Sin and death came into the world by Adam's fall. In Adam's sinning
(1.) Because that was the condition of man's standing and life, as it was expressly declared;
(2.) Because, in the breach of that commandment given him, he lost all, and we in him. God made the covenant of works primarily with
Adam, and with us in him, as our head, inclusively; so that when he did fall—we did fall; when he lost all—we lost all. There are five things we lost in our fall:
1. Our holy image—and so became vile;
2. Our divine sonship—and so became children of Satan;
3. Our friendship with God—and so became His enemies;
4. Our communion with God—and so became strangers;
5. Our happiness—and so became miserable.
Sin and death came into the world by Adam's fall. In Adam's sinning
—we all sinned; and in Adam's dying—we all died; as you may see, by comparing these scriptures together. [1 Cor. 15:22; Romans 5:12 to the end, etc.] In Adam's first sin, we all became sinners by imputation: Adam being a universal person, and all mankind one in him, by God's covenant of works with him. All were that one man,
(Augustine,) namely, by federal association. God covenanted with
Adam, and in him with all his posterity; and therefore Adam's breach of covenant fell not only upon him, but upon all his posterity. But,
[5.] Fifthly and lastly, We read of a second covenant, Heb. 10:9;
Romans 9:4; Gal. 4:24; Eph. 2:12, and we read of a "new covenant:"
Jer. 31:31, "Behold the days come, says the Lord, that I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel, and with the house of Judah."
So Heb. 8:8, "I will make a new covenant," etc.; ver. 13, "In that he says a new covenant, he has made the first old," etc.; chapter 12:24,
"And to Jesus the mediator of the new covenant," etc. Now if there is a "second covenant," then we may safely conclude there was a "first;" and if there be a "new covenant," then we may boldly conclude that there was an "old covenant." A covenant of grace always supposes a covenant of works, Heb. 8:7-9. I know there is a repetition of the covenant of works with Adam, in the law of Moses; as in that of the apostle to the Galatians, "The law is not of faith, but the man that does these things shall live in them," Gal. 3:10-12. The law requires works. In the first covenant, three things are observable:
(1.) The precept, "continues not in all things." The precept requires perfect, personal, and perpetual obedience;
(2.) The promise, "live;" "the man that does them shall live;" live happily, blessedly, cheerfully, everlastingly;
(3.) The curse in case of transgression, "Cursed is everyone who continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law, to do them." One sin, and that but in thought, broke the angels' covenant, and has brought them into everlasting chains, Jude 6. So the same apostle to the Romans further tells us, that "Moses describes the righteousness which is of the law, that the man who does those things, shall live by them," Romans 10:5. Thus it was with
Adam, principally and properly, therefore he was under a covenant of works, when God gave him that command, Gen. 2:16-17.
This first covenant is called a covenant of works, because this covenant required working on our part as the condition of it, for justification and happiness, "The man who does these things, shall live." Under this covenant God left man to stand upon his own foundation, and to live upon his own stock, and by his own industry.
God made him perfect and upright, and gave him power and ability to stand, and laid no necessity at all upon him to fall. In this first covenant of works, man had no need of a mediator, God did then stipulate with Adam immediately; for seeing he had not made God his enemy by sin, he needed no mediator to make friendly intercession for him, Job 9:33.
Adam was invested and endowed with righteousness and holiness in his first glorious estate; with righteousness, that he might behave fairly, justly, evenly, and righteously towards man; and with holiness, that he might behave wisely, lovingly, reverentially, and holily towards God, and that he might take up in God as his chief good, as in his great all. [Eph. 4:22-24. In this scripture, the apostle speaks plainly of the renovation of that knowledge, holiness, and righteousness that Adam once had, but lost it by his fall, Psalm 8:4-
6; Gen. 2:20.] I shall not now stand upon the discovery of Adam's beauty, authority, dominion, dignity, honor, and glory, with which he