fes defcribeth the righteousness which is of the law, thus; the man that doth those things fhall live by them. These, and thefe only, are the terms, or condition of life, propounded to us in the first covenant: He that doth it, fhall live by his own works and doings; but he that at any time, in any manner or measure, tranfgreffes it, fhall furely die.For, as by this covenant a man's personal obedience is the condition of life; fo, on the contrary, it curfes every tranfgreffor, and death inevitably and neceffarily follows upon the breach of it. There is no mercy promised, nor any grace given to finners by the law; for by it not the mercy, but the juftice of God is fet before us: For to him that worketh, is the reward not reckoned of grace, but of debt t.

This law, or covenant of works, God gave to Adam, at his first creation; and it was the same covenant which he afterwards clearly revealed, and gave to Ifrael upon Mount Sinai; only with this difference; when GOD firft gave it to Adam, as the condition of life, he was not a finner, but perfect, upright, and able alfo to keep and perform it; but when it was delivered to the Ifraelites, it was a broken law; neither could any man. live by it; and therefore it was given to them, that

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* Rom. x. 5.

+ Rom. iv. 4.

T

that they might know themselves to be tranfgreffors of it, and guilty before GOD; and that fin, by the commandment, might become exceeding finful; for by the law is the knowledge of fin‡.

Moreover, to all the facrifices which from the time of Adam's tranfgreffion GOD had appointed to be offered unto him by fallen man, as an acknowledgment of their having broken the moral law, and fallen under its curfe, as well as a figure of the true facrifice of CHRIST, the Lamb of GOD, that was to come after; he added, at the giving of the law to the Ifrael, divers other ordinances, which he commanded them to obferve, until their great and glorious antitype fhould be made manifeft. Thus the law was added because of tranfgref fions, that fin might abound.

But every one of thefe ordinances and oblations had a twofold meaning; for all of them, fome way or other, pointed out, and fignified the perfonal guilt, uncleanness, poverty, and wretchedness of him that offered it; who had not only broken God's covenant with man in Adam, but had alfo in his own per. fon tranfgreffed the moral law; and, on the other hand, they plainly pointed out the vicarious atonement or fatisfaction of CHRIST, together with the puri

+ Rom. vii. 13.

↑ Rom. iii, 20. Gal. iii. 19.

purification and fanctifying influences of the Spirit, thro' faith in CHRIST's blood: Thus the law bad a fhadow of good things to come t; which fhadow of burnt offerings, &c. was alfo a hand-writing of ordinances that was against us . because it held the offerer guilty before GoD, and fubject to the curfe of the moral law; from which CHRIST only hath delivered his people, by being made a curfe for

us.

Therefore the moral law which God gave to Ifrael upon mount Sinai, was a covenant of works, promifing life to none but the doers of it: In like manner, when a certain man faid unto CHRIST, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? He faid unto him, what is written in the law? how readeft thou? And he answering faid, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy ftrength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself. JESUS faid unto him, thou haft answered right: THIS DO, AND THOU SHALT LIVE -But when the Ifraelites heard the voice which fpake the words of this law, out of the midst of the fire and thick darkness where God was §, being conscious in themselves that they had broken it, and finding that they were not justified

+ Heb. x. 1. § Exod. xx, 18, 19.

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↑ Col. ii. 14,

but

Luke x. 28.

but condemned by it, they trembled greatly, and defired a Mediator.

Moreover, as this covenant was ratified and confirmed by the blood of flain beafts, part of which was fprinkled upon the book of the law and the altar, and part of it upon the people, therefore it was called a Teftament, wherein GOD, as he had promised to Abraham their father, bequeathed to them the land Canaan, with divers temporal bleffings and privileges, above the reft of the nations of the earth. But thefe temporal promifes were not abfolute to all the Ifraelites, whether they kept God's covenant or not; but conditional, and performed to the obedient only: They therefore that defpifed Mofes's law died without mercy, under two or three witneffes; and hence alfo to the rebellious among them he faid, ye shall know my breach of promife; which promife was temporal, and refpected their entering into the land of Canaan, and enjoying its bleffings; for this promise was given to none of them, but on condition of their being circumcifed, and keeping thofe commandments and statutes which God gave them.

Neither was it in this covenant expreffed or implied that they were to be juftified in Gop's fight,

1 Numb. xiv. 34

or

or obtain eternal life, by their own perfonal ober dience; but quite the contrary: The moral law revealed their fin, and filled them with terror; and the ceremonial held them obnoxious to the curfe of it, and made it manifeft that God would not pardon the guilty, without receiving fatisfaction for the breach of it; altho', at the fame time, it prefigured CHRIST Crucified, and preached unto them redemption thro' his blood, even the forgiveness of fins: Mofes therefore affured them that GOD gave them the good land of Canaan, not for their own righteousness, nor for the uprightness of their bearts; but, of his mere good pleasure, and because he would perform the promise which he made to their fathers, to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.

.

But the New Teftament is a covenant not of works, but of grace: Herein God gives all blessings to his people freely, without their working for it, or doing any thing to deferve it; for CHRIST is the head of this covenant. With him it was made for his feed; and afterwards it is made with them in CHRIST only, as their Bondfman and Mediator, who stood engaged unto God for them, to perform every condition of this covenant: and that which by himself he was called to do for them was, to fulfil all righteousness, and fatisfy unto the uttermoft

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+ Deut. ix. 9.