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arbitrary and indifferent. Thus the demands of the law were, so to say, concentrated on a single
point. The great question that had to be settled was, whether man would obey God implicitly or
follow the guidance of his own judgment. Dr. Bavinck says: “Het proefgebod belichaamde voor
hem (Adam) het dilemma: God of de mensch, Zijn gezag of eigen inzicht, onvoorwaardelijke
gehoorzaamheid of zelfstandig onderzoek, geloof of twijfel.”[Geref. Dog., II, p. 618.]
4. THE PENALTY OF THE COVENANT.
The penalty that was threatened was death, and what this
means can best be gathered from the general meaning of the term as it is used in Scripture, and
from the evils that came upon the guilty in the execution of the penalty. Evidently death in the
most inclusive sense of the word is meant, including physical, spiritual, and eternal death. The
fundamental Scriptural idea of death is not that of extinction of being, but that of separation
from the source of life, and the resulting dissolution or misery and woe. Fundamentally, it
consists in the separation of the soul from God, which manifests itself in spiritual misery, and
finally terminates in eternal death. But it also includes the separation of body and soul and the
consequent dissolution of the body. Undoubtedly the execution of the penalty began at once
after the first transgression. Spiritual death entered instantly, and the seeds of death also
began to operate in the body. The full execution of the sentence, however, did not follow at
once, but was arrested, because God immediately introduced an economy of grace and
restoration.
5. THE SACRAMENT(S) OF THE COVENANT.
We have no definite information in Scripture
respecting the sacrament(s) or seal(s) of this covenant. Hence there is a great variety of
opinions on the subject. Some speak of four: the tree of life, the tree of the knowledge of good
and evil, paradise, and the sabbath; others of three: the two trees and paradise; still others of
two: the tree of life and paradise; and still others of one: the tree of life. The last opinion is the
most prevalent one, and would seem to be the only one to find any support in Scripture. We
should not think of the fruit of this tree as magically or medically working immortality in Adam’s
frame. Yet it was in some way connected with the gift of life. In all probability it must be
conceived of as an appointed symbol or seal of life. Consequently, when Adam forfeited the
promise, he was debarred from the sign. So conceived the words of Gen. 3:22 must be
understood sacramentally.
D. THE PRESENT STATUS OF THE COVENANT OF WORKS.
With respect to the question, whether the covenant of works is still in force or was abrogated
at the time of Adam’s fall, there is considerable difference of opinion between Arminian and
Reformed theologians.