But tis common to the dispensation both of the covenant of works and the covenant of grace,1 and not peculiar to pure law more than to the gospel, but common it is to all states, that Angels or man can do nothing but as predetermined by God who did show what frail nature is, for though Adam had a sanctified and strong free-will to obey God, yet when God was pleased to with-draw his predeterminating influence, by which Adam should actually have continued and persevered in actual obedience and in a holy abstinence from eating of the tree of knowledge, hic & nunc, it was no more in Adams independent power to keep that commandment, •ate not, then the sun can move or the fire cast heat, when God denieth his actual influence to either. So the law had so much of beggarliness, frailty and impotency of the creature, before its fall that the Image of God in its flower & Summer-prime and beauty could not keep Adam from falling on his own weight, yet was he obliged not to fall by law and was not able to stand without the predeterminating influence of God, and so sin, in falling when he could not stand, and this is the same in the covenant of grace, the Image of the second Adam keeps us not indeclinably from sin, and though ⟨p. 161⟩in the Gospel, God gives grace to do what he requires, yet can we do nothing even when we are gifted with a new heart, and with a new spirit, except the Lord work in us to will and to doe, hic & nunc. Antinomians say, when God with-draweth his predeterminating grace, without which we cannot work, nor pray, nor believe, no command obligeth us in that case to work, pray, or believe, because we are not under the law, & it is legal that we should be obliged to fulfil a command which we cannot fulfil so Del ser. p. 19. In the Gospel the word and the spirit are always conjoined. a manifest untruth, for the spirit is free to deny his influence hic & nunc, when the Gospel is preached to believers. And it is no law-strain that we be obliged to obey a Gospel-command when the spirit worketh not.
But tis common to the dispensation both of the covenant of works and the covenant of grace,1 and not peculiar to pure law more than to the gospel, but common it is to all states, that Angels or man can doe nothing but as predetermined by God who did shew what frail nature is, for though Adam had a sanctified and strong free-will to obey God, yet when God was pleased to with-draw his predeterminating influence, by which Adam should actually have continued and persevered in actuall obedience and in a holy abstinence from eating of the tree of knowledge, hic & nunc, it was no more in Adams independent power to keepe that commandement, •ate not, then the sunne can move or the fire cast heat, when God denyeth his actuall influence to either. So the law had so much of beggarlinesse, frailty and impotencie of the creature, before its fall that the Image of God in its flower & Summer-prime and beauty could not keepe Adam from falling on his owne weight, yet was he obleiged not to fall by law and was not able to stand without the predeterminating influence of God, and so sinne, in falling when hee could not stand, and this is the same in the covenant of grace, the Image of the second Adam keepes us not indeclinably from sin, and though ⟨p. 161⟩in the Gospell, God gives grace to doe what hee requires, yet can wee doe nothing even when wee are gifted with a new heart, and with a new spirit, except the Lord work in us to will and to doe, hic & nunc. Antinomians say, when God with-draweth his predeterminating grace, without which wee cannot worke, nor pray, nor beleeve, no command obligeth us in that case to worke, pray, or beleeve, because we are not under the law, & it is legall that we should bee obliged to fulfill a command which wee cannot fulfill so Del ser. p. 19. In the Gospel the word and the spirit are alwayes conjoyned. a manifest untruth, for the spirit is free to deny his influence hic & nunc, when the Gospel is preached to beleevers. And it is no law-straine that wee bee obliged to obey a Gospel-command when the spirit worketh not.
- 1an absolute independent power to do what ever God commandeth, peculiar neither to the covenant of works, before the fall, nor to the law or Gospel after the fall, but i• ever was common to all States to the creature to act dependently upon Gods predetermination.an absolute independent power to doe what ever God commandeth, peculiar neither to the covenant of workes, before the fall, nor to the law or Gospel after the fall, but i• ever was common to all States to the creature to act dependently upon Gods predetermination.
