76 cif Declaration of the Glorious MY ST ERY is foolith and impious. This is done by the Soeinianr, to promote another defign, namely, that none were juhified before God onthe, belief ofthe fretpromife, but on their walking according to the light ofnature and their . obedience unto Tome efpecial revelations about temporal things:, thevanity . whereofhath been before difcovered. Wherefore our firft parents and their pofterity did fo believe the firft promife, or they mull be fuppófed, either to have been kept under the curfe, or elfe to have had, and to make ufe of force other way of deliverance from it. To imagine the firft is impious' for the apoftle affirms that they had this teflimovy that they pleafed God, Heb. xi. 5. which under the curie none can doe i for that is God's difplea- fore. And in the faine place he confirms their faith, and juftification there- on, with a cloud of witneffes, chap xii. 2. To affirm the latter is ground- left. And it includes a fuppofal of the relinguifanent of the wifdom, grace and authority of God in that divine revelation, for men to betake then-delves, to none knows what. For that there was in this promife the wayexpreffed which God in his wifdom and grace had provided for their deli- verance, wehave proved before. To forfake this way, and to betake them- l'eis es unto anyother, whereof he had made no mention or revelation unto them, was to rejeh his authority and grace. As for thofe who are otherwife minded, it is incumbent on them diced - ly to prove thefe three things, (s.) That there is another way, that there are other means for the juftifi- cation and falvation of fiáners, than that revealed, declared and propofed . in that firft promife. And when this is done, they muff Phew to what end on that fuppofhtion the promife it felfwas given, feemg the endof it is eva- cuated. (u.) That upon a fuppofition that God had revealed in the promife the way and means of our deliverance from tlae curfe and hate of fin, it was lawful unto men to forfake it, and to betake themfelves unto another way, without any fupernatural revelation for their guidance. For if it was not, their relinquifhment of the promife was no lefs apoftáfy from God in the revelation of ]himfelf in a wayofgrace, than the firft fin was as to the reve- lationof himfelfin the works of nature. Only the one revelation was by inbred principles, the other by external declaration, nor could it other- wife be. Or, (3.) That there wasforce other way of the participation of the benefits of this promifebefides faith in it, or in him who was promifed therein; feeing the apoftle bath declared that, no promife will profit them, by whom it is sot mixed with faith, Heb. iv. 2. Unlefs thefe things are plainly proved, which theywill never be, whatever men declaim about univerfal objehive grace in the documents ofnature, it is but a vain imagination. g. The declaration of this promife before the giving of the law with the nature and ends of it, as alfo the ufeof facrifices whereby it was confirmed, was committed unto the ordinary miniftryof our firft Parents and their God- ly pofterity, and theextaordinary miniftry of the prophets which God rai- fed up among them. For God fpake ofour redemption by Chrift, by the mouth ofhis holy prophetsfrom the beginning of the world, Luke i. 70. No great erduty could be incumbenton them by the light of nature and the ex- prefs revelation of the will of God, than that they lhould in their feveral capacities, communicate the knowledge of this promife unto all in whom they were concerned. To fuppofe that our filth Parents who received this proirife, and thofe unto whomthey firft declared it, looking' on it as the only foundation of their acceptance with God, and deliverance from the curie; were negligent in the declaration and preachingof it is to render them
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