Of justification four disputations clearing and amicably defending the truth against the unnecessary oppositions…

I know not what can be said more against this, unless by the Antinomians who deny the covenant of Grace to have any proper Condition, but only a priority and posteriority of Duties. But the express conditional terms of the Covenant do put this so far out of doubt, and I have said so much of it in other writings, that I shall not trouble my self here with this sort of Adversaries: Only to prevent their mistake, I shall tell them this: that in a condition there is somewhat Essential, and that is found in the conditions of Gods Promise; and therefore they are proper conditions: and there is somewhat Accidental: as First, sometime that the thing be Uncertain to the Promiser: This is not in Gods Conditions: It is enough that in their own nature the things be contingent. Secondly, That the matter of the condition be somewhat that is gainful to the Promiser, or otherwise have a merit, or moral causality: But this is separable: In our case it is sufficient that it be somewhat that God liketh, loveth, or is pleasing to him, though it properly merit not.

I know not what can be said more against this, unless by the Antinomians who deny the covenant of Grace to have any proper Condition, but only a priority and posteriority of Duties. But the express conditional terms of the Covenant do put this so far out of doubt, and I have said so much of it in other writings, that I shall not trouble my self here with this sort of Adversaries: Only to prevent their mistake, I shall tell them this: that in a condition there is somewhat Essential, and that is found in the conditions of Gods Promise; and therefore they are proper conditions: and there is somewhat Accidental: as First, sometime that the thing be Ʋncertain to the Promiser: This is not in Gods Conditions: It is enough that in their own nature the things be contigent. Secondly, That the matter of the condition be somewhat that is gainfull to the Promiser, or otherwise have a merit, or moral causality: But this is separable: In our case it is sufficient that it be somewhat that God liketh, loveth, or is pleasing to him, though it properly merit not.

And the evident Reason why God hath made some Promises conditional, is, that his Laws and Promises may be perfectly suited to the nature of man on whom they must work, and so may show forth Gods Infinite Wisdom, and may in a way agreeable to our natures attain their ends: and man may be drawn to that which he is backward to by the help of that which he is naturally more forward to, or by the fear of that evil which naturally he doth abhor: As also that the Holiness of God may shine forth in his Word; and it may be seen that he loveth Justice, Holiness, Obedience, and not only the persons of men: and so