1 Jer. xxxi. 31, 33, 35-37; Ps. xix. 7; Rev. iii. 14 ; Isa. liv. 10. " Heb. viii. 6-10, and i. 4 j Luke i. 72 ; Rom. ix. 4, &c. ; Mat. xxvi. 28 ; Luke xxii. 20, &c.
292 THE COVENANT OF GRACE PROVED AND OPENED,
word Berith, whieli is used in the law and the prophets, doth confirm our derivation of it from all the words before named. And this derivation of the Hebrew and Greek names of a covenant being thus laid down, and confirmed by the reasons formerly cited, is of great use. The various acceptation and use of these two names in the Old and New Testament is very considerable for the opening of the cove- nant : First, To shew unto us the full signification of the word covenant, and what the nature of a covenant is in general. Second, To justify the divers acceptations of the word, and to shew the nature of every word in particular, and so to make way for the knowledge of the agreement and difference between the old and new covenant. Here, as in a crystal glass, you may see that this word Berith, and this word Diatheke, signify all covenants in general, whether they are religious or civil ; for there is nothing in any true covenant which is not comprised in the signification of these words, being expounded according to the former derivations. Here also we may see what is the nature of a covenant in general, and what things are thereunto required; as, first, every true covenant presupposeth a division or separation ; secondly, it comprehends in it a mutual promising and binding between two distinct parties ; thirdly, there must be faithful dealing, without fraud, or dissembling on both sides ; fourthly, this must be between choice persons ; fifthly, it must be about choice matters and upon choice conditions, agreed upon by both; sixthly and lastly, it must tend to the well-ordering and composing of things between them. Now all these are manifest by the several significa- tions of the words from which Berith and Diatheke are derived. And thus much for the word covenant according to the originals of the Old and New Testament.
5, Fifthly, Premise this with me, that there was a covenant ofioorks, or a reciprocal covenant, hetwixt God and Adam, together with all his 'posterity. Before Adam fell from his primitive holiness, beauty, glory, and excellency, God made a covenant with Adam as a public person, which represented all mankind. The covenant of works was made with all men in Adam, who was made and stood as a public person, head and root, in a common and comprehensive capacity. I say, it was made with him as such, and we all in him ; he and all etood and fell together. (1.) Witness the imputation of Adam's sin to all mankind : Eom. v. 12, ' In whom,' or forasmuch as, ' all have sinned ;' they sinned not all in themselves, therefore in Adam ; see ver. 14, ' In him all died.' (2.) Witness the curse of the covenant that all mankind are directly under ; consult the scriptures in the margin. i Those on whom the curse of the covenant comes, those are under the bond and precept of the covenant. But all mankind are under the curse of the covenant, and therefore all mankind are under the bond and precept of the covenant. Adam did understand the terms of the covenant, and did consent to the terms of the covenant ; for God dealt with him in a rational way, and expected from him a reasonable service, , The end of this covenant was the upholding of the creation, and of all the creatures in their pure natural estate, for the comfort of man continually, and for the special manifestation of God's free grace ;
1 lCor.xv.47; Deut.xxix.21; Rom. viii. 20,21 ; Gal. iii. 10, 13.
THE COVENANT OF GRACE PROVED AND OPENED. 293
and that he might put the greater obligation upon Adam to obey his Creator and to sweeten his authority to man ; and that he might draw out Adam to an exercise of his faith, love, and hope in his Creator ; and that he might leave Adam the more inexcusable in case he should sin ; and that so a clear way might be made for God's justification and man's conviction. Upon these grounds God dealt with Adam, not only in a way of sovereignty, but in a way of covenant.
Quest. But how may it be evidenced that God entered into a cove- nant of works with the first Adam before his fall, there being no men- tion of such a covenant in the Scripture that we read of ?
Ans. Though the name be not in the Scripture, yet the thing is in the Scripture, as will evidently ajipear by comparing scripture with scripture. 1 Though it be not positively and plainly said in the blessed Scripture that God made a covenant of works with Adam before his fall, yet, upon sundry scripture grounds and considerations, it may be sufficiently evidenced that God did make such a covenant with Adam before his fall; and therefore it is a nice cavil, and a foolish vanity, for any to make such a noise about the word covenant, and for want of the word covenant, boldly to conclude that there was no such covenant made with Adam, when the thing is lively set down in other words, though the word covenant be not expressed ; and this I shall make evident by an induction of particulars, thus : —
[1.] First, God, to declare his sovereignty and man's subjection, gave Adam, though innocent, a laiv. God's express prescription of a positive law unto Adam in his innocent state, is clearly and fully laid down in that Gen. ii. 16, 17, 'And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat ; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it : for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die ;' Hebrew, ' dying thou shalt die.' Mark how God bounds man's obedience with a double fence : first, He fenced him with a free indulgence to eat of every tree in the garden but one, the less cause he had to be liquorish after forbidden fruit ; but ' stolen waters are sweet.' Secondly, By an exploratory 2 prohibition, upon pain of death. By the first, the Lord woos him by love ; by the second, he frights him by the terror of his justice, and bids him touch and taste if he durst. The fcederati were God and Adam ; God the Creator, and man, the creature, made ' after God's image and likeness ;' and so not contrary to God, nor at enmity with him, but like unto God, though far diflferent and inferior to God in nature and substance. Here are also terms agreed on, and matters covenanted reciprocally, by these parties. Adam, on his part, was to be obedient to God, in forbearing to eat of the tree of knowledge only. God's charge to our first parents was only negative, not to eat of the tree of knowledge ; the other, to eat of tlae trees, was left unto their