The Greek word διαθήκη occurs often in the Septuagint, as the
translation of a Hebrew word, which signifies _covenant_: it occurs also
in the Gospels and the Epistles; and it is rendered in our English
Bibles sometimes _covenant_, sometimes _testament_. The Greek word,
according to its etymology, and according to classical use, may denote a
testament, a disposition, as well as a covenant; and the Gospel may be
called a testament, because it is a signification of the will of our
Saviour ratified by his death, and because it conveys blessings to be
enjoyed after his death. These reasons for giving the dispensation of
the Gospel the name of a testament appeared to our translators so
striking, that they have rendered διαθήκη more frequently by the word
_testament_, than by the word _covenant_. Yet the train of argument,
where διαθήκη occurs, generally appears to proceed upon its meaning a
covenant; and therefore, although, when we delineate the nature of the
Gospel, the beautiful idea of its being a testament, is not to be lost
sight of, yet we are to remember that the word _testament_, which we
read in the Gospels and Epistles, is the translation of a word which the
sense requires to be rendered _covenant_. A covenant implies two
parties, and mutual stipulations. The new covenant must derive its name
from something in the nature of the stipulations between the parties
different from that which existed before; so that we cannot understand
the propriety of the name, _new_, without looking back to what is called
the _old_, or _first_. On examining the passages in Gal. iii, in 2 Cor.
iii, and in Heb. viii-x, where the old and the new covenant are
contrasted, it will be found that the old covenant means the
dispensation given by Moses to the children of Israel; and the new
covenant the dispensation of the Gospel published by Jesus Christ; and
that the object of the Apostle is to illustrate the superior excellence
of the latter dispensation. But, in order to preserve the consistency of
the Apostle’s writings, it is necessary to remember that there are two
different lights in which the former dispensation may be viewed.
Christians appear to draw the line between the old and the new covenant,
according to the light in which they view that dispensation. It may be
considered merely as a method of publishing the moral law to a
particular nation; and then with whatever solemnity it was delivered,
and with whatever cordiality it was accepted, it is not a covenant that
could give life. For, being nothing more than what divines call a
covenant of works, a directory of conduct requiring by its nature entire
personal obedience, promising life to those who yielded that obedience,
but making no provision for transgressors, it left under a curse “every
one that continued not in all things that were written in the book of
the law to do them.” This is the essential imperfection of what is
called the covenant of works, the name given in theology to that
transaction, in which it is conceived that the supreme Lord of the
universe promised to his creature, man, that he would reward that
obedience to his law, which, without any such promise, was due to him as
the Creator.
No sooner had Adam broken the covenant of works, than a promise of a
final deliverance from the evils incurred by the breach of it was given.
This promise was the foundation of that transaction which Almighty God,
in treating with Abraham, condescends to call “my covenant with thee,”
and which, upon this authority, has received in theology the name of the
Abrahamic covenant. Upon the one part, Abraham, whose faith was counted
to him for righteousness, received this charge from God, “Walk before me
and be thou perfect;” upon the other part, the God whom he believed, and
whose voice he obeyed, beside promising other blessings to him and his
seed, uttered these significant words, “In thy seed shall all the
families of the earth be blessed.” In this transaction, then, there was
the essence of a covenant; for there were mutual stipulations between
two parties; and there was superadded, as a seal of the covenant, the
rite of circumcision, which, being prescribed by God, was a confirmation
of his promise to all who complied with it, and being submitted to by
Abraham, was, on his part, an acceptance of the covenant.
The Abrahamic covenant appears, from the nature of the stipulations, to
be more than a covenant of works; and, as it was not confined to
Abraham, but extended to his seed, it could not be disannulled by any
subsequent transactions, which fell short of a fulfilment of the
blessing promised. The law of Moses, which was given to the seed of
Abraham four hundred and thirty years after, did not come up to the
terms of that covenant even with regard to them, for, in its form it was
a covenant of works, and to other nations it did not directly convey any
blessing. But although the Mosaic dispensation did not fulfil the
Abrahamic covenant, it was so far from setting that covenant aside, that
it cherished the expectation of its being fulfilled: for it continued
the rite of circumcision, which was the seal of the covenant; and in
those ceremonies which it enjoined, there was a shadow, a type, an
obscure representation, of the promised blessing, Luke i, 72, 73.
Here, then, is another view of the Mosaic dispensation. “It was added,
because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise
was made,” Gal. iii, 19. By delivering a moral law, which men felt
themselves unable to obey; by denouncing judgments which it did not of
itself provide any effectual method of escaping; and by holding forth,
in various oblations, the promised and expected Saviour; “it was a
schoolmaster to bring men unto Christ.” The covenant made with Abraham
retained its force during the dispensation of the law, and was the end
of that dispensation.
The views which have been given furnish the ground upon which we defend
that established language which is familiar to our ears, that there are
only two covenants essentially different, and opposite to one another,
the covenant of works, made with the first man, intimated by the
constitution of human nature to every one of his posterity, and having
for its terms, “Do this and live;”--and the covenant of grace, which was
the substance of the Abrahamic covenant, and which entered into the
constitution of the Sinaitic covenant, but which is more clearly
revealed, and more extensively published in the Gospel. This last
covenant, which the Scriptures call _new_ in respect to the mode of its
dispensation under the Gospel, although it is not new in respect of its
essence, has received, in the language of theology, the name of the
covenant of grace, for the two following obvious reasons: because, after
man had broken the covenant of works, it was pure grace or favour in the
Almighty to enter into a new covenant with him; and, because by the
covenant there is conveyed that grace which enables man to comply with
the terms of it. It could not be a covenant unless there were
terms,--something required, as well as something promised or
given,--duties to be performed, as well as blessings to be received.
Accordingly, the tenor of the new covenant, founded upon the promise
originally made to Abraham, is expressed by Jeremiah in words which the
Apostle to the Hebrews has quoted as a description of it: “I will be to
them a God, and they shall be to me a people,” Heb. viii, 10:--words
which intimate on one part not only entire reconciliation with God, but
the continued exercise of all the perfections of the Godhead in
promoting the happiness of his people, and the full communication of all
the blessings which flow from his unchangeable love; on the other part,
the surrender of the heart and affections of his people, the dedication
of all the powers of their nature to his service, and the willing
uniform obedience of their lives. But, although there are mutual
stipulations, the covenant retains its character of a covenant of grace,
and must be regarded as having its source purely in the grace of God.
For the very circumstances which rendered the new covenant necessary,
take away the possibility of there being any merit upon our part: the
faith by which the covenant is accepted is the gift of God; and all the
good works by which Christians continue to keep the covenant, originate
in that change of character which is the fruit of the operation of his
Spirit.
Covenants were anciently confirmed by eating and drinking together; and
chiefly by feasting on a sacrifice. In this manner, Abimelech, the
Philistine, confirmed the covenant with Isaac, and Jacob with his father
Laban, Gen. xxvi, 26–31; xxxi, 44–46, 54. Sometimes they divided the
parts of the victim, and passed between them, by which act the parties
signified their resolution of fulfilling all the terms of the
engagement, on pain of being divided or cut asunder as the sacrifice had
been, if they should violate the covenant, Gen. xv, 9, 10, 17, 18; Jer.
xxxiv, 18. Hence the Hebrew word _charat_, which properly signifies to
divide, is applied allusively in Scripture to the making of a covenant.
When the law of Moses was established, the people feasted in their
peace-offerings on a part of the sacrifice, in token of their
reconciliation with God, Deut. xii, 6, 7. See CIRCUMCISION.
translation of a Hebrew word, which signifies _covenant_: it occurs also
in the Gospels and the Epistles; and it is rendered in our English
Bibles sometimes _covenant_, sometimes _testament_. The Greek word,
according to its etymology, and according to classical use, may denote a
testament, a disposition, as well as a covenant; and the Gospel may be
called a testament, because it is a signification of the will of our
Saviour ratified by his death, and because it conveys blessings to be
enjoyed after his death. These reasons for giving the dispensation of
the Gospel the name of a testament appeared to our translators so
striking, that they have rendered διαθήκη more frequently by the word
_testament_, than by the word _covenant_. Yet the train of argument,
where διαθήκη occurs, generally appears to proceed upon its meaning a
covenant; and therefore, although, when we delineate the nature of the
Gospel, the beautiful idea of its being a testament, is not to be lost
sight of, yet we are to remember that the word _testament_, which we
read in the Gospels and Epistles, is the translation of a word which the
sense requires to be rendered _covenant_. A covenant implies two
parties, and mutual stipulations. The new covenant must derive its name
from something in the nature of the stipulations between the parties
different from that which existed before; so that we cannot understand
the propriety of the name, _new_, without looking back to what is called
the _old_, or _first_. On examining the passages in Gal. iii, in 2 Cor.
iii, and in Heb. viii-x, where the old and the new covenant are
contrasted, it will be found that the old covenant means the
dispensation given by Moses to the children of Israel; and the new
covenant the dispensation of the Gospel published by Jesus Christ; and
that the object of the Apostle is to illustrate the superior excellence
of the latter dispensation. But, in order to preserve the consistency of
the Apostle’s writings, it is necessary to remember that there are two
different lights in which the former dispensation may be viewed.
Christians appear to draw the line between the old and the new covenant,
according to the light in which they view that dispensation. It may be
considered merely as a method of publishing the moral law to a
particular nation; and then with whatever solemnity it was delivered,
and with whatever cordiality it was accepted, it is not a covenant that
could give life. For, being nothing more than what divines call a
covenant of works, a directory of conduct requiring by its nature entire
personal obedience, promising life to those who yielded that obedience,
but making no provision for transgressors, it left under a curse “every
one that continued not in all things that were written in the book of
the law to do them.” This is the essential imperfection of what is
called the covenant of works, the name given in theology to that
transaction, in which it is conceived that the supreme Lord of the
universe promised to his creature, man, that he would reward that
obedience to his law, which, without any such promise, was due to him as
the Creator.
No sooner had Adam broken the covenant of works, than a promise of a
final deliverance from the evils incurred by the breach of it was given.
This promise was the foundation of that transaction which Almighty God,
in treating with Abraham, condescends to call “my covenant with thee,”
and which, upon this authority, has received in theology the name of the
Abrahamic covenant. Upon the one part, Abraham, whose faith was counted
to him for righteousness, received this charge from God, “Walk before me
and be thou perfect;” upon the other part, the God whom he believed, and
whose voice he obeyed, beside promising other blessings to him and his
seed, uttered these significant words, “In thy seed shall all the
families of the earth be blessed.” In this transaction, then, there was
the essence of a covenant; for there were mutual stipulations between
two parties; and there was superadded, as a seal of the covenant, the
rite of circumcision, which, being prescribed by God, was a confirmation
of his promise to all who complied with it, and being submitted to by
Abraham, was, on his part, an acceptance of the covenant.
The Abrahamic covenant appears, from the nature of the stipulations, to
be more than a covenant of works; and, as it was not confined to
Abraham, but extended to his seed, it could not be disannulled by any
subsequent transactions, which fell short of a fulfilment of the
blessing promised. The law of Moses, which was given to the seed of
Abraham four hundred and thirty years after, did not come up to the
terms of that covenant even with regard to them, for, in its form it was
a covenant of works, and to other nations it did not directly convey any
blessing. But although the Mosaic dispensation did not fulfil the
Abrahamic covenant, it was so far from setting that covenant aside, that
it cherished the expectation of its being fulfilled: for it continued
the rite of circumcision, which was the seal of the covenant; and in
those ceremonies which it enjoined, there was a shadow, a type, an
obscure representation, of the promised blessing, Luke i, 72, 73.
Here, then, is another view of the Mosaic dispensation. “It was added,
because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise
was made,” Gal. iii, 19. By delivering a moral law, which men felt
themselves unable to obey; by denouncing judgments which it did not of
itself provide any effectual method of escaping; and by holding forth,
in various oblations, the promised and expected Saviour; “it was a
schoolmaster to bring men unto Christ.” The covenant made with Abraham
retained its force during the dispensation of the law, and was the end
of that dispensation.
The views which have been given furnish the ground upon which we defend
that established language which is familiar to our ears, that there are
only two covenants essentially different, and opposite to one another,
the covenant of works, made with the first man, intimated by the
constitution of human nature to every one of his posterity, and having
for its terms, “Do this and live;”--and the covenant of grace, which was
the substance of the Abrahamic covenant, and which entered into the
constitution of the Sinaitic covenant, but which is more clearly
revealed, and more extensively published in the Gospel. This last
covenant, which the Scriptures call _new_ in respect to the mode of its
dispensation under the Gospel, although it is not new in respect of its
essence, has received, in the language of theology, the name of the
covenant of grace, for the two following obvious reasons: because, after
man had broken the covenant of works, it was pure grace or favour in the
Almighty to enter into a new covenant with him; and, because by the
covenant there is conveyed that grace which enables man to comply with
the terms of it. It could not be a covenant unless there were
terms,--something required, as well as something promised or
given,--duties to be performed, as well as blessings to be received.
Accordingly, the tenor of the new covenant, founded upon the promise
originally made to Abraham, is expressed by Jeremiah in words which the
Apostle to the Hebrews has quoted as a description of it: “I will be to
them a God, and they shall be to me a people,” Heb. viii, 10:--words
which intimate on one part not only entire reconciliation with God, but
the continued exercise of all the perfections of the Godhead in
promoting the happiness of his people, and the full communication of all
the blessings which flow from his unchangeable love; on the other part,
the surrender of the heart and affections of his people, the dedication
of all the powers of their nature to his service, and the willing
uniform obedience of their lives. But, although there are mutual
stipulations, the covenant retains its character of a covenant of grace,
and must be regarded as having its source purely in the grace of God.
For the very circumstances which rendered the new covenant necessary,
take away the possibility of there being any merit upon our part: the
faith by which the covenant is accepted is the gift of God; and all the
good works by which Christians continue to keep the covenant, originate
in that change of character which is the fruit of the operation of his
Spirit.
Covenants were anciently confirmed by eating and drinking together; and
chiefly by feasting on a sacrifice. In this manner, Abimelech, the
Philistine, confirmed the covenant with Isaac, and Jacob with his father
Laban, Gen. xxvi, 26–31; xxxi, 44–46, 54. Sometimes they divided the
parts of the victim, and passed between them, by which act the parties
signified their resolution of fulfilling all the terms of the
engagement, on pain of being divided or cut asunder as the sacrifice had
been, if they should violate the covenant, Gen. xv, 9, 10, 17, 18; Jer.
xxxiv, 18. Hence the Hebrew word _charat_, which properly signifies to
divide, is applied allusively in Scripture to the making of a covenant.
When the law of Moses was established, the people feasted in their
peace-offerings on a part of the sacrifice, in token of their
reconciliation with God, Deut. xii, 6, 7. See CIRCUMCISION.