THE Great and Glorious God who has an absolute Dominion over his Creatures, might (had he pleased) have dealt with Men in a way of Sovereignty only, requiring Duty and Obedience from them, without any promise of reward. But he has seen Good to transact with them in a Covenant way. There are but Two Covenants essentially differing which the Most High has made with men, Viz. That of Works, And that of Grace. The first Covenant which man whilst in Paradise, was concerned in, is rightly termed a Covenant of Works, because Works or Doing, was the Condition of it. This was soon broken, and so made Null; but then the Lord out of his Infinite Goodness, was pleased to establish another Covenant, The first was made with a Righteous Person, and so a Covenant of Works, ⟨image ?⟩between the Holy God and him. This latter was made with sinners and is therefore a Covenant of Reconciliation. And it is fitly styled the Covenant of Grace: Not but that there was Grace in the First Covenant, for His Divine Majesty did infinitely condescend in binding himself to his Creature: but to do thus to a fallen, forlorn sinful Creature, is by way of Eminent Grace. The Scripture speaketh expressly of Two Covenants, Gal 4.24. And that not only as Diverse, but as Opposite and differing in their Natures. The Law of Faith is set in direct opposition to the Law of Works. Rom. 3.27. For a man to find the Life of his hands, to live by his own Righteousness; and for him to depend solely upon […] Righteousness of another, that is, of Jesus Christ for Life and Salvation, are contrary things. And from thence it is impossible for a man to be under both the Covenants at the same time: he cannot be the Child of two Mothers, the Child of Hagar, and of Sarah too.
THE Great and Glorious God who has an absolute Dominion over his Creatures, might (had he pleased) have dealt with Men in a way of Soveraignty only, requiring Duty and Obedience from them, without any promise of reward. But he has seen Good to transact with them in a Covenant way. There are but Two Covenants essentially differing which the Most High has made with men, Viz. That of Works, And that of Grace. The first Covenant which man whilst in Paradise, was concerned in, is rightly termed a Covenant of Works, because Works or Doing, was the Condition of it. This was soon broken, and so made Null; but then the Lord out of his Infinite Goodness, was pleased to establish another Covenant, The first was made with a Righteous Person, and so a Covenant of Works, ⟨image ?⟩between the Holy God and him. This latter was made with sinners and is therefore a Covenant of Reconciliation. And it is fitly stiled the Covenant of Grace: Not but that there was Grace in the First Covenant, for His Divine Majesty did infinitely condescend in binding himself to his Creature: but to do thus to a fallen, forlorn sinful Creature, is by way of Eminent Grace. The Scripture speaketh expresly of Two Covenants, Gal 4.24. And that not only as Diverse, but as Opposite and differing in their Natures. The Law of Faith is set in direct opposition to the Law of Works. Rom. 3.27. For a man to find the Life of his hands, to live by his own Righteousness; and for him to depend solely upon 〈…〉 Righteousness of another, that is, of Jesus Christ for Life and Salvation, are contrary things. And from thence it is impossible for a man to be under both the Covenants at the same time: he cannot be the Child of two Mothers, the Child of Hagar, and of Sarah too.
