venant that God made with Abraham; that is, the covenant of grace; for so he doth, ver. 9. He refers unto what blessing Isaac gave him when he went away; God Almighty bless thee, and give thee the blessing of Abraham. And, secondly, he appeals unto that particular covenant engagement, which he himself had made unto God; for in chap. xxviii. 13. God comes unto him, and renews his covenant. 'And, behold, the Lord stood above it, and said, I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father, and the God of Isaac;' and thereupon Jacob renews his covenant in particular with God, ver. 21. 'If God will be with me, and keep me in this way, then shall the Lord be my God.' These two things doth Jacob in his great distress, he minds the covenant in general, and the particular covenant engagement God had brought him into; for so he pleads, Thou saidst unto me, return unto thy country, and to thy kindred, and I will deal well with thee.' Where did he say so? He said so in chap. xxxi. 13. When Jacob made his covenant with God, he pleaded these two things, in the greatest distress that could befall him in this world.

4

Shall I give you one instance more? David gives it us in his own person, Psal. xxxi. 9—13. He makes as sad a complaint of such a complication of distresses upon him, as there is any where extant in the whole book of the Psalms. Have mercy upon me, O Lord, for I am in trouble; mine eye is consumed with grief, yea my soul, and my belly,' &c. I could easily manifest, what a confluence of evil this holy man was now under; within, iniquities prevailed, and the fear of them; and without, friends forsook him, and enemies took counsel to take away his life. Whereunto doth he retreat? What doth he seek for relief in? What is the contrivance of this man of wisdom and courage, and interest in the world? See ver. 14. 'But I trusted in thee, O Lord: I said, Thou art my God;' and this put an end to all his difficulties. But this matter I have hinted in a former

sermon.

It were an easy thing to multiply instances, both of par ticular persons, and the church in general, who were taught this wisdom of God, and knew this to be their duty, To let go all other vain contrivances, and to take up their relief

only in the covenant of God; as David doth here in the text.

Let us see a little more into the nature of it, that it may give us encouragement to our duty. And,

First, When a man betakes himself for relief unto God's covenant, he doth put God in mind of it,' wherewith he is greatly delighted; because therein he hath wrapped up his greatest glory in this world; and God is greatly delighted to be put in remembrance of that wherein he hath wrapped up the glory of his grace. It was Jacob's argument, when he wrestled with God, and prevailed; as signal an instance of the work of faith, and the deportment of a believer under great distresses, as the whole Old Testament affords us; and is given as an example to confirm our faith, Hos. xii. 4. 'Thou saidst thou wouldst surely do me good ;' Gen. xxxii. 12. He put God in mind of what he had said to him, when he made the covenant with him; and you know what a glorious issue it had. Jacob could not have done any thing more pleasing and acceptable unto God, than to put him in remembrance of what, out of his goodness, grace and bounty, he had promised; for he professes that he was not worthy of the least of all the mercies, and of all the truth which God had shewed unto him;' I plead not any thing, says he, of my own deservings; but, 'Lord, didst thou not say thou wouldst do me good?' God is greatly pleased with being remembered of the effects of his own grace, and wherein he hath wrapped so much of his own glory.

Secondly, As God would have us mind him of the covenant, so his remembrance of it, is still laid at the bottom of all the good he doth unto us,' and of all the dispensations of his love and grace.

God made a covenant with Noah, and with all the world in him; wherein he gave the preservation of the world, from a universal destruction, in covenant unto his saints; for the world is at this day, and to the last will be preserved upon this account, that God hath given the preservation of it in covenant unto Noah, and to them that succeed in the faith of Noah. But how comes it to pass, that God will destroy this world no more with a flood, when he had made this covenant? Saith God, I will set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of the covenant; and the bow shall be

.

in the cloud, and I will look upon it, that I may remember the everlasting covenant between God and every living creature.' It is spoken after the manner of men, when they have made an engagement, that they will do such a thing; it may be out of their mind, but if you remind them of it by a token, then they will recover their memory, and do according to their engagement. Now, saith God, I will take it upon myself, to remind myself. And when he remembers the covenant, what will he do? Then I will restrain my wrath and indignation, and I will destroy the earth no more. The withholding of troubles, judgments, and desolations, is laid in God's remembering of the covenant. It is all comprised together, Luke i. 72-75. To perform the mercy promised to our fathers, and to remember his holy covenant, the oath which he sware to our father Abraham that he would grant unto us, that we being delivered out of the hand of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.' All deliverance from our enemies, of whom we are afraid; all communication of grace and of spiritual strength, to enable us to serve God in holiness and righteousness; it all springs from this, God's remembering of his covenant.

Now he that retreats to God in his distresses, reminds God of his covenant; Thou saidst thou wouldst do me good.' And the bringing forth of God's word of promise, is as good a token as his own bringing forth the bow in the cloud. And this is the foundation of all the good he doth for us or in us.

Thirdly, 'What is there in the covenant, that God doth thus remember,' that will give us relief in times of distress, and in our prospect of future calamities that may befall us? and what are we to have regard unto, that may give us that relief? I answer,

1. God himself is in it; there lies the nature of it. When he came to make it with Abraham, 'I am God Almighty,' saith he: He doth not speak a word there what he will do for Abraham, but I am God Almighty;' he leaves it there, then requires his obedience, 'Walk before me, and be thou perfect.' Abraham shall rest in this, that God himself is in the covenant; for the rest that is to be done, trust me with it, I take that upon myself. And, saith he, Hos. ii. 23.

They shall be my people, and I will be their God.' Here we have the eternal fountain and spring of all relief (if our houses are not so as we could desire), that is, God himself. So that, if there be any thing in the nature of God, in his infinite, eternal excellency, that is suited to the relief of a soul, he hath made his covenant sufficient to convey it unto the souls of believers. And what we come short of, is not for want of fulness in the fountain, and ability in the means of conveyance, but for want of faith to receive it.

2. Christ is in the covenant, Gal. iii. 16. To Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ.' In all the promises made to Abraham, Christ as the seed, was intended, so that Christ shall be theirs with all his benefits. This is also in it. And,

3. All the promises of God are in it, which are in unspeakable variety, as effects of infinite wisdom, suited unto the wants that may befall us in this world. So, as that it is utterly impossible that any believer should ever want any thing, that there is not grace in one promise or other suited unto that want. They all belong unto the covenant. Consider the fountain of it, God himself, who is inexhaustible in stores of help and grace: consider the means of procuring; Christ is in it, who hath purchased for us every thing that is needful; and, lastly, consider the means of communication, which are the promises; so that there is nothing wanting for our relief.

Fourthly, If we would have relief in the covenant, let us consider our own entering into covenant with God, and what is comprised therein. Whosoever entereth into covenant with God, he doth accept God to be his God, for all the ends of the covenant whatever. And he that will retreat for relief unto the covenant, must stand to the covenant. And in this acceptance of God to be our God, there are two things:

1. An absolute renunciation of all expectation of any help for the ends of the covenant, from any other thing whatsoever. For what we look for therein (and therein we look for all), there is to be an express renunciation of any expectation from any thing else to that end and purpose. So do they in Jer. iii. 22, 23. Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God. Truly in vain is salvation hoped

for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel.' Things are called hills and mountains, because they make a great and goodly appearance of help and relief. The people here are directed to take up their relief in God alone; 'We come unto thee, for thou art the Lord our God.' What is required hereunto? Why, an absolute renunciation of all help and assistance from the hills, and from the mountains. And one great reason why we are so slow in drinking in that relief, which God is so willing to give out unto us, is, because we are still casting our eyes towards the hills and mountains, looking this way and that way for something that may give us relief; but it is in vain, there is an absolute renunciation of all other help included in accepting of God to be our God in covenant. So Hos. xiv. 3. 'Ashur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods: for in thee the fatherless findeth mercy.' And if there hath not been a solemn renunciation of other helps in our covenant with God, it is no wonder we do so halt as we do, between God and the world, when we come to our straits and distresses. Where this hath been firm in the soul, and he is nakedly cast upon God as a poor fatherless creature, to find mercy in him; and goes to him and saith, Truly thou art our God, in thee is our help; that soul shall not fail of such supplies as shall be needful for him in his condition. This leads to observe,

The next thing to be done is, an actual resting upon God,' or casting of ourselves upon him for all things.

Where these things are not, we do, in speaking of the covenant, but flatter God with our lips. There is no solemn covenant between God and us. This God required when he came to Abraham; saith he, Fear not, Abraham: Why so? 'I am thy shield, and exceeding great reward.' Why so? Consider the condition of Abraham, and you will see what reason there was for God to give himself that title in this renewing of the covenant unto him. Abraham was in a wandering condition up and down the world, exposed to dangers, injuries, distresses from every hand. He knew not whether there was the fear of God in any place where he came. Fear not, Abraham,' saith God, I am thy shield,' trust me for thy protection, trust me for thy deliverance out