Did Adam Receive God's Law Expressly in the Garden?

[Alex Suarez]

Did Adam receive God's law expressly in the garden (other than just knowing it by being in His image)?




Nicholas Bownd in TRUE DOCTRINE OF THE SABBATH seems to think so and argues thus in supporting his argument that the Sabbath was observed prior to Moses from the beginning of the world:

Secondarily, this being one of the ten commandments of the moral law, we are persuaded that they came in all at once, and therefore as we doubt not, but that Adam being created according to the image of God in knowledge, was no more ignorant of this, than of any other, especially when it was in express words delivered unto him.

(p46)







... and ...

We are so far from thinking that they were ignorant of the observation of the Sabbath, as we are fully persuaded that they knew it much better than of the former; not only because of that common light of nature ... but especially because this was in express words delivered unto our first parents in paradise, where otherwise by the light of nature they could never have found it out ... And it must needs be so; for seeing that from the beginning of the creation man was bound to serve God, and was placed in paradise . . . how could he and his posterity serve God aright, unless they had as well known the time of His service, as the manner of it?

(p50)

 

[MW]

He seems to be saying that the Sabbath was specially revealed, not all ten commandments. The fourth command is partly moral and partly positive. The specific day on which the Sabbath was to be kept required a positive institution, and Genesis 2 reveals that institution.