of their State by Creation. CHAP. VI. T h,tt the Covenant of \!Varks, the Jufiification of A– dam by that Covenant, and the Reward of his Obe– dience, were a!J Natural. And that hy Covenant be fhould not have gone to Heaven. AS the w•y of his Knowing God, :tnci the jmtlgt of God in him, were _ thus J.V,,turat, and no higher than was due unto Nature, and fuited un– to M~n as Man; fo were all things elfe which any way concerned him; they were of the fame Elevation alfo, and reached no higher than the Sphere of N>ture (in the Senfe explained, namely) they were fuch as were due UntO Man's Nature' or' were founded upon the Law of Nature. For Inflance; 1. The Covmant he fiood under, was but FV!dli! Natttr£, the Covenm;t of Naturt; and fuch as for the Conditions of it, ~as d~e u~to fucl1 a Grea– ture, and fuch as tt became the Creator to make with lum, tf he at all made him. And therefore the Foundation of that Covenant was but the Title of Creation, and the Primitive Integrity in which God firfl made Man; and there was nothing at all Supernatural in it. 2, The Rightrou[;ufs whereby he wa• .7uflified, was no other than that Natural Righteoufnefs in which he was created, and which was confervcd and preferved by continuing to aCl: holily , and by doing good according to the Principles of Holinefs at firfi implanted in him. And la 1t was but fuch a Jufiification as was a Natural due to the Creature fo obeying, that God lhould pronounce him jufl upon it: For it was but God's giving him fuch an appro– bation, that he both was, and did continue Good in his ki,;d; as he pronoun– ced of all the other Creatures i11 their kind, Gm. 2 . tilt. when God Jaw, that they wert at: good, Then likewife he viewed /!dam, and pronounced him Good alfo in Holinefs and Righteou(nels, which was the proper Goodnefs of his Creation. So that this approbation of him was but Natu– ral , and according to a Rule of Nature common to other Creatures, and fo a Due. Which may be the meaning of that place, in Rom. 4•4· where the Apoflle fpeaking of the difference between the Juflification under the Co– venant of Work•, and that under Grace; he fays the o~e is ••.,.: 7! 1,.:.,1'., of 'De6t, the other ••nl -x.<l" • meerly of free Grace. It is evident that he intends to affirm, That by the firft Covenant of Works, the Reward was in a jufl fenCe due (of 'De6t) unto the Creature, and that, from God : whereas this New Covenant is of Grace. Now how is that other fa id to be of 'De6t1 Not that God can owe any thing, or be obliged unto his Creature for any thing received from it : Nor is it to be underfiood, as 1f the Holmef• that /!dam had, was not from God's gift, .s we!I os ours under the new Covenant is: But becaufe, in a way of Natural luflice, or rather comhnefs ond duenefs, fuch as is [;y the Law of Creation to be between a juft ·Creator and on holy Creature, there is an approbaticn due unto h1m from God whilfi that Creature obeys him, and that, as a 'Dt· 61111m Mllt~ra!e, a Debt of Nature, and not a Debt of Retribution in a Mercenary way: Who h.1th .~ivm unto him, m;d it f/Ja/J /Jt rrcompe11[ed agam 1 Rom.Il.J5· (nstheApofile fpeak•). l · An· 45 ~ Chap. 6. ~
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