of man's heart in the time of Adam: for we read that man was created in the image, or likeness, of God, Gen. 1:27. And the ten commandments are a doctrine, agreeing with the eternal wisdom and justice that is in God; in which he has so pointed out his own nature, that it does, in a manner, express the very image of God. And, does not the apostle say, that the image of God consists in knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness? And is not knowledge, righteousness, and true holiness, the perfection of both the tables of the law?* And indeed, says Mr. Rollock, it could not well stand with the justice of God, to make a covenant with man, under the condition of holy and good works, and perfect obedience to his law: except he had first created man holy and pure, and engraved his law in his heart, whence those good works should proceed. Nom. But, yet I cannot but marvel, that God, in making the covenant with man, did make mention of no other commandment, than that of the forbidden fruit. Evan. Do not marvel at it: for by that one species of sin, the whole genus, or kind is shown; as the same law, being more clearly unfolded,† Deut. 27: 26. Gal. 3: 10. does express. And indeed, in that one commandment the whole worship of God did consist; as obedience, honor, love, confidence, and religious fear; together with the outward abstinence from sin, and reverent respect to the voice of God: yea, herein also consisted his love, and so his whole duty, to his neighbor. So that, as a learned writer saith, Adam heard as much in the garden, as Israel did at Sinai; but only in fewer words, and without thunder.§ Nom. But, Sir, ought not man to have yielded perfect obedience to God, though this covenant had not been made between them? Evan. Yea, indeed, perfect and perpetual obedience was due from man unto God, though God had made no promise to man: for when God created man at first, he put forth an excellency from himself into him; and therefore it was the * Treat. of Effect. Call. p. 20. or thereabouts. Hugo Grot. Defens. Fid. p. 7. 1. That one commandment was, in effect, a summary of the whole duty of man: which clearly appears, if one considers, that the breach of it, was a transgressing of all the ten commands at once, as our author afterwards distinctly shows. Of the law. Lightfoot Miscel. p. 282. Chap. 1. bond and tie that lay upon man, to return that again unto God:* so that man being God's creature, by the law of crea tion, owed all obedience and subjection to God his Creator.t Nom. Why then was it needful, that the Lord should make a covenant with him, by promising him life, and threatening him with death? Evan. For answer hereunto, in the first place, I pray you understand, that man was a reasonable creature; and so, out of judgment, discretion and election, able to make choice of his way: and therefore, it was meet there should be such a covenant made with him; that he might, according to God's appointment, serve him after a reasonable manner. Secondly, it was meet there should be such a covenant made with him, to show that he was not such a prince on earth, but that he had a sovereign Lord:|| therefore God set a punishment upon the breach of his commandment;§ that man might know his inferiority, and that things between him and God, were not as between equals. Thirdly, it was meet there should be such a covenant made with him, to show that he had nothing by personal, immediate, and underived right; but all by gift and gentleness. So that, you see, it was an equal covenant,** which God, out of his prerogative royal, made with mankind in Adam, before his fall. Nom. Well, Sir, I do perceive that Adam, and all mankind in him, were created most holy. Evan. Yes, and most happy too: for God placed him in paradise, in the midst of all delightful pleasures and contents; in which he did enjoy most near and sweet communion with his Creator, in whose presence is "fulness of joy, and at whose right hand are pleasures for evermore," Psalm 16: 11. So that if Adam had received of the tree of life,†† by taking and * God having given man, a being after his own image, a glorious excellency, it was his natural duty, to make suitable returns thereof, unto the Giver, in a way of duty, bein and acting for him: even as the waters, which originally are from the sea, do in brooks and rivers, return to the sea again. Man, being of God as his first cause, behooved to be to him as his chief and ultimate end. Rom. 11:36. † Reynolds on Psal. 110, p. 403. Reynolds on Psal. 110, p. 405. Gibbons on Gen. p. 97. Ball on the Cov. p. 11. § Viz. The punishment of death, upon the breach of his commandment, touching the forbidden fruit. Reynolds on Psal. 110, p. 406. ** i. e. An equitable covenant, fair and reasonable. ++ Walker on the Cov. P. 89. eating of it, while he stood in the state of innocency, before his fall, he had certainly been established in a happy state for ever, and could not have been seduced and supplanted by Satan; as some learned men do think, and as God's own words seem to imply, Gen. 3: 22.* 2. Nom. But it seemeth that Adam did not continue in that holy and happy estate. Evan. No indeed; for he disobeyed God's express com mand, in eating the forbidden fruit; and so became guilty of the breach of the covenant.† Nom. But, Sir, how could Adam, who had his understanding, so sound, and his will so free to choose good, be so disobedient to God's express command? Evan. Though he and his will were both good, yet were they mutably good; so that he might stand or fall, at his own election or choice.‡ * The author saith, that some learned men think so; and that the words, Gen. 3: 22. seem to imply so much: but all this amounts not to a positive determination of the point. The words are these," Behold, the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil: and now, lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life and eat, and live for ever." Whether or not these words seem to imply some such thing, I leave to the judgment of the reader, whom I incline not to entertain with mine own, or others' conjectures, upon the head. But three things I take to be plain, and beyond conjecture, in this text. 1. That there is no irony nor scoff here, as many think there is; but, on the contrary, a most pathetic lamentation over fallen man. The literal version and sense of the former part of the text, run thus: "Behold the man that was as one of us," &c. Compare for the version, Lam. 3: 1. Psal. 52: 7. and for the sense, Gen. 1:26, 27. "And God said, Let us make man in OUR image."-" So God created man in his own image," &c. The latter part of the text I would read thus: "And eat, that he may live for ever:" Compare, for this version, Exod. 4:23. 1 Sam. 6: 8. it is evident the sentence is broken off abruptly, the words, "I will drive him out," being suppressed; even as in the case of a father, with sighs, sobs and tears, putting his son out of doors. 2. That it was God's design, to prevent Adam's eating of the tree of life, as he had eaten of the forbidden tree; "Lest he-take also of the tree of life:" Thereby mercifully taking care, that our fallen father, to whom the covenant of grace was now proclaimed, might not, according to the corrupt natural inclination of fallen mankind, run back to the covenant of works for life and salvation, by partaking of the tree of life, a sacrament of that covenant; and so reject the covenant of grace, by eating of that tree now, as he had before broken the covenant of works, by eating of the tree of knowledge of good and evil. 3. That at this time Adam did think, that by eating of the tree of life he might live for ever. Further I dip not here, in this matter. † Mr. Slater on the 2 Cov. Dent. Pathway, p. 304. Nom. But why then did not the Lord create him immutable? or, why did he not so over-rule him in that action, that he might not have eaten the forbidden fruit?* Evan. The reason why the Lord did not create him immutable,† was, because he would be obeyed out of judgment and free choice; and not by fatal necessity, and absolute determination; and withal let me tell you, it was not reasonable to restrain God to this point; to make man such a one as would not, or could not sin at all; for it was at his choice to create him how he pleased. But why he did not uphold him with strength of steadfast continuance; that resteth hidden in God's secret counsel.§ Howbeit, this we may certainly conclude; that Adam's state was such, as served to take away from him all excuse; for he received so much, that of his own *These are two distinct questions, both of them natively arising from a legal temper of spirit: and I doubt, if ever the heart of a sinner shall receive a satisfying answer, as to either of them, until it come to embrace the gospel way of salvation, taking up its everlasting rest in Christ, for wisdom, righteousness, sanctification and redemption. + Reynolds on Psal. 110, p. 406. See the following note. || Calv. Inst. p. 81. § Immutability, properly so called, or absolute unchangeableness, is an incommunicable attribute of God, Mal. 3: 6. Jam. 1: 17. And mutability, or changeableness, is so of the nature of a creature, that it should cease to be a creature, or a dependant being, if it should cease to be mutable. But there is an immutability, improperly so called, which is competent to the creature; whereby it is free from being actually liable to change, in some respect: and which, in reference to man, may be considered two ways. 1. As putting him beyond the hazard of change by another hand than his own. 2. As putting him beyond the hazard of change by himself. In the former sense, man was indeed made immutable in point of moral goodness; for he could be made sinful or evil only by himself, and not by any other. If he had been made immutable in the latter sense, that immutability behooved either to have been woven into his very nature; or else to have risen from confirming grace. Now God did not create man thus immutable in his nature, which is what the first question aims at: and that for this very good reason, viz. That at that rate, man would have obeyed by fatal necessity and absolute determination, as one not having so much as a remote power in his nature to change himself. And neither glorified saints, nor angels, are thus immutable; their immutability in goodness, entirely depending on confirming grace. As for immutability by confirming grace, which the second question aims at, it is conferred on glorified saints and angels: but why it was not afforded to Adam at his creation, our author wisely declines to give any reason. "The reason," saith he, "why the Lord did not create him immutable, was, Because, &c. But why he did not uphold him with strength of steadfast continuance, that resteth hidden in God's secret counsel." will he wrought his own destruction;* because this act of his was a wilful transgression of a law, under the precepts of which, he was most justly created:† and unto the malediction of which, he was as necessarily and righteously subject, if he transgressed: for, as being God's creature, he was to be subject to his will; so, by being God's prisoner, he was as justly subject to his wrath; and that so much the more, by how much the precept was most just, the obedience more easy, the transgression more unreasonable, and the punishment more certain. 3. Nom. And was Adam's sin and punishment imputed unto his whole offspring? Evan. Yea, indeed; for saith the apostle, "Death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned;" Rom. 5: 12. or, in whom all have sinned, that is in Adam. The very truth is, Adam, by his fall, threw down our whole nature‡ headlong into the same destruction, and drowned his whole offspring in the same gulf of misery.§ And the reason is, because, by God's appointment, he was not to stand, or fall, as a single person only; but as a common public person, representing all mankind to come of him:T,* ** Therefore as all that happiness, all those gifts and endowments, which were bestowed upon him, were not bestowed upon him alone, but also upon the whole nature of man;†† and as that covenant which was made with him, was made with whole mankind; even so he, by breaking covenant, lost all, as well for us as for himself. As he received all for himself and us; so he lost all, both for himself and us.‡‡ Nom. Then, Sir, it seemeth, by Adam's breach of covenant, all mankind were brought into a miserable condition. Evan. All mankind by the fall of Adam received a twofold damage. 1st. A deprivation of all original goodness. 2d. An habitual natural proneness to all kind of wickedness: For the image of God, after which they were created, was forthwith blotted out; and in place of wisdom, righteous * i. e. He received so much strength, that it was not of weakness, but wilfulness, that he destroyed himself. + Reynolds on Psal. 110, p. 406. ti. e. All mankind. Calv. Inst. pp. 106, 107. § With himself. ¶ Goodwin's triumph of Faith, p. 85. ** Viz. By virtue of the blessing of fruitfulness, given before the fall. tt i. e. All mankind. Seven Golden Candlesticks, p. 3. Pemble Vind. Fid. P. 99. |