JTB.SDG
Puritan Board Junior
The more I read Thomas Boston, the more I appreciate him and find myself adopting his positions. Among other things, this is true of his view of the covenant of redemption, which is essentially an argument for what is clearly set forth in the WLC 31: "With whom was the Covenant of Grace made? The Covenant of Grace was made with Christ as the second Adam, and in him with all the elect as his seed."
I recently read what Charles Hodge said about the covenant of redemption. He presents the problem of the two vs. three covenant view in a fair way, that sometimes Scripture seems to set forth Christ as the party of the Covenant of Grace; but other times, as the mediator and surety, as Moses was for Israel at Sinai. How, he asks, can he be both at the same time? If he had read Boston's View of the Covenant of Grace, he might well have had his question answered. Boston draws out how Moses was indeed both mediator AND head of that Covenant, according to Exodus 34:27: "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.'" That covenant, it appears, was indeed made with Moses as head and all Israel in Moses. So too, he points out, was the covenant with David (Psalm 89); for it was made with David as head as well as his seed. As it was also with Abraham. And Noah. Indeed, all the manifestations of the Covenant of Grace show us the same pattern; the same pattern we see in the Covenant of Works, which as Paul clarifies in Romans 5, is the very same pattern after which the Covenant of Grace has been carefully crafted: God covenants with the head, and the members in and through the head (and indeed, the more I understand Romans 5, the more my thoughts on the Covenant of Redemption are solidified and clarified).
This is what Boston has to say regarding the Covenant of Redemption, in his words:
“Jesus Christ. . .fisted himself Mediator between an offended just God, and offending men guilty before him. In which point lay one main difference between the first Adam and the last Adam: 'For there is one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom' (1 Timothy 2:5-6). And so the covenant of grace, which could not be made immediately with sinners, was made with Christ the last Adam, their head and representative, mediating between God and them; therefore called Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, to whom we come by believing (Hebrews 12:22-24). The term Mediator is not, to my observation, applied in the holy Scripture to any other, except Moses (Galatians 3:19): 'The law—was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.' And of him, a typical mediator, it is worth observing, that he was not only an inter-messenger between God and Israel; but, in God's renewing his covenant, in a way of reconciliation, after the breaking of the tables, the covenant was made with him, as their head and representative (Exodus 34:27). 'And the Lord said unto Moses, “Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel”'. . .Now, Moses was alone on the mount with God, during the whole time of this transaction; and in it the Lord speaks of him and the people as one, all along.” (Boston, pp13-14).
“Covenants typical of the covenant of grace were made or established with persons representing their respective seed. Thus it was in. . .the covenant of royalty made with David, an undoubted type of the covenant of grace. In it David was God's servant, having a seed comprehended with him therein (Psalm 89:3-4) [cf. vv20-29]. . .Thus was it also in the covenant of the day and night (Jeremiah 33:20) established with Noah and his sons, representatives of their seed, the new world (Genesis 9:9): 'Behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you.' And that this covenant was a type of the covenant of grace, appears from its being made upon a sacrifice (8:20:21-22); and from the sign and token of it, the rainbow (9:13); appearing round about the throne (Revelation 4:3); but especially from the nature and import of it, to wit, that there should not be another deluge (Genesis 9:11); the substance of which is plainly declared [in Isaiah 54:9-11]. . .And such also was the covenant of the land of Canaan, made with Abraham representing his seed (Genesis 15:18) and afterwards confirmed by oath (22:16-17). In all which he was an eminent type of Christ, the true Abraham, father of the multitude of the faithful, who, upon God's call, left heaven his native country, and came and sojourned among the cursed race of mankind, and there offered up his own flesh and blood a sacrifice unto God, and so became the true heir of the world, and received the promises for his spiritual seed. . .Now, forasmuch as these typical covenants were made or established with parties standing therein as public persons, heads, and representatives of their seed; it natively follows, that the covenant of grace typified by them, was made with Christ as the head and representative of his spiritual seed. . .” (Boston, pp14-15).
“The apostle testifies, that the promises were made to the seed, which is Christ (Galatians 3:16). . .Our Lord Jesus is constitute the heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2), in virtue of the promise of the covenant. . .So Christ is the first and chief heir; and they are secondary heirs in and through him. . .As in the Covenant of Works, God promised life to Adam's natural seed, upon condition of his perfect obedience, which is evident from death's coming on them by his disobedience; so in the Covenant of Grace, he has promised life to Christ's spiritual seed, upon condition of his obedience; for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22). But that promise of life for Adam's natural seed was primarily made to Adam himself, while as yet none of them were in being; and they were to partake of it only through him, to whom it was made as their representative. Therefore the promise of life to Christ's spiritual seed, was made chiefly to him.” (Boston, p105).
“The covenant of redemption and the covenant of grace, are not two distinct covenants, but one and the same covenant. . .So the covenant of redemption and the covenant of grace are but two names of one and the same second covenant, under different considerations. By a covenant of redemption, is meant a bargain of buying and selling; and such a covenant it was to Christ only; forasmuch as he alone engaged to pay the price of our redemption (1 Peter 1:18-19). By a covenant of grace, is meant a bargain whereby all is to be had freely; and such a covenant it is to us only, to whom the whole of it is of free grace.” (Boston, p22).
I recently read what Charles Hodge said about the covenant of redemption. He presents the problem of the two vs. three covenant view in a fair way, that sometimes Scripture seems to set forth Christ as the party of the Covenant of Grace; but other times, as the mediator and surety, as Moses was for Israel at Sinai. How, he asks, can he be both at the same time? If he had read Boston's View of the Covenant of Grace, he might well have had his question answered. Boston draws out how Moses was indeed both mediator AND head of that Covenant, according to Exodus 34:27: "Then the Lord said to Moses, 'Write down these words, for in accordance with these words I have made a covenant with you and with Israel.'" That covenant, it appears, was indeed made with Moses as head and all Israel in Moses. So too, he points out, was the covenant with David (Psalm 89); for it was made with David as head as well as his seed. As it was also with Abraham. And Noah. Indeed, all the manifestations of the Covenant of Grace show us the same pattern; the same pattern we see in the Covenant of Works, which as Paul clarifies in Romans 5, is the very same pattern after which the Covenant of Grace has been carefully crafted: God covenants with the head, and the members in and through the head (and indeed, the more I understand Romans 5, the more my thoughts on the Covenant of Redemption are solidified and clarified).
This is what Boston has to say regarding the Covenant of Redemption, in his words:
“Jesus Christ. . .fisted himself Mediator between an offended just God, and offending men guilty before him. In which point lay one main difference between the first Adam and the last Adam: 'For there is one Mediator between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave himself a ransom' (1 Timothy 2:5-6). And so the covenant of grace, which could not be made immediately with sinners, was made with Christ the last Adam, their head and representative, mediating between God and them; therefore called Jesus the Mediator of the new covenant, to whom we come by believing (Hebrews 12:22-24). The term Mediator is not, to my observation, applied in the holy Scripture to any other, except Moses (Galatians 3:19): 'The law—was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator.' And of him, a typical mediator, it is worth observing, that he was not only an inter-messenger between God and Israel; but, in God's renewing his covenant, in a way of reconciliation, after the breaking of the tables, the covenant was made with him, as their head and representative (Exodus 34:27). 'And the Lord said unto Moses, “Write thou these words: for after the tenor of these words I have made a covenant with thee and with Israel”'. . .Now, Moses was alone on the mount with God, during the whole time of this transaction; and in it the Lord speaks of him and the people as one, all along.” (Boston, pp13-14).
“Covenants typical of the covenant of grace were made or established with persons representing their respective seed. Thus it was in. . .the covenant of royalty made with David, an undoubted type of the covenant of grace. In it David was God's servant, having a seed comprehended with him therein (Psalm 89:3-4) [cf. vv20-29]. . .Thus was it also in the covenant of the day and night (Jeremiah 33:20) established with Noah and his sons, representatives of their seed, the new world (Genesis 9:9): 'Behold, I establish my covenant with you, and with your seed after you.' And that this covenant was a type of the covenant of grace, appears from its being made upon a sacrifice (8:20:21-22); and from the sign and token of it, the rainbow (9:13); appearing round about the throne (Revelation 4:3); but especially from the nature and import of it, to wit, that there should not be another deluge (Genesis 9:11); the substance of which is plainly declared [in Isaiah 54:9-11]. . .And such also was the covenant of the land of Canaan, made with Abraham representing his seed (Genesis 15:18) and afterwards confirmed by oath (22:16-17). In all which he was an eminent type of Christ, the true Abraham, father of the multitude of the faithful, who, upon God's call, left heaven his native country, and came and sojourned among the cursed race of mankind, and there offered up his own flesh and blood a sacrifice unto God, and so became the true heir of the world, and received the promises for his spiritual seed. . .Now, forasmuch as these typical covenants were made or established with parties standing therein as public persons, heads, and representatives of their seed; it natively follows, that the covenant of grace typified by them, was made with Christ as the head and representative of his spiritual seed. . .” (Boston, pp14-15).
“The apostle testifies, that the promises were made to the seed, which is Christ (Galatians 3:16). . .Our Lord Jesus is constitute the heir of all things (Hebrews 1:2), in virtue of the promise of the covenant. . .So Christ is the first and chief heir; and they are secondary heirs in and through him. . .As in the Covenant of Works, God promised life to Adam's natural seed, upon condition of his perfect obedience, which is evident from death's coming on them by his disobedience; so in the Covenant of Grace, he has promised life to Christ's spiritual seed, upon condition of his obedience; for as in Adam all die, even so in Christ shall all be made alive (1 Corinthians 15:22). But that promise of life for Adam's natural seed was primarily made to Adam himself, while as yet none of them were in being; and they were to partake of it only through him, to whom it was made as their representative. Therefore the promise of life to Christ's spiritual seed, was made chiefly to him.” (Boston, p105).
“The covenant of redemption and the covenant of grace, are not two distinct covenants, but one and the same covenant. . .So the covenant of redemption and the covenant of grace are but two names of one and the same second covenant, under different considerations. By a covenant of redemption, is meant a bargain of buying and selling; and such a covenant it was to Christ only; forasmuch as he alone engaged to pay the price of our redemption (1 Peter 1:18-19). By a covenant of grace, is meant a bargain whereby all is to be had freely; and such a covenant it is to us only, to whom the whole of it is of free grace.” (Boston, p22).