The Pattern of Perfection Exhibited in Gods Image on Adam, Part 1 · Section 11
§. 11.
NOw wee proceed to the ſecond part of the Covenant;Of life promiſed to Adam if obedient. What God promiſes to Adam: Hee that doth theſe things ſhall live.
For the opening of this, wee muſt treat of three particulars.
1. What life is.
2. Wherein lies the ſweetneſſe of the promiſe.
3. The univerſality of it.
1. What is meant by life?Life naturall. Life is double; naturall and ſpirituall: eternall life is nothing but ſpirituall life made perfect. Naturall life is the motion of the creature, iſſuing from the joyning of the body and ſoule together, according to the kind thereof. The life of a tree is to grow; of a reaſonable creature to diſcourſe. This is not meant here; for Adam did thus live before and after he brake the Comandements of God.
And ſpirituall.2. There is a ſpirituall life, which belongs to the ſoule in holy duties: it is called life by a ſimilitude, and it is thoſe ſpirituall workes which proceed from the whole man, the ſoule being united to God. As the union of the body and ſoule cauſeth life; ſo the union between the ſoul and God cauſeth ſpirituall life. Gen. 2.7. God breathed into his noſthrils the breath of life; ſo the Lord breathes aſſiſtance: and this is ſpirituall life here meant; which may bee diſcovered in three particulars.
1. Adam, Spirituall life diſcovered in 3. things.out of his ſpeciall liberty hee had, was able to put himſelf under the ſtreame of Providence, and ſo to bee carried on to holy duties. God would have aſſiſted Adam, but hee muſt firſt put himſelfe under the ſtreame of Providence: as the boat upon the ſtreame, ſo would the Providence of God have conveyed Adam. All things were made for man, and man is next neighbour to God. Had Adam looked towards Gods wiſedome, hee ſhould have been quickned in wiſedome: and ſo he might have received ſtrength from any Attribute, if he would ſubmit his heart to the ſtreame of it. Joh. 1.16. From Chriſt we receive grace for grace. What letters are in the ſeale, the ſame are in the waxe; ſo when by faith wee look upon Chriſt, there is grace in him, and it is conveighed to us. Pſalm. 86.11. Unite my ſoule to thee: firſt the ſoule muſt be united, and then it acts from that union. John 6.68. Thou onelyonly haſt the words of eternall life: as if hee ſhould ſay, By thy vertue only wee muſt bee ſtrengthened. By this time God and Adam are met.
2. The ſoule of Adam being met with God, hence followed ſpiritual actions, namely, Adam was able to worke like God, according to his manner: the boat, and rower, and ſtreame goe all one way. In 1 Pet. 4.6. a good man is ſaid to live according to God; This is ſpirituall life, when a mans will and deſire is anſwerable to God; but wicked men, Epheſ. 4.18. are ſtrangers to the life of God. Col. 4.12. The Apoſtle prayeth that they might ſtand perfect in the will of God. Pſalm. 119.144. Give mee underſtanding that I may live. A man doth not live thus, becauſe hee ſeeth as the beaſts doe, or growes as the trees do, or reaſons, which the devils can do; but becauſe hee hath an underſtanding to live the life of God. When Adam is at God, hee is where he would be. Rom. 14.18. The kingdome of heaven conſiſts not in meats and drinks, that is, in outward actions; they are in themſelves neither good nor bad: but when a man is led by God to performe holy duties, hee then pleaſeth God in them.
3. Hee had power to hold out this bleſſed will of God to others, that they might love it. Phil. 1.20. St. Paul prayeth that in life and death God might be magnified. Adam did hold out the glory of God, that all the world might ſee how glorious hee was.
Quest. Wherein lyes the pith of this promiſe, & what ſhould Adam reap from this?
The ſweetneſſe of the promiſe of life, wherin.Anſw. It lies in this; That God would ſo continue good to Adam, that if hee would obey God, hee would ſo ſupport him with his grace, that hee ſhould have pleaſed him for ever: as if God had ſaid, If thou will doe what I command, I will unchangeably ſupply life to thee. I will expreſſe it by the contrary: Thus it befell Adam; hee broke the law, and therefore was vnderunder the power of ſinne, to bee led by the force of it to ſinne eternally, and periſh everlaſtingly. The Lord ſaid, Thou ſhalt not eate; Adam did eate; ſo going againſt the command, the Lord puts him under the authority of corruption; and this is ſpirituall death. So then, it is not the law of God that rules thee, but the vanity of thy minde, that domineers over thy ſoul, and members of thy body. Contrariwiſe, had Adam pleaſed God, he ſhould have been under the power of holineſſe, and never have ſinned. For God thus ſaid to Adam, If thou will keep my Lawes, I will ſupport thee, and thou ſhalt never bee ſubject to any evill. As it is with the damned, they can doe nothing but ſinne, and depart from God daily: ſo contrariwiſe, had Adam performed Gods laws, God, with a full ſtreame of immutable aſſiſtance, had carried him on daily in his ſervice. This is the happineſſe of a Saint in heaven, not only to be freed from miſery and anguiſh, or to have joy and delight (a man was not made only for theſe) but to pleaſe God. If it were poſſible for a ſinfull creature to carry a proud heart to heaven, hee were miſerable; but if a man have holineſſe, all ſweet content is his. This is but the ſecond part of happineſſe.
Qu. Why did God make this covenant with Adam?
Anſw. This covenant obſerved, had added immutability to Adams happineſſe.Becauſe it was the only way to conveigh an immutable condition to Adam. God had furniſhed him with all things; nothing was wanting but immutability and conſtancy. Immutability is an eſſentiall property belonging to God, Mal. 3.6. Jam. 1.17. therefore it was impoſſible that any immutable quality ſhould bee put into Adam. If Adam had made uſe of Gods continuall aſſiſtance ſuſtaining him, though hee were in himſelfe mutable, yet hee could never have changed. A glaſſe, though it bee brittle, yet hold it in a mans hand continually, it will never break; ſo, though Adam were brittle, yet if hee would have kept him in the hands of Gods aſſiſtance, he could not change. Adams obedience was an helpe hereto: had Adam done Gods will, hee had pleaſed God; Gods pleaſure is himſelfe, himſelfe is immutable, therefore hee muſt have an immutable aſſiſtance. The damned in hell did offend God, and provoke his diſpleaſure, his diſpleaſure was unchangeable; therefore he delivereth them up to the authority of ſinne, to be unchangeably ſinfull, and periſh everlaſtingly: ſo it was here with Adam; Gods pleaſure was immutable, therefore he pleaſing him, God muſt reward him anſwerably.
Uſe 1. The firſt Uſe is of Inſtruction:Impoſſible to bee ſaved by the Law. it is impoſſible for any man to bee ſaved by the works of the law: Why? He that will bee ſaved by the covenant of works, muſt performe the conditions of the covenant: but no man can do this; for the law requires perſonall obedience; that is, that which comes from his owne power, and conſtant obedience in all things, at all times, without any failings: therefore, no man being able to do this, no man can have life by his works. Rom. 3.20. By the law a man hath knowledge of ſinne: now if the law diſcovers a mans ſinne, and pronounce him guilty of death, it cannot ſave him. Gal. 3.10. They that will be ſaved by the works of the law are curſed: for curſed is every man that continueth not in all theſe things to doe them. If a man breake the law but once, though hee never breake it more, hee could not be ſaved by it. It is impoſſible for a man to keep the law ſince the fall, and therefore it is impoſſible for the law to ſave him. Gal. 4.21. Caſt out the bond-woman and her ſon. The law begets children to bondage; it ſhewes a man his bondage in ſinne, and condemnes him for it.
Adams ſin is rightly charged upon us.Uſe 2. Wee learne hence not to repine at the Providence of God, not to charge God fooliſhly, becauſe the ſin of Adam is imputed to us. We have in our hearts the old Proverbe of Judah, Our Fathers have eaten ſowre grapes, and our teeth are ſet on edge. See (ſaith ſome man) Adam hath ſinned, and ſhall I be puniſhed? Thus the ſoul ſnarles at God like a chained dog: Labour to quiet all ſuch diſtempers. If Adam had performed the law, thou wouldſt have beene content to have been happy: why then, is it not equall, that ſince he broke the law, thou ſhouldſt bee plagued? It was the argument Job uſed to his Wife, Job 2.10. Shall wee receive good at the hands of God, and not evill? So, when the heart begins to riſe againſt God, ſaying, Adam ſinned, and ſhall I be plagued? Thou ſpeakeſt fooliſhly: ſhall wee receive good if he had kept the law? and ſhall we not receive evill, ſince hee hath broke it? Are you content to partake of the mercy of Chriſt, and not to partake of Adams ſinne, who ſtood in your ſtead?
Uſe 3. The third Uſe is of direction,To live holily, get the Spirit of promiſe how to get power to carry us on in a Chriſtian courſe. If thou wilt ſtand faſt, have recourſe to that which may ſupport thee, have recourſe to the Spirit in the promiſe. Our grace is feeble, but the Word of the Lord endureth for ever, and it will make thee to endure, Rev. 14.
The reaſon why the grace of the Saints of God is feeble, is▪ becauſe they have not recourſe to the Spirit. We look to our owne pits, no wonder then if the ſtreams of grace be dry: have recourſe to the fountaine, which is Chriſt. 1 Sam. 2.9, 10. No man ſhall prevaile by his owne ſtrength. Say, as David, Pſalm. 51.14. Stabliſh mee with thy free Spirit; my ſpirit is feeble and unconſtant, but doe thou ſtabliſh mee. Iſa. 40.29. The ſtrong men ſhall faile, if they truſt in themſelves: but hee that putteth his truſt in the Lord, ſhall renew his ſtrength like the Eagle. Hence many a weake Chriſtian liveth and dyeth comfortably, when as the ſtronger ſtagger all their daies; becauſe the one truſts to Chriſt, the other to his owne abilities. This David makes the foote of a Pſalme,Pſal. 136. The mercy of the Lord endureth for ever: bee ſure therefore to repoſe thy ſelfe on that moſt conſtant bottome.