aature of the covenant, of which it was the law. Some call that covenant the legal covenant, which came in the stead of the covenant of nature. They imagine that the covenant of works promised the enjoyment of all good to soul and body in paradise, and not in heaven, in consequence of perfect obedience; and that the legal covenant at Sinai promised the enjoyment of eternal life in Canaan ; which legal covenant they call a covenant of servitude, because it served indirectly and accidentally the covenant of grace. But this covenant hath been contrived without, and contrary to the word of God; it is not true, that God promised Adam that he should enjoy eternal life in Paradise; he promised him the enjoyment of eternal life in heaven, as we have proved on the second Lord's day. This legal covenant supposeth, contrary to the word of God, that the Is raelites were able to keep the law of God perfectly, and that they were not worthy of death. According to this covenant, Israel would have been obliged to seek that eternal life in Canaan by their own doings, and thus their own righteousness by the law: and so this legal covenant would not have served to lead men to the covenant of grace, but to lead them from it, and, contrary to what Paul saith, Gal. iii. 21, "the law would have been against the promises.".

Others will have that it was a national covenant, that is, a covenant made with a whole people, which required a sincere obedience, ac cording to the moral law, with the promise of a reward in this life, and that to come; which was, notwithstanding, neither the covenant of grace, nor of works, but presupposed both; but the word national doth not describe nor explain the nature or kind of the covenant, but only saith that it was a covenant established with that nation and that people. If it should be rejoined, that it is neither the covenant of grace nor of works, the matter remains equally obscure it is as though it were said, we have no offensive nor defensive alliance, or covenant, but an alliance with the nation or people of England. If it be said, that it was a covenant of sincere obedience, neither doth this define the nature of the covenant; for the covenants of works and of grace require also a sincere obedience. The covenant that requireth sincere obedience, with the promise of this life, and of that which is to come, is a covenant of works, or a covenant of grace.

Some think that it was a mixed covenant, composed of the covenant of works, and the covenant of grace; but then Israel would have been obliged to seek their righteousness by the covenant of works, and by the covenant of grace, contrary to Rom. xi. 6.

There are those also, who will have that it was an outward covenant, requiring an outward obedience, and promising outward bles:

sings in Canaan: which they also call a shadowy covenant, the name of which, the mutual relation, the treatment, the bestowing and receiving of the benefits, the covenant people, the promises that God would be the God of Israel, and would give them the land of Canaan, all God's dispensations toward, and his leadings of Israel were shadows and types of the covenant of grace, which God promised, Jer. xxxi. to establish with his elect Israel under the New Testament. Which covenant they suppose to be the only foundation of all the types of the Old Testament; but that this opinion also is not agreeable to the word of God, appears hence, that we may not pursue any outward blessing without the inward, and that God detests and condemns an outward obedience, which is not accompanied with the inward. See Isa. xxix. 13, 14. This opinion also contradicts itself; for a shadowy and typical covenant requires an inward obedience, and promiseth spiritual blessings to which the shadows and types have respect, and they must therefere be improved by an inward obedience and faith, which looks steadfastly to the antitypes. If we make this Mosaic covenant the only ground of the types, we will then be obliged to reject many real types, as the sacrifices of the believing fathers before the time of Moses, Melchizedek, also circumcision with the passover, Isrsel's abode under the cloud, their passage through the red sea, the manna and the rock. All these things had place before the solemn covenanting at Horeb; and that these things were really types, this we have proved in our "Sketch of the system of types;" in which we have also shown, that it must follow from such an outward covenant, which was shadowy in all its circumstances, that many things, as the moral and civil law, ought to be considered as types, which were really no types. Was then the Mosaic covenant the covenant of works? it could not be that neither; for that cannot be established with any sinner, be cause the sinner is not able to assent to it, not to observe it, and because God cannot enter into a treaty of friendship with him, such as takes place in a covenant, unless he have a mediator of reconciliation, which the covenant of works doth not admit.

Since then the covenant, which was made at Sinai, was not a legal, gervile covenant, nor a national covenant, distinct from the covenant of works and of grace, nor a mixed covenant, composed of the cov enant of works and of grace, nor an outward, shadowy covenant, nor a covenant of works, it follows that it was the covenant of grace itself. That it was the covenant of grace itself is evident from the word of God; for it was the same covenant with that which God made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, which was certainly the cove

nant of grace, and the Mosaic covenant was only a solemn and national renewing of that covenant with all Israel (and so a national covenant of grace) and for the confirmation of the covenant of grace established with those fathers. This is evident from Deut. xxix. 10-15, where the covenant, which was made at Horeb, is renewed with all Israel, as Moses saith, "Ye stand this day all of you before the Lord your God-that thou shouldest enter into covenant with the Lord thy God-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," (to wit, at Horeb)" and as he hath sworn unto thy fathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob." We see here that God promiseth in the Mosaic covenant, to be the God of Israel, and that Israel should be his people. See also Deut. xxvi. 17, 18, 19. This promise was surely a promise of the covenant of grace, which God had established with the fathers of the Israelites. See Gen. xvii. 7. Yea; we see also in the words quoted from Deut. xxix that God promises to be the God of Israel, and admits them into the covenant of grace, for this end, even that he might confirm and fulfil to Israel the same promise of the covenant of grace, which he had promised and sworn to Abraham, in behalf of him and his seed. Was not the covenant made at Sinai the same then with the covenant of those fathers? We add further, to prove that the Mosaic covenant was the covenant of grace itself, that it was the same in substance with that which God makes with his chosen people, under the new testament; for the covenant made at Horeb, hath the same promises with the covenant under the New Testament: in this new covenant of the New Testament it is promised, "that the Lord will be the God of Israel, and that Israel shall be the people of God," Jer. xxxi. 33. This promise God makes in the Mosaic covenant also, Exod. xx. 2. Deut. xxix. 13. In the covenant of grace under the New Testament it is promised, "that the Lord will walk in his people," 2 Cor. vi. 16, and this promise was also made in the Mosaic covenant; yea, in 2 Cor. vi. 16, it is assumed and cited out of this covenant. See this Exod. xxix. 45. Lev. xxvi. 11, 12. The Israel of God under the New Testament is at this time by virtue of the covenant of grace, "a chosen generation, a royal priesthood," &c. according to 1 Peter 11, 9. But the Israel of Moses's time, which entered not only outwardly, like the carnal Israelites, but also inwardly into the covenant at Horeb, this people was also "God's peculiar treasure, and a kingdom of priests," &c. according to Exod. xix. 5, 6. Once more, the covenant at Sinai was dedicated with the blood of beasts, offered up in sacrifice, and had a law of ceremonies for a rule of celebrating VOL. II. 2 A

Now it is certain, that these things were types of Christ, the Mediator of the covenant of grace, and of his sufferings and benefits. See Heb. x. 15-23. Therefore Israel was obliged to look through all the sacrifices and bloodsheddings of the Mosaic covenant to the future sacrifice of Christ : did not these ceremonies of the Mosaic covenant belong then to the covenant of grace, and was not the Mosaic covenant then the same in substance with the covenant of grace?

the public worship, Exod. xxiv. xxv.

It will now be easy to understand what was God's end in giving the law, and what we are to think of these ten commandments. (a) It is evident, that this law is not the covenant of grace itself, but a rule of life and of thankfulness to the covenant people of the covenant of grace, that they may conduct themselves, according to it, worthily of God, who had so graciously admitted Israel into his cov enant. For after God had proposed the covenant, and the people had consented to it, the Lord commanded Moses to prepare the people for receiving his law, Exod. xix. and he saith, Exod. xx. 2. “I am the Lord thy God," &c. and presently after this he delivers his commandments to them, as the God of Israel. Therefore the law is so often urged in the Old and New Testament, as such a rule, and is and remaineth always an everlasting rule of thankfulness to all the covenant people of God, as it is also proposed and explained by our instructor, in the third part of his catechism, as Paul hath also done, Rom. xii. xiii. (b) Though the Lord entered not into a covenant of works with the sinful Israel by this law, which was impossible, he nevertheless exhibited to Israel, when he gave them this law, the demand of the broken covenant of works, that he might teach those of them, who were sincere, from what they were delivered, and might convince, condemn, and induce the others to seek his grace; and the law serveth for this end still; for as Saul saith, Rom. v. 20, "The law entered, that the offence might abound; Therefore but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound."

the Lord did also enforce this law, both with the promise of the covenant of works, "do this, and thou shalt live," Lev. xviii. 5, compared with Rom. x. 5, and also with the curse of that covenant, Deut. xxviii. 26, compared with Gal. iii. 10. This will not appear so strange, if we consider that the Lord Jesus himself proposed this law, as the demand of the covenant of works, Matt. xix. 16—21, as it is also proposed by the instructor in the doctrine of man's misery. (c) If we consider the law, as having a special relation to Israel, it appears then as imposing a legal administration upon the covenant of grace: God had indeed entered into the pure covenant of grace

with that people; but he did not choose to administer it with so much mildness and enlargement to them then, as now under the New Testament. He chose to retain them like children under discipline, and cause them to long earnestly for the Messiah, who was to come. This the apostle teacheth us, when he saith, Gal. iii. 19, 23, 24, 25. "Wherefore then serveth the law? it was added because of transgressions," (namely, to the covenant established in Christ, and to the promise of grace, vs. 16, 17, 18)" until the seed should come," &c. Therefore the law was promulgated in accents of thunder, with so many fearful tokens before Israel, enforced in the second commandment with a threatening of the covenant of works, and rendered grievous by a burthensome ceremonial service, although with an evangelical design. And since this legal administration did not of itself give life, therefore it is called "a letter and ministration of death and condenination," 2 Cor. iii. 6, 7, 9. The carnal and unconverted Jews, not comprehending the end of God in this legal administration, looked upon it as a covenant of works, crying inconsiderately, "All that the Lord hath spoken, we will do," Exod. xix. 8. Exod. xxiv. 3, and so they sought their righteousness by it, as Paul saith, Rom. ix. 31, 32. Therefore they are likened to the children of Hagar, Gal. iv. 21. And in this manner the covenant of Horeb is opposed to the new covenant of grace, Jer. xxxi. 3134. And in this respect the apostle saith, Gal. iii. 25. After that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster."

II. In order to illustrate this more fully, the instructor divides the ten commandments into two tables. The law was written upon "two tables," Ex. xxx. 13. Christ himself divides the law into two great commandments; the first of which enjoins love to God, and the other love to our neighbour. See Matt. xxii. 37-40. The Papists, in order to conceal their imageworship, reduce the first and second commandments to one, and assign only three to the first table, and seven to the second, dividing the tenth command into two commands. The Lutherans, who patronize images, as books of the laity, do the same. But besides that, these men must suspect that they are guilty of worshipping images, when they do either wholly abolish the second commandment, or exhibit it very imperfectly; the second commandment is wholly different from the first; for the first teacheth that we must serve God only, but the second teacheth in what manner we must serve him, to wit, that we must do it without imàges. We may sin against the first commandment without transgressing the second: we can also offend against the second without rendering ourselves guilty of transgressing the first: he who wor