A57966:146
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.
4. A promise is, by order of time or nature, latter and posterior to the good thing promised, as words of truth are latter to things, and things have the same valour and worth, before and after the promise,1 yea if one promise to give for a plot of ground, a sum of money of value, five hundred times above the worth of that plot of ground, that promise can not make the unequal and unjust price to be a just and equal price. Even so the promise of God to give eternal life to the obedience of Adam can make no equality of strict justice between the reward and the wage; For the reward promised for the wages is equal and just before the promise, and ex naturâ rei; and so must lay bands on the Lord, so as he cannot do contrary unto it, which is against all reason.
4. A promise is, by order of time or nature, latter and posterior to the good thing promised, as words of truth are latter to things, and things have the same valor and worth, before and after the promise,1 yea if one promise to give for a plot of ground, a summe of money of value, five hundred times above the worth of that plot of ground, that promise can not make the unequall and unjust price to be a just and equall price. Even so the promise of God to give eternall life to the obedience of Adam can make no equality of strict justice between the reward and the wage; For the reward promised for the wages is equall and just before the promise, and ex naturâ rei; and so must lay bands on the Lord, so as he cannot do contrair unto it, which is against all reason.
- 1A promise being posterior to things promised, cannot alter the worth or value of things.
And who gave first to the Lord, and it shall be recompensed to him, 1and he that gave first to him, man or Angel, must give his own (or then it is no giving) which he received not from God, either created being, or gift, or work (for any uncreated gift none can give to him) as is said. 2. What is given is amongst the all things that are of him, as the efficient, and to him, as the last end, and through him, as the conserver of all, and so can be no gift to him, Rom 11.36.