Deut. iv. 13. Mofes doth in exprefs terms call it a covenant, faying, And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform ( even the ten commandments, and he wrote them u 'pon tables of ftone.' Now this was not the covenant of grace; for Mofes afterwards, Deut. v. 3. speaking of this covenant, faith, 'God made not this cove'nant with your fathers, but with you: and by fathers all the patriarchs unto Adam may be meant,' faith Mr. Ainfworth, who had the promise of the covenant of Chrift (c). Therefore if it had been the covenant of grace, he would have faid, God did make this covenant with them, rather than that he did not (d). Nom.

is beyond queftion; and that
according to the apoftle,
Rom. x. 5. Gal. iii.ro. they
were the form of the cove-
nant of works, is as evident
as the repeating of the
words, and expounding
them fo, can make it. How
then one can refuse the co-
venant of works to have been
given to the Ifraelites, I can-
not fee. Mark the Weftmin-
fter confeffion upon the head
of the covenant of works;
The firft covenant made
with
man was a covenant
of works, wherein life
was promifed to Adam,
and in him to his pofteri-
ty, upon condition of per-
fect and perfonat obedi-
"C ence." And this account
of the being and nature of
that covenant is there
proven from these very
texts among others, Rom.
X. 5. Gal. iii. 10. Chap. 7.

K

"

art. 2.

66

veth, Gal, iii. 17.---They "had a greater benefit than "their fathers: for though "the law could not give "them life, yet it was a fchool-mafter unto (i. e, "to bringthem'unto) Chrift, Gal. iii. 21, 24. "" Ainfworth on Deut. v. 3.

(c)" But the covenant of "the law (adds he) came "after, as the apostle obfer

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(d) The tranfaction at Sinai or Horeb (for they are but one mountain) was a mixed difpenfation; there was the promise or covenant of grace, and alfo the law; the one a covenant to be be lieved, the other a covenant to be done and thus the apoftle ftates the difference betwixt the two, Gal. iii. 12. And the law is not of faith, but the man that DOETH them fhall live in them.' As to the former, viz. the covenant to be believed, it was given to their fathers as well as to them. Of the latter, viz. the covenant to be. done, Mofes fpeaks exprefly, Deut, iv. 12, 13. "Lord fpake unto you out

The

• of

Chap. II. Nom. And do any of our godly and modern writers agree with you in this point?

Evan. Yea indeed Polanus * faith, The covenant of works is that in which God promifeth everlasting life unto a man that in all respects performeth perfect obedience to the law of works, adding thereunto threatnings of eternal death, if he shall not perform perfect obedience thereunto. God made this covenant in the beginning with the first man Adam, whilst he was in the first eftate of integrity; the fame covenant God did repeat and make again by Mofes with the people of Ifrael. And Dr. Preston on the new covenant, p. 317. faith, The covenant of works runs in thefe terms, "Do this, and thou shalt live, and I will be thy God :" this was the covenant which was made with Adam, and the covenant that is expressed by Moses in the moral law. And Mr. Pemble (Vind. fid. page 152.) faith, By the covenant of works we understand that we call in one word the law, namely, that means of bringing man to falvation, which is by perfect obedience unto the will of God. Hereof there are also two feveral administrations. The firft is with Adam before his fall, when immortality and happiness was promifsed to man, and confirmed by an external symbol of the tree of life, upon condition that he continued obedient to God, as well in all other things, as in that particular commandment of not eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. The fecond administration of this covenant was the renewing thereof with the Ifraelites at mount Sinai; where, after the light of nature began to grow darker, and corruption had in time word out the characters of religion and virtue, firft graven in

*Subft. of Religion, octavo. Eng. page 184, 185.

of the midft of the fire, and he declared unto you kis covenant, which he commanded you to PERFORM (or DO) even ten commandments.' And Ch.

v. 3. he tells the people no less exprefly, that the Lord made not THIS COVENANT with their fathers.

in man's heart (e), God revived the law by a compendious and full declaration of all duties required of man towards God, or his neighbour, expreffed in the decalogue; according to the tenor of which law God, entered into covenant with the Ifraelites, promifing to be their God, in beftowing upon them all bleffings of life and happiness, upon condition that they would be his people, obeying all things that he had commanded; which condition they accepted of promising an abfolute obedience, Exod. xix. 8. All things which the Lord hath faid we will do ;' and alfo fubmitting themselves to all punishment in cafe they difobeyed, faying Amen to the curfe of the law, Curfed be every one that confirmeth not all the words of the law to do them; and all the people fhall fay, • Amen.'

*

And Mr. Walker † faith, that the first part of the covenant, which God made with Ifrael at Horeb, was nothing else but a renewing of the old covenant of works (f) which God made with Adam in paradife . And it is generally laid down by our divines, that we are by Chrift delivered from the law as it is a covemant (g).

Nom. But, Sir, were the children of Ifrael at this time better able to perform the condition of the covenant of works, than either Adam or any of the old patriachs were, that God renewed it, now with them rather than before?

Evan. No indeed, God did not renew it with them now, and not before, because they were better able to keep it, but because they had more need to be made

On the cov. p. 128.

(e) i. e. Had worn them out, in the fame meafure and degree as the light of nature was darkned: but neither the one nor the other was ever fully done, Rom. ü. 14, 15.

(f) Wherein I differ from

Bolton's true bounds, p. 23

this learned author as to this point, and for what reafons, may be feen, p. 72. note (z).

(g) But not as it is a rule of life, which is the other member of that diftinction.

made acquainted what the covenant of works is, than thofe before. For tho' it is true the ten commandments, which were at first perfectly written in Adam's heart, were much obliterated (b) by his fall, yet fome impreffions and reliques thereof ftill remained (i); and Adam himself was very fenfible of his fall, and the reft of the fathers were holpen by tradition (k); and faith Cameron, God did fpeak to the patriarchs from heaven, yea, and he spake unto them by his angels(): but now by this time fit had almoft obliterated and defaced the impreffions of the

*

* Rom. ii. 15. in Mr. Bolton, påge 371. ger com. pla.

(b) Both in the heart of Adam himself, and of his defcendents in the firft ages of the world.

(i) Both with him and

them.

(k) The doctrine of the fall, with whatsoever other doctrine was neceffary to falvation, was handed down from Adam, the fathers communicating the fame to their children and childrens children. There were but eleven patriarchs before the flood; 1. Adam, 2. Seth. 3. Enos, 4. Cainan, 5. Mahalaleel, 6. Jared, 7. Enoch, 8. Methufelah, 9. Lamech, 10. Noah, 11. Shem. Adam having lived 930 years, Gen. v. 5. was known to Lamech, Noah's father, with whom he lived 66 years, and much longer with the reft of the fathers before him: fo Lamech,andthefebefore that him, might have the doctrine from Adam's own mouth. Methuselah lived with Adam 243 years, and with Shem

years before the deluge.

law

Bullen

See Gen. v. And what Shem (who, after the deluge, lis ved 502 years, Gen. xi. 10, 11.) had learned from Methufelah, he had occafion to teach Arphaxad,Salah, Eber, Peleg, Reu, Serug, Nahor, Terah, Abraham, Ifaac, Gen. xxi. 5. and Jacob, to whofe fifty firft year he (viz. Shem) reached. Gen. xi. 10. and xxi. 5. and xxv. 26, compared. Vid. Bail. op. hift. chron. p. 2, 3. Thus one may perceive, how the nature of the law and covevenant of works, given to Adam, might be far better known to them, than to the Ifraelites after their long bondage in Egypt.

(1). e. And befides all this, God fpake to the patriarchs immediately, and by angels. But neither of thefe do we find during the time of the bondage in Egypt,until the angel of the Lord appeared to Mofes in the bush, and ordered him to go and bring the people out of Egypt, Exod. iii.

law written in their hearts (m); and by their being lo long in Egypt, they were fo corrupted, that the inftructions and ordinances of their fathers were almost all worn out of mind; and their fall in Adam was almost forgotten, as the apostle teftifieth, Rom. v. 13, 14. faying, 'Before the' time of the law fin was in 'the world, but fin is not imputed when there is no 'law.' Nay, in that long courfe of time betwixt Adam and Mofes, men had forgotten what was fin: fo altho' God had made a promise of bleffing to Abraham, and to all his feed, that would plead interest in it (n); yet these people at this time were proud and fecure, and heedless of their eftate: and tho' fin was in them, and death reigned over them; yet they being without a law to evidence this fin and death unto their confciences (0), they did not impute it unto themselves, they would not own it, nor charge themfelves with it; and fo by confequence found no need of pleading the promise made to Abraham (p); therefore, Rom. v. 20. the law entered, that Adam's offence, and their own actual tranfgreffion, might abound: fo that now the Lord faw it needful, that there should be a new edition and publication of the covenant of works, the fooner to compel the elect unbelievers to come to Chrift the promised feed; and that the grace of God in Chrift to the elect believers might appear the more exceeding glorious. So that you fee the Lord's intention therein was, that they, by looking upon this covenant, might be put in mind

+ Reynolds on the ufe of the law, page 584.

what

law on their hearts were fo weak, that they were not fufficient for the purpose.

(p) By faith proponing it as their only defence, and opponing it to the demands of the law or covenant of works as their only plea.