70 The Trial and SERM. $ Ve~, ro. And Gat: 5· ?· We through the Spirit ~mt for the Hope of Rtghteoujn~fs through Faith. Nor can any have Claim tr; the Coven(tnt bt~t fuch as believe. l · Objecr.. 5, 'The. CovenatJt is God's LfJve to Manl to take htn~ to I.Jtmjelf, , and thttt before the ChiJP.ren do Goo4 Qr Ill, and to him that 'lvorketh is the Reward not reckoned of Grace, but of :Debt. Anfw. The ~ovenant ~s a Fruit a,nd Effecr of God's Love, but it is not formally God's,Love; for becaufe God loved Ifraet, therefore did he enter into Cov~n~nt with them, 'IJeut. 7. 7, 8. Ezek. I 6. 8. and Anninians expound, that of .7acob's ~mbra~:ing of th~ ~ovenant by Faith, and pf Bfau 's rejeftirm pf it through Unbelief: Whereas Paul fpeaket~ of :Jacob and Efau, as they lay fiated in the Ey~ anq View 9f God from Eternity, e're they were born, anrJ had as yet neither ifone GoorJ nor Ill : Now the Covenant of Grace 9r Gof:- pd manifefted to .Zft~ob and Efau, is not Eternal, but propofed t~ them aftev they are born, and when the Offe.r -:>f Chrift in the Gofpel is made; 1 and how could Bfau e're he was born refufe the Gofpel, e~cept you fay he did Evil before he did Evil ? which is Nonfenfe. 2. Paul faith plainly, To him that believeth is the Work reckoned. ObjeB:. 6. Our AB of believing is a Work, aml no 1Fork can be a Conr!ition of the Couenant of Grace ; yea, Chrifl atone .fuflijieth, Faith is not Chrifl, nor any Partner with him in the Work;, 5ea, "J.JB are }uflifierJ before we believe. anrJ Faith 011ly forv.eth for the Jl;!anifeflation of Juftijicatiour Confcience, for we believe no Lie, r,_vhen tieve ··we are .fuflified, but a Truth, then it be true that we are juflifted bifore w~ believe.
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