Page:A Treatise of the Covenant of Grace (John Ball).djvu/113

 Rh his Oeconomy is pure Law flashing wrath upon the fallen creature, and therefore called a fiery Law, or fire of Law, Deut. 33. 3. And for speciall cause expressed in generall by the Apostle, Gal. 3. The Law, that is thus abstracted, was added, because of transgression. For first, in that long course of time betwixt Adam and Moses, men had forgotten what was sinne, and had obliterated the very Law of nature. Therefore God sets out the lively Image of it by Moses in this draught and abstract, to which end, all the commands saving two are propounded in the negative, that so men by the Church might know the nature of sinne againe, Rom. 3. 19.

Secondly, God propounds the Law with curse eternall to work death, and to shew Gods eternall displeasure against sin, Rom. 4. 15. which was usefull not only to the world and wicked in generall, but specially to the stiff-necked and refractory Nation, to be as a rod to scourge all their rebellions and backslidings. The Law thus laced with blessings and cursings eternall, abstracted from the rest of his frame, makes Moses now to begin to breath blessings, and no lesse then Gospel. This comming from a pacified God (as Exod. 33. 6, 7, 8.) may be looked on by the fallen creature with comfort, and from this consideration it is that we affirme this Covenant made with the body of Israel to be a Covenant of Grace: for it is one, and therefore never by Moses called Covenants.

Again, It cannot be denied, that so farre as it concerned the spirituall Israelite (whom God especially eyed and for their sakes infolded the carnall in the compact) it was a Covenant. Thus farre for confirmation of that distinction. But these distinctions seeme not to remove the doubt. Not the first, because it cannot be conceived how the old Covenant should as a condition of the Covenant, exact perfect obedience deserving life as necessary to Salvation, and yet promise pardon to the repentant believer: for these two are contrary the one to the other. Not the second, because the Covenant that God made with the Jewes is but one, and how should we conceive the Law in one, and the same Covenant to be propounded as a rigid draught of prime nature, and with moderation also, as the Covenant of works, and the Covenant of Grace likewise, when the Covenant is but one, and the conditions the same. Besides, where the Apostles doe oppose the