have known well
the character and tendency of covenant obligation. At the death of
Joseph, his brethren manifested a complete acquaintance with the
subject; nor were their descendants, two hundred years after, when
emerging from bondage, unwilling to acknowledge the debt of duty which,
by the oath of their fathers, was imposed upon them. At the solemnities
of Sinai, Israel would appear to have recognised the obligation of
vowing and swearing to God, as well as that of any other requirement of
his law. It does not appear that any one of the Hebrews of those ages
ever thought of calling in question the duty of attending to, and
acquiescing in, every declaration made to them through an appointed
channel from heaven. That they were a rebellious people is beyond a
doubt; but that fact is not inconsistent with the conclusion that, in
consequence of the force of habit or example, they might give a verbal
acquiescence to requirements, the importance and necessity of obeying
which they might not feel. As others are, they were assailed from
without and within with temptations to fail in their duty; and before
those they fell. Most of them were under unbelief, and they would not
obey; but when addressed by Moses, or any other servant of the Lord,
while a wonder or miracle was wrought and duty was enjoined, testifying
to the duty of giving obedience when God commands, however soon they
might forget, they said, "All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be
obedient."[408] There is only one principle on which this intimate
acquaintance with the claims of the service can be accounted for. The
obligation of the duty must have been taught to man from the beginning.
That is implied in the law which was written on his heart in innocence.
The duty incumbent on him as a sinner must have been revealed to him
immediately after the fall. There is no reason to suppose that, seeing
that sacrifice and covenanting for a vast length of time, were observed
together, they were not coeval. But however that may be, equally with
the one, the other, in the first ages, was known; and to one fact both
are to be traced. The duties co-ordinate in their bearings--the one
pointing to the great propitiation, the other rocognising the claims of
the Author of that salvation which the "One Sacrifice" was to secure,
both have their origin in that one glorious Covenant, by which the
method in which it should be bestowed was arranged.

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