Blake - Houston-Packer Collection BT155 .B53 1653

Chap. r 4. and the Covenant of Grace. 10 whole of obedience, being made a condition of the Covenant of Grace, wor@ are introduced and a Covenant of works re -efla- bli/hed. As there was Grace in the firft Covenant as you have heard which we call a Covenant of Works ; fo works are not wholly excluded from this Covenant , which we call a Covenant of Grate, God Rill keeps up his Sovereignty as you have heard, and how this can be done when he leaves man at that wilde free - dome not fo much as to call for-homage from him , cannot be conceived. His rule even in this Covenant is to reward men sccording to their woks, Rom. 2.6. Behold 1 come quickly , and my reward ù with me ; to give every man according as hit work/hall be, Rev. 22, I2. Works then are not excluded from this Cove nant; yea Chrift the Mediatour of the Covenant aforehand tells us , Except our righteoufneffe exceed the righteoufnefe of the Scribes and Pharifees , ye fhall in no cafe enter into the Kingdome of Heaven, Matth. 5.2o. They had their righteoufneffe, and (as was fuppofed) they made a great progreffe in the way of righteoufneffe; yet we muff have an exceeding righteoufneffe above that which they taught, and prac`tifed , or elfe there is no falvation in this Covenant. Thefe two Covenants yet remaine diûind, and not confounded together. There is a legal righteoufneffe, Inch as the Law in the higheft extremity of it requires without the leaft indulgence in cafe of failing ; This - the Covenant of Works calls for, and in this we fall fhort; but Chrift anfwers , and therefore He is the end %r righteoufnefe, Rom. 70. 3, and by this we are Paved. There is a righteouf- neffe of the Gofpel which God in Covenant calls for, to which it is his Spirit enables, and in this we are faved. 2- G4,el- obedience is called for in the Covenant but not as any condition of the Covenant ; Faith is the alone condition , obedience necefarìl j flowes from it , and follower upon it when once ire beleeve ; it need not to he conditioned or indented for Teeing when we are in (krill by faith , we can then do no other then obey. I anfwer. This pofition here laid down, that obedience necef farily foilowes and flowes from Faith, is a pof tion -indeed main- tained by the reformed Churches againft `Papi fls, r.'rminians, Socinians , and other oppofites of it , from which pition of ours, they inferre as by neceffary confequence (as they affirme) that all An w, Repentance_ neceffarily flowing from Faith, is not thereby difab- led from being a condition in the Covenant of Grace,

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