grace. Seeing death was the punishment threatened for sin, in the first covenant; it may be thought strange that I should represent it as an appointment in the covenant of grace. But let it be remembered that the death threatened in the first covenant, included the whole of that punishment which was to be inflicted on man for sin; which punishment must necessarily reach and lie upon the soul as well as the body. The death threatened in the first covenant, contained much more than a bodily death. And further: When God came to our first parents after the fall, and had convicted them of their breach of the covenant; he first revealed the covenant of grace, in the promise of the seed of the woman, before he proceeded to pass any sentence upon them for their transgression. And as the covenant of grace was then revealed, so the mediation of Christ then took place between God and man, whereby the execution of the curse of the first covenant was prevented; and a new state of trial granted to fallen man, under the covenant of grace. And although the sin of breaking the first covenant was not properly pardoned; yet the covenant itself was superseded by the introduction of the covenant of grace; and it remained to be determined by their behavior under this second dispensation whether life or death should be their portion. Yet as in the introduction of the second covenant, mankind are considered as having once stood in a state of probation under the first, and having the character of a sinner fastened upon them by the breach of it; so it has seemed good in the sight of God to fix some lasting monuments of it upon mankind, by retaining some of the evils included in the original threatening which might be consistent with his gracious purposes in the second covenant; and in particular, to chastise the whole human race for the breach of the first coven-ant, by laying upon them the affliction of a bodily death; which, although laid for that first transgression, yet is not to be considered properly as the execution of the full curse of the first covenant; but as an holy correction laid upon them under the coven

ant of grace. In this light Moses leads us to consider the sentence of a bodily death which was passed upon the human race after the fall. Gen. iii 17, 18, 19. "And unto Adam he said, because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree of which I commanded thee, saying, thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake: in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth unto thee and thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground: for out of it wast thou taken for dust thou art; and unto dust shalt thou return." Here we evidently see, that a bodily death is numbered among the other sorrows and afflictions which mankind were to be exercised with in this life, and appointed to them on the same footing. These evils are far from being the full import of that threatening which was set before Adam in the first coven

ant.

"In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." This threatening, as I have before shown, includes much more than a bodily death, even future sufferings. And besides, these other afflictions of this life, are in other parts of the Bible constantly represented as the chastisements of a covenant-God. As therefore the other afflictions of this life, are the dealings of God in the covenant of grace; so also is this of a bodily death. A bodily death which is now the common portion of saints and sinners, is not to be looked upon as that in which the full curse of the first covenant is executed upon mankind : but it is to be esteemed as an appointment of God in the covenant of grace, in the exercise of his wisdom, holiness, and covenant love, wisely suited to the state of mankind in this life, to serve very important purposes respecting their probation under the covenant of grace. It is the present mortality of mankind that in a special manner awakens sleepy sinners, fixes their attention upon their spiritual concerns, restrains their corruptions, and quickens them to diligence in seeking salvation. And it is many ways advantage

ous to the true believer. It is an armor against temptations, a spur to his diligence, a period to his probation-state, a release from labor, and a passage into promised rest. Hence, the apostle numbers death amongst the privileges granted to believers in the covenant of grace. 1. Cor. iii. 22, 23. "Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come; all are yours; for ye are Christ's; and Christ is God's."

As it has pleased God to grant to fallen man a new state of trial; so the period of life here allowed us is the limited time of our probation-state. We must, in this life, secure our title to the blessings set before us, or our opportunity for it will be forever over. Our present state of trial being confined to this life, the length of it is determined by the sovereign pleasure of God: to some he is pleased to allow a longer, and to others a shorter space; reserving this among the secrets of his own will, that man, viewing himself every moment liable to die, might be quickened to greater diligence in improving the day and means of grace.

The appointment of a day of general judgment, and of the resurrection of the dead in order to it, belong to this new dispensation. There was no mention of these things in the first covenant; nor did the first state of man require, or even admit of them: but they are very agreeable to our state of trial under the new covenant. God hath appointed a day in which he will judge the world in righteousness by Jesus Christ, who will come again in the clouds for that purpose; when all that are in their graves shall hear his voice, and shall come forth; they that have done good, to the resurrection of life; and they that have done evil, unto the resurrection of damnation. The resurrection of the body is an appointment of the new covenant, as well as the day of general judgment; and both are parts of that scheme which divine wisdom hath laid in the covenant of grace, under which mankind are now made probationers: Therefore all, both good and bad, shall share in them as the

fruit and effect of Chris's being made their covenant-head in this dispensation. And thus the words of our text will be made good in their fullest import. "For since by man came death, by man came also the resurrection of the dead. For as in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive "

3. This new covenant is the rule of God's moral government over the world. God's moral government is his government over moral agents. And here, man only falls under our present consideration. By the moral law is commonly meant that rule of righteousness between God and man, which is founded in, and arises from the reason and nature of things.. Thus, man was created under such bonds of duty to his Creator; yea, and he necessarily remains so, under all the particular forms of divine government which God hath appointed to him. The tenor of the law is, "The man that doth them, shall live in them; But cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them."

Man being at first made under the law, whilst he remained so could expect nothing more in consequence of his obedience, than to be preserved in his then present state of happiness so long as he continued obedient: but on the first offence he would fall under the curse. But the appointment of a particular test, and subjoining a promise of life as the reward of obedience, and the threatening of death as the punishment of sin, according to the behavior of man during a certain term of time, did so alter the tenor of the divine government, as to make it of the nature of a covenant; although the same rule of duty the law, continued under this new form. This was the case when God entered into a covenant of life and death with our first parents; the whole law still remained as their rule of duty, although their trial for life or death was contracted to a single point, as has been before observed; and their obligations to obedience to the whole law were increased by the favors grant

ed in that covenant.

So likewise, when God brought in the covenant of grace upon the fall of man; the moral law still remained his rule of duty, in this new covenant-form. The moral law is put into the hand of Christ, and is the law of the Redeemer's kingdom; and every transgression of it is a sin against the divine authority exercised over man, in this cov enant. For the moral law belongs to, and is included in the covenant of grace, as the rule of duty there set before us. It is by Christ's authority this rule of duty is enjoined upon us; our conformity to it is properly obedience to him; and through the influence of his mediation, the motives to obedience, promises and threatenings, now take hold of us, and and become effectual upon us. Hence, our obedience to it is styled, The obedience of faith; faith in the heart is the root and principle from whence all hol obdience to the law ariseth.

Some practical writers have distinguished between the law and gospel, as being two distinct rules of life to mankind and they represent some things as duties required by the law, and others as being required by the gospel. But whatever advantages may, in some respects, arise from these distinctions; yet they ought to be made with the greatest caution, lest we thereby darken our conceptions of the rule of our duty, and the tenor of the divine government. It is manifestly absurd to represent two distinct and inconsistent forms of divine government as being in force at the same time. The original form of divine government in the moral law, promising life to the obedient, and threatening death to the offender, is very different from the form of divine government set forth in the gospel, which sets up the Mediator as universal king, promising life to them that believe on him, and cursing every unbeliever. It gives a very disagreeable character of the divine Being, to represent him as holding mankind under two such widely differing forms of government at the same time. This is an absurdity which has not been suf