The safety of appearing at the day of judgement, in the righteousness of Christ

That the Covenant of Works did admit of a Mediator.

It will be readily granted, that though the evil of sin be incomparably great, yet it is not so great but that God may have compassion upon us, and find in his heart to provide a Mediator for us, his infinite mercy may move him to give us a Redeemer, though sin do greatly provoke him: The great question is. Whether he has not so bound himself by his law; as to take away all possibility of help by a Mediator. Whether the Law will give way to the interposure of a Mediator. Whether the Word of God does not bind him to punish the sinner in his own person; if so, it is a vain thing to expect any help from a Mediator, for no violence may be done unto the law: and the words of the curse have such a force, as if they did devote the sinner unto personal ruin: in the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely dye, Gen 2 17. but we must distinguish between such threatenings as are legal, and such as are personal: some threatenings are personal, and infallibly to be fulfilled upon those that are threatened: though the threatenings of eternal ⟨p. 38⟩destruction against impenitent sinners, must unavoidably take place on them: but there are some threatenings which are legal: and intend no more, but […] the Offender must dye legally; that is be punishe• with death, either in his own person, or the person of his surety; thus many humane laws are to be understood, thus it is among men in case of debt▪ and there is nothing in the words of the law th•• does contradict this interpretation. The words […] enforce no more than this: the words of the […] are not any ways strained by putting this […] upon them: neither is there any thing in the ca•• of it self to oppose this interpretation, for the sufferings of a surety answer the end of the Law as well as the sufferings of the Offenders,

It will be readily granted, that though the evil of sin be incomparably great, yet it is not so great but that God may have compassion upon us, and find in his heart to provide a Mediator for us, his infinite mercy may move him to give us a Redeemer, though sin do greatly provoke him: The great question is. Whether he has not so bound himself by his lavv; as to take away all possibility of help by a Mediator. Whether the Law will give way to the interposure of a Mediator. Whether the Word of God does not bind him to punish the sinner in his own person; if so, it is a vain thing to expect any help from a Mediator, for no violence may be done unto the law: and the words of the curse have such a force, as if they did devote the sinner unto personal ruine: in the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely dye, Gen 2 17. but we must distinguish between such threatnings as are legal, and such as are personal: some threatnings are personal, and infallibly to be fulfilled upon those that are threatned: though the threatnings of eternal