of danger. But, saith Abraham, I am engaged in a long and wearisome pilgrimage; and now, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless.' Men will labour and take pains for their posterity in an ordinary way. Abraham had not only that thought about his posterity, but also about the promise: Why, saith God, 'I am thy reward;' a sufficient reward unto thee for all thy labour and travail, and sufferings. We would be glad to be freed from danger, freed from trouble in our pilgrimage, which encompasses us on every hand: and there is none of us, but would be glad to see some reward, some prosperity of the church of God in this world, and deliverance from trouble. But if we truly enter into covenant with God, we are to take him as a full satisfaction for all our dangers, for all our labours, though we see not the fruit of them in this world. He that enters into covenant with God, takes God for his protection and reward, and him alone. Had we but the power of these things in our hearts, it would alleviate all our troubles, and ease us under all our dangers, fears, distresses, and disappointments.

Fifthly, If we would find relief in the covenant, we may do well to consider upon what terms we did enter into covenant with God. Now entering into covenant with God, is twofold;

1. It may be explicit, as when it comes to these express terms mentioned, Hos. iii. 3. Thou shalt not be for another man: so will I also be for thee.' Some persons have laid the foundation of their obedience in direct express covenanting with God. And,

2. Sometimes it is implicitly wrought; as where God in the conversion of men, deals with them as he saith he will do with the church, Hos. ii. 14. 'I will allure them into the wilderness, and there speak comfortably unto them.' God by little and little, various workings and reasonings of the Spirit by the word upon the heart and affections, doth allure them from their former state, draws them aside to himself in the wilderness, there treats with them, and by little and little speaks comfort unto them; and so at length makes up the marriage covenant, which he mentions in ver. 19, and 'betroths them to himself for ever.' So it is with many: God hath, as to this covenant with himself, allured them, though

it would be useful, if not needful, for such persons, solemnly and expressly upon some occasions to renew their covenant with God as Jacob did.

Now as to those whom God hath thus taken into covenant, whom he hath thus allured, there are always these two things upon their minds, in their thus entering into covenant with God, which we may do well to consider and remember.

(1.) That they do surely accept God in Christ for himself, and make no conditions about peace and prosperity, and freedom from trouble in this world. Naaman made a reserve, that he would bow in the house of Rimmon, and that spoiled his whole covenant. Whoever hath in sincerity thus engaged in covenant with God, his own soul will bear him witness that he made no condition, had no reserve. And the proffer of any one condition to God or Christ whatever, is enough to ruin the whole marriage contract he tenders to us. Now for a man to faint and sink under any thing that befalls him, let him retreat unto the covenant, and inquire there whether ever he made a condition against it, against imprisonment, banishment, poverty, losses, troubles, distresses: did he say, if God would keep him from all these? God made no such condition with him. What God hath actually engaged before in promise, that we may plead with him as a condition, for Jacob did so; If thou wilt be with me, and bless me.' God had given him that promise; 'Thou saidst, I will deal well with thee, and I will surely do thee good;' but not else.

(2.) You may remember, with what affections you engaged unto God. It is a marriage covenant; Jer. iii. 14. ‘I am married unto you,' saith God; and Isa. liv. 5. 'Thy Maker is thy husband; the Lord of hosts is his name.' And there is nothing more eminent in the marriage covenant, than a mighty prevalency of affection. I should much doubt whether I had really entered into covenant with God, if I had never found any thing of entire marriage affections towards God in Christ for himself. That soul that can under his distresses repair to some sense and experience of the prevalency of his affections in it formerly, it will relieve him against all his troubles, and only make him cry out for such affections unto God again: that will fully satisfy, when they are drawn out unto him. The remembrance and call

ing over of these things, will greatly relieve and support a soul, whatever its distress or perplexity may be.

Sixthly, I have one consideration more, which is the last I shall insist upon; and that is, to consider in this covenant, whereunto I make my retreat, Who it is that hath made it with me.' And therein I would consider two things; the one whereof will have the endearment of admiration, and the other will have full and plenary satisfaction.

Why, it is God that hath made this covenant with us: he hath made with me, saith David. If a great, a mighty king and prince of the earth, had made a covenant with us, and confirmed it solemnly by his oath to take care of all our concerns; so carnal, and so fleshly are we, that it would give us great relief against imminent danger and hazards. But who hath made this covenant with us? God hath made it; and two things are considerable in this: 1. His condescension in entering into this covenant; 2. His sufficiency to satisfy us in it.

1. His condescension. And we may consider the condescension of God, upon the account of his greatness, upon the account of his holiness, and upon the account of his self-sufficiency.

(1.) Upon the account of his greatness. You may observe in sundry places, that where God doth mention his covenant, or the fruits of his covenant, he doth oftentimes mention his greatness with it. So, Isa. lvii. 15. Thus saith the Lord, the high and lofty One, that inhabiteth eternity; I will dwell with him also' (which is God's covenant) 'that is of a contrite and humble spirit.' The high and lofty One will condescend to dwell with the poor and humble. And Stephen, Acts vii. 2. mentioning God's calling of Abraham, saith he, 'The God of glory appeared unto our father Abraham.' That the high and the lofty One, the great and the glorious God, should enter into this covenant with poor dust and ashes, worms of the earth as we are! the Lord help us to understand it. Condescension is endearing and satisfying we find it so among men. If a man that is great in the world, doth but condescend to respect and be familiar towards them that are poor, that are beggars, it is looked upon as a very great matter, and doth wonderfully engage such persons to them that thus condescend. But let that

distance be what it will that is between the highest and greatest king and the meanest beggar, they are men still; and, upon some accounts, the meanest may be the better. But there is an infinite distance between God and us, between the high and the lofty One, the glorious God, the possessor of heaven and earth, and poor dust and ashes: that he should take us into covenant, and engage himself by oath for the accomplishment of it; and should accept of our answering of his covenant, and engaging of our hearts unto him that he should be ours, and that we should be his. No heart can fully conceive this condescension.

But,

(2.) There is greater condescension yet; and that is, his great condescension with respect unto his holiness. It is a great condescension of God, upon the account of his greatness, to enter into covenant with man; but it is a greater condescension for the holy God to enter into covenant with sinful man and therefore, though there was great grace, and great excellency in the first covenant, wherein the Creator entered into covenant with the creature; yet the second covenant is far more excellent and mysterious, where the holy God entered into covenant with sinners. In the first covenant there was no need of a mediator; but when a covenant is made between the holy God and sinners, there comes in the person of Jesus Christ, which shews infinite condescension on the part of God.

(3.) Consider his condescension upon the account of his self-sufficiency. Though God be thus great, and though he be thus holy, yet may he not, however, have some use of poor man? May he not have some need of his service? As the greatest men upon earth have some need of their subjects and tenants, they have a revenue out of them: but God had no need of us at all, or of that service we tender him by virtue of this covenant. Psal. xvi. 2. O my soul, thou hast said unto the Lord, Thou art my Lord;' what then will he do for God: 'my goodness extends not unto thee.' It is true, thou art my God in a way of mere sovereign grace; but what I can do reaches not unto thee. So he saith, Job xxxv. 6-8. 'If thou sinnest, what doest thou against him? or if thy transgressions be multiplied, what doest thou unto him? If thou be righteous, what givest thou him? or what receiveth he of thine hand? Thy wickedness may hurt a

man as thou art; and thy righteousness may profit the Son of man.' God receives no profit, no advantage by it; so that it is an infinite condescension in God with respect to his self-sufficiency, and that upon two accounts; [1.] Upon the absolute, eternal self-sufficiency of his own nature. All the creatures in the world add nothing to God's state of blessedness. He made them, not that he might have advantage by them; but that he might communicate of his own goodness unto them. He was no less infinitely eternally blessed before a creature was made to contemplate his glory, than he is now. [2.] Suppose all those he takes into covenant should fail him, he can out of stones raise up children unto Abraham;' he can bring up another people that may serve him to his praise and glory.

That is the first thing that will greatly refresh our souls under distresses, if we consider God's gracious condescension in taking us into covenant with him, upon the account of his greatness, his holiness, and his self-sufficiency; and it is an endearing condescension. What am I,' said Elizabeth, that the mother of my Lord should come unto me?" Much more may we say, what are we, that the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ should thus come unto us, to take us into covenant with himself?

2. It will be a relief, if we consider God's all-sufficiency to satisfy our souls' in every state and condition. This he made the ground of his covenant with Abrahan; ‘I am God Almighty.' And, if there be any want in God, we are freed from the terms of the covenant; that I may speak it to aggravate the sin of our instability, and the not taking up full satisfaction in him. But is it so ?' saith God, "Have I been a wilderness unto you, or a barren heath? As waters that fail?' Have we, at any time, in our own experience, failed of any thing all our life long hitherto ? Have we wanted any thing? Our want arises because we will not admit, we will not receive; or we long after other things which God is not pleased we should have. There is in God an all-sufficiency of grace and mercy to pardon us; there is an all-sufficiency of spiritual strength to support us and carry us through all our difficulties; there is an all-suffi ciency of goodness and beauty to satisfy us; and there is an all-sufficiency of power and glory to reward us.