A57966:120
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.
This looks somewhat the Arminian way, that man cannot be under the subjection of, properly so called, Moral obedience, except his will be indifferent as Adams was, to stand or fall, to run to Heaven or Hell, which indeed saith, that the most perfect obedience of Christ, ⟨p. 27⟩who was obedient to the death, Phil. 2.8. and delighted to do the will of God, Psal. 40.8. John 4.34. is no proper obedience, that is, perfect obedience is not proper obedience. And that obedience of Elect Angels the sampler of our obedience, Mat. 6.10. Isa. 6.2, 3. Psal. 103.20. is not proper obedience. 3. Whereas it is said, if man sin, his moral dependency cannot stand, except God punish him, but so not only God shall not be God, nor have dominion over man, except he impose a penal Law upon man, but he shall not be God except he actually punish man, or his surety Christ.1 But the same pen saith that the out-goings of justice are free, that is to say, it is free to God to punish sin; and yet he falls from his natural dominion over man, and leaves off to be God, if he punish not sin. But we do deny that God falls from his natural dominion over man, though he never impose a penal Law upon him, and never punish, and desire that this may be proven, nor is it imaginable, how God by necessity of nature, must punish sin; And yet, in the way, measure, and degree of punishment, and in the time when, he can use moderation. 2Which is as good as to say, the fire must, by necessity of nature, burn, the Sun cast light; But the fire hath free will to burn when it pleaseth, and at this time, and not at this time; and the Sun must shine, by necessity of nature, but it is free to shine at ten hours of the day, and not at twelve, and it may shine as bright as the Sun, or as dim as the Moon. Or God the Father loves himself, but it is free to him to love himself to day, not to morrow, and to love himself so much, not so much. And so he may say, God is so merciful and just to day, as he may be no merciful, no just, to morrow; and God is infinitely merciful and just, and yet he is less merciful and more merciful essentially according to his good pleasure, which are speaking contradictions.