Wesley Corpus

“According to the counsel of his will;” that is, in the way or method he had chosen. Therefore, neither any of these texts, nor all of them, prove what they were brought to prove. They do by no means prove, that there ever was any such covenant made between the Father and the Son. “The conditions of the covenant are recorded: ‘Lo, I come to do thy will.’” (Page 301.) Nay, here is no mention of any covenant, nor anything from which it can be inferred. “The recompense stipulated in this glorious treaty.” But I see not one word of the treaty itself. Nor can I possibly allow the existence of it, without far other proof than this. “Another copy of this grand treaty is recorded, Isaiah xlix, from the first to the sixth verse.” (Ibid.) I have read them, but cannot find a word about it in all those verses. 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.