sed and expected
happiness, misery here on soul and body, in pains, sicknesses, troubles,
griefs, &c., and eternal misery on both, without measure,
hereafter,--"eternal destruction from the presence of the Lord, and the
glory of his power."

Now, "the law is not of faith," saith the apostle. This opens up the
nature of the bargain; and the opposition between the present covenant and
that which is made with lost sinners with a Mediator. This covenant is
called, of works, "Do this, and live;" _to him that worketh is the promise
made, though freely too_. It is grace, that once a reward should be
promised to obedience; but having once resolved to give it, herein justice
appears in an equal and uniform distribution of the reward, according to
works; so that where there is an equality of works there shall be an
equality of reward, and no difference put between persons equal; which is
the very freedom of the covenant of grace, that it passes over all such
considerations, and deals equally in mercy with unequal sinners, and
unequally, it may be, with them that are equal in nature.

You may ask, was not Adam to believe in God and did not the law require
faith? I answer, Christ distinguishes a twofold faith: "You believe in
God, believe also in me." No question he was called to believe in God the
creator of the world, and that in a threefold consideration.

First, to depend on God the self-being and fountain-good. His own goodness
was but a flux and emanation from that Sun of Righteousness, and so was to
be perpetuated by constant abiding in his sight. The interposition of
man's self between him and God did soon bring on this eternal night of
darkness. Nature might have taught him to live in him in whom he had life
and being and motion, and to forget and look over his own perfections as
evanishing shadows. But this quickly extinguished his life, when he began
to live in himself.

Next, he was obliged to believe God's word, both threatening and promise,
and to have these constantly in his view. And certainly, if he had kept in
his serious consideration, the inestimable blessing of life promised, and
the fearful curse of death threatened,--if he had not been induced first to
doubt, and then to deny the truth and reality of these,--he had not
attempted such a desperate rebellion against the Lord.

Then, thirdly, he was to believe and persuade himself of the Lord's
fatherly love, and that the Lord was well-pleased with his obedie