Of the Covenant of Grace in general.Of the Covenant of Grace in generall.

CHAP. III. Of the Covenant of Grace in general.

CHAP. III. Of the Covenant of Grace in generall.

The Covenant of Grace is that free and gracious Covenant which God of his mere mercy in Jesus Christ made with man a miserable and wretched sinner, promising unto him pardon of sin and eternal happiness, if he will return from his iniquity, embrace mercy reached forth, by faith unfeigned, and walk before ⟨p. 15⟩God in sincere, faithful and willing obedience, as becomes such a creature lifted up unto such enjoyment, and partaker of such precious promises. This Covenant is opposite to the former in kind, so that at one and the same time, man cannot be under the Covenant of works and the Covenant of grace. For he cannot hope to be justified by his perfect and exact obedience, that acknowledging himself to be a miserable and lost sinner, doth expect pardon of the free mercy of God in Jesus Christ embraced by faith. The condition of the Law as it was given to Adam, excludes the necessity of mercy reaching to the pardon of sin: and the necessity of making a new Covenant, argues the former could not give life, Heb. 8. 7. He that is under grace, cannot at the same time be under the law: and he that waits for Salvation of mere and rich grace to be vouchsafed, cannot expect it as the deserved wages of his good work from justice, and not of mercy.

THe Covenant of Grace is that free and gracious Covenant which God of his meere mercy in Jesus Christ made with man a miserable and wretched sinner, promising unto him pardon of sinne and eternall happinesse, if he will return from his iniquity, embrace mercy reached forth, by faith unfained, and walke before ⟨p. 15⟩God in sincere, faithfull and willing obedience, as becomes such a creature lifted up unto such injoyment, and partaker of such pretious promises. This Covenant is opposite to the former in kind, so that at one and the same time, man cannot be under the Covenant of workes and the Covenant of grace. For he cannot hope to be justified by his perfect and exact obedience, that acknowledging himselfe to be a miserable and lost sinner, doth expect pardon of the free mercy of God in Iesus Christ embraced by faith. The condition of the Law as it was given to Adam, excludes the necessity of mercy reaching to the pardon of sinne: and the necessity of making a new Covenant, argues the former could not give life,