Wesley Corpus

They contain neither more nor less than a prediction of the salvation of the Gentiles. “By the covenant of works man was bound to obey in his own person.” (Page 302.) And so he is under the covenant of grace; though not in order to his justification. “The obedience of our surety is accepted instead of our own.” This is neither a safe nor a scriptural way of speaking. I would simply say, “We are accepted through the Beloved. We have redemption through his blood.” “The second covenant was not made with Adam, or any of his posterity, but with Christ, in those words: ‘The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's head.’” (Page 303.) For any authority you have from these words, you might as well have said, it was made with the Holy Ghost. These words were not spoken to Christ, but of him; and give not the least intimation of any such covenant as you plead for. They manifestly contain, if not a covenant made with, a promise made to, Adam and all his posterity. “Christ, we see, undertook to execute the conditions.” (Ibid.) We see no such thing in this text. We see here only a promise of a Saviour made by God to man. “It is true, I cannot fulfil the conditions.” (Ibid.) It is not true. The conditions of the new covenant are, “Repent and believe.” And these you can fulfil, through Christ strengthening you. “It is equally true, this is not required at my hands.” It is equally true; that is, absolutely false: And most dangerously false. If we allow this, Antinomian ism comes in with a full tide. “Christ has performed all that was conditionary for me.” Has He repented and believed for you? You endeavour to evade this by saying, “He performed all that was conditionary in the covenant of works.” This is nothing to the purpose; for we are not talking of that, but of the covenant of grace. Now, he did not perform all that was conditionary in this covenant, unless he repented and believed. “But he did unspeakably more.” It may be so. But he did not do this. “But if Christ’s perfect obedience be ours, we have no more need of pardon than Christ himself.” (Page 308.) The consequence is good. You have started an objection which you cannot answer.