WHAT THE COVENANT OF WORKS IS, AND WHEN IT WAS GIVEN.
FIRST. What is this Covenant of Works, and when was it given? [What this covenant is.] The Covenant of Works or the law, here spoken of, is the law delivered upon Mount Sinai to Moses, in two tables of stone, in ten particular branches or heads; for this, see Galatians 4. The Apostle, speaking there of the law, and of some also that through delusions of false doctrine were brought again, as it were, under it, or at least were leaning that way (verse 21). He said, As for you that desire to be under the law, I will show you the mystery of Abraham's two sons, which he had by Hagar and Sarah; these two do signify the two covenants; the one named Hagar signifies Mount Sinai, where the law was delivered to Moses on two tables of stone (Exo 24:12; 34:1; Deu 10:1). Which is that, that whosoever is under, he is destitute of, and altogether without the grace of Christ in his heart at present. "For I testify again to every man," saith he, speaking to the same people, that "Christ has become of no effect unto you, whosoever of you are justified by the law," namely, that given on Mount Sinai—"ye are fallen from grace" (Gal 5:3,4). That is, not that any can be justified by the law, but this meaning is that all those who seek justification by the works of the law are not such as those who seek to be under the second covenant, the Covenant of Grace. Also, the Apostle, speaking again of these two covenants, saith, "But if the ministration of death," or the law, for it is all one, "written and engraved in stones," mark that, "was glorious, how shall not the ministration of the Spirit," or the Covenant of Grace, "be rather glorious?" (2 Cor 3:7,8). As if he had said, It is true, there was a glory in the Covenant of Works, and a very great excellency did appear in it—namely, in that given in the stones on Sinai—yet there is another covenant, the Covenant of Grace, that doth exceed it for comfort and glory.
[When it was given.] But, though this law was delivered to Moses from the hands of angels in two tables of stones on Mount Sinai, this was not the first appearing of this law to man; but even this in substance, though possibly not so openly, was given to the first man, Adam, in the Garden of Eden, in these words: "And the LORD God commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eat thereof thou shalt surely die" (Gen 2:16,17). Which commandment then given to Adam did contain in it a forbidding to do any of those things that were and are accounted evil, although at that time it did not appear so plainly, in so many particular heads, as it did when it was again delivered on Mount Sinai; but yet the very same. And that I shall prove thus—
God commanded Adam in Paradise to abstain from all evil against the first covenant and not from some sins only. Still, if God had not commanded Adam to refrain from the sins spoken against in the Ten Commandments, He had not commanded to abstain from all but from some; therefore, it must be that He then commanded to abstain from all sins forbidden in the law given on Mount Sinai. Now that God commanded to abstain from all evil or sin against any of the Ten Commandments when He gave Adam the command in the garden, it is evident that He did punish the sins that were committed against those commands that were then delivered on Mount Sinai before they were delivered on Mount Sinai, which will appear as follow.
The First, Second, and Third Commandments were broken by Pharaoh and his men; for they had false gods which the Lord executed judgment against (Exo 12:12); and blasphemed their true God (Exo 5:2) which escaped not punishment (Exo 7:17-25). For their gods could neither deliver themselves nor their people from the hand of God, but "in the thing wherein they dealt proudly, He was above them" (Exo 18:11).
Again, some judge that the Lord punished the sin against the Second Commandment, which Jacob was in some measure guilty of in not purging his house from false gods, with the defiling of his daughter Dinah (Gen 34:2).
Again, we find that Abimelech thought the sin against the Third Commandment so great that he required no other security of Abraham against the fear of mischief that might be done to him by Abraham, his son, and his son's son, but only Abraham's oath (Gen 21:23). The like we see between Abimelech and Isaac (Gen 31:53). The like we find in Moses and the Israelites, who durst not leave the bones of Joseph in Egypt, because of the oath of the Lord, whose name, by so doing, would have been abused (Exo 13:19).
And we find the Lord rebuking His people for the breach of the
Fourth Commandment (Exo 16:27-29). And for the violation of the Fifth, the curse came upon Ham (Gen 9:25-27). And Ishmael dishonoring his father in mocking Isaac was cast out, as we read (Gen 21:9,10). The sons-in-law of Lot, for slighting their father, perish in the overthrow of Sodom (Gen 19:14).
The Sixth Commandment was broken by Cain, and so dreadful a curse and punishment came upon him that it made him cry out, "My punishment is greater than I can bear" (Gen 4:13).
Again, when Esau threatened to slay his brother, Rebecca sent him away, saying, "Why should I be deprived also of you both in one day?" hinting unto us that she knew murder was to be punished with death (Gen 27:45) which the Lord Himself declared likewise to Noah (Gen 9:6).3 Again, a notable example of the Lord's justice in punishing murder we see in the Egyptians and Pharaoh, who drowned the Israelites' children in the river (Exo 1:22), and they were drowned in the sea (Exo 14:27).
The sin against the Seventh Commandment was punished in the Sodomites, etc., with the utter destruction of their city and themselves (Gen 19:24,25). They suffer "the vengeance of eternal fire" (Jude 7). Also, the male Shechemites were all put to the sword for the sin committed by Hamor's son (Gen 34:25,26).
Our first parents sinned against the Eighth Commandment in taking the forbidden fruit, bringing the curse on themselves and their posterity (Gen 3:16). Again, the punishment due to the breach of this Commandment was by Jacob accounted death (Gen 31:30,32). And also by Jacob's sons (Gen 44:9,10).
Cain sinning against the Ninth Commandment, as in Genesis 4:9, was therefore cursed as to the earth (Verse 11). And Abraham, though the friend of God, was blamed for false-witness by Pharaoh and sent out of Egypt (Gen 12:18-20), and both he and Sarah reproved by Abimelech (Gen 20:9,10,16).
Pharaoh sinned against the Tenth Commandment and was plagued with great plagues (Gen 12:15,17). Abimelech coveted Abraham's wife, and the Lord threatened death to him and his, except he restored her again; yea, though he had not come near her, yet for coveting and taking her, the Lord fast closed up the wombs of his house (Gen 20:3,18).
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