A57966:802
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 it may be said, if Christs dying for sinners remove as a satisfactory punishment, the guilt and obligation to eternal wrath, what way is the real, and as it were, the physical inherency and essence of sin removed? Ans. The obligation to wrath is removed only in a legal way by suffering of punishment due to sin,1 which Christ hath done; But the essence real of sin is only removed, as every other contrary is removed, by the expelling of sin out of its subject, and by introducing the contrary form, to wit, inherent righteousness, and the perfect habit of Sanctification and holiness. Now for this, Christs dying and suffering wrath due to us, suppose Christ should die a thousand thousand times for us, his dying cannot as a satisfying cause, or as a punishment remove this. For 1. a punishment suffered by our Surety can but exhaust and remove the punishment due to the sinner for whom the suretyship is undertaken. But 2. Christs dying cannot as a punishment remove ⟨p. 324⟩sin as sin, and as contrary to the holy Law, and make us defiled wretches and servants of sin holy, as the paying of ten thousand Crowns for a forlorn waster, cannot make him to be no waster, and a man that hath obeyed the Law; only it makes that in Law the payment cannot be charged upon him. 3. Christs transacting with God as our Surety is not only then merely to remove eternal punishment, but to purchase by the merit of his death the healing and sanctifying of our nature, Heb. 10.10. By the which will we are sanctified by the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all. 2Then our Sanctification is procured to us by the will of God, not simply as his commanding will: for then should all and every one whom the Lord commands to be holy, 1 Pet. 1.16. be sanctified, which we see is not done: but by the will of the Father, commanding Christ to die, Joh. 10.18. Joh. 14.31. and the will of Christ offering himself once for a sacrifice for sin, is the will which sanctifies us. So Pareus well saith, it is the will with its correlate, for in the willing passive obedience of Christ are we sanctified really by the merit of his death, though this be wrought by degrees. 2. Since the Father consents and wills that Christ die, and the Son willingly offers himself a sacrifice, the number (as judicious and Godly M.