A57966:116
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.
6. If God did more for Adam, then he can recompense God for it,1 as the Father hath done to the Son, then he could not merit at the hand of God: But God did more to Adam in giving to him being, faculties, mind, will, affections, power, habits, his blessed Image, then Adam can never be in a condition, in which he can recompense God, or give him more annual and usury, in his acting of obedience, then the stock was he received in proportion. As the Son can never give the Father, in recompense, so much or the captive ransomed from death, can never give to his ransom payer, who bought him so much, as the one and the other shall no more be under an obligation, and debt of love and service to father and ransomer▪ then to a stranger that they never knew: Nor could Adam thus be freed of God, so as he should be owing nothing to him. If any say, God may freely forgive all this obligation and debt: To which Bradwardine Answers well: 1. The forgiving of the debt, when the debtor hath nothing to pay is a greater debt taken on. 2. God (saith he) may forgive so in regard of actual obligation, that he is not oblidged ad aliquid faciendum sub poena peccati, to do any thing under the pain or punishment of sin, as the hireling is obliged to work, when he hath made a Covenant to work, and so we are not obliged to do, as much as we can for God. But in regard of habitual obligation, God cannot forgive the debt, that the reasonable creature owes to God, for so he might dispense with this, that the reasonable creature owe no obedience to God, suppose he should command it, which is impossible.
6. If God did more for Adam, then he can recompence God for it,1 as the Father hath done to the Son, then he could not merit at the hand of God: But God did more to Adam in giving to him being, faculties, mind, will, affections, power, habites, his blessed Image, then Adam can never be in a condition, in which he can recompence God, or give him more annuall and usurie, in his acting of obedience, then the stock was he received in proportion. As the Son can never give the Father, in recompence, so much or the captive ransomed from death, can never give to his ransome payer, who bought him so much, as the one and the other shall no more be under an obligation, and debt of love and service to father and ransomer▪ then to a stranger that they never knew: Nor could Adam thus be freed of God, so as he should be owing nothing to him. If any say, God may freely forgive all this obligation and debt: To which Bradwardine Answers well: 1. The forgiving of the debt, when the debtor hath nothing to pay is a greater debt taken on. 2. God (saith he) may forgive so in regard of actuall obligation, that he is not oblidged ad aliquid faciendum sub poena peccati, to do any thing under the pain or punishment of sin, as the hireling is obleiged to work, when he hath made a Covenant to work, and so we are not oblidged to do, as much as we can for God. But in regard of habituall obligation, God cannot forgive the debt, that the reasonable creature owes to God, for so he might dispence with this, that the reasonable creature owe no obedience to God, suppose he should command it, which is impossible.