Ant. Surely, fir, I do conceive, that the ten commandments are no way to be a rule of life to a believer; for Chrift hath delivered him from them. Evan. But the truth is, the law of the ten com mandments, as it is the matter of the law of Chrift, ought to be a rule of life to a believer (c); and there (c) The law of the ten commands, being the natural law was written on Adam's heart in his creation; while as yet it was neither the law of works, nor the law of Chrift, in the fenfe wherein these terms are ufed in fcripture, and by our author. But after man was created, and put into the garden, this natural law, ha ving, unto man liable to fall away from God, a threatning of eternal death in cafe of difobedience, had alfo a promife of eternal life annexed to it in cafe of obedience; in virtue of which he, ha ving done his work, might thereupon plead and demand the reward of eternal life. Thus it became the law of works, whereof the ten commands were, and are still the matter. All mankind being ruined by the breach of this law, Jefus Chrift obeys and dies in the room of the elect, that they might be faved: they being united to him by faith, are, thro' his obedience and fatisfaction imputed to them, freed from eternal death, and be come heirs of everlafting life: fo that the law of works, being fully satisfied, expires as to them, as it would have done of courfe fore, in the cafe of Adam's having ftood the time of his trial, howbeit it remains in full force as to unbelievers. But the natural law of the ten commands, (which can never expire or determine, but obligeth in all poffible ftates. of the creature, in earth, heaven, and hell) is, from that momentthelawof works expires as to believers, effued forth to them (ftill liable to infirmities, though not to falling away like Adam) in the channel of the covenant of grace, bearing a promife of help to obey (Ezek. xxxvi. 27.) and, agreeable to their flate before the Lord, having annexed to it a promise of the tokens of God's fatherly love, for the fake of Chrift, in cafe of that obedience and a threatning of God's fatherly difpleafure in cafe of their difobedience, John xiv. 21. He that hath my commandments, and keep 'eth them, be it is that loveth me: and he that foveth me, fhall be loved of my Father; and I will love him, and will manifeft myfelf to him.' Pfal. lxxxix. 31, 32, 33. 'If they break my statutes, and keep not my commandments; then will I vifit their tranfgref fore, you having affirmed to the contrary, have therein alfo erred from the truth. Nom. The truth is, fir, I muft confefs, I never took any notice of this threefold law, which, it seems, is mentioned in the New Teftament. Ant. And I must confefs, if I took any notice of them, I never understood them. Evan. Well, give me leave to tell you, that fo far forth as any man comes fhort of the true knowledge of this threefold law (d), so far forth he comes (hort both of the true knowledge of God and of himself; and therefore I wish you both to confider of it. fion with the rod, and their iniquity with ftripes. Nevertheless, my loving kindness will I not utterly take from him, nor fuffer 'my faithfulness to fail.' Thus it becomes the law of Chrift to them; of which law alfo the fame ten commands are likewife the matter. In the threatnings of this law there is no revenging wrath; and in the promifes of it no proper condi tionality of works: but here is the order in the covenant of grace, to which the law of Chrift belongs; a beautiful order of grace, obedience, particularly favours, and chaftifements for difobedience. Thus the ten commands ftand, both in the law of works and in the law of Chrift at the fame time, being the common matter of both but as they are the matter of (i. e. ftand in) the law of works, they are actually a part of the law of works; howbeit, as they are the matter of, or ftand in, the law of Chrift, they are : C Nom. actually a part, not of the law of works, but of the law of Chrift. And as they ftand in the law of Chrift, our author exprefly afferts, against the Antinomian, that They ought to be a rule of life to a believer; but that they ought to be a rule of life to a believer, as they ftand in the law of works, he juftly denies against the Legalift. Even as when one and the fame crime ftands forbidden in the laws of different independent kingdoms, it is manifeft that the rule of life to the fubjects in that particular is the prohi bition, as it ftands in the law of that kingdom whereof they are fubjects refpectively, and not as it ftands in the law of that kingdom of which they are not fubjects. (d) Not of the terms here ufed to exprefs it by, but of the things thereby meant, to wit; the covenant of works the covenant of grace, and the law as a rule of life to believers, in whatever terms. these things expreffed. Nom. Sir, if it be fo, you may do well to be a means to inform us, and help us to the true knowledge of this threefold law: and therefore, I pray you, first tell us what is meant by the law of works. ****************** CHAP. I. Of the Law of Works, or Covenant of Works. § 1. The nature of the Covenant of Works. §2. Adam's fall. 3. The finfulness and mifery of Mankind by the Fall. § 4. No recovery by the Law, or Covenant of Works. §. 5. The Covenant of Works binding, tho' broken. TH §1. Evan.HE law of works oppofed to the law as faith, Rom. iii. 27. holds forth much as the covenant of works: for it is manifeft, faith Mufculus, that the word which fignifieth covenant or bargain, is put for law: fo that you fee, the law of works is as much to fay as the covenant of works. The which covenant the Lord made with all mankind in Adam before his fall: the fum whereof was, Do this, and thou shalt live,' Lev. xviii. 5. and if thou do it not, thou fhalt die the death," Gen. ii. 17. In which covenant there was, First, Contained a precept, Do this.' Secondly; A promife joined unto it, If thou do it, thou shalt live." Thirdly, A like threatning, If thou do it not, thou halt die the death †. Imagine, faith Mufculus, that *Ball on the covenant of grace, p. 9. Com. Pla. Eng. Amef. Med. Eng. p. 48. p. 118. that God had faid to Adam, "Lo, to the intent that "thou mayeft live, I have given thee liberty to eat, and have given thee abundantly to eat : let all the "fruits of paradife be in thy power, one tree except, which fee thou touch not, for that I keep to mine "own authority: the fame is the tree of knowledge " of good and evil; if thou touch it, the meat thereof shall not be life, but death." Nom. But, Sir you faid, that the law of the ten commandments, or moral law, may be faid to be the matter of the law of works; and you have alfo faid, that the law of works is as much to fay as the covenant of works; whereby it feems to me, you hold that the law of the ten commandments was the matter of the covenant of works, which God made with all mankind in Adam before his fall. Evan. That is a truth agreed upon by all authors and interpreters that I know. And indeed the law of works (as a learned author faith *) fignifies the moral law; and the moral law, strictly and properly taken, fignifies the covenant of works (a). |Com.pla. p. 31. Nom. Downham on juftif. p. 443,465. (a) The moral law is an ambiguous term among divines. (1.) The moral law. is taken for the decalogue or ten commands fimply. So the law in ten commands is owned to be commonly called the moral law, Weftmin. confef, chap. xix. art. 2, 3. And thus our author hath hitherto ufed that term, reckoning the moral law not the covenant of works itself, but only the matter of it. (2.) The moral law is taken for the ten commands having the promise of life, and threatning of death annexed to them; that is, for the law (or covenant) of works. Nom. But, Sir, what is the reafon you call it but the matter of the covenant of works? Evan. The reason why I rather chufe to call the law of the ten commandments the matter of the covenant of works, than the covenant itself, is because I conceive that the matter of it cannot properly be called the covenant of works, except the form be put upon it; i. e. Except the Lord require, and mạn undertake to yield, perfect obedience thereunto, upon condition of eternal life and death: And therefore, till then, it was not a covenant of works betwixt God and all mankind in Adam. As for example, you know, that altho' a fervant (6) have an ability to do a master's work; and tho' a mafter have wages to bestow upon him for it, yet is there not a covenant betwixt them till they have thereupon agreed. Even fo, tho' man at the first had power to yield from Weftm. Confef, chap. xix. art. 1. "God gave to Adam a law, as a covenant "of works, by which he "bound him and all his pof"terity, to perfonal, entire, "exact, and perpetual obe"dience; promifed life upon the fulfilling, and "threatened death upon "the breach of it.' And this our author owns to be the fenfe of that term, ftrictly and properly taken the reafon whereof I conceive to be, that the moral law properly fignifying the law of manners, anfwers to the fcripture term, the law of works, by which is meant the covenant of works. And if he had added, that in this fenfe believers are delivered from it, he had faid no more than the larger catechifm doth, in thefe words: They that are regenerate, "and believe in Christ, be (b) Not a hired fervant, for there is a covenant betwixt fuch a one and the mafter; buta bond fervant, bought with money off another perfon, or born in the matter's houfe; who is obliged to ferve his master, and is liable to punishment in cafe he do not but cannot demand wages, fince there is no covenant between them. This was the cafe of mankind, with relation to the Creator, before the covenant of works was made, |