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1. The distance between God and the creature is so great, that although reasonable creatures do owe obedience unto him as their creator, yet they could never have attained the reward of life but by some 1voluntary condescension on God’s part.
2. Moreover, man having brought himself 2under the curse of the law by his fall, it pleased the Lord to offer to mankind 3life and salvation by Jesus Christ, requiring of them faith in him that they may be saved; and 4promising to give unto all those that are ordained unto eternal life his Holy Spirit, to make them willing and able to believe.
3. This grace towards sinners is revealed in the gospel; first of all to Adam in the promise of salvation by the 5seed of the woman, and afterwards by farther steps, until the 6full discovery thereof was completed in the New Testament; and it is founded in 7that eternal pact between the Father and the Son about the redemption of the elect; and it is alone by this grace that all of the posterity of fallen Adam that ever were 8saved, did obtain life and a blessed immortality; man being now utterly incapable of acceptance with God upon those terms on which Adam stood in his state of innocency.