A57966:111
The covenant of life opened, or, A treatise of the covenant of grace
The covenant of life opened, or, A treatise of the covenant of grace containing something of the nature of the covenant of works, the sovereignty of God, the extent of the death of Christ ... the covenant of grace ... of surety or redemption between the by Samuel Rutherford ...The covenant of life opened, or, A treatise of the covenant of grace containing something of the nature of the covenant of works, the soveraignty of God, the extent of the death of Christ ... the covenant of grace ... of surety or redemption between the by Samuel Rutherford ...
Edinburgh: printed by Andro Anderson for Robert Brown, 1655
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.
But the conclusion hath neither reason nor sense; for there are universal apprehensions in all men, and they cannot be rooted out, that God does good to Angels, men, and creatures freely: Ergo; by this Logic the doing of good freely to Angels, men, and creatures is not a thing that is in God according to his free-will, and may be in the Almighty or not in him. Then the so doing must be in God essentially. 2. Then must God not be God, if he do not good freely to them. 3. Then must God not be God, except he create men, Angels, and creatures. 4. But since he is God everlasting, he must from everlasting have created men, Angels, and the creatures, and from everlasting he must punish sin; Life may be considered. 1. As life. 2. As such an excellent life, to wit, a communion with God.
But the conclusion hath neither reason nor sense; for there are universall apprehensions in all men, and they canot be rooted out, that God does good to Angels, men, and creatures freely: Ergo; by this Logick the doing of good freely to Angels, men, and creatures is not a thing that is in God according to his free-will, and may be in the Almighty or not in him. Then the so doing must be in God essentially. 2. Then must God not be God, if he do not good freely to them. 3. Then must God not be God, except he create men, Angels, and creatures. 4. But since he is God everlasting, he must from everlasting have created men, Angels, and the creatures, and from everlasting he must punish sin; Life may be considered. 1. As life. 2. As such an excellent life, to wit, a communion with God.
In the former consideration, life is either considered as the end, or secondly as a free reward.1 In the former respect. To live an intellectual life in obeying God, was to Adam so created a connatural end, as to burn, is to fire, and to give light, to the Sun. And God may put the respect of a reward upon any obediential end. But that Adam should have such an eminent life, for the reward of his obedience as a communion with God, which is far above his obedience, is the free donation of God: nor is there any necessary connection between Adams perfect obedience, and so high and eminent a life, nor can this Covenant, as touching such a promise, be written in his heart. God then never loved to make any Covenant, yea even that of Works, without some acts and out-goings of grace, and the hire was grace, how is he not to be served, who loves to hire and allure us to be happy?