_ 230 OfimputedRight.Of Faith,yuftifand Mansduty : parte recipientis ; And fo that mans Rewardable duties are his Moral ap_ titude, caufe or condition, why he rather than one that doth otherwife re- ceiveth that Gift, which is called the Reward. But we are gone from our queflionde nomine, and have already difpatch= ed alfo that de re : Have you any more to fay of any Matter befides words ( in which youconfefs we (peak as the Scripture doth ) in which we differ e Lib. Seeing you like not my explications, tell me fully what you hold your felves, and then I fhall better know whether we differ in fenfe or words only. P. It's great pity for the Churches fake, but you would have under- flood that firft, before you reviled us as Legal, and not have fpoken evil of what you underftand not. But it's better now , than not at all. Our judgement is as followeth : I. That God hath three Effential Attributes, which he expreffeth and glorifieth in his works ; His vitalPower or Activity, his wifdom, and his will or Love : That all thefe are and operate conjun&ly; but yet each appeareth in eminency in its fpecial effe&s: That Gods Power eminently appeareth in theBeing and Motion of things ; and his wifdom eminently in the ORDER of things ; and his LOVE in the Goodnefs and Per- feFtion of things: That accordingly he is, i.The firft Efficient, 2. The chief Dirigent, 3. Theultimate Final Caufe of all. II. That as to man, he is Related to us, r.As ourCreator, the Caufe of our Being,Nature and natural Motion, as the Fountain of Nature : where Power is moil Eminent. 2. As our Guvernour, and the God of O RD E R, and the Dirigent Caufe ; where ( all Attributes concurr, but) wifdom is moll Eminent : 3. As our molt Bounteous BenefaCtor, and moll ,4miable Good and End , where Goodnefs or Love is molt eminent. III. That accordingly God is the Author ofNature, Grace and Glory; and lince the fall, of Natura, Medela, Sanitas, of our Nature, our OR- DER. and Gracious Government, andof our Holinefi andHappinefs ; and fo is our Creator, Redeemer andSanctifier. I V. That neither Man, Angel or any Creature can poffibly have any good, but by Gods gift , any more than they can make themfelves or a World: And this Gift muff needs be free, feeing the Creature bath no- thing that is good, but what it hath ofGod, and nothing to give him that can add to him, or but what is ablolutely his own. V. God is to us r. Our O WNER, 2. Our RULER, 3. Our BENEFACTOR antecedently. And no man can Merit of God as he is an Owner or a weer Benefactor ;- for fo he freely difpofeth as he pleafeth of his own : But only ofGod as a Ruler, as is after opened. V I. Therefore it is blafphemy to hold that man or Angel can Merit of God in point of proper Commutative Mice, which giveth inexchange' one thing for another, to the benefit of the receiver : For as is faid, God cannot Receive any addition to his perfe&ion, nor havewe any thing but his own to give him. Luke 17. to. we are thus unprofitable fervants as to a Proprietor inpoint ofCommutation ; though the unprofitable fervant be damned, Matth. 25.3o. in another fenfe ; that is, who improveth not his Mailers flock to thebenefit of himfelf andothers, and the pleafing of his Ruler. VII. Mans Duty therefore meriteth only in point of Governing di- fiributive Jullice : And not every way neither in refpe& of that ; For Governing3nJtice is diflinguifhed according to theLaw that governeth us: which
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