of Faith must of necessity according to the Apostles Reckoning be desirous of Returning to that old Bondage which Christ hath deliver'd us from and which the Apostle doth so earnestly Exhort us to avoid Gal. 5. 1. Stand fast therefore in the Liberty wherewith Christ hath made us free and be not Intangled again with the Yoke of Bondage § 8. But though Mount Sinai Covenant which answered to Jerusalem that then was is a Bondage Covenant The Gospel Covenant saith the Apostle which answereth to Jerusalem that is above is free which is the Mother of us all The Gospel Covenant therefore being a free Covenant It must not it ought not to be Blended or Mixt with that from Mount Sinai as if the one were the other and no difference at all to be made betwixt them onely in Respect of the different Degrees of the Discovery of Gospel Grace No saith the Apostle What saith the Scripture Cast out the Bond-Woman and her Son For the Son of the Bond-Woman shall not be Heir with the Son of the Free-Woman So then Brethren we are not Children of the Bond-Woman but of the Free In the 30. and 31. Verses of the forementioned 4th to the Galatians And this we must be And thus we must do as the Apostle here adviseth us unless we shall mingle Law and Gospel together Bondage and Liberty Works and Grace Death and Life And a ministration of Condemnation with that of Righteousness and Peace Which would be no other than as much as in us lies to overthrow the whole Gospel and to obscure darken and confound those truths that are of highest Importance And which ought therefore to be carefully and distinctly handled by us according to the different Services they are designed and appointed for SECT VIII BUT then we are yet further told by Mr. Sedgwick in his forementioned Discourse pag. 174. That that Covenant which was Confirmed by Bloud and Sprinkling which Typified the Bloud of Christ Gonfirming and Ratifying the Covenant was no Covenant of Works But the Covenant which God made then with the Israelites was Confirmed by Blood Exod. 24. 7. Moses took the Book of the Covenant and read it in the Audience of the People And they said All that the Lord hath said we will do and be Obedient Vers 8. And Moses took the Blood and Sprinkled it on the People And said Behold the Bloud of the Covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words Now this very place is quoted by the Apostle Heb. 9. 19. He Sprinkled both the Book and the People Vers 20. Saying This is the Bloud of the Testament which God hath Enjoyned you And expresly Interprets it and applies it to the Blood of Christ Vers 14. and Vers 23. And therefore that Covenant with that People was not a Covenant of Works which never was nor shall be Confirmed by the Bloud of Christ § 2. To which we Reply First That it is Evident that the Covenant the Bloud whereof Moses Sprinkled on the People in the forementioned Exod. 24. 7 8. Could not possibly be the Law Written in Stones which will appear in a diligent Examination of the words before and after Vers 3 4. Moses came and told the People all the words of the Lord and all the Judgments And all the People Answerd with one Voice and said All the words which the Lord hath spoken we will do And Moses Wrote all the words of the Lord and rose up early in the Morning and builded an Altar c. Vers 5. And be sent Young Men of the Children of Israel which offered burnt offerings and Sacrificed Peace offerings of Oxen unto the Lord Vers 6. And Moses took half of the Bloud and put it in Basons And half of the Bloud be Sprinkled on the Altar Vers 7. And he took the Book of the Covenant and read in the Audience of the People And they said All that the Lord hath said we will do and be Obedient Vers 8. And Moses took the Bloud and Sprinkled it on the People and said behold the Bloud of the Covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words Now that the Book of the Covenant here spoken of the Bloud whereof was thus Sprinkled on the People could not be the Law Written in Stones appears most evidently from the following words Vers 9. Then went up Moses and Aaron Nadab and Abihu and Seventy of the Elders of Israel And they saw the God of Israel c. Vers 12. And the Lord said unto Moses Come up to me into the Mount and be there And I will give thee Tables of Stone and a Law and Commandments which I have Written that thou mayst teach them Wherein first we cannot but observe That whereas the words of the Covenant the Bloud whereof was Sprinkled on the People Vers 8. are expresly said Vers 4. to be Written by Moses So on the other hand the Law Written in Stones is here expresly said to be Written by God himself And Secondly It is also as evident that Moses had not as yet so much as received the Law Written in Stones from God till after he had Sprinkled the Bloud of the forementioned Covenant wherein the Statutes and Judgments were contained upon the People So that the Law Written in Stones therefore could not possibly be the Covenant the Bloud whereof was so sprinkled but was indeed another Covenant and delivered at a distinct Season and in a distinct Method the one uttered and declared by â—he Mouth of God himself in the Audience of all the People the other delivered unto them by the Mouth and Ministration of Moses onely The one Written with Gods own Finger in the two Tables of Stone the other Written in a Book by the Hand of Moses which is accordingly here called the Book of the Covenant by way of distinction from the Tables of Stone From whence by the way it clearly appears That that Covenant which as Moses elsewhere assures us God himself with his own Immediate Mouth and Voice declared unto Israel and that in the Audience of all the People Deut. 4. 10 11 12 13. was in this as well as in other respects as much a Covenant of Works as that made with our first Parent For if the Covenant made with Adam had no Mediator so neither had this 'T is plain indeed that God made use of the Ministration of Moses in the delivery of the Ceremonial Covenant but not so in the Promulgation of this For this was both Written and declared Immediately by the Hand and Mouth of God himself § 3. But to return Whereas Mr. Sedgwick tells us That that Covenant with that People which was Confirmed by Bloud and Sprinkling which Typified the Blood of Christ Confirming and Ratifying the Covenant was not a Covenant of Works which never was nor shall be Confirmed by the Blood of Christ and makes no distinction thereon between the Ceremonial Covenant that was Dedicated with Bloud
tells them Vers 45. That he would for their sakes remember the Covenant of their Ancestors whom he brought forth out of the Land of Egypt This must of necessity have Reference either to the forementioned Covenant with Abraham Isaac and Jacob Or the Promises mentioned Exod. 33. 34. And cannot possibly have any Reference to the Sinai Covenant For that was a Bondage Covenant Gal. 4. 21 22 c. A Ministration of Death and Condemnation 2 Cor. 3. 7 8 9. Against us and contrary to us And therefore now Blotted out Col. 2. 14. And is accordingly by Moses himself represented as a fiery Law that Proceeded from Gods Right Hand Deut. 33. â—â— So that that could not possibly yield any comfort unto them Whereas the forementioned Covenants did plainly give them hopes of Relief and Pardon But say you see Vers 46. and all is ended We have therefore accordingly Examined that Text But cannot discern that it speaks any thing by way of opposition to what we have Asserted For thus run the words These are the Statutes and Judgments and Laws which the Lord made between him and the Children of Israel at Mount Sinai by the Hand of Moses which can have no other Sense than this That this being the last Verse of the last Chapte save one of Leviticus wherein the Statutes and Judgments or the several branches of the Ceremonial Law had been particularly Rehearsed unto them These words in this 46th Verse contains therefore onely the general Sum thereof So that we cannot discern that it makes off or on as to the present Argument Arg. 4. The Fourth and last Argument runs thus Those Covenants which have Seals annexed of vastly different Nature are not Absolutely or just the same but widely different Covenants But so have these two Covenants Ergo not the same The Tree of Life was the onely Sacrament Annext to the first but the Passover and Circumcision to the last Both holding forth Christ and Salvation by him The first a plain Type of Christ in the Paschal Lamb. The other a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith Reply First as to what concerns the Tree of Life which you say was the onely Sacrament annext to Adams Covenant That it was either a Sacrament or a Seal annext to that Covenant the Scripture gives us no Account thereof that we can find And as the Passover and Circumcision which you make to be the Seals of the Sinai Covenant the Scripture is as silent even in that Respect also As for the Passover it was indeed as you say a plain Type of Christ as many other things then were But we do not find that it is ever called a Seal of the Sinai Covenant Nor do we find that Circumcision is ever called the Seal thereof It is indeed called a Seal of the Righteousness of the Faith that Abraham had yet being uncircumcized Rom. 4. 11. But the same Apostle expresly tells us Gal. 3. 12. That the Law is not of Faith And if the Law is not of Faith then neither can it be a Covenant of Faith And then it doth also as plainly follow that Circumcision which is by the Apostle termed a Seal of the Righteousness of Abrahams Faith could not be the Seal thereof And in this Respect therefore it is highly observable That though Circumcision is frequently called a Token of the Covenant mentioned Gen. 17. 7 8 9. to the generality that were under it yet the Scripture no where tells us That it was a Seal of the Righteousness of Faith but unto Abraham onely For indeed none else had ever before or after their Circumcision such a Faith that Entituled them to such Singular Promises and Prerogatives as Abraham had But of this we have already said so much toward the Resolution of the present Point in the Seventh Branch of our Answer to the Eleventh Objection in the Second Part of this Discourse foregoing and have yet so much to say in what follows where we shall have a further occasion purposely to handle this Argument that we shall need to say the less of it here SECT XV. FOR a Conclusion of the present Point we shall onely Collect the sum of the foregoing Arguments already Insisted on proving that the Legal Covenant was not a Covenant of Faith But was indeed and in truth no other than a Covenant of Works For First That Covenant that is not of Faith cannot possibly be a Covenant of Faith But the Apostle doth expresly affirm that the Law is not of Faith Gal. 3. 11 12. Therefore neither can it be a Covenant of Faith Secondly That Covenant which is now Repealed could not be a Covenant of Faith But the Apostle doth plainly affirm that the first Covenant for the faultiness thereof is now Repealed Heb. 8. 7 13. 2 Cor. 3. 7 11. Col. 2. 14. Heb. 7. 18. Therefore that Covenant could not be a Covenant of Faith Thirdly That Covenant that could not give Life could not be a Covenant of Faith But the Law could not give Life Gal. 3. 21. 22. Therefore it could not be a Covenant of Faith Fourthly That Covenant that is opposed to the Covenant of Faith as quite another thing could not be a Covenant of Faith But the School-mastership of the Law is by the Apostle plainly opposed and contradistinguished unto the Covenant of Faith as quite another thing Gal. 3. 23 24 25. Therefore it could not be a Covenant of Faith Fifthly That Covenant the Righteousness whereof is opposed to the Righteousness of Faith cannot be a Covenant of Faith But the Righteousness of the Law is plainly by the Apostle opposed to the Righteousness of Faith Rom. 10. 5 6 c. Therefore it could not be a Covenant of Faith Sixthly That Covenant that could never Justifie any that were under it could never be a Covenant of Faith For being Justified by Faith we have Peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ Rom. 5. 1. But the Scripture doth expresly Testifie That by the Deeds of the Law there shall no Flesh be Justified in his Sight Rom. 3. 20. Therefore that Covenant could never be a Covenant of Faith Seventhly That Covenant under which though many were Justified yet none were ever Justified by it or by vertue of it could never be a Covenant of Faith But such is the Nature of the Law that though many were Justified under it yet none were ever Justified by it or by Vertue of it Rom. 3. 20. Therefore that Covenant could never be a Covenant of Faith Eighthly That Covenant that saith Do this and Live Or that the Man that doth these things shall Live by them cannot possibly be a Covenant of Gospel-Grace but of Works Since the Apostle Informs us That to him that worketh is the Reward reckoned not of Grace but of Debt Rom. 4. 4. But the same Apostle doth expresly tell us That Moses describeth the Righteousness of the Law that the Man which doth these things shall live by them Rom. 10. 5.
and the Law Written in Stones that was not so Dedicated How strangely doth he Confound and Obscure the word and truth of God which ought to have been cleared and distinctly to have been declared to those he had Preached or Written unto For first he seems to take it for granted that there was no other Covenant made with Israel at Sinai but what was Confirmed by Bloud And Secondly That that Covenant which waâ— so Confirmed must of necessity have been Confirmed also by the Blood of Christ Typified thereby and therefore not a Covenant of Works But both these are no other than ungrounded suppositions that want a Foundation § 4. For first It hath been already proved That the Law Written in Stones had not been so much as received from God when the Ceremonial Covenant was so Confirmed And accordingly it was so far from being Confirmed by the Bloud of Christ that we do not read that it was ever Dedicated with any other sort of Bloud whatsoever It is indeed suggested that the Law Written in Stones by Gods own Finger had been also Written by Moses in the Book of the Covenant wherein the Statutes and Judgments were contained when the Bloud thereof was sprinkled on the People Since we are told Exod. 24. 3 4. That Moses came and told the People all the Words of the Lord and all the Judgments And Moses Wrote all the Words of the Lord and took the Book of the Covenant and Read in the Audience of the People and took the Blood and Sprinkled it on the People saying Behold the Blood of the Covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these Words But if we duly attend unto the Scope of the Spirit of God in these passages we shall find it utterly Improbable that the Ten Commandments that had been Written in Stones with Gods own Finger were at all contained in the Book of the Covenant when the Blood thereof was Sprinkled on the People Forasmuch as God afterwards calls up Moses into the Mount saying I will give thee Tables of Stone and a Law and Commandments which I have Written that thou mayest teach them Ver. 12. Which clearly Implies that the Ten Commandments which was the only matter contained in the two Tables of Stone had not been Written by Moses in the Book of the Covenant wherein the Statutes and Judgments were contained and which he had accordingly Read in the Audience of the People For then it had been altogether Improper to say I will give thee Tables of Stone and a Law and Commandments that thou mayest teach them Since according to this Reckoning Moses had already done it When we are told therefore that Moses came and told the People all the Words of the Lord and all the Judgments c. We are plainly to understand it according to Deut. 4. 13. 14. where having Informed us that the Lord himself declared unto them his Covenant which he commanded them to perform even Ten Commandments and he Wrote them upon two Tables of Stone He Expresly adds The Lord Commanded me saith he at that time to teach you Statutes and Judgments And accordingly Exod. 24. 3. Moses came and told the People all the Words of thâ— Lord and all the Judgments That is all the Statutes and all â—he Judgments not the Ten Commandments For that God himself had already declared unto them with his own Mouth So that it is evident that it was the Statutes and Judgments only that Moses had then in Commission to declare unto the People And accordingly it is as evident that it was the Statutes and Judgments only that were contained in the Book of the Covenant when the Blood thereof was sprinkled on the People Though afterwards it is plain that upon the Receiving of the two Tables of Stone wherein â—he Ten Commandments were Inserted he had a fresh Commission to teach them the Ten Commandments also as appears by Verse 12. And which we find was accordingly performed by him Deut. 5. in the Several Ten Branches or Particulars thereof § 5. It is therefore a great mistake for any to affirm that the Law written in Stones was not a Covenant of Works because confirmed by Blood and Sprinkling whereas when it comes to be duly examined there appears no such matter but instead of being proved thereby to be a Covenant of Grace it is the more convincingly proved to be as it is indeed no other than a Covenant of Works In which respect Mr. Sedgwick's forementioned Argument may more justly and truly be thus formed That Covenant that was not confirmed by the Blood of Christ which alone can cleanse us from all unrighteousness no nor so much as by the Blood of Bulls or Goats or Calves which was plainly typical thereof could not possibly be a Covenant of Grace but of Works But the Law written in Stones was so far from being confirmed by the Blood of Christ that it was never that we read of confirmed by any other sort of Blood whatsoever Therefore that Covenant could not possibly be a Covenant of Grace but of Worlds § 6. Secondly Whereas the Apostle Heb. 9. speaking of the Ceremonial Covenant which was dedicated by Blood and Sprinkling doth plainly represent it unto us under the denomination of the first Covenant that had a Worldly Sanctuary vers 1. Opposing it to Christ as the Figure to the Substance vers 9. Calling the Statutes and Judgments therein contained by the name of Carnal Ordinances and such as could not make him that did the Service Perfect as pertaining to the Conscience vers 10. Another Building vers 11. And the First Testament as it 's Contradistinguish'd from the New-Testament and Christ the true and only Sacrifice thereof vers 18 19. Besides what he had told us in the 8th Chap. concerning this same First or Old-Testament that it was of a faulty decaying vanishing nature vers 7 13. From all this it plainly appears that even the Ceremonial Covenant it self could be no other than a Covenant of Works as well as that written in Stones And accordingly the Apostle informs us Gal. 3. 10. That as many as are of the Works of the Law are under the Curse For it is written Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the Book of the Law to do them Which Book of the Law here spoken of must of necessity be the Book of the Covenant written by Moses himself wherein the Statutes and Judgments or the Ceremonial Precepts were contained In respect whereof it is evident that though the Sacrifices and other things thereunto belonging pointed at Christ and the way of Salvation by him yet such was the severity of the Divine Sanction thereunto annexed that if those under that Administration had wrought never so hard and kept themselves in a Path of perfect and Universal Obedience to the multitude of those Ceremonial Precepts all their days which was impossible yet if at last cast there happened
therefore said to have Obtained a more Excellent Ministry viz. than that of Moses by how much also he is the Mediator of a better Covenant which is established upon better Promises Heb. 8. 6. Besides we are expresly told Jo. 1. 17. That the Law was given by Moses but Grace and Truth came by Jesus Christ From whence it plainly follows that the Covenant insisted on was not a Covenant of Grace properly so called not only for as much as Moses was the Mediator of it But also forasmuch as the grace and truth which came by Jesus Christ is here so plainly Contradistinguished or opposed thereunto § 4. But that this Covenant which by the Mediation of Moses was thus Solemnly renewed and afresh transacted between God and them in the land of Moab was plainly a Covenant of Works or a Legal Covenant will be yet further undeniable by comparing Exod. 1◠5. with Deut. 29. 9. and both with Lev. 18. and Rom. 10. 5. For as in Exod. 19 Where that Covenant is first mentioned which God made with Israel by the Mediation of Moses in Horeb or at Mount Sinai which the Apostle speaks of Heb. 8. when God took them by the hand to lead them out of Aegypt He there tells them ver 5. Now therefore if you will obey my voice indeed and keep my Covenant then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all People for all the Earth is mine So in like mannner upon the same terms and by the hand of the same Mediator is the same Covenant afterward renewed with them Deut. 29. 9. Keep therefore saith God there unto them the words of this Covenant and do them that you may prosper in all that you do Now that both these were but two several Repetitions of the same Covenant of Works the Apostle plainly shews Rom. 10. 4. 5. Christ saith he there is the end of the Law for Righteousness to every one that believeth For Moses describeth the Righteousness of the Law that the man which doth these things shall live by them which he citeth from Lev. 18. 5. Where the Lord tells them you shall therefore keep my Statutes and Judgments which if a man do he shall live in them The same with Exod 19. 5. and Deut. 29. 9. And the same Apostle also assures us Gal. 3. 10. that as many as are of the Works of the Law are under the Curse for it is written saith he Cursed is every one that continueth not in all things that are in the Book of the Law to do them § 5. Now it having been thus proved that the Covenants Mentioned in both these forenamed Scriptures were made by the hands of the same Mediator Moses And that they were both also of one and the same tenor requiring perfect Obedience as the Condition of Obtaining the Promised Mercy And forasmuch as St. Paul doth so plainly assure us that this was no other than a Covenant of Works and that which he Contradistinguisheth or opposeth to the Righteousness of Faith or the Gospel Covenant which he afterward speaks of ver 6 7 8 9. of the same 10th to the Romans From hence it plainly follows That the formentioned Covenants both that in Deut. 29. as well as that in Exod. 19. which were but two several Repetitions of the same Covenant of Works are now Repealed and done away in Christ For so he doth plainly assure us Heb. 8. 8 9 13. where he tells us That if that first Covenant had been faultless then no place should have been sought for the second For finding Fault with them he saith Behold the days come saith the Lord when I will make a New Covenant with the House of Israel and the House of Judah not according to the Covenant that I made with their Fathers in the Day when I took them by the Hand to lead them out of the Land of Egypt because they continued not in my Covenant and I regarded them not And verse 13 In that he saith a New Covenant he hath made the first Old Now that which decayeth saith he and waxeth old is ready to vanish away From whence it is plain that the old Covenant he there speaks of which God made with his People when he took them by the hand to lead them out of the land of Egypt mentioned Exod. 19. 5. and Deut 29. 9. for the faultyness thereof is now Abollished For there is verily saith he Heb. 7. 18. a disannulling of the Commandment going before for the Weakness and unprofitableness thereof Upon which Account a New Covenant was to take place which was to be Established upon better Promises § 6. And therefore though 't is true in Deut. 30. 6. which Mr. Baxter urgeth and alledgeth to prove that the Covenant mentioned Chapter 29. is a Gospel-Covenant The Lord then promiseth that he will Circumcise their Heart and the Heart of their Seed to love the Lord their God with all their Heart and with all their Soul that they might live Which are plainly Gospel Promises yet it is evident that that is a distinct Covenant from that mentioned Chapter 29. the one being Conditional the other Absolute And it is as evident that the Promises therein contained were not to be fulfilled till after the Lord had turned their threatned Captivity for their Breach of the Covenant he now made with them and till after he had returned and gathered them from all the Nations and from the outmost Parts of Heaven whether they should be scattered and from whence the Lord there promiseth to gather and to fetch them as it is plainly Expressed in the 1 2 3 4 and 5th Verses of that Chapter compared with the 24th and 25th Verses of the 29th Chapter which was never yet fulfilled § 7. But saith Mr. Baxter Did God Promise Spiritual Grace to the Jews after the Captivity and not before Was not the Promise made to them that then were Were not they Captivated oft in the time of the Judges and so might at least be made good then If God would do as much for them before they forsook him and broke the Covenant by Rebellion as he would do afterward when they Repented then he would Circumcise their Hearts before as well as after But the former is true therefore the latter Besides some Divines say that the Promise Deut. 30. 6. is Conditional And if it be on Condition of Obedience than it was made to more than the Elect and if it were not performed to any but the Elect no wonder when it was a Conditional Promise and the rest performed not the Condition which God will Cause the Elect to perform §8 To this we Reply That as it is evident that the Promises mentioned Deut. 30. 6. are Absolute and therefore Essentially different from those mentioned ch 29. which were Conditional so they are as clearly to be understood in Reference to a time to come and cannot without palpable streining be applied unto the time then present nor indeed unto any