ise. Whence the evils which God threatens to the transgressors of the covenant, are called the curses of the covenant, to which the person covenanting voluntarily subjected himself. The effect of this curse on the man, who stands not to the covenant, is called the vengeance of the covenant.† We have a form of astipulation or acceptance, Psal. xxvii. 8. For thee, i. e. in thy place or stead, my heart saith, Seek ye my face; thy face, Lord, will I seek. Where the voluntary astipulation of the believing heart answers to the stipulation made, in the name of God, by conscience his minister. XIII. Man, upon the proposal of this covenant, could not, without guilt, refuse this astipulation. 1. In virtue of the law, which universally binds him, humbly to embrace every thing proposed by God; to whom it is of the essence of the rational creature to be subject in every respect. 2. On account of the high excellency of God, whose province it is to dispose of his own benefits, and fix the condition of enjoying them, with supreme authority and at the same time to enjoin man to strive for the possession of the blessings offered, on the condition prescribed. Whence this covenant, as taking place between parties very unequal, assumes the nature of those engagements, which the Greeks called PROSTAGMATA, Or SUNTHEKAI EK TON EPITAGMATON, injunctions, or covenants from commands; of which Grotius speaks. Hence it is that Paul translates the words. of Moses, Behold the blood of the covenant, which the Lord hath made with you, thus, TOUTO TO HAIMA FES DIATHEKES, HES ENETEILATO PROS HUMAS HO THEOS. This is the blood of the testament, which God hath enjoined unto you. It is not left arbitrary to man, to accept or reject, at his pleasure, God's covenant. Man is commanded to embrace it, breathing after the promises, in the way pointed out by the covenant. Not to desire the promises, is to refuse the * Deut. xxix. 20. † Lev. xxvi. 25. De jure bellis et pacis, || Heb, ix. 20. cap. xv. § 6. VOL. I. § Exod. xxiv. 8. goodness of God; to reject the precepts, is to deny the sovereignty and holiness of God. Not to submit to the sanction, is to deny the justice of God. Therefore the apostle says of God's covenant, that NENOMOTHETETAI, it is reduced to the form of a law,* by which man is obliged to an acceptance. 3. It follows from that love, which man naturally owes to himself, and by which he is carried to the chief good; for enjoying of which there remains no method besides the condition prescribed by God. 4. The very conscience of man dictates, that this covenant is in all its parts highly equitable. For what can be conceived even by thought more reasonable, than that man, esteeming God as his chief good, should seek to be delighted in him, and rejoice at the offer of that good? that he should readily receive the law, which is a transcript or copy of the divine holiness, as the rule of his nature and actions? in fine, that he should submit his guilty head to the most just vengeance of the Deity, if he should happen to make light of this promise, and violate the law? From which it follows, that man was not at liberty to reject God's covenant, XIV. God by this covenant acquires no new right over man: which, if we rightly consider the matter, neither is nor can be founded on any benefit of God, or misdemeanor of man, as Arminius argues: nor in any thing without God; the principal or alone foundation of it being the sovereign majesty of the most high God. Because God is the blessed, and most sufficient for all felicity, therefore he is also the only Potentate, as Paul joins these two together. Nor can God's power and right over the creatures, be derived from or increased by any thing extrinsic to God. This ought to be deemed unworthy of God's sovereignty and independence of which we shall soon treat more fully. Only God, in this covenant, shews what right he has over man. But man, accepting the covenant, and performing the condition, by these performances acquire some right to demand of God *Heb. viii. 6. † 1 Tim. vi. 15. : the promise. For God has, by his promises, generously made himself a debtor to man. Or, to speak in a manner more becoming God, he has been pleased to make his performing his promises, a debt due to himself, to his goodness, justice, and veracity. And to man in covenant, and continuing stedfast therein, he has granted the right of expecting and requiring, that God should satisfy his goodness, justice, and truth, by the performance of his promises. And thus man consenting to the covenant, makes God say, that he will be a God to him.* That is, liberty is given to him to glory in God, as his God, and to expect from God, that he will become to man in covenant with him, what he is to himself, a spring of consummate happi ness. XV. We find two covenants of God with man in scripture: the covenant of works, otherwise called the covenant of nature, or the legal; and the covenant of grace. So the apostle teaches us to distinguish, Rom. iii. 27, where he mentions the law of works, and the law of faith: by the law of works understanding that doctrine, which points out the way, in which, by means of work, salvation is obtained; and by the law of faith that doctrine which shews the way, in which, by means of faith, salvation is obtained. The form of the covenant of works is, The man which doth those things, shall live by them. That of the covenant of grace is, Whosoever believeth in him, shall not be ashamed. These covenants agree in this; 1. That, in both, the contracting parties are the same, God and man. 2. In both, the same promise of eternal life, consisting in the immediate fruition of God. 3. The condition of both is the same, perfect obedience to the law prescribed. For it is not worthy of God to admit man to a blessed communion with him, but in the way of untainted holiness. 4. In both is the same end, the glory of the most undefiled holiness of God. But they differ in the following respects. 1. The character or relation of God and man in the covenant of Ibid. ver. LL. * Deut. xxvi. 17. † Rom. x. 5. In the works, is different from that in the covenant of grace. In the former, God acts as the supreme lawgiver, and the chief good, rejoicing to communicate his happiness to his innocent creature. In the latter, as infinitely merciful, adjudging life to the elect sinner agreeably to his wisdom and justice. 2. In the covenant of works, there was no mediator, The covenant of grace has a mediator, Christ. 3. In the covenant of works, the condition of perfect obedience was required, to be performed by man himself in covenant. covenant of grace, the same condition is proposed, as to be performed, or already performed by a Mediator. And in this substitution of the person consists the principal and essential difference of the covenants. 4. In the covenant of works, man is considered as working, and the reward, as to be given of debt; and consequently man's glorying is not excluded, by which as a faithful servant he may glory upon the right discharge of his duty, and demand the reward promised to his work. In the covenant of grace, the man in covenant, ungodly in himself, is considered as believing; eternal life being given to man, as the merit of the Mediator, out of free grace, which excludes all boasting, except that by which the believing sinner glories in God, as a merciful Saviour. 5. In the covenant of works, something is required of man, as a condition, which being performed entitles him to the reward. The covenant of grace, with respect to us, consists of the pure promises of God, in which the Mediator, the life to be obtained by him, the faith by which we may be made partakers of him, and of the benefits purchased by him, and perseverance in that faith, in a word, the whole of salvation, with all things necessary to it, are absolutely promised. 6. The special end of the covenant of works, was the manifestation of the holiness, goodness, and justice of God, shining forth in the most perfect law, in the most liberal promise, and in the recompense of reward to be given to those who heartily seek him. The special end of the covenant of grace, is the praise of the glory of his grace, and the revelation of his unsearchable and manifold wisdom: which perfections of God shine forth with a splendid lustre in the gift of a Mediator, by whom complete salvation is brought to the sinner, without tarnishing the honor of the holiness, justice, and truth of God. To this may be added a demonstration of the divine all-sufficiency, by which not only man, but what is more surprising, even a sinner, may be, and is actually brought to God. . All these things will be more fully and clearly explained in what follows. * Eph. i. 6. CHA P. II. Of the contracting parties in the covenant of works. WE begin with the consideration of the covenant of works; which is otherwise called of the law, and of nature, because it is prescribed by the law, requires works as the condition, and is founded upon and coeval with nature. This covenant is, An agreement between God and Adam, formed after the image of God, as the head and chief of all mankind, by which God promised eternal life and happiness to him, if he yielded the mofl perfect obedience to all his commands; subjoining a threatening of death, if he transgressed in the least point: and Adam accepted this condition. To this purpose are these two sentences, afterwards inculcated on the repetition of the law, Lev. xviii. 5. and Deut. xxvii. 26. II. That these things may be the better understood these four things are to be explained. 1. The contracting parties. 2. The condition prescribed in the covenant. 3. The promises. 4. The threatening. III. The contracting parties here are God and Adam. God as Sovereign and supreme Lord, prescrib |