sets it down a part of the Bible and when he was a Dying it was not time then to dissemble Although my house be not so with God yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant How doth the Spirit bring the Elect to this ground of Assurance to be able to affirm that God hath made the Covenant with them I confess it 's great priviledge and they have a great Charter that can say it 's their priviledge they have the promises of this life and that which is to come they have no less in one Article in one line of the Bible He shall make them Ruler over all that be hath a little time will try this to be no fancy but it 's furer than the Covenant with the Sun and the Moon how brings the Spirit them up to this Assurance 1. Ordinarily before he brings them up to be Assured that the Lord hath made with me a Covenant he takes down the natural assurance like one that hath to build upon an old Foundation and he finds it rotten and thinks it best to take it down to the bottom before he build a new Foundation so that readily in the beginning of the Spirits working a person can give no account of the Spirits working neither what he hath done in the old Foundation nor the new ask you your case you can readily give no account yet dare not build on the old Foundation and ye dare not say ye have a new Work this is very frequenly in the way of the Spirits bringing the Soul to The Lord hath made with me a Covenant they can neither build on the old ground nor dare they say they have a new ground this hath ordinarily a tendency to the clearing of an interest wherever ye find a person like Rebecca having Twins strugling within her they know not what to say they are so confused the Spirit hath taken away the old ground and for any thing that is known the Spirit hath not laid the new Foundation That case looks like to be the beginning to come to that day in the week that thou wilt say The Lord hath made with me an everlasting Covenant That is the first Part whereby the Spirit leads to the clearning an interest in a personal Covenant 2ly Where the Spirit is leading to the clearing an interest in a personal Covenant with God ordinarily the Spirit prompts to Duty and assists all diligence we are not to expect it with raptures of Joy and Consolation and delight in God many a time like the Syrian leper that was sent to the King of Israel I thought he would have come out and called on his God and laid his hand on the place We think except we get such elevation of peace and joy in prayer we can never have peace no we must not limit the Lord if he take that way it 's well but the ordinar way is he will help at prayer and excite to delight in him at another time he withdraws himself and makes the Desertion thy burden the complaint of his absence may be as sweet a mark as his presence the heart that will complain of his Absence may prove an interest as well as his Presence Now when he hath pulled down the old rotten Wall and not possibly brought the new above ground but he assists in Prayer in believing in Repentance in mortification of lusts then he is about to bring thee to say the Lord hath made with me a Covenant it 's near the break of the day it 's not far from the dawning he that hath helped thee to Diligence is not far from bringing thy Consolation even tho' it seem to be the darkest time of the night yet if the Spirit be helping at Duty and taking a lift of thy Case the day is near the breaking with thee But Thirdly the Spirit guides to this assurance by giving true Marks that God hath made a Covenant with him And here I shall enquire what are the sure Marks by which one may try if God hath made the Covenant particularly with them I have made the Covenant with him and have Vowed and Promised and Subscribed with my hand and have lifted up my hand but how shall I know if he hath made a Covenant with me The business is not so difficult to know if thou be diligent and be not an Hypocrite and playing the cheat in thy Religion but conforming thy heart to this Gospel and wrestling with all the Non-Conformities of thy heart I have searched the Judgement of many how to come to reciprocal Marks how to know if he hath made a Covenant with us Antinomians have disput the Question so exactly and Objected so strongly about our wanting these Marks that they put Divines to so many Restrictions and Limitations that it 's difficult to give a reciprocal Mark on which a Christian may rest if he hath made a Covenant with him I will offer you three things on which I lay the greatest weight my self 1. That Mark that Mr. Baxter hath often come over a habitual preferring of Christs Interests to the interests of the Flesh that is indeed a great Mark that God hath made a Covenant with thee when Christs Interests are habitually preferred to all the Interests of the flesh To clear this Mark ye would notice three things 1. When God enters in a Covenant with a person they take up Sin as an Enemy they hate it as an Enemy they have entered in a League with the contrary Party they take up Sin especially presumptuous sin as an Enemy and accordingly they deal with it they hate it they eschew the company that may bring Temptations to it for they have entered in a League with its greatest Enemy even with Christ shortly after Paul is a Convert he is at O wretched man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of Death He was angry at the very being of sin and could not suffer the smell of it what ever the Sin be not only presumptuous and gross Sins and neglects of Duty if thou has entered in a Covenant with God thou has broken the Covenant with death and hell and if thou has no kindness looking to that Art thou has great ground to say the Lord has made a Covenant with me they take up sin as an Enemy and deal with it so 2ly In reference to this the Soul goes unitedly against it as an Enemy the understanding is at I should leave such a Sin the Conscience is at I will leave such a Sin the Will and Affections are at Depart from me all ye workers of iniquity for I have keeped the Commandments of my God they turn it out of doors if there be a taking it up as an Enemy and dealing with it so and the Understanding Will Conscience and affections uniting against it as an Enemy thou may be sure to say the Lord hath made with me a Covenant the Bargain must be driven by both Parties but if thou be
keepeth the Sabbath from polluting it and taketh hold of my Covenant them will I bring to my holy mountain and make them joyful in my house of prayer and their burnt-offerings and sacrifices shall be accepted on mine Altar And Ps 50.5 Gather my Saints together to me that have made a Covenant with me by sacrifice In effect the closing with the Covenant is our effectual calling 3. The Covenant is the Foundation of all the Relations and Consequences of all the familiarity grounded on these Relations betwixt God and his People The ground why we call him my God and my hope my rock my husband my Lord the ground of all these Relations and Familiarity founded on them is the Covenant 4. The Answer of all Challenges nay of all Temptations comes also from the Covenant Ordinarily Challenges proceed from the Law and the Threatnings and Curses of the Law The best answer to them is we are not under the Law but under Grace which is in effect to say we are under a Covenant of Grace Lastly 〈…〉 great help to perform Duty is the Covenant if we be commanded to repent to pray to believe to suffer we must always run to some Promise of the Covenant for strength and it is remarkable there is no Command in all the Law but in the Covenant there is some Promise relating to that Duty and strength for performing of it is holden out in the Promise for in effect if we look after Light or clearing in our effectual calling or if we would lay a sure Foundation of either an interest in or familiarity with God or hold off Temptations or Challenges or have strength to perform Duties it 's necessary in the whole course of our Life that we know our interest in the Covenant but this is especially necessary at death which before I yet confirm I will add one Caution which is this That it may fall out that a person with whom God hath made an everlasting Covenant ye◠they may be unclear about their interest in the Covenant when they come to die they cannot say among their last words the Lord hath made with me an everlasting Covenant among many things there may be these Three that may have influence in the darkning of ones interest in the Covenant at Death and when they are about their last words 1. When one has been given much to doubting in the whole course of their Life readily God may give them though not a Hell for it yet he may give them a flood of it at their Death he loves to write their sin on the chastisement therefore often as Adonibezek said when they caused to cut off his Thumbs and his great Toes threescore and ten Kings having their Thumbs and great Toes cut off gathered their meat under my Table as I have done says he so hath the Lord required me Judges 1.7 Frequently the sin of folks Life he loves to write it on their end so he does with Pharaoh when he desired to be honoured by him he hath this sin among many he would have all the Males of the Children of Israel drowned and Moses also was laid out to be drowned until Pharaoh's daughter found him and what is his end he is drowned in the red-sea the great predominant sin of his Life is written on his end when the life is full of doubtings readily like Pharaoh he loves to write their sin on their chaslisement 2. One may be darkned about their interest in the Covenant at death because of some un-repented guilt and however that guilt shake their interest in the Covenant it may shake their clearing about it often at death it comes to be as it was with Joseph's Brethren when he is giving order to bind them and they looked for nothing but death all that is come on us us say they because we heard not the cry of our Brother It 's observed that we never read a word since the day that he was let down into the pit that any of them was challenged for it and when they are in Egypt they cannot discern Joseph to be their Brother nor can they have any hope from him the reason is they had not repented for letting him down into the Pit readily un-repented guilt has great influence on the doubting of ones interest in the Covenant at death however David was guilty of Murther and Adultery yet he penned the 51 Psalm and had his bones broken for it therefore at death he can say the Lord hath made with me an everlasting Covenant c. 3. One comes to be darkned in their interest in the Covenant when either by Gods providence or their apprehension there seems to be an inconsistency with the Promises of the Covenant take for instance Josiah there is a special Promise made to him by Huldah the Prophetess when he sends to her after the reading of the Law thou shalt go to thy grave in peace before the captivity come on who would have thought that Josiah would die in Battel and be killed by Pharaoh-Necho in the valley of Megiddo after he had such a Promise Take again for instance the fifth Command Honour thy Father and thy Mother that thy days may be long upon the land which the Lord thy God giveth thee And yet many are taken away in the strength and vigour of their youth they can hardly reconcile the Providence and the Promise or then it is so in their apprehension our discouraged Spirits at Death are like these that look through black spectacles we misconstrue Providence every thing appears black through these Spectacles while it 's white Now readily one of these three either some un-repented guilt or some Providence at Death that seems not to agree with the Promise or the absolute Soveraignity of God may produce a great cloud about ones interest in the Covenant when they are at their last words yet notwithstanding of both these Cautions the point holds firm that it 's a great encouragement at death especially to be able to assert an interest in the everlasting Covenant To confirm this in general I will speak a word to these three 1. I desire ye may take notice of the Tenor of the Covenant 2. Take a view of the knowledge of an interest in this Covenant and 3. I shal consider both the Covenant and an interest in it as trysting with death and a Believers last words and these three will discover what a priviledge an interest in that Covenant is when it 's discerned at death First Take a view briefly of the Tenor of the Covenant 1. The Covenant is a Transaction betwixt God and man about mans greatest concernments it concerns his Soul and that is the choicest part of him it concerns his Eternity nay the Covenant as ye will hear it concerns two Worlds this present World and that which is to come for godliness has the promise of this Life and that which is to come the Covenant concerns the Soul and the greatest interests
of Grace hath bound us to all the Duties be hath commanded in the Covenant of Works what a multitude of them there are take a compend of them in that word 2 Cor. 7. at the beginning Having these promises dearly beloved let us cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God mark there we must cleanse our selves of the fil hiness of the flesh and spirit a famous Ancient said well when he read that verse this seems to me says he like the Message the King of Syria sent to the King of Israel 2 Kings 5.2 I have sent my servant to thee that thou mayest recover him of his leprosie what says he am I a God to kill and make alive that this man sendeth to me to cure him of his leprosie 2ly We are to consider the constancy we are bound to in these Terms if we enter in Covenant with God it 's a marriage Covenant whatever fall out to a man or woman except Adulters the marriage-tye remains firm if one were never so sickly or tender it does not break that tye all the variety of cases his people can come under cannot dissolve it we are not to be Time-servers in these things for in a little they that serve Time their Master will be taken from them Rev. 10.5 And I saw an angel Hand upon the sea and he lift up his hand to heaven and sware by him that liveth for ever and ever that there should be time no longer But 3ly We are to consider the difficulties that will accon pany these Terms the Terms are to cleanse our selves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit perfecting holiness in the fear of God what multitude of difficulties must these Terms be carried on with will they make a man walk like an Owl among the rest of the Birds What a deal of crosses and difficulties will attend him that makes a Covenant with God Now one that would Indenture in a personal Covenant with God must consider and ponder all these Now this is the second Property of personal Indenturing with God it 's an Act of absolute necessity and we ought to be very deliberat and serious in it Thirdly This Act of personal covenanting as it ought to be deliberat so it ought to be sincere and an Act of the whole Soul Psal 16.2 O my soul thou hast said unto the Lord thou art my God God will dispense with any Infirmity in this Act sooner than Hypocrisie He cannot endure to be mocked For clearing this that it ought to be done with the whole Soul I would have you notice First This Act of personal covenanting requires a very well ordered Soul not only Morally well ordered but Spiritually Divines observe well the Soul is well ordered in two Cases First When the Will comes to beled by the Understanding several times the Will like a domineering Lady it glories in it's Liberty and Freedom it will bind the Understanding and draw it after it we are easily brought to believe what the Will inclines us to and to find our Reasons for justifying of the thing which it desires Next the Soul is well ordered when Understanding Will and Affections follow the Conscience and the Conscience is regulat by the Word of God the Affections often it holds true of them that is said of Fire and Water they are good Servants but ill Masters when the affections comes to domineer they are ill Masters but when they are ruled by the Conscience and the Conscience regulat by the Law of God so that we can moderat our Anger and not sin that we can desire nothing but what we lawfully desire and we fear nothing but what we lawfully can fear when gref keeps within it's bounds when the Affections are thus regulat what a sweet calm is there in the Conscience like an Instrument that all the Strings of it are rightly placed and when ye strike on them every string gives the sound they ought to give so the Understanding Will and Affections when they are rightly regulat they give the sound that is proper for them when the Understanding is thus regulat that the Will follows the Understanding and the Soul is regulat by the Conscience and the Conscience by the Word of God 2ly This Soul covenanting it imports a rightly ordered frame of the Soul for it 's an affectionat and sincere Act it 's not to be wrung out of us Bellarmine calumniats Protestants when he says we maintain in the Act of Effectual Calling that Deus torquet voluntatem in he doth not thraw the Will no in this Act of personal covenanting it uses to be done when it 's done with the Soul not with the Affections only but with the Bensil of the Affections it 's as it were the marriage day and in that day the Soul is clothed in its best Appatel and the Unferstanding Will and Affections are at the height of their Vigor and Fervency it 's necessar it should be so for the Lord when he entered in Covenant with us O! so sincerely and affectionaly as He enters and when he hath found the lost Goat and stragling Sheep He call His neighbours and friends to rejoyce with Him Luk. 15. I likewise say there is joy in Heaven over one sinner that repents c. When he doth it so affectionatly and is so much taken when a person doth personally Covenant with Him ought we not to Covenant sincerely with the Bensil of the Affections SERMON XIV 2 Samuel 23. Verse 5. Although my house be not so with God yet he hath made with me an everlasting Covenant ordered in all things and sure for this is all my salvation and all my desire although he make it not to grow AMong many excellent Truths in this verse this is one not of the meanest that David speaks of the everlasting Covenant as a thing personally and particularly made with him he doth not say the Lord hath made with the Church but with me an everlasting Covenant I entered on the Properties of this personal Covenant and spoke to three of them there are some yet remaining and therefore I shall proceed as this personal covenanting with God is of absolute necessity and is a very deliberat Act and a sincere Act so there is a Fourth Property of it it 's an Act that ought to be timeously speedily and early done without delay some of our Divines in their casuistical Disputs with Papists they rationally alledge that the Doctrine of the Popish Casuists in some Principles tends to hough all the Practises of Religion for among other things they maintain that if a sinner fall in sin he is obliged to repent when he comes under some cross or at some solemn Ordinance or at the hour of Death we maintain against them that a sinner is obliged to repent immediatly on the back of the commission of the Sin the same we say of personal covenanting with God it 's to be
ye knew how to improve it readily ye might find that there is no Temptation nor Challenge of what kind soever but ye may find an answer to it in the Covenant I will offer you but these three things that may occur and they most ordinarily meet you 1. Ye have a natural heart go to the Covenant with it it 's perfect I will take away the heart of stone I like it well to see Parents that teach their young ones to pray they put this Promise and that in their hand ye that have a gate of it put in this Promise in their hand I will take away the heart of stone teach them in their youth to press this Promise and bid them go to God and the Covenant where they will find this among the first Promises I will take away the heart of stone and I will give you a new heart 2 If your case be great guiltiness what should ye do with it should ye sit down and despair and cast away your hope and considence and be waiting for death as the Messenger that will take you to Hell no go to the Covenant with it Isa 1.18 Though your sins be as scarlet they shall be white as snow though they be red as crimson they shall be as wooll Isa 43.25 I even I am he that blotteth out thy transgressions for mine own sake and will not remember thy sins But 3. If the Challenge were that ye want Repentance and cannot get a heart broken for these things ye have committed against God go to the Covenant and ye will find the Promises of Repentance for as I said it 's a perfect Covenant I defy you to instance the case ye can be in but there may be two Promises made to it if not six therefore be improving the Covenant in all your debates and disputes of the time in all things that relate to your consolation and that relate to your Challenges 4. I exhort you to improve the Covenant in all your duties make use of it as a perfect Covenant I declare from this place this day that I take nothing for my duty to God but what is contained in the Covenant no man nor society of men can make duties to God nothing can be a duty to God meerly from the will of men nay more it 's enough to make it a quarrel if we worship him according to the Traditions of men and no wonder for it says this Covenant is not perfect therefore nothing can be a duty to God from men though they were never so perfect or holy they cannot make duties but what are contained in the Covenant and they who will take upon them to say this is a duty and this is a duty and the contrair is a sin they take Gods Office on them for it 's he that makes duties and it 's he that hath made them perfectly in this Covenant and they that can keep up the duties of the Covenant they will in due time be made perfect in the Covenant Vse 3. The third Use of the Point Is it a perfect Covenant then it 's encouraging and comfortable to Believers O! to be under a perfect Covenant it 's very comforting and encouraging in these four or five Cases 1. Compare your case with the case of the generality of men the generality of men they are seeking their contentment in other things than the Covenant but the things are not perfect It 's observed there are three great imperfections in all the Creatures 1. There is nothing in the Creature compleat there is neither Perfection nor Thing even though men should say it were perfect in its own kind yet not in every kind some have Strength and they want Wit some have Beauty and they have a wicked ill humor some have Riches and they are base some have Honour and they are poor there is ay some Briar in their Rose ye will find several Worthies mentioned in the Scripture who had their own imperfections David he had uprightness but he was not free of Scandal Moses had meekness yet he wanted not impatience Abraham had Faith yet he wanted not fear of his Life when he went to Egypt and to Abimelech's Court there was in them a Rose that blossomed but there was ay a Briar beside it hardly can it be said of any thing that ever was that was said of Christ Col. 2.10 And ye are compleat in him 2. There is an imperfection in the Creature of duration suppose it were compleat yet it cannot last like Jonah's Gourd it shadowed him from the heat of the sun in the day but at the evening it withered a little time puts an end to it there is no perfection of duration in the Creature Ps 73. My flesh and my heart faileth but God is the the strength of my heart c. 3. There is an imperfection of suitableness suppose the thing were intirely compleat and lasting yet our humor and inclination may change according to our appetite for suppose the thing continue compleat and endure yet our inclination may alter hardly are there any thing constantly enjoyed but the ordinar use of them is enough to give a surfeit of them Now there is imperfection in the Creature but in this Covenant there will be no change the thing is compleat and ay the more enjoyed there is the greater appetite and the more longing desire Therefore ye that have an interest in this Covenant compare your case with all others and suppose ye cannot count on such Bonds and such Charters of Lands yet consider that they have but a perishing good and ye have an interest in the everlasting Covenant be comforted with comparing your case with others 2. I exhort you that have an interest in this Covenant to learn to understand your priviledge there are many Believers like a young Heir that cannot read nor write they understand not their Charter so many Believers understand not their priviledge because their understanding is imperfect they go mourning and complaining of their case while their understanding of the Covenant is imperfect Quest I would move here one practical Question what course a Believer should take to understand the Covenant in its perfection Answer I will offer you three Rules that may prove helpful to you 1. I would exhort you ye have variety of Cases whiles ye are full whiles poor whiles reproached whiles deserted whiles tempted go to the Covenant with every case and that will train you and teach you the perfection of it readily ye have scarcely the confidence sometimes to do it but this was the way of Mr. Dickson if any thing troubled him he laboured ay to get a Promise and if he got it he rejoyced and in his old age he wrote the Book Therapeutica Sacra the cure of all cases by the Covenant and if ye make use of the Covenant ye will find there is no discouragement no affliction but ye will find a remedy for it in the Covenant 2. I