The meritorious price of mans redemption, or, Christs satisfaction discussed and explained ... by William Pynchon ...

SECT. V.

But saith Mr. Norton, This threatning was in relation to the breach of the moral Law; for be makes Adams sin in eating the forbidden fruit to be a sin against the moral Law.

Reply 7. I Have shewed in Chap. 2. Sect. 1. That the true nature of the first Covenant stood not in Adams obedience or disobedience to the moral Law of nature, but in relation to a positive Law about things indifferent in their own nature, as the eating of the two Trees was; for Gods positive Laws were not ingraven in Adams nature, but reserved in Gods secret De∣crec to be imposed on man, for an act, or acts, for a time, as hee pleased to appoint, and then to be annihilated again.

I grant, that the moral Law of nature did direct Adam to obey God in whatsoever positives he should appoint: But yet by the Law of nature, he knew not any of Gods positives, till they were particularly revealed; neither can man, without a special revelation, know the reason of them, because they de∣pended only on the good pleasure of God, and therefore Adams moral perfections could not prevent, but that the Devil might deceive him about the reason of positives, as I have shew∣ed in Chap. 2.

2 I do not remember (and I pray let the Judicious consider it) that eternal death is directly threatned for the breach of any outward positive Law, but at the first death in sin, and ever after a bodily death (but eternal death is often directly threatned for Unbele••f and Rebellion against the Law of Grace) and therefore the threatning in Gen. 2. 17. may bee exempted from that threatning, though not from death in sin.

3 Let it bee supposed, that the first Covenant with Adam was made in relation to the moral Law (which is denied, and cannot be granted) yet it is evident, that God doth somtimes alter from that Law; for he commanded Abraham to kill his only son, which was contray to the sixth Commandement, and hee commanded the Israelites to spoyl the Egyptians of their goods, Exod. 11. 2. and Christ bid the Impotent man, when he was healed, to carry his bed on his back on the Sabbath day.

These examples shew, that God is not tyed to his revealed moral Laws, as wee are, but that he hath a supreme power to, alter from that Rule to his secret Decree; but when God is pleased to bind his promises or threatnings by an oath, then we may be sure his will so revealed is unalterable, because his oath doth alwayes declare what his secret Will and Decree is; And hence it comes to passe, that his word and command which he delivers to us for our rule, is many times alterable, because it is many times differing from his secret Decree. And hence it is, that when his threatnings are annexed to his Laws, it is to shew unto man what his sin deserves, but not what God will certainly execute; for it is his good pleasure sometimes to Relax his threatning, which is a forgivenesse of temporal plagues, Psal. 78. 38. 2 Sam. 12. 13, 14. for as there are two sorts of punishments threatned, so there are two sorts of par∣don, one in relation to temporary, and the other in relation to eternal punishment, and so in like sort there are two sorts of justification.

4 This sentence (as it relates to eternal death) in Gen. 2. 17. saith Perkins, must be understood with an exception borrowed from the Gospel, or Covenant of Grace, revealed to Adam pre∣sently after his fall: The exception goes thus, Thou shalt cer∣tainly

dye whensoever thou eatest of the forbidden fruit, except I give thee a deliverance from death, namely, the Seed of the woman to destroy the Devils Head-plot.

And saith Ʋrsinus, after that sentence in Gen. 2. 17. there fol∣lowed the equity, moderation, and lenity of the Gospel; in his Ans. to Q. 40.

And saith Baxter, How can it stand with the truth and justice of God, to dispence with his threatnings? he answers thus to this Question, When threatnings are meerly parts of the Law and not also predictions of events, and discoveries of Gods purpose thereabout, then they may be dispenced with without any breach of truth; and he gives two Instances to explain his meaning, the last of them runs thus; when God saith, Thou shalt dye the death, the meaning is, Death shall bee the due reward of thy sin, so that it may be inflicted at my pleasure, and not that hee should certainly suffer it in the event: And he cites Vossius, concluding that the Law was not abrogated, but relaxed, dis∣penced with, and abrogate.

And to this sense saith another learned Divine: The com∣mination in Gen. 2. 17. is like to some other of Gods threats against the Transgressors of his Law; but it bindeth not God that he shall have power to release or mitigate, what, and to whom it pleaseth him.

The Elect are called the children of wrath as well as others; But saith Mr. Norton, It may bee answered, that the Holy Ghost in these, and such like places of Scripture doth signifie what is due to sin, and sinners, and what their estate must needs bee in their own apprehensions (if they will judge of themselves ac∣cording to the light of true reason: for there is in sin a certain naughtiness for which it justly may bee, and indeed is odious unto God) but it will not follow thereupon, that he ceaseth to love them, Whom he hath predestinate unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ, Eph. 1. 5.

All these Instances do evidence, that Gods threatnings in the event are often alterable, and therefore that his threatning of eternal death in Gen. 2. 17. (in case it be there threatned) is alterable, and doth not bind God, neither to leave the Elect un∣der the power of their spiritual death in sin, nor yet to inflict eternal death, neither on the Elect, nor on their Surety; and

therefore according to the liberty of his eternal Will and pur∣pose, hee ordained that the conlfict of Christ with Sathan, in continuing obedient to the death of the Crosse, and at last making his soul a sacrifice, should be a valuable consideration, whereion hee would dispence with the rigor of his commina∣tion, and so let fall, or suspend, the pnealty of eternal death, in case it had been the chief thing threatned in Gen. 2. 17. as most do hold, and therefore for their sakes I have cited these Instances, though still I think my first exposition of Gen. 2. 17. is sound and good, in Chap. 2. Sect. 3.

Notes

• Gods positive Laws were not engraven in Adams nature, as his moral Law was.
• See P Martyr in Com. pl. par. 1. pag 190.
• God doth som∣times alter from the rule of his moral Commands, to his secret De∣cree.
• Isal. 78 38.
• In the Right way of dying well.
• In his Aphora p. ••8. and in Append. p. 122.
• De Recens. peccatoris, par. 1 c. 1.