of the grace and mercy of God, manifested in Christ Jesus, his condescension to enter into a covenant with sinful men, and readiness, upon his people’s repentance, to pardon their former breaches; from the consideration of this transcendently free grace, an humble and sincere covenanter will be transported into an ecstacy of wonder and admiration; as the church is, Mic. vii. 18, 19, 20—­“Who is a God like unto thee, that pardoneth iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the remnant of his heritage?” &c.

5.  Dependency and recumbency upon the Lord by faith, for strength to perform covenant engagements, is requisite to right covenanting, Isa. xxvii. 5—­“Let him take hold of my strength, that he may make peace with me; and he shall make peace with me.”  This is to “take hold of” God’s covenant, Isa. lvi. 4.

6.  Affection to God and the duties whereunto we engage, is requisite to right covenanting, and that in its flower and vigour, height and supremacy.  Thus, 2 Chron. xv. 12, 15, Asa and the people “entered into a covenant, to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart, and with all their soul:—­And all Judah rejoiced at the oath; for they had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire.”  They had an affection to the work, and did it with complacency, not in dissimulation, so as not to design to perform it:  nor through compulsion, with an eye to secular profit or preferment, as many in these lands did.

7.  It is necessary, in order to right covenanting, that the work be gone about with a firm purpose and resolution (through grace enabling us) to adhere to our covenant engagements, notwithstanding whatever opposition and persecution we may meet with from the world for so doing, and whatever difficulties and discouragements may arise from the multitude of those, who prove unsteadfast in, or foully forsake their covenant.  We must stand to our covenant, as it is said of Josiah, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 32, that “he caused all that were present in Judah and Benjamin, to stand to” the covenant, which implies as well a firm resolution to perform, as consent to engage, as in the latter part of the verse, it is remarked, that “the inhabitants of Jerusalem did according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers;” where doing according to the covenant is exegetical of standing to it. David also joins the resolution of performance with swearing; Psal. cxix. 106.  “I have sworn, and I will perform, that I will keep thy righteous judgments.”

From the doctrine thus confirmed and explained, he drew this inference, by way of information, that seeing it is a people’s duty, who have broken covenant with the Lord, to engage themselves again to him, by renewing their covenant, that it is not arbitrary for us (as many are apt to think) to renew, or not to renew our covenant; but that there is a plain and positive necessity for our repenting and returning again to the Lord, by entering anew into covenant