A76991:926
The True Bounds of Christian Freedom
The true bounds of Christian freedom or a treatise wherein the rights of the law are vindicated, the liberties of grace maintained, and the several late opinions against the law are examined and confuted. Whereunto is annexed a discourse of the learned John Cameron's, touching the threefold covenant of God with man, / faithfully translated, by Samuel Bolton minister of the word of God at Saviours-Southwark.The true bounds of Christian freedome or a treatise wherein the rights of the law are vindicated, the liberties of grace maintained, and the severall late opinions against the law are examined and confuted. Whereunto is annexed a discourse of the learned Iohn Camerons, touching the threefold covenant of God with man, / faithfully translated, by Samuel Bolton minister of the word of God at Saviours-Southwark.
London: printed by J.L. for Philemon Stephens, 1645
Title page typeset from the transcription.
CERTAIN THESES, or, Positions of the Learned JOHN CAMERON, Concerni… › Thesis 14: 14 Thesis.
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.
14 Thesis.
To the third Question we answer: 1That faith, which the exact justice of man in the Covenant of Nature presupposeth, in this agreeth with the faith which is required in the covenant of Grace, in that both are from God; both are a persuasion of the love of God; both do beget in man the mutual love of God; because faith abounding, Love also aboundeth; ⟨p. 362⟩and faith languishing, Love doth languish; and faith extinguished, Love also is extinguished. But they differ, first, in the foundation; for the faith which the justice of Nature doth presuppose, is founded upon the title of a perfect Creature, and therefore, now it hath no place since the fall of Adam; for although God doth love the Creature in it self; yet as it is corrupt with sin, so he hateth it: no one therefore is able to persuade himself that he is beloved of God, upon this title as he is a creature, (for as much as all have sinned) and so [by consequence] neither can he truly, nor set so persuade himself that he loves God. But the faith of which mention is made in the covenant of grace, is founded upon the promise made in Christ. Secondly, not withstanding both are from God, yet the faith which exact justice in the covenant of Nature presupposes, is from God (as the Schools speak) by way of Nature: whereas the faith which is required in the covenant of grace, is from God too; but so as by way of supernatural grace. Thirdly, the justice which the faith of Nature doth beget was mutable; because the faith from whence that Justice or Righteousness ⟨p. 363⟩did flow, did depend upon a principle of nature, mutable: But the holiness which the faith of the covenant of grace doth beget, is eternal and immutable, as proceeding from an eternal and immutable principle; to wit, the Spirit of grace. Fourthly, the justice which the faith of Nature doth beget, notwithstanding it was perfect in its kind; yet in the nobility and excellency of it, it fell much below that holiness which is begotten by the faith in Christ. And whereas even the most holy in this life do fall far short of that original justice [or righteousness,] this so comes to pass from the penury and scantness of faith; but here in this place, we do understand faith in the most eminent [and superlative degree of faith, such as it shall be hereafter] in the life to come.