Abraham, for because thou hast done this thing, and hast not with-held thy Sonne, thine only Sonne, That in blessing I will blesse thee &c. But the same promise God had formerly made to Abraham, and faith in these promises was the cause of his obedience; therfore his obedience was not the cause why God gave the promise. An occasion or antecedent it might be of the renewing of the promise at this time, but it was no cause of the promise it selfe, nor of the accomplishment. For that whithout which, and before which the promise was, could not be a cause of the promise, or the good promised. Besides, the basis and foundation of this promise is Christ, whose incarnation could not be merited by Abrahams obedience. The particle because, is a note of order and consequence, shewing to whom the promise did pertaine, not of the cause why it was made, or the good promised should be performed.
Gen. 15.1,2.If it be said, the good promised to Abraham is called a reward.
The answer is, the word reward sometimes doth import nothing, but an absolute and free gift of God, though no action went before to which recompence was due: as Gen. 30. 18. Leah saith, God hath given me my reward, because I have given my handmaid to my husband, Psal. 127. 4. Genbrard. in Psal. 126.Children are the Inheritance of the Lord, and the fruite of the wombe is his reward. There is a reward of a debt, such as is due to the workeman for his labour upon desert: and a reward of grace, such as God giveth to them who labour in well-doing according to promise. A reward is given to the worker of free grace, but not for his worke as the procuring or deserving cause. There is a relation of order and consequence betwixt the worke and the reward, that the one goeth before and the other followeth, but not a proportion of equiparancie, price or degrees, that the one should match or purchase the other. Alia est compensatio qua pro uno redditur aliud. Alia qua propter unum redditur aliud. Psal. 18.20.A recompence is given to obedience, as comfort and solace to them that suffer for well-doing: but it is not given for their obedience, as wages to the labourer, or lands and possessions for the price paid in hand. Reward is sometimes called retribution: but in Scripture not only the reward of good or evill, but simply good or evill done is thereby signified, though nothing went before to deserve or procure it. Gen. 50.15.
1 Sam. 24.18.Thou hast shewed this day how thou hast dealt well with me. If I have rewarded evill unto him that was at peacewith
