Religion & morality > Human nature in its four-fold state ... in several practical discourses

Happinefsi 17
which would have adtually tollowed of Courfe, if a
Mediator had not been provided, who fonnd him
bound with the Cords of Death, as a Malefaftot
ready to be le'd to Execution. Thus you have a
Ihort Defcription of the Covenant, into which the
Lord brought Man, in the State of Innocence.
And feemeth it a fmall Thing unto you, that
Earth was thus Confederate with Heaven ? This
could have been done to none but him, whom the
King of Heaven delighted to honour. ’Twas an
Ad of Grace, worthy of the gracious God, whofe
Favourite he was; for there was Grace and free
Favour in the firft Covenant, tho’ the exceeding
Riches of Grace, as the Apoftle calls it, Eph. ii. 7.
wasreferv’d for the fecond. It was certainly an Ad
of Grace, Favour and admirable Condefcenfion in
God, to enter into a Covenant; and fuch a Covenant,
with his own Creature. Man was not at his own, .
but at God’s Difpofal. Nor had he any Thing to
work voith, but what he had received, from God„
There was no Proportion betwixt the IVork and the
promifed Reward. Before, that Covenant, Man
was bound to perfed Obedience, in virtue of his
natural Dependence on God : And D^ath was na¬
turally the Wages of Sin ; which the Juftice of
God could and would have required, tho’ there had
never been any Covenant betwixt God and Man :
But God was free ; Man could never have required
eternal Life as the Reward of his Work, if there had
not been fuch a Covenant. God was free to have
difpofed of his Creature as he faw meet: And if he
had food in his Integrity as long as the World
fhould hand, and there had been no Covenant pro-
mifing eternalLife unto him upon his Obedience; God
might have withdrawn his fupporting Hand at laft.