Baxter - Houston-Packer Collection BT70 .B397 1675

And thé ßuh-opei,ations f M4n's IÌ. their fouls t What min dare fay that it is no fin in themnot to ufe aily fu:h means c And what duty or fin can there be without a Law ? And what Law can bind mento accept of Grace, and tó Peek it, and ufe meads for pardon, renovation and falvatiorf, but the new Covenant or Law df Grace? Sure the Law of Innocency hath no fuch obligation. y: Laftlji, And Godsufage ofall the world, purs thecafe pail Controverfie: For lie ufeth noman according to the meer Law of-Innocency : All the world have agreat proportion of the Mercies of the New Covenant and thhrèforb are not under the Covenant ofInnocency alone. Yet we maintain that the preceptivepart 6f the Law óf Innocency asto the future, is Hill in force to all men [ Obey perfedtly ; ] Ahd that the penal part is fo far in force as to make death in the firft inflant due fd every fin : But we add, a. That theRemedying pardoning Law being in force with ir, doth immediatelydiffolve that obligation, and make it un effeetualto the punifhmentof believers : a. }And that the Promrfng part of the Covenant of Innocency is utterly ceafed by the ceflation of mans capacity : And therefore that the Preceptivepart ( for perfeetion ) is now no Conditionof Life to any man. Two things I was wont in my Ignorance to fay againft the univerfal teneur of the new Covenant. r. That GodIdiftinguifhed and excluded fome at the firft making of it, under the name of the Seed ofthe Serpent But r. No Scripture giveth us the lead ground to think that men equally - guilty, are tomecalled the Seed of the Serpent, ànd force of the Woman; meetly as denominated from or diftinguifhed by Gods own will or decree, without any real difference in the perfons. 2. And if the 'Image ofSa- tan inOriginal fin, were it that denominated theSeedof the Serpent, then all the world should be excluded, becaufe all are fuchbefore they are rege -. nerate: 3. Therefore it is plain that it is not' meer Original fin that deno- minateth any one, the Serpents Seed, in the fence of that Text, but a con= fequent rejeEtion and oppofition of the Mediator or Grace of the newCo- venant. a. Iwas wont inmy great Ignorance in my youth to think, that All men were meetlyunder the firft Covenant, till Converfion, and then they came underthe fecund only. But this wasbut Confufion. To be under a Lilyor offered Covenant, as the terms of life or death, is one thing And fo all are under a Law or Covenant of Grace, and no man under themeer Law of Innocency ; obliged to perfection as the foie conditionof life i And to be obedient to this Law, and a confenter to this Covenant; and fo to bein the Covenant as Mutual, is another thing ; And this is the cafeof Confenters only: So.that I may take it for granted that we are agreed, that as to the firlt Edition of theLawof Grace to Adam and Noe, it extendeth or is in force to all the world, at leaft,. till by enmity againft Grace, they have made themfelvesdefperateas theSerpents feed Yeathen, the Láw of Grace is in force to them, though they reject theGraceof it. 2. And as to the lair Edition of the Covenant of Grace by Chritt, a. The tenour of itextendeth to, all ;, as is vifible Matth. a8. r 9. Mark ì 6. 16. Soh: 3.16. r And Chritt hath made it the office of his Mini- ffers by his commìffron,to promulgate and offerit Co all. 3. And where- as providence concurrethnot to the univerfal execution, we mutt all con- fefs, that Chrift came not to put theworld into aworfe condition than he found them in. If he did any no good by his Incarnation, he would do themnöharm. Therefore they that never hear the Gofpel; areRill under thefirft Edition of the Covenant made with Adam and Noah fo far as

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