yield perfect and perpetual obedience to all the ten commandments, and God had an eternal life to beftow upon him; yet was there not a covenant betwixt them till they were thereupon agreed. Nom. But, Sir, you know there is no mention made in the book of Genefis of this covenant of works, which, you fay, was made with man at first. Evan. Tho' we read not the word covenant be. twixt God and man, yet have we there recorded what may amount to as much: * for God provided, and promised to Adam eternal happiness, and called for perfect obedience; which appears from God's threatoing, Gen. ii. 17. for if man muft die if he disobeyed, it implies ftrongly, that God's covenant was with him for life, if he obeyed. Nom. But, Sir, you know the word covenant fignifies a mutual promise, bargain, and obligation, betwixt two parties t. Now tho' it is implied, that God promifed man, to give him life, if he obeyed; yet we read not, that man promised to be obedient. Evan. I pray take notice, that God doth not always tie man to verbal expreffions : but doth often Contract the covenant in real impreffions, in the heart and frame of the creature (c), and this was the manner of covenanting with man at the first (d): for God had furnished his foul with an understanding mind †, where C 3 Walker on the Ball on the covenant, page 5. 8. *Ball on the covenant, p. 6. covenant, page 39. + Calv. Inft. fol. Eng. page (c) The foul approving, embracing, and confenting to the covenant; which, without any more, is plain language, though not unto men, yet unto God who knoweth the heart, (d) The covenant being revealed to man created after God's own image, he could not but perceive the equity and benefit of it; and fo heartly approve,embrace, accept, and confent to it. And this accepting is plainly intimated in Eve's words to the ferpent, Gen. iii. 2, 3. We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden; but of the fruit of the tree 'which is in the midst of the garden, God hath faid, Ye fhall not eat of it, nei'ther shall ye touch it, left ye die. Chap. I. 1. whereby he might difcern good from evil, and right from wrong; and not only fo, but also in his will was moft great uprightnefs, Eccl. vii. 29. and his inftrumental parts (e) were orderly framed to obedience. The truth is, God did engrave in man's foul wisdom and knowledge of his will and works, and integrity in the whole foul, and fuch a fitnefs in all the powers thereof, that neither the mind did conceive, nor the heart defire*, nor the body put in execution, any thing, but that which was acceptable to God: fo that man endued with these qualities, was able to ferve God perfectly. Nom. But, Sir, how could the law of the ten commandments be the matter of this covenant of works; when they were not written, as you know, till the time of Mofes ? Evan. Tho' they were not written in tables of ftone until the time of Mofes, yet were they writ in the tables of man's heart in the time of Adam: forwe read that man was created in the image, or likenefs of God, Gen. i. 27. And the ten commandments are a doctrine agreeing with the eternal wif dom and juftice that is in God; wherein he hath fo painted out his own nature, that it doth in a manner express the very image of God, Col, iii, 10. And doth not the apoftle fay, Eph. iv. 24. that the image of God confifts in knowledge, righteoufnefs, and ⚫ true holiness? And is not knowledge, righteoufnefs and true holinefs, the perfection of both the tables of the law? And indeed, faith Mr. Rollock, it could not well ftand with the juftice 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 *Bafting, cat. p. 8. Urfin. cat. p. 517. Galv. inft. p. 190, Treat. of effectual calling, page 20. or thereabouts. (e) Executive faculties good known and willed was and powers, whereby the to be done. and engraven his law in his heart, whence thofe good works fhould 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 fpecies of fin, the whole genus or kind is fhewn; as the fame law, being more clearly unfolded*, Deut. xxvii. 26. Gal. iii. 10. doth exprefs. And indeed, in that one commandment the whole worship of God did confift; as obedience, honour, love, confidence and religious fear; together with the outward abstinence from fin, and reverend refpect to the voice of God; yea, herein alfo confifted his love, and fo his whole duty, to his neighbour (f); fo that as a learned writer faith, Adam heard as much in the garden as Ifrael 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 betwixt them? Evan. Yea indeed, perfect and perpetual obedience was due from man unto God, tho' God had made no promise to man: for when God created man at first, he put forth an excellency from himself into him; and and therefore it was the bond and tie that lay upɔn man, to return that again unto God (g); so that man being * Hugo Grot. de defenf, fid. page 7. 1. + Of the law. Lightfoot, mifcel. page 282. (f) That one commandment was in effect a fummary of the whole duty of man: the which clearly appears, if one confiders, that the breach of it was a tranfgreffing of all the ten commands at once, as our author after-wards diftinctly fheweth. his natural duty to make fuitable returns thereofunto the giver, in a way of duty, being and acting for him; even as the waters, which originally are from the fea, do, in brooks and rivers, return to the fea again. Man, being of God as his firft caufe, behoved to be to him as his chief and ultimate end, Rom. xi. 36. (g) God having given man a being after his own image, a glorious excellency, it was being God's creature, by the law of creation, he owed all obedience and fubjection to God his Creator Nom. Why then was it needful, that the Lord should make a covenant with him, by promifing him life, and threatning him with death? Evan. For anfwer hereunto, in the first place, I pray you understand, that man was a reasonable creature; and fo, out of judgment, difcretion and election, able to make choice of his way) and therefore it was meet there fhould be fuch a covenant made with him, that he might, according to God's appointment, ferve him after a reasonable manner, Secondly, it was meet there fhould be fuch a covenant made with him, to fhew that he was not fuch a prince on earth, but that he had a fovereign Lords: therefore God fet a punishment upon the breach of his commandment (b); that man might know his inferiority, and that things betwixt him and God were not as betwixt equals. Thirdly, It was meet there fhould be fuch a covenant made with him, to fhew that he had nothing by perfonal, immediate and underived right, but all by gift and gentleness: fo that you fee it was an equal covenant (i), which God, out of his prerogative-royal, made with mankind in Adam before his fall. Nem. Well, Sir, I do perceive that Adam and all mankind in him were created most holy. Evan. Yea, and moft happy too : for God placed him in paradife in the midst of all delightful pleasures and contents, wherein he did enjoy moft near and fweet communion with his Creator, in whose prefence is fulness of joy, and at whofe right hand are pleasures for evermore,' Pfal. xvi. 11. fo that if Adam had re ceived *Reynolds on Pfalm cx. page 403. (b) Viz. The punishment of death upon the breach of his commandment touch || Ibid. 405° Ball on the coven. page 11. ing the forbidden fruit. (i) i.e. An equitable covenant, fair and reasonable, 41 ceived of the tree of life *, by taking and eating it, while he stood in the state of innocency, before his fall, he had certainly been established in a happy eftate for ever, and could not have been feduced and fupplanted by Satan, as fome learned men do think, and as God's own words seem to imply, Gen. iii. 22. (k). * Walker on the coven. page 89. § 2. Nom. (k) The author faith, that ter part of the text I would fome learned men think fo, read thus: And eat, that and that the words, Gen. iii. f he may live for ever:' com22. feem to imploy fo much; pare for this verfion, Exod. but all this amounts not to a iv. 23. 1 Sam. vi. 8. It is pofitive determination of the evident the fentence is broke point. The words are thefe, off abruptly, the words, Behold, the man is become I will drive him out,' being as one of Us, to know good fuppreffed; even as in the and evil; and now, left he cafe of a father, with fighs, put forth his hand, and fobs and tears, putting his take alfo of the tree of life, fon out of doors. (2.) That and eat, and live for ever. it was God's defign, to preWhether or not thefe words vent Adams eatingof the tree feem to imply fome fuch of life, as he had eaten of the thing, I leave to the judg-forbidden tree, left he--ment 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 fcoff here, as many think there is; but on the contrary a moft pathetic lamentation over fallen man. The literal verfion and fenfe of the former part of the text runs thus s; Behold the man, 'that was one of us,&c.compare for the verfion,' Lam. iii. 1. Pfal. iii. 7. and for the fenfe, Gen. i. 26. 27. And God faid, Let us make man in Our image. 'So God created man in his 'own image,' &c. The lat take alfo 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 falvation, by partaking of the tree of life, a facrament of that covenant, and fo 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 Idip not here in this matter. |