Blake - Houston-Packer Collection BT155 .B53 1653

Chap. 4. and the Covenant of Grace. CHAP. IV. A fourth difference between the Covenant of Works and the Covenant of Grace. A Mother difference of great importance between thefe Co- venants, and which neceffarily (as the two former) flows from the firfl, is, That the fiat Covenant between God and man was immediate, no Mediatour intervening, n6 dayes -mari íland- ing between them to make them one ; But for the fecond , man being fallen by fin, a Mediatour was neceffary,that God and man now in that diftance, fhould be reconciled. I know forne- have contended, that not only man in integrity, but the Angels them-, fell/es flood in need of Chrifts mediation , producing their grounds for their affertion , and then this difference between thefe Covenants falls, neither of both are immediate, both ftand, ing in need of a Mediatour. The grounds are Firft, That the obedience of man and Angels Ira, imper fecTt, and Obi flood' in need of pardon; and for the righteoufne ffe. of Chrifl which he performed to the Father Was atcounte 'J. per-feel quoting that place of .Eli?hat in his fpeech to Job, Yob 4 18. Even his An- gels he charged with folly: lf' Angels flood thus in. Gods eye,un- der fuch a charge , then much more man as Eliphàs there But I would demand of thefe, concerning this füppofed im- perfedion in man and Angels,áthus fupplied by Chrifts perf'e i- on) whether it were properly and of its own nature a fin ? if not, then there is no place for pardon ; if it were, then it muff be devolved on Chrift, laid upon him to expiate, and fo man fell, . or at leaf'. lay down groveling before his fall ; and the good An- gels by reafon of fin are.evill as well as thefe that are fallen ;. but thefe are abfurd.In that of Eliphaz therefore(if it muff be under- flood of Angels of glory) fin is not charged or implied, but only defect ftandi'ng in comparrfonor competition with God, anirn perfetlion negative is yeelded, they match not God in.perfecti- on, but in his prefence cover their faces with their wings, Ifa. 6. z.: but no imperfeClion privative, they want no perfeaflion'of which: they are in any capacity, and whereof they have any n:eceffity ; C 3 God TheC ovenant of Works had no Mediatour.

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