their burdâ—n to renew it again and to make it more full stâ—â—le and impregnable then ever A perpetuall Covenant that shall not be forgartâ—a which hints a 3. Answ And that is there was never yet so full and strict a Covenant tendred to us since we were a people Former Covenants have had their dâ—fect and failings like the best of Gods people But I may say of this in reference to other Covenants as Solomon of his good House-wife in reference to other women Other Dâ—ughtâ—rs have done well but thou best exceeded thâ—m all Other Covenants have done well but this hath exceâ—dâ—d them all hâ—e Paul among the Apostles it goes beyond them all though it seems to be bâ—rne out of duc time Now if your Lâ—sâ—s and Covenants among men be either 〈◊〉 or forâ—â—ited need men perswade you to have them renewed and pâ—rfected Of how much greater concermnent is this between God and us Oh you of little faith 4 You receive the Sacrament of the Lords Supper once a 〈◊〉 and some will not be â—â—pt off though they have no pâ—rt nor portion in that Mystery say the Ministers of Christ what they can and the Sacrament is but the Seal of the Covenant consider it and be convincâ—â—d But secondly it is objected Oâ— 2. We â—â—â—â—at 〈…〉 There be some Clauses in this Covenant that serve rather to 〈◊〉 us further from God thâ—n prâ—â— us neâ—râ—r to Vint as binding us to enquire the way to Sion of man rather then of God to receive the Law of Reform then from Sâ—otland aâ—d other 〈◊〉 and not from the lips of the 〈◊〉 Prophâ—t of the Churches 〈…〉 In the 〈◊〉 we swâ—â—r first to â—â—â—ntain the Religâ—â— as it is already 〈…〉 in Doctrine Goâ—â—â—â—mâ—â—â— and 〈…〉 when in fiul the mest shall sweat they know not what and seconâ—ly we swear to conserm our selves 〈…〉 England to their 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 in Scotland which is presbyteriall and for ought we know as much tyrannicall and more Antichristian then that of Prelacy which we swear to extirpate yea some have not been afraid to call it The Antichrist that is now in the world Answ 1. To whom I first answer beseeching them in the bowels of compassion and spirit of meeknesse to take heed of such rash and unchristian censures lest God hear and it displease him and they themselves possibly be found to commit the sin Isai 5 20. and incurre the woe of them that call evill good and good evill Secondly Whereas they object that many shall swear to they know not what the most being totally ignorant of the Discipline of Scotland and very few understanding it distinctly I would have these remember and consider two examples in Scripture the one of King Josiah 2 2. Instances 2 Chro. 34 30 3â— 32. Nehe. 10.28 the other of the Women and children in Nehemiahs time Josiah as the Text tells us not being above eight yeers of age as Vers 3. While he was yet young began to seek after the Lord God of David his Father and in the twelfth yeer he began to purge Judah and Jerusalem c. And this purging and Reformation he did by Covenant wherein he sware to walk after the Lord and to keep his Commandements and his Testimonies and his Statutes Which surely at that age we cannot conceive he did distinctly and universally understand no more could all the Men their Wives and their Sons and their Daughters that took the Covenant in Nehemiahs time understand all things inparticular to which that Covenant did binde them since they did enter into a Gurse and an Oath not onely to refuse all inter-marriages with the Heathen as Vers 30. but also to walk in Gods Law which was given by Moses and to observe and do all the Commandments of the Lord and his judgements and his Statutes Surely there were in this multitude not an inconsiderable number that were not acquainted with all the Morall precepts Judiciall Laws and Ceremoniall Statutes which God commanded the people by the hand of Moses 2 2. Objections against these Instances There be two things I know that may be replyed against these Instances 1. That of those women and children in Nehemiah it is said in the same place They were of understanding Vers 28. Every one having knowledge and having understanding Vers 29. They 〈◊〉 unto their Brethren their Nobles and entred into a curse c. 2. That there is a great difference between the Laws and Statutes to which they sware and this Government and Disciplâ—â— to which we sware in this Covenant Those Laws and Statutes were ordained immediately of God himself and therefore being insallibly right unquestionably holy and just and good Jâ—siah and the people might lawfully sware observance to them with an implicite faith but not so in a Government and Dâ—â—â—â—â—pline set up by man by a Church be it never so pure and holy for their light being but a borrowed light and they not priviledged with an infallible spirit as the Apostles their Resolations and Ordinances may be lyable to mistake and errour and therefore to sware observance to them by an implicite faith is more then comes to their share and as unwarrantable as it is unsafe for a people or person to do who are yet ignorant or unsatisfied in the whole or in any particular To these Objections I rejoyn Answer to these Oâ—â—ectiâ—â— First That that Description of the Covenanters in Nehemiah That they were of understanding and knowledg supposeth not a distinct actuall cognizance of every particular Ordinance Judgement Statute and Provision in all the three Laws Morall Judiâ—iall Ceremoniall in every one that took the Covenant that being not onely needlâ—sse but impossible but it implies onely a capacity to receive Instruction and Information in the things they sware unto though at present they were ignorant of many of the severalls contained in that Oath And so farre this Rule obtains among us Children that are not yet come to understanding and fools being not admitted to this service as not capable of instruction Ans 2 To the second though more considerable yet the answer is not very difficult For First We do not sware to observe that Discipline but to preserve it I may preserve that which in point of conscience I cannot observe or not at least sware to observe Secondly We sware to preserve it not in opposition to any other forme of Government that may be found agreeable to the Word but in opposition against a common Enemy which is a clause of so wide a latitude and easie a digestion as the tenderest conscience need not kick at it This preservation relating not so much to the Government as to the persons or Nation under this Government not so much to preserve it as to preserve them in it against a Prelaticall Party at home or a Popish Party abroad that should attempt by violence to destroy them or to force another Government upon them that should
of Ministers or People the Lord be mercifull to us in this thing that have had eyes to discover the Mystery of iniquity which these men have driven and much more inconsiderable that have had hearts to oppose and withstand their Tyranny and Usurpations And why may not God make use of the same stratagem to ruine their Kingdom which they used to build it yea God hath seemed to do it already wâ—â—le in that place where they cast that râ—â—ring Canon and formed their cursed Oath for the establishing their 〈…〉 with its endlesse c. to perpetuits In the * â—â—ing Henry 7 Chappel very 〈◊〉 place hath this Covenant been debated and voted once and a second time by command of publique Authoritie for the Extirpation of it Root and Branch and the casting of it out for ever as a plant which our heavenly Father hath not planted And who knows but this may be the Arrow of the Lords deliverance which as it hath peire't to the very heart of Prelacy so it may also give a mortall wound to Papacy it self of which it will never be healed by the whole Colledge of Physitians the Jesuites whose study the Complexion and health of that Babylonian Harlot In the sixth and last place Sixth Motive The blessed successe of this Ordinance in other Churches The good successe this course hath found in the Churches may encourage us with much cheerfulnesse and confidence to undertake this service It hath upon it a probatum est from all that ever conscientiously and religiously used this remedy It recovered the State and Church of the Jews again and again many a time when it was ready to give up the ghost it recovered and kept a good correspondency between God and them all the time it was of any esteem and credit amongst them It brings Letters of Testimoniall with it from all the Reformed Churches Especially from our neighbour Nation and Church of Scotland where it hath done wonders in recovering that people when all the Physitians in Christendom had given them over It is very remarkable in the 20. Ezek. 37. God promiseth to bring them into the Bond of the Covenant and in the next Verse it follows and I will purge out the Rebels from among you there is an And that couples this Duty and this Mercy together I will bring you into the bond c. And I will purge out c. Truly God hath made good this promise to our Neighbors The Waters of this Covenant have been a notable Purgation to the Rebels there It hath been a Shibboleth to discover them and a Sword in the hand of the Angel of the Covenant to chase or slay them The mighty Armies of Malignants whether inbread or forraign though more in number and greater in power have not been able to stand before it from the first day till now The Walls of Jericho have faln flat before it The Dagon of the Bishops Service-Book brake its neck before this Arke of the Covenant Prâ—lacy and Prerogative have bowed down and given up the ghost at its feet And what changes hath it wrought in the Church and State What a Reformation hath followed at the heels of this glorious Ordinance And truely even among us as poorly and lamely and brokenly as it hath been managed among us I may say thus of it It hath kept life and soul together I am confident we had given up the ghost before this time had it not been for this Water of Life Oh what glorious successe might we expect if we did make such cheerfull such holy such conscientious addresses as becomes the Law of so solemn an Ordinance Truely could I see such a willing people in this day of Gods Power as are here in the Text encouraging and engaging one another in an holy Conspiracy Come let us joyn our selves to the Lord in a perpetuall Covenant c. I have faith enough to promise and prophesie to you in the Name of the Lord and in the words of his servant Haggai Haggâ—i 2.18 19. From this very day I will blesse you And that you may know of what Soveraignty this Ordinance is Take notice of this for the close of this last Motive and this second Quaere That this is the last Physick that ever the Church shall take or need it lies cleer in the Text For it is an everlasting Covenant And therefore the last that ever shall be made after the full and finall accomplishment of this promise and duty the Church shall be of so excellent a complexion Isai 33. last That the Inhabitant shall not say I am sick The people that dwell therein shall be forgiven their inquitie The Lord make it such Physick to us for Christ his sake And this shall suffice c. The Third Sermon on the Sabbath-day in the Morning being the first of October Immediately before takingof the COVENANT in Milk-street Church I Come now to the third Quaere How Third Quaere How And this inquiry divides it self into two Branches sc How to Acceptation Perpetuitie For the satisfying of both which I will fetcht as much as may be out of the Text That so you may yet further behold what proportion there is between the duty there and that which lies before us this day Answ In the first place First in generall With an Ordinance frame of heart we must enquire how this duty may be so managed that God may accept of us in the doing of it How to Acceptation Now in the Generall we must know that this service being an Ordinance of God it must be undertaken and managed with an Ordinance of frame heart i. e. According to the Laws and Rule of â—ivine worship and by how much the more sacred and solemn this Ordinance is by so much the more ought we to call up and provoke the choicest and heavenliest of those affections and dispositions of spirit wherewith we make our addressements to the Holy things of God In speciall In particular these First â—â—â—st in Judgement Jere 4.2 we are to come upon this service with the most ponderous advisednesse and most serious deliberation of Judgement That may be It is one of those grand Qualifications which God himself calls for to an Oathâ— Thou shalt swear in Truth in Judgement and in Righteousnesse In Truth for the matter and that we have already examined in the former Sermon In Righteousnesse in reference to the keeping of the Oath of which hereafter and in Judgement in respect of the taking or making of the Oath the thing which we are now about that we should well consider what we do And indeed if at any time and in any undertaking that advise be usefull Prov 4.26 Eccl 5.1 Ponder the path of thy feet and keep thy foot when thou entrest into the house of God then certainly it is most seasonable when a people or a person draw neer to make or renew their Covenant with the most High
in reference to your own persons beleevâ— that God will accept of them in this Ordinance whatever your successâ— shall be in regard of the Kingdom yet you shall find 〈…〉 in regard of your persons Isa 64.5 so the Church Thou meetest him that rejoyceth and worketh righteousnesse those that remember thee in thy wayes When a people or person can say as the Church in another place Isa 26.8 In the way of thy Judgements have we waited for thee O Lord the desire of our soul is to thy name and to the remembrance of thee God will not stay till they come unto him but he will 〈◊〉 them half way thou meâ—test him c. like the father of the Prodigall while they are yet half way he will see and run and mâ—et and fall upon their neck and while they weep at his feet tears of contrition he will weep over their necks the tears of compassion Oh stirre up your selves and engage your faith to beleeve and expect a gratious entertainment if God â—eâ— you coming in the integrity and uprightnesse of your hearts to enter into Covenant with God to take him as your God and to give up your selves to be his peoplâ— to take away all from sin and to give all to Jâ—sus Christ be will certainly take it well at your hands and say unto you Come my peoplâ— and welcome I 〈…〉 you shall in my people 4 4 In reference to Jesus Christ which that you may not misse of In the fourth place Come believingly in reference to Jesus Christ Be sure you bring a Christ with you Eph. 1.6 for he hath made 〈…〉 in the beloved Come without a Christ and go without acceptance The day of Attonement among the Jews 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 was called dies Cippuâ—â—m the day of Expiation and the word Cippurim is derived from an Hebrew Root that signifies to Cover and so the day of Attonement was as much as to say The day of covering the covering of nakednesse as Revel 3.18 Revel 3.18 Psa 32.1 and the covering of sin as Psal 32.1 Blessed is the man whose transgrâ—ssion is forgiven and whose sin is covered In which very name of the day the ground or reason is held forth why it was called a day of Attonâ—mentâ— sc Because it was a day of conering wherein Christ was typified who is the covering of the Saints the lâ—ng white Robes of his Righteousnesse covering both their 〈◊〉 and performances so that the naâ—ednesse of neither doth appear in the eyes of his Father Num 23.21 He hath beheld no iniquity in 〈…〉 neither hath seen perversenesse in Israel Why Not because there was no iniquity in Jacob or perversenesse in Israel for there was hardly any thing else but because their iniquity and perversenâ—ssâ— was hid from his eyes being covered with the Mantle of his Sonnes Righteousnesse the Messiah which he had promiseâ— and they so much looked for Let us therefore in this service as in all Rom. 13.14 Put on the Lord Jesus That as Jacob in the Garments of his â—lder brother Esau so we in the Gâ—rments of our elder brother Jesus may finde acceptance and obtain the blessing And thus much be spoken concerning the first Branch of this third Quaere How to acceptation How to perpetuitie I come now to the second branch of it and that is Answ How to perpetuitie Or How may we perform this service Directions so that it may be an 〈…〉 Covenant that may never be forgotten To that end take these few brief Directions and I have done Gâ—â— soul affliction for former Covenantvâ—olations First Labour to come to this service with much soul-affliction for former violations of the Covenant either in refusing or pâ—â—phâ—â—ing or breaking thereof The foundations must be laid low where we would build for many Generations In what deep sorrows had you need to lay the foundations of this Covenant which you would have stand to eternity that it may be an everlasting Covenant c. This you have in the Text They shall seek the Lord going and weeping weeping in the sence of their former rebellions and â—pestacies whereby they forfeited their faith and brake their Covenant with the Lord their God and it was no ordinary flâ—â—ght businesse they made of it A voice was heard upon the high places 〈◊〉 3.22 weeping and supplication c. They were not a few silâ—nt tears no they lift up their â—oices and wept as it was said of Esau c. They cryed so lowd that they were heard a great way off A voice was heard upon the Mountains Zech 12.11 22. and it was as bitter as it was lowd A great mourning as the mourning of Hadedrimmon in the valley of Megidde when all Judah 2 Chron. 35 2â— â—â— Jerusalem Jeremiah the Prophet and all the 〈◊〉 bewailed the death of their good King Josiah with a grievous Lamentation and made it an Ordinance for ever c. Oh that as we have their service in hand so we had their hands and their hearts to manage it with Rivers of tears for our former vilenesse that we could weep this day together and afterward apart 〈◊〉 12. â—â— as it is prophesied Every family apart and our 〈…〉 yea and every foul apart that we have dealt so 〈◊〉 with so good a God so unfaithfully with so faithfull a God That we could put our Mouthâ—s in the dust and smite upon our â—â—â—gh and be ashamed and confounded for all the Wickednesse we have committed against God and his Covenant in any or all thâ—se wayes Such a Posture God will see us in before he will shew us the way to Sion before he will reveal to us the Modâ—ll and Plattorâ—â—â— of Reformation for so was his charge to Ezekiel If they be ashamâ—d of all that they have done 〈…〉 shew them the formes of the house and the fashion thereof and the goings out thereof and the comings in thereof and all the forms thereof and all the Ordinances thereof and all the forms thereof and all the Laws thereof and write it in their sight c. Surely This blessed Prophesie hath an eye upon our times for this is one of those dayes as I told you before wherein God will make good these gratious words unto his people and God hath called together his Ezekiels his Ministers to shew the House i. e. Vers 1. The forme and pattern of the Evangelicall House or Church unto the House of England and Scotland Shew the House to the House of Israel that they may be ashamed That is shew them the outside thereof shew them that there is such a House which they never yet beheld with their eyes that they may be humbled and ashamed of their former Idolatries c. And thus do our Exekiels tell us there is a way of Gospel Government of such beauty and excellency as our eyes never yet beheld nor the eyes of our