A discourse of the true nature of the Gospel demonstrating that it is no…

And now, what is the Ground of this desperate Assertion? Why truly only this, That because the Law once broken, there were no longer any Promises made to the Obedience of a Sinner; therefore the Covenant between God and Man was entirely vacated, and so the Sinner was no longer bound to obey, till a new Law came with other Precepts of Faith, and making Promises to lower degrees of Duty; and then upon this new Account the Creature stands bound again. Now all this is founded upon one grand Mistake; which is, that our Obedience to God is established upon his Covenant with us; and that the only Tie upon us, are Promises or Threatenings: Whereas our Duty to God immediately results from the infinite Greatness of his Being, which is therefore supreme, and hath an undoubted Right to command, and from the unalterable Relation of a Creature to his Maker. So that Adam, as soon as he had Existence, was presently bound to obey God in all that he would command him, tho he had made no Promise to him of any Reward. And if God had placed him in a dismal Desert, instead of settling him in Paradise; if he had sharpened his Life with Sorrows and Miseries, in the room of those Blessings and Comforts which he enjoyed, yet he might have commanded him all that he pleased, and it would have been his Duty to have paid a ready Obedience. And this clears the Difficulty lying in our way, that tho the Law made no Promises to Sinners, as the Gospel doth, yet that hinders it not from commanding and engaging them to repent; for by what I ⟨p. 51⟩have proved, it appears, that Promises do not lay the Foundation of a Duty, but are only the Encouragements of it. Well then, tho Adam saw not any thing in the Law to renew Life to a Penitent Offender, tho he could not read in it one Syllable of a Pardon, yet the same Law which required Obedience of him, commanded after he had sinned, to repent, and return to his Duty; tho he had no hopes of succeeding in it, and had no assurance that a justly provoked and angry God would forgive, and descried not the least Promise shining in Heaven to favour him.

And now, what is the Ground of this desperate Assertion? Why truly only this, That because the Law once broken, there were no longer any Promises made to the Obedience of a Sinner; therefore the Covenant between God and Man was entirely vacated, and so the Sinner was no longer bound to obey, till a new Law came with other Precepts of Faith, and making Promises to lower degrees of Duty; and then upon this new Account the Creature stands bound again. Now all this is founded upon one grand Mistake; which is, that our Obedience to God is establish'd upon his Covenant with us; and that the only Tie upon us, are Promises or Threatnings: Whereas our Duty to God immediately results from the infinite Greatness of his Being, which is therefore supream, and hath an undoubted Right to command, and from the unalterable Relation of a Creature to his Maker. So that Adam, as soon as he had Existence, was presently bound to obey God in all that he would command him, tho he had made no Promise to him of any Reward. And if God had plac'd him in a dismal Desart, instead of settling him in Paradise; if he had sharpen'd his Life with Sorrows and Miseries, in the room of those Blessings and Comforts which he enjoy'd, yet he might have commanded him all that he pleas'd, and it would have been his Duty to have paid a ready Obedience. And this clears the Difficulty lying in our way, that tho the Law made no Promises to Sinners, as the Gospel doth, yet that hinders it not from commanding and engaging them to repent; for by what I