An end of doctrinal controversies which have lately troubled the churches

§. 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⟩Job 35. 6, 7, 8. If thou be Righteous, what givest thou him, &c. But it is presupposed that God first became Man's Benefactor and his Ruler, and his Law is the Instrument of his Government; and his Promise is but the signification of his Will, what he will give, and on what Terms: And God in Nature signified his Will to bless the Obedient, and love those that love him; For as a Ruler he is Just; and if he differenced not the Righteous from the Sinner, what were his Justice? Were there no other Reward, but the Continuance of the Paradise-Blessing freely given him (which Sin would forfeit) it would have been a great Reward: And if God equally take away his Gifts from Good and Bad, it is not Governing Justice, though as the Act of a Proprietor it be neither Just nor Unjust, so that the very essence of Undertaken Government, containeth a discovery of God's Rewarding Will; which is the promissory or premiant part of the Law of Nature.