with all necessary blessings for this life, and the life to come.Gal. 3.8. In this he promiseth freely and of his owne meere grace and favour to be their God, and make them Exod. 19.6,7.a Kingdome of Priests and an holy nation unto himselfe. In that he requireth of Abraham, that he walke with or before him in integrity: In this he covenanteth, Deut. 26.17,18.
Jer. 7.23.
Deut. 10.12.
Jer. 11.3,4.
1 Ki. 8.25.
2 Chron. 6.16.
2 Chr. 17.3,6.
2 Chr. 6.14,16.
Jer. 2.2.that they should obey his voice, and keep his commandements. And what is it to walk with God or before God, but to walk in his Law.
Seventhly, when God gave his Law unto Israel upon Mount Sinai, he troth-plighted that people unto himselfe, and himselfe unto them, and that of his meere love, not of any merit in them. Ezek. 16.8.Thus saith the Lord, I remember thee, the kindnesse of thy youth, the love of thine espousals, when thou wentest after me in the wildernesse, in a Land that was not sowen: Israel was holinesse unto the Lord, and the first fruits of his increase. When I passed by thee, and looked upon thee, behold thy time was the time of love, and I spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakednesse: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into Covenant with thee, saith the Lord God, and thou becammest mine. Rainold. Apol. Thes. pag. 211.But if the Law were a perfect draught of the Law of nature, exacting punctuall obedience in the least jot and title, as necessary to Salvation, and flashing out wrath against the least transgression, without any intimation of repentance, or hope of pardon, the Lord did not at that time troth-plight himselfe unto them.
Eighthly, the Law requireth faith as well as love and obedience, and doth build these upon it as a foundation. For 1 Tim. 1.5.
Act. 15.9.the end of the Commandement is love, love out of a pure heart, a good conscience, and faith unfained. That love which the Law requireth, either towards God or towards man, must flow from a pure heart, and faith it is that purifieth the heart. Rom. 10.4.Christ is the end of the Law for righteousnesse sake, and Gal.3.24.
Christum vocat finem i. scopum legis; quia lex suis sacrificiis, ritibus, &c. Christum intendebat. Zanch de Redem cap. 11. Thes. 5. li. 1.
The Decalogue written with Gods own hand upon two tables, was an Epitome of all Ordinances appertaining to the Covenant.the Law is a Schoole-master to bring us unto Christ. But bring us unto Christ it could not, if it did not point him out unto us, or presuppose him as promised: He is not the end of the Law, if the Law did not direct to him, and require faith in him. He is the end of the Law, as the Law leadeth and driveth us out of our selves, and from all confidence in any works of the Law, that by faith in Christ we might obtain righteousnesse. It is not the property of a Schoole-master to beat and strike, and not to direct or teach. That the ceremonies of the Law did pre-figure
