pilgrim people

In order to make his case that the Mosaic covenant was a covenant of works for Christ to fulfill as the condition for the covenant of grace, Petto drew heavily upon the books of Romans and Galatians, with particular emphasis upon Paul’s use of Leviticus 18:5 and the command “Do this and live:” 

The Sinai Covenant obliged unto such doing as maketh up a righteousness unto Life, Rom. 10. vers. 5. For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the Law, that the man which doth these things shall live by them. He speaketh, undeniably of the Sinai Law, for the Text here alledged [sic], is Levit. 18.5. and the doing injoyned the Apostle saith, is a description of a righteousness unto Justification and Life. (Difference, 121-22)

Petto interpreted Paul to mean Leviticus 18:5 was a command unto justification and eternal life, and that this was a command which Christ fulfilled. “That such a perfect obedience is indispensably required in the Sinai Covenant as a condition of Life is evident, Levit. 18. vers. 5., compared with Gal.3. vers.10, 12., it is as stands upon opposite terms to Faith, and is impossible for any man to perform.” (Difference, 128)

Petto did not believe, however, that this command was a mere hypothetical offer for salvation. For him, Romans 10:4-5 proved

that the Law hath an end to be attained, and that is righteousness; and that Jesus Christ performeth it, he becometh that end of it to believers; not only accidentally and indirectly, as the Law discovers duty impossible for any man to perform, and a necessity of looking to another for relief; but, directly, Jesus Christ has wrought out and fulfilled that righteousness which the Law exacted, and so is the end of the Law; for it is here opposed unto that righteousness which is of a man’s own working out. (Difference, 129)

In other words, the purpose of the command “do this and live” was not strictly pedagogical; it had a greater purpose than merely showing Israel their inability to keep it and, consequently, driving them to Christ for relief (i.e. “accidentally and indirectly”). Instead, argued Petto, it was an actual command that Christ had to fulfill by his personal and active obedience as the True Israel. He acknowledged that Sinai indeed had a pedagogical function and that Paul makes that point clear in Galatians 3:24, but he contended that the apostle’s argument in Romans 10 and Galatians 3 shows that Sinai had more than a pedagogical function; it was the means whereby Christ became the end of the law for righteousness to everyone who believes. It was not a hypothetical offer of salvation, but a real offer in which “a perfect doing was aimed at” and Christ, “the only doer for Life,” fulfilled in his active obedience. (Difference, 142)

Most writers in the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries who held to the doctrine of republication did not make this particular nuance, at least not explicitly. More common was the view that Sinai’s republication of the covenant of works in the command “do this and live” hypothetically offered salvation to sinners with the pedagogical purpose of driving them to Christ, who, through his active and passive obedience fulfilled all righteousness.

Of the writers surveyed in on this blog, Olevianus, Rollock, Perkins, Polanus, Wollebius, and Gillespie all seemed to hold to this more common view of republication. While all of these writers strongly affirmed the prelapsarian covenant of works and the necessity of Christ’s active obedience imputed to sinners for their salvation, they typically made the connection between Sinai’s command “do this and live” and Christ’s active obedience by inference. They did not interpret “do this and live” in the same strict way Petto did by calling it a covenant for Christ.

This view that Petto embraced, however, was not unique. Samuel Bolton was aware of it as early as 1645. He listed it last among six interpretations different from his. “There is another interpretation, and that is, that Doe this and live, though it was spoken to them immediately, yet not terminatively, but through them to Jesus Christ, who hath fulfilled all righteousnesse for us, and purchased life by his own obedience” (True Bounds, 156).  Bolton distinguished this view of republication from the more commonly held hypothetical/pedagogical view of republication, which he listed fourth:

Some thinke that God after he had given the promise of life, and tendered life upon beleeving, he repeated the covenant of works in the law, to put man to his choice, whether he would now be saved by working or beleeving. And this the rather to empty them of themselves, and answer them in these thoughts, which perhaps they might think that they were able to come to life by obedience, and therefore God puts them to the triall: and lest they should thinke that any wrong was done to them, he gives them a repetition of the former covenant; and as it were, puts them to their choice whether they would be saved by working or beleeving; that when they were convinced of their owne impotencie, they might better see, admire, adore, advance the mercy of God who hath given a Promise, sent a Christ, to save those that were not able to doe anything toward their own salvation. (True Bounds, 155-6)

In other words, this view saw Sinai as a republication (i.e. “repeated” and “repetition”) of the covenant of works after “the promise of life” (which seems to be a reference to the proto-evangelium and the Abrahamic covenant) in order to distinguish between law (i.e. “life by obedience”) and gospel (i.e. “saved by…beleeving”) and cause sinners to flee to Christ. Yet, for Bolton, this interpretation had a noticeably different nuance than the interpretation he listed last, namely, the interpretation that directly applied the command “do this and live” to Christ as a covenant of works.

William Strong seemed to embrace a view similar to Petto’s, as did John Owen and Herman Witsius. Yet, none of them formulated Sinai as a covenant of works for Christ as directly and explicitly as did Petto.

Any survey of covenant theologians from the seventeenth century must include the giant from England and “Prince of the Puritans,” John Owen (1616–83). As an Oxford University Vice-Chancellor, preacher to Parliament, chaplain to Oliver Cromwell, prolific author and Congregationalist pastor, Owen was highly significant and influential in his covenant theology.

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Author and CURC member Simonetta Carr is presently working on a third book in her series of children’s books on the giants of church history. This one is on the “Prince of the Puritans,” John Owen (1616–83). Carr’s first book was on Calvin and published by Reformation Heritage Books. It is very well done, both in its writing and art, and handsomely produced by the publisher. It serves as an excellent introduction to life and work of Calvin for young children. Her second book is on Augustine and (hopefully) soon to be released. This third book on Owen, however, is one I am anxious to see in print. I can’t wait to give it to my own sons so that they may be introduced to the one of the greatest figures in the Reformed tradition and a true defender of the Gospel.

Here is a great ten-minute intro to England's greatest theologian by one of the foremost Owen scholars in the world. This is great stuff, especially for those new to Owen's thought. It's well done and definitely worth viewing.

Today I received in the mail my copy of  the August-September 2008 eidtion of The Banner of Truth magazine. In it, the editors have graciously included an article I wrote on John Owen: Preacher of the Pactum Salutis. In this article I seek to show that Owen's doctrine and preaching of the Covenant of Redemption was full of assurance for the believer and thus not open to the charges of some scholars who have attempted to pit Calvin against Post-Reformation theologians of the seventeenth century. I hope it will be helpful to some.

There are, of course, several other articles and book reviews (by men more qualified than I) which I am looking forward to reading.

The Banner of Truth is an excellent Reformed magazine with a rich heritage. It is published in the UK, where it was founded by Iain Murray in the 1950s (with a significant amount of help from "The Doctor," Martyn Lloyd-Jones). The articles each month are usually a mixture of devotional, pastoral, biographical, book reviews, and scholarly pieces written by various pastors and theologians.

I feel immensely privileged to be included in TBoT, for it was their material, first put into my hands many years ago, that led me to a proper understanding of justification by faith alone and the doctrines of grace. I have always felt an enormous debt of gratitude to TBoT, and their work continues to edify me and point me to Christ.