The theologicall key of the three first covenants made by God with man, in the severall state of man, obliging man to his law, after a severall formall manner, from the beginning according to his sacred decree of predestination, fundamentally declared, according to his sacred word and truth / by David Dunbar, Esq.

CHAP. I.

Of the reall unity of the word of the law of righteousnesse, written in the heart of man. Of the word of promise: and of the word of the seventh dayes rest: and of the formall difference of each from the other.

WIthout the knowledge of the first Covenant, (established be∣tweene God and man, upon the immediat command of the word of the first seventh dayes rest of the law of righteous∣nesse) there is no rest for the faith of man, to rest fundamen∣tally upon the immediate object of faith: for without the true light of this fundamentall knowledge, the faith of man is unstable, apt to be carried away, with the light of error, from the true rocke of rest.

For the better informing the judicious Reader, in the true knowledge both of the first, and likewise of the two last Covenants made by God with man: I doe premit this certaine Theologicall ground, arising immediatly from the truth of the sacred word, most necessarily to be first set downe.

The word of God in the Scripture is taken in a twofold sence: first, the word is taken for the infinite word, infinite power, life, light, righteousnes; necessarily implying the essentiall power of the naturall life of the humane nature of the word: man the son of God before all time, as he is man the son of God, begotten of the seed of the woman in time: second person of the glo∣rious Trinity.

By the word in this sense (before the word was made flesh of the seed of the woman) heaven, earth, the hoast of both (to wit man and the creatures) were created in the beginning of time: and in this sence, the word is incom∣municable to all the creatures created by the word.

Secondly, the word is taken for the image of the infinite power of the life of righteousnesse of the word: necessarily implying the image of the power of the naturall life of the humane nature of the word: and in this sense, the word is called the word of the power of righteousnesse: and the word in this acception, is communicate to man, and that after a twofold maner.

First, the word of the power of the life of righteousnes (necessarily imply∣ing the power of the naturall life of the word) is eternally written in the heart of man. Secondly, the word of the power of life of righteousnes (necessa∣rily

implying the power of the naturall life of the word) is objected to the ex∣ternall senses of man, and by the sound of the word written (as it were) in the sense of hearing. This power of the word of righteousnes, both as it is in∣ternally written in the heart of man, and as it is objected to his externall sen∣ses, is twofold.

The first power of the word (as it is internally written in the heart of man) is the power of the life of righteousnesse, necessarily implying the power of the naturall life of the word. By the immediate power of the word (thus writ∣ten in the heart of man) man is enabled to live the life of righteousnes, and the naturall life of man: for without the power of naturall life, man can no way live the life of righteousnes: and in this sense it is said, that in him we live, in him we move, in him we have our being, that is in the word: for by the im∣mediate power of the word written in the heart of man, (as it is the image of the infinite word, power, life, and being it selfe) man doth live, move, and hath his being, in his severall state and condition. Joh. 1.4.

The second power of the word of righteousnes (as the word is internally written in the heart of man) it is the commanding power of the word. For the word of righteousnes in this sense, is the word of the law of righteousnes, internally commanding the heart of man (which is the center and originall of all the powers of man, as he is man) commanding man to produce the workes of righteousnes, according to the law of righteousnes, as man (by the first power of the word written in his heart) is enabled to live the life of righ∣teousnes. For according to that Theologicall Principle; As God doth com∣mand the action of his creature, so before, or in, and with the command, God (in his justice) doth inable his creature, with the power of action to fulfill his command. As the word of righteousnes is objected to the externall senses of man, it is taken in a twofold sense.

First, the word of the power of life of righteousnes (necessarily implying the power of naturall life of the word) is taken for the word of promise, wher∣by God doth covenant with man, to grant the eternall continuation of the life of righteousnes (necessarily implying me naturall life of the word to man) as man is inabled to live that life, by the power of the word written in his heart, which is called the word of eternall life.

Secondly, as the word of righteousnes is objected to the externall senses of man, it is taken for the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law of righteous∣••••s, implying the command of the whole law. And the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law, in this sense, hath likewise a twofold power.

The first power of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law, it is the power of command: for in this sense the word of God is the command of his

law of righteousnes, commanding the obedience of man, by his workes of righteousnes, to fulfill the command of his law of righteousnes, as man is ina∣bled to live that life, by the immediate power of the word of the law written in his heart. And in this sense, Gods word is said to be a law to man. For all the commands of God, (righteousnes it selfe) by his word, are the necessary commands of his law of righteousnes: and all the commands of the law of God, are the necessary commands of the word of the seventh dayes rest of the law which doeth necessarily imply the command of the whole law of God. Gods command therefore to Adam, commanding him to abstaine from eating of the fruit of the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil, was the necessary command of the word of the first seventh daies rest of the law of righteousnes

The second power of the word of the seventh dayes rest, is the power of life of righteousnes, necessarily implying the power of the naturall life of the word: and this power of the word of the seventh dayes rest, is by the imme∣diate blessing of the seventh dayes rest, which is due by the law, to the se∣venth dayes worship and man: necessarily implying, his fulfilling of the whole law, for the seventh day is blessed for man: and the seventh day is sanctified for Gods worship by man; by the immediate power of which blessing, of the seventh dayes rest, man doth rest in the injoying of the word of promise.

The word of the law therefore written in the heart, and the word of pro∣mise, and the word of the seventh dayes rest, are really one: for by the word written in the heart, man doth live the life of righteousnes: and by the word of promise, God doth promise the eternall continuation of that life: and by the blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest, man doth rest in the injoy∣ing of his life of righteousnes: and the word in this threefold sense, is the i∣mage of the righteousnes of God, the infinite life of righteousnes.

But yet as there is a reall unity, in the word written in the heart, in the word of promise, and in the word of the seventh dayes rest: so there is a for∣mall difference. For the word of the Law written in the heart, is formally the word of the power of life: and the word of promise, is formally the word of eternall life, whereby the eternall continuance of the power of the word in the heart is promised: and the word of the seventh dayes rest, is formally the word of eternall rest, for by the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest, man doth rest in the injoying of the word of promise, wherby God doth fulfill his promise to man, and therefore called truth. And this is the rea∣son, that, as in the word of promise, the covenant is established between God and man, upon the word of the seventh dayes rest; the covenant and the word of the seventh dayes rest, are really one, but of a formall difference.

The reall unity of both, is in this, that the word of promise (which is the

word of eternall life) is by the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest. And the formall difference of both, is in this, that God and man, (in the word of promise) are formally and mutually obliged by covenant, but man is only formally commanded by the word of the seventh dayes rest, of his law of righteousnesse. For God in the word of promise, doth bind and ob∣liege himselfe to man by covenant, to grant the eternall continuation of the life of righteousnes, which man doth injoy, by the power of the word writ∣ten in his heart. And because this eternall continuation of the life of man, is by the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest, therefore God doth mutually bind and obliege man by his covenant, to fulfill the command of his seventh dayes worship (implying the fulfilling of the whole law) after that formall maner as God hath manifested himselfe, to be worshipped by man, by the word of his seventh dayes rest: and this obligement of man by covenant, is both upon the promise of eternall life, and also upon the promise of eternall death.

By the light of the word therefore of every severall seventh dayes rest; first we are led in the knowledge of the state and condition of man, with whom the covenant is made. For the word of the seventh dayes rest, and the word of the law written in the heart, (whereby man doth live) are really one: Se∣condly, by this light we are led in the knowledge of the covenant, which is alwayes really one, with the word of the seventh dayes rest. For the word of promise, is fulfilled by the eternall blessing of the word of the seventh daies rest, whereon the condition of the covenant doth depend. Now because, by covenant, man is bound and obliged to the command of the law of righteous∣nes, both upon the promise of eternall life, and eternall death, according to the merit of man: The law of GOD, is therefore sayd, to have a two∣fold reward, (to wit) the blessing of eternall rest to the merit of the obedient, and eternall death to the merit of the disobedient, which is called the curse of the law; though eternall death be properly and immediately by the cove∣nant, for the law of God (in its proper nature) which is the image of his righ∣teousnes, doth command the obedience of man only, upon the eternall bles∣sing of the seventh dayes rest, and not upon eternall death. And therfore we see, that the curse of the Law, is not set downe in the Decalogue.

But because as the covenant is established upon the immediat command of the word of the seventh dayes rest, of the law of righteousnes, it is the i∣mage both of the righteousnes, and justice of God, rendring to man according to his merit. For this cause the law commands man, both upon the blessing of the word of the seventh dayes rest, and upon the curse of disobedients; and therefore though by covenant it be left to the freedome of mans election, to

live the life of righteousnes, according to the command of the law of righte∣ousnes, and to merit eternall life, by his obedience; or eternall death by his disobedience: yet as the covenant is established upon the immediate com∣mand of the words of the seventh dayes rest of the law of righteousnes, the o∣bedience of man is both obliged and commanded, upon the eternall blessing of the seventh dayes rest, and upon the inevitable curse of eternall death.

By the light of this Theologicall infallible ground, (arising from the light of the truth of the sacred word) the judicious Reader is led in the knowledge of the three covenants made by God with man; which are linckt together, as it were, in a chaine, as may appeare by the subsequent declaration of this tra∣ctat. First therefore of the first covenant made by God with man.