L B 
 
jo THE Lirx, OF ins AUTHOR. 
 
 merit in the church at Enkhuyfcn ; where he preached 
 the gofpel, for upwards of thirty years, with great repu- 
 tation ; and fuch was the affection he bore to his church, 
 that he rejected the molt profitable offers that were made 
 to him. 
 
 The parents of our WITSIUS, having vowed to de- 
 vote a child to the miniftry, did, upon the birth of this 
 fon, call him after his grandfather, praying that in Her- 
 man the grandfon, might be revived the fpirit of the 
 grandfather ; and that, endued with equal, if not fupe- 
 rior talents, he might imitate his example. 
 
 HERMAN WITSIUS was born on the 1 2th of Fe- 
 bruary, 1656, at Enkhuyfcn, a town of Wejl Friefland) 
 one of the firft that threw off the Spanijli yoke, afferted 
 their own liberty, and once enlightened with the truths 
 of the gofpel, retained the purity of worfhip ever after, 
 and, in the very worft times of Arminianifm, continued, 
 above many, ftedfaft in the faith. And though it was a 
 place noted for trade and navigation, yet it produced 
 then famous in every branch of literature. So that Wit- 
 fms, even in his native place, had illuftrious patterns to 
 copy after. 
 
 The care which thefe pious parents took of young 
 Witfius during his tender infancy, was not intermitted as 
 he began to grow; for, being Hill mindful of their vow, 
 $jy brought him up in a very pious manner, inftruft* 
 ijSrg him in the principles and precepts of religion and 
 Chriftian piety. In his fixth year they fent him to the 
 public fchool of the town, to learn the rudiments of the 
 Latin tongue : from which, after fpending three years, 
 and being advanced to the higheft form there, his uncle 
 by the mother, Peter Gerhard, took him under his own 
 private and domeftic tuition ; a perfon well {killed in 
 Latin, Greek, Hebrew, and philofophy. But his prin- 
 cipal iludy had beeu Divin^v. This man, then diftn- 
 
f 
 THE LIFE 9v THE AUTHOR. 11 
 
 gaged from all public bufmefs, and being as fond of his 
 nephew as if he had been his own Ion, taught him with 
 that afliduity, that, before he was fifteen, he made no 
 fmall proficiency in the Latin, Greek , and Hebrew, and 
 acquired fuch knowledge in logic and other parts of phi- 
 lofophy, that, when he was afterwards removed to the 
 univcriit.y, he could ftudy without a maftcr. At the 
 lame time he learned the ethic compendiums of Wallaus 
 and Burgerjditwfy with fo much care, as to be able to 
 repeat mod of the fentences, very frequent in Burgerf- 
 dicius, from the ancients, whether Greek or Latin. He 
 alfo perufed his elements of phyfics, and dipped a little 
 into metaphyfical fubtilties; and committed to memory 
 rnoft of the theological definitions and diftinclions from 
 Wendelin. As his uncle was a man of exemplary piety, 
 and was wont to apply alrnoft to every common occur- 
 rence of life, fome (hiking paflages of both teftaments, 
 which he often repeated, either in Hebrew or Greek, 
 while riling, dreiling, walking, ftudying, or otherwife 
 employed ; fo, by his example and admonitions, he 
 ftirred up his nephew to the fame praclice. Whence it 
 was, that at thofe tender years he had rendered familiar 
 to himfelf many entire pailages of the Hebrew and Greek 
 Teitament, which he was far from forgetting when more 
 advanced in life. 
 
 Being thus formed by a private education, in 1651? 
 and the fifteenth year of his age, it was refolved to fend 
 him to fome univerfity. Utrecht was pitched upon, be- 
 ,ing furniihed with men very eminent in every branch of 
 literature, with a confiderable concour ie of Undents, 
 and an extraordinary ftriclnefs of difcipline. What 
 principally recommended it, were the famous divines, 
 Gijl'ert Voetim, Charles Maatfius, and John Hoorn- 
 hecckius, all of them.great names, and ornaments in their 
 .day. .Being therefore received into that univerfity, he 
 
is THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. 
 
 was, for metaphyfics, put under the direction of Paul 
 Voetius, then profeflbr of philoibphy ; and being, more- 
 over, much taken with the ftudy of the Oriental lan- 
 guages, he clofely attended on the celebrated John Leuf- 
 dcn, who taught thofe languages with incredible dexte- 
 rity ; and under him he conftrued almoft the whole He- 
 brew text, as alfo the commentaries of Solomon larchi, 
 A ben Ezra, and Kimchi on Hofea, and the Chaldee pa- 
 raphrafe of Jonathan on Ifaiah, and of Onkelos on a 
 part of the Pentateuch. Moreover, under the fame 
 mailer, he juft touched on the myfteries of the Ma- 
 for a, and the barbarous diction of the Talmud ; namely, 
 the parts publifhed by John Coccents, under the title of 
 Sanhedrin and Maccoth, and by Conjlantine Lemper eur^ 
 under that of Babha Bathra : under the fame mafter 
 he learned the elements of the Syriac and Arabic lan- 
 guages; which laft, however, he afterwards lefs culti- 
 vated than the others. What proficiency he made in 
 the Hebrew, appeared from a public fpecimen he gave, 
 at the inftigation of Leufden, of a well-written Hebrew 
 oration about the Meffias of the Jews and Chriftians, 
 in 1654. But though almoft quite fwallowed up in 
 thofe ftudies, he by no means neglecled the ftudy of di- 
 vinity, to which he knew all the others were only fub- 
 fervient; but in that fublime fcience he diligently ufed, 
 as mafters, the greateft men, and beft feen in the facred 
 fcriptures, whofe moft laudable memory no lapfe of 
 time fhall ever be able to obliterate ; namely, Gijlcrt 
 Voetius, John Hoornbeeckius, Gaulierus Bruznius, and 
 Andrew EJJcnius. By whofe inftruclions, together with 
 his own extraordinary application, and true piety to- 
 wards God, what proficiency he made, the reader may 
 eahly judge for himfelf. However, he had a mind to 
 fee Groningcn, to have the benefit of hearing the famous 
 Samuel Marefius : whither he went in. 1654, after the 
 
THE LIFE or THE AUTHOR. 13 
 
 fummcr-vacation ; chiefly applying to divinity : under 
 whofe direclion he made exercifes in French, by which 
 he gave fo much fatisfa&ion to this great man, that, not- 
 withftanding his many avocations, he* deigned to correct 
 and purge thofe declamations of Witjius from their fole- 
 cifms and other improprieties, before they were recited 
 in the college. Having thus fpent a year at Groningen? 
 and obtained an honorable teftimonial from the theologi- 
 cal faculty? he next turned his thoughts to Ltyden. But 
 the plague then raging there, he refblved to return to 
 Utrecht? in order to build farther on the foundation he 
 had there fo happily laid : and, therefore, he not onlj 
 carefully heard the profeifors in divinity at this time, as 
 before, both in public and private, but cultivated a pe- 
 culiar familiarity with the Very Reverend Jujius nan 
 dtn Bogaerdt? whofe piety, prudence, and admirable 
 endowments he had fuch a value for, that he imagined, 
 perhaps from youthful inexperience, no preacher equal 
 to him. From his fermons, converfation, and example, 
 he learned the deeper myfteries of the kingdom of God, 
 and of myftical and fpiritual Chriftianity. From him 
 he underftood how great the difference is between any 
 fuperficial knowledge, which fcholallic exerciles, books 
 learnedly written, and a clofe application, may procure 
 to minds quite defiitute of fanclihcation ; and that hea- 
 venly wifdom, which is acquired by meditation, prayer, 
 love, familiar converle with God, and by the very relifh 
 and experience of fpiritual things; which proceeding 
 from the Spirit of God, internally illuminating, con- 
 vincing, perfuading, and fealing, glo-rioufly transform 
 the whole man into the mod holy image of Chriit. In 
 a word, he owned, that by means of this holy porfun he 
 was introduced by the Lord Jefus to his moil fccret re- 
 cc.iTes, while, before, he too much and too fondly 
 pleafed hknfelf in tarrying in the porch; and there, at 
 
14 THE LIFE or THE AUTHOR. 
 
 length, learned, difclaiming all vain prefumption of fci- 
 ence, humbly to fit down at the feet of the heavenly 
 Mailer, and receive the kingdom of heaven as a little 
 child. But that it may not be thought, he fo applied 
 to the forming of his mind to piety, as to neglecl for the 
 future all academical ftuciiss, the thefes he wrote on the 
 Sacred Trinity, agairift the Jews, from their own writ- 
 ings, may, and ought to be, a proof to the contrary; 
 and which he publifhed in the month of Oclober 1655, 
 to be difputed under the moderation of the famous Leuf- 
 den ; which, though warmly attacked by the moit ex- 
 perienced academicians, yet the moderator thought the 
 refpondent acquitted himfelf fo well, as to fuperfede his 
 interpofition on any account : and when, according to 
 cuitom, he returned folemn thanks to the moderator for 
 his trouble, this lad very politely and truly made an- 
 fwer, He had Hood in no need of his help. 
 
 The time now feemed to require, that our Witjius, 
 very famous at two univerfities, mould be employed in 
 the public fervice of the church, and firft, as ufual, give 
 fpecimens of his proficiency. Therefore, in the month 
 of May 1656, he p re fen ted himfelf at Enkhuyfcn to a. 
 preparatory examiaation, as it is called, together with 
 his then fellow-ftudent, John Lqftdragerus, with whom 
 he had a familiarity from his youth, and whom he after- 
 wards had for his mod intimate colleague and faithful 
 fellow-labourer, firft in the church of Leovaarden, and 
 then at Utrecht. And upon this occaiion he was not 
 only admitted to preach publicly, which he did with un- 
 common applaufe, but gave fo general fatisfaclion, that 
 there was fcarce a country-church in North Holland, 
 where he then refided, which, wanting a miniller, did 
 not put his name in the number of the three candidates, 
 from which the election is ufually made. And, at the 
 
 ...ration of the Reverend John James U Boi^ minif- 
 
THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. 15 
 
 ter of the French church at Utreckt, he ventured, upon 
 leave given, to preach publicly to the French church at 
 Dort, in their language. And from that time he often 
 preached in French^ both at Utrtcht'X&A Amjlerdam ; as 
 ali r o fometimes in the coivrfe of his miniftry at Leovaar*. 
 den. But becaufe he imagined, there was ftill fomething 
 wanting to the elegance of his language, he propofed 
 very foon to take a tour to France, and pay his refpeU 
 to the great men there, and at the fame time have the 
 pleafure of hearing them, and improving in their lan- 
 guage. 
 
 But providence difpofed otherwife ; for the following 
 year, 1657, and the twenty-firft of his age, being law- 
 fully called by the church of Weft Wouden, he was or- 
 dained there on the 8th of July. This village lies almoil 
 in the mid-way between Enkhuyfen and Horn^ and is 
 united with the parifh of Eienne Wijfent. And here, for 
 four years and upwards, he laboured with the greateft 
 alacrity of a youthful mind ; and with no lefs benefit : 
 for, by frequent catechiring, and with the greater! pru- 
 dence f uiting himfelf to the catechumens, both boys and, 
 girls, they, who before were grofsly ignorant, could 
 not only give proper anfwers on the principal heads of 
 our religion, but prove their aflertions by fuitable text* 
 of fcripture, and repeat a whole fermon diftinclly, whoa 
 examined on it, to the joy as well as ihame of their pa- 
 rents and older people. The reputation of fo faithful 
 and dextrous a pallor being thus widely fpread, the 
 church of Wormer^ in the fame tra'cl of North Holland, 
 fufficiently numerous and celebrated, but then too much 
 diftraQed by imeftine commotions, imagined they could 
 not pitch upon a fitter guide to allay their hearts, and 
 form their minds. This call Wiifius not only accepted, 
 paffing to that charge in October i65i ? but fpent there 
 four years and a half, doing every thing in his power to 
 
i6 THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. 
 
 promote Chriftian unanimity and the common falva- 
 tion ; and as he law the extenfive fruits of his labours 
 among them, fo he was univerfaliy beloved. Where 
 fore he could not bear to remove from them to the peo- 
 ple of Sluys in Flanders* who offered him great encou- 
 ragement to preach : but the people of Goefe in Zealand 
 fucceeded in their call, and he repaired to them about 
 Whitfuntide i656, and was fo acceptable to all by his 
 doclrine, manners, and diligence, as to live there in the 
 moft agreeablq peace and concord with his learned, pi- 
 ous, and vigilant colleagues, two of whom he revered 
 as his fathers ; and the third, who was younger, he loved 
 as his brother. He was much delighted with this fettle- 
 ment, and often wifhed to grow old in this peaceful re- 
 treat. But the people of Leo-vaardcn., in Weft Friejland 
 interrupted thefe thoughts; who, in November 1667. 
 called him, with a remarkable affeclion, to that cele- 
 brated metropolis of his native country, that he might 
 prove a mining light, not only in the church, court, and 
 fenate of that place, but to all the people of Friz/land, 
 who flocked thither from all parts to the affembly of the 
 flates ; but the people of Goefe, doing all they could to 
 hinder bis removal, it was April 1668 before he went to 
 Leovaarden. And it is fcarcely to be expreffed, with 
 what vigilance, fidelity, and prudence he conduced 
 himfelf; even at a time cf fuch diukulty, when the ene- 
 my, having made fuch incurfions into Holland, and 
 made theinfelves mailers of moft of its towns, and {truck 
 a panic into all, when a man of fuch fpirit and refolu- 
 tion was abfolutely neceffary. Nor do I know of any 
 before or fince, whofe labours were more fuccefsful, and 
 who was more acceptable to the church, the nobility, 
 and the court. And therefore he was for forne time tutor 
 to Henry Cafimir, the Moft Serene Prince of Najfau^ 
 hereditary governor of Fricjland. too untimely fnatched 
 
THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. ^f 
 
 away by death ; and with remarkable fuccefs he inftruQ* 
 ed, in the doftrines of religion, his Moft Illuftrious fif- 
 ter Amelia, a very religious princefs, afterwards mar- 
 ried to the Duke of Saxe-Eifenach ; and he prelided at 
 the profeflion of faith, which both princes publicly made, 
 ,o the great edification of the church, in the prefencc 
 of the Princefs-mother, Albertina of Orange. 
 
 It is not, therefore, to be wondered, that when,through 
 the injury of the molt calamitous times, and the deceafe 
 both of the venerable and aged Chrijlian Schotanu^ and 
 of John Melchior Steinbergius, fcarce inftaHed in th 
 profeflbrfhip, the theological interefts of the univerfity 
 of Franequer feemed to be fallen to decay ; and the ex- 
 traordinary and truly-academical endowments of our 
 Witjius were perfectly well known in Friejland, by an ex*. 
 perience of feven whole years ; that, I fay, he was ap- 
 pointed to the ordinary profeflion of divinity, in the year 
 1675, in the academy of his native country, thus hap- 
 pily to be reftored. Which opportunity alfo the church 
 of Franequer prudently laid hold on, being then with- 
 out a fecond miniiter, very cheerfully to commit to him? 
 now appointed profeffor, that facred charge. Having, 
 therefore, accepted both thefe calls, he came to Frane- 
 quer ; and, after being declared Dolor of Divinity in 
 the academical afTembly, by the divine his colleague, he 
 was, on the 151!} of April, inftalled profeifor of the 
 fame ; after delivering a folemn oration, with the great- 
 eft applaufe of a concourfe of people from all parts ; in 
 which he excellently exprefied the character ,of a genuine 
 divine : and as fuch he foon after demeaned himfelf, to- 
 gether with the venerable and aged Nicolaus Arnoldu^ 
 his mod intimate colleague. 
 
 In the pulpit Witfius addreffed himfelf with fo much 
 gravity, elegance, piety, folidity, ajid ufefulnefs ? that 
 
*$ THE LIFE o? THE 
 
 the gencraJ inattention of the people was removed, and 
 religious impreffions were made both on great and fmall. 
 The academical chair alfo gained a warmth from his fa- 
 cred fire, to which, from the different and mod diftant 
 parts of Europe, the youth, intended for the miniftry, 
 reforted in great numbers. And not to be wanting in 
 his duty, or difappoint the intention of thofe who called 
 him, in any particular, he no fooner entered the univer- 
 lity, than, notwithstanding hrs many daily public and 
 private labours, in both his offices, he fet himfelf to 
 write, and in a very little time publifhed, befides Selett 
 Academical Difputations, moftly tending toeftablifh the 
 peace of the church, and a fmaller diHertation, two 
 works pretty large and learned, which went through fe- 
 veral editions, and were fpread over Europe ; being 
 every where read with univerfal approbation. And be- 
 iides, there was nothing of extraordinary importance to 
 be tranfacted, even with the fchifmatic followers of La- 
 ladie, who had then fixed their principal reftdence in 
 Weft Trie/land^ which both the nobility and the over- 
 feers of the church did not think proper ftiould be dif- 
 patched by this man. 
 
 About this time Mr. J. March, on his return from 
 his ftudies at Leyden, commenced his acquaintance with 
 WitfiuSi who recommended him as paftor to the church 
 of Midlumen, between Franequer and Harlingen ; and 
 afterwards procured him the degree of Doctor in Divi- 
 nity ; and, by his mterefl with his Serene Highncfs and 
 others. Dr. March was appointed $ird ordinary profef- 
 for of divinity, m 1676. 
 
 But the juftly-renowned characler of our Witjiitt was 
 fuch 9 that others, envying the happinefs of the people 
 of Friejland, wanted to have the benefit of his labours 
 themfelves. This was firft attempted by the overfeers 
 of the univexfity of Groningen. who to procure a worthy 
 
THE LI^E OF THE AUTHOR. 19 
 
 fucceffor to the deceafed James Altingius, as well in the 
 theological and philological chairs, as in the univerfity - 
 church, about the clofe of the year 1679, fent to Frane-^ 
 quer a reverend perfon, to offer the moft honorable 
 terms, in order to prevail on Witjius. Bat that attempt 
 proved unfuccefsful. For, communicating the affair to 
 his Serene Highnefs -the Prince, and the other overfeers 
 of the univerfity,, they protefted his fervices were moft 
 acceptable to them, and he excufed himfelf ima hand- 
 fome manner to the people of Groningen. But thofe of 
 Utrecht very foon followed the example of Groningen^ 
 in the beginning of the year 1680 ; when, upon the de- 
 ceafe of the celebrated Burman, they judged it neceffary 
 to have a great man, to add to the reputation of their 
 univerfity, and to maintain the ancient piety of their 
 church ; and being well allured, that none was fitter for 
 all thofe purpofes than Witjius^ who was formerly one 
 of their own flu-dents, ,they therefore difpatched a fplen- 
 did deputation to Franequer, to entreat him to come and 
 be an ornament in their univerfity, and church, to which 
 he confented with little difficulty, notwithstanding theop- 
 .pofition made by thofe of Frie/land^ who were loath to 
 part with one who had been fo ufeful among them ; for 
 his obligations to the univerfity of Utrecht were fuch, 
 that he thought he could not (hew his gratitude more, 
 than by accepting of their invitation. Accordingly, af- 
 ter a moft honorable difmiilion from the afHicled Frief- 
 landers, he came to Utrecht^ and was admitted into the 
 jniniftry of that church, ort the 251!! of April, and, four 
 days after, into the profefforlhip of the univerfity, after 
 delivering a moft elegant oration on the excellence of 
 evangelical truth, which fully anfwered univerfal expec- 
 tation. And it can fcarce be exprelfed, how happily he 
 4-ived in credit, and laboured above full eighteen years 
 df his moil valuable life ; with thefe celebrated men 5 Pi- 
 
SO THS LIFE or THE AUTHOR. 
 
 ter Mde/lricht, Mdchior Leydeckerus, and Hermannus, 
 then Hateniu$i after the example of the doctors, his pre- 
 decefTors, whom he always had in the higheft veneration. 
 In the miniftry he had feveral colleagues, men of learn- 
 ing, piety, peace, and zeal for God ; among whom were 
 his ancient colleagues in the church of Lcotjaarden^ Pe- 
 ter Eindhovius, and John Lctjidragerus. In the uni~ 
 v-erfity, beiides the forerrientioned divines, he had not 
 only his own John Leufden, an excellent philologift, 
 but Gerard de Vrie$, and John Luitjius, famous philo" 
 fophers, who, for the benefit of the church, prepared 
 the youth intended for the miniftry. Before his pulpit 
 he had a Chriftian magiftracy, and the whole body of 
 the people, who admired and experienced the power of 
 his elocution, their minds being varioufly affetted with 
 religious impreffions. Before his academical and pri- 
 vate chair, he had not only a large circle of promising 
 youths from all parts of the world 9 who admired his molt 
 learned, folid. prudent, and eloquent differ tations ; buf: 
 doclors thernfelves daily reforted in great numbers to 
 learn of him. And therefore he declined no labour, by 
 \vhich, even at the expence of many refllefs nights, he 
 might be of fervice to the univerfity and church. Nor 
 did he think it fufficient, by fermons, leclures, confer- 
 ences, and difputations, to produce his ufeful and vari- 
 ous (lock of learning, but he expofcd his treafures to the 
 whole world, prefent and to come, in many public and 
 excellent writings to lafi for ever, and never to decay, but 
 with the utter extinction of folid learning and true piety 
 itfelf. And to the commendation of the people of U- 
 trecht be it fpoken, that, not only in eccleiiaftical aflcm- 
 blies, they always acknowledged his abilities and pru- 
 dence, feafonably calling him to the higheft dignities in 
 fynods ; but even the nobility, both by deeds and words, 
 teftified, that his endowments were perfectly well knov;n 
 
THE LITE o? THE AUTHOR. 21 
 
 to, and highly efteemed by them. And therefore they 
 honored him twice with the badges of the higheft orEce 
 in their uniyeriity, in 1686 and in 1697. ^ n ^ we mu ^ 
 by no means omit, that when, in 1685, a moil fpiendid 
 embaffy of the whole United Provinces was decreed to be 
 fent to JAMES King of Great Britain, afterwards unhap- 
 pily drawn afide and ruined by the deceitful arts of the 
 French and Romifh party ; which embaiTy was executed 
 by the moil iiluftrious WaJJenaar, Lord of Duvenvvr* 
 den, and the ordinary ambaitador, his Excellency dt- 
 ters, with the Mod Noble and Illufbrious Weed, Lord of 
 Dykmld ; that, I fay, this laft eaiily perfuaded his col- 
 leagues of legation to employ none but Witllus for their 
 chaplain ; a divine, whom, to the honor of the Dutch, 
 churches, they might prefent in perfon to the Engli/Ji 
 nation, without any apprehenfion either of offence or 
 contempt. Nor was Witjius himfelf againft the refolu- 
 tion of thefe iiluftrious perfonages ; for he went cheer- 
 fully, though indifpofed in body ; and, on his return in 
 a few months after, owned, that having converfed with 
 the Archbifhop of Canterbury, the Bifhop of London^ 
 and with many other divine's, both Epifcopal and Dii- 
 fenters in difcipline, he obferved riot a few things, which 
 made an increafe to his Hock of learning, and by which 
 he was better qualified to at prudently on all future oc- 
 cafions. And the EnglHh from that time owned, that 
 being thus better acquainted with Witfius^ he ever after 
 juftly deferved their regard and applaufe. 
 
 The reputation of Witfius, thus fpread all over the 
 world, made the molt illuitrious overfeers of the univer- 
 fity of Leyderii ^ r ith the burgomafters, refolve to give a 
 call to this great man, in 1698 ; in order to make up the 
 lofs which was apprehended from the deccafe of the &rcat 
 Spanhemius, which feemed to be drawing near. And 
 this refolution was approved of by our gracious Suui- 
 
22 THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. 
 
 holder, WILLIAM III. King of Great Britain, of im- 
 mortal memory, from that conftant piety he entertained 
 Cowards God, and that equal fidelity and prudence he 
 exercifed towards our church and univerfity. Nor was 
 there the leaft <Jjeiay either in determining or executing 
 that call to the profeflbrfeip of divinity, or in his accept- 
 ing thereof. For though the people of Utrecht could 
 have wifhed otherwise, yet our Wiijius had feveral 
 weighty reafons why he thought it his duty to comply 
 with the Ley den invitation ; judging it was entirely for 
 the intereft of the church, equally as for his o\vn, that, 
 hereafter exempted from the labours of the pulpit, he 
 might, with the greater freedom, devote the reft of his 
 aged life to the benefit of the univerfity ; but efpecially, 
 as he was made acquainted with his Majeuy's pleafure, 
 by the illuPirious Penfioner Heinfius. And when his 
 Majefty admitted him into his royal prefence, he figni- 
 fied the fatisfa6tion he had with his accepting the call to 
 the chair of Ley den. He entered on his office the i6th 
 of October, after delivering a very grave and elegant 
 oration, in which he gave the character of the Modejl 
 Divine. And with what fidelity he difcharged this office 
 for the fpace of ten years : with what afTiduity he la- 
 boured ; with what wifdora and prudence he taught ; 
 with what elegance he fpoke ; with what alacrity he dif- 
 courfed in difputations ; with what piety he lived; with 
 what fweetnefs of temper he demeaned hirnfelf ; with 
 what gracefulnefs he continued to write ; with what luf. 
 tre he adorned the univerfity ; are things fo well known 
 to all, as may fupcrfede any particular enlargement. 
 
 But he had fcarce pafTcd a year at Leyden, when the 
 High and Mighty States of Holland and Weft Fric/land 
 did, on the recommendation of the overfeers of the uni- 
 verfity, in the room of Mark EJJius^ the piouily-deceaf- 
 ed infpcQor of their theological college, in which inge- 
 
LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. 23 
 
 uious youths of the republic are reared for the fcrvice of 
 the church, commit the fuperintendancy thereof to our 
 Witjius, as the mildeft tutor they could employ for their 
 pupils; \vithout detriment to all the honor and dignity 
 of his profedbrfriip, which he enjoyed in conjun&ior* 
 with the celebrated Anthony Huljius. When he was in- 
 ftalled in this new office, the illuftrious prefident of the 
 fupreme court of Holland, and overfeer of the univer- 
 fity, Hubert Roofenboomius Lord of Sgrevelfrecht did, 
 in a moft elegant Latin difcourfc, in the name of all the 
 nobility, not only fet forth the praifes of the new infpcc- 
 tor, but alfo exhorted all the members of that college to 
 a due veneration for him, and to fhew him all other be- 
 coming marks of refpefcl. Wit/ins accepted, but with re- 
 luclance, this new province ; for had he not judged a fub- 
 miffion to the will of the ftates, and his laying himfelf 
 out for the fervice of the church, to be his duty, he 
 would not have complied with it. However, he exe- 
 cuted this great charge with the greateft fidelity and care, 
 for the advantage of, and with an affeftion for his pu- 
 pils, equally with that of his profeflorfhip in the univcr- 
 iity ; till, in the year 1707, on the ,8th of February, on 
 account of his advanced age, and growing infirmities, he, 
 with great modefty, in the afiembly of the overfeersand 
 burgomafters, notwithstanding all their remcriftrances 
 and entreaties to the contrary, both in public and pri- 
 vate, and all the great emoluments arifing therefrom to 
 himfelf, refigned this other office ; being at the fame time 
 alfo difcharged, at his own defire, from the public exer- 
 cifes of his profeiTorfhip in the univerfity ; for execut- 
 ing which in the old manner his ftrength of body was 
 icarce any longer fufficicnt : the vigour of his mind con- 
 tinued ftill unaltered ; but, as he often declared, he had 
 much rather defift from the work, than flag in it. 
 
TKX LIFE or THE AUTHOR.. 
 
 . 
 it is not to be thought, that Wit/ins would have 
 
 i equal to fo many and great labours, and the church 
 and univerfity have enjoyed fo many and fo great bene- 
 fits by him, had he not found at home the moil powerful 
 cordials and fupports ; particularly in the choicctt and 
 inofl beloved of \vivt-s, Aletta van Borkkorn, the daugh- 
 ter of IVcJJtl van Borkhorn, a citizen and merchant of 
 good chiira&er, at Utrecht, and a worthy elder of the 
 church, and of Martina van Yfen ; whom he married in 
 the middle of the fuinmer of 1660, after three years fpeut 
 in the facred miniftry. She was eminent for meeknefs, 
 and every civil and religious virtue; me loved and ho- 
 nored her bufband, in a manner above the common ; 
 with whom he lived in the greateft harmony and compla- 
 cency, about four and twenty years, in North Holland, 
 Zealand, Friejlaiid, and at Utrecht ; at length, in the 
 year 1684, after many great and long infirmities of body, 
 me was taken from him by a truly-Chridian death. He 
 was no lefs happy in his offspring, efpecially in three 
 furviving daughters, Martina, Joanna, and Petronella, 
 who were endued with every accornplifhment that can 
 adorn the fex, .but efpecially in their duty and affection 
 to their father, which they {hewed not only before, but 
 more efpecially after the death'of their mother. 
 
 From what has been faid, may fufficiently appear, the 
 admirable endowments and virtues of this man. How 
 great was the force of his genius, in apprehending, in- 
 veitigating, and illuftrating, even the mod abitrufe fub- 
 je6ts ; the accuracy of his judgment, in diftinguifhing, 
 determining, and arranging them ; the tenacity of his 
 memory, in retaining and recollecting them ; what rea~ 
 dinefs of the moil charming eloquence, in explaining, 
 inculcating, and urging them home ; were well known 
 to thofe who ever faw or heard him. Nor was his grace- 
 fulnefs in a Latin ftyle$ as is mofl apparent froai all he 
 
THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. 25 
 
 wrote and faid, lefs than his readinefs in the Dutch ; in 
 which, difcourfing from the pulpit, with a peculiar de- 
 cency of gefture and voice, he ravifhed the minds of the 
 faithful to a holy aflent, and unbelievers and the vicious 
 themfelves he filled with aftonifiirnent, fharne, and ter- 
 ror. And as none will be found, from reading his fu- 
 neral difcourfe, to have with more dignity commended 
 the deceafed Q. Mary^ fo his many facred poems mufl 
 have afFecled a mind fo learned and fo pious. There 
 was no branch of learning, neceffary to adorn a divine, 
 in which he did not greatly excel. He fo increafed his 
 knowledge of philofophy, when at the univerfity, that 
 none of the quirks or fophifms of infidels could infnare 
 him, nor any artifice induce him to make fhipwreck of 
 the faith, or embrace or encourage any of the errors of 
 the times. He was matter of the whole compafs of fa- 
 cred philology, Greek and Hebrew : he was well ac- 
 quainted with the elegancies of profane literature, Latin, 
 Greek, and Oriental ; fkilfully borrowing from thence 
 whatever might ferve to explain, in a becoming manner, 
 the facred fcriptures ; prudently avoiding every extreme. 
 He was perfectly well (killed in hiflory, both ancient 
 and modern, ecclefiaftical and civil, Jewifh and Chrift- 
 ian, domeftic and foreign : and from it he always felecl:- 
 ed, with the greateft care, what might principally be of 
 prefent ufe. He thoroughly learned divinity in all its 
 branches, being as expert in the confirmation and vindi- 
 cation of doctrines, and in mewing their connexion, as 
 in confuting errors, difcovering their origin, and diilin- 
 guifhing their importance. Above all, he was in love 
 with, revered, and commended the holy fcriptures ; as 
 that from which alone true wifdom is to be derived ; and 
 which, by long practice, he had rendered fo very fami- 
 liar to himfelf, as not only to have the original words, 
 VOL. I. D 
 
<26 THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. 
 
 upon all occafions, very readily at command, but to be 
 able directly, without hefuation, to explain the moft 
 difficult. Nor did he, in this cafe, reft on any man's 
 authority ; moft rightly judging fuch a conduct to be in- 
 confiftent with the divine glory of the Chriftian faith, 
 declaring and demeaning himfelf the moft obfequious 
 difciple of the Holy Spirit alone. Hence he had nei- 
 ther a difdain for old, and a-n itch for new things ; nor 
 an averfion to new, and a mad and indolent fondnefs 
 for old things. He would neither be conftrained by 
 others, nor conftrain any one himfelf ; being taught nei- 
 ther to follow, nor to form a party. That golden fay- 
 ing plea fed him much : Unanimity in things neceffary ; 
 liberty in things not neceffary ; and in all things, pru- 
 dence and charity ; which he profefled was his common 
 creed. Nor can \ve have the leaft doiibt of his zeal for 
 the faith once delivered to the faints, and for true piety 
 towards God, which he expreffed in his writings, when 
 at Leovaarden and Franequer, againft fome dangerous 
 opinions, then ftarting up both in divinity and philofo- 
 phy ; of which alfo he gave a proof at Utrecht and Ley- 
 den, when publicly teftifying in writing, that he could 
 not bear the authority of reafon to be fo extolled above 
 fcripture, as that this laft fliould be entirely fubjecl to 
 its command, or be overturned by ludicrous interpreta- 
 tions. His zeal, in his latter days, was greatly inflam- 
 ed, when he obferved all eccleliaftical difcipline againft 
 thofe who would overthrow the Chriftian faith, and even 
 right reafon itfdf, publicly trampled upon under the 
 jnoft idle pretences, and every thing almoft given up to 
 a depraved reafon, to the fubverting the foundations of 
 Chriftian it y ; while fome indeed mourned in fecret, but 
 were forced to be filent ; and therefore he declared his 
 1 joy at his approaching diflblution, on account of the 
 cviJi he fordkw were hanging over the church j aud of- 
 
THE LITE OF THE AUTHOR. 27 
 
 ten called on thofe who fhould furvive, to tremble when 
 the adverfary was triumphing over the doctrines of fal- 
 vation, and all true piety, to the deftruftion both of 
 church and ftate ; and that by men, whom it lead be- 
 came, and who ftill artfully diffembled a regard for reli- 
 gion, and for ecclefiaftical and civil conftitutions ; un- 
 lefs God, in his wonderful providence, averted the cala- 
 mity, and more powerfully ftirred up the zeal of our fu- 
 periors, againft Att&Jm, Pelagianifm, and the feeds of 
 both. I don't fpeak of thofe {mailer differences, obferv- 
 able for feme time paft, in the method of ranging theolo- 
 gical matters, in fome modes of expreflion. All are 
 well apprized with what equity and moderation Witjius 
 ever treated thefe differences in opinion ; and if ever 
 any was inclined to unanimity and concord with real 
 brethren, he was the mam who never did any thing to 
 interrupt it ; but every thing either to eftahliih or re- 
 ftore it, and to remove all feeds of diflenfion. This 
 is what that genuine chriftianity he had imbibed, 
 prompted him to ; and what the fingular meeknefs of his 
 temper infpired ; by which he was ready to give way to 
 the ralhly-angry, and either made no anfwer to injurious 
 railers, or repaid them even with thofefample encomi- 
 ums, which, mother refpecls, they might deferve. Thus 
 lived our venerable Witjius, giving uneafmefs to none, 
 but the greateft pleafure to all, with whom he had any 
 connection, and was not eafily exceeded by any in offices 
 of humanity and brotherly love. There was at the fame 
 time in him a certain wonderful conjunction of religious 
 and civil prudence, confummated and confirmed by long 
 experience, with an unfeigned candour. Neither was 
 any equal to him for diligence in the duties of his office, 
 being always moft ready to do every thing, by which he 
 could be ferviceable to the flocks and pupils under his 
 
 care, for the benefit of the cl.urch. He di4not with- 
 
 
 t 
 

 a$ THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. 
 
 draw from them in old age itfelf, nor during his indifpo- 
 fition indulge bimfelf too much. His modefty was quite 
 fingular, by which he not only always behaved with that 
 deep concern in treating the holy fcriptures and its rr.yf- 
 teries ; but alfo, by which he fcarce ever pleafed himfelf 
 in the things he moil happily wrote and faid: and when his 
 befl friends juftly commended his performances, he even 
 fufpe&ed their fincerity. Nor could any under adver* 
 fities be more content with his lot, even publicly declar- 
 ing at Utrecht, that he would not exchange his place in 
 the univerfity and church, either with the royal or irape-, 
 rial dignity. And to omit other virtues, or rather in 
 the compais of one to comprize all ; he was not in ap- 
 pearance, tut in reality, a true divine, ever difcover- 
 ing his heavenly wifdom by a fincere piety towards God 
 and his Saviour. For he was conftant in the public acls 
 of worfhip, unwearied in the domeftic exercifes of pi- 
 ety, giving, in this, an example for the imitation of 
 others in the fear of the Lord, inceflantly taken up in 
 heavenly meditation, and continued inftant in prayer, 
 both ftated and ejaculatory ; and (hone in them, when 
 under the dictates and impulfes of the Holy Spirit. In 
 fine, his chief Are was, by avoiding evil and doing good, 
 to demean himfelf both towards God and man, as be- 
 came one who had obtained redemption through Chrift, 
 and, by divine grace, the hope of a bleffed eternity in 
 heaven ; which he conftantly panted after, with the uu 
 xnoft contempt for the things in the world. 
 
 His writings are numerous, learned, and ufeful. In 
 1660, almoft at his entrance on the miniftry, hepuh- 
 lifhed his Judceus Chriftianizans, on the principles of 
 faith, and on the Holy Trinity, When at Wormer, he 
 put out in Low Dutch, 1665, The Practice of Chrijli- 
 anity, with the fpiritual characters of the unregenerate, 
 \vith rcfpccl to what is commendable in them ; and of 
 
THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR, 
 
 the regenerate, as to what is blaraeable and wants cor r 
 reclion. At Ltovaardcn, lie gave allo in Low Dutcb^ 
 The Lord's controversy with his vineyard, and, at the 
 fame time, brifkly defended it againit opponents. Of 
 his Franequer labours, we have, befides fmaller works, 
 afterwards comprifed in larger volumes, bis Oeconomia 
 fecderum Dei cum hominibus, tran dated into Low Dutch 
 by Harlingius ; and his Exercitationes f acres in Jymbo- 
 him apojlolorum, tranflated alfo into Low Dutch, by 
 Cofterus. At Utrecht, came out his Exercitationesfacra: 
 in orationem Dominicam ; his Egyptiaca and Decaphylon 
 with a differtation on the Lcgio fulminatrix Ghrijtiano- 
 rum, and the firft volume of his Mifcellanea Sacra^ and 
 a good deal of the fecond ; befides fome fmaller work* 
 -alfo. And at Leyden, he publifhed at laft the fecond 
 volume of his Mijcellanea Sacra complete : and at this 
 laft place he let on foot what he calls his Meleicmata 
 Leydtnfia^ to be occafionally enlarged with a number of 
 fclcct diiTertations. Indeed, all thefe writings arejuftly' 
 in great repute, their ftyle being polite, the fubj eels ufe- 
 ful, and the whole replenished with various branches of 
 learning, and a beautiful ftrain of piety, all which may 
 defervedly commend them to the lateft pofterity. 
 
 He had been often, formerly, afflicted with racking 
 and painful difeafes ; whence, fometimes, arofe the 
 greater appjehenfroji <of a far earlier departure by death. 
 And nothing, under divine providence, but his vigour 
 of mind, joined to his piety, could have preferved him 
 fo long to the world ; and that with fo perfecl an ufe of 
 his fenfes, that, not long before his death, he could read, 
 without helitation, the fmalleft Greek characters by 
 moon-light, which none befides himfelf could do. But, 
 with his advanced years, he fometimes had cruel fits of 
 the gout, and ftone in the kidneys ; and once in the 
 chair, in. the midil of a Icfture, a flight touch ol au 
 
30 THE LIFE OF THE AUTHOR. 
 
 apoplexy. Thefe diforders were, indeed, mitigated by 
 the (kill of the famous Dr. Frederic Deckers ; but now 
 and then, by flight attacks, threatened a return : for his 
 wavering and languifhing ftate of health, indicating the 
 pad diforders not to be entirely extirpated^ gave appre- 
 henfions f a future fatal diftemper ; which was occafi- 
 oned by the fudden attack of a fever on the evening of 
 -the i8th of October. This fever, though very.foon re^ 
 moved, left his body exceeding weak, and his mind in a 
 iiate of lethargy, an indication that his head was affecl:- 
 ed. The gopd man himfelf, confidering thefe fymp- 
 toms, with great conftancy and calmnefs of mind, told 
 the phyfician, and his other friends then prefent, that 
 they could not fail to prove mortal. Nor did the flight- 
 nefs of the difeafe make any change in his opinion as to 
 its fatal ifTue, while he forefaw, that the confequences 
 of an advanced age, and of the greatefl weaknefs, could 
 .admit of no other event. Nor indeed without caufe : 
 for his fenfes were gradually weakened by repeated fl um- 
 bers ; however, about his laft hour he fenfibly fignified 
 to Dr. March who attended him, his blefled hope, and 
 his heavenly defires, as he had frequently done before ; 
 and then about noon, on the 22d of October 1708, he 
 fweetly departed this life, in the 73d year of his age, and 
 entered into the joy of his Lord. 
 
 

 PACIFIC ADDRESS 
 
 TO 
 
 The very Reverend, renowned, and celebrated ProJtjJ'ori 
 of Divinity in the univerjities of the United Provinces^ 
 and Paflors of the Reformed Churches, the zealous De- 
 fenders of the Faith once delivered to the Saints. 
 
 o 
 
 UR lot is caft in thofe days, in which the world is 
 almoft weary, and the church certainly groans under the 
 weight of books. With the latter it was never better, 
 than when wrapping herfelf up in the pure fimplicity of 
 faith and love, and without any itch for difputing, (he de- 
 pended on the word of the Lord alone, and drew the pure 
 and unde filed truth from thofe writings only, which both 
 made David wifer than all his teachers, and are able to 
 make the man of God perfect, thoroughly fur niflicd, to every 
 good work. But it is now-a-days extremely difficult to 
 write fo as to pfeafe. For fo great is every where the 
 fruitfulnefs of true learning or the vain imagination of 
 fcience, fo obilinate the attachment to once-received hy- 
 pothefis, fo brill; the ftudy of particular parts, and fo 
 malevolent the judgment pafied on other mens works, 
 T&hkfc even affecl the minds of good men relu&aritly,, 
 
oc A PACIFIC ADDRESS. 
 
 that whoever imagines by his writing to fatisfy either 
 thofe delicate perfons, or thofe addicted to more than 
 one iide in the orthodox faith, feems both to attribute 
 loo much to his own capacity, and to be ignorant of the 
 difpofition of the times. Since the former of thefe can- 
 not be charged upon me by reafon of the flendernefs of 
 my abilities ; and the latter cannot at all be hid from a 
 perfon who has been converfant in the world ; it feems 
 to be very proper for me to afiign the reafons of my 
 again appearing in public, and to mew the purpofe and 
 defign of the work which I now offer to the churches of 
 my native country. 
 
 And to whom mould I render thefe reafons, rather 
 than to you, Reverend and Learned Gentlemen, who 
 are interefted in thefe matters, who are the mod proper 
 of all to judge of them, and to whom, next to God and 
 my own confcience, I chiefly deiire to approve my ftu- 
 dies. Above all I fincerely declare, that it was not an 
 incurable itch of writing, a raging third after vain-glory, 
 a cankered or envious difpofition of mind, a detedable 
 defire of widening the wounds already made in the 
 churches, the odious plea fare of blackening any one's 
 character, expofing right fentiments, or mifreprefenting 
 any one's opinion, nor, ladly, an infamous defire to 
 fow, increafe, or continue drifes, which have occafion- 
 ed my writing at this time. For, as I difclairn all thefe 
 reafons, fo the whole defign of this work, though but 
 flightly glanced at, will acquit me from thefe charges. 
 
 To fee however the minds of the godly didurbed by 
 the inconfklerate aflertions of fome, and their uncom- 
 mon interpretations of the fcriptures, or the fufpicions 
 of others, not at all times dictated by charity, perhaps 
 not by prudence, gave me indeed the greater! concern. 
 And forafmuch as the doQrine of the covenant of grace, 
 in which the manner of the reconciliation of finners U> 
 

 A PACIFIC ADDRESS. 33 
 
 God is fhewn, and the manifold difpenfadon of that co- 
 venant, have been the unhappy object of contention in 
 the Netherlands ; fo that whatever points are now the 
 fubje&of difpute (if you except the new method of in- 
 terpreting the prophecies, and the opinions of the mo- 
 dern philofophy, which have been introduced with a bad 
 defign into divinity) may and ought to be referred to 
 this ; I have thought this fubjecl in the firft place chal- 
 lenged my attention. But this I have undertaken to 
 treat in fuch a manner, that both the truth which hath 
 been handed down to and believed in the churches, might 
 be preferved in entire fafety, and in defending it nothing 
 might be faid favouring of pride or feverity, or againft the 
 laws of charity. This reafon induces me not to dwell 
 upon bare difputations, which are generally unprofitable, 
 and, if not feafoned with a certain degree of acrimony or 
 fait, are quite deftitute of every elegance and embelliih- 
 ment. 
 
 I have chofen to enter on this fubject from its very 
 beginning ; and have endeavoured, as far as I could, to 
 explain it methodically and clearly, every where throw- 
 ing light on the obfcurer paffages of fcripture, anxioufly 
 fearching the import of the phrafes ufed by the Holy 
 Spirit, and referring the whole to the practice of faith and 
 godlinefs, and to the glory of God in Chrift, that my ex- 
 pofition might be more ufeful and inftructive. As no- 
 thing was more profitable and delightful to me than this 
 fludy, fo nothing more forcibly and certainly convinces 
 the minds of men, than a clear and fober demonftration 
 of the truth to the confcience ; which, proceeding by 
 pleafant fteps, beginning with plain and acknowledged 
 truths, and connecting its aflertions in a continued chain, 
 gradually leads to the more abftrufe points, and forces 
 an affent to them, not lefs ftrongly than to thofe which 
 
 VOL, I. E ' 
 
4 A PACIFIC ADDRESS* 
 
 command our ftiflFrage at the firft view ; in the mean 
 while by its fecret efficacy gliding into the inmoft parts 
 of the foul, and fixing it with a certain aftonifhment on 
 the contemplation of the admirable perfections of God. 
 It was neceflary, however, fometimes to oppofe differ- 
 ent opinions, as the fubjeft led me ; either the public 
 adverfaries of the reformed churches, chiefly the Socini- 
 ans and Remonftrants, who, by their daring comments, 
 have defiled the doclrines of God's covenants ; or fome 
 of our brethren, who have taken it into their heads to 
 form hypothefes different from thofe that have been re- 
 ceived, and lay them as the foundation of almoft all di- 
 vinity. Malice itfelf cannot, I imagine, deny, that I 
 have every where treated them with candour and mo- 
 defty. I have ftated the cootroverfy juttly, have fixed 
 upon no man any opinion which he ought not to ac- 
 knowledge for his own ; and have ufed fuch arguments 
 as had before fatisfied my own confcience. And if thefe 
 were not folid and convincing of themfelves, I could not 
 think any ftrength could be added to them by the fervor 
 and vehemence of the difputer. Above all I thought 
 cautious procedure neceflary, in the examination of the 
 opinions of my brethren. To this bufinefs I never ap- 
 plied myfelf with an intention to fearch after any inac- 
 curate word, harm phrafej or crude expreflion, on which 
 to exercife a critical talent. Let thofe be fo employed, 
 whom Gregory Nazianzen ftyled the flatterers of names ; 
 but I thought I would be more ufefully occupied, in 
 examining how far all the orthodox agree, and how the 
 more improper modes of expreffion might be foftened 
 by others more accurate; and there at lad fixing, where 
 there is a real diverfity of fentiments ; and thofe, I dare 
 promife myfelf, will be found fewer, and of lefs impor- 
 tance, provided alienation of mind be out of the quef- 
 tion. Yet I cannot pafs over forne uncouth expreflions> 
 
A PACIFIC ADDRESS. 35 
 
 foreign interpretations, and contradictory pofitions. In 
 certain places I detect the danger attending fome o 
 them, but without difparagement of the teacher, and 
 without a malignant difpofition. For I confefs I agree 
 with thole, who believe that the do&rjne of the cove- 
 nants has long fince been delivered in the churches on 
 fo fure a foundation, as to {land in no need of new hy- 
 pothefes ; in which I could not find that folidity or uti- 
 lity, which could warrant an endeavour to fupport them 
 as points of theology. 
 
 That obfervation concerning the threefold difpenfa- 
 tion of the covenant of grace, is not of fuch importance ; 
 the fir/I under the promife, wherein mere grace and li- 
 I'crty prevailed, without the yoke, or the burden of an 
 accufmg law ; tliefecond under the law, when the Old 
 Teftament c6mmenced, fubjecling the faithful to the 
 dominion of angels, and the fear of death all their lives, 
 and laft of all to the curfe and execration, mean time 
 not allowing to the fathers true and permanent bleflings; 
 the third under the gofpel, when the godly began to be 
 fet at liberty from the dominion of angels, from the fear 
 of temporal death, and the curfe, which an exact obfer- 
 vance of the ceremonial law carried with it, and at laft 
 enjoyed true and lailing bleffings, the circumciuon of 
 the heart, the writing of the law in the mind, the full 
 and true remiffion of fins, the Spirit of adoption, and 
 fuch like things : this obfervation, I fay, is not of fuch 
 importance as to be infixed on in fo many academical 
 lectures, fo many pulpit difcourfes, and in fuch a num- 
 ber of books publifhed as well in Latin as our native 
 tongues, as though the whole fubftance of theological 
 learning con fitted in it. For I have fhewn in the fol- 
 lowing work, that thefe doclrines, however they be ex- 
 plained, are horrible to be mentioned, that they are 
 
36 A PACIFIC ADDRESS. 
 
 founded on corrupt interpretations, and cannot be de- 
 fended without wrefting the fcriptures. 
 
 But I efteem to be no lefs dangerous the opinions of 
 a man otherwife very learned, who denies that a cove* 
 nant of works was made with Adam ; and will fcarce 
 allow that under the name of death, with which he was 
 threatened in cafe he finned, a corporal death is to he 
 comprehended ; and denies that fpiritual and heavenly 
 blifs, fuch as we now obtain through Chrirt, was pro. 
 mifed to Adam on condition of perfeft obedience ; and, 
 by a mufty diftinclion, dividing the fufferings of Chrift 
 into warlike and judiciary, affirms that the latter only, 
 or, as they fometirnes foften the expreffion, chiefly, 
 were fatisfa&ory, excluding thence the forrows he en- 
 dured in the garden, and the condemnatory fentence he 
 received both in the Jewiih council, and from the Ro- 
 man governor, the {tripes with which his body was 
 wounded, his being nailed to the curfed crofs, and lail 
 of all his death itfelf. On thefe points I have fpoke my 
 mind freely and candidly, as becomes a defender of found 
 doclrine, and an oppofer of novel opinions ; with which 
 honorable character the fixth oecumenical council, which 
 met at Conftantinople, honored the Emperor Conftan- 
 tine IV. and which ought not to be foreign to men of 
 our order. 
 
 I have alfo now and then made remarks on fome things 
 of lefs moment, which yet did not feem either to have a 
 folid fcriptural interpretation, or are lefs accurately con- 
 ceived of. Nor has this enquiry been without profit. 
 Amphilochius is commended by Baiil on this account, 
 becaufe he thought, that no word which is any way ufed 
 concerning God+Jliould be paffed over without a careful 
 inquiry into its meaning. But I have done this without 
 rancour orjmalice ; not to reprove the author^ but that 
 the fludious readers might be benefited, by having their 
 
A PACIFIC ADDRESS. 37 
 
 errors pointed out ; as I remember Poly hi us fomewhere 
 expreifes hirnfdf. And I hope it will not be taken ill 
 by the learned and ingenious, to whom I willingly grant 
 the fame liberty I take, if (to ufe nearly the fame words 
 in which Augurtine declared his dillent from Cyprian^ 
 while I cannot reach their reputation, acknowledge my 
 writings to be inferior to many of theirs, love their genius* 
 am delighted with their fay ings, and admire their vir* 
 tues ; yd I cannot receive that in which the}' are other- 
 wife minded, with that liberty to which the Lord hoik cab- 
 led us. Efpecially when they fee that I have willingly 
 adopted, and with no fmall praife recommended to the 
 reader, what things have been ingenioufly invented by 
 them, what they have happily found out by fearcbi^g 
 into the original languages, have learnedly recovered 
 from the relics of hitherto unknown antiquity, haveju- 
 dicioufly confirmed, or clearly explained. 
 
 They will alfo find, that wherever I thought they 
 fpoke truth, though unjuftly defamed by others, I have 
 fornetimes cordially defended them, and have wiped off 
 the (lamp of abfurdity and novelty fixed upon them ; 
 and this fo frequently and foiicitoufly, that without 
 doubt fome will think I have gone to excefs in thefe 
 matters. Yet I cannot bring my mind to repent of this 
 ingenuous dealing. For. how could any one have done 
 otherwife, who not being attached to any faction, not 
 enflaved to human authority, not pleating his own or 
 others palfions, is a votary to truth alone, and regards 
 not what any perfon fays, but what is laid ? He who 
 loves the peace of Jerufalem, had rather fee controvcv- 
 fies determined than multiplied ; and will with pleafure 
 learn, that feveral things are harmlefs, or even ufeful, 
 which by others are invidioufly dragged into the fubjcct 
 of litigation. 
 
 
38 A PACIFIC ADDRESS. 
 
 All judicious men are juftly difpleafed with that petu- 
 lance of wit which prevails at this day, rafhly aiming to 
 overturn wife and agreeable inventions by dogmatical 
 attacks, anon infolently breaking out into a bold, and 
 often ludicrous interpretation of fecret prophecies, ridi- 
 culoufly haling into the roll of prophecies, what con- 
 tains nothing but the precepts of our common faith and 
 holinefs : by which means the refpe&able public and 
 our facred functions are not a little difcredited. Nor is 
 it indeed matter of wonder, if the warmer zeal of fome 
 has painted this wantonnefs as it deferves, or perhaps in 
 too ftrong colours. But yet a medium is to be obferv- 
 ed in all things ; and I do not approve the endeavours 
 of fome, who, whilft they treat of our differences, enu- 
 merate not only fome decades, but even centuries of 
 controversies, fometimes with cruel eloquence expref- 
 fing their rage at fome innocent points. Whether this 
 method of difputing greatly conduces to the promoting 
 of faving knowledge, and the edification of fouls, I will 
 not now fay : but this J know, that by this means a 
 pleafure is done to the enemies of the church, who will 
 fecretly rejoice in their bofom, that there are not fewer, 
 and, if they may be judged of by the heat of the comba- 
 tants, not lefs unimportant difputes among us, than 
 among them. And this not very fecretly neither ; for 
 they do not, nor will ever ceafe to caft this reproach 
 upon us ; which, O grief ! may be much eafier faid 
 than refuted. 
 
 O how much better and Dutiful would it be to ufe all 
 our pains and concern to leifen, make up, and, if pof- 
 fible, put an end to all controveriies ! To this, Reve- 
 rend and learned Gentlemen, apply all your counfels 
 and ftudies. This all the godly who mourn for the 
 breaches in Jofeph; this the churches which are com- 
 mitted to your care j this JESUS himfelf, the King 
 
A PACIFIC ADDRESS. 39 
 
 of truth and peace, require and expecl from you ; this 
 they be-r, they obteft, they befeech you for. If there- 
 fore there be any conf elation in Chrijl, if any comfort of 
 love, if any fellowfhip of the Spirit, if any bowels and 
 mercies, fulfil ye my joy, fulfil ye the joy of a II faints, ful- 
 fil ye the joy of our Lord Jefus himfelf, that ye may be 
 like minded^ having the fame love, being of one accord, 
 of one mind. There have been enough of quarrels, (lan- 
 ders, and fufpicions ; enough of contentions among 
 brethren, which, I engage for it, will afford no juft 
 caufe of triumph ; enough of inteftine divifions, by 
 which we deftroy one another ; and more than enough 
 of paflion. Let party-zeal, a thirft after pre-eminence, 
 and fchifmatical diftinclions, be for ever henceforth ba- 
 nilhed from among us. Let all litigious, fatirical, and 
 virulent writings be blotted out; whofe defign is only to 
 revive the fires of confuming queftions. If we write 
 any thing relating to thofe queftions, let us lay afide all 
 paffions, as hindrances to us in our inquiries, and re- 
 ftraints on the judges. Let us fight with arguments, not 
 with railings, bearing in mind this faying of Ariftophanes, 
 It does not become men to rail at poets as bread-fellers. 
 How much lefs does it become divines ? Let not the 
 pure ftream of divinity, to be fetched from the fole 
 fountain of facred learning, be defiled with any of the 
 impure waters of either the ancient or modern philoib- 
 phy. Let us abiiain from harih and unufual expref- 
 iions, from crude and rafh affertions ; from whence 
 arife envy, ft rife, railings, evil fur mijings. Let the in- 
 flruments of both covenants be indeed diligently hand- 
 led by all, but with a degree of facred fear and tremb- 
 ling. Let none pleafe himfelf with new gloffes and com- 
 mentaries, becaufe he fuppofes them to be modern and 
 unknown to his predecefibrs. Let him who thinks he 
 has found oiu fomething preferable to and more folid 
 
4O A PACIFIC ADDRE 
 
 ss 
 
 than received opinions, offer it to the public with mo- 
 defty, without vilifying his brethren; without aflerting 
 or determining rafhly, fubmitting his thoughts to the 
 cenfure of the learned, and the judgment of the church ; 
 not immediately forcing them on the common people to 
 the diftraclion of their minds, nor haltily offering them 
 to uncautious youth, who are improper judges of fucli 
 weighty matters. And let none reject, on account of its 
 novelty folely, what is agreeable to the meaning of the 
 .words, to fcripture-phrafes, to the analogy of faith, or 
 to the relation the text bears to others. Cajetan, who 
 is commended by our Chamier, has not badly expref- 
 fed himfelf on this head. If at any time a new fenfe 
 agreeable to the text offers itfclf, though different from the 
 current of divines, Id the reader JJiew himfelf an impar- 
 tial judge. And in another place he fays, Let none ab- 
 hor a new fenfe of f acred writ, bccaufe it differs from that 
 of the ancient doctors ; for God hath not confined the ex- 
 founding of the facredfcriptures to the glojfes of the an- 
 cient teachers. Let the depths of prophecy be alfo dili. 
 gently fearched into ; but reverently, without wrefting- 
 the words of God, without violating that inclofure by 
 which God has debarred poor mortals from the fight of 
 his fecrets, which are feldorn explained any otherwife 
 than by the event ; left he who fearches into the majefty, 
 fhould be overwhelmed by the glory. 
 
 Let no one, by the authority of any man's name 8 
 bind the free confciences of the faithful ; but, as Cle- 
 mens Romanus once faid, Let the meo.ning of truth be 
 taken from the fcriptures themfelves : by thefe alone let 
 it fland or fall in religious matters : by thefe let all con- 
 troverfies be fettled : Let the f acred and un'defiled gofpel 
 of Chrijl our God be laid as the foundation^ as was wont 
 to be done in the godly councils of the ancients. Ne- 
 verthelefs, let not any one ftubbornly on this pretence 
 
A PACIFIC ADDRESS. 4* 
 
 withhold his aflent to fuch forms, which are taken from 
 the word of God, are agreeable to the fcriptures, are 
 the honds of church union, the tefts of orthodoxy, bars 
 againft herefies, and the limits of wanton wits ; as if 
 they were the relics of the Babylonifh tower, by which, 
 through a human device, not to be approved of, men 
 Were obliged to think and fpeak alike in religion. 
 - Let no man appoint a guide for himfelf out of the 
 modern divines, all whofe dictates he is to receive and 
 defend as heavenly oracles ; in whom is rilen up a teach* 
 er and light of the world, as the ancients celebrated Ba* 
 fil, and in comparifon of whofe ftatiwre all others appear 
 as little children and dwarfs, as if they were nothing but 
 pigmies void of understanding ; when he himfelf per- 
 haps protefts, that he would not be reckoned the author 
 of any thing new in divinity, and fo the head of a fe6L 
 On the other hand, let no one defpife fuch a man, as 
 if nothing true or good, and ufeful to the underftanding 
 of the fcriptures, could proceed from him : for God 
 gives to no perfon a pious difpofition, to meditate on 
 the fcriptures day and night, without opening to him. 
 the treafures of his pure wifdom. 
 
 Let us extol the blerTmgs of our heavenly Father in 
 whomfoever we find them ; congratulate the church for 
 them ; and convert them each of us to our own advan- 
 tage. Let no one who expounds the orthodox fenti- 
 ments of his mind generally in eloquent language, be 
 reckoned criminal on account of an improper word, or 
 harfh expreffion, which might fall from one handling 
 another f ubjeB; : for poifon does not lie hid in fyllables; 
 nor does truth confift in found, but in the intention ; 
 nor godlinefs in the tinkling of brafs., but in the mean- 
 ing of the things fignified. Yet let us all endeavour to 
 exprefs ourfeives as accurately as pofiible ; and by no 
 
 VOL. L F' - 
 
4 A PACIFIC ADDRESS, 
 
 means defend what has been imprudently faid either by 
 our friends or ourfelves, left we take it ill to be repre- 
 hended by others ; but rather, through the perfuafion 
 of ingenuity, the order of truth, the importunity of cha- 
 rity, and the applaufe of all good men, let us pafs by, 
 cancel, or correcl any miftakes ; which great men, both 
 in old times, and in our days^ have done, to their very 
 great honor. Let the fevere brand of herefy be fud- 
 denly ftamped upon none, on account of what is fup- 
 pofed to follow from his words, while he does not ad- 
 mit the confequence, but detefts it. Let mens folid 
 learning, their peaceable difpofition, and a careful dif- 
 charge of their duty without noife and difturbance, pro- 
 cure them much more favor, than the inconfiderate heat 
 of boiling zeal, and the efforts of a headftrong temper, 
 as Homer fays, and a mind eager for the combat, which, 
 however the caufe of God may be a pretext ofj are 
 aimed at only for our own glory and advantage. 
 
 Let fome liberty alfo be given to learned men in ex- 
 plaining paflages of fcripture, in the choice of arguments 
 in defence of the common truth, in the ufe of phrafes and 
 terms, in refolving queftions commonly called problema- 
 tic (for, amidft the prefent darknefs of mens minds, it is 
 not to be expected, that all men mould in all things 
 fpeak and think alike ;) but let this liberty be confined 
 within the bounds of modefly, prudence, and love ; left 
 it mould degenerate into petulant licentioufnefs, and 
 turn our Zion into a Babel. 
 
 Thefe, Reverend and Refptfted Brethren, are my ear- 
 neft wifhes and counfels, which I recommend to your 
 prudence, faith, and piety ; as I do yourfelves and your 
 facred labours, to the grace of the great God and our 
 Saviour Jefus Chrift, who can make you perfecl in every 
 good work, to do his will, working in you that which is 
 well pleafing in his fight ; and at Itft, after you have 
 
A PACIFIC ADDRESS. 43 
 
 happily fought the good fight of faith, can blefs you 
 with an everlafting crown of glory. This was longfmce, 
 and i* now, the moft earnefl wifh of, 
 
 Reverend and Refpetted Brethren, 
 Your Fellow -labourer, and 
 Servant in the Lord, 
 
 rrMiiM 
 
 UTRECHT, Oft. 20, 
 
 . 
 
 . 
 
 
THE 
 
 O ECONOMY 
 
 OF T H 
 
 DIVINE COVENANT*. 
 
 BOOK I. 
 
 CHAPTER I. 
 
 Of the Divine Covenants in general. 
 
 w 
 
 HOEVER intends to difcourfe on the fiibjefc 6f 
 
 the divine covenant 5, by which eternal falvation is ad- 
 judged to man, on certain conditions worthy of God and 
 the rational creature, ought principally to endeavour, 
 that he may treat thefe heavenly oracles in a facred and 
 pure manner; and, neither through rafhnefs nor pafTion, 
 intermingle any thing, which he is not firmly perfuaded 
 is contained in thofe records, which exhibit the copies of 
 thefe covenants to us. For if Zaleucus prefcribed it as 
 a condition to the contentious interpreters of his laws, 
 * 4 That both parties mould explain the meaning of the 
 lawgiver, in the affembly of the thoufand men, with hal- 
 ters hanging about the necks of each ; and that whatever 
 party mould appear to wreft the fenfe of the law to the 
 detriment thereof, mould, in the prefence of the thou- 
 fand, end their lives by a halter ;" as Poybius 5 a very 
 
46 OF THE COVENANTS IN GENERAL. 
 
 grave author, relates :* If the Jews and Samaritans in 
 Egypt, difputing about their temple, were obliged to 
 plead their caufe before the king and his courtiers, on 
 this condition only, that " the advocates of whatever 
 party that were foiled, fhould be punifhed with death," 
 as Jofephus relates ;t he muft certainly be in greater 
 danger, and liable to forer deftruclion, who fhall, by a 
 rafh wrefling, pervert the facred myfteries of the divine 
 coviRants ; while our Lord openly declares, that.wAo- 
 foever Jliall break one of thefe lea/I commandments^ and 
 Jliall t'each men fo, hejhall be called the leaft in the king- 
 dom of heaven.^ It is not therefore without a kind of 
 facred awe that I begin this work ; praying God, that, 
 laying afide every prejudice, I may fhew myfelf a tract- 
 able difciple of the holy writings, and may, with mo- 
 deity, impart to my brethren, what I think I have learn- 
 ed from them : if happily this my poor performance 
 may ferve to leflen difputes, and clear up the truth / than 
 which nothing fhould be deemed by us of greater im 
 portance. 
 
 II. Becaufe it is by words, efpecially the wards of 
 thofe languages, in which God has been pleafed to re- 
 veal his facred myfteries to men, that we can, with fuc- 
 cefs, arrive at the knowledge of things ; it will be worth 
 while, more accurately to inquire into the import both 
 of the Hebrew word B E R i T H, and the Greek D i A T H E K E, 
 which the Holy Spirit makes ufe of on this fubjeft. 
 And*firft, we are to give the etymology, and then the 
 different fignifications of the Hebrew word. With re- 
 fpel to the former, the learned are not agreed. There 
 are fome who derive it from the root BAR A, which in 
 Piel fignifiesto cut down ; becaufe, as we (hall prefent- 
 ly obferve, covenants ufed to be folemnly ratified by 
 cutting animals afunder. It may alfo be derived from 
 
 * Lib. xii. c, 7. f Antiq.* J. xiii. c. 6. $ Matth. vi. 19* 
 
OF THE COVENANTS IN GENERAL. 47 
 
 the fame root in a very cjiff^rent (ignification. For as 
 BAR A properly fignifies to create, fo metaphorically to 
 ordain or (DIATITHESTHAI) to difpofe. Whence it 
 happened, that the Hellenift Jews ufed TO KTIZEIN in 
 the fame fignification. Certainly in this fenfe Peter* 
 calls EXOUSIA, power appointed by men, and for hu> 
 man^purpofes, ANTHROPINE KTISIS, the ordinance of 
 man. Which too the famous Grotius appears to have 
 learnedly obferved on the title of the New Teftarnent. 
 Others had rather derive it from BARAH as SHEBITH 
 from SHABAH, fignifying, among other things, to cliufe. 
 And in covenants, efpecially of friendfhip, there is a 
 choice of perfons, between whom, of things about which, 
 and of conditions upon which, a covenant is entered in- 
 to. Nor is this improperly obferved. 
 
 III. But BERITH is ufed in the holy fcriptures in 
 different fignifications; fometimes improperly, and fome- 
 times properly. Improperly, it denotes the following 
 things, i. An immutable ordinance about any thing. 
 In this fenfe God mentions his covenant of the day, and 
 of the night ;t that is, that fixed ordinance;, about the 
 uninterrupted viciffitude of day and night, whichj is 
 called c HOOK., that \$,Jlatute limited or fixed, to which 
 nothing ought to be added, or taken from it. In this 
 fenfe is included the notion of a teftameni, or of a lad 
 and irrevocable will. Thus God faid,$ / have given, 
 ihee, and thy fens and thy daughters with thee, LECHAK 
 
 NGOOLAM BERITH M jE L AC H N G O O L A M H 1 V, by afia~ 
 
 tide for ever ; it is a covenant of fait for ever. This ob* 
 fervation is of ufe for the more fully underftanding the 
 nature of the covenant of grace 3 which the apoftle pro- 
 pofes under the fimilitude of a teftament, the execution 
 of which depends upon the death of the teitatoiJ) To 
 
 * i Pet. ii. 13.- f Jer. rnziii. 20, J Chap. xxxi. 36, 
 Numb, xviii. 19. |l Heb, b: 15, 16, 17. 
 
OF THE COVENANTS IN CENZRAL. 
 
 which notion both the Hebrew BERITK, and the Greek; 
 r>iATHEKE,may lead us. 2. A fureand fable pro'viife, 
 though it be not mutual : HINMEH ANOCHI CORETH 
 BERITK. ' Behold, I make a covenant ; before all thy peo- 
 ple, I will do marvels.* This is my covenant with them ; 
 my Spirit Jliall not depart from them.i' 3. It fignifies alfo 
 a precept ; and to cut a covenant is to give a precept : I 
 made a covenant with your fathers -faying? At the end of 
 feven years let ye go every man his brother.^ Hence it 
 appears in what fenfe the decalogue is called God's cove- 
 nant. Rut properly, it fignifies a mutual agreement be- 
 tween parties with refpeft to fomething. Such a cove- 
 nant took place between Abraham and Mamre, with Ef- 
 chol and Ener, who are called BAN GALE BERITH, A- 
 BR AM, confederates with Abraham.^ Such alfo was that 
 between Ifaacand . Abimelech ;|| between Jonathan and 
 David. 5 And of this kind likewife is that of which w 
 are now to treat, between God and man. 
 
 IV. No lefs equivocal is the DIATHEKE of the 
 Greeks ; which, both fingularly and plurally, very often 
 denotes ztejtament ; as Budseus** (hews from liberates, 
 yEichines, Demofthenes, and others. In this fenfe, we 
 hinted, it was ufed by the apoftle.tt Sometimes alfo it 
 denotes a Iaw 9 which is a rule of life. For the Orphici 
 and Pythagoreans liyled the rules of living prefcribed to 
 their pupils, DI AT n EKAI, according to Grotius. It alfo 
 frequently iigniftes an engagement and agreement ; where- 
 fore Hefychi us explains it by SUNOMOSIA, confederacy. 
 There is none of thefe fignifications that will not be of 
 ufe in the progrefs of the work. 
 
 V., To make a covenant the Hebrews call BERITH 
 EEROTH, tojlnke a covenant^ in the fame manner as the 
 
 * E'xod. xxxiv. 10. f K lix. 21. J Jer. xxxiv. 13. 14. 
 Gen. xiv. 13. |j Gen. xxvi. 28, 29. <[ I Sam. xviii. 2. ** In 
 comment, ling. Crsec. ft Heb. ix. 15. 
 
OF THE COVENANTS IN GENERAI,, 49 
 
 Greeks and Latins,/erzVe, icere, percutereftzdus. Which 
 doubtlefs took its rife from the ancient ceremony of 
 flaying animals, by which covenants were ratified. Of 
 this rite we obferve very ancient traces ;* whether this 
 was then firft commanded by God, or borrowed from 
 the cuftom of nations. Emphatical is what Polybiusf 
 relates of the Cynaethenfes, EPI TON SPHACION TOUS 
 
 ORKOUS KAI TAS PISTEIS EDIDOSAN ALLELOHS, 
 
 Over the flaughtered vitlims they took afolemn oath, and 
 plighted faith to each other. Which phrafe is plainly fi- 
 inilar to what God ufes,J CORETHE BERITHI NGALE 
 DSABACH, thofe that have made a covenant with me by 
 facrifice. They alfo ufed to fafs in the middle between 
 the divided parts of the viclim cut afunder.$ Whoever 
 wants to know more about this rite, may confult Grotius 
 on Matth. xxvi. 28. Bochart in his Hierozoicon, book 
 ii. chap, xxxiii. p. 325, and Owen's Theologum. book 
 iii. chap. i. It was likewife a cuftom, that agreements 
 and contracts were ratified, by adhibiting folemn fcajls. 
 Examples of this are obvious in fcripture. Thus it is 
 faid, that Ifaac, having made a covenant with Abime- 
 lech, made a great feaft, and eat with them.|| In like 
 manner acled his fon Jacob, after having made a cove- 
 nant with Laban.T There is mention of a like federal 
 feaft, 2 Sam. iii. 20. where a relation is given of the feaft 
 which David made for Abner and his attendants, who 
 came to make a covenant with him in the name of the 
 people. That it was alfo cuftomary among the Hea- 
 thens, the mod learned Stuckius (hews.** 
 
 VI. Nor were the fe rites without their fignificancy* 
 The cutting the animals ajunder denoted, that in the 
 
 * Gen. xv. 9, 10. f Lib. iv. p. (mihi) 398. | Pfal. 1. 5. 
 Jer. xxxiv. 18. (j Gen. xxvL 30. f Gen. xxxi. 54. ** In An- 
 tiq. Convival. 1. i. c. 40. 
 
 VOL. L G 
 
50 OF THE COVENANTS IN GENERAL. 
 
 fame manner the perjured and covenant-breaker fhould 
 be cut afunder, by the vengeance ^>f God. To this pur- 
 pofe is what God fays,* / will give the men that have 
 tranfgrejfjed my covenant, which have not performed the 
 words of the covenant which they had made before me^ 
 when they cut the calf in twain, and faffed between tht 
 farts thereof- I will give them into the hand of their ene- 
 mies ja?id their dead bodies JJiall be for meat unto the 
 fowls of the heaven^ and to thebeafts of the earth. Com- 
 pare i Sam. xi. 7. An ancient form of thefe execrations 
 is extant in Livy.f " The Roman people do not firft fail 
 m thefe conditions : if they fhould, through public re- 
 folution or bafe deceit, do thou, O Jupiter, on that 
 day, thus flrike the Roman people, as I do now this hog; 
 and ftrike fo much the heavier, as thou art ftronger and 
 more powerful." When the convenanters paifed thro' 
 the parts cut afunder, it was intimated, that they were 
 united by the clofeft bond of religion and an oath, and 
 now formed one body, as VatablusJ has remarked. Fe- 
 deral feajls were tokens of a fincere and lading friendfhip. 
 VII. But when God, in the folemnities of his cove- 
 nants with men, thought proper to ufe thefe or the like 
 rites, the fignificancy was much more auguft. They 
 who made covenant with God by facrifice, not only fub- 
 jefted themfelves to punifhment, if, impioufly revolting 
 from God, they flighted his covenant ; but God like- 
 wife intimated to them, that all the {lability of the cove- 
 nant of grace was founded on the facrifice of Chrift, and 
 that the body and foul of Chrift were one day to be pul- 
 led afunder. All the promifes of God in him are yta^ 
 and in him Amen. His blood is the blood of the New 
 Tejlament^ in a far more excelleot manner, than that 
 with which Mofes fprinkled both the altar and the CQ- 
 
 * Jer. xxxiv. 18. 19, 20. f Lib. z. J Ad Gen. xv. jp, 
 2 Cor. i. 20. || Matth. xxvf. 28^ 
 
OF THE COVENANTS IN GENERAL. 51 
 
 venanted people.* Thofe facred banquets, \vith which 
 the covenanted were entertained before the face of the 
 Lord, efpecially that which the Lord Jefus hath inftitu- 
 ted under th.< New Teftament, do moft effe&ually feal 
 that intimate communion and fellowihip that is between 
 Chrift and believers. 
 
 VIII. There are very learned men, who from this rite 
 would draw the explication of that phrafe, which we 
 have Num. xviii. 19, and 2 Chron. xiii. 5. of a covenant 
 of fait, that is, of a covenant of friendfhip, and that (ta- 
 ble and perpetual. " Which feems to be fo denomina- 
 ted, becaufe fait was ufually made ufe of in facrifices, to 
 denote that the covenant was made fure upon obferving 
 the cuftomary rites in making it," fays the celebrated Ri- 
 vet.t Unlefs we would rather fuppofe, that a regard is 
 here had to the firm confidence of fait, by which it re- 
 fifts putrefaction and corruption, and in a manner tends ^ 
 to eternity. For that reafon, Lot's wife is thought to 
 have been turned into a pillar of fait ; not fo much, as 
 Auguftine remarks, to be as afeafoning to ws, but to Itand 
 as a lafting and perpetual monument of the divine judg- 
 ment. For all fait is not fubjeft to melting. Pliny 
 tells us, that the Arabs build fome walls and houfes with 
 blocks of fait, and cement them with water. 
 
 IX. Having premifed thefe things in general about 
 the terms, let us ROW enqure into the thing itfelf, and the 
 nature of the covenant of God with man : which I thus 
 define, A covenant of God with man is an agreement be* 
 tween God and man^ about the method of obtaining con- 
 fummate happinefs, with the addition of a threatening of 
 eternal de/lruclion^ with which the- defpifer of the hapgi- 
 nefs offered in thai way is to be punijhed. 
 
 * Exod. xxiv. 3, f In Gen. exercit. 1 36. 
 
53 OF THE COVENANTS IN GENERAL. 
 
 X. The covenant on God's part comprifes three 
 things in the whole, i. A promife of confummate hap- 
 pinefs in eternal life. 2. A defignation and prefcription 
 of the condition, on the performance of which, man ac- 
 quires aright to the promife. 3. A penal fantti on againft 
 thofe who do not ftand by the prefcribed condition. 
 All thefe things regard the whole man, or HOLOKLEKOS, 
 according to Paul's phrafe, as confifting of foul and bo- 
 d)fc To each part God promifes happinefs, of each he 
 requires fanclification, and to each he threatens deftruc- 
 tion. And he makes this covenant, to the end that God 
 may appear glorious in the whole man. 
 
 XL To enter into fuch a covenant with a rational 
 creature, formed after his own image, is entirely becom- 
 ing God, and worthy of him. For it was impoflible, 
 but God fliould propofc himfelf to the intelligent crea- 
 ture as 2i pattern of holinefs, in conformity to which he 
 ought to form himfelf and all his aQions, carefully pre- 
 ferving, and always rendering aclive that original righte- 
 oufnefs, with which, from his very origin, he was pre- 
 fented by God. God cannot but bind man to love, 
 worihip, and feek him, as the chief good. And it can- 
 not be conceived, how God requiring man to love and 
 feek him, mould refufe to be found by man loving, i'cek- 
 ing, and efteeming him as the chief good, and as fuch 
 longing, hungering, and thirfting for him alone. Who 
 can conceive it to be worthy of God, to fay to man, I 
 am willing that you feek me alone ; but on condition 
 yoii never find me ? I am willing to be earneftly longed 
 for by thee above all things, with hungering and thirfting 
 after me, but on condition you never be fatisfied with 
 me ? Nor does the juftice of God lefs require, that man 
 rejecting the happinefs, offered on the moll equitable 
 terms, mould be punifhed with the privation of it, and 
 beiides incur the feverefl indignation of the defpifed De- 
 
OF THE COVENANTS IN GENERAL. 53 
 
 ity. Whence it appears, that, from the very confidera- 
 tion of the divine perfections, it may be fairly deduced, 
 that he has prefcribed a certain law to man, and that as 
 the condition of enjoying happinefs ; which confifts in the 
 fruition of God, enforced with the threatening of a curfe 
 againft the rebel. In which we have juft now faid, that 
 the whole of the covenant confifts. But of each of thefe 
 there will be fuller room to difcourfe hereafter. 
 
 XII. Hitherto we have confidered the covenant of 
 God, as that of one party. It becomes the covenant of 
 two parties, when man confents thereto, embracing the 
 good promifed by God, engaging to an exacl obfervance 
 of the condition required, and, upon the violation thereof^ 
 voluntarily owning himfelf obnoxious to the threatened 
 curfe. This the fcripture calls, i E N G A B R EC H A BIB E- 
 RITH JEHOVAH, to enter into covenant with the Lord ;* 
 to enter into a curfe and an oalh.^ In this curfe (PaulJ 
 calls it H o M o L o G i A, profeffed Jubjeclion) confcience 
 prefents itfelf a witnefs, that God\s ftipulation is juft, 
 and that this method of coming to the enjoyment of God 
 highly becomes God, and that there is no other way of 
 obtaining the promifel Whence the evils which God 
 threatens to the tranfgrefTors of the covenant, are called 
 the curfe s of the covenant^ to which the perfon covenant- 
 ing voluntarily fubj^cted himfelf. The effect of this 
 curfe on the man, who (lands not to the covenant, is cal- 
 led the vengeance of the covenant .\ We have a form of 
 aftipulation or acceptance, Pfal. xxvii. 8. For thce* i.e. 
 in thy place or (lead, my heart faith. Seek ye my face ; 
 thy face, Lord, will I feek. Where the voluntary aftipu- 
 lation of the believing heart anfwers to the ftipulatiou 
 made, in the name of God, by confcience his miniitcr. 
 
 * Deut. xxix. 12. f Neh. x. 29. J 2 Coiv Ix. 1.3. 
 Deut. xxix, 20. jj Lev. x;cvi. 25, 
 
54 OF THE COVENANTS IN GENERAL, 
 
 XIII. Man, upoo the propofal of this covenant, 
 could not, without guilt, refufe this aftipulation. i In 
 virtue of the law, which univerfally binds him, humbly 
 to embrace every thing propofed by God ; to whom it 
 is of the efience of the rational creature to be fubjeft in 
 every refpeft. 2. On account of the high excellency of 
 God, whofe province it is to difpofe of his own bene- 
 fits, and fix the condition of enjoying them, with fu- 
 preme authority : and at the fame time to enjoin man, 
 to drive for the polTeffion of the bleffings offered, on 
 the condition prefcribed. Whence this covenant, as 
 taking place between parties very unequal, affumes the 
 nature of thofe engagements, which the Greeks called 
 
 PROSTAGMATA, Or, SUNTHEKAI EK TON EPITAG- 
 
 MATON, injunfticns, or covenants from command s; of 
 which Grotius fpeaks.* Hence it is that Paul tranflates 
 the words of Mofes, Behold the blood of the covenant^ 
 'which the Lord hath made with you, thus,t TOUTO TO 
 
 HAIMA TES DIATHEKES, HES ENETEILATO PROS 
 
 HUM AS HO THEOS. This is the blood rf the teftament, 
 'which God hath 'enjoined unto you.% It is not left arbi- 
 trary to man, to accept or rejecl, at his pleafure, God's 
 covenant. Man is commanded to embrace it, breath- 
 ing after the promifes, in the way pointed out by the 
 covenant. Not to defire the promifes, is to refufe the 
 goodnefs of God ; to rejecl the precept^ is to deny the 
 fovereignty and holinefs of God. Not to fubmit to the 
 fanttion, is to deny die juftice of God. Therefore the 
 apoftle fays of God's covenant, that NENOMOTHETE- 
 TAI, it is reduced to the form of a law$ by which man 
 is obliged to an acceptance. 3. It follows from that 
 love, which man naturally owes to himfelf, and by 
 which he is carried to the chief good ; for enjoying of 
 
 * De jure beliis et pads, cap. xv. 6. f Erod. xxi?. 8. 
 Heb. ix. 20. Heb. viii. 6. 
 
Of THE COVENANTS IN GENERAL. 55 
 
 which there remains no method befides the condition, 
 prefcribed by God. 4. The very confcience of man 
 dictates, that this covenant is in all its parts highly equit- 
 able. For what can be conceived even by thought more 
 reasonable, than that man, efteeming God as his chief 
 good, mould feek to be delighted in him, and rejoice 
 at the offer of that good ? that he fhould readily receive 
 the law, which is a tranfcript or copy of the divine ho- 
 linefs, as the rule of his nature and actions ? in fine, that 
 he mould fubmit his guilty head to the mofl juft venge- 
 ance of the Deity, if he mould happen to make light of 
 this promife, and violate the law ? From which it fol- 
 lows, that man was not at liberty to reject God's cove- 
 nant. 
 
 XIV. God by this covenant acquires no new right 
 over man : which, if we rightly confider the matter, 
 neither is nor can be founded on any benefit of God, or 
 mifdemeanor of man, as Arminius argues : nor in any 
 thing without God ; the principal or alone foundation 
 of it being the fovereign majefty of the moft high God. 
 Becaufe God is the blejfed^ and molt fufficient for all 
 felicity, therefore he is alfo the only Potentate, as Paul 
 joins thefe two together.* Nor can God's power and 
 right over the creatures, be derived from or increafed 
 by any thing extriniic to God. This ought to be deem- 
 ed unworthy of God's fovereignty and independence : of 
 which we mail foon treat more fully. Only God, in 
 this covenant, mews what right he has over man. But 
 man, accepting the covenant, and performing the con- 
 dition, by thefe performances acquire fame right to de- 
 mand of God the promife. For God has, by his pro- 
 mifes, generoufly made himfelf a debtor to man. Or, 
 to fpeak in a manner more becoming God, he has been 
 
 * i Tim. vi. 1, 
 
56 OF THE COVENANTS IN GENERAL. 
 
 pleafed to make his performing his promifes, a debt due 
 to himfelf, to his goodnefs, juflice, and veracity. And to 
 man in covenant, and continuing (ledfaft therein, he has 
 granted the right of expecting and requiring, that God 
 fhould fatisfy his goodnefs, juftice, and truth, by the 
 performance of his promifes. And thus man confenu 
 ing to the covenant, makes God fay, that he will be a God 
 to him.* That is, liberty is given to him to glory in 
 God, as his God, and to expect from God, that he will 
 become to man in covenant with him, what he is to him- 
 felf, a fpring of confummate happinefs. 
 
 XV. We find two covenants of God with man in 
 fcripture : the covenant of works, otherwife called the co- 
 venant of nature, or the legal ; and the covenant of grace. 
 So the apoftle teaches us to diftinguifh, Rom. iii. 27, 
 where he mentions the law of works, and the law of faith : 
 by the law of works understanding that do&rine, which 
 points out the way, in which, by means of works, falva- 
 tion is obtained; and by the law of faith, that doctrine 
 which mews the way, in which, by means of faith, falva- 
 tion is obtained. The form of the covenant of works is, 
 The man which doth thofe things, /hall live by them.'}' That 
 of the covenant of grace is, Whofoever believcth in him, 
 Jliall not be aJJiamed.^ Thefe covenants agree in this : 
 i. That, in both, the contracting parties are the fame, 
 God and man. 2. In both, the fame promife of eternal 
 life, confiding in the immediate fruition of God. 3. 
 The condition of both is the fame, perfect obedience to 
 the law prefcribed. For it is not worthy of God to ad- 
 mit man to a blefled communion with him, but in the 
 \vayofuntaintedholinefs. 4. In both is the fame end, 
 the glory of the moft undefiled holinefs of God. But 
 they differ in the following refpecls. i. The character 
 
 * Deut. xxvi. 17. f Rom, x. 5. t Ibid. ver. n; 
 
OF THE COVENANTS IN GENERAL, 57 
 
 or relation of God and man in the covenant of works, is 
 different from that in the covenant of grace. In the for- 
 mer God afts as the fuprcme lawgiver, and the chief good, 
 rejoicing to communicate his happinefs to his innocent 
 creature. In the latter, as infinitely merciful, adjudg- 
 ing life to the elect finner agreeably to his wifdom and 
 juftice. 2. In the covenant of works there was no me- 
 diator. The covenant of grace has a mediator, Chrifl. 
 3. In the covenant of works, the condition of perfect 
 obedience was required, to be performed by man himfelf 
 in covenant. In the covenant of grace, the fame condi- 
 tion is propofed, as to be performed or already perform- 
 ed by a Mediator. And in this fubftitution of the per- 
 fon confifts the principal and eifential difference of the 
 covenants. 4. In the covenant of works, man is con- 
 fidered as working, and the reward, as to be given of 
 debt ; and confequently man's glorying is not excluded, 
 by which as a faithful fervant he may glory upon the 
 right difcharge of his duty, and demand the reward pro- 
 mifed to his work. In the covenant of grace, the man 
 in covenant, ungodly in himfelf, is confidered as believ- 
 ing ; eternal life being given to man, as the merit of 
 the Mediator, out of free grace, which excludes all boaft- 
 ing,' except that by which the believing finner glories in 
 God, as a merciful Saviour. 5. In the covenant of 
 works, fomething is required of man, as a condition, 
 which being performed entitles him to the reward. The 
 covenant of grace, with refpecl to us, confifts of the 
 pure promifes of God, in which the Mediator, the life 
 to be obtained by him, the faith by which we may be 
 made partakers of him, and of the benefits purchafed 
 by him, and perfeverance in that faith, in a word, the 
 whole of falvation, with all things necefiary to it, are 
 ablblutely promifed. 6. The fpecial end of the cove- 
 VOL. I. H 
 
58 OF THE CONTRACTING PAKTIZS. 
 
 nant of works, was the manifeftation of the holintf^ 
 goodncfs, andjufticc of God, fhining forth in the moft 
 perfect law, in the moft liberal promife, and in the re- 
 compenfe of reward to be given to thofe who heartily 
 feek him. Thefpecial end of the covenant of grace, is 
 the praifc of the glory of his grace,* and the revelation 
 of his unfearchable and manifold wifdom : which per- 
 fections of God fhine forth with a iplendid luftre in the 
 gift of a Mediator, by whom complete falvation is 
 brought to the finner, without tarni thing the honor of 
 the holinefs, juftice, and truth of God. To this may 
 be added a demonftration of the divine all-fufficiency^ 
 by which not only man, but, what is more furprizing, 
 even a finner, may be, and is actually brought to God, 
 All thefe thiags will be more fully and clearly explain- 
 ed in what follows. 
 
 * Eph. i. & 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Of the contracting parties in the covenant of works. 
 
 W: 
 
 E begin with the confideration of the covenant of 
 works ; which is otherwife called of the law, and of na- 
 ture, becaufe it is prescribed by the law, requires works 
 as the condition, and is founded upon and coeval with 
 nature. This covenant is, An agreement between God 
 and Adam, formed after the image of God, as the head 
 and chief of all mankind, by -which God promifed eternal 
 life and happinefi to him, if he yielded the mojl perfect 
 obedience to all his commands ; fubjoining a threatening 
 of death, if he tranfgrtffed in the haft point ; and Adam 
 
THE CONTRACTING PARTIES. 59 
 
 ctcepted this condition. To this purpofe are thefe two 
 fentences, afterwards inculcated on the repetition of the 
 law, Lev. xviii. 5. and Dent, xxvii. 26. 
 
 II. That thefe things may be the better underftood, 
 thefe four things are to be explained, i. The contratt- 
 ing parties. 2, The condition prefcribed in the covenant. 
 3. TIu promifes. 4. The threatening. 
 
 III. The contracting parties here are God and Adam. 
 God, as Sovereign and fupreme Lord, prefcribing with 
 abfolute power what he judges equitable ; as good him- 
 felf, or the chief good, promifing communion with him- 
 felf, in which man's principal happinefs lies, to him 
 being obedient, and doing what is well pleajing to him : 
 as f elf -righteous, or fovereignly jujl, threatening death 
 to the rebel. Adam fuftained a twofold relation, i. 
 As man. 2. As the head and reprefentative of mankind. 
 In the former relation he was a rational creature, under 
 the law to God, upright, created after the image of God, 
 and furnifhed with fufficient powers to fulfil all righte- 
 oufnefs. All thefe things are prefuppofed in man, to 
 render him a fit object for God to enter into covenant 
 with. 
 
 IV. Man therefore ju ft dropt from the hands of his 
 Creator, had a foul illuminated with rays of divine light, 
 and adorned with the brightelt wifdom ; whereby he was 
 not only perfectly matter of the nature of created things, 
 but delighted himfelf in the contemplation of the fu- 
 preme and uncreated truth, having the eyes of his un- 
 derftanding continually directed to the perfections of his 
 God; from the confidcration of which he gathered, by 
 the mod difcreet reafoning, what was jutt and equitable, 
 what worthy of God and of himfelf. To this was added 
 the purefl holinefs of will, acquiefcing in God as the fu- 
 preme truth, revering him as the mod dread majefty, 
 loving him as the chief and only good 5 ancl^for the fake 
 
6o OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES. 
 
 of him, holding dear 'whatever his mind divinely taught 
 diftated to him to be acceptable, like to, and exprellive 
 of his perfections, in fine, whatever contributed to the ac- 
 quiring, an intimate and immediate union with him ; de- 
 lighting in the fellowfhip of his God, which was now al- 
 lowed, him; panting after further communion,.raifinghim- 
 felf thereto by the creatures, as fo many fteps ; and finally, 
 celebrating the moft unfpotted holinefs of God as the 
 moft perfect trarifcript of him, according to which he was 
 to ftrive with his utmoft might to frame himfelf and his 
 aclions as exactly as poffible. This is, as Elihu empha- 
 tically expreffed it, to delight himfelf with God, or to will 
 with God.* This was attended with a moft regular tem- 
 perature of the whole body^ all whofe members, as inftru- 
 ments of righteoufnefs, prefented themfelves ready and 
 alert at the intimation of his holy will. For it did not 
 become the Deity to form a rational creature for any 
 other purpofe than his own glory. This no rational 
 creature, but what is wife and holy, could either per- 
 ceive or celebrate, as mining in the other works of God. 
 If it was deftitute of this light, and deprived of this.en- 
 dowment, what could it have proved but the reproach of 
 its creator, and moft unfit to anfwer the end of his crea- 
 tion ? All thefe particulars the wifeft of Jdngs has ex- 
 prefTed with the moft ftriking fimplicity, Lo, this only 
 have I found) that God has made man upright, t 
 
 V. What I have juft faid of the wifdom of the fir ft 
 man, ought, I think, to be extended fo far, as that, in 
 the ftate of innocence, the myftery of the Trinity was 
 not unknown to him. For -it is, above all things, necef- 
 fary for the perfection of the human underilanciing, to 
 be well acquainted with what it ought to know and be- 
 lie ve ? concerning its God. And it may be juilly doubt- 
 
 * Job xxxiw 9. - f Eccl. rii. 29. 
 
OF THE" CONTRACTING PARTIES. 61 
 
 ed, whether he does not worfhip a God entirely unknown, 
 nay, \vhether he- at all worfhips the true God, \vho does 
 not know and worihip him, as fubhftinc; in three perfonsl 
 He who rcprefents God to himfelf in any other light, 
 reprefents not God to himfelf, but a phantom and idol of 
 his own brain. Epiphanius* leems to have had this argu- 
 ment in view, when he thus wrote of Adam : " He was 
 no idolater ; for he knew God the Father, and the Son, 
 and Holy Spirit. And he was a prophet, and knew 
 that the Father laid to the Son, Let us make man." 
 
 VI. Thefe words fu'rnifh a new argument. For fince 
 God, in the work of creation, manifefted hhnfelf three, 
 the. Father made the world by the Son ;t the Holy Spirit 
 cheriihed the waters by brooding upon them ; and fo 
 the whole Trinity, by mutual confultation, adclreiTed 
 themfelves to the creation of man ; it is not credible that 
 the Trinity was entirely unknown to the firii man ; uri- 
 lefs we can fuppofe him ignorant of his Creator, who ve- 
 rily was both the Son and the Holy Spirit. It cannot 
 certainly be without defign, that the fcripture, when 
 fpeaking of man's Creator, fo often ufes the plural num- 
 ber, as If. liv. 5. KI BONGALAICH N GO S A I C H, which 
 
 literally fignifies, thy hufbands thy makers. Pfal. cxlix. 
 2. ISMACH ISRAEL BENGosAV, Let lfi~ael rejoice in 
 his Makers. Nay, he requires man to attend to this, and 
 engrave it on his mind, Eccl. xii. i. UDSECHOR /ETH 
 BOR ACH.\, Remember thy Creators. It is criminal when 
 man neglecls it, and fays not, A j EH /ELOAH NGOSAI, 
 Where is God my Makers? Job xxxv. 10. Which 
 phrafes, unlefs they.be referred to a Trinity of perfons, 
 might appear to be dangerous. But it is abfurd to fup- 
 pofe Adam ignorant concerning -his Creator, of that 
 which God does not differ his poderity to be ignorant 
 
 * In Panario, p. 9. f Kvb. i. 2. 
 
 . 
 
62 OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES. 
 
 of at this time ; and this the rather, that God created 
 inan for this end, to be the herald of his being and per- 
 feftions in the new world. But it undoubtedly tends to 
 the glory of God, that he fhould particularly celebrate, 
 not only the perfections of God, but alfo how they.dif- 
 play themfelves in the diftincl perfons of the Deity, and 
 in the manner and order of their operation. Excellent, 
 ly to this purpofe fpeaks Bafil of Seleucia :* " You 
 lake particular notice of this expreflion, Lei us make man. 
 Again, this word ufed plurally hints at the perfons of the 
 Godhead, and prefents a Trinity to our knowledge. 
 The knowledge of it therefore is coeval -with the creation. 
 Nor fliould it feem ftrange, that afterwards it fhould be 
 taught; fmce it is one cj thofe things, of which mention 
 was made in the veryfirjl creation." 
 
 VII. I confefs, Adam could not, from the fole con- 
 templation of nature, difcover this myftery without re- 
 velation. But this I am fully perfuaded of, that God 
 revealed fome things to man, which nature did not dic- 
 tate of herfelf. For whence did he know the command 
 about the tree of knowledge, and whence the meaning of 
 the tree of life, but by God's declaring it to him ? whence 
 the knowledge of fuch a creation of his wife, as to pro- 
 nounce her flefhof his flefh,andbone of his bone,but from 
 divine revelation ? Seeing then God hath revealed to man 
 many things, and thofe indeed not of fuch importance, 
 why fliould we believe that he concealed from him that 
 very thing, the knowledge of which was eminently condu- 
 cive to the perfection of man, and the honor of God ? 
 Therefore a learned man did not think rightly, who in- 
 lifls, that the knowledge of the Trinity exceeded the hap, 
 finefs of Adam's Jlate^ which was merely natural. For it 
 was not fo merely natural, as if Adam knew nothing but 
 
 * Seim ii. 
 
OF THE CouN'TRACTING PARTIES. 63 
 
 what the confideration of nature only could fugged. 
 The contrary we have jud (hewn. And it mult be 
 deemed to have been natural to that date, that man be- 
 ing upright, and enjoying familar converfe with his God, 
 fhould learn from his own mouth what might render him 
 fitter to celebrate his praifes. The very learned Zan- 
 chius* obferves, that mod of the fathers were of that 
 opinion, that Adam, being fuch ^nd fo great a friend of 
 God before his fall, feveral times faw God in a bodily 
 appearance, and heard him fpeak. He adds, But this 
 was " always the Son of God." And a little after, 
 " Chrid therefore is that Jehovah, who took Adam and 
 placed him in paradife, and fpoke to him." Thus the 
 ancients believed, that the Son of God did then alfo re- 
 veal himfelf to Adam, and converfed with him. 
 
 VIII. And this faying appears a little too bold : 
 " -That the ceconomy fubfiding between the Three per- 
 fons, is fo principally employed in procuring the falva- 
 tion of the human race, that the knowledge thereof 
 could not belong to the date of innocence., in which 
 there was no place for falvation or redemption." For 
 Mofes declares the ceconomy of the divine pcrfons at 
 the very creation. And the gofpeU while it explains 
 that admirable ceconomy, as taken up in procuring the 
 falvation of mankind, at the fame time raifes our thoughts 
 to that (Economy, which was manifeded in the fird cre- 
 ation of the world. If now it is profitable and pleafant 
 for us to think, that the Son of God our Saviour is the 
 beginning of the creation of God^C by whom were erected 
 thrones and dominions* things vifible and invijible, that 
 he might hav.e the pre-eminence in all things.^ chief as 
 well in the works of nature as grace ; and that the Holy 
 Spirit, now fitting up a new world of grace in our hearts, 
 
 * Decrcat. horn. 1. i. c, i. 12, -j- Rev. iii. 14. 
 
 fColi. 1 6. 1 3. 
 
64 Oi THE CONTRACTING PARTIES. 
 
 did at fir ft brood on the waters, and made them preg- 
 nant with fo many noble creatures ; and thus to afcend 
 to the con fi deration of the fame oeconomy in the works 
 of creation and nature, which is now revealed to us in 
 the work of falvation and grace : who then can refufe 
 that upright Adam had the fame knowledge of God in 
 three perfons, though he might be ignorant what each 
 perfon, in his order, was to perform in faving finners ? 
 Add to this, that though, in that (late of Adam, there 
 was no room for redemption, yet there was for falvation.) 
 and eternal life : the fymbol of which was the tree of 
 life, which even then bore the image of the Son of God. 
 See Rev. ii. 7. For in him was life, John i. 4. ; which 
 fymbol had been in vain, if the meaning thereof had 
 been unknown to Adam. 
 
 IX. In this rcclitudeof man principally confifts that 
 image of God, which the fcripture fo often recommends ; 
 and which Paul exprefsly places in knowledge,* in righte- 
 cufnefs and true ho line fs.^ In which places he fo defcribes 
 the image of God, which is renewed in us by the Spirit of 
 grace, as at the fame time to hint, that it is the fame 
 vith that after which man was originaliy created. And 
 there cannot be different images of God. For as God 
 cannot but be wife and holy, and, as fuch, be a pattern 
 to the rational creature ; it follows, that a creature wife 
 and holy is the expreffion of God in thefe his qualities. 
 And it is quite jmpoflible, but God muft own his own 
 likenefs to confift in this rectitude of the wtiole man ^ 
 or acknowledge a foolifh and perverfe creature to be 
 like him : which would be an open denial of his perfec- 
 tions. It has been prettily obferved by a very learned 
 man, that HOSIOTESTES ALETHEIAS, true holinef^ 
 is not only oppofed to TE HUPOKRISEI, hypocrify or 
 
 * Col. Hi. ic. f Eph. iv. 24. 
 
OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES. 65 
 
 dijfinulation, or to- T E T u p*i K. E K A T H A R o T E T i , typical 
 purity ', but that it denotes a holyftudy of truth , proceed- 
 ing from the love of God. For HOSIOS, to which an- 
 fwers the Hebrew CHAMUD, (ignifies in fcripture one 
 ftudious in and after good. This HOSIOTES TES ALE- 
 THEIAS, true holinefs, denotes fuch a defire of pleafmg 
 God, as is agreeable to the truth known of and in him, 
 and loved for himfelf. 
 
 X. But I fee no reafonwhythe fame learned perfon 
 fhould have DIKAIOSUNE, righteoufnefs^ mentioned by 
 Paul,* to be a privilege peculiar to the covenant of 
 grace, which we obtain in Chrift, and which Adam had 
 not ; meaning by righteoufnefs a title to eternal life ; 
 which, 'tis owned, Adam was without, as the courfe of 
 his probation was not yet finifhed. In oppofition to 
 this affertion, I offer the following things to confidera- 
 tion. i. There is no neceffity far underftanding by 
 righteoufnefs a right to eternal life. For that term often 
 denotes a virtue, and a fixed refolution of giving every 
 one his due ; as Eph. v. 9. where the apoftle, treating 
 of fantifica4:ion, writes, The fruit of the Spirit is in all 
 goodnefs, and righteoufnefs and truth. The "learned 
 perfon himfelf obferved this, who elfewheret fpeaks 
 thus : " Righteoufnefs is, firft, the reclitude of aftions, 
 whether of the foul or of the members ; and their agree- 
 ment with found reafon ; namely, that they may ealily 
 avoid condemnation or blame, and obtain praife. So 
 Tit. iii. 5. Works of righteoufnefs. And hence the deno- 
 mination of juft or righteous, denotes a blatneiefs or 
 praife-worthy perfon," Since then that word fignifies 
 eifewhere fuch a reclitude, why not here too ? efpeci- 
 ally fmce it is indifputable that fuch righteoufnefs be- 
 
 * Eph. iv. 24. f In Gen. v. 9. 
 
 ' VOL.* I. I 
 
66 OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES. 
 
 longed to the image of God in Adam. 2. It ought not 
 to be urged, that righteoufnefs here is joined with koli- 
 nefs, and therefore fo to be diftinguifhed from it, as that 
 the latter fhould denote an inherent good quality, and 
 the former a right to life. For it may be anfwered, \J1 9 
 That it is no unufual thing with the Holy Spirit, to ex- 
 prefs the fame thing by different words. " It is to be 
 obferved," fays Urfinus,* " that righteoufnefs and holi- 
 nefs in us were the fame thing before the fall, namely, 
 an inherent conformity to God and the law." Nor does 
 the celebrated Cocceius himfelf refufe this :f But 
 TZ^D^EK righteoufnefs, if you confider the law of works 
 fignifies, in the largeft fenfe, every thing that is honeft, 
 every thing that is true, every thing that is holy." 2^/y, 
 If we mould fuppofe that righteoufnefs ought to be dif- 
 tinguifhed from holinefs^ it does not follow that it ought 
 to be diftinguifhed in this manner. For there are to be 
 found teftimonies of this kind, in which no fuch diftinc- 
 tion can take place ; as Luke i. 74, 75. Serve him in 
 holinefs and righteoufnefs before him : and i Theff. ii. 
 10. Ye are witnejfes and God alfo^ how holily, and juftly, 
 and unblameably we be have d.ourf elves among you that be- 
 lieve. Add i Kings .iii. 6. He walked before thee in 
 truth, and in righteoufnefs^ and in uprightnefs of heart. 
 Where righteoufnefs, though added to holinefs, can 
 fignify nothing but a virtue of the foul, and the exercife 
 of it. 3. If we would abfolutely diftinguifh the fe two 
 things, it may be done many ways, (i.) So as to refer 
 holinefs to God, righteoufnefs to men. Thus Philo, 
 concerning Abraham, fays, " Holinefs is confidered as 
 towards God ; righteoufnefs as towards men." And the 
 Emperor Marc AntonineJ fays of Socrates, " He was 
 inhuman things righteous, in divine, holy." (2.) Or 
 
 * In queft. 1 8. catech. f In Pfal. xv. 11. J Lib. vii. 66 
 
OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES. 67 
 
 fo as to fay, that univerfal virtue is denoted by both 
 words ; (for even righteoufncfs is faid of the worfhip of 
 God, Luke i. 75, and holinefs is referred to men : 
 Maximus Tyrius* fays of the fame Socrates, " Pious 
 towards God, holy towards men,") but in a different re- 
 fpecl ; fo as holinefs may denote virtue, as it is the love 
 and expreffion of the divine purity, as Plato explains ho- 
 linefs by the love of God : Right eaufnefs indeed may fig- 
 nify the fame virtue, as it is a conformity to the pre* 
 fcribed rule, and an obedience to the commands of 
 God. Whether it be DIKAION, right (or righteous) to 
 hearken unto God.i 1 (3.) Urfm fpeaks a little differently. J 
 " Righteoufnefs and holinefs may, in the text of Paul 
 and the catechifm, be taken for the fame, or be diftin- 
 guifhed; as righteoufnefs may be underftood of internal 
 and external aclions agreeing with the right judgment of 
 the mind, and with the law of God, and holinefs of the 
 qualities." So that there is nothing to conflrain us to 
 explain righteoufnefs here of a right to life : nay, there 
 are many things to perfuade us to the contrary. For, 
 i. The image of God, even that which is renewed in 
 us by regeneration, confifts in abfolute qualities inhe- 
 rent in the foul, which are as fo many refemblances of 
 the perfections of God : but a right to life is a mere re+ 
 lation. 2. The image of God confifts in fomething 
 which is produced in man himfelf, either by the firft or 
 the new creation. The right to life refts wholly on the 
 righteoufnefs and merits of Chrift, which are entirely 
 without us ; Not having my own righteoufnefs^ 3. The 
 apoftle, in the place before us, is not treating of jvftifi- 
 catioii) where this right fhould have been mentioned ; 
 but offanttification, and the rule thereof, where it was 
 needlefs to (peak of that right. 4. They who urge this 
 
 * Diflert. xxvi. f Afts iv. 19. J Ad. quo2#. 6. catech. 
 $ -Phil, iii/9. 
 
68 OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES. 
 
 new explication of righteoufnefs, both feem without any 
 juft caufe to contradict the catechifm, queft. 6. and lefs 
 itoutly to oppofe the Socinians, who maintain that the 
 image of God, after which we are regenerated in Chrift, 
 is not the fame with that after which Adam was created. 
 And yet thefe learned men equally with us deteft this 
 error. Thefe confiderations make us judge it fafer to 
 explain righteoufnefs, fo as to make it a part of the 
 image of God, after which Adam was formed. 
 
 XI. But if we take in the whole extent of the image 
 of God, we will fay it is made up of thefe three parts, 
 i. Antecedently, that it confifts in the fpiritual and im- 
 mortal nature of the foul, and in the faculties of under- 
 flanding and will. 2. Formally and principally, in the 
 endowments of the foul, righteoufnefs andholinefs. 3. 
 Confequentially, in the immortality of the whole man, 
 and his dominion over the creatures. The fkft of thefe 
 was, as one elegantly exprefles it, as a precious table, 
 on which the image of God might be drawn and formed : 
 the fecond, that very image itfelf, and refemblance of 
 the divinity : the third, the luftre of that image widely 
 fpreading its glory, and as rays, which not only adorn- 
 ed the foul, but the whole man, and his body, and ren- 
 dered him the lord and head of the world, and at the 
 fame time immortal, as being the friend and companion 
 of the eternal God. 
 
 XII. The chief ftrokes of this image Plato faw, or 
 certainly heard of, who defines happinefs to be HOMOI- 
 osis TO THEO, the refemblance of .God : and this re- 
 femblance he places in piety, juftice, and prudence : 
 and what is this but the twofold primary virtue, godli- 
 nefs and righteoufnefs, tempered and governed by pru- 
 dence ? His words are excellent, and deferve to be here 
 tranfcribed. Tende thncten phiifm^ kai tonde ton topon % 
 to kakon farapohi ex anankes 9 dio kai feirajlhai dirt 
 
OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES. 69 
 
 enthende ekeiji phcugein hoti tachijla : phuge de homolofis 
 theo, kata to dunaton. Homoiojis de dikaion kai hooji n 
 meta phronefeos genejlhai. " This mortal nature, and this 
 inferior place of* abode, are neceffarily fubjeft to and 
 encompafled with evil. We are therefore to endeavour 
 with the utmoft expedition to efcape from it : this flight 
 is an afiimilation to God as far as may be ; and this af- 
 fimiiation is juftice and piety, accompanied with pru^ 
 dence."* 
 
 XIII. God gave to man the charge of this his image, 
 as the mod excellent depoiit of heaven, and, if kept 
 pure and inviolate, the earneft of a greater good ; whom 
 for that end he furnifhed with fufficient powers from his 
 
 very formation, fo as to Hand in no need of further ha- 
 bitual grace. It was only requifite, that God, by the 
 continual influence of his providence, mould preferve 
 thofe powers, and excite them to all and each of their 
 afts. For in no ftate can a creature be, or conceived 
 to be working any thing independently of the Creator. 
 This alfo takes place in the angels themfelves, though 
 they be now confirmed in holincfs and happinefs. 
 
 XIV. And thus, indeed, Adam was in covenant with 
 God, as a man, created after the image of God, and 
 furnifhed with fufficient abilities to preferve that image. 
 There is another relation, in which he was confidered 
 as the head and reprefentaiive of mankind, both federal 
 and natural. So that God faid to Adam, as once to 
 the Ifraelites, Neither -with you only do I make this cove- 
 nant and this oath, but alfo with thofe that are not here 
 with us this day.i The whole hi (lory of the fir ft man 
 evinces, that he was not looked upon as an individual 
 perfon, but tjpat the whole human nature was coniider- 
 ed in him. For it was not faid to our firll parents only, 
 
 ' Vicl. Lipili manududionem ad Stoicam philofophiam, 1. ii. 
 12. | Dem. xxix. 14, 1-5. 
 
70 OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES. 
 
 Increafe and multiply ; by virtue of which word, the 
 propagation of the human race is (till continued : nor is 
 it true of Adam only, It is not good that man JJiould be 
 alone : nor does that conjugal law concern him alone, 
 Therefore Jliall a man leave his father and his mother^ 
 and thefe twojhall be one flejli ; which Chrift ftill urges :* 
 nor did the penalty, which God threatened to Adam in 
 cafe of fin, afFeft him alone. Dying thouJJialt die ; but 
 death faffed upon all men, as the apoftle obferves.t All 
 which loudly proclaim, that Adam was here confidered 
 as the head of mankind. 
 
 XV. To the fame purpofe is that beautiful oppofiti- 
 on ofthejirfl andfecond Adam, which Paul purfues at 
 large, Rom. v. 15. & feq. For as the fecond Adam does 
 in the covenant of grace fuitain the perfon of all the 
 eleB, fo far as they are accounted to have themfelves 
 done and fuffered, what he did and fuffered in their 
 name and ftead ; fo likewife the firil Adam fuftained the 
 perfon of all that were to fpring from his ftock. 
 
 XVI. That God was righteous in this conftitution, is 
 not to be difputed. For it does not become us to quef- 
 tion the right of God, or to inquire too curioufly into it, 
 much lefs to meafure it by the ftandard of any right efta- 
 blifhed amongft us defpicable mortals, when the fal is 
 evident. We are previoufly to judge of God, Thou art 
 righteous in what thou fpeakejl, and pure in thy judgment.^ 
 Truly he is unacquainted with the majefty of the Su- 
 preme Being, and with his unfpotted holinefs, which in 
 every thing is mod confident with itfelf, who prefumes 
 to fcan his aftions, and call his equity to account. A free- 
 dom which no earthly father would bear in a fon, no king 
 in a fubjecl, nor matter in a fervant. An^ do we, mean 
 worms of the earth, take upon us to ufe fuch freedom 
 
 * Matth. xix/5* f Rom. v. 12.. J Pfal. li. 6. 
 
OF THE CONTRACTING PARTIES. 71 
 
 with the Judge of the whole univerfe ! As often as our 
 murmuring flefh dares to bawl out. The ways of the 
 Lord are not equal ; fo often let us oppofe to it. Are 
 not thy ways unequal ?* 
 
 XVII. Neverthelefs it is ufual with us, that we more 
 calmly acquiefce in the determinations of God, when we 
 underftand the reafons of them. Let us therefore fee^ 
 whether here alfo we cannot demonftrate the equity of 
 the divine right. What if we fhould confider the matter 
 thus ? If Adam had, in his own and our name, ftood to 
 the conditions of the covenant ; if, having finifhed the 
 courfe of his probation, he had been confirmed in hap- 
 pinefs, and we his pofterity in him ; if, fully fatisfied 
 with the delights of animal life, we had, together with 
 him, been tranflated to the joys of heaven; no body 
 would have complained, that he was included in the head 
 of mankind : every one would have commended both 
 the wifdom and goodnefs of God : not the lead fufpici- 
 on of injuftice would have arifen in any one, on account 
 of God's putting the firft man into a ftate of probation 
 in the room of all, and not every individual for himfelf. 
 How mall that which in this event would have been 
 deemed juft, be unjuft on a contrary event ? For the 
 juftice or injuftice of actions is not to be judged of by 
 the event. 
 
 XVIII. Befides, who is there of mankind that can 
 bring himfelf to belkve, that he, placed in the fame cir- 
 cumftances with Adam, would have better confulted his 
 own intereft ? Adam was not without wifdom, holinefs, 
 a defire after true happinefs, an averfion to the miferies 
 denounced by God againft the tranfgreflbr, nor, in fine, 
 without any of thofe things, by which one might confi- 
 dently expecl to be on his guard againft fin ; and yet he 
 
 * Ezek. xviii, 25. 
 
jr a OF THE CONDITION OFT HE 
 
 fuffered himfelf to be inveigled in the fnare by the craft 
 of a flattering feducer. And doft thou, mod iniquitous 
 cenfarer of the ways of the Lord, boaft thou wouldft 
 have better ufed thy free-will ? Nay, on the contrary, 
 all thy actions cry aloud, that thou approver!, that thou 
 art highly pleafed with, and always takeft example from 
 that deed of thy firft parent, about which thou unjuftly 
 complaineft. For when thou tranfgreffeft the com- 
 mands of God, when thou fetteft lefs by the will of the 
 Supreme Being than by thy lufts, when thou preferred 
 earthly to heavenly things, prefent to future ; when, by 
 thine own choice, thou feekefl after happinefs, but not 
 that which is true ; and, inftead of taking the right way, 
 goeft into by-paths ; is not that the very fame, as if thou 
 didft fo often eat of the forbidden fruit ? Why then doft 
 thou blame God for taking a compendious way, includ- 
 ing all in pne; well knowing, that the cafe of each in par- 
 ticular, when put to theteft, would have been the fame? 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Of the LaW) or Condition of the Covenant of Works. 
 
 H 
 
 ITHERTO we have treated of the contracting par- 
 ties. Let us now take a view of the condition prefcribed 
 in the covenant. Where, firft, we are to confider the 
 law of tht covenant, then the otfervance of that law. The 
 law of the covenant is twofold, i. The law of nature, 
 implanted in Adam at his creation. 2. The fymbolical 
 law, concerning the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 
 II. The law of nature, is the rule of good and evil, in- 
 fcribed by God on man's confdence, even at his creation^ 
 and therefore binding upon him by divine authority. That 
 
P'm * 
 COVENANT or WORKS. 73 
 
 there was fuch a law connate with, and as it were im- 
 planted in man, appears from the relics, which, like 
 the ruins of fome noble building, ftill remain in all men ; 
 namely, from thofe common notions, by which the 
 Heathens themfelves diftinguifh right from wrong, and 
 by which they are a law to themfelves, which JJuw the 
 work of the law written in their hearts, their confcience 
 tearing witnefs.* From which we gather, that all thefc 
 things were complete in man, when newly formed after 
 the image of God. 
 
 III. Whatever the confcience of man dictates to be 
 virtuous or otherwife, it does fo in the name of God, 
 whofe vicegerent it is in man, and the depofitary of his 
 commands. This, if I miftake not, is David's mean- 
 ing, t To thee, that is, for thee, in thy (lead, my heart 
 fays, or my confcience. This confcience therefore was 
 called a God by the Heathens : as in this Iambic. BRO- 
 TOIS HA PA SIN HE suNEiDESis TH EOS. In all men 
 confcience is a God. Plato, in Philebus, calls reafon a 
 God dwelling in us. And hence it is, that we are not 
 to think that the fupreme rule in the law of nature is its 
 agreement or difagreement with the rational nature ; but 
 that it is the divine wifdom manifeiled to, or the notion 
 of good and evil engraved by God on the confcience. 
 The Author of the book de mundc^ finely fays, " God 
 is to us a law, tending on all fides to a juft equilibrium, 
 admitting no corre&ion, nor any variation." With this 
 Cicero agrees,^ " The true and leading law, which is 
 proper both to command and to forbid, is the right rea- 
 fon of the Supreme Being." 
 
 IV. That author does not exprefs himfelf very accu- 
 rately, who faid, " We here call the law the knowledge 
 
 * Rom. ii. 14, 15. f Pfal. rxrii. 3. J Cap. xi. De-legibus, 1. H, 
 VOL. I, K 
 
p 
 
 <p4 OF THE CONDITION or THE 
 
 of right and wrong, binding to do -what is right, and to 
 avoid what is wrong." For the law is not properly 
 knowledge, but the object of knowledge. We fay this 
 law was naturally known to man ; but it would be abfurd 
 to fay, that knowledge is naturally known. Knowledge 
 is our aft, and is indeed to be fquared by the rule of th 
 law. The law is a rule prefcribed by Cod, th direBor 
 of all our aclioris. 
 
 V. Another is farther from accuracy, who thus de- 
 termines ; " Before the fall there was properly no law. 
 For then the love of God prevailed, which requires no 
 law. There" (as the fame author elfewhere explains 
 himfelf) " was a ftate of friend {hip and love, fuch as is 
 the natural flate of a fon with refpecl to a parent, which 
 nature loves. But when that love is violated, then a 
 precept is fuperadded ; and that love, which before was 
 voluntary (which belt agrees with its nature, for that 
 can fcarce be called love, unlefs voluntary) falls under 
 a precept, and pafles into a law, to be enforced them 
 with commination and coercion; which rigour of coer- 
 cion properly conftitutes a law." 
 
 VI. But this way of reafoning dbes not feem to be 
 the effect of thought and attention. For, i. it is not 
 the rigour of coercion that properly conftitutes a law, 
 but the obligatory virtue of what is enjoined, proceed- 
 ing both from the power of the lawgiver, and from the 
 equity of the thing commanded ; which is here founded 
 on the holinefs of the divine nature, fo far as imitable 
 by man. The apoftle James* commends the per/eft law 
 of liberty, 2. Nor is it abfurd to fay, that the natural 
 ftate of a fon with refpet to a parent is regulated by 
 laws. Surely Platot (ays, that " the firft mortals fol- 
 lowed the cuftoms and laws of their fathers," quoting 
 
 * Chap. i. 25. f De legibus, 1. iii. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 75 
 
 with praife that fentence of Homer, THEMISTEUEI DE 
 KEKASTOS PAIDON, Every one makes laws for his 
 children. 3. Nor is it repugnant to do a thing by na- 
 ture, and at the fame time by a law. Philo the Jew,* 
 explaining that hackneyed faying of the philofophers, 
 fays, that " to live agreeably to nature, 1 ' is done, " when 
 the mind follows God, remembering his precepts." 
 Chryfippus in like manner, commended by Laertius,t 
 fays, " That perfon lives agreeably to nature, who does 
 nothing prohibited by the common law, which is right 
 reafon." In a fublimer ftyle almoft than one could well 
 expecl from a Heathen, is what HieroclesJ fays, " To 
 obey right reafon and God, is the fame thing. For the 
 rational nature being illuminated, readily embraces what 
 the divine law prefcribes. A foul which is conformed 
 to God, never dilfents from the will of God ; but be- 
 ing attentive to the divinity and brightnefs, with which 
 it is enlightened, does what it does." 4. Nor can it be 
 affirmed, that after the breach of love, or, which is the 
 fame thing, after the entrance of fin, the law was then 
 fuperadded ; feeing fin itfelf is ANOMIA, the tranfgref- 
 fion of the law. . Nor is love rendered lefs voluntary 
 by the precept. For the law enjoins love everyway 
 perfect, and therefore as voluntary as poffible, not ex- 
 torted by the fervile fear of the threatening. $ Nor does 
 he falve the matter, when he fays, that what is called 
 lovefcarce deferves that name, unlefs it be voluntary : 
 he ought to fay, it is by- no means chanty, unlefs volun- 
 tary. For love is the mod delightful union of our will 
 with the thing beloved ; which cannot be fo much as 
 conceived, without the plained contradiction, to be any 
 other than voluntary. If therefore, by the fuperadded 
 law, love is rendered involuntary and forced, the whole 
 
 ' De migrat. f Lib. vii. in Zenone. J Ad aurea c 
 Pythagoras. I John iv. 18. 
 
76 OF THE CONDITION OF THE 
 
 nature of love is made void, and a divine law fet up, 
 which deflroys love. 6. In fine, the law of nature itfelf 
 \vas not without a threatening, and that of eternal death. 
 I ihall conclude this fubjeclin the moft accurate words 
 of Chryfoftom.* " When God formed man at firft, he 
 gave him a natural law. And what then is this natural 
 law ? He rectified our conscience, and made us have 
 the knowledge of good and evil, without any other 
 teaching than our own." 
 
 VII. We muft, moreover, obferve, that this natu- 
 ral law is the fame in fubftance with that expreffed in 
 the decalogue, being, what the apoftle calls, the com- 
 irundmeni which is unto life ;t that is, that law, by the 
 performance of which, life could formerly be obtained. 
 And furely the decalogue contains fuch precepts, which 
 if a man do, he Jhall live in them.^ But thofe precepts 
 are undoubtedly the law propofed to Adam, upon which 
 the covenant of works was built. Add to this, what the 
 apoftle fays, that that law, which ftill contirtues to be 
 the rule of our aclions, and whofe rjgkttwfncfs ought 
 to be fulfilled in us, was made weak through the Ji-eJ1i 9 
 that is, through fin, and that it was become impoffible 
 for it to bring us to life.J The fame law therefore was 
 in force before the entrance of fin, and, if duly obferv- 
 ed, had the power of giving life. Befides, God, in the 
 fecond creation, infcribes the fame law on the heart, 
 which in the firft creation he had engraved on the mind. 
 For what is regeneration, but the reftitution of the fame 
 image of God, after which man was at firft formed ? In 
 fhort, the law of nature could be nothing but a precept 
 of conformity to God, and of perfect love ; which is the 
 fame in the decalogue. 
 
 * Ex homilia xii. f Rom. vii. 10. $ Lev. zviii. 4. Rom. 
 viii. 3, 4- 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 77 
 
 VIII. This law is deduced by infallible confequence 
 from the very nature of God and man : which I thus ex- 
 plain and prove. I prefuppofc, as a felf-evident truth, 
 and clear from the very meaning of the words, that the 
 great God has a fovereign and uncontroulable power and 
 dominion over all his creatures. This authority is found- 
 ed primarily and radically, not on creation, nor on any 
 contract entered into with the creature, nor on the fin of 
 the creature, as fome lefs folidly maintain ; but on the 
 majefty, fupremacy, fovereignty, and eminence of God, 
 which are his eflential attributes, and would have been 
 in God, though no creatures had actually exifted, though 
 they are now conceived by us with a certain refpeQ: to 
 creatures, at lead poffible. From this majefty pf the^. 
 divine nature, the prophet Jeremiah infers the duty of 
 the creature. For as much as there is none like unto thte, 
 Lord) thou art great , and thy name is great in might. 
 Who would not fear thee, King of nations ? for to thee 
 doth 'it appertain.* For if God is thefirfl, thefapreme, 
 the f up er eminent , it neceflarily follows, that all creatures 
 do in every refpecl depend on that firft,fupreme, and fa- 
 'percminent God, for exijlence, power, and operation. 
 This is of the edence of creatures, which, if not en- 
 tirely dependent, can by no means be conceived without 
 the mod evident contradiction. But the more degrees 
 of being there are in any creature, the more degrees of 
 dependence on the fupreme Being are to be affigned to 
 it. In the rational creature, befides a metapbyfical and 
 fhyjical entity, which it has in common with ail the other 
 creatures ; there is a certain more perfect degree of en- 
 tity, namely, rationality. As, therefore, in quality of a 
 being, it depends on God, as the Supreme Being ; fo al- 
 
 fo, as rational, it depends on God as ihefapreme- rccfin^ 
 
 * 
 
 * Jer. x. 6, 7. 
 
73 OF THE CONPITJON O* THE 
 
 \vhich it is bound to exprefs, and be conformable to. 
 And as God, as long as he wills any creature to exift, ne- 
 cefTarily wills it to be dependent on his real providence; 
 ( herwife he would renounce his own fupremacy, by 
 transferring it to the creature ;) fo likewife, if he wills 
 ar . rational creature to exift, he necefTarily wills it to 
 be dependent on his moral providence; otherwife he 
 would deny himfelf to be the lupreme reafon, to whofe 
 pattern and idea every dependent reafon ought to con- 
 form. And thus a rational creature would be to itfelf, 
 the prime reafon, that is, really God ; which is an evi- 
 dent contradiction. 
 
 IX. In vain therefore do frantic enthufiafts inflfr, that 
 the utmoft pitch of holinefs confifts in being without law; 
 thereby wrefting the faying of the apoftle, that the law 
 is not made for a righteous man^ lutfor the lawlejs and 
 difobedient.* For certainly that paifage does not de, 
 ftroy our afTertion, by which we have evinced, that the 
 human nature cannot be without the divine law ; but 
 highly confirms it. For fince the ungodly are here de- 
 fcribed as lawlefs, who would fain live as without law, 
 and dif obedient, who will not be in fubjeftion ; it fol- 
 lows, that the acknowledging the divine law, and the 
 fubje&ion of the underftanding and will to it, is the cha- 
 racter of the righteous and godly. In the law of God, 
 fmcc the entrance of fin, two things are to be confidered. 
 i. The rule and djre&ion to obedience. 2. The power 
 of bridling and retraining by terror and fear ; and laft- 
 ly, of jujlly condemning. When therefore the apoftle 
 teaches, that the law was not made for a righteous man, 
 he does not underftand it of the primary and principal 
 work of the law, which is effential to it, but of that other 
 accidental work, which was added to it on account erf" 
 
 * i Tim. i. 9. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 79 
 
 and fince the entrance of fin, and from which the righte- 
 ous are freed by Chrift. 
 
 X. Nx>r does that follow only from the nature of God 
 and man, that fome law is to be prefcribed by God to 
 man in common, but alfo fuch a law as may be not on- 
 ly the rule and guide of human actions, but of human 
 nature itfelf considered as rational. For fince God him* 
 felf is in his nature infinitely holy, and manifeils this his 
 holinefs in all his works, it hence follows, that to man, 
 who ought to be conformed to the likenefs of the divine 
 holinefs, there mould be prefcribed a law, requiring no!^ 
 only the righteoufnefs of his works, but the holinefs of 
 his nature itfelf; fo that the righteoufnefs of his works 
 is no other than the exprefliori of his inward righteouf- 
 nefs. Indeed the apoftle calls that piety and holinefs, 
 which he recommends, and which undoubtedly the law 
 enjoins, the image of God.* Now, an image (liould re- 
 femble its original. Seeing therefore God is holy in his 
 nature, on that very account it follows, that men ought 
 to be fo too. 
 
 XI. A certain author has therefore faid with more 
 fubtilty than truth, " That the law obliges the perfon 
 only to aclive righteoufnefs, but not the nature itfelf to 
 intrinfic rectitude :" and confequently, " that original 
 righteoufnefs is approved indeed, but not commanded 
 by the law : and on the contrary alfo, that original un- 
 righteoufnefs is condemned, but not forbidden by the law 
 of nature." For the law approves nothing which it did 
 not command ; condemns nothing which it did not for- 
 bid. The law is TOR AH the doclrine of right and wrong. 
 What it teaches to be eviL that it forbids ; what to be 
 good, it commands. And therefore it is juftly called 
 the law of nature > not only becaufe it can be known by 
 
 * Eph. iv. 24. Col iii. 10. 
 
8O Of THE'CONDITION OF THE 
 
 nature as a teacher, but alfo becaufe it is the rule of na- 
 ture itfelf. 
 
 XII. In fine, we are to obferve concerning this law 
 of nature, that at leaft its principal and molt univcrfal 
 
 'precepts are founded, not in the mere arbitrary good* 
 will and plcafure of God, but in his unfpotted divine na- 
 ture. For if it is neccfTary, that God Ihould therefore 
 prefcribe a law to man, becaufe he is the original holi- 
 nefs ; it is no lefs neceffary, that he ihould prefcribe a 
 law, which fhall be the copy of that original. So that 
 V&the difference between good and evil,- ought to be de- 
 rived, not from any pofitive law, and arbitrary canfti- 
 tution of the divine will, but from the mod holy nature 
 of God itfelf. Which I thus prove. 
 
 XIII. Let us take the furnmary of the fir/1 table : 
 Thoujhalt love the Lord thy God -with all thy heart, &c. 
 Should this command be faid to be founded in the arbir 
 trary good pleafure of the divine will, and not in the 
 very nature of God, it may with equal propriety be 
 faid, that God might abfolve us from the neceffity of 
 loving himfelf. That this is a thing impoffible, appears 
 hence : It is natural to God to be the chief good. It 
 is included in the idea of a God, that he is the very bed. 
 It is natural to the chief good, that he cannot without 
 blame but love what is propofed worthy of the higheft 
 love. Whoever, therefore, {hall affirm, that the necef- 
 fity of loving God flows not from the very nature of 
 God, advances the following contradiction : God is in 
 his nature the chief good, and yet in his nature is not 
 fupremely amiable. Or this other : God is worthy of 
 the higheft love ; and yet it is poffible, that he who does 
 not love him, does nothing unworthy of God. Thefe 
 things involve amoft palpable contradiction. 
 
 XIV. But to proceed ; If the command to love God 
 is founded^ not in his nature^ but in his arbitrary good 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS, 
 
 pleafure, 'he might have enjoined the hatred of himfelf 4 
 For, in things, in their own nature indifferent, he who 
 has the right of commanding, has alfo that of forbidding, 
 and of requiring the contrary. Now, this aiFertion, that 
 God can command the hatred of himfelf, be fides being 
 horrible to the ear, labours under a nianifefl contradic- 
 tion. Which will clearly appear to every body, from a 
 proper explication of the terms. God the chief good, 
 fupremely amiable, are terms equivalent ; at lead, the 
 laft is an explication of the preceding. To hate any 
 thing, is not to efteem it as the chief good, nay not fo * 
 much as good, and therefore fo far from loving it, to 
 be averfe from it. Would it not therefore be a mani- 
 fcft contradiction, to fuppofe the moft excellent God 
 thus fpeaking to his creature : I am really the chief 
 good, but I would not have you efteem me good : I in- 
 deed am worthy of the higheft love, but I would have 
 you judge me wortny of your hatred ? He that does not 
 (be a contradi&ion here, mud be blind. 
 
 XV. Moreover, I would alk thofe, if there are any 
 that are otherwife minded, whether it is not naturally 
 good, even antecedently to any free determination of 
 the divine will, to obey God, when he commands any 
 thing. If they own this, we have gained our point. If 
 not, I afk further, whence then the obligation to obey ? 
 They cannot anfwer, from the command. For the 
 queftion is, What binds me to obey that command? 
 Here we muft necessarily come to that fovereign majef- 
 ty and authority of God, to whom it is criminal in na- 
 ture to refufe obedience. Again, if it is not naturally 
 good to obey God, it follows, that God can command, 
 that no body obey him. A proportion not only incon- 
 fiderate, but full of contradiction. For to cpmmand.. 
 is to bind one to obedience. To fay, Obey not, is to 
 
 VOL. I. L 
 
8fc OF THE CONDITION or THE 
 
 dififolve the bond of obligation. Therefore thefe are 
 plain contradictions, I command, and, Do hot obey me. 
 XVI. What we have proved concerning the love of 
 God, which is the fumraary of i\\z firjl table of the law, 
 namely, that it rs naturally good, might be alfo proved 
 from the fummary of the fecond table^ i. e. the love of 
 our neighbour. For he who loves God, cannot but 
 love his image, in which he views characters of the De- 
 ity clearly exprefTed, and not a fmall degree of the 
 brightnefs of his glory. Again, whoever loves God 
 will, by virtue of that love, ferioufly wifh, defire, ftu- 
 dy, and, as much as in him lies, be careful, that his 
 neighbour, as well as himfelf, be under God, in God, and 
 for God, and that all he has be preferved for his glory. 
 Again, he who loves God, will make it his bufmefs, that 
 God may appear every way admirable and glorious ; 
 and as he appears fuch moft eminently in the fan&ifica- 
 tion and happinefs of men,* he will vigoroufly exert 
 himfelf, that his neighbour may be advanced to holinefs 
 and happinefs. Finally, he who fmcerely loves God, 
 never thinks he loves and glorifies his God enough : he 
 difcovers fo much excellency in him, he fees his name 
 fo illuftrious, and fo exalted above all praife, that he 
 earneflly defires to have all men, nay all creatures, join 
 him in loving and celebrating the infinite perfe&ions of 
 God. Now, this is the moft fincere and pure love of 
 our neighbour, to feek that God may be glorified in 
 him, and he himfelf be for the glory of God. Hence 
 it appears, that the love of our neighbour is infeparably 
 connected with the love of God. If therefore it flows 
 from the nature of God, to enjoin us the love of himfelf, 
 as we have juft proved.; it will likewife flow from the 
 nature of God, to enjoin us the love of our neighbour, 
 
 * zThefT. i. 10. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 83 
 
 XVII. To conclude, if we conceive all holinefs to 
 be founded on the arbitrary will of God, this greateft of 
 all abfurdities will follow, that God our lawgiver can, 
 by commanding the contrary, without any regeneration 
 or renovation of the inward man, make of the wicked 
 anddifobedient, for whom the law is made to condem- 
 nation, perfons holy and righteous I A (hocking pofi- 
 tion. 
 
 XVIII. Seeing the fe things are fo, it is aftonifhing, 
 that a certain learned perfon mould approve of this af- 
 fertion, namely, " On the will of God not only things 
 themfelves depend, but alfo every mode of a thing, the 
 truth, order, law, goodnefs ; and no goodnefs of the ob- 
 ject can move it, or put a (lop to it." It is indeed cer- 
 tain, that no bounds or rules can be fet to the will of 
 God, by any thing out of God himfelf: for that is re- 
 pugnant to his fovereign pre-eminence. Yet fomething 
 may and ought to be conceived, flowing from God him- 
 felf and his intrinfic perfections, which hinders the a6l of 
 the divine will ; and this is not therefore good, becaufe 
 God wills it ; but God wills it, becaufe it is good ; for 
 inftance, the love of God as the chief good. And they 
 confider things awkwardly, who make the holinefs of 
 God to confift only in the exact conformity of his ac- 
 tions with his will. " Which will" (fay they) " is the 
 rule of all holinefs^" and fo of the divine. On the con- 
 trary, as the natural, holinefs of God ought to be con- 
 ceived as prior to his will, fo it is rather the rule of the 
 will, than to be regulated by it_ For this holinefs of 
 God is the moil fhining purity of the divine perfections, 
 according to which, agreeably to the moft perfect rea- 
 fon, he always wills and acls. By this opinion, which 
 we are now confuting, every diftin&ion between what 
 are called moral and pofitive precepts is dellro^d ; and 
 Archelaus's ancient paradox revived, namely, * 4 The 
 
Or THE CONDITION OF THZ 
 
 diftinclion of good and evil is not from nature, but 
 from the law ;" which has been adopted by Ariftippus, 
 and Theodorus furnamed the Atheijl. " Than which 
 opinion,'* fays Cocceius,* " none can be devifed more 
 pernicious, and none more effectual for undermining all 
 religion, ftriking at the very root of the divine juftice 
 and the neceflity of a Saviour, and cutting out the vitals 
 of piety." 
 
 XIX. And thus we have proved the fe three things 
 concerning the law of nature, on which the covenant of 
 works is founded, namely : i. That it flows from the 
 nature of God and man, that he prefcribe fome law to 
 man. 2. And fuch a law, as may be the rule and itand- 
 .ard, not only of our aclions, but alfo of our nature. 3. 
 
 That the mod univerfal precepts thereof are at leait 
 founded on the nature of God. Let us now confider the 
 other, the fymbolical law. 
 
 XX. This law is to be fountl in Gen. ii. 16, 17. And 
 the Lord God commanded the man, faying, Of every tree 
 of the garden thou mayfl freely eat ; but of the tree of tin 
 knowledge of good and evil, thouflialt not eat of it : for 
 in the day that thou eatejl thereof, thou JJiah fitrely die. 
 Concerning this tree, three things are chiefly to be taken 
 notice of. i. That it is not quite certain, whether it 
 was a fingle tree ; fince a whole fpecies of trees might 
 be forbidden to man. We mall afterwards repeat this 
 remark, when we treat of the tree of life. 2. There 
 feems to be a twofold reafon for this appellation, (i.) 
 In refpecl of God, who, by that tree, would try and 
 know, whether man would continue good, by perfevei> 
 ing in obedience, or fwerve to evil by difobedicnce. In 
 which fenfe God is faid to have tried Hezekiah, that he 
 ipiight know all that was in his hearth (2.) In refpaQ 
 
 *' 3umma. thecl. cap. xxiv. 6. f 2 Chroa. xzjui. 35. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 83 
 
 of man, becaufe, if from love to God he obeyed this law 
 of probation, be \vas to attain to the fruition of that be- 
 atic good, which is never perfectly known, but by the 
 enjoyment : on the contrary, if difobedient, he was to 
 know by fad experience, into what an abyfs of evils he 
 had plunged himfelf. 
 
 XXI. 3. We are to confider the tendency of fuch a 
 divine precept. Man was thereby taught, (i.} That 
 God is Lord of all things ; and that it is unlawful for 
 man even to defire an apple but with his leave. In all 
 things therefore, from the greateil to the lead, the mouth 
 of the Lord is to be confulted, as to what he would or 
 would not have done by us in relation to thefe things. 
 (2.) That man's true happinefs is placed in God alone, 
 and that nothing is to be defired, but with fubmiffion to, 
 and in order to ufe it for him. So that it is HE. only, 
 on whofe account all other things appear good and dc- 
 firable to man. (3.) That man mould cheerfully be fa- 
 tisned without even the mod delightful and defirabic 
 things, if God fo command ; and fhould think, that there 
 is much more good in obedience to the divine precepr, 
 than in the enioyment of the molt delightful thing in the 
 world. (4.) 1 hat man was not yet arrived at the utmoft 
 pitch of happinefs, but was to cxpecl a ftill greater good, 
 after his courfe of obedience was finifhed. This \va* 
 hinted by the prohibition of the moil delightful tree, 
 whofe fruit was, if any other, greatly to be defircd ; and 
 this argued fome degree of imperfection in that ftatc, iu 
 which man was forbid the eating and ufe of fome good. 
 Compare what is to be fakl, chap. vi. $ 19. 
 
 XXII. Thus far of the. laws of the covenant, boih that 
 of nature, and of this iymbolical and probatory one. Ic 
 now follows, that, according to uhat we propofed, t. 
 we treat of the obftrvatl^i of thole laws. Xow. a 
 fcrttt obedience to a.11 i,he c< ..:.,.. 
 
86 Or THE CONDITION OF THE 
 
 ed, according to that rule. Which if a man do> 
 live in them.* And fmce life was likewife promifed up- 
 on obedience to the fymbolical lav/ about the tree of 
 knowledge, which doubtlefs was a pofitive inftitudon ; 
 fo (to remark by the way) it appears, that, by this repre- 
 fentation, thofe precepts which are called moral, cannot 
 be fo diftinguifhed from pofitive, as if to the former 
 alone this elogium were competent Which if a man do, 
 he /Jiall live in them^ and not to the latter. 
 
 XXIII. This obedience does, in the firft place, fup- 
 pofe the mod exacl prefervation of that original and pri- 
 mitive holinefs in which man was created. For, as we 
 have already faid, God, by his law, does above all thing* 
 require the integrity and rectitude of nature to be che- 
 rifhed and preferved, as man's principal duty, flowing 
 from the benefit he has received. Secondly, From that 
 good principle, good aclions and works ought to be pro- 
 duced : Charity out of a pure heart^ and of a good confci- 
 ence.'i: Thirdly, There ought to be a certain ready ala- 
 crity to perform all that God mail be pleafed to reveal 
 to man, as the good pleafure and appointment of his will; 
 fo as to all he may fay, Speak^ Lord, thy fervant heareth, 
 
 XXIV. A threefold perfection is required, i. Of 
 parts) as well in refpe6l of thtfubjetf, fo as the whole 
 man, in foul and body, and all the faculties of both, em- 
 ploy himfelf in the fervice of GodJ (for man is then 
 TAMiperfefy when the outward man correfponds with 
 the inward ; the aclions with the thoughts, the tongue 
 and hands with the heartj ;) as with refpect to the object, 
 fo that all and each of the precepts be obferved, without 
 any fin of commiflion or omiffion.|| 2. Of degrees^ 
 which in the value of obedience excludes all EPIEIKEI- 
 AN, pardon and connivance, but ftriclly urges obedience 
 
 * Lev. xviit. 5. f I TIm - ^ 5- t J - v. 23. Ffal. 
 xvii. 3, 4. & xxxvii. 30, 31. Jj Gal. iii. 10. Jam. ii. 10. 
 
.'COVENANT OF WORKS* 87 
 
 with all the heart^ with all the foul, and with all the 
 mind ;* with all our might.^ Thou haft commanded us 
 to keep thy precepts diligently.^ 3. Of perfeverance^ 
 without cutting or carving upon that obedience which 
 God rigoroufly requires ;} pronouncing, that all his 
 righteoufnefs that he hath done /Jiall not be remembered? 
 when the righteous turneth away from his righieoufnefij 
 which was fulfilled in Adam ; emphatical is that expreffi- 
 on, Curfed is he that confirmeth not [does not (land to, 
 does not conilantly obferve] all the words of this law to 
 do them.\\ 
 
 XXV. Such a perfect obfervance of the laws of the 
 covenant, q*uite to the period which God had fixed for 
 probation, would have given man a right to the reward. 
 Not from any intrinfic proportion of the work to the re- 
 ward, as the groffer Papifls proudly boaft ; but from 
 God's engagement and acceptance, which was nowife 
 unbecoming him to enter into. Nor had man, before 
 the confummating of that obedience, even in the Hate 
 of innocence, a right to life. He was only in the ftate 
 of acquiring a right ; which would at length be actually 
 acquired, when he could fay, I have flood to the condi- 
 tions of the covenant, I have perfectly and condantly 
 done what was commanded, now I claim an4 expect, 
 that thou my God wilt crown me with the promifed hap- 
 pinefs. 
 
 XXVI. How adfurdly again do the Papifts aflert, 
 that Adam, as he came from the hands of his Creator, 
 as the adopted fon of God, had a right to fupernatural 
 happinefs, as to his paternal inheritance, " which," ac- 
 cording to Beliarmine,^ " is due to the adopted fon of 
 God, in right of adoption, previous to all good works." 
 But this is truly a prepoilerous way of reafoning. For 
 
 * Matth. rxii. 37. f Deut. vi. 5. J Pfal. cxlx. 4. EzsK 
 xviii. 24. jj Deut. zxvii. 2(5. f De Juftificat. 1. v. c. 27. 
 
C3: Or THE PROMISES OF Tits 
 
 t;ic right of adoption belongs to the covenant of grace in 
 Chrift Jefus : The adoption of children is by Jtfus 
 Chrift* Befides, if this opinion were valid, good works 
 could not be required as a condition for acquiring a 
 right to eternal life ; but only fcrve to prevent the for- 
 feiture of the right of a fon : by which means the whole 
 defign of the covenant of works, and all the righteouf- 
 nefs which is by the law, are deftroyed. In fine, what 
 is more ahfurd, than the trifling manner in which thefc 
 fbphifters talk of the grace of adoption, as giving Adam 
 a right to enter upon an heavenly inheritance, in a legal 
 covenant ; when, on the other hand, they wickedly con- 
 tend for the merit of works, under a covenant of grace ? 
 W T here only that affertion is to be affirmed and applied, 
 The inheritance is due to an adopted fon of God, in, 
 right of adoption, previous to all good works. 
 
 * Eph. L 5. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 Of the Promifes of the Covenant of Works. 
 
 L 
 
 E T what has been faid fufEce as to the condition of 
 this covenant. We may now inquire into the PROMI- 
 SES of it. Here, firft, the Socinians come under our 
 notice, who obftinately deny all promifes. For thus 
 Volkelius* fays, " Scarce, if at all, was any general 
 promife made to the men of that age ; but rather threat- 
 enings and terrors were then fet before them. For we 
 do not fee God promifing to Adam, upon his abflain- 
 ing from the fruit of that tree, any reward of obedience ^ 
 
 * De vera religione, i. ii. o. 8* 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 89 
 
 but threatening deftruaion, if he did not obey."* Of 
 this afiertion he afligns the following reafon. " Moreo- 
 ver, the reafon why God at that time would be obeyed,, 
 without alm'oft propofing any general reward, feems to 
 be this ; becaufe, at the very beginning of the world, he 
 would fhew to all, that he owed nothing to any, but was 
 himfelf the mod abfolute Lord of all." 
 
 II. To this I oppofe the following things, i. Man's 
 natural confcience itfelf teaches him, that God defires 
 not to be worfhipped in vain, nor that obedience to his 
 commands will go unrewarded and for nought. The 
 Heathens were alfo apprized of this. Let us hear Epic- 
 tetus. He, in Arrian$t fpeaks thus " If there are no 
 gods, how is it the end of man to obey the gods ? But if 
 there are, and they be yet regardlefs of every thing, how 
 will the matter be mended ? But if they both are, and 
 take care of human affairs, but men have no recompenfe 
 to expecl from them, nor I neither, will not the matter 
 be (till worfe ?" Let us add Seneca.J " God does not 
 want fervants. Why fo ? He miniiters himfelf to man- 
 kind ; being every where prefent and at hand. He will 
 never make a right progrefs, who does not conceive of 
 God as he ought ; dealing all things, beftowing his be- 
 nefits freely. Why are the gods fo beneficent ? It is 
 owing to their nature. The firft article of the worfhip 
 of the gods is, to believe that they are ; then to render 
 them the honor of their majefty, and of their goodnefs, 
 without which there is no majefty : to know, that they 
 p re fide over the world, govern all things by their power, 
 take fpecial .care of mankind, without neglecting indivi- 
 duals." In like manner, among the articles of the Jew- 
 ifh faith, it is eftablifhed, as a thing naturally known, 
 
 * Gen. ii. 17. f Differt. 1. i. c. 12. \ Epift. 95. 
 VOL, I. M 
 
90 OF THE PROMISES OF THE 
 
 that there are " rewards as well as punifhments wilh 
 God ;" according to that common faying, " God de~ 
 frauds no creature of its reward." The worfhip of God 
 prefuppofes the belief of this : For he that cometh to God, 
 mujl believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them 
 that diligently feek him* 
 
 III. 2. Moreover, this faith is not merely a certain per- 
 fuafion of the mind, arifing from reafoning and the con- 
 fi deration of the goodnefs of God ; but to render it a ge- 
 nuine faith, it muft reft on the word and promife of God. 
 Faith cometh by hearing, and hearing by the -word ofGod.i 1 
 3. This was the intent of the tree of life, which the So- 
 cinians themfelvesj allow to have been a " kind of 
 fymbol, though obfcure, of eternal life." Now, that 
 fymbol propofed to Adam, would have been of no ufe, 
 unlefs he had underftood it, and confidered it as a feal 
 of the promife made by God. It would have been a 
 mere farce, to have prohibited man from accefs to, and 
 eating of this tree after the fall, unlefs thereby God had 
 fhewn him, that he had forfeited the thing promifed, and 
 confequently was become unworthy of the ufe of that 
 fymbol and facrament. 4. If no promife was made, 
 they lived without hope. For the hope which maketh 
 not afharned, is founded on the promifes. Now, this is 
 the character of the woful calamity of thofe who are 
 'without God in the world, that they have no hope. 5. 
 God reprefents to Cam a thing known long before, even 
 by nature, much more by paternal inftrudion : If thou 
 dofl well,Jhalt thou not be accepted ?\\ But did this max- 
 im begin to be true, and to be known after the fall ? 6. 
 The very threatening infers a promife. The language 
 of which at lea ft is, that he was to be deprived of that 
 happinefs, which otherwife he would have continued to 
 
 * Heb. xi. 6. f Rom. x. 17. J In compend. Socinian. cap. 
 
 ii. 5. Eph* ii. 15. |j Geu. iv*. 7 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 91 
 
 enjoy. So that from thence we may moft certainly con- 
 clude, that man had no reafon to be afraid of lofing that 
 happinefs, as long as he kept himfelf from fin. 7. By 
 this affertion of our adverfaries, according to their own 
 hypothefes, all the religion of the firft man is deftroyed. 
 Seeing, as our author writes at the beginning of this 
 chapter, " the promife of rewards propofed to well-do- 
 ing, is clofely interwoven with religion." 8. The rea- 
 fon he affigns for this affertion, is foolifh and to no pur- 
 pofe. For after fo many and fuch liberal promifes of 
 eternal life, which God hath given us in Chrift, is it now 
 lefs evident, that God is indebted to none, and that he is 
 the moft abfolute Lord of all things ? Does the Supreme 
 Being, by his gracious promifes, derogate any thing 
 from his moft abfolute dominion ? Ought it not to be 
 known in every age, that God owes nothing to any P 
 How comes it then 9 that God did not always forbear 
 promifmg. 
 
 IV. Let this therefore be a fettled point, that this co- 
 venant was not eftablifhed without promifes. Let us 
 now inquire what fort of promifes God made to Adam. 
 We believe that God promifed to Adam eternal life, 
 that is, the mofl per/eft fruition of himfelf, to endure 
 for ever, after having run the courfe of his obedience. 
 We are induced to this belief by thefe arguments. 
 
 V. i. The apoftle teaches, that God, by his Son fent 
 in the flefh, did what the law could not do, in that it 
 was weak through the flefh.* Now, it is certain, that 
 Chrift hath procured for his own people a right to eter- 
 nal life, to be enjoyed in heaven in its due time. This 
 the apoftle declares the law cannot now do, not of itfclf^ 
 or becaufe it has no fuch promifes, but bccaufe it is 
 -weak through the Jhfn. If fin therefore had not i-ntcr- 
 
 * Rom. viii. 3. 
 
92 O.F THE PROMISES OF THE 
 
 vened, the law would have brought men to that eternal 
 life, which Chrift promifes and freely gives to his peo- 
 ple. This appears to me a conclufive argument. 
 
 VI. 2. Tis beyond difpute among all, that Paul, in 
 his epiftles to the Romans and Galatians, where he treats 
 of j uftification, does, under that name, comprehend the 
 adjudging to eternal life. He is every where proving, 
 that a finner cannot be juftifted, that is, lay claim to 
 eternal life, by the works of the law ; but never by this 
 argument, that the law had no promifes of eternal life, 
 but becaufe man is by the law brought to the acknow- 
 ledgment of fin, and the confeffion of defcrved damna- 
 tion.* On this point he infifts with great labour, though 
 otherwife he might have very eafily cut fhort the whole 
 difpute ; by faying, that a tide to eternal life was to be 
 fought for by faith in Chrift ; that in vain ye reft on any 
 law, tho' ye keep it ever fo perfectly, in regard it has no 
 promifes of eternal life annexed to it. On the contrary, 
 the apoftle teaches, that the commandment , confidered 
 in itfelf, was ordained to life ;t that is, was fuch, as, by 
 the obfervance thereof, life might have once been ob- 
 tained : which if the law could {till beRow on the (inner, 
 verily righteoufnefs Jliould be by the law ; J that is, the 
 right to that fame happinefs, which now comes from 
 faith in Chrift. For the difpute was concerning KLERO- 
 NOMI A, the inheritance of eternal life, which was to be 
 entered upon ; whether now by means of the law, or by 
 the promife of the gofpel.^ And he owns, it would be 
 by the means of the law, could the law ZOOPOIESAI, 
 make alive. And this could be done by that law, which 
 was ordained to hfe.\\ But when could it do fo ? la 
 the ftate of innocence, before it was made weak by the 
 fejh. If Adam therefore had perfevercd in obedience, 
 
 * Rom. iii. 19, 20. ' f Rom - v - IO - t Cal ' *"' 2I> $ Ver> l8 ' 
 H Rcm. vii. 10. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 93 
 
 the law would have brought him to that fame inheritance, 
 which now in Chrifl is allotted, not to him that work- 
 eth, but to him that believeth. And this argument, if 
 I miftake not, is plain to any intelligent and attentive 
 perfon. 
 
 VII. 3. We are above all to obferve, how the apof- 
 tle diftinguifhes the righteoufnefs which is of the Jaw, 
 from the evangelical. Of the former he thus (peaks :* 
 Mofes clefcnbeth the righteoufnefs which is of the law. 
 That the man which doth thofe things Jhall live by them. 
 Of the fecond he writes after this manner :t The juft 
 Jhall live by faith. On both fides, the promifc of" lite 15 
 the fame, and propofed in the very fame words. For 
 the apoltle does not by the lead expreffion hint, that one 
 kind of life is promifed by the go [pel, another by the 
 law. W r bich, if it were true, fhould for once at lead 
 have been hinted ; as the doing this would have ended 
 the whole difpute. For in vain would any feek for eter- 
 nal life by the law, if never promifed in it. But the 
 apoille places the whole difference, not in the thing pro- 
 mifed, but in the condition of obtaining the promifc ; 
 while he fays,J But that no man is jujt.ifi.ed byAhe law in 
 the fight of God, it is evident ; for. The jufl /hall Live by 
 faith. And the law is not of Jaith : but^ The man that 
 doth them, flia.ll live in them. That very life therefore 
 was promifed by the law to the man that worketh, which 
 he now receives by faith in Chrift. But to what man 
 thus working was it promifed ? to the (inner only ? Was 
 it not to man in innocency ? Was it not then, when it 
 might truly be faid, If you continue to do well, you 
 fhall be heir of that life upon that condition ? Which 
 could be faid to none but to upright Adam. Was it 
 not then, when the promife was actually made ? For af- 
 
 * Rom. x. $. f Rom. i. 17. ;';., i^. 
 
94 ^ F TKE PROMISES OF THX 
 
 ter the entrance of fin, there is not fo much a prom ife, 
 as a denunciation of wrath, and an intimation of a ciirfe, 
 propofing that as the condition of obtaining life, which 
 is now abfolutely impoffible. I therefore conclude, 
 that to Adam, in the covenant of works, was prornifed 
 the fame eternal life, to be obtained by the righteoufnefs 
 which is of the law, of which believers are made parta- 
 kers through Chrift. But let none object, that all thefe 
 arguments are fetched, not from the hillory of man in, 
 innocence, but from Paul's reafoning. For it is no 
 matter whence arguments are taken, if they contain a 
 demonftration to the confcience, which I think is here 
 evident. Undoubtedly Adam knew many more things 
 than are contained in that very fhort account given of 
 him by Mofes. Nor does it appear to be without a 
 myftery, that Moles more fparingly delivers mod of the 
 particulars of that covenant, and only fprinkles with a 
 little light the fhadow as of a flying image, to denote that 
 it was to vanifh. 
 
 VIII. 4. I will add another argument. It was en- 
 tirely agreeable, that by covenant God mould promife 
 Adam fomething greater and better, to be obtained af- 
 ter finifhing his courfe of obedience, than what he was 
 already pofTeffed of. For what kind of covenant would 
 it have been, to adjudge no reward to his obedience, and 
 his carefully Handing to the conditions of the covenant, 
 but a continuation of thofe bleffings which he aclually 
 enjoyed already, and which it was not becoming God 
 to refufe to man, whom he had created ? Now, Adam 
 enjoyed, in paradife, whatever could be devifed for na- 
 tural and animal happinefs, as they call it. A greater 
 therefore, and a more exalted felicity awaited him ; in 
 the fruition of which he would moft plainly fee, that in 
 keeping the divine commands there is great reward.* Let 
 * PfeLxix. ii. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 95 
 
 none objeft here to me the angels, to whom, he may- 
 pretend, nothing was promifed by God, but the conti- 
 nuance of that iiappy ftate in which they were created. 
 We are here to keep to the apoflle's advice, not to in- 
 trude into thofe things we have not feen.* Who (hall de- 
 clare unto us thofe things which are not revealed con- 
 cerning the angels ? Nay, if we may form probable con- 
 jectures, it appears to me very likely, that fome fupe- 
 rior degree of happinefs was conferred upon the angels, 
 after they were truly confirmed, and fomething more ex- 
 cellent than that in which they were at ftrft created : as 
 the joy of the angels received a confiderable addition, 
 when they beheld the divine perfections mining forth in 
 the illuftrious work of redemption ; and, at the confum- 
 mation of all things, the happinefs of all the 'cleft, both 
 angels and men, will be complete ; when Chrift's whole 
 body mall appear glorious, and God be glorified and 
 admired in all his faints. 
 
 IX. It ftill remains doubtful, whether the life pro- 
 mifed to Adam upon his perfeverance, was to be enjoy- 
 ed in parddife, or in heaven. The latter of thefe appears 
 the more probable, i. Becaufe paradife is in fcripture 
 reprefented as a type of heaven, and heaven itfelf is cal- 
 led paradife,t by that exchange of names, which is very 
 common between a facrament and the thing {igmfied 
 thereby. But by what probability mall it be thought, 
 that the reafon of a facrament Ihould be added to para- 
 dife, after man's ejefttnent from it ? 2. It is fit, that 
 man, when tranflated to the moft coniummate happinef^ 
 fhould refide there, where God does moft brightly dif- 
 play the rays -of his glorious majefty ; which doubtlefo 
 he does in heaven, where he has his throne.^ 3. As 
 the earthly paradife was farm (bed with all the delights 
 
 
 
 * Col. ii. 18. f Luke xxiii. 43. J I Ixvi. i. 
 
9$ OF THE PROMISES OF T&E 
 
 and plcafares belonging to this animal life, for which 
 {here is no occaiion in that moil perfect and immediate 
 fruition of God, all that entertainment being utterly ex- 
 cluded thence ; heaven ought to be deemed a much 
 more fuitable habitation for glorified man, than the 
 earthly paradife. We would not, however, deny, that 
 happinefs is not fufpended on place ; and that there is 
 fcarce any thing to demonftrate this to be found in the 
 fa c red writings. Therefore we ought not to contend 
 with great vehemency of fpirit about this queilion. 
 
 X. This point is therefore ertablifhed : God promifed 
 to Adam eternal life. Here it may and ufes to be a (Ic- 
 ed, whence this promife flows, whether from the mere 
 good pleafure of the divine will, fo that God would 
 have acted nowife unworthy of himfelf, had he made no 
 fuch promife to man ; or whether God's making cove- 
 nant with man in this manner, was from the divine na- 
 ture, and from what was fuitable to it ? Here indeed I 
 think modefty is requifite. I ihall therefore propofe 
 what I imagine I know or may reafonably think con- 
 cerning my God, with fear and trembling. Grant me, 
 O God, to (peak in a holy manner, and becoming thy 
 majefty. 
 
 XL And firft, I lay this down as an acknowledged 
 truth, That God owes nothing to his creature. By no 
 claim, by no law, is he 'bound to reward it. For all 
 that the creature is, it owes it wholly to God ; both be- 
 caufe he created it, and alfo becaufe he is fixed in the 
 higheft and infinite excellency. Now, where there is 
 fo great a difparity, there is no common ftandard of 
 right, on account of which he who is fuperior in dignity 
 is liable to give a reward.* 
 
 XII. I approve, on this fubjec"t, of Durandus'srea-, 
 fonirt^, which Bellarmine was not able to overturn. 
 * Rom. x:. 35, 36. 
 
COVEN ANT OF WORKS. 97 
 
 **' What we are, and what we have, whether good 
 or good habits, or pra&ices, are all from the divine; 
 bounty toward us, freely giving and preferving them. 
 And becaufe none, after having given freely, is obliged 
 to give more, but rather the receiver is more obliged to 
 the giver ; therefore, from good habits, and good acls 
 or pra&ices, given us by God, he is not bound, by any 
 adofjuftice, to give us any more, fo as, if he mould 
 not give, to be unjuft, but rather we are obliged to 
 God." 
 
 XIII. Whatever then ispromifed to the creature by 
 God, ought all to be afcribed to the boundlefs goodnefs 
 of God. Excellently fpeaks Auguftine.* " God be- 
 came our debtor, not by receiving any thing, but by 
 promifing what he pleafed. For of Jiis own bounty he 
 vouchfafed to make himfelf a debtor." Now, fi nee this 
 goodnefs is natural to God, no lefs than holinefs and juf- 
 tice ; and it is equally becoming God to aft, agreeably 
 to his holinefs, with a holy and innocent creature, as 
 agreeably to his juftice, with a finful creature ; fo, fronV 
 this confideration of the divine goodnefs, I imagine the 
 following things may be very plainly inferred. 
 
 XIV. i. That it is unbecoming the goodnefs^ nay I 
 would almoft dare to add, and the jujiice of God, to 
 adjudge an innocent creature to hell torments. Which 
 paradox, not only fome of the fchoolmen, but, I am 
 forry to fay, a great divine o our own, with a few fol- 
 lowers, fcrupled not to maintain. Far be it from us to 
 circumfcribe by any limits the extenlive power of God 
 over his creatures, by the bounds of a right prefcribed 
 toman, or by the fallacious reafonings of our narrow 
 underftanding. But be it alfo far from us to afcri.be 
 
 * Ser. 1 6. 
 
 N 
 
9$ OF THE PROMISES OF THE 
 
 any thing to him, which is unbecoming his immenfe 
 goodnefs and untainted juftice. Elihu with great pro- 
 priety joined thefe together. With God is terrible ma- 
 jefty. Touching the Almighty , we cannot find him out : 
 he is excellent in power , and in judgment^ and in plenty 
 of juflice ; he will not afflitt* Truly, if God could 
 thus torment an innocent creature, he would mew he 
 was not pleafed with the holinefs of the creature ; as 
 whom he would not only debar from communion with 
 himfelf, but alfo give up to be torn in pieces by his 
 enemies. When he deftroys the wicked, he makes it 
 plainly appear, that he is not delighted with wickednefs, 
 nay, in fcripture-phrafe hates it.t Should he therefore 
 in the fame manner torment the pious, he would teftify 
 by this, that he did not delight in piety, but rather hated 
 it. Which none without blafpheray can conceive of 
 God. And what elfe, pray, are the infernal pains ? 
 Are they not a privation of divine love ? a fenfe of di- 
 vine hatred ? the worm of confcience ? defpair of reco- 
 vering God's favor ? How is it poflible, without a ma- 
 nifeft contradi&ion, to conceive this ever to be the cafe 
 of an innocent creature ? I confefs it ftruck me with 
 horror, when I obferved the moft fubtil Twifs, in order 
 to defend this paradox, chufe rather to maintain, it were 
 better to be eternally miferable, and endure the torments 
 of hell, than noMo exift at all ; and when he obje&ed 
 to himfelf the authority ofcour Saviour, plainly affirm- 
 ing of Judas, It had -been good for that man, if he had 
 not been born that he did not blufh to anfwer, that 
 " many things are faid in fcripture in a figurative and 
 hyperbolical manner, nay a great many things accom- 
 modated to the fenfe of the vulgar, and even to human 
 judgment, though erroneous ;" which he applies to this 
 
 * Job xxxvii. 22, 23. f Pfcl. v. 5. t Matth, xxvi. 24. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 99 
 
 fentence of our Saviour.* To what length is not even 
 the moft prudent hurried, when he gives too much way 
 to his own fpeculations ? I think Sophocles formed a 
 founder judgment than the very acute Twifs, when he 
 faid, " Better not to be, than to live miferable." And 
 ^Efchylus, in Ixion, " I think it had been better for 
 that man who fuffers intolerable pains never to have 
 been born, than to have exifted." Bernard fpeaks ex- 
 cellently to the fame purpofe.t " It is not to be doubt- 
 ed, but it will be much worfe with thofe who will be in 
 fuch a ftate [of mifery] than with thofe who will have no 
 exiftence." For, as he fays,J " the foul placed in that 
 ftate, lofes its happinefs, without lofing its being : where- 
 by it is always conftrained to fuffer death without dying, 
 failure without failing, and an end without a period." 
 
 XV. 2. God alfo cannot, from this his goodnefs, 
 refufe to communicate himfelf, and give the enjoyment 
 of himfelf, to an innocent and holy creature^ or to love 
 and favor it in the moft tender manner, while it has a 
 being and is fuch according to its condition. For a ho- 
 ly creature is the image of God himfelf. Now, God 
 loves himfelf in the moft ardent manner, as being the 
 chief good ; which he would not be, if he did not love 
 himfelf above all. The confequence therefore is, he 
 niuft alfo love his own image, in which he has expreffed 
 to the life himfelf, and, what is moft amiable in him, 
 his own holinefs. With what fliew of decency could he 
 command the other creatures to love fuch as are holy, 
 if he himfelf did not judge them amiable ? Or if he 
 judged them fo, how is it poflible he fhould not love 
 them himfelf? 
 
 XVI. Further, God does not love in vain. It is the 
 characler of a lover, to wifli well to, and, where ability 
 
 * De cleft, p. 2. 1. i. } 4. p. 178, 179. f Ad Eugen* de con- 
 fider. 1. 5. J In Cant, fen 35. 
 
100 O* THE PROMISES or THI 
 
 is not wanting to his will, to do good to the objel of 
 his love. Now, in the good-will of God confifts both 
 tlje foul's life and welfare. And as nothing can hinder 
 his actually doing good to thofe to whom he wifhes well ; 
 it follows, that a holy creature, which he neceilarily 
 loves froqi the gooclnefs of his nature, muft alfo enjoy 
 the fruits of that divine love. 
 
 XVII. Befides, it is the nature of love, to feek union 
 and communion with the perfon beloved. He does not 
 love in reality, who defires not to communicate himfelf 
 to the object of his affeclion. Now, every one com- 
 municates himfelf juft as he is. God, therefore, being 
 undoubtedly happy, makes the creature, which he loves, 
 and honors with communion with himfelf, a partaker of 
 his happinefs. I fay, he makes the creature happy, in 
 proportion to the ftate in which he would have it to be. 
 All thefe things follow from that love, which, we have 
 ihewn, God does, in confequence of his infinite good- 
 nefs, neceffarily bear to the creature which is innocent 
 and holy. 
 
 XVIII. The fame thing may be demonflrated in ano- 
 ther manner, and, if I rniftake not, inconteftably, as 
 follows : The fum of the divine commandments is this : 
 Love me above all things : that is, efteem me as thy 
 only chief good : hunger and thirft after me : in me 
 alone place the whole of thy happinefs : feek me above 
 all things ; and nothing befides me, but in fo far as it 
 has a relation to me. Now, how can it be conceived, 
 that God mould thus fpeak to the foul, and the foul 
 fhould religioufly attend to and diligently perform this, 
 and yet never enjoy God ? Is it becoming the mo ft ho- 
 ly and thrice excellent God, to fay to his holy creature 
 (fuch as we now fuppofe it) Look upon me as thy chief 
 good; but know, I neither am, nor ever fhall be, fuch 
 to thee. Long after me, but on condition, thou never 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 101 
 
 obtain thy defire. Hunger and third after me ; but 
 only to be for ever difuppointed, and never fatisfied. 
 Seek me above all things ; but feek me in vain, who 
 am never to be found ? He does not know God, who 
 imagines, that fuch things are worthy of him. 
 
 XIX. Finally, if it cannot be inferred from the very 
 nature of the divine goodnefs, that God rhould give him- 
 fclf to be enjoyed by a holy creature, in proportion to 
 its date ; it is poilible, notwithstanding the goodnefs of 
 Cod, that the more holy a creature is, the more mifera^ 
 ble it may be. Which I prove thus : The more holy 
 any one is, he loves God with the greater intenfenefs of 
 all his powers. The more he loves, the more he longs, 
 hungers, and thirds after him. The more intenfe the 
 hunger and third, the more intolerable the pain, unlefs he 
 finds wherewith to be fatisfied. If therefore this third 
 be great to the highed degree, the want of what is fo ar- 
 dently defired, will caufe an incredible pain. Whence 
 is inferred, that God cannot, confidently with his good- 
 nefs, refufe to grant to his holy creature the communion 
 of himfelf. Unlefs we yield this, it will follow, that, not- 
 withstanding the goodnefs of God, it is poflible for the 
 highed degree of holinefs to become the highed pitch of 
 mifery to the creature. 
 
 XX. But let it be again inculcated here (of which we 
 gave a hint in $ 8.) that this communion-of God, of 
 which we are fpeaking, which the goodnefs of the Su- 
 preme Being requires to be bedowed on a holy creature, 
 is not all the promife of the covenant; which is at length 
 to be given upon fulfilling the condition. For that is 
 not to be reckoned among the promifes of the covenant, 
 which God gives his creature now, before he has per- 
 formed the conditions of the covenant. Another and a 
 far greater thing he promifes, after the condancy of ins 
 obedience is tried, to which the creature accrue-, 
 
102 OF THE PROMISES OF THE 
 
 right, not fimply becaufe it is holy (for fuch it came out 
 of the hand$ of its Creator) but becaufe it has how ad- 
 ded conftancy to holinefs, being Efficiently tried to the 
 fatisfaclion of its Lord. The promifes therefore of the 
 covenant contain greater things than this communion and 
 fruition of God, of whatfoever kind it be, which Adam 
 already enjoyed, while ftill in a ftate of trial. A farther 
 degree of happinefs, confiding in the full and immediate 
 enjoyment of God, and in a merely fpiritual (late, to laft 
 for ever, was propofed to him, which the fcripture ufu- 
 ally fets forth under the title of eternal life. 
 
 XXI. And this is the proper queftion. Whether the 
 promife of eternal life, to be entered upon by all after 
 running the courfe of obedience, flows from the natural 
 goodnefs of God, or whether it is of free and liberal good 
 pleafure ? In which queftion indeed I know not, whe- 
 ther it is not fafeft to flop, till, coming to fee God face 
 to face, we may attain a fuller knowledge of all his per- 
 fections, and more clearly difcern what is worthy of 
 them. For, on the one hand, it appears to me hard to 
 affirm, and fomewhat too bold, for any one obftinately 
 to infift, that it would have been unbecoming God and 
 his perfections, to covenant with man in this manner ; 
 namely, If thou keepeft my commands, I will embrace 
 thee with my favor and mod endearing love ; I will not 
 only fave thee from all trouble, but alfo blefs thee with 
 an accumulation of every benefit, and -with the commu- 
 nion ofmyfelf; till, having honeftly discharged thy part, 
 and being enriched with an ample enough reward, I will 
 at length fay, Now return to that nothing out of which 
 thou waft created ; and my will is, that this my laft com- 
 mand be no lefs cheerfully obeyed than the others,left,by 
 this laft al of difobedience, thou fhouldft forfeit all the 
 praife of thy former obedience. Has the creature any 
 caufc to complain of fuch a ftipulation ? Nay, why 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 1.03 
 
 fhould he not rejoice in it, fince it is far better to have 
 exifted for fome ages, and to have been holy and happy, 
 than never to have exifted at all ? 
 
 XXII. On the other hand, I can fcarce fatisfy my- 
 felf in removing fome difficulties. For fince (as we be- 
 fore proved) God does, through his natural goodnefs, 
 moft ardently love a holy creature, as the lively image 
 of himfelf, how can he prevail on this his goodnefs to 
 deftroy that image, and undo his own work ? Is it good 
 unto thee, that thoujliouldjl defpife the work of thine hands, 
 which deferves no fuch treatment ?* If it is good, and 
 for the glory of God, to have made a creature to glori- 
 fy himfelf; will it be good, and for the glory of God, to 
 annihilate a creature that glorifies him ? and thus in facl: 
 to fay, Thou malt not any more glorify me for ever ? 
 Befides, as God himfelf has created the moft intenfe de- 
 fire of eternity in the foul, and at the fame time has com- 
 manded it to be carried out towards himfelf, as its eter- 
 nal good ; is it becoming God to fruftrate fuch a defire, 
 commanded and excited by himfelf? Moreover we have 
 faid, that it is a contradiction, for any to fuppofe God ad- 
 dreffing himfelf to a holy foul in the following words ; 
 Hunger after me, but on condition you do not enjoy 
 me. Yet in the moment we conceive the holy creature 
 juft finking into annihilation, it would, in confequence 
 of that divine command, hunger and thirft after God, 
 without any hope of enjoying him again for ever. Un- 
 lefs one would chufe to affirm, that God at length will 
 fay to that foul, Long not for me any more, but acqui- 
 efce in this demonftration of my fupreme dominion, by 
 which I order thee to return to nothirfg. But I confefs 
 I cannot comprehend, how it is poffible, that a holy 
 creature is not bound to confider God as its ftipremc 
 good ; and confequently pant after the enjoyment of him. 
 * Job x. 3. 
 
1O4 O F THE PENAL SANCTION 
 
 XXIII. O Lord JEHOVAH, how little is it that we 
 poor mortals know of thy fupreme Deity, and thy in- 
 comprchenfible perfections ! How little do our thoughts 
 of thee correfpond to the immenfity of thy effence, of 
 ,thy perfeclions. and of thy fovereignty over the crea- 
 tures ! What mortal can take upon him to circumfcribe 
 within his own limits, where thou doft not lead the way! 
 Tliis we know, Lord, that thou art indebted to none, 
 and that there is none who can fay to thee,. What doft 
 thou, and why doft thou fo ? that thou art alfo holy, 
 and infinitely good, and therefore a lover and rewarder 
 of holinefs. May the confcioufnefs of our ignorance in 
 other things kindle in our hearts an ineffable defire of 
 that beatific vifion, by which, knowing as we are known, 
 we may, in the abyfs of thy infinity, behold thofe things, 
 which we cannot now reach by any thought. 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Of the Penal Sanclion of the Covenant of Works. 
 
 i 
 
 T remains, that we cqiifidfer'^ penal fanclion, ex- 
 preffed by the Lord in thefe words : For in the day that 
 thou eateth thereof (.the tree of knowledge of good and 
 evil) thou fli alt fur ely die* 
 
 II. Several things are here to be diftinftly noted, i. 
 That all that God here threatens, is the confequence 
 and punifhment of fin, to be inflicled on none but the 
 rebellious and difobedient : and therefore Socinus and 
 his followers moft abfurdly make the death mentioned 
 in the threatening, a confequence not fo much of fin ; as 
 
 * C^en. ii. 17. 
 
OF THE COVENANT OF WORKS. 105 
 
 of nature. The words of God are plain to any man's 
 confcience, which derive death from the eating of the for- 
 bidden tree. 2. That the fin here expreffed, is a viola- 
 tion not of the natural, but of the fymbolical law, given 
 to man for the trial of his mod perfect obedience. From 
 whence neverthelefs he could moft eafily gather, that if 
 the tranfgreffion of a precept, whofe univerfal goodnefs 
 depends only on the good pleafure of God, was thus to 
 be punifhed, what punimment does not the tranfgreffion 
 of that law, which is a tranfcript of the moft holy nature 
 of God, deferve ? 3. That it is altogether agreeable to 
 God's authority and moft righteous will, that there be a 
 certain connexion between the fin and the punimment, 
 pointed out by thefe words. This alfo is indicated by 
 the ingemination, Dying thou JJialt die ; that is, thou 
 (halt verily, furely, moft certainly die. So that it is 
 not poffible for the (inner to efcape death, unlefs per- 
 haps a proper fponfor (of which this is not the place) 
 Ihould undergo it in his ftead. 4. That the words of 
 the threatening are general, and that therefore by the 
 term death ought here to be underftood, whatever the 
 fcripture any where fignifies by that name. For who 
 will dare take upon him to limit the extent of the divine 
 threatening, by a certain prerogative of his own ? Nay, 
 the words are not only general, but ingeminated too, 
 that we may well know they are to be taken in their full 
 emphafis or fignification. 5. That they are fpoken to 
 Adam, in fuch a manner as to be verified in his pofterity 
 alfo : a certain evidence, that Adam fuftained the per- 
 fon of all his pofterity. 6. That on the very day the fin 
 (hould be committed, this evil would befal man. Juf- 
 tice required this, and the event has verified it. For, in 
 the very moment that man finned, he became liable to 
 death, and immediately, after finifhing his fin, felt the 
 VOL. L O 
 
io6. OF THE PENAL SANCTION 
 
 beginnings both of corporal and fpiritual death. Thefe 
 things are expreffed with far greater fimplicity than in 
 the fictions of the Jewifh doctors, according to the ac- 
 count of Ben Jacchi,* who fpeaks thus : " A thoufand 
 years are as one time, and one day, in the fight of the 
 holy and blefled God, as it is faid,t For a thoufand 
 years arc in thyjight but as yefterday. And our doctors 
 of bleffed memory have faid, that Gen. ii. 17. For in 
 the day that thou eatejl thereof i thoufialtfurely die^ is to 
 be underftood of the day of the holy and bleffed ; and 
 that therefore the firft man did not complete his day 
 (did not arrive at his thoufandth year ;) for that of that 
 day he wanted fevcnty years." But this is far fetched 3 
 and favours of rabbinical ingenuity. 
 
 III. It will be far more ufeful, a little more accu^ 
 rately to examine, what is here meant by the word death. 
 And firft, it is moft obvious, that by that term is denoted 
 that corrupt difpofition of the body, by which the foul 
 is conft rained to a feparation from it, now unfit for its 
 refidence. By this feparation, the good things of the 
 body, which are unhappily doted on, the fruits of fin, 
 and the Tinner's ill-grounded hope, are fnatched away at 
 once. God intimates this.J Till thou return unto the 
 ground ; for out of it waji thou taken : for dufl thou art, 
 and unto dufl JJialt thou return. That is, thy body, 
 which was formed out of the earth, (hall return to its 
 principles, and be reduced to earth again, into which, 
 by its nature, it is refolvable, as being taken out of the 
 earth. And the reafon why it is actually to be refolved 
 into earth, is, becaufe it really is what God faid, Thou 
 art dufl) now corrupted with earthly defires, a Have to a 
 body prone to fin, and taken from duft. In this fenfe 
 Abraham confeffes himfelf to be dujl and a/lies^ that is 
 
 * I Dan. vifc 25. f P&l. xc. 4. $ Gen. iii. 19. Gen, xriii. 27. 
 
or THE COVENANT OF WORKS. 107 
 
 a firmer and a mortal. And David fays,* He knoueth 
 JITZRENU our frame (called, Gen. viii. 21. J-^ETZ^R 
 HARANG an evil frame, which paifage 'Kimchi properly 
 directs to be compared with this) he remembereth that we 
 are duft, that is, attached to the ground, and vicioufly 
 addifted to the good things of the earth. From this 
 confideration the prophet amplifies the mercy of God, 
 in exercifing it towards finners,in whom he finds nothing 
 to deferve his love. And by duft is clearly fignified, the 
 body of fin. If. Ixv. 25. where it is fa id of the ferpent, 
 the devil, now overcome by the kingdom of the Mefli- 
 ah, Duftjhall be his food ; he mall only have the plea- 
 iure to deftroy the body, and men of carnal difpofitions. 
 When therefore God, after the entrance of fin, and on 
 account of fin, condemned Adam to the death of the 
 body, it is not to be doubted, but he alfo comprifed 
 this death in the commination. Unlefs we would ven- 
 ture to affirm, that God has inflitled greater punifh- 
 nients on the finner, than he threatened before the com- 
 million of fin. 
 
 IV. There is nothing fo furprifing but what a luxu- 
 riant fancy can devife. There is a certain learned man, 
 who, from the words of Mofes above explained, can 
 extract an extraordinary promife, and even clearer, and 
 more pregnant with confolation, than the prophecy con- 
 cerning the feed of the woman. He thinks here is 
 pointed out the period and boundary of toiis ; that the 
 meaning is, till thou Jlialt return to this land, to para- 
 dife, the ftate of happy fouls, from which LEKACHTA, 
 thou waft carried captive. For thus Solomon LEK u- 
 CHIM LEMUTII, captivated to death) and Jeremiah LA- 
 KECHU, thy children carried into captivity. And he 
 thinks, that the opinion of the Jews concerning the ga- 
 
 * Pfal. eiii. 14- 
 
io8 OF THE PENAL SANCTION 
 
 thering the fouls of the pious into paradife, has no other 
 pafikge or foundation to fupport it. But this is the 
 fhameful fally of a wanton imagination. We take plea- 
 fure in what is found and fober, and yields fatisfaftion 
 to the confcience. But to return to our fubject. 
 
 V. It is no wife ftrange, that the Socinians, whofe 
 praBice it is to wreft the fcriptures, ihould contradict 
 this truth, and deny the death of the body to be the pu- 
 nifhment of fin. Their other perverfe hypothefes re- 
 quire this. For, by denying this, they imagine, they can 
 more eafily anfwer our arguments, for original fin taken 
 from the death of infants, and for the fatisfaclion of the 
 Lord Chriftfrom his own death. And as they impiouf- 
 3y deny the true Godhead of Chrift, they extol this as 
 the mod excellent fign of his fictitious divinity, that he 
 was the firfl preacher, author, and beftower of immorta- 
 lity. Their blafphemies have been largely and folidly 
 refuted by others. But I am forry, that any learned 
 perfon of our own fhould deny, that by the death de- 
 nounced, Gen. ii. 17, the death of the body ought to be 
 underflood ; and who thinks he grants a great deal, when 
 he thus writes : " From which paffage, if any infill they 
 can prove a manifold kind of death, eternal, fpiritual, 
 and corporal, and other affliftions, I can eafily fuffer 
 them to fight with their weapons againft the enemies, 
 provided they can extort from them what they want." 
 Thefe are none of the beft expreffions. Why do we 
 \vithout neceffity grant fo much to our adverfaries ? 
 What praife is it for us, to weaken thofe arguments 
 which have been happily made ufe of in defence of 
 the truth ? This learned perfon owns, that death is the 
 punifhment of fin, and that it may be evidently proved 
 from the fentence pronounced upon Adam, Gen. iii. 19. 
 W'hat reafon is there then not to believe, that the fame 
 death was propofed to man rn the preceding threatening ? 
 
OF THE COVENANT OF WORKS. 109 
 
 Are not the words general, and ingeminated on account 
 of their emphafis ? Is not the death of the body exprerT- 
 ly fet forth by the very fame phrafe, i Kings, ii. 37, 
 \vhere Solomon tells Sliimei, MOTH HAMUTH, Thou 
 JJialt die the death ? Is not the very found of the words 
 fuch, as a man cannot but have this death of the body 
 come into his mind, unlefs, being entangled with preju- 
 dices, he mould refufe to underftand here by death, what 
 every one elfe does, when death is fpoke of ? Is it not 
 alfo highly becoming the divine goodnefs and juftice, to 
 inflict nothing by a condemnatory fentence on a (inner, 
 which was not previouily threatened againft fin ; left 
 haply man fhould plead in excufe, that he did not know 
 that God would fo highly refent, and fo feverely punifh 
 fin ? And feeing this learned perfon would have eternal 
 death here meant, does not that include the death of the 
 body ? Is the former ever iniii&ed on man, without the 
 latter, by railing him from that death, that the whole man, 
 foul and body, may be eternally miferable ? Why are 
 thus fufpicions entertained; of which, O grief, ! we have 
 but too many ? I could wifli we could all cautioufly 
 fpeak, with fear and trembling ! The learned gentleman 
 will not, it is hoped, take it amifs, if I here fugged to 
 him the very prudent advice of the very learned Coc- 
 ceius, which in a like cafe he inculcates, on Gen. iii. 
 $ 190. " Thofe of our party," fays he*" want we mould 
 employ (Ironger arguments againft the Jews. And cer- 
 tainly' that admonition is good ; namely, when we have 
 to do with infidels, we are to make ufe of cogent argu- 
 ments, left we become the derifion of infidels, and con- 
 firm them in error. But as to the inculcating of that 
 rule, it is neither fafe nor prudent, eaiily and frequently 
 to oppofe it to the arguments of ecclefiailics. For if 
 thereby we refute them, A r . B. we* then go over to the 
 fide of the adversaries, and we 34*111 them, and teach them 
 
no O? THE PENAL SANCTION" 
 
 lo cavil. But if we do not refute them, but only in- 
 culcate that admonition, an injury is certainly done both 
 to the difputant and the hearer, and we feem toalledge 
 our own opinion as an argument. Let every one there- 
 fore argue with the utmoft folidity : if any manifeftly 
 abules fcripture, let him be corrected in a brotherly man- 
 ner, upon pointing out his fault : for the reft, let the ar- 
 guments of believers be thoroughly tried, and not hiffed 
 off the ftage." 
 
 VI. Secondly, by death is here underftood, all that 
 lafting and hard labour, that great forrow, all the tedious 
 miferies of this life, by which life ceafes to be life, and 
 which are the cruel harbingers of certain death. To 
 thefe things man is condemned. Gen. iii. 16, 17, 18, 19. 
 The whole of which fentence is founded on the antece- 
 dent threatening. Such miferies Pharaoh himfelf called 
 by the name of death* And Davidt calls his pain and 
 angui/h, CH/EBLE MAVETH^the bands (forrows) of death; 
 by which death comes to bind and faften men, that he 
 may thruft them into his dark dungeon. Thus alfo Paul, 
 In deaths often ;J We are always delivered unto death ;$ 
 Death worketh in us.\\ As life is not barely to live, but to 
 be happy ; fo death is not to depart this life in a moment^ 
 but to languilh in a long expectation, dread, and fore- 
 light of certain death, without knowing the period of life 
 foreordained by God. Finely to this purpofe fays Pi- 
 cus Mirandula.H " For we begin, fhould you haply 
 not know it, to die then, when we begin firft to live ; and 
 death runs parallel with life : and we then firft ceafe to 
 die, when we are fet free from this mortal body by the 
 death of the flefn." 
 
 VII. Thirdly, death figmfiesj^tt&ai death, or the fe- 
 paration of the "foul from; God. Elegantly has Kidorus 
 
 * Exocl. x. 17, f Pi!. cxvi. 3. , J 2 Cor xi. 23. 2 Ccr' 
 *v. ii. II .2 Cor. iv. 12. if Be ente et uno. 
 
OF T*HE COVENANT OF WORKS. .lit. 
 
 Pelu&ota defined it : The death of the immortal foul is 
 Hie departure of the Hoi) 1 Spirit from it. This is what 
 the Apoftle calls, being alienated from the life of God ^ 
 which illuminates, fan8ifies, and exhilarates the foul. 
 For the life of the foul confifts in wifdom, and in pure 
 love, having the rejoicing of a good confcience. The 
 death of the foul confifts in folly, and through concupif- 
 cence to depart from God, and to be tormented withibe 
 rackings of an evil confcience. Hence the Apoftle fays, 
 We are dead in trefpaffes andJinsA ' 
 
 VIII. I would incline to explain this death more ful- 
 ly ; not indeed in my own words, but in thofe of ano- 
 ther, than which I defpaired to find any more emphati- 
 cal. There is motion in a living body ; and there is alfo 
 in a dead body. But a living body is moved by vegeta- 
 tion, while it is nourished, has the ufe of its fenfes. is de- 
 lighted, and a6ts with pleafure. Whereas a dead body 
 is moved by putrefaclion to a ftate of diffolution, and to 
 the production of loathfome vermin. Thus in a foul 
 fpiritually alive there is motion, while it is maintained, 
 fed, and pampered with divine delights, white it takes 
 pleafure in God and true wifdorn, while, by the ftrcngth 
 of its love, it is carried to, and fixed on that which can 
 fuftain the foul, and give it repofe. But a dead foul has 
 no feeling ; that is, does not understand truth, loves not 
 righteoufnefs, wallows and is tired out in the fink of con- 
 cupifcence, teems with the worms of impure and abomi- 
 nable thoughts, reafonings, and affcdions. Men there- 
 fore alienated from that fpiritual life, which confifts in the 
 light of wifdom, and the activity of love, which delights 
 in its own happinefs, and that prefent, are no better than 
 living carcafes ; dead whiljl living :J and hence, in 
 fcripture, are faid 19 be fpiritually dead. 
 
 * Eph. iv. 1 8. f Eph, ii. i. t i Tim. r. 6. 
 
142 OF THE PENAL SANCTION 
 
 IX. The word NASA L, in Greek, A^HRON, which the 
 fcripture applies to fucb,is both emphatical and of a very 
 fertile fignirication. For it denotes, a fool, corrupted 
 in foul and body, void of that fpiritual wifdom, the be- 
 ginning of which is the fear of the Lord. Nabal is his 
 name, and, folly is -with him, is Abigail's character of 
 her hufband.* Thus NABAL is oppofed to CHACAM, 
 wtf e i OfooliJJi people and unwife.^ 2. It alfo denotes a 
 wicked pcrfon ; The fooliJJi people have blafphemed thy 
 name.% 3. And laftly, it fignifies one in a dead and wi- 
 thered Jlate ; the root NAB EL denoting to wither and die 
 away. The flower fadeih. NEB EL AH, is a dead body ; 
 Thy dead men Jliall live.\\ All which conjointly denote 
 a man devoid of the wifdom of God, overwhelmed with 
 fin, and deftitute of the life of God ; in a word, faded 
 and breeding worms, like a dead body. In all which 
 things fpiritual death conlifts. 
 
 X. This fpiritual death is fo fin, and the natural con- 
 fequence of the firft fin, that it is at the fame time threat- 
 ened as the punifbment of fin. For in fo far as it ren- 
 ders a man vile, entirely unfit for thofe works, which 
 alone are worthy of him, like the brute creatures, nay 
 like the devil himfelf, unlike God, the only blejfed, and 
 confequently highly miferable, it muft be the higheft pu- 
 nifhment of fin. 
 
 XL Fourthly and laftly, Eternal death i<? alfo here 
 intended. The preludes of which, in this life, are the 
 terrors and anguifh of an evil confcience, the abandon- 
 ing of the foul, deprived of all divine confolation, and 
 the ferfe of the divine wrath, under which it is miferably 
 preiTed down. There will enfue upon this the tranfla- 
 tion of the foul to a place of torments ;H where (hall be 
 the hiding of God's face, the want of his glorious pre- 
 
 * - 3am. xxv. 25. f Dcut. xxxii. 6. 4: Pf. Ixxiv. 18. 
 } If. xl. 7. |i If, xxvi. to. C Luke xvi. 23^-2;. 
 
OF THE COVENANT OF WORKS. 
 
 fence, and "a moft intenfe feeling of the wrath of God, to 
 laft for ever, together with horrible defpair.* At laft 
 will fucceed, after the end of the world, the refurreftion 
 of the body to eternal puniihment.t 
 
 XII. And here again, the divinity of the Sociniansj 
 whom the Rernonftrants rival, thwarts the truth ; main- 
 taining,;]* " that by thele words, Thou Jhalt furely die, 
 or by any others elfewhere, Adam was not threatened 
 with eternal death, in the fenfe of the Evangelifts (or 
 Proteftants) fo as to comprife the eternal death of body 
 and foul, together with the punifhment of fenfe ; but 
 direttly corporal death only, or a reparation of foul and 
 fctody ; which all the evils difpofing to death do precede ; 
 and upon which, at length, the eternal punifhment of 
 lofs, that is, the privation of the vifion of God, or of 
 grace and glory, will enfue." Another of that clafs, 
 "who examined in French the do6lrine of Amyrald and 
 Teilard, violently contends, that in the law there is no 
 mention of the fenfe of infernal pains, but that it is pe- 
 culiar to the gofpel, and threatened at laft againlt the 
 profane defpifers thereof. J Though elfewhere he adds 
 thofe " who ftifle the light of reafon, or hold the truth 
 in unrighteouinefs, the more freely to fulfil the lufts of 
 the flefh." As to others, he thinks that a "middle 
 ftate is to be afligned them, into which they may be re- 
 ceived, different from the kingdom of heaven, and the 
 damnation of hell-fire : fuch as, perhaps, that they are 
 for ever to remain in the duft, to which they are to be 
 reduced, and from thence never to arife."|| 
 
 XIII. Thefe things are the rankeft poifon. For ei- 
 ther they tend to this, that they would have the foul of a 
 (inner to be cut ofr^ deftroyed, and annihilated ; like 
 
 * Rev. xiv. n. f A<5>s xxiv. 15. J Ap. p. 57. P. 59 & 
 114. j[ Curcellsus, dilfert, de necefT. cognit. Chriftian. $5% 
 VOL. I, P 
 
114 OF THE PENAL SANCTION 
 
 fome of the Jews, and Maimonides himfelf, as quoted 
 by Abarbanel, who place eternal death in this, that the foul 
 JJiall be cut ojf^JJiall peri/li, and notfurvive;* from which 
 leaven of the Epicureans and Sadducees the Socinians 
 profefs thernfelves not averfe ; or elfe they afiTert what is 
 the moft abfurd, repugnant, and tends to weaken the 
 whole authority of the fcripture. For it can by no means 
 be conceived, that the foul of man fhould continue in a 
 ftate of exiftence, excluded from the beatific vifion of 
 God, deprived of the fenfe of his grace and glory, and not 
 be moft grievoufly tortured with the lofs of this chief good ; 
 and this the rather, when confcience upbraids the foul, 
 which, through its own folly, was the caufe of all this 
 rnifery, and torments it with the moft dire defpair of ever 
 obtaining any happinefs. And feeing God does not ex- 
 clude man from the vifion of his face, where is fulnefs 
 of joy, without the jufteft difpleafure, a holy indignation, 
 and an ardent zeal againft (in and the fmner ; the priva- 
 tion of this fupreme happinefs, proceeding from the 
 wrath of God, cannot but be joined with a fenfe of the 
 divine wrath arid malediction. Thefe things follow from 
 the very nature of the foul, and deferve a fuller illui- 
 tration. 
 
 XIV. The foul of man was formed for God, as the 
 fupreme truth, truth itfelf, to be contemplated in his 
 mind, and to be fought after with all his foul and affec- 
 tion, as the fupreme good, goodnefs itfdf; and it then 
 truly lives, when it delights in the contemplation of that 
 truth, and in the fruition of that goodnefs. But when, 
 by the juft fentence of a defpifed Deity, it is excluded 
 from that moft pleafant contemplation of truth* and moft 
 delightful fruition of goodnefs, it mull own itfelf to be 
 dead. And as it is delightful to enjoy a good extreme- 
 
o* THE COVENANT OF WORKS. 
 
 ly defirable and defired, fo it muft be as affli&ing and 
 painful to be difappointed of it. But fince the fou! 5 
 \vhich is a fpintual Jubilance, endued with underftanding 
 and will, cannot be without the aclive exercife of theie 
 faculties, efpecially when let loofe from the fetters of 
 the body ; it muflneceffarily feel itfelf miferable, by the 
 privation of the chief good; and, being confcious of its 
 mifery, muft moft bitterly bewail the want of that good, 
 which it was formed to long after. To fuppofe a foul 
 having neither underftanding nor will, is to fuppofe a 
 foul not to be a foul : juft as if one fhould fuppofe a 
 body without quantity and extenfion. Again, to fup- 
 pofe a fgul.Jje.olibie of its mifery, and not grieved be- 
 caufe of it, is contrary to the nature both of the foul 
 and of mifery. It is then a fixed point, that the punifh- 
 ment of lofs in a human foul without the punifhment of 
 fenfe, is a fenfelefs and felf-deftroying fiction. 
 
 XV. Further, as the foul cannot be ignorant that 
 God is infinitely good, and that it is the nature of good- 
 nefs to be communicative ; it thence certainly gathers, 
 that fomething exceedingly contrary to God muft be 
 found in itfelf, which he has the moft dreadful detefta- 
 tion of, and on account of which that infinitely-good One 
 can have no communion with his creature : and confe- 
 quently that that non-communion is a moft evident fign 
 and fad effect of the divine difpleafure, depriving man 
 of the fruition of that good, by which alone he could be 
 rendered happy. And thus in this punifhment of lofs 
 there is an exquifite fenfe of the wrath of God : with 
 which no torments of the body by material fire can be 
 compared. 
 
 XVI. Befides, feeing the foul is confcious to itfelf, 
 that by its fins it is the caufe of this mifery, it becomes 
 enraged againft itfelf, accules, abhors, tears itfelf, acts 
 the part of a tormentor againft iifcif> and under this lafh 
 
Ii6 OF THE PENAL SANCTION 
 
 more feverely fmarts, than any criminal under the hands 
 of the moft unrelenting executioner. Add to this, that 
 all hope of a happy reftitution being cut off, and being 
 racked with horrid defpair, it is condemned to be eter- 
 nally miferable. All thefe things are fo clofely connect- 
 ed, as to make themfelves manifeft to every confcience, 
 upon a diligent attention. 
 
 XVII. The fame things the fcripture exprefsly teach- 
 es, when it fpeaks of eternal punijliment^ and torments fi 
 of the worm that dieth not, and the fire that is not quench- 
 ed^ and the like ; which expreflions are too ftrong, to 
 be underftood of the punimment of lofs only, without 
 that of fenfe. 
 
 XVIIL And it is abfurd to fay, that this pu- 
 nifhment is threatened only againft the defpifers of the 
 gofpel, feeing Paul teftifies, that Chrift will come, in 
 flaming fire, taking vengeance^ not only on them that 
 obey not the gofpel^ but on them that know not God. Com- 
 pare i Theff. iv. 5. The Gentiles which know not God r 
 Such, namely, who would not know God even from the 
 works of creation, and did not like to retain God in their 
 knowledge.^ Such as whom the very power of truth 
 obliged Curcellaeus to fay,1[ Thefe are altogether inex- 
 cufahle before God ; and it therefore does not appear won- 
 derful, if hereafter heJJiould conjignthemto the piinifiiment 
 of eternal fire. Andfurely our adverfaries will not fay, 
 that the gofpel was preached to thofe of Sodom and Go- 
 morrah, and to the neighbouring cities. Of them how- 
 ever Jude writes,** that they are fd forth for an example* 
 fuffering the vengeance of- eternal fire. Which words 
 are not to be fo interpreted, as to be reftrifted to that 
 fire, wherewith thofe cities were burnt, but to be ex- 
 tended to theilames of hell, with which the lewd inha- 
 
 * Matth. xxv. 46. f Luke xvi. 23, 28. i Mark ix. 44. . 2 ThefT. 
 i. 8. J| Rom. i. 28. f Loco citato. ** Ver. 7. 
 
OF 
 
 -THE COVENANT or V/oRXs. 
 
 bitants of thofe cities are at this very day tormented,. 
 Thole things are to be diftinguifhed, which the very na- 
 ture of the thing teaches to be diftinft. We are to un- 
 derfland, their giving themfelvts over to fornication* and 
 going after fir angejlejh, of the inhabitants, and not of 
 the towns. It is true of botb, that they were burnt with 
 fire : which, with refpccl to thetowns^miy infome mea- 
 fure be laid to be eternal, they being fo confumed, as 
 that they never fhall or can be reilored. But it is truly. 
 eternal^ with refpect to the inhabitants, who, by that 
 vengeance of God, were not annihilated ; but at the 
 time when the apoftle wrote, having been caft headlong 
 into everlafting pain and torment, fuffered the punifh- 
 ment of that fire. For the portion of -whoremongers is 
 in the lake -which burneth -with fire and brim ft one.* So 
 thefe cities are an emblem or type of eternal fire ; but 
 their wicked inhabitants fufftr the vengeance of eternal 
 fire, and fo both are for DEIGMA, an example (Peter 
 fays, H u p o D E i c M A, an enfample^} by which we are re- 
 minded, what whoremongers are to expect. 
 
 XIX. To this purpofe alfo Chrift cxprcfsly declares, 
 that all thofe who fhall be placed on his left hand, and 
 not declared heirs of eternal life, (hall, by a righteous 
 fentence, be condemned to everlafting fire, vjiich is 
 prepared for the devil and his angels ; J which fire is ex- 
 plained to be KG LAS IN AIONION, evcY'li 'f (ling punifk- 
 ment. \Ve cannot approve what Ctircellarusj! has writ- 
 ten ; that in " Matthew is not drfcribcd a judgment in 
 every rcfpeft univerfal, of all woo ever had exiited, but. 
 only of thofe who made a profcflTion of the Chriftian, re- 
 ligion ; feme of whom behaved becoming ihe gofpcl, 
 others not. 1 ' Thefe arc exprdlions not of the bed (tamp. 
 For iliall not that judgment be univerfal, which our 
 
 , * Rev. xxi. 8. f 2 P,;t. ii. 6. j: Matth. xxv. 41. \ 7 er. 46. 
 |j In the fait! dilfeitation, 6. 
 
i'i8 OF THE PENAL SANCTION 
 
 Lord extends to all nations ?* to all the tribes of the 
 earth ?t in which every eyejhallfee Chrift the Judge ?J 
 in which, according to Paul,} he -will judge the world ? 
 in which both fea* and death, and hell will deliver up 
 their dead to be judged ?|| in which (hall be accomplifh- 
 ed the prediclion, which God folernnly confirmed by 
 oath, faying, Every knee Jliall bow to me, and every 
 tongue fJiall confefs to God ?^ in which even the men of 
 Nineveh and the queen of the South fhall rife to condemn 
 the wicked Jews ?** and their portion of torment be af- 
 figned to thofe of Tyre, and Sidon,. and Sodom ?tt in 
 which fhall be in {lifted on that fervant^ who knew not 
 his mafter's will, and did commit things worthy ofjlripes^ 
 his due meafure of (tripes ? in which, in fine, they 
 tvhojinned without law, Jhall perifli without law ? To 
 reftrict all thefe things to thofe to whom the gofpel has 
 been preached, is for a man to make fport with fcripture. 
 But God will not be fported with. 
 
 XX. If Curcellaeus fliould perhaps reply, that he 
 denies not an univerfal judgment to come, but that it is 
 not described in Matth. xxv. nor in thofe pafTages, in 
 which the men to be judged are divided into two claf- 
 (es, as Johnv. 28, 29. 2 Theff. i. 6, Sec. I anfwer, i. 
 That the fcripture makes no mention but of one judg- 
 ment, to be held on the la(t day ; nor are we any where 
 taught, that a different tribunal is to be erected for thofe, 
 to whom the gofpel was not preached, and for thofe to 
 whom it was. Paul preached of the judgment to come^\\ 
 in the fmgular number ; and in like manner, of eternal 
 judgment.^ 2. The paflages alledged have the marks 
 of univerfality affixed to them. For it is faid, John v. 
 
 * Matth. xxv. 32. f Matth. Xxiv. 30. J Rev. i. 7. A<5h 
 xvii. 31. jj Rev. xx. 13. f[ Rom. xiv. if. ** Matth. xii. 41, 
 42. ff Matth. xi. 22, 24. if Luke sii. 48. f$ Rom. ii. 12. 
 jj Ads xxiv. 25. ^|f Heb.vks. 
 
OF THE COVENANT OF WORKS. 119 
 
 28. ALL that are in the graves JJiall hear the voice of 
 the Son of man ; and, ver. 29. this univerfality is not to 
 be divided into thofe, who either by faith received the 
 gofpel preached to them, or pe<4erfely rejected it ; but 
 into thofe who have done good or evil, without mention- 
 ing the gofpel in the lead. And, 2 Theff. i. 6, &c. the 
 punifhment of eternal destruction will be inflicted, by 
 the fentence of the Judge, not only on thofe who were 
 difobedient to the gofpel) but alfo on thofe who knew not 
 God 9 viz. " God the Creator, to the knowledge and 
 worfhip of whom nature alone might have led men, un- 
 lefs they had extinguifhed ks light through their wick- 
 ednefs," as Curcellaeu-s himfelf explains it. 3. Nor is 
 it any thing fingular to diftribiue the perfons to 6e"ju3g- 
 ed into two clafles, but common in every judgment con- 
 cerning the whole human race : of which there are but 
 two diffimilar bodies, either of thofe to be acquitted, or 
 thofe to be condemned. The fcripture knows nothing 
 of an intermediate ftate. 
 
 XXI. The only thing fpecious adduced by Curcel- 
 laeus, is this, that Chrift cannot upbraid thofe who knew 
 nothing of his will, thus, / was an hungry, &c. But 
 we anfwer, i. That what Chrift here fpeaks, does not 
 comprize the whole procefs of the judgment, but only 
 mentions this by way of example. For who doubts, 
 that more things are to be confidered in this judgment, 
 even with refpecl; to thofe to whom the gofpei was 
 preached, than barely thofe effects of charity towards 
 the godly when in diftrefs ? 2. The fcripture declares, 
 that all the atfions of all perfons (hall be tried in this 
 judgment;* even words, t both the idlc^ and hard ;$ 
 nay, even the fecrets of the heart. ,|j 3. It is not our bu- 
 
 * Eccl. xii. 14. 2 Cor. v. 10. Rom. ii. 5, 6, Sec. f Matth. 
 s " 37- t Ver. 36. Jude. ver. 14, 15. i[ Rom, ii. 1-5, i(k 
 X Cor. iv. * 
 
12O OF THE PENAL SANCTION 
 
 finefs to determine with what the Judge may juftly up- 
 braid the damned. It is plain, he will upbraid them 
 with thofe things at. leait, which they fhall hear with the 
 mo ft dreadful amazement. And feeing all thofe to be 
 damned have difcovered many evidences of an unrelent- 
 ing, unmerciful, and unbenefkent difpofition ; who of 
 us (hall dare to forbid Chrift to interpret this their con- 
 duft, as if they would have (hewn himfelf no kind of 
 compaflion, had he come among them in perfon ? 4. and 
 lailly, Granting that Chrift may not upbraid all the wick- 
 ,ed with this, yet it does not follow from thence, that 
 they, will not come into this judgment ; becaufe there 
 are many other things, on account of which they fhali 
 be condemned, which, the fcripture elfewhere teaches, 
 are to be tried in this judgment, though in this fummary 
 Chrift makes no mention of them. There is nothing to 
 oblige us to believe, that every thing relative to this 
 judgment, is to be learned from this paffage alone. 
 Other teftimonies of fcripture are to be confulted, which 
 treat on the fame fubjecl. 
 
 XXII. It remains, that we inquire, whence this pe- 
 nal fandion is to be derived ; whether from the fole and 
 mere good pleafure of the divine will, or from the na- 
 tural and immutable juftice of God, which it would 
 have been unbecoming to have ordered otherwife. I 
 will not now repeat what the antagonifts of the Socinians 
 have fully and happily illuftrated concerning vindiftive 
 jufti^, as a property eflentiai to God, and the neceffity 
 of its exercife in cafe of fin. Firft, I fhall only pro- 
 pofe fome arguments, by which I think this general pro- 
 pofition may be moft evidently demonftrated, that it has 
 a foundation in God's very nature and immutable right, 
 not to let fin go unpunifhed; and then more {penally 
 inquire into the eternity of punifhmcnt. 
 
OF THE COVENANT OF WORKS. '121 
 
 XXIII. And firft. Let us confiderthe infinite majefty 
 of God, and his fupreme excellence above all things ; 
 which is fo illuftrious, that it obliges rational creatures, 
 capable of knowing it, to obey and ferve him, as we 
 proved, chap. ii. $ 8. So that as often as they acl con- 
 trary in the lead to this obedience, they dire&ly make 
 themfelves guilty of high treafon againft the divine ma- 
 jefty, and confequently, for neglecl of obedience, are 
 bound over to a vicarious punifhment. For " the (in- 
 ner," as Thomas [Aquinas] juftly faid, " as much as in 
 him lies, deftroys God and his attributes," flighting 
 that majeity of God, to which it is neceffary that all 
 things be fubje6l, from the confideration both of God 
 and the creatures. Now, it is altogether impoffible, 
 that God fhould not love, in the tendered manner, him- 
 felf, his majefty, and his glory. And he cannot but rc- 
 fent any injury done to what he thus loves. And there- 
 fore he calls himfelf, EL KANNA. a jealous God, and 
 declares that this is his name.* But KI N AH denotes re- 
 fentmentfor the dearejl thing : and hence jealoufy and 
 great fury are joined together.t But he is chiefly jea- 
 lous for his name^ that is, that he be made known to men 
 as he is, And will be jealous for my holy name.% In 
 which name even this is contained, And will by no means 
 clear the guilty. 
 
 XXIV. We mav otherwife too argue from the ma- 
 jelly of God, and in this manner. It is altogether im- 
 pojjible, that GodJJiould deny himfdf.\\ That is, he can- 
 not diflemble his own perfections, or do any thing to 
 make him appear to be what he is not, or that he is not 
 poflefied of properties truly divine : and that becaufe 
 he is himfelf the archetype and exemplar of the intelli- 
 
 * Exod. xxxiv. 14. f Zech. yiii. 2. { Ezek. xxxix. 2$. 
 
 Exod. xxxiv. 7. || 2Tim.il. 13. 
 
122 OF THE PENAL SANCTION" 
 
 gent creature, whofe province it is to fhew to the crea- 
 ture, in his works, his nature, dignity, prerogative, and 
 excellence. He would therefore deny himfelf if he 
 fhould conceaFTiis majefly, much more if he (hould 
 fufrer man to flight it, which is done by every fin. For 
 the (inner behaves fo in his prefence, as if there were no 
 God, to wham he owed obedience ; nay, as if he him* 
 felf was God, who could difpofe of himfelf, his facul- 
 ties, and other things in which he fins, at his own pica- 
 fure, and without any control, faying, Who is Lord over 
 me ?* Which is truly to fly in the face of the majefty 
 of the Supreme Being. But how can God fuffer this to 
 pafs unpunifhed ? Unlefs we can fupppofe he can bear 
 one to be equal to himfelf, which would be an open de- 
 nial of his fupremacy, majefty, and excellency. Buthe 
 then appears glorious to tinners, when he punifhes the 
 defpifers of his Deity. Thus,t he fwears, that all the 
 earth Jli all befitted with the glory of God ; namely, by 
 deftroying, in the wildernefs, thofe who did not believe, 
 after they had feen the glory of God and his figns. The 
 glory of God, in this paffage, fignifies the manifeflation 
 of his jealoufy againd thofe who defpifed him, when he 
 does not fuffer himfelf to be mocked. Therefore, as he 
 cannot but feek his own glory, fo he cannot fuffer him 
 who profanes his majefty to go unpunifhed. 
 
 XXV. j>eondly. This may be made no lefs^evident- 
 ly to appear from the holinefs of God, and that in more 
 ways than one. 
 
 XXVI. i.jGqd's hplinefs requires this, that he can- 
 not admit a finner to union and communion with him- 
 felf, without fatisfaftion to his juftice. For TIS ME- 
 TOCHE, what fellow j f hip [participation] hath rigkteouf- 
 nefi with unrighleovfocjs PJ He that touches what is un- 
 
 * Pfal. xii, $. f Numb. xiv. 20. t 2 Ccr ^- T 4- 
 
OF* THE COVENANT OF WORKS. 123 
 
 clean, can have no communion with God.* Him whom 
 God unites to himfelf, he caufeth to cleave to him as a 
 girdle, that he may be unto him for a name, and for a 
 praife, and for a glory. ^ But if he fhould thus as it 
 ^ r ere gird the Tinner to himfelf, without a previous fatis- 
 faQion, by which the guilt of (in is removed, holinefs 
 itfelf would as it were be girded to, clothed and attend- 
 ed with fin : which is a plain contradiction. It is true 
 indeed, that God offered all thefe things to finful Ifrael ; 
 but that was done by virtue of the covenant of grace, 
 which fuppofes a due fatisfaclion. Nor are we to ima- 
 gine, that this union, which God defcribes in fuch mag- 
 nificent language, was the lot of any others, in its full 
 ernphafis and fpiritual import, but of thofe who were 
 eternally in covenant. Compare Deut. xxvi. 19. If 
 you objecl, that it is really unbecoming the holinefs of 
 God, to favor the (inner with a communion of friend- 
 fhip, while he continues fuch ; but that nothing hinders 
 him, out of his goodnefs, to takeaway fin, and in this 
 manner to admit to his fellowfhip him who was before a 
 finner : I anfwer, that, without a fatisfaclion, it is not 
 confident with the holinefs of God, to prevent the (in- 
 ner with that greateft effect of his love, by which he may 
 be fanclified. For if the beginning of fuch a communion 
 of God with the finner be not unbecoming his holinefs, 
 why do all allow it as to the progrefs thereof? It is 
 plain, it is not fuitabie to the holinefs of God to culti- 
 vate a friendfliip with the finner, fo long as he continues- 
 fuch. But before he be fanclified, he is nothing but a, 
 finner, nay fin itfelf. Nor can a greater^ in (lance of 
 friendship be given to man, than that by which he is 
 fanclified. Therefore it is not confident with the holi- 
 nefs of God, without any fatisfaQion, to prevent \vith (o 
 
 * Ver. 17. f J er - * -* 
 
124 F THE PENAL SANCTION 1 * 
 
 great a favor the (inner, who is moft worthy of all his 
 hatred. If you flill infill:, that it is inconliftent with 
 the holinefs of God to love the finner with a love of 
 complacency, without a fatisfaftion, but that nothing 
 hinders him from loving him with a love of benevolence, 
 which may transform him, as to render him a (it object 
 of the love of complacency : I anfwer, that this is fpo- 
 ken at random : for thofe effetls of the love of benevo- 
 lence by which we are regenerated, are propofed to us 
 in fcripture, as confequences of the engagement and fa- 
 tisfa6lion of Chrifi. and of our reconciliation with God.* 
 Faith, without which it is impoflible to pleafe God, is free- 
 ly beftowedon the cleft, thro the righteoufnefs of God, and 
 our Saviour jfefus Chrift.^ Whatfoever way you in- 
 terpret this, it appears at leaft, that the gift of faith is 
 founded on Chrifl and his fatisfaBion. If therefore the 
 fatisfaclion of Chriil was previously requifite, to the fm- 
 ner's being blefTed with thofe effects of the love of bene- 
 volence ; it is rafhly aflerted, that it was becoming the 
 holinefs of God to beftow them on the (inner without a 
 fatis faction. Moreover, God cannot but punim thofe 
 to whom he cannot grant union with himfelf ; becaufe 
 the greateft punifhment confifts in the want of this union. 
 This is that death, with which the law threatens the {in- 
 ner, as we have already made appear. 
 
 XXVII. 2. The holinefs of God is fo unfpotted, 
 that he cannot behold 'evil, and look on iniquity.^ that is, 
 bear it in his fight. He cannot therefore lift up the light 
 of his countenance upon him, in which the falvation of 
 men confifts. Now, the privation of falvation is the 
 highe.il punifliment. When David rcfufed to admit his 
 fon Abfalom to his fight, though almoft reconciled tp 
 him, this appeared to Abfalom more intolerable than 
 
 * Tit. Hi, 4, 5. i Cor. vl. n. i Pet. i. 3. f 2 Pet, i. i. 
 J Hub. i. 14. P&L iv. 7^ 
 
OF THE Co VEX ANT OF WORKS. 12.5 
 
 any death.* So that in a nature fenfifole of its unhap- 
 pinefs, a punifhment of fenfe cannot, but accompany a 
 punimment of lofs. 
 
 XXVIII. 3. From the holinefs of God flows a dead- 
 ly hatred of (ink It is as much the nature of holinefs to 
 hate -iniquity, as to love nghteoufnefs.'? Sin is an abo- 
 mination to his foul,% that is, to his very effence, and 
 eflential holinefs ; and notjzn only, but alfo the finner. 
 All that dofuch tilings, and all that do unrightzoujly, art 
 an abomination to the Lord thy God. Him therefore 
 whom he cannot blefs with a participation of his favor, 
 he feparates from hirnfelf, and from his chofen people, 
 and inflicts upon him that punifliment, which is the ef- 
 fet of his hatred. According to Solomon's reafoning, 
 Every one that is proud in heart, is an abomination to the 
 Lord.\\ What then ? HeJJiall net be eflcemcd gwltl'fi ; 
 he jliall not be unpunijlied. David reafons in the fame 
 manner, Thou art not a. God that hajl pleafitre in wick- 
 ednefs,^. Thou bateft iin. and the finner too, becaufe 
 of it : Thou hate/I all the workers of iniquity. What is 
 the fruit of this hatred ? Exceeding bitter : Thou Jhalt 
 dejlroy them thatfpeak leafing. Thus from the holinefs 
 of God arifes a hatred of fin and the finner; and from 
 hatred, punifhment. 
 
 XXIX. 4. Without doubt it is diametrically oppp- 
 fite to the Hoi i n efsof G o d , that he fhould become like 
 unto the finner. For fince his image confifts in perfect 
 holinefs, it is a contradiction, that his likenefs fhould 
 confiH in fin. But if God fhould be unwilling to pu- 
 nifii fin, he would then become like unto the firmer. 
 This he himfelf teaches us :** when he would tell the (in- 
 ner, Thou thoughtefl that I would not punifh thy fin, 
 he thus expreffes it ; Thou thoughtejl that I was a 
 
 * 2 Sam. xiv. 32. f Pfjil. xlv. 8. J Prov. v\. 16. Deut. 
 xxv. 16. || Prov. xvk 5. f Pfal. v. 4, 5, 6. ** Pfal. 1. 21. 
 
126 OF THE PENAL SANCTION 
 
 t 
 
 cr like thyfci/. But, fays he, I will (hew the contrary. 
 And how ? / will reprove tkee, or punifh thec. And fo 
 by that fact I will (hew, that I am not like unto thee. 
 Whence I conclude, that to be unwilling to punifh fin, 
 is being very like the firmer. On the contrary, to pu- 
 niih fin, in its proper time, is to fhew himfelf mod un- 
 Jike the finner. Therefore, unlefs God reproves the fin- 
 ner, he will be like to him, and deny himfelf. For, 
 fince God is a pattern to man, and man was made in or- 
 der that God may be glorified in him ; and all things 
 which God hath made, have a tendency to this, that mail 
 may from them know what a God he is : if God mould 
 by no method fhew, that fin deprives man of commu- 
 nion with God and of his kingdom; nay, mould he 
 make the Tinner eternally happy, to be accounted un- 
 worthy of which is the greater! punifhment, God would 
 certainly in that cafe teftify, that he is not worthy to be 
 loved, defired, and glorified, and that fin is not an ob- 
 ject unworthy of man's delight. As far as it is irnpoffi- 
 ble then, that God fhould be altogether like the finner, 
 fo far it is impolfible, that he fhould let fin go unpu- 
 niflied. 
 
 XXX. 5. Hence it is that God fays, he is fanclified, 
 when he requires punifhment, Lev. x. 3. On which 
 place. Crellius himfelf* makes this annotation : " Which 
 fome learned men explain," (and he himfelf agrees with 
 them) "I fhall appear holy, 1 ' that is, "mall infliQ pu- 
 ni/hment on them." The fame thing he owns in the 
 lame chapter, " that neither the holinefs, nor the majef- 
 ty of God can in any refpeft bear to have his commands 
 violated with impunity." Such is the power of truth, 
 that it even breaks forth from the moft refractory hearts. 
 And* the fcnfe of this word is very evident, Ezek. 
 
 * De vera relig. lib. i. c. 
 
OF THE COVENANT OF WORKS. 127 
 
 . 
 xx^xviii. 16. where the punifhment of God is foretold 
 
 in thefe words : That the, Heathen may know me, when 
 I flail befanttified in thee^ viz, by thy punifliment, be- 
 fore their eyes : more clearly ilill, If. v. 16. God thai 
 is holy, JJiall be fanftijicd in righteoufjiefe^ by inflicting 
 on fmners the punifhrnents threatened in the foregoing 
 verfes, and by not pardoning the elecl, unlefs on ac- 
 count of the righteoufnefs of Chrifl, in whofe fafferings 
 and death he difplayed his mod unfpotted holinefs, and 
 his hatred of fin, before the whole world, nay, even be- 
 fore hell itfelf. It is therefore as neceffary, that God 
 fhould take punifliment on fin, as that he fhould be ho- 
 ly, left he fhould feem to give up with his holinefs. I 
 fhall conclude in the words of Jofhua,* He is on holy 
 God. What then? He is a jealous God. And what 
 does he infer thence ? He will not forgive your Iran fgref- 
 fionS) nor your Jins. Thus from hi^ holinefs tlowj his 
 jealoufy ; from his jealoufy, his vengeance. 
 
 XXXI. Thirdly, This may alfo be inferred from 
 that attribute oT~God, which is ufually called vindictive 
 juftice. That it is the property of this to puniih iin, the 
 fcripture tells us in a hundred places; and heretics im- 
 pudently cavil, when they aifert it to be the work, not 
 ib much of divine juilice, as of wrath and pailion. 
 They unadvifedly disjoin what the apoltle has conjoin- 
 ed, who fpeaks of the day of wrath, and of the righte- 
 ous judgment of God.^ And what is God's wrath other 
 than that ready diipofition of the divine mind to do that 
 which his hatred of fin, juftice toward the finn^r, and 
 his character as the fupreme Judge, do require ? I omit 
 a thoufand other confidcrationc,, which are every where 
 obvious. I {hall rather fhew, where the hinge of the 
 matter turns, i. That this perfection i-; ar. i^turc.! to 
 
 * Chap, xxiv, jr. < f Rom. i:. ;, 
 
128 OF THE PENAL SANCTION 
 
 God, as infinity, holinefs, omnipotence. 2. That, in 
 virtue of it, God cannot fufFer fin to go unpunifhed. 
 
 XXXII. The former of thefel thus prove. That this 
 irsurt be afcribed, not to the indifferent will of God, but 
 to the nature andeflence of God, under the oppofite of 
 which it is a contradiction to conceive of him. But it is 
 contradictory to conceive of God under the oppofite of 
 juft, that is as unjufi.* But it is not contradictory, if 
 I conceive of God under the contraries of thofe things, 
 .which depend on the mere good pleafure of his will. 
 For inftance, it proceeded from the free will and plea- 
 fure of God, that he formerly chofe Ifrael for his pecu- 
 liar people. If therefore I conceive of God, as one who 
 never was the God of Ifrael, I (hall doubtlefs have form- 
 ed a falfe conception, but nothing that, by an evident 
 contradiction, deftroys the nature of God. For he 
 might have been God, and yet not the God of Ifrael ; 
 but, if he had fo pleafed, the God of the Egyptians or 
 Chaldeans. But whoever fays, that God is, and at the 
 fame time fays that he is unjuft, fpeaks contradictory 
 things. For the firft conception of the Deity is, that he 
 is perfectly and infinitely good. Juftice belongs to this 
 goodnefs, giving to every one his due, by a fuitable 
 compenfation, efpecially in him, who, as he is the Lord 
 of rational creatures, fo he cannot but be their judge. 
 Whoever therefore fays, that any is unjuft, or not juft, 
 denies fuch to be God, of whom he thus fpeaks. 
 
 XXXIII. The latter I make out thus. Whatever 
 is the righteous judgment of God, that tiie juftice of 
 God requires fhould be done : it is neceffary, that God 
 do himfelf juitice ; who, properly fpeaking, owes no- 
 thing to any one, but to himfelf. As that is the judg- 
 ment, (righteoufnefs) of the lazuli: which the law demand*, 
 
 * Job. xxxiv. 10. f Rom. viiL 4. 
 
OF THE COVENANT OF WORKS* 129 
 
 ^i 
 
 and which without juftice cannot be denied the law ; 
 
 the judgment of God is what the law requires, and can- 
 not be denied him, unlefs he would be unjuft to himfelf. 
 But it is the judgment of God, that they which do evil, 
 are worthy of death* Therefore there is a connection 
 between fin and the defert of death, not only in virtue 
 of the will, but alfo of the juftice of God. Moreover, 
 as the judgment of God is always according to truth ,\ he 
 mud pronounce the perfon who is worthy of death, wor- 
 thy of it, and unworthy of life, confequently condemn 
 him, unlefs a fatisfaclion intervene. To aft otherwiie, 
 would be unworthy the juft God. The apoftle inti- 
 mates this, J declaring, that God hath fct forth Chrijl to 
 be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare 
 his righteoufnefs, that he might be juft, and the jujlifier of 
 him which believeth in Jefus. By which words he 
 (hews, if God fhould juftify the ungodly, and admit 
 him u>happinefs without the atonement of the blood of 
 Chrift, he would not be juft, at lead his juftice would 
 not be difplayed. 
 
 XXXIV. Memorable efpecially is that which God 
 fays in Jeremiah, $ Shall I not vifit for thefe things ? 
 faith the Lord : fiiall not my foul be avenged en fuch a 
 nation as this ? The meaning is, (hall I be Jehovah, and 
 (hall I not deny myfelf, if I bear with thofe things in my 
 people ? Nay, if there be any fuch a nation, (hall I not 
 punifti it ? It is impoffible I fhould do this, and that in 
 virtue of my foul , that is of my very eifential .holincfs 
 and Deity. Should I have a div'mtfoul, that is^ a di- 
 vine nature, and juft, and not be avenged of fin? For 
 the foul of God denotes the mojl holy nature of God, 
 
 or, which is the fame, the ejfeniial holinefi of God. As 
 
 ' 
 * Rom: i. 32. f Rom. it. 2. J- Rorn. Hi. 255 26. 
 
 Chap, ix. 9. 29. 
 VOL. I. R 
 
130 OF THE PENAL SANCTION 
 
 appears from comparing Amos iv. 2. with Amos vi. 8. 
 In the former it is faid, The Lord hath f worn by his ho- 
 linefs : in the latter, The Lord hath f worn BENAPHSHO 
 by (his foul) himfelf. / 
 
 XXXV. Crellius therefore trifles,* when he ridi- 
 culoufly fays, that to punifh is God's foreign and ftrange 
 work; as if to (hew mercy was God's proper work, but 
 to exac"l punifhment, his ftrange work. To that end 
 wrefting If. xxviii. 21. that he may do his work, which 
 h.e tranilates, kisftrange work : that he may work his 
 work, foreign (or ftrange) is his work to him. We 
 frankly own, that, by that foreign and ftrange work, we 
 ought to underftand his vengeance againft the rebellious 
 Jews. But it is faid to be ftrange and foreign, in a 
 quite different fenfe from what this perverter of fcrip- 
 ture would have it. It wasjlrangc Qfodforeigfy becaufe 
 altogether uncommon and extraordinary. For it was 
 to be a great tribulation, fuch as had not bcenjince the 
 beginning of the world to that time. Math. xxiv. 21. 
 Likewife, it might appear ftrange to any one, that God 
 Ihould do fuch a thing to a people in covenant with him, 
 and loaded with fo many benefits, examples equal to 
 which he had not exhibited even among his enemies, 
 who were ftrangers to his covenants, and with which 
 could hardly be compared, what he had done in mount 
 Perazim againft the Philiftines,t and in the valley of 
 Gibeon.J And alfo, becaufe fuch an extraordinary pu- 
 nifhment from God (as ftrange and unufual things are 
 wont to excite great emotions) would fill any withafto- 
 nifhment, fo as they would be obliged to take notice of 
 the hand of God in it. The miferies of the Jews ftruck 
 Titus himfelf with horror; and, on viewing the walls 
 and towers of Jerufalem, he confeffed, that without 
 
 * Dsvera relig. L i. c. 28, f 2 Sam. v. 21. ^ If. x. 10- 
 
OF THE COVENANT OF WORKS. 131 
 
 God, fuch a cijy could never have been taken. 'Tis 
 very remarkable what Philoftratus relates in the hfe of 
 Apollonius Tyanaeus.* When the neighbouring nations 
 came according to cuilom, to offer crowns to Titus, to 
 adorn himfelf with, for his conqueft of the jews : he 
 faid, " That he deferved no fuch honor ; that he did not 
 atchieve thofe things, but only WAS THE INSTRUMENT 
 
 OF GOD, WHO WAS THEN DISPLAYING HIS WRATH." 
 
 In like manner alfo, becaufe it was ftrange and foreign 
 to the Israelites ; who, that the Romans might not come 
 to deftroy their city, brought upon themfelves the guilt 
 of that wickednefs againft the Lord Jefus, which was 
 the caufe of fo great a deftru6tion to them. It was; 
 therefore ftrange and foreign, not to God (for the text 
 fays no fuch thing) but in itfelf and to men. Or if we 
 would fay, that it was altogether ftrange and foreign to 
 God; it muft be meant, becaufe God delights not in 
 the deftrulion of his creatures, as fuch, but (to fpeak 
 after the manner of men) is rather inclined to acts 
 of goodnefs and mercy. But this is fo far from being 
 of fervice to the heretic, that, on the contrary it fur- 
 nifties us with a new and folid argument : which I thus 
 ibnn. 
 
 XXXVI. Fourthly, It is certain, that penal evil, as 
 
 fuch, is not in itfelf defirable, even to God, becaufe it 
 
 is connected with the deftrution of his own work. Is 
 
 it good unto thee, that thou JJtouldJl opfrefs ; that thou 
 
 JJiouldfl defpife the work of thine hands ?t Nay, God 
 
 confirms by an inviolable oath, that he has no pleafurc 
 
 in the death of the wicked.^ It muft then be fornt thing 
 
 elfe which renders it defirable, and fo much fo, that 
 
 God declares, that he exults in it, and derives great con- 
 
 folation from it, as being that alone which can, as it 
 
 * JLib. v. c. iJ,.. f Jcbx. 3< { EzcL xxxiii. u. 
 
132 OF THE PENAL SANCTION 
 
 were, be fufficient to mitigate his grief, and appeafe his 
 indignation, occafioned by fin. Nothing can be ima- 
 gined ftronger than the fcripture-phrafes on this fubject, 
 fotne of which I fhall exhibit. It is IN MY DESIRE, 
 that I friould chaflife them.* That REFRESHES HIM- 
 SELF by de.folation (ftrengtheneth the fpoiled) againft 
 the ftrong.^ The Lord will rejoice over you to dejlroy 
 you.% I will eafe me of my adverfaries, and avenge me 
 of my enemies.^ God, you fee, de fires to punifh fin- 
 n-ers. When he pours out defolation upon them, he 
 refreshes himfelf; nor (lightly only, but he both rejoi- 
 ces and exults; and that with fuch a joy, as may be 
 proper for mitigating the pain, caufed by (in, and con- 
 fequently of yielding confolatioh to God. What is it 
 which makes that evil of the creature fo defirable to the 
 Creator ? What other, but that, by in Hiding punifh - 
 ment, he preferves inviolable the glory of his fuprema- 
 cy, holinefs, and juftice, which fin would wholly ob- 
 fcure ? For all the ufefulnefs of punifh men t (as Crellius 
 himfelf fpeaks) " muft needs regard God." But we 
 can conceive here no advantage redounding to God, un- 
 3efs his rejoicing in the declaration of his glory, fhining 
 forth in that judgment, thejuftice of which the holy 
 angels acknowledge with applaufe,|| and even thedanmed 
 themfelves, though unwilling and gnafhing their teeth, 
 are conflrained to confefs. It is indeed impoflible, that 
 God fhould fet light by this his mod excellent glory, of 
 which he is fo jealous. Sin ce then it is neceffary, that 
 God fhould prefer the defiruclion of his depraved crea- 
 ture to that of his own glory, it is as necefiary, that he 
 fhould punifh the wicked creature. God indeed loves 
 his creatures, but he does, as he ought, much more 
 himfelf. He would act incontinent with that love of 
 
 * Hof. x. 10. t Amos v. 9. { Deut. xxviii. 36. If. i. 24, 
 v |j Rev, xi. 17, and Rev. xvi, 5, 6. 
 
OF THE COVENANT OF WORKS. 133 
 
 himfelf, ,if he Ihould not recover his <;l<>r>% which his 
 finful creature has, by horrible facnlegc, robbed him or, 
 by inflicting punifhment upon it. 
 
 XXXVII. Fifthly, and lailiy, We (hall ufe a* 
 ments ad hominem. Socinus owns,* " that not to par- 
 don the impenitent, is cevtaisilv ri;hc, and agreeable to 
 THE DIVINE NATU'RE-, and confcquentlv to rectitude 
 and equity." Crellius, in like manner, fays,t t; that it 
 is unworthy of God to differ the crimes of the obllinate 
 to efcape unpunished," Let us a little examine thefe 
 concefiions. They fav, it is 4i unworthy of God, not 
 to pun i ill the obfhnate :" nay, 4i it is due to the nature 
 of God," not to pardon them. Why, pray ? Is if 
 caufe they are flubborn and obftinate ? But obflinacy is 
 not punifhed on its own account, becaufe there is a 
 good and laudable obflinacy, or conftancy. It is there- 
 fore only punifhed, becaufe of the evil that is in it. 
 Wherefore it is neceffary, that fin be punifhed on its own 
 account, and obflinacy only becaufe of the finfulnefs of 
 it. And if it be neceffary to punifh fin on its own ac- 
 count, therefore, where -ever it is to be met with, it 
 mufl neceffarily be punifhed. Add to this, that all men, 
 after having once finned, obflinately perfevere in (in, 
 unlefs they are brought to repentance by the preventing 
 grace of God. But how can they obtain this without a 
 previous fatisfaclion, if it be a debt which the divine na- 
 ture owes to itfelf, not to grant them pardon ? 
 
 XXXVIII. Wjejikewife readily admit what Crel- 
 lius advances in the very fame chapter : " By the fame 
 claim of right that we owe obedience to God, by the 
 fame alfo we become liable to punifhment for neglect of 
 obedience and fervice : for punifhmcnt fucceeds, as it 
 were, in the place of the duly omitted, and, ifpoflible, 
 ought, to atone for it." But doubtlefs, by a claim of 
 
 * DC fervato, p. i.e. i. f Be vehi rc!5^ lib. i. c. -j, 
 
134 O f THE FINAL SANCTION 
 
 natural right, obedience is due to God ; and it would 
 be repugnant to the divine perfe61ions, for God not. to 
 require it of a rational nature. I fpeak without referve : 
 A God who cannot demand obedience from his rational 
 creature, is not God. And the very fame thing, ac- 
 cording to Crellius's very juft hypothecs, is to be af- 
 firmed of punifhment. I am well aware, that Crellius 
 founds both claims, as well to obedience as to punifh- 
 rnent, on the dominion of God as Lord ; though this 
 ought rather to be founded on the natural majefty and 
 fupremacy of God, which is the foundation of this fo- 
 vereign dominion. But he is forced to confefs, that this 
 fovereign dominion is fo natural to God, that he can- 
 not renounce it ; nay indeed, that " without it, it is 
 fcarce intelligible, how he can be God ; fince it is on 
 account of that very authority, and the power from 
 \vhich it flows, he is faid to be God." It therefore (lands 
 firm, that the penal fanclion of the covenant is founded 
 in the fuper-eminent, moft holy, and mod juft nature of 
 God, and not in the mere good pleafure of the free di- 
 vine will only. 
 
 XXXIX. Moreover, it might be here inquired, whe- 
 ther the eternity of punifhment ought to be derived from 
 this natural right of God ; or, which is the fame thing, 
 whether a punifhment, juftly equivalent to every fin, 
 ought neccfTarily to be eternal, according to God's na- 
 tural right ; fo that to maintain the contrary, would be 
 unworthy of God, and confequently impofljble. A dif- 
 ficult queflion this, and the rather, becaufe to deter- 
 mine concerning this abfolute right of God, in fpecial 
 cafes, feems to be above human reach. God is greater 
 than man ; he giveih not an account of his matters.* Let 
 us, however^ try, whether, from the ccnfideration of 
 
 * Job xxxiii. 12, 13. 
 
OF THE COVENANT OF WORKS. 135 
 
 die divine perfections, we may not gather, what may in 
 this cafe be worthy of Cod. 
 
 XL. I now prefuppofe, that there is in fin commit- 
 ted againft the infinite majefty of God, a malignity in 
 its meafure. infinite, and therefore a demerit of punifli- 
 ment in its meafure infinite alfo. I fay, that there is in 
 fin a malignity only in its msafitre infinite. For it can- 
 not be called infinite in an abfolute fenfe. If you con- 
 fider the entity of the a 61 in itfelf, an aft infinitely in- 
 tenfe cannot be elicited by a finite creature : if the irre- 
 gularity, and the privation of moral good adhering to 
 the acl, it is a privation of a finite rectitude, fuch as can 
 be competent to a creature : if, in fine, you conlider 
 the whole complex, namely, fin, in the concrete, as 
 they fpeak ; neither in that cafe is its malignity abfolute- 
 ly infinite. For all vicious acls are not equal, but there 
 is a great drfparity among them ; which could not be 
 unequal, if they were infinite. However, the maligni- 
 ty of fin is in its meafare infinite : i. ObjeElivdy^ be- 
 caufe it is committed againft an infinite good. 2. Ex- 
 tenjivdy^ in refpecl of duration, becaufe the blot or 
 ftain of fin endures for ever, unlefs it be purged away 
 by the blood of Chrift. And therefore there is in him 
 a defert of punifhment, not abfolutely infinite, as toin- 
 tenfenefs of torments, (i.) Becaufe fuch a punifhment 
 is abfolutely impoflible; for a finite creature is not ca- 
 pable of infinite torments. (2.) Becaufe it would fol- 
 low, that God could never latisfy hisjuftice, by in- 
 flicting condign punifhmem on the wicked, feeing they 
 are incapable of this puniihment. Now, it is then ab- 
 furd to fay, thai any punifhment is of right due to iin, 
 which God could never inflicl. (3.) Becaufe it woul-1 
 follow, that an equal punifhment was due to all fins, or 
 that all in faft were to be punifhed alike: \vhichisan 
 abiurdity, and a^iuft Math. xi. 22, -24.., The reafon 
 
136 OF THE PENAL SANCTION 
 
 of this confequcnce is, becaufe there neither is, nor can 
 be any difparity between infinites. Neverthelefs there 
 is in fin a defert of puniihmeat in its meafure infinite ; 
 namely, in the fame manner that the malignity of it is 
 infinite. That is, i. Objeftiwly, fo as to deprive man. 
 of the enjoyment of the infinite good, which is God. 
 2. Extenjivdy* fo that the puniihment (hall laft for ever. 
 And thus I confider this defert of eternal punimment fo 
 far only as to conclude, that God does nothing contrary 
 to equity and juftice, when he punifhes the fins of men 
 with eternal torments both of foul and body. Which 
 the event (hews, as I have made appear above, $ 17. 
 
 XLI. But I know not, if it can be determined, whe- 
 ther this eternity ought necefTarily to confift in the pu- 
 nifhment tiffenfe, or whether the juftice of God may be 
 fatisfied by the eternal punifhment of loft, in the annihi- 
 lation of the finful creature. This, I apprehend, may 
 be faid with fufficient probability and fobriety : If God 
 fhall be pleafed to continue in exigence for ever, the 
 finful creature, it is neceffary (without a fatisfaclion) 
 that he forever inflici puniihment on him, not only the 
 punifhment of loTs, but likewife that of fenfe. The 
 reafon is, becaufe not only the guilt of fin always re- 
 mains ; but alfo the Main with which fin, once commit- 
 ted, infefts the foul, and which can never be purged 
 out but by the blood of Chrift. But it is impoffible, as 
 we proved, $22, 23, 24. that God mould admit nlan 
 ftained with fin, to communion with himfelf : and it can- 
 not be, that a rational creature, excluded the enjoy- 
 ment of the divine favor, mould not feel this indigna- 
 tion of God with the deepefl anguifh. Confcience mod 
 feverely lames the wretches for having fquandered away 
 the chief good. Which with no fmall care we have alfo 
 Ihewn, J 13. and the following fet'tions. 
 
OF THE SACRAMENTS, &c. 137 
 
 XLII. But whether it be neceflary, that God fhould 
 preferve for ever the (infill creature in a ftate of exif- 
 lence. I own I am ignorant. May it not, in its mea>. 
 fure, be reckoned an infinite punifhment, if God fhould 
 pleafe to doom man, who was by nature a candidate for 
 eternity^ to total annihilation, from whence he fhould 
 never be fuffered to return to life ? I know, God has 
 now determined otherwife, and that with the highefi juf- 
 tice* But it is queried, whether, agreeably to his juf- 
 tice, he might not have fettled it in this manner : If thpu 
 O man, finneft, I will fruflrate thy defire of eternal 
 happinefs, and of a blefled eternity, and, on the con- 
 trary, give thee up to eternal annihilation ? Here at lead 
 let us flop. 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 Of the Sacraments of the Covenant of Works. 
 
 i 
 
 T hath pleafed the blefled and almighty God, in eve- 
 ry difpenfation of his covenants, to confirm, by fome 
 facred fymbols, the certainty of his promifes, and, at 
 the fame time, to remind man, in covenant with him, of 
 his duty : to which fymbols ecclefiaftical practice has 
 long fince given the name of Sacraments. This was 
 certainly appointed with an excellent defign, by the all- 
 wife God. For, i. What God has made known con- 
 cerning his covenant, is, by this means, propofed to 
 man's more accurate confideratiqn : fince he has not on- 
 ly once and again been inftru&ed in the will of God by 
 a heavenly oracle, but frequently, and almofl daily, 
 beholds with his eyes thofe things, which, by heaven^ 
 
 VOL. JL S 
 
138 OF THE SACRAMENTS OF THE 
 
 are granted him as pledges of the greateft bleffings, 
 What believers fee with their eyes, ufually fink deeper 
 into the foul, and leave clearer imprefTions of them- 
 felves, than thofe only which they hear with their ears. 
 Elegantly to this purpofe fays Herodotus,* Men ufual- 
 Ip give lefs credit to the ears than to the eyes. 2. Thefe 
 fymbols alfo tend to confirm our faith. For though 
 nothing can be thought of that deferves more credit than 
 the word of God ; yet where God adds figns and feals to 
 his infalliable promifes, he gives a twofold foundation to 
 our faith. Thus he more abundantly fliews unto the heirs 
 of promife the immutability of his counfel : that by two 
 immutable things, in -which it was impojjible for God to 
 lie, we might have a ftrong confolation.^ 3. By means 
 of this inilitution, a holy man does, by the fight, touch, 
 and tafle of the facred fymbols, attain to fome fenfe of 
 eternal blcflings, and accuftoms himfelf, under the fym- 
 bols, to a contemplation and foretafte of thefe things, 
 to the plenary and immediate fruition of which he will, 
 one time or other, be admitted without any outward 
 figns. 4. The man has in thefe fomething continually 
 to remind him of his duty : and as, from time to time, 
 they prefent to his thoughts, and give him a prelibation 
 of his Creator, fo at the fame time they refrefh his me- 
 mory with thofe very ftrong obligations, by which he is 
 bound to his covenant-God. And thus they are both a 
 bridle to reftrain him from fin, and a fpur to quicken 
 him cheerfully to run that holy race, which he has hap- 
 pily entered upon. 
 
 II. God alfo granted to man fuch fymbols under the 
 covenant of works ; concerning which we are now to 
 fpeak, that nothing may be wanting in this treatife : and, 
 if I miilake not, there were four in all, which I reckon 
 
 Lib. i. t Heb - vi - J 7 l8 < 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 139 
 
 \ip in this order, i. PARADISE. 2. THE TREE OF 
 
 LIFE. 3. THE TREE OF KNOWLEDGE OF GOOD AND 
 
 EVIL. 4. THE SABBATH. In {peaking of each of 
 thefe, I fhall (Mindly {hew, Firft, What good they 
 fignified and fealed to man, with refpecl to God. Se- 
 condly, What duty and obligation they reminded 
 him of. 
 
 III. But I think it previoufly neceffary to obferve, 
 that it is altogether foreign to this treatife, and out of its 
 place, to propofe fuch fignincations either of paradife, 
 or of the tree of life, or of the Sabbath, as relate to 
 the gofpel, the grace of Chrift, and to glory as freely 
 given to the eleH by the Mediator and Spirit of grace. 
 Here I obferve, that men otherwife great have (tumbled, 
 who, when explaining the nature of thofe facraments, 
 too uncautioufly blend things belonging to a quite differ- 
 ent covenant. Nothing is here to be brought in, which 
 does not belong to the covenant of works, the promifes 
 of that covenant, and the duties of man under the fame: 
 all which are moil diftincl from the covenant of grace. 
 Here we are to fay nothing of Chrift, nothing of juiti*. 
 lying faith in him,, nothing of our ceafing from our 
 own works as impure, nor any thing of that reft after 
 the miferies of this life. All thefe belong to another 
 
 .covenant. I do not indeed refufe, that the unfearchV 
 ble wifdom of God did appoint and order thefe fymbob 
 in fuch a manner, that the remembrance of them, after 
 
 . the fall, might be able to inftrucl man in many things 
 relating to the covenant of grace, and its Mediator. 
 Thus, according to Paul, we obferve in the firft Adam, 
 a type of the fecond -, in Eve curioufly formed out of 
 Adam's rib while afleep, a type of the church, as it 
 were, taken from Chrift in virtue of his death; and in 
 the firft marriage a great myftery, which regards Chrift 
 and thejchurch. Thefe things, however, were neither 
 
140 OF THE SACRAMENTS OF THE 
 
 known to nor thought of by Adam in the (late of na- 
 ture; nor are they to be mentioned in a difcourfe on 
 the facraments of the covenant of works. Having pre- 
 mifed thefe things, let us now inquire into each particu- 
 lar with all the care pofiible, beginning with paradife. 
 
 IV. It is far from our defign, elaborately to inquire 
 into the fituation and topography of paradife. Let it 
 fuffice to obferve, that it was a garden, and a moft agree- 
 able inclofure, planted by God himfelf, toward the eaft, 
 in Eden, a mod fertile region, and abounding in all 
 lands of delights, as very learned men think, near Ha- 
 ran, the mart of Arabia, at the conflux of the Euphra- 
 tes and Tigris, not far from Mefopotamia. Which was 
 watered with four rivers, warning, by many windings 
 and meanders, the moft fertile orchard. When man 
 was formed from the earth without paradife, he was in- 
 troduced by God as a new gueft into this place, with 
 defign that he might afterwards give an account of his 
 fiewardfhip and care. Here he wanted nothing that 
 could contribute to the proper pleafures of this life, 
 Cod frequently revealing himfelf to man, and familiarly 
 admitting him to the fweeteft fellowfhip with himfelf. 
 Mofes alfo mentions the gold and the precious ftones of 
 that country, as of the bell kind, and in the greateft 
 plenty. What now was the meaning andmyftical figni- 
 fication of all thefe things ? 
 
 V. Firft, In general, the pleafantnefs of this place, 
 every moment fetting before man the mofl profufe boun- 
 ty of the Deity, and exhibiting the fame fco the enjoy- 
 ment of all his fenfes, affured him, that he was to ex- 
 pe8 another refidence far more noble and grand ; where 
 he mould not, as now, enjoy his God through and in 
 the creatures, but immediately delight in his Creator, 
 to his being fully fatisfied with his likenefs. For, if 
 God now conferred upon him fuch things while on his 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 141 
 
 j6urney, and before the courfe of his appointed trial 
 \vas fmifhed ; what might he not, nay what ought he not 
 to promife himfelf from that immenfe munificence, after 
 having acled his part well, with the boldnefs of afking 
 his moft ample recompenfe, he had acquired the right 
 of approaching his rewarder ? Was not the Lord, amidft 
 this abundance, that lacked nothing pertaining to this 
 animal life, frequently adclreffing him, How (hall I on- 
 day place thee among my fons, if thou conftantly conti- 
 nued obedient to my voice ? If there is fo much fweet- 
 nefs in thefe created rivulets of my goodnels, in which 
 now thou fwimmeft with fo much plea fu re; what will 
 there not be in myfelf, the unexhaufted fountain, and 
 the moft plentiful fpring ? Afcend, O man, by the icale 
 ;^f the creatures, to Me the Creator, and, from a fore- 
 tafte of thefe firft-fruits, conclude, what I have prepar- 
 ed for thee againft that time, when I myfelf fiiail be thy 
 exceeding great reward. And certainly, unlefs we fup- 
 pofe Adam to have been flupid, and devoid of all divine 
 light, he could not but have fuch thoughts. 
 
 VI. The fcripture declares, that by paradife is figni- 
 fied the feat of perfecl biifs, when it calls heaven, the 
 habitation of the bleffed, by the name of paradife .* A 
 manner of expreffion commonly ufed by the Holy 
 Ghofi, by which the names of the fign, and the thing 
 iignified, of the type and antitype, are mutually ex- 
 changed. The Jews themfelves faw this, with whom it 
 is ufual to call the place of abfolutely perfect happinefs, 
 NGED^LN and ,GAN N G E D & N , Eden and the .garden of 
 Eden ; and no wifh was more frequent among them, 
 than this, Let his rejl, that is, the place of his relt, be 
 Eden. There is alfo a moft fuitable analogy between 
 paradife and heaven, which we are now more expref;>ly 
 and particularly to fhew. 
 
 * Luke xxiii. 43. 2 Cor. xii. 4. 
 
142 OF THE SACRAMENTS OF 'THE 
 
 VII. i. Paradife was a garden planted by God him- 
 felf, to be the refidcnce of man formed after the divine 
 image. Heaven is a place made and prepared by the 
 fame God for the eternal abode of man, after he has ad- 
 ded conftancy to his other virtues, and fo has in himfelf 
 the full image of God, t where his holinefs fhall be un- 
 changeable. As therefore it was incumbent on man tp 
 acknowledge the hand and moft munificent bounty of 
 bis God in this terreftrial habitation ; fo he was flill far 
 more evidently to experience the fame in the celeftial 
 abode of his heavenly Father. 2. Paradife exceedingly 
 furpafled all the other parts of the earth, in refpecl to 
 the pleafantnefs of it ; for it was planted in Eden, a 
 place of all kinds of delight. Whence the moft pleafant 
 countries in the world are faid to be as the garden of 
 God.*" And Ezekiel,prophefying of the future extraor- 
 dinary plenty of the earth, fays, that the earth, which 
 before that was lying wafte, fhould be as the garden of 
 Eden.i" And what is grander than that promife of Ifaiah, 
 for the LordJIiali comfort Zion ; he will comfort all her 
 zvajle places^ and he will make her zvildernefs like Eden, 
 and her defert like the garden of the Lord ; joy and glad- 
 nefsjhall be found therein^ thankf giving^ and the voice 
 i)f melody ?% From which words it is clear, that nothing 
 was wanting in paradife, in its primitive (late, to give 
 the complete!! pleafure to man. But much lefs will any 
 thing be wanting in heaven to the molt abfolutely perfect 
 happinefs. The pleafures of which will far more ex- 
 ceed thofe of this tcrreftrial garden, than heaven itfelf, 
 exceeds the earth in its height. For paradife had thofe 
 things, which difcovered its imperfeclion, fuch as thofe 
 that belonged to this animal life, all which will be whol- 
 ly excluded heaven, where /j fuliufs of joy.^ SOBAX-G 
 
 * Gen. xiii, jo. f Chap, xxxvi. 35. I Ckip. li. 3. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 143 
 
 SOMACUOTII.* 3. In paradife flowed the mod limpid 
 
 U >. 1 -r "; '' 
 
 irreams, watering and fertilizing the garden, where -ever 
 it was neceffary. In heaven there is a pure river of wa- 
 ter of life, clear as cryflal, proceeding out ^f the throne, of 
 God.^ By which circumlocution are figmfied the gifts 
 of the Holy Spirit, a few drops of which are indeed 
 granted here, but with which the blefled will be intoxi- 
 cated to a perfecl joy. 4. Mofes alfo mentions gold, 
 bdellium, and the onyx-ftone, which were found in 
 that region. J In heaven there will be fpiritual treafures, 
 with which no gold, no topaz, nor any of the precious 
 ftones of the whole earth, can any wife be compared. 
 
 5. Irrparadife there were trees, both beautiful and ufe- 
 ful. " In heaven there are precious things, both plea fa tit 
 to the fight, and excellent for ufe. Above_all, there 
 were the two trees, of knowledge and oT life. But in 
 the heavenly kingdom, there is true and perfecl know- 
 ledge, and that life which is really and emphatically fo. 
 
 6. Man being ftrft created in the earth, was tranflated 
 into paradise, as the better refidence. For, if I miilake 
 not, the words of Mofes intimate this, And there he put 
 the man who?n he had formed.^ Compare Gen. iii. 23, 
 where, after his fin, he is faid to b^fent forth from the gar- 
 den of Eden^ to till the ground, from whence he was taken. 
 In like manner alfo, man was in due time to be tranfla- 
 ted from that natural and animal (late, in which he was 
 created, to another altogether fupernatural and heaven- 
 ly : of which this defirable tranflation from earth to pa- 
 radife reminded him ; which Zanchius alfoobferved on 
 Gen. ii. 15. as alfo Mufculus. 7. Had not man been 
 innocent, he would have had no place in paTadife. This 
 garden did not bear him when once tainted with fin, So 
 nothing .that dcfdeth can enter into heaven.^ That i^the 
 
 * Pfal. xvi. ii. -f- Rev. xxii. i. J Gen. ii. n, 12. Gen. 
 ii. 8. |i P.ev. xxi. 27. 
 
144 r THE SACRAMENTS OF THE 
 
 habitation of God's holinefs and glory.* 8. In paradife 
 man enjoyed the familiar fellow fhip of his GodTand in 
 this fenfe paradife might alfo be ft vied the garden of God, 
 as God dwelt there, delighting himfelf in the work of 
 his hands, and efpecially in man hirnfelf ; to whom as it 
 was a pleafure to man to be thus near and familiar, fo 
 it was a delight to God. But in heaven the habitation 
 of his majefty, God will be always prefent with man, 
 and give himfelf, in the mod familiar manner poflible, 
 to be feen and enjoyed by him. 
 
 VIII. As paradife was fuited to fet forth all thefe 
 things to man, fo, in like manner, the ufe of this pledge 
 reminded him of feveral duties. And firft, he hence 
 learned, that he ought not to feek for his good and felici- 
 ty in any thing upon earth, which, when appearnig even 
 mod perfect, difcovers its own imperfections ; fuch as 
 this animal life in paradife, that was to be recruited con- 
 tinually with meat, drink, and a fucceffion of deeping 
 and waking. By which means he was taught to afpire 
 after a greater happlnefs, namely, the immediate frui- 
 tion of his God ; in the feeking after which happinefs, 
 the principal holinefs of a traveller confids. For you 
 love God above all things, if you ardently pant after an 
 intimate union with him. 
 
 IX. Secondly, Since this paradife was given to man 
 to be cultivated and kept, the Lord thereby reminded 
 him, that he took no pleafure in a lazy idlenefs, but in 
 an active indudry. His will was, that man mould em- 
 ploy his labour and care upon the garden, that he might 
 have fomething to do, and in which he might continual- 
 ly experience the goodnefs and providence of his Crea- 
 tor. He did not chufe, that angels themfelves fhould 
 l?e idle, whom he made minidering fpirits. And fo he 
 
 15. 
 
COVEN ANT OF WORKS. 145 
 
 a/Tigned to man the care of cultivating and keeping pa- 
 radife, that he might have fornething to employ himfelf 
 in the works of God ; juft as a king's fon has fome office 
 ailigned him, left he fhould become indolent by an ex- 
 cels of pleafures, honor, and riches. Thus he became 
 obliged to be conformed to his God by the purcft acl- 
 ings, and to be employed about the very work of God's 
 hands, till he fliould come to enjoy an eternal fabbath 
 with himfelf. 
 
 X. Thirdly, This alfo had a further refpeft to him- 
 felf. For, i. As paradife was the pledge of heaven, fo 
 the careful keeping of it reminded him to have heaven 
 continually in his mind and thoughts. 2. The labour and 
 culture of paradife taught him, that only he that labours^ 
 and does that which is acceptable to God, can get to the 
 heavenly habitation. 3. He was alfo inftrucled to keep 
 his foul for God, as a moft pleafant garden, cultivated 
 like the paradife of God, and (hew forth thofe trees of 
 virtues, which God planted, as producing the moft ex- 
 cellent fruits, that is, works proceeding from good ha- 
 bits : that fo the Lord might come into this his garden, 
 and eat his pleafant fruits.* 4. It pointed out to him, 
 that he fliould, above all things, folicitouily keep his 
 foul, that garden of God, left any wild beads of de- 
 praved paflions mould break in, to lay every thing there- 
 in walle. And when God laid .to him, Keep this my 
 garden, may he not at the fame time be fuppofcd to fay, 
 Keep thy heart with all diligence^ or above all keeping ?t 
 5. The keeping of paradiie impofed an axious folici- 
 tude upon him, not to do any thing againft God, left, 
 as a bad gardner being thru ft out of the garden, he 
 (hould in that difccrn a melancholy fymbol of his own 
 
 ;: 
 
 * Cant. iv. 16. j- Prov. iv. 23. 
 
 VOL. I. T 
 
OF THE SACRAMENTS OF THE 
 
 exclufion from heaven. We then conclude, that man, 
 being with joy and exultation admitted into paradifc, 
 was bound, and was willing to be bound, to perform 
 all thefe things to God, and fo upon entering into para- 
 dife, bound himfelf, as by a facramcnt, to thefe duties. 
 XI. Now follows the confideration of the TREE OF 
 LIFE : but whether a Jingle tree, or an entire fpecies of 
 trees, is a queftion among the learned. Some think that 
 the former, which is indeed the common opinion, i? 
 founded on no probable reafon ; and fuppofe it more 
 fuitable to the goodnefs of God, that fuch a beautiful 
 and ufeful tree mould be in the view of his favorite, in 
 as many parts of the inclofure as poffible. They alfo 
 alledge the divine benediction,* by which God confer- 
 red on all trees the virtue of multiplying themfelves. 
 But they chiefly inlift on Rev. xxii. 2. where John pitch- 
 es the tree of life on each fide of the river, which they 
 compare with Ezek. xlvii. 12. Others, on the contra- 
 ry, do not think it probable, that it was an entire fpe- 
 cies : Firft, becaufe the univerfal particle, KOL all, is 
 not added as before, when Mofes would exprefs many 
 things of the fame fpecies, or many fpecies themfelves. 
 Next, becaufe it is faid to have been placed in the mid- 
 dle of the garden, fo as to have the other trees furround- 
 ing it in ordei. To the paffages alledged from the Apo- 
 calypfe and Ezekiel, they anfwer, that John fpeaks on- 
 Jy in the fmgular number both in that place, and Rev. ii. 
 7. and that one tree could properly be faid to (land in 
 the mid ft of thejlreet, and on both fides of the liver, 
 becaufe the river run through the midft of the ftreet ? 
 and becaufe that fingle tree extended its roots and 
 branches to each fide, fo that there was no defeft on 
 either fide. They likewife conclude from its being a 
 
 * Gen. i. u, 12. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 147 
 
 type, that it mud be a fmgle one ; becaufe Chrify is one. 
 But Ezekicl faw many on the bank of the river, repre- 
 fen ting the church militant; becaufe though one Chrift 
 quickens the church, yet it is by feveral means he now 
 communicates life to the elecl. Thefe are the argu- 
 ments on both fides. If any mould defire our judg- 
 ment,, we are of opinion, that the arguments of neither 
 fide have the force of a demon drat ion ; but, from the 
 confide ration of its being a type, \ve rather incline to 
 the more common opinion. 
 
 XII. Whether this tree was endued with a fingular 
 virtue above others, fo as to reftore with equal perfec- 
 tion the moidure confumed by the exceflive heat, per- 
 fectly to cure the diforders of the body, who can cer- 
 tainly tell ? who can obdinately deny ? To afcribe to it 
 a medical virtue a gain ft difeafes, does not appear fuita- 
 ble to the date of innocent man. For difeafes and Tick- 
 ly infirmities are only the efFe&s of fin. But nothing 
 fure is more ridiculous, than that paradoxical and alto- 
 gether untheological aflertion of Socinus, that Adam, 
 by the benefit of that food, would have -prolonged his 
 life to a much longer period than God chofe he fhould, 
 had he not been deprived of the opportunity of reaching 
 forth his hand to that tree. As if God when he expel- 
 led man out of paradife, and {aid, Left he put forth his 
 hand) and take alfo of the tree of life, and live for ever 9 * 
 was apprehenfivc, that man, upon lading again of that 
 tree, mould live for ever, notwithdanding his will and 
 threatening; which is downright blafphemy. For, by 
 thefe words, God only intended to reft rain the vain 
 thoughts of rrutn, now become fuch a fool, as to ima- 
 gine that, by the ufe of that tree, he could repair the 
 lofs he had fudained by fin; or, as if the bare ufe of 
 
 * Gen. iii. 22. 
 
148 OF THE SACRAMENTS OF THE 
 
 the facrament, or the opus operatum, as it is called, 
 could be of any advantage, without the thing iigniiicd. 
 And, by driving man from that outward fign of immor- 
 tality, he cut him off from all hopes of falvation by 
 that covenant, of which that tree was a fymbol. How- 
 ever, there muft be fome great reafon, why that tree ob- 
 tained this defignation : which we will now inquire into. 
 XIII. The tree of life fignifkd the Son of God, not 
 indeed as he is Chrift and Mediator (that confideration 
 being peculiar to another covenant) but in as much as he 
 is the life of man in every condition, and the fountain 
 of all happinefs. O how well was it fpoken by one, 
 who faid, that it became God from the firft to reprefent 
 by an outward fign, that perfon whom he loves, and for 
 whofe glory he has made and does make all things ; nay, 
 to whom he Jlieioeth all things that he doth, that he may 
 alfo do likewife,* as the author of life to man ; that 
 man, even then, might acknowledge him as fuch ; and 
 afterwards, when he was to be manifelted as his Saviour 
 and Phyfician, Adam and his poflerity might bring him 
 to remembrance, as exhibited by a fymbol at the very 
 beginning ! As in facl it has happened, that they who 
 believe Mofes, the prophets, and the gofpel, avow, that 
 in the beginning there was no life but in him, for whole 
 glory to be difplayed in the work of falvation, the earth 
 was alfo made. Wherefore Chrilt is called the Tree of 
 Zz/.t What indeed he now is by bis merit and effica- 
 cy as Mediator, he would have always been as the Son 
 of God, of the fame fubftance with his Father. For as 
 by him man was created, and obtained an animal life, 
 fo, in like manner, he would have been transformed by 
 him and bleffed with a heavenly life. Nor could he 
 have been the life of the {inner, as Mediator, unlefs he 
 
 * Johnv. 19. f Rev. xxii. 2-. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 149- 
 
 had likewife been the life of man in his holy (late as God; 
 havi-r^ life in hirrtfdf, and being life i til- If. 
 
 XIV. The fruit, of this tree, charming all the fenfes 
 with its unpartfllelled beauty, fignHied the plea fares of 
 divine love, with which happy man was one clay to be 
 fully regaled, and which never cloy, but, with their 
 fweet variety, do always quicken the appetite. In this 
 fenic, wifdora is faid to be a tree of lift to them that lay 
 hold of her.* Because the ftudy and practice of true 
 wifdorn fills the foul with an ineffable pleafure. 
 
 XV. Moreover, it was man's duty, i. Attentively 
 to confider this tree, #s pleafant to the eyes** and to con- 
 template therein the perfections of the Sou of God, 
 whole brigfeteft viiion was one clay to complete his hap- 
 pinefs. 2. Bytheufe and enjoyment of this tree, to 
 tettify his communion with the Son of God, and ac- 
 knowledge him as the author of the life he longed for ; 
 which, though innocent, he was to feek after, not in 
 himi'elf, but in God, as a liberal rewarder. 3. He him- 
 felf, in imitation of the Sen of God, and as in commu- 
 nion with him, ought to be as a tree of life to his wife 
 and pofterity, by giving them holy advife and example, 
 as a plant of the garden of God, a partaker of the di- 
 vine life, and as minidering to the life of his neighbour. 
 The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life .^ 
 
 XVI. Beiides the tree of life, Moles fpeaks of ano- 
 ther tree, deriving its name from THE KNOWLEDGE OF 
 GOOD AND EVIL, concerning whofe name and tile we 
 began to fpeak, chap. iii. $ 20, 21. That it was de- 
 figned for man's probation, is undoubted : but whether 
 it was alfo a fymbol of the covenant, Ls difputed. I 
 freely own, I fee no reafon why this fhould be denied. 
 For ail the requisites to conftitute a fymbol of a covc- 
 
 * Prov. iii. 1 8. f Gen. Hi. 6. J Prev. xl 30. 
 
150 OF THE SACFS.AMENTS OF THE 
 
 nant here concur. We have an external and vifible 
 fign, inftituted by God : we have the thing fignified, to- 
 gether with a beautiful analogy : we have, in fine, a 
 memorial of man's duty : all which fully conftitute the 
 nature of a facred fymbol, or facramcnt. 
 
 XVII. The external fign was a certain tree in the 
 mid/1 of the garden, good for food, f leaf ant to the eyes, 
 and to be dejired to make one wife.* The ufe of this tign 
 was twofold, i. That it might be attentively viewed 
 and confidered by man, while he carefully meditates on 
 the myftical fignification of this tree. For that end it 
 was fo beautiful and fo defirable to the view, and placed 
 in the midft of the garden, where man moft frequently 
 re for ted. 2. Thai, from a religious obedience, he fhould 
 abftain from eating of it, thereby acknowledging God's 
 ablolute dominion over him, and his expectation of ano- 
 ther world, in which he fhould be forbid nothing truly 
 defirable. 
 
 XVIII. The thing fignified was in like manner two- 
 fold, thcfealing both of the prcmife and the threatening 
 of the covenant. For its being called the tree of know- 
 ledge of good, intimated, that man, if from a principle 
 of love he obeyed this probationary precept, mould 
 come to the knowledge, fenfe, and fruition of that good 
 which is truly and excellently fo, and the full knowledge 
 of which is only obtainable by fenfe and enjoyment. 
 On the other hand, when called the tree of the knowledge 
 of evil, thereby is lignified, that man, if found difobe- 
 client, fhould be doomed to the greateft calamity, the 
 exceeding evil and wretchednefs of which he fhould at 
 laft know by experience. And even they who, in other 
 refpecls, would not have this tree called a fymbol of the 
 divine covenant; do confefs this. 
 
 * Gai, ill. 3. 6. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 
 
 XIX. There was here a very plain memorial of du- 
 ty. For this tree taught, i. That man was fincerdy u> 
 contemplate and defire the chief good ; but not to en- 
 deavour after it, unlefs in the manner and way prcfcrib- 
 ed by heaven ; nor here to give into his own reafonings, 
 how plaufible foever they might appear. 2. That man's 
 happinefs was not to be placed in things pleaung to the 
 fenfes of the body ; and that there is another and a quite 
 different beatifying good, which can fatiate the foul, 
 and is of itfelf fufficient to the confummation of bappi- 
 nefs. 3. That God was the mod abiblute Lord of man, 
 whofe ible will, exprefled by his law, fhould be the fu- 
 preme rule and directory of all the appetites of the foul, 
 and of all the motions of the body. 4. That there is 
 no attaining to a life of true happinefs, but by perfect 
 obedience. 5. That even man in innocence was to be- 
 have with a certain religious awe, when converfnig with 
 his God, left he fhould fall into fin. To thefe add what 
 we have already obferved, chap. iii. { 21. 
 
 XX. That very accurate and great divine Hierony- 
 mus Zanchius, after giving a hiftory of thefc trees, ex- 
 prefTes their myftjcal fignification in thefe words : 
 " Moreover, thefe two trees in the midft of paradifc, 
 and near each other, were very evident types of the law 
 and gofpel, or of Chrift. The law declares what is 
 good, and what is evil : Chrift is the true and eternal 
 life. Both were in the mid 11 of paradife, becaufe the 
 law and Chrift, in the midtt of the church, are always 
 to be propofed to the ions of Adam. One near the 
 other, becaufe the law It-ads to Chrift."* I cannot ful- 
 ly exprefs, what reverent thoughts I have of this great 
 divine, whole commentaries I exceedingly prefer to 
 thole newfangled comments, with which the minds of 
 
 * DC creat. honi. lib. i. c. I. 
 
152 OF THE SACRAMENTS OF 3 
 
 Undents are at this day diftracted and led ailray. i\ T ever- 
 thelefs, thefe expreiiions feern to be more ingenious, 
 than folid and judicious. For, under the covenantor 
 works, Adam neither had, nor was itneccdary he fhould 
 have, any facraments which refpeBed Chriii, the gof- 
 pel, and grace. This, however, may be faid in excufe 
 of thefe and the like things, which often occur even in 
 the moil learned authors, that though thefe things were 
 not propofed at firft to man in innocence, in order to 
 reprefent to him the grace of Chrift, yet they were ib 
 wifely ordered by God, that man, by reflecting upon 
 them, could, after the fall, difcover in them fome dark 
 refcmblance of thofe things, which God afterwards, by 
 a new promife, was pleafed to reveal. 
 
 XXI. Other learned men have not thought proper to 
 reckon the tree of knowledge among the fymbols and 
 feals of the covenant of works ; being chiefly fwayed 
 10 this opinion by the following reafons. i. jBecaufe 
 ail facraments are given for ufe ; but man was forbid the 
 life of this tree. 2. Becaufe facraments are figns of a 
 bleding, which they fcal to thofe who ufe them in a pro- 
 per way ; but this tree fealed no blefling to any who 
 ihould ufe it, but rather brought a curfe upon that ufe. 
 Thefe coniiderations, however, are not of that weight 
 that we ihould therefore depart from the more received 
 opinion. And it is eafy to anfwer both thefe argu- 
 ments, not only from the truth of the thing itfelf, but 
 i-lfo from the very hypothecs of thefe learned men. 
 
 XXII. It is indeed true, that all facraments were 
 given for ufe ; but it is alfo certain, that the external 
 ufe of all facraments is not after one and the fame man- 
 ner. All are not granted to the mouth and palate. 
 There are facraments, whofe ufe con fills in the contem- 
 plation of the fign, and meditation on the thing Ggnifi- 
 ed. Some learned writers niaintain ? that the rainbow 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 153 
 
 was not a fymbol only of the oecumenical or general 
 covenant with the whole eanh, but alfo of the covenant 
 of grace in Chriil ; and they think, that the colours of 
 the rainbow, the red, the fiery, and the green, denote, 
 that, by blood, holinefs and mercy are united. But we 
 can conceive no other facramental ufe of the rainbow, 
 bcfides the contemplation of it. In like manner, they 
 place the brazen ferpent among the facraments of the 
 Old Teftament, whole ufe confifted only in the behold- 
 ing of it. Nay, they are of opinion concerning the 
 tree of life itfelf, that it was not promifcuoufly to be 
 ufed by man, fince to him alone that overcometh^ it is 
 given to eat of the tree of life* " Whence," fay they, 
 " it does not appear that Adam touched it before the 
 fall : nay, the contrary is rather evident." And yet they 
 fay, that it was the firft and mod ancient reprefentation 
 of the Son of God, and of the life to be poilelfed 
 through him. Nothing then hinders the tree of know- 
 ledge from being luTo called a fymbol of the covenant, 
 though propofed only to be looked at by man, though 
 he was never to eat of it. 
 
 XXIII. I go a ftep farther, and fay, that there is no 
 abfurdity, fhould fuch a facrament be appointed, whofe 
 ufe fhould conlift in a religious abftinence. Nor fhould 
 thofe learned men, if confident with themfelves, be 
 averfe to this opinion. " The deluge," fay they, " from 
 which No'dh was preferved, mull needs be reckoned 
 among the types." Now, the ufe of the waters, in ref- 
 pecl to Noah, confifted in this, that they were neither 
 to touch him and his, to their hurt; nor force them- 
 felves into the ark, in which he was (hut up : as the 
 waters of the Red fia Jikewife fignified the fame thing, 
 
 * Rev. ii. 7. 
 VOL. L V 
 
154 O F THE SACRAMENTS, &c. 
 
 in the fame manner, to Ifrael. Nay, what may feem 
 juftly ftrange, thefe learned men fay,' that the firft facra 
 ment of ..the covenant of grace was " the ejeBment of 
 Adam out of paradife, and the barring up his accefs to 
 the tree of life :" or, as one is pleafed to exprefs him- 
 felf, The firft facrament was the tree of life, which, 
 though at firft it regarded the covenant of works, and 
 exclufion from it was the punifhment of fallen man ; 
 neverthelefs, that very exclufion was, at the fame time, 
 a fign of the grace and goodnefs of God." I would beg 
 of thofe very learned men, to explain to me in what the 
 facramental ufe of the tree of life was to have confided 
 under the covenant of grace, after man was expelled 
 paradife, and that tree was no longer to be in his view. 
 There is here no other ufe but a myftical abftinence and 
 deprivation. And thus, we imagine, we have fully an- 
 fwered the firft argument. 
 
 XXIV. Let us now confider the fecond : and we 
 fay, it is not inconfiftcnt with the nature of facraments, 
 to feal death and condemnation, to thofe who unduly 
 and irregularly ufe them. For fince the covenant of 
 God with man is ratified, not only by the promifes, but 
 alfo by certain threatenings belonging to it, and facra- 
 ments are the feals of the whole covenant, it feals alfo 
 threatenings to the profane abufers of them. When a 
 man partakes of the facraments, he comes under an oath 
 and cur fe, and makes himfelf liable to punifhment, if 
 he deals treacheroufly. To fay nothing of the facra- 
 ments of the covenant of works, the very facraments 
 of the covenant of grace, are the favour of death unto 
 death to hypocrites and profane perfons, who, in the 
 bread and wine of the eucharift, eat and drink damna- 
 tion to thcmfelvcs.* But it is not true, that the tree of 
 
 * i Ccr. xi. 27, 29. 
 
OF THE FIRST SABBATH. 155 
 
 knowledge fealed only death; for it alfo fealed life and 
 happinefs. It was the tree of knowledge, not only of 
 evil, but of good. This, thefe learned men themfelves 
 acknowledge, while they write, that had Adam obeyed, 
 he would, upon his trial, have come to the knowledge and 
 ff-nfe. of his good, to which he was called, and had a na- 
 tural dejire after ; even eternal life and confumm-ate hap- 
 pincfs. Whence we conclude, that, notwithstanding 
 thefe reafonings, we may juflly reckon the tree of know- 
 ledge among the facratnents of the covenant of works. 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 
 . 
 
 Of the Firjl Sabbath. 
 
 w 
 
 E faid, that the firft fabbath was the fourth fa- 
 crament of the covenant of works. In order to treat 
 fomewhat more fully on this, it will not be improper to 
 make it the fubjecl; of a whole chapter. Mofes gives us 
 the hiftory of it in thefe words : And on the fevenih day 
 God ended his work which he had made : dnd he re/led on 
 the ffventh day from all his work which he had made. 
 And God blcjjed the fcventh day, and fanEliJied it ; bc- 
 caufethat in it he had rejled from all his work which God, 
 created and made.* The more fully to underltand thefe 
 words, and from them to anfwer our defign, we fhall 
 diftinBly difcufs thefe three things, i. Inquire, whe- 
 ther what is here faid about fanftifying anlTTTeffirig the 
 fcventh day, ought to be applied to that^r// day, which 
 immediately followed upon the fix days of the creation, 
 and which was the firfl that flione on the works of God 
 
 .* Gsn. ii. 2 X 
 
155 Or THE FIRST SABBATH. 
 
 when completed ; or, whether it be nccefiary to have 
 rccourfe to an anticipation, by which we may look up- 
 on thofe things as fpoken of the day, on which, many 
 ages after, the manna was given in the wildcrncfs. 2. 
 We fhall explain the nature of that firft fabbath. 3. 
 And lafily, point out in what refpect it was a facrament. 
 II. It is too well known to be mentioned, that the 
 frfl of thefe points has been matter of jgreat difpute 
 among divines, without coming to any determination to 
 this day ; nor do I chufe to unravel what they have laid. 
 I fhall only obferve, that perhaps the parties might eafi- 
 ]y agree, did we know, what we are to underfland by 
 JanBifying and bleffing the feventh day, mentioned by 
 Mofes : and which we fhall prefently confider. But if 
 \ve fuppofe in general, that God refied on the feventh 
 day from his work, that is, not only deffled from creat- 
 ing new fpecies of creatures, but acqme.fced and took 
 complacency in the work which he had now fmiihed, ef- 
 pecially in man, who was formed after his image, and 
 lurnifhed with thofe faculties, by which he was enabled 
 to acknowledge and celebrate the perfections of God 
 fhining forth in his works ; and that he fct this his refling 
 before man as a pattern, by which he fhould be taught 
 to acquiefce in nothing but in God, for whom he was 
 created ; pleafe himfelf in nothing but in glorifying God, 
 which is the end of his creation : moreover, that he 
 JanBified this day, of which we are fpeaking, by com- 
 manding it to be employed by man for that facred work, 
 adding a promife, that all that time thus employed by 
 man, fhould be highly llejjed to him : if, I fay, we 
 thus in general fuppofe, as all thefe things are evidently 
 truth, there is good hope, that all equitable judges will 
 allow, that \ve adhere to the fimplicity of the letter, and 
 interpret this hiflory of Mofes. as the narrative of a 
 
OF THE FIRST SABBATH. 159 
 
 thing done at that time, which the holy prophet was then 
 clefcribing. 
 
 III. I am glad to find the celebrated Cocceius aflent 
 10 this. His words are thefe :* " Some imagine, that 
 this verfe (namely 3.) is put by way of anticipation. 
 But it is not probable, that Moles, in recording this 
 bleiling and ianciification, did by any means fpeak con- 
 cerning the original fabbath, but only concerning th 
 Jewifh fabbath. This is plainly doing violence to the 
 text, if one day be underftood, which God bleiTed and 
 fancliiied, and another, on which he reded from his 
 work." And the very eloquent Barman, though inclin- 
 ing to an anticipation, yet owns, that " the words of 
 Mofes may be underiiood of that perpetual fabbath, the 
 feventh day after the creation, which fir ft faw the works 
 of God perfected, and molt aufpicioufiy fhone on the 
 world, whence it is faid to be peculiarly bl effect by God, 
 and afterwards to be celebrated and fanciified by man, 
 for all ages to come."t See the fame author, dc aco- 
 nomiafccderum Dei, 208, 209. We ihall fay no more 
 on this, as we could rather wifh to fee the orthodox 
 agreeing among themfelves, than contending with one 
 another. And indeed this mud be acknowledged, if we 
 would properly explain, in what manner this Sabbath 
 was a facrament of the covenant of works. 
 
 IV. The bed Hebrew authors, on whofe authority 
 thofe of the oppofite opinion are wont to build, agree 
 with us in this difpute. For in the Talmud they in- 
 quire, why man was created on the evening cf the. fab- 
 bath ; and of the three rcafons they give, this is the laft ; 
 "that he. might immediately enter on performing the 
 command." The famous Ludovicus de Dieu, men- 
 tioning thefe words, on Gen. i. 27. adds, by way of 
 
 * In Gen. ii. 6. f Synop. thcol. lib. ii. c. 5. n. 
 
15$ OF THE FIRST SABBATH. 
 
 explication ;'" For fince the fabbath immediately fuc- 
 ceeded the creation of mari, he immediately entered on 
 the command of fan&ifying the fabbath." Baal Hattu- 
 rim, after various interpretations of this paffage, alfo 
 fubjoins this other ; " In the hour, that he created the 
 world, he bleifed the fabbath and the world." Jarchi 
 alfo mentions this opinion, though himfelf was other- 
 Vvife minded ; << What would the world have been with- 
 out reft ? On the coming of the fabbath came reft, and 
 thus at length the work was finifhed and completed," 
 By which he intimates, that the inftitution of the fab- 
 bath was joined to the completing of the works of God. 
 There are alfo fome jews, who will have Pfal. xcii. 
 whofe title is, a Pfalm^ orfong^for thefabbath-day, to 
 have been compofed by Adam. For thus the Chaldee 
 paraphrafes; " A hymn and fong, which the firft man 
 faid of the fabbath." And R. Levi,* " The firft man 
 fpoke this pfahn, and from his time it was buried in 
 oblivion, but Mofes came and renewed it." Now I 
 bring thefe teftimonies to fhew, that they fpeak too con- 
 fidently, who affert, that it is running counter to the 
 unanimous opinion of the Jews, for any to infift, that 
 the precept of the fabbath was enjoined on the firft man. 
 Whoever wants more to thispurpofe, may confult Sel- 
 dcn dtjure naturce, &c. lib. iii. c. 13. 
 
 V. Thefe things being fuppofed, we are further to 
 inquire, in what the nature of the Jirjl fabbath did confift. 
 Here, again, the learned run into very different opini- 
 ons. I now take it to be my province, to lay down 
 fuch proportions, to which, it is to be hoped, that the 
 orthodox, who are lovers of truth, will without diiil- 
 culty give their affent. 
 
 VI. We are to diftmguifh, firft, between the reft of 
 I) and the reft of man^ which God enjoined to him, 
 
 * In Berefthit Raba, (eft. 22. at the end. 
 
OF THE FIRST SABBATH. 157 
 
 and recommended by his own example : in which man- 
 ner alib Paul diftinguifhes, He alfo hath ceaftdfrom his 
 own works? as God did from his.* 
 
 VII. The rejl of God confided, not only in hisfcsa- 
 inghom the work of any new creation, but alib in that 
 fwtet fails/action and delight he had in the demon ([ration 
 of his own attributes and perfections, which were glori- 
 oufly difplayed in the work he had now h'niflied, after, 
 he had added a luftre to this inferior world, by beftow- 
 ing upon it a mod excellent inhabitant, who was to be a 
 careful fpeclator, and the herald and proclaimer of the 
 perfections of his Creator, and in whom God himfelf 
 beheld ou MIKRON TES BOXES AUTOU APAUGASMA, 
 no {mall effulgence of his own glory. Wherefore it w 
 faid,t And on the feventh day he rejied, and was refre/Ii- 
 cd ; not as if he was fatigued, but as rejoicing in his 
 work fo happily completed, and in which he beheld 
 what was worthy of his labour. 
 
 VIII. God having reded on the feventh day, fanfti- 
 fied it, as well by example, as by precept. By example^ 
 in as much as he brought man, whom he had newly 
 formed, to the contemplation of his works, and reveal- 
 ed to him both himfelf and his perfections, that he might 
 love, thank, praife, and glorify him. And indeed, be- 
 caufe God refted on the feventh day from ail other 
 works, and was only intent upon this, we may conclude, 
 that he fancliiied it in an extraordinary manner. He 
 likewife fancliiied it by precept, enjoining man to em- 
 ploy it in glorifying his Ci.cator. " To fanclify,"' (as 
 Martyr, whom feveral commend, fays well) " is to let 
 apart fomething for the worihip of God, as it is alfo 
 taken here." And it was very juftly obicivcd by Cal- 
 wn ; i; that it was the will of God, that his ow?i exam- 
 
 * Ucb. iv, 10. f Zxoc. zxii. 17. 
 
1 60 OF THE FIRST SABBAT :i . 
 
 pie fliould be a perpetual rale to us." Rabbcnu Nidim, 
 quoted by Abarbanel,* is of the lame opinion : u And 
 this is the fanclification of the Sabbath, that, on that 
 day, the foul of man be employed on nothing profane, 
 but wholly on things facred." 
 
 IX. God's bltffing the feventh day, may be alfo ta- 
 ken in a twofold fenfe : F^rjl, for his declaring it to be 
 bleffedand happy, as that in which he had peculiar plea- 
 fure and joy, obfervirig ail his works in fuch order, as 
 to be not only to himfelf, but to angels as well as men, 
 a mod beautiful fcene, difplaying the glory of his per- 
 fections. That is what David fays,t The glory of the 
 Lordjliall endure for ever, the Lord /hall rejoice in his 
 works. Thus God himfelf rejoiced on that day, and 
 confequently bleifed it. For as to curfe a day, is to ab- 
 hor and deleft it, as unfortunate and unhappy, as afflic- 
 tive and rniferable ;J fo, by the rule of contraries, to 
 blefe a day, is to rejoice in it, as delightful and profper- 
 ous. And indeed, what day more joyful and more hap- 
 py than that which faw the works of God perfected, and 
 yet not ftained by any fin either of angels, or, as is pro- 
 bable, of men ? There has been none like it fmce that 
 rime, certainly not iince the entrance of fin. Secondly, 
 It was alfo a part of the blejfing of this day, that God 
 adjudged to man, religioufly imitating the pattern of his 
 own reft, the moft ample bleflings, and indeed, in that 
 very reft, the earned of a moft happy reft in heaven ; 
 of which more fully prefently. Elegantly faid the- an- 
 cient Hebrew doctors ; " That the blefling and fanBi- 
 
 - of the fabbath redound to the obfcrvers thereof, 
 that they may be bleffed and holy thenafelves." 
 
 X. The reft, here enjoined and recommended to man 9 
 comprizes chiefly thefe things : in general, that he fhould 
 
 * Or, the explication of the law, fol. n. col.. 3. f Pfhl. err. 13. 
 .j: Job ii. 14. Jer. zx. 14. 
 
OF THE FIRST SABBATH. 161* 
 
 abftain from every fin, thro' the whole courfe of his life, 
 as giving nothing but uneafmefs, both to himfelf and his 
 God. As the Lord complains,* Thou haft been -weary 
 of me, Ifrad ; and,t thou haft wearied me -with thine 
 iniquities. By finning, we dreadfully tranfgrefs again ft 
 the reft of God, who cannot delight in a firmer; of 
 whom and his work he fays,* They are a burthen to me^ 
 I am weary to bear them. But more cfpecially, it is like- 
 wife man's duty, that as he is the concluding part of the 
 works of God, and the lad of all the creatures that 
 came out of the hands of his Creator, not fo to haraft 
 and fatigue himfelf about the creatures, as to feek his 
 happinefs and good in them ; but rather, by a holy ele- 
 vation of mind, afcend to the Creator himfelf, and ac- 
 quiefce in nothing fhort of the enjoyment of his un- 
 bounded goodnefs, of the imitation of the pureft holj- 
 nefs, and of the expectation of the fulleft reft and inti- 
 mate union with his God. This indeed is the true and 
 fpiritual reft, always to be meditated upon, fought after, 
 and obferved by man. 
 
 XL Moreover, as man, even in the ftate of inno- 
 cence, was to perform folemn afts of piety, together 
 with his confort and children, to whom he was to be 
 their mouth in prayer, thankfgiving, and praifes; it was 
 neceflary, that, at that time, laying afide all other occu- 
 pations, and all cares about what related to the fupport 
 of natural life, and ordering thofe about him to reft, he 
 might, without any hindrance from the body, religioaf . 
 ly apply himfelf to this one thing. This, I hope, none 
 of my brethren will refufe. At leaft the celebrated Coc- 
 ceius readily allows it. Whofe words are thefe.J " It 
 is right in itfelf, and a part of the image of God, that 
 
 * If. xliii. 22. f Ver. 24. J If. i, 14, Sum. theol. 
 c. xxi. 10. 
 
 VOL. L W 
 
162 OF THE FIRST SABBATH. 
 
 man fhould, as often as poflible, employ himfelf in the 
 vorfhip of God (that is laying afide the things pertain- 
 ing to the body and its conveniences, be wholly taken 
 up in thofe duties which become a foul delighting in 
 God, glorifying him, and celebrating his praife;) and 
 that he iliould do To too in the public affembly, for the 
 common joy and edification of all." 
 
 XII. After man had finned, the remembrance of 
 God's reding, and fan&ifyirig the feyenth day, ought to 
 roufe him from his flownefs and dullnefs, in the worfhip 
 of God, in order to fpend every feventh day therein, 
 laying afide, for a while, all other employments. But 
 it will be better to explain this in Calvin's words : " God 
 therefore firft refled, and then he blefled that reft, that 
 it might be ever afterwards holy among men ; or he fet 
 apart each feventh day for reft, that his own example 
 might be a ftanding rule." Martyr fpeaks to the fame 
 purpofe : " Hence men are put in mind, that if the 
 church enjoins them to fet apart a certain day in the 
 week for the worfhip of God, this is not altogether a 
 human device, nor belongs only to the law of Mofes, 
 but likewifehad its rife from hence, and is an imitation 
 of God." All this is alfo approved of by Cocceius, 
 whofe excellent words we will fubjoin from the place 
 juft quoted, $ 12. " The confequence of thefe things 
 in the fmner is that, if encompaffed with the infirmi- 
 ties of the flefli, and expofed to the troubles of life, he 
 may at leaft each feventh day recolle6l himfelf, and give 
 himfelf up to far preferable thoughts, and thea cheer- 
 fully, on account of that part of the worfhip of God, 
 that cannot be performed without difengaging from biu 
 finefs, abftain from the work of his hands, and from 
 feeking, preparing, and gathering the fruits of the earth." 
 And as this celebrated expofitor approves of this, I 
 know not, why he mould difapprove the elegant obfer- 
 
OF THE FIRST SABBATH. 163 
 
 vation of Chryfoftom ;* That "hence, as by certain 
 preludes, God hath enigmatically taught us to confe- 
 cfate, and fet apart for fpiritual employment,- each fc- 
 venth day in the week." If we all agree, as I hope we 
 may, in thefe pofuions, wTiich feem not unhappily to 
 explain the nature of the nrfl fabbath; I truly reckon, 
 that a great deal is done, and a way paved to compofe 
 thofe unhappy difputes about the fabbath of the deca- 
 logue, which, for fome years paft, have made fuch noife 
 in the Belgic univerfities and churches. 
 
 XIII. Having thus explained the nature of the firft 
 fabbath, we proceed to inquire into its fpiritual and myf- 
 tical fi^nijicaiton ; from whence it will be eafy to con- 
 clude, that" we have not improperly called it a facra- 
 ment ; or, which is the fame, a facred fign or feal (fof 
 why mould we wrangle about a word not fcriptural, 
 when we agree: about the thing ?) of the promifes of fal- 
 vation made by God to Adam. We have Paul's autho- 
 rity to aflert, that the fabbath had fome myftical mean- 
 ing, and refpeBed an eternal and happy reft.t And this 
 is juftly fuppofed by the apoftle, as a thing well known 
 to the Hebrews, and which is a corner-done or funda- 
 mental point with their doftors. It was a common pro- 
 verb, quoted by Buxtorf,J " The fabbath was not given 
 but to be a type of the life to come." To the fame 
 purpofe is that which we have in Zohar :$ " What is 
 the fabbath-day ? A type of the land of the living, 
 which is the world to come, the world of fouls, the 
 world df confolations." Thefe things, indeed, are not 
 improper to be faid in general ; but you will not readily 
 find any where the analogy between the 'fabbath and 
 eternal reft fpecialSy affigned. Gan it be thought im- 
 juoper,if 3 diiHngui filing between fftcTeJTofGod^tk^ re.fi o/ 
 
 * Not, atHeb. iv. [3. f Hcb. iv. 4. TO. f In Florilegi* 
 Hehneo. ' la Geu. fol. v. ch.<p . v. 
 
164 OF THE FIRST SABBATH. 
 
 wan, and the fcventh day, on which both refted, we 
 fliould diftinctly propofe the my ftical meaning of each ? 
 XIV. The rejl of God from the work of the creation, 
 was a type of a far more glorious reft of God from the 
 work of the glorification of the whole univerfe. When 
 God had created the firft world, fo as to be a commo- 
 dious habitation for man, during his probation, and an 
 illuftrious theatre of the perfections of the Creator; he 
 took pleafure in this his work, and refted with delight, 
 For he had beftowed upon it all the perfections which 
 were requifite to complete that ftate. But he had re- 
 folved, one day, to produce a far more perfect uni- 
 verfe, and, by diffulving the elements by fire, to raife a 
 new heaven and a new earth, as it were, out of the afli- 
 es of the old : which new world, being blefled with the 
 immutability of its happinefs, was to be a far more mag- 
 nificent habitation for his glorified creatures, and in 
 which, as in the laft difplay of his perfections, he was 
 for ever to reft with the greateft complacency. And 
 befides, as God, according to his infinite wifdom, fo 
 very wifely connects all his aftions, that the preceding 
 have a certain refpett to the following ; in like manner, 
 fmce that reft of God after the creation was lefs com- 
 plete than that other, when God mail have concluded 
 the whole, and which is to be followed by no other la- 
 bour or toil ; it is proper to confider that firft reft of 
 God, as a type, and a kind of prelude of that other, 
 which is more perfect. In fine, becaufe it tends to 
 man's greateft happinefs, that the whole univerfe be 
 thus glorified, and himfelf in the univerfe, that God 
 may altogether reft in him, as having now obtained his 
 laft degree of perfection, he is laid to enter intoil.: 
 of God.* 
 
 * Hcb. iv. 10. 
 
OF THE FIRST SAEEATII* 165 
 
 XV. This reft of God was.- after the creation, imme- 
 
 ^L~- - - 
 diately fucceeScd by the. reft of man. For when he had 
 
 formed man on the lixth day, without paradife (as pof- 
 fibly rnay be gathered from the fimplicity of Mofes's 
 narrative) he brought him into paradife on thefevemh, 
 
 JEHOVAH ELOHIM ATHHAADAM VAJANNICHEHU 
 
 BEGAN NGED^EN, and put /uw, or, as others think 
 the words may be tranflated, he made him reft in the 
 garden of Eden* Was not this a mod delightful fym- 
 bol, or fign, to Adam, that, after having finiihed his 
 courfe of labour on this earth, he fhould be tranfiatei 
 from the earth, into a place far more pleafant than pa- 
 radife, and to a reft far more delighful than that which 
 he enjoyed therein ? And when, at certain times, ceaf- 
 ing from tilling the ground in paradife, he gavehitafelf 
 wholly up to the religious worfhip of God, with a foul 
 delighting in God ; was not this a certain earned and a 
 preiibation to him of that time, in which, exempted 
 from all care about this animal life, he fhould immedi- 
 ately delight hiinfelf in the intimate communion of God, 
 being joined with the choirs of angels, and doing the 
 work of angels ? 
 
 XVI. May not this reft both of God and man, fal- 
 ling upon the fcventk day, after the fix working ones, 
 properly denote, that the rejl of the glory of God is 
 then to be expected, after the week of this world is elapf- 
 ed ? and that man is not to enter into reft, till he has fi- 
 niflied his courfe of probation, and God, upon ftrictly 
 examining it by the rule of his law, finds it complete, 
 and in every refpecl perfect ? And are we to rcjed the 
 learned obfervation of Peter Martyr ; that ;i this fe- 
 venth day is faid to have neither morning nor evening, 
 becaufe this is a perpetual reft to thole who are truly the 
 fons of God ?" 
 
 * Gen. ii. 15. 
 
i66 OF THE FIRST SABBATH. 
 
 XVII. It is indeed true, that, upon Adam's fin, and 
 violation of the covenant of works, the whole face of 
 things was changed : but all thefe things [we have been 
 fpeaking of] were fuch, as might have been fignified and 
 fealed by this fabbath to Adam, even in the ftate of in- 
 nocence ; and why might it not really have been fo ? 
 For the apoftle exprefsly declares, that God's rejling 
 from his works, from the foundation of the world,* had 
 a myftical fignification. This being fuppofed, it is our 
 bufmefs to find out the agreement between the figa.and 
 the thing (ignified ; for the greater analogy we obferve 
 between them, we mall the more clearly and with joy 
 difcover the infinite wifdom and goodnefs of God, va- 
 rious ways manifefting themfelves. It cannot but tend 
 to the praife of the divine Architect, if we can obferve 
 many excellent refemblances between the piclure given 
 us by himfelf, and the copy. Indeed, I deny not, that 
 Paul, when difcourfing of the fabbath, leads us to that 
 reft, which is purchafed for believers by the fufferings 
 of Chrift. But it cannot thence be inferred, that, after 
 the entrance of fin, God's fabbath borrowed all its myf- 
 tical fignification from the covenant of grace. For, as 
 to the fubftance of the thing, the glorious reft promifed 
 by the covenant of works, and now to be obtained by 
 the covenant of grace, is one and the fame, confifting 
 in a blefled acquiefcence or reft of the foul in God. 
 As this was fealed to man in innocence by the fabbath, 
 under the covenant of works ; fo likewife it is fealed by 
 the fabbath under the covenant of grace, though under 
 another relation, and under other circumftances. For 
 God, having perfecl knowledge, that man would not 
 continue in the fir ft covenant, had, from all eternity, 
 decreed to fet on foot a quite different order of things, 
 
 * Heb. iv. 3. 
 
OF THE FIRST SABBATH. 167 
 
 and bring his cleft, by a new covenant of grace, to the 
 mod peaceful reft. Accordingly, he fettled, in his un- 
 fearchable wifdom, \vHtever~preceded the fall, in fuch 
 a manner, that man, viewing them after the fall with the 
 enlightened eyes of faith, might difcover itill greater 
 myfteries in them, which regarded Chrift, and the glory 
 to be obtained by him. But we are not to fpeak of 
 thefe things here. Whoever defires a learned explica- 
 tion of thofe myfteries, may confult Meftrefat's fermons, 
 on the fourth chapter of the epiftle to the Hebrews. 
 
 XVIII. This fabbath alfo put man in mind of vari- 
 ous duties to^Ge performed by him, which having point- 
 ed out above, 10, 11. I think needlefs to repeat now. 
 And thus we have executed what we promifed concern- 
 ing the facraments of the covenant of works. 
 
 XIX. Here now I might conclude, did not a very 
 learned man come in my way ; whofe thoughts on the 
 firft fabbath, being widely different from the commonly- 
 received notions, I intend, with his permiffion, calmly 
 to examine. He therefore maintains, that Adam, on 
 the very day of his creation, being feduced by the de- 
 vil had involved himfelfand the whole world in the 
 moft wretched bondage of corruption : but that God, 
 en the feventh day, reftored all things, thus corrupted 
 by the devil and by man, by his gracious promife of the 
 Median : upon this reftoration he refted in that very day : 
 and that reft, upon the reparation of the world, being 
 peculiar to the feventh day, may be the foundation of 
 the fabbath. Doubtlefs, on thejixth day the heavens and 
 the earth were fini/hed, and all the hojl of them* And 
 God beholding the works of his creation fo perfect, 
 pleafantly refted in them. This was the reft of the fixth 
 4ay. But on the fame day Satan corrupted all : for up* 
 
 * Gen. ii. i. 
 
i68 OF THE FIRST SABBATH. 
 
 on lofing heaven, of whofe hoft he was one, and which 
 he greatly diminithed, by aflociating many other angels 
 to himfejf, and fo far rendered that habitation a defert ; 
 and on earth, by means of a calumnious lie, he render- 
 ed iman, the prince of the terreftrial hoft, a fubjecl to 
 himfelf, a rebel to God, and deftitute of life. This was 
 the corruption of the earth. And thus heaven and earth 
 fo beautifully finifhed by God on the fixth day, were on 
 the fame bafely defiled by Satan and by man. This oc- 
 caiioned God, to be engaged in a new work orTthe fe- 
 venth day, even to re {lore what had been thus defiled 
 and corrupted, and to complete them anew r . Which he 
 did on the feventh day, when the Mediator, God-man, 
 was revealed by the gofpel, whom, in the promife, he 
 appointed to triumph over Satan the corrupter of all, 
 and fo to reftore all things ; both of the earth, where he 
 began the reftoration, by delivering the eleft of mankind 
 from the bondage of corruption ; and of heaven, by 
 bringing the fame chofen people into the heavenly habi- 
 tation, in order to its being again re-peopled with that 
 colony of new inhabitants : In this manner he will com- 
 plete the reftoration. Which completion Mofes inti- 
 mates,* And on the feventh day God ended his work which 
 he had made. This finifhing of the rejloration, fignifi- 
 edt by the word LANGASOTH, made, is very diftinQ; 
 from the fini/hing of the creation, mentioned ver. i. 
 When God had done all this, upon giving his Son to 
 men for a Mediator and Redeemer, he himfelf refted in 
 this his laft work, as this is the man of his delight.^ 
 And this reft was the only foundation for inftituting the 
 fabbath. This injlitiition conlifts of a two-fold aft : the 
 firft is of btcjfing, by which God blerTed that very day, 
 by a rnoft diftinguiihing privilege, to be the day devoted 
 
 * Gen.ii. 2. f Ver. 3. t If. xlii. K 
 
I 
 
 OF THE FIRST SABBATH, 
 
 to the MeiTiah, who was revealed in it by the gofpel. 
 For this is the honor of the fabbath, that it is the de- 
 light, on account of the holy of the Lord being glorified.* 
 The other jaft is that of fanclification, by which he fet 
 it apart for a fign and memorial of that benefit, becaufe, 
 through and for the holy of the Lord being glorified^ he 
 chufes to fanclify the elecl. This is the fum of that 
 opinion. Let us now confider, whether it be folid, and 
 can be proved by fcripture. 
 
 XX. The whole foundation of this opinion is, that 
 Adam fell on the very day in which he was created : 
 which the fcripture no where fays. I know there are 
 fame of the Jewifh doctors, who with boldnefs, as is 
 their way, afiert this ; and, as if they were perfectly 
 acquainted with what God was about every hour, de- 
 clare, that man was created the third hour of the day, 
 fell the eleventh, and was expelled paradife the twelfth. 
 But this rafhnefs is to be treated with indignation. The 
 learned perfon deems it his glory to be wife from the 
 fcriptures alone, and juftly : for thus it becomes a di- 
 vine. But what fcripture determines any thing about 
 the day of the firft fin ? We have here fcarce any more 
 than bare conjectures, which at bed are but a very fan- 
 dy foundation, on which it does not appear to be the 
 part of a wife architect to build fo grand an edifice. 
 
 XXI. Nay, there are many things, which rather in- 
 cline us to think, that ma.n's fin happened not on the 
 fixth day. For after God had, on that day, created the 
 beads; after he had formed Adam of the duft of the 
 earth ; after he had prefcribed him the law concerning 
 the tree of knowledge of good and evil; after he had 
 prefented to him the beafts in paradife, that, upon in- 
 
 * If. Iviii. 13. 
 VOL. I. X 
 
I/O OF THE FIRST SAB a ATI?. 
 
 quiring into the nature of each (which alfo he per form- 
 ed with great accuracy, as the great Bochart has very 
 learnedly (hewn*) he might call each by thoir proper 
 names ; after Adam had found, that there was not among 
 diem any help-meet for him, for the purpofes and con- 
 venience of marriage ; and after God had caft Adam in- 
 to a deep deep, then at laft Eve was formed from 
 Adam's rib. All thefe things are not of a nature to be 
 performed, like the other works of the preceding days, 
 in the ihorteft fpace of time poffible, and, as it were, 
 in a moment ; but they fucceedecl one another in diilincl: 
 periods, and, during thefe, feveral things muft have been 
 done by Adam himfelf. Nay, there are divines of no 
 fmall note, who infift, that all thefe things were not done 
 in one day ; and others poftpone the creation of Eve to 
 one of the days of the following week. But we do not 
 now engage in thefe difputes. After all thefe things, 
 the world was yet innocent, and free from all guilt, at 
 lead on the part of man. And God, contemplating his 
 works, and concluding his day, approved of all as very 
 good and beautiful. He had yet no new labour for re- 
 ftoring the fallen world, which would have been nowife 
 inferior to the work of the creation. But what proba- 
 bility is there, that, in thofe very few hours which re- 
 mained, if yet a fingle hour remained, Adam mould 
 have parted from Eve, who had been juft created, ex- 
 pofed moft his beloved confort to an infidious ferpent, 
 and that both of them, juft from the hands of the Creator, 
 fhould fo fuddenly have given ear to the deceiver ? JJn- 
 lefs one is prepolfeffed in favor of the contrary opinion, 
 what reafon could he have, notwithftanding fo many 
 probabilities to the contrary, prematurely thus to hurry 
 on Adam's fin ? Since therefore the whole of this foun- 
 
 * Hiero&oic. lib. i. c. 9. 
 
Or THE FIRST SABBATH. 171 
 
 dation is fo very weak, what folid fupcrftruclure can we 
 imagine it is capable of ? 
 
 XXII. Let as now take a nearer view of the fuper- 
 firu&iire itfelf, and examine, whether its conftru&ion 
 be fufficiently firm and compact. The very learned 
 perfon imagines he fees a new labour on the feventh day, 
 and a new reft fucceeding that labour, which is the foun- 
 dation of the fabbath. The labour was a fromife of th'c 
 MeJJiah) by which the world, miferably polluted with 
 fin, was to be rcftored. Of this labour Mofes treats, 
 And on the fcvcnih day God ended his work which he had 
 made.* The reft was the fatisfaclion and delight he had 
 in that promife, and in the Meffiah promifed. But let 
 us oppofe the following confiderations to this fentiment. 
 i. If God, on the feventh day, performed the immenfe 
 work of recovering the world from the fall ; e a work, 
 which if not greater, yet certainly is not lefs than the 
 creation of the world out of nothing, and he was again to 
 .reft, when he had fini fried it ; certainly then, the feventh 
 day was as much a day of work to God, and no more 
 a fabbath, or day of reft, than any of the preceding 
 days* For God having finifhed the work of each day, 
 refted for a while, and delighted in it. 2. Mofes, in 
 the fecond verfe, makes ufe of the fame word, by which 
 he had expreffed the finifhing of the world in the firft. 
 But the fimJJnng in the fiift verfe, as the learned perfon 
 himfelf owns, relates to the fmifning of the creation ; 
 what necellity then can there be for giving fuch different 
 fenfes to one and the fame word, in the fame context, 
 when there is not the lead mark of diftinction ? 3. Hi- 
 therto Moibs iia.s not given the lead imaginable hinFof 
 the fail of our iiril parents : is it then probable, that he 
 would fo abruptly mention the reftitution of the world 
 
 * Hierczoic. chap, ii. . 
 
ij2 OF THE FIRST SABBATH. 
 
 from the fall ; and that in the very fame words, which he 
 had juft ufed, and was afterwards to ufe for explaining 
 the firft creation ? What can oblige, or who can fuffer 
 us to confound the neatnefs of Mofes's method, and the 
 perfpicuity of his words, by this feigned irregularity 
 and ambiguity? A. It may be doubted, whetther we 
 can properly fay, that, by the promife of the Meffiah, 
 all things were perfected and finifhed ; fince God, if we 
 follow the thread of Mofes's narrative, did, after this 
 promife, punifh the world with a deferved curfe ; and 
 the apofHe fiill fays of the world, that the creature was 
 made fubjett to vanity , and groans under the bondage of 
 corruption* It is indeed true, that the promife of the 
 Mefiiah, which could not be fruftrated, was the founda- 
 tion of the comfort of the fathers ; but the fcripture no 
 \vhere declares, that, by this promife, as immediately 
 made after the fall, all things were fmifhed : nay, even 
 this promife pointed out that perfon, who, after many 
 ages, and by various acls, not of one and the fame of- 
 fice, was to effecl the true confummation. 
 
 XXIII. Our learned author urges the following rea- 
 fons, why thofe two finifhings are not to be looked upon 
 as the fame. i. It would be a tautology, if not an in- 
 excufable battology, or idle repetition, in fuch a compen- 
 dious narrative ; and either the firfl verfe, or the begin- 
 ning of the fecond, would be fuperfluous. 2. The fi- 
 nifhing or ending, ver. 2. is annexed to thefeventh day^ 
 by a double article, in the fame manner as the rejl is. 
 And on the veryfeventh day God ended his work -which he 
 had made ; and he re/led on the very feventh day from all 
 his work which he had made. So that, if the former 
 verb VAJCAL be rendered by the preterpluperfecl, and 
 
 he had endcd^ the latter VAJISHEBOTH limit be render- 
 
 t 
 
 * Rom. vii. 20j 21. 
 
OF THE FIRST SABBATH. 173 
 
 ed fo too, and he had rejled ; but this is incongruous. 
 Nay, fince on the other days we reject the preterpluper- 
 fecl {enfe, left the works of the following day fliould be 
 referred to thofe of the preceding,; contrary to hiftori- 
 cal truth ; it ought not then here to-be admitted on the 
 ieventhday. 3. When the third verfe ihews the caufe 
 of this reft, it fpeaks of diffm5 finifhings, the latter of 
 which is that of the feventh day, And God blej/ed the fe- 
 venth . day* and fanttijied it, bccaufe that in it he had 
 rejled from all his 'work, which God BAR A created and 
 made. By two verbs he defcribes two aclions ; BAR A 
 denotes to create, and N GAS AH, to adorn, to poliJJi. 
 Thefe words are frequently of the fame import, yet, 
 when joined together, they are to be diftinguifhed; a* 
 is owned not only by Chriftian, but by jewifh interpre- 
 ters. (Thus it is, If. xliii. 7, where another word is ad- 
 ded, JETZAR, inform; and as to all the three, BARA 
 certainly fignifies, the creation of 'the foul , butjATZAR, 
 the formation of the body, and N GAS AH, reformation by 
 grace.) But thefe two actions are fo defcribed, thai 
 MANGAS^EH, making, immediately precedes rejlingj 
 . and was the work of the feventh day ; but BERI AH, cre- 
 ation, the work of the fix preceding days. 4. To the 
 fame purpofe is the recapitulation of ver. 4. which re- 
 peats and confirms the diftinclion j Lift now mentioned : 
 Thefe are the generations of the heavens and of the earth, 
 when they were created ; in the day that the Lord God 
 made the earth and the heavens. Thus he recites 4he ge- 
 nerations both of the firft iix days, in which the heavens 
 and the earth, with their refpective hods, were created, 
 and of the beginning of that one day, namely, the fe- 
 venth, which is that of operation, in which he made 
 and polifhed, inverting the order; firft the earth, then 
 the heavens. Thus far our very learned auihor. 
 
174 OF THE FIRST SABBATH. 
 
 XXIV. But we cannot a {Ten t to the'fe things, and 
 therefore we anfwer each in order. To the /r/2, I 
 would earneftly entreat our brother, both to think and 
 fpcak more reverently of the ftyle of the Holy Ghoft, 
 nor charge thofe fimple and artlefs repetitions of one and 
 the fame thing, even in a concife narrative, with an in- 
 excufable tautoligy, if not a battology, or vain and ufe- 
 lefs repetition. It does not become us, the humble dif- 
 ciples of the divine Spirit, to criticife on the moft learn- 
 ed language, and the moft pure ftyle of our adorable 
 M after. It is very frequent, in the facred writings, 
 more than once to repeat the fame thing, in almoft the 
 fame words, at no great diftance afurider. This very 
 fecond chapter of Genefis, of which we now treat, gives 
 ifs various examples of this. The reafon of the lan&i- 
 fkation of the feventh day, namely, the reft of God 
 upon that day, is propofed in nearly the fame words, in 
 the fecond and third verfes. This learned perfon him- 
 felf calls the fourth verfe a recapitulation of what was 
 juft faid. And what is the whole of the fecond chap- 
 ter, but a fuller explication of the formation of man, 
 which indeed we have plainly, but more briefly, related 
 in the firft chapter ? Shall we therefore fay, that a part 
 of the nrft chapter, or the whole of the fecond, is in a 
 great meafure fuperfluous ? Or mail we dare to charge 
 God with tautologies, if not with inexcufable battolo- 
 gies ? Is it not more becoming to tremble with awe at 
 his words, and rather return him thanks, that, on ac- 
 count of the dulnefs of our apprehenfion, he has vouch- 
 fafed to propofe, two or three times, the fame truths, 
 either in the fame or in a variety of words, having all 
 the fame meaning ? For my own part, I would act in 
 this manner, without any doubt of acting as becomes, 
 
 XXV. To the fecond I would anfwer : i. The words 
 of Mofcs may be taken in this fenfe, namely, that God 
 
OF THE FIRST SABBATH. 175 
 
 fmifhed the work of the fixth day, and confequently of 
 all the fix days, in the very moment in which the feventh 
 began. Thus the ancient Hebrews, and after them, 
 Rabbi Salomo, explain this manner of fpeaking ; as 
 thereby to intimate, that God, in the very moment in 
 v/hich he entered on the fabbath, finifhed his work : for 
 God alone knows the moments and lead parts of time 
 in another manner than men do. 2. Nor is it an im- 
 proper obfervation of Aben Ezra, " that the finifhing 
 of the work is not the work itfelf," but only means the 
 ceafing from work, and that the text explains itfelf thus; 
 And he fini/hed, that is, and he rejled ; having finifhed 
 his work, he worked no longer. 3. But we need not 
 infift on this. Drufius fpeaks to excellent purpofe on 
 this place': " The preterperfecl; Hebrew may be as well 
 rendered by the preterpluperfecl as otherwife. It is real- 
 ly fo : the Hebrews have only one preterperfecl;, which 
 they ufe for every kind of pad time : and therefore, ac- 
 cording to the connection, it may be rendered fometimes 
 by the preterperfeft, and at other times by the preter- 
 pluperfecV Let it therefore be rendered here by the 
 preterpluperfe6l, And he had fini/hed, as the Dutch 
 tranflation has alfo done, and all the difficulty will dif- 
 appear. Our learned author may infift, that if this be 
 granted, then the following VAJISHEBOTH mull be alfo 
 rendered by the preterpluperfe6l. But it does not fol- 
 low : for we are to confider the nature of the fubjeft 
 and the different circumftances. The learned perfon 
 infifts, that the vfordjini/liing is ufed in a different fenfe 
 in the firft, from what it is in the fecond verfe ; and fhall 
 we not be allowed to interpret a preterperfecl, which, 
 by the genius of the language, is indeterminate, fome- 
 tiraes by the pretcrperfcct, and at other times by the pre- 
 terpluperfeft, as the fubjecl mail require ? And if elfe- 
 vherc we juftly reject the preterpluperfed fenfe, it is 
 
176 OF THE FIRST SABBATH. 
 
 not becaufe the genius of the Hebrew tongue does not 
 admit of it, but becaufe, as the learned perfon himfelf 
 ohferves, fuch an interpretation is contrary to the truth 
 of the hiftory. Which not being the caie here, fuch a 
 reafon cannot be urged. I will only add, if Mofes 
 wanted to fay, what we imagined he has faid, et confum- 
 maverat ifcus die feptimo, &c. et cefiavit, &c. and on 
 the feventh day God had fini/hcd^ &c. and i-efted, &c. 
 could he pofTibly have expreiled in other words, or more 
 aptly, according to the genius of the language, this 
 fenfe ? Was the learned perfon himfelf to render into 
 Hebrew, word for word, thefe Latin words, he would 
 certainly have rendered them in the fame tenfe and mood, 
 as Mofes has done. 
 
 XXVI. To the third reafon, I reply : i. The word 
 N GAS AH is very general, and fignifies, to do a thing any 
 hoW) well or ill. It is faid, of penal or phyfical evil, 
 Amos iv. 13. NCOS EH SHACHAR NGEPHAH, Who 
 maketh the morning darknefs ; and Ezek. xxxv. 6. 
 i. EDAM jENGyEscHA, I will prepare (make) thee unto 
 blood. And of moral evil, Mic. ii. i. When the morn- 
 ing is light, they praclife it ; JANCASUHA. We (hail 
 give more inftances prefcntly. Hence it appears, that 
 the learned perfon too much reftrifts the meaning of this 
 word, when he explains it by the words, to adorn or po- 
 HJli ; efpecially, if he would precifely confine it to the 
 reformation by grace. 2. The fame word N GAS AH is 
 often expreflive of the fix days work; as Gen. i. 31. 
 And God faw JE.TK CAL ASHLER N GAS AH, all that he 
 had made ; and Exod. xx. 11. Infix days the Lord 
 N GAS AH made heaven and earth : likewife Ezek. xlvi. 
 
 1. SHESH/ETH JEM El H A M M A N G A S >E H the flX WOrk- 
 
 ing days are oppofed to the fabbath. Neither does' the 
 learned perfon deny, that the words BAR A and N GAS AH 
 are often equivalent. And why not here alfo ? Is there 
 
OF THE FIRST SABBATH, 177 
 
 any neceflhy, or probable reafon, for taking MAN G AS^H 
 for the work ofihefeventh day, and BERIA& for the work 
 cf the fix preceding days ? 3. I tbink he goes a litile 
 too far, when he aflerts, that both Chriftian and Jewiih 
 interpreters admit, that thefe words, when joined to^ 
 geiher, have diftincl iignifications. Truly, for my own 
 part, of the feveral interpreters, both Jewifh and Chrif- 
 tians, whom I have confulted, I never found one, who 
 diftinguifhes the meaning of thefe words, as this learned 
 author has done. See Fagius on Gen. i. i. Menaf- 
 feh ben Ifrael, de creat. probl. 4. Cocceius, difput. 
 feleft. p. 70. 72. Let us, in this cafe, hear the very 
 learned de Dieu, who thus comments on this paffage. 
 " It appears to be an ufual Hebraifm, whereby the 
 infinitive, LANCASOTH, added to a verb, including a 
 like action, is generally redundant : fuch as Judg. xiii. 
 19. And acting, he afted wonderoufly, that is, he atted 
 wondcrou/ly. i Kings xiv. 9. And doing, thou haft done 
 evil, that is, Thou haft done evil. 2, Kings xxi. 6. And 
 working, he multiplied wickednefs, that is fimply, he 
 multiplied wickednefs, or, he wrought much wickednefs. 
 2 Chron. xx. 35. He doing, did wickedly ; doing is 
 redundant. Pfal. cxxvi. 2. The Lord doing, has done 
 great things for them ; doing is again redundant. Eccl. 
 ii. 11. On the labour that doing, I had laboured, that is 
 fimply, / had laboured. Which laft paiTage is entirely 
 parallel with this in Genefis ; for whether you fay, 
 NGAMAL LANGASOTH, he doing, laboured, or BARA 
 LANGASOTH, he making, created, you fay the fame 
 thing : unlefs that BARA fignifies to produce fomething 
 new, without any precedent or pattern, and which had 
 no exigence before ; therefore, he making, created, .is 
 no other than, he made fomething new" Thefe things 
 neither coulcj, nor ought to be unknown to this learned 
 VOL. L Y 
 
178 OF THE FIRST SABBATH. 
 
 perfon, confidering his great (kill in Hebrew learning, 
 4. He ought not to have made fuch a diftinclion, barely 
 and without any proof, between the words BAR A JAT- 
 ZAR and NGASAH, which are ufed by Ifaiah, xliii. 7. 
 as if the firft intends the creation of the foul ; the fecond 
 the formation of the body ; and the third, the reforma- 
 tion by grace : there not being the leaft foundation for 
 kin fcripture. For, i. BARA fometimes fignifies refor- 
 mation by grace^ as Pfal. li. 10, BERA LI create in me a 
 clean heart. 2. JATZARIS fometimes applied to the 
 foul, Zech. xii. i. ^?I^VEJOTZER RUACII ADAM BE- 
 KIRCO, formeth the fpirit of man within him : and Pfal. 
 xxxiii. 15. HAJOTZER JACHAD L i BB AM, an dfafJiion- 
 eth their hearts alike ; fometimes too it denotes forma- 
 tion by grace ; as If. xliii. 21. This people JATZARTI 
 have I formed for myfelf^ they fliall fliew forth my praife. 
 3. N GAS AM is more than once ufedybr the firfi forma- 
 tion of man; as Gen. i. 26". NANGAS^EH Let us make 
 man : and Gen. ii. 18. JENGJES^EH / will make him an 
 help -meet for him ; Jer. xxxviii. 16. ASHLER NGASAH 
 that made us this foul ^ fays king Zedekiah to Jeremiah, 
 without having any thoughts of a reformation by grace. 
 Since therefore all thefe words are fo promifcuoufly 
 ufed in fcripture, ought we not to look upon him, who 
 diflinguifhes them in fuch a magisterial manner, as one 
 who gives too much fcope to his own fancy ? And what 
 if one mould invert the order of our author, and pofi- 
 tively affert, that BARA here denotes reformation by 
 grace^ as Pfal.li. 10. JATZAR the produclion of the foul ^ 
 as Zech. xii. i. arid NGASAH, the formation of the bo- 
 dy, as Gen. ii. 8. what reply could the learned perfon 
 make ? But thefe are w.eak arguments. It is more na- 
 tural to take thefe words in Ifaiah, as meant of the new 
 creation and reformation by grace. And this accumu- 
 lation or multiplying of wo,rds is very propejr to denote 
 
Of THE FIRST SABBATH. 179 
 
 the exceeding greatnefs of the power of God, and his effec- 
 tual working in the fanctification of the elect. There 
 is a parallel place, Eph. ii. 10. For we arc his. Heb. 
 MANGAS^EH (workmanf/iip ) Heb. NIBRAIM, created in 
 Chrijl Jefus unto good works, which God j ATZAR, hdth 
 lefore ordained, that ivefliouldwalk in them : as If. xxii. 
 
 ll.VEJOTZRAK MERACHO KfafklOned it long OgO, which 
 
 properly PROETOIMASE he hath before ordained. From 
 all this it appears, that this paffage in Ifaiah can be of no 
 fervice to our learned author. 5. But if we muft dillin- 
 guifli between TO BARAand TO NGASAH, nothing, I 
 think, is more to the purpofe than the interpretation of 
 Ben Nachman. " He relied from all his works, which 
 BAR A, he created, by producing fomething out of no- 
 thing, LANGASOTH, to make of it all the works men- 
 tioned in the fix days : and lo ! he fays, he reded from 
 creating and from working ; from creating, as having 
 created in the Hrlt day, and from working, as ha v ing 
 completed his working in the remaining days." 
 
 XXVII. The fourth reafon coincides with the fore- 
 going, only triatlf fs ffill more cabaliftical. i. 'Tis a 
 flrange interpretation to fay, that by TOLEDOTI-I, the 
 generations of heaven and earth, we are to underftand 
 not only their firft creation, but their reftoration by the 
 promife of the Median. For it is quite foreign to the 
 fubjecl to tell us, that, by the fin qf the angels, a (late 
 of corruption was introduced into the heaven of heavens, 
 and thereby the throne of the divine majefty was bafely 
 defiled ; for though, by the angelical apoftafy, corrup- 
 tion had been introduced into heaven, yet by their ejec- 
 tion, whereby they were hurled into hell, the heavens 
 were purged from that corruption. Nor was there any- 
 new heaven made by the promife of the Mefliah, that 
 was given on the fixth day : for that promife made no 
 alteration there, but only foretold, that, after many years. 
 
180 OF THE FIRST SABBATH. 
 
 fome elect fouls were to be received into that holy and 
 blefled habitation. 2. As to the order, in which the 
 earth is put before the heavens ; 'tis well known, that 
 the fcripture does not always relate things in the fame 
 order. Nor from the mere order of the narrative, which 
 is an arbitrary thing, can any arguments be formed. 
 However, Junius's obfervation is not to be rejected. 
 4C Earth and heaven are mentioned in an inverted crder$ 
 becaufe the formation of the earth preceded that of 
 the heavens s for the earth was perfected on the third day 
 of the creation ; heaven on the fourth." 3. 'Tis doing 
 inanifeft violence to the text, if we underltand the for- 
 mation of the earth and heavens, of their reformation 
 by grace, in virtue of thepromife of the Meiliah, made 
 on the feventh day ; becaufe Mofes treats of that for- 
 mation of earth and heaven, which was prior to that of 
 plants and herbs ; as appears from the connection of 
 Ver. 3. with ver. 4. For thus the words run : Theft 
 are the generations of the heavens and of the earth, when 
 they were created ; in the day that the Lord God made the 
 earth and the heavens, and every plant of the field , before 
 it was in the earth, and every herb of 'the field, &:c. Or, 
 as the learned de Dieu fhews, they may otherwife be 
 very properly rendered ; In the day that the Lord made 
 the heavens and the earth, there was yet no plant of the 
 field created, &c. So that this formation of the earth 
 and the heavens was prior to man's own creation, much 
 more to the fall, and to the reditution from the fall. 
 And this verfe wholly overturns the diilinlion which 
 this learned perfon has invented. 
 
 XXVIII. And thus we have fhewn that the words of 
 Mofes neither mention nor intimate any work by which 
 God reftored all things from the fall on the feventh day. 
 Neither is there to be found therein any reft from that 
 work of reftoration, which is the foundation of ihe reil 
 
OF THE FIRST SABJBATH, 
 
 f the fabbath. For, i. It is irrational to fuppofe, 
 when God promifed the MeiTiab, be tben relied from 
 the work of the gracious reformation of the uriiverfe ; 
 feecaufe that promiic was a prophecy of the fuffefing-s, 
 conflicts, and at laft of the death of Chrift, by which 
 that reformation was to be brought about and accom~ 
 piilhed. 2. How can it be faid, that God refied, im- 
 mediately after having made that promife, from all his 
 work, when directly upon it he pronounced and exe- 
 cuted fentence upon Adam, Eve, and the earth, that was 
 curfed for their crime, and expelled them paradife ^ 
 Which work (to fpeak after the manner of men, com- 
 pare If. xxviii. 21.) was truly a greater labour to God 
 than the very creation of the world. And thus, inftfcad 
 of a fabbath, which Mofes defcribes, this day is made 
 one of the mod laborious to God. 3. The fabbath-day, 
 after the publication of the firft gofpel-promife, waA 
 doubtlefs facred to the Mefliah, and to be celebrated to 
 his honor by the faints, with a holy exultation of foul. 
 Nor (hall I be much againil the learned perfon, fhould 
 he chufe to tranflate If. Iviii. 13. that the fabbath may 
 be called a delight, on account of the hcly of Ike Lord be- 
 ing glorified : but it cannot, with any probability, be 
 inferred from this, that tbe promife of the Meffiah was 
 the foundation of the fir ft fabbath ; fmce the fabbath, 
 as well as .other things, did not acquire that relation till 
 after the fall. 4. The fcripture in exprefs terms de- 
 clares, that the reft of God from the work of the firft 
 creation, which was completed in fix days, was the foun- 
 dation of the fabbath. Injix days the Lord made heaven 
 and earth, thefea. and all that in them i^ and rejltdthe 
 feventh day : -wherefore the Lord blej?ed the Jabbath-day, 
 and hallowed it* Which being plain, it fuiFicieiuly, if 
 I miltake not, appears, that it is much fafcr to go in the 
 
182 OF THE VIOLATION o* THE 
 
 old and beaten path, which is the king's highway, than 
 in that other new-trodden and rough one, which the 
 learned perfon, whofe opinion we have been examin- 
 ing, has chofen to tread in. And fo much for this 
 fubject. 
 
 CHAP. VIII. 
 
 Of the Violation of the Covenant of Works on the part 
 
 of Man. 
 
 A 
 
 .S the fcripture does not declare, how long this co- 
 venant, thus ratified and confirmed, continued unbro- 
 ken, we are fatisfied to remain in the dark. And we 
 would have a holy dread of prefuming rafhly to fix the 
 limits of a time, which is really uncertain. It is how- 
 ever evident, that man, wickedly prefuming to eat the 
 fruit of the forbidden tree, incurred the guilt of violat- 
 ing the covenant. Nr ought that to be deemed a 
 iinall fin (as the apoftle* calls it the offence, difobedience 
 and tranfgreJTion) becaufe it may feem to have been 
 committed about a thing of no great importance. For 
 the meaner the thing is, from which God commanded 
 to abftain, and for which man defpifed the promife of 
 the covenant, makes his tranfgreffion of it the more 
 heinous; as may be illuilrated by the profanenefs of 
 Efau, which was fo much the greater, as the mefs was 
 of fo little value, for which he fold his lirth-right.^ 
 In that fin, as divines generally obferve, there was, as 
 it were, a kind of complication of many crimes. Bjut 
 it is our chief purpofe, to (hew, that this was the viola* 
 
 * Rom.v, Hcb. xlL 16. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS, 183 
 
 tion of the whole covenant. Fo^not only that tree, as 
 we proved above, was a facrament of the covenant, the 
 abufe of which ought to be looked upon as a violence, 
 done to the whole ; not only the precept concerning that 
 tree, which was the trial of univerfal obedience ; but 
 likewife the covenant in its whole conflitution, was vio- 
 lated by that tranfgreffion. The law of the covenant ' 
 was trampled upon, when man, as if he had been his 
 own lord and mafter in all things, did, in defiance of 
 his Lord, lay hold on what was not his property, .and 
 throw off the yoke of obedience, that was due to God. 
 The promifes of the covenant were fet lefs by than a '- 
 tranfuory guft of pleafure, and the empty- promifes of 
 the feducer. And that dreadful death, which the au- 4 
 thor of the covenant threatened the tranfgrefibr with, 
 was not confidered and thought of in all its dreadful ef- 
 fects, but he prefumed to acl in oppofition to it. And 
 thus Adam tranfgreffed the covenant.* 
 
 II. Though Eve had the firfthand in this crime, yet 
 it is ufually in fcripture afcribed to Adam : By one man 
 Jin entered into the world, according to Paul, Rom. v. 
 12. whom, ver. 14. he declares to be Adam. For 
 Adam was the head of the covenant, with whom, even 
 before the creation of Eve, God feetns to have tranf- 
 aBed. Adam was the root of all mankind, and even of 
 Eve herfelf, who was formed out of one of his ribs. 
 Neither is it cuflomary to deduce a genealogy from a A , 
 woman. Nor was the covenant judged to be entirely 4 
 broke, till Adam alfo a*dded his own crime to that of 
 his wife's. Then it was that the Creator, firft acling in 
 the character of a Judge, fummoned to .his bar the 
 inconfiderate pair, already condemned by their .own 
 confcicnce. But we are not to think that this inheri- 
 
 * Hof. vi. 7. 
 
VIOLATION OF THE 
 
 tance of fin was fo derived from our father Adam, as 1 
 excuie our mother Eve from that guilt. For as by 
 marriage they were made one flefh, fo far they may he 
 considered as one man. Nay, Adam is not confidered 
 as the head and root of mankind, but in conjunction 
 with his wife. To this purpofe is what Malachi* fays, 
 that God, fctking a godly feed, math one ; one pair ; 
 two into one flefh. 
 
 III. He who feduced man to this apoftafy, was doubt - 
 lefs a wicked fpirit, who, tormented with the horrors of 
 his guilty conference, envied man his happinefs in God., 
 and God the pleafure he had in man, feeking wretched 
 confolation in a partaker of his mifery. The more ea- 
 fily to infmuate himfdf into man's favor, by his irifnar.- 
 ing difcourfe, he concealed himfelf in the ferpent, the 
 rnoft fubde of all animals, and at that time not lefs ac- 
 ceptable to man, than the reft of the obfequious crea- 
 tures. The great Du Moulint conjectures, this ferpent 
 was of a confpicuous form, with fiery eyes, decked with 
 gold, and marked with mining fpots, and fuch as to 
 draw the eyes of Eve to it : and that he had, before that 
 time, more than once infmuated hirnfclf, by his Tooth- 
 ing founds, into Eve's favor ; in order, that, having 
 preconceived a good opinion of him, fhe might be 
 brought the more readily to yield to him. In fine, he 
 was fuch, that what Mofes fays of the fubtilty of the 
 ferpent, mud be applied to him only, and not to the 
 whole fpecies. To this conjeclure it is alfo added, that 
 Eve perhaps, fuch was her fimplicity, did not know, 
 whether God had beflowed the ufe of fpeech on any 
 other animals, befides man. Laurentius Kami res, J 
 (quoted by Bochart,$ goes a ftep farther, and feigns, 
 ifoat Eve was wont to play with the ferpent. and adorn 
 
 * Hof. ii. 15. f Difput. 3. deangelis, 44. f In his Pen- 
 tecontarch. c. I. - Hierozoic- lib. i. c. 4. p. 30. 
 
" 
 
 COVENANT 01 WORKS, 185 
 
 her bofom, neck, and arms, with it : and hence, at 
 this day, the ornaments for thofe parts have the relem- 
 blance of ferpents, and are called OPEIS, fcrpents, by 
 the Greeks. 
 
 IV. But all this is apocryphal. We are not fo far to 
 pleafe ourfelves, as to advance fuch romantic things, 
 without fcripture-authority. Whether this was the firft, 
 or the only apparition of the ferpent, as having the ufe 
 of fpeech, I mail neither boldly affirm, nor obftinately 
 deny. But what things are told, as probable, of fome 
 extraordinary ferpent fo curioufly fpotted and fct off, 
 and now made familiar to Eve, by an intercourfe re- 
 peated feveral times, are the pleafing amufements of a 
 curious mind. The fubtilty of ferpents is every where 
 fo well known, that among many nations they are pro- 
 pofed as the diftinguifhing character and hieroglyphic 
 of prudence. Bochart* has colle&ed many things re- 
 lating to this, from feveral authors. To this purpofe is 
 what our Saviour fays, Matth. x. 16. Be ye wife as fer- 
 pents. 'Tis alfo injurious and reproachful to our mo- 
 ther Eve, to reprefelTt her fo weak, and at fo frnall a 
 remove from the brutal creation, as not to be able to 
 diftinguifli between a brute and a man, and to be igno- 
 rant, that the ufe of fpeech was the peculiar privilege 
 of rational creatures. Such ftupid ignorance is incon- 
 filtent with the happy Hate of our firft parents, and with 
 the image of God, which fhone fo iiluftrioudy alfo in 
 Eve. We are rather to believe, that the devil a (Fumed 
 this organ, the more eaiily to recommend himfelf to 
 man, as a prudent fpirit ; efpecially fince this looked 
 like a miracle, or a prodigy at leaft, that the ferpent 
 ihould fpeak with human voice. Here was fome degree 
 
 * In Hicrozoic. 1. i. c. 4. 
 VOL. L Z 
 
186 OF THE VIOLATION OF THE 
 
 df probability, that feme fpirit lay concealed in this ani- 
 mal, and that too extraordinarily lent by God, who 
 fhould inftruft man more fully about the will of God, 
 and whofc words this very miracle, as it were, feemed 
 to confirm. For that fcrpents have a tongue unadapted 
 to utter articulate founds, is the obfervation of A rift o- 
 tk.* See Voflius, de idol. lib. iv. c. 55. 
 
 V. As this temptation of the devil is fomewhat like 
 to all his following ones, we judge it not improbable, 
 tjhat Satan exerted all his cunning, and transformed him- 
 felf, as he ufually does, into an angel of light, to ad- 
 drefs bimfelf to Eve, as an extraordinary teacher of 
 fome important truth, not yet fully understood. There- 
 fore he docs not pretend openly to contradict the com- 
 mand of God ; but, firfl) propofes it as a doubt, whe- 
 ther Adam undcrftood well the meaning of the divine 
 prohibition ; whether he faithfully related it to Eve ; 
 whether me herfelf too did not miftake the fenfe of it ; 
 and whether at leaft that command, taken literally, was 
 not fo improbable, as to render it necefiary to think 
 of a more myfterious meaning. And thus he teaches to 
 raife rcafonmgs and murmurings againfl the words of 
 God, which are the deftruclion of faith. 
 
 VI. Next, he undermines the threatening annexed to 
 the command, Ye Jhall not furely die, fays he : God 
 never meant by death, what you in your fimplicity are 
 apt to fufpeft;. Could death be fuppofed to hang on fo 
 pleafant and agreeable a tree ? Or do you imagine God 
 fo envious, as to forbid you, who are his familiars and 
 friends, to eat the fruit of fo delicious a tree, under the 
 penalty of a dreadful death ? This is inconfiftent with 
 his infinite goodnefs, which you fo largely experience, 
 and with the beauty of this fpecious tree, and the come- 
 
 * Depart, anim. lib. ii. c. 17. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 187 
 
 finefs of its fruit. There mud therefore be another 
 meaning of this expreffion, which you do" not under- 
 ftand. And thus he inftilled that herefy into the unwa- 
 ry womatiy the firft heard of in the world, that there is 
 a fin which does not deferve death, or, which is the fame 
 thing, that there is a venial fin. The falfe prophet, the 
 attendant on Antichrift, wbo hath horns like a lamb, and 
 fpcaketh as a dragon, Rev. xiii. 11. does, at this very 
 day, maintain this capital herefy in the church of Rome ; 
 and nothing is dill more ufual with Satan, than, by 
 hope of impunity, to perfuade men to fin. 
 
 VII. He adds the promife of a greater happinefs : 
 Your eyesjhall be opened, and ye fliall be as gods, know- 
 ing good and evil. He prefuppofes, what in itfelf was 
 true and harmlefs, that man had a defire after fome 
 more perfect happinefs ; which he made to confifl in his 
 being made like to God; which John affirms to be, as 
 it were, the principal mark of falvation, that we Jh all- be 
 like God, i John iii. 2. Hejays further, that this like-. 
 ncfs was to be joined with the opening of their eyes, and 
 a greater meafure of knowledge. Nor is this unlike the 
 doclrines of the fcripture, which affirm, that vtejhallfoe 
 God, and that, as he is ; andf/iall know him, even as i*cour*~ 
 f elves are known. And thus far indeed it might appear, 
 that Satan fpoke not amifs, blending many truths, and 
 thofe approving them felves to the confcience, with his 
 own lies, the moreeafily to deceive under the appearance 
 of a true teacher. But herein the fraud lies concealed : i. 
 That he teaches therrT, not /to"^fTTbrl5od's appointed 
 time, but by an unadvifed precipitancy lay hold on the 
 promifed felicity. Man cannot indeed too much love 
 and defire perfection, if he does it by preparation and 
 tarnejl expectation ; preparing himfelf in holy patience, 
 and iubjeftion to his will of the will of God, defiring 
 not to anticipate, even for a Riom-snu the good pkafiipe 
 
OF THE VIOLATION OF THE 
 
 of God. 2. That he points out a falfe way, as if the 
 eating of that tree was either a natural, or, more pro- 
 bably, a moral mean, to attain the promifed blifs; and 
 as if God had appointed this as a neceifary requilite, 
 \vithout which there was no poffibility of corning to a 
 more intimate communion with God, and a more per- 
 fect degree of wifdom ; nor^in fine, of obtaining that 
 ftate, in which, knowing equally good and evil, they 
 would be no longer in danger of any degree of decep- 
 tion. AncHus moil likely, that to this purpofe he per- 
 verted the meaning of the name of the tree. But all 
 thefe were mere delufions. 
 
 VIII. At laft this difguifed teacher appeals to the 
 knowledge of God himfelf : God doth know. Moft in- 
 terpreters, both Jewifh and Chriftian, ancient and mo- 
 dern, interpret thefe words, as if Satan would charge 
 God with open malignity and envy, in forbidding this 
 tree, left he fhould be obliged to admit man into a part- 
 nerihip in his glory. And indeed there is no blafphemy 
 fo horrid, that Satan is afhamed of. But we are here 
 to confider, whether fuch a mocking THafphetny, fo 
 crudely propofed, fhould not have rather (truck horror 
 into nian, who had not yet 'entertained any bad thoughts 
 of God, than recommended itfelf by any appearance of 
 probability. For why ? Is it credible, that a man not 
 (deprived of his fenfes could be perfuadcd, that the ac- 
 quifition of wifdom and a likencfs to God depended on 
 a tree ; fo that he mould obtain both thefe by eating of 
 it, whether God would or not ? And then, that God, 
 whom man muft know to be infinitely great and good, 
 washable to the pailion of envy ; a plain indication of 
 malignity and weaknefs : in fine, that there was fuch a 
 virtue in that tree, that on TafiTh.^ if, God could not de- 
 prive man of life. For all thefe particulars were to b". 
 believed by him. who can imagine, that, out of envy. 
 
COVE X ANT OF- Wo R K S . 1 89 
 
 G-od had forbid him the ufe of that, tree. Jt docs not 
 feem to be confident with the fubtilty r :, to 
 
 judge it advifeablc to propofe to man things fo abfurd, 
 and fo repugnant to common notions, and the innate 
 knowledge, which he rnuit have had of God. Is it not 
 morej3ro|>er, to take that expreiTion for a forrrTo?*ari 
 oath ? As Paul himfelf fays, 2 Cor. xi. 11. Godknowcthj 
 to as the perjurecTimpottor appealed to God, as witneii 
 of what he advanced. 
 
 IX. r i .. who think that Adam was not deceive 
 
 ed, namely, to believe as true what the ferpent had perv 
 fuaded the woman to; but rather fell out of love to his 
 wife, whofe mind he was unwilling to grieve : and there T 
 fore, though he was confcious of a divine command, 
 and not expofed to the wiles of Satan ; yet, that he 
 might not abandon her in this condition, tailed the fruit 
 fne offered ; probably believing, that this inftance of his 
 affection for theTpoufe, whom God had given him, if 
 in any meafure faulty, might be eafily excufed. To 
 this they refer theapoflle's words, i Tim. ii. 14. For 
 Adam was not deceived, but ihe woman being de.ceiv edivds 
 in the tranfgrejjion. But this carries us off from the 
 fimplicity of the divine oracles. The defign of the 
 apoRle is plainly to (hew that the woman ought not to 
 exercife any dominion over her hufband, for two rca- 
 fons, which he urges, i. Eecaufe Adam was firft cre- 
 ated, as the head ; and then ve, as a help-meet for 
 him. 2. Becaufe the woman fhewed, fhe was mor;e ea- 
 iily deceived ; as who, being deceived firft, was the 
 caufe of deceiving her huiband : who was likewife de- 
 ceived like her, though not firft, but by her means. 
 For nothing is more frequent in the facred writings, than 
 that a thing may feern to be aljolutely denied, which 
 aught to be underllood only, as denied in a reftriclive 
 fenfe. John vi. 27. and Phil. ii. 4, arc iniiauces of 
 
190 Or THE VIOLATION OF THE 
 
 this. Nor can it be conceived, how Adam, believing, 
 that what he did was forbidden by God, and that, if he 
 did it, he fhould forfeit the promifed happinefs, nay, 
 incur moft certain death (for all this he muft know and 
 believe, if he ftiil remained uncorrupted by the wiles of 
 Satan) would have made himfelf a partner in the crime, 
 only to pleafe his wife. Certainly, if he believed, that 
 the tranfgreflion of the divine command, the contempt 
 of the promifed felicity, and his rafh expofing of him- 
 felf to the danger of eternal death, could be excufed 
 only by his affettion for his wife, he no lefs fhamefully 
 erred, nor was lefs deceived, if not more, than his con- 
 fort herfelf. Nor can it be concluded, from hisanfwer 
 to God, in which he throws the blame, not on the fer- 
 pent's deceit, but on the woman, whom God had given 
 him, that the man fell into this fin, not fo much by an 
 error in the underftanding, as giving way to his afleBion. 
 For this fubverts the whole order of the faculties of the 
 foul ; fince every error in the affeclion fuppofes fome 
 error in the underftanding. This was doubtlefs an error, 
 and indeed one of the greateft, to believe, that a higher 
 regard was to be paid to his affeclion for his wife, than 
 to the divine command. It was a considerable error, to 
 think, that it was an inftance of love, to become an ac- 
 complice in fin : becaufe it is the duty of love, to con- 
 vince the finner, and, as far as may be, reftore him to 
 the favor of God ; which certainly Adam would have 
 done, had he been entirely without error. In whatever 
 light therefore you view this point, you muft be oblig- 
 ed to own, that he was deceived. This only Adam, by 
 his apology, feems to have intended, that his beloved 
 eonfort had, by her infmuations, which fhe had learned 
 from the ferpent, perfuaded him alfo ; and that he was 
 not the firft in that (in, nor readily fufpecled any error or 
 deception by her, who was given him as an help by God. 
 
COVENANT o* WORKS. 191 
 
 X. It cannot be doubted, but that providence was 
 concerned about this fall of our firft parents. It is cer- 
 tain, that it was foreknown from eternity : which none 
 can deny, but he who by a facrilegious audacity goes 
 about to rob God of his omnifcience. Nay, as God, 
 by his eternal decree, laid the plan of the whole cecono- 
 my of our falvation, and the preconceived fucceflion of 
 the mofl important things prefuppofes the fin of man, it 
 could not therefore happen unforefeen by God. And 
 this is the more evident, becaufe, according to Peter, 
 Chrift was foreordained before the foundation of the world^ 
 and that as the lamb, whofe blood was to be fhed.* 
 Which invincible argument Socinus knew not how to 
 elude, otherwife than by this ridiculous aifertion, " That 
 after men had finned, Chrift indeed came to abolifh their 
 fins ; but that he would have come notwithflanding, tho* 
 they had never finned." But this idle aflertion, befides 
 being unfcriptural, nay antifcriptural, is notappofite to 
 this place. For the order of Peter's words does not ad- 
 mit any other interpretation than of Chrift's being fore- 
 known, as a lamb to be (lain, and to fried his blood, to 
 be the price of our redemption. And he like wife 
 fpeakst of this determinate counfel and foreknowledge of 
 God) according to which Chrift was delivered into the 
 hands of wicked men. Since therefore Chrift was fore- 
 known from eternity, as one to be flain for the fins of 
 men, man's (in was alfo neceflarily foreknown. 
 
 XL And if it was foreknown, it was alfo predeter- 
 mined : as Peter, in the place juft quoted, joins toge- 
 ther the determinate counfel and foreknowledge of God. 
 Nor can prefcience of future things be conceived in 
 God, but in connection with his decree concerning their 
 futurity. t 
 
 * i Pet. i. 19, 20. f A<5ls ii. 
 
 2 3< 
 
!Cj2 OF THE VIOLATION OF TKL 
 
 XII. From all this may be inferred, by a plain con- 
 iequence, that it could not otherwife happen, but that 
 man Humid fall on account of the infallibility of the di- 
 vine prefcience, and of that neceility which they call a 
 necedity of confcqucncc. For it is incondlient with the 
 divine perfection, that any decree of God fhould be 
 rendered void, or that the event fhould not be anfwer- 
 able to it. 'Tis the prerogative of JEHOVAH to fay, 
 My counfdJJiallJiand.* His counfds of old are faithful- 
 nefs and truth.^ God himfelf has ratified the (lability 
 of his purpofes by an oath, the more certainly to declare 
 the immutability of his counfd.% The Lord of hefts 
 hath fworn^ faying^ Surely as I have thought^ fojkall it 
 come to pafi ; and as I have purpofed* fo jliall it jiand. 
 
 XIII. The infallibility of the event, as to man's fin, 
 may be proved by another argument; if we only attend 
 to that fubordination, by which all creatures depend on 
 God in their operations. For it is not poffiblc, that 
 God (liould, by his almighty concurrence, influence 
 any creature to aft, and yet that creature fufpend its aft- 
 jng. In like manner it is impoffible, that while God 
 does not influence to the moral goodnefs of that natural 
 aftion, the creature fhould, without that influx, per- 
 form that aftion morally good. This follows from the 
 nature of God and the creature ; as he cannot ineffec- 
 tually influence his creatures to a&, fo they cannot but 
 aft, when under his influence. Thefe things being fup- 
 pofed, as they are evident to any perfon of attention, it 
 is impofifible, that man can abftain from reasoning, wil- 
 ling, and eating, where God influences to thefeafts by 
 his almighty concurrence. Nor is it any more poffible, 
 t&at man can reafon, will, and eat in a holy manner, if 
 God, by his almighty concurrence, does not influence 
 
 * If. xlvi. 10. f If. xxv. i. Heb. vi. 17. If. xiv. 24. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 193 
 
 the holinefs of the aftion. Suppofing therefore, that 
 God had afforded his influence to the naturaf~a& of rea- 
 fbning, willing, eating, as he a6lually did, but not to 
 the moral goodnefs of thofe ats, as he did not ; it could 
 not otherwife be, but that man fhould a6l at that time, 
 and perform his action wrong. All this holds true, not 
 only with refpecl; to this firft fin of man, but with refpect 
 to all other fins. As thefe things are matters of evident 
 truth, I fee not why we may not boldly maintain them, 
 efpecially as they tend to the glory of God, and to de- 
 rnonftrate his fuper-eminence, and the abfolute depen- 
 dence of the creatures upon him, as much in their ope- 
 rations, as in their exiftence. Should thofe of the con- 
 trary Pelagian fentiments pervert thefe truths, they will 
 do fo at their peril. Nor ought we fo much to regard 
 that, as on their account to conceal the truth. 
 
 XIV. However, it will not be amifs to infill a little 
 longer on this fubject ; that all the apparent harfhnefs 
 of this doctrine may be entirely removed by an evident 
 clemonftration of the truth ; which we think we fliall be 
 able to effect, by beginning with the more evident truths, 
 in one continued chain of arguments, flowing from each 
 other, in fuch a manner, as to gain the affent even of 
 the moft obftinate. 
 
 XV. And, firft, I think it will be readily granted, 
 that thereTsHBut one fir ft caufe ; that all other caufes fo 
 depend upon that firft one, both in exifting and a&ing, 
 as without it to be able neither to exilt nor to acl. Paul 
 inculcated this upon the Athenians ;* In him we live, 
 and move, and have our being. Nor, indeed, can the 
 moft powerful monarch in the world, fuch as the Affy- 
 rian was in the time of Ifaiah, any more move without 
 
 VOL. I. A a 
 
291 OF. THE VIOLATION OF THE 
 
 God, than the ox* without him that hewdh therewiih^ or 
 the faw without him that JJiakeih it* 
 
 XVI. Reafon, in this, concurs with fcripture. . For 
 if there was any caufe befides God, which could at in- 
 dependently of him, it would follow, that there were 
 more ftrft principles than one ; as Thomas Aquinas rea- 
 fons weli.t Whofe reafoning, as it is both folid, and 
 very much to the purpofe, we fhall not fcruple to give 
 in his own words. " It is," fays he, " effential to the 
 firfl principle, that it can act without the a Mi (lance and 
 influence of a prior agent ; fo that if the human will 
 could produce any action, of which God was not the 
 author, the human will would have the nature of a firfl 
 principle." 
 
 XVII. Though they endeavour to folve this, by fay- 
 ing, that, notwithstanding the will be of itfelf capable 
 of producing an aclion, without the influence of a prior 
 agent, yet it has not its being from itfelf, but from ano- 
 ther ; whereas the nature of a firft principle is to be felf- 
 exii^ent. But it feems inconfiftent to fay, that what has 
 not its being of itfelf, can yet act of itfelf; for what 
 is not of itfelf, cannot continue of itfelf. For all 
 the power of acling arifes from the eflence, and the 
 operation from the power. Confequently, what has its 
 eifencc from another, mud alfo have its power and ope- 
 ration from that other. And befides", though this reply 
 denies that it isjimply the fir Jt ; yet we cannot but fee, 
 that it is the firjl agent > if its acting cannot be referred 
 to fome prior agent, as the caufe. Thus far Thorns 
 Aquinas. 
 
 XVIII. Nor does God only concur with the actions 
 of fecond caufes, when they a8, but alfo influences the 
 caufes themfelves to aft. Becaufe the begininng of ac- 
 tions depends, if not more, at lea ft not lefs on God, 
 
 * If. x. 15. t In fecond. feutenent. diuinci. 37, qusd* 2~ -jt. 2*. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 195 
 
 than their progrefs. This opinion is not unhappily ex- 
 preffed in the Roman Tare c hlTm , publifhed by the de- 
 cree of the council of Trent, at the command of Pope 
 Pius V.* to this purpole- : " But God not only, by his 
 providence, preferves and governs all things that exift ; 
 but he likewife, by a fecret energy, fo influences thofe. 
 that move and acl, to motion and aftion, that though 
 he hinders not the efficiency of lecond caufes, yet he 
 prevents or goes before it ; feeing his moft fecret power 
 extends to each in particular; arid, as the wife man tef- 
 tifies, reaches powerfully from one end to the other, and 
 difpofes all things fwectly. Wherefore it was faid by the 
 apoftle, when declaring to the Athenians the God whom 
 they ignorant ly worfhipped : He is not far from evey one 
 of us ; for in him we live, and move^ and have our being" 
 XIX. Moreover, as a fecond caufe cannot act, un- 
 lefs afted upon, and previoufly moved to acl, by the 
 preventing and predetermining influence of the firit 
 caufe ; fo, in like manner, that influence of the firil 
 caufe is fo efficacious, as that, fuppofmg it, the fecond 
 caufe cannot but att. For it is unworthy of God to 
 imagine any concurrence of his to be fo indifferent, as 
 at lad only to be determined by the co-operation of fe- 
 cond caufes : as if the rod Jhould flake him who lifts it 
 up ; or as if thejlajffhould lijt up what is not wood ;t 
 for fo the words properly run. And the meaning is, 
 that it is highly abfurd to afcribe to an inftrument of 
 wood, the raifing and managing of what is not of fuch 
 vile matter as wood, but of a more excellent nature, 
 namely fpirit. By this allegory is intimated the abfur- 
 dity of that opinion, which makes God to be determin- 
 ed in his adions by the creature. 
 
 * Part. i. deprimo fymbali articule, num. 22. f If. x. 15. 
 
ig6 O F TJ *E VIOLATION OF THE 
 
 XX. Didacus Alvarez* makes ufe of the following 
 argument againft this ; namely, The manner of concur- 
 ring by a will of itfelf indifTererit to produce this or the 
 other effect, or its cppofite, is very imperfect; becaufe, 
 in its efficacy, it depends on the concurrence of a feconcl 
 caufe ; and every dependence imports, in the thing 
 which depends, fome imperfection and inferiority, in 
 refpect of him on whom it depends ; and therefore fuch 
 a manner of concurrence cannot be afcribed to God, 
 or agree with his will, which is an infinite and mod per- 
 fect caufe. 
 
 XXI. And then this infolvable difficulty likewife re- 
 mains : If the fecond caufe determines the concurrence 
 of God in itfelf indifferent, in that act of determination 
 it will be independent of God, and fo become the fir ft 
 caufe. And if in one action it can work independently 
 of God, why not in a fecond ? If in the beginning of 
 the action, why not alfo in the progrefs ? Since the tran- 
 fition from non-acting to acting, is greater than the con- 
 tinuing an action once begun. 
 
 XXII. As thjefe things are univerfally true, they ob- 
 tain alfo in thofe free a8ions of rational creatures, in 
 which there is a moral evil inherent : namely, that crea- 
 tures may be determined to thofe actions by the effica- 
 cious influence of God, fo far as they are actions . ac- 
 cording to their fhyjtcal entity. Elegantly to this pur- 
 pofe fpeaks Thomas Aquinas, in the place juft quoted. 
 Since the aft of fin is a kind of being, not only as ne- 
 gations and privations are laid to be beings ; but alfoas 
 things, which in general cxill, are beings, becaufe even 
 thefe actions in general are ranked in that order, it would 
 follow, that if the actions of fin, as aBians, are not 
 from God, there would be fome being which had not its 
 effence from God : and thus God would not be the uni- 
 
 * DC . auxiliis diviner jr:u?T, lib. in. difp. 21. p. 163. 
 
COVENANT or WORKS. 197 
 
 t^erfal caufe of all beings. Which is contrary to the 
 perfection of the firit being. 
 
 XXIII. Neither does God only excite and predeter- 
 
 .+&. . - "' - v - " * 
 
 mine the wlijoT men to vicious actions, fo far as they 
 are a&ions ; but he likewife fo excites it, that it is not 
 pofTihle, but, thus a&ed upon, it ihall act. For if, up- 
 on fuppofnion of that divine influx, it was poffible for 
 the created will not to at, thcfe two abfurdities would 
 follow, i. That the hiunan will could bailie the provi- 
 dence of *God, and cither give to, or take from the di- 
 vine influx all its efficacy. 2, That there could be foma 
 a 61 in the creature, of fuch weight as to refill the divine 
 influence, and be independent of God. For I do not 
 imagine, they will fay, that God concurs to the produc- 
 tion of that a8ion, whereby his influx is re-ifted. But 
 we have already refuted any concurrence as in iri'VIt" 
 indifferent, to be determined by the free will of the 
 creatures. 
 
 XXIV. Further, the free will of man excited to ac- 
 tions, cannot, according to its phyiical eiTence, give 
 them a moral and fpi ritual goodnefs, without the divine 
 providence influencing and concurring to that goodnefs. 
 This is evident from what has been before faid. For as 
 moral goodnefs is a ftiperior and more perfect degree of 
 entity than aphyfical entity alone, and man in the phy- 
 fical entity of his actions depends on God ; it is necefla- 
 ry, he fhoulol much more depend on God, in produc- 
 ing the moral goodnefs of his a8ions ; fo that the glory 
 thereof ought to be rendered to God, as the fir ft cnufe. 
 
 XXV. If all thefe truths, thus demonftrated, be join- 
 ed and linked together, they produce that conclulion, 
 which we laid down $ 13. For if all creatures depend 
 on God in afting; if he not only concurs with them 
 when they acl, but aifo excites them to act; if that ex- 
 citation be fo powerful, as that, upon fuppofin:; it, th- 
 
OF THE VIOLATION OF THE 
 
 effect cannot but follow ; if God with that fame efficacy 
 influences vicious actions, fo far as they are phyfical ; if 
 the creature cannot give its aclions their due moral good- 
 nefs without God; it infalliably follows, that Adarn,God 
 moving him to underftand, will, and eat, could not but 
 underftand, will and eat; and God not giving goodnefs 
 to thofe aclions, man could not underftand and will in a 
 right manner. Which was to be proved. 
 
 XXVI. Yetjt does not hence follow, that man was 
 obliged to what was fimply impoffible. For it is only a 
 confequential and eventual infalliability and neceffity, 
 which we have eftablifhed. God bellowed thofe pow- 
 ers on man, by which he could have overcome the temp- 
 tation. Yet that faculty was fuch as became a creature ; 
 which fmce it was fufficient in its kind, yet could not 
 proceed to aftion, without prefuppofing the divine con- 
 currence. Who fhall deny, that man has a locomotive 
 faculty, fo fufficient in its kind, that he requires no 
 more ? But will any affirm, that it can happen, that man, 
 by that locomotive facuky, can actually move indepen- 
 dently of God, as the firft caufe, without difcovering 
 his ignorance both of the fupremacy of God, and the 
 fubordination of man ? In like manner, we affirm, that 
 God granted man fuch fufficient abilities to fulfil all 
 righteoufnefs, that he had no need of any further habi- 
 tual grace, as it is called ; yet fo that all this ability was 
 given him in fuch a manner, that he mould act only de- 
 pendcntly of the Creator and his influence, as we hint, 
 ed, chap. ii. $ 13. 
 
 XXVII. Much lefs fhould it be faid, that man, by 
 the above-mentioned acts of divine providence, was 
 forced to fin. For he finned with judgment and will ; 
 to which faculties, liberty, as it is oppofed to compul- 
 iion, is Co peculiar, nay effential, that there can be nei- 
 ther judgment nor will, unlcfa they be free. And 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 
 
 we affirm, that God foreordained and infalliably fore- 
 knew, that man would fin freely, the (inner coultl not 
 but fin freely ; unlefs we would have the event not an- 
 fwer to the preordination and prefcience of God. And 
 fo far is the decree of God from diminifhing the liberty 
 of man in his acting, that, on the contrary, this liberty 
 has not a more folid foundation than that infalliable de- 
 cree of God. 
 
 XXVIII. To make God the author of fin, is fuch 
 dreadful blafphemyT^atThe thought cannot, without 
 horror, be entertained by any Chriftian. It is true in- 
 deed, that God created man mutably good, infalliably 
 forefaw his fin, foreordained the perrmflioH of that fin, 
 really gave man fufficient powers to avoid it, but which 
 could not aft without his influx ; and meanwhile influ- 
 eaced his faculties to natural aclions, without influenc- 
 ing the moral goodnefs of thofe aftions. We learn all 
 thofe things from the event. But it is no lefs true, that 
 God neither is, nor in any refped can be, the author of 
 fin. And though it be difficult, nay impoflible for us, 
 to reconcile thefe truths with each other ; yet we ought 
 not to deny what is manifeft, on account of that which 
 is hard to be underiiood. We will religioufly profefs 
 both truths, becaufe they are truths, and worthy of 
 God ; nor can the one overturn the other ; though, in 
 this our Mate of blindnefs and ignorance of God, we 
 cannot thoroughly fee the amicable harmony between 
 them. This is not the alone, nor fingle difficulty, whofe 
 folution the fober divine will ever referve for the world 
 to come. 
 
 XXIX. This is certain, that, by this permiflion of 
 
 fin, God had an opportunity of difplaying his manifold 
 
 perfections. There is a fine paffage to this purpofe in 
 
 Clemens,* which with pleafure we here infert, 'Tisthe 
 
 * Strom. H& i. 
 
2CO OF THE VIOLATION OF THE 
 
 greatefl work of divine providence, not to fuffer the 
 evil arifing from a voluntary apoftafy, to remain unufe- 
 ful, or in every refpecl to become noxious. JFprjtjs 
 peculiar to divine wifdoftt and power, not only to do 
 good (that being to fpeak fo, as much the nature of 
 God, as it is the nature of fire to warm, or of light to 
 ihine) but much more, to make the evil, devifcd by 
 others, to anfwcr a good and valuable end, and manage 
 thofe things which appear to be evil, to the greateft ad- 
 vantage. 
 
 XXX. It remains now laftly, to confider, how, as 
 Adam, in this covenant, flood as the head of mankind ; 
 upon his fall, all his pofterity may be deemed to have 
 fallen with him, and broken the covenant of God. 
 The Apoille exprefsly aliens this.*' By one man fin en- 
 tered into the world, and death by fin ; and fo death paj- 
 fedupon all men^ for that in whom all have finned^ EPH 
 
 II O P A N T S H E M A R T O N . 
 
 XXXI. To make the apoftle's meaning more plain, 
 
 1 . ,. 
 
 VV T C niufl obfcrve thefe things, i. It is very clear, to 
 any not bewitched with prejudice, that when the apof- 
 tlc affirms, that all have fumed, he fpeaks of an ad of 
 finning, or of an actual fin ; the very term, to fin, de- 
 noting an aclion. 'T is one thing to fin, another to be 
 finful, if I may fo fpcak. 2. When he affirms ell to 
 Lave finned ; he, under that universality, likewife in- 
 cludes thofe who have no atual, proper, and perfonal 
 fin, and who, 2$ he hirnfelf lays, have not finned after 
 the Jimilitude cf Adam's tranfgreflion.^ Confequently 
 thefe are alfo guilty of fome actual fin, as appears from 
 their death ; which not being their own proper and per- 
 fonal fin, mull be the fin of Adam, imputed to them by 
 the j ufl judgment of God. 3. By thefe words, EPH H<$ 
 
 * Rom, v. 12. f Ver. 14. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 2Oi 
 
 HE MAR TON, for that all kamfinncd^ he gives 
 the reafon of tha*t affertion, which he had before laid 
 down, that, by the fin of one man, death pafied upon 
 all. This, fays he, ought not to aftonifh us, for all 
 have finned. Ifjhis Should be underftood of fome per- 
 fonal fin of eacHTeither a8:ual or habitual, the reafon- 
 ing would not have been juft, and worthy of the apoftle, 
 but'mere trifling. For his argument would be thus, 
 that, by the one fin of one, all were become guilty of 
 death, becaufe each in particular had. befides that one 
 and fir ft fin, his own perfonal fin : which is inconfequen- 
 tial. 4. The fcope of .the apoftle is^to illuftrate the 
 doclrine of juftificatron, which he had before treated of. 
 The fubftance of which coniifts in this, that Chrift, ia 
 virtue of the covenant of grace, accomplished all righte- 
 oufnefs for his chofen covenant-people, fo that the obe- 
 dience of Chrift is placed to their, charge, and they, on 
 account thereof, are no lefs abfolved from the guilt and 
 dominion of fin, than if they themfelves had done and 
 fuflfered, in their own perfon, all that Chrift did and 
 fuffered for them. He declares, that> in this refpecl:, 
 Adam was the type of Chrift, namely, as anfwering to 
 him. Itjs therefore neceflary, that the fin of Adam, in 
 virtue^of the covenant of works, be fo laid to the charge 
 of his pofterity, who were comprized with him in. the 
 fame covenant, that, on account of the. demerit of his 
 fin, they are born deftitute of original righteoufnefs, and 
 obnoxious to every kind of death, as much as if they 
 themfelves, in their own perfons, had done what Adam 
 did. Unlefs we fuppofe this to be Paul's do&rine, his 
 words are nothing but mere empty found. 
 
 XXXII. The laft words of this verfe, EPH HO 
 PANTES HEMARTON, are differently explained by di- 
 vines, becaufe the Greek phrafeology admits of various 
 
 VOL. I. B b 
 
202 OF THE VIOLATION OF THE 
 
 fignifications. The principal explanations are three. 
 i. Some render them, info far, or, becaufe all have 
 Jinnetf. For it is allowed, that BPK HO frequently ad- 
 mits this fenfe ; and thus it feems to be taken,** EPH HO 
 
 OU THELOMEN EKDUSASTHAI, HOt for that W6 WOuld 
 
 It unclothed; as if written, as Frobenius prints it, 
 EPEIDE, though Beza here greatly differs. 2. Others 
 obferve, it may be explained, with whom, i. e. who 
 jinning, all havejinned. For EPI in a fimilar conftruc- 
 tion denotes a time in which fomething was done. Thus 
 "wefay in Greek, EP EMOI MEIRAKIO TOUTO GEGONE, 
 when I was a boy, this happened ; and EPI KU N i, in the 
 dog-days ; and the apoflle,t EPI TE PROTE DIATHEKE, 
 under the firfl tejlament. And then the meaning would 
 be, that, upon Adam's finning, all are judged to have 
 finned. 3. Auguftine, and mod of the orthodox have 
 explained it, in wJiom. Which Erafmus in vain oppo- 
 fes, faying, that EPI when fignifying upon, or, in, is 
 joined to the genitive cafe; ~as EP OIKOU, KAI EPI 
 TES CHORAS; alfo when denoting time, as EPI KAISA- 
 ROS OCTABIOU. In all^this he is ftrangely miftaken. 
 For, not to fay any thing now of time, it is certain, that 
 EPI when joined to the dative, denotes in: as Matth. 
 xiv. 8. EPI PINAKI, in a charger; and in this very 
 context of Paul, ver. 14. EPI TO HOMOIOMATI, in 
 the Jimilitude. And which is more, TO EPH HO, can- 
 not fometimes be otherwife explained, than by, in which 
 or in whona ; as Matth. ii. 4. EPH HO HO PARALUTI- 
 KOS KATEKEITO, whereinthejickofthepalfeylay;ax\di 
 
 Luke V. 25. ARAS EPH HO KATEKZITO, took Up that 
 
 whereon he lay. Nor is it taken in this light, in the fa- 
 cred writings only, but he might learn from Budaeus^ 
 that Ariftotle ufed this piirafeology in the fame fenfe, 
 
 * 2 Cor. v. 4. { Heb. ix. 15. J luxem. ling. Grxc. p. 506. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 2OJ 
 
 ,: 
 
 EPH HO MEN HE THELEIA, EPI THATERO DE HO 
 
 ARREN EPOAZEI, On the one the female^ on the other 
 the male broods. However, we reckon none of thofe 
 explanations to be impertinent, as they are all almoft to 
 the fame, purpofe : yet we give the preference to the laft, 
 becaiife moft emphatical, and very applicable to the 
 apoflle's fcope. It^ is a bad way of interpreting fcrip- 
 ture, to reprefent it"as declaring what is the lead thing 
 intended. For the words are to be taken in their full 
 import, where there is nothing in the context to hinder.it. 
 XXXIII. Grotius really prevaricates, when he thus 
 comments on the paffage before us. It is a common 
 metonymy in the Hebrew, to ufe the word^/zn, inftead 
 of punijhment ; and tojin^ inftead of to undergo puni/h- 
 ment ; whence extending this figure, they are laid, by a 
 metalepfis, CHATA to jin^ who fuffer any evil, even 
 though they are innocent, as Gen. xxxi. 36. and Job 
 vi. 24; where CHATA is rendered by DUSPRAGEIN, 
 to be unhappy. EP H HO, here denotes through whom, as 
 EPI with the dative is taken, Luke v. 5. Acls iii. 36. 
 i. Cor. viii. 11. Heb. ix. 17. Chryfoftom on this 
 place fays, " On his fall, they who did not eat of the 
 tree, are from him all become mortal." Thus far 
 Grotius. 
 
 XXXIV. This illuftrious perfon feems to have wrote 
 without attention, as the whole is very impertinent. , i. 
 Though we allow, that fin does fometimes metonymi- 
 cally denote the punijliment of fin ; yet we deny it to be 
 ufual in fcriptyre, that he who undergoes punimment, 
 even while innocent, may be faid to (in. Grotius fays, 
 it is frequent ; but he neither does nor can prove it by 
 any one example; which is certainly bold and rafh. 
 Crellius-, confuting his book on the fatisfaftion of Chrift 5 
 brings in the faying of Bathfheba to David :* / and my 
 * i Kings i. 2-1. 
 
04 OF THE VIOLATION OF THE 
 
 fon Solomon JJiall be counted offenders ; that' is, fays he, 
 wejliall be treated as offenders, or be ruined. But a fin- 
 ner, or evcnji.n, and /o^m, are different things. The 
 former is faid of Chrift,* but not the latter, on any ac- 
 count. Moreover, to be a {inner does not fignify, in 
 the pafTage alledged, to undergo puniflnnent, M^'iout 
 any regard to a fault or demerit, but to be guilty of 
 aiming at the kingdom, and of high treafon, and as fuch 
 to be punifhed. The teftimonies advanced by Grotius 
 are fo foreign, that they feem not to have been examin- 
 ed by that great man. For neither in the Hebrew do 
 we find CHATA, to Jin, nor in the Greek verfion, DUS- 
 PRAGEIN ; nor do the circumflances admit, that what 
 is there faid of fin, or miflake, can be explained of pu- 
 nimment. It is neceffary therefore to fuppofe> that 
 either Grotius had fomething elfe in his view, or that 
 here is a typographical error. 2. Though we fhould 
 grant, which yet we do not in the leafi, that to Jin forne- 
 times denotes to undergo punifhment ; yet it cannot fig- 
 nify this here ; becaufe the apoflle in this place imme- 
 diately diflinguimes between death as the punimmenf, 
 and fin as the meritorious caufe, death by Jin. And by 
 
 this interpretation of Grotius, the apoflle's difcourfe, 
 which we have already fhewn is folid, would be an in- 
 fipid tautology. For where is the fenfe to fay, So death 
 pajfed up onfall, through whom all die ? 3. Grotius dif- 
 covers- but little judgment in his attempt to prove, that 
 EPH HO fignifies through whom: certainly, Luke v. 5. 
 E p i TO R E M A T i sou, does not fignify through thy word, 
 but at thy word, or, as Bcza tranflates, at thy command. 
 And Meb. ix. 17. EPI NEKROIS does not fignify 
 through the dead, but when dead,' and rather denotes a 
 ci re urn (lance of time. Ads iii. 16. is alledged with a 
 
 * 2 Cor. v. 21. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 
 
 little more judgment ; and i Cor. viii. 11. not impro- 
 perly. But it might be infifted, that EP EMOI ESTI fig- 
 nifles, it is owing to me, fo that the meaning (hall be, to 
 whom it was owing that all finned. Which interpretation 
 is not altogether to be rejected. Thus the fcholiaft, EPH 
 HO ADAM, DI HON. And if there was nothing el fe 
 coyched under this, I would eafily grant Grotius this 
 explanation of thai: phrafeology. 4. It cannot be ex- 
 plained confidently with divine juffice, how without a 
 crime death fhould have paffed upon Adam's poflerhy. 
 Profper reafoned folidly and elegantly againft Collator.* 
 " Unlefs perhaps it can be faid, that the punifhment, 
 and not the guilt paffed on the pofterity of Adam; but 
 to fay this^ is in every refpecl falfe. For it is too impi- 
 ous to judge fo of the juitice of God ; as if he would, 
 contrary to his own law, condemn the innocent with the 
 guilty. The guih therefore is evident, where the pu- 
 nifhment is f o ; and a partaking in puniQiment fhews a; 
 partaking in guilt; that human mifery is not the appoint- 
 ment of the Creator, but the retribution of the Judge." 
 If therefore through Adam all are obnoxious to punifli- 
 ment, all too mult have finned in Adam. 5. Chryfof- 
 tom alfo is here improperly brought in, as iflrom Adam 
 he derived only the punifhment of death, without par- 
 taking in the guilt. For the homily, from which the 
 words are quoted, begins thus : " When the Jewxfhall 
 fay, How is the world faved by the obedience of one, 
 namely Chrifl ? you may reply, How was the world 
 condemned by one difobedient Adam ?" Where it is 
 to be obferved, (i.) I^hat he fuppofes the miferies of 
 mankind to proceed from God, as a fudge, who cannot 
 juftly condemn, but for fin. (2.) That he compares 
 the condemnation of the world by Adam's difobedience, 
 
 * 2 Cor. v. 20. 
 
OF THE ABROGATION OF THE 
 
 "with its falvation by Chrift's obedience. But this laft is 
 imputed to believers, and deemed to be theirsT* And 
 therefore Adam's fin is in like manner imputed to all. 
 As alfo Gregory of Nazianzen, quoted by Voffius,* 
 faid, that Adam's guilt was his. " Alas ! my weak- 
 nefs !" fays he, " for I derive my weaknefs from the 
 firft parent." 
 
 XXXV. But we only underftand this of Adam's firft 
 fin. We nowife agree with thofe, who abfurdly tell us, 
 ISat Adam's other fins were alfo imputed to us : for 
 Paul, when treating on this fubjeft, Rom. v. every 
 where mentions tranfgrefflon^ in the fingular number ; 
 nay exprefsly, ver. 18. onetranfgrejjion^j which guilt 
 paffed upon all. And the reafon is manifeft. For A- 
 dam ceafed to be a federal head, when the covenant was 
 once broken ; and whatever fin he was afterwards guilty 
 of, was his own perfonal fin, and not chargeable on his 
 pofterity ; unlefs in fo far as God is fometimes pleafed 
 to vifit the fins of the fathers on the children. In which 
 Adam has now nothing peculiar above other men. So 
 much for the violation of the covenant by man. 
 
 * Hid. Pelag. lib. ii. part. 2. p. 163. 
 
 C H A !>. IX. 
 
 Of the Abrogation of the Covenant of Works on the 
 part of God. 
 
 H 
 
 AVING difcourfed at fufficient length concerning 
 the violation of the covenant of works by fin ; let us 
 now confider whether, and how far, it is made void, or 
 
 abrogated by God himfelf* 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 207 
 
 II. And in the firft place, we are very certain, that 
 there are many things in this covenant of immutable and 
 eternal truth; which we reckon up in this order, i- 
 The precepts of the covenant, excepting that probatory 
 one, oblige all and every one to a perfect performance 
 of duty, in what ftate foever they are. 2. Eternal life, 
 promifed by the covenant, can be obtained upon no 
 other condition, than that of perfect, and in every re- 
 fpecl: complete obedience. 3. Np^ad of difobedience 
 efcapes the vengeance of God, k and death is always the 
 punifhment of fin. But thefe maxims <lo not exclude a 
 furety, who may come under engagements in man's 
 (lead, to undergo the penalty, and perform the condi- 
 tion. But of this it is not yet time to fpeak. We mail 
 now difcourfe of each of them in order. 
 
 III. Itjs indeed a mod deftruclive herefy to main- 
 tain, that man, fmful and obnoxious to punifhment, is 
 not bound to obedience. For, by no mifconducl of 
 man, can God forfeit his rigKTand fupremacy. Now, 
 this right and fupremacy of God requires, that man, and 
 even every creature, be fubjecl in all refpecls to God, 
 as far as poflible. Moreover, the rational creature, fuch 
 as fmful man is, and does continue to be, can be fub- 
 jeft not only to the natural, but alfo to the moral, pro- 
 vidence of God; nor only to his vindictive juftice, but 
 alfo to his legifiative authority ; and as he can, fo he 
 ought to be fubjecl to him, as to the obligation of obe* 
 dience : finee every poffible fubje&km is efiential to the 
 creature. 
 
 IV. If the finner, who deferves punifhment, was 
 not fubjecl to the law, he could no longer fin ; and 
 therefore by one fin he would fet himfelf free from the 
 danger of further finning. For where no law is binding, 
 there is no tranfgreffion ; no fin 3 whie.h John define to 
 
OF THE ABROGATION OF <THE 
 
 be A N o M i A, the tranfgrejjion of the law* But nothing 
 can be imagined more abfurd, than that man, by fin, has 
 acquired an impeccability, or an incapacity of (inning. 
 
 V'. Moreover, according- to this hypothecs, all fm- 
 ners would be equal, and an equal degree of punifli- 
 ment remain for every one : which is contrary both to 
 found reafon and fcripture, where the inequality of fins 
 and punifhment is fo often inculcated. 
 
 VI. There is a plain pafTage, Gal. v. 3. which con- 
 firms, that, even by the promulgation of the new gof- 
 p'el-covenant, the breakers of the covenant, who are with- 
 out Chrift, are not fet free from that obligation of the 
 law, which 'demands perfect obedience, but continue 
 debtors to do the whole law. 
 
 VII. Nay, even in a human court, the penal compact 
 is deemed an additional compad, adding to the principal 
 convention, and eonfequently not abrogating, but accu- 
 mulating the former obligation. Much lefs, at the bar of 
 God, can the obligation to punifliment, arifing from the 
 violation of the covenant, abrogate the primary and 
 principal obligation of the law, whereby the covenant 
 was ratified. 
 
 VIII. Arminius thereforef very bafely refufes, that 
 God, when man once fell from the ftate of innocence, 
 and became obnoxious to punifliment, even of right re- 
 quired obedience of man : as if God had forfeited his 
 right by man's difobedience. He makes ufe of thefe 
 arguments. i. Becaufe when man is in a ftate of fin, 
 he is not in covenant with God : therefore there is no 
 contract between God and man, by which he can re- 
 quire obedience : for by what reward, what punifliment, 
 can he give fanction to the law, fmce man, for the dif- 
 obedience already committed, has forfeited the reward, 
 and is become obnoxious to punifliment ? 2. As God 
 
 * i John iii. 4. f In epift. prsftantium virorum, p. 173. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. **. 209 
 
 has, becaufe of fin, deprived man of ability and power 
 to fulfil the law, fo, by this very thing, he has fignified 
 that he will no longer require man to fulfil it, unlefs he 
 reftore his ability ; nay, he cannot in juftice do it. Jf 
 anyJhaHJay, could therefore the creature be exempt-* 
 ed from the right or authority of the Creator, fo as no 
 longer to be bound to obey him ? He anfwers, Yes in- 
 deed, if the creature be accurfed, and the Creator rec- 
 kon it unworthy to require obedience from it : for it is 
 the highefl pimifhment, fo to conclude the finful crea- 
 ture under fin, as not to require any more obedience 
 from him ; that being an evidence of irreconcileable an- 
 ger; namely in that ftate. 3. The law itfelf, which is 
 to be performed, is fuch as it would be unbecoming it 
 fhould be performed by a (inner who is out of the favor 
 of God. He is commanded to have God for his God, 
 to love, honor, and adore him, to put his truft in him, 
 to ufe his name with reverence, &c. Is it probable, 
 that fuch an obedience is required of him, who is under 
 the curfe of God ? Thus far Arminius, whofe arguments 
 deferve to be carefully examined. 
 
 IX. We begin with the firft. Arminius fuppofes a 
 great many tKIngs in this argument, which we cannot ad- 
 mit, fuch as : that all the obligation of man arifes from 
 the covenant ; that the law does not oblige, but in fo 
 far as it is enforced by rewards and punifliments, that 
 God cannot threaten a greater punifhment, after man is 
 once become obnoxious to the penalty : all which if WQ 
 deny, as we do deny them, nay if we prove them to be 
 falfe, as we hope to do, there will not remain the leaft 
 appearance of force in this argument. The obligation 
 of man to obedience is not founded firft and principally 
 on a covenant, but in the fupereminent fovereignty, ma- 
 jefty, and holinefs of God ; and every rational creature, 
 
 VOL. I. C c 
 
2io OF THE ABROGATION OF THE 
 
 becaufe he is fuch, is wholly bound to be fubjec\ to his 
 fovereignty, adore his majefty, and .form himfelf ac- 
 cording to the example of his holinefs. God would not 
 OB the abfolute fovereign, if any rational creature exift- 
 cd, which was not bound to take the rule of its actions 
 from him, and therefore, in regulating its aclions, was 
 not fubjecl to God. God would not be the fupreme 
 majefty, if there was any rational creature, who was not 
 bound to acknowledge, worfhip, adore, and be fubjeft 
 to him in every refpeft. God would not be perfect ho- 
 linefs, if any rational creature exifted, which was not 
 bound to acknowledge that holinefs, as moil worthy of 
 its imitation. As God is fuch a being, he cannot but 
 require to be efteemed to be fo. The creature cannot 
 acknowledge him in this manner, without owning its 
 obligation, at the fame time to obey him, who is the 
 firft, the moft high, and moft holy God. Which we 
 have already explained and proved more fully, chap, 
 iii. feel;. 8. Moreover, it is not true, that the law is not 
 binding, but becaufe of the fanBion of rewards and pu 
 nifhments. The principal obligation of the law arifes 
 from the authority of the lawgiver, to which is joined 
 the perfect equity of all his commands. Though God 
 had enforced his law neither by rewards nor punifh- 
 ments, we had been no lefs bound to obedience : left 
 felf-love, whereby we are led to obtain the reward, and 
 avoid the penalty, mould be the only motive to ftir us 
 up to obey God : the reverence of the Supreme Being, 
 and the love of holinefs, are to hold the chief place here. 
 In fine, it is alfo falfe, that no further punifhment will 
 be inflifted, after that man, having once broken the co- 
 venant, is become obnoxious to the penalty : for there 
 are degrees in condemnation. And if that was tru*, it 
 would not take off the obligation to obedience. It 
 not be lawful fora jrobber ; condemned to be 
 
COVENANT r WORKS. ail- 
 
 burnt alive, or broken on the wheel, or to the mod cruel 
 death that man can devife, to commit, in the mean time, 
 a new capital crime. For, as we have faid, the obliga- 
 tion arifes neither primarily nor chiefly from the penal 
 fanclion, but from the authority of the lawgiver. 
 
 X. To the fecond, I anfwer, i. Man himfelf is not 
 only the meritorious, but alfo the phyfical caufe of his 
 own impotence, which he brought upon himfelf by his 
 mifcondu6l; as if-an infolent and naughty fervant mould 
 put out the candle, by which he ought to carry on his 
 matter's bufine^; or, by drinking to excefs, willingly 
 render himfelf unfit for the fervice of his mafter. jrft 
 this cafe, that mafter, does by no means, fall from his 
 right of requiring every piece of fervice properly due 
 to him, and of punifhing that naughty fervant for non- 
 performance. 2. Though God, as a juft judge, had 
 taken away from man ability to fulfil the law, yet, on 
 that account, he both will, and in point of right can, 
 require the performance of it by man. He can do this 
 very juftly ; becaufe no wickednefs of man, juftly pu- 
 nifhed by God, can diminim God's authority over him ; 
 otherwife it would be in man's power, at his own plea- 
 fure, either to extend or limit the authority of God*; 
 which is contrary to the immutable perfection and blef- 
 fednefs of God. He alfo does require this for wife rea- 
 fons ; of which this is one, that finful man may, by that 
 means, be convinced of his irreparable mifery, upon 
 finding fuch things juftly required of him/ which he has 
 rendered himfelf incapable to perform. And fince he is 
 as unwilling as unable to obey God, he is the more in- 
 excufable, the more clearly the duty of the law is incul- 
 cated upon him. 3. 'Tis abfurd to fay, that it is the 
 
 jLOJiipniii_u..^.^ijiM, 1 " 
 
 greateft punifhment that God inflicls on man, not to re- 
 quire obedience from the rebellious creature. Jtjs in- 
 deed true, that the creature ought to reckon it a part of 
 
212 OF 7H-r ABROGATION OF THE 
 
 its happinefs, that the glory of obeying is left to it. 
 And it is the punifhment of the creature, if, by the juft 
 judgment of God, it is condemned, never to perform 
 what is incumbent upon it, and may be acceptable to 
 God. But it is another thing to fay, that God will not 
 require obedience from it. If God requires not obedi- 
 ence, the creature owes none. If it owes none, it does 
 not aft amifs by difobeying ; and if it does not amifs by 
 difobeying, that cannot be in the place of the higheft 
 punifhment for it. And thus Arminius himfelf cuts 
 down his own vines (deftroys his own argument.) He 
 would have fpoke rightly, had he faid, that it is inftead 
 of the higheft punifhment to the creature, to be con- 
 demned, by the juft judgment of God, not to perform 
 that obedience, which God, confidently with his juf- 
 tice and holinefs, requires of it. 4. Should we deal 
 more clofely with a bold difputant, we might fay, that 
 there is a contradiction in the adjuncl, when he fuppofes 
 God addrefling the creature thus, I will not have thee 
 to perform any obedience to me. For he that talks of 
 obedience, prefuppofes not only fome authority, by 
 which he can require it, but alfo a command, which re- 
 quires obedience, and which muft be obeyed. Who- 
 ever, by his authority, gives fuch a comand, requires 
 that obedience be yielded to it. If he give another 
 command, the fum of which is, I will not have you to 
 obey me, he contradiBs himfelf; nay, contradicls the 
 nature of the command, which confifts "in an obligation 
 to obedience. 5. 'Tis^thejiiglieft abfurdity imaginable, 
 that a creature fhall, by its fin, obtain exemption from 
 the authority of the Creator, and be no longer bound 
 to obey him. If this is true, the firft of all^deceivers 
 fpoke truth, that men, by eating the fobidden fruit, 
 would become as God. Whoever is exempted from 
 the authority of the Creator, Is" under the authority of 
 
COVENANT or WORKS. 
 
 none, is at his own difpofal ; in fine, is God. For to 
 be at one's own difpofal, is to be God. Ah ! how ri- 
 diculous is this ! 
 
 XL The third argument is no lefs weak. For, i. 
 The funTonhe lair'is, to love God with all the heart, 
 
 mind, and ftrength, and our neighbour as ourfelves. As 
 this is reafonable in itfelf, fo it cannot but be propofed 
 as fuch by God to man; fince confcience itfelf, even 
 that of the moft abandoned, will bear witnefs with God 
 to the reafonablenefs of this. What ? Is it not certain, 
 that God is the chief good ; confequently the moft ami- 
 able ? Can he be unwilling, that any fhould acknow- 
 ledge him as the chief good, that is, what he really is, 
 and what he cannot but be ? Is he not the fupreme ma- 
 jefty ? Can he be unwilling to be honored as fuch, with 
 the moft fubmiflive reverence ? 2. Arminius urges, that 
 the law alfo commands us to truft in God. It does foj 
 fay I ; for what can be more right, what more becom- 
 ing, than that man, even a finner, fhould be bound to 
 believe the teftimony of God; fhould give him this 
 glory, namely, that he alone both can and will juftify 
 the ungodly ; that he fhould feek him even when angry ; 
 hunger and thirft after his righteoufnefs ; and willingly 
 endeavour to be for his glory ; namely, that God may 
 be glorified and admired in him by his juftification and 
 glorification by free grace ; and that he fhould neither 
 negleft the falvation, which God has ipoft furely reveal- 
 ed, and neither defpife nor reject the Saviour ? This is 
 to truft in Cod : and will any pious perfon eve/7loubt 
 of the probability, nay even of the moft infallible cer- 
 tainty of this, that man under the curfe of God till now, 
 is not obliged to this ? . 3. He will ftili urge, that when 
 he fpeaks of trufting in God, helneans thereby that full 
 aflurance of mind, whereby one holds God to be his 
 God ; that at leaft this is alfo enjoined by the law. We 
 
212 Or TB-E' ABROGATION OF THE 
 
 its happinefs, that the glory of obeying is left to it. 
 And it is the punilhment of the creature, if, by the juft 
 judgment of God, it is condemned, never to perform 
 what is incumbent upon it, and may be acceptable to 
 God. Butjt is another thing to fay, that God will not 
 require obedience from it. If God requires not obedi- 
 ence, the creature owes none. If it owes none, it does 
 not aft amifs by difobeying ; and if it does not amifs by 
 difobeying, that cannot be in the place of the higheft 
 punifhment for it. And thus Arminius himfelf cuts 
 down his own vines (deftroys his own argument.) He 
 would have fpoke rightly, had he faid, that it is inftead 
 of the higheft punifhment to the creature, to be con- 
 demned, by the juft judgment of God, not to perform 
 that obedience, which God, confiftently with his juf- 
 tice and holinefs, requires of it. 4. Should we deal 
 more clofely with a bold difputant, we might fay, that 
 there is a contradiction in the adjunct, when he fuppofes 
 God addrefling the creature thus, I will not have thee 
 to perform any obedience to rne. For he that talks of 
 obedience, prefuppofes not only fome authority, by 
 which he can require it, but alfo a command, which re- 
 quires obedience, and which muft be obeyed. Who- 
 ever, by his authority, gives fuch a comand, requires 
 that obedience be yielded to it. If he give another 
 command, the fum of which is, I will not have you to 
 obey me, he contradicts himfelf; nay, contradicts the 
 nature of the command, which confifts in an obligation 
 to obedience. 5. 'Tis thehi^hejl abfurdity imaginable, 
 that a creature mall, by its fin, obtain exemption from 
 the authority of the Creator, and be no longer bound 
 to obey him. If this is true, the firft of all^deceivers 
 fpoke truth, that men, by eating the fobidden fruit, 
 \vould become as God. Whoever is exempted from 
 the authority of the Creator, is under the authority of 
 
COVENANT or WORKS. 
 
 none, is at his own difpofal ; in fine, is God. For to 
 be at one's own difpofal, i to be God. Ah ! how ri- 
 diculous is this ! 
 
 XL The third argument is no lefs weak. For, i. 
 The fum ol "i-He wr~i^ to love God with all the heart, 
 
 mind, and ftrength, and our neighbour as ourfelves. As 
 this is reafonable in itfelf, fo it cannot but be propofed 
 as fuch by God to man; fince confcience itfelf, even 
 that of the mod abandoned, will bear witnefs with God 
 to the reafonablenefs of this. What ? Is it not certain, 
 that God is the chief good ; confequently the moft ami- 
 able ? Can he be unwilling, that any fhould acknow- 
 ledge him as the chief good, that is, what he really is, 
 and what he cannot but be ? Is he not the fupreme ma- 
 jefty ? Can he be unwilling to be honored as fuch, with 
 trie moft fubmiffive reverence ? 2. Arminius urges, that 
 the law alfo commands us to truft in God. It does fo, 
 fay I ; for what can be more right, what more becom- 
 ing, than that man, even a finner, fhould be bound to 
 believe the tcftimony of God ; mould give him this 
 glory, namely, that he alone both can and will juftify 
 the ungodly ; that he mould feek him even when angry ; 
 hunger and thirft after his righteoufnefs ; and willingly 
 endeavour to be for his glory ; namely, that God may 
 be glorified and admired in him by his ju unification and 
 glorification by free grace ; and that he mould neither 
 neglecl the falvation, which God has ipoft furely reveal- 
 ed, and neither defpife nor rejel the Saviour ? This is 
 to truit in God : and will any pious perfon ever"3oubt 
 of the probability, nay even of the moft infallible cer- 
 tainty of this, that man under the curfe of God till now, 
 is not obliged to this ? . 3. He will ftill urge, that when 
 he fpeaks of trufting in God, he means thereby that full 
 aflurance of mind, whereby one holds God to be his 
 God ; that at leaft this is alfo enjoined by the law. We 
 
216 OF THE ABROGATION OF THE 
 
 ing to his command ; now the moft perfect performance 
 of every duty, mull be the manifeft confequence of all 
 this. 
 
 . XIV. Again, to perform duty perfectly, as every 
 one will allow, is better than to do it in a flight manner. 
 For all the goodnefs of duty confifts in its agreement 
 with the rule and directory of it. There muft therefore 
 be a certain rule, enjoining that perfection, which is a 
 greater degree of goodnefs. If fuch a rule has been 
 prefcribed by God, it muft certainly bind men to con- 
 form themfelves to it. 
 
 XV. The confcience of man, attending to himfelf, 
 cannot but afTent to thefe things. For elucidating this 
 point, I (hall fubjoin two excellent pafiages, one from 
 Epictetus, the other from the Emperor Julian. The 
 former fpeaks thus.* " Having found a rule, let us 
 keep it inviolably, and not extend fo much as a finger 
 beyond it." The latter thus, Oral. i. " There is an an- 
 cient law given by him, who firft taught mankind philo- 
 fophy, and which runs thus : that all who have an eye 
 to virtue and to honefty, ought, in their words and ac- 
 tions, in fociety, and in all the affairs of this life, both 
 fmall and great, to have a regard to honefty." The law 
 therefore of the old covenant ftill continues, binding all 
 mankind, without exception, to a perfect performance 
 of duty. 
 
 XVI. TheJ'econd thing, which we faid, fed. 2. was 
 immutable in the covenant of works, was this ; that 
 eternal life was not obtainable on any other condition, 
 but that of perfect obedience : which is hence invinci- 
 bly proved ; becaufe, by virtue of this general rule, it 
 was neceflary for Chrift to be made under the law^C andful- 
 fil all right eoufnefs) and that for this end, that the righte- 
 
 * Diflert. lib. ii. c. il. f Gal. iv. 4. 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 217 
 
 cufnefs of the law might be fulfilled* But if this righte- 
 oufuefs had not been facred and inviolable, Chrift would 
 have been under no neceffity to fubrnit to the covenant 
 of the law, in order to merit eternal life for his people. 
 This therefore is evident, that there ought to be a me- 
 rit of perfect obedience, on which a right to eternal life 
 may be founded. Nor isjt material, whether that per- 
 fel obedience be performed by man himfelf, or by his 
 furety. 
 
 XVII. The third thing which we affirmed as an un- 
 changeable truth, regards the penal fan&ion ; for the 
 immutable and indifpenfable juftice of which we infilled 
 above by fo many arguments, chap. v. feel. 18. & feq. 
 fo that there is no occafion to add any thing further. 
 
 XVIII. Since then thefe three things, the law, the 
 promife, and the threatening, conftitute the entire na- 
 ture of the covenant, as propofed by God, if thefe 
 {land on a firm footing, it feems to follow, that man has 
 indeed, on his part, broken the covenant, but that no 
 abrogation of the covenant is made on the part of God. 
 But, on duly weighing the matter, we inuft acknow- 
 ledge fome abrogation even on the part of God. This 
 may be evidently inferred from the fubftitution of the 
 new covenant of grace. For thus the apoftle. has ta ught 
 us to reafon.t In that he faith, A new covenant, he 
 hath made the firjl old. For though the abrogation of 
 the old does not neceflarily infer the fubftitution of a new; 
 yet the fubftitution of a new does certainly import the 
 abrogation of the old. It is indeed true, that the apof- 
 tle, in that place, does not fpeak precifely of the cove- 
 nant of works, but of the old ceconomy of the cove- 
 nant of grace, which he fays is abrogated. Yet we pro- 
 
 * Rom. via* 4. f Heb. viii. 13. 
 VOL, I. D d 
 
218 OF THE ABROGATION OF THE 
 
 perly build on his reafoning, which we both may and 
 ought to apply alfo to this fubjecl : namely, that every 
 fubftitution of a new covenant fuppofes the abrogation 
 of an old one. 
 
 XIX. That abrogation on the part of God confifts 
 in this, thaTGoH has declared, that no man can, by- 
 virtue of this covenant, have friendfhip with him, or 
 obtain eternal life ; fo that he has pronounced all to 
 have forfeited the promife of the covenant, and the 
 hope of enjoying that promife According to that cove- 
 nant. This is what th$ apoftle fays, that there is not now 
 a law, which can give life, fo that righteoufnefs fhould be 
 by the law* To this purpofc is -what the law cannot do^ 
 which he inculcates. t 
 
 XX. And thus indeed that covenant is fo abrogated, 
 
 -! .-.,.. < ~ J 
 
 that it can on no account be renewed. For if we mould 
 imagine God faying to man, " If, for the future, thou 
 can ft perfeclly keep my law, thou (halt thereby acquire 
 a right to eternal life," he would not by fuch words re- 
 new this very covenant of works. For fin is now pre- 
 fuppofed to exift, which is contrary to that perfection 
 of obedience, which the covenant of works requires. 
 God would therefore tranfacl here with man on a differ- 
 
 *- inn -i- 
 
 ent condition, whereby, forgiving the former fin, he 
 would prefcribe a condition of an obedience lefs perfect 
 than that which he flipulated by the covenant of works ; 
 which, excluding all fin, even knew nothing of forgive- 
 ncfs of fin. Nay, fuch a tranfa&ion would be fo far 
 from a reaewaioF the covenant of works, that it would 
 rather manifeflly dellroy it. For the penal fanclion 
 makes a part of that covenant whereby God threatened 
 the firmer with death, which if he fhould forgive him 
 
 * Gal. i'i 21. f ROIR. viii. 3., 
 
COVENANT OF WORKS. 219 
 
 without a due fatisfaftion, he would al contrary to the 
 covenant, and his own truth. 
 
 XXI. The law then remains as the rule of our duty ; 
 but is abrogateSTo far as to have no federal refpecl ; nor 
 can it occupy the place of a condition, by the perfor- 
 mance of which man may acquire a right to the reward. 
 In this fenfe the apoflle fays, We are not under the law,* 
 namely, as prefcribing the condition of life. There is 
 indeed ftill an indifToluble connection between perfect 
 righteoufnefs and eternal life, fo that the lajl cannot be 
 obtained without the fir ft. But after man, falling from 
 righteoufnefs, had loft hope of the reward, God was* at 
 liberty either to punifh the finner according to his de- 
 merit, or give him a furety to fulfil all righteoufnefs in. 
 his ftead. 
 
 XXII. Ther are learned men, who, befides this 
 abolition of the covenant of works, which regards the 
 poflibility of giving life and j unification, enumerate four 
 other degrees of abolition in this order, i. As to con- 
 demnation^ by Chrifl being propofed in the pro'mife, and 
 apprehended by faith. 2. As fo terror, or the power 
 of the fear of death and bondage, by the promulgation of 
 the new covenant, after the expiation of fin.: which be- 
 ing once accomplifhed, they who are redeemed, are un- 
 der the law of the Redeemer. So that the fame law, abo- 
 lifhed in the Redeemer as the law of fin, becomes the 
 law of the Saviour,, and adjudges righteoufnefs to thofe 
 who are his. 3. Asjo the war or ftruggle with fin, by 
 the death of the body. 4. Asjx^ajl the effects of it, by 
 the rejurreclion from the dead. 
 
 XXIII. But let us give our reafons, why we have, 
 , hitherto doubted, whether thefe things are with fuffi- 
 
 cient accuracy conceived and digefted. i. All the par- 
 Rom, vi. 14. 
 
220 OF THE ABROGATION OF THE 
 
 ticulars here mentioned belong to the covenant of grace. 
 Now, the covenant of grace does not abrogate, but iup- 
 poles the abrogation of the covenant of works ; becaufe 
 there could be no place for this, without the abrogation 
 of the other, in the fenfe now mentioned. 2. The co- 
 venant of grace is not the abolition, but rather tHe^con- 
 firmation of the covenant of works, in fo far as the Me- 
 diator has fulfilled all the conditions of that covenant, 
 fo that all believers may be juftified and faved according 
 to the covenant of works, to which fatisfa6lion was made 
 by the Mediator. This is the apoflle's meaning : Do 
 we then make void the law through faith ? God forbid : 
 yea, we ejlablifh the law.* And again, That the righte- 
 oufnefs of the law might be fulfilled in ws.t " Which 
 fignities," (as the learned perfon, whofe opinion we are 
 BOW examining, comments on this place) " that what 
 the law accounts for righteoufnefs is fully bellowed on 
 us ; and confequently, that what merits the reward of 
 the law, becomes perfeBly ours." 3. The very law of 
 the covenant, which formerly gave up the human fmner 
 to fin, when his condition is once changed by union 
 with Chrift the Surety, does now, without any abolition, 
 abrogation, or any other change whatever, abfolve the 
 man from the guilt and dominion of fin, and beftow on 
 him that fan&ification and glorification, which arc gra- 
 dually to be brought to that perfeclion, which .he (hall 
 obtain at the refurreclion of the dead; as being con- 
 ftrained to bear witnefs to the juftifieation of the cove- 
 nant of grace. This is what the learned perfon not im- 
 properly fays, in the words we have juft quoted : " So 
 that the lame law, abolifhcd in the Redeemer as the law 
 of fin, becomes the law of the Saviour, and beflows 
 liijhieoufnefs on thofe who are his;" which he has at 
 
 * Rorn. ill. 31. f Ilcm. viii. 4. 
 
COVENANT OF WORF.S. 
 
 large and learnedly explained on Rom. viii. 2. In a 
 \vord, the fame law, which was to man in innocence a 
 commandment to life, and is to man in fin the law of (in, 
 giving him up to the dominion and guilt of fin, be- 
 comes again in the Redeemer the law of the Spirit of 
 life, teftifying that fatisfadion was made to it by the 
 Redeemer, and bellowing on man, who by faith is be- 
 come one with the Redeemer, all the fruits of righte- 
 oufnefs for j uftification, fanclincation, and glorification. 
 All the change is in the ftate of the man, none in the 
 law~oTthe covenant, according to which man, in what- 
 ever ftate he is, is judged. Which things feem not to 
 have efcaped the obfervation of the learned perfon him- 
 felf ; when he fpeaks to this purpofe.* " Neverthelefs 
 when we fay this, we mean, that this fourfold abolition 
 and removal of the covenant concerning works to be donc> 
 -which is connected with our own happinefs^ is founded ori 
 the fame law : not that this could be done by virtue of 
 the law in itfelf alone, but that the intervention of a 
 Surety and Redeemer made it at laft poffible to the law." 
 I allow, that what he calls th&abolition of the covenant 
 concerning works, is founded in the law of works : but 
 I leave it to the reader's confederation, whether it is not 
 a itrange way of talking, to fay, that " the abolition and 
 removal of the law is founded on the law itfelf, and that 
 the intervention of a Surety and Redeemer made it at 
 lad poffible to the law ;" namely, that itfelf mould ef- 
 fect its own abolition and removal ? From all which I 
 conclude, that it will be more proper^toTreat of thefe 
 things, when we fpeak of the fruits and effects of the co- 
 venant of grace, than when confldering the abolition of 
 the covenant of works ; which is on no account abolilh- 
 cd, but in fo far as it is become impoflibie for man to 
 attain to life by his own proper works. 
 
 * Summa theol. c. 31. i. 
 
THE 
 
 O E C O N O M Y 
 
 .* >*. '-, ,. . 
 
 OF THE 
 
 DIVINE COVENANTS. 
 
 BOOK II. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Introduction to treating on the Covenant of Grace. 
 
 TS;^v%^4^f'^j^ 
 HE covenant of works being thus broken by the Jin 
 
 of man, and abrogated by the juft judgment of God, 
 wretched man was caft headlong into the deepeft gulf of 
 ruin, whence he could not efcape. While, liftening to 
 the folicitation of the devil, and giving way to his own 
 reafonings, he, in a moil violent manner, withdrew, him- 
 felf from God, and would be at his own difpofal, throw- 
 ing off his rightful fubordination to God (like the pro- 
 digal fon*) he fold and enflaved himfelf to the devil. All 
 thefe were acts of the higheft injuftice. For man had 
 no right thus to difpofe of himfelf ; nor the devil to ac- 
 cept of what was the Lord's. Yet God confidering, that, 
 by this rafli andunjuft aftion, manwasjuflly punifhed, 
 did : by his righteous judgment, ratify all this for man's, 
 * Luke xv. 12, 
 
224 INTRODUCTION TO THE 
 
 further punifhment, gave man up to himfelf, as the mofl 
 \vretched and foalifh of matters ; and to Jin, as a cruel 
 tyrant, which would continually force him to every 
 abominable practice. And even as they did not like to 
 retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a 
 reprobate mind, to do i^fe things which are not conve- 
 nient* He Mo gave them up unto vile affi&idhs'rf that: 
 fo they might receive in themfelves that recompenfe which 
 wasmect.^ In fine, he delivered them upas flaves to 
 the devil, to te taken captive by him at his pleafure,^ 
 And all this according to that moft equitable law ; Of 
 whom a man is overcome, cf the fame he is brought in 
 bondage.^ 
 
 II. Add to this too, that man, after he ceafed to be 
 in covenant with God, became without God, and with- 
 out hope in the world.^L For it was impoffible for man 
 to devife any method becoming God, whereby, con- 
 fidently with divine truth, jujlice, and holinefs, he could 
 be reconciled with God, and return again to his favor. 
 The law of fin was alfo juft, by which man was enflav- 
 ed to fin, to the dominion and condemnation of it, and 
 given up to the devil as his tormentor. In which fenfe, he 
 is faid to be not only the captive of the devil, of thejlrong 
 man, mentioned Matth. xii. 29. but alfo the captive of 
 the lawful.** For he had the power of death ;tt and 
 that by the law 1$^ the, Jlrength of Jin is the law.. Nor 
 could man contrive a method, whereby fin, which con- 
 demned, and that by the moft equitable law, might it- 
 felf bejuftly condemned by God. 
 
 III. But it pleafed God, according to the riches of 
 his unfearcnable wifdom, to lay this breach of the legal 
 covenant as a foundation for his ftupendous works ; by 
 
 * Rom. i. 28. f Ver. 26. . J Ver. 27. 2 Tiro.Ji. 26. 
 || 2 Pet. ii. 19. f Eph. ii. 12. ** If. xlix. 24. ff Heb. ii. 14. 
 Jt i p Con xv. 56, 
 
COVENANT OF GRACE, 225 
 
 felting up a new covenant of grace, in which he might 
 much more clearly difplay the ineflimable treafures of 
 his all-fufficiency, than if all things had fucceeded well 
 with man according to the firft covenant : thus difcover- 
 ing, what feemed incredible, and to furpafs comprehen- 
 fion, that the truc^ jujl, and holy God could, without 
 at all dhniriifhing, nay rather much more illuftrioufly 
 difplaying his adorable perfections, become the God and 
 folvatian of the Jinner : finding out that admirable mix- 
 ture of his flricleft vindiclive juflice with his molt con- 
 defcending mercy, fo that the one mould detract no- 
 thing from the other. 'For fo illuftrious an exercife of 
 which perfections there could have been no place under 
 the covenant of works.. 
 
 IV. If therefore any thing ought to be accounted 
 worthy of our moft attentive confideration, certainly it 
 is the covenant of grace, of which we now attempt to 
 treat. Here the way is pointed out to a paradife far 
 preferable to the earthly, and to a more certain and fta- 
 ble felicity than that from which Adam fell. Hera 
 new hope fhines upon ruined mortals, which ought to 
 be the more acceptable, the more unexpected it comes. 
 Here conditions are offered, to which eternal falvation 
 is annexed; conditions, not to be performed again by 
 us, which might throw the mind into defpondency ; but 
 by him, who would not part with his life, before he had 
 truly faid, It isjinifiied. Here with the brighteft fplen- 
 dour fhine forth the wonderful perfections of our GOD, 
 his wifdom, power, truth, jullice, holinefs, goodnefs, 
 philanthropy, or good-will to man, mercy, and v.-hat 
 tongue can rehearfe them all ? never before difplayed on 
 a more auguft theatre, to the admiration of all who be- 
 hold them. Whoever therefore loves his own falva- 
 tion, whoever defires to delight himfelf in the contemp- 
 
 VOL. I, E e 
 
26 THE COMPACT B-sxtVEEN THE 
 
 lation of the divine perfections, nfruft come hither^ 
 and deeply engage in holy meditations on the covenant 
 of grace : which I think may not improperly be thus 
 defined. 
 
 V. The covenant of grace is an agreement, between 
 God and the elecl Jinner ; God declaring his free good- 
 will concerning eternal 'falvation, and every thing rela- 
 tive thereto, freely to be given to thofe in covenant, by and 
 for the fake of the Mediator Chrift ; and man confcnting 
 to thai good-will ly a fine ere faith. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Of the Compacl between God the Father and the Son. 
 
 T 
 
 HAT the nature of the covenant of grace may be 
 the more thoroughly underftood, two things are above 
 all to be diftinctly confidered. i. The compaB which 
 intervenes between God the Father, and Chrift the Me- 
 diator. 2. That tejlamentary difpojition, by which God 
 leftows, by an immutable covenant, eternal falvation, 
 and every thing relative thereto, upon the ehft. The 
 former agreement is between God and the Mediator ; tlie 
 latter between God and the elecl. This laft prefuppofes 
 the firll, and is founded upon it. 
 
 II. When I fpeak of the compact between the Father 
 and the Son, I thereby underftand the will of the Father, 
 giving the Son, to be the Head and Redeemer of the 
 elecl ; and the will of the Son prefenting himfelf as a 
 Sponfor or Surety for them ; in all which the nature of 
 a compact and agreement confifls. The fcripture re- 
 prefents the Father, in the oeconomy oF our falvation, 
 as demanding the obedience of the Sen even unto death ? 
 
FATHER AND THE SON. 227 
 
 and for it promifing him that name, which is above 
 every name, even that he fhould be the head of the eleft 
 in glory : but the Son, as prefenting himfelf to do the 
 -will of the Father, acquiefcing in that promife, and in 
 fine, requiring the kingdom and glory promifed to him- 
 When we have clearly dernonftrated all thefe particu- 
 lars from Scripture, it cannot on any pretence be deni- 
 ed, that there is a compact between the Father and the 
 Son, which is the foundation of our falvation. But let 
 as proceed diftin&ly. i. By producing fuch places of 
 fcripture, as fpeak in general indeed, but yet exprefsly, 
 of this compact. 2. By more fully unfolding the par- 
 ticulars, which complete or conftitute this compel. 3. 
 By invincibly proving the fame from the nature of the 
 facraments, which Chrift aifo made ufe of. 
 
 III. Chrift himfelf fpeaks of this compaQ in exprefs 
 words.* KAGO DIATIT'HEMAI HUMIN, KATHOS DI- 
 
 ETITHETO MOI HO PATER MOU BASILEIAN, And I 
 
 engage by covenant unto you a kingdom^ as my Father 
 hath engaged by covenant unto me. In which words the 
 Lord Jefus fays, that by virtue of fome covenant or 
 difpofition, he obtains, a kingdom, as we alfo obtain it 
 by virtue of the fame. 
 
 IV. And Heb. vii. 22. where he is faid to be KREIT- 
 TONOS DIATHEKES ENGUos, a fureiy of abttter cove- 
 nant or tcjlament. But he is called the Surety of a tef- 
 tament, not principally on this account, becaufe he en- 
 gages to us for God and his promifes, or becaufe he ep- 
 gagesforus that wejtiall obey ; as Mofes intervened as a 
 furety between God and the Ifraelties.^ For by how 
 much Chrift was greater than Mofes, in fo much he 
 was alfo a Surety in a more excellent manner. His 
 furctifhip confifts in this, that he took upon himfelf to 
 
 f Luke xxii. 29. -f Exod. xix. 3. $ 
 
228 THE COMPACT BETWEEN TSE 
 
 perform that condition, without which, confidently with 
 the jufiice of God, the grace and promifes of God could 
 not reach unto us ; and which being performed, they 
 were infallibly to come to the children of the covenant. 
 UrnVTs then we would make void the furetifhip of Chrift, 
 and gratify the Socinians, the very worft perverters of 
 fcripture, it is neceffary we conceive of fome covenant, 
 the conditions of which Chrifl took upon himfelf ; en- 
 gaging in our name with the Father, to perform them 
 for us ; and which having performed, he might engage 
 to us for the Father, concerning grace and glory to be 
 beftowed upon us. 
 
 V. Moreover,* Paul mentions a certain DIATHEKEN, 
 covenant, or teflament, that -was confirmed before of God 
 in Chrifl. Where the contracting parties are, on one 
 fide God, on the other Chrifl ; and the agreement be- 
 tween both is ratified. But left any mould think, that 
 Chrift is here only confidered as the executioner of the 
 ieflament bequeathed to us by God, the apoftle twice 
 repeats, that Chrifl was not promifed to its* or thatfal- 
 vation was not promifed to us through Chrifl , though that 
 be alfo true ; but' that the promifes were made to Chrift 
 himfelf.^ That Chrifrwas thatfeed^ HO APENGELTAI, 
 to which he had promifed) or to which the promife was 
 made ; namely, concerning the inheritance of the world, 
 and the kingdom of grace and glory. It is evident 
 therefore, that the word DIATHEKE doesliere denote 
 fome covenant or teflanent, by which fomething is pro- 
 mifed by God to Chrift. Nor do I fee what can be ob- 
 jected to this, unlefs by Omft any one fliould under- 
 ftand the head, together with the my/Heal body, which 
 with Chrift is that one feed, to which the promifes are 
 made. This indeed we fhall very readily admit, if it 
 
 * Gal. Hi. 17. f Vcr. 16. 
 
FATHE-R AND THE SON. 229 
 
 alfo be admitted, that Chrift, who is the head, and 
 -eminently the feed of Abraham, be on no account ex- 
 cluded from thefe protnifes, efpecially as the promifes 
 made to his mydical body, ought to be conlidered as 
 made alfo to hirnfelf ; fince he himfelf too hath received 
 gifts for [in} men* 
 
 VI. Nor ought thofe places to be omitted, in which 
 explicit mention is made of the fureti/Jii-p of Chriit ; as 
 Pfal. cxix. 122. Be furety for thy fcrvant for good ; 
 that is, as furety receive him into thy protection, that it 
 may be well with him. ipjike manner, If. xxxviii. 14. 
 / am oppreffed, undertake for me ; be to me a furety and 
 patron. And that none but Chrift alone could thus 
 undertake, Cod himfelf fays, Jer. xxx. 21. Who i^ 
 Ms NGARAB JE.IH LiEBO that engaged [in~\ his heart, 
 or quieted his heart by his furetifhip, or fweetened his 
 heart by a voluntary and fiducial engagement, or, in 
 fine, pledged his very heart, giving his foul as both the 
 matter and price of furetifhip (for all thefe things are 
 comprifed in the emphafis of the Hebrew language) to 
 approach unto me, that he may expiate fin ? Thefe 
 words alfo point out what that furetifhip or undertaking 
 was, which David and Hezekiah fought for ; namely, a 
 declaration of will to approach unto God, in order to 
 procure the expiation of fins. 
 
 VII. In fine, we may refer to this point, what is to 
 be found, Zech. vi. 13. The counfel of peace Jliall be be- 
 tween them both ; namely, between the man, whofe 
 name is the Branch, and Jehovah : for no other pair 
 6ccur here. Ij^will not be foreign to our purpofe, to 
 throw fome light on this place by a fhort analylis and pa- 
 raphrafe. In this and the preceding verfe, there is a re- 
 markable prophecy concerning the Meffiah,- whole ptr- 
 
 * Pfal. Ixviii. 19. 
 
230 TH COMPACT BETWEEN THE 
 
 fon, offices, and glory, the prophet truly defcribes in a 
 fhort, but lively manner, fubjoining at laft the caufe of 
 ail thefe ; why the Meffiah fhewed himfelf as fucha^r- 
 Jon, executed fuch offices, and obtained fuch a glory ; 
 namelvj that counfel, which was between him and the 
 Father ', the fruit of which, with refpecl to us, is peace. 
 Of the perfon of the Meffiah he fays, that he is ISH, the 
 wan, that is, true man ; compare Hof. ii. 15. and in- 
 deed, themojl eminent among men; not ADAM or AN ISH, 
 which words denote wretched man, but ISH JEMIN^ECHA 
 Hit man of tht right hand of God* Becaufe Chrift is 
 not here confidered as in the abafement of his mifery, 
 but in the excellence of his glory. His name is the 
 Branch, becaufe fprung from God,t a new root of a 
 new offspring, or of the fons of God according to pro- 
 mife and regeneration, the fecond Adam. And indeed 
 a branch, which Jhall bloffom from under himfelf. A- 
 ben Ezra, MI LO, from himfelf, which (hall not be pro- 
 duced or propagated by any fowing, or planting of 
 man's hand, but mail fpring from a virgin, by the pe- 
 culiar power of the Deity. Kis office is to build the tem- 
 flt of the Lord, that is, the church of the elecl, which 
 is the houfe of God^ which Chriil KATESKEUASE,y*r^w- 
 cd, and built;|| laying the foundation in his crofs, and 
 giving his blood for cementing it. But becaufe in the 
 fame breath it is twice faid, He fliall build' the temple of 
 the Lord, it may fugged to our minds, whether, befides 
 the building of the church, which is the myjlical body of 
 Chrift, the reiurreclion of Chrid's own natural body 
 may not be intended, which is called the building of the 
 temple.^ This being done, he will receive majefly, a 
 name above every name, and fit on the throne of God, to 
 execute his kingly and prieitly office in glory. 
 
 * Pfal. Ixxx. 1 7. t Kiv. 2. Zech. vi. 12. J i Tim. in. 15, 
 J Heb. in. 4. j| Matth. xvi. 18. 5f John ii. 19, 21, 
 
FATHER AND THE SON. 
 
 king to Jit on a throne, is nothing ftrange, but for a, 
 priejl, very much fo ; being contrary to the cuftom of 
 the ancient priefts in the Old Teftament, who flood dai- 
 ly, often offering the fame facrifices ; becaufe their la- 
 bour was ineffectual to remove the guilt of fin.* But 
 Chrift having once offered up the one facrifice of hlm- 
 felf, and by it obtained eternal redemption, fat down for 
 ever at the right hand of the Father, never to rife to of- 
 fer a fecond time.t He now does what his feffion gives 
 him a right to do, to maKelnterceffion for his people , 
 as was ingenioufly obferved by James Ahingitis.J But 
 whence do all thefe things proceed, and what is the ori- 
 gin of fuch important matters? The counfel of peace* 
 which is between the man whofe name is the Branch, and 
 between Jehovah, whofe temple he fhail build, and on 
 whofe throne he {hall fit.jj And what elfe can this coun- 
 fel be, but the mutual will of the Father and the Son* 
 which, we faid, is the nature of the covenant ? It is cal- 
 led a counfel^ both on account of the free and liberal 
 good pleafure of both, and of the difplay of the greateit 
 wifdom manifefted therein. And a counfel of peace? 
 not between God and Chrift, between whom there was 
 no enmity ; but of peace to be procured to ftnful maa 
 with God, and to finners with themfelves. 
 
 VIII. Two things here may feem to be objected to, 
 which we areT briefly to anfwer. i. That by thofe two 
 we are not to uoderftand the Father and The Son, but the 
 Jews and the Gentiles. 2. That here it is not the coun- 
 fel, which is the original and caufe of all thefe things, and 
 which ought to have been expreffed in the preterperfeft 
 or prefenttenfe ; but the counfel, which is the fruit of 
 Chrift's interceflion, of which the prophet fpeaks in the 
 future ienfe. Tgjhe firjl I anfwer, That this expofition 
 
 * Heb. x. ii. f Heb. i. 3. andix. 12, 14. J Rom. viii. 34* 
 Hept. iii. diflert. 6. 49. |j Rev. iii. 2 1 
 
232 THE COMPACT BETWEEN THE 
 
 is averted, but not proved. There is no diftinft men* 
 tion made of Jews and Gentiles in the preceding verfes 
 of this chapter. And it is not lawful for us to cram any 
 thing into the text. What others alledge concerning a 
 prieil and king, or the office of priell and king, or about 
 the Jews of Jerufalem and Babylon, is quite forced. 
 " Our explication," fays the very learned de Dieu, who 
 here is of the fame opinion with us, " appears fimple 
 and plain." Neither is it new, fince Jerome tells us, 
 that this verfe v/as underftood of the Father and the Son. 
 To the fecond I reply, That there is nothing that can 
 oblige us to afTent to it ; fince the words, by our ana- 
 lyfis and explanation, yield a very juft and profitable 
 fenfe ; and this covenant could not be exprefled by a 
 more fignificant term, than that of a mutual counfel 
 between the Father and the Son. What is added with 
 refpecl to the difference of tenfes, feems to be of fmall 
 moment : for that the tenfes in Hebrew are often put 
 one for the other, and the future for the prefent^ none 
 can be ignorant of, but they who are indifferently fkil- 
 led in that language. See Pfal. xvii. 3. TZERAPHTA- 
 N i B A L T i M i z A, Thou haft tried me, and thou dojl, or 
 didjlfind nothing ; literally, thou /halt find. Such chan- 
 ges of tenfes often occur in the fame pfalm. Befides 5 
 fomething is then faid to be done in fcripture, when it is 
 declared to be folemnly done ; of which in (lances are to 
 be met with every where. See a6ls ii. 36. We will there- 
 fore properly explain the words thus, The counfel of 
 peace is between both. Or if you entirely infift on the 
 future tenfe, the meaning will be this : At the exaltation 
 of Chrift, and the peace advanced by him from heaven, 
 there will he a manifeft execution of this counfel. But 
 there is no occafion to come to this. For if we inter- 
 pret this counfel, of that agreement, which fubiifted be- 
 tween the -Father and Chrift, God-man, when ? aflTum- 
 
FATHER AND THE SON. 233 
 
 ing human nature, he began to do the office of Surety ; 
 the prophet might and ought to fpeak of it in the future 
 tenfe. And he does fo in an elegant order, afcending 
 from the effects to the caufe, in, this manner : Chrift, 
 God-man, (hall build the fpiritual temple of the Lord ; 
 for a glorious reward of which office he (hall receive 
 majefty, and (hall fit on the throne of the Lord. Nor 
 ought this to feem ftrange : for Ghrift, clothing hiffileTf 
 with human flefh, will, by a certain compact on jvhich 
 our peace refts, promife to the Father, that he will do 
 fo ; and the Father, on the other hand, will promife 
 him, that he will thus reward that fervice. In this man- 
 ner every thing runs fmoothly. See what fliall be faid 
 more largely, chap. iii. $ 2. 4. 
 
 IX. It is alfo a proof of this,' that Chrift, often in 
 the pfalms and elfewhere, callus God the Father his God ; 
 fee among other places, Pfal. xxii. 3. and xlv. 8. If. 
 xlix. 4. 5. and John xx. 17. Which is the form or 
 manner of the covenant. In this fenfe Jacob promifed, 
 that the LordJJiould be his God ;* that is, that he would 
 fo 'frame his whole life, as became one in covenant with 
 God. The Ifraelites alfo, when they folemnly renew- 
 ed the covenant, Jof. xxiv. 18. faid, We will ferve the 
 Lord) for he is our God. In like manner God promifes 
 in the covenant, that he will be the God of his covenant- 
 people ; that is, difplay the riches of his all-fufficiency 
 for their falvation. t This is my covenant that I -will 
 make -with the houfe of Ifrael, I will be their God. 
 Deut. xxvi. 17. Thou hajl vouched the Lord (thou haft 
 made the Lord fay) this day to be (that he will &e) 
 thy God. The very meaning of the word [which we 
 render God] implies this: for ELOAH, derived from 
 
 * Gen. xxviii. 21. f Jer. xxxi. 33. 
 VOL. I. F f 
 
234 uE OMPACT BETWEEN THE 
 
 ALAH, hefwore or adjured, denotes him, \vhofe prero- 
 gative it ,is to bind us, by oath, to love and faithful 
 obedience to him, and to whom we ought, by oath, to 
 give all obedience ; and who on his part engages that he 
 will be all-fufficient to his faithful fervants for falvation. 
 He therefore who profeffes Eloah to be his God, does 
 at the fame time, by virtue of the covenant of God, call 
 himfelf the fervant of God; for NG^B^D, fervant, 
 is the correlate of ELOAH, or, ELOPIIM : as Pfalms, 
 
 IXXXVI. 2. HOSHANG NGABDECHA ATTAH ./ELOHAJ, 
 
 Preferve thy fervant, thou my God. And in this 
 manner the Father calls Chrift, in many places, his 
 fervant, If, xlix. 5, 6. BeGdes, fuch a one profefTes, 
 that he entirely depends on the promife and teftimony 
 , of that covenant : in which thi<ig> the whole nature and 
 defign of the covenant conlifts. Since therefore Chrijl 
 calls God the Father his God, and, on the other hand, 
 the Father calls Chrijl his fervant, both of them do, by 
 that name, indicate a compact concerning obedience and 
 reward. 
 
 X. But let us now proceed more particularly, and 
 difcufs all the parts of this covenant, that it may not on- 
 ly appear that there fublifts fome covenant between 
 Chrift and the Father, but what that covenant is, and of 
 what nature. The contracting parties are, on the one 
 hand, the Father, whom Chritt calls my Lord ;* on 
 the other, the Son, whom the Father calls his fervant. ^ 
 The law of the covenant is propofed by the Father;^ 
 This commandment have I received of my Father ; and,$ 
 The Father which fent me, he gave me a commandment. 
 To that law a promife is added by the Father;!) When 
 thou /halt make his foul an offering for fin (when his foul 
 fhall make itfelf an offering for fin) he Jliail fee his feed, 
 
 * Pfal. xvi. 2. f If. liii. n. 'J John x. 18. John xii. 49. 
 II If. liii. 10. 12. 
 
FATHER AND THE SON. 235 
 
 &c. and,* It is a light thing, that thou /hould ft bemy fer- 
 vant, to raife up the tribes of Jacob, &c. On perform-^ 
 ing that law, the Son acquires a right to a(k the re- 
 ward ;f AJk of me, and I fhall give thee the Heathen for 
 thine inheritance, and the uttermojl parts of the earth for 
 thy poffcjjion. Thus far the propofal of the covenant on, 
 the part of the Father ; the acceptance on the 'part of the 
 Son coniifts in this ; that he willingly fubmitted himfelf 
 to the law of the covenant ; J Mine ear hajl thou (bored) 
 opened ; that is, thou haft engaged me as a willing fer- 
 vant to thyfelf, having agreed about the reward. Then 
 faid I, Lo ! I come$ I delight to do thy will ; yea, thy 
 law is within my heart. See alfo John xiv. 31. Nor 
 did the Son only take this upon himfelf, but a&uaffy 
 performed it, being made of a woman, made under the 
 law. I have kept my Father's commandments, and abide 
 in his love : and J'ohn viii. 29. / do ahuays thofe things 
 that pleafe him. Nor did he part with his life, till he 
 had truly faid, TETELESTAI, It is jiniflied.\ In the 
 courfe of this obedience, the Son comforted himfelf in 
 the faithfulnefs of the Father, to accomplifh his promifes ; 
 I faid, Surely my judgment (reward) is with the Lord y 
 &nd (the recompenfe of) my work with my GodSti. And 
 when he drew near the end of his courfe, he claimed, 
 with great confidence of mind, the reward promifed 
 him ;** I have glorified thee on earth : I have finijhed 
 the work, which thou gavejl me to do. And now, Fa- 
 ther, glorify thou me with thine own f elf, with the glory 
 which I had with thee before the world was. What, 
 pray, can be fuppofed wanting to complete the form of 
 a covenant, which we have not here ? 
 
 XL In fine, all thefe things may be confirmed from 
 this, thaT Cfiriil likewife made ufe of the facraments - 9 
 
 * If. xlx. 6. 3. f Pfal. ii. 8. { Pfal. xl. 7. 9. Gal. iv-. 
 4, John xv. 10. H John xix. 30. f If. xlix. ^. ** John xvij. 4.^ 
 
236 THE COMPACT BETWEEN THE 
 
 not only as to the matter of tbefe inftitutions, as they 
 were commands divinely enjoined, the obfervance of 
 which had a refpel to virtue ; but as to theformi as they 
 Vferejigns and feals of the covenant ; God the Father^ by 
 the ufe of them, fealing to the Son the federal fromife 
 concerning jitftijicationfromjins, not his proper and per- 
 fonaljins, either of commijjion or omijjion (for fuch he 
 had none*) but from thofe, which, by a voluntary en- 
 gagement, he took upon himfelf as his own, and from 
 which, as Surety he was juflified in the fpir.it fi and alfo 
 concerning life eternal^ to be bedewed on him and his ; 
 and God the Son^ in the ufe of them, acknowledging 
 himfelf a debtor to fulfil all righteoufnefs : as thefe 
 things have been learnedly obferved and explained by 
 thefe celebrated gentlemen Voetius^ and Effenius.f 
 But let us illuflrate this by an example. In the baptifm 
 of Chrift, there was an evident fealing of the covenant 
 on both fides. Chrift declared, that it was his province 
 to fulfil all righteoufnefs. To that he bound himfelf by 
 baptifm ; telling John upon his refufing to baptize him, 
 Suffer it to befo now ; for thus it becomethus to fulfil all 
 righteoufnefs.^ The Father declared, that he accepted the 
 fureti/liip ; In thee I am well pleafed ;H and put him in 
 mind of the inheritance, Thou art my Son. And all 
 thefe things he fealed by the fymbol of the Holy Ghojl de- 
 fcending upon him. ^ 
 
 XII. As thefe things are evident, and contain a de- 
 monftration of the truth to the confcience, I would not 
 have Pf. xvi. 2. {trained to this purpofe : Thou hajl faid 
 unto the Lord^ Thou art my Lord TOBATHI BAL NGA- 
 my goodnefs (is not upon thce) extendeth not to 
 
 * 2 Cor. v. 21. i Pet. ii. r6. -\ i-Tim. iii. 16. j: Difput. de 
 fide Chrifti. ejufque facramentorum ufu, difput. ii. p. 160. De 
 fubjeftione Chrifti. ad legem divinam, c. 10. ii. |j Mat. iii. 16. 
 
 Luke Hi. 22. 
 
. 
 
 FATHER AND THE SON. 237 
 
 thee : as if in thefe words there was an addrefs of God 
 the Father to the Son, to this purpofe : I require no- 
 thing more of thee, as a fatisfaclion to me, in order tb 
 difplay my grace. For thus a learned author paraphra- 
 fes thefe words. Thou had fa-id to the Lord^ &"c. Thou 
 Son of man, haft acknowledged, that Jehovah is the 
 Lord, and, as a fervant, haft engaged obedience to him. 
 Thou, by loving and obeying even unto death (to which 
 thou ofFereft thyfelf) haft declared me to be Ldrd, and 
 honored me with a perfecl obedience. As to any ad- 
 vantage to be obtained, .my goodnefs, that is, my grace, 
 and the benefits depending thereon, extendeth not to thee, 
 [is not upon thee ;] that is, thou art, T E T E L E i o M E N o s, 
 an abfolute and perfecl Saviour. What was laid upon 
 thee, or what thou waft bound by furetifhip to perform, 
 that my goodnefs might extend to mankind, that thou 
 haft performed. I acceptof it. Thus NGAL generally 
 denotes fomething due, both among the Hebrews, and 
 in the facred writings. 
 
 XIII. jBulQjLhmk, thefe things are ftrained, and do 
 not run with proper fmoothnefs. For, i. There is no- 
 thing which obliges us to imagine, unlefs ^we incline to 
 do fo, that there is contained in thefe words an addrefs 
 of God the Father to the Son ; fince the whole of this 
 pfalm has not the leaft appearance of a dialogue, but 
 only reprefents a fingle perfon, fpeaking in one conti- 
 nued difcourfe, whom Pifcator, by weighty arguments, 
 proves to be the Lord jefus. The learned perfon him- 
 felf fpeaks thus : "This difcourfe may certainly be af- 
 cribed to the Son, as addrefling himfelf." And there- 
 fore I fay, it is certainly pofTible, that this difcourfe 
 cannot contain the approbation of the Father acquief- 
 cing in the obedience of the Son. For if the Son ad- 
 dreffes his own foul, which faid to Jehovah, Thou art 
 my Lofd, and my goodnefs extendeth not to [is not ufcn] 
 
238 THE COMPACT BETWEEN" THE 
 
 thee ; doubtlejs the Son faid this to the Father, and not 
 the Father to the Son. 2. I_own, that thefe words, 
 which the Son fays to theTFather, or the Father to the 
 Son, are fo emphatical, that they cannot, in their full 
 fignification, be fuppofed to be fpoken by either of 
 them to the other, on account of the peculiar excellence 
 which is in the Son.* But I queftion, whether any can 
 be.eafily perfuaded, that the approbation of the moft 
 perfecl obedience of the Son, and the acquiefcence of 
 the Father therein, are expreffed in fuch (lender terms, 
 Thou haft faid, Thou art my Lord. I appeal to any, 
 who teaches*\_underjlands~\ the good knowledge of the Lord^ 
 as it is faid of the Levites,t whether thofe words of 
 fcripture be fuch, as " that no one can devife any thing 
 more proper to illuftrate that fenfe," which the very 
 learned perfon elfewhere requires, before he acquiefces 
 in the meaning affigned.J 3. It is very true, that N GAL 
 fometimes, among the Hebrews, fignines fornething due. 
 The very learned de DieuJ has long ago obferved this, 
 from the writings of the Hebrews, and alfoof the Arabs. 
 But that fignification does not feem proper to this place. 
 For Chrifl was neither indebted to God for his goodnefs, 
 or grace, and the bleffings depending upon it ; nor did 
 he properly owe the grace of God to believers. J>ut, by 
 virtue of a compacl, he owed obedience to God ; which 
 being performed, God owed to Chrijl, and to them who 
 arc Chrijl's. the reward promifed by the compact, which 
 is given to Chrift as a due debt. The fignification of 
 being dice might be infifted upon, had it been faid, My 
 law, or fatisfaclion to my jit/lice^ or fomething to that 
 purpofe, is no more upon thee [no longer extendeth to thee.~j 
 But we muft fetch a ilrange compafs to make thefe 
 words, My goodnefs extendeth not to [is not upon] thee, 
 
 * Heb. i. 4. \ 2 Chron. xxr. 22. Sum. theol. c. iii. 36* 
 la Gen. xvi. 5. 
 
FATHER AND THE SON. 239 
 
 to fignify, Thou art no longer indebted to my goodnefs ; 
 and again, that the meaning of them mould be, " Thou 
 haft done every thing, to which thou waft bound,, that 
 my goodnefs might be extended to men." And I veri- 
 ly doubt, whether it could ever corne into"~any one's 
 ihTnd, that " fuch an explication is the fulleft, the moft 
 fimple, and moft fuited to the connection ; in fine, that 
 it is fuch, that none who compares it with the words of 
 fcripture, can devife a more happy manner of exprefling 
 the thing ; and that therein an inexpreffibie degree of 
 light, truth, and wifdom, may be di {covered." For 
 thefe are laws of interpretation, which the very learned 
 perfon himfelf has laid down.* 
 
 XIV. 4. Another fenfe may be fairly brought from 
 the words of the pfalm, which has nothing either harfh 
 or drained, and contains what is becoming the wifdoia 
 of God, in this manner : The Lord Jefus, being deep- 
 ly engaged in holy meditations, addrefles his foul, that 
 is, himfelf ; and declares, that, while in his meditation, 
 he faid to JEHOVAH the Father, Thou art the Lord, 
 all-fufficient to and by thy felf for all happinefs. Where- 
 fore by this whole work of my mediation, and cone- 
 quently by all my obedience, no acceflion of new or 
 greater happinefs is made to thee, nor can ft thou be en- 
 riched by my fatisfaclion. My goodnefs extendeth not to 
 ihee : thou received no benefit thereby. All the fruit 
 of my fatisfa&ion redoun3s^toHhy pious and chofen 
 people. See Job xxii. 2. & xxv. 7. The comment 
 of Ben Nachman on the former place is elegant, agree- 
 ing very much with the phraseology in our text. " Me 
 declares, that no addition of good is made to God, when 
 any good is done." All thefe words contain a falutary 
 truth, inftru&ing us concerning the all-fufficiency of God, 
 
 * Sura, theol. c. .vL 38. 
 
240 THE COMPACT BETWEEN THE 
 
 to whom no new good can Accrue from any quarter, and 
 concerning the fruit ofChrift's fatisf action, as redound- 
 ing to the godly ; and are moft adapted to the words and 
 analogy of the whole pfalm. For NGAL many times in 
 fcripture fignifies the fame as ^EL, to. I fliall produce a 
 place or two, which occurred to me, when meditating 
 on thefe things in reading the fcriptures. What Micah 
 fays,* VENAHARU N G A L A v N G A M M i M and peopltjliall 
 f LOW unto it ; this Ifaiah expreffes as follows,t VENA- 
 HARU ELAV CAL HAGGOIM, and all nations Jliall flow 
 unto it. Where &L and NGAL are taken in the fame 
 fignification. In like manner,^ wrote letters NGAL 
 VEPHRAIM, that is, to the Ephraimites. 'Tis ftill more 
 to the purpofe, what we have i Sam. i. 10. VATTITH- 
 PALLEL NGAL JEHOVAH, prayed unto the Lord; and 
 Pfal. xviii. 41. They cried, NGAL JEHOVAH, unto the 
 Lord) but he anfwered them not. Sometimes it fignines 
 the fame thing, as TZAD up to, or quite to ; as 2 Chron. 
 
 XXXll. 5. VAJANGAL NGAL H AM I G H D A LOTH, and 
 
 raifed (the wall) up to the towers : not that it is credible, 
 the wall exceeded the towers in height. Jer. iv. 18. 
 N A G H A N G NGAL L i B B E c H , it reaclieth unto thine heart. 
 You may add other inftances from Glaflius.$ As there- 
 fore the ufe of this particle is very extenfive, we have 
 no reafon to reftrain its fignification to owing or being 
 due, which feems lefs adapted to this place. 
 
 XV. IJpeak not thefe things, with a view to detract 
 any thing from the due praifes of the very learned inter- 
 preter, to whom I even profefs my felf greatly indebted ; 
 but becaufe nothing is dearer to me, than to fearch out 
 the true meaning of the Spirit of God fpeaking in the 
 fcriptures. While I am wholly intent upon this, I can- 
 not avoid fometimes examining the opinions of others ; 
 
 * Sum. theol. c. iv. i. f Chap. ii. 2. | 2 Chroa. xxx. I. 
 $ Philfacr. p. 773. 
 
FATHER AND THE SON. 241 
 
 even of thofe for whom I have the greateft veneration. 
 Faith is none of thofe things, which may be impofed by 
 any human authority : neither is any injury done even 
 to the greatefl of men, when we declare our diflent in a 
 modeft manner. Whether we have done fo here or not, 
 mud be left to the determination of the impartial reader; 
 who may alfo judge, whether, by thefe obfervations, I 
 deferved fo furious a mower of bluftering language, as 
 the very famous perfon Dr. John van der Waeyen has 
 been pleafed to pour down upon me in Surnma theol. 
 ChriJ}, lib. i. c. 4. 267. &? feq. He very much 
 complains, that I called that explication of the celebrat- 
 ed Coccef.as harjh andforced, and that the wprds of the 
 pfalm were wrejled to that meaning. This, I own, I 
 had formerly wrote, out of my fimplicity ; nor did I 
 imagine, there was either reproach or injury contained 
 in thefe words. But there is no force of argument in 
 the tartnefs of language. That not the leaft appearance 
 of that may remain, I now alter it, and inftead of wrejl- 
 ed, fay, harjh, not running fo fmoothly. The reft I can- 
 cel, I freely forgive the ill language of my reprover, as 
 becomes a Chriftian. It does not belong to him, but 
 to our common Lord, to pafs a judgment on my inten- 
 tion. As to the fubjed itfelf, I befeech the reader, to 
 compare my reafonings with his ; and if he thinks, that 
 mine are folidly confuted, I am not againf: his differing, 
 in every refpecjt, from me. It appears otherwife to me : 
 and the firnple explication of the words, which I main- 
 tain, with the generality of expofitors, began the more 
 to pleafe me, the more I faw my reprover ftand in need, 
 of fuch a com pafs of words, and fo far-fetched and in- 
 tricate fubtieties. I have no inclination minutely to 
 confider the reft. Each one has his own temper, his 
 own way of writing : which if I cannot commend, I en- 
 VOL. I. G * * 
 
242 THE COMPACT BETWEEN THE 
 
 deavour *& to bear with. But I return from this un- 
 willing digreflion. 
 
 XVI. As the doclrine of the compaB between the Fa- 
 ther and the Son isTo often and fo exprefsly delivered in 
 fcripture, that it is unjuftly traduced as a new and late 
 invention. Though I find few among the more ancient, 
 \vho have profefledly handled this fubjecl ; yet I fee 
 fome of the greateft divines have fometimes made men- 
 tion of this compacl. I fay nothing now of Arminius, 
 who does not carelefely difcourfe of this compact, in 
 his oration for the degree of Doctor ; from which the 
 very accurate Amefius produces and commends fome 
 things. Arnefius himfelf charges a certain diftinftion 
 of the Remonftrants with this abfurdity, that " it denies, 
 that the covenant entered into with Chrift (He JJiall fee 
 his feed, and the pleafure of the Lord JJiall prof per in his 
 hand) had been ratified." Gomarus, treating of the 
 baptifm of Chrift,* fays, that it was the " fign and feal 
 of the covenant between God and Chrift ; namely, that 
 God would be his God, and the beftower of falvation ; 
 but he himfelf was bound to perform obedience from a 
 principle of perpetual gratitude." Injike manner, on 
 the circumcifion of Chrift, t he fays, that it was " a 
 fign and feal of the covenant with God : which covenant 
 confided in this ; partly that God was the God of 
 Chrift, according to the general promife, made alfo to 
 him, Gen. xvii. 7. as to the feed of Abraham, Gal. iii. 
 16. and according to the fmgular character given of him, 
 Pfal. xlv. 7. Heb. i. 9. partly, that Chrift was bound 
 to obey the will of God, John vi. 38. Matth. v. 17." 
 See his Difp. de merito Chrifti^ { i. The very learned 
 CloppenburgJ not only mentions this fubjecl, but fully 
 and accurately handles it. The_yery famous Voeti- 
 
 * In Matth. iii. 13. f In Luke ii. 21. Difpnt. iii, dc fad* 
 dere Dei, 
 
FATHER AND THE SON. 243 
 
 us* fays, " He (Chrift) was fubjeft for us to a fpeciaflaw 
 of paying our debt by a condign punifliment, as our 
 Mediator and Surety, according to the tenor of the co- 
 venant entered into with the Father." Effenius, for- 
 merly his fcholar, and afterwards his colleague,t fays, 
 " The federal fealing of the divine promife did.alfo re- 
 ally take place in Chrift, according to If. liii. 10. 11." 
 Dr. Owen handles this very fubject at large, on Heb. 
 torn. ii. exercit. iv. p. 49. Nor was this do&rine un- 
 known to the Popifh doftars. Tirinus on If. liii. 11. 
 thus comments, that the prophet there explains " the 
 compacl agreed on Between the Father and Chrift," by 
 which, on account of the fufFerings and death of Chrift, 
 redemption, juftification, and glorification ate decreed 
 to be the rewards of all thofe who faithfully adhere to 
 Chrift. Whence it appears, that thefe fentiments con- 
 cerning the compact between the Father and Son, are not 
 to be ftigmatized with the brand ofjingularity. 
 
 * Difput. t. ii. p. 266. f De fubjeftione Chtifti ad legem,c. x. 2. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 The Nature of the Compatt between the Father and 
 the Son, more fully explained. 
 
 A 
 
 S the compa6l between the Father and the Son is 
 the foundation of the whole of our falvation, it will not 
 be improper to ftop here a little, and, in our further 
 meditation, enquire, i. From whence the beginning of 
 this compact ought to be taken, and in what periods of 
 time it was completed. 2. What the law of the covenant 
 contains, how far^ and to what it binds the Son. 3* 
 Whether the Son could not have.engaged in this 
 
244 THE COMPACT BETWEEN THE 
 
 or have withdrawn hrmfdf from it, and had no more to 
 do with it. 4. What and how great a reward was pro- 
 mifed to the Son, to be obtained in virtue of the 
 compact. 
 
 II. I confider three perio-ds, as it were, of this com- 
 pact. Its commencement is to be fought in the eternal 
 counfel of the adorable Trinity : in which the Son of 
 God was conftituted by the Father, with the approba- 
 tion of the Holy Spirit, the Saviour of mankind ; on 
 this ^condition, that, in the fulnefs of time, he fhould be 
 made of a woman, and made under the law ; which the 
 Son undertook to perform. Peter has a view to this, 
 when he fays,* that Chrift was foreordained before the 
 foundation of the world. To this purpofe is alfo, what 
 the Supreme Wifdom teftilies concerning itfelf,t / was 
 fet up [anointedjyrow ever lajl ing ; that is, by my own, 
 and the wi'll of my Father, which is one and the fame, 
 I was appointed to the performance of the mediatorial 
 office in time. Paul likewife declare:., that we were cho- 
 fen in Ghrijl before the foundation of the world.^ Con- 
 fequently, Chrift himfelf was-conftitutedfrom everlajling, 
 the Head of thofe that were to be faved, and they were 
 given unto him^ for whom he was to merit falvation, 
 and in whom he was to be glorified and admired. From 
 this conflitution, the Son from everlafting bore a pecu- 
 liar relation to thofe that were to be faved. Hence the 
 book of life is by a fpecial appropriation afcribeo 1 to the 
 Lamb.\\ as containing a defcription of the peculiar peo- 
 ple affigned to the Lamb from all eternity. Hence alfo 
 it was, that God, in his amazing wifdom, {bordered 
 many things in man's (late of innocence, that the atten- 
 tive remembrance of them after the fall, and the com- 
 paring them with thofe things which were afterwards re- 
 
 Pet. i. 20. f Prov - vili - 2 3- 
 
 li Rev. xlii. 8. 
 
FATHER AND THE SON. 245 
 
 vealed, might have reminded man of this divine counfel; 
 as we have (hewn, above, book i. chap. vi. $ 3. 
 
 III. The, fecond period of this covenant I place in 
 that intercffion of Chrift, by which, immediately upon 
 the fall of man, he offered himfelf to God, now offend- 
 ed by fin, actually to perform thofe things, to which he 
 had engaged himfelf from eternity ; J^ing, Thou haft 
 given them to me, I will make fatisfaclion for them : 
 and fo making way for the word of grace to be declared 
 to, and the covenant of grace to be made with them. 
 Thus Chrift was attually conflituted Mediator, and de- 
 clared as fuch immediately after the fall ; and having 
 undertaken the JAirttijliip, he began to aft many things 
 belonging to the offices of a Mediator. As a Prophet* 
 and the interpreter of the divine will, he evenlhen, by 
 his Spirit, revealed thofe things which relate to the fal- 
 vation of the eleft, and by his minifters published them.* 
 Nay, he himfelf fometimes appeared in the character of 
 an Angel) inftru&ing his people in the counfel of God. 
 As a King) he gathered his church, and formed to him- 
 fJr'a people, in whom he might reign by his word and 
 Spirit. For it was the Son of God, who- faid to Ifrael, 
 Exod. xix. 6. YeJJiall be unto me a kingdom of priejh^ 
 and who, with more than royal pomp, publifhed his law 
 on mount Sinai Jc and whom Ifaiah faw fitting as king 
 upon a throne.^ As a Prie/l, he took upon himfelf the 
 fins of the elect, to be expiated by the facrifice of his bo- 
 dy, which was to be fitted for him in the fulnefsof time. 
 In vi-. ;ue of this, as being a faithful Surety he likewife 
 interceded for the elecl, by declaring his will, that they 
 might be taken into favour, faying, Deliver them from 
 going down to the pit, I have found LUTRON, a ran- 
 fim. For what angel could fpeak thus, but the Angel 
 
 * If. xlviii. 15. i Pet. i. n.andni. 19. f A<fts vii. 8. 
 J Chap. vi. compared with John xii. 41. Job xxxiii. 24. 
 
246 THE COMPACT BETWEEN THE 
 
 of the covenant ? who even then was called an angel, be- 
 fore his coining in ths flefh, becaufe he was accomplrm- 
 ing what depended upon that future miffion. He is o?ie 
 of a thoufand, the Captain of the hoft of angels. That 
 guards each believer, the chief eft of [the flandard-bearer 
 above] ten thoufand* In like manner, the archangel 
 Michael (and who is this KurtKe Lord Jefus Chrift ?). is 
 called ACHAD HASSARIM HARISHONIM, one of the 
 chief princes^ that is, the unparallelled among the 
 chiefs, becaufe he is HASAR HAGGADOL, that great 
 prince.^ It is he who declares to man his righteoufnefs^ 
 both the rightecufnefs of God and of man. It is he who 
 is COPH*ER the propitiation, -whom God hath fet forth as 
 HILASTERION, a propitiation.^ See alfo Zcch. i. 
 12, 13. 
 
 IV. The third period o this compacl is that, when, 
 on his affuming human nature^ he fuffered his ears to be 
 lored ;\ that is, engaged himfelf as a voluntary fervant 
 to God, from love to his Lord the Father, and to his 
 fpoufe the church, and his fpiritual children (for the 
 ears of fuch voluntary fervants were bored ;f GENO- 
 ME N o s H u p o N o M o N , was made under the law,**fub- 
 
 jefting himfelf to the laiv : which he folemnly teflified by 
 his circumcifion, on the eighth day after his birth, where- 
 by he made himfelf a debtor to do the whole law.^^ 
 
 V. The law propofed to the Mediator , may be co-nfi- 
 dered in a twofold view : i. As the directory of his na- 
 ture and office. 2. As the condition of the covenant. 
 The Mediator himfelf may be confidered thefe three 
 ways. i. As God. 2. As Man. 3. As Mediator. God- 
 man. We are diftinBly to compare thefe things toge- 
 ther. 
 
 * Cant. v. 10. f Dafc. x. 13. J Dan. xii. i. { Rom. iii. 25. 
 II Compare Pfal. xl. 7. with K^b. x. 5. f Exod. xxi. 5, 6. ** Gal. 
 iv.4. ff Gal. iii. 3. 
 
TATHER AND THE SON. 247 
 
 VI. The Son, as precifely God, neither was, nor 
 could befubjetf to any law, to any fuperior .: that being 
 contrary to the nature of the Godhead, which we now 
 fuppofe the Son to have in common with the Father, 
 -who thought itno robbery TO EINAI ISA THEO, to-be 
 equal with God. No fubjection, nothing but the high- 
 eft iupereminencels"competent to the Deity, nor can it 
 otherwife be conceived. In this refpecl; he is King of 
 kings, and Lord of lords.* The Emperors Gratian, 
 Valentine, and Theodofius, faid long ago, th&t " he is 
 a true Chriftian, who believes, that the Deity of the 
 Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, is one in equal power ; 
 
 that UNDER THE SAME MAJESTY THERE IS ONE DE- 
 ITY ; and-he who teaches the contrary, is aheretic."f 
 
 VII. Nor is it any objection againft this, that the 
 Son, from eternity, undertook for men, and thereby 
 came under a certain peculiar relation to thofe that were 
 to be faved. For that engagement, as it was nothing, 
 but the moft glorious act of the divine will of the Son, 
 doing what none but God could do, implies therefore 
 no manner of fubjeclion : it only imports, that there 
 fliould be a time, when that divine perfon, on affuming 
 fleTii, wou4d appear in the form of a fervant. And by 
 undertaking to perform this obedience, in the human 
 nature, in its proper time, the Sen, as God, did no more 
 fubjecl; himfelf to the Father, than the Father fubje&ed 
 himfelf to the Son, to the owing that reward of debt, 
 which he promifed him a right to claim. All thefe things 
 are to be conceived of in a manner becoming God. 
 
 VIII. Nor ought it to be urged, that the Son, even 
 before his incarnation, was called MALACH^AC Angel.^ 
 For that fignifies no inferiority of the Son, before the 
 time appointed for his incarnation ; but only a form re- 
 
 . . * J Tim, vi, 15. f Cod. lib. i. tit." t* .; J Gen. xlviii. -i6L 
 Eyed, xxiii. 20, 
 
248 THE COMPACT BETWEEN THE 
 
 fembling the appearances of angels, prefiguring his fu- 
 ture miffion into the world. 
 
 IX. As man, he was doubtlefs fubjecl; to the moral 
 law, as it is the rule both of the nature and acHons of 
 man. For it is a contradiction^ as we proved before, 
 to fuppofe a rational creature, fuch as is the human na- 
 ture of Chrift, to be without law. And in this manner 
 he was really bound by the kw : i. To prefer ve the ho- 
 linefs implanted into his nature from his firft conception, 
 unf potted. 2. To exprefs it in the mofl perfect manner, 
 in his life and all his actions, with all his heart, all his 
 foul, and all his ftrength. 3. Constantly to perfevere 
 therein, without yielding to any temptations, to the end 
 of his courfe. 
 
 X. And as Chrift was not only a man, and a com- 
 mon inhabitant of the world, but alfo an Ifraelite, that 
 is, a member of the church of the Old Tejiament, and a 
 citizen of the commonwealth of Ifrael ; he was alfo fub- 
 jed to the ceremonial and political laws, which were 
 then dill in force, according to the divine inftitution. 
 By virtue of thefe laws, Chrift made ute of thefacra- 
 ments of the Old Teflament, obferved thefejlivals, re- 
 paired to the temple, and behaved as an obedient fubjtct 
 under a lawful magijlracy. He initiated himfelf by cir- 
 cumcijion to the obedience oFthe ceremonial law : de- 
 clared his obedience to the political laws by paying tri- 
 bute.* 
 
 XI. It may be objeBed, that as to ceremonial obfer- 
 vances, Chrift declared himfelf greater than the temple^ 
 and Lord of the fall ath ;J as to the political, that being 
 the Son of>od, he was exempted from paying tribute. $ 
 But this may be folved from the different relations which 
 Chrift fuftained. Certainly as God, and the Son of 
 
 * Matth. xvii. 24, 25. f Matth. xii. 6. J Vsr. 8. Matth. 
 xvii, 26, 27. 
 
FATHER AND THE SON. 249 
 
 God, he was Lord of the law, the Lawgiver himfelf, 
 who, on account of his divine nature, had authority to 
 difpenfe with precepts of a mutable and politive inftitu- 
 tion : and if, when he became man, he had infiRed on 
 his being the Son of God, and for that reafon had atcd 
 as equal to God, in that refpeB: neither the officers of 
 the temple, nor the queftors of the Emperor could have 
 demanded any thing of him as an inferior. But Chrift 
 did not think proper to infift on this his right; but ra- 
 ther to behave as afervant of rulers.* 
 
 XII. But further, as Mediator and Surety, he is un- 
 der the law in another manner, and that two ways. i. 
 he condition of perfecl o heaierice^ upon 
 
 which he and his, were to partake of happinefc. 2. As 
 binding to the penalty due to the fins of the elett,^ which 
 he had taken upon hirnfelf. 
 
 XIII. As to the former: Had the Son of God been 
 pleafed to appear in our nature, but not in the quality 
 of a Surety, he would neceCTarily have been a holy per- 
 fon, and conformed to the law of God, prefcribed to 
 the human nature. For every man, as fuch, is bound 
 to be fubjecl to God, in all righteoufnefs and holinefs, 
 which is exaclly defcribed in the divine law. But by the 
 perfonal covenant-engagement of the Mediator, to that 
 abfolute fubjetion of nature, which is eternally to con- 
 tinue without end, there is . added another obligation to 
 fubje&ion, limited to a certain period of time, .which 
 the apoftlet calls the daysofhisflefh;dmj^ "which, 
 Chrift, obeying the law, was not in the ftate of pofTef- 
 fing, but meriting happinefs ; confidering this law, not 
 only as a rule of life, but alfo as prefer ib ing the condi- 
 tion of acquiring happinefs. For, if we feclude the 
 
 * If. xlix. 7. f Heb. v.. 7. 
 VOL. I. H h 
 
50 THE COMPACT BETWEEN THE 
 
 procuring of our falvation, nothing hindered him from 
 the pofleffion of glory and happinefs, from the very be- 
 ginning of his conception. As he was the Son, he was 
 actually heir of all things. But it was owing to his vo- 
 luntary covenant-engagement, that though he was rich? 
 and might have acled as equal to -God, from the very 
 beginning of his afluming humanity, yet for our fakes ht 
 became poor. That this fubjeftion to the law, as enjoin- 
 ing the condition of happinefs, is to be diftinguifhed from 
 that other abfolute fubjeBion to it, as the rule of holi* 
 nefs, appears hence, that Chrift has now laid afide the 
 firft, while this laft continues, and will continue to 
 eternity. 
 
 XIV. The ufefulnefs of this diftin&ion is confidera- 
 ble, in order to the folving that problem, how the active 
 obedience of Chrift, fo called, though not fo properly, 
 may be imputed to us, feeing as man he owed it for him- 
 felf. For, befides that on our account he was made man, 
 it was not barely from his being man, that he was under 
 the neceflity of meriting eternal life by the legal cove- 
 nant : nay, and confidered as God-man, abftra&ed from 
 his furetifriip-engagement, he might have exempted him- 
 felf from all indigence, and all neceflity of meriting ; 
 and confequently might have glorioufly exercifed all 
 power in heaven and in earth, in and by the human na- 
 ture, from ihefirfl moment of his incarnation : for this 
 flows from the union of the humanity with the perfon of 
 the Son of God. But his fubjecling himfelf to the law, 
 as prefcribing the condition of happinefs, is wholly from 
 his voluntary covenant-engagement, undertaken on our 
 account; which, by every right or juft title, may and 
 ought to be imputed to us. The very ingenious and 
 judicious divine, Francis GomaTus 3 feems to have had 
 
 * 2 Cor. riii. 9. 
 
FATHER AND THE SON. 251 
 
 this in his view, when he thus comments onPhil. ii. 9. 
 " For our fake, he alfo veiled his glory for a time, 
 which he might juftly have enjoyed, and fubmitted to 
 $he curfed death of the crofs ; which, if we confider his 
 merit and power, he might have declined." 
 
 XV. Befides, the Son of God was, in virtue of thq 
 compa&J~Ju$jetl to the curfe of the law, being made a 
 curfefor us* For as the law likewife exacted punijh- 
 ment from the tranfgreffor, and Chrift bound himfelf, 
 by his engagement to fulfil the whole law ; it was necef- 
 fary, that he Jhould come in the likenefs o/JinfulJleJJi, to 
 condemn Jin in thejlejh.^ Which likenefs of fmful flefh 
 confifts in this, that Chrift being, from his very birth, 
 obnoxious to various miferies, both of foul and body, 
 at laft he concluded the courfe of his painful life by that 
 death, in which the moft finking figns of every kind of 
 curfe appeared: for itwasjuft that the {inner fhould 
 thus live and die. Now Chrift, confidered fimply as a 
 righteous perfon, might have been exempted from thefe 
 miferies, and from fuch a death. But after he had once, 
 by a voluntary engagement, fubmitted himfelf to the law 
 for us, he became bound to fatisfy alfo this fanftion of 
 the law, which threatened death to (inners. As all thefe 
 things arife from the mediatorial covenant, they belong 
 to Chrift as Mediator. 
 
 XVI. But fmce in Chrift, as Mediator, there is an 
 union of tKe~divine and human natures, this difficulty 
 remains to be difcufled, whether both natures were in 
 fome meafure fubje& to the law. Nothing forbids us to 
 affirm this of the human, as we have already fo often 
 fhewn ; but it feems, from what we have confirmed, $ 6. 
 it muft be denied with refpecl to the divine. But as the 
 human nature does not, without the divine, complete the 
 
 * Gal. iil it. f Rom. viLi. 3. 
 
252- THE COMPACT BETWEEN THE 
 
 perfon of the Mediator, the Mediator, as fuch, does 
 not feem to have undertaken fuBJeHion to the law, 
 without bringing his divine nature likewife to (hare 
 therein. 
 
 XVII. In order to remove this difficulty, we are Ac- 
 curately to diiiinguifh between both natures considered 
 feparately, and the perfon of God-man, confiding of 
 both natures united. It was proper, that both natures 
 ihould at fuitably to themfelves and their diftin6t pro- 
 perties. The divine nature, as characterized in the Son, 
 fince it could not truly and really befubjeft, did not, by 
 virtue of the covenant, exert or difplay all its majefty, 
 in the affumed form of a fervant ; nor hinder that na* 
 ture, to which it was united by the hypoftatical union, 
 from being truly fubjecl: to the law, both as to the con- 
 dition of the reward, arid as to the penal fanclion ; which 
 indeed was neither a real renunciation, nor degradation 
 of the divine fuperiority, but only a certain economical 
 veiling of it for a time. 
 
 -XVIII. The human nature was really and properly 
 fubjecl to the law : nay, from the hypoflatical union 
 there was fuperadded a certain peculiar obligation upon 
 the human nature of Chrifly confidered in relation to 
 the furetifhip to be undertaken for us as his brethren. 
 For as men are bound to love God in fuch a manner as 
 above all things to feek his glory, which mines moft il- 
 luftrioufly in the j unification and fan cliti cation of the 
 fmner ; and fo to love their neighbour, as to defire to 
 deliver their brother from fin and mifery, even at their 
 own peril, if poflible : but no mere man can e fie 61 this; 
 yet the man Chrift, who is likewife true* God, and there- 
 fore is able, by his obedience and fuffering, to promote 
 this glory of God,*and the falvation of his brethren, was 
 by that very thing obliged to undertake and undergo all 
 thofe things, in v/hich he might fhcw forth this moil in- 
 
v FATHER AND THE SON. 253 
 
 tcnfelove of God and his neighbour. Since he only of 
 all men could do this, he only of all was bound to do 
 it. What others were obliged to will conditionally, as 
 we obferve a fpark of this love in Mofes,* and in Paul,t 
 was incumbent on the man Chrift abfolutely ; becaufe, 
 being God-?nan, he could abfolutely perform it. 
 
 XIX. We commonly afcribe to the f erf on God-man, 
 the relation of an inferior to a fuperior, by a conftita- 
 tion, or appointment; fo that, both. by doing and fuf- 
 fering, thofe things might be accompli (hed, according 
 
 ;to the condition of each nature, which were requifite to 
 our falvation : fo that the very obedience and fufferings 
 themfelves, are not only to be appropriated to the hu- 
 man nature, but to be confidered as truly performed 
 and fuffered by the God-man. If this was not the cale, 
 they would not be of infinite value and dignity^nor fuf- 
 ficient for our redemption. Hence, he who is in the 
 form of God, is faid to have made himfelf of no refutation 
 [emptied himfelf] and become obedient unto death ; J and 
 to be the Lord of glory who was crucified. 
 
 XX. It is ufual here to inquire, whether Chrift, as 
 Mediator, is inferior to the Father and fubordrnate to 
 him ? But this controverfy, it feems, may be eafily let- 
 tied among the orthodox. If the Mediator be confi- 
 dered in the Jlat e of 'humiliation, and the form of a fer- 
 vant, he is certainly inferior to the Father, and fubor- 
 dinate to him. It was not of his human nature only, 
 but of himfelf in that (late, that he himfelf faid,|| The 
 Father is greater than I. Nay, the very mediatorial 
 office in itfelf, may be reckonecTto import a certain ccco- 
 nom'ical inferiority or fubordination ; as being to be laid 
 down, when all things fhall be perfectly finifhed, and 
 God himfelf flail become all in all. Yet fo that this lin- 
 
 * Exod. xxx. 32. f Rom. ix. 3. J Phil. ii. 6, 7, 8. \ 
 i Cor. it 8. || j\>hn xiv. 28. 
 
254 THE COMPACT BETWEEN THE 
 
 clertaking and mediation, and the bringing of fallen marr 
 to God, to grace and glory, is not fo much beneath the 
 excellency of the Deity, but we, without the leaft hefi- 
 tation, affirm, that this glory of mediation is incommu- 
 nicable to any creature. It is the glory of JEHOVAH 
 to be the righteoufnefs of Tlrael. This glory he gives 
 to none who is not God. To be Mediator does not 
 merely denote a fervant of God, but the great God and 
 Saviour ; who, as the firft and principal caufe of faving 
 grace, equal to the Father, works, by his own power, 
 our reconciliation with God, by means of the fubjec- 
 tion and obedience of his human nature, without which 
 the co-equal Son could neither perform his fervice, nor 
 obey the Father. 
 
 XXI. The third thing we promifed to inquire into, 
 was this : Could the Son refufe to undertake, or withdraw 
 him felf from this compacl ? To which queflion we are 
 again to anfwer diftin&ly; i. If the, Son be confidered 
 as God, the whole of this covenant was of his own moft 
 free will and pleafure. There neither was, nor could 
 be any neceflity, to bind the Son of God, as fuch to 
 this covenant. Here is nothing but mere good pleafure, 
 philanthropy unmeritted, and altogether liberal, pure, 
 and unmixed grace. 2. If he be confidered as man, he 
 indeed entered into this engagement freely and fpontane- 
 oufly, without being conflrained; yet he could not, 
 without fin, from which he is at the greateft diftance, 
 withdraw from this agreement. Which we prove in 
 the following manner. 
 
 XXII. i The human nature of Chrift, as we have 
 often faid, could not be without law. The law under 
 which it naturally is, is the royal law of love. Which 
 does not indeed formally, as it was made for man in in- 
 nocence, but yet eminently contain this precept, which 
 
FATHER AND THE SON. 255 
 
 John inculcates,* That one lay down his life for the bre- 
 thren. I fay, the law of love, as given to man in inno- 
 cence, contains not this precept formally ; becaufe death 
 is inconliftent with fuch a Hate, and perfect obedience, 
 \vhich is all fummed up in love, frees man from all ne- 
 ceflity of dying, according to the promife, He who doth 
 thofe things, Jliall live in' them. And therefore we have 
 Ihewn, that if Chrift be confidereTTm himfelf as a holy 
 perfon, without refpeft to the decree of God, and his own 
 engagement for his miferable brethren, he was, by vir- 
 tue of his perfect holinefs, under no neceffity of dying 
 and fufFering. But the law of love does, fuppofing the 
 requifite circumftances7 eminently contain the command 
 of dying for our brethren. For it enjoins us to love God 
 above ally and our neighbour as ourf elves. And -he who 
 loves God above all, does not only delight in God his 
 Creator, Benefactor, Lord, and. Example ; not only ftu- 
 dies to do every thing agreeable to him, but endeavours 
 to direcl and to promote all things that are God's to his 
 glory. And as he ought to efteem the glory of God dear 
 above his own advantages, he alfo ought to be ready to 
 undergo every thing, by which the glory of God may 
 be moft illuftrated. And fuppofing fuch a one to have 
 brethren in diftrefs, from which he can deliver them by 
 his death, fo that God mall, in an eminent manner, ap- 
 pear glorious in them ; the love of our brethren, together 
 with the love of God, enjoins him not to decline dying 
 for them ; efpecially, if he himfelf, becoming a con- 
 queror over~%eath7 mall thereby obtain a mod diftin- 
 guifting reward at laft. Since therefore Chrift, as man, 
 could not but be under the law of love ; and a holy 
 inan, as doubtlefs it became him to be, cannot be con- 
 ceived as deftitute of love, much lefs as having a contra- 
 
 * i ep. iii. 1 6. v 
 
256 THE COMPACT BETWEEN THE 
 
 ry difpofition ; it follows, that he could not, in fucli 
 circumftances, withdraw himfelf from his agreement to 
 fatisfy for men ; becaufe the law of love eminently con- 
 tains fuch an obligation. 
 
 XXIII. 2. The Son of God had from eternity en- 
 gaged to fatisfy this compa6l, by affuming human na- 
 ture, and obeying in it, as we (hewed above, $ 2. If 
 the human nature, perfonally united to him, could have 
 withdrawn itfelf from, and renounced the compact, it 
 was poffible that the Son of God himfelf might have vi- 
 olated his plighted faith. jFor, in that cafe, Chrift 
 would not have been either the true and faithful God, 
 who cannot lie, or not be God omnipotent, as who be- 
 ing willing from eternity to take that province upon 
 himfelf, could not, in time, induce the human nature 
 to execute that, for which it was affumed at firft. Nor 
 do I fee what reply can be made to this argument, un- 
 3efs one fliall venture to fay, that it is contrary to the 
 nature of liberty, that the will fhould be thus bent by a 
 fuperior caufe : and that, in fuch a cafe, the human na- 
 ture, declining to ftand to that compacl, would be de- 
 prived of the honor of the hypoftatical union, and ano- 
 ther be arTumed in its ftead. But-befides that this over- 
 throws the infeparability of the hypoftatical union, ad- 
 mitted on both fides, the fame difficulty recurs with re- 
 fpe6l to the nature newly aflunved ; becaufe equal liber- 
 ty is to be afcribed to it. 
 
 XXIV. 3. God had, by an eternal and irrevoca- 
 ble decree, appointed, promifed,and confirmed by oath, 
 the inheritance of all bleffings in Chrift.* But fuppof- 
 ing Chrift could have withdrawn himfelf from the com- 
 pact, then the decree of God might be rendered void, his 
 fromifc be deceitful, and his oath falfified, and confe- 
 
 * Heb. vi. 13. 1 8. Luke i. 73. 
 
FATHER AND THE SON. 257 
 
 quently the whole counfel of God concerning the ceco- 
 nomy v of our falvation, fo often inculcated in the pro- 
 phetical writings, become of no effect : which is indeed 
 blafphemy to imagine. There is no occafiori to, fug- 
 ged, as one has done, that God could, without the pay- 
 ment of any price, have remitted the debt of fin, and 
 among fome thoufand methods have found out another 
 way of faving mankind, feeing this method had failed of 
 its end. For as this is very much more than we can 
 readily yield to, fo it is nothing to the purpofe. For 
 God did not only, in general, appoint, promife, and 
 fwear to give falvation to his elecl. ; but falvation to be 
 obtained by Chrift and his obedience ; which decree., 
 promife, and oath, could be accomplilhed no other way. 
 Not to fay, how unworthy it is of God, to be obliged 
 to make new decrees, after the former had not reached 
 the defired iffue. Which is the very bane of the Re- 
 monftrant divinity, x ; 
 
 XXV. 4. Let us fuppofe, that the human nature of 
 Chrift, to fpea~plainly, could have withdrawn itfelf 
 from this compact; yet it could not do it at lea{t 'without 
 a horrible j^ft, after the preordination of God, the eter- 
 nal will of the Son, and the promife and oath had been 
 difcovered to him. Nay, it had been a more dreadful 
 . fin than that of the firft Adam, for him obftinately to 
 oppofe all thefe confiderations, and prefer his own pri- 
 vate advantage to the glory of God and falvation of the 
 eleQ. And by this means we mould be reduced, by 
 this hypothefis, we are now contending againft, to the 
 fhocking blafphemies of fome fchoolmen, who affirm, 
 that " Chrift could have finned, and confequently have 
 been damned." Thefe are the depths of Satan, which 
 all Chriftians ought to pronounce accurfecL 
 
 VOL. I. I i 
 
258 THE COMPACT BETWEEN THE 
 
 XXVI. Hence we fee what we are to think of the 
 divinity of tKfR'emonftrants on this head, who, in chap, 
 xvii. p. 187. b. of their apology or remonftrance, fay, 
 that "the obedience of Chrift wa^ of a different nature 
 from ours ; but agreeing in this, that it was altogether 
 free. Chrifl obeyed the will of his Father, not as we 
 obey the law of God under the threatening of eternal 
 death, in cafe of difobedience : God forbid ; but as an 
 ambafiador is faid to obey his foverign, or a beloved 
 fon his father, when his fovereign or father confers on 
 either an honorable office to be executed by them, ad- 
 ding the promife of fome extraordinary reward, if they 
 will freely and on their account undertake it. Whoever 
 obeys in this manner, that is, willingly takes that office 
 upon himfelf, he, indeed, properly and freely obeys ; 
 not that he would properly fin, did he not undertake it ; 
 or when undertaken, lay it down again, with the good- 
 will of the father; much lefs that he would deferve eter- 
 nal punifhment, if he did not undertake it, or excufe 
 himfelf from undertaking or bearing the burden thereof; 
 as it is moft certain, that when we difobey God and his 
 law, we deferve punifhment. But no fuch threatening 
 of punifhment was made to Chrift ; but he could either 
 not undertake it, or when he undertook it, refign his 
 charge, and fo not enjoy or forfeit the promifed re- 
 ward." 
 
 XXVII. In this difcourfe there are as many faults, 
 as fentences. We will now remark thefe principal ones, 
 i. The leading error of the Remonftrants, from whence 
 their other errors flow, is this, that the liberty of the 
 will confifts in indifference, fo as one may, or may not 
 obey ; whereas it is to be placed in the free good flea- 
 Jure of the mind. Unlefs one would affirm either of thefe 
 
 things, that either the holy angels, and the fpirits of jufl 
 men made perfect, nay ? Chrift himfelf exalted, could 
 
FATHER AND. THE SON. 259 
 
 not do the will of God, or not do it freely. 2. They 
 diftinguifti not the ferfonof the Son of God, and the 
 grace, by which he humbled himfelf to undertake obe- 
 dience in the human nature to be afTumed, from the hu- 
 man nature itfelf, and obedience of Chrift, now in his 
 ftate of humiliation. The grace of the Son of God was 
 fo free, that he could not be againft this humiliation, or 
 emptying of himfelf, that he might come under an obli- 
 gation to obedience. There is no reafon, but the rnoft 
 free good pleafure of the divine will, why this future 
 humiliation was decreed by the adorable Trinity, and 
 confequently by the Son himfelf. Yet^ fuppofing this 
 free decree, the human nature aflumed by the Logos for 
 this purpofe, could ndt decline, or draw back from the 
 office affigned to Chrift, and now undertaken by the 
 Logos himfelf, without fin and difobedience. 3. They 
 do not confider, that the human nature of Chrift was 
 bound by an indifpenfable necejjity, to the holinefs of the 
 image of God : fince they compare the whole of Chrift's 
 obedience with the undertaking of fome office, which a 
 fovereign confers on his ambajjador, or a father on his 
 fon. For as an ambaffador, in the quality of a fubjeff, 
 and a fon, as fuch, are bound by the law of nature it- 
 felf, to perform to a fovereign and a father, an obedi- 
 ence diftincl from that, which arifes from their willing- 
 ly undertaking this honorary office : fo in like manner 
 the human nature of Chrift was, and ftill continues to 
 be, bound to perform obedience to God, in order to 
 maintain this conformity with the holinefs of God; 
 which obligation is diftincl from his undertaking the me- 
 diatorial office. 4. They falfely place the effentiaL dif- 
 ference between the obedience of Chrift and ours in this, 
 that we obey under the threatening* of eternal death : but 
 Chrift not fo. For that threatening does not properly 
 belong to obedience, which really ought not to be ex- 
 
260 THE COMPACT BETWEEN THE 
 
 torted from us by the fear of punifhment, but to proceed 
 freely from a reverence to the divine command, and a 
 love to holinefs. Our obedience will be no lefs obedi- 
 ence in heaven, when the threatening of eternal death 
 ihall no longer have any place. Add, that the fame 
 law, which is propofed to us, was alTo the rule of the 
 life and actions of Chrift. But that law had the fanc- 
 tion of eternal death, which if was incumbent on Chrift 
 to believe to be juft and right ; tending to inform the 
 confcience of God's hatred to fin, and to inflame it like- 
 wife with a hatred of fin and unrighteoufnefs. And 
 thus far, after Chrift had humbled himfelf for us, he 
 obeyed the law even under the threatening, and acknow- 
 ledged the fame to be juft ; and that very threatening 
 of the law produced in Chrift a fenfe of the wrath of 
 God, when he fuffered for us. 5. ^They abfurdly pre- 
 tend, that Chrift could, with the Father's confent, decline 
 the office committed to him^ or rejign it, after he had un- 
 dertaken it : as if one mould fay, that a fon could have 
 the confent of a virtuous father, to make him a liar and 
 guilty of perjury. For God the Father had promifed, 
 and folemnly confirmed by oath, that he would procure 
 our falvation by the Son. 6. It is no lefs abfurd, that 
 they perceive no inconvenience flowing from the non- 
 fufception, or from the refignation of that office, but 
 this one, that, in that cafe, Chrift would not enjoy, or 
 would forfeit the promifed reward ;. fince the very falva- 
 tion of all the cleft, and, which is the greateft of all, 
 the whole of the glory of God, would thence fall to the 
 ground. I would alfo fain know^ what reward Chrift 
 would, according to that hypothefis, have forfeited ; 
 whether the honor of the hypoftatical union, or eternal 
 falvation itfelf, and the communion of the divine love 
 and glory ; or whether that fublime glory, in which he 
 is now eminently placed above the reft of the creatures : 
 
FATHER AND THE SON. sot 
 
 alfo, whether it is not blafphcmy to fay, that either the 
 hypoftatical union is diflblved, or that any nature hypo- 
 ftadcally united to the Son of God, can have no (hare 
 in eternal falvation ; or, if in a ftate of happinefs, he 
 has not a more excellent name than the reft of the crea- , 
 tures : in like manner, whether the lofs of fo great a 
 happinefs can, in an intelligent nature, be without an 
 eternal fenfation of the moft bitter anguifh : in fine, 
 ^whether it is not much better, and more worthy oTGod 
 and his Chrift, to believe, that Chrift could hot but un- 
 dertake the office laid upon him by the Father, and ne- 
 ver withdraw from it, than run headlong into fuch ab- 
 furdities. 
 
 XXVIII. "VJ/eJhaH briefly difpatch the fourth thing 
 remaining ; namely, the reward which the Son was t'o 
 obtain, in virtue of this compact, by inquiring, ^^r/?, 
 -what reward was promifed the Son : and then^ what re- 
 lation his obedience had to this reward. 
 
 XXIX. The 'reward promifed to tile Son, is the 
 highejl degree of glory :* Father^ glorify thy Son, that 
 thy Son alfo may glorify thee. Now, 'this glory may be 
 confidered diftindly with refpeft to the humanity, to the 
 Deity ) and to the whole perfon. In the humanity, I ob- 
 ibrve thefe three degrees of glory. i. That, together 
 with the elecl, his fellows^ and co-heirs^ it is bleffed in 
 the perfect fruition of God. 2. That it is exalted above 
 all creatures, on account of the dignity of the hypoftati- 
 cal union. 3. That the glory of the -Godhead fhines 
 forth therein, with a more illuftriotis refulgence, than in 
 the days of the flefh : fo that the man Chrift cannot be 
 fcen, but he muft appear to be the glorious Son of God, 
 and his glory be, y as the glory of the only begotten of the 
 Fat her. 
 
 * John xvii. T. f Pfal. xlv. 7. f Rom. viii. 17. John i. 14. 
 
262 THE COMPACT BETWEEN THE 
 
 XXX. The Deity of the Son could properly acquire 
 no new increafe of glory, as it could not properly be 
 humbled. For as the humiliation of Chiift, with refpeB 
 to his Godhead, confifted in this, that under the human 
 form of a fervant, which he affumed, he covered the 
 brightnefs of his glory as with a veil : fo the glorifica- 
 tion of the Deity confifts in this, that all the magnificence 
 of the glorious majefty of God beautifully difcovers it- 
 felf, and becomes more confpicuous. And this is what 
 Chrift prayed for;* And now, Father, glorify thou 
 me -with thine own f elf, with the glory which I had with 
 thee, before the world was. 
 
 XXXI. The whole p erf on of the Mediator obtains this 
 reward, i. That God hath HUP ERU^PSOSE, over raif- 
 cd, highly exalted him, and given him a name, which is 
 above every name.^ Far above all principality, and pow- 
 er, and might, and dominion, and every name that is 
 named, not only in this world, but alfo in that which is to 
 come.% 2. That the whole church is given him as his 
 peculiar pofTelfion,$ and he himfelf is given as head over 
 all things to the church.\\ and all power is given him in 
 heaven and in earth,^ that he may govern all things, for 
 the benefit of the church. 3. That, on account of the 
 molt intimate union of the church, as his myftical body, 
 with himfelf, he receives all thofe gifts, which on the 
 account of his merit are beftowed on the elecl. For the 
 church united to Chrift, the body together with the 
 head, is called Chrift.** And thus literally run the 
 words, Pfal. Ixviii. 18. LAKACHTA MATTANOTH 
 B A AD AM, Thou hajl rtct ived gifts in men, as the Stp- 
 tuagint alfo renders them, ELABES DOMATA EN AN- 
 THROPOIS. Inftead of which the apoftle, Eph. iv. 8. 
 not tranflating literally, but giving the fenie of the 
 
 * John xvii. 5. f Phil. iJ. 9. { Eph. i. 21. Pfal. ii. 8. If. 
 I'm. 10. | Eph. i. 22. fl Matth. xxvii. 18. ** i Cor. xii. 12. 
 
FATHER AND THE SON. 
 t 
 
 words, fays, EDOKE DOMATA TOIS ANTHROPOIS, he 
 gave gifts to men. For as Chrift is fuppofed to receive 
 them, when they were given to his members, fo he gives 
 his members what he received of the Father. Therefore 
 being by the right hand of God exalted, and having re- 
 ceived of the Father the promife of the Holy Ghofl, he hath 
 Jhed forth this -which ye now fee- and hear.* 
 
 P XXXII. The obedience of Chrift bears to thefe blef- 
 Jings, not only the relation of antecedent to confe_qugnt 9 
 but of merit to reward.: fo that the obedience of Chrift 
 is the caufe and the condition now fulfilled, by virtue of 
 which he has a right to the reward. This feveral ex- 
 prefs pafTages of fcripture declare. Thou lovefl righte- 
 oufnefs, and hate/I wickednefi,^ (in thefe words the obe- 
 dience of Chrift is defcribed) NGAL KEN therefore God, 
 thy God) hath anointed thee with the oil of gladnefs above 
 thy fellows. Thefe words contain the reward, intimat- 
 ing the moft joyful entrance of Chrift into the kingdom 
 of his glorious delight. The relation of obedience to 
 the reward is fet forth by the word, therefore, which de- 
 notes the caufe, and not a mere antecedent. In like 
 manner, J LAC HEN, therefore will I divide him a por- 
 tion with the great, and hefhall divide the fp oil with the 
 flrong, TACHATH ASHER becaufe he hath poured out his 
 foul unto death. Where the relative particles, ASHER 
 TACHATH, and LACHEN, exprefsly indicate that com- 
 mutative juftice, whereby the reward due bears a reci- 
 procal relation to the obedience performed. He became 
 obedient unto death, even the death of the crofs : DIO KAI 
 HO THE os AUTON UFERUPsosE, whtrefort God alfo 
 hath highly exalted him. ANTITES PROKEIMENES 
 
 AUTO CHARAS HUPEMEINE STAURON, who, for tfa 
 
 * Atfs ii. 33. f Pfal. xjlv. '). I If. Hii. 12. Phil. i. 3, 9. 
 
264 THE COMPACT BETWEEN THE 
 
 joy that was fet before him, endured the crofs.* Where 
 there is an exprefs interchange of obedience and reward. 
 
 XXXIII. And the thing fpeaks for itfelf. For as 
 this covenant between the Father and the Son is, When 
 thou flialt make his foul [if the foul of the Son (hall de- 
 vote himfelfj an offering for fin, hejiiallfee his feed, If. 
 I*"- 1O * u P n performing the condition, the Son ac- 
 quired a right to the reward, and fo has a merit by com- 
 pacl. Nay, as this obedience is not that of a mere man, 
 but of Chrift God-man, an infinite perfon, it is alfo of 
 an infinite value, confequently bears the jufteft propor- 
 tion to the greateft correfponding glory ; and thus far it 
 is a merit of condignity, as it is called ; fuch as falls to 
 no mere creature. 
 
 XXXIV. The paflages of fcripture, which reprefent 
 the humiliation of Chrift, as the antecedent to the fubfe- 
 quent glory, are not contrary to this doclrine. For eve- 
 ry caufe is an antecedent, though every antecedent is 
 not a caufe. And the merit of Chrift for himfelf is fo 
 far from being prejudicial to his merit for us, that, on 
 the contrary, they are infeparably conjoined. For if 
 he merited for himfelf, in order to be the head of the 
 elecl; in glory, and to receive gifts for them, he certain- 
 ly, at the fame time, merited for the eltcl, in order to 
 their being glorified, and enriched with gifts, becoming 
 the myftical body of Chrift. Neither by this doftrine 
 is the excellency of the love of Chrift towards us dimi- 
 nifhed, though in his ftate of humiliation he had like- 
 wife an eye to his own exaltation. For he might have 
 been glorious as toJiimfelf, without going to it by this 
 way of death, and the pains of hell. Befides, he loop- 
 ed upon his cwn glory, as the beginning and caufe of 
 
 ours, and whofe fruit was all to redound to us. And 
 
 * .--- 
 
 * Heb. xii. 3. 
 
FATHER AND THE SON. " 265 
 
 it was the higheft pitch of love, that he would not be 
 glorious without us. Nor fhould the word CH ARIZES* 
 THAI, given, which the apoftle ufes, Phil. ii. 9. be 
 urged too clofely, as if the rewards there mentioned were 
 of mere grace, freely given to Chrift, without any re* 
 gard to his obedience, as the caufe of his right or title to 
 them. For Paul there exprefsly afferts, that they were 
 given to Chrift on account of his obedience. Nor does 
 that term always denote mere grace. Hefychius, that 
 very excellent mafter of Greek, explains it by DRAN 
 TA KECHARISMENA, to do what is acceptable. But 
 thofe things alfo are called acceptable, which are due : 
 the Greeks fay, THEOIS KECHARISMENA POIEIN, to 
 do what is acceptable to the gods. Whence the fame 
 thing, which here, in refpecl to Chrift, is called UPH- 
 z N o u L L AT H i , the price of his 'labour ', the reward ef his 
 work, adjudged to him by the juft judgment of God. 
 For my judgment is with the Lord, and the reward of my 
 work with my God. Sojhat the plain meaning of this 
 pafTage in Paul is this; becaufe Chrift fubmitted himfelf 
 to the Father by fo free or voluntary an obedience, the 
 Father therefore alfo hath done acceptable things in him, 
 by giving him a name above every name. 
 
 CHAP. IV. 
 
 Of the P erf on of t-he Surety. -. 
 
 H 
 
 AVING, not without fome degree of care, ex- 
 plained the nature of the covenant between the Father 
 and the Son, it is fit we treat a little more diftinclly of 
 the Surety himfelf, concerning whom, thefe are the prin- 
 "VoL. I. V'-V-K. k 
 
266 OF THE PERSON 
 
 cipal particulars ; and^/zr/?, let us confider the PERSON 
 of the SURETY, and what is requifne to conftitute fuch : 
 and then that SATISFACTION, which he undertook to 
 make Tby his furetifhip; the TRUTH, NECESSITY, EF- 
 FECTS, and EXTENT of which we fhall diftinclly de- 
 duce from the facred writings. 
 
 II. Thefe four things are required, as neceffary to 
 the PERSON of a SURETY, that he might be capable to 
 engage for us. i. That he be true man, confiding of M 
 a human foul and body. 2. That he be a righteous and 
 holy man, without any fpot of fin. 3. That he be true 
 and eternal GOD. 4. That he 1 be all this in the unity of 
 ferfon. Of each fcverally and in order. 
 
 III. That our Surety ought to be true man , is what 
 Paul declares more than once.* EPREPE, it became 
 him, it behoved him, it was becoming God, that he who 
 
 fanttifieth, and they who are fanclified, be all of one, of 
 one human feed, ib that they might call each other bre- 
 thren. In all things it behoved him to be made like unto 
 his brethren, in order to be their Goel or Kinfman-Re- 
 deemer : for verily he took not' on him the nature of an- 
 gels, but he took on him the feed of Abraham [did not 
 take upon him to deliver angels, but to deliver the feed 
 of Abraham.] 
 
 IV. This affumption does not feem to me to denote 
 the affurning human nature into perfonal union, but the 
 affuming of the elecl in order to their deliverance. For, 
 i. The cafual conjunclionyor indicates, that the Apof- 
 tle ufes this middle term to prove, what he had faid, ver. 
 14. about the partaking of flefh and blood, and which, 
 ver. 17. he deduces by the illative particle wherefore. 
 But the middle term mufl be diftinguiflied from the con- 
 clufion : and fo there is no tautology i^the apoftle's ve- 
 
 * Heb. ii. 10, n, 16, 17. 
 
OF THE SURETY. 267 
 
 ry juft inference. 2. Since the affumption of the hu- 
 man nature was long before the apoftle wrote thofe 
 things, he would not fpeak of it in the prefent tenfe, as 
 he does here, but in tjte preterite, as he did ver. 14. 
 3. _As it would be an uncouth expreffion to fay, The 
 Son of God affumed or took man, if we fuppofe he on- 
 ly meant, that the Son of God aflumed human nature ; 
 and in like manner this other expreflion would appear 
 harm, The Son of God did not affume angels, to de- 
 note that he did not affume the nature of angels. 4. In 
 the fcripture-ftyle EPILAMBANESTKAI (ignifies to deli- 
 ver, by laying hold of orie ; thus Matth. 'xiv. 31. And 
 immediately jfefusjlrctched forth his hand> and EPELA- 
 BETO AUTOU, caught him: and this fignification is 
 mofl appofite to the context. For, in the preceding 
 verfe, the apoftle had faid, that Chrift delivered them, 
 who through fear of death were all their life-time fubj eft 
 to bondage, alluding, it feems, to the bondage of Egypt. 
 But God is reprefented to us in fcripture, as, with a 
 ftretched-out hand, laying hold on and bringing his peo- 
 ple out of Egypt ; In the day that I took them by the hand 
 to bring them out of the land of Egypt.* Which the 
 apoftle thus expreffes in Greek, EPILABOMENOU TES 
 
 CHEIROS AUTON, EXACAGEIN AUTOUS EK GES AI- 
 
 GUPTOU, in the day -when I took them by the hand, to* 
 lead them out of the land of Egypt : where we have the 
 fame word EPILAMBAN ESTIIAI. And in profane au-^ 
 thors, it denotes to claim fomethinofas one's property, 
 and fay, according to Virgil, Thefc. are mine. Thus 
 
 PlatOjt HOT! AN TIS KEKTEMENOS E KAI ME DEIS 
 
 EPILABETAI, " if one is in poffeflibn of any thing, and 
 none claims it as his own." To this anfwcrs the Hebrew 
 GAAL. Thefe things make me, with many very learn- 
 
 * Jer. xxxi. 32. f xii. de legibus. 
 
263 OF THE PERSON 
 
 ed men, think, that thefe words of the apOiHile, whofe 
 genuine fen fe' we have been enquiring into, lather con- 
 tain an argument for the incarnation of Ghrift, than af- 
 fert the incarnation itfelf. 
 
 V. Moreover, it may be proved by invincible argu- 
 ments, that it was neceffary our Surety fhould be man. 
 Let us paufe a little here, and fee, whether we may not 
 poflibly fearch this truth to the bottom. The legal co- 
 venant, entered into with the firfl man, is founded on 
 the very nature of God ; at leaft with refpecl to the 
 commands of the covenant, and the threatenings annex- 
 ed to them : fo that it would be a contradiction, if thefe 
 precepts of the law of nature mould not be propofed to 
 man, or if man, after the violation of them, mould be 
 faved without a fatisfa&ion ; which I now prefuppofe, 
 as having proved it before, and mall further confirm it 
 in the fequel. I therefore proceed : This fatisfaclion 
 can be nothing elfe, but the performing the fame pre- 
 cepts, and the undergoing the fame penalty, with which 
 God had threatened the finner. Becaufe from our hy- 
 pothefis it appears, that it is unworthy of God to grant 
 life to man, but on condition of his obeying thofe pre- 
 cepts ; nor poffible for the truth and juftice of God to 
 be fatisfied, unlefs the punifhment, which the (inner de- 
 ferved, mould be inflicled. I add, No creature but 
 man can perform thofe precepts, which were given to 
 man. This appears, i. Becaufe the law, which is fuit- 
 able to the nature of man, requires, that he love God 
 with all his foul, and ferve him with his whole body ; 
 feeing both are God's. None, can do this but he who 
 confifts of foul and body, that is, man. 2. The fame 
 law requires the love of our neighbour; now, none is 
 our neighbour but man, who is of the fame blood with 
 us. To this purpofe is that emphatical faying of God 
 
OF THE SURETY. 269 
 
 to IfVael, Hide not thy fdf from thine own flejli* And 
 thus our Surety ought to cherifh. us, as one does his own 
 flefh ; and confequently we ought to be of his Jlejli and 
 of his honest 3. It requires alfo, that we lay down 
 our lives for our brethren, which, we have fhewn above, 
 was eminently contained in the royal law of love. 
 None but man again can do this. For who elfe is our 
 brother ?J or who befides could lay down his life for us ? 
 No other creature but man could undergo the fame fuf- 
 ferines, as hunger, thiift, wearinefs, death. It became 
 
 * Wm^HB^MM^ 
 
 God to threaten finning man with 'thefe things ; that 
 even the body, which was the inftrument of fin, might 
 alfo undergo its (hare of the punifhment. And after the 
 threatening, the truth of God could not bufTnflift thefe 
 things, either on the finner, or the Surety. The digni- 
 ty of the fufferer might indeed fufficiently compenfate 
 for the duration of the punifhmcnt. But the truth of 
 God admits of no commutation of the fp^cies of puniih- 
 ment. Wherefore our Surety was partaker offlefn and 
 blood r that) through death, he might dejlroy himihat had 
 the power of death. All thefe things put together, in- 
 conteftably prove, that our Surety ought to be man, that 
 he might fatisfy the law for us. 
 
 VI. This is \vhat the apoflle means, when he joins 
 thefe two together by an infeparable connexion, made 
 of a woman, and made under the law.\\ For he intimates, 
 that the principal and immediate fcope and end of 
 ChrifTs incarnation was, that, in the human nature, he 
 might be fubjecl to the law, to which it is under obliga- 
 tion : and fo that God, according to the fame right, 
 might renew with him the feme covenant, which he had 
 before entered into with. the firft man; which he could 
 
 * If. Iviii. 7. f,Eph. v. 30. J Hcb. if. n. Heb. ii. 14. 
 j[ Gal. iv. 4. 
 
270 OF THE PERSON" 
 
 not have done with any other nature whatever, without 
 a contradiction. 
 
 VII. There is this further consideration : Our Sure- 
 ty ought to have fuch a nature, in order to our being 
 united to him in one body. For it is neceflary, that 
 the fatisfaftion of one be as it were the fatisfadion of all, 
 and the Spirit who fits for a holy and a happy life, 
 fhouid flow from him, as the head, to us as his mem- 
 bers; and fo that he become the Saviour of 'the body * 
 The fcripture frequently calls this myftical union a mar- 
 riage. Now, it is the inviolable law of marriage, that 
 the perfons married be of the fame nature : Thcfe two 
 Jhall be onejlcjh.^ In which words Paul hath taught us, 
 that the myftery of the fpiritual marriage of the church 
 with Chrifl lies concealed. 
 
 YIIL We obferved, that the fecond condition re- 
 quired in the Surety was, that he be a righteous and ho- 
 ly man ; in all things like unto his brethren^ yet without 
 Jin. This holinefs cpnfifted in this, that, from the firft 
 moment of his conception, he mould be free from any 
 guilt and (lain of fin of his own; and on the contrary, 
 be furnifhed with the original reclitude of the image of 
 God : that, moreover, through the whole courfe of his 
 life, he mould keep himfelf from all fin, and perfectly 
 fulfil all righteoufnefs : and in fine, that he mould con- 
 ftantly perfevere in that purity to the end, without 
 yielding to any temptation. 
 
 IX. And this alfo is clear from what has been already 
 faid. For feeing our Surety ought to fave us, accord- 
 ing to the firft treaty of the covenant, whereby perfect 
 holinefs was required of man, it alfo behoved him to be 
 perfectly holy. And as the gate of heaven was fhut by 
 lin, it could not be opened again but by holinefs. This 
 
 * Eph. v. 23. f Gen. ii. 24. f Eph, v. 31, 32. Heb. iv. 15- 
 
OF THE SURETY. 271 
 
 the apoftle urges, For as by one mans dif obedience many 
 were madejinners, fo by the obedience of cneJJiall many 
 be made righteous.* -Now, that obedience excludes all 
 fin. And how, pray, could a Tinner fatisfy for others, 
 who cannot fatisfy for himfelf, when by one fin he for- 
 feits his own foul ? For who is this (from among finful 
 men) that can engage his heart to approach unto me ? 
 faith Iht Lord.1: Or who can be our Prieft, familiarly 
 to approach for ulTfo God, and offer an acceptable fa- 
 crifice and prevalent interceffion to him, but one who is 
 himfelf pure from every (in ? Such a high priejl became 
 us, who is holy^ harmlefs* undeJUed, f ep ar ate from Jin- 
 ners.% He then can offer himfelf, as a lamb without 
 blemi/h and without f pot $ whofe offering may be to God 
 for a fweet-fmelling favour.^ For none other, who can- 
 not offer himfelf to God without fpot, can purge the con- 
 fcience from dead works.^L This was formerly fignified 
 by the legal purity of the high prieft, without which it 
 was fuch a crime for any to intermeddle in holy things, 
 that he was to be punifhed by death; and by the purity 
 of the beads, which were to be without any blemifh. 
 Andfeeing it is well known, that God heareth notfinnersf* 
 whofe prayers are an abomination to Am;tt who elfe can 
 be the general Interceffor and Advocate of all with the 
 Father, but he who is eminently righteous ?JJ In fine, 
 how could he, who is himfelf impure, fanclify the church, 
 and, prefent it to himfelf a glorious church, not having 
 fpot or wrinkle^ or any fuch thing, but that it fiould be 
 holy and without blemijli ? There cannot be more in 
 the effeft, than there is in the caufe. Since all thefe 
 things ought to be done by the Surety, it appears necef- 
 fary, that he be a holy man. 
 
 * Rom. v. 19. f Jcr. xxx. 21. % Heb. vii. 26. f i Pet. i. 19. 
 j| Eph. v. 2. f Heb. ix. 14. ** John ix. 31. |f Prov. xxviii. 9. 
 it * John ii. J. Eph. v. 26, 27, - 
 
OF THE PERSON 
 
 X. But here the adorable wifdom of our God fhines 
 forth : Our Surety ought not only to be man, but alfo 
 taken from among men, the Son of man. For if his hu- 
 man nature was created out of nothing, or out of the 
 earth, he would certainly be true man, yet not our 
 kinfman; not our brother. In order to this, therefore, it 
 became him, like other children to be a partaker offlefh 
 and blood,* and to be born of a woman.^ But it feem- 
 ed inconfiftent with the unfpotted holinefs of the Sure- 
 ty, that he mould be defcended of the pofterity of Adam, 
 who are all infeBed with hereditary pollution from him : 
 for who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean P 
 Here let us adore the unfearchable wifdom of God. He 
 would have a Surety to be born of a woman, but of her 
 as a virgin. For this, if nothing elfe was intended, was 
 at lead an evidence of thefe two things : i. That the 
 Surety was not from Adam's covenant, as not being 
 born according to the law of nature, and confequently 
 , not under the imputation of Adam's fin. 2. Nay, that 
 he could not be fo much as confidered as exllting in 
 Adam, when Adam finned. Seeing he was not born in 
 virtue of that word, whereby God blefled marriage be- 
 fore the fall, Increafe and multiply ; but in virtue of the 
 promife concerning the feed of the woman, which fol- 
 lowed on the fall. And thus he was created a new 
 Adam, in oppofition to the firft. For the Lord hath 
 created a new thing in the earth, NEKEBA TESOBEB GA- 
 B^:R, a woman Jliall compafi a man. We are, itfeems, 
 to take this in the utmoft fignifrcation the words can ad- 
 mit of. That a woman, who is only fuch, and hath no- 
 thing of a woman but the fex, Jliould compafs^ not by 
 embrace, but by conception. (For fuch a comparing 
 is meant, as is the work of God alone, and not the vo- 
 
 * Heb. ii. 14. f Gal. iv. 4, J Job xiv, 4. Jer. xxxi. ^^. 
 
OF THE SURETY* 273 
 
 luntary operation of man.) A male. ; denoting the more 
 excellent fex : as Rev. xii. 5. Andjlie brought forth a 
 male child. This then is a new thing^ and a creation al- 
 together divine. On this depend the bleffing of the 
 earth, and the fatiating the weary foul, which are pro- 
 mifed in the following verfes. 
 
 XI. It may here be inquired, whether the miracu- 
 lous nativity from a virgin does, of itfelf, fecure to the 
 human nature of Chrift immunity from fin, and this 
 ought to be fetched from the nature of the thing; or 
 whether, indeed, it has only a refpecl to a fymbol ap- 
 pointed by God ? I mall here prcfent the reader, for 
 his more accurate meditation, with the words of two 
 great men, who conceive differently of this matter. 
 There is a learned man who fpeaks thus : " That mira- 
 culous nativity from the virgin, really bears no other 
 relation to the holinefs of the conception and nativity of 
 Chrift, but that of a fymbol appointed by God, whereby 
 he was feparated from finners : nor could that miracle 
 of itfelf alone, namely, the impregnation of the virgin's 
 womb, fecure in the leaft an exemption to the flefh of 
 Chrift from the inheritance of fin ; for' the origin of fin 
 is not derived from the male fex alcme, or male feed ; 
 nor did the apoftle, Rom. v. fo underftand one man 
 Adam, as to exclude Eve : which is here the leading er- 
 ror of fome."* The other of thefe learned men reafons 
 in this manner : " He could be born of the virgin with- 
 out any pollution : becaufe what is in the body of a fin- 
 ner, as it is God's creature, is no otherwife under curfe 
 and pollution, but in fa far as it is a part of the firmer, 
 when he is to be punifhed, or is the inftrument of fin,. 
 or the means of the ordinary propagation of nature, as 
 
 * Cloppenburg. exercit. de fanftificata qriffine carnii 
 VOL. I. L i 
 
Of THE 
 
 that fomething fhould be born refembling what gene- 
 rates. There might therefore be fomething in the vir- 
 gin's body, that was not under a curfe ; as the fweats, 
 and other evacuations from the human body, are not 
 under curfe or guilt, nor a means of transferring guilt ; 
 but are parts of matter created by God, and are no lon- 
 ger any part of man."* Perhaps, the fame learned per- 
 fon has elfewhere exprefTed himfelf more clearly, as fol- 
 lows : " He who was born not of father and mother, but 
 of a virgin was not under guilt and condemnation. For 
 he only received from his mother, what was prepared by 
 God ; that thence the Son of God might take to himfelf 
 the materials for building a temple. For though what 
 belongs to the finner is, on account of the finner, to 
 whom it belongs, under the fame condemnation with the 
 finner himfelf; yet that which is fo contained in the fub- 
 ftaoce of the finner, as that it cannot be a part of his 
 fubftance, but prepared by God for an extraordinary 
 generation, is not under condemnation folely, becaufe 
 the Redeemer and redeemed partake of flefh in common. 
 And therefore it is rightly faid to be fdn&ificd) that is, 
 freferved from the com-jnon condemnation of the fons of 
 Adam. For the wordfanttijied, cannot in that cafe fig- 
 nify purified^ or delivered from impurity - y as it fignifics, 
 when applied to the other fons of Adam. "t Which of 
 thefe two opinions is the more fimple and more folid, 
 we leave to the judgment of the prudent reader to deter- 
 mine. The words of both fsemed however to me wor- 
 thy of being inferted here. 
 
 XII. Thirdly, it is further required in our Surety, 
 that he be true and eternal God. I will help thee^ faith 
 the Lord, VEGOALECH KEDOSH ISRAEL, and thy re- 
 deemer ^ the holy one of Ifrael.% /, even I am Lord, and 
 
 * Cocceii fum. tkeolog. c. 58. i *. f Cap. 34. u. If. xli. 14. 
 
OF THE SURETY. 275 
 
 there is no Saviour bejides me.* Salvation is not fuch a 
 work, that it can be in truth. faid, The Lord hath done 
 all this.t It is peculiar to the true Saviour to fay of 
 fcimfelf, what Ifaiah prophefied,J ACH BAHOVAH LI 
 
 A MAR TZEDAKOTH VANGODS NGADAV I A BO Surety 
 
 i)i the Lord (he faid to me, or concerning me, namely, 
 the Father, who beareth witnefs of Chrift, John viiL 
 18.) art righteoufnefs and ftrength ; even to himjliall 
 men come. And the reafons are evident. 
 
 XIII. None but God can redo re us to true liberty* 
 If we conceive, that any creature could redeem and de- 
 liver us, we fhould become the peculiar property of 
 that creature. For he who fets us free, makes a pur- 
 chafe of us for his property and polfeflion.^ But it is 
 a manifeft contradiction, to be freed and to be free, and 
 yet at the fame time be the property and fervant of any 
 creature. True liberty confifts in fubje&ion to God 
 alone ; fo that all things are ours, and we belong to God, 
 and Chrift himfelf.|| Adam, before the fall, was under 
 no dominion but that of God. If, by our deliverance 
 from the. fall, we were put under the dominion of any 
 creature, that would not be a deliverance, but a change 
 of fervitude. Therefore our Lord fays. If the Sonfhall 
 make you fret , yefiall be free indeed*! 
 
 XIV. None too but God can give us eternal life; 
 which confifts in the moft intimate union with God ; nay,, 
 in having God for our inheritance, poffeffioQ, and trea- 
 fure, and even our portion for ever.** But what crea- 
 ture can poflibly beftow God upon any ? None but God 
 himfclf can give God. Hence thefe two are joined, the 
 true God and eternal lifc.\\ 
 
 * If. xliii. II. f Deut. xxxii. 27. J Chnp. xlv. 24. I Cor. 
 vi. 19, 20. !| i Cor. iii. 22, 23. f John viti. 36. ** Pfal. 
 Ixxiii. 26. ft i John v. 20. 
 
OF THE PERSON 
 
 XV. None but God can give us EX ou si AN, power 
 or right to Iccome the fons of God ;* which however be- 
 longs to the office of Surety. For who but God will 
 give us the Spirit, by whom we become the Sons of 
 God by regeneration , fo that of him the whole p ATRIA, 
 
 family in heaven and earth, may be named Pt Who but 
 God will give us thefe great and precious prcmifes, by 
 which we might be partakers of the divine nature. ? Who 
 elfe but God himfelf, who alone is Lord of heaven, will 
 bequeath to us by teftament the heavenly inheritance ? 
 And who but God will give us that Spirit, who is fo 
 the Spirit of the Father, as to be alfo the Spirit of the 
 Son, by whom we may cry Abba, Father, and who 
 bcareth witnefs with our fpirit concerning the future in- 
 heritance ?|| 
 
 XVI. In fine, for man to glory in any one as his Sa- 
 viour, an3 give him the honor of the new creation, or 
 refign himfelf to his pleafure, and become his property, 
 and fay to him, Thou art Lord of my foul ; is an honor 
 to which no mere creature can have the leaft claim. In 
 Jehovah fli all all the feed of Ifrael be jujlified, and JJiall 
 glory. *L My fpirit hath rejoiced in GOD my Saviour, 
 Luke i. 47. Whom we acknowledge to be our Sa- 
 viour, we mufl likewife acknowledge to be our Judge, 
 cur Lawgiver, and our King** A holy foul can only 
 thus rejoice in God ; The Lord reigncth, let the earth 
 rejoice, let the multitude ofifles be glad.i"^ 
 
 XVII. It appears then, that none, but he who is 
 true God, could poflibly be Surety ; but whether was 
 it abfolutely necefTary, that he fhould be the Son of 
 God, and the fecond perfon in the Trinity ? Here we 
 cannot commend the rafhnefs of the fchoolmcn, who too 
 boldly meafure.the things of God by the flandard of 
 
 * Jchni. 12. f Eph. iii. 1.5. J 2 Pet. i. 4. Gal. iv. 6. 
 |j Rom. viii. 16, 17. [ If. xlv. 25. ** If. xxxiii. 22. ft Pla l- xcvii * * 
 
OF THE SURETY. 277 
 
 their own under (land ing. No better reafon can be af- 
 iigned for the Son's undertaking the furctifhip, than the 
 holy good pleafure of the adorable Trinity. But when 
 it is revealed to us, it is our duty to obferve and pro- 
 claim the wiidom and goodnefs of God in this conftitu- 
 tion. 
 
 XVIII. Did not God moft wifely order, that he who 
 created man, tfrbuld reftore, and as it were create him 
 anew ? and that he, who is the perfonal Word of God, 
 which called light out of darknefs, and by which all 
 things were made,* fhould be the fubliffier of t/ie word 
 of the gafpel, whereby God mines in the hearts of tjie 
 elecl, and new creatures, not yet exifting, are effeclu- 
 ally called, and by that call brought, as it were, into 
 being ? Further, as the fecond perion alone is the Son, 
 and our falvation confifts in adoption, was it not proper, 
 that the Son of God fhould become the Son of man, 
 that, having obtained a right of adoption by him, we 
 might be made his brethren and co-heirs ? Add to this, 
 that the Son alone is called the image of the Father^ and 
 by way of eminence, the beloved of the Father. % See- 
 ing maa -therefore had by fin (hamefully defaced the 
 image of God, which he received in the firft creation ; 
 and thereby moft juftly expofed himfelf to the hatred of 
 God ; was it not worthy of God to reftore that image 
 by his own effential image, in the human nature he had 
 afiumed ; in order, by that means, to open a way for 
 our return to the favor and love of the Father ? In fine ; 
 could the philanthropy and love of the Father be more 
 illuftrioufly difplayed to us, than in giving his only be- 
 gotten Son to us and for us, that in him we might be- 
 hold the Father's glory ? The Lord Jefus himfelf leads 
 us to this.J 
 
 * John. I 3. f Col. i. 15. Heb. I 3. Matth. iii. 17. Col. 
 * J 3' John Jii ^ 
 
278 Or THE PERSON 
 
 XIX. The lad condition requifite in the Surety is, 
 that he fhould be God-man ; God and man*, at the fame 
 time, in unity of per f on : one Mediator between God and 
 men* For as it was neceffary, he fhould be man, and 
 alfo God, and one Surety ; it was neceffary, he fliould 
 be both thefe in unity of perfon ; God manife/led in the 
 flejli ;\ The word made flefli ;l Of the feed of David ac- 
 cording to the fle/h, in fuch a manner, as at the fame 
 time to be the Son of God with power. Which may be 
 further made appear in this manner. 
 
 XX. Had he been God only, he could neither have 
 been fubjeQ, nor have obeyed, nor fuffered : if mere 
 man, his obedience, fubje&ion, and fuffering, would 
 not have been of fufficient value for the redemption of 
 the eleft. Nay, a mere creature is fo bound to fulfil 
 all righteoufnefs for itfelf, that its righteoufnefs cannot 
 be imputed and imparted to others : and if a man, per- 
 fectly indeed holy, but yet a mere ma*H7 fliould accord- 
 ing to the law of love, offer himfelf to death for his bro- 
 ther, he himfelf would doubtlefs obtain a reward by his 
 righteoufnefs ; but could merit for a guilty perfon ei- 
 ther nothing, or, if any thing, exemption from punifh- 
 ment at mod. And therefore it behoved our Surety to 
 be man, that heTrnght be capable to Rrttffoit, obey, and 
 fuffer; and at the fame time God, tr,at the fubje&ion, 
 obedience, and fuffering of this perfon God-man, rnight t 
 on account of his infinite dignity, be impuied to others, 
 and be fufficient for faving all, to whom it is imputed. 
 
 XXI. Moreover, a mere creature could not bear the 
 load of divine wrath, fo as to remove it, and rife again, 
 when he had done. Who knoweth the power of thine an- 
 ger ; even according, to thy fear, fo is thy wrath :|| fee 
 Neh. i. 6. It was therefore necellary for our Surety to 
 
 * i Tim. ii. 5. f i Tim. iii. 16. J John :. .24. Rom. i. 3, 4. 
 [] Pfal xc. n. 
 
OF THE SURETY. 27*^ -\ 
 
 I . :",.' .* 
 
 be more than man, that, by the infinite power of his 
 Godhead, he might fupport the ailumed human nature, 
 and fo be able to bear the fiercenefs of divine wrath, and 
 conquer every kind of death. 
 
 AXIL I (hall not conceal what is objected to this 
 argument ^"narnely, ^that God could have fo fupported 
 the human nature, though not p'erfonally united to him- 
 felf, by his divine power, as to have rendered it capa- 
 ble to endure and conquer all manner of forrows. I 
 for my part dare not refufe this. ' But yet that would 
 not be fufficient in the prefent cafe.~~ Becaufe, by that 
 hypothecs, it would be God himfelf, by the Surety, 
 who would have vanquifhed his enemies. But it is ne- 
 cefTary, that our Surety mould do this by his own 
 power, that his own arm fliould bring falvation unto 
 him ;* ansi therefore be the mighty one of Jacob ,t the 
 mighty God^ himfelf flronger than the Jlrong man ;$ 
 having life in himfclf^\\ and having power to take his life 
 again.^. To which is required the exceeding greatnefs 
 of 'his power ,** and fo fnould be declared to be the Son of 
 God with power. tt 
 
 XXIII. Thefe are the tremendous myfleries of our 
 religion, which ivere kept fecret Jince the world began, 
 but are now made manif eft, and, by the fcriptures of the 
 prophets, according to the commandment of the ever lofting 
 God, made known to all nations for the obedience of faith . 
 From hence the divinity of the Chriftian religion ap- 
 pears with evidence. What penetration of men or an- 
 gels was capable of devifing things fo myfterious, fo fu- 
 b,lime, and fo far furpaffing the capacity of all created 
 beings ? How adorable do the wifdom, juflice, holinefs, : 
 truth, goodnefs, and philanthropy of God, difplay them- * 
 
 * If. Ixiii. 5. f If. k. 1 6. J If. ix. 6. Luke ii. 21, 22. 
 li John'v. 26. f John x. 18. ** Eph, i. 19, 20. ft Hdia*i. 4. 
 
 tt Rom. xvi. 25, 26, 
 
280 OF THE SUK A T SHIP AND 
 
 felves in contriving, giving, and perfecting this mean of 
 our falvation ? How calmly does confidence, over- 
 whelmed with the burden of its fins, acquiefce in fuch a 
 Surety, and in fuch a furetifiiip ; here at length obfcrv- 
 ing a method of our reconciliation, both worthy of God, 
 and fafe for man ? Who, on contemplating thefe things 
 in the light of the Spirit, would ndt break out into the 
 praifes of the mod holy, the moll righteous, the inoft 
 true, the moil gracious, and the moft high God ? O ! 
 the depth of the wifdom and knowledge of God ! O the 
 inyfteries which angels defire to look into ! Glory to the 
 Father who raifed up, accepted, aad gave us fuch a 
 Surety ! Glory to the Son, who clothing himfelf in hu- 
 man flefh, fo willingly, fo patiently, and fo conftantly, 
 performed fuch' an engagement for us. Glory to the 
 Holy Spirit, the revealer, the witnefs, and the earned, 
 of fo great happinefs for us. All hail ! O ! Chrift Je- 
 fus, true and eternal God, and true and holy man, both 
 in one, who retained the properties of both natures in 
 the unity of thy perfon. Thee we acknowledge, thee 
 we worfhip, to thee we betake ourfelves, at thy feet we 
 fall down, from thy hand alone we look for falvation. 
 Thou art the only Saviour. We defire to be thy pecu- 
 liar property, we are fo by thy grace, and (hall remain 
 fuch for ever. Let the whole world of thine elc8, with 
 us, know, acknowledge, and adore thee, and thus r at 
 length be faved by thee. This is the fum of our faith, 
 of our hope, and of all our wifhes. Amen. 
 
 H 
 
 CHAP. V. 
 
 Of the Suretifliip and Satisfaction cf Chrijl. 
 
 .AVING thus fpoken of the perfon of the Surety, 
 fo far as the nature of our defign requires, now is the 
 
SATISFACTION OF CHRIST. 281 
 
 time and place, to treat a little more accurately of the 
 fatisfattion itfelf, which by his furetifhip he undertook 
 to give. For he is called the Surety of the covenant or 
 tejlament ;* "not only, nor principally, becaufe he cn- 
 gagedta us in the name of God, to fulfil the prornifes con- 
 tained in that teftament, if we obeyed his commands, as 
 Curcellafeus, treading in the footfteps of his matter Soci- 
 nus artfully pretends ; but becaufe he engaged to God 
 for us, to perform all thofe conditions in our (lead, up- 
 on which we were to receive the teftamentary inheri- 
 tance. Hezekiah defired the faving fruit of this fureti- 
 Ihip, when he prayed, If. xxxviii. 14. / am cppre/ed, 
 NGAREBENI, undertake for me. And God himielf, 
 when he gives to his Sq^ all the glory of his furetifhip, 
 exprefles himfelf thus :t For who is this that NGARAB 
 engaged his heart to approach unto me ? faith the Loral. 
 That is, What mortal, nay, what creature dares engage, 
 to perform all thofe things, which are incumbent on the 
 prieft, who fhall have a right to approach to me for him- 
 felf and his people ? Our Surety therefore thus engaged 
 to God for us. To what purpofe is fuch a Surety, who 
 (liould only engagelo us in the name of God ? If Chrift 
 be a mere man, fuch as they reprefent him, could his 
 engagement give us a greater affurance of the truth of 
 the divine promifes, than if we heard them immediately 
 from the mouth of God himfelf ? Was it not previoufly 
 neceflary, that God, who cannot lie, fhould firft of all 
 engage to us, that the man Chrift would be true in all 
 his fayings, before we could with fure confidence rely 
 upon them ? Is ij^not much better and more fafe, to re- 
 ly upon the oath of the infallible God, by which he has 
 abundantly confirmed to the heirs of-promife l the immuta- 
 
 * Heb. vii. 22. f Jen xxx, 21, 
 
 VOL. I. Mm 
 
282 OF THE SURETYSHIP AND 
 
 bility of his counfel,* than on the declaration of a mere 
 man, let him be ever fo true and faithful ? And what 
 peculiar excellency would Chrift have had above others 
 in this cafe, to be dignified with the honor of being the 
 alone Surety, had he only, by the publication of a fav- 
 ing doclrine, which he confirmed by his martyrdom, af- 
 furcd us of the certainty of the promifes of grace : fee- 
 ing the other prophets and apoftles of Chrift did the very 
 fame, not fcrupling to undergo the moft cruel deaths, in 
 orde:r to feal with their blood the truth of God's promif- 
 esj which they had declared ? What can vilify Chrift, 
 or ,:^ke void his furetifhip, if this does not ? 
 
 II. Chrift therefore is called our Surety, becaufe he 
 engaged to God to make fatisfaclion for us. Which fa- 
 tisfaction again is not to be underftood in the Socinian 
 fenfe, as if it only conjifted in this; that Chrift moft 
 perfectly fulfilled the will of God, and fully executed 
 every thing God enjoined him, on account of our falva- 
 tion, and fo in the fulleft manner fatisfied God, and 
 that for us, that is, on cur account, forjour higheft and 
 eternal good : as Crellius, when making the greateft con- 
 ceffions, would fain put us off with thefe fair words. 
 Bat it confifts in this, that Chrift, in our room and ftead, 
 did, both by doing and fuffering, fatisfy divine jujlice^ 
 both the legijlatory, the retributive, and vindictive, in 
 the moft perfecl manner fulfilling all the righteoufnefs of 
 the law, which the law otherwife required of us, in or- 
 der to immunity from punifhment, and to our having a 
 right to eternal life. If Chrift did this, as we are im- 
 mediately to (hew he did, nothing hinders, why we may 
 not affirm, that he fatisfied for us in the fulleft fenfe of 
 the woxd. For to what purpofe is it fuperciliomfly to 
 rejeft a term fo commodious, becaufe not to be met 
 
 * Heb. vi. 17. 
 
SATISFACTION OF CHRIST. 283 
 
 with on this fubjeft in fcripture, if we can prove the 
 thing fignified by it ? 
 
 III. We find his engaging to make this fatisfaftion, 
 Pfal. xl.^o7 7, 8. $xpreffed by Chrift to God in thefe 
 words : Sacrifice and offering thou didjl not dejire ; mine 
 ears hajl thou opened : burnt-offering and Jin-offering haft 
 thou not required. Then f aid /, Lo ! I come : in the vo- 
 lume of thy book it is written of me : I delight to do thy 
 -will, my God : yea^ thy law is within my bowels [or 
 heart.] Where obferve, i. The compacl between the 
 Lord Chrift and the Father, by^virtue of which Chrift 
 calls the Father his God. 2. That Chrift freely, and of 
 his own accord, entered into this compact with the Fa- 
 ther ; fmce he compares himfelf to a fervant, whofe ears 
 were bored, in order that he might voluntarily ferve his 
 beloved .Lord. 3^. That, by virtue of this compact, 
 Chrift prefented himfelfto do the acceptable RATZON 
 will of his God. 4. That that will was expreffed by a 
 law, "which Chrift has within his bowels, which he loves 
 from his foul, and is to keep with all his heart. 5. 
 That that law requires, not only perfect righteoufnels^ 
 in order to obtain a right to eternal life, but alfo the 
 bearing of the punifhment due to the. (inner. Becaufe 
 all this was fignified by the facrifices, gifts, burnt-offer- 
 ings, and fin-offerings of the law. For when the finner 
 offered to God beafts or corn, which were given to him- 
 felf for food, and was careful to have them confumed 
 by fire, as it were in his own room, he thereby con faf- 
 fed, that, on account of his fins, he deferved the mcft 
 dreadful deftruclion, and even the eternal flames of hell. 
 6. That thefe external ceremonies of facrifice could nc- 
 
 ^Mi*>' 
 
 ver, without a refpecl to the thing fignified, plcafe God, 
 nor 'purge the confcience from dead works : therefore 
 Chrift offered himfelf, in order to accompli fh thnt \viU 
 
284 Or HE SURJLTISHIP AND 
 
 of God, by which we are fanftified,* both by fulfilling 
 all the righteoufnefs prefcribed by the law, and by un- 
 dergoing the guilt of our fins, that he might atone for 
 them as an expiatory facrifice. All thefe things are con- 
 tained in the furetifhip of Chrift defcribed by David. 
 
 IV. Chrift could, without any injury, undertake 
 fuch a furetifhip; i. Becaufe he was. the Lord of his 
 own life, which, on account of his power over it, he 
 could engage to lay down for others ; / have power to 
 lay it down. ~\: 2. Becaufe he was able to perform what 
 he undertook, by enduring condign punifhment, by 
 fulfilling all righteoufnefs, and, in both, performing an 
 obedience of fuch value, becaufe he is God-man in one 
 perfon, as to be more than equivalent to the obedience 
 of all the cleft. 3. Becaufe, by that means, he gave 
 an inftance of an extraordinary and incomprehenfible 
 degree of love, both to the glory of God, and the falva- 
 tion of men. 4. Nor has his human nature any reafon 
 to complain, becauGs a creature could have no greater 
 glory, than to be hypoftatically united with a divine 
 perfon, and be fubfervient to him for accomplifhing the 
 greateft work, which the whole choir of eleft angels will, 
 with aftonifhment, celebrate through eternity ; efpeci- 
 ally, feeing it was afiured, that after its fuiferings, which 
 were indeed the greatefl that could be, yet of a fhort 
 duration, that which was made a little lower than the an- 
 gels, fhould obtain a name above every name. 
 
 V. It was alfo worthy of God the Father, both to 
 procure and accept of this furetifhip of his Son ; be- 
 caufe, in the execution of it, there is a manifeftation of 
 the truth of God, exactly fulfilling every thing he had 
 promifcd in his law to juftice, and had threatened againfl 
 Jin; and of the goodnefs of God, reconciling to himfelf 
 
 * Hsb.x. 10. f J hn x> l8 ' 
 
SATISFACTION or CHRIST. 285 
 
 finful and wretched man, on giving and admitting a pro- 
 per Mediator - f and ofthejuftice of God, not clearing 
 the guilty, without a fufficient fatisfaclion ; nay, accept- 
 ing a far more excellent fatisfaclion, than could ever be 
 given by man himfdf, becaufe of the more excellent 
 obedience of Chrift, and his more meritorious fuffer- 
 ings ;*' and of the holinejs of God, not admitting man 
 unto a bleifed communion with himfelf, unlefs juftified 
 by the blood, and fanclified by the Spirit of Chrift ; in 
 fine, of the aH-Jii$iciency of God, who, aswhatfeemed 
 almoft a thing incredible, is, by this means, become, 
 without any diminution to any of v his perfections, the 
 God and falvation of the finner. Hence it is, that the 
 Lord Jefus, in the execution of his undertaking, pro- 
 felfes, he manifefted the name, that is, the perfeclions 
 of God,f particularly thofe which we havejuft now 
 mentioned. / have not hid thy righteoitfiufs within my 
 heart ; I have declared thy faithfulnefs and thy falvation : 
 I have not concealed thy loving-kindncfs and thy truth 
 from the great congregation.^ Sifj^J tnen nothing can 
 be though't more worthy of God, than the manifefting, 
 in the mofl illuftrious manner, the glory of the divine 
 perfeclions, and thefe perfeclions fhine forth no where 
 with greater luftre, than in the fatisfaclion of Chrift, it 
 was altogether worthy of God to procure and admit his 
 undertaking fuch a fatisfaclion. 
 
 VI. Nor, by the admiffion of fuch furetifhip, is there 
 any abrogation of, or derogation to, the divine law ; as 
 little any contradiclion of, or fubftiuuion of another; 
 but only a favorable conftruclion put upon it ; becaufe 
 the law, as it flood, but only taken in a favorable fenie, 
 was moft fully fatisfied by the Redeemer, who was in 
 the clofefl union with us, when he paid the due ranfom. 
 
 * Rom. ill. 25. f John xvii. 6. J Pfal. xl. io* x 
 
286 OF THE S N URETISHIP ANO 
 
 Whence the apoflle faid,* the righieoufnefs of the. law 
 was fulfilled by Chrift. We (hall not improperly con- 
 ceive of the whole, in the following manner : The law 
 declares, that there is no admiflion for any to eternal 
 life, but on the account of a perfect and abfolutely-com- 
 plete righteoufnefs ; alfo, that every fmner flialr under- 
 go the penalty of death, the dominion of which is eter- 
 nal. However, it is a doubtful matter, and not ex- 
 plained by the law, whether that perfect righteoufnefs 
 muft neceffarily be performed by the very pcrfon to be 
 faved, or whether a furety may be admitted, to perform 
 it in his room. Again, it is doubtful, whether it was 
 neceflary the fmner fhould, in his own perfon, fufFer 
 the deferved puniihment, or whether he could truly un- 
 dergo it in the perfon of a fponfor. In ripe it is a mat- 
 ter of doubt, whether he, who was to undergo the pe- 
 nalty, ought to do fo to an infinite degree, with refpeft 
 to duration ; or whether he could undergo it, if that 
 dominion of de;uh could be abolifhed, by the fufricient 
 dignity and worth of the perfon who fhould undergo it, 
 and fo death be fwallowed up in vi&ory. Strift juftice 
 would, as the words feem to import at firft view, de- 
 mand the former : but the favorable conftruftion, which, 
 according to Ariftotle,f " is an amendment of the law, 
 where it is deficient, on account of its univerfality," ad- 
 mits of the latter, where it can be obtained ; as really 
 was, and is, the cafe with Ghrift and Chriflians. Thus 
 therefore, that in which the law feemed to be defective 
 fro'm its univerfality, comes to be corrected; not as to 
 the intention of God the Lawgiver, which is altogether 
 invariable,, and always mod perfecl ; but as to the ex- 
 prefs form of the words : almoft in the fame manner, as 
 if a father fhould be admitted to pay an equivalent fine 
 
 * Rom. viih 4. f Ethic, lib, v. c. 10. 
 
SATISFACTION OF CHRIST. 287 
 
 for his fon, and inftead of filver, make payment in 
 gold. This would be a favorable interpretation of the 
 law. 
 
 VII. Nor was it unjuft, for Chrift to be panifhed 
 for us : feeing Socinus himfelf and Crellius own, thai 
 it was not unjuft, that the mod grievous torments, nay, 
 death itfelf, might be inflicled on Chrift, though mod 
 innocent ; which alfo appears from the event. For 
 God, in right of his dominion, could lay all thofe af- 
 fliclions on Chrift ; efpecially with the effectual confent 
 of the Lord Jefus himfelf, who had power over his own 
 life. The whole difficulty lies in the formality of the 
 punifhment. But as Chrift, by the moft free good plea- 
 fure of his own will, took upon himfelf our tranfgref- 
 fions, and the trefpaffes we had committed againft the 
 divine majefty, and offered himlelf as a Surety for them; 
 God, as the fupreme Governor, could juftly exacl pu- 
 nifhmcnt of Chrift in our room, and aBually did fo. 
 And thus MUSAR SHELOMENU, the chajlifement of our 
 peace^ that exemplary punijhmcnt indicted on Chrift, in 
 which God, as by the brighteft example, (hews his im- 
 placable hatred to fin, but which brings pardon and 
 peace unto us, was upon him.* For that is here MU- 
 SAR the exemplary puniJJiment, in which God's wrath 
 againft fin is discovered, well adapted to deter others 
 from it. Thus Jer. xxx. 14. MUSAR A CUD SARI the 
 
 ' punijhment of a cruel one ; and Prov. vii. 22. MUSAR 
 jViL the exemplary pumfliment of a foci; and Ezek. v. 
 15. ItJJiall bs a reproach, and a taunt, an injlruc^ion^ 
 MUSAR [an example] and an ajloniftiment. 
 
 VIII. But we certainly take too much upon us, 
 when we prefume to examine the equity of the divine 
 government by the ftandard of our reafon : when the 
 
 * If- lii 5- 
 
#88 . , OF THE SURETISHIP AND 
 
 fal is plain, we are always to viodicate God againR the 
 fophiftry of our foolifh reafonings. That man is cer- 
 tainly the author of a monftrous, horrible, and detefta- 
 ble herefy, and difcovers a profane arrogance, who, 
 like Socinus, is not afhamed to write as follows : " As 
 for my part, indeed, though fuch a thing mould be 
 found not once, but frequently, in the facred records, 
 I would not, on that account, believe it to be fo." But 
 modefty fhould teach us rather to fay ; " That truly 
 for my part, though my reafon, which I know is blind 
 and foolifh, and apt to be clamorous againft God, fhould 
 a thoufand times gain fay it, I would not therefore pre- 
 fume to call in queftion, what P find but once in the fa- 
 cred records ; nor, by feeking fome other interpreta- 
 tion, would I force on the words of fcripture, any 
 meaning more confonant to my reafon." When there- 
 fore we fhall have proved from holy writ, that the Lord 
 Chrift has made fatisfaclion to the juftice of God, we 
 ought not to be thought to have proved that there is 
 any ^njuftice in it : according to the maxim, which na- 
 ture itfelf diBates, that all the ways of God are righte- 
 oufnefs and truth. 
 
 IX. No Chriftian queftions, that Chrift fulfilled all 
 righteoufnefs. The multitude of the Jews teftified con- 
 cerning him, He \iath done all things well.* He declar- 
 ed this truly, as he did every thing elfe, concerning 
 himfelf : / do always thofc things that pleafe himA 
 Hence he boldly appealed to his enemies, Which of you 
 convinceth me of fin ?J nay, even to his Father himfelf, 
 O God, thou knowejl my foolifhnefs^ and, my Jins are not 
 hid from thee. For I fuppofe, this pfalm contains a 
 prayer, of the Lord Chrift, as appears from feveral parts 
 of it being often quoted in the New Teftament : And 
 
 * Mark vii. 37, f John riii. 29. J Ver. 46. Pfal. Ixix. 5. 
 
SATISFACTION OF CHRIST. 289 
 
 thefe words, I think, contain a protellation of the Lord 
 Jefas to his Father, of his own innocence ; of which 
 Theodorus in Catena, has given no improper para- 
 phrafe : " Whether I have been guilty of any fault 
 againft them, thou thyfelf knoweft ; and art my witnefs, 
 I have done nothing." But I think the meaning may 
 be more fully expreffed thus : "It is true, my God, I 
 have taken guilt upon me, and am made a curfe : but 
 thou knoweft all my fins even to the flighteft offence, for 
 which I fuffer; that in all there is not the lead fault of 
 mine, by which I have violated thy law, fo as to reftore 
 what I have taken." The truth of this proteftation the 
 Father attefts, when he calls Chrift his righteous fervant,* 
 and juftified him in the Spirit^ declaring, that, as man, 
 he was innocent of every crime falfely laid to his charge; 
 on the contrary, that he honored his Father by his per- 
 fccl obedience ; and that as Mediator, he diligently ex- 
 ecuted the office afligned him, fo that he was deficient 
 in nothing. 
 
 X. *Tis allowed, that the moft holy obedience of 
 Chrift was for our good : becaufe therein we have, i. 
 A confirmation of his heavenly dotline ; the \vorks~of 
 KTs moft perfecl holinefs, no lefs than his miracles which 
 he performed, being a demonftration that he was a 
 preacher of divine truth, fent down from heaven. 2. 
 A living law and moft perfeB pattern of holinefs, wor- 
 thy both of God and of the children of God ; of which 
 we had an exatl delineation in the written law, but which 
 ihining forth in its lively vifage and native light in Chrift 
 and his aclions, is fitted to ftir up every man who be- 
 holds it with a fpi ritual eye, to the love of it. Mankind 
 wanted this, even to difcern the unfpotted image of the 
 
 * If. liii. ii. f i Tim. ill. 16. 
 VOL. I. . N n 
 
29 O F THE SURE TI SHIP AND 
 
 divine holinefs in any of their brethren ; which at length 
 they obtained in Chrift, who left us an example, that we 
 fhould follow hisjlcps* 3. A pointing out of the way 
 to heaven ; Chrift teaching us not only by his words, 
 but his actions, that without holinefs no man JJiall fee the 
 Lord* 
 
 XI. But we muft proceed a ftep further, and affirm, 
 that the obedience of Chrift was accomplifhed by him 
 in our room, in order thereby to obtain for us a right to 
 eternal life. The law, which God will have fecured in- 
 violable, admits none to glory, but on condition of 
 perfeB obedience. This none was ever pofTerTed of but 
 Chrift, who beftows it freely on his own people. This 
 is what the apoftle declares. But the free gift of jfefus 
 Chrift is of many offences E i s D i K A i o M A, for the ground 
 of right eoufiiejs \_unto jvjl.ification :J] that is, though we 
 want thofe works, for which the reward may be due ; 
 nay, though, for fo many fins, we may have deferved 
 an eternal curfe : nevertheless, there is fomething, 
 which is fufficient, not only for abolifning many offen- 
 ces, but likewife to be the meritorious caufe of righte- 
 oufnefs ; namely, the obedience of one man ; and it be- 
 comes ours by gratuitous gift. More clearly ftill, ver. 
 19. For as by one mans dif obedience many were made 
 [conftituted] Jinners^ fo by the obedience of one f hall ma- 
 ny be made [conftitutedj righteous. The former one 
 man was Adam, the root and federal head of all man- 
 kind. By his difobediencc, the whole multitude of 
 men belonging to him, was involved in the guilt of the 
 curfe : and as he fuftained the perfon of all, what he did 
 amifs, is accounted as done by all. Thtothtris the one 
 man Chrift, who neither finned in and with Adam, nor 
 on whom the dominion of (in and death palled, and svho 
 
 * i Pet. ii. 21. f Keb. xii. 14. ; Rein, v. 16. 
 
- .. .-r 6 . v .-.. r 
 
 SATISFACTION or CHRIST. 291 
 
 ,~"- ' . ' ' 
 
 is worthy to be both Lord and Head, a fecond. Adam, 
 
 and the origin and fource of the inheritance to be de- 
 volved on his brethren. He is poiTcffed of an obedience, 
 even to the whole law of God, which enjoined him to 
 have a perfecl love for the glory of his Father, and for 
 the falvation of his brethren. By that obedience, the 
 collective body of thofe who be]ong~to him, are conftitut- 
 ed righteous ; that is, are judged to have a right to eter- 
 nal life, no lefs than if every one had performed that 
 obedience in his own perfon. 
 
 XIL Nor ought it to appear ftrange, thai that obe- 
 dience of Chrifi is fufficient to acquire to them a right 
 to eternal life ; even though it became him as man, ' to 
 yield obedience_/br himftlf. For we are here to confi- 
 der the dignity of the per f on obeying ; who being man in, 
 fuch a manner, as at the fame time to be the eternal and 
 
 infinite God, is much more excellent than all the eletl 
 
 3 . 
 
 taken together ; and therefore his obedience is deferved- 
 ly efteemed of fuch value, that it may be imputed to 
 all, for obtaining a right to a bleffed immortality. And, 
 although the divinity, in the abitraft, did not o!v y ; 
 yet he, who did, is God ; and thus the divinity of the 
 perfon contributes very much to the dignity of the obe- 
 dience. It is true indeed, that, as man, he owed obe- 
 dience for himfelf ; but (ince he became man on our ac- 
 count, he alfo performed that obedience in our room. 
 Moreover, as man, he was not necellarily under the 
 law, 'as pref crib ing the condition of hap pine fs ; becaufe, 
 if we fet afide the consideration of the furetilhip under- 
 taken for us, he would have enjoyed all manner of hap- 
 pinefs, from the firft moment of his incarnation, on ac- 
 count of the union of the humanity with the Godhead, 
 as we have more fully fliewn, chap. iii. feel. 13, 14. 
 
 XIII. It would likewife be falfe to infer from this, 
 that if Chrift performed obedience for us, we ourfelvcs 
 
20,2 Of THE SURETISHIP, &C. 
 
 arc under no necefihy of obeying; becaufe no demand 
 can be made on the principal debtor, for what the Sure- 
 ty has performed in his room. For our obedience may- 
 be confidered, either as it is the duty of the rational crea- 
 ture, with refpect to his Sovereign Lord; or as it is a 
 condition of acquiring a right to eternal life. In the lat- 
 ter refpcct Chrifl accomplished it for us, and therefore, 
 under that relation, it neither is, nor can be required of 
 us, as if, for want of perfect obedience, we could be 
 excluded from eternal life. But in the former refpect, 
 we by all means owe obedience, the obligation of which 
 is rather increafed than diminifhed by this inftance of 
 Chrift's love. For what more proper, than by this to 
 fliew our gratitude, and declare not fo much by words 
 as actions, that we acknowledge him for our Lord, who 
 has purchafed us for himfelf as his peculiar people ? In 
 fine, that as adopted fons we decline no obedience to 
 our heavenly Father, whom his natural Son and of the 
 fame fubflance with himfelf, fo cheerfully obeyed. 
 
 XIV. But befides, Chriit fatisfied the vindictive juf- 
 tice of God, not only fo?- our good, butalfo in our room, 
 by enduring thofe mod dreadful fufFerings, both in foul 
 and body, which we had deferved, and from which he, 
 by undergoing them, did fo deliver us, that they could 
 not, with the wrath and curfe of God, as the proper 
 punifhment of our fin, be inflicted on us. If there is 
 any point in our divinity accurately proved, and folidly 
 defended againft the exceptions of the Socinians, by il- 
 luftrious perfons in the church, it is certainly this ; which 
 I chufe not to repeat, defiring the reader to fetch the 
 arguments from a Grotius, a Junius, a Turrettine, a 
 Hoornbeek, an EfTenius, and the like renowned heroes ; 
 which will baffle all the efforts of the adverfaries, pro- 
 perly to anfwer. 
 
WHAT SUFFERINGS OF, 0c. 593 
 
 CHAP. VI. 
 
 What Sufferings of C.hrift are fatisfattory. 
 
 B 
 
 UT it is really to be lamented, that, in thefe our 
 days, a new queftion fhould be ftarted among the or- 
 thodox, namely, which of the fufferings of Chrift ought 
 to be deemed fatisfa&ory in our room ? Th"re is one in 
 particular, who feems to acknowledge none of the fuf- 
 ferings of Chrift to be fatisfaclory for us, but thofe 
 which he underwent during the three hours of the folar 
 darknf ft, while he was upon the crofs, and before he 
 expired ; excluding from the number of fatisfaclory fuf- 
 ferings, thofe agonies which he endured in the garden, 
 the night in which he was apprehended, and that blood 
 which he ihed before, and whe.n he was crucincd, and 
 after he expired on the crofs. He had not, fays he, 
 commenced his fatisfaBory aclions, when he had, by a 
 word, levelled his enemies with the ground, cured Mal~ 
 chus, and promifed paradife to the thief: no expiation 
 was yet made when an angel came to ftrengthen him. 
 Nay, he affirms, that Chrift did not fuffer corporal 
 death as our Surety, and in our room, and that confe- 
 quently it belongs not to the fatisfaclion, which he 
 made to the juftice of God, if indeed he then fully fatis- 
 fied God when he died. But in cafe Chrift fhould feem 
 to have fuffered all thefe "Tilings in vain, the learned 
 perfon concludes, that they were done, in order to fa- 
 tisfy the veracity of God, which had foretold that thus 
 hj/iould be, and to fulfil the types by which they were 
 prefigured in the Old Teftament. Diftingiii/hing, more- 
 over, between convincing and compensating punifhtnents, 
 between -warlike fufFerings and judiciary ; befalls thofe 
 compenfating and judiciary, which Chrift endured dur- 
 
294 WHAT SUFFERINGS or 
 
 ing the three hours of darknefs ; the others o?Jy con- 
 vincing and warlike furFerings, having this tendency, 
 that Chrift might learn to become a merciful High PriefL 
 II. But it will be worth while to trace the hypothecs 
 of this very learned perfon from the foundation ; which 
 he has done himfelf very accurately, in a letter to a' 
 friend, publifhed after the firft and fecond editions of 
 my work.* For he maintains, i.JThat when God 
 threatened man, if he finned, with death, he meant that 
 death, which our firft parents incurred on the very day 
 they finned, and which Chrift the Surety underwent in 
 the room and ftead of fome, and which the damned 
 themfelves, who are without a furety, fhall fuffer and 
 be forced to undergo for themfelves. Now, that is the 
 death of the -whole man ; becaufe the fubjecl of it is man, 
 made up of foul and body united ; and it confifis not 
 only in the privation of the fenfe of God's favor, and of 
 communion with him, and of a joyful delight in the en- 
 joyment of him ; but is alfo attended with all the torture 
 and racking pain, which the wrath of God and his om- 
 r.ipotence can inflict. 2. Our firft parents underwent 
 that death immediately uponTheir fin : for in the cool 
 of the fame day in which they linned, when drawing to- 
 wards the evening, they heard the voice of the Lord 
 continually walking in the garden. IjL^ as not tnat art i~ 
 culate voice, which Adam was before accuftomed to 
 hear, and was afterwards pleafed with its found ; but 
 fuch as was heard at Sinai, Exod. xix. 16, 17. andde- 
 fcribed Pfal. xxix. Sc Ixxvii. 18, 19. The voice of 
 thunder and lightening, a token of God's wrath and pow- 
 er, which the guilty creature could neither bear nor 
 avoid, which made Adam and Eve hide themfelves in 
 the thickeft of the trees of the garden, juft as the damn- 
 
 * Jac. Alting. epift. ad Job. Jtydol. Wetft. opcr. torn. ult. p. 393. 
 
CHRIST AR.E SATISFACTORY. 295 
 
 ed will defire to do, Rev. vi. 25'. 3. While our fir ft 
 parent* endured this threatened death, TatisTacli on was 
 made to the veracity of God, but not to his juftice, de- 
 manding a plenary and fufficient com pen fat ion. But, 
 on account of the mediatorial covenant between the Fa* 
 ther and Son, there intervened the long-fuffering of 
 God, or a deferring of his wrath, which removed that 
 death from men, and deferred it to the day of wrath and 
 the lad judgment. 4. Chrift the Surety, in the fulnefs 
 of time, underwent this fame death of the whole man, 
 in foul and body united, while, hanging on the crofs, 
 he was forfaken of God, and, at the fame time, had the 
 fenfation of his moft dreadful wrath, who, while de- 
 manding payment of him, was pleafedto bruife him : a 
 bruifmg not inflicled by men, but immediately by God, 
 who punifhed him with afrlition and imprifonment, 
 which will be the punifhment of the damned ; as it was 
 of Chriit, who is faid to beuMENGUNN-s and M EN- 
 GOT Z/ER afflitted and in prifon, If. liii. 4, 8. 5. Men 
 were not able to behold this dreadful part of his punim- 
 ment : a moil thick and outward darknefs concealing 
 Ghrift from every eye. His whole man fuffered this 
 death, till divine jultice w 7 as fatisfied ; and it fuiliciently 
 appeared to have been fatisfied, when God removed the 
 darknefs, that the creature, who had before acled as an 
 enemy againft him, on whom God was taking venge- 
 ance, might again refrem him ; and when he likewife 
 comforted him with a fenfe of his paternal love, fo that 
 he could now call God his Father, and commend his 
 fpirit into his hands, &c. 6. Moreover, he felt and 
 properly bore this death on the crofs, when he cried 
 out, My God ! why haft thou forfaken me ? He dreaded 
 this death in the garden, as he faw it coming upon him, 
 which is therefore called the antcpafjion ; and he was 
 delivered from it, when he Lid, It isjinijiied. 7. The 
 
296 "WHAT SUFFERINGS or 
 
 Mediator Chrift was bound, by his covenant-engage- 
 ment, to this death alone, and neither to fpiritual death, 
 which fuppoies a want of reBitude, nor to corporal 
 death ; \vho when he was made known in the firft gofpeU 
 promife, Gen. iii. 15. no mention was yet made of 
 corporal death, till ver. 19. lie therefore could net 
 be bound to that by any vicarious title. The apoille tells 
 us, what his corporal death was, Heb. x. 20. When the 
 blood of the facrifice was fhed for fin, atonement was 
 made : but in order to prefent it to God, the prieft car- 
 ried the blood, which procured the atonement, into the 
 holy of holies ; arid the vail, which denoted feparation 
 by fin, was made to give way. In like manner alfo, 
 when Chrift completed his death, or endured the whole 
 load of anguifh and wrath, having obtained eternal re- 
 demption, which he teftified by his faying*.../* is finiflied, 
 he was to carry his blood, or foul, into the heavenly 
 fancluary. The vail (landing in the way was his humaa 
 nature, which, upon taking upon him the fins of the 
 cleft, kept him at a diftance from God ; but after fatif- 
 faclion made, that vail was rent afunder, by the fepara- 
 tion of foul and body, and conveyed his fpirit, by an 
 open way, to the prefence of God. And thus the cor- 
 poral death of Chrift belongs not to the meritorious, 
 (which may be done by the alone death ^f man, not fe- 
 parated with refpecl to his effential parts) but to the re- 
 frefcnting fatisfaffiicn. Thus far this learned pcribn. 
 And who can deny, but thefe things are ingenioufly cle- 
 vifed, and learnedly connected ? But whether they are 
 as folicl, as they are uncommon, I imagine I may, 
 with the confcnt of the lovers of truth, modeflly in- 
 quire. 
 
 III. I remember to have learned, in the communion 
 of the reformed church, to the following effect : i. 
 That the death wherewith God threatened man for fin, 
 
CHRIST ARE SATlSFA^f ORY. 297 
 
 Comprifes in its whole extent all that mifery. which, by 
 the jufteft difpleafure cf God, has followed upon fin, 
 and to which the (inner man is obnoxious all his life, and 
 whofe principal part confifts in the wain of the favor of 
 God, and in the kee^neft fenfe of the divine curie j to be 
 chiefly inflicted, when it fhall fo pleafe God. 2. That 
 (Thrift, by the interposition of his engagements for the 
 elect, took upon himfelf all that curfe, which man was 
 liable to on account of fin ; whence it was, that, in or- 
 der to the payment of the debt he engaged for, he led a 
 life, in the afTumed human nature, fubject to many vi- 
 cifiitudes of mifery, juft like the life of a human (inner. 
 
 3. That, as God ufes much forbearance with re fpect to 
 Tinners, and moderates the bitternefs of life with fome 
 fweetnefs of patience, till the day of vengeance, and of 
 the retribution of his righteous judgment, when the 
 whole weight of the curfe of God fhall light upon the 
 condemned (inner; fo alfo Chrift, when in the form of 
 a fervant, had not always fuch a fenfe of the painful ef- 
 fects of the fins that were laid upon him, but that he 
 fometimes rejoiced in an eminent mixture of favor ; till 
 the hour and power of darknefs came, when, being caU 
 led to the bar, he had e\very thing dreadful to undergo. 
 
 4. That as that death, which con(i(ls in the feparation of 
 foul and body, is inflicted on the fmner man, as the fad 
 effect of the wrath of God; fo in like manner Chrift 
 underwent the fame death, that, in this refpect alfb, 
 making fatisfaction to divine juitice, be might remove all 
 the curfe of that death from the elect. 5. In fine, that 
 as all thofe miferies, taken together, are what fin de- 
 ferves ; fo Chrilt, who by his engagement, took upon 
 himfelf all the debt of the elect, did, by all thefe mife-- 
 rics, to which he was fubject all his life, fatisfy divine 
 juftice ; fo that taken all together, they cenftiiute the 
 
 VOL. I. O o 
 
238 WHAT SUFFERINGS- o? 
 
 rarifom which was due for our fins. This, if I miftake 
 not, is the common opinion, of our divines, which our 
 catechifm has al-fo expreded, queft. 37. namely, that 
 all die Offerings which Chriil endured both in foul and 
 body, through the whole courfe of his life, from its 
 commencement to the moft dreadful death of the crofs, 
 constitute his one and perfect fatisfa&ion ; though it be 
 certain, that thofe were the moft grievous fuffcrings, 
 with which he encountered on the laft night and day ; 
 and that thofe which he bore in his body, were far ex- 
 ceeded by thofe that oppreffed his foul : juft as the 
 whole of Chriil's mod holy obedience is imputed to us 
 for righteoufnefs, though he gave an eminent demonflra- 
 tion of it, when he \vas obedient to his Father to the 
 death, even the death of the crofs ; which confifted in a 
 voluntary fubmifTion of foul, rather than in a motion of 
 the members of the body, direfted by his holy fouL 
 Which we prove from fcripture in this manner. 
 
 IV. i. When the fcripture fpeaks of the fatisfaclion, 
 of Chrift, it afcribes it to the fufferings of Chrift in ge- 
 neral; as If. liii. 4. Surely he hath borne our griefs, and 
 carried our for rows ; that is, he hath fufFered all the 
 pains and forrows due to us for fin : and that not only 
 for our good, but in our {lead. For, ver. 5. he -was 
 -wounded for our tran/greffions, he was bruifed for cur 
 iniquities ; fo that thefe fins were the meritorious caufe 
 of the griefs and anguifh of Chrift ; becaufe the Lord 
 IIIPHGINGA BO .made them to light or rujh upon him, 
 ver. 6. and for thefe he was affiitted, ver. 7. when the 
 iniquity of us all N ICG AS was exatted by God, as Judge 
 and Avenger. But that affliction even then lay ,upori 
 him$ and our iniquity was exa6led of him, when he was 
 brought- -as a lamb to thtjlaughttr, and as afheep before, 
 herfliearers, was dumb : which certainly happened be- 
 fore the three hours of darknefs, ver. 7. He therefore 
 
CHRIST ARE SATISFACTORY. 
 
 gives too great fcope to his fancy, who reftrains the 
 things which are affirmed of the affiiftions, griefs, and 
 anguifh of Chrift in general, to the three hours fuf- 
 ferings. 
 
 V. Add what the Apoftle writes, Heb. ii. 10. It 
 became him, to make the captain of tJieir falvation perfect 
 (to confecrate) through fufferings. So that thofe fuffer- 
 ings, which "Chrift endured (and who (hall pretend to 
 except any, the apoftle fpeaking in fuch general terms ?) 
 were requifite, in order to Chrift's being a perfect Savi- 
 our to us, and a facrifice confecrated and acceptable to 
 God : for this the p E L E i o s i s or perfecting of Chrift fig- 
 nifies; the performing of all thofe things, to which he 
 bound himfelf by his furetifhip, and efpecially of thofe 
 required to the full accomplifhment of his faeerdotal ex- 
 piation. And -the apoftle generally applies the fuffer- 
 ings of Chrift to this perfecting or con fee rating. 
 Whence Chryfoftom concludes well : " Wherefore the 
 fufferings are the perfelit\g and the caufe of falvation." 
 Nay, the facred writer had here in view --all thofe fuffer- 
 ings, by which 'he learned obedience ; for being made per- 
 fect by thcm^ he became the author of eternal falvation un- 
 to all them that obey him.* But he learned obedience 
 not only by his three hours fullering, but in genial by 
 all his fuffering ; from which he learned and experieiic : 
 ed the full extent of that obedience, to which he volun- 
 tarily fubmitted : nay, indeed he principally learned 
 obedience from his foregoing fufferings, by which, as 
 by certain principles, he was trained up to undergo 
 thofe that were extremely painful. And thus the caufe 
 of our falvation is afcribed to all the fufferings wbicK 
 Chrift endured in the days of his flefh. 
 
 * Heb. v. #, 9. 
 
30O WHAT SUFFEMN-GS oy 
 
 VI. In like manner fpeaks Peter,* Chrift EPATHEK 
 HUPER H u M o N , juffercttfo* us. Tofuffer here denotes 
 to be in affliction ; ibr all thofe fufferings are here in- 
 tended, in which Chrift has left us an example of pa- 
 tience. Thefe fufferings he affirms to be for us, that is, 
 undergone as well in our Jlcad^ as for our good. For 
 this is ordinarily the fignification of the word HUPER : 
 as in Euripides in Alcefle, ME THNESCH' HUPER TOU 
 D' ANDROS, ou D' EGO PRO sou, " Die not for this 
 man, as little fhall I for thee;" which is to be under- 
 flood in no other fenfe, but that of fubftitution ; as the 
 fubjecl of the tragedy, exhibiting the wife dying in the 
 room of her hufband, plainly fhews. In the fame man- 
 ner, Demofthenes in Corona^ fays, EROTESON TOU- 
 
 TOUS, MALLON DS EGO TOUTH' HUPER SOU POI- 
 
 ESO, " Afk thefe, or rather I fhall do it for you." And 
 
 that this is the true meaning of Peter, we conclude 
 
 hence, that in chap. iii. 18. he fays, Chrift fuffered/flr 
 
 Jins ; namely, that he might be the propitiation for our 
 
 Jins, i John iv. 10. But the fufferings which Chrift 
 
 underwent in our room, I imagine may be faid to be 
 
 fatisfaftory. 
 
 VII. In fine, as the, likencfs ofJinfulJle/Ji^ confiding 
 in the forrowful and contemptible condition of Chrift, 
 runs parallel with the whole courfe of his life, and he 
 took it upon him for Jin ; fo that God did therefore con 
 demnjin, and declare it had no manner of right over be- 
 lievers, either to condemn them, or reign over them ;t 
 it is manifeft, that the fcripture afcribes the fatisfaftion 
 of Chrift to the whole of his humiliation ; confequently 
 they don't take the fcriptures for their guide, who con 
 fine it to the fufferings only of thofe three hours. 
 
 * i Pet. ii. zi. f Rom. viix. 3, 
 
AP.E SATISFACTORY. 3.0t 
 
 VIII. 2. The fcripture fo exprefsly declares, that 
 Chrill's death, even his corporal death, is to beefteem- 
 ed a part of his fatisfaftion, that it is aftonifhing how any 
 one can deny it. Thus If. liii. 10. When thoujhalt 
 make hi* foul (when his foul fhall make itfdf) AS HAM 
 an offering for fin ; which Chrift himfelf* calls, to give 
 his life a ranfomfor man}' ; and he fays,t / lay down 
 ny life for thejhtep. Now to give his life, is to die a 
 corporal death, which the refurre&ion puts an end to. 
 For thus Chrifl explains it,J / lay down my life> that I 
 may take it again. And John fays,$ when defcribing 
 the corporal death of Chrift, he gave up the gh oft. The 
 argument will flill be flronger, if we confider, that here 
 is a rnanifeft allufion to that typical fatisfaclion, which 
 was effected by fhedding the blood of the viftim, fo Ic- 
 parated from the body as to be accompanied with death, 
 But the blood is given for the life. Therefore a true 
 fatisfaclion was made by the feparation of the foul from 
 the body of Chrifl, in order to keep up the refemblance 
 between the type and the antitype. 
 
 IX. Add what Paul writes, Heb. x. 20. that Chrijl 
 hath conftcratedfor us a new and living -may to the hea- 
 venly fanBuary, through the. vail, that is to fay r , hisflejh. 
 The flefh of Chrift was doubtlefs the vail, which hin- 
 dered our accefs. For while it flill continued entire, it 
 was an indication that fin was not yet abolifhed, nor the 
 curfe removed. It was therefore neceifary, that the 
 vail, that is, the flefh, of Chrifl, mould be rent ; which 
 was done, when the fpirit quitted the flefh : for then the 
 body ceafed to be a fyflem of organs, and became a 
 heap of dufly particles, foon to return to duft, unlefs 
 its refurre&ion mould be haflened. And thus a new 
 way was confecrated for us, that is, ^complete liberty 
 
 * Matth. xx. 28. f Mn x. 15. J Vcr. 17. Chap. xii. 30. 
 
WHAT SUFFERINGS OF 
 
 purchafed, and full right to the heavenly fanftuavy. 
 Which was fignified and fealcd by that rending of the 
 vail in the temple, which happened at the very inftant 
 of ChriiVs death.* Hence the body of Chrift is faid to 
 be broken for ws.t It is not improperly obferved by the 
 learned perfon, that, upon (bedding the blood of the 
 facrifice, expiation was made, which was afterwards to 
 be prefented to God by bringing the blood into the holy 
 of holies. But I wifh he would confider, what I have 
 juft hinted, that the feparation of the foul of Chrift from 
 the body anfwered to the fhedding of the blood, which 
 is the rending of the vail, and breaking of the body ; as 
 the bringing the foul into heaven, to prefent to God the 
 fatisfaclion made by death, anfwers to die introduction 
 of the blood into the holy of holies. 
 
 X. And what is more evident than that paflage of 
 Peter. J that Ckrift hathfuffered once j or fins, being put 
 to death in the fiejli, that is, in the body ? where the 
 death of the body is fet forth as a part of thofe fuffer- 
 ings, which Chrift endured for fins. Add Col. i. ai, 
 22. He hath reconciled you in the body ofhisflefti through 
 death. Rom. v. 10. We were reconciled to God by the 
 death of his Son. Heb. ix. 15. That by means of death^ 
 for the redemption of the tranfgrcffions that were under 
 the firjl tejlament, they which are called might receive tht 
 promife of eternal inheritance. And what death does 
 
 * a, L 
 
 Paul here mean ? Doubtlefs that which muft intervene 
 for the confirmation of the teftament, ver. 16, 17. which 
 certainly is the death of the body : Who is he that con- 
 demncth ? It is Chrift that died. To explain all this 
 in fuch a manner, as by death not to undcrftand what in 
 every language the death of a man fignifies, namely, the 
 feparation of foul and body, is harfli and unreafonable. 
 
 * Muttli. xxvii. c i. f i Con xi. 24. J I Pet. ill iS. 
 P.om. viii. 34. 
 
CHRIST ARE SATISFACTORY. 303 
 
 XI. 3. Befides, both Ifaiah* and Petert affirm, that 
 our healing is7~nT a more fpecial manner, owing to the 
 (tripes of Chrift, as a part of his fufferings, while ihey 
 fay. By [_-with~\ his /tripes we are healed. or by that 
 cruel fcourging, whereby the whole body of the Lord 
 Jefus was fa mangled, as in a manner to become one 
 continued ftripe, together with his other fufferings, he 
 merited, that we fhould be delivered from the bufferings 
 of Satan, and the ftrokes of divine vengeance. And 
 further, when we contemplate the fufferings of Chrift > 
 and, among them, that cruel fcourging, whereby the 
 Lord jefus was made a fpeclacle to men and angels, we 
 then underftand, what the holinefs of God is, what is 
 due to God, in order to the remiflion of fins, what the 
 fmner mud undergo, if he would make fatisfaclion to 
 God and to his holinefs, what a dreadful thing (in is, 
 and how much, in fine, we are indebted to Chrift, for 
 enduring fo much for us. And this healing from (in is 
 ours, if we dread the wrath of God, are in love with 
 his holinefs, and make returns of love to Chrift. And 
 thus it appears, though we fay we are healed by the 
 ftripes of Chrift, as by an example; yet there is ia the 
 fcourging of Chrift, a demonftrationeftkcjujlice ofGod^ 
 that we may know it; and, by knowing it wiih. due af- 
 feclion, be reftcred to the likenefs of God. In thefe 
 ftripes there ISMUSARSHELOMENU, an exemplary pu- 
 nijhment bringing peace to us : as we -lately (hewed, to 
 be the import of that word. 
 
 XII. 4. Nothing can appear more abfurd than to 
 exclude from the fatisfaftory fufferings of Chrift, by 
 way of eminence, that forrow of his foul, that great 
 trouble and heavinefs, that horror and amazement, that 
 exceeding great forrow, even unto death, thofe clots of 
 
 * If. liii. 5. f i Pet. ii. 2*. 
 
 j I 
 
 Mr- .- 
 
3*4 AViiAT "SUFFERINGS of 
 
 bloody fweat, thofe prayers and fupplications, \vith 
 tears and ftrong cries, the refult of thefe agonies, all 
 which the Holy Ghoft fo circumflantially defcribes. 
 This great trouble and agony did not arife only from 
 the fympathy of the foul with the body, nor from the 
 mere horror of impending death : it was fomething elfe, 
 that affli&ed the foul of Chrift ; namely, his bearing the 
 fins, not of one man, but of all the cleft : he beheld the 
 .awful tribunal of God, before which he was prefently 
 to be fifted, in order to pay what he took not away : he 
 faw the Judge himfelf armed with his incomprehenfible 
 vengeance, the law brandifhing all the thunders of its 
 curfes, the devil and all the powers of darknefs, with 
 all the gates of hell, juft ready to pour in upon him ; 
 in a word, he faw juftice itfclf inexorable and moft ri- 
 gid, to which he was bound to make full fetisfa&ion 
 even to the iaft farthing : he faw the face of his deareft 
 Father not now fmiling with a (ingle my of favor, nay 
 rather burning with the terrible heat of all wrath again ft 
 the fins of mankind, which he had undertaken to atone 
 for. And whitherfoever he turned, not the leafl glimpfe 
 of relief appeared for*;him, either in heaven or on earth, 
 till with rcfolution and conftancy he had acquitted him- 
 felf in the combat. Thefe, thefe are the things, which, 
 not without reafon, ftruck C hrift with terror and HtuBze- 
 xnent, and forced from him groans, fighs, and tears. 
 And if all thefe things were not expiatory and fatjsfac- 
 tory for our fins, what reafon fhall we affign, why the 
 other fufferings of Chrift in the three hours of darknefs, 
 fhould be accounted fatisfaftory ? 
 
 XIII. He certainly thinks too meanly of them, who 
 affirms, that thofe horrors, and this anguifh, were, in 
 comparifon of the more grievous tortures which Chrift 
 endured on the crofs itfelf, to be deemed only an ante- 
 faffion) or a kind of prelibation or foretaflc. But nei^ 
 
CHRIST ARE SATISFACTORY. 305 
 
 ther do the fcriptures, which reprefent thefe things with 
 fuch a flow of words, nor our expofitors on Heb. v. 7. 
 fpeak in this manner, though one of them perverts their 
 words to that purpofe. And it would be difficult to 
 point out, what the foul of Chrift endured on the crofs 
 itfelf, which could fo vaftly exceed thefe horrors. 
 Then he complained of forrow, now he was not filent ; 
 there he bore the curfe due to us, now he almoft funk 
 under it ; there he complained of being forfaken of his 
 Father, now he almoft fainted away on taking the mod 
 bitter cup of wrath : nay, greater figns of conflernation 
 could fcarce be obferved on the crofs, than what appear- 
 ed here. We mall prefently reply to what we read about 
 the comforting angel. It muft indeed have been an ex- 
 ceeding great diftrefs, at thefirft onfet of which, refolu- 
 tion and conftancy itfelf began to be amazed, in heani- 
 nefs, and exceeding forroiyful even unto death ; that 
 made him offer prayers and fupplications, with ftrong 
 cries and tears, to him who could preferve him from 
 death ; that made him druggie with fo much agony, as 
 rendered the appearance of a comforting angel necelTa- 
 ry, and made the fweat trickle down his body, like clots 
 of blood falling to the ground. This difcovered fuch a 
 commotion of the fpirits and blood, as we fcarce, if 
 ever, meet with a fimilar inftance in hiftory. Let us 
 therefore beware, that we take not upon us, with too 
 much confidence, to determine, what fufferings of 
 Chrift, and in what degree, fome were more grievous 
 than others. Let us rather fet on each their due price, 
 and acknowledge the fatisfaftory value of them all. 
 This is far more fuitable to the glory of Chrift, and to 
 the (incerity of our faith. 
 
 XIV. 5. Andjaftl^, Chrift endured all thofe fuffer- 
 ings, either as a 'Surety, or in fome other refpeft. If as 
 
 VOL. I. P p 
 
306 WHAT SUFFERINGS OF 
 
 a Surety, we gain our purpofe ; for he engaged to fatisfy 
 divine juflice, not only for our good, but in our room, 
 by undergoing the punifhment of our fins, the guilt of 
 which he had voluntarily taken upon himfelf. This is a 
 fundamental point among the orthodox nor will the 
 learned perfon, whofe opinion we have taken in pieces, 
 deny it. If we lay afide a furetifhip, Chrifl can be no 
 other wife confidered than as innocent and perfectly holy. 
 But it. does not feem to be very confident with the juf- 
 tice of God, that an innocent perfon, as fuch, fhould 
 be puniihed, and that to the fhedding of his blood, to 
 cruel and inexpreflible agony of foul, in a word, to 
 death itfelf. Or, fhould God, at any time, be pleafcd 
 to expofe an innocent creature to fuch dreadful tortures, 
 in order to fhew his inconteftible authority over all; it 
 is not likely, he would chufe to give fuch a proof of 
 that fupreme authority in the perfon of his only beloved 
 Son, who fully acknowledges the right or authority of 
 the Father. And then, of what ufe were thofe fuffer- 
 ings of Chrift, if they were not undergone in our room ? 
 Was it in order to confirm his doctrine ? or to give a 
 pattern of patience, and mew us the way, by which thro' 
 ftraits and difficulties, we might reach to things noble 
 and divine ? Or was it that, being made a merciful High 
 Pricftj he might readily afford afMance to the tempted ? 
 Or was it to fulfil the truth of the prophecies, and an- 
 fwer the fignifkation of the types ? But there is none of 
 thefc particulars which, the blafphemous Socinus, with 
 his followers will not eafily admit. And if \ve here flop 
 ihort, we (hall allo\v no greater value to thefe f offerings 
 of Chrift, than thefe worft pervcrtcrs of our religion, 
 and of the hope and confolation of believers, have done. 
 XV. But the very learned perfon takes a far differ- 
 ent ccurfe, whofe obfervations, which lately came to my 
 hand on account of their late publication dcfervc a par- 
 
ST .A / K r E,..s f VTiFACTOR-y. 307 
 
 ticular hearing. . Seeing the fmner man,, fays he., was, ac- 
 cording to what God had threatened, become liable un- 
 to death, till he had fatisfied divine juftice,* and was 
 brought into that condition by the devil, who had con- 
 quered man, and thereby was become his lord,t under 
 whofe dominion and captivity man afterwards lived ; in 
 order to deliver, and perfectly reftore him, it was ne- 
 cefTary, becaufe he could do neither of thefe things him- 
 felf, both that another JJiould undergo and conquer for 
 him the death which he deferved, and that another J/ioutd 
 refcue him from the power of -the devil, who was refcued 
 from him by violence and military prowefs. The for- 
 mer requires a Surety, who, taking guilt upon himfelf 
 in man's name, mould willingly and patiently undergo 
 the jufl penalty at the hands of the moft righteous judge, 
 to his full fatisfaction. The latter calls for a Redeemer 
 or Avenger, who, by a juft claim, may refcue (laves out 
 of the hands of. an unjtift tyrant (fuch as he who, by 
 fraud and violence, acquires a dominion) and, by op- 
 pofition and refiflance, injures the innocent. To both 
 thefe purpofes God appointed his own Son, whom, by 
 an eternal covenant, he chofe to the mediatorial office ; 
 and revealed in his word, that he fhould be the valiant 
 conqueror of the ferpent, and th-e deliverer of Tome rnen,J 
 alfo, a vicarious. Surety, and afterwards a facrifice, 
 which was pointed out by clothing ourfirft parents with 
 (kins,$ The fufferin^s of Chrift therefore are of two 
 
 J -^Sf 
 
 forts : One judicial, which he endured as Surety, juflly.. 
 on the part of God, for the debts of others, which he 
 had undertaken to pay, and which being done, a recon- 
 ciliation is the confequence : the other, warlike, which 
 he endured as Deliverer [or Redeemer] unjuftly 
 brought on him by his enemies, Satan and his inftru- 
 
 * Gen. ii. 17. f 2 Pet. ii. 19. Gen. in. 15. Ver. 21. 
 
308 WHAT SUFFERINGS OF 
 
 merits, becaufehe will bring to falvation thofe whom he 
 redeemed by his ranfom. Both thefe kinds of fufterings 
 belong to the perfecting of TlTmft. 
 
 XVI. In this difcourfe of the very learned perfon, 
 every thing favours of learning, much alfo is genuine 
 and folid ; which I heartily approve. For it is certain, 
 that Chrift is not only our Surety, but alfo our Deli- 
 verer ; what merits our confideration in this queftion is 
 only this, whether, when Chrift, by }\\s judicial fuffer- 
 ings as Surety , fully fatisned divine juftice, other fuf- 
 ferings are alfo requifite, by which, as Redeemer, he 
 might overcome Satan, and bring the redeemed to hea- 
 ven by his ranfom. To me the matter appears in this 
 light : As all the fufFerings of men arife from the de- 
 merit of their fins, no matter whether immediately in- 
 flicted by God, or by means of Satan and his inftru- 
 ments ;* fo, in like manner, all the fufFerings of Chrift 
 arofe from the demerit of our fins ; for which when he 
 had fatisfied divine juftice, he merited for his own deli- 
 verance, not only from the wrath of God, but alfo from 
 the tyranny of the devil ; from which that he may deli- 
 ver his redeemed ones, there is no occafion for fufFer- 
 ings of another kind, but only for his power and autho- 
 rity. It is fuMicient for this, that he is the mighty Godjc 
 the mighty one of Jacob / ftronger than the Jlrong inan. 
 I own Chrift had to ftruggle with the devil, which he 
 could not do without fufFerings : but even this very thing 
 was owing to the demerit of our fins. For when God 
 by ajuft fentence delivered up to the tyranny of Satan, 
 man who had fuffered himfelf to be overcome by the de- 
 vil ; it was neceffary that Chrift, as man's Surety, 
 fhould be expofed to the haraffment of the devil, that, 
 in that refpecl alfo, he might fatisfy divine juftice : nor 
 
 * Jen ii. 15, 1 6, 17. t If- 6- J If.lx. 1 6. 
 
 Luke xi. 21, 22. 
 
CHRIST ARE SATISFACTORY. 309 
 
 could the devil or his inflrurnents ever have had any 
 power to give vexation to Chrift, if he had not, being 
 loaded with the guilt of our crimes, been expofed by 
 God the mod righteous Judge to injuries from them.* 
 But we are to fpeak more at large of this prefently. 
 
 XVII. And thus we are now come to the examina- 
 tion 1 of thofe diftinclions, by which the learned perfon 
 explains and maintains his caufe : namely, he diftin- 
 guifhes between compenfating and convincing funifk- 
 merits, between judicial and warlike fuffcring*. The 
 meaning of thefe diftinclions, if I rightly take them, is 
 this. Compenfating punifhment is that, whereby fatis- 
 faflion is made to divine juftice, of which Rom. ii. 5, 
 6, 8, 9. and called the wrath to come. Matth. iii. 7. i 
 Theff. i. 10. Convincing punifliment is that, which is 
 only inflicted, in Order thereby to convince man of his 
 fin ? yet fo that, by undergoing it, no fatisfatton is made 
 to divine juftice, nor any guilt removed, but it dill re- 
 mains to be further avenged. Such punifhments the 
 fcripture calls UBETHOCCHOTH HEM A convictions of 
 wrath [furious rebukes.^] Of thefe it is faid,J ocn- 
 ICHACIIA, I will convince [rcprove~] thce, and fit them 
 in order before thine eyes. Judiciary fajferings are thofe 
 which are infliBed by God, as a fevere impartial judge, 
 for a compenfation to his juftice, in which there is 
 wrath ; and thus they are the fame with compenfating 
 puniihments. Warlike fufferings are thofe, to which 
 Chrift was expofed, when conflicting with the devil, who 
 perfecuted him immediately upon his birth by means of 
 Herod, afterwards tempted him>in the wildernefs, and 
 many ways reviled and maltreated him by the enraged 
 minisfters of his malice, according to what God fays.} 
 / will put enmity, &c.* In thefe, with refpect to Chrift, 
 
 Ads ii. 23. f Ezck. v. 15. t Pfel. 1, 21. Gsn, iii. 15 
 
\ 
 310 WH.AT SUFFERINGS or 
 
 there was no wrath of God ; but it rather tended to 
 grace and glory, as \vhcn one fuffers for righteoufncfs 
 Jake.* 
 
 XVIII. To this we reply as follows : There can be 
 no doubt, but a diftinclion is to be made between the 
 fore calamities, whereby God brings his elecl and be- 
 lievers to the knowledge and fenfe of their fins, which 
 fpring from love, and are called fatherly chajlifements ;t 
 and the heavy calamities, which are inflicled on the 
 wicked, who are under the wrath and curfe of God. 
 But of thefe punifhmeats of the wicked, to fuppofe 
 fome only convincing, and others compenfating, is nei- 
 ther authorifcd by fcripture, nor countenanced by rea- 
 I on. 
 
 XIX, The fcripture, indeed, makes mention of the 
 wrath to come, which, doubtlefc, is compenfating ; but 
 it alib frequently fpeaks of a prefent wrath and curfe ; 
 Pfal. Ivi. 8. & lix. 25. compare 2.Theff. ii. 16. John 
 iii. 36. The wrath of God abidcth on him. Wherefore 
 unregenerate finners are caljedj TEKNA ORGES, chil- 
 dren of wrath, not only becaufe they are. liable to the 
 wrath to come, but alfo on account of the wrath and 
 curfe of God actually hanging over them, while they 
 are not tranflated into the kingdom of the Son of his 
 love. For the wrath of God-is revealed from heaven 
 again/I all ungodlinefs and unrig hteoufnefs of men. 
 Which wrath of God againfl the wicked, being very 
 different from that, with which he is faid to be angry 
 againfl the fins of his own children, no reafon can be af- 
 figned, why it may not be deemed compenfating, fince 
 it is the beginning of the eternal curfe, from which it 
 differs not in efience, but in degree. 
 
 * i Pet. iv. 14. f Heb. xii. 6. t Eph. ii. 3. Rom. i. 18. 
 
CHRIST ARE SATISFACTORY. 311 
 
 Add, that this prefent wrath is a judiciary pu- 
 nijhment, inflifted by the righteous fentence of God on 
 the wicked. The obftinate unbeliever EDE-KEKRITAI, 
 25 condemned already,* God taking punifhment on the 
 wicked in this life, executes SHEPHATIM BEAPH UBEC- 
 H E MA judgments in anger, and in fury. ^ As in Egypt, 
 he executed S^EPHATIM GE.DO LIU great judgments^ 
 That all may know, ALOHIM SHOPHTIM BAAR.ETZ, 
 that he is a God that ju DGETH in the earth. But why 
 may not a judiciary punifhment be alfo deemed com- 
 penfating ? 
 
 XXI. And then thofe punifhments of the wicked, 
 which the fcripture calls THOCCHOTH, rebukes, are 
 fometimes fo defcribed, that they mull be compenfat- 
 ing. For what elfe is a compenfating punifhment, but 
 the vengeance which an offended God takes on thofe 
 that defpife him, in order to manifefl his hatred againft 
 them ? Now, all this is contained in thofe convincing 
 rebukes, which the Lord denounces againft the PhiJif- 
 tines : And I will execute great VENGEANCE upon them 
 with FURIOUS REBUKES [rebukes of great anger;] and 
 they Jliall know that I am the Lord, when I Jhall lay my 
 vengeance upon them.\\ 
 
 XXII. Convincing or rebuking punifhments are al- 
 fo no lefs compenfating. Who mall deny that it is a 
 compenfating punifhment, when God confumes the 
 wicked in his fury ? For that in the hiheil degree con- 
 vinces them of their guilt. Conjume them in wrath, con- 
 fume them, that they may not be ; and let them know that 
 
 God rultth in Jacob, unto the ends of the earth.TL And 
 iu rely nothing can convince the wicked more of the hai- 
 nouihefs of their iins, than a puniflintent heightened to 
 the greateft degree, and in which there is a moft evident 
 
 * John iii. 1 8. f Ezs k- v - ! 5- t Exod, vi. 6. & vil. 4. 
 Pfal.lviii. ix. |] Exek.xxv. 17. <[ PfaUix. 13. 
 
312 WHAT SUFTERIN'GS OF 
 
 demon ft ration of the wrath of God, fuch as a compen- 
 fating punifnment is. Juftly therefore we reject that 
 diftinction, which has not any foundation in fcripture, 
 and whofe parts are contrary to the rules of found logic. 
 
 XXIII. Moreover, though we mould admit that dif- 
 tin&ion, how is it applicable to the fufferings of Chrift ? 
 Here, I own, I do not fully underhand the learned au- 
 thor's meaning. To what purpofe is this diftin&ion of 
 convincing and compenfating punifhments ? Is it, that 
 as the punifhments which the wicked endure in this life, 
 are only convincing; and a compenfating punifhment 
 will at length be infliQed, in the day of wrath and judg- 
 ment ; fo alfo the fufferings, which Chrift underwent 
 during the whole time of his life, anfwer to thofe con- 
 vincing punifhments, and the three hours fufferings to 
 the compenfating punifhment ? But what necefTity ex- 
 afted convincing punifhments of Chrifl, feeing he both 
 perfectly owned, and voluntarily confeffed, the guikof 
 thofe fins he had taken upon him, and moft willingly 
 performed every thing by which he might expiate that 
 guilt ? Was it perhaps with this view, that, from a fight 
 of the fufferings of Chrift, believers might be convinced 
 of their fins ? But that cannot be done more effectually, 
 than when they confider them as punifhments due to 
 their fins, and fo as a fatisfaclion for them. As there- 
 fore no punifhments of Chrift can be faid to be merely 
 convincing, it remains, that all of them are compenfat- 
 ing or fatisfaftory ; which is what we contend for. 
 
 XXIV. The diftinclion between judiciary and war- 
 like fufferings is no lefs impertinent. For Chrift incur- 
 red no fufferings but by the fentence of God the Judge. 
 When Chrift was afflifted, the iniquity cf us all N ICG AS 
 -was exafted.* But that was the exaction of the Judge, 
 When Satan, with his infernal powers, affaulted Chrift, 
 
 * If. liii. 7. 
 
CHRIST ARE SATISFACTORY. 313 
 
 then was the power of darknefs* A determinate fen- 
 tence was granted by God to the prince of darknefs to 
 harafs Chrift. And Chrift girding himfelf for that con- 
 (lift, had in view that fentence, or commandment of God, 
 as she himfelf fpeaks.t 
 
 XXV. What elfe is that very word ^f God, from 
 which the original of the warlike fufferings is derived, 
 than the fentence of God the Judge, againflthe ferpent, 
 who was to be deftroyed by Chrift, and againft Chrift 
 as to his human nature, in which he trod the earth, who 
 was to be harafled and flain by the ferpent ? I would 
 fain know, if what is foretold concerning the bruifing of 
 his heel, does not alfo comprife thofe fufferings of 
 Chrift, which are judiciary. If not, the firft gofpel- 
 promife does not explain the method of obtaining falva- 
 tion by the fatisfaclion of a Mediator : and we are or- 
 dered to believe, that the words fignify lefs than they 
 can, or it is proper that they fhould, if, as they iup- 
 poje, they contain an enigmatical fummary of things to 
 be believed. But if, as is certainly right, we allow, 
 that the fatisfa&ory fufferings of Chrift are comprehend- 
 ed in thefe words, that new diftin&ion is very improper- 
 ly built upon them. 
 
 XXVI. Let us dwell a little longer on this medita- 
 tion. Whatever power the devil has to harafs wicked 
 men, before he drag them to eternal death, he has it by 
 the righteous fentence of God the Judge, which Peter 
 has exprefTed. J The elecl themfelves, as finners, were 
 alfo fubjecl to that power ; and, on that account, are 
 faid to be not only the prey of the mighty, but iikewife 
 of the lawful one. he having a right over them by the 
 fentence of the fupreme Judge. Jefus the Surety came 
 
 * Luke xxfi. 53. f Johaxir. 31. J 2 Pet. if. 19. f If. xlix. 24, 
 VOL. I. Q q 
 
314 WHAT SUFFERINGS OP 
 
 in their room, who therefore, in virtue of the fame fen- 
 tence, became fubjecl to the bufferings of Satan. And 
 by this means all the fufferings inflicled on him by the 
 devil, were in the moft proper fenfe judiciary. 
 
 XXVII. Nor is it any objection to this truth, that 
 thofe conflicts with Satan proved glorious to Chrifl, as 
 having endured them, becaufe of the juilice, and for ad- 
 vancing the glory of God. For all Chrift's fufferings, 
 even thofe which, according to this new hypothecs, we 
 lhall call judiciary, if the caufe and event be confidered, 
 were highly glorious to him. He never more glriouf- 
 ly difplayed his love to God and man, he never under- 
 took a more excellent work, which the whole choir of 
 angels beheld with greater applaufe, and God the Fa- 
 ther himfelf was never more pleafed with it, than when, 
 hanging on the crofs, he refolutely ftruggled with the 
 horrors of eternal death. But if that be confidered as 
 an evil, which is contrary to nature, earneftly bent upon 
 its own advantage ; certainly, in thefe harraffmgs of Sa- 
 tan, there was the wrath of God againft fin, which Chrift 
 had taken upon himfelf. 
 
 XXVIIL What too mould hinder thofe fufferings, 
 which, according to this hypothefis, are judiciary, to be 
 called warlike ? For who will deny, that Chrift, when 
 hanging on the crofs, was, as it were, wreflling with the 
 infernal powers, and the horrors of eternal death ? In- 
 deed, Paul teftifies, that Chrift had then made openly a 
 Jhtw of principalities and powers, triumphing over them 
 on the crofs* But who can refufe, that there was fir ft 
 a conflict before fuch a noble triumph and viBory ? 
 From all thefe things we conclude, that the diftinctioa 
 of punifhments into convincing and compenfating, and 
 of fufferings into warlike and judiciary, is unfcriptural, 
 aqtifcriptural, and irrational. 
 
 * Col. ii. 15. 
 
CHRIST ARE SATISFACTORY. $15, 
 
 XXIX. Let us now come to the arguments of the 
 oppolite fide, as far as we have had accefs to know 
 them. Some of them are general againft all the fufler- 
 ings of Chrift, and others more fpecial againft fume 
 parts of his fufferings. The general ones are partly ta- 
 ken from fcripture, partly from the apoftles creed, and 
 partly from the catechifm. 
 
 XXX. From fcripture they thus argue : i. That the 
 fin of the -whole earth fJiall be removed in one day, ac- 
 cording to Zech. iii. 9. And Paul feveral times. af- 
 firms, that the one offering of Chrift, once made on ihe 
 crofs, was that expiatory facriftce, by which all the elcft 
 are perfected;* and therefore the preceding fufferings 
 of Chrift were not fatisfa&ory. 2. Further, that Chrift, 
 from the beginning of his life, was neither aprieft, who 
 could offer an expiatory facrifice, nor a facrifice which 
 couldabe offered. Not a prieft, becaufe he could not 
 lawfully be one before the thirtieth year of his age : 
 not a facrifice, as a lamb could not be fuch before the 
 feventh day. But the truth of the types ought to appear 
 in Chrift. 3. Add, that Chrift thro' the whole of his 
 life, except for a few hours, was in the favor of God ; 
 increased in favor with God ;t was acknowledged to be 
 the beloved Son of God ; J was glorified in the mount ;$ 
 rejoiced in fpirit\ But at the time in which, he was in the 
 favor of God, and rejoiced, he did not bear the wrath 
 of God. 
 
 XXXI. From the Creed it is obferved, that profefl 
 fing our faith concerning the fati.sfa&ory fufferings of 
 Chrift, we ?{jb not barely fay, that he fuffcred, but that 
 he faff ere d under Pontius Pilate ; words never to be elif- 
 joined, to teach us, that only thafe fufferings were fatif- 
 fa&ory, , which he endured under Pilate. 
 
 * Heb. ix. 28. & x. 10, 12, 14, f Luke ii. 52. ( Matth. 
 iii. 17, Matth. xvii. 2. j| Luke x. 21. 
 
3 1 6 WH AT SUFFERINGS OF 
 
 XXXII. From the [Heidelberg] catechifm are quo- 
 ted queilions 31, 67, 70, 75, 80. where the impetra- 
 tion of our falvation is referred to the one offering of 
 Chnll. once made on the crofs. But as to what is al- 
 ledged to the contrary from queft. 37. where it is faid, 
 
 that " for THE WHOLE T I M E OT HIS LIFE which he 
 
 lived upon earth, efpecially at the end thereof, he fuf- 
 tained the wrath of God again ft the fin of all mankind, 
 both in body and foul ;" they anfwer, that to fuftain the 
 wrath of God there, cannot fignify, to feel the wrath of 
 God, but to be bound to endure it. They illuftrate 
 and prove this explication by queft. 84. where, it is de- 
 clared, concerning unbelievers and hypocrites, that 
 " the wrath of God and eternal damnation do lie on 
 them fo long as they go on in their fins :" which cannot 
 be underilood of a corrypenfating punifiiment unlefs we 
 would fnppofe, that the wicked, by fuffering on*earth, 
 make fatisfaclion to divine juftice, which is abfurd. It 
 therefore follows, that we explain this of their being ob- 
 noxious to divine wrath and eternal damnation. As, in 
 the fame fenfe, our Lord declares, He that believetk not 
 the Son 9 the wrath of God abideth on him,* that is, he 
 is obnoxious to wrath. 
 
 XXXIII. To thefe arguments we humbly reply as 
 follows. To thefirft we fay, that all Chrift's fufferings 
 together, ought to be deemed one full accomplifhment 
 of the facerdotal onjce, which our Lord undertook, in 
 order to expiate our fins; which at laft was fully com- 
 pleted, when Chrift, dying on the crofs, offered himfelf 
 to the Father for a fweet-fmelling favour : then the ut- 
 moft farthing was paid : which being done, God de- 
 clared, he was fatisfied to the full, and on that day he 
 blotted out the fins of the whole earth, and expu 1 
 
 * John H-i. 36. 
 
CltRIST ARE SATISFACTORY. 317 
 
 ihem from his book. From -whence it cannot be infer- 
 red, that the preceding fufferings of Chrift were not fa- 
 tisfaftory ; but that then only the fati.sfaclion was com- 
 pleted ; of which completion this was the fruit, that on 
 that very day the fins of all the cleft were blotted out. 
 And this is the mind of God in Zechariah. But what 
 Paul fo often fpeaks of the one offering, by which we 
 are perfected, is to be understood in the fame fenfe ; 
 namely, fince the fufferings of Chrift, when hanging on 
 the crdfs, were the moft grievous, and the complement 
 oj[ the whole, therefore the f cripture commonly afcribes 
 the expiation of our fins to the crofs of Chrift ; bccaufe, 
 without that, his foregoing fufferings had not been fuf- 
 ficient ; as the payment of the utmoft farthing com, 
 pletes the fatisfaclion, which is immediately followed by 
 tearing the hand-writing, and giving a difcharge. 
 
 XXXIV. To ihcfecond we reply : That here many 
 things are afferted, which we can by no means yield to. 
 i. It is not true, that Chrift was not a prieft from the 
 beginning of his life. For, from the beginning of his 
 life, he was the Chrift, that is, the Lord's anointed, no 
 lefs to the facerdotal than to his other offices. And 
 iince, when lying in the manger, he was faluted King 
 by the wife men, and, when twelve years old, he (hew- 
 ed himfelf a Prophet amidft the doclors ; who will, af- 
 ter all this, prefume to deprive him of the honor of his 
 prieflkood ? And as it belonged to the prieft s to fland in 
 the honfe of the Lord* was there not fome difplay of his 
 facerdotal office in that apology to his parents, WiJI y e 
 not that I mujl be about my Fathers hifincfs ?t Nay, 
 even before his incarnation, he exhibited fome prelude 
 of his prieftly function by his interceftion for the church.' 4 ' 
 We own indeed, that Chrift was publicly inaugurated, 
 
 * Pfal. cxxxiv. i. f Luke " 49. J Zech. i. 12, 13. 
 
318 WHAT SUFFERINGS or 
 
 in the thirtieth year of his age, to his mediatorial of- 
 fice : but we can no more infer from that, that Chrift 
 was not a Prieft, than that he was not Mediatory before 
 that time. 
 
 XXXV. I cannot but here fubjoin the very folld 
 reafoning of the celebrated Cloppenburg :* " It could 
 not be, but that, in the daily praBice of piety, and the 
 obedience due to God, \vhich he performed in the days 
 of his flefh, Chrift, who knew his unBion from a child 
 (as appears Jrom Luke ii. 49.) fhould offer prayers and 
 fupplications for the falvation of the church, whofe 
 King and Saviour he was born : compare Luke ii. 11. 
 with Hcb. vii. 5. And nothing hinders us to extend the 
 words of the apoftle to all the days of his flefh, and all 
 the fuffcrings he endured from his infancy ; becaufe by 
 thefe he learned obedience : and fo it was altogether the 
 conftant apprenticefhip or noviciate of the mediatorial 
 office of Chrift, who walked from a child with God : 
 wherein he from day to day fulfilled, by a perfevering 
 obedience, the work which the Father had given him 
 for the redemption of the church, which was to be ful- 
 ly completed by crowning his whole obedience with the 
 offering up of himfelf a facrifke, when he fhould be 
 publicly called thereto, John xvii. 4. ABs ii. 23.'* 
 
 XXXVI. 2. Neither is it true, that Chrift was not a 
 facrifice from the beginning of his life. For though his 
 offering was completed on the crofs, and by his death, 
 yet he was even before that the Lamb of God, that tak- 
 eth away the fin a/the -world.'*? The iniquities of us all 
 were laid upon him ; and it was for no other caufe, that 
 he carried the form of a fcrvant, and the likenefs of fin 
 ful flefh, and, though he was rich, yet, for our fakes, 
 fcecame poor ; and in fine, was expofed, from his very 
 
 * Ex. difputat. devita Ghrifti privata, 1.5, 16. f John!. 2 P. 
 
CHRIST ARE SATISFACTORY. 319 
 
 infancy, to griefs, forrows, and perfecutions. All thefe 
 calamities proceeded from this, that, as both prieft and 
 facrifice, he took our fins upon himfelf, in order to their 
 being at laft wholly aboliftied by his death. 
 
 XXXVII. 3. The proof of this paradoxical afler- 
 tion, taken from the types of the Old Teftament, is in 
 many refpe&s defective. For (i.) There is no folid 
 foundation for that hypothecs, that all the circumftan- 
 ces of the types ought, in the fame manner, to be found 
 in the antitype. Otherwife it would follow, that Chriii 
 muft have been (lain at a year old, according to the type 
 of the pafchallamb. (2.) It is alfo a rafh ailertion, 
 that none could aft as a prieft before his thirtieth year. 
 There is no fuch command in the facred writings. The 
 Levites, indeed, were, by the Annal law, not admit- 
 ted to the noviciate before their twenty-fifth year,* nor 
 before their thirtieth year, to the full exercife of their 
 funclion.t " But indeed I find no where among the 
 Rabbins," fays Selden,^ " that the years of the Levites, 
 as Levites, indicated the legal age of the priefts. And 
 I very much 'wonder, great men fhould admit of this, 
 even while they {harply critic! fe upon others." It is 
 the conftant tradition of the Hebrews, that a prieft is fit 
 for his office at his thirteenth year, after his years of 
 puberty, though he is not bound to take his turn with 
 the reft, before his twentieth year. See Outram de fa- 
 crific. lib. i. c. 5. $ 3. Jofephus relates of Ariftoiulus, 
 " that when a young man, and out of his feventeenth 
 year, he, by. the law,- afcended the altar to officiate." 
 'Tis aftonifhing, the very learned perfon did not attend 
 to thefe things, which, from his (kill in the Hebrew ri- 
 tual, he could not be ignorant of. (3.) If this argu- 
 ment is to be urged, it would thence follow, that Chrift 
 
 * Numb* viii. 24. f Numb. iv. 3. { De fucccffion. ad pon- 
 tifical. EUraor. lib. ii. c. 4. 
 
3 2O WH AT S U F f R 1 N G S C f , 
 
 could have been a facrihce after the feventh day from his 
 birth, and immediately upon his thirtieth year, be a 
 pried ; which is contrary to what is fuppofed in the fcn- 
 timent we here oppofe. 
 
 XXXVIII. To the third, we reply, i. That the 
 queftion is not, whether Chrift did, all his life long, fo" 
 endure the wrath of God, as in the mean time to be fa- 
 vored with no confolation, with no joy of the Spirit 
 comforting him ? None will affirm this. But the quef- 
 tion is, whether all thofe fuffermgs, which Chrift at any 
 time endured, and all that form of a fervant which he 
 affumed, belong to the perfection of his fatisfa&ion ? 
 A thing that cannot be overthrown by fome mining in- 
 tervals of joy, now and then. 2. To be the beloved 
 Son of God, and at the fame time to fuffer the wrath 
 of God, are not fuch contrary things, as that they can- 
 not ftand together. For, as Son, as the holy one, while 
 obeying the Father in all things, he was always beloved ; 
 and indeed moft of all, when obedient even to the death 
 of the crofs : for that was fo pleafing to the Father, 
 that, on account of it he raifed him to the. higheft pitch 
 of exaltation,* though, as charged with our fins, he felt 
 the wrath of God, burning, not againft himfelf, but 
 againf\ our fins, which he had taken upon himfelf. Who 
 can doubt, that Chrift, even hanging on. the crofs, was 
 in the higheft love and favor of God, fo far as he was 
 Son, though at the fame time he was made a curfe for 
 our' fins? 3. It has never been proved, that it was a 
 thing improper and inconfiftent, for Chrift to have fome 
 mitigation granted him, while he fatisfied for our fins, 
 by means of fome rays of confolation, at intervals, fhin- 
 ing in upon him, by which he might be animated refo- 
 lutely to acquit himfelf in the confliQ. Nor is it credi-, 
 
 * Phil. ii. 9. 
 
CriRISt ARE SATISFACTORY. 
 
 ble, that he had always the fenfation of divine wrath, of 
 that it was always equally intenfe, even on the very 
 crofs itfelf ; or that he was as much preiTed down by his 
 agonies, when he made a promife of paradife to the 
 thief, and fpoke fo affeftionatcly wi& his mother and 
 John, as when he complained, that he was forfakcn of 
 God. See that kind addrefs of God the Father to 
 Chrift, when he was defpifed by every one, and abhorred 
 by the people, and afervantofrulcrs* 
 
 XXXIX. What is argued from the creed^ fcarce de* 
 fcrves any anfwer. For when Chrifl is {aid to have fuf- 
 fered under Pontius Pilate, nothing lefs is hinted than a 
 diftinftion of the fatisfaftory fufferings of Chrifl from 
 .thofe which are not : a fi&ion, I imagine, that none 
 ever thought of. But the time is {imply indicated, in 
 which Chrifl completed his fufferings, and the perfon, 
 by whofe authority he was condemned to the crofs. 
 Nor will the raaintainer of this paradox affirm, that all 
 the fufferings, which Chrift endured under Pilate, or 
 by his authority, were fatisfatlory ; fince both the 
 fcourging, and thofe indignities, which Chrift fuffered 
 in the pretorium, and his condemnation, nay, his very 
 crucifixion and death, muft be excluded thence, if the 
 fatisfaclion is to be reftricted to the three hours of dark* 
 r*efs. 
 
 XL. It is without doubt that violence is done theca- 
 techifm. which refers the impetration of our falvation to 
 the one offering of Chrift, with no other deftgn, than, 
 what Paul does, whofe meaning I have already explain- 
 ed. The words of queft. 37. appear to be perverted 
 arid miiinterpreted. i. Bccaufe it is an anfwer to this 
 queftion, " What believeft thou, when thou fayeft, me 
 
 * If. xlix. 7. 
 VOL. I. R r 
 
22 WHAT SUFFERINGS or 
 
 SUFFERED?" Now, that expreffion, He fltftrtdi 
 not Hgnify the bare fufception of guilt, but the endur- 
 ing of forrows. 2. If to endure the wrath of God does 
 not there fignify to feel it, but only to take its guilt up- 
 on himfelf, it would follow, that even at the clofe of 
 his life he did not feel the wrath of God. For, in the 
 fame fenfe, the catechifm affirms that very thing of the 
 whole of Chrift's life, and of the clofe thereof. 3. Ur- 
 finus is a more faithful interpreter of the catechifm, 
 when he writes, " Under the appellation of fuffering, 
 are underftood, all the infirmities, miferies, griefs, rack- 
 ing tortures of foul and body, to which, on our ac- 
 count, Chrift was obnoxious, from his nativity to his 
 laft breath," &?c. 4. 'Tis in vain to feek for any pre- 
 tence to this forced fenfe from queft. 84. and John iii. 
 36. For it is not an obnoxioufnefs to the wrath of God 
 that alone hangs over unbelievers and hypocrites ; but 
 they are really in a (late of wrath and curfe ; and that 
 curfe, which they are now under, is the beginning and 
 a part of thofe pains, which they {hall fuffer for ever. 
 
 XLI. The more fpecial arguments and exceptions, 
 either regard the death of Chrilt, or his agonies in the 
 garden, or are taken from the beginning and end of the 
 folar cclipfe ; which I (hall fet in fuch a light, as at the 
 fame time to refute them. 
 
 XLII. If any ihall fay, that the fcripture, when af- 
 cribing our redemption to the death of Chrift, means by 
 that death thofe very intenfe pains of eternal death, 
 which Chrift endured both in foul and body together, 
 when he complained, that he was forfaken of his God ; 
 I anfwer, that indeed they are not, on any account, to 
 be fecluded from the compafs. of the word death ; but 
 that the death of Chrift is not to be fo confined to them, 
 as to exclude the dejuh of the body, or the feparationof 
 
AR SATIS I ACTQRY. 323 
 
 foul and body-. For Peter fpeaks exprefsly of the death 
 of thejlejhj* and the whole fcripture afcribes our ran- 
 fom to that death, from which Chrift arofe by his refur- 
 reclion : and in fine, Paul makes the facrifice which 
 Chrift offered, to confift in a death, which is like to 
 that which is appointed for all men once to undergo,f 
 and whichj is a facrifice, and was fhadowed forth by the 
 flaying of the legal facrifices. And we have already 
 mentioned feverai places, which cannot, without mani- 
 feft violence, be fo explained, as to exclude the death 
 of the body from being included in his death. 
 
 XLIII. If you object, that Chrift had before faid, 
 It is Jinijhcd ; 1 anfwer, it ought to be underftood of 
 his finifhing all thofe things, which he was to fuffer and 
 do in life, fo that nothing remained, but to conclude 
 the whole by a pious death. Juft a* Paul faid, / have 
 finijhed my courfe ; J and Chrift himfelf, / have Jinijhcd 
 the work which thou gave/I me to do.\\ Whence one 
 would abfurdly infer, that there remained for Chrift, on 
 faying this, nothing further to be done or fuffered; 
 when he was ftill to be made perfect by his laft fuffer- 
 ings. The meaning is evident ; namely, that Chrift, in 
 diicharging his office, had perfectly performed all he was 
 thus far to perform. 
 
 XLIV. If you infift upon it, that his death was calm 
 and gentle, without the appearance of any pains of eter- 
 nal death, having already undergone thefe: I anfwer, it 
 was a gentle death indeed, in fo far as the faith of Chrift, 
 now victorious over all temptations, was well apprifed, 
 that he had furmounted the greateft pains, and was fe- 
 cure about his refurrection and the promifed reward ; 
 but yet he died a curfed death, inflicted by the wrath of 
 God againft fin ; and the curfe of it was typically figur- 
 
 * i Pet. Hi. 18. f Hcb. ir. 27. J Ver. 26. 2 Tim. iv. 7. 
 || John xvii. 4. 
 
324 WHAT SUFFERINGS or 
 
 ed by bis banging on tbe tree, which ftill continued in 
 and after death. For, wbile be bung on tbe tree, fo 
 far he was doubtlefs und^r the curfe, according to Gal. 
 iii. 13. By which is fignified, that his punifhment 
 ought to be taken as holding forth guilt, and the curfe 
 of God. 
 
 XLV. But, fay you, believers are ftill to die ; and 
 therefore Chrift did not fatisfy for them by his death. I 
 anfwer, the catechumens have been taught to anfwer this 
 objection from queft. 42. of tbe Heidelberg catechifm.* 
 By the death of Chrift, death hath ceafed to be, what it 
 was before, the punifhment inflicled by an offended 
 judge, and the entrance into the fecond death, and is 
 become the extermination of fin, and the way to eternal 
 life; and at the laft day it (hall be altogether abolifhed. 
 And if you go on to argue in this manner, I fhall eafily 
 make it appear from your own hypothefis, that even 
 that very anguifh of Chrift, when he complained of his 
 being forfaken of God, was not fatisfa&ory for us; for 
 believers thernfelves often complain of fpiritu?-! dcfer- 
 tion : But Zion faid^ NGADSABANI JEHOVAH, The 
 Lord hath forfaken me. If. xlix. 14. Where we have 
 tbe very fame word, which the Lord Jefus ufea, Pfal. 
 xxii. 2. And Zion fays fo truly, with refpeft to the 
 fenfe of grace, and the influence of fpiritual confolation. 
 The difference between the defertion, whereby Chrift 
 was forfaken of his Father, and that of believers, con- 
 fifts in this, that, in the former, there was the wrath and 
 curfe of God, arid the formal nature of punifhment, 
 which are not in the latter ; neither are thefe in their 
 death. 
 
 * Q^ But fince Chrift died for us, why mini we alfo die ? A. 
 
 Our death is not a fatisfadion for fin, but the aboiifhing of fin, and 
 our pafTage into everlaftirig life. 
 
CHRIST 'ARE SATISFACTORY. 325 
 
 XLVl. As to what is objected to our argument, ta- 
 ken from the agonies of Chrifi in Gethfernane, it is pre- 
 tended, that thefe fufferings were not fatisfadory in this 
 very thing, that then an angel appeared to comfort him ; 
 whereas a good angel could not have done this, with- 
 out a moft grievous fin againfl God, if Chrifi was then 
 actually making fatisfaction ; efpecially as he was to' 
 tread this wine-prefs alone, and it was foretold, thar, 
 while making fatisfaBion, he fhould be deprived of all 
 confolation, There is none to take pity, comforters */ 
 found none :* this argutnent is very inconclufiv r c. For t 
 i. That angel did not tread the wine-prefs together with 
 the Lord Jefus ; nor was any part of his fufferings hid 
 upon him ; nor, by any natural influence, did he adlft 
 Chrift in carrying that burden. He ftrengthened Chriil 
 no otherwife than in a moral fenfe, by fetting before 
 him the glorious iffue of the conflict he had undertaken, 
 and by other arguments to the like purpofe. 2. There 
 is no reafon, why fome fmall fhare of comfort fhould 
 not be adminiftered to Chrifi, while in the al of mak- 
 ing fatisfa&ion ; efpecially if done with a view to prc- 
 i'erve him for more, and not fewer fufferings. The 
 words of Pfal. Ixix. are not to be taken in fuch a gene- 
 ral fenfe, as to exclude all manner of confolation and 
 pity : for a great company of people and of women bewail- 
 ed Am,t as did alfo all the people that came together to 
 fhatfight, and fmote upon their bfcvjhjfa and the belov- 
 ed difciple John, and above all his pious mother, whofc. 
 foul then a fword pierced. Nor is there any thing irt 
 the words of the pfahn, which obliges us to confine 
 thefe things to the three hours darknefs. It treats of 
 that time, in which they gave him gall for his meat^ and 
 in his thirjl gave' him vinegar to drink^ which was not 
 
 * Pfal. hk. 20. f Lute xxiii. 27. J Vcr. 48. Luke 
 a; 35, !| Vcr. 2 1. 
 
326 WHAT SUFFERINGS or 
 
 done during the darknefs. 3. It cannot be inferred, 
 that God the Father, in fending that angel, had not then 
 either aflumed or then laid afide the chara6ter of a ftric"t 
 and impartial jud<*e ; any more than it can be inferred, 
 that the minds of Chrift's enemies were difpofed to pity, 
 when they laid the crofs on Simon of Cyrene, in order 
 that he might carry it after him. For both was clone 
 \vith a view, left Chrift finking under his prefent pains, 
 fhould efcape thofe that were to enfue. 4. We fhall 
 by this be better able to form a judgment of the incre- 
 dible load of anguifh, with which that mighty Lion of 
 the tribe of Judah was fo prcffed down, that he appear- 
 ed almoft ready to fink under it, unlefs he was, in feme 
 manner at leaft, heartened. 5. Nor, on any pretence, 
 can that angel be accufed of any bad action, in ftrength- 
 ening Chrift, while (atisfying for us ; fince, by that con* 
 folation, he neither went about to rob Chrift of his glo- 
 ry, to whom alone the praife of fatisfying remains en- 
 tire ; nor to oppofe the decree of God, to execute 
 which with refolution he animated Chrift ; nor to put 
 any bar in the way of our falvation, to acquire the right 
 to which by coniiancy in his fuffenngs he encouraged 
 the Lord. 
 
 XL VI I. To pretend to infer from the beginning and 
 end of the folar eclipfe, during the paffion of Chrift, 
 the beginning and end of his fatisfaclion, is a cabbalifti- 
 cal fancy, founded neither on fcripture, nor folid rea- 
 fon. I will not deny, that, in that darknefs, there was 
 a kind of tyjpe of the very thick darknefs, with which 
 the greatly -diftre (Ted foul of the Lord Jefus was then 
 overwhelmed, without a fingle ray of confolatipn break- 
 ing in upon him, but what his unfhaken faith, ground- 
 ed on the inviolable proraifes of his Father, and not 
 daggering as to the certainty of the future reward, dart- 
 ed in at times upon his trembling foul. But the quef- 
 
QF'THE EFFECT OF, &c. 327 
 
 tion is not, \Vhether ChriR was theYi aQually fatisfying ? 
 this we all allow : the queftion is, whether then only ? 
 
 XLVIII. But let us now, conclude this debate; 
 which has fo much difquieted the mind of this very learn- 
 ed perfon, as His friends wanted the world fliould know 
 from letters, publiihed after his death. But God and 
 my confcience are iny wimeffes, that nothing but the 
 love of truth, which is only to be derived from, and 
 defended by the fcriptures, obliged me to enter upon 
 this fubjeft. I know not in what I can be blamed, un- 
 lefs in the liberty I have taken to diffent from the author. 
 But if, by taking a wrong path, I have ftrayed from the 
 truth, how acceptable will the kind admonjtion be I 
 How readily fhall I own and correct the error ! I hear- 
 tily wiih we could generally endeavour to pleafe our- 
 felves lefs, in order to pleafe God more. I ever had a 
 veneration for this learned perfon, though, after our 
 difpute, I found he was much difgufted, But I thought 
 this mould be no hinderance to my profiting by his 
 learned commentaries, which I own I did, with a juft 
 commendation of the author; as my other writings 
 abundantly teftify, I have clone, and that very fincerely. 
 
 CHAP. VII. 
 Of the Effctt of Chrijfs Satisfaction. 
 
 1 HE efcft of Chrift's fatisfaBion is twofold : The 
 fir ft regards CArz/2 himfelf.j the other, the deft. Chrift, 
 by his fatisfation, obtained for himfdf, as Mediator, a 
 right to all the cleft : which the Father willingly and dc- 
 fervedly bellows upon him ; AJk of me, and IJIiallgwt 
 thtt tht Heathen for thin* inheritance, and the uttermoft 
 
328 OF THE EFFECT OF 
 
 parts of the earth for thy pojfeffion* This is ChrifTa 
 PHENGULLATH, ivork with his God, that hefhouldnot 
 only be hisfervani, to raife up the tribes of Jacob, and to 
 rcjlcre the preferved of Ifrael ; but that heffiould be giv.- 
 cn for a light to the Gentiles, that he might be God's fal- 
 vation unto the end of the earth.^ It appears a lib from 
 that promife, If his foul fliall make itfelf an offering for 
 Jin, he JJ: ail fee his feed. ^ And th.us we become his in- 
 heritance^ his peculiar treafure,^ his peculiar 'trofle.^. 
 
 II. Befides, it is not pofftble, but Chrift mould cx- 
 ercife that right, which he acquired at fa dear a rate. 
 When, according to the determinate counfcl of the di- 
 vine decree, the time of the gracious vifitation of every 
 one of the ele6t is COITUS, he a8ually delivers them, as 
 his property by an out ftretched arm. And why fhould 
 he not ? Seeing he can cafily effect it by the power of 
 his Spirit, turning and inclining their heart. Is it cre- 
 dible, he mould ftifrer thofe, who are his lawful right, 
 10 be, and to remain the (laves of Satan ? Is it worthy 
 of Chrift, that he mould not be actually glorified in the 
 fanclirkation and happinefs of thofe, for whom he un- 
 derwent fo much infamy ? or mould fufFcr any of thofe 
 to perifii, whom he purchafed for his own poiTeflion by 
 his precious blood ? Chrifl himfelf hath taught MS thus 
 to reafon : And ether fiieep I have, which are net cfthis 
 fold ; them alfo I mv.Jl bring, and they fliall hear wiy 
 voice.** Becaufe thefe fheep were of right his property, 
 it therefore became him actually to lay hold of them as 
 his own, and bring them into his fold. Nor can the 
 right of Chriil be made ineffectual, or remain without 
 actual porTeflion ; especially, as he was not promifed by 
 the Father a bare right, but alfo a pofleilion by right 
 
 * Pfal. ii. 8. f If. xlix. 4, 6. J If. liii. 10. Eph. I. II P 
 (i P cxjcxv. 4. ^f Tit. ii. 14, & I Pet. ii. 9. ** John x. 16* 
 
CHRIST'S SATISFACTION. 329 
 
 Upon his making fatisfa&ion ; as the places above quot- 
 ed evince. 
 
 III. The Lord Jefus obtained for the elett, by his 
 fatisfa&ion, an immunity from all mifery, and a rigjit to 
 eternal life, to be applied unto them in effectual calling 
 regeneration, fanclification, confervation, and glorifi- 
 cation. This the fcripture declares. Thus, This is my 
 blood of the New Teflament, which is filed for many for * 
 the rcmijjion of fins.* He gave himfelffor our.Jins, that 
 he might deliver us from this prefent evil world, accord- 
 ing to the will of God and our Father.* Gave himfelf 
 for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and pu- 
 rify unto himfelf a peculiar people, zealous of good 
 works.% Chrijl loved the church, and gave himfelf for 
 it, that he might fanttify it that he might prefent it to 
 himfelf a glorious church^ c. In a word, This is that 
 faithful faying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Chrijl 
 Jefus came into the -world to favefinners.^ By thefe and 
 many other like paffages, which it would be needlefs to 
 enumerate here, it evidently appears, that the effecl of 
 Chrift's fatisfaclion was not a bare poffibility of the remif- 
 Jion of our fins, and of our reconciliation with God, but 
 an aclual remiffion and reconciliation, an abolition of 
 the dominion of fin, and at length falvation itfelf: of \ . 
 which it is not poflible the cleft mould have no (hare, 
 unlefs Chrift mould be deemed to have fatisfied the Fa- 
 ther for them to no purpofe. It is certainly incumbent 
 on us, never to enervate the force of the words of the 
 Holy Ghofl; lead of all in thofe places and expreflions 
 of fcripture, where the fubject of our falvation is deli- 
 vered ; nor to detr .} in any thing from the value of the 
 fatisfaciion of our Lord. 
 
 * Matth. xxvi. 28. f Gal. i. 4. J Tit. ii. 14, J Eph. Y, 25, 
 
 26, 27. j] i Tim,i. 15. 
 VOL. I. S s 
 
330 Or THE EFFECT or 
 
 IV. This truth alfo appears from thofe places of 
 fcripturc, in which the faiisfa&ion of Chrift is called 
 APOLUTROSIS, a redemption, made by the payment of 
 LUTRON, a ranfom, or ANTILUTRON, a price of re- 
 demption. For the proximate effecl of redemption, and 
 of the payment of a ranfom, is the fetting the captive at 
 liberty, not a bare poffibility of liberty. It is neither 
 cuftomary, nor equitable, that, after paying the price, 
 it mould ftill remain uncertain, whether the captive is 
 to be fet free or not. A true redeemer procures the re- 
 ftitution of liberty to the miferable captive, wherever 
 good faith and an agreement are of force. One may 
 poffibly treat about the price, though uncertain of the 
 eveni; but it is neither prudent or juft, to make any 
 payment, before what is ftipulated be made fure and 
 firm. The fcripture itfelf defines redemption fo, that 
 it makes the proximate efFeO; of it to be the aclual re- 
 mifTion of fins, and our reftoration to liberty. We art 
 jujlijied freely by his grace, throng h the redemption that 
 zs in Chrift jfefus.* In whom we have redemption 
 through his blood, the forgive nefs of fins, according to 
 the riches of his graced And Col. i. 14. is to the fame 
 purpofe. In like manner, Heb. ix. 12. By his own blood 
 he obtained eternal redemption for us ; the fruit of which 
 is eternal liberty and falvation. 
 
 V. Of the like nature are thofe phrafes, by which the 
 cleft are faid to be bought with a price, purchafed with 
 blood', redeemed by Chrifi's fubjettion t& the law : as i 
 Cor. vi. 29. Ye are bought with a price. Acls xx. 28. 
 To feed the church of God, which he hath purchafed with 
 his own blood. Gal. iv. 4. 5. Mxdc under ihf. law, to 
 redeem them that were under the law. Now, whoever 
 makes a purchafe of any thing, has an unqueflionable 
 
 * Rom. iii. 24. f Eph. i. 7. 
 
SATIS lACTtoN. 3.31 
 
 tight to it, .and it not only may, but a&ually does be- 
 come his property, in virtue of his pxirchafe, upon pay- 
 ing down the price. And herein eonfifts our liberty 
 and falvatiorr, that we are no longer our own, nor the 
 property of fin, nor of Satan, but the property of Chrift. 
 Whence it appears, that the effeft of Chrift's fatisfa&ion 
 is not a bare poffibility of our falvation, but falvation 
 itfelfl 
 
 VI. A right to all the benefits of the covenant of 
 grace is purchafed at once to all the cleft by the death of 
 Chrift, fo far as that, confidently with the truth and juf- 
 tice of God, and with the covenant he entered into with 
 his Son, he cannot condemn any of the eleB, or ex- 
 clude them from partaking in his falvation ; nay, on 
 the contrary, he has declared, that fatisfaclion being 
 now made by his Son, and accepted by himfelf, there 
 is nothing for the elect either to fuffer or do, in order to 
 acquire either exemption from punifhment, or a right 
 to life ; but that it only remains, that each of them, in 
 their own order and time, enjoy the right purchafed for 
 them by Chrift, and the inheritance ariiing from it. 
 And this is what the apoftle fays, God was in Ckrijl re- 
 conciling the world to himfelf , not imputing their trefpaf- 
 fes unto them.* That is, feeing God accepted of the of- 
 fering of his Son, when he gave himfejf up to death for 
 his people, he received, at the fame time, into favor, 
 not only the preferved of Ifracl, but alfo all nations, 
 and all families of the earth, which in other refpecls, 
 Jay in wickednefs, and were liable to the wrath of God, 
 declaring that fatisfalion was now made to him for their 
 iins, and that thefe could no longer be imputed to them 
 lor condemnation, nor for excluding from his ikving, 
 grace. 
 
 * 2 Ccr. v. 1*' 
 
332 Oy THE EFFECT OF 
 
 VII. To the fame purpofe is that, Zech. iii. 9. For 
 Ichold, thefionc that I have laid before Jojhua : upon out 
 flone Jliall be feven eyes ; behold, I will engrave the 
 graving* thereof, faith the Lord of ho/Is, and I will re~ 
 move the iniquity of that land in one day. Thejlone here 
 is doubtlefs the Lord Jefus Chrift, as Dan. ii. 34. Pfal. 
 cxviii. 22. on which the church is built, and by which 
 it is fupported. It is laid before Jofhua and his com- 
 panions the priefts, that, as architects, they may lay it 
 for the foundation of faith, acknowledge it as the corner- 
 ftone, and build thereon both themfelves and other be- 
 lievers. This (tone is but one : for other foundation can 
 no man lay, than that is laid, which in Jtfus Chrift.* 
 Upon this flone there are feven eyes, either of God the 
 -Father, viewing it with care and pleafure, or of the 
 church univerfal, looking to it by faith. Its gravings 
 engraved by God, reprefent thofe very clear indications 
 or characters, by which he may and ought to be diftin- 
 guiihed, as one given by the Father to be a Saviour; 
 among which characters were thofe fufferings, by which 
 he was to be made perfe6L Thefe things being done, 
 to fhew that all the figns of the Meffiah were in him, 
 God declares, that he would remove the iniquity of all that 
 land (clearly iignifying the whole world, according to 
 the fynecdoche jufl explained) in one day, together and 
 at once, in the laft day of Chrift's paflion. Thus by 
 ChrifVs fatisfaclion we are taught, that deliverance from 
 fin, and all the happy effects of that immunity, were 
 purchafed together and at once for all the elecl in ge- 
 neral. 
 
 VIII. Jt is however certain, that true faving bene- 
 fits are bellowed on none of the elecl, before he be ef- 
 fectually called > and actually united to Chrift by a live- 
 
 * I Cor. iii. xi. 
 
CHRIST'S SATISFACTION, 333 
 
 ly faith : but that did not hinder Chrift, by his fatisfac- 
 don, from purchafing for all the elel at once, a right 
 to thofe benefits, in order to their porTciling and enjoy- 
 ing them, in their appointed time. Nay, before aclual 
 converfion, and the poffefiTion of faving bleffings, they 
 are favored with no contemptible privileges above the 
 reprobate, in virtue of the right which Chrift purchafed 
 for them. ;< Such as, i. That they are in a (late of re- 
 conciliation and justification* actively conlidered^ fads- 
 faclion having been made for them by Chrift, as we fee 
 from 2 Cor. v. 19. That is, that God coniiders them 
 as perfons for whom his Son has fatisfied, and purchafed 
 a right to eternal life.-* 2. That God loves them with a 
 peculiar love of benevolence, according to the decree 
 of election; which love of benevolence will, at the 
 time appointed, certainly iffue in a love of complafcen- 
 cy. For as it proceeded from a love of benevolence, 
 that Chrift was given to be their Saviour ; fo, fatisfac- 
 tion being made, God, in confequence of the fame love, 
 will form them, fo as he may defervedly acquiefce in 
 them, as fit objecls of his love of complacency: May 
 we not refer to this, what God fays, I have loved thcc 
 with an everlajling love, therefore with loving -kindnffi 
 have I drawn thee .^t"^. It is the effecl of this love, 
 that they are favored with the means of falvation, the 
 preaching of the gofpel, &c. accompanied with fome 
 internal illumination, and fome incitement to good, 
 though not yet faving : and that with this defign, that, 
 in their own time, they may be effectually converted by 
 thofe means. ' 4. Hence it likewife follows, that God 
 preferves than, while living under the means of falva- 
 tion, from the fin againit the Holy Ghoit ; from which 
 uo one is converted.-* 1 5. And laftly, The Spirit is given 
 
 * 
 
 * See ult of this chap, \vhere this is further explainedl 
 f Jcr. XA.\i. 3. 
 
334 OF THE EFFECT or 
 
 them, rendering thofe means effectual, to their aftual 
 and complete regeneration, and uniting them to Chriil 
 by the infufion of faith, in order to their enjoying be- 
 nefits truly faving. 
 
 IX. As matters fiand thus, we may eafily gather,, 
 what judgment we are to form of the notions of Armi- 
 nius and his followers, on this point. Arminius pro- 
 pofes his fentiments in Examine pr&deftin. Perkins, 
 p. 75, 76. as follows : u Let us add to all thefe 
 things, by way of conclufion, the proper and immedi- 
 ate efFeci of the death and paflion of (Thrift. Now, it 
 h not an actual removal of fin from this or that particu- 
 lar perfon, nor aBual remiffion of fins, nor j unification,, 
 nor the aclual redemption of this or that perfon, which 
 none can have without faith and the fpirit of Chrift : but 
 the reconciliation of God, the irnpetration of remiffion, 
 j unification, and redemption before God : hence God 
 now may, notwithftanding his juftice, which is fatisfied, 
 forgive men their fins, and beflow the Spirit of grace 
 upon them : though he was really inclined before, from 
 his own mercy (for from that he gave Chrift to be the 
 Saviour of the world) to confer thefe things on finners, 
 yet his juflice prevented the adual communication of 
 them. However, God has ftill an entire right to be- 
 itow thofe benefits on whom he pleafes, and on what 
 conditions bethinks proper to prefcribe.* And, on the 
 contrary, if we agree to fuch a method of mediation, as 
 you, Perkins, feem to approve of, namely, that the 
 fins of all the ele6t were actually removed from them, 
 and laid upon Chrift, who, having fuffered for them, 
 did actually deliver them from punifhment; and that 
 obedience was required of him, who accordingly per- 
 formed it, and thereby merited eternal life, not for 
 himfelf, but for them ; no otherwife than if we ourfelves 
 had appointed this Mediator in our rooai^ and by -him 
 
CHRIST'S SATISFACTION. 
 
 had paid our debts to God ; we mud now likewife be- 
 lieve, that, according to the very rigour of God's juf- 
 tice and law, freedom from punifliment and eternal-life 
 are due to the cleft, and that they may demand thefe 
 benefits from God, in right of payment and purchafe 
 made, and yet God have no manner of right to demand 
 of them faith in Chrift, and converfion to God,'* But it 
 is not eafy to fay with 'how many abfurdities this opi- 
 nion is charged. I will confute it only by one argu- 
 ment, but a very cogent one, and taken from the apof* 
 tolic writings. The righteoufnefs wrought out by Chrift 
 is not ours, as wrought out, but as imputed to us by 
 faith, fo that faith itfelf is faid to be imputed to us for 
 righteoufnefs, Rom. iv. 5." Thus far Arminius, whpfe 
 very words almoft we have exhibited, omitting only 
 thofe which are not to the purpofe in hand/ His fol- 
 lowers have things of the like nature, in their Script 
 Synodal'ia, adding, that the knpetration is fuch, that, 
 " from the nature of the thing, it may remain entire, 
 and be every way perfecl, though there were none to 
 apply to it, or none to enjoy the benefit of it." 
 
 X. There are many things in this difcourfe, which 
 are confident neither with fcholaftic accuracy, nor with 
 the other tenets of the Remonftrants, nor with theologi- 
 cal truth : which we are now to (hew in order. * i. Ar- 
 minius does not fpeak accurately, in faying, that the 
 proper effecl: of the death and pafiion of Chrift is not the 
 a&ual remiflion of fins, nor juftification, nor aclual re- 
 demption of this or that peribn, &c. but the impetra- 
 tion of remiflion, juftification, and redemption before 
 God. For the members of this diftinclion are not pro- 
 perly oppofed : to actual remiflion, and to aftual jufti- 
 fication, is not oppofed the impetradon of remiflion and 
 of j unification ; but a poflibie remiflion, and a poffible 
 juftification. And thus Aramius ought to have expref- 
 
Or THE EFFECT OF 
 
 fed himfelf, if he_ would have fpoken accurately and 
 fairly..- a. Nor is it an accurate way of fpeaking, to 
 fay, that the effeft of the paffion and death of Chrift is 
 impetration of remiffion and of jujiification. He ought 
 to have faid, it is remiffion and juftification i tfe If, \v hat- 
 ever that be. For fo Arminius himfelf hath taught us 
 to fpeak with accuracy, p. 72. " A diftinftion may be 
 made between the aft, by which reconciliation is obtain- 
 ed, and the effcft of that act, which is reconciliation. 
 The aft impetrating reconciliation, is the offering which 
 Chrift made on the crofs : the effeft is the reconciliation 
 kfelf." And fo he ought to have faid here : in the death 
 and paffioa of Chrift, the impetrating aft is that volun- 
 tary fufception of all kinds of fufferings, which he under- 
 took both from his love to God and men. The effeft 
 is remiffion and j unification. The impetrating aft is 
 the fatisfaftion of Chrift. The effeft is. immunity from 
 debt. In this manner Arminius fpoke, before he had 
 degenerated to worfe opinions.* " The effefts of the 
 prieftly office are reconciliation with Cod, impetration 
 of eternal redemption, remiffion of fins, the Spirit of 
 grace, and eternal life." *- 3. Nor has that expreffion a 
 juft meaning, at leaft it is not accurate, that it is by 
 means of the paffion of Chrift, God canforgivs fins : as 
 iffomenew, fome greater, and more extenfive power 
 of God, was the effeft of the fufferings of Chrift. The 
 power of God is infinite, and altogether incapable of 
 increafe. And then what is impetrated from any one, 
 ought previoufly to be in his power. The Remon- 
 ftrants have more accurately exprefTed their fentiments 
 in their Synodalia, in thefe words : " The effeft of re- 
 conciliation or propitiation, is the impetration of divine 
 grace, that is, reftitution to fuch a date," &c. So that 
 
 * Difputat. p. ivat. xxxv. 7. 
 
CHRIST'S SATISFACTION. / 337 
 
 & change in our ft ate, and not an increafe of God's pow- 
 er, is the effect of the fatisfaction of drift. 
 
 XI. Befides, Arminius is in this difcourfe confident, 
 neither with himfclf, nor with his adherents. Not with 
 himfdf: for his whole defign is to (hew, that the pro- 
 per and immediate effe6t of the death of Chrift, is only 
 a poffibility of remiffion of fin ; and yet he afferts, that 
 the proper effecl of the death of Chrift is the reconcili- 
 ation of God, and the impetration of remiffion, juftifi- 
 cation, &c. But how do thefe things agree, feeing a 
 poffibility of remiffion of fins may confift with a perpe- 
 tual enmity between God and men ? What kind of re- 
 conciliation is that, which does not hinder an eternal en- 
 mity from ilill fubfifting ? What fort of impetration of 
 remiffion is that, if neverthelefs it be poffible, that fins 
 may never be pardoned ? Nor does Arminius here bet- 
 ter agree with the hypothecs of his followers ; who ex- 
 prefsly deny, that God cannot, on account of his via- 
 dictive juftice, remit fins without a previous fatisfac- 
 tion. I now omit mentioning the laboured difputation 
 of Vorftius on this head againil Sibrandus Lubbertus. 
 Thus the Remonftrants profefs, in exprefs terms, in 
 their apology, p. 466. drawn up in the name of all, 
 46 That to fiippofe the vindictive juftice of God to be 
 fo effential to him, that, in virtue of it, he is bound and 
 neceffitated to puniili fins, is highly abfurd and unwor- 
 thy of God." 
 
 XII. From this alfo a very evident confequence may 
 be inferred, that the death and fufferings of Chrift were 
 in vain, and without any fruit or effect : which I thus 
 demonftrate. If there is in God, even before, andex- 
 cluiiveof the fatisfaclion of Chrift, a power of remit- 
 ting fins, notwithftanding his vindiQive juftice, Chrift 
 has therefore done nothing, by fuffering and dying, in 
 VOL. I, T t 
 
538 OF THE EFFECT o? 
 
 order to the exigence of fuch a power in God. But 
 the Remonftrants ftrertuoufly fay, declare, and maintain,, 
 that God can, without fatisfa&ion, and without the vio- 
 lation of his effendal juftiee, let fins go unpuniflied; 
 and they cry out, that the contrary is highly abiurd : 
 Chrift therefore procured nothing by his .death. For 
 what he is faid to have obtained by it, did already ex- 
 id without it. " God could have faved us without the 
 fatisfaclion of Chrift; but did not chufe to do it," fays 
 Corvinus.* 
 
 XIII. In a word, this aflertion of Arminius is incon- 
 fiftent with theological truth. For, i. The fcrip'ture no 
 where teaches, that the fruit of Chrift's death is a pofl:- 
 bility of the remiffion of fins : nor is one paffage of 
 fcripture produced by Arminius to that purpofe. But 
 to fpeakof the fruit of Chrift's death without fcripture, 
 is untheologkal/ 2. Nay, the fcripture aflerts the con- 
 trary, as we have at large fhewn, $3, 4, 5. ' 3. It is 
 alfo contrary to all reafon to fay, that the proper effe6l 
 of Chrift's moft perfect fatisfa&ion was, that God might 
 let the captive go free, yet fo that the captive might al- 
 ways remain in prifon, and be liable to pay the debt. 
 How abfurd is it, that God fhould receive full fatisfac- 
 tion by the death of his Son, for the fins of any particu- 
 lar perfon, and yet, notwithstanding this plenary fatisfac- 
 tion of Chrift, that man is to be fent to eternal fire, 
 there to fatisfy, in his own perfon, for thofe very fins, 
 which Chrift had fully fatisfied for already ? 4- Such a 
 bare poffibility of remiffion, which, from the nature of 
 the thing, may never become actual, overturns the un- 
 changeable covenant between the Father and the Son; 
 the fum of which Arminius himfelf has well exprefied in 
 his oration on Chrift's priefthood, p. 14, " God ie- 
 
 
 * Ceafvua an*tow- Molinzi, p< 436, 
 
CHRIST'S SATISFACTION. 339 
 
 quired of Chrift, that be fhould make his foul an offer- 
 ing for fin, give his flefh for the life of the world, pay 
 the price of redemption for the fins and captivity of 
 mankind ; and proniifed, if he did fo, that he fhould fee . 
 his feed, and become an eternal prieft. The prieft 
 accepted this condition," Sec. Chrift, re-lying on this 
 infallible promife, did willingly give himfelf up to 
 death. But from this affertion of Armiriius and the 
 Remonftrants, it was poflible, that Chrift, after hav- 
 ing paid the ranfom, fliould fee no feed, be a king 
 without any kingdom of grace, an everlafting father 
 without any children, a bridegroom without a bride, a 
 head without a body. All which are mod abomi- 
 nable. 
 
 XIV. Arminius, however, defends his opinion by 
 three arguments. The firft is this : " God has full right 
 to impart thofe benefits, to whom he thinks proper, and 
 on what conditions he is pleafed to preferibe." Whence 
 it follows, that Chrift has not merited the bellowing 
 thofe benefits actually upon any one ; for this is the ten- 
 dency of thefe words of Arminius. I anfwer, 1 i. We 
 deny, that it is left entire to God not to impart thofe be- 
 nefits, which Chrift has merited, to thofe for whom 
 he died. God had entire right to appoint the perfons 
 for whom Chrift 'was to die : but, this appointment be- 
 ing once fettled, God is not at liberty not to give that 
 grace and glory $ which was purchafed by the death of 
 Chrift, to thofe for whom he died.< x 2. Arminius is 
 further miftaken, when he fays, that God had a full 
 right to impart thofe benefits on what conditions he 
 pleafed to preferibe, fuppofmg, that the performance of 
 thefe conditions, namely, faith and repentance, or the 
 grace neceflary to the performance of them, was no; 
 among thofe blcilings which Chrift had merited for us 
 by hi* paffion. For it was contained in. .that compact 
 
340 OF THE EFFECT or 
 
 between the Father and the Son, according to which 
 (Thrift gave hirnfelf up to death, that all adult perfons 
 fhould, in the way of faith and repentance, arrive at the 
 faving enjoyment of the other blcdings of it : nor can 
 any other conditions be now fettled by agreement. Be- 
 fides, it was alfo fixed, that the Father fhould, from the 
 confideration of Chrift's merit, grant the Spirit of grace 
 for faith and repentance, to thofe for whom Chrift had 
 died, as we have feen Arminius himfelf orthodoxly rec- 
 koning the Spirit of grace among the effefts of the facer- 
 dotal office of Chrift. For, feeing God hath blejfed us 
 -with all fpiritual blejfings in Ckrify* that is, thro' and 
 for the merits of Chrift, and the gift of faith is one of 
 the moft excellent of thefe bleffings,t that likewife cer- 
 tainly comes to us on account of his merits. * 3. Nor is 
 it agreeable to fcripture-language, to fay, that faith and 
 repentance are requiiite conditions, before any effects of 
 Chrift's death are communicated to a perfon. Certain- 
 ly, they are not required previous to our regeneration 
 and vivification from the death of (in, and our deliver- 
 ance from this prefent evil world, which are reckoned 
 among the effecls of Chrift's death by Paul.J We may 
 therefore fay, if you will, that thefe are conditions pre~ 
 requifhe for applying to our conferences that confola- 
 tion purchafed for us by the death of Chrift, yet fo that 
 from the merit of Chrift grace flows, that is powerfully 
 and abundantly effectual to perform thofe conditions. 
 
 XV. Arminius's fecond argument is this. " If the 
 aQual remidion of fins, &c. be the effect of Chrift's 
 death, we muft then allow 7 , that, according to the very 
 rigour of God's juftice and law, both an eternal life and 
 an immunity from punifhment, are due to the elect, and 
 that therefore they are entitled to a(k thofe benefits of 
 
 * Eph. i. 3. f F&l- i- 29. J Eph. ;i. ^ and Gal. I 4. 
 
CHRIST'S SATISFACTION'. 34* 
 
 Cod, in right of the payment and ptirchafe made ; with- 
 out God's having any right to require of them faith in 
 Chrift and converfion to God." I anfwer, i. We arc 
 wholly of opinion, that one, who is renewed, may 
 come boldly to the throne of grace and afk for thofe blef- 
 iings, at God's hand, in right of the paymem and pur- 
 chafe made by Chrift, For why mould we not venture 
 to afk of God, that he would perform for us what he was 
 pleafed to make himfelf a debtor for to his Son and to 
 his merits? This is the PARR^ESIA, or boldnefs of our 
 faith, to expecl the crown of righteoufnefs from God, 
 as a merciful and gracious giver, in refpecl of our un 
 worthinefs, but as a juft judge, in refpecl to the merits 
 of Chrift.* 2. Tis an invidious reflection of Arminius, 
 to fay, " without God's having any right to require of 
 us faith in Chrift, and converfion to himfelf." For it is 
 impolnble, that thefe things mould not be performed by 
 him, who approaches to God, to afk thofe bleflings. 
 For how can any aflv. thofe benefits from God in the 
 name of Chrift, without faith in God and Chrift, and 
 without converfion to the Father and the Son ? 3. Let 
 us fpeak plainly. If we admit of Chrift's fatisfaction, 
 and of the ratification of the covenant of grace, and the 
 New Teftament, then God can, by no right, require 
 faith and converfion from the elect, as conditions of the 
 covenant of grace, in the fenfe of Arminius and the Re- 
 monftrants; namely, (i.) As to be performed by us, 
 without grace working them in us fupernaturally, effec- 
 tually, and invincibly. (2.) As, by fome gracious ap- 
 pointment of God, coming in the place of that perfect 
 obedience to the law, which the covenant of works re- 
 quired. For in this manner Arminius explains thele 
 things ; that, inftead of perfect obedience, which th.* 
 
 * a Tim. i>. 8. 
 
342 OF TSE EFFECT or, ^fr. 
 
 covenant, of works required, the at of faith fucceeds^ 
 in the covenant of grace, to be, in God's gracious ac- 
 count, irr.puted to us for righteoufnefs, that is, .to be 
 our claim of right to afk eternal life. But the nature of 
 the covenant of grace admits of no fuch conditions, 
 however framed, on which to build a right to life eter- 
 nal, either from the juftice, or the gracious eflimation 
 of God. And thus far Arminius concludes well, if the 
 Mediator has fo fatisfied for us, as if w ourfelves had 
 by him paid our debts, no condition can, by any right, 
 be required of us, which, in any refpefl:, can be rec- 
 koned inilead of payment. The whole glory of our 
 right to eternal life, ought to be purely afcribed to the 
 alone merit of our Lord ; and, on no pretence, be tranf- 
 ferred to any one of our acls. 
 
 XVI. There is {till one argument, which Armintus 
 imagines to be very cogent. c; The righteoufnefs^ fays 
 he, " wrought out by Chrift, is not ours, as wrought 
 out, but as imputed to us by faith." I anfvver, i. 
 What does Arminius infer from this ? Does he con- 
 clude, that, befides the fatisfac~!ion of Chrift, faith is 
 alfo neeeffary to falvation ? And what then ? Therefore 
 Chrift did not obtain for us the aQual remiffion of fins* 
 We deny the confequence. For faith is not confidered 
 as impetrating, but as applying the irnpetrated remidion. 
 And as the prcfuppofed object of laving faith is remif- 
 lion, already irnpetrated for all the elecl by Chrift, it 
 mud certainly be the proper effc6l of the death of Chrift* 
 52. This righteoufnefs of Chrift was really his, as it was 
 wrought out by him ; and it is ours, as it was wrought 
 out for its ; therefore, in a found fenfe, even ours be- 
 fore faidi, being the meritorious caufe of that grace, 
 which is effeclual to produce faith in us. It is ours, I 
 fay, in refpeft bright, becaufe, both in the decree of 
 God the Father, and the purpofe of the Son, it was 
 
Or THE NECESSITY OF, tfc. 
 
 brought out for us, and in the appointed time to be 
 certainly applied to us : though it was not yet ours by 
 fQ/ftJfiori, as to our aclual tranflation from a ftate of 
 wrath to a (late of grace, and our acknowledgment and 
 fe^fe of fo great a benefit vouchfaled unto us. The 
 cliftinBion between active and paffive juftification is well 
 known.* The former is that fentence of God, by which 
 he declares his having received fadsfaclion from Chrilt, 
 and proaoitnces, that all the elecl are made free from 
 guilt and obligation to punimment, even before their 
 faith, fo far as never to exatl of them any paymem. 
 The latter is the acknowledgment and fenfe of that mo 
 fweet i'entence, intimated to the conference by the Ho- 
 ly Spirit, and fiducially apprehended by each of the 
 cleft. The one precedes faith, at, leaft as to that gene- 
 ral article, which we juft propofed ; the other folows 
 it. And thus we have defended the value and efficacy 
 of Chrift's fatisfaclion agauift the cavils of Arminius. 
 
 * Others diftinguifli the jufliflcation of the e!e&, into that which 
 is decretive, virtual, and adlual. The firft is God's eternal pur- 
 pofe to juftify fmners in time, by the righteoufnefs of Chrift ; but 
 God^s eternal purpofe to juftify the elecl is one thing, and the exe- 
 cution of it another. There was aLfo a virtual juiiidcation, upoa 
 Chrift's having made fetisfaction ; and juftiilcation is actual, when 
 the elect fmner is enabled to believe in the Son of God, and by 
 fuith is united to him. See book iii. chap. viii. 57, &c. 
 
 C II A P, VIII. 
 
 Of the Ntctjjlty of Ghrifis Sati*faftior a 
 
 H 
 
 AVING explained, from fcripture, the value of 
 the fatisfaclion qf our Lord Jefos Chrift, to his own 
 
344 F 1HL NLCLSSITY o? 
 
 glory, and for the confutation of the ekcl, it will not 
 be unfeafonahle to treat of the ncceffity of this fatLsfac- 
 tion ; as what we have fhewn, f 11. from the apology 
 of the Remonftrants, naturally leads to this. And here 
 we chufe not to (late the controvcrfy in the manner, we 
 obferve, the otherwife great Chamier has done in his 
 Panftratia ; namely, whether God could not, by an acl of 
 Jus abfolute power i grant remijjion of fin , without any 
 fatisfa&ion. We are not willing to enter into any dif- 
 pute about the abfolute power of God ; fince the confi- 
 deration of that feems not to fuit this prefent controvcr- 
 fy. For this debate is not to be explained, and finally 
 determined from the attribute of the power of God ; but 
 from thofe of his holinefs, jwfticc, and the like. Some, 
 when they confider the power of God alone, affirm eve- 
 ry thing about it : not reflecting, that God can do no- 
 thing but confidently with his juitice, holinefs, veracity, 
 wifdom, immutability, in a word, with all his other 
 perfections. The lawyer Papinian* has faid well con- 
 cerning a good man : " that we are-to believe, that he 
 neither does nor can do any thing prejudicial to piety, 
 reputation, modefty, and in general, that is contrary to 
 good manners." This certainly ought much more to 
 be affirmed of the great God, that whatever is not a dif- 
 play of, or whatever throws a flur on, any perfection 
 or on the glory of God, cannot be the work of God. 
 Origen has j udicioufly pleaded this caufe againft Celfus. t 
 " According to our opinion, God, indeed, can do all 
 things, confidently with his Deity, wifdom, and good- 
 nefs. But Celfus (not underftanding, how God may be 
 faid to do all things) affirms, he cannot will any thing 
 unjuft, granting he can do what is fo, but not will it. 
 But we fay, that as what is capable of imparting its na- 
 
 * ff. lib. xxviii, tit. 7 leg. 15. f lib, in. p. 154. 
 
'CHRIST''* SATISFACTION. 345 
 
 ttiral fv/eetnefs to other things, cannot embitter any 
 thing, bccaufe that would be contrary to its nature > 
 nor as what naturally enlightens, can, as fuch, darken : 
 fo neither can God aft unjuftly. For the forcer of act- 
 ing unjyjily is contrary to his 'very Deity, and to every 
 power that can be afcribed to God," And therefore we 
 think it very unbecoming, on every queflion about the 
 rnoft facred right of God, to bring his abfolute power 
 on the ilage. We would rather (late the controverfy 
 thus : namely, whether God's requiring Chrift to give 
 him fatisfaclion, before he reftore Tinners to his favor, 
 was owing to the mere good pleafure of the divine will ; 
 or whether the natural -bolinefs, thejuftice, and the like 
 effential perfe&ions of God, which he cannot poflibly 
 part with, required a fatisfaCtion to be made ? We 
 judge the laft of thefe to be more true and fafe , 
 
 II. In the preceding book, chap. v. $ 19. : feq. 
 we proved at large, that the very nature and immutable 
 right of God could not let fin go unpunifhed; which 
 we may now lay down as a foundation. At -pre fern, we 
 will fubjoin other arguments more nearly relating to the 
 fatisfaftion of Chrift itfelf. 
 
 III. And^/fr/?, we may certainly form no contemp- 
 tible argument from the event, and a pojltricri. For as 
 God does notncedlefsly multiply beings, what probable 
 reafon can be ailigned, why, without any necellity, he 
 fhould make his beloved Son, in whom he was well 
 pleafed, a curfe for us ? Let us infift a little on this 
 thought. The infinite wifdom of God contrived the ad- 
 mirable union of the human nature with one of the di- 
 vine perfons : fo that God himfelf might be faid to 
 obey, to fufier, to die, in a word, to make fatisfac- 
 tion. That perfon was holy^ harmlefs, and undejikd^ 
 the man of God's delight, his orUy begotten and 
 
 VOL. I. V v 
 
 /:: 
 
Or THE NECESSITY OF 
 
 only beloved Son. Him the mod afflBionate Father 
 expofed to the moil ignominious reproaches, to the 
 mod cruel fufferings, and to an accurfed death, as a 
 ranibm for the redemption of finncrs. Thefe fufFer ings- 
 he, a long time before, predicted in various obfcure 
 ways, and ailb prefigured by the \vhole train of facrifi- 
 ces appointed by Moles. He permitted the world, after 
 fo many other crimes, to be flained with the guilt of 
 Deicide (from the view of which the very fun withdrew 
 his rays) a crime, indeed, truly inexpiable, and in the 
 guilt of which the whole Jewifh nation was involved. 
 Would not all this, to fpeak with reverence, feem a 
 kind of folemn farce, if God, by a fingle breath, could 
 difpel all our (his as a cloud ? Is it not contrary to the 
 goodnefs, the wifdom, and holinefs of God, without 
 any necefiitr, and, to fpeak fo, in a mere arbitrary way, 
 to proceed in thib manner ? If he could have reached his 
 end in a direct and compendious way, why did he take 
 iuch a wide and perplexed compafs ? 
 
 IV. I would not have any reply here, that God acted 
 in this manner, in order to manifell, that his infinite 
 right or authority over the creature was fuch, that he 
 might mflicl the -mod grievous torments even on the in- 
 nocent. If God pleafes to claim that right and autho- 
 rity to himfelf, furely, he fcarce, if ever, has made ufe 
 of it. If at any time he has done fo, it was in fufferings 
 of a far more gentle and mild nature, than what jefus 
 Chrift our Lord underwent. In a word, if, for the 
 difplay of that right, he might at times inflicl fuch grie- 
 vous torments, yet he would with-hold his hand from his 
 moft beloved and only Son, in whom he fo clearly tef- 
 dfied that he was well pleafed. 
 
 V. To infill upon it, that the whole of this affair was 
 otherwife ordered by the arbitrary will of God, for con- 
 firming the faving doclrine of Chrift, by this exemplary 
 

 CHRIST'S SATISFACTION. 317 
 
 martyrdom, is contrary both to reafon, fcripturc, and 
 experience. For God had many other means, of a far 
 more eafy nature, by which he could confirm the doc- 
 trine of falvation, than by the dreadful pafiion of his be- 
 * k>ved Son. And the fcripture (hews us that this was 
 done by Chrift's miracles, accompanied with his mod 
 efie&ual preaching, and the native demon ft ration oFthe 
 truth (hewing the divinity of his doclrinc ; by which 
 things he approved himfelf to John's difciples,* and even 
 to the whole multitude. t And laftly, we gather both 
 from fcripture and experience, that the crofs of Chrid 
 was unto* the Jtus -a /hMdling-block?. and unto the Greeks 
 fooli/knefs.^ 
 
 VI. Nor ar.e we to a fieri, that it was ncceffary we 
 fhould be taught in fo laborious a manner, or even by 
 the very example of the Son of God, that it is through 
 many tribulations we are to enter into the kingdom of 
 heaven. For, if nothing elfe was intended, we might 
 have been fufficiently taught all this, by the examples cf 
 other martyrs. And then, of the thoufands of thofe 
 who are faved, there.is fcarce one, who, in the way ta 
 falvation, fecluding the curfe of God, has been called 
 to fuffer fo many dreadful and great indignities as Chrift 
 did. Why then were we all- to be taught, by the exam- 
 ple of the Son cf God,, that the gate of heaven is on no 
 otjier terms open, but by palling through thofe hard fuf- 
 ferings ? Unlefs we fay, that fa,tisfa&ion was made to the 
 juflice of God by the fufferings of Chrift-,. and. that irt 
 no other way fatisfaftion could be made thereto ; there 
 can no other juft, holy r and wife reafon-, and worthy of 
 God, be ever afligned for thera. Certainly, for my 
 own part, I never remember to have heard of any. 
 
 * Hatth. xa. 5.. f Luke vii. 16. and Johnvi. 14* 
 
 f i Cor. i. 23. 
 
34$ ^ F T H N C E S S I T T O F 
 
 VII. If any affirm, that no fatisfaction was neceffary* 
 on account of the juflice of God, but that he exacted it 
 on account of feme other perfections, namely, to de- 
 clare his power and will to punifh fin, which he might 
 fuffer to go unpunifhed : I anfwcr, fuch power ai>d will 
 are fcarcely to be called perfections in God ; feeing 
 Chrifl* reckons God's mercy, long-fullering,, and 
 bounty towards men, even the unj-uft, among his per- 
 feclions. Which would certainly be moil laudable, if 
 God could, at pleafure, let fin go unpunimed, and if 
 that impunity was nowife inconfiflent with his mod holy 
 nature, and lav/, which is the tranfcript of that nature. 
 Nay, if God can, confidently with his higheft glory^ 
 not punifh fin, it might be queried whether he can, con- 
 fiftently with this, infli6t punifhment at all : becaufe, in 
 that cafe, he feems to afflicl: the finner without a reafon, 
 and ill-treat the work of his hands. But to do any thing 
 without a reafon, can on no account be for the hoaor 
 of God. 
 
 VIII. Perhaps, fome will judge it the fafeft eourfe, 
 ^liot to intrude into the depths of the unfearchable wif- 
 dom and infinite power of God, and to fay, God, in- 
 deed, was pleafed for wife and good rcafons, tho' known 
 to himfelf alone, to fet us at liberty, on no other terms, 
 but by the fatisfaction of his Son : but yet could, in a 
 far different way, bring us to falvation, nay, and re- 
 deem us by a word or figru And indeed, the great Au- 
 guftine formerly fpoke in this (train. " God could have 
 done all things, had he fo willed : but did not, and that 
 for wife reafons, though unknown and incomprehenhble 
 to us : but though he had done otherwife, yet he would 
 equally have difpleafed your folly. "t And again, Let 
 us maintain, that this method, by which God fees pro- 
 
 * Matth. v. 45, 48.. f Ds agoae Chrifliano. 
 
':- CHRIST'S SATISFACTION. 349 
 
 per to deliver us, by a Mediator between God and men,, 
 the man Chrift: Jefus, is perfectly good and for the ho- 
 nor of God : but alfo 5 let us acknowledge, that God 
 was at no lofs for another poffible method, as all things 
 are equally iubjet to his power : but yet none was more 
 adapted to deliver us from our mifery, neitherwasany ne- 
 cefTary."* I am certainly much pleafed with that ex- 
 treme modefty, by which we dare not determine any thing 
 ralhly concerning the reafons and ends of the aclions of 
 God ; nor judge inconliderately about his ways, becaufe 
 there is that in them, the reafons whereof our ignorance 
 cannot unfold; nay, which fecms to our preiiunptuous 
 folly to be againfi rcafon. But when we are able to know 
 and give fuch reafons for the divine conduct, as tend to fet 
 the glory of his adorable juftice, wifdom, holinefs, and 
 goodnefs in the cleared point of light ; it is no longer mo- 
 defty, but rather tends to darken the glory of the perfec- 
 tions of God, not to acknowledge them ; which is the cafe 
 here. The reafon, why God, willing to fave elecl finners, 
 chofe to do it by the fatisfaclion of his Son, is, be- 
 caufe, in his wifdom, he few no other way, by which 
 fatisfatlion could be made to his e (feudal holinefs and 
 juftice. And by affirming this, we derogate nothing 
 from the power of God, who doubtlefs cannot but at 
 agreeably to his holinefs and juftice : and we admirably, 
 proclaim his wifdom, which found a means, which ap- 
 peared impoflible to every created underftanding, where- 
 by fatisfadion might be made to his juftice, and the {in- 
 ner, confidently with his holinefs, be faved. In order 
 the more clearly to ill u (Irate, and, at the fame time, the 
 more firmly to eftablifh all this, let us attentively confi- 
 der, what the fcripture declares concerning the impul- 
 five and final caufe of giving Chrift. 
 
 * DC Trinitate, lib. xiii. c. 10. 
 
350 O'F THE NECESSITY OF' 
 
 IX. The facred writers, on feveral occafions, incul- 
 cate, that God's not fparing his own prosper Son, hut 
 giving him to us, and delivering him up to death for 
 us,. proceeded from his un-fpeakable love to the human 
 race.* But if we could be faved any other way, than 
 by the fufferings of the Son of God, the love of God 
 \vould not fhine with fuch hi ft re in the giving of that 
 method. For love is truly great and inexpreflible to 
 the laft degree, when, implacable juftice having demand- 
 ed the punifhment of mankind, God's love to man, and 
 free purpofe of giving falvation,. have neverthelefs pre- 
 vailed, by finding out, for that end, in the treafures of 
 divine wifdom, an amazing method of reconciling juf- 
 tice with mercy ; and fuch indeed, as there could be no 
 room for, without giving up the moil beloved Son to 
 the moft cruel torments for us. But if, without any 
 prejudice to juftice, our falvation could be procured 
 many other ways than this, and even by a fingle word 
 or nod, what great ardency of love was there in giving 
 the Son ? It would certainly, have been an inftance of 
 a very fingular and notable mercy, to have forgiven our 
 fins. But to have effected this by the death of his Son, 
 when, without any urgent necefiity, with equal advan- 
 tage he could have fcattered our fins, fome other more 
 compendius way, by a nod or fign, as fome affirm, why 
 is that urged by Chrift and his apoftles, as aa argument 
 of fuch inconceivable love ? 
 
 X. As to the end of Chrift's fatisfaclion, the apoflle 
 teaches, that it was a demonftration of the righteoufncfs 
 of God. Whom God hath fd forth to be a propitiation 
 (propitiatory, mercy-feat) through faith in his blood, EIS 
 ENDEIXIN TES DiKAiosuNEs AUTOU, to declare his 
 
 efs.^ God fet forth his Son, both to himfelf, 
 
 * John ul 1 6. Rom. v. 8. i John Iv. 10. f Rcm - "* 2 5 
 
CHRIST'S SATISFACTION'. 3S 1 , 
 
 delighting in him,* appointing him, in his eternal coun-: 
 lei, to be the Mediator, an<d vkwing him as -thus ap-- 
 pointed ; and to us, placing him in open view, and fet- 
 ting him on a throne of grace and glory, in the fight of 
 all. He let him forth as a propitiation (propitiatory, 
 mercy^Ieat ;) where the apoRle alludes to the cover laid 
 upon the ark of the covenant, which was called KAPPO- 
 R.ETK, HILASTERION, the propitiatory, mercy-feat:. 
 fignifying that by which God is reconciled to man, in. 
 which he dwells and refts, and from which he gives :..A- 
 cious anfwers. Moreover, it is not called the propitia- 
 tory, mercy -feat, unlefs it be fprinkled with blood, to 
 be applied to us by faith. That is, Chrift did not re- 
 concile us to the Father but by fufferings. In the ta- 
 bernacle Was K A P P O R j T H B E D D A M S E N G I R , a mtYty- 
 
 feat in the blood of the goat, that is, fprinkled with the 
 blood of the goat.t Here nothing avails but the blood 
 of him, who is fejt forth to be 3 propitiation ; unlefs we 
 would here tranflate HILASTERION, an atonement ; an 
 appellation given to Chrift, becauie he is the facrince 
 to be offered for fin : which, coming in the room o-f 
 ihe guilty, to bear their punifiiment, not only merits 
 their freedom from punifhment, but reconciles God, 
 \vho before was offended, fatisfa&ion being made to- 
 vindiclive juftice by this vicarious puniihrnent. But to 
 what purpofe was all this ? To declare the righteoujncfs 
 of God, D i A T E N p A R E s i N , for the remijjion of fins that 
 &re pafl, through the forbearance of God. God had paf- 
 fed by, arid not puniflied the fins of believers in former 
 times, and, notwithstanding thefe, he called the faith- 
 ful to enter upon the heavenly inheritance. Bjot it was 
 neceflary to (hew, that this was done without any inju- 
 ry to the juftice of God. No\v, it is evident, that no 
 
 * If. diu. i. -j- Lev. xvi. 15. 
 
35* OF THE NECESSITY OF 
 
 fatisfaftion was made to divine juftice, cither by the re 
 pentarice of believers, or the typical pomp of iacrificcs, 
 or by .the blood fprinkled on the golden mercy -feat. If. 
 remained therefore, that the righteoufnefs of God fhould 
 be manifefted in the propitiation and blood of Ghrift; 
 by which was plainly fhewn, that God, agreeably to his 
 juftice, fuffers not the fins of any to go unpunished* 
 Eat if God, without injury to his juftice, without any 
 HTrrlcuky, and without a faiisfaclion, can pardon fins ; 
 this whole bufmefs appears to have been an empty fhew, 
 and by no means worthy of God, without any necef- 
 nty, to appear with fuch terrible raajeily in the moil 
 eruel death of his mod beloved Son. Which being fo 
 horrid to think of, we conclude, from this difcourfc of 
 Paul, that it was not poffible, but God mult punifh iin; 
 unlefs he intended to fet forth Chrift as a propitiation, 
 and fo declare his righteoufnefs : bccaufe not to punifh 
 fin, without a propitiatory atonement, would be a dif- 
 approbation of divine juftice. For, when juftice is not 
 manifefted, it is difapproved of; efpecially in this grand 
 work of our falvation. For fo God himfelf fpeaks : 
 My f alvcd ion is near to come, and my righteoufnefs to be 
 revealed.* 
 
 XI. Some perhaps will fay, that the righteoufnefs of 
 God here means, as in other places, his veracity and 
 conjlancy in performing his promifes ; the apoftle only 
 intending, that God therefore fet forth his Son to be a 
 propitiation, in order to fulfil his prophecies and pro- 
 mifes, and thus fhew himfelf juft, that is, faithful. But 
 it is quite other wife : for the righteoufnefs of God here 
 denotes that rectitude, by which, according to his law, 
 'by inflicting condign punifhment, he difcovers the de- 
 merit of fin and his hatred to it, and how unbecoming 
 
 * If. Ivi. I. 
 
J!b/lisFACTlQ& 353 
 
 it is for him to have fellowfhip with the (Inner, at the 
 expence of his own glory. And that this is the meaning 
 of this paflage, is plain, becaufb the apoftle's defign is 
 to explain, in what manner God, without any injury to 
 his juftice, had forborn {inners* and paiTed by their fins ; 
 and he moil beautifully fhews, that all regard was paid 
 to the honor of divine jultice in the propitiation, by 
 Chrift's blood made and revealed in due time. .For ij 
 was in virtue of this, that the {ins of the believers in paft 
 times were forgiven. But the other explication removes 
 the difficulty j uft mentioned. The delign of the whole 
 is to (hew, that God isjuft, when he juflifies the (inner 
 for the merits of Chrifh 
 
 XII. It likewife is remarkable, that the apoftle has 
 exprefsly faid, and often repeated, that the legal facrifi- 
 ces could never aboliih the guilt of fin.* .But why 
 might not a thing fo eafy to be removed without atone- 
 ment, be expiated by the death of legal facrifices ? And 
 it is to be carefully obferved, that when the apoftle de^ 
 nies this, he attends to the nature of the thing; which it 
 ":is faid they could not do, becaufe it feemed otherwife to 
 God ; but becaufe fin is of fuch a nature, that no blood 
 of bulls or of goats can wafh outits-ftain; which the 
 light of nature itielf w 7 ill readily yield to, as a thing cer- 
 tain. And indeed the church of the Old Teltament pro- 
 fefled, that their fins could not be expiated by any blood 
 of calves or rams, not though multiplied to thoufands; 
 by. any libations of oil, though ten thoufand rivers 
 thereof were poured out ; nay, not by the death of their 
 firll-born*t 
 
 XVII. And we muft not omit the apoflle's inference, 
 whereby, from the inability of legal iacriiices to make 
 
 - 
 
 * Heb. x. i, 4, 11. f Micah vi. 6, %* 
 
 VOL. I. \y w 
 
354 ^ F TH NECESSITY OF 
 
 fatisfaBion, he concludes the necefiity of the alone fa- 
 crrfice of Chrift. For after he had faid, It is not pofji- 
 lie, that the 'blood of bulls and of goats Jhould take away- 
 fins ; he immediately fubjo-ins, Wherefore when he com- 
 cth into the nor Id, he faith, &c. adding, He taketh away 
 thefirft; namely, the offering of beafts ; that he may 
 cjlablijhthefecond ; namely, the offering of the body of 
 Chrift. But that inference would not hold, if there 
 could be fome third way by which fins may be expiated, 
 or if no fatisfa&ion was neceffary. But now the apoftle 
 argues, by fuppofmg it a thing grantelTby the Jews, that 
 fms cannot be forgiven without a proper atonement ; 
 but as this could not be effected by the legal viclims, k 
 certainly follows, that it is to be fought for in the offer- 
 ing of Chrift, without which, the ftain of fin remains 
 for ever indelibk. The juftnefs of this inference of 
 the apoftle arifes from the nature of God, and of the 
 thing itfelf : for if we are to infer the neceflity of the of- 
 fering of Chrift from the free and arbitrary good plea- 
 fure of the divine will, the apoftie would in vain have 
 connected thele confequences. The good pleafure of 
 God only was to be infifted upon. 
 
 XIV. In like manner, the fame apoftle argues, Rom. 
 iii. 19, 20, 21, &c. where he lays it down as a funda- 
 mental truth, that the whole world is fubjecl to con- 
 demnation before God, whence he infers, that none can 
 be juftified by the works of the law; and from that con- 
 cludes, that we can be juftified no other way, but by 
 the blood of Chrift ; whkh is doubtkfs a very trifling 
 way of arguing, if God, by his mercy alone, by his 
 bare nod, can take away fin, and adjudge the (inner to 
 life. For the Jews would very readily anfwer, that 
 there is another far more compendious way of juftifica- 
 tion in the infinite mercy of pod, and in the moft free, 
 aft of his power, without cxpofing the Meffiah to re 
 
CHRIST'S SATIS r ACTION, 355 
 
 proach. And, to mention it once more, we are not to 
 have recourfe to the mod free difpofnion of the divine 
 will, as if that was the alone caufe of this neceflity. For 
 if the apoftle makes any fuch fuppofition, there is an 
 end of all further reafoning. He would have gained his 
 point, juft by mentioning that difpofition. And if he 
 does not fuppofe this, bis argument is of no force. 
 Which is far from being the -cafe. 
 
 XV. Nor is it proper to omit here that exprefTiori of 
 the apoftle, by which he cuts off thofe who have finned 
 againit the Holy Ghoft, from all hope of falvattion, by 
 this argument; becaufe, foaving rejefted Chrift's expia- 
 tion, there remaincth no morefacrificefor fin.* Where 
 he would intimate, that there was no hope of pardon 
 left, there he afTerted, that -there remained no more fa- 
 crince ; laying it down as an undoubted truth, that the 
 offering of fa orifice raeceffarily goes before pardon. If 
 this was not the cafe, why might not man, who wanted 
 a facrifice, hope for pardon, without any fatisfaBion, 
 from the infinite mercy of God ? 
 
 XVI. To the fame purpofe is, what the apoftle fays,t 
 If is impoffiblc to renew thofe again unto repentance^ who 
 crucify to themfefoesthe Son of God a/re/h, and put him to 
 an openjhame. Which j laft words are varioufly explained 
 by divines. But doubtlefs they are intended to give a rea- 
 fon, why thole who have made the crucifixion of Ghriffc 
 of no ufe to themfelves, are excluded from all hopes of 
 falvation : becaufe, without that, it is irnpoffible to ob- 
 tain falvation. The very learned Mofes AmyraldJ thus 
 expounds it ; namely, becaufe thofe apoftatcs have no 
 further intereft in the facrifice already offered, bc-caufe 
 they have reje&ed it ; and therefore, if they \vould be 
 faved, they mufl look out for another. And becaufe 
 
 * Heb, x. 26. f Hcb. vi. 6. J In tliiputat. dc peccatoiu 
 S]nritum Sar.-<3-tjAj, 40. 
 
356 OF THE NECESSITY OF 
 
 none could offer a true expiatory facriflce except Chrift 
 alone ; if they will be faved, it is neceffary they give up 
 Chrift to be crucified afrefli, and again expofed to open 
 fhame. But it is impious to defign fuch a thing, nor 
 can it, on any account, be obtained of God.* If this 
 expofition be admitted, it prefents us with a very ftrong 
 argument for our opinion : becaufe it fuppofes. fuch an 
 abfolute neceflity for the fatisfaction of Chrift, that if 
 \vhat he has already done, be of no avail, a new fatisfac- 
 tion mu ft be made, before ever the finner can have any 
 hopes of mercy. 
 
 XVII. Moreover, this fentiment of ours tends tcx 
 difplay the glory of the mod excellent perfections of 
 God. It fets off his holinefs, by reafon of which, he 
 can, in no refpecl, become like a finner, or, without 
 due fatisfaclion, allow him to have communion with 
 himfelf, and the inhabitation of his Spirit. It exalts the 
 juftice of God, which is implacably inclinecTto punifh 
 -fin. It preferves inviolable the infinite majefty of God, 
 which, being zealous for his honor, can fuffer no con- 
 tempt put upon it, as all fin does, to go unp'unifhed. 
 It glorifies the unfearchable wifdom of God, which 
 found out a way, above the reach of all created under- 
 ftanding, by which juftice and mercy might be happily 
 reconciled, and the honor of them both maintained pure. 
 In a word, it magnifies the incftimable grace and love of 
 our Lord, who, when there were no other means of our 
 falvation, fpared not his own Son, but gave him up for 
 us all. And who will not with both hands embrace an 
 opinion, that difplays in fuch an eminent manner the 
 glory of God ? 
 
 XVIII. Nor is it lefs fubfervient to the promotion 
 of piety. It teaches us to tremble before the mujcfty of 
 
V| 'CHRIST'S SATISFACTION, 357 
 
 (he moft high God, who,, from his being God, cannot 
 clear the guilty. It heightens the horror of fin, which 
 it becomes us to beTTeve is of fo atrocious a nature, that 
 nothing fhort of the blood of a mod holy and truly di- 
 vine facrifice could wadi it away. It fets- before us the 
 mod unfpottcd holinefs of God far our pattern, that, 
 like him, we may entertain a mortal hatred to (in, and 
 keep ourfelves pure from all manner of fellowihip with 
 it. In a word, it inflames our hearts, with the mod de- 
 ferved returns of love, willingly to devote ourfeives 
 to his fervice, who, out of pure grace, delivered up 
 his Son for us unto death, without which we (hould 
 have remained miferable through eternity. And thus 
 our opinion contains that true doctrine, which is accord- 
 ing to godlinefs. 
 
 XIX. And it does not derogate in the lead from 
 any of thcTcUvine perfections : not from his abfolute 
 power ; becaufe, without doubt, God cannot deny 
 himfelf and his own perfections ; nor, by his actions, 
 tedify fin not to be contrary to his nature ; nor ever be- 
 have, as if he took pleafure in it, by granting commu- 
 nion of himfelf to the (inner. Not from his mod free 
 will ; as God neither wills, nor can will any thing, but 
 what tends to his glory, which requires his appearing as 
 unlike the fmner as podible. Seneca-fpoke well.* " God 
 is not hereby lefs free, or lefs powerful : FOR. HE is 
 jus OWN NECESSITY." Nor does it derogate from 
 the liberty of thofe actions of 'Cod, which are called ad 
 extra,) or without him. For tho' he is, by no neceflity 
 of his nature, condrained to external operations, conii- 
 'dered in the grofs ; yet, fuppofing the exidence of one 
 operation without him, many others neceifanly follow. 
 For iniiance, God was at liberty to create a world out 
 
 * Qi-i;. nat. lib. i. 
 
35$ Or THE NICESSITY OF, 
 
 of nothing : but fuppofmg a creation, and by it the cx- 
 jiience of a world, it became neceffary, that he ihoulcl 
 govern the fame, in a way agreeable to his juftice, ho- 
 linefs, wifdom, and goodnefs, In like manner, here 
 Cod was at liberty to permit fin but then having per- 
 mitted it, his effentia] juitice requires it to be punifhed. 
 He was alfo at liberty to fave fome Tinners ; yet, having 
 declared his will with refpect to this, there was a necef- 
 fity for a fuitable fatisfaction to intervene : and all this 
 proceeds from the immutability of the divine perfec- 
 tions, which he cannot, in any of his actions, difavow. 
 As little does this derogate from the wife court fel of 
 
 ~.,,~f- O J 
 
 God, in ordering the punifhment of it, as to the time, 
 the degree, and the perfons. For though we don't 
 think, that God inflicts punifhrncnt from his nature, in 
 fuch a manner as fire burns (though, even in this refpect, 
 he compares himfelf to fire *} yet his nature is a ftrorrg 
 reafon, why he orders and inflicts punifhment in a mofi 
 wife manner. Now, the nature of God requires, that 
 his juftice be fo difplayed, as to admit a cnanifeftation 
 of his goodnefs, becaufe of its riches. Nor does it de- 
 rogate from the infinite goodncfs of GocTjTas if by that 
 he could grant repentance to the (inner, and fo receive 
 him into favor, without a fatisfaclion. For the beftow- 
 ing of the Spirit of regeneration, is an effect of the high- 
 eft love. But that God fhould fo much love a (inner, 
 continuing dill impenitent, without the confideration of 
 a fatisfaction, is a conduct inconfiftent with his other 
 perfections, as we have already fo frequently fhewn. 
 God cannot but take his Spirit from him, who maketh 
 a mock of him. It is not becoming to grant repentance 
 by means of the fame Spirit, without the intervention of 
 the faciifice of the Prielt, whereby fin may be expiated. 
 
 * III xxvii. JL and Dent. :v. ^4. 
 
FOR WHOM CHRIST SATIS-JI^D. 359 
 
 XX. Seeing therefore both the nature and a&ions of 
 God, ancTthe reafonings of the facred writers, teach us 
 the neceflity of a fatisfaclion ; fince by that doftrin* the 
 eminent perfections of God are placed in the moft ihin- 
 ing light : feeing the right obfervance thereof tends very 
 much to promote piety ; and as thereby there is no de- 
 rogation made from any of the divine perfections ; we 
 conclude, it is the fafeft courfe foberly to embrace it. 
 
 XXI. Yet we muft obferve, when we fpeak in gene- 
 ral of the neceflity of a fatisfaQion, that is, of fuch a 
 punifhment of fin, wherein the righteous and holy God 
 may be juftified and fanclified, that we fet no bounds 
 to the time, the degree, or the fpecial manner of the 
 punifhnierU!. The hiftory of the life and death of GhriH 
 makes it very evident, that manifold difpenfations, and 
 mitigations, at leaft a compenfation by an equivalent, 
 took place here, and confequently could jullly take 
 place. And who can aifert, or, if he fhould prefums 
 to fay fo, can plainly prove, that it was impoflible that 
 Chrift mould undertake and fubmit to fufferings, fewer 
 in number, fhorter in duration, kfs intenfe in quantity, 
 as to the parts of the body, and faculties o the foul, 
 the momems and periods of his life fpent here upon 
 earth, and fo make fatisfa&km ? And here let that fay- 
 ing of Paul be ever a rule to us, Not to think more 
 
 ly than we ought to think, but to think foberly.* 
 Rom. xii. 3. 
 
 CHAP. IX. 
 
 Of the Perfvns for whom Chrijl engaged and 
 
 w 
 
 JE mould have no certainty of all thofe things, 
 vhich it is prgper for us to know, for the glory of the 
 
360 FOR WHOM CHRIST SATISFIED. 
 
 Lord Chrift, and our own confolation, concerning his 
 f'uretilhip and fatisfaQion, did it not alfo appear, for 
 whom he fatisfied, according to his engagement. The 
 folution of thfs queftion is indeed of very great mo- 
 ment; but it does not appear very difficult, if we only 
 carefully attend to the nature of Chrift's furetimip and 
 iatisfaction, which we have already explained, proved, 
 and defended from the fcriptures. For fmce Chrift did, 
 by his engagement, undertake to cancel all the debt of 
 thofe pcrfons, for whom he engaged, as if it was his 
 own, by fuffering what was meet, .and to. fulfil all righ- 
 teoufnefs in their room ; and fmce he has molt fully per- 
 formed this by his fatisfaction, as much as if thefe fm- 
 ners themfelves had endured all the punifhment due to 
 their fins, and had accomplifhed all righteoufnefs : the 
 confequence is, that he has engaged and fatisfied for all 
 thofe, and thofe only, v/ho are actually faved from their 
 Tins. ' Reafon clearly teaches this. For Chrift neither 
 engaged, nor fatisfied, but for thofe whofe perfon he 
 fuftaincd. Which Arminius himfelf* frankly owns. 
 Moreover, that any of thofe, whofe perfon Chrift fuf- 
 tained, and for whom he fatisfied as their Surety y mould 
 be obliged to fatisfy for the fame debt, by eternal death, 
 is moft inconfiftent with the faithfulnefs andjufticeof 
 God.- Nor does it, on any account, appear poflible^ 
 that any one mould in earneft plead, that Chrift died for 
 all and every one in particular, till he has firft weakened 
 the force of that expreflion, to die for any one, by \vhicb y 
 we lately made appear againft the Socinians, is denoted 
 a fubftitution in the place of another. But it is worth 
 while diftinclly to fet forth the true opinion, contained 
 in fome pofition.s. 
 
 II. We therefore conclude, it That the obedience 
 and fufferings of Chrift, confidered in "themfelves, are, 
 * Adverfus Perkinfum, p. 72, 
 
FOR WHOM CHRIST SATISFIED. 361 
 
 \ 
 
 on account of the infinite dignity of the perfon, of thatN 
 value, as to have been fufficient for redeeming not only 
 all and every man in particular, but many myriads be- 
 fides, if it had fo pleafed God and Chrift, to have un- 
 dertaken and fatisfied for them. 
 
 III. 2. That Chrift as man, fubjecl to the law of 
 love, did, in a holy manner, love all men as his neigh- 
 bours, heartily wifhed them well, fcrioufly lamented 
 the ruin of thofe that perifhed, whom yet, as God, he 
 knew were reprobates, and for whom, as Mediator, he 
 had not engaged. Yet fo that he fubmitted this human 
 affection, commandea by the law, which is common to 
 Chrift, and to us, to the divine appointment, and re- 
 ftricled it to the purpofe of the decreeing will of God ; 
 in this manner proving the holinefs of his will, in the 
 glorifying of the divine counfel, and in a due f ubje&ion 
 thereto. This appears from the tears, which Chrift, as 
 man, (lied over the calamities that were coming upon 
 that abandoned city, which had. partly (lain, and partly 
 loaded with contempt and ignominy the prophets ; nay, 
 had been the only butchery in the whole world for the in ; 
 and was at length, by a moft horrid parricide, to de- 
 vote itfelf, with its unhappy pofterity, to the lading 
 curfe of God.* 
 
 IV. 3. The furetifhip and fatisfaUon of Chrift, have 
 alfo been an occafion of much good even to the repro- 
 bate. For it is owing to the death of Chrift, that the 
 gofpel is preached to every creature, that grofs idolatry 
 is abolifhed in many parts of the world, that helltfh im- 
 piety is much reftrained by the discipline of the word of 
 God, that they obtain at times many and excellent, 
 though not faving, gifts of the Holy Spirit, that they 
 have efcaped the 'pollutions of the world through the know- 
 
 * Lukexix. 41. 
 VOL. I. X x 
 
362 FOR WHOM CHRIST S ATI STUD. 
 
 IMgt of the Lord and Saviour jcfus Chrifi.*\ And who 
 -can in fhort enumerate all thole things, which they en- 
 joy, not by accident nly, befide the intention of God 
 and of Chrift, but by the determinate purpofe of God ? 
 Not indeed with a defign and purpofe of faving them ac- 
 cording to the teftament ; but from a view to fhew his 
 long-fufrering towards the veflels of wrath, that is, thofe 
 who are to perifh, who dwell among thofe who are to be 
 faved. For, with refpecl to the intention of God, no- 
 thing falls out by accident. Every thing happens ac- 
 cording to his determinate counfel. 
 
 V. 4. That the obedience and fufferings of Chrift are 
 of fuch worth, that all men without exception, who 
 come to him, may find perfect falvation in him : and it 
 was the will of God, that this truth fhould, without dif- 
 tinftion, be propofed both to them that are to be faved, 
 and to them that are to perifh ; with a charge not to neg- 
 lect fo great falvation, but to repair to Chrift with true 
 contrition of foul ; and with a mod fincere declaration^ 
 that all who come to him, fhall find falvation in him.t 
 
 VI. 5. That, however, Chrift, according to the will 
 of God the Father, and his own purpofe, did neither 
 engage nor fatisfy, and confequently in no manner die, 
 but only for all thofe, and thofe alone, whom the Fa- 
 ther gave him, and who are actually faved. This is that 
 truth, which is controverted, and which we are now to 
 confirm, in a concife, but folid manner, from the facred 
 writings. 
 
 VII. The fcripture declares, that Chrift fatisfied for 
 the whole-body of the elect, when it teftifies, that he di- 
 ed for all) and that all things were reconciled by hiin-j as 
 2 Cor. v. 15. Heb. ii. 9. Col. i. 20. And as this 
 is not to be underftood of all and every man in particu- 
 lar, it muft be meant of all and every one of the elecl. 
 
 * 2 Pet. ii. 20. f John vi. 40. 
 
Fo R W II O Nf C K R I S T SA T 1 S F I E t> 
 
 Now, that it cannot be underftood of all and every inelK 
 yfqual, I prove from the paffages quoted, in the follow- 
 ing manner. Thofe all for whom -Chrift is faid to have, 
 died)* are thofe who are alfo dead) namely, as to the 
 old man, whom, in virtue of the crucifixion of Chrift, 
 they have crucified, t and who li ve not to themfelves, but 
 to Chrift, and to Chrift,. indeed, who rofe again for 
 them. But thefe things are fuch that they cannot be ap- 
 plied to any but the elect. None but they are dead to. 
 Vkemfelves, the world, and to fin : none elfe live to 
 Chrift. Ij^a word, according to the very hypothecs of 
 the Remonftrants, the efficacy of Chrift's refurre&ion is 
 reftrained to believers alone. In like manner thofe all 
 for whom Chrift is faid, by the grace- of God, to have ta fl- 
 ed death j sivcfoi^ brought, or to be brought, .unto glo- 
 ry, who have Chrift for the Captain of their falvation ; 
 who arc fanclijied ; whom he calls his brethren, which 
 God gave him. Thefe things again are fucl^ that they 
 can fu.it the elect only, not the reprobate. InjHce maa- 
 ner, thofe all things which are faid to be reconciled to 
 God, by the peace made through the blood of Chrift,^ can 
 extend no farther* than to the elecl. The thing is felf- 
 evident. For reconciliation and peace-making with 
 God are peculiar to elecl belie vers.H On the contrary, 
 the reprobate are perpetual enemies to God, on whom 
 the wrath of God abidcih.** By thofe things which are 
 on earth, are underftood believers, ftilt residing in the 
 world ; as by thofe things which are in heaven, are 
 meant, not angels, but men in the Rate of blifs, who 
 enjoy,, in the fulleft manner, the fri'its, of ChriR':> atone- 
 ment and reconciliation. 
 
 VIII. Let us add that remarkable paiTagc, God will 
 have all men to befaved, and to. come unto the [acmiow- 
 
 * 2 Cor. v. 15. f Rom. vi. 6. J Hob. ii. 9. Veiv 10,. n* 
 13. |1 Qpl. i. 20. 5[ Rom. v. i, ** John iii. 36. 
 
364 FOR WHOM CHRIST SATISFIED. 
 
 ledgmcnt'] knowledge cf the truth ; Chrijl gave himfelf & 
 ranfc-m [price of redemption^] for all * Where, by all, 
 we ought not to underitand all awd every one in parti- 
 cular, but the eleci of whatever nation and condition, I 
 i make evidently to appear in this manner/" i. They for 
 whom Chriit gave himfelf a ranfom, are aftually refcu- 
 ed from the dominion of Satan, are brought to liberty, 
 and can never be thru ft into an eternal prifon, in order 
 to fatisfy again for thofe debts, which Chrift paid to the 
 utmoli farthing. This we muft certainly maintain, un- 
 lefs we would have thrift's payment go for nothing. 
 But all and every one in particular are not fet free from 
 the dominion of Satan. Many are, and do ftill remain, 
 children cf d if obedience, in whom that impure fpirit 
 worketh ;t and who are forever held captive at his will, 
 in the fnare of the devil ; and thefe'fhall be forced to 
 fatisfy for their own guilt. Chrift therefore did not give 
 himfelf a rsnfom for them. 2. Paul fpca'ks of all. thofe, 
 whofe Mediator Chrift is. Now, he is Mediator, both 
 by the offering of his body and blood, and by his power- 
 ful inter ccflion. Which latter part of his mediation can, 
 on no account, be excluded here, when the apoftle is 
 treating concerning our prayers, of which we have a 
 moft perfect pattern in the prayers of Chrift. Beiides, 
 as the Remonftrants acknowledge, Chrift's intercellion is 
 not for all and every man in particular. Therefore 
 Chrift is not the perfect Mediator of all and every indi- 
 vidual. 3. JVVhatis here fpoken, is concerning all thofe 
 ivhom God will have to be faved^ and come to , the [ac- 
 know-ledgmeut~\ knowledge of the truth. But this is not 
 his w'ill concerning every man in particular, becaufe he 
 will have unbelievers condemned. J And the acknow- 
 ledgment of the truth, Otfaitk, is not the priviledge of 
 
 * i Tim, ii. 4, 6. f Eph. ii. 2. J John Hi. 56. 
 
FOR- WHOM CHRIST SATISFIED. 365 
 
 all? but of the eleft.'t Nor is it the will of God it 
 fhould. He hardnf.i'h whom he will.% .;, Befides, it is 
 unworthy of the divine majefty, to imagine, that there 
 is an incomplete, unrtfolved, and ineffectual volition in 
 God.$ And it is mere trifling and mean, to underfhind 
 here a bare will of precept ', enjoining all to work out 
 their own falvation with fear and trembling, and, with 
 all diligence, to itek the knowledge of the truth; orji 
 v/iii of good pleafure, approving what is according to 
 the precept; nor do they with whom we now argue, 
 take it in that light. ^^T Thejjejrfcws here meant are all 
 thole for whom we are to pray. But we are not to pray 
 for all and every one in particular: not certainly for 
 thofe who are already damned ; not for the falvation of 
 all who are now alive, colle6tively taken ; becaufe we 
 cannot do it in faith ; and we are fure that many of them 
 will be damned : nor, in fine, for thofe who havejinncd 
 the Jin unto death.\\ 6. And laftly, it is acknowledged, 
 that thefe words are made ufe of by the apoflle, as a 
 motive for the prayers which he requires, and which he 
 'would mew mall not be in vain. But if the words of 
 the apoftle only figmfied, that Chrift has, by his fatif- 
 taciion, obtained no more than a poMibility for God to 
 be reconciled to all and every one in particular, though, 
 by the nature of that impetration, it is poffible hone may 
 be aclually faved, they would exprefs no confequence -, 
 becaufe, if that death has only prociued a poilibility of 
 falvation, and if our defires after that falvation might be 
 ineffectual, we could neither be fure of their being 
 heard, nor have that hope of audience, which makcth 
 not afhamed. x It remains then, that we conclude, that 
 Chrifl gave himfelf a ranfom of redemption for all the 
 elect, of whatever nature and condition, and that it is 
 
 * 2 TheflT. iii. 2. f Tit. i. r. J Rom. is. i3. Pfal cxr. 3. 
 Jl John v. 1 6. 
 
366 FOR WHOM CHRIST SATISFIES. 
 
 the. will of God, they all fhould be faved ; confequent- 
 ]y, that it is our duty to be fubfervient, by our prayers, 
 to thi* counfel of God ; and as we know not how jo dif- 
 linguifh the elecl from the reprobate, to pray indifcrimi- 
 nately for all, referring it to God, to diftinguifh tnofe 
 that are bis; efpecially, becaufe we are certain, we (hall 
 not pray in vain for thofe whom God wills to be faved,. 
 and for whom Chriil gave himfelf. 
 
 IX. The fcripture inculcates the fame truth, wherr 
 it fays, that Chrift gave hisjleflifor the life of the world ;* 
 that he is the propitiation for our Jfrns, and not for ours 
 only, but alfo for the Jim of the whole world ;f that God 
 was in Chriji reconciling the world to himfelf ;J that 
 (thrift is the Lamb of God, that takcih away the Jins of 
 the world. And other psffages to the like purpofe. 
 Where by the term world, cannot, nay, ought not, pro- 
 perly to be underftood the whole of mankind, but the 
 elefi. Which we prove by the following arguments. 
 
 X. Iu.s_clear, that, in the holy writings, things are 
 fometimes faid of the world, which clo not agree but to 
 the eleft and to believers. Thus Chrift prays, that the 
 -world may believe , that thou hctjl fent me ;|| and,^I that 
 the world may know, that thou hajl ftntvie. But thefe 
 things belong to that facerdotal interceffion of Chrift, 
 " concerning which we may, with the greateft certain- 
 ty, conclude, that it will never be rejecled," fays Ar- 
 rninius ;** and which, it is certain, is riot made for the 
 world of reprobates, Chrift having exprefsly declared 
 that ;tt and they with whom we argue, do not refufe it. 
 It is therefore neceflary, that by the world we here un- 
 derfiand the world of the eled, who believe on Chrift, and 
 know him by faith, by virtue of the interceflion of 
 
 * John vi. 51. f r John ii. 2. J z Cor. v. 19. John i. 29. 
 || John xvii. 21. ^ Ver. 23. ** In oratione de, facerdotio 
 Chrifti. -j-f Ver. 9. 
 
FOR WHOM CHRIST SATISFIED. 367. 
 
 Chrift, and by means of the miniftry, together with the 
 holy and glorious example of believers. 
 
 XI. Moreover, many texts, which fpeak of falva- 
 tion, not only as impetraied, but as applied, afcribe it 
 to the world. Thus Chrift declares. For God fent not 
 his Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the 
 -world through him might be faved* But the intention 
 of God in fending his Son is not to fave all, but that 
 whofoever believetk in him, fJiould not perijli, but have 
 eternal life, as Chrift explains himfelf in the foregoing 
 verfes. In like manner, The bread^of God is he which 
 cometh down from heaven, and givet/i life unto the world.i" 
 But Chrift gives life only to the cleft, to the (heep, and 
 not to the goats. J Thus Chrift, in profecuting his dif- 
 courfe above quoted, John vi. reftrains the term world 
 to thofe whom the Father gave him, who fee the Son, and 
 believe on him, ver. 39, 40. 
 
 XII. Theje expreffions likewife, the Father of thofe 
 that believe, and the heir of the world, denote The fame 
 thing, in the p^mife made to Abraham. J Abraham is 
 the father of thofe that believe, i. As a pattern of faith. 
 2. Asja pattern of the blefling, or of juftification by 
 faith. 3. On account of Chrift, who \lefcended from 
 him, and by whofe Spirit the elecl are born again. 
 Whence Chrift, along with his myftical body, is called 
 the feed of Abraham. ,|j He is the heir of the world, that 
 is, of all the families of the earth, who are. blefled in 
 him, as in the pattern of faith and of the blefling by it, 
 and in his feed Chrift, as the fountain of every blerTing. 
 Forjhjs is that world which Chrift receives for an inhe- 
 ritance; asalfo, Abraham, and confequently every be- 
 liever, who are his feed, in Chrift ; that is, who be- 
 comes Chrift's own poifeflion, and with whom Abra- 
 
 * Johniii. 17. f John vi. 33. J John x. 27, 18. Rom. 
 iv. ix, 12, 13. j| Gal. iii. 16. 
 
368 FOR WHOM CHRIST SATISFIED. 
 
 ham and every believer have communion, exulting in 
 the good things which are bellowed upon them.* For 
 that ftrift Union and fincere love which fubfift between 
 them, are the reafon, that every one rejoices in, and 
 glorifies God, on account of the benefits beftowed on 
 his neighbour, as if beftowcd on himfclf. And thus we 
 have made it appear, that the term world fometimes in 
 fcripture denotes the collective body of believers, or of the 
 cleft. 
 
 XIII. Wejidd, that the Holy Ghoft fpeaks in this 
 manner, with great propriety, and for feveral fubftan- 
 tial rcafons. For, i. The t_erm world, generally in the 
 common way of fpeaking, denotes any large bod}' or 
 multitude of men whatever. Thus the Phanfe.es faid 
 among themfelvts. Perceive ye how y$ prevail nothing ? 
 behold, the world is gone after Az'w.t We have a like 
 phrafeology in Horajot. c. 3. in Gemara ; " When 
 Rabbi Simeon, the fon of Gamaliel, entered," (namely, 
 into the fynagogue) " the whole world rofe up before 
 him ;" that is, all who were prefent in the fynagogue. 
 What then mould hinder a very large and almoft infi- 
 nite multitude of the chofen people from among all na- 
 tions, that great multitude which no man can number.^ 
 from being elegantly defigned by -the appellation world ? 
 2. Elect believers, confidered in themfelves, and before 
 effectual calling^ are a part of the world lying in wicked- 
 nefsJj In time fl aft they walked in trefpajjes and fins? 
 according to the CQurfe of this zuorld.\\ And fo far they 
 belong to that world? which is become guilty before God.^. 
 But this tends to illuftrate the glory of the love of God 
 and Chrift, and to the humiliation of believers ; that, 
 while they were a part of the wicked world, Chrift was 
 given to be their Redeemer. 3. Elecl. believers, after 
 
 * i Cor. iii. 21, 22. f John xii. 19. f Rev. vii. 9* 
 
 J i John v. 19. |] Epli. ii. x, 2. f Rom. iii. 19. 
 
FOR WHOM CHRIST SATISFIED. 
 
 effectual calling^ and confulcred as beautified with divine 
 grace, are though the lefs, yet the btjl part of the world* 
 The faints and the excellent, that are in the earth.* The 
 holy feed i which is the fubjlance [fupport] of the earth.\ 
 And as the Jews are wont to fpeak, " the juft are the 
 pillars of the world." But what is more ufual, what 
 more fuitable, than that the whole fhoufd, by a fynec- 
 doche, fignify the better, as fometimes the greater part ? 
 It is therefore not without its emphafis, and yields ufe- 
 ful inftruclions, when we hear the collective body of the 
 cleft defigned by the name of the world. 
 
 XIV. Nowjet us apply thefe things to the paflages 
 we have already quoted, $ 5. Chrill indeed lays, when 
 fpeak ing of impctration^ John vi. 51. that he will give 
 hisflefhfor the life of the world ; but, in the fame chap- 
 ter, ver. 33. when fpeaking of tfce application, he Fays, 
 that he giveth life to the world : and fo he explains, 
 what, in the fubjecl of redemption, he would have us 
 to underiland by the world. But u is a capital truth, 
 that the application of redemption extends no further 
 than to believers and the elet. 
 
 XV. When John writes, that Chrift'i* the propitia- 
 tion not only for our Jins, hit alfo for the fins of the whole 
 world ;J he fiiews us by thefe words, who they arc that 
 can take comfort to thernfelves from the intercefllon of 
 Chrill, and the remilfion purchafed by him. Now, 
 cleft believers alone can do this; he is their Advocate 
 with the Father, and not that of the reprobate. To 
 them, and not to the reprobate, God hath fct him forth 
 to be a propitiation through faith in his blood. More- 
 over, this confutation belongs not only to the elecl from 
 among the Jewifh nation, fuch as John was, -but alfo to 
 the elect from among the Gentiles^ whom Paul expreff- 
 
 * Pfal. xvi. 3. f If. vi. 13. { i Joha-ii. 2. Rom. iii. 25. 
 VOL. I. Y y 
 
370 FOR WHOM CHRIST SATISFIED, 
 
 iy points out by the name of the world.* By a phrafe- 
 ology very ufual among the Hebrew doclors, who call 
 the Gentiles UMMOTH N GO LAM, the nations of the 
 'world. Nor does this faving truth yield comfort to 
 thofe believers only, who lived at that time, and to 
 whom, as to his little children, John was writing ; but 
 alfo to thofe who lived in the antideluvian world, and 
 under the Mofaical pedagogy, whofe fins were no other- 
 wife expiated, than by the blood of Chrin ; and in fine, 
 to thofe believers, who, from John's days, were to be 
 brought to Chrin. out of all nations whatever, to the end 
 of 'the world ; which very great multitude is defervedly 
 defigned by the name of the whole world. For it is very 
 certain, that by the whole world is not denoted the col- 
 lective body of all and every one of mankind : for John 
 exprefsly difcriminates himfelf, and thofe to whom he 
 is writing, from the whole world, whom yet he could 
 not feclude from being a part of the colleclive body of 
 mankind. 
 
 XVI. When Paul fays,t that God was in Chrift re- 
 conciling the world to himfelf, he immediately fubjoins, 
 that this was, by not imputing their trefpajfes unto them : 
 to teach us, that reconciliation and non-imputation are 
 of equal extent. But the latter is the privilege of the 
 ele8: and of believers alone, and of thofe in whofe heart 
 there is no guile. For David declares thofe blced, to 
 whom God imputeth not iniquity.^ Therefore, by the 
 world, the world of the ele6l is (ignified. 
 
 XVIL Chrift is called the Lamb of God, which takcth 
 away the fins of the zvorld. But, like that goat, on 
 which the iniquity of the children of Ifrael was laid, he 
 taketh them away* by taking them upon himfelf, by fat- 
 isfying for them, as if they were his own, and by taking 
 
 * Rom. *i. 12, 15. f 2 C r * v - *9- 
 
 Rom. iv. 6, 8. j. John i. 29 
 
~ -, 
 
 WHOM CHRIST SATISFIED. 371 
 
 them away From his people, as to their guilt, by juftifi- 
 cadon, and as to their dominion and ftain, by fanftifi- 
 cation : compare i Pet. ii. 24. But as thefe things 
 point to the impetration of falvation, fo as at the fame 
 time to include its application, they cannot be extended 
 beyond the world of the elecl believers. Bleffed is 
 ASHREI NESU p . s H AN G he whofe tranfgrefflon is taken 
 &-way [forgiven.*] 
 
 XVIII. And thus we have (hewn, that though the 
 fcripture, when fpeaking of the world of the redeemed, 
 really defigns fome collective body, yet it is that of the 
 cleft only. Which Profper elegantly exprefled :t " In 
 the elecl, even thofe foreknown, and difcriminated from 
 every generality, or collective body, there is deemed Co 
 be a certain peculiar kind of univerfality ; fo as that a 
 whole world fcems to be delivered out of a whole world, 
 and all men to be redeemed from among all men." 
 
 XIX. Letjos now more efpecially (hew, that Chrift 
 made fatisfa&ion for the elecl: only. To this purpofe 
 are thofe pafTages of fcripture, in which the death of 
 Chrift is reftricled to nisjheep, his church, his people, 
 nay, and his peculiar people.^ From which we th;us ar- 
 gue : What the fcripture reftricls to fome certain kind 
 of men, to the manifeft exclufion of the reft, ought not 
 to be extended abfolutely to all men. But the fcripture, 
 in the parTages quoted, Hrnits the death of Chrift to a 
 certain kind of men, fo as manifeftly to exclude the reft* 
 Therefore, &c. The truth of the major is evident from 
 the terms : that of the minor, from the pafTages quoted. 
 In order to illuftrate this, we are to fhew thefe two 
 things : i. That the fubj eel-matter is the impetration of 
 falvation, which is the acl of Chrift ; and not fiitjrui* 
 lion alone, which is our acl. 2. Tha the death of 
 
 * Pfal. xxxii. i. f DC vocat. Gent. lib. i. c. 3* "or in another 
 edition, c. 9. J John x. 15. A&s xx. 28. Eph. v. 25. Tit. ii. 14. 
 
37' 2 FOR WHOM CHRIST SATISFIED. 
 
 Cbrift is fo rrftrifted to thofe, who are there defcribcd, 
 as to exclude the reft of mankind. The ReinonftrinH.,, 
 not being able otherwife to refill the force of this argu- 
 ment, deny both thefe. 
 
 XX. As to the former, namely, that the impetration 
 of falvation Is here intended, I thus prove, i. The 
 very terms which the Holy. Spirit ufes in the paffages 
 qu6ted, to lay down his life for fame, to fur chafe fome, 
 to give himfelffor fome, import fatisfaclion, impetra- 
 tion, and acquiiition. JVor does the fcripture ufually 
 fpeak in any other drain, when the fubjecl is evidently 
 concerning impetration. 2. In the paflages quoted, we 
 have a clear defcription of what thrift has done, both 
 without us and without our concurrence -, whereas the 
 real fruition, concerning which the Remonftrants will 
 have thofe paflages to be underftood, is our aft. Thefe 
 two differ much both in nature and time. In nature ; 
 for the one refembles a mean appointed for fome end ; 
 the other an extrinfic end, or rather the ufe of that, for 
 which that mean is appointed. In time ; for thefe pro- 
 positions were completely verified the moment, in which 
 Chrift laid down his life : but the aclual enjoyment i$ a 
 thing accomplifriing fuceeffively for a long traft of 
 time in all the eleft. 3. The Remonftrants themfelves 
 produce fimilar phrafes from fcripture, of dying for 
 Jbme, purchajing fome^ &c. when they contend, that the 
 impetration of the grace of God reaches to others be- 
 fides the elecl ; with what colour, then, do they deny 
 that impetration is here the fubjccVmatter ? ^. They 
 fliew, that they lay no ftrefs on thefe paffages, when they 
 afterwards affirm, they cannot refer to believers alone, 
 and maintain that, by the church, we are not to under- 
 ftand the elecl alone, or that Chrift gave himfclf for 
 them only. Therefore, I fay, to purchafe and gi vn 
 him felt for a perfonj cannot here be underftood of real 
 
FOR WHOM CHRIST SATISFIED. 373 
 
 enjoyment, which is peculiar to believers only. 5. And 
 laftly, By making this exception, the anfwer of tHe &e- 
 monttrante comes only to a begging the queftion : for 
 we maintain, and are directly to prove it by the ftrong- 
 eft arguments, that the application of laving grace is as 
 ex ten five as its impetration ; and we own, the queftion 
 here is not concerning fuch an impetration, as may have 
 its plenary effect, though applied to no body. For 
 fuch an impetration we judge abfurd, umheological, 
 and highly unworthy of Chrift. 
 
 XXI. Thc^Jecond) namely, which refpe&s the ex- 
 clufion of the red of mankind, whendiftincl mention it 
 made of theJJicep, the church, a peculiar people^ I fhali 
 make evident ; firft, by (hewing, that by thefe appella- 
 tions, jlicep) church, peculiar people., cannot be under- 
 flood all men in general ; and then that what is here af- 
 fcrted of the /keep, church, peculiar people, flows from that 
 extraordinary love of Chrift, which he has not for the 
 reft of mankind. Thejr/2has no great difficulty in it: 
 for Chrift exprefsly fays to fome, Ye are not ofmyflieep.* 
 And therefore he divides mankind into JJieep and goats ; 
 oT^whom, the lajl are undoubtedly reprobate, the for- 
 mer, certainly the elecl, and heirs of eternal life.t 
 
 XXII. Our opponents themfelves will not affirm, 
 that all belong to the church. They indeed fay, that 
 the vifible church is meant, in which there are others 
 befides the elect But, i. It fufficiently anfwers our 
 purpofe, that all and every one in particular cannot be 
 underftood. 2. That what is faid of the vifible church, 
 is fometimes oTTuch a nature, as can be underftood on- 
 ly of the elecl therein : as when the apoftle, writing to 
 the vifible church of the- Ephefians, fays, He hath cho- 
 
 fen you in him ;J and in like manner, i Thcff. i. 4. 
 
 * John x. 26. f Matth. xxv. 33. \ Eph. i. 4. 
 
374 ^ OR WHOM CHRIST SATISFIES. 
 
 And we fliall prefently fhew. that what is fa id of the 
 church in the places quoted, is of the fame nature. 
 
 XXIII. In a word, that all cannot he numbered 
 among the people of God, God himfelf declares, while 
 he cries to forne, LO N GAM MI, Ye are not, my people , 
 Lo-ammi.* And they who diffent from us, take a 
 \vrong courfe, when by people they underftand the Jews, 
 among whom too were reprobates. Thus we learn from 
 Paul, that, with refpecl to fpirttua! privileges, they arc 
 not ail accounted I frael, who are of I frael, and there- 
 fore not to be reckoned the people, Rom. xi. i, 2.t 
 
 XXIV. But it is not enough to have fhewn, that the 
 necTttesJketp) church, people, do not comprehend every 
 individual of mankind : for it is poflible, that, on a par- 
 ticular occafion, fomething might be faid of fome per- 
 fons, which certainly agrees to them, but not to them 
 only. The queftion is not, whether Chrift died for the 
 elecl, but whether for them only ? Our'adverfaries fay, 
 this cannot be concluded from thofe pJfages, where the 
 particle only is not added."' We muft therefore fhew, 
 that thefe things are fo appropriated to the eleft, as to 
 exclude the reft of mankind. I prove it thus : All the 
 pafTages quoted tend to amplify the extraordinary love 
 of Chrift towards his fheep, for whom he laid down his 
 life ; towards the church, which he purchafcd with his 
 own blood ; towards his people, for whom he gave him- 
 felf. But if in this bufmefs the (lieep, the church, and 
 people of Chrift have nothing peculiarly diftinguifhing 
 beyond all other men, what probable reafon can be af- 
 figned, why that infinite love of Chrift, in laying down 
 his life, fhedding his blood, and giving himfelf, mould 
 efpeci&lly be appropriated to them ? 
 
 XXV. To this reafoning our adverfaries abfurdly 
 ppofe Paul's glorification, who, while writing,;* that 
 
 * Hof. i. 9. j- To this quotation of the author's may be added 
 Rom. ix. 6. J Gal. ii. 20. 
 
FOR. WHOM CHRIST SATISFIED. 
 
 Chrift was given for him, does not exclude others from 
 a lhare in the fame love. Fpjy in that text, Paul does 
 not ipcak of any divine love, whereby God peculiarly 
 diftinguifhed him from others, who had the like preci- 
 ous faith with himfelf ; nor does he confider himfeif as 
 Paul, but as an ckcl perfon, and a believe?', propofing 
 himfeif there, as an example, in the name of all believ- 
 ers : and we are fo far from being able to infer from this, 
 that what Paul affirms of himfeif was peculiar to him, 
 that quite the reverfe ought to be concluded. This in- 
 ftajnce therefore does not fuit the cafe. 
 
 XXVI. But let us confider each pa wage apart, 
 When ChriiFpublicly declares, ibsit he lays down his life 
 
 for his jheep, he thence infers, that he mitjl bring them 
 to hear his voice, that there may be one fold and one.JJicp-r 
 herd* But it is certain, that thefe laft affertions agree 
 to elecl believers only, and therefore alfo the firft, from 
 which the others are deduced. For it would not be a 
 juft inference, to fay, I lay down my life for my fhecp, 
 therefore I rnuft bring them to hear my voice, <Scc. did 
 he lay down his life for forne, whom he never brings, <fec, 
 
 XXVII. When Paul faid, that Chrift fur chafed his 
 church unth his own blood^r he more diftinclly explains, 
 in his epiftle to the Ephefians.^ \vhat he means by the 
 church, which ChriR loved and gave himfeif for, name- 
 ly, the fpoufe of Chrift, whom alone heJoves with a 
 conjugal affection, and fanQifies, and prefepts glorious 
 to himfeif. Now, that love of Chrift, which was the 
 motive of his giving himfeif, and or the fanclification 
 and glorification of the church, which are the fruits of 
 that donation, belongs to elecl believers only ; therefore 
 aJfo the very giving itfelf, which is the confequence of 
 that love, and the caufe of the fan&ification of the 
 church. Moreover, that this conjugal love of Chrift, 
 
 * John*. 15, 16, 17. f Aasx*. 28. J Chap. Y. 25. 
 
376 FOR WHOM CHRIST SATISFIED, 
 
 whereby he purchafed the church, as his fpoufe, by his 
 own blood, has the general aflembly of the eleS alone 
 for its object, to wave other confederations, may be 
 hence alfo inferred, becaufe Paul propofes it here as a 
 pattern of the conjugal love of the hufband for the wife. 
 But this love ought doubtlefs to reach no farther than 
 the wife. 
 
 XXVIII. Laftly, when Paul reminds his fon Titus, 
 that Chrijl gave himfelf for us, thai he might redeem us 
 
 from all iniquity ', and purify unto himfdf a peculiar peo- 
 ple, zealous of good works,* he evidently fhews, what 
 was the fruit of Chrift's giving himfelf; namely, re- 
 demption from iniquity, and the purification of a pecu- 
 liar people, &c. And confequently they who are not 
 redeemed from iniquity, nor purified, nor made his pe- 
 culiar people, Sec. cannot glory in this, that Chrifi 
 gave himfelf for them. 
 
 XXIX. What the apoftle writes in this chapter, vcr. 
 11. that the grace of God, that bringeth falvati6n^ hath 
 appeared to all men* teaching us, that denying ungodti- 
 nefs. Sec. neither avails our adverfaries, nor is any wife 
 detrimental to the truth we maintain. For, i. The 
 preaching of the gofpel, by which the faving grace of 
 God is offered, and which is here intended by that ex- 
 prefTion, had not reached all mankind without excep- 
 tion, nay nor every nation, in the days of Paul. 2. 
 The preaching of the gofpel reaches the ears of a great 
 many more than of thofe, who are the objefts of that 
 love of Chrifi which bringeth falvation : for it is only 
 an external mean, by which the elecl, out of every na- 
 tion, are brought to the communion of Chriit. And 
 therefore the gofpel is to be preached to every nation, 
 that the elecl therein may hear it. 3. We fhould ob- 
 ferve the apoflle's fcope, which is to encourage fcrvant* 
 
 f Tit. ii. 14. 
 
FOR WHOM CHRIST SATISFIED' 377 
 
 to the exercife of univerfal piety, that, by their holy 
 converfation, they may adorn the doctrine of Chrift in 
 all things. The reafon he gives for this is, becaufe the 
 faving graclTof Chrift has appeared, both to matters 
 and fervants, teaching us, &c. As if he had faid, 
 " That all men, of whatever rank, profeiling the gof- 
 pel, ought to reckon it their duty to adorn its doctrine 
 by the purity of their manners : for as to the doctrine 
 itfelf, it fo plainly, fo exprefsly, and fo efficacioufly in- 
 ftructs us in all goodnefs, as none but they who wilfully 
 ftop their ears, can be ignorant of. And therefore all 
 the profeflbrs of it, as well maflers as fervants, mould 
 take care, left they bring a fcandal on this .moft perfect 
 of all rules, by lives which have little or no conformity 
 to it." This is the full import of thefe words, fo that 
 any may fee, that they make nothing for the univerfal 
 efficacy of Chrift's death. 
 
 XXX. If we fearch the matter to the bottom, we will 
 moft clearly difcern, that it never was Chrift's intention, 
 to fatisfy for all in general. Certainly, he fatisfied only 
 for thofe he engaged for. But he engaged to do the will 
 of his. Father.* But this is the will of his Father, not 
 that every man mould be faved, but thofe that were 
 given him, that is, the elect out of every nation, who 
 are to receive the gift of faith. Thofe the Father gave 
 him for an inheritance by an irrevocable teftanicnt. For 
 thus Jehovah fpeaks.t It is a light thing, that thou 
 Jhouldjl be my f errant, to raifeup the tribes of Jacob, ami 
 to re/lore the preferved of I fr a el : I -will alfo give thee 
 for a light to the Gentiles, that thou may ft be myfalvaticn 
 unto the end of the earth. And Chrift himfelf itill more 
 clearly. J T7iis is the Father's will, which hath fint vne^ 
 that of all which he hath given me, IJhould lofe nothing, 
 * PfaL ?1. 9. f If. xlix. 6. } John vi. 39. 
 
 VOL. I, Z- z 
 
FOR WHOM CHRIST SATISSIED^ , 
 
 But all arc not given to Chrift, only thofe that ccmc t& 
 him* All that the Father giveth me 9 Jhall come to me* 
 H therefore only engages for thefe, according to the 
 will of the Father : he took their fins upon him, carried 
 them on his heart, when he offered himfelf to the Fa- 
 ther; claims them as his peculiar property, in virtue of 
 his merit, according to agreement, challenges them for 
 his own, and will, at length in due time, prefent them 
 holy and glorious to his Father, faying, Behold /, and 
 the children which God hath given me.^ All thefe things 
 naturally flow from the very nature of the covenant 
 which fubfifts between the Father and the Son, as for- 
 merly explained. 
 
 XXXI. And thefe particulars may be further illuf- 
 trated and confirmed from Aaron's typical prieflhood. 
 The high pvieft, on the folemn day of expiation, flew 
 one of the goats, on which the fins of all Ifrael were 
 laid, and fent the other into the wildernefs. All thefe 
 things were typical. The high pried, the facrifice, the 
 fcape-goat, all fet forth Chrift. But who were typically 
 defigned by Ifrael? Not indeed all men. For what 
 is more abfurd than that Ifrael mould be a type of the 
 Edomites and Egyptians, and of all that world, out of 
 which they were chofen, and from which, on fo many 
 accounts, they were diftinguimed ? We therefore con- 
 clude, that they were typical of the elecl, who are the 
 true Ifraelites, Jews inwardly, and in the fpirit, and 
 whom the apoftle loves to diuinguifh by the name of 
 the election.^ For the nature of the type confided in 
 this, that the people of Ifrael was chofen by an external 
 pomp of ceremonies, was redeemed, and in their mca- 
 fure was a holy prieflhood. They therefore prefigured 
 thofe, who were truly chofen, redeemed, and confe- 
 crated a royal priefthood to God ; as Peter feems not 
 * John vi. 37. f Heb. ii. 13. J Rem. xi. 7. 
 
~ -' "" ^V* ~ I***'****,* K *'*""*r '' + - .'{"vVjfr " 
 
 FOR WHOM CHRIST SATISFIED. 379 
 
 olbfciirely to fignify.* As therefore the high pried for- 
 merly offered an atoning facrifice not for the Egyptians 
 or Canaanites, but for the typical Ifrael only; fo our 
 High Pried according to the order of Melchizidck, of- 
 fered himfelf once, not for abandoned reprobates, but 
 for mydical Ifrael, that is, the truly-chofcn. 
 
 XXXII. This fame truth will appear mod cleady, 
 if we attend tofome of the infeparable effccls of Chrid's 
 faiisfaclion. It would carry us too far to enumerate 
 all : let us confkler fbme of the principal. If they -u'ho 
 were enemies io God were reconciled by the. death of his 
 Son, much more Icing reconciled* they /hall be faved by 
 his life.^ - For whom God, not fparing his own Son, 
 gave him up unto death, with him freely he. gives them 
 all things.^ We may boldly fay to them, for whom 
 Chrid died, Who /hall lay any thing to the charge of God's 
 deft ? It is God that juftijieth. Who is he that condemn- 
 tth ? &c. They whom Chrid redeemed from the curfc 
 of the law, are not under the curfe, but the blejjing of 
 Abraham cometh upon them.\\ But this is not true of alt 
 and every one, but of elecl believers only, that they are 
 faved by the life of Ghrift ; that with Chrid God freely 
 gives them ail things ; that none can lay any thing to 
 their charge, or bring an accufation againft them; that 
 upon them is come the bleffing of Abraham. Therefore 
 they alone are the perfons, of whom the foregoing things 
 may be truly affirmed. 
 
 XXXIII. Add, that that fi8.itious fatisfaclion for the 
 reprobate, anftnofe who pcrifh, is altogether a vain 
 and ufelcfs thing. For whom does it profit ?. Not cer- 
 tainly God, who by no aft can be rendered happier than 
 he is. Not Chrid himftlf, who, as he never iceks 
 them, fo he never receives them for his peculiar proper- 
 
 * i Pet. ii. 5. f Rom. v. io. { R.om. viii. 3^* 
 
 Ver. 33, 34- j| Gal. iir. r3, 14. 
 
380 FOR WHOM CHRIST SATISFIED. 
 
 ty ; and neither is be enriched by poffeffing them, though 
 fuppofed to have purchafed them at a dear rate. Not 
 believers, who, content with their portion in God and 
 in Chrift, and fully redeemed by Chrift, enjoy a happi- 
 nefs in every refpecl complete. N Li^fine, not thofe that 
 perifli, who are conftrained to fatisfy, in their own per- 
 ibns, for their fins to the utmoft farthing. But to affirm 
 the fatisfaclion of Chrifl to be a vain and ufelefs thing, 
 is abfurd, and borders upon blafphemy. Remigius, for- 
 merly bifhop of Lyons, faid extremely well, when dif- 
 couding at large on this controverted point, u The 
 blood of Chrift is a great price; fuch a price can, in. 
 no refpecl, be in vain and ineffectual, but rather is fil- 
 led with the fuperabundant advantage arifing from thofe 
 bleffmgs, for which it was paid." See Forbef. inftrucl. 
 hill. lib. 8. c. 16. 
 
 XXXIV. Nor are we to fay, that therefore the re- 
 probate have no benefit by the fatisfaclion of Chrift, be- 
 caufe the condition of faith and perfeveraace, which the 
 reprobate .do not perform, is neceffary to that purpofe. 
 For, firft, it is not true, that faith and perfeverance are 
 pre-requiiite conditions, before a perfon can enjoy any 
 of the fruits of Chrift's fatisfaclion. For regeneration 
 itfelf and efFe8.ua! calling, which go before aclual faith ; 
 justification, adoption, and fanclification, which pre- 
 cede final perfeverance in the faith, are the fruits of 
 ChriftVmoft excellent fatisfaclion. And then, from 
 the want of faith and perfeverance in thofe that perifh, 
 we have a rnofl: effeclual proof, that the blood of the 
 new covenant was not fhed for them ; for by that Chrift 
 has merited for his people the continuance of the new 
 life in faith and love. Seeing he is the Mediator o/"that 
 letter covenant, -which -was eftablijlied upon better pro- 
 yiifes** But thefe promifes are, fanclification ;t I will 
 * Heb. viii. 6. f Ver. 10-, 
 
FOR WHOM CHRIST S ATI SPIED. 381 
 
 put my laws into their mind ; and the continuance there- 
 of, / will be to them, a God, and ikey fhdll be to me a peo- 
 ple. For, in the new covenant, to be a God to'any, is 
 to be an everlafting Saviour, as we gather from Matth. 
 xxii. 32. and which the oppolition made between the 
 n.?w and the old covenant, in like manner, (hews.* 
 Thefe promiies, being graciouOy and aBually confcrrec} 
 on the elecl, in ,virtue of Chrift's (atisfaclion, w'ould have 
 certainly been conferred on the reft of mankind, had 
 Chrift equally fatusfied for them. 
 
 XXXV. Nay, the fatisfaclion of Chrift for the Tcpro- 
 
 tumff* i * 
 
 bate had not only been ufelefs, but highly unworthy 
 both of God and of Chrift. Unworthy 'of the wifdom, 
 goodncfs, and juftice of God, to exacl and receive fa- 
 tisfaclion from his mofl beloved Son for thofe, whoni 
 he neither gave, nor wanted to give to his Soil, and 
 whom he decreed to confign to everlafting confinement, 
 that they mi^ht fuffcr in their own perfons according to 
 the demerit of their crimes. Unwpnhj of Chrift, to 
 give his blood a price of redemption for thofe, whom 
 he had not in charge to redeem. And, if we may fpeak 
 freely, this alfo, in forne refpeft, would be for Chrift 
 to account the blocd of the new covenant^ or the new co- 
 venant itfelf, by which he was fan^lijicd^ a common, or 
 unholy thing. 
 
 XXXVI. It^ would now remain to refute the argu- 
 ments of thofe on the other fide of the queftion : but 
 this has been done at large, and with fo much judgment, 
 by very learned men, that we can fcarce make any ad- 
 dition. The very accurate differtation of Gomarus on 
 this head, may cfpecially be confulted, which is infert- 
 
 ^ed in his commentaries on the epiftle to the Galatians, 
 
 * Heb. viii. 8, 9., 
 
How CHRIST USED 
 
 CHAP. x. 
 
 After -what manner Ckrifi ufed the Sacramc:i:i. 
 
 T 
 
 JL HUS far we have at large treated of thofe things, 
 that relate to the compact between Chrift and the Father : 
 and we might feem to have completely finifhed that fub- 
 jeft, was it not proper to add fomething concerning the 
 facraments, by which that compact was confirmed. 
 The apoftle has obferved,* that, net without an oath, 
 Chrift was made Pried, and the Surety of a better tef- 
 tament. As this manifefted the (lability of the cove- 
 nant, and the immutability of God's counfel ; fo it like- 
 wife contributed to the full afiuranoe of Chrift the Me- 
 diator. It moreover pleafed God, to confirm that co- 
 venant by certain external fymbols, and indeed the ve- 
 ry fame, by which the covenant of grace was fealed to 
 believers, under the different difpcnfations of it. We 
 have above hinted fomething on this fubjecl, which we 
 are now to enlarge upon more diftinctly. 
 
 -II. It is evident, that the Lord Jtfiis was circuinctfid 
 on the eighth day from his birth,t that he kept the faff- 
 over with his difciples,J and was baptized by John.$ 
 Though the eyangelifts do not indeed exprefsly affert, 
 that he alfo partook of the ho\y fufper ; yet they relate 
 \vhat we think may make it more than probable he did. 
 III. i. It is certain, that our Lord, in the inflitu- 
 tion and ufeof the myftital fupper, borrowed moft of 
 the rites from the Jewifh pafTover. The very learned 
 Jofeph Scaliger, Ludovicus Capellus, and moft parti- 
 cularly, Euxtorf in a peculiar differtation, have made 
 this as cuar as noon-day. Thus our Lord took the 
 
 * Heb.vii.20> 21. f Luhe ii. 21. J Luks xxii. 8, n. 
 Matth. iii. 13. 
 
THE SACRAMENTS. 383, 
 
 bread and cup diftinctly, fcparately blefTed them both, 
 and gave tHem to his difciples, after the Jewiih man- 
 ner. It was befides, a cuftom among the Jews, for the 
 mailer of the family to eat firft of the bread afvenblef- 
 iing. To this purpofe Maimonides* fays, " The guefts 
 \vcre not to eat or tafte any thing, till he who broke, 
 had tafted firft." Nor was it permitted, at fcflivals and 
 folemn feafts, for any of the guefts to drink of tlie cup, 
 till after the mafter of the family had done it firft ; ac- 
 cording to an exprefs paffage quoted by Buxtorf from 
 the Talmud, where it is faid, " to be an excellent pre- 
 cept, that he who fanQifies or bleffes, fhould firft tafte, 
 and after all the guefts fitting down, tafted ; every one 
 took a draught ;" fee the bove diflertation, J 76. In 
 this manner Crmft acled at the pafchal flipper, Luke 
 xxii. 15, 17. and why not fo at this new myftical fup- 
 per ? 
 
 IV. 2. This obfervation will be more cogent, if .we 
 confider, that the fame phrafeology, ufed by Chrift of 
 the pafchal cup, Luke xxii. 18. I will not drink of ths 
 fruit of the vine, until the kingdom of God Jhall come, is 
 alfo, according to Matth. xxvi. 29. made ufe of con- 
 cerning the cup at the holy fupper. Whence we infer, 
 that then Chrift likewife drank of the cup with his dif- 
 ciples. 
 
 V. 3. We may add, that no reafon can be afligned, 
 why Chrift mould not partake of the fupper, as he did 
 of baptifm, and confecrate, in his own perfon, thefe 
 two facraments of the New Teftament. 
 
 . VI. 4. Nay, this feems requifite from the mutual 
 union between Chrift and believers, and that intercourfe 
 of intimate familiarity, which, among other things, was 
 fealed in this myftical feaft, and which our Lord him- 
 Telf has very elegantly prop.ofed, under the funilitude 
 ,* la Hilcct Berachot, c. 7. 
 
384 How CHRIST USED 
 
 of a mutual (upper ;* / will fop with him, and he with 
 vie. 
 
 VII. This alfo was the opinion of the fathers : As of 
 Jerome. t " Not Mofcs, but the Lord Jefus gave us 
 the true bread : he himfelf at once the entertainer and 
 the entertainment ; the eater and the food." Of Augur- 
 tine.;]; " And having firft tafted the facrament of his 
 body and blood, he fignified his meaning." Of Chry- 
 foftom.$ " He alfo drinks thereof, left, on hearing his 
 words, they (hall fay, And do we then drink blood and 
 eat flefli ? And therefore, in order to prevent this, he 
 himfelf fets them an example, &c." 
 
 VIII. This ufe of the facraments, was not a matter 
 of choice to Chrift, but a -part of his righteoufnefs and 
 a duty incumbent upon him. For he himfelf declared, 
 when John refufed to baptize him, Suffer it to be fo now : 
 
 for thus p R E P o N E s T i N , it becometh us to fulfil all righ- 
 teoufncfs.\\ Where b$ righteoufnefs he means the obe- 
 dience due to the command of God ; and it became 
 both John and Chrift, to fulfil alL and confequently 
 this part. The part of Chrift was to prefent himfelf to 
 be baptized by John; and John's duty not to deny 
 Chrift in this : thus it became both of them : which in 
 this place docs not limply denote a matter of mere fit- 
 nefs, as if baptiim was a thing unneceffary (it being, as 
 \ve have already faid, a part of the righteoufnefs which 
 Chrift was to fulfil ;) but it fignified every duty incum- 
 bent, the performance of which is an ornament to the 
 faints, and renders them beautiful in the eyes of God : 
 as the pfalmift fings :* Holinefs NAAVA [is the orna- 
 ment of] becometh thine houfe. In this fenfe Paul faid, 
 as p FV E p E i , becometh faints ;** and HO p R E p E i , which 
 
 * Rev. iii. 20. f In epift. ad. Hedibiam, quaeft. 2. J De 
 do&rina ChriRina, lib. 2. c. 3. Homil. Ixxxiii. in Matth. 
 
 i| Matth. iii- 15. [ Pfal. xciii. 5. ** Eph. v. 3. 
 

 THE SACRAMENTS. 385 
 
 vocmcn prof effing go dlincfs ;* and/0" Z?R EP E, 
 it became him. The rectitude (a) beauty, or comeli- 
 nefs of God, who is adorned with recliftide and beauty, t 
 c H AS IN JAH, (which recYitude he can neither deny, 
 nor acl contrary to) required, that the Captain of our 
 falvation ihould be made perfeQ. by fufferings; Such a 
 High Pricjl became us. ^ From which it appears, that 
 the baptifm of Chrift was a part of his duty, by which 
 he rendered himfelf comely both in the eyes of God 
 and men. 
 
 IX. But beficies this, the Facramcnts which Chriit 
 made ufe of, had ftill a further refpccl. They are not 
 only to be conlidered as acts of obedieticei enjoined by 
 the law, but alfo as Jigns and ft ah of the covenant^ 
 whereby the mutual engagements of the contracting par- 
 ties are fealed. For God did not inftitutc the facra- 
 ments with a view, that any ihould place virtue and ho- 
 linefs in the b; re exercife of thofe acts, but that they 
 might be feals of fpiritual things. Nor does. he make a 
 proper ufe of the facraments, who does not apply them 
 to that end. And as to Chrift," we are not to doubt, 
 but that he made ufe of thefe inftitutions agreeably to the 
 intention of God, who appointed them, as was proper 
 to be done by that, moft perfecl and excellent fervant. in 
 whom God was well pleafed, There was therefore, in 
 the ufe of the facraments, a confirmation of the pioir.ii- 
 es, both of thofe made by the Father to the Son, and 
 by the Son to the Father. 
 
 * I Tim. ii. 1C. Heb. ii. 10. f Pial. kxxix. 3. rj; Ii;:b. vli. 20. 
 
 (a) T.'ie author here ufes a word of a very, general 
 fj^aiiyiii;; every thing that is fuitahle to Ue .perfedipns of God. 
 And as the divine redlitude, holinefs, or rightccufnefs, is his Lean - 
 ry ; ib t!as, I apprehend, is what the author means here by </.-- 
 
386 How CHRIST USED 
 
 X. Moreover, the promifes made to Chrift were of 
 various kinds. Some were made to him as a particular 
 man, born holy, who was to be juftified and made hap- 
 py, upon conRantly perfevering in the courfe of his 
 
 -commenced purity. For Chrift was indeed a creature, 
 but holy ; now to make a holy creature happy, who 
 preferves its holinefs untainted, is fo agreeable to the di- 
 vine goodnefs, that it is fcarce, if at all, poilihle, it 
 could be otherwife, as we have proved at large, book 
 i. chap. 4. feel. 12. & feq. And thefe promifes are 
 legal, and belong to the covenant of -works. Other pro- 
 mifes made to him as Surety and Mediator, by which his 
 ferfon, and his office and work, as Mediator, fhould be 
 acceptable to God, and very fuccefsful : and a twofold 
 cffcH was certainly to enfue, one for himfelf, viz. a 
 moft excellent degree of glory ; the other for the elect, 
 who were to be united to him, namely, their falvation. 
 And thefe laft are properly the promifes of the covenant 
 of which we treat, and of which we have given a fpeci- 
 men, book ii. chap. iii. 29. & feq. 
 
 XI. We may now inquire, whether both thefe kinds 
 of promifes were fealed to Chrift, by the ordinary fa- 
 craments of the old and New Teftament, which he par- 
 took of. But we muft not determine any thing rafhly 
 with refpeft to this : and therefore I fhall modeftly pro- 
 pofe, what I think moft probable. There is, indeed, 
 no reafon, why Chrift as a holy man, and who, as 
 fuch, was to be made happy, might not be confirmed 
 in the faith of this promife by fome certain facraments. 
 This appears from the facraments of the covenant of 
 works given to Adam before the fall. But that fuch fa- 
 craments were, for that purpofe, granted to Chrift, 
 does not appear from fcripture. Moreover, I dare not 
 affirm, that the ordinary facraments, which Chrift made 
 ufe of, were fubfervient to the confirming the legal pro- 
 
,THE SACRAMENTS. 387 
 
 <mifes, belonging to the covenant of works. The reafon 
 is, becaufe they are facraments of the covenant of grace. 
 And it does not feem confident, that the promifes of the 
 covenant of works fhould be fealed by the facraments of 
 the covenant of grace. 
 
 XII. I cannot indeed refufe, that there is a great dif- 
 ference in fome circumftances, as to the fignification of 
 the facraments, as made ufe of by Chrift, and as ufed 
 by believers. For to the latter they feal regeneration, 
 the mortification of the'old, and the vivifkation of the 
 new man, the remiilion of fins ; which as they neither 
 had, nor could have any place in Chrift, the holy One 
 of God, fo they could not, in this manner, be feals to 
 him. Chrift alfo, by die facraments, engaged to per- 
 form obedience otherwife than believers do ; for he en- 
 gaged to perform the moft perfect obedience, without 
 any defect, and bound himfelf to bear the curfe of the 
 law, and that in order to fatisfy divine juftice. Belie- 
 vers indeed, in th.e ufe of the facraments, engage to per- 
 form fincere obedience, yet not that which is abfolutely 
 perfe6t (for that would be to be guilty of a formal lie ;) 
 neither do they bind themfelves to bear the curfe, nor 
 promife any thing, by which, of themfelves, they may 
 fatisfy the juftice of God. So that not all the fame 
 things, at lea ft not in the fame manner, were fealed to 
 Chrift by the facraments, which by thefe are fealed to 
 believers. 
 
 XIII. That very accurate divine, Gomarus, having 
 duly examined thefe things, has prefentcd us with a cer- 
 tain general fignification of the facraments, which he 
 maintains to have had p!ace in Chrift. According to 
 him, it was this, namely, a Jign and feal of his covenant 
 with God, and communion with the church, that God 
 /hould be his God, and the be flower offalvation :' and he 
 hi-mftlf bound 'to perform perpetual, grateful obedience to 
 
388 PI o \v C::itiST USED 
 
 im^anJ'. mr/mmo-: - church * Though 
 
 there is no impropriety in thcfe things, and they were 
 doubtlefs fignified in the facraments, which Chrift made 
 ufe of, yet they do not feem to come up to the full fig- 
 nification of the facraments ; fince the proper, proxi- 
 mate, and principal end, and confequently the very na- 
 ture of thefe facraments, is efpecially to be a feal of the 
 new covenant. And here holds what is commonly faid 
 in the fchools, the principal aft fpecifies, as the great 
 Voetiust has accurately obfervcd. 
 
 XIV. I therefore conclude, that the promifes made 
 to Ckrijl as Mediator, were principally fealed to him by 
 the facraments. Chrift indeed obtained thefe in virtue 
 of his merits, or. to fpcak \vith Paul, becaufe he fulfil- 
 led the righteoufnefs of the law; yet in themfelves, and 
 as they relate to believers, they are promifes of the co- 
 venant of grace ; by which it was declared, that Chrid 
 fliould become the glorious Lord and head of believers, 
 and that they fnould be redeemed by his fatisfaftion, 
 juftified by his merits, and at length made perfectly hap- 
 py with him, that fo he might for ever exult for joy with 
 them, and in them, as his glorious inheritance. 
 
 XV. The j unification of the Lord Jefus is contained 
 in thefe promifes, concerning which he himfelf fays, He 
 25 near that j-jiificth me, who will contend with me ? 
 Who is he thatJJiall condemn me ?% And Paul, He was 
 
 juflijicd in the Spirit.^ This juftifkation does not only 
 con hit in his being declared innocent of thofe crimes, 
 with which he was falftly accuied, and for which he was 
 condemned by men ; nor in the Father's declaring him 
 to be holy and righteous, and worthy of his favor, on 
 account of the perfect holincfs of his nature and actions ; 
 but in his being, as Mediator, declared to have perform- 
 
 * laMatth, lii. 13, -j- Difput. torn. 2. p. 161. J 111 L 8, 9. 
 
 . - Ci '... 1 6, 
 
THE SAC n A M :: srr 389 
 
 ed cVcry thing he was bound to for the payment of the 
 debt he had taken upon himfelf. So that he, who had 
 before appeared in the likenefs rj jinful ficjh? was now 
 to be feen C H o R i s HA M A R T i A s , without fin by ik :>fe 
 that look for him unto falvation. 
 
 XVI. Yet I dare not fay with a certain divine, in 
 other refpefts very judicious, that the remiflion of thofe 
 fins which Chrift as Surety took upon himfelf, was feal- 
 ed to him. For the fcripture no where fpeaks in thii 
 manner. Befides, the remiilion of fins is the forbear- 
 ance or removal of the punifhtnent due to them. Which 
 cannot be faid of Chrift, becaufe he fuffered the punifh- 
 ment due to us, and, in the fulled manner, fatisticd the 
 jufticc of God. Our lins are forgiven us, on account 
 of the fatisfaftion of Chrift. But neiiher fcripture nor 
 reafon will authorifc us to fay, that lins were forgiven 
 to Chfift. 
 
 XVII. However, agreeably to both it may be faid, 
 that the regeneration of the cleft, the remiilion of their 
 fins, their fanftification and glorification, in a word, all 
 thofe benefits, which, by virtue of the covenant of grace, 
 are beftowcd upon them, were promifed and feakd to 
 Chrift by the facratnents. For fince, by virtue of the 
 inyftical union, founded on the decree of God, Chrift 
 and the cleft are one fpiritual body, Chrift received 
 thofe gifts in the cleft, which are given to them ; as we 
 have feveral times hinted from Pfal. Ixviii. 18. 
 
 XVIII. May w.e not here alfo infer what Paul 
 writesjt that the church is PLEROMA xou TA PANT A 
 EN p A s i p L E R o M E N o u , the fuluefs cf him that fillcth 
 all in all ? Fulncfs, I fay, not only to -be completed 
 by Chrift, but alfo, in Its meafare, which makes Chrift 
 complete, who himfelf fee ins not to be completed with- 
 out his whole body. So that the prorriift's made to the 
 
 * Roir.. viii, 3. f EpL i. 23. 
 
390 Ho\v CARIST USED 
 
 elecl, may fo far be looked upon as made to Chrift, and 
 thus fcaled to him by the facrarnents. 
 
 XIX. Moreover, Chrift, on the other hand, promi- 
 fed the Father, in the ufe of the facrarnents, that he 
 would faithfully and perfeveringly perform all he bound 
 himfelf to by agreement. For, in the ufe of the facra- 
 ments, there is, as it were, a kind of renewal of the co- 
 venant, and, if we may thus fpeak, a repeated folemni- 
 fation thereof. Chrift therefore, by that aft, publicly 
 protefted before God and the church, that he would not 
 fail in any part of his duty. 
 
 XX. Some perhaps may think, to what purpofe is fhis 
 mutual fealing of the promifes by facrarnents : for nei- 
 ther was the faith of Chrift fubjecl to any vitious flaw of 
 weaknefs, to render iuch a confirmation neceflary ; nor 
 the Father under any doubt as to the fidelity of his en- 
 gaging Son ? But the anfwer is eafy. i. The inftitu- 
 tion and ufe of facrarnents do not, from the nature of 
 the thing, prefuppofe fin, or any weaknefs of faith. 
 This appears from the facraments inftituted before the 
 fall. They are not therefore to be efteemed a vain in- 
 ftitution ; for that would be injurious to the wifdom of 
 God, who appointed them. 2. Though the faith of 
 Chrift had no (lain, yet it was but human, and depend- 
 ed on the influence, fupport, and corroboration of the 
 Deity ; and as he ufually does this by the means he has 
 appointed for that purpofe, it was the duty of the man 
 Chrift, to obey this will of the Deity, and carefully ap- 
 ply the means adapted to that end ; forne of which are 
 the facrarnents. 3. None, I imagine, will deny, that 
 Chrift preferved, exerted, and ftrengthened his own 
 faith by devout prayers, pious meditation on the word 
 of God, an attentive obfervation of the ways of God 
 towards himfelf and other believers, contemplation of 
 the divine puicclicns, and by a full cxcrcife of inftitut- 
 
THE SACRAMENTS* 391 
 
 
 cd worfliip, I or as thefe are things inftparable from 
 
 the duty of a pK in. To they very much contribute 
 
 to preferve and , iiith. Why fliould we not 
 
 then believe, that they had the fame eflecl on Chri(\, as, 
 wl'U, hy their nature, they are adapted to have ? And 
 if by thefc means the faith of Chrifi was fupportcd, \vhy 
 not al.fo by the facrainents ? 4. Nay, as often as a inore 
 bitter temptation or dreadful affliction afTaulted him, ha 
 was confirmed in the faith of the promifesby extraordi- 
 nary means ; fuch as the appearance of God at Jordan, 
 the defcent of the Holy Spirit,* the miniftry ofangels,f 
 the glorious transfiguration on the holy mountain,^ a 
 voice from heaven.,} and an angel {lengthening him in 
 his agony. || From \vhich I conclude, that fince it was 
 fit, Chrifi fhould at times be confirmed in faith by *x- 
 traordinary means, it was nowife unfit to allow the ordi- 
 nary means of the facraments to be applied for the fame 
 purpofe. 
 
 XXI. Nor was it lefs proper, that Chrift fiiould fo 
 folemnly reiterate his engagements in the ufe of the fa- 
 craments, though the Father was fully perfuaded of his 
 veracity and fidelity. For, i. That free and often-re- 
 peated profeflion of Chriil's alacrity to perform every 
 thing he engaged for, contributed to the glory of the Fa- 
 ther. 2. The zeal of Chrifi himfelf, though never vi- 
 tioufly languid, was yet roufed and kindled to a flame 
 by that repetition of his obligation. 3. It was highly 
 ufeful to believers, who either were eye-witncfles of his 
 actions, or oihcrwife acquainted with them, attentively 
 to confider that open declaration of Chriil's readinefs* 
 For thus they were both flrengthened in the faith of 
 Chrift, and excited to a like alacrity of zeal. Whence 
 
 * Matth. Hi. 1 6, 17. -f Mattli. iv. n. f Matth. zvii, i t &c^ 
 John xii. 28. [| Lukexr. 43. 
 
on 2 How CHRIST USED 
 
 <J~J 
 
 we conclude, that the ufe of the facraments was neither 
 a vain nor an empty thing to Chrift. 
 
 XXII. Having premifed thcfe things in general con- 
 cerning the facraments which Chrift ufed, let us briefly 
 take a view of each. And the fir (I is his c i R c u M c i s i c N , 
 intimated Luke ii. 2.1. Which fignified and fealed to 
 Chrift, i. That he was acknowledged by the Father, as 
 the promifed feed of Abraham, in whom all the nations 
 of the earth were to be blefTed. ,2. That his death and 
 cutting off out of the land of the living,* fhould be the 
 means of the preservation and life of his whole myftical 
 body, as the cutting off of the forefkin in the Jews, 
 was a mean for the preservation of the whole perfon. 
 For they who neglected this, were threatened to be cut 
 of? from among their people. t 3. That his people were 
 to derive from him the circumcih'on made without hands, 
 confifting in putting off the body of the fins of the flefh,, 
 to be begun in regeneration, carried on in fanclification, 
 and confummated in the glorification both of body and 
 fbul.J 
 
 XXIII. On the other hand, Chrift promifed in cir- 
 curncifion, i. That he would in general perform all 
 righteoufnefs; fee Gal. v. 3. And, on his coming into 
 the world, he proclaimed this by this folemn token, Lo, 
 I come to do thy will, God. 2. More efpecially, 
 that he was ready and prepared to fhcd his blood, and 
 undergo thofe fufferings, by which he was under obliga- 
 tion to fatisfy the juftice of God. For he entered upon 
 life by undergoing pain and fhedding his blood on the 
 eighth day. And, 3. Moft of all, that being now made 
 flcfh of our. flefh.]| he would willingly, at the appointed 
 time, give himfelf up to death, and to be cut off out of 
 
 If.liiL 3. f Gen. xvii. 14. t Col. ii. n. Pfal. xl 8, 9, 
 {] Eph. v. 30- 
 
: 
 
 THE SACRAMENTS. ^393 
 
 the land of the living, in order thereby to be the Savi- 
 our of his myftical body.* 
 
 XXIV. Of a like nature is the confideration of the 
 baptifm of Chrift. In which, i. The Father openly 
 declared, that he acknowledged the Lord Jefus for his 
 Son, whofe perfon and offices were mod acceptable to 
 him. a. That Chrift fhould be filled with the gifts of 
 the Spirit, not only to be furnifhed with them, in the 
 fulleft manner, for the executing his office, but for be- 
 lievers to derive abundantly from his fulnefs. This was 
 fignified both by the water of baptifra,t and by the fym- 
 bol of the defcending dove. 3. That, in the appointed 
 time, Chrift mould, by a glorious refurre&ion, come 
 out of the waters of tribulation, and lift up his head,J 
 as the baptifed perfon afcencts out of the water. 4. On 
 the other hand, Jefus declared his readinefs to plunge 
 into the torrents of hell, yet with an affured faith and 
 hope of a deliverance. 
 
 XXV. In the paffo-vcr was fignified to the Lord Jefus, 
 i. His being acknowledged by the Father the Lamb 
 without fpot or blemifh, and feparate from finners. 2. 
 That, by his blood, he was certainly to obtain for be- 
 lievers deliverance from the deftroying angel, as the If- 
 raelites in Egypt were delivered by the blood of the pair- 
 over. On the other hand, Jefus made a declaration of 
 his readinefs to undergo the moft bitter things for his 
 people, prefigured by the bitter herbs of the paffover, 
 and to fhed his blood, and be (lain and fcorched in the 
 fire of the divine anger burning againft our fins ; in a 
 word, to give himfelf wholly for us, as the pafchal lamb 
 was all of it to be confumed. 
 
 * Eph. v. 13. f -Ezek. xxxvi. 25, 27. J Pf. ex. 7. and 
 
 Pfal. x,l 3. 
 VOL. I, 3 B 
 
394 How CHRIST USED 
 
 X XVI. Here I cannot omit what the celebrated Bux - 
 torf has obferved in the diflertation above quoted, J 54. 
 that the circumcifion of Chrift, and his death on the 
 crofs, were very elegantly and exaBly prefigured, by 
 the flaying of the pafchal lamb. The form is defcribed 
 in the Talmud, treatife on the paflbver, chap. v. in 
 Mifchna, in thefe words : " How do they hang up and 
 excoriate [flay off the Ikin of] the lamb to be (lain ? Iron 
 hooks, or nails, were fixed in the walls and pillars; on 
 which nails they hanged up and flayed the lamb. If, on 
 account of the number of the flayers, there was not room 
 enough on the nails, they had recourfe to (lender fmooth 
 flicks ; upon one of thefe a perfon took up the lamb, 
 and laid it on his own and his neighbour's fhoulders; 
 thus they hung up and excoriated the lamb." Ar>d 
 much to the fame purpofe is what Bochart has remarked 
 in his Hierozoicon, 1. ii. c. 5. from Maimondes in his 
 book de pafch. c. viii. $13. "When they roaft the 
 pafchal lamb, they transfix it from the middle of the 
 mouth to the pudenda, with a wooden fpit, and placing 
 fire underneath, fufpend it in the middle of the oven." 
 In order therefore to roaft it, they did not turn it on an 
 iron fpit, in the manner ufed by us, but fufpended it 
 transfixed with one made of wood, which in fome mea- 
 fure, reprefentcd Chrift hanging on the crofs. Efpeci- 
 ally, if what Juftin Martyr mentions is true, in his dia- 
 logue with Trypho the Jew. " The roafted lamb was 
 made into the figure of a crofs, by empaling it from head 
 to tail, and then from one fhoulder to the other with a 
 fkewer, on which laft were extended the fore-feet, and 
 thus it was roafted." And why may we not give credit 
 to this relation of a man not only pious, but alfo well 
 (killed in the Jewifti cuftoms, having been born at Si- 
 chem, and the fon of a Samaritan ? Sipce then the pafT- 
 pver prefcnted fuch a clear refemblancs of the crunfis- 
 
THE SACRAMENTS. 395 
 
 n ; Chrift, when he partook of it, promifed obedience 
 
 /en unto the crofs. 
 
 X XVII. The fignification of the holy fup per is much 
 fame. By it was fealed to Chrift, i. That he mould 
 
 e to the cleft the fweeteft meat and drink for their fpi- 
 itual and eternal life. 2. That the virtue of his merits 
 bould be celebrated by believers, till his return again 
 o judgment. 3. That, together with believers, he 
 hould enjoy a heavenly feaft, never to have an end. 
 3ut then again, Chrift promifed the breaking of his bo- 
 dy, and the fhedding of his blood. And thus in all and 
 ?ach of the facraments, which Chrift made ufe of, there 
 *vas a folemn repetition and a fealing of the covenant en- 
 :ered into between him and the Father. 
 
THE 
 
 OECONOMY 
 
 OF THE 
 
 "DIVINE COVENANTS, 
 
 BOOK III. 
 
 CHAP. I. 
 
 Of the Covenant of God with the Eleft. 
 
 JL HE plan of this work, formerly laid down j has 
 now brought us to treat of God's Covenant with the cleft, 
 founded on the compact between the Father and the Son. 
 The nature of which we fhall^/rr/2 unfold in general, and 
 then more particularly explain it ; and that in the fol- 
 lowing order ; as, firft, to fpeak of the contracting par- 
 ties ; then inquire into the fromifes of the covenant, and 
 moreover, examine, whether, and what* and how far, 
 any thing may be required of the elel, by way of a con- 
 dition in the covenant : in fine, to debate whether this 
 covenant has its peculiar threatening. 
 
 II. The contracting par ties are, on the one part God ; 
 on the other, the elecl. And God is to be confidered, 
 i. As truly all-fiifficient, for all manner of happinefs, 
 not only to himfelf, nay, nor only to the innocent crea- 
 ture, but alfo to guilty and fmful man. He himfelf im- 
 
398 OF GOD'S COVENANT 
 
 prefTed this upon Abraham, at the renewal of the cove- 
 nant, when he emphatically called himfelf EL SHADDAI, 
 the almighty God, or God all-fufficient.* EL denotes 
 jlrong, power fid, as Prov. iii. 27. ELJADCHA, the 
 power of thine hand. It therefore denotes him, who is 
 endowed with fuch power, as that he is able to do exceed- 
 ing abundantly above all that we ajk er think.^ Without 
 \vhom we can do nothing, and in whom we can do all 
 things. SHADBAI fignifies fufficient, whether we fup- 
 pofe it compounded of the relative SHIN, and DAI, fo 
 as to denote one who is fufficient ; or whether derived 
 from SHAD, fignifying both a pap or breaft, and defola- 
 tion or ravage. If we join each of thefe together, we 
 may fay, that God is fo powerful and fo fufficient., as 
 that he himfelf is in want of nothing, and from his plen- 
 tiful breajl all things derive their being, their life, and 
 their motion : which bread being once withdrawn, all 
 things relapfe into defolation. Such he declares himfelf 
 to be to his chofen people, in the covenant of grace, for 
 -whofe benefit he is pofTeffed of this molt powerful all- 
 fufficiency. That name, therefore, is often repeated 
 to the patriarchs, as the fountain of every blefTmg.J 
 2. As moft merciful and gracious, rejoicing to commu- 
 nicate himfelf to the fihful creature. $ 3. And at the 
 fame time as moft juft, not entering into a ftate of friend- 
 fliip with the fmner, but in a way confident with his ho- 
 linefs, and after having obtained full fatisfaclion to his 
 juftice: for he will by no means char the guilty. 4. 
 And laftly, as moil wife, having found out aivadmira- 
 ble mixture of his mercy and juftice, without infringing 
 the rights of either. For by this means, unto the princi- 
 palities and powers in heavenly places, is made known by 
 
 * Gen. xvii. I. f Eph. iii. 20. t Gen. xxviii. 3. xxxv. u. 
 and xliii. 14. Excd. xxxiv. 6, 7. 
 
WITH THE ELECT. > 396 
 
 l the church tit POLUPOIKILOS SOPHIA TOU TKEORE, 
 the manifold wifdom of God* 
 
 III. But here men are confidered, i. Asjinners, mt- 
 ferable and loft in themfelves, who could not be reftor- 
 ed by their own, or by any other created power; in a 
 word, pofleifed of nothing.on account of which they 
 could pleafe God.t 3, As chofen by God to grace and 
 glory, according to his moft abfolute good pleasure, and 
 fo appointed heirs of eternal life, conftituting that little 
 flock., to whom it is the Father's good pleafare to give the 
 
 kingdom.* As thofe/or whom Chriit engaged, or made 
 fatisfaclion : for this ought to be confidered. as neceflary, 
 before it could be worthy of God, to make mention of 
 his grace to finful man. 
 
 IV. The ceconomy of the perfons of the Trinity in 
 this bufinefs of the covenant of grace, claims alib our 
 attention. The Father is held forth as the principal au- 
 thor of it, who was in Chrifl^ reconciling the world to 
 himfelf; and has appointed the cleft to be heirs of him- 
 felf, and joint heirs with his Son.|| The Son is not only 
 Mediator, and Executor of the covenant, but is himfelf 
 alfo the Teftator, who, by his death, ratified the tefta- 
 ment of grace,H and the Diflributor of all the bleflings 
 of it ; I give unto them eternal life** The Spirit brings 
 the eletl to Chrift, and, in Chrift, to the poffcflion of 
 the benefits of the covenant, intimates to their confcien- 
 ces TA HOSIA TOU D A B i D TA pisTA, the holy pledges^ 
 the fur e mercies of David, and is the feal and earneil of 
 their complete happinefs.tt 
 
 V. Moreover, as we reftriB this covenant to the ele&, 
 it is evident, we are fpeaking of the internal* myllical, 
 
 * Eph. iii. 10. f Ezek. xvi. i. 6. Tit.' Hi. j, 4. | Luke 
 '111.32. 2 Cor. v. 19. jj Rom. viii. 17. f Luke rzii. ,29. 
 Hcb. ix. 1 6. ** John K. 28. ff i Cor. xii. 3, xj, 12, 
 
 Eph. i, 13, 14. 
 
4OO OF GOD'S COVENANT 
 
 .and fpiritual communion of the covenant. For falvation 
 itfelf, and every thing belonging to it, or iiifeparably 
 connected with it, are promifed in this covenant, all 
 \vhich none but the elecl: can attain to. If 5 in other ref- 
 pcls, \ve conftder the external oeconomy of the cove- 
 nant, in the communion of the word and facraments, in 
 the profeilion of the true faith, in the participation of 
 many gifts, which, though excellent and illuftrious, are 
 yet none of the effects of the fanftifying Spirit, nor any 
 earneft of future happinefs , it cannot be denied, that, 
 in this refpeft, many are in covenant, whofe names, not- 
 withstanding, are not in the teftament of God. 
 
 VI. And thus we have begun to mention fome things 
 concerning the promifes of the covenant, which, in ge- 
 neral, may be included under the names of GRACE and 
 GLORY, as is done by the pfalmift,* The Lord will give 
 GRACE and GLORY. Which are commonly fo diitin- 
 guiflied by divines, as to refer grace to this life, and 
 glory to that which is to come : though the grace of 
 this life be glorious, and the glory of the future life gra- 
 cious. We may likewife not improperly fay, that, in 
 the covenant of grace, are promifed both falvation it- 
 felf, and all the means leading to it, which the Lord 
 hath briefly cpmprifed in thefe words : But this Jhall he 
 .the covenant that I will make with the houfe of Ifrael ; 
 After thofe days, faith the Lord, I will put my law in 
 their inward parts, and write it in their hearts ; and 
 will be their God., and they Jhall be my people.-]: And 
 again, And they Jhall be my people, and I will be their 
 God. ' And I will give them one heart and one way, that 
 they may fear me for ever, for the good of them, and of 
 their children after tlum. And I will make an everlajl- 
 ing covenant with them, that I will not turn away from 
 
 * Pfal. Ixxxiv. n. f Jer. xxxi. 33. 
 
 * 
 
WITH THE ELECT, 401 
 
 them, to do them good ; hit I will put ray fear in their 
 hearts, that they JJiall not depart from me* 
 
 VII. Here we are to obferve a remarkable difference 
 between the promifes of the covenant of works, and thofe 
 of the ca.venant cf grace. The fame eternal life is pro- 
 mifed in both, which can be but one, con fitting in the 
 communion and enjoyment of God ; but it is. promifed 
 in a manner quite different in the one, from what it is 
 in the other. In the covenant of works God promifed 
 life to man, on condition of perfecl obedience, but he 
 did not promife to produce or effecl this obedience in 
 man. In the covenant of grace, he fo promifes life eter- 
 nal, as at the fame time to promife faith and repentance, 
 and perfeverance in holinefs, without which life cannot 
 be attained ; and which being granted, life cannot but 
 be obtained. And even in this fenfe it may be faid, that 
 the covenant, of which Chrift is the Mediator, is more 
 .excellent, and ejlablifhed on better promifes ;f becaufe it 
 does not depend on any uncertain condition, but being 
 founded on the furetifhip and aclual fatisfaclion of Chrift, 
 does infallibly fecure falvation to the believer, and as 
 certainly promife faith to the elect. 
 
 VIII. Divines explain themfelves differently as to 
 the conditions of the covenant of grace. We, for our 
 part, agree with thofe, who think, that the covenant of 
 grace, to fpeak accurately, with refpecl to us, has no 
 conditions, properly fo called : which fentiment we 
 ihall explain and eltablifh in the following manner. 
 
 IX. A condition of a covenant, properly fo called, 
 is that aclion, which, being performed, gives a man a- 
 right to the reward. But that fuch a condition cannot 
 be required of us in the covenant of grace, is felf-evi- 
 dent : becaufe a right to life neither is, nor indeed can 
 
 * Jer, yxxi). 38, 39, 40. f Kcb. viii. 6. 
 
 VOL. I. 3 C 
 
4O2 OF GOD'S COVENANT 
 
 be, founded on any aclion of ours, but on the righte- 
 oufncfs of our Lord alone ; who having perfectly fulfil- 
 led the rightcoufnefs of the law for us, nothing can, in 
 juftice, he required of us to perform, in order to ac- 
 quire a right, already fully purchafed for vis. And. in- 
 deed, in this all the orthodox readily agree. 
 
 X. Further, the apollle, more than once, fets forth 
 the covenant of grace, under the appellation of atejla- 
 'incnt) wh: .}. if. God's immutable purpofe, not fufpewd- 
 ed on any one condition : and as it is founded on the 
 uncl. IQ cour.fd of God, and ratified by the death 
 
 of the Tc (tutor, fo it is not poilible, it fhould be made 
 void by any unbelief of the cleft, nor acquire its (labi- 
 lity from any faith of man : feeing in this very teftaracnt 
 Gocl has as im mutably determined concerning faith, as 
 falvation. Thus, Gal. iii. 15. we fee the covenant of 
 God with Abraham is called a teflament ; the ratification 
 of which mull alfo be the fame with that of a teRament. 
 And the covenant to be made with Ifracl, Jer. xxxi. 
 has the fame appellation, Heb. viii. 10. As alfo that 
 covenant with Ifrael mentioned by Mofes, Exod. xxiv. 
 and the declaration of the manner of enjoying the love 
 of Gocl through faith in Chrift, Heb. ix. 15, 20. And 
 likewife, the compacl of the Father with the Son. Luke 
 xxii. 39. " In which paffage, fail, the will of God is 
 publifhed, by which he decreed, that the Son fhould. 
 by the divine power of the Father, obtain the inherit- 
 ance of the world, and a kingdom : feconclly. the will 
 of Chrift, that the apoflles, and others given him, 
 fhould, through faith, become heirs of righteoufncfn, 
 and of the heavenly kingdom, and of that of the world. 
 Compare Gal. iii. 8. But why the apoiile fhould call 
 the covenant of Abraham, and that mentioned, Heb. 
 viii. 10. a tejlament, and whether it ought not to be fo 
 taken. Matth. xxvi. 18. and in other places, fliall.be 
 
WITH THE ELECT. 403 
 
 confidered in its place.'"* And, in a word, I know 
 not whether Paul, when fpeaking of the covenant of 
 grace, did, at any time, or in any padage, give it any 
 other name than that of a teftament. " But at that 
 time" (at ieaft if we give in to Cocceius's opinion) " that 
 word {ignined, neither to Greeks, nor Helhni 1 Jews, 
 nor to the Hebrews any other thing but a tcftament."t 
 I do not produce thefe things, as if I wanted to con- 
 found .the notions of a covenant and a teftament ; but to 
 ihew, that the covenant of grace is tejlamentary, and to 
 be diftinguifhed from a covenant founded on a compael, 
 agreement, or law. Nor do I conceal, that I found 
 this in Ccxxeius. J Which made me wonder, that a cer - 
 tain learned perfon, who is a great admirer of Cocceius, 
 ih ould find fault with thefe things. 
 
 XI. The famous Cloppenburg, formerly the orna- 
 .ment of the univerfity of Friefland, has accurately ob- 
 ferved the fame thing; whofe words I fhall fubjoin.J 
 " The other difpolition of the covenant (which regards 
 us) is teftamcntary, whereby the grace, by which we are 
 faved, comes to us from the moft perfect merit of Chrift 
 .the Surety* For we are reckoned to be in covenant 
 with God, by the new covenant of grace, without hav- 
 ing fuperaddecl to the covenant confirmed with Chrift, 
 the Surety, by the renewal of the old agreement, any 
 condition, by which God ihoiild tranfacl: with us, but 
 giving a gratuitous call to the. inheritance pf the promif- 
 es, whofe teftament Chrift ratified by his death, and 
 whofe Mediator he now is in heaven ; namely, of full 
 reconciliation with God and of eternaUifc." Junius^ 
 in like manner. i| <; The conditions bcim* fulfilled by 
 the angel of the covenant, the catholic church was, 
 
 * Coccei as d'j feeder. 4. f Cocceias ad Gal Hi. 
 J Defued. $ 87. Exdifputat. 3. cb fuederibus, tlici*. 29. |j In 
 thciib. diiputat. 25. 29. 
 
404 OF GOD'S COVENANT 
 
 through and for him, conftituted heir of eternal life, 
 without any condition." 
 
 XII. Befidcs, when God propofes the form of the 
 covenant of grace, his words, to this purpole, are mere 
 promifes, as we have lately feen from Jer. xxxi. and 
 xxxii. Our divines therefore, who, in confequence of 
 the quirks of the Socinians and Remonftrants, have 
 learned to fpeak with the greateft caution, juflly main- 
 tain, that the gofpel, ftriftly taken, confifts of pure pro- 
 mi fes of grace and glory. 
 
 XIII. And indeed, if we are to take the promifes of 
 the covenant of grace altogether without exception, we 
 could not, fo much as in thought, devife any thing in us, 
 as the condition of thefe promifes. P'or whatever can 
 be conceived as a condition, is all included in the uni- 
 verfality of the promifes. Should God only promife 
 eternal life, there might be fome pretence for faying, 
 that repentance, faith, and the like, were the conditions 
 of tlj^ covenant. But feeing God does, in the fame 
 breath, as it were ratify both the beginning, progrefs, 
 uninterrupted continuance, and, in a word, the confutn- 
 mation of the new life ; nothing remains in this univer- 
 fality of the promifes, which can be looked upon as a 
 condition of the whole covenant. But we here treat 
 of the condition of the covenant, and not concerning any 
 thing in man, which muft go before the aclual enjoyment 
 of confurnmate happinefs. 
 
 XIV. It is, however, certain, that God has, in a 
 very wife and holy manner, fo ordered it, that none 
 ihould come to falvation, but in the way of faith and 
 holinefs; and has fo ranged his promiies, that none 
 mould attain to the more principal or more perfeel hap- 
 pinefs, but they who ihould firft be made partakers of 
 the preceding prpmifes. Whence we gather, that none 
 can take comfort in the infallible hone ofhappinefs. who 
 

 WITH THE EtECtr 405 
 
 has not fincerely applied himfclf to the praBice of faith 
 and godlinefs. And as the fcripture now and then ai- 
 fares us, that 'it is hnpoiTible for any to pleafc God with- 
 out faith, or fee him without holinefs; hence many 
 have been induced to call faith and a new life, the con* 
 ditions of the covenant : whereas, to fpeak accurately, 
 and according to the nature of this covenant, they are, 
 on the part of God, the execution of previous promifcs, 
 and the earned of future happinefs, and, on the part of 
 man, the performance of thofe duties, which cannot but 
 precede the confummate perfe&ion of a foul delighting 
 in God. Or if we will infift upon it, to call thefc things 
 conditions ; they are not fo much conditions of the covr- 
 *iznt, as of the ajjurance that we fhall continue in God's 
 covenant, and that he mall be our God. And I make 
 no doubt, but this was exaBly the meaning of thofe very 
 learned divines, though all of them have not fo happily 
 expreffed' themfelves. 
 
 XV. Let us again hear our own Cloppenburg on 
 this fubjeft, to whole accuracy on this point I have no- 
 thing to add.* Nor do the conditions of the new covenant, 
 enjoined by a law. adapted thereto, as repentance, faith, 
 and the practice cf love to God and our neighbour, dcftroy 
 this evangelical difpiay of the grace of the new covenant, 
 which the teftamentary donation, made on account of 
 death, demands. For thefe conditions of the new co- 
 venant are inferted in the teftament in fuch a manner, as 
 to exclude the impenitent, the unbelieving* and the un- 
 godly, from inheriting the promifes, but not as if the 
 difuenfation and donation of falvation depended on 
 thcfe ; or that by our works of obedience to the Law- 
 giver, we obtain a right to the promife of the inheritance. 
 What then ? Conditions of new obedience are infert- 
 ad into the tedament of the new covenant, under a legal 
 * Difputat 4. de fsder. tlicf.- 26- 17. 
 
406 OF GOD'S COVENANT 
 
 form indeed, as the rule cf cur ft If -examination) and of 
 becoming gratitude, left, without having the undoubt- 
 ed characters of the Cons of God, v;e ihqulcl, without 
 any ground, think ourfelves fure of the inheritance ; 
 yet fo that repentance itfeif, confiding in the mortifica- 
 tion of fin and the practice of good works, is alfo pro- 
 mi fed under another form, to wit, as the- gift -of God, 
 which he hirrifelf works in us, that, by that fign or evi- 
 dence, we may, from the time of our truly repenting 
 and believing, perfectly hope in that grace, which is 
 brought to us at the revelation of Jefus Chrift,* having 
 eternal life already begun in ourfelves, together with 
 the new creation of the new fpiritual life, by the Spirit 
 of God. Thus far Cldppenburg, the accuracy of whole 
 diflertation nothing can exceed. 
 
 XVI. We are not to think, that, by this fentiment, 
 the nature of a covenant is deftroyed, which con [ids in a 
 
 ftipulation and refh filiation. For. there is no abfurdity, 
 mould we maintain, that that difpoiition of the new co- 
 venant, which was made to the Surety, retained the pro- 
 per notion of a covenant, fignifying a compact between 
 two parties /of mutual faith ; but that the other difpoii- 
 tion made to us, comes nearer to the form of a tejlament, 
 and is rather unilateral, or appointed by one party. 
 Nor is the word BERITH any obltacle, which we have 
 {hewn, book i. chap. i. $ 3. is of various fignifications, 
 and often denotes the fame as CHAP;, a conftitution^ or 
 iigniiiesa certain promife, though not mutual. 
 
 XVII. Moreover, God, by a certain wonderful a6t 
 of cpndefcenfion, publishes the promifes of his grace to 
 his covenant-people, in this manner ; to fhcw that it is 
 his will, that they feek for, and expect from him, what 
 he promifes, juft as if it was a promife of reward, and 
 proceeded from covenant and agreement, and was irre- 
 
 * : Pet. :. 1. 
 
: ;f f / '; 
 
 WITH THE ELEG.^ 407 
 
 tocable, on the account of the right of him, \vho flies 
 for the performance of it. Which is, indeed, an afto- 
 nifhing degree of the Lord's gooduefs ; neverthekfs, we 
 are not to ufe it as an argument for conditions of the , 
 covenant of grace, properly fo called. 
 
 XVIII. But, which is the principal thing, we ima- 
 gine, the bed way to conceive of this conditution of the 
 covenant, is as follows : The covenant of grace, or the 
 gofpel, ftridly fo called, which is the model of that co- 
 venant, fince it confifts in mere promifes, prefcribes no- 
 thing properly as duty, requires nothing, commands no- 
 thing : not even this, Believe, trull, hope in the Lord, 
 and the like. But it declares, lets forth, and figniftes 
 to us, what God promifes in Chrift, what he would 
 have done, and what he is about to do. All prefcrip- 
 tion of duty belongs to the law, as, after others, the ve- 
 nerable Voetius has very well inculcated.* And \ve are 
 by all means, to maintain this, if, with the whole body 
 of the reformed, we would conftantly defend the perfec- 
 tion of the law, which comprehends all virtues, and all 
 the duties of holinefs. But the law, adapted to the co- 
 venant of grace, and, according to it, infcribed on the 
 heart of the elec\ enjoins to receive all thofe things 
 which are propofed in the gofpel, with an unfeigned 
 faith, and frame our lives fuitably to that grace and glo- 
 ry which are promifed. When God, therefore, in the 
 covenant cf grace, promifes faith, repentance, and con- 
 fequently eternal life, to an elect finner ; then the law, 
 whofe obligation can never be diublved, and which ex- 
 tends to every duty, binds the man to ailent to that 
 truth, highly prize, ardently dcfire, feek and lay hold 
 on thofe promifed bleilings. Moreover, fince the ad- 
 mirable providence of God has ranged the promifes in 
 fuch order, as that faith and repentance go. before, and 
 * DifpuL. tcm. 4. p. 24. & feq. 
 
408 OF GOD'S COVENANT. 
 
 falvatioa follows after, man is bound,' by the fame law, 
 to approve of, and be in love with, this divine appoint- 
 ment, and allure himfelf of falvation only according to 
 it. But when a man accepts the promiies of the cove- 
 nant, in the order they are propofed, he does, by that 
 acceptance, bind himfelf to the duties contained in the 
 foregoing prornifes, before he can a fibre himfelf of th-* 
 fulfilment of the latter. And in this manner the cove- 
 nant becomes mutual. God propofes his promifes in 
 the gofpel in a certain order. The man. in confequence 
 of the law. as fubfervient to the covenant of grace, is 
 bound to receive the promifes- in that order. While 
 faith does this, the believer, st the fame time, binds 
 himfelf to the exerciie of a new life, before ever he can 
 prefume to entertain a hope of eternal life. And in this 
 manner it becomes a mutual agreement. 
 
 XIX. But let none here object, that life is promifed 
 in the new covenant, to him that believes and repents, 
 no lefs than it was, in the old covenant, to him that 
 worketh ; in order thence to conclude, that faith and 
 repentance are now, in the fame manner, conditions of 
 the covenant of grace, that perfect obedience was the 
 condition of the covenant of works. For when life is 
 promifed to him that doth any thing, we are not direft- 
 ly to underftand a condition, properly fo called, as the 
 caufe of claiming the reward. God is plcafed only to 
 point out the way we are to take, not to the right, but 
 to the pofleflion of life. He propofes faith as the in- 
 ftrumem, by which we lay hold on the Lord Jefbs, and 
 on his grace and glory ; good works, as the evidences 
 of our faith and of our union with Chrift, and as the way 
 to the pofTeffion of life. 
 
 XX. But we muft not forget to obferve, that faith 
 has quite a different relation with refpecl to the blcffings 
 of the covenant of grace, from what the ether works of 
 
WITH THE ELECT. 409 
 
 ~, \ 
 
 the new life have. In this, indeed, they agree, that 
 both conjointly are the way to the promifed blifs; but 
 faith has ibmething peculiar. For as faith is an aftipu- 
 lation, or affent given to the divine truth, it includes in 
 it the acceptance of the benefit offered by the covenant, 
 and make^ the promife firm and irrevocable. " Here 
 is my Son," fays God, " and falvation in him. I offer' 
 him to whoever defires him, and believes, that he fhall 
 find his falvation in him. Who defires him ? who be- 
 lieves this ?" " I do,'* fays the believer, " I greatly 
 long for him. I believe my falvation to be laid up in 
 him. I take him as thus offered to me." ^ Be it fo," 
 faith the Lord. And in this manner the promife is ac- 
 cepted, the truth of God fealed, the donation of Chrift, 
 and of falvation in him, becomes irrevocable. From 
 ail which it is evident, that faith has a quite diffcrentje- 
 lation in the new covenant, from what works formerly 
 had in the old. What the difference is between giving 1 
 and receiving, fuch feems to be the difference between 
 a condition of works and of faith : which the celebrated 
 Hoornbeck has not unhappily explained in Socin. con- 
 fut. torn. ii. p. 280. 
 
 XXL Let us now laftly conGder the threatening^ 
 whether there be any fuch in this covenant. It cannot 
 indeed be denied, but that, in the doclrine of Chrift and 
 the apoftles, we frequently meet with very map.y corn- 
 minations, which have their peculiar rcfpecl to the co- 
 venant of grace, and which could not have thus been let 
 before us, if there had been no fuch covenant. Forin- 
 ftance, W/iofoever Jliall not believe in Chnfi, whoever 
 flail deffifc the counfd cf God again/I his. oiunfcid, -who- 
 ever jhatl net obey the gofpel Jhall be condemned. And 
 thcfe threatenings feern to be diftinguifhed. from' thofe 
 which are evidently 'legal ; fuch as the following : Cur- 
 VOL. L 3D 
 
4*O OF GOD'S COVENANT, &c. 
 
 fed is he that continueth not in all things, &c. Yet, if 
 we would weigh the matter narrowly, the covenant of 
 grace has no threatenings fo peculiar to itfelf^ but what 
 rnay well be referred to the law, from which every curfe 
 proceeds. 
 
 XXII. Which I would explain thus : We no where, 
 hear of any threatenings, which may and ought not to be 
 deduced from that threatening, which doubtlefs is pure- 
 ly legal, Curfed is every one that continueth not in all 
 things c. In this mcA general threatening are includ- 
 ed the other more particular ones. Moreover, when 
 falvation by ChriR alone is propofccl, in the covenant of 
 grace, as the principal truth, the law, which enjoins 
 man to embrace every truth made known to him by 
 God, with a firm faith, obliges him to receive this truth 
 in particular, and be delighted with the glory of God 
 mining forth in it, and that his own falvation is connect- 
 ed with the glory of God. Should we deny, that the 
 law lays us under this obligation, we fhould then affirm, 
 that the law does not enjoin us to acknowledge God as 
 true, and that there is a holy love of God, and of our- 
 felves, which the law does not command; all which are 
 moil abfurd. I go further : When man, as the law 
 prefcribes, receives the truth of the gofpel with a lively 
 faith, then, not the law, but the gofpel, promifes fal- 
 vation to him. For the law knows of no other promife, 
 than what depends on the condition of perfect obedience. 
 But iliould man (light and obflinately reject that truth 
 propofed to him, he fins againft the law, and fo incurs 
 its curfe, according to the general rule fo often incul- 
 cated. And fince we have fuppofed the gofpel declar- 
 ing, that falvation flows from the faith of Chrift alone, 
 the law enjoins, that all who defire falvation, fnould 
 feek it by the faith of Chrift alone ; and confequently jt 
 cannot but thunder the curfe againft thofe, who, rejeU 
 
O* THE ONENESS, &c. 411 
 
 ing the gofpel, believe not on Chrift. As therefore un- 
 belief, or the rejecting of the gofpel, is a fin againft the 
 law, which is the only perfect rule of all virtue (it can 
 be called a fin againft the gofpel, only objectively;) fo 
 every threatening of the curfe and of wrath againft un- 
 believers, and the defpifers of the gofpel, muft come 
 from, and be reduced to the law, but then it is to the 
 law, as now fubfervient to the covenant of grace. 
 
 XXIII. In the difcourfes of the prophets, Chrift 
 and his apoftles, there is a certain mixture of various 
 doctrines, which indeed are clofely connected, and mu- 
 tually fubfervient; each of which ought to be reduced 
 to their proper heads, fo that the promifes of grace be 
 referred to the gofpel, all injunctions of duty, and all 
 threatenings againft tranfgreifors, to the law. 
 
 CHAP. II. 
 
 Of the ONENESS of the Covenant of Grace^ as to its 
 Suhjlance. 
 
 i 
 
 T is a matter of the higheft moment, that we learn 
 diftinctly to confider the covenant of grace, either as it 
 is in its fubjlar.cc or effence, as they call it, or as it is 
 diver fely propofed by God, with refpect to circumftan- 
 tials 9 under different ceconomies. If we vicw/Ae fub- 
 Jlancc of the covenant, 'tis but only one> nor is it pof- 
 iible it fhould be otherwife. There is no other way 
 worthy of God, in which falvation can be beftowed on 
 iinners, but that difcovered in the gofpel. Whence the 
 apoftle has beautifully h\&? that there is not another gof- 
 peL* And that tcdament, which was confecrated by 
 
 * Gal. .7. 
 
4 i 2 OF THE ONENESS o r T n E 
 
 the blood of Chrift, he calls everhifting)* becaufe it 
 t'-as fettled before all ages, publiflied immediately upon 
 the fall of the firft man, conftantly handed down by the 
 ancients, more fully explained by Chrift himfelf and 
 his apoflles, and is to continue throughout all periods 
 of time, and, in virtue of which, believers ihall inherit 
 eternal happinefs. But if we attend to the circumftances 
 of the covenant, it waslTifpenfed.fl^/ww^n' times, and in 
 divers manners, under various ceconomies, for the ma- 
 nifeftation of the manifold wifdom of God. Concern- 
 ing this fubjeft we fnall treat in the following chapters, 
 in fuch a manner, as, firft, to difcourfe on thofe gene- 
 ral things, which appertain to \hsfubjlance of the cove- 
 nant, and have continued in every age ; and then ex- 
 plain the different (Economies, or difpcnfations, and the 
 new accedions made to each Thi^we will, firft, do in 
 a general and concife manner, in this and the following 
 chapter ; then gradually defcend to the more fpecial con- 
 fiderations. 
 
 II. We therefore maintain, agreeably to the facred 
 writings, that to all the cleft, living in any period of 
 time, i. One and the fame eternal life was promifed. 2. 
 That Jefus Chrift was held forth as the one and the fame 
 author and beftower offalvation. 3. That they could 
 not become partakers of it any other way, but by a true 
 and \ive\yfaith in him. If we fhall dernonftrate thefe 
 three things, none can any longer doubt, but that the 
 covenant of grace muft be, as to its fubftance, only one 
 from the beginning. For if the falvation be the fame, 
 the author of it the fame, and the manner of communi- 
 on not different, the covenant itfelf will certainly be one. 
 
 III. The fcriptures fo evidently declare, that eternal 
 life was promifed to the elect from the beginning, that. 
 
 * Kcb. ::iii. 20* 
 
COVENANT or" CRAC?:, 413 
 
 it is adoniPalng any perfons under the chriftian name 
 (hould venture to deny it ;. who, indeed, are much 
 blinder than the Jews themfelves ; of whom pur Lord 
 left ides, Ye do ft arch the fcriptures ; for in them ye think 
 ye have eternal life.* And that they were neither rafh 
 nor erroneous in thinking that the promifes of eternal 
 life, and the manner of enjoying them, were contained 
 in the fcriptures which they had, we prove by the 
 
 moft cogent arguments. iiJ*SS2Hl? not on ^ l ^ e ^ orc * 
 
 Jefus does not by the lead hint charge them, in this ref- 
 pecl, with the f mailed error, but makes ufe of that as a 
 reafon to recommend to them the fearch of the fcrip- 
 tures. Now, it is very inconfiftcnt with the great fin- 
 cerity of the Lord Jefus, and the divine dignity of the 
 fcriptures, to recommend them by arguments not genu- 
 ine, or to recommend their value and ufefulnefs from 
 Jewifh forgeries. Nav, had the Jews falfely perfuaded 
 themfelves, that. the promifes of eternal life were con- 
 tained in the Old-Tedament records, our Lord ought 
 not. by any concefGon, to have cherifhed that prejudice, 
 which would have hindered them from acknowledging 
 the excellence of his doclrine, and confequemly the di- 
 vinity of his perfon. JBm it would have been better to 
 have exclaimed againd them ; "In vain do you fearch the 
 fcriptures, in hopes of finding eternal life in them ; at- 
 tend rather to me and my doclrine, who am ti;e fird that 
 came into the world as a preacher of eternal life." But 
 every one may fee, how inconiiftent this was with the 
 ciefign of the Lord Jefus. 2. Tojhis we add, that Paul 
 joins his hope as founded on the law and the prophets, 
 with the expectation of 1 the Jews ; Believing all things^ 
 -which are written in the law and the prophets : and have 
 hope towards God, which they thcnifclvcs alfo allow, that 
 
 * John v. 39. 
 
4*4' OF THE ONENESS or THE 
 
 there J7i all be a rejurrettion of the dead, both of the. jvjl 
 f and unjujl.* He te.ftifies, that the Jews expected a re- 
 furreclion of the dead : he profeffes to have the fame be- 
 lief and hope with them ; and that he did not do fo, reft- 
 ing on a vain prefumption, but on the law and the pro- 
 phets, which they alfo, in their manner, carefully read, 
 and from which they had derived the fame expectation 
 with him. 3. The Jews were fb far from judging amifs 
 in this refpect, that, on the contrary, the Lord Jefus 
 reproved the Sadducees, as ignorant of the fcriptures, 
 becaufe from them they had not learned eternal life and 
 the refurreQion.t 
 
 IV. . But let us argue from the very books of the Old 
 Teftament ; and firft, after the example of our Lord, 
 who fpeaks to this purpofe : But as touching the refur- 
 reflion cf the dead, have ye net read that which was fpo- 
 ken unto you by God, faying, I am the God of Abraham, 
 and the God of Ifaac, and the God of Jacob ? God is not 
 the Gud of the dead, but of the living.^ This inference 
 appeared fo evident to the very multitude, that they 
 were aftonifbed at his doctrine, and the Sadducees 
 mouth was ftopt.J And indeed, if the words of Mofes, 
 quoted by Chrift, be accurately weighed, the evidence 
 of this argument will eafily appear to the attentive 
 reader. 
 
 V. For, i. That expreffion, to be a God to any, ta- 
 ken in its full import^ includes life eternal. For when 
 God becomes the fmneVs God, he then becomes to him 
 what he is to himfelf. But what is he to himfelf ? 
 Doubtlefs, the fountain of eternal and complete bleffcd- 
 nefs. When God, out of his grace, gives himfelf to 
 man, he gives him all things ; for himfelf is all things. 
 
 * Matth. xxiv. 14, 15. f Matth. xxii. 29. J Ib. 32. 32. 
 Ver-33, 34. 
 
COVENANT OF GRACE. 415 
 
 Such a man finds in God ajhicld again ft every evil, and 
 an exceeding great reward* And what can he defire 
 more in order to his perfect happinefs ? Whence the 
 apofile joins thefe two.t God to be the God of any one, 
 and to have prepared for them a city. And feeing the 
 gifts of God's grace, efpecially when he gives himfelf, 
 are without repentance.^ hereby alfo the eternity of this 
 happinefs is eftablifhed. 
 
 VI. 2. Moreover, this covenant is not made with 
 the foul, bufwith~the man ; and God not only requires 
 the worfhip of the foul, but alfo the fubmiflion of the 
 body, as Redeemer of both, in order to his4)eing glo- 
 rified in both ; as he alfo appointed a fign of his cove- 
 nant to be in the body.J Coafequently, when he calls 
 himfelf the God of the whole man, he promifes his fal- 
 vation not to the foul alone, but to the body alfo. 
 
 VII. 3. Thefe^confiderations will be more cogent, if 
 \ve reflect, that the words, from which our Lord ar- 
 gues, were fpoken of the patriarchs, who had been dead 
 long before. || But as God is not the God of perfons 
 who have no exigence, it was firft evident, that their 
 fouls furviyed, and enjoyed the beatific vifion of God ; 
 and fince, as we have jull faid, their body alfo^vas com- 
 prehended in the covenant, it followed, that, at the ap- 
 pointed time, their very body, when raifed from the 
 duft, mould 'be reunited to the foul, in order to partake 
 of the fame happinefs. 
 
 VIII. 4. To be the God of any one fignifies, in the 
 ufual ftyle of fcripture, deliverance from enemies ; 
 compare Pfal. iii. 7, 8. Now, death is our greateft 
 and laft enemy. H As therefore God delivers thofe \vhofe 
 God he is, out of the hand of their enemies, he cannot 
 
 '^ii, !; ' : : l 
 
 * Gen., xv. i. f Heb. xi. 16. J K.om. xi. 29. Gen, 
 xvii. 13. ^ Exod. iii. 6. <j[ iCor.xy, ?6. 
 
4 1 6 OF THE ONENESS OF THE 
 
 be the God of thofe who always remain under the pow- 
 er of death : but all who have him for their God, muft 
 neceflarily, alter death is fvvallowed up, exultingly (ing 
 that fong of triumph, death ! where is thy vltlory ? 
 
 IX. 5. It is beyond all controvciTy, that God nro- 
 
 I, (-- ' ' 
 
 rnifed to thofe illuflrious patriarchs, when he called 
 himfelf their God, fomething highly excellent, and by 
 which they were to be peculiarly didinguifhed above 
 others, who were not fo eminent in the fervice of God. 
 But they obtained nothing fo very difiinguiming above 
 other men, in this world, that could equal the greatnefs 
 of this promife. Many wicked men lived more happily 
 in the land of Canaan, and clfewhere. It remains then, 
 that thefe things regard concerns of a fuperior nature, 
 and belong to eternal life in heaven. 
 
 X. 6. And laflly, If we are benefaclors to any here 
 for the lake of another, we will much more do good to 
 him, if it is in our power. Now, God wants no pow- 
 er. And he declares he will be a benefaclor to the pof- 
 terity, for the fake of Abraham, Ifaac, 'and Jacob : 
 much more than he is, and will be a benefaclor to them- 
 felves. But they could not be capable of receiving any 
 good, if they did not exjft ; nor of the higheft benefit, 
 if they were for ever to be under the dominion of death. 
 It therefore fellows, that, when thefe words were fpo- 
 ken, their fouls were in being, and, at the time appoint- 
 ed, were to be reftored 'to life, that God in a diftin- 
 guifhing manner might be their benefaclor. All thefe 
 things are deduced from the words of Mofes by no firain- 
 ed confequence. 
 
 XI. What Volkelius fays is to no purpofe, when, 
 being pinched by this paffage, he requires us* to pro- 
 duce teftimonies, in which this benefJ is prcmifcd to us 
 
 * Lib. iii. c. II. 
 
. 
 
 COVENANT OF GRACE. 417 
 
 f viz. in the Old] in as clear and evident terms, as in the 
 New Teftament ; for he refufes, that the pafTage we are 
 now treating of, can, on any account, be of that num- 
 ber; as appears from this, that " before Chrift explain- 
 ed it, none ever ventured fo much as to fufpecl it con- 
 tained any fuch thing. For it is not credible, that the 
 Pharafees, who were very well (killed in the divine law, 
 and \vho, as it feems, frequently and warmly difputed 
 with the Sadducees about the refurreclion of the dead, 
 would have paired over this place in filence, if they had 
 imagined it to contain a teftimony to that purpofe." 
 
 XII. All this is trifling. For, i. The . queftion is 
 not, whetEeT*the teftimonies concerning eternal life are 
 exprefled in fuch plain and clear words in the Old Tef- 
 tament as in the New, which none of us affirm, who 
 own that thefe oeconomies differ exceedingly in the de- 
 grees of their clearnefs : but whether any teftimonies at 
 all, concerning eternal life, are to be found in the Old 
 Teftament ; which the heretics obftinalely deny. For 
 Volkelius, at the beginning of the fame chapter, fays, 
 It appears, that that promife (of eternal life) was- not at 
 all made in that old covenant. Flow unfair then is it to 
 require us to produce fuch plain and clear teftimonies ? 
 
 XIII. 2. He is of a different opinion from Chrift, in 
 commending the Fharafees for being very fkilful in the 
 divine law, who reproves them,* as blind and fooli/h 
 guides, and charges them with taking away the key of 
 knowledge :t and of whom Paul teftified, a vail -was 
 upon their heart, that, in reading Mofes and the Old 
 Tejlament, they did not under/land.^ 
 
 XIV- 3- Arid we are not much concerned after what 
 manner, or from what topics, they ^formerly argued ; 
 
 - 
 
 * Matth. xxiii. 1 6, 17. f Luke xi. 52. '2 Cor. iii. 14, 15, 
 VOL. I. 3 "\ 
 
4 1 8 OF THE ONENESS OF THE 
 
 fince it appears, that Chrift, which impudence itfelf will 
 not dare to deny, reafoned judiciouOy. Nor will our 
 adverfary be able in any manner to prove, that they ne- 
 ver argued from this paffage. For who has given us a 
 hiftory of all their difputations ? 
 
 XV. 4. Whatever it be \vith the Pharafees, certain- 
 ly, of the ancient Jews, Philo feems to have had fome- 
 thing like this in his mind; whole words the illuflrious 
 Grotius, a name nowife unacceptable to our adverfaries, 
 adduces* to this purpofe : u To fay, that God is eter- 
 nal, is the fame as to fay he is one, who be Mows grace, 
 not at fome certain times only, but inceifantly at all 
 times." The celebrated Lightfoott has obferved, that 
 our Lord's argument would appear with greater evi- 
 dence, if compared with the mind and doBrine of the 
 Jews. For Rabbi Simeon Ben Jochai faid, " The 
 bleffed and holy God does not put his name on the 
 righteous who are alive, but on thofe who are dead. 
 As it is faid, Pfal. xvi. 3. to the faints that arc in the 
 earth. When are they faints ? When they are laid in 
 the earth. For the holy and bleffed God does not put 
 his name upon them, all the days they live. Why fo ? 
 Becaufe the holy and bleifed God does not confide in 
 them, as if they could ndt be turned away from the right 
 path by evil affections : but when they are dead, the 
 holy and bleffed God puts his name upon them." See 
 Tanchum ort Gen. xxviii. and Menachem on Exod. iii. 
 Which comes to this purpofe, that God, in a far more 
 excellent manner, is faid to be the God of thofe who 
 are dead, than of thofe who ftill live in a mortal body. 
 And what reafon can poffibly be affigned for this, but 
 that the feparate foul enjoys a more excellent life ? Aben 
 
 * In oommcntariis fuis in Matth. xxii. 32. f Spicilegia in 
 Exodum, 5. 
 
COVENANT OF GRACE, 419 
 
 .*'< , 
 
 Ezra, among the moderns, had the fame view of this, 
 who* explains thofe words, I am the Lord thy God, as 
 containing a promife of life in both worlds. And Menafle 
 Ben Ifraelt ufcs our Lord's very argument. 
 
 XVI. What can be more evident than that teftimony, 
 by which the apoftle recommends the faith of Abraham ? 
 He looked for A city, which hath foundations, whofe buil- 
 der and maker is God : J adding as to the other paxri- 
 archs, For they that fay fuch things, declare plainly that 
 they fcek a country ; but now they chjire a better country, 
 that is, a heavenly. \ To pervert thefe things to a bare 
 expectation, and a vain perfuafion, founded only on con- 
 jcdures, as Samalcius expreifes it, is doing an injury to 
 thefe pious heroes, and contradicting Paul, who in this 
 matter celebrates their faith. But it would Hot have 
 been a faith founded on the word of God alone, but a. 
 culpable temerity, to- hope for fo grea.t things to them 
 felves, without a promife from God. Franzius^ ufes 
 here a mod excellent climax or gradation, " How 
 could they have hoped, had they not believed ? How 
 could they have believed, what they had not heard ? 
 How could they have heard, unlefs.it had been preach- 
 ed to them ? But how could any have preached to them, 
 had not God fent them for that purpofe, and exprefsly 
 commanded them to preach this very thing? As the 
 apoftle of the Gentiles** argues in a like cafe." 
 
 XVII. But left they fhduld cavil, that we borrow 
 our arguments only from the New Tcilament (tho* 
 none can better inftruB. us in the contents of the OH 
 Teftament than Chrift and his apolllcs) come let us ccm- 
 fider fome paflages of the Old Teftament, and free them 
 
 p 
 
 * Ad Levit. xviii. 4. f De refurre.fl. 'mortuor. lib. i c. 10. 
 J Heb. xi. 10. J \\v. 14. j| Ver. 16. r Difpui:. 7. tl^f. 55.. 
 ** Rom. x. 
 
4 2 3 OF THE ONENESS OF THE 
 
 from the mifconftru&ions of our adverfaries. And firft 
 v;e have that fwan-like fong of Jacob,* LI SHUN OATH 
 CHA HI WITH i JEHOVAH / wait for thy falvation) 
 Lord. The aged prophet was now at the point of death; 
 and being full of the Spirit of God, he, in the midft of 
 his prophecies, in which he foretells what was to befal 
 his children and latefl pofterity, breaks out into thefe 
 words; which were not fpoken without the Spirit of 
 God, fo as with Samalcius to be referred to a vain per. 
 fuafion, nor poffibly to be wrefled to any other, but this 
 fpi ritual and eternal falvation. 
 
 XVIII. tlere again, let a pcrfon of the Jewifh nation 
 put the followers of Socinus, if poflible, to the blufh : 
 in oppofition to whom we produce this paraphrafe of 
 the Jerufalcm Targu-mifL " Our father Jacob (aid, 
 My foul does not expect the redemption of Gideon, the 
 fon of Joaz, that being only momentary ; nor the re- 
 demption of Sarnfon, becaufe a tranfient redemption ; 
 but the redemption thou had mentioned in thy word, or 
 by thy word, which is to come to thy people, the chil- 
 dren of Ifrael; my foul, I fay, expects this thy re- 
 demption." Is not this a very clear teitimony of the 
 moil certain perfuanon and the fulleft aflurance of their 
 falvation ? 
 
 XIX. Nor muft we pafs by the celebrated paffageof 
 Job,t where, in very clear terms, he declares his be- 
 lief of a future refurreciion ; For I know thai my Re- 
 deemer liveth) and that he will Jland at the latter day 
 L over the &ujl~\ upon the earth. And though after myjkin^ 
 worm*, dejlroy this body^ yet in 'my Jlefli Jhall I fee God ; 
 whom IfJiall fee for myfdf, and mine eyes fliall behold^ 
 and not another, though my reins be confitmcd within me. 
 On this confeflion of faith I would make the following 
 remarks. 
 
 * Gen. xlix. 18. f Chap. xix. 25, 26, 27, 
 
. COVENANT OF GRACE. 4~i. 
 
 XX. i. That it is fomething very great, that Job 
 here treats of, appears both from the facrecl loftir.efs and 
 majeity of the ftyle, and the preface with which he ufh- 
 ers them in ; namely, his earned defire, that thefe his 
 
 words might be written and printed in a book, and graven 
 
 with an iron pen and had in the rock for ever. And 
 
 i ./ 
 
 nothing was more becoming fuch a deiire than the pro- 
 feflion of his faith in the Mellkh, and his hope of a blef- 
 fed refurreclion. 
 
 XXI. 2.Tob clears his innocence againft the accu- 
 fations of his friends, who condemned him as a wicked 
 pcrfon, and one whs did not acknowledge the flrong God* 
 " I am fo far," fays he, " from being fuch as you re- 
 proachfully reprefent me, that, on the contrary, being 
 fully po fie fifed of the hope of the righteous^, I know both 
 God and my Redeemer, and expe6l greater blefTmgvS at 
 his hands than can be contained within the compafs of 
 this world." This indeed was far more powerful to fi- 
 ience the accufations of his friends, than if he had ha- 
 rangued concerning fome extraordinary happinefs in 
 this life. 
 
 XXII. 3. lie fpeaks of a thing he was certain of, 
 and which therefore ought to be built on the infallible 
 promife of God. But it does not appear, that any pro- 
 mi fe was made him of being reftored, in this life, to 
 his former ftate. Nor are there any general promifes, 
 from which this could be certainly concluded. Nay, 
 there are not a few things which perfuade us, that Job 
 had no fuch expectation. For he wifhes,t that it would 
 pleaje God to gran-t him the thing he longed for, that is, 
 
 . death^ and to dejlroy him. For, fays he, what is my 
 Jtrtngtk, that I Jhould hope out ? or what is mine end, 
 that I Jliould prolong my life ? 
 
 * Job xyiii. 21. | Job ri- S, 9, n.andvii. 7, 8. 
 
4 2 2 O ? T H Z ONENESS OF THE 
 
 XXIII. 4. All the words of the text direct us to the 
 bleffcd refurre&ion to happen to believers in Chrift. 
 He fpeaks of his Goel, who, as the redeemer of believ- 
 ers, and, as Theodotion tranflates it, their next of kin, 
 had the right of confanguinity to redeem them. He de- 
 clares, that he liveth, being the true God, and eternal 
 life,* and who has taught us to reafon from his life to 
 our own ; Becaufe I live, ye /hall live alJoA Though 
 he was really once to die, neverthelefs he fays, I am he 
 that Kvcih, and was dead, and behold I am alive forever- 
 more.% And this is what Job adds, He Jlialljland, at 
 the latter day, upon the earth [over the duft.~\ After hav- 
 ing triumphed over all his enemies, he will manifefl 
 l-.imiclf in the field of battle both alive and a conqueror: 
 or, he fhall (land upon the earth, or over the dud, the 
 receptacle of death, as an enemy proflrate under his 
 feet ; as i Cor. xv. 26, 27- The lajl enemy that ffiall 
 Is destroyed, is death. For he has put all things under 
 his feet. He confidered this refurreclion of Chrift, as 
 an earneft of his own. And though after my Jkin, worms 
 dejlroy this body, which he pointed to with his finger, 
 yet in my Jlejh fhall I fee God^ namely, that great God 
 a?zd Saviour Jefus Chrijl, at that time to be manifefled 
 in his glory. $ Whom he was to kef or himfelf^ for his 
 own falvation and confummate joy ; in like manner alfo, 
 as David foretold, As for me^ I will behold thy face in 
 righteoufnefs ; I Jliall be fatisfied^ when I awake, with 
 thy like nefs.\\ This vifion therefore was different from 
 that, of which he fpeaks chap. xlii. 5, 6. which affecl- 
 ed him with grief, and humbled him to dufh and allies. 
 Nor was it poflible, but fuch a firm hope of fo great 
 happinefs muil excite an ardent longing after the enjoy- 
 
 i John v. 20. f Jh n x i y - ! 9- t 
 
 I John Hi. 2. |J --Plkl. xvii. 15. 
 
COVENANT OF GRACE/ 423 
 
 mcr*t of it. And this is what he adds, my reins are 
 confumed) that is, are wafted and languifli through my 
 longing (fee the fignification of this word c ALT HA, Pfal. 
 Ixxxiv. 2. and cxix. 81.) ruithin me. In the fame man- 
 ner alfo as the apoftle ardently longed to know the power 
 of Chri/l's refurrcttion ; if by any means he might attain 
 unto the refur region of the dead* All thefe things moil 
 exactly agree with Job's defign, with the force and mag- 
 nificence of the ftyle, with the whole tenor of fcripture, 
 and, was it not for prejudices, could never be pervert- 
 ed to any other meaning. v j 
 
 XXIV. We therefore conclude in the words of Je- 
 rome to Pammachius, concerning the error of John of 
 Jerufalcra. " What is more evident than this prophe- 
 cy ? None after Chrift fpeaks fo plainly of the refur- 
 re&ion, as he before Chrift." 
 
 XXV. Let us fubjoin the prophecy of Daniel ;t 
 And many ofthem that flecp in the dujl of the earth /hall 
 awake, fome to everlafting life, and fome to fJiamt and 
 everlafting contempt. On this place I obferve thefe fol- 
 lowing things : i. That a general refurre&ion of all, 
 and among thefe, of the righteous, to life eternal, can 
 fcarce be defcribed in more evident terms. Indeed, un- 
 der the New Teftament, the Lord Jefus, fpeaking of 
 this very myftery, ufes almoft the very fame words, 
 John v. 28, 29. I appeal to any confcience, had Da- 
 niel been appointed to prophefy of the refurre&ion of 
 the dead, whether he could have defcribed it in clearer 
 language? 
 
 XXVI. 2. It is no objection, that Daniel fays, ma- 
 ny of them that Seep, (hall be raifed. For not to men- 
 tion, that many fometimes fignines the fame thing as all 
 (as Rom. v. 15. compared with 12.) it is evident, that 
 
 * Phil. iii. ro, 1 1. f Chap. xii. 2. 
 
I 
 
 424 OF THE ONENESS OF 
 
 Daniel divides the whole collective body of thofe that 
 deep in the duft of the earth, into two clafle's, one of 
 \vhich (hall rife again to life, the other to mame. 
 
 XXVII. 3. And this tnoft auguft prophefy cannot 
 be explained to fignify nothing but a temporal and cor- 
 poral deliverance from the opprefiion of Antiochus. 
 For how did tranfgreffors rife out of the dud after An- 
 tiochus, feeing they were then rather dead, and render- 
 ed contemptible ? For, during the life of Antiochus, 
 they even flouriihed. And how were the pious and per- 
 ievering delivered to eternal life, for they all doubtlefs 
 died again ? Will you affirm with Volkelius, that this is 
 to be underftood of thofe, " who conftantly adhered to 
 the law of God, and to whom that deliverance was to 
 turn to an eternal glory ?" Then, I fay, we have an evi- 
 dent promife of eternal life in the books of the Old Tef- 
 tament : which is what we contend for. But if we allow 
 eternal glory to have been promifed to them, why not 
 too the refurreclion of the dead, which precedes confum- 
 inate glory ? 
 
 .XXVIII. 4. Nor ought it to be urged, that the fe 
 things agree not with the time of which Daniel prophefi- 
 ed, namely, the tyranny of Antiochus, and the deliver- 
 ance therefrom. For fhould we grant, that Daniel 
 fpeaks, in the verfes immediately preceding, of Antio- 
 chus, yet it does not follow, that he could not in this 
 fpeak of the refurreBion of the dead. For the prophet 
 was here fhewing, that God, after having difplayed fo 
 illuftrious an inftance of his glorious power, would pro- 
 ceed in the extraordinary deliverances of his people, till 
 all (liould terminate in the happy refurre&ion of the 
 dead. If you infill, that the things here foretold, were 
 to exift at that time^ about which he had hitherto been 
 fpeaking ; I anfwer, firft, that this is not in the text, 
 This verfe, indeed, is connected with the foregoing by 
 
COVENANT or GRACE, 425 
 
 the particle, VAU and^ where the words concerning that 
 time are found. But nothing is more frequent in the 
 prophets, than thus to join two things, \vhichare to ex- 
 ill at very different times : of which we have uncxcep* 
 tionable inftances, Matth. xxiv. It has likewife been 
 obferved by very learned men, that the particle VAU 
 fometimes lignifies at length, or afterwards. Secondly, 
 it may alfo be faid, that UBANGETH KAMI denotes after 
 that time: as Jof. v. 5. BETZETHAM fignifies after 
 they came forth. And the promife of the refurreclion 
 ought not to be thought a thing foreign to the times of 
 Antiochus : becaufe it is certain, that they who conti . 
 ntied fteadfaft in the ways of piety, might comfort them* 
 felves by that hope, under all their dreadful torments, 
 as may be feen, 2 Maccab. vii. 6, 11, 14. and Heb. 
 xi. 34. 
 
 XXIX. But nothing hinders us, with very excellent 
 expositors, to refer the things which Daniel prophefies 
 of towards the clofe of the chapter, to the New-Teita- 
 ment Antichriil, or to the Rooan emperors fubfervient 
 to Antichrift in promoting the myitery of iniquity. 
 Cunradus Graferus has very learnedly handled this fen- 
 titnent in a peculiar treatifc. And thus the refurreclion 
 of the dead would be joined with the definition of An- 
 tichrift, as is likewife done Rev. xx. 10, 13. 
 
 XXX. This being the cafe, we may juflly be furpri- 
 fed, that a perfon, in other refpecls very learned, and 
 orthodox in the main of this inquiry, could ;iot find the 
 general reftirreBion of the juft in the fecorid verfe, when 
 he could find, in the rirtt, the wars of the Englifh with 
 the Dutch, of the Danes with the Swedes, of the Tar- 
 tars in China, and of the Chinefe in Florida, of the Par- 
 tuguefe with the Caftilians, and a great many other 
 things of a modern date. But let thefe things fuffice to 
 
 VL. I. 
 
OF T HE ONENESS OF THE 
 
 Ihew, that, even under the Old Teilament, eternal life 
 was promifed to believers. 
 
 XXXI. Our writers have diftinclly an fvvered what- 
 ever hereticTTave advanced to the contrary. The 
 whole comes to this : When the apoftlc* calls the pro- 
 mifes of the New TeftaSSn better, that may be under- 
 flood io various refpe&s. If referred to eternal life, 
 it does not regard fo much the thing promifed, as the 
 plainnefs and certainty of the promrfe ; which is not now 
 wrapt up in certain obfcure words, fhadows, and ceremo- 
 nies, but diltinftly propofed ; does not depend on fome 
 uncertain condition, but in the fulled; manner, is con- 
 firmed by the blood of the teftator. The apoltle himfelf 
 fuggefts this anfwer, ver. 9, 10. 
 
 XXXIL When ic is faid, that Chrijl hath aboliJJicd 
 death, and hath brought life and immortality to light 
 through the gofpel^ it cannot be underftood of the iirft 
 prornife of eternal life, unlefs any (hall fay, that it was 
 not made before the refurreQion of Chrift, which is 
 what is here fpoken of. But none will fay fo. The 
 plain meaning is, that the Lord Jefus, being rifen from 
 the dead, fhewed to the whole world, both Jews and 
 Gentiles, to whom the gofpel was preached, that he was 
 the true author of Jife and immortality : namely, on his 
 coming forth out of the grave, the light of tjiis truth was 
 very widely diffufed, even among thofe who before fat 
 in darknefs, and in the fhadow of death. 
 
 XXXIII. When the fame apoftle affirms, that our 
 falvation at the firjl began to be fpoken by the Lord^ it 
 is clear, he fpeaks of the gofpel completed, and of the 
 Mefliah, the author of falvation, already exhibited ; 
 which gofpel the Lord tirft publiihed, with refpecl to 
 the apoftles, evangelifts, and the other ordinary preach- 
 
 * Heb. viii. 6. f 2 .Tim, :. 10. J Heb. ii. .3. - 
 
COVENANT OF GRACE. 427 
 
 ers, that followed him. For otherwife who can deny, 
 that Zacharias, the father of John the Baptift, and Mary 
 the mother of our Lord, and the angels who proclaimed 
 his nativity, and the aged Simeon, and John the Bap r 
 tift, were preachers of falvation before the Lord ? Of 
 the fathers the apoftle himfelf affirms, that they were 
 E u A G c E L i s M E N o i , gofpellifcd, or that the gofpel was 
 preached unto them as -well as unto us.* 
 
 XXXIV. When it is written, that the -way unto the 
 holitft of all was not yet made mani/eft, while as the firjl 
 tabernacle was yet ftanding :t the apoftle indeed inti- 
 mates, that the manner of obtaining falvation was in 
 Come meafure hid, in comparifon of the brighter luflre 
 ofthegofpel. For then, doubtlefs, the way to life was 
 clouded with much pomp of ceremonies and figures : 
 \vhich being now difpelied, we behold with open face, 
 and ardently deli re, heavenly and fpiritual things. But 
 from this it nowife follows, that the ancients had no know- 
 ledge of falvation; any more than it can be concluded, 
 that we know nothing of our glorious ftate, becaufe 
 John fays, It doth not yet appear what we. /hall be.^ We 
 may almoft, in the fame manner, anfwer the other ob- 
 jeclions advanced by our adverfaries. But it is no part 
 of our defign to examine each in particular. 
 
 XXXV. Now let us proceed to the fecond thing, 
 which we undertook" to prove ; that in 'Chrijl, and in 
 virtue of his furetifhip, the ancients alfo obtained fal- 
 vation even as we. Which Peter declares almoil in fo 
 many words, But we believe ', that^ through the grace of 
 the Lord Jefus Chrift, wejliall be favcd even as thcy.^ 
 W^here the pronoun they is to be referred to the fathers, 
 on whofc neck an an fup portable yoke of ceremonies was 
 put, as appears both from the grammatical confideration 
 
 * Kcb. iv. 2.' f Heb. i::. 8. J i John iii. 2. Acls xv. n. 
 
42$ Of T I! E O N E N* E S S OF T HE 
 
 of the gender, from the connection, and the force of the 
 apollle's argument. For fince KAKEINOI is mafculine, 
 and TA ETHNA, the Gentiles, mentioned ver. 7. is neu- 
 ter, it is not fo properly referred to the Gentiles, as to 
 the fathers. And we are not here, without neceflhy, to 
 have recourfe to an enallage of gender. And then too, 
 what method of commenting is it, to imagine fo wide an 
 hyperbaton, or tranfpofition, and to bring from ver. 7. 
 a noun, to which, after the interpofition of fo many 
 other things, a pronoun fhall at length anfwer in ver. 
 11. and which yet does not anfwer; becaufe, in the 
 words immediately preceding, you may find a noun, 
 with which the pronoun in qucftion may be very well 
 joined ? In fine, it will cither benonfenfe, or very infi- 
 pid, if the words be fo conftrued. For what manner of 
 reafoning is it, if we fuppofe the apoflle to have faid, 
 ;t The yoke of ceremonies ought not to be put on the 
 necks of the Gentiles, becaufe we Jews and apoilles be- 
 lieve, that we fhall be faved in the fame manner as they, 
 by the alone grace of the Lord Jefus Chrift ?" For be- 
 fides that it was improper to propofe the Gentiles to the 
 Jews and apoRles as a pattern of falvation, fince it ap- 
 pears, that the contrary mould be done; this only could 
 be concluded from that pofition, that the apoftles and 
 Jews were not bound to circumcifion, and the other ce- 
 remonies, any more than the Gentiles. But that was 
 not the thing in difputc. Now, according to our inter- 
 pretation, the aportle argues*' in the ftrongeil manner : 
 * You ought not to put the yoke of ceremonies on the 
 necks of the difciples, who are converted from among 
 the Gentiles, becaufe the fathers themfelves, who were 
 under that yoke, really felt the uncafincfs of it, but did 
 not fir.d falvation in it; and yet they were faved, not in 
 confequcnce of thcfc ceremonies, but by the grace of 
 our Lord Jcfus ChnfL Neither arc we, nor any of the 
 
COVENANT OF' "GRACE, ' 429 
 
 human race, to take any other way to attain falvation. 
 They therefore are under a miftake, who tell the difci- 
 ples, If you will be faved, you miift he circumcifed, 
 and keep the law of Mofes." To fum up the whole then 
 in a few words, the apoiile here declares three things. 
 i. That the fathers were faved. 2. By the very fame co- 
 venant that we are. 3. Through the grace cf our Lord 
 Jffus Chrijl ; intimating likewife by all this reafoning, 
 that there, can poflibly be no more but cne way cf fal- 
 vation. 
 
 XXXVI. This is likewife confirmed by that famous 
 paflage, Jcfus Chrijt the fame ycfterday, and to-day, and 
 for ever* In the foregoing verfe the apoflle admonifri- 
 ed them, to keep frefh in their memory the word, -which 
 their guides had fpcken unto them, whofe faith theyfkould 
 follow. Now, he gives this for the reafon of that admo- 
 nition, becaufe Jefus Ckrijl is the fame ye.fi cr day, and to- 
 day, and for ever ; conflantly preached by all the teaqh- 
 trs of the truth, beiievecTcTn by all, and to be believed 
 on by thcfe that come after, if they will imitate the faith 
 of their predeceffors. /The fame doclrine therefore is 
 always to be retained, becaufe Chrifi, who was always 
 both propofed and believed as the Author of falvation, 
 change. n not. Now, the particles, yeflerday, to-day, 
 and for ever, denote all the differences of times. Nor 
 -does ycflerday here fignify ibmething of a late date, as 
 \ve ufually faytyejterday or lately ; but all the- time p aft : 
 as the phrafe to-day denotes the time of. grace under the 
 New TeJIament. For this is compared to fome one p re- 
 lent day ; as chap. iii. 13. While it is called, To-day ; 
 and chap. iv. 7. Again, he limiteth a certain day, fay- 
 ing 11-^ David, To-day ; of which 2 Cor. vi. 2, Behold, 
 now is the accepted time ; behold, now is the day offdva- 
 
 VHeb.xm. 8. 
 
432 Or T H E O IN L N E S S OF THE 
 
 zverejtrangers from the covenants cf promifc> having no 
 hope, and without God in the world* 3. The quibbling 
 about the verbs being of the prefcnt time, is idle ; be- 
 caufe vorbs of that time may equally refer to all times. 
 And whatever phrafe had been ufcd, whether denoting 
 the future or pall: time, there might always be room left 
 for fuch cavils. Befides, no reafon can be affigned, 
 why the pad time mould be excluded any more than the 
 future, if that verb of the prefent tenfe is thus to be 
 racked. What is falfe reafo.ning againU the Supreme 
 Being, and a childifh abufe of one's genius and parts, 
 if this be not fo ? 
 
 XLI. That in the third and lad place, we 
 
 promifed to pro icly, diat there is no other means 
 
 of communion with Chrift but FAITH, appears from 
 that very noted pafiage of Habakkuk, fo often quoted 
 by the apoille, But the jvjljli all live ly his faith, or the 
 faith of him, namely, of the promifed Mefiiah.t From 
 which Paul, at different times, proves our jutUfkation, 
 who live under the New Teilament, through faith. 
 And then Moles declares concerning Abraham, And he 
 believed in the Lord, and he counted it to him for righte- 
 oufnefi ;J which the apcille quotes for the fame pur- 
 pofe.$ David likewife declares the man blejfed that put- 
 tdh histrujl in him [the Son.]|] And Ifaiah counfels 
 the firmer to take hold of ihs jlrength of the Lord* and 
 tiius make peace with him.^L But what is it to take hold 
 of the fortrefs of the Lord, buTto believe in the Lord ? 
 And finally, Paul, by a long enumeration of examples, 
 which he took from' the Olcl-teflament fathers, attempts 
 to prove this general truth, that without faith it is ir.i- 
 pojfibk to plcafe God** 
 
 * i Eph. ii. 12. f Hab. ii. 4. t Gen. xv. 6. Rons. iv. ? 
 H Pfal. ii. 12. C[ .If. xxvii.5. ** Heb. si. C- 
 
COVENANT or GRACE. 433 
 
 XLII. Our adverfaries objeB, that the pafvages 
 above menTToned, treat only of 'a general faith in God, 
 and not of a fpecial faith in Chrift. We deny not, that 
 as Chrift was then more ob feu rely revealed, (b believers 
 had likewife a lefs diftmcl knowledge of him ; yet we 
 boldly affirm, that they had force knowledge, and fuffi- 
 cient for their time, upon the authority of- oar Lord, 
 who fays, Abraham f aw my day* and rejoiced- ;* and of 
 Paul, who teftifies concerning Moles, that he eftesmsd 
 the reproach of Chrift greater riches than thetreafures i'l 
 Egypt ;t and concerning the other fathers, that they J 'aw 
 the promifes afar off] and embraced them ; J and laflly 
 of Peter, who tells us, that the prophets fearched what 
 or what manner of time, the Spirit of Chrift which was 
 in them, didjignify, when it tejlified beforehand the fuf- 
 ferings of Chrift, and 'the glory that fkould follow.^ 
 Since then thefe things were faid of the heroes of that 
 
 time, it will not be hard to determine, what we are to 
 
 . 
 
 judge concerning other believers, according to their rank 
 and ftation. And the patriarchs and prophets had not 
 aQed the part of honed men, if they had envioufly con- 
 cealed from other believers, fuch a valuable talent, 
 which was committed to their truft. 
 
 XLIII. The apoitle writes nothing in oppofition to 
 this truth, when he fays,|j But before faith came, we were 
 kept under the law. For it is far from the,apoftle's in- 
 tention to deny, that faith in Chrift .prevailed before his 
 coming in the flefh ; becaufe, in the fame chapter, he 
 had, highly commended the faith of Abraham, and pro- 
 pofed it as a pattern to us all-.H But by faith we here 
 underitand either the obje of faith, the dodrine or the 
 
 * John viii. 56. f Heb. xi. 26. J Ver, 13. i Pet. i. n. 
 
 I! Gal. iii. 23. fl GaL iii. 6, 7, 9. 
 VOL. I. 3 G 
 
430 
 
 Or THE ONEXISS OF 
 
 tion. As therefore Chrift is to-day, under the New 
 Teftamem, acknowledged the alone Author of falvation, 
 and will be acknowledged as fuch forever; fo in like 
 manner, yeflerday, under the Old Teftament, which day 
 is now paft, he was the fame, and as fuch was declared 
 and acknowledged. , 
 
 XXXVII. Let us alfo add what we have in Heb. ix. 
 15. And for this caufe he is the mediator cf the new tefla- 
 wient, that by means of death, for the redemption of the 
 tranfgreflions that were under the firjl It/lament ^ they 
 which are called might receive the promife of eternal in- 
 heritance. Where we have an open declaration, that 
 the death of Jefus Chrift was effectual for the redemp- 
 tion of tranfgreflkms committed under the Old Tefta- 
 ment. For thus the apoftle proceeds. He fuppofes, 
 that the fathers of the Old Teftament were faved, not- 
 \vithftanding their fins ; which Socinus with his follow- 
 ers dare not deny. He fays further, that the blood of 
 bullocks, and of goats, and confequently of all facrifi- 
 ces whatever, could not really, and before the tribunal 
 of God, expiate fin, and purify the conference. Yet 
 fince, as he declares, without (bedding of blood there 
 can be no remiffion, ver. 22. he concludes, it was ne- 
 cefTary, that the death of Chrift ihould intervene, to be 
 undergone indeed, in order not only to the eftablifli- 
 ment of the New Teftament, but by virtue of which 
 the redemption of former fins might alfo be obtained. 
 This is the genuine meaning of the facred writer. 
 
 XXXVIII. And truly Grotius fhamefully fliuffles, 
 when, to favor Trie*" Socinians, he thus writes on this 
 place : " His death intervened for this end, that men 
 might be delivered from thofe fins, which generally pre- 
 vailed, before Chrift, among thofe called God's peo- 
 ple." Is it really fo ? Would thus the redemption of 
 the trangrcj/icns thai were under the firfl .tejlament^ dc- 
 
COVENANT OF GRAC&, 431 
 
 note fuch an action of Chrift, whereby fucceeding ages 
 would abftain from the like (ins, as were formerly com- 
 mitted ? God forbid, A we iliould ever pervert fcripturc 
 thu;. Redemption is GOPHER an expiation of (in, up- 
 on payinglTranlom, Chrift paid this for all the fins of 
 his clett, at \vhatever time they lived. And in virtue 
 of that payment, to be made at the appointed time, be- 
 lievers, even under the Old Teftament, obtained re- 
 demption. 
 
 XXXIX. Moreover, .fince it is evident, that the pi- 
 ous ancients were faved, it muft likewife be evident, 
 that they were faved through Chrift. For our Saviour 
 himfcif fays, No man comcth unto ike Father but by me.* 
 And Peter, Neither is there falvation in any other ; for 
 there is none other name under heaven given among wen, 
 whereby we mvji befaved.^ Nothing can be plainer than 
 thefe words, which feem to be written as with a fun- 
 beam. Yet the itch of contradiction has found fome- 
 thing to fay ; but that fomething is lefs than nothing. 
 
 XL. Our adverfaries except, that thefe pafTages 
 fliould be underdood of thofe who live under the New 
 Teftament, and therefore that both Chrift and Peter 
 {peak in the prefent, and not in the pad time, of us, and 
 not of the ancients ; of the times when Chrift was exhi- 
 bited, and not of the ancient ages. We anfwer : i. As 
 both texts are expreffed in univerfal terms, they are not 
 to be limited without caufe and necefuty, as there is 
 none in this cafe. For if falvation could be obtained 
 formerly without Chrift, equally as now through Chrift, 
 what need had we of Chrift's coming ? or what fo very 
 great matter do we obtain in Chrift ? 2. Nay, there are 
 very folid reafons, why they neither ought "nor can be 
 thus reitricled. Becaufe they who were without CArz/2, 
 
 * John ziv. 6. f A<5ts iv. 12. 
 
434 O f THE OLD AXD 
 
 gofpel, as chap. i. 23. and the Lord Jefus himfelf, be 
 lieved on in the world,* or the faith of the redemption 
 already actually -wrought but, as contradiftinguifhed from 
 the hope of the Old-Teftament faints, who, with carnefl 
 longing, as it were, expecled the coming of the Lord, 
 waiting for the confutation of If fad, Luke ii. 25. And 
 thus we have now ihewn, that the Qld-Teftamen.t faints 
 had the fame promifes of eternal life with us, to be obtain- 
 ed by the fame thrift, and the fame faith in him, and con- 
 fequently alfo had the fame covenant of grace with us. 
 
 * i Tim. iii. 1 6. 
 
 CHAP. III. 
 
 Of the different economics or Difpenfations of the 
 Covenant of Grace* 
 
 i 
 
 T neverthele'fs pleafed God, at fundry periods of 
 time, and in diverfe manners, to difpenfe the fame co- 
 venant of grace. We fhall exhibit, in this chapter, a 
 fhort representation of thefe difpenfations, in fuch a me- 
 thod as, firjl) firnply to explain what, in this matter, 
 fcems to us mod accurate and agreeable^ to the whole 
 tenor of fcripture ; and then freely, but calmly, weigh 
 the refleB ions of other learned men. 
 
 II. The diverfity of thefe ceconomies is comprized 
 under two principal heads, which the apolile calls by the 
 names of the Old and New Tefiament. Where we are 
 to note, that by the Old Tfflament^ we are by no means 
 to underftand the legal covenant^ concerning obtaining 
 falvation by our own works; which is very different 
 from the covenant of grace. But, according to us aud 
 
MEX^. 435. 
 
 Paul, the Old Tcftament denotes the teftament for co- 
 venant] of grace under that difpenfation, which fubli fl- 
 ed before the coming of Chrifl in the flefh, and was pro- 
 pofed formerly to the fathers under the vail of certain 
 types, pointing out fome imperfection of that (late, and 
 confequently that they were to be abolilhed in their ap- 
 pointed time : or, as Calvin has very well expreffed it,* 
 The Old Tefiament was a difpenfation involved in aflia- 
 dow. and ineffectual obfcrvation of ceremonies, and was 
 therefore temporary , becaitfe a thing in fufpenfe, till efla- 
 blijhed on a firm andfabjlantial bottom. The New Tef- 
 tament is the teftamcnt [or covenant] of grace, under that 
 difpenfation which fucceeded the former, after being 
 confecrated and eftablifhed by the blood of Chrift, 
 For this reafon Chrift calls the cup, which he reached 
 to his difciples in the fupper, the cup of the new tcflament 
 in his blood^ to fignify, that then at length the New 
 Teftament would be perfected, when feaied by the blood 
 of the teftator fhed at his death. 
 
 III. Itjs carefully to be obferved, that the Difference 
 of thefe teftaments is not to be placed in the fubitance 
 of the promifed inheritance, as if, under the Old Tef- 
 tamcnt, was allotted the inheritance of the land of Ca- 
 naan, and the inheritance of heaven under the New. 
 Nothing can be imagined lefs accurate and juft. The 
 allotment of the heavenly inheritance proceeds from the 
 teftament of grace abfolutely conlidered, which remains 
 invariably one and the fame under every ceconomy. 
 Only the fame inheritance is propofed in a different 
 manner; in the Old Teftament under fhadows, and in 
 a certain period thereof, under the pledge of the land of 
 Canaan, and which at the appointed time was to be pur- 
 chafed by the death of the tcflator : in the New Ttita- 
 
 * In(l:tut. lib. :. c . ii. f 4, f Mmth. xxvi. j3. 
 
43^ OF TI-TE OLD AND 
 
 ment clearly, without a pledge, to which any regard 
 was to be had, and as now purchafed by the death of 
 the teftator. The promife of the common falvation, 
 which is in Chrift, whether formerly made to the fathers, 
 or to us at this day, does not belong to the Old or New 
 Teftament as fuch, but abfolutely to the teftament or 
 covenant of grace. The difference of the teftaments 
 confifts in the different manner of difpenfmg and propof- 
 ing the fame faving grace, and in fome different adjuncts 
 and circumftances. Whatever was typical in that dif- 
 penfation, and denoted imperfection, and an acknow- 
 ledgement that the ranfom was not yet paid, belongs to 
 the Old Tcftament. Whatever fhews, that the redemp- 
 tion is actually wrought out, is peculiar to the New Tef- 
 tament. Without carefully adverting to this, it is not 
 poiTible, we can have an accurate knowledge of the na- 
 ture of both teftaments. 
 
 IV. But let us infift a little further on this point, if 
 poffibly we may advance, what may fet the truth in a 
 clear light. Three things are to be diftinguifhed : the 
 teftament of grace, the Old and New Teftament. To 
 each its own inheritance is to be afligned. That of the 
 teftament of grace is eternal falvation, with every thing 
 belonging to it, through Jefus Chrift; which is equally 
 common to believers in all ages. The Old and New 
 Teftament being different ceconomies of this one tefta- 
 ment of grace, which they comprize, fuppofe alfo and 
 include the fame heavenly inheritance. But in fo far as 
 they are different, the inheritance alfo attributed to each 
 is different. Now, that difference confifts chiefly in 
 two things : firft, in the different manner of propofmg 
 it, which, I hope, I have now clearly explained : then, 
 in the circumftantial adjuncts of the principal inherit- 
 ance. Thefe in the Old Teftament are, the inheritance 
 of the land of Canaan, as a pledge of heaven, with a 
 
NEW TESTAMENT. 437 
 
 bondage to the elements of the world, and the exclufion 
 of the GentileS, and a lefs meafure of the Spirit of 
 grace. In the New Teftament, the inheritance of the 
 Gentilesfwith liberty, and a more plentiful meafure of 
 grace. 
 
 V. We begin the ceconomy of the Old Teftsment 
 immediately upon the fall, and the firft promife of grace, 
 and end it in Chriil ; as both the nature of the thing and 
 fcripture direct us to do. We argue from the nature 
 of the thin, in this manner : Since believers had the 
 covenant of grace propofed and confirmed to them, 
 immediately after the fall, by fuch figns, as contained a 
 confeffion, that guilt was not yet expiated; and which 
 therefore were, at the time appointed, to be abrogated 
 by the introduction of the New Teftament : there can 
 be no reafon, why the promife thus propofed and rati- 
 fied, fhould not be the Old Teftament. We don't refer 
 to the Old Teftament the promife of the feed oFthe wo- 
 man bruifing the ferpcnt's head, ^nd of the enmity efta- 
 blifhed between the feed of both ; for thefe things abfo- 
 lutely belong to the covenant of grace. But the facri- 
 fices which are added, by the blood of which that tefta- 
 mcnt was confirmed, belong indeed to the Old Tefta- 
 ment. It appears more than probable to us. with fome 
 very learned men, from the Mofaic hiftory, that imme- 
 diately upon the promulgation of the covenant of grace, 
 Adam, at the command of God, flew beafts for facri- 
 fice, whofe (kins were, by the favor of God, granted 
 to him and his wife for cloathing : which was not with- 
 out its myftical fignification, as mall be explained in its 
 proper place. ItJ^s certain we have an exprefs account 
 of facrifices,* which account, in the opinion'of chrono- 
 logers, happened about the year of Adam 129. Sec- 
 
 * Gen. iv. 2. & feq. 
 
438 OF THE OLD AND 
 
 ing therefore tbefe facrifices belong to tbe teftament of 
 grace, and typically leal the blood of Chrift, which was 
 to be fhcd in due time, and likcwife remind of guilt not 
 yet expiated, they can be referred to nothing but the 
 Old Teftament. For whatever is thus joined to the 
 covenant of grace, and cannot poflibly be referred to 
 the New Teftament, the very force of the words requires 
 its being faid of the Old Teftament. To this argument 
 a certain very learned perfon objecls as follows : " A- 
 dam, the deluge, and the rainbow, were types, and 
 previous to the actual performance of redemption, and 
 yet they belong not exprcfsly to the Old Teftament. 
 For this laft was abrogated with all its fhadows. But 
 thefe others ceafe not to be types of greater and fpiri- 
 tual things to us." But the anfwer feems to be eafy. 
 The deliverance of the Ifraclites out of Egypt, the paf- 
 fage through the Red fea, their wonderful fupport in 
 the wildernefs by Manna, and water from the rock, the 
 fall of Jericho, the expulfion of the nations out of Ca- 
 naan, the carrying away of the Ifraelites into Babylon, 
 their return from Babylon, and many other things of the 
 like nature (for it would be endlefs to recount all) do 
 they not all belong to the Old-teftament ceconomy ? 
 But thefe very things certainly ceafe not, according to 
 the fentiments of very learned men, to be all of them 
 types of the greateft things to the Chriftian church. 
 The city of Jerufalem itfelf, the very temple, with its 
 whole pomp of ceremonies, though no longer in being, 
 any more than Adam and the deluge, yet ought alfo to 
 be confidered by us Chriftians as types of the heavenly 
 city, and temple not made with hands. In a word, the 
 whole of the Mofaic law, though abrogated as to any 
 obligation of obfervance, ceafes not to exhibit to us, 
 for our inflrucl:ion ; a type of fpiritual things. 
 
NEW TESTAMENT. 439 
 
 "VI. There is another reafon taken from Paul; who 
 reduces all thefe inftitutions of God to the Old Tefta- 
 mcnt ;* Which decay and wax old, and are ready to va- 
 ni/h away. Now, it is certain, that not only thofe things 
 which were firft ordained by Mofes, but thofe alfo 
 which were in force long before Mofes^ as facrifices and 
 circumcifion, were abrogated by the introduction of the 
 New Teftament. But thefe were not abrogated, be- 
 caufe, as the learned perfon would have it, they,, were 
 reduced by Mofes, with the reft of his conftitutions, in- 
 to one fhadowy fyftem, but becaufe they were of the 
 fame nature with the Mofaical ; namely, fhadows, 
 which were to give place to Chrift the fubftance. And 
 they were fo, not from their being renewed by Mofcs, 
 but from their firft inftitution. 
 
 VII. Nor do we fpeak without fcripture, when we 
 reckon all that time which followed from the fall to the 
 coming of Chrift, to the Old or former Teftament. 
 For thus we have the apoftle's authority :t Andfor this 
 caufe he is the mediator of the new tejlament, that by means 
 of death, for the redemption of the tranfgrejfions that 
 zucre under the firjl tcftament, they -which are called, 
 might receive the promife of eternal inheritance. Now, 
 it is evident, that, by the death of Chrift, the tranfgref- 
 fions not only of thofe believers who lived under the 
 Mofaic oeconomy, but alfo of the more ancient patri- 
 archs, were expiated from the foundation of the world; 
 to which the apoftle's reafoning leads us, as by the hand.J 
 Therefore to their time alfo the firjl teflament belongs. 
 Nor can any reafon be given, why the apoftle fhould 
 make particular mention of any de-terminate period, fee- 
 ing the efficacy of Chrift's death equally extends to, all 
 believers backward. Which was alfo finely obfcrved 
 
 * Heb. rill. 13, f Heb. ix. 15. Ver. 26. 
 
440 O: i4i OLD AND 
 
 by Cocccius himielf in his comment on this place : 
 " Thofc very fins therefore, which have bten 9 and were 
 not remitted under the fh it teiiament, feeing that fin 
 which all men have in common, becaufs all are laid to 
 have finned, when Adam finned, Rom. v. 12. and all 
 other fins his children were guilty of, as alfo the (ins of 
 thofe who expected Chrift, in order that the teftameni, 
 which gives remiflion and the inheritance., might be ra- 
 tifiecl^ ought to be expiated by the death of the Medi- 
 ator, as .by a ranfom." 
 
 VIII. We will again confider and examine the very 
 learned peribn's exception : and thus he fpeaks ; " From 
 the time that fin was imputed, to wit, from the time of 
 the law, there being made, by the law of Mofes and the 
 Mofaic inftitutions, a commemoration and exprobation 
 [or charge or accuiation] of fin, and a hand-writing ex- 
 acled, Heb. x. 3. Col. li. 14. hence all the preceding 
 
 committed all the time of the forbearance, 
 
 are laid to have been in a peculiar manner under the Old 
 Teftament. Not that the Old Teftament was from the 
 time in which fin was firft committed, but that thofe 
 committed before the Old Teftament, are faid, in a pe- 
 culiar manner, to have then chiefly exijled when they were 
 imputed, commemorated, and exprobated [or charged.] 
 Nor did it contribute a little to heighten the virtue of 
 (Thrift's death, exprefsly to have obierved, that fins not 
 only imputed, when there was no law, but alfo very of- 
 ten imputed and charged, were yet, by the death of 
 Chrift, entirely removed, fo that there is no more re- 
 membrance of them." 
 
 I X. Thefe things are fo fubtile (for I hardly dare call 
 them obfcure and perplexed, left the learned perfon 
 fhould be offended) that I ov;n I do not underftand 
 them all; I will however attempt it. He fuppofes with 
 me, and with all the orthodox, that the virtue of Chrift's 
 
NEW TESTAMENT. 44 1 
 
 redemption extends to the removing all the fins of all 
 the elecl, from the beginning of the world. This being 
 ib, he inquires, why Paul called thofe (ins the trar,f~ 
 greflions that -were under the fir jl teftament. The reafon 
 of which he will not have what we contend for; namely, 
 that the Old Teftament was from the time in which (in 
 v/as to be expiated by Chrift, bat that all the preceding 
 iins, committed from the beginning of the world, are 
 faid, in a peculiar manner, to have been and to have exift- 
 cd lender the Old Teftament , or Mofaic ceconomy. But 
 why did thofe very old fins exift under the Old Tefta- 
 ment ? Becaufe then they were imputed and charged^ 
 by that remembrance of fin that was made by the law of 
 Mofes. From this reafoning I nrft afieit, that, by the 
 tranfgreflions under the firft tellament, are underftood 
 all the preceding fins, which were committed during the 
 whole time of the forbearance . Whence by a very eafy 
 confequence it follows, that the times of the forbearance^ 
 in the fenfe the learned per ion ufes that expreflion, that 
 is, the ages which went before the coming of the Meffi- 
 ah, and of the firjl teftament, are of equal exteniion. 
 No, fays he : But the very old fins, fuppofe of Adam, 
 Enoch, Noah, are faid to have exijlcd under the Mofaic 
 covenant or teftament. Where, learned Sir ? Where, 
 I fay, is it faid, that the fins committed before the Old 
 Teftament, exift td in a peculiar manner^ upon the in- 
 troduction of the law; of Mofes P Not, certainly in thefe 
 words of Paul. For the very word exijling is not. to be 
 found there, much lefs in the fenfe you frame to your.ielf. 
 I imagine the learned perfon had in his eye, Rom. v. 13. 
 For until the, law, fin was in the world. Butjn what 
 manner ibever this, may be explained, the apoftre never 
 and no where, that I know of, fays, that,, t,he fins, for 
 inftance, committed by the inhabitants of the firft woikl> 
 VOL, J 3 H 
 
442 OF THE OLD AND 
 
 exifted in a peculiar manner under the ceconomy of the 
 Mofaic teftament. And in what fenfe, pray, fhould 
 they be faid to have then exifted ? Becaufe, fays he, 
 they were then imputed and charged. Eut to whom ? 
 Not certainly to thofe very perfons, who, dying in the 
 faith, were received into heaven. And how imputed 
 and exprobated by the introduction of the Mofaic tefta- 
 ment? Seeing it was fo much later than their death and 
 falvation, it does not greatly regard thofe departed pious 
 and happy perfons, at leaft as to its rigour. I don't re- 
 fufe, that the- Israelites were convinced of their fins by 
 the Mofaic law, and that a remembrance of fin was 
 made, and that all mankind was condemned in the If- 
 raelites : but that the fins of the moft ancient believers 
 were then imputed and charged, and then in a peculiar 
 manner exifted, is neither afTerted in fcripture, nor con- 
 f on ant to 'reafon. 
 
 X. But this alfo deferves confideration, that he would 
 have trie apoftle exprefsly mention the Mofaic teftament, 
 becaufe that tended to amplify the virtue of Chrift's 
 death, as peculiarly mining forth therein ; feeing it has 
 removed all remembrance of thofe very fins, which were 
 often imputed and charged upon them by the law. 
 Which does not indeed appear to me to be very pcni- 
 -nent to that matter. For iince the commemoration and 
 remembrance of- fins are made -in the repeated offering 
 of the fame la-entices, '.which could not take away fins, 
 and facrifices of that kittct began to be ufed immediately 
 upon the promulgation of the teftament of grace; thefe 
 very fins were alfo' commemorated and charged by fa- 
 crifices, which were anterior to the Mofaic oeconomy. 
 But if, on the introducing the law of Moles, that charg- 
 ing of fin was more frequent and ftrong ; the promife, ia 
 the fame law, was likeyife more frequent and ftrong, as 
 likewife the fign and leal of .the remiljion of fins, \vhich 
 
N-EW TESTAMENT. 44 J 
 
 the Mefliah was to procure. P'or the fame inftitutions 
 \vhich commemorated (in, fignified alfo and fealed the fu- 
 ture expiation of it by the Mefliah. If therefore, on the 
 one hand, it may feem ftrange, that thofe very fins were 
 alfo expiated by Chrift, which were fo often commemo- 
 rated and charged; on the other hand, the expiation of 
 thofe fins which was fo often fignified and fealed, ap- 
 pears lefs ftrange. But the pious meditation of the re- 
 demption purchafed by Chrift, ftands in no need of any 
 fuch fubtleties of idle difputation. It is fufficient to fay 
 \vith Paul, that the efficacy of the death of Chrift, who 
 is the Mediator of the New Teftament, is fuch that it 
 has purchafed for the elecl in every age, the redemption 
 of thofe tranfgre (lions, which could never be expiated 
 by any blood of bulls or goats. Our argument there- 
 fore remains in its full force, and is in vain attacked by 
 the windings and mazes of a perplexed difcourfe. The 
 tranfgrejjions under the firjl If/lament, are fins commit- 
 ted from the moft ancient period of the world ; there- 
 fore the firjl teflamciit comprifes all the ages from the 
 firft origin of the world. 
 
 XI. Moreover, in this ceconomy of the Old Tefta- 
 ment, feveraTperiods are diftinclly to be ob'ferved. For 
 God-, at fun dry times and in divers manners, fpakeunio 
 the fathers.* The firjl period reaches from Adam to 
 Noah, and comprehends the whole age of the firft world. 
 In which every thing was*very fnnple and plain. The 
 firft gofpel-promife was publifhed by God, received by 
 faith by our firft parents, was inculcated on their chil- 
 dren by inceflant catechifing, or in(lru6tion, fealed by 
 facririces offered in faith. The d^ath of the Mefliah, 
 the righteous One, the moft beloved of God, who 
 to be (lain by his envious brethren, was preli^urcd 
 
 * Heb. i. i. 
 
444 OF TKE OLD AND 
 
 the perfon of Abel, who was murdered by Cain ; his af- 
 cenfion into heaven, with all his faithful people, was 
 forefhewn in the type of Enoch, whoalfo, according to 
 Jude, ver. 14. prophefied of his return to judgment 
 with ten thoufands of his faints ; and in fine, the fepara- 
 tion of the fons of God from the fons of men for the 
 pure worfnip of God. 
 
 XII. The fccond period begins with Noah ; in whom 
 his father Lamech feems to have beheld a certain type 
 of the MeiTiah, when he laid, This fame Jliall comfort us 
 concerning cur -work and toil of our hands, and therefore 
 he called his name Noah, which fignifies reft* Ke was 
 a juft and upright man in his generation, and a preacher 
 ofrighteoufnefs.-\ By him Chrift preached to the fpints 
 in prifon.^ He was not only heir of 'the righteoufnefs of 
 
 faith^ but the head and reftorer of a new world, and in 
 that refpecl an eminent type of Chrift. For the fame 
 purpofe the ark was built by him; the facrirke of a 
 fweet-fmelling favour offered to God ; God's gracious 
 covenant entered into with the habitable world after that 
 facrifice, and fealed by the rainbow; and many other 
 things of the like kind, full of myftical fenfe, which fhall 
 be explained in due time. This fecond period reaches 
 down to Abraham. 
 
 XIII. To this fucceeds the third period from Abra- 
 ham to Mofes. There was indeed very great and pre- 
 cious promifes made to Abraham ; as of the multiplying 
 his feed, of giving that feed the land of Canaan, of the 
 Median to i'pring from his loins, of the inheritance of 
 the world, and the like. The covenant of grace was fo- 
 lemnly confirmed with him, and fealed by the new fa- 
 cramcnt of circumcifion ; and himfelt conftituted the fa- 
 ther of all the faithful, both of his own feed according 
 
 * Gen. v. 29. f 2 Pet. ii. 5- I Pet. iii. 19. Keb. xi. 7. 
 
NEW TESTAMENT. 445 
 
 to the flefh, and of the Gentiles.* Melchizedck a pried 
 and king, a king of righteoufnefs and peace, meets him 
 fatigued after the overthrow and purfuit of his enemies, 
 who alfo blefTed him, and prefemed to him in himfelf, 
 as in an eminent type, a view of the Mefliah. / Hence 
 was kindled in Abraham >a defire of feeing (till more 
 clearly the day of Chrift, which he both faw, and re- 
 joiced at.t This favor of the Supreme Being was con- 
 tinued to Abraham's fon and grandfon, Ifaacand Jacob, 
 to whom he often made himfelf known by repeated re- 
 velations, which confirmed to them the promifes made 
 to that great patriarch, and propofed them to future 
 generations as the chiefs of his covenant. And thus 
 the old promifes of the covenant of grace were enlarg- 
 ed with many additions, and enriched widi a fuller de- 
 claration. 
 
 XIV. But things put on a quite different afpe6l un- 
 <der the fourth period, which was introduced by the nu- 
 niftry of Mofes. The people were delivered out of 
 Egypt by an omflretched arm and by tremendous pro- 
 digies. The Son of God, before all the congregation 
 of the people, declared himfelf to be the King of Ifracl, 
 by the folemn manner in which he gave the law from 
 mount Sinai, amidfl: thunderings and lightnings. The 
 tabernacle, and the ark of the covenant with the propi- 
 tiatory [or mercy feat] the gracious refidence of God, 
 were conftru&ed with wonderful art. An incredible 
 number of ceremonies was added to the ancient (implici- 
 ty. So many myriads of men (ftrange to relate) were 
 fed with manna from heaven, in the horrid and fcorched 
 deferts of Arabia, for forty years, and fupplied with 
 water from a rock, which Mofes (truck with his rod. 
 Whole nations were caft out before them, and devoted 
 
 * Rom. iv. 12. -j- John viii. 56. 
 
4 46 O T H E O L D A K & 
 
 to deftruclJon. Ifrael, as the favored inheritance or 
 God, was introduced, after a very great deftruclion of 
 their enemies, to the prornifed poffeffion of Canaan ; arid 
 who can pretend to enumerate all the things with which 
 this period was ennobled above the others ; of which we 
 cannot now f peak particularly ?* 
 
 XV. Seeing all the inftitutions of former ages were 
 renewed under the direction of Mofes, and enlarged 
 with very many additions, and reduced to a certain form 
 of worfhip, and, as it were into one body or fyftem ; 
 and the covenant was folemnly renewed with Ifrael both 
 at mount Sinai, and in the plains of Moab ; therefore 
 it is, that, in the facred writings, the Old-teftament co- 
 venant is afcribed to Mofes, and to his mini dry and 
 times. f Not that either at that time all thefe things, on 
 which the Old Teflatnent depended, were firfl infiituted, 
 or that, on no account, it is to be referred to the pre- 
 ceding times; for the religion of both times, namely, 
 both before and after Mofes, was the fame ; and many 
 rites the very fame, as facrifkes, the diflin&ion of clean 
 and unclean beafts, circumcifion, and many others ; but 
 that then the confirmation both of old and new rites was 
 reduced into a certain form of a ritual, and that period 
 \vas fo diftinguifhed by a folemn renovation of the cove - 
 rant, and by many additions, that it feemed to fwallow 
 up, as it were, all that went before. We likewife at 
 other times read, that fomething is faid to be given by 
 Mofes, which was long before Mofes's time. Our Lord 
 fays, Mofes therefore gave unto you circumcifion, not be - 
 caufe it is of Mofes, but of the fathers.^ God alfo is faid 
 to have given Ifrael in the wildernefs hisjlatutes, which 
 if a man do heJJiall even live in them. ^ Yet who could 
 
 * Hfb. ix. 5. f Heb. viii. 9. from Jer. xxxi. 32. J John vii. 22. 
 Ezck. xx. n. 
 
NEW TESTAMENT. 447 
 
 from thence conclude, that the origin of thofe ftatutes 
 was only to be derived from that time ? feeing it is plain, 
 that they were contemporary with man, and from the 
 beginning made known to all believers by the teaching 
 of the Spirit of God. This Mofaic period laded 
 (though, under the kings Davicf and Solomon, there was 
 a great acceilion of magnificence made to the public 
 worfliip, by the fuperb ftruclure of the temple, aad the 
 appointment of its miniftry) even to the Lord Jefus, or 
 his forerunner John. For thus we are taught, The law 
 was given by Mofes^ but grace and truth came by jfefus 
 Chnjl* The law and the prophets -were until John ; 
 fince'that time the kingdom of God is preached.^ 
 
 XVI. When the Old teftamant evanifhed, the NEW, 
 fucceeded -'"whofe beginning and epocha divines do not 
 fix in one and the fame point of time. Some begin the 
 New Tedament jfrcbfl the birth of Chrift, becaufe of that 
 expreflion of the apoftle, Gal. iv. 4. in which Ke af- 
 ferts the fulnefs of time was come, when God fent his 
 Son made of a woman : to which they add, that, on 
 that very day, the angels proclaimed the gofpel concern- 
 ing Ghriil manifefted.J Others begin the New Tefta- 
 mentfrom the year of Chrifisi preaching, alledging Mark 
 i: i. Where the evangelift feems to refer the beginning 
 of the gofpel to that year, in which John and Chrift be- 
 gan to preach ; which is more clearly taught in that paf- 
 -lage, juft cited from Luke xvi. 16. Others again place 
 the beginning of the New Teftament at the moment of 
 Chrifi's death^ upon the authority of the apoftle, who 
 fays, that the New Tcftament was ratified by the death 
 of Chrift the Teftator.J Some, in fhort, on the day 
 of Pentecoft, or the effufion of the Holy Spirit on the 
 
 * John i. '17. f Luke xvi. 1.6. J Luke ii. IQ, n, 
 
 Hdb. ix. 17. 
 
448 OF THE OLD AND 
 
 apoftles, on which the New Teftament was, as it were, 
 fealed, and its law came out of Zion.* 
 
 XVII. But all thefe things are eafily reconciled, if 
 we allow ibme latitude to that fulnefs of time, in which 
 the New fucceeded the Old Teftament. God, indeed, 
 began to prepare for the New Teftament from the very 
 birth of Chrift, on which very day the gofpel of Chrifl 
 exhibked began to be preached to the fhepherds ; but 
 thofe beginnings were very fmall ; but foon after fhone 
 forth more illuftrioufly by the preaching of John, pro- 
 claiming the kingdom of heaven to be at hand,t and of 
 Chrift himfelf, averting it was already come, and even 
 among the people of the Jews.J Yet the kingdom of 
 heaven did not direclly and all at once attain to its full 
 ftate of maturity, but by flow degrees acquired ftrength, 
 till Chrift, having finifhed the work which the Father 
 gave him to do, compleated all by his death, and rati- 
 fied the New Teftament. By this death of Chrift, the 
 Old Teftament was of right abrogated. Yet there was 
 an accefiion of greater folemnity to the New, when, after 
 the death, refurreftion, and afcenfion of our Lord, upon 
 the plentiful effuiion of the Spirit on the apoftles, the doc- 
 trine of falvation was proclaimed over all the habitable 
 world, God, at the fame time, bearing witnefs by figns 
 and wonders, and various virtues and gifts of the Holy 
 Ghoft. Yet fo that the church did not enjoy the full 
 liberty of the New Teftament, till after God had reject- 
 ed the people of Ifrael, who ftiffly adhered to their ce- 
 remonies, till the temple was burnt, and their whole 
 land was {mitten with a curfe ; which time of full liberty 
 the apoftle, in his day,$ called the world to come. 
 
 XVIII. Hence we fee, that the clofe of the Old 
 Teftament, gradually vanifhing away, and the begin- 
 
 * If. ii. 3. f Matth. iii. 2. f Luke xviK 21.. Heb. ii. 5* 
 
NEW TESTAMENT. 449 
 
 ning of the New gradually gaining ground, both center- 
 ed in one point of time. For as, on the birth of Chrift, 
 a more joyful period (hone forth, and the fangs of the 
 pious were heard, concerning the truth of God's cove- 
 nant confirmed by the accomplifhment of the promifes; 
 fo Chrift acknowledged himfelf to be fubjecl to the laws 
 of the Old Tellament by his circumcifion, and the rites 
 following upon it. And as -the kingdom of heaven, 
 which is a kingdom of liberty, was preached by our 
 Lord,* fo he ordered, in the mean time, the per ion 
 cleanfed .of his leprofy to offer the facrifke enjoined by 
 the law of Mofes.t Which is an evident indication of 
 the Old Teftament ftill maintaining its ground. Of 
 right it was entirely abrogated, when, upon Chrift's 
 death, the vail of the ternpie was rent, and the holy of 
 holies, before hid and concealed, was then fet open to 
 all ; and by the blood of a dying Chrift the New Tcfta- 
 me* was fealed. However, for fome time the apoilles 
 themfelves apprehended, that there was a fanftity in the 
 ceremonies, till Peter was better taught by a heavenly 
 vifion.J In ihort, the church ftruggled with the obfer- 
 vation of thefe ceremonies, now in the pangs of death, 
 till Jerufalem was taken and deftroyed by the Romans, 
 and the temple fet on fire ; together with thefe, all re- 
 mains of the Old Teftament, which were long before 
 condemned to death, quite expired, and made way for 
 a New Teftament, then at laft blazing forth in the full 
 luftre of its liberty. 
 
 XIX. And here again we are to ofoferve various pe^ 
 riods, which are diltinttly defcribed in the prophetic, 
 writings, efpecially in the myftical revelation of John, 
 fome of which the church has already experienced, and 
 
 * John iv* 2 1, 23. f M^tth. viii. 4. J A&s x. xo, n, c, 
 VOL. I. 3 I 
 
45 OF THE OLD AND 
 
 expels the reft with faith and patience. Periods, I fay, 
 not relating to any new worfhip, cither inHmuecI or to 
 be inftituted by God, after the preaching of the ever- 
 lafting gofpel; but refpeting very different viciflitudes 
 in the church, and times either more adverfe or more 
 profperous, in which truth and piety were either oppref- 
 fed, and, being wounded and {pent by many perfecu- 
 tions, were forced to conceal themfelves in deferts, 
 or then viftorioufly triumphed over their enemies, and 
 being placed on an illuftrious throne, dazzled the eyes 
 of all with the refulgent beams of their light. Of all 
 thefe we will alfo^fpeak in their place. 
 
 XX. In this manner we imagine, we have reckoned 
 up properly enough, and agreeably to the facred writ- 
 ings, the ceconomies of the times. Yet fome very 
 learned men have thought otherwife, wlib are better 
 pleafed with the trichotomy? or threefold divifion, than 
 with the received dichotomy, or twofold diftribution. 
 They therefore confider the adminiftration of the cove- 
 nant of grace, i. Under the promife, before the law, 
 which they contend to have been a promife of mere 
 grace and liberty, without any yoke or burden of an 
 accufing law. 2. Under the law, where they will have 
 the Old Teftament begin. 3. Under the goffel, where 
 the New begins. This diverfky would not be of that 
 importance, as to oblige us therefore to throw up the 
 caufe we plead for, if it confifted only in the computa- 
 tion of times. But feeing a vaft difference is made be- 
 tween thefe ceconomies, it will not be from thepurpofe 
 more minutely to examine thefe thoughts. 
 
 XXI. It appears certain, that the fathers living be- 
 fore the Mofaic law, were loaded with a much lighter 
 burthen of ceremonies, than the Ifraelites were under 
 and after Mofes : yet it does not appear, that they en- 
 joyed full liberty ? without any yoke and burthen of an 
 
NEW TESTAMENT. 451 
 
 accufmg law. For, to fay nothing of the law of nature, 
 which, with its appendages of curfes, was handed down 
 by conftant inftrufction, they had precepts concerning 
 facrificcs, not indeed binding them to a certain time arid 
 place, but yet enjoining facrificcs (which indeed were 
 not will-worftiip) and diitinguifhing clean from unclean 
 beads. This I imagine the very learned perfons will 
 not deny. At leaft the celebrated Cocceius finds fault 
 with Grotius, who affirms, that the offering of Abel was 
 made " without any command of God, from the dic- 
 tates of reafon only ;" and he infifts, that Abel could 
 not have offered in faith " without the word of God ;" 
 and that he did not offer " according to his own plea- 
 fare and fancy, but by the direction of the Holy Spirit, 
 Adam doubtlefs being the interpreter, and fetting an 
 example here." The fame thing he proves at large, in 
 Sum. defccd. $ 305. on Gen. iv. {14, 19, 20. And 
 another of thole, whole opinion we are now examining, 
 writes to this purpofe :* u The facrifices of believers 
 were doubtlefs of divine inftitution :" which after he had 
 proved by various arguments, he thus concludes : ;i In 
 fine, if God made a diftinclion between clean and un- 
 clean animals before the deluge, which was done on ac- 
 count of facrificcs, doubtlefs God alfo appointed facri- 
 iices." But in every facrifice there was a remembrance 
 of fins not yet expiated ; and, as Athanafius fpeaks, 
 o N E i D i s M o s, a reproaching of, and a Hand-writing, 
 which was. very much again ft the facrincers. For the, 
 reproaching with fin confifts not only in this, that the 
 offering of facrifices was limited to a certain time and 
 place, as was done under Moles ; but in the very offer- 
 ing of the facrifices : for when a man flew and burnt the 
 animals which God granted him for food, he thereby 
 
 * Momma on the threefold ceconomy, booki. chap. 3. 10. 
 
45 2 O I< T I! I O L D A N D 
 
 fignified, that he himfeif dcfcrved deftruuion ; nay, and 
 to pcrilh in avenging (lames for ever; and that he who, 
 by the one offering of himfelf, was truly to expiate the 
 fins of all the elcci, was not yet come : and that when 
 he offered frolickfome animals, who are apt to go aftray 
 from the flock, uteTefs kept by the fhepherd, thereby 
 were fignificd the guilt of fin and our going aftray, as 
 very learned men have obferved from If. liii. 6. 
 
 XXII. It is therefore Orange, that a great man, in 
 anfwer to this queftion, Whether Abel's facrifice was 
 propitiatory or euchariftical ? fhould fay, i; that before 
 Mofes's time facrifices for fins, were not inftituted by 
 God, the defign of which was to accufe of fin.* That 
 this is faid without proof, appears plain : i. Becaufe in 
 that cafe no facrifices were inftituted before Mofes, to 
 be types of the propitiatory facrifice of Chrift. For as 
 it was neceffary there fhould be an agreement between 
 the type and antitype, thofe facrifices, w^hich fhado'wed 
 forth the propitiatory facrifice of Chrift, were alfo in 
 their meafurc propitiatory ; that is. they fo expiated fin 
 to the cleanfing of the flcih, as at the fame time to con- 
 demn fin, and to {hew, that they were not fufficient for 
 its real expiation, bccaufe they were to be often repeat- 
 ed. Neither do the learned doubt, but that the facrifi- 
 ces even of the oldcft patriarchs were facrarnents and 
 types of ChrinVs facrifice ; for they write in exprefs 
 words, that " the fathers offered before Mofes's time the 
 fame facrifices with Mofes, and apt to fignify the fame 
 things. "t 2. It alfo appears, that Job, who, it is pro- 
 bable, -lived before, certainly without the Mofaic polity, 
 offered N GO LOTH burnt-offerings for his children and 
 friends, in order to expatiate the fins they had committed. J 
 Now, the end of a burnt-offering is, " to be accepted 
 
 * Cocccius in Gen. vl. fir. f Ibid, 20. + Job i. 5. and x}ii. & 
 
NEW TESTAMENT. 453 
 
 for him that offers, to make atonement for him, Lev. 
 i. 4. And by fuch facrifices the believers of that time 
 tdlificd," (which is the learned perfon's own obferva- 
 tion*) " that they acknowledged, that fuch a fatisfaftion 
 was due to God, which was not poifible for themfelves 
 to make." This was a charge of guilt and inability ; 
 which the fame great man could not conceal, when he 
 treats of the burnt-offerings offered by Jb, at the com- 
 mand of God, for his friends; and cxprefles himfelf 
 thus :t t; For though many facrifices were (lain, arid the 
 man indeed, upon offering a beaft, was no longer deem- 
 ed a firmer, but a righteous perfon among men ; yet 
 confciencc -was a ecu fed offtn, and confequently offerings 
 were both to be accumulated and repeated without end." 
 See the fame author on job ix. 28. but efpecially on 
 Job vii. i. 4i Job complains not," fays he, "of that 
 iervitude, whereby we obey God ; but of that laid on 
 the fathers, which is a heavy yoke of fear, and of the 
 terror of the lav;, with the greateft incumbrance of cere- 
 monies. But tho' Job feems to have lived before the 
 law of Mofes, and not to have been loaded with fo ma- 
 ny ceremonies as the Ifraelites ; yet his condition was no 
 better than theirs." There were therefore, in the facri- 
 fices which God enjoined from the beginning, a re- 
 proaching with, and an accufation of fin ; and confe- 
 quently a yoke, not confident with that liberty of the 
 fathers, which thefe learned men imagine. 
 
 XXIII. And what will they anfwer us with refpeft 
 to circumdifion ? Was not that alfo a yoke ? fmce it 
 was " not to be performed without blood, and mixed 
 with much pain and fhame." Was there not in it an ac- 
 cufation of (in ? " When the new-born infant could not 
 enter into God's covenant, without fir ft Ihedding his 
 
 * In Job i. 5. f Injobxlii.8. 
 
454 O F THE OLD AVD 
 
 blood. Whence this facrament was performed on the 
 genital member, to denote the original ftairi ; and by 
 the cutting off of a fmall part of the flefh, the whole 
 man was declared to be worthy of death."* Let the 
 learned perfons here acknowledge their own words. 
 And what is more plain from the holy writings of the 
 , New Teftament, than that circumcifion was confidered 
 by the apoftles as the principal part of 'the heavy yoke ?t 
 Neverthelefs, it does not appear, that Moles made any 
 addition of rigour to it ; having been, long before, en- 
 joined upon Abraham at fir ft under pain of being cut 
 off. From whence we conclude, that the condition of 
 the ancient patriarchs is too much extolled above that 
 of the Jewifh church, when it is infifted, that they lived 
 in liberty, without any charge of fm, without any yoke; 
 though we readily grant, that the fervitude was height- 
 ened, and the yoke made heavier under the Mofaic po- 
 lity. And this is what we had to fay on the firft period. 
 XXIV. They make the law to be the fecond period, 
 under which they would have the Old Teflament to be- 
 gin : which they define, to be " the will and purpofe 
 of God, whereby he determined to give fome of Abra- 
 ham's poflerity, as his own people, the inheritance of 
 the land of Canaan as his own land." And they add, 
 " that this teftament commenced from the departure 
 out of Egypt, and from mount Sinai." Which a very 
 .learned perfon endeavours to prove by feveral argu- 
 ments briefly joined together in the following manner. 
 The fcripture fays,$ that God made the Old Teftament 
 with the fathers, when he brought them out of Egypt ; 
 that is, called them to the inheritance of the land, as of 
 
 * Burman. fynopf. lib. 3. c. 6. 19, 22. f Ads xv. 5. com- 
 parrd with ver. 10. J Cocceii Sum. theol. c. 53. 3. Animad- 
 verf. ad 83 quselt 2, confer prasfau in epift. ad Ephef. Jcr. xxxi. 32. 
 
NEW TESTAMENT. 455 
 
 a pledge, &c. In like manner Paul* fays, that the two 
 teftaments were fignified by Hagarand Sarah, and that 
 the firft was truly from mount Sinai. The fame Paul 
 fays,t Neither the firjl tejlament was [initiated] dedicat- 
 ed without blood. He has his eye on Exod. xxiv..8. 
 He fays ENKEK.AN ISTAI, it was initiated ; therefore 
 tl>at teftament then became KAINE, w<?tt>. Confequent- 
 ly, that teftament was then introduced. Nay, it is 
 faid, The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Ho- 
 reb : the Lord made not this covenant with our fathers^ 
 How can we conceive, that the fathers had that which, 
 we are told, had not been intimated to them ? 
 
 XXV. Our reflections on this fubjeft, which we 
 fubmit to the examination of the learned, are thefe, u 
 They feem to confine the Old Teftament within too 
 narrow bounds, who define it only by the deftination of 
 the land of Canaan as a pledge of heaven ; as we mew- 
 ed $ 2. Doubtlefs, according to the Old Teftament, 
 the inheritance of the land of Canaan was given to the 
 Ifraelites : but this does not complete the whole fub- 
 ftance of the Old Teftament, which Paul clearly enough 
 declares,^ without fpeaking any thing of the land of 
 Canaan, confifted in a typical profpel of the heavenly 
 inheritance, and cowprifed every thing that imports a 
 typical fervitude, and was to be abolilhed upon the in- 
 troduction of the New Teftament. 
 
 XXVI. 2, When learned men fay, that the Old 
 Teftament commences from the departure out of Egypt, 
 and from mount Sinai, and call it the will or purpoie of 
 giving the land of Canaan, they underftand not by that 
 will or that purpofe, the counfel or decree of God, as 
 it is from eternity ; nor the execution of that decree, 
 
 '* Gal. iv. 24. f Heb. ix. 18. f Deut, v. z, 3. 
 
 Gal. iv. and Heb. ix, 
 
4 6 O F T H E O L D A X D 
 
 which was not effected at mount Sinai, but forty years 
 after, when, under the conduct of jofhua, they were 
 introduced into the land : but they understand the de- 
 claration of the counfel of God by an irrevocable pro- 
 mife. Now, that promife was not firft 'made at mount 
 Sinai, but long before, even to the patriarch Abraham, 
 four hundred and thirty years before the giving of the 
 law ; Unto thy feed will I give this land* And it was 
 confirmed by folemn iigns, and fealed by the blood of 
 facrifices.t Whence we conclude, that, if the Old 
 Teftament be the declaration of the will of God, about 
 giving the land of Canaan, it did not commence from 
 Mofes, but from Abraham. 
 
 XXVII. 3. Hence it appears, what anfwer ought to 
 be given to Jer. xxxi. 32. and Gal. iv. 24. namely, that 
 the firfl inftitution of the Old Teflament is not treated 
 of in thefe places, but the folernn renewal and confirma- 
 tion of it, and the acceffion of many new rites, which 
 we mentioned $ 18. For God himfelf teftifted oftener 
 than once about that time, that he did all thofe things in 
 virtue of his covenant entered into with Abraham. 
 God remembered his covenant with Abraham^ <&c. And 
 I mill bring you in unto the land^ concerning the which I 
 didfwear [with my uplifted hand] to give it to Abraham^ 
 to Ifaac, and to Jacob : and I mill give it you for an he- 
 ritage. It therefore remains, that the teftament about 
 giving the land of Canaan, was not then firft publifhed, 
 but folemnly repeated, when God was now meditating 
 the accomplifhment of it. And this is what Jeremiah 
 and Paul intend in the places quoted. 
 
 XXVIII. 4. What the apoflle fays, Neither the firjl 
 teflarnent was [initiated] dedicated without blood^h very 
 
 * Gen. xii. 7. f Gen. xv. 7. $ Exod. ii. 24. Chap. vi. 8, 
 Heb. ix. 1 8, i 
 
NEW TESTAMENT. 457 
 
 general, and may be extended to the fird facrifices, 
 which were flain at God's command. The very learned 
 Cloppenburg* from the fame paffage of Paul infifts, 
 that there was no interval of time between the firft pro- 
 mi fe of the future feed of the woman, and the firft fa- 
 crifice. " The apoftle," fays he, " confirms this our 
 opinion, whe~n he fays, that the Old Teftament was not 
 dedicated without blood, and that without fhedding of 
 blood there is no remiffion of fins. For hence it fol- 
 lows, that, with that promife about the future feed of 
 the woman, there was either no folemnizing of the fpi- 
 ritual covenant of God with man, by which he might 
 hope for and believe the remiffion of fins, or that there 
 was none without fhedding of blood." The apoftle, in- 
 deed, mentions what we have in Exod. xxiv. as an ex- 
 ample. But it does not thence follow, that no other 
 example of that truth could be given before that ; or 
 that any would miftake the fubjeft, who mould add to 
 the apoftle's argument, what we find Gen. xv. about 
 the beads which were ilain by Abraham. 
 
 XXIX. And the term dedicated ought not to be fo 
 infifted upon, as if that neceffarily inferred, that the 
 teftament, thus dedicated, was entirely new. For even 
 that may be faid to be dedicated, which is again folemn- 
 ]y dedicated, though the thing itfelf was in being long 
 before. Thus the author of i Mace. chap. vi. writes 
 about the temple profaned by Antiochus, KAI ENEKAI- 
 
 NISTHE TO HAGIASMA OS TOPROTERON, and the 
 
 fanttuary was dedicated as before. Yet Antiochus had 
 not deitroyed the fancluary, fo as to make it neceflary 
 to build one entirely new, but had only profaned it, 
 which Judas Maccabeus purified,t and thus dedicated 
 
 facrificiorum, problem. I. 3. f Chap. iv s 43. 
 
 3 K 
 
458 QF TKE OLD AND 
 
 it to God. From this was TA ENKAINIA, the fc aft of 
 the dedication, John x. 22.* On which place Grotius 
 comments; " ENKAIN IZEIN, to dedicate, whence the 
 appellation ENKAINIA, the feaft of dedication, is in 
 Hebrew CHANACH, which is ufed of any dedication, 
 whether the firft, or that which is renewed." And in- 
 deed, when the apoftle was faying,t that ChriftENE- 
 K A i N i s E, coufccrated a way to heaven, he by no means 
 intimated, that there was no way to heaven before that 
 time. 
 
 XXX. But let us grant, that the Old Teftament was 
 then new ; and that this may be proved by the word 
 ENKEKANISTAI ; let us alfo grant, that the apoftle, 
 fpeaking of the fhedding of blood, with which the tefta- 
 ment was dedicated, does not look back to any time 
 prior to that defcribed Exod. xxiv. Yet nothing will 
 be concluded in favor of the hypothefis. For the Old 
 Teftament was certainly new at that time, notabfolute- 
 ly, and in its whole fubftance, but only with refpecl to 
 thofe circumftances, under which it was propofed to 
 Ifrael, promifing them the immediate poffeOion of the 
 land of Canaan, for an inheritance, together with the 
 impofition of fo many new rites. We ought to be upon 
 our guard againft being guilty of the fophifm, called ar- 
 guing from what is hypothetical to what is abfolute. As 
 thefe things are neither unfkilfully nor improbably ob- 
 ferved by very learned men, I could have wifhed, that 
 hard faying had not dropt from the learned perfon, that 
 they who thus proceed, " wreft this pafiage contrary to 
 the meaning of the Holy Ghoft." Is this a difpute of 
 fuch a nature, that ft cannot be determined, without 
 fuch thunders and lightnings of language ? 
 
 XXXI. On Deut. v. 2, 3. many things have b^ n 
 taken notice of by interpreters. Nothing appe?" 
 
 * John x. 22, f Heb. x. 20. 
 
N.EW TESTAMENT. 459 
 
 more fimple and folia, than what the very learned Dutch 
 interpreters have obferved, to the (allowing purpofe : 
 That this covenant was not entered into with the fathers, 
 in the fame manner, with all its circumftances and par- 
 ticular laws, and in that form (as we ufe to fpeak) in 
 which it was revealed to Ifrael at Sinai or lioreb. For 
 even the believing patriarchs had the fubftance of the 
 moral and ceremonial law, and, by the grace of God, 
 managed their religious worfhip according to it. This 
 expofition is confirmed chiefly by two reafons. i. That 
 it is no new thing in the facrcd writings, for fomething 
 not mentioned before to be faid, and revealed at that 
 time, when it is more clearly difcovered, and fome new 
 additions made to it. Thus the apoftle writes concern- 
 ing the myftery of the gofpel, Which was keptfecretjlnce 
 the world-began, but now is made manifejl :* and yet the 
 fame apoftle lays, preached before the gofpel to Abraham^ 
 and to the other ancient fathers. J It was therefore kept 
 fecret not (imply, but in a comparative fenfe ; not 
 preached in the fame manner, as now. The apoftle him- 
 felf thus explains the matter : Which in other ages was 
 not made known unto the fins ofmen^ as it is now revealed 
 to his holy apo/lles. What God here fays may be ta- 
 ken in the fame fenfe ; that he did not make this cove- 
 nant with their fathers, namely in the fame manner and 
 form, by fpcaking to them from the midft of thunder- 
 ings and lightnings, giving them the law of the covenant 
 written with his own hand, with an addition of fo many 
 ceremonies. 2. Nor can thefe words of God only -be 
 explained to the lame fenfe, but they alfo feem to re- 
 quire the very farrie meaning. For (ince the decalogue, 
 which conftitutes the principal part of the federal pre- 
 cepts, was likewife, with refpeci to its fubftance, given 
 
 * Rom. xvi. 25, 26. f Gal. Hi. 8. i Hcb. iv. 2. Eph. iii. 5. 
 
460 OF THE OLD 6?c. 
 
 to the ancient patriarchs, as God's covenant-people, for 
 a rule of gratitude and a new life ; and the fum of it \va:s 
 comprized in thofc words, with which God, when he 
 formerly entered into covenant with Abraham, addreffed 
 him, I am the almighty God ; walk continually before me, 
 and be thou [fincere] pe rftft ;* it cannot therefore ab- 
 folutely be denied, that that covenant, whofe firil and 
 principal law is the decalogue, was alfo entered into 
 with the ancient patriarchs. Neither, as has been often 
 hinted, do all the ceremonies owe their original to Sinai 
 or Horeb. From the whole I conclude, that it cannot 
 be proved from the alledged paflages, that the Old Tef- 
 lament took its firft commencement from the departure 
 out of Egypt, or from mount Sinai ; and that it is more 
 probable, and more agreeable to the analogy of fcrip- 
 ture, to adhere to the received opinion. But how great 
 the difference is between the ceconomy of the Old and 
 New Teflament, and what prerogatives the laft has above 
 the firft, we mall explain, but not in a carelefs manner, 
 in its proper time and place. 
 
 * Gen. xvii. i. 
 
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