A26923:467
An end of doctrinal controversies which have lately troubled the churches
An end of doctrinal controversies which have lately troubled the churches by reconciling explication without much disputing. Written by Richard Baxter.
London: printed for John Salusbury, 1691
Chapter 12 › Section 1: Of the Law or Covenant of Innocency made to Adam.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
§. 6. This Law of Nature bound Adam to perfect Devotedness to God as his Owner, and perfect gratitude to God as his Antecedent Benefactor, and to perfect Obedience to God as his Ruler, and to perfect Love to God as his ultimate most amiable End. And this perfect Obedience was to be perpetual.
§. 7. It was Adam personally that the Law bound to this perfect perpetual Obedience, and not another for him, or that he should obey by a Representative, or a Delegate, a Servant, or by any other.
§. 8. Nature, even in its depraved state, now telleth us, that all Sin against God deserveth Punishment; Therefore the Law of Nature had a Penal part.
§. 9. It is a great doubt with many Divines whether the Law of Nature had any premiant part or promise, and so was a Covenant; because, say they, Duty obligeth not God to reward us. But it seemeth to me as far past doubt as the penal part. For the question is not, what our Duty performed obligeth God to, much less in point of Commutative Justice, where no Creature can Merit of God, ⟨p. 115⟩