But a conditional proposal upon an impossible condition, is equivalent to an absolute denial. It is indeed true, that the law, considered as a rule, cannot but enjoin a holiness absolutely perfect in every respect; which we have elsewhere professedly proved: but the case is different, when something is required as the condition of a covenant. The man indeed is still bound to perfect holiness, so far that the least deviation is a sin: but yet supposing a covenant of grace, among the benefits of which is remission of sins, God stipulates with his people in this manner; If, with sincerity of heart, you keep my precepts, and recover from your falls by renewed repentance, I will upon that give you an evidence, that I am your God. Here therefore he requires a sincere, though not, in every respect, a perfect, observance of his commands.

XLV. Upon that condition, he promises to them not only temporal blessings, such as the possession of the land of Canaan, and a peaceable life there, abounding with all plenty of every thing desirable, Exod. xx. 12. but also spiritual and eternal, when he says, that he will be their God and they his people, in that sense which he promised the land to the pious fathers: That he may establish thee to-day for a people unto himself, and that he may be unto thee a God, as he hath said unto thee, and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob, Deut. xxix. 13. Compare Jer. vii. 22, 23. But that these words comprise life eternal, and the resurrection of the body, we learn from our Lord, Matth. xxiii. 32.

XLVI. To this stipulation of God the Israelites agreed, Exod. xix. 8. And all the people answered together, and said, All that the Lord hath spoken, we will do. Which they repeated upon the publication of the law, Exod. xxiv. 3. And all the people answered with

one voice, and said, All the words that the Lord hath said will we do. The pious among the Israelites, conscious of their own inability and manifold infirmities, humbly promised, depending by faith on the gracious influences of divine strength, an obedience not indeed perfect (for that would be to incur the guilt of a lie) but yet sincere, and by no means feigned. The others, as they did not duly attend either to the spiritual perfection of the law, or to their own natural inability, rashly and confusedly bound themselves to the observance of all. the precepts. Yet so far these words were good and acceptable to God, as by them they testified some degree of readiness of soul, Deut. v. 33, 34, 35.

XLVII. Now concerning this covenant, made upon the ten commandments, it is queried, whether it was a covenant of works, or a covenant of grace? We judge proper to premise some things, previous to the determination of this question. And first, we observe, that in the ministry of Moses, there was a repetition of the doctrine concerning the law of the covenant of works. For both the very same precepts are inculcated, on which the covenant of works was founded, and which constituted the condition of that covenant; and that sentence is repeated, which if a man do, he shall live in them, Lev. xviii. 5. Ezek. xx. 11, 13. by which formula, the righteousness, which is of the law, is described, Rom. x. 5. And the terror of the covenant of works is increased by repeated comminations; and that voice heard, Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them, Deut. xxvii. 26. Now the apostle declares, that this is the curse of the law, as the law is opposed to faith, or the covenant of grace, Gal. iii. 10, 12. Nay, as the requirement of obedience was rigid under the ministry of Moses, the promises of spiritual and saving grace were more rare and obscure, the mea

sure of the Spirit granted to the Israelites scanty and short, Deut. xxix. 4. and on the contrary, the denunciation of the curse frequent and express; hence the ministry of Moses is called the ministration of death and condemnation, 2 Cor. iii. 7, 9. doubtless because it mentioned the condemnation of the sinner, and obliged the Israelites to subscribe to it.

XLVIII. Secondly, We more especially remark, that when the law was given from mount Sinai or Horeb, there was a repetition of the covenant of works. For those tremendous signs of thunders and lightnings, of an earthquake, a thick smoke and black darkness, were adapted to strike Israel with great terror. And the setting bounds and limits round about the mount, whereby the Israelites were kept at a distance from the presence of God, upbraided them with that separation, which sin had made between God and them. In a word, "Whatever we read, Exod. xix." (says Calvin on Heb. xii. 19.) " is intended to inform the people, that God then ascended his tribunal, and manifested himself as an impartial Judge. If an innocent animal happened to approach, he commanded it to be thrust through with a dart; how much sorer punishment were sinners liable to, who were conscious of their sins, nay, and knew themselves indited by the law, as guilty of eternal death?" See the same author on Exod. xix. 1, 16. And the apostle in this matter, Heb. xii. 18.-22. sets mount Sinai in opposition to mount Zion, the terrors of the law to the sweetness of the gospel.

XLIX. Thirdly, We are not, however, to imagine, that the doctrine of the covenant of works was repeated, in order to set up again such a covenant with the Israelîtes, in which they were to seek for righteousness and salvation. For we have already proved, book i. chap. ix. sect. 20. that this could not possibly be renewed in

that manner with a sinner, on account of the justice and truth of God, and the nature of the covenant of works, which admits of no pardon of sin. See also Hornbeck. Theol. Pract. tom. 2. p. 10. Besides, if the Israelites were taught to seek salvation by the works of the law, then the law had been contrary to the promise made to the fathers many ages before. But now says the apostle, Gal. iii. 17. The covenant that was confirmed before of God in Christ, the law, which was four hundred and thirty years after, cannot disannul, that it should make the promise of none effect. The Israelites were, therefore, thus put in mind of the covenant of works, in order to convince them of their sin and misery, to drive them out of themselves, to shew them the necessity of a satisfaction, and to compel them to Christ. And so their being thus brought to a remembrance of the covenant of works, tended to promote the covenant

of grace.

L. Fourthly, There likewise accompanied this giving of the law the repetition of some things belonging to the covenant of grace. For that God should propose a covenant of friendship to sinful man, call himself his God (at least in the sense it was said to the elect in Israel) take to himself any people, separated from others, for his peculiar treasure, assign to them the land of Canaan as a pledge of heaven, promise his grace to those that love him and keep his commandments, and circumscribe the vengeance denounced against despisers within certain bounds, and the like; these things manifestly discover a covenant of grace and without supposing the suretiship of the Messiah, it could not consistently with the divine justice and truth, be proposed to man a sinner. Judiciously says Calvin on Exod. xix. 17. "By these words we are taught, that these prodigies or signs were not given, to drive the people from

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the presence of God; nor were they struck with any terror, to exasperate their minds with a hatred of in-. struction; but that the covenant of God was no less. lovely, than awful. For they are commanded to go and meet God, to present themselves with a ready affection of soul to obey him. Which could not be, unless they had heard something in the law besides precepts and threatenings." See also Tilenus, Syntagm.

p. 1. disp. 33. § 18, 19, 20, 28, 29.

LI. Having premised these observations I answer to the question: The covenant made with Israel at mount Sinai was not formally the covenant of works. 1. Because that cannot be renewed with the sinner, in such a sense as to say, If, for the future, thou shall perfectly perform every instance of obedience, thou shalt be justified by that, according to the covenant of works. For by this the pardon of former sins would be presupposed, which the covenant of works excludes. 2. Because God did not require perfect obedience, from Israel, as a condition of this covenant, as a cause of claiming the reward; but sincere obedience, as an evidence of reverence and gratitude. 3. Because it did not conclude Israel under the curse, in the sense peculiar to the covenant of works, where all hope of pardon was cut off, if they sinned but in the least instance.

LII. However the carnal Israelites, not adverting to God's purpose or intention, as they ought, mistook the true meaning of that covenant, embraced it as a covenant of works, and by it sought for righteousness. Paul declares this, Rom. ix. 31, 32. But Israel which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness; wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law: for they stumbled at that stumbling-stone. To the same purpose it is, that, Gal. iv. 24, 25, he compares