Vindiciae legis, or, A vindication of the moral law and the covenants, from the…Vindiciae legis, or, A vindication of the morall law and the covenants, from the…

And so Aquinas well, Deus non est debitor, quia ad alia non ordinatur, sed omnia ad ipsum, God by covenanting and promising doth not become a debtor, because he is not to be ordered for other things, but all things for him. Hence is that saying of God, Reddit debita nulli debens, donat debita nihil pendens: And so again, Justus est, non quia reddit debitum, sed quia facit quod decet summè bonum: So that when God entereth into a covenant or promise, you must conceive of this suitably to his great majesty; you must not apprehend of it, as when two men agree that are equal, and therefore a debt of justice ariseth between them, and one may implead the other; but as a merciful condescension on Gods part, to promise such things to us, that so we might be the more confirmed in our hope in him. Hence Durand and Ariminensis labour to prove, that Gods promises do not induce an obligation, but denote the disposition of God to give, although their arguments exclude only a debt of justice from God. Therefore although in the Covenant God makes with man, there is a compact of mutual fidelity, yet there is not a reciprocal, and equal right of covenanting, because of the inequality of the Covenanters; so that the whole disposition and ordering of the Covenant with such conditions is on Gods part, and not mans: Hence it's called Gods Covenant, and not mans.

And so Aquinas well, Deus non est debitor, quia ad alia non ordinatur, sed omnia ad ipsum, God by covenanting and promising doth not become a debtor, because he is not to be ordered for other things, but all things for him. Hence is that saying of God, Reddit debita nulli debens, donat debita nihil pendens: And so again, Justus est, non quia reddit debitum, sed quia facit quod decet summè bonum: So that when God entreth into a covenant or promise, you must conceive of this sutably to his great majesty; you must not apprehend of it, as when two men agree that are equall, and therefore a debt of justice ariseth between them, and one may implead the other; but as a mercifull condescension on Gods part, to promise such things to us, that so we might be the more confirmed in our hope in him. Hence Durand and Ariminensis labour to prove, that Gods promises doe not induce an obligation, but denote the disposition of God to give, although their arguments exclude onely a debt of justice from God. Therefore although in the Covenant God makes with man, there is a compact of mutuall fidelity, yet there is not a reciprocall, and equall right of covenanting, because of the inequality of the Covenanters; so that the whole disposition and ordering of the Covenant with such conditions is on Gods part, and not mans: Hence it's called Gods Covenant, and not mans.