on the subject of republication of the CoW at Sinai
As many of you know I love Fisher's Catechism. Following are some of Fisher's Ques. & Ans. on the CoW and CoG at Sinai:
From the Westminster Shorter Catechism with sub questions from Fisher’s Catechism:
I hope you do not see the following as trite, or simplistic. I post them because I think that they represent a common belief as found in The Marrow of Modern Divinity, Thomas Boston, and the “Marrow Men” in general. I am no expert so I will willingly accept criticism.
QUESTION 41. Where is the moral law summarily comprehended?
ANSWER: The moral law is summarily comprehended in the Ten Commandments.
Note: I skipped Ques. & Ans. 1-13
Q. 14. Where was the law of the Ten Commandments thus expressly revealed?
A. At Mount Sinai, which is also called Horeb, Deut. 5:2.
Q. 15. In what form was the law of the Ten Commandments given out at Mount Sinai?
A. In the form of a COVENANT, Deut. 5:2 — “The Lord our God made a covenant with us in Horeb.” Accordingly, the Ten Commandments are called the words of the covenant, Ex. 34:28; and the tables of stone are termed the tables of the covenant, Deut. 9:9.
Q. 16. Was the Sinai transaction in the form of the covenant of works, or in the form of the covenant of grace?
A. There was, on that solemn occasion, a repetition of BOTH those covenants.
Q. 17. In what order were these two covenants repeated on Mount Sinai?
A. The covenant of grace was first promulgated, and then the covenant of works was displayed, as subservient to it.
Q. 18. How does it appear that the covenant of GRACE was first promulgated?
A. From these words in the preface, prefixed to the commands, I am the Lord thy God, spoken to a select people, the natural seed of Abraham, as typical of his whole spiritual seed, Gal. 3:16, 17.
Q. 19. How are the Ten Commandments to be viewed, as they stand annexed to this promulgation of the covenant of grace on Mount Sinai?
A. They are to be viewed as the law of Christ, or as a rule of life, given by Christ the Mediator to his spiritual seed, in virtue of his having engaged to fulfil the law, as a covenant, in their room, Rom. 7:4.
Q. 20. How does it appear that the covenant of WORKS was likewise displayed on Mount Sinai?
A. From the thunderings and lightnings, and the voice of the living God, speaking (the words of the Ten Commandments) out of the midst of the fire, Ex. 20:18; Deut. 5:22, 26.
Q. 21. What was signified by the thunderings and lightnings, and the voice of God, speaking out of the midst of the fire?
A. These awful emblems represented that infinite avenging wrath, which was due to all of Adam’s family, for the breach of the covenant of works, by which the whole of God’s holy law was violated and infringed, Gal. 3:10.
Q. 22. Why did God make a display of the covenant of works in such an awful and tremendous manner?
A. That sinners of mankind might be deterred from the most remote thought of attempting obedience to the law as a condition of life; and be persuaded to fly to, and acquiesce in the undertaking of Christ, who engaged his heart to approach unto God, as Surety in the room of an elect world, Jer. 30:21.
Q. 23. If both covenants, of grace and works, were exhibited on Mount Sinai, were not the Israelites, in that case, under both these covenants at one and the same time?
A. They could not be under both covenants in the same respects, at the same time; and therefore they must be considered either as believers or unbelievers, both as to their outward church state and inward soul frame.
Q. 24. In what respects were the believing Israelites, in the Sinaitic transaction, under both covenants?
A. They were internally and really under the covenant of grace, as all believers are, Rom. 6:14, and only externally, under the above awful display of the covenant of works, as it was subordinate and subservient to that of grace, in pointing out the necessity of the Surety-righteousness, Gal. 3:24.
Q. 25. In what respects were unbelievers among them, under these two covenants of works and grace?
A. They were only externally, and by profession, in respect of their visible church state, under the covenant of grace, Rom. 9:4; but internally, and really, in respect of the state of their souls, before the Lord, they were under the covenant of works, chap. 4:14, 15.
Q. 26. Which of the two covenants was the principal part of the Sinai transaction?
A. The covenant of grace was both in itself, and in God’s intention, the principal part of it; nevertheless, the covenant of works was the more conspicuous part of it, and lay most obvious to the view of the people; for they SAW “the thunderings and the lightnings, and the noise of the trumpet, and the mountain smoking,” Ex. 20:18. “And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, I exceedingly fear and quake,” Heb. 12:21.
Q. 27. What effect had this tremendous display of the covenant of works upon the Israelites?
A. It tended to beat them off, in some measure, from that self-confidence which they had expressed before the publication of the law, Ex. 19:8; and to discover the necessity of a Mediator, and of faith in him as the sole foundation of all acceptable obedience, Rom. 16:25, 26.
Q. 28. How does it appear that it had this effect?
A. From their own words to Moses, after the terrible sight which they saw, Deut. 5:27 — “Speak thou unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee; and we will HEAR [that is, believe] and DO.” On which account the Lord commends them, ver. 28, 29 — “They have well said all that they have spoken: O that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their children for ever!”
Q. 29. In what respect had they said well in what they had spoken?
A. In as much as they had made faith, or believing, the source and spring of acceptable doing; for, “whatsoever is not of faith is sin,” Rom. 14:23.
Note: There are ten more questions after Q. 29 above.
