in nothing more than in the act of swearing allegiance to himself. That injunction which you have in Isa. viii. 13. reaches to the whole extent of our worship, "Sanc"tify the Lord of hosts himself; let him be your fear, " and let him be your dread."

6. It should be performed in an evangelical manner. This includes two things; first, that it should be performed solely upon the footing of the covenant of grace, and in the way of taking hold of that covenant; and, secondly, that in the performance of it, persons should have their entire dependence on Christ, their new covenant Head, for grace to enable them to the discharge of those duties to which they engage in this work. Both these things have been already in some measure touched at, particularly in our prosecution of the first head of method: but we can never be too frequently put upon our guard against the workings of the legal heart in the performance of this duty.-Let it then be kept in mind, that it is solely upon the footing of the covenant of grace that people are to proceed in this work. We are now told by some, who have lately deserted their profession, that" a renunciation of the covenant of works, " and taking hold of the covenant of grace, are nowise essential to covenanting work." Doctrine of this kind may for a time pass current with some people in the heat of controversy, for serving a purpose; but when this heat is over, it is doctrine which we hope will be the very abhorrence of their whole souls. What! shall guilty sinners ever think of dealing with God as an absolute God, either in this or in any other duty, as they must necessarily do, if they do not deal with him. upon the footing of the covenant of grace? In that

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case, wo, wo to them. It is only on the footing of that covenant that ever God engaged to be merciful to mankind sinners, to take them into a gracious relation to himself, and to be a God unto them: On no other footing, therefore, is it possible that persons can safely proceed in devoting themselves to him to be his people. When the children of Israel and the children of Judah are represented, in the words of our text, as joining themselves to the Lord, we are expressly informed, that the perpetual covenant is not to be forgotten. And when the sons of the stranger are represented, in Isa. Įvi. 6. as joining themselves to him to serve him, and to love the name of the Lord, we are told that “ every one" of them " taketh hold of God's covenant." This accordingly was the manner in which the children of Israel proceeded in this work at Mount Sinai. We therefore find, that when the law was delivered to them there, as the rule of their duty, and the matter of their covenant-engagements, it was at the same time prefaced with a revelation of the covenant of grace, in these words: "I am the Lord thy God."* But as it is solely on

*It may not be improper here, to transcribe a few words from a Sermon of Mr. Ebenezer Erskine on this text. The Sermon is entitled, A treasure of gospel-grace digged out of Mount Sinai. The words quoted are to be found in his 8th inference, and run thus: "God first promises, in a way of sovereign grace, to be the Lord 66 our God and Redeemer, which is the substance and sum of the new covenant; and having made such a grant of grace to be re"ceived by faith, without or before any works of obedience can be "performed by us, be immediately subjoins the law of nature in "ten words, showing us what is good, and what the Lord our God 66 requires of us, not as a condition of his own gracious grant, but

the footing of the covenant of grace that persons are to proceed in this work, so it ought always to be remembered, that all their dependance must be on Christ, their new-covenant Head, for what grace and strength they need, to enable them to the performance of those duties to which they engage. That direction given to Timothy, "Be strong in the grace that is in Christ "Jesus,” must run through the whole process of our religious service. People are as really chargeable with legality, if they have a dependence on their own strength for the performance of duty, as they are if they place their confidence on their own righteousness for the acceptance of their persons: and they have as much

as a testimony of our love and gratitude to him, who promises, "of his own free and sovereign grace, to be the Lord our God.— "So that, I say,it was God's covenant of grace that was promulgat "ed at Mount Sinai, and the law was added to it because of trans. gression, and graffed upon it as a rule of obedience. Whatever "covenants or engagements to duty we read of, whether national or personal, still they went upon the foundation of grace laid in "God's covenant of grace; and in so far as Israel, or any else, go "off from this foundation in their engagements to duty, they in so "far prevent the promise and law annexed to it, and turn back "to a covenant of works." This passage is adduced to show what were the sentiments of the first Seceders, concerning the propriety of making a renunciation of the covenant of works, and a taking hold of the covenant of grace, to constitute a material branch of covenanting work. And from this you may see who are adhering most steadfastly to the original principles of the first Seceders, whether the Synod, who avow this doctrine, or the brethren who have left us on account of our avowal of it, and who positively affirm, in their very first reason of remonstrance, that nothing of the kind is essential to this work.

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need of the Redeemer's grace and strength for the one, as they have of his righteousness for the other. They ought therefore to say, "I will go in the strength of the "Lord God; I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only." The promise contained in Isa. xlv. 23. 24. secures that in this way people shall engage in this work: it secures that they shall swear an absolute renunciation of all their own righteousness and strength, and an entire dependence on the righteousness and strength of our Lord Jesus Christ. Unto "me," says God, " every tongue shall swear. Sure"ly shall one say, In the Lord have I righteousness " and strength."

7. This work should be gone about in the exercise of godly sorrow. It is with weeping, says the text, that the children of Israel and the children of Judah shall go and seek the Lord, and join themselves to him in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten. All our sacrifices, and particularly that of presenting our bodies a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, should be accompanied with the sacrifice of a broken heart. There is in this work a professed turning to the Lord; but how shall people turn to him, without a real mourning for their previous revolt from him? There is in it a professed joining of ourselves to the Lord to serve him; but how shall any one do this without lamenting over his former apostacy from him? These two things are inseparable, a rending of our hearts, and turning to the Lord.*

We already, on a former branch of this subject, showed you, that covenanting is a work that should * Joel, ii, 15.

generally, if not always, be accompanied with an acknowledgement of sins; of our own sins, and the sins of the land, both in former and present times. But what greater insult could be offered to a holy God, than for persons to make an acknowledgement of their sins, without the smallest grief or sorrow of heart on account of them? In confessing sin, David's exercise, recorded in Psal. xxxviii. 18. should be ours, "I will declare mine iniquity; I will be sorry for my sin." It is to be observed, however, that it is not every kind of sorrow for sin that is acceptable to God. The mourning for it that he will accept, is a mourning for it as a sin. Such is the nature of the saints' mourning. While others mourn for it merely on account of the ruin brought upon themselves by it, they mourn for it chiefly on account of its contrariety to the holy nature and holy law of God. Others may mourn for it in a legal manner, hoping by their mourning to make some satisfaction to God for the dishonour they have done to him by it: but they, in the faith of Christ's having already made a complete atonement for it by the sacrifice of himself, mourn for it on account of those sufferings to which it hath exposed him, in order to secure them against the punishment due to it. Zech. xii. 10. "They shall look "on me whom they have pierced, and they shall mourn "for him."

8. It should be performed with joy and gladness. This was the manner in which it was performed by the children of Judah in the days of king Asa. "They

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sware unto the Lord with a loud voice, and with "shoutings, and with trumpets, and with cornets; and