A57966:595
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.
2. It is ordinary to our Divines to say, by faith we do apply Christ and his righteousness: but if we speak properly, application is possession and a putting on of Christ and his righteousness. Now title or Law-right to an inheritance, and possession of it, are different natures, and have different causes: but faith gives not law-right to Christ and his righteousness not so much as instrumentally. My receiving with my hand gold, my eating and drinking the flesh and blood of Christ by faith, Joh. 6.53, 54, &c. doth presuppone some right to that gold: but no man can say that receiving of gold, and eating of bread and putting on of garments, gives a man right to gold, bread or garments. He that possesseth an inheritance hath some right to the inheritance by birth, buying, purchase or gift: the possession in its nature and causes may be unjust, yet it is possession. Nor can it be shown what causative influence, even instrumental faith, hath in our Law-right to Christs satisfaction and righteousness, except it were a meritorious cause of our right by way of instrument, which can hardly be said.
2. It is ordinary to our Divines to say, by faith we do apply Christ and his righteousnesse: but if we speak properly, application is possession and a putting on of Christ and his righteousnesse. Now title or Law-right to an inheritance, and possession of it, are different natures, and have different causes: but faith gives not law-right to Christ and his righteousnesse not so much as instrumentally. My receiving with my hand gold, my eating and drinking the flesh and blood of Christ by faith, Joh. 6.53, 54, &c. doth presuppone some right to that gold: but no man can say that receiving of gold, and eating of bread and putting on of garments, gives a man right to gold, bread or garments. He that poss•sseth an inheritance hath some right to the inheritance by birth, buying, purchase or gift: the possession in its nature and causes may be unjust, yet it is possession. Nor can it be shown what causative influence, even instrumentall faith, hath in our Law-right to Christs satisfaction and righteousnesse, except it were a meritorious cause of our right by way of instrument, which can hardly be said.