 |
Dr.
John Gill, a particular Baptist theologian |
June 22, 2022. Wednesday midweek meeting
Whetting
the Appetite (3)
Surveying
John Gill’s “A Body of Divinity –
Doctrinal & Practical”
Book
III. Of the External Works of God
Chapter
1. Of Creation In General
Chapter
2. Of The Creation Of Angels
Chapter
3. Of The Creation Of Man
Chapter
4. Of The Providence of God
Chapter
5. Of The Confirmation Of The Elect Angels, And The Fall Of The Non-Elect
Chapter
6. Of the Honour and Happiness of Man In a State of Innocency
Chapter
7. Of the Law Given to Adam, and the Covenant Made with him in his State of
Innocence; in which he was the Federal Head and Representative of his Posterity
Chapter
8. Of the Sin and Fall of our First Parents
Chapter
9. Of the Nature, Aggravations, and Sad Effects Of the Sin of Man
Chapter
10. Of the Imputation of Adam’s Sin to All his Posterity
Chapter
11. Of The Corruption Of Human Nature
Chapter
12. Of Actual Sins and Transgressions
Chapter
13. Of the Punishment of Sin
Let’s
take a peep at Chapter 7…
“The
manner in which God governs rational creatures is by a law, as the rule of
their obedience to him, and which is what we call God’s moral government of the
world… And I shall endeavour to show what that law was, that it was in the form
of a covenant, and that Adam was a federal head in it.”
There
are 5 sections:
1.
First, The law given him was both of a natural and positive kind. God, who is
the Creator of all, Judge of all the earth, and King of the whole world, has a
right to give what laws he pleases to his creatures, and they are bound as
creatures, and by the ties of gratitude, to observe them.
-
The natural law, or law of nature, given to Adam, was con-created with him,
written on his heart, and engraved and imprinted in his nature from the
beginning of his existence; by which he was acquainted with the will of his
Maker, and directed to observe it.
-
Besides, his natural law, or law of nature, given to Adam, there were others of
a positive kind, which were positive institutions of God, such as man could
never have known by the light of nature; but were made known by the revelation
of God; such as relate to divine worship, and the manner of it; that there was
a God, and that he was to be worshipped, Adam knew by the light of nature; but
how, or in what manner, and with what rites and formalities he would be
worshipped, this he could not know, but by divine revelation.
2.
This law given to Adam, taken in its complex view, as both natural and
positive, was in the form of a covenant…
a.
Moreover, It may be observed, that the law given to Adam is expressly called a
covenant… the terms by which the positive law given to Adam is expressed,
manifestly imply a covenant; as that if he eat of the forbidden fruit, he should
surely die; which implies, that if he abstained from it, he should surely live;
which formally constitute a covenant; even a promise and a threatening.
b.
The law given to Adam, as it was a law, sprung from the sovereignty of God, who
had a right to impose a law upon him, whatsoever he thought fit; as it was a
covenant, it was an act of condescension and goodness in God, to enter into it
with man, his creature; he could have required obedience to his law, without
promising anything on account of it; for it is what God has a prior right unto,
and therefore a recompense for it cannot be claimed; if, therefore, God thinks
fit, for the encouragement of obedience, to promise in covenant any good, it is
all condescension, it is all kindness.
c.
This covenant is by divines called by various names:
- sometimes
a covenant of “friendship”, man being in friendship with God when it was made
with him…
-
sometimes they call it a covenant of “nature”, it being made with Adam as a
natural man, and a natural head of his posterity, and promised natural
blessings to him and his…
-
It is also called a covenant of “innocence”; because made with man in his innocent
state…
-
And it sometimes has the name of the covenant of life from the promise of life
in it.
3.
As in all covenants there are contracting parties, so in this.
a.
God is one of the parties…
-
it unworthy of God to enter into a covenant with Adam; for if it was not
unworthy of God to make a covenant of conservation with Noah; a covenant of
circumcision with Abraham; and a covenant of royalty with David; a covenant
respecting the kingdom, and the continuance of it in his family; men ina fallen
state; then it could not be unworthy of God to make one with Adam in his
perfect state.
-
To make a covenant with Adam, was a display of His goodness to him; His
covenant also flowed from His sovereignty.
b.
The other contacting party was Adam; who gave a full and hearty assent to what
was proposed to him. The stipulation on the part of God, was proposing and
promising good, on condition of obedience.
-
The obedience required of man in this covenant, was personal, perfect, and
perpetual.
-
It was personal; it was to be performed in his own person, and not by another
for him;
-
It was “perfect” obedience that was required of him, both as to parts and as to
degrees; it was to be yielded to all the commandments of God, without
exception, and to be performed in the most perfect manner; as to matter, all
the commands of God, natural and positive, were to be observed; and as to
manner, just as the Lord commanded them.
-
And then this obedience was to be “perpetual”; it was not to be done for a time
only, but always; life, and the continuance of it, dependedon it; otherwise, if
a stop was made in it, the law condemned, and the man became accursed.
4.
The law given to Adam, as it had the nature of a covenant, it contained a
promise in it, and had a sanction annexed to it.
a. It
contained a promise; which was a promise of life, of natural life to Adam, and
of a continuation of it so long as he should observe the condition of it…
-
Adam’s covenant was but a natural covenant; and which was made with a natural
man.
-
It was in another covenant more early than that of Adam’s, in which eternal
life was promised and secured; God, that cannot lie, promised it before the
world began; and this promise was put into Christ’s hands, even from all
eternity; and the blessing itself was secured in him for all for whom it was
designed.
-
Eternal life is only through Christ as the Mediator of the covenant of grace;
it comes by no other hands but his,
-
If eternal life could have been by Adam’s covenant, it would have been by
works; for that covenant was a covenant of works; and if by works, then not of
grace.
-
Life and immortality, or an immortal, eternal life, and the way to it, are only
brought to light by the Gospel (2 Tim. 1:10), not by the light of nature, nor
by the law of Moses; only by the Gospel of Christ.
-
There is no proportion between the best works of man, even sinless obedience
and eternal life.
b.
The sanction of the law and covenant made with Adam, was death; “In the day
thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die” (Gen. 2:17), which includes death
corporal, spiritual or moral, and eternal.
- A
corporal death; which lies in a separation of soul and body…
- A
spiritual, or rather moral death seized upon him; which lies in a separation of
the soul from God, and communion with Him.
- An
eternal death, which lies in a separation of soul and body from God; in a loss
of the divine presence, and in a sense of divine wrath.
5.
Adam as the representative head of the human race
a.
In this covenant Adam acted not as a private person for himself only, but asa
federal head and representative of his whole posterity; and in this he was
alone.
-
From Adam being a figure or type of him that was to come; that is, of Christ
(Rom 5:14).
-
From Adam being called the first man, and the first Adam, and described as
natural and earthly
-
From the threatening taking place upon the sin of Adam, not on himself only,
but on all his succeeding offspring.
-
It was no unusual thing with God to make covenants with men, and their
posterity, unborn.
-
Nor have any of Adam’s posterity reason to complain of such a procedure; since
if Adam had stood in his integrity, they would have partook of all the blessed
consequences of his standing, and enjoyed all the happiness that he did; and
therefore should not murmur.
Let it be considered, that since God in his infinite wisdom, thought proper
that men should have a head and representative of them.
-
Let it be observed, that what God gave to Adam, as a federal head, relating to
himself and his posterity, he gave it in a way of sovereignty.
