Bullinger and The Old Faith (1537)

This work consists of eleven sections which collectively affirm the fulfillment of God’s promises in Christ. It is particularly in Section 4 that Bullinger directly refers to the covenant as can be seen from the following quote:

“For Noe was of our faith, even of the seed of God, and put his trust in in the blessed Seed, our Lord Jesus. Yea, the ark or ship of Noe was a figure of Christ, as we may easily understand by the words of St Peter. Seeing then that Noe was preserved through the ark, it followeth that he was saved by Jesus Christ: therefore is it manifest, that he first believed in Christ. Noe also was he, with whom God first renewed the covenant made with Adam. For it is but one covenant only, even the foresaid promise and end, made by God unbto Adam. Howebiet, the same covenant was afterward at certain times renewed by reason of certain occasions. Here might Noe have thought that all the world and all men should utterly have been undone; forasmuch as the Lord said, ‘I am determined to destroy all flesh.’ Therefore immediately he addeth moreover, and saith: ‘But with thee will I set up my covenant,’ that is to say: ‘whatsoever pertaineth to my covenant, and what I have promised Adam already, the same will I surely and constantly make good; and though I now destroy the world, yet will I perform my truth through thee. For I will preserve thee alive, that the blessed Seed promised afore may hereafter be born of thee in his generation.’”

It is to be noted that pundt was used exclusively by Bullinger for “covenant” in this particular quote. The Old Faith clearly emphasizes the unity of the covenant and that men and women of both Old and New Testaments have the same faith, viz faith in Christ. Thus Section 3 covers “Of the first faithful Christian, Adam and Eve.” In the quote above Bullinger states that “Noe was of our faith, even of the seed of God, put his trust in in the blessed Seed, our Lord Jesus.” Furthermore “it followeth that he was saved by Jesus Christ; therefore is it manifest, that he first believed in Christ.” These statements are all rooted in Bullinger’s understanding of the covenant.