Chapter II: The covenant of grace under the Mosaic dispensation.

The covenant of grace under the Mosaic dispensation.

Ant. But, sir, was this every way the same covenant that was made with Abraham?

Evan. Surely I do believe, that reverend Bullinger spake very truly, when he said that God gave unto these people no other religion, in nature, substance, and matter itself, differing from the laws of their fathers; though, for some respects, he added thereunto many ceremonies and certain ordinances; the which he did to keep their minds in expectation of the coming of Christ whom he had promised unto them; and to confirm them in looking for him, lest they should wax faint. And as the Lord did thus by the ceremonies, as it were, lead them by the hand to Christ; so did he make them a promise of the land of Canaan, and outward prosperity in it, as a type of heaven, and eternal happiness; so that the Lord dealt with them as with children in their infancy and under age, leading them on by the help of earthly things, to heavenly and spiritual, because they were but young and tender, [108] and had not that measure and abundance of the Spirit which he had bestowed upon his people now under the gospel.

Ant. And, sir, do you think that these Israelites at this time did see Christ and salvation by him in these types and shadows?

Evan. Yes, there is no doubt but Moses and the rest of the believers among the Jews did see Christ in them, "For," says Tindal, "though all the sacrifices and ceremonies had a star-light of Christ, yet some of them had the light of the broad day, a little before the sun-rising"; and did express him, with the circumstances and virtue of his death, as plainly, as if his passion had been acted upon a scaffold: "Insomuch," says he, "that I am fully persuaded, and cannot but believe, that God had showed Moses the secrets of Christ, and the very manner of his death aforehand"; and, therefore, no doubt but that they offered their sacrifices by faith in the Messiah, as the apostle testifies of Abel, (Heb 11:4). I say, there is no question but every spiritual believing Jew, when he brought his sacrifice to be offered, and, according to the Lord's command, laid his hands upon it whilst it was yet alive, (Lev 1:4), did, from his heart, acknowledge that he himself had deserved to die; but by the mercy of God he was saved, [109] and his desert laid upon the beast; [110] and as that beast was to die, and be offered in sacrifice for him, so did he believe that the Messiah should come and die for him, upon whom he put his hands, that is, laid all his iniquities by the hand of faith. [111] So that, as Beza on Job 1 says, "The sacrifices were to them holy mysteries, in which, as in certain glasses, they did both see themselves to their own condemnation before God, [112] and also beheld the mercy of God in the promised Messiah, in time to be exhibited": "And therefore," says Calvin, Institut. p. 239, "the sacrifices and satisfactory offerings were called Ashemoth, which word properly signifies sin itself, to show that Jesus Christ was to come and perform a perfect expiation, by giving his own soul to be an asham, that is, a satisfactory oblation."

Wherefore, you may assure yourself, that as Christ was always set before the fathers in the Old Testament, to whom they might direct their faith, and as God never put them in hope of any grace or mercy, nor ever showed himself good unto them without Christ: [113] even so the godly in the Old Testament knew Christ by whom they did enjoy these promises of God, and were joined to him. [114] And, indeed, the promise of salvation never stood firm till it came to Christ. [115] And there was their comfort in all their troubles and distresses, according as it is said of Moses, (Heb 11:26,27), "He endured as seeing him who is invisible, [116] esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he had respect to the recompense of reward."

And so, as Ignatius says, the prophets were Christ's servants, who, foreseeing him in spirit, both waited for him as their master, and looked for him as their Lord and Saviour, saying, "He shall come and save us."

And so says Calvin, Institut. p. 207, "So oft as the prophets speak of the blessedness of that faithful, the perfect image that they have painted thereof was such as might ravish men's minds out of the earth, and of necessity raise them up to the consideration of the felicity of the life to come"; so that we may assuredly conclude, with Luther, that all the fathers, prophets, and holy kings, were righteous, and saved by faith in Christ to come; and so, indeed, as Calvin says, Institut. p. 198, "were partakers of all one salvation with us."

Ant. But, sir, the Scriptures seem to hold forth as though they were saved one way, and we another way; for you know the prophet Jeremiah makes mention of a twofold covenant; therefore it is somewhat strange to me, that they should be partakers of one way of salvation with us.

Evan. Indeed, it is true, the Lord did bequeath unto the fathers, righteousness, life, and eternal salvation, in and through Christ the Mediator, being not yet come in the flesh, but promised: and unto us in the New Testament he gives and bequeaths them to us in and through Christ, being already come, and having actually purchased them for us; and the covenant of grace was, before the coming of Christ, sealed by his blood in types and figures; and at his death in his flesh, [117] it was sealed and ratified by his very blood, actually, and in very deed shed for our sins. And the old covenant, in respect of the outward form and manner of sealing, was temporary and changeable; and therefore the types ceased, and only the substance remains firm; but the seals of the new are unchangeable, being commemorative, and shall show the Lord's death until his coming again. And their covenant did first and chiefly promise earthly blessings, [118] and in and under these it did signify and promise all spiritual blessings and salvation; but our covenant promises, Christ and his blessings in the first place, and after them earthly blessings.

These, and some other circumstantial differences in regard to administration, there were betwixt their way of salvation, or covenant of grace, and ours; which moved the author to the Hebrews, (Heb 8:8), to call theirs old, and ours new; but, in regard to substance, they were all one and the very same; [119] for in all covenants this is a certain rule, "If the subject matter, the fruit and the conditions, be the same, then is the covenant the same": but in these covenants Jesus Christ is the subject matter of both, salvation the fruit of both, and faith the condition of both: [120] therefore, I say, though they be called two, yet they are but one; the which is confirmed by two faithful witnesses: the one is the apostle Peter, who says, (Acts 15:11), "We believe, that through the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, we shall be saved even as they"; meaning the fathers in the Old Testament, as is evident in the verse next before. The other is the apostle Paul, who says, (Gal 3:6,7), "Abraham believed God, and it was accounted to him for righteousness, know ye, therefore, that they which are of faith, the same are the children of Abraham": by which testimony, says Luther, on the Galatians, p. 116, "we may see that the faith of our fathers in the Old Testament, and ours in the New, is all one in substance."

Ant. But could they that lived so long before Christ, apprehend his righteousness by faith for their justification and salvation?

Evan. Yea, indeed; for as Mr. Forbes, on Justification, p. 90, truly says, it is as easy for faith to apprehend righteousness to come, as it is to apprehend righteousness that is past: wherefore, as Christ's birth, obedience, and death, were in the Old Testament as effectual to save sinners, as they are now; so all the faithful forefathers, from the beginning, did partake of the same grace with us, by believing in the same Jesus Christ, and so were justified by his righteousness, and saved eternally by faith in him. It was by virtue of the death of Christ, that Enoch was translated that he should not see death; and Elias was taken up into heaven by virtue of Christ's resurrection and ascension. So that from the world's beginning to the end thereof, the salvation of sinners is only by Jesus Christ; as it is written, "Jesus Christ, the same yesterday, and today, and for ever," (Heb 13:8).

Ant. Why, then, sir, it seems that those who were saved amongst the Jews, were not saved by the works of the law?

Evan. No, indeed; they were neither justified nor saved, either by the works of the moral law, or the ceremonial law. For, as you heard before, the moral law being delivered unto them with great terror, and under most dreadful penalties, they did find in themselves an impossibility of keeping it; and so were driven to seek help of a Mediator, even Jesus Christ, of whom Moses was to them a typical mediator: [121] so that the moral law did drive them to the ceremonial law, which was their gospel, and their Christ in a figure; for that the ceremonies did prefigure Christ, direct unto him, and require faith in him, is a thing acknowledged and confessed by all men.

Nom. But, sir, I suppose, though believers among the Jews were not justified and saved by the works of the law, yet was it a rule of their obedience?

Evan. It is very true, indeed: the law of the ten commandments was a rule for their obedience; [122] yet not as it came from Mount Sinai;
[123] but rather as it came from Mount Zion; not as it was the law or covenant of works, but as it was the law of Christ. The which will appear, if you consider, that after the Lord had renewed with them the covenant of grace, as you heard before, (Exodus 24 at the beginning) the Lord said unto Moses, (verse 12), "Come up to me into the mount, and be there, and I will give thee tables of stone, and a law that thou mayest teach them"; and after the Lord had thus written them the second time with his own finger, he delivered them to Moses, commanding him to provide an ark to put them into; which was not only for the safe keeping of them, (Deut 9:10, 10:5); but also to cover the form of the covenant of works that was formerly upon them, that believers might not perceive it; for the ark was a notable type of Christ; and therefore the putting of them therein did show that they were perfectly fulfilled in him, Christ being "the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth," (Rom 10:4). The which was yet more clearly manifest, in that the book of the law was placed between the cherubim, and upon the mercy-seat, to assure believers that the law now came to them from the mercy-seat; [124] for there the Lord promised to meet Moses, and to commune with him of all things which he would give him in commandment to them, (Exo 25:22).

Ant. But, sir, was the form quite taken away, so as the ten commandments were no more the covenant of works?

Evan. Oh no! you are not so to understand it. For the form of the covenant of works, [125] as well as the matter, [on God's part,] [126] came immediately from God himself, and so consequently it is eternal, like himself; whence it is that our Saviour says, (Matt 5:18), "Till heaven and earth pass, one jot or one tittle shall in no ways pass from the law, till all be fulfilled." So that either man himself, or some other for him, must perform or fulfill the condition of the law, as it is the covenant of works, or else he remains still under it in a damnable condition: but now Christ hath fulfilled it for all believers; and therefore, I said, the form of the covenant of works was covered or taken away, as touching the believing Jews; but yet it was neither taken away in itself, nor yet as touching the unbelieving Jews.

Nom. Was the law then still of use to them, as it was the covenant of works?

Evan. Yea, indeed.

Ant. I pray you, sir, show of what use it was to them.

Evan. I remember Luther [on the Galatians, p. 171] says, "There be two sorts of unrighteous persons or unbelievers: the one to be justified, and the other not to be justified: even so was there among the Jews." Now, to them that were to be justified, as you have heard, the law was still of use to bring them to Christ: as the apostle says, (Gal 3:24), "The law was our schoolmaster until Christ, [127] that we might be made righteous by faith"; that is to say, the moral law [128] did teach and show them what they should do, and so what they did not; and this made them go to the ceremonial law; [129] and by that they were taught that Christ had done it for them; [130] the which they believing, [131] were made righteous by faith in him. And to the second sort it was of use, to show them what was good, and what was evil; and to be as a bridle to them, to restrain them from evil, and as a motive to move them to good, for fear of punishment, [132] or hope of reward in this life; which, though it was but a forced and constrained obedience, yet was it necessary for the public commonwealth, the quiet thereof being thereby the better maintained. and though thereby they could neither escape death, nor yet obtain eternal life, for want of perfect obedience, yet the more obedience they yielded thereunto, the more they were freed from temporal calamities, and possessed with temporal blessings, according as the Lord promised and threatened, (Deut 28).

Ant. But, sir, in that place the Lord seemeth to speak to his own people, and yet to speak according to the tenor of the covenant of works, which has made me think that believers in the Old Testament were partly under the covenant of works.

Evan. Do you not remember how I told you before, that the Lord did manifest so much love to the body of that nation, that the whole posterity of Abraham [133] were brought under a state-covenant or national church; so that for the believers' sakes he enfolded unbelievers in the compact; whereupon the Lord was pleased to call them all by the name of his people, as well unbelievers as believers, and to be called their God? And though the Lord did there speak according to the tenor of the covenant of works, yet I see no reason why he might not direct and intend his speech to believers also, and yet they remain only under the covenant of grace.

Ant. Why, sir, you said that the Lord did speak to them out of the tabernacle, and from the mercy-seat; and that, doubtless, was according to the tenor of the covenant of grace, and not according to the tenor of the covenant of works.

Evan. I pray you take notice, that after the Lord had pronounced all those blessings and curses, (Deut 28 in the beginning of the 29th chapter), it is said, "These are the words of the covenant, which the Lord commanded Moses to make with the children of Israel in the land of Moab, beside the covenant which he made with them in Horeb." Whereby it doth appear to me, that this was not the covenant of works which was delivered to them on Mount Sinai; [134] for the form of that covenant was eternal blessings and curses, 28 but the form of this covenant was temporal blessings and curses. 29 So that this rather seems to be the pedagogy of the law, than the covenant of works; for at that time these people seemed to be carried by temporal promises into the way of obedience, and deterred by temporal threatenings from the ways of disobedience, God dealing with them as in their infancy and under age, and so leads them on, and allures them, and fears them, by such respects as these, because they had but a small measure of the Spirit.

Nom. But, sir, was not the matter of that covenant and this all one?

Evan. Yea, indeed; the ten commandments were the matter of both covenants, only they differed in the forms.

Ant. Then, sir, it seems that the promises and threatenings contained in the Old Testament were but temporary and terrestrial, only concerning the good and evil things of this life.

Evan. This we are to know, that like as the Lord, by his prophets, gave the people in the Old Testament many exhortations to be obedient to his commandments, and many dehortations from disobedience thereunto; even so did he back them with many promises and threatenings, concerning things temporal, as these and the like Scriptures do witness: (Isa 1:10), "Hear the word of the Lord, ye rulers of Sodom; give ear unto the law of our God, ye people of Gomorrah": (verse 19,20), "If ye be willing and obedient, ye shall eat the good things of the land; but if ye refuse and rebel, ye shall be devoured with the sword, for the mouth of the Lord hath spoken it." And (Jer 7:3,9,20), "Amend your ways and your doings, and I will cause you to dwell in this place. Will ye steal, murder, and commit adultery, and swear falsely by my name? Therefore, thus saith the Lord God, behold mine anger and my fury shall be poured out upon this place." And surely there be two reasons why the Lord did so: first, because, as all men are born under the covenant of works, they are naturally prone to conceive that the favour of God, and all good things, do depend and follow upon their obedience to the law, 30 and that the wrath of God, and all evil things, do depend upon and follow their disobedience to it, 31 and that man's chief happiness is to be had and found in terrestrial paradise, even in the good things of this life. So the people of the Old Testament being nearest to Adam's covenant and paradise, were most prone to such conceits. And secondly, because the covenant of grace and celestial paradise were but little mentioned in the Old Testament, they, for the most part, 32 had but a glimmering knowledge of them, and so could not yield obedience freely as sons. 33 Therefore the Lord saw it meet to move them to yield obedience to his laws by their own motives, 34 and as servants or children under age. 35

Ant. And were both believers and unbelievers, that is, such as were under the covenant of grace, and such as were under the covenant of works, equally and alike subject, as well to have the calamities of this life inflicted upon them for their disobedience, as the blessings of this life conferred upon them for their obedience?

Evan. Surely the words of the preacher do take place here, when he says, (Eccl 9:2), "All things come alike to all; there is one event to the righteous and to the wicked." Were not Moses and Aaron, for their disobedience, hindered from entering into the land of Canaan, as well as others? (Num 20:12). And was not Josiah, of his disobedience to God's command, slain in the valley of Megiddo? (2 Chron 35:21,22). Therefore assure yourself, that when believers in the Old Testament did transgress God's commandments, God's temporal wrath 36 went out against them, and was manifest in temporal calamities that befell them as well as others, (Num 16:46). Only here was the difference, the believers' temporal calamities had no eternal calamities included in them, nor following of them; 37 and the unbelievers' temporal blessings had no eternal blessings included in them, and their temporal calamities had eternal calamities included in them, and following of them. 38

Ant. Then, sir, it seems that all obedience that any of the Jews did yield to God's commandments, was for fear of temporal punishment, and in hope of temporal reward?

Evan. Surely the Scriptures seem to hold forth, that there were three several sorts of people amongst the Jews, who endeavoured to keep the law of God, and they did all of them differ in their ends.

The first of them were true believers, who, according to the measures of their faith, did believe the resurrection of their bodies after death, and eternal life in glory, and that it was to be obtained, not by the works of the law, but by faith in the Messiah or promised seed; and answerably as they believed this, answerably they yielded obedience to the law freely, without fear of punishment or hope of reward: but, alas! the spirit of faith was very weak in most of them, and the spirit of bondage very strong, and, therefore, they stood in need to be induced and constrained to obedience, by fear of punishment and hope of reward. 39

The second sort of them were the Sadducees and their sect, and these did not believe that there was any resurrection, (Matt 22:23), nor any life but the life of this world; and yet they endeavoured to keep the law, that God might bless them here, and that it might go well with them in this present life.

The third sort, and indeed the greatest number of them in the future ages after Moses, were the Scribes and Pharisees, and their sects; and they held and maintained, that there was a resurrection to be looked for, and an eternal life after death, and, therefore, they endeavoured to keep the law, not only to obtain temporal happiness, but eternal also. For though it had pleased the Lord to make known unto his people, by the ministry of Moses, that the law was given, not to retain men in the confidence of their own works, but to drive them out of themselves, and to lead them to Christ the promised seed; yet after that time, the priests and the Levites, who were the expounders of the law, and to whom the Scribes and Pharisees succeeded, did so conceive and teach of God's intention in giving the law, as though it had been, that they, by their obedience to it, should obtain righteousness and eternal life; and this opinion was so confidently maintained, and so generally embraced amongst them, that in their book Mechilta, they say and affirm, that there is no other covenant than the law; and so, in very deed, they conceived that there was no other way to eternal life than the covenant of works.

Ant. Surely, then, it seems they did not understand and consider that the law, as it is the covenant of works, does not only bind the outward man, but also the inward man, even the soul and spirit; and requires all holy thoughts, motions, and dispositions of the heart and soul?

Evan. O, no; they neither taught it nor understood it so spiritually; neither could they be persuaded that the law requires so much at man's hands. For they first laid this down for a certain truth, that God gave the law for man to be justified and saved by his obedience to it; and that, therefore, there must needs be a power in man to do all that it requires, or else God would never have required it; and, therefore, whereas they should have first considered what a straight rule the law of God is, and then have brought man's heart, and have laid it to it, they, contrariwise, first considered what a crooked rule man's heart is, and then sought to make the law like it: and so indeed they expounded the law literally, teaching and holding, that the righteousness which the law required was but an external righteousness, consisting in the outward observation of the law, as you may see by the testimony of our Saviour, (Matt 5); so that, according to their exposition, it was possible for a man to fulfil the law perfectly, and so to be justified and saved by his obedience to it.

Ant. But, sir, do you think the Scribes and Pharisees, and their sect, did yield perfect obedience to the law, according to their own exposition?

Evan. No, indeed; I think very few of them, if any at all.

Ant. Why, what hopes could they then have to be justified and saved, when they transgressed any of the commandments?

Evan. Peter Martyr tells us, that when they chanced to transgress any of the ten commandments, 40 they had their sacrifices to make satisfaction [as they conceived]; for they looked upon their sacrifices without their significations, and so had a false faith in them, thinking that the bare work was a sacrifice acceptable unto God; in a word, they conceived that the blood of bulls and goats would take away sin, and so what they wanted of fulfilling the moral law, they thought to make up in the ceremonial law. And thus they separated Christ from their sacrifices, thinking they had discharged their duty very well, when they had sacrificed and offered their offerings; not considering that the imperfection of the typical law, which, as the apostle says, made nothing perfect, should have led them to find perfection in Christ, (Heb 7:19); but they generally rested in the work done in the ceremonial law,even as they had done in the moral law, though they themselves were unable to do the one, 41 and the other was as insufficient to help them. And thus "Israel, which followed the law of righteousness, did not attain to the law of righteousness, because they sought it not by faith," but, as it were, by the works of the law. For they being ignorant of the righteousness of God, and going about to establish their own righteousness, did not submit themselves to the righteousness of God, (Rom 9:31, 10:3).

Ant. Then, sir, it seems there were but very few of them 42 that had a clear sight and knowledge of Christ?

Evan. It is very true indeed; for generally there was such a veil of ignorance over their hearts, or such a veil of blindness over their minds, that it made their spiritual eye-sight so weak and dim, that they were no more able to see Christ, the Sun of righteousness, to the end of the law, 43 (Mal 4:2), than the weak eye of man is able to behold the bright sun when it shineth in its full strength. And therefore we read, (Exo 34:30), that when Moses's face did shine, by reason of the Lord's talking with him, and telling him of the glorious riches of his free grace in Jesus Christ, and giving unto him the ten commandments, written in tables of stone, as the covenant of works; 44 to drive the people out of confidence in themselves, and their own legal righteousness, unto Jesus Christ and his righteousness, the people were not able to behold his face; that is to say, 45 by reason of the weakness and dimness of their spiritual eye-sight, they were not able to see and understand the spiritual sense of the law: namely, that the Lord's end or intent in giving them the law as a covenant of works, and as the apostle calls it, "the ministration of condemnation and death," (2 Cor 3:7,9), was to drive them out of themselves to Christ, and that then 46 it was to be abolished to them, as it was the covenant of works, (verse 13), and therefore Moses put the cloudy veil of shadowing ceremonies over his face, (Exo 34:35), that they might be the better able to behold it: that is to say, that they might be the better able to see through them, and understand, that "Christ is the end of the law for righteousness to every one that believeth," (Rom 9:4). For Moses' face, says godly Tindal, is the law rightly understood. And yet, alas! by reason that the priests and Levites in former times, and the Scribes and Pharisees in after times, "were the blind leaders of the blind," (Matt 15:14), the generality of them were so addicted to the letter of the law, [and that both moral 47 and ceremonial,] that they used it not as a pedagogy to Christ, but terminated their eye in the letter and shadow, and did not see through them to the spiritual substance, which is Jesus Christ, (2 Cor 3:13), especially in the future ages after Moses: for at the time of Christ's coming in the flesh, I remember but two, namely, Simeon and Anna, that desired him, or looked for him as a spiritual Saviour to save them from sin and wrath. For though all of them had in their mouths the Messiah, says Calvin, and the blessed state of the kingdom of David; yet they dreamed that this Messiah should be some great monarch that should come in outward pomp and power, and save and deliver them from that bondage which they were in under the Romans, of which bondage they were sensible and weary; but as for their spiritual bondage under the law, sin, and wrath, they were not at all sensible; and all because their blind guides had turned the whole law into a covenant of works, to be done for justification and salvation: 48 yea, and such a covenant as they were able to keep and fulfil, if not by the doing of the moral law, yet by their offering sacrifices in the ceremonial law. And for this cause, our Saviour, in his sermon upon the mount, took occasion to expound the moral law truly and spiritually, removing that false literal gloss which the Scribes and Pharisees had put upon it, that men might see how impossible it is for any mere man to fulfil it, and so consequently to have justification and salvation by it. And at the death of Christ, the veil of the temple was rent in twain from the top to the bottom, to show, says Tindal, "that the shadows of Moses' law should now vanish away at the flourishing light of the gospel," (Matt 27:51). And after the death of Christ, his apostles did, both by their preaching and writing, labour to make men understand, that all the sacrifices and ceremonies were but types of Christ; and therefore he being now come, they were of no further use: witness that divine and spiritual epistle written to the Hebrews. Yet, notwithstanding, we may say of the Jews at this day, as the apostle did in his time, "even until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of Moses." The Lord in mercy remove it in his due time. 49