Marrow of Modern Divinity - Fisher - III - Chapter 2 continued

Required reading
Marrow of Modern Divinity  by Edward Fisher (available from Amazon or free on the internet, here for example) - Continue Chapter 2 by reading the three sections entitled 'The Law, as the Covenant of Works, added to the promise'; 'The Promise and Covenant with Abraham, renewed with the Israelites'; The Covenant of Grace under the Mosaic Dispensation'.

My summary
The majority of today's reading is taken up with working out what happened with the three covenants at Sinai.  Fisher shows that all three (the covenant of works, the covenant of grace and the law of Christ) were represented there.

Concerning the covenant of works, the law given at Sinai was given to the Israelites to awaken them from the dullness to sin: 'So that you see the Lord's intention therein was, that they, by looking upon this covenant might be put in mind what was their duty of old, when they were in Adam's loins; yea, and what was their duty still, if they would stand to that covenant, and so go the old and natural way to work'.

This revelation of the covenant of works to the Israelites should then have led them to the covenant of grace which was also revealed at Sinai through the Levitical laws which were all types of Christ, particularly the animal sacrifice: 'I say, there is no question but every spiritual believing Jew, when he brought his sacrifice to be offered, and, according to the Lord's command, laid his hands upon it whilst it was yet alive, (Lev 1:4), did, from his heart, acknowledge that he himself had deserved to die; but by the mercy of God he was saved, and his desert laid upon the beast; and as that beast was to die, and be offered in sacrifice for him, so did he believe that the Messiah should come and die for him, upon whom he put his hands, that is, laid all his iniquities by the hand of faith.'

Yet the law of Christ was also present in the ten commandments revealed at Sinai: 'It is very true, indeed: the law of the ten commandments was a rule for their obedience; yet not as it came from Mount Sinai; but rather as it came from Mount Zion; not as it was the law or covenant of works, but as it was the law of Christ.'

What grabbed me
This was a very good section clearly explaining what was happening at Sinai so that the three laws are shown not to contradict one another.

What grabbed me most was the way that Fisher illustrated the three reactions to the law given at Sinai by three examples: the true believers, the Sadducees, the Scribes and Pharisees: 'Surely the Scriptures seem to hold forth, that there were three several sorts of people amongst the Jews, who endeavoured to keep the law of God, and they did all of them differ in their ends.  The FIRST of them were true believers, who, according to the measures of their faith, did believe the resurrection of their bodies after death, and eternal life in glory, and that it was to be obtained, not by the works of the law, but by faith in the Messiah or promised seed; and answerably as they believed this, answerably they yielded obedience to the law freely, without fear of punishment or hope of reward...The SECOND sort of them were the Sadducees and their sect, and these did not believe that there was any resurrection, (Matt 22:23), nor any life but the life of this world; and yet they endeavoured to keep the law, that God might bless them here, and that it might go well with them in this present life...The THIRD sort, and indeed the greatest number of them in the future ages after Moses, were the Scribes and Pharisees, and their sects; and they held and maintained, that there was a resurrection to be looked for, and an eternal life after death, and, therefore, they endeavoured to keep the law, not only to obtain temporal happiness, but eternal also.'

We still have the same groups today among those who call themselves Christians:
(i) True Christians who keep the law freely because they are saved by faith. 
(ii) Sadducees who keep the law because they believe it will result in temporal blessings now - murder is not a happy thing in this life so I will not do it. 
(iii) Pharisees who keep the law with a view to happiness now but also in the next.

Next week's reading
Continue Chapter 2 by reading the three sections entitled 'The natural bias towards the covenant of works'; 'The antinomian faith rejected'; and 'The evil of legalism'.

Now it's your turn
Please post your own notes and thoughts in the comments section below.