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cess of that call: and yet, we all know the gospel-call was never extended to the gentiles at large, nor directed to all the ends of the earth, till after the death of Christ, when the middle wall of partition between Jews and Gentiles was broken down, and the gospelchurch erected. We shall only add, that no man can deny, that the New-Testament dispensation is the period to which this prophecy particularly refers, but at the dreadful expense of attempting to denude himself of all right to the benefit of the promise contained in the very next words Surely shall one say, in the "Lord have I righteousness and strength." But, from the period of the prophecy, let us next turn our attention to the consideration of its contents; and a more express prophecy of covenanting than what it contains can scarcely be conceived. The words of it are these, “Un"to me every knee shall bow, every tongue shall swear." This is not merely a prediction that they shall swear by him, but that they shall swear to him, and shall thereby pledge themselves by oath to abide by him, and prove faithful to him. To him they shall bow the knee, in token of their reverence for him, and adoration of him: and to him they shall swear, in testimony of their allegiance and subjection to him, and of their determinate purpose to serve and obey him.

A fourth prediction with relation to this subject, you have in the words of our present reading, 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 our"selves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant, that shall "not be forgotten." But in regard the applicableness of

this prophecy to the purpose in hand has been already manifested, in the explication given of our text last Lord's day, we shall not further insist upon it at present.

The only other prophecy of this work to which we now refer you, is that recorded in Hos. i. 11. "Then "shall the children of Judah and the children of Israel "be gathered together, and appoint themselves one "head." The application made of this prophecy by the apostle Paul, in Rom. ix. 24. 25. 26. may be instead of a thousand arguments, to prove the reference it bears to New-Testament times. He there applies, both what is contained in the close of this, and in the close of the following chapter, to the conversion of both Jews and Gentiles to the faith of Christ in the days of the gospel. The only thing, therefore, which we have here to do at present is, to show that covenanting is at least one thing included in this prediction. The subject of it, you see, is the children of Judah, and the children of Israel, gathering together, and appointing themselves one head. This head is Christ. He, and he only, is the head of his body the church.* She knows no other head, either of influences or government, but him; at least she ought to know no other. His original designation to this high station, consists in his Father's appointment of him to it. It was the Father, as we are told in the second Psalm, who set him King over his holy hill of Zion; and yet there is a sense in which his people may be also said to appoint him to be their head. This they may be said to do, by their cordial acquiescence in that appointment the Father hath made of him

* Col. xviii. 11. 19.

to that high station, and by their making a public and joint recognizance of his sole headship over them. It is this public and joint recognizance of it by them, that is in a particular manner intended in this prophecy. This is evident from its being represented as a thing which people gather together to do. In this there is a plain allusion to the manner in which the kingdoms of this world proceed in the business of setting up rulers over them. This they do, not by the several members of the community coming one by one, and declaring their personal consent to these men bearing rule over them; but the people at large unite as one body in this work, and make it their joint deed; they all concur together in investing the objects of their choice with the reigns of government. As this is the matter alluded to, so the passage we are now considering, cannot be viewed as a mere prediction of individual persons giving their cheerful consent, in the day of their believing, to the government of the Redeemer, but is evidently a prophecy that the church at large shall, in her collective capacity, put the crown upon Christ's head, and publicly avow her consent, both to be saved and ruled by him; and herein doth the very substance of covenanting consist. It is readily allowed, that there is no mention made here of an oath ; but this, as we may afterwards see, is not essential to covenanting-work. It may be gone about, either with it or without it, as the case may require. But as it is usual for nations, when they set up kings over them, to swear allegiance to them; so, as we hope afterwards to show, though an oath be not essential to the duty, it may both lawfully and properly accompany it on particular occasions.

Other proofs of the warrantableness of this work, drawn particularly from the New-Testament, we have yet to adduce; but the time alloted for this discourse being gone, these must be deferred to another occasion. Till then, I would exhort you to ponder seriously what you have now heard upon this subject; and may He who is the great Prophet of the church open your understandings, that you may understand the scriptures.

SERMON III.

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.

WE are now upon the second head of our method, which was, to evince the warrantableness of covenanting, or to show, that it is a duty incumbent upon the church under the New-Testament dispensation. Here we have already showed, that it is a duty taught us by the very light of nature; that it is a duty plainly required by the moral law, the obligation of which extends to all places of the world, and to every period of time; that it is a duty enjoined upon people in scripture, by various express precepts of a moral nature, some of which bear a special reference to New-Testament times; that it is a duty which was practised by the people of God under the whole of the Mosaical economy, upon moral grounds; and that, in various prophecies and promises of the OldTestament, it is plainly pointed out as a duty to be