unto our Fathers to eat the fruit thereof c. behold wee are servants in it And it yieldeth much increase to the Kings whom thou hast set Over us because of our sins also they have dominion over our bodies and over our cattell at their pleasure And we are in great distresse Now in this condition behold them betaking themselves to the same course And because of all this wee make a sure Covenant and write it and our Princes Levits and Priests seal unto it Verse 38. This were they wont to doe upon these occasions Now whether there be the same occasions to be found amongst us us of this Nation or no I suppose there is none of us here present wil make any question of it Alas the Evidence is but too cleer and that as for our present Affliction so for our former Defection the one of which usually attends upon the other Affliction upon Defection so you find it in all the places forementioned and so we at least many of our brethren in this Kingdome finde it by sad and wofull experience at this day Our Defection went before and that a great Defection The Temple of God amongst us scoured blessed be God the doors thereof were not shut up yet we cannot say but it was polluted and that by bringing in humane Inventions to thrust out divine Ordinances The Lamps some of them extinguished and put out the most of them burning dim either for want of oile or snuffing How few Burning and shining Lamps The Worship of God for the most part how was it turned to a meer Formalitie our condition therein being but too like that of Israels herein the Text little to be seene in most places but a {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} {non-Roman} the meager carcasse of a cold and formall devotion The heart of Religion being well nigh eaten out Little power of it to be found in the hearts and lives of the greatest part Multitudes of scandalous persons swarming every where and yet continued members of the Church Swearers Drunkards Vnclean Persons Prophane Persons such as hated Reformation yet even they taking the Covenant of God the Seal of his Covenant in their mouthes polluting the holy Ordinances of God by their unworthy partaking in them For the rest how have the greatest part been either meerly Civill or else Lukewarme Little Heate little Life little Power of Godlinesse to be felt or seene Surely our Defection and our Provocations have beene great And our Affliction at this day seemes to answer it Our case being now the very same with Israels in the days of King Asah In those times there was no peace to him that went out nor to him that came in but great vexations were upon all the Inhabitants of the Countries And Nation was destroyed of Nation and Citie of Citie for God did vex them with all adversity So was it with them And is it not so with us at this day Now in this condition what shall wee doe Why Now let us joyne our selves to the Lord in a perpetuall Covenant Now never was Covenant more seasonable more needfull for any people then it is for England at this day Let us now make a Covenant with the Lord our God and that a Perpetuall Covenant Covenants wee have made but alasse they have beene temporary momentanie soone forgotten Let us now joyne our selves to the Lord in a perpetuall Covenant that shall not be forgotten No way so hopefull as this to appease the wrath that is gone out smoaking against us and burning amongst us to put an end to our present Afflictions and Distractions to remove the Evils which we feel to prevent the judgments which we fear to procure the mercies which we want to continue the mercies wee enjoyne to stay our God amongst us Ob. True you may say were it onely such a Covenant a joyning our selves to the Lord in a Covenant then might wee hope for such an issue But alasse this Covenant here propounded and tendered to us wee finde it to be of another nature containing in it somthings to us impertinent and others scarce warrantable A. Here I know some thing will be expected by way of satisfaction Give me leave as briefly as fully as I may or can Liber are animam to discharge conscience both mine own others by resolving such scruples as are most obvious and as I conceive of greatest importance In the Generall take the resolution thus Though this be not the onely thing in this Covenant yet I take it and so would I have every one here present to looke upon it to be the mayne viz. The ioyning of our selves and the whole Kingdome to the Lord What else means this grand Designe of a through Reformation a Personall a Nationall Reformation Personall of our own hearts lives Families Nationall of the Kingdom the three Kingdoms The former we promise to performe the latter we engage our selves by all lawfull ways in our severall places and Stations to endeavour And what is this but a Ioyning our selves to the Lord by Covenant Some particulars I confesse here may be found which at the first sight may seeme to be heterogeneall some of them Forraigne and others of them of meer Civill concernment but upon a review we shal find most of them if not all of them to lie in a way of tendency unto that great and maine end like so many lesser streams which though happily they have their severall windings and turnings yet at the length they all discharge and unload themselves into the same common Channell All of them conducing either Immediatly or mediatly to the promoting of this desired Reformation 1 To this purpose tends that first branch of the first Article where wee promise to endeavour the preservation of the Reformed Religion in the Church of Scotland against the COMMON ENEMY A clause which seemeth to look directly upon them but withall it reflects and looks back upon us who are much interssed concerned in their whether woe or welfare In their peace we may the rather hope for peace In their Ruine we cannot look long to survive Such are the mutuall engagements and concerments of both Kingdomes as that in all probabilitie they are like to stand or fall sinke or swim together And such is that other Clause in the Close of the same Article where wee promise to endeavour the bringing of all the Churches in the three Kingdomes to the neerest conjunction and uniformitie in Religion Government c. A Designe of high concernment No one thing tending more directly to the setling and establishing of the true Religion of God in all of them 2 To like purpose is the obligation in that second Article which ingageth all to endeavour the extirpation of Popery and the eradicating of such other evill weeds as may endanger the sucking out the heart of Religion how ever hinder the growth of it 3 To the same purpose as truly though not
What then remains but that this first branch of the Exhortation should take place with every of us that wee would all of us Ioyn our selves to the Lord this day in a Covenant in this Covenant the maine drift and scope whereof the Preface and Introduction to it will assure you is The Glory of God the advancement of the Kingdome of our Lord and Saviour Iesus Christ the Honour and Happinesse of the kings Majesty and his Posteritie the true publick libertie safetie and peace of the kingdom And striking this Covenant with God Let us then in the second place be exhorted to be mindfull of it So the Psalmist presseth it upon all the Lords People 1 Chron. 16. Be yee always mindful of his Covenant None of us here present but have made a Covenant with our God Upon our admission into the Church to be visible members of it we entred this Covenant the summe whereof is as I told you that hee should be our God and we would be his People This Covenant many of us most of us I suppose have ratified and confirmed in our receiving of the Sacrament of the Lords Supper Happily some of us many of us have upon occasion renewed this Covenant It may be in some speciall distresse or upon the receiving of some speciall mercie wee have laid new ingagements upon our souls binding them with new cords new Vows new Resolutions And this is the service which this day our God by the hand of Authority cals us unto O let us not then be unmindfull of this Covenant Take wee heed of forgetting it It is that which Moses chargeth upon the people Deut. 4. Take heed unto your selves lest ye forget the Covenant of the Lord your God A Caveat very necessary this being a thing which we are very subject to forget and the forgetfulnesse thereof being of dangerous consequence 1 Subiect we are to forget it As for our Covenants with men we easily remember them especially if they make for our advantage But this our Covenant with God though most advantageous to us all the advantage being ours God is no ways advantaged by our Covenants They are neither Honour nor Profit to him both to us That we may be confederated with the great God of heaven and earth what an Honour And that we may be interested in all the promises of this life and a better what a Benefit yet for all this how subject are we to forget it An infirmity which we have drawn from the loyns of our first parents They being placed in Paradice in state of Innocencie yet how soon did they forget the Covenant of the Lord their God This are we much more subject to A truth which experience will make good to every ones soule Those Vows and Covenants which some of us have made with our God in time of distresse and trouble how soon are they forgotten Not unlike Seamens vows which in a stresse at Sea they make freely but no sooner come a shore but they forget all Such are our Vows and Covenants for the most part which we make in our distresses Not Covenants of Salt such was Gods Covenant with Levi and such should his peoples Covenants be with him Covenants for perpetuitie but rather Covenants of Snow which as soon as ever the Sun shines upon them they presently melt and vanish away This forgetfulnesse we are very subject to and therefore great need of this Caveat Take heed least we forget the Covenant of our God 2 The Forgetfulnesse whereof in the second place is of such dangerous consequence An intes to all Evils and that both of sin and Punishment See both in our first parents They forgetting the Covenant made with their God and so venturing upon the eating of the forbidden fruit a seale of that Covenant they thereby let in all those evills which have overrun and drowned all their posterity even a deluge of sin and miserie 1. No such an inlet to evils of sin as this Whence is it that Christians I mean nominall Christians they dare let loose the reyns to licentiousnesse yielding up themselves servants to sin and Satan in the obeying and fulfilling of divers inordinate Lusts in adventuring upon fowle and it may be scandalous evils Certainly they have forgotten the Covenant of their God It is that which the wise man sayes of the Adulterous woman Prov. 2. She forsaketh the guide of her youth and forgetteth the Covenant of her God The latter a Reason of the former She forsaketh the guide of her youth giveth over herselfe to adulterous loves and inchast imbraces of strangers Why Shee hath forgotten the Covenant of her God that is her coniugall vow and promise made in the presence of God And whence is it my brethren that our hearts generally are so ready to run out inordinately after the Creatures bestowing those affections upon them which wee owe peculiarly to God and Iesus Christ Surely we have forgot at least do not as we ought remember the Covenant of the Lord our God wherein we have ingaged our selves to take him for our God to set him up in our hearts to love him feare him honour him trust in him above all other things 2. No such an inlet to the Evils of Punishment For this cause it is that God threatens his people with the sword of temporall judgements the worst I will bring a sword upon you that shall avenge the quarrell of my Covenant What was the Quarrell of his Covenant Why they had forgotten it and forgetting had violated it This lets in the sword and with it Pestilence and Famine as attendants upon it as it followeth in the next words Of such dangerous consequence is it to forget this Covenant which we have made On the other hand the Remembrance of it is of great use Usefull in restraining us from sin Usefull in putting us on to duty In the one a Bridle in the other a Spur both ways very usefull And therefore in the fear of God give way also to this second branch of the Exhortation Remember yee the Covenant of the Lord your God This it is that the Lord here in the Text putteth his people in minde of giving them a hint of the Covenant which they had forgotten that being put in minde of it they would be faithfull in it not thinking that Ceremonies and Sacrifices and those externall observances would serve the turn but that they would apply themselves to performe the Conditions of the Covenant Use 3. And this let every of vs in the third and last place be excited to doe So Remember wee the Covenant of our God that we may be faithfull in it Faithfull in performing the conditions of our part the summe whereof is bound up in this one word Obedience True it is indeed when we have done all we can do yet we shall fall short of that exactnes of Obedience which the Law requireth there will be many failings many infirmities But
the merit of his death and obedience for the pardon of all their sins the acceptation of their persons the salvation of their souls Having thus layed their hands upon this Sacrifice now are they to make a Covenant with God a Covenant of obedience And thus may they be said to Covenant By and Over Sacrifice 2 And as Over so with Sacrifice As over this Propitiatory so with Gratulatory Sacrifice Such a Sacrifice it is the Psalmist calleth for from this Covenanting people in the fourteenth Verse of this Psalme Offer unto God thanksgiving and pay thy vows unto the most high And call upon mee in the day of trouble Verse 15. These are Evangelicall Sacrifices more worth then all the Sacrifices of the Law Prayers and Prayses And these Sacrifices must they offer up that will make a Covenant with God so making a Covenant with Sacrifice But my promise was not to give way to doctrinall Enlargements The service of the day calleth for Application which let it be directed only by way of Exhortation whereof Take these three Branches 1 That wee would all of us strike such a Covenant with our God 2 That having struck this Covenant wee would be mindfull of it 3 That being mindfull of it wee would be faithfull in it Begin with the first which putteh us all upon this act of Covenanting As many of us as desire to be owned of God as his people let us strike a Covenant a solemne Covenant with him This is that which the Prophet Ieremy saith of the children of Israel and the children of Iuda returning out of captivitie should doe and excite one an other to doe it Ier. 50. Come shall they say and let us joyne our selves to the Lord in a perpetuall Covenant that shall not be forgotten And this in the feare of God let all of us here present this day doe and encourage one another to do it Come let us joyne our selves unto the Lord in a perpetuall Covenant that shall not be forgotten Obiect Why but happily you may say what needs this Exhortation to a people that are in Covenant with God already This work is not now to doe we have all of us done it alreadie We have given up our names and wee have given up our selves unto the Lord This we have done in Baptisme and this wee have done in the Sacrament of the Lords Supper both Seals of this Covenant Thus are we a people in Covenant with God alreadie Answ. And were not the children of Israel and the children of Juda so They were a people in Covenant with God before and in their captivity being the seed of Abraham and carrying the seal of the Covenāt in their flesh Yet for all that wee finde them there taking up thoughts and resolutions of ioyning themselves to the Lord in a Covenant and that by renewing the same Covenant A practice frequent amongst the people of God in the old Testament Many instances wee meet with holding forth to us presidents for this practice the renewing of Covenant This we find the people of God doing upon divers occasions Specially in these two cases In case of Defection Affliction 1 In case of Defection when by falling away from God they had broken this Covenant Secondly In case of Affliction when having broken his Covenant the Judgements of God were out against them either present or imminent feared or felt In these cases we shall see them ordinarily applying themselves to this Remedie the renewing of Covenant Take but two instances for both the first of Asah the second of Hezekiah both obvious The former 2 Chron. 15. There you shall finde King Asah and his people making a solemne Covenant with God Verse 12. And they entred into a Covenant to seek the Lord God of their fathers withall their heart and with all their soul c. This they did and upon what occasion did they it Why at that time they stood guiltie of a great Defection so you have it Verse 3. Now for a long time Israel hath bin without the true God and without a teaching Priest and without Law A wonderfull defection And behold Affliction following it great Affliction great Distraction great vexation so it follows Verse 5. And in those times there was no peace to him that went out nor to him that came in but great vexations were upon the inhabitants of the Countries Such was their condition In this condition what course take they Why they apply themselves to this as the most sovereigne remedie They entred into a Covenant to seek the Lord their God c. The like did Hezekiah as you may see in the 29 chapter of the same Book Now it is in mine heart to make a Covenant saith Hezekiah Verse 10. Not a Personall but a Nationall Covenant And what occasioned it Why first the Kingdome at that time lay under the guilt of a great Defection The Worship of God had been neglected the Temple ruinous and polluted So you have it in the 6 and 7 Verses of that Chapter Our fathers have trespassed and done that which was evill in the eyes of the Lord our God and have forsaken him and have turned away their faces from the habitation of the Lord and turned their backs Also they have shut up the doores of the Porch and put out the Lamps and have not burnt Incense nor offered burnt offerings in the holy place unto the God of Israel Thus was the Temple-worship neglected the place unfrequented nay polluted In the fifth Verse of the Chapter Hezekiah calls for the Levits requiring them to sanctifie themselves and to sanctifie the house of the Lord and to carry forth the filthinesse out of the holy place Lying under this great Defection they were also under great Affliction So it followeth Verse 8 9. Wherefore the wrath of the Lord was upon Judah and Jerusalem and he hath delivered them unto trouble to astonishment and unto hissing For loe our Father have falne by the sword and our sonnes and our daughters and our wives are in Captivity for this Such was their present condition And hereupon it is that that worthy Reformer betakes himselfe and his people to this course the renewing of Covenant Now it is in my heart to make a Covenant c. To these instances if need were I might adde that other in the days of Nehemiah The people were generally guiltie of a great Defection So much the Levits in their names confesse and acknowledge Nehem. 9. 34 35. Wee have done wickedly Neither have our Kings nor our Princes our Priests nor our Fathers kept thy Law c. For they have not served thee in their Kingdom and in thy great goodnesse that thou gavest them and in the large and fat land which thou gavest before them That Defection was followed with great Affliction so you have in the Verses following Behold we are servants this day and for the land that thou gavest
let not these discourage knowing this for our comfort that these failings where they are not allowed but bewailed and striven against they are not properly a breach of this Covenant The Covenant that Gods Saints are under being in Christ it is not a Covenant of Works but a Covenant of Grace In the first Covenant the condition of our parts was an exact and perfect obedience so as the least failing the least deviation or swerving from the Rule was a breach of that Covenāt But this Covenant it is established upon better promises and better conditions the Lord herein requiring from us not Exactnesse but Truth Sincerity Uprightnesse Walk before me and be upright So as every failing every straying from the Rule is not a Breach of Covenant so long as the heart is upright with God not allowing it self in any known evill any sinfull Commission or Omission These are the breaches of this Covenant when the heart shall sit loose from God taking in any sinfull lusts to give entertainment to them And this take we heed of How ever there may be and will be many slips many failings in our course yet take heed of sins against Light against Conscience Take heed of letting in and setting up any sinfull lust in our hearts against the Convictions of the Word This were indeed to deal falsly with God in his Covenant A Crime which the Church washeth her hands of Psal. 44. All this is come upon us yet have we not dealt falsly in thy Covenant At that time the Church lay under great pressures great afflictions All this is come upon us All these evils these sufferings Yet she professeth her integrity She had not dealt falsly in the Covenant What is that The next words explaine it Our heart is not turned back neither have our steps declined from thy way This it is to deal falsly in the Covenant When a mans heart is turned back and thereupon his steps decline from the way of Gods Commandements so as hee walketh on in any sinfull way O my Brethren let it not be layed to the charge of any of us that we should thus deal falsly in the Covenant of our God And therefore though perfest wee cannot be yet labour we to be upright and sincere Let not our hearts be turned back from our God but let us walke before him in the constant and conscionable endeavour of an universall obedience Thus remembring and keeping our Covenant with God now be we assured that God will remember his Covenant with us He remembreth his Covenant for ever saith the Psalmist in that 105 Psalme which Text if we compare with the forenamed place 1 Chron. 16. where the former part of this Psalme is recorded and from whence it is taken wee may take notice of an observable difference in the reading of this passage In the Psalme the words run in the third person as spoken of God He remembreth In the Chronicles you have them in the second person as spoken to his People Remember yee Put them together they will afford us this usefull observation That if we Remember our Covenant with God God will remember his Covenant with us And because he Remembreth his Covenant for ever therefore let us Remember it for ever Herein God for his part will not be forgetfull unfaithfull It is the first branch of Solomons prayer at the Dedication of the Temple O Lord God of Israel there is no God like unto thee c. which keepest covenant and mercy to thy servants that walke before thee with all their hearts Marke it Though there may be many slips and failings in the walkings of Gods people their foot may often tread awry yet walking before God with all their hearts in uprightnesse and sincerity the Lord will keep Covenant with them and shew mercy to them in pardoning their sins accepting their services healing their infirmities supplying their wants performing unto them all the conditions of the Covenant on his part What he hath spoken with his mouth he will performe it with his hand as it followeth in the next Verse And therefore let all our care and solicitude be how to performe the Conditions on our part How we may keep close to God and walk before him Walk before me and be upright This is that which wee have bound our selves to by Baptisme and confirmed in the Lords Supper And this is one main thing which wee are now to engage our selves unto in this Covenant which wee are now to enter So much you shall finde in the Close of it the last Article which you may observe to be set forth in a different Character as I conceive it purposely to set a note of observation upon it the summe whereof is Personal Reformation the Reformation of our owne Hearts Lives Families Now every of us in the fear of God have a speciall eye upon this looking upon it in the first place though here set last beginning our practice where the Covenant ends as it is the Rule of Genesis and Analysis Every one beginning at and with himself each one indeavouring as the words of the Article run to goe before another in the example of a reall Reformation Having practised upon our selves first our owne Hearts Lives Families Then be we as we may all of us in our places and according to the opportunities offered us subservient unto the Publick indevouring to promote the great work of a Publick Reformation of what is amisse in Church or State which wee are to doe all of us by our Prayers those that have abilities by their Purses those which are called to it by their Counsels Magistrates by their Authority Ministers by their Doctrine People by their Obedience This doe we for the generall Withall having an eye to the severall particulars contained in this Covenant which may any wayes conduce unto that great and blessed end the establishment of the true Religion of God amongst us with the restoring and setling of a true peace and happinesse both in Church and State And to that end let mee direct your eyes to three or foure particulars of great consequence tending directly to that end You find them altogether in foure words of the second Article where we engage our selves to endeavour the extirpation as of Popery and Prelacy two things obvious to every eye so of Vsurpation Heresie Schisme Profaneness Foure words of great importance Happily some of you do not so cleerly understand the meaning of some of them Give mee leave to touch upon them a little that you may both know them and your duty concerning them 1 Superstition Wil-worship when men shall worship God by ways and meanes of their owne devising establishing their owne Traditions Teaching for Doctrines the commandments of men Introducing humane Inventions into the Room of Divine Ordinance making them either Pars or Medium a Part or Means of Divine Worship Teaching or practizing the fear of God by the precepts of