C4ap:'4. Ofthe- Laws ingeneral: íntróduFk 1. F'irft becaufe the Law and the Gofpel arenothing elfe , but two Covenants whichGod made with Mankind, and in that refpeet are called the Old and NewTe- ftaments,confidering themnot ás they are in theBooks (for fo in the OldTeftament, there is the Gofpel alto, theLaw being as St. Aug. faith, :Evangeliumabfrondìtum, and the Gofpel, Lex revelata the Law revealed : the Gofpel the NewLaw, and the Law the Old Gofpel ) but as they beCovenants. Nowtaking themasLegacies ina `Dill, there are in a Teflament two Parties neceffarilyrequired. 1. The. Trffater or Legator. 2. The Legatee, or the Parry to whom the Legacy is bequeathed. So in each Covenant, both ofLaw and Gofpcl, therewere twoParties. The firft between God and Adam; the Covenant onGod's part, was to give to Adam, Paradife, feli- city : and on Adam's part to returnto God perfeEt obedience. This did Adam receive power and ftrength toperform , but he abufing this power, and oppofing it again( God , juftly incurred the forfeiture of his felicity, and the penalty of morte morieris, death and mifery , oppofrte to Paradife, from which the ftrength given to him by God might have preferved him. Now this Covenant bein g broken and made void, it pleafcd God inhis mercy (not regarding this forfeiture ) to make anew Covenant, the Covenant of Faith in which there were twobonds : one between God and Chrift, and another betwxt Chrift andus.: on Gods fide-fe.. licity,on Chrifts part fatisfa&ion to God for us, on our fide Faith unfeigned, with'new obedience; but this not by our own ftrength, but by the power of Chrift , andhis Spirit. For as Man fell, and by his fall loft all that hehad, fo, ifhe would recover that which was loft, he mull make fatisfaEtion for it: but this he could not nowdo, and therefore Chrift undertook'it for him, fuffered for him, and removedthe penalty, fatisfied the forfeiture, and thereby reftored to Man all thathe had loft.. Now Chrift had a double Title to Heaven, one of Inheritance, and the other ofPut. chafe; the right of Inheritance he had by Nature, in that he was theSon of God; which he claimeth to himfelf, the other he giveth to them that lay hold on hiin fide viva, non fifta, bya lively and unfeigned Faith; and therefore this is called the Covenant of Faith , which we have not by our own ftrength, but ït Chrifto, by the power of Chrift. And the reafon of this fecond Covenant was, that now Adam having loft his own ftrength by breachof the firft, all power and ftrength fhould be now from God in Chrift, and all the glory be given to him. For if Adamhad flood by his own ftrength in thefirft , howfoever God fhouldhave had rnoft glory , yet Adam fhould have.had force part thereof for Ming his ftrength well , and not abufing it when he might; but kept his Rending : but that God might have all the glory, he fufferedthe fir( Covenant to be broken , and permitted Man to fall , for which fall he was to make fatisfadion, which he could not do but by Chrift, nor perform new obedience, busby the grace ofGod preventingus, and making us of unwilling , wiling, and of, unable, able, to do things in that meafurc, that God will require at our hands. So that the firft Covenant ( the Law) was weak and imperfe£t,flsnding upona promife in figure, and a curfe without figure; a curie indeed: but the promife be.. ing performed in Clint , and the curfeabrogated -by his death, then came thole per- r.Cor. r 3.10. feet things, and imperf,f a abiere, the things which were imperfeftwere done away, as the Apoftle fpeaks. The firft Covenant tA' is raid to be givenby , yet was ìt no received by us,. we had not the hearts to take it , tî11 the comnng of Chut : but in the Gofpel it was not only £va'n given, but ;s , brought to pals _and fulfilled per Cbrsftam by. Chrift. And we muff obferve withall, thatthe moral Law it fell is not changed , but theCeremonies only taken awayby Chrifls truth, and the curfe thereof by Grace e Mae. 5.17, rS. fothat the bond' of the keeping the Law , is not cancelled byClarits coining , but 30 remaineth in force t ill, and is ro be performed as be,himfelf tetificth. Think not that I am come to deftroy the Law, but to fulfill it Chrift camenot to repeal his Fathers Statutes ,. whenhe fpake his lait words to the Difciples , Teaching them to obferve all things whatfoever I have commanded. Nowt there things [landing thus, and the Law being fini in time and order, ( for we' begin with the imperfeil ). t::ft is fiat tobe taught. Another
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