Wesley Corpus

But whosoever will not believe, and consequently dieth in his sins, I will punish him with everlasting destruction.” 62. To examine throughly whether this covenant between God and man be unconditional or conditional, it may be needful to go back as far as Abraham, the father of the faithful; to inquire what manner of covenant it was which God made with him; and whether any reason be assigned of God’s peculiarly blessing Abraham, and all the nations of the earth in him. The first mention of the covenant between God and him, occurs Genesis xv. 18: “The same day the Lord made a cove nant with Abram, saying, Unto thy seed will I give this land.” But this is much more explicitly related in chapter xvii. 1, &c.: “The Lord appeared unto Abram, and said unto him, I am the almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee, and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: And God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold, my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram, but thy ~mame shall be Abraham; for a father of many nations have I made thee. And I will establish my covenant between me and thee, and thy seed after thee, for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee. Every man-child among you shall be circumcised;--it shall be a token of the covenant betwixt me and you. The uncircumcised man-child shall be cut off; he hath broken my covenant.” So we see, this original covenant, though everlasting, was conditional, and man’s failing in the condition cleared God. 63. We have St. Paul’s account of this covenant of God with Abraham, in the fourth chapter of his Epistle to the Romans, verse 3, &c.: “Abraham,” saith he, “believed God, and it was counted to him for righteousness.” (This was a little before God established his covenant with him, and is related Genesis xv.