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Word A	Word B	Word C	Word D	Occurrence	Frequency Band	MI	MI Band	Prominent
book_n	covenant_n	law_n	write_v	2,528	5	6.5761	4	true

Text snippets containing the quad

ID	Title	Author	Corrected Date of Publication (TCP Date of Publication)	STC	Words	Pages
A89196	The nationall covenant. Or, A discourse on the covenant. Wherein also the severall parts of the late protestation are proved to be grounded on religion and reason: with sundry motives and directions, tending to further our keeping covenant with God. Which may be of speciall use in these times. By Tho. Mocket, M. of Arts, and preacher of the word of God.	Mocket, Thomas, 1602-1670?	1642 (1642)	Wing M2307; Thomason E113_3; ESTC R23139	40,201	58

layeth on the soul How much greater think you is the tye and engagement which the Covenant of God layeth on the soul 3. We must keep Covenant with God that we may be like unto God as we are exhorted to be Epbes 5.1 as in all other things so in this we must strive to imitate and follow God to be like unto him Now concerning God we reade That he is faithfull in keeping Covenant with us Deut. 7.9 The Lord thy God is the faithfull God that keepeth Covenant and mercy with them that love him and keep his Commandments Psal 111.5 He is ever mindefull of his Covenant as he promises Hos 2.19 20. I will betroth thee unto me for ever c. Therefore since God is faithfull in keeping Covenant with us we must be faithfull in keeping Covenant with God that we may be as our duty is like unto our heavenly Father and thereby may approve our selves to be the children of-God 4. For this end we enter into Covenant with God at Baptism renew it at the Lords Supper and some other times that we might keep his Statues Judgements and Commandments God requires this and we use it thiefly as a help to further us in our Obedience to God we are all naturally very backward and apt to take any occasion to neglect our duty of obedience to God and therfore do promise and bind our selves thereby to help and further us in our duty as we use to binde men to bring them into bond who are apt to break promise If we be to deal with an unfaithfull person that is like to play fast and loose to deny his promise and flie from his word we use to get him into bonds and then we think all is sure enough 5. Breach of Covenant God accounts a great sinne and will severely punish it therefore we should keep Covenant with God 1. He accounts breach of Covenant a great sin though it be of covenant only betwixt man and man and reckoneth it among the great sins of the Gentiles That they were Covenant-breakers Rom. 1.31 Psal 55.20 2 Tim. 3.3 what is it then to break Covenant with God 2. And as God accounts it a great sin so be will severely punish it So he threatned Gen. 17.14 The uncarcumcised man childe whose flesh in his forehead is not circumcised that soul shall be cut off from his people mark the reason He bath broken my Covenant saith God Levis 26.15 16 17. Saith God If ye shall despise my Statutes so that ye will not do all my Commandments but that ye break my Covenant I will even appoint over you terrour consumption and the burning Ague And I will set myface against you and ye shall be slain by your enemies Ezek. 17.15 16. saith God of Zedekiab Shall he prosper Shall be escape that doth such things Or shall be break the Covenant and be delivered As I live saith the Lord God Surely in the place where the King dwelleth that made him king whose Oath be despised and whose Covenant be brake even with him in the midst of Babylon shall he die A grievous curse is threatned against this sin Jer. 11.2 3. Hear ye the words of this Covenant Thus saith the Lord God of Israel Cursed be the man that obeyeth not the words of this Covenant yea many curses Deut. 29.20 21-25 The Lord will not spare him but then the anger of the Lord and his jealousie shall smoke against that man and all the curses that are written in this book shall lie upon him and the Lord shall blot out his name from under leaven and the Lord shall separate him to evill out of all the Tribes of Israel according to all the curses of the Covenant that are written in this book of the Law Mark the grand reason of all this fierce anger of the Lord against such vers 25. Because they have forsaken the Covenant of the Lord God of their fathers For breaking of Covenant God caused Achan and all his to be stoned and burnt in the fire Iosh 7.11.15 and all Israel suffered with him they could not stand before their enemies but were routed and smitten before them For this very thing Sauls breaking the Covenant made with the Gibionites though long before his time God punished all Israel with three yeers famine and in the end with the death of seven of Sauls sons 2 Sam. 21. therefore also God rent the Kingdom from Solomon and gave ten Tribes to his servant Ieroboam 1 King 11 11. All these things give weight to this duty and the point in hand Thus we have seen it opened what a Covenant is what it is to keep it and how Also the point or duty clearly proved That a Covenant once made may not be broken but must be carefully kept Thus of a Covenant in generall Now with the good leave of the great Assembly I will here take occasion to speak something concerning our Nationall Covenant Vow or Protestation in particular And here I will first set down the Protestation prudently commended to us by the Honorable House in these words I A. B. Do in the presence of Almighty God promise vow and protest to maintain and defend as far as lawfully I may with my life power and estate the true reformed Protestant Religion expressed in the Doctrine of the Church of England against all Popery and popish Innovations within this Realm contrary to the same Doctrine And according to the duty of my Allegiance His Maiesties Royall Person Honour and Estate As also the Power and Priviledges of Parliaments the lawfull Rights and Liberties of the Snbjects and every person that maketh this Protestation in whatsoever he shall do in the lawfull pursuance of the same And to my power and as far as lawfully I may I will oppose and by all good wayes and means endeavour to bring to condigne punishment all such as shall either by force practice counsels plots conspiracies or otherwise do any thing to the contrary of any thing in this present Protestation contained And further that I shal in all just and honorable ways endeabor to preserbe the union and peace betwirt the three Kingdoms of England Scotland and Ireland And neither for hope fear nor other respect shall relinquish this Promise How and Protestation Touching this Nationall Covenant or Protestation we may here observe and consider 1. What we here promise and vow to maintaine and so what we here renounce 2. What it is to maintaine and defend the true Protestant Religion 3. Why for what ends we entred into this Protestation 4. How far this promise and Protestation doth bind us First What we here promise vow and protest viz. divers things which I conceive are in number 7. And the First is to maintaine and defend with our lives power and estate The true Reformed Protestant Religion expressed in the Doctriue of the Church of England against all Popery and Popish Innovations within this Realme contrary to the same Doctrine

should suffer any thing to discourage you or make you feare the perfecting of the long and much desired worke of Reformation in its due time only if Religion and the worship of God and the discipline of Jesus Christ be first setled then other evills how great soever will vanish away till then it cannot certainly be expected It is true it is not possible it should be done in a trice the greatnesse and exactnesse of the work the great deal of rubbish in the house of God both wretched persons and things and the great oppositions which great and good works meet with must of necessity make the work long Wherefore Noble Senators arme your selves with patience and resolution alwayes look as upon the work with one eye so at Gods glory and the publick good and upon Gods power wisdom goodnesse promise and faithfullnesse with the other and doubt not of a desired issue in due time which is the humble and hearty desire of him who is resolved to his utmost power and to the last breath God inabling by all means lawfull to maintain and defend the true reformed Protestant Religion against all Popery and Popish Innovations the Kings Majesties Person and Royall Posterity the power and Priviledges of Parliament together with their persons in all their just and good proceedings the lawfull Rights and Liberties of the Subject c. against the enemies of God the King and State and shall till death remain Your dayly Orator at the Throne of Grace THO MOCKET London August 3. 1642. THE Nationall Covenant DEUT. 29.9 Keep therefore the words of this Covenant and do them that ye may prosper in all that ye do THese words of Moses from God to the people of Israel contain a further reason of the exhortation delivered in the former Chapter of performing Obedience to Gods Commandments which Reason or Argument is two-fold First From the consideration of Gods great and wonderfull mercies and benefits vouchsafed unto them in their deliverance out of Aegypt ver 2.3.4 In their Journey in the Wild messe v. 5 6. and in the confines of the promised Land v. 7 8. Secondly from their Faith given or promise of Obedience made unto God intimated in the word Covenant in this verse Upon these two Grounds Gods goodnesse to them and their promise to him Moses doth in this Chapter presse them to Obedience in these words Keep therefore the words of this Covenant and do them The words of this Covenant is the Articles and Conditions which the people were by vertue of this Covenant bound to perform unto God This Covenant that is That Covenant which the people of Israel by Gods appointment made with God in the Land of Moab vers 1. which is there said to be another Covenant beside or differing from that which he made with them in Horeb on Mount Sinai where the Covenant was given Exod. 20. not in substance for so it is the same with that but in respect of the persons with whom even all those of Israel who were then unborn or unfit to enter into Covenant with God v. 14 15. And 2. In respect of the place this being neer the border of Canaan in the Country on the out-side of Jordan And thirdly In respect of the manner of revealing Christ who is in this more clearly revealed then on Mount Sinai The Propositions or Points of Doctrine naturally arising from these words are two viz. 1. That a Covenant Doctr. once made must be faithfully observed Or Covenanters must keep touch with God 2. That this is the way to prosper Or Obedience is the way to true Prosperity The former onely is that which here I intend to insist upon and shall include the other in the motives to this point In handling of which the Rules of Method do require that I do shew you before I come to Application 1. What a Covenant is and the kindes of it 2. What it is to keep Covenant with God 3. How it must be observed 4. The proof and grounds of this Duty For the first A Covenant to speak of it to the present purpose is a solemn promise whereby a man doth engage himself to God to perform all that Obedience unto God required in his Word by strength from Jesus Christ 1. I call it a promise Because the party Covenanting doth promise unto God Obedience 2. I call it a solemn promise Because it is ordinarily made with some outward solemnity Of this outward solemnity which is for the greater ratification of it we finde divers forms in the sacred Scripture Sometimes by Sacrifice as a Seal of the Covenant with God so Psal 50.5 Sometimes with subscribing of hands as Isai 44.5 Sometimes by sealing it also as Nehem. 9.38 Sometimes by an Oath as in this Chapter vers 12. and 2 Chron. 15.12.15 Sometimes with an Oath and a Curse so Nehem. 10.29 All formes binde firmly only some in a greater degree and lay a stronger tye upon the soul then some others do So that to break either must be dishonest and damnable 3. It was added whereby a man deth engage himself to God for it lays a strong band and engagement on the soul you have the phrase Jere. 30.21 Who is this that engaged his heart to approach unto me saith the Lord. 4. To perform unto God viz. in respect of sincere endeavour all the obedience which God in his Word requireth of him for otherwise it is as good as nothing to binde our selves to obey God in somethings and in othersome to take liberty to our selves to transgresse at our pleasure It is universall obedience that God requireth Deut. 5.33 5. Lastly It was added in the description By strength from Christ or in the name of Christ c. All our ability is from him and without him we can do nothing that is truly good and acceptable unto God John 15.5 Now there is a double Covenant Personall and Nationall Personall is that which is presupposed and sealed in Baptism and renued in the Lords Supper The Articles whereof are these two 1. Faith in God through our Lord Jesus Christ And 2. Obedience to his Commandments the summe of which is contained in the Decalogue or ten Commandments as a fruit of that our Faith in God Nationall is when a whole Nation at least the generality do thus engage themselves to the Lord and such is the Protestation lately taken Thus much of the first thing propounded now of The second What it is to keep Covenant and wherein it consists To keep Covenant with God is to imbrace and observe his Commandments and that must be done inwardly and outwardly and so by the whole Man Inwardly the Covenant is laid hold on and observed 1. In the minde by knowing and beleeving them First By knowing the minde and will of God and what he requires of us in his Word which is the Book of the Covenant Exod. 24.7 containing the Articles or Conditions of the Covenant on both sides what