SERMON VII.

JER. 1. 4. 5.—In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together; saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.

THE four first heads of the method we laid down, for illustrating the doctrine of religious covenanting, the first time we read these words in your hearing, are already discussed, and need not be resumed. We therefore now proceed to our next head of method, which

was,

V. To point out some of the important ends to be served by the performance of this duty."

If, as has been already shown, covenanting be an ordinance of divine appointment, it must be calculated to serve some great and important ends; for that God whose institution it is doth nothing in vain. There is reason to think, that the importance of it is but too little attended to, even by numbers of those who are in some

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measure convinced of the warrantableness of it; and this is one special reason of its being so much neglected in the present time, even by some who do not pretend to call the lawfulness of it in question. Numbers will readily grant that it is a divine ordinance, and a thing that may be warrantably practised by persons who are so disposed, when they have an opportunity for it; and yet, for their own part, they never once think, of putting hand to it themselves, because they consider it as a matter of little moment whether persons engage in it or not. The consequence is, that though they slight -repeated opportunities afforded them for its performance, and live from day to day, and even from year to, year, in the total neglect of it, conscience scarcely ever charges them with any thing culpable, on this head. If their minds were duly impressed with a sense of the great importance, of this work, it is hardly possible that they could act such a part. But, think men of it what they will, it is truly an important service, calculated to serve great and valuable purposes. If this were not the case, can any one imagine, that such a great part of our Bibles, as we have seen there is, should have been taken up in describing its nature,, in recording its history, in instructing its obligation, in urging its observance, in directing people's procedure in it, and in securing them of grace and strength to enable them to the acceptable performance of it? Put all these things together, and they afford the, most complete, demonstration, that it is no trivial matter.

We do not intend at present to enlarge on the various important purposes to be served by this work, as this would oblige us to resume a considerable part of

what has been already delivered on the first and third heads of our method. All that we propose at the time, is only to state, in a very brief manner, a few of the leading ends to be served by it, leaving it to yourselves to enlarge upon them in your own meditations. And,

1. It serves the purpose of a formal and joint recognizance of God's absolute authority over us, and of our entire subjection to him, as our rightful Lord and Sovereign. That God is our absolute Sovereign, having full right to give law to us, and to do with us as seemeth good in his sight, is one of the most obvious truths that ever was presented to a human mind. This his supremacy, founded on the infinite excellency of his own nature, and the necessary dependence of all creatures upon him, both for being and for every comfort they enjoy, is every where taught us in scripture, and inculcated upon us, as the very foundation of all that obedience which we owe unto him. But his inculcating it is one thing, and our recognizing it is quite another. It is inculcated on many, who, instead of acknowledging it, practically deny it, and say, who is the Lord, that "we should obey him?" A formal acknowledgement of it however, is the indispensible duty of all, and what his people actually make in the work of covenanting. The import of that work you have in Isa. xxxiii. 22. « The Lord is our Judge, the Lord " is our Lawgiver, the Lord is our King, and he will save "us;" words by which the church plainly recognizes his indefeasible title to rule over her, and avows her determinate resolution to give implicit obedience to his laws and pay a dutiful respect to his government. Here, then, you have one most important end to be served by this work; and an end that cannot be served by any

other

ordinance in an equal degree. There is, indeed, a virtual acknowledgement of his sovereignty in the observation of different other ordinances; but a mere virtual acknowledgement of it is not all that we owe him; we are bound to recognize it in the most formal and explicit manner that lies in our power; and there is no ordinance in which this can be done so formally and fully by the church as a body, as in the ordinance urder present consideration.

2. It serves the purpose of making a public display of divine truth, that it may be known and read of all men. This is certainly a most important purpose; for what is a public display of divine truth, but just a public exhibition of the divine character, and a special mean of divine appointment for opening the eyes of the blind, and turning them from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God? Some, we know, consider a public display of divine truth as a matter of very small moment; but be their apprehensions of it what they will, it is really a matter of great account in the sight of God. Such is the estimation in which he holds it that he represents it in scripture as one of the leading designs, both of his erecting and preserving a church on earth, and likewise of the institution and maintenance of a gospel-ministry in her. The church is accordingly there described as "the pillar and ground of truth," while gospel-ministers are at the same time characterized as "the light of the world," and compared to "a "candle set on a candlestick, that it may give light to all that come into the house."* Nor is this all; but

* 1 Tim. iii. 15. Matth. v. 14. 15.

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the public display of it is even declared, in John, xviii. 37. to be one of the great designs of Christ's appearing in our world, clothed with our nature. "To this end," says he," was I born, and for this cause came I into "the world, that I should bear witness to the truth.” Is a public display of divine truth a matter of such vast consequence? Of what importance, then, must covenanting be, in which the people of God openly stand forth in the character of his witnesses, bearing an explicit testimony to every article thereof, so far as they have reached the knowledge of it? Yes; therein a banner is openly displayed because of the truth, and displayed for this very end, that others seeing it, may be determined to flock to Christ, for the enlargement of his kingdom. This is the evident tendency of it, and this, accordingly, is one thing which the scripture gives us ground to expect as one of its blessed fruits. Jer. iv. 2." Thou shalt swear, The Lord liveth, in truth, "in judgement, and in righteousness; and the nations "shall bless themselves in him, and in him shall they "glory." Let no one, therefore, fear, that the conscientious discharge of this duty will prove a bar in the way of the enlargement of the church, by deterring people from connecting themselves with her. If we can give any credit to the words now quoted, the effect of it must be the direct reverse; and universal experience is in perfect unison with the prediction. Covenanting times have uniformly been gathering times; and the Secession Church in particular never flourished more than in those places and periods in which this work has been most attended to.