is, because it is a solemn and serious thing to enter into covenant with
God; a matter of such great weight and importance, that it is impossible
but God should be exceedingly provoked with these that slight it, and
disrespect it. The vow in baptism is the first, the most general, and
the solemnest that any Christian took, saith Chrysostom; wherein he doth
not only promise, but engage himself by covenant in the sight of God,
and His holy angels, to be the servant of Jesus Christ; and therefore
God will not hold him guiltless, that breaks this vow. The solemnity and
weightiness of covenant-taking consisteth in three things. 1. Because it
is made with the glorious majesty of heaven and earth, who will not be
trifled and baffled withal; and therefore, what Jehoshaphat said to his
judges, "Take heed what ye do: for ye judge not for men, but for the
Lord, who is with you in the judgment. Wherefore now, let the fear of
the Lord be upon you," the like I may say to every one that enters into
covenant this day; "Take heed what ye do; for it is the Lord's covenant,
and there is no iniquity with the Lord: wherefore now, let the fear of
the Lord be upon you; for our God is a holy God, He is a jealous God,
He will not forgive your transgressions, nor your sins." 2. Because the
articles of the covenant are weighty, and of great importance. In the
covenant of grace, God engageth Himself to give Christ, and with Him all
temporal, spiritual, and eternal blessings, and we engage ourselves to
be His faithful servants all our days. In this covenant, we oblige
ourselves to do great matters, that nearly concern the glory of God, the
good of our souls, and the happiness of the three kingdoms. And in such
holy and heavenly things, which so nearly concern our everlasting
estate, to dally and trifle must needs incense the anger of the great
Jehovah. 3. The manner used both by Jews, heathens and Christians in
entering into covenant, doth clearly set out the weightiness of it, and
what a horrible sin it is to break it. The custom among the Jews, will
appear by divers texts of scripture. It is said, "And I will give the
men that have transgressed my covenant, which they had made before me,
when they cut the calf in twain, and passed between the parts thereof."
The words they used when they passed between the parts, were "So God
divide me, if I keep not covenant." Nehemiah took an oath of the
priests, and shook his lap, and said, "So God shake out every man from
his house, and from his labour, that performeth not this promise; even
thus be he shaken out and emptied. And all the congregation said, Amen."
Abraham divided the heifer, and she-goat, and a ram. "And when the sun
was down, a smoking furnace, and a burning lamp, passed between these
pieces." This did represent God's presence, saith Clemens Alexandrinus,
and as if God should say, "Behold, this day I enter into covenant with
thee, and if thou keepest covenant, I will be as a burning lamp to
enlighten, and to comfort thee: but if thou breakest covenant, I will be
like a smoking furnace to consume thee." Thus also Moses makes a
covenant with Israel, and offers sacrifices, and takes the blood of the
sacrifices and divides it, and half of it he sprinkles upon the altar,
(which represents God's part) and the other half he sprinkles upon the
people, as if he should say, "As this blood is divided, so will God
divide you, if ye break covenant." This was the custom among the Jews,
amongst the Romans. Sometimes they make covenants by taking a stone in
their hands, and saying, "If I make this covenant seriously and
faithfully, then let the great Jupiter bless me; if not so, let me be
cast away from the face of the gods, as I cast away this stone." This
was called _jurare per Jovem lapidem_. All these things are not empty
notions and metaphorical shadows, but real and substantial practices;
signifying unto us, that God will and must (for it stands with His
honour to do it) divide and break them in pieces that break covenant
with Him. This day you are to take a covenant by the lifting up of your
hands unto the most high God, which is a most emphatical ceremony,
whereby we do as it were call God to be a witness and a judge of what we
do, and a rewarder or revenger, according as we keep or break this
covenant. If we keep it, the lifting up of our hands will be as an
evening sacrifice; if we break it, the lifting up our hands will be as
the lifting up of the hands of a malefactor at the bar, and will procure
woe and misery, and wringing of hands at the great day of appearing.
The Third reason why God will be avenged of those that are
covenant-breakers, is: Because that a covenant is the greatest
obligation and the most forcible claim that can be invented to tie us to
obedience and service. God may justly challenge obedience without
covenanting, by virtue of creation, preservation and redemption: He hath
made us, and, when lost, He hath purchased us with His blood. But being
willing more abundantly to manifest His love, that we be the more
fastened to Him, He hath tied Himself to us, and us to Him, by the
strong bond of a covenant: as if God should say, Oh ye sons of men! I
see you are rebellious and sons of Belial, and therefore, if it be
possible, I will make sure. I will engage you unto Me, not only by
creation, preservation and redemption, but also by the right of covenant
and association. I will make you Mine by promise and oath. And surely he
that will break these bonds is as bad as the man possessed with the
devil in the gospel, whom no chains could keep fast. When we enter into
covenant with God, we take the oath of supremacy, and swear unto Him,
that He should be our chief lord and governor, and that we will admit of
no sovereign power or jurisdiction, but that God shall be all in all. We
likewise take the oath of allegiance, to be His servants and vassals,
and that He shall be our supreme in spirituals and temporals. Now, for a
Christian that believes there is a God, to break both these oaths of
allegiance and supremacy, it is cursed treason against the God of
heaven, which surely God will be avenged of. Amongst the Romans, when
any soldier was pressed, he took an oath to serve the captain
faithfully, and not to forsake him, and he was called _miles per
sacramentum_. Sometimes one took an oath for all the rest, and the
others only said, the same oath that A.B. took, the same do I. And these
were called _milites per conjurationem_. And when any soldier forsook
his captain, he had the martial law executed upon him. Thus it is with
every Christian: he is a professed soldier of Christ, he hath taken
press-money, he hath sworn and taken the sacrament upon it to become the
Lord's, he is _miles per sacramentum_, and _miles per conjurationem_:
and if he forsake his captain and break covenant, the great Lord of
Hosts will be avenged of him, as it is written, "Cursed be the man that
obeyeth not the words of the covenant." To break covenant is a sin of
perjury, which is a sin of an high nature; and if for oaths the land
mourneth, much more for breach of oaths. To break covenant is a sin of
spiritual adultery; for by covenanting with God, we do as it were,
"join ourselves in marriage to God," as the Hebrew word signifieth. Now,
to break the marriage knot is a sin for which God may justly give a bill
of divorce to a nation. To break covenant is a sin of injustice; for by
our covenant we do enter, as it were, into bond to God, and engage
ourselves as a creditor to his debtor; now the sin of injustice is a
land-destroying sin.
The Fourth reason why God must needs be avenged on those that are
covenant-breakers, is, It is an act of the highest sacrilege that can be
committed. For, by virtue of the covenant, the Lord lays claim to us as
His peculiar inheritance. "I sware unto thee, and entered into covenant
with thee, and thou becamest Mine." "I will be their God, and they shall
be My people." It is a worthy observation, that in the covenant there is
a double surrender, one on God's part, and another on our part. God
Almighty makes a surrender of Himself, and of his Son, and of the Holy
Ghost. Behold, saith God, I am wholly thy God; all My power, and mercy,
and goodness, all is thine; My Son is thine, and all His rich purchases;
My Spirit is thine, and all His graces: this is God's surrender. On our
part, when we take hold of the covenant, we make a delivery of our
bodies and souls into the hands of God; we choose Him to be our Lord and
Governor, we resign up ourselves into His hands. Lord, we are Thine at
Thy disposing: we alienate ourselves, and make a deed of gift of
ourselves, and give Thee lock and key of head, heart, and affections.
This is the nature of every religious covenant, but especially of the
covenant of grace. But now, for a Christian to call in, as it were, his
surrender, to disclaim his resignation, to steal away himself from God,
and lay claim to himself after his alienation; to fulfil his own lusts,
to walk after his own ways, to do what he lists, and not what he hath
covenanted to do, and so to rob God of what is His: this is the highest
degree of sacrilege, which God will never suffer to go unpunished. And
surely if the stick-gatherer, that did but alienate a little of God's
time; and Ananias and Sapphira, that withheld but some part of their
estate: and if Belshazzar for abusing the consecrated vessels of the
temple, were so grievously punished; how much more will God punish those
that alienate themselves from the service of that God to whom they have
sworn to be obedient? It is observed by a learned author, of the famous
commanders of the Romans, that they never prospered after they had
defiled and robbed the temple of Jerusalem. First, Pompey the Great,
went into the _sanctum sanctorum_, a place never before entered by any
but the high-priest, and the Lord blasted him in all his proceedings,
"that he that before that time wanted earth to overcome, had not at last
earth enough to bury him withal." The next was Crassus, who took away
10,000 talents of gold from the temple, and afterward died, by having
gold poured down his throat. The third was Cassius, who afterwards
killed himself. If then God did thus avenge Himself of those that
polluted His consecrated temple; much more will He not leave them
unpunished, that are the living temples of the Holy Ghost, consecrated
to God by covenant, and afterwards proving sacrilegious, robbing God of
that worship and service, which they have sworn to give Him.
The Fifth reason why this sin makes the times perilous, is; Because
covenant-breakers are reckoned amongst the number of those that have the
mark of reprobation upon them. I do not say that they are all
reprobates, yet I say, that the apostle makes it to be one of those sins
which are committed by those that are given up "to a reprobate mind."
The words are spoken of the heathen, and are to be understood of
covenants made between man and man; and then the argument will hold _a
fortiori_. If it be the brand of a reprobate to break covenant with man,
much more a covenant made with the great Jehovah by the lifting up of
our hands to heaven.
The Last reason is, because it is a sin against such infinite mercy. It
is said, "Which my covenant they brake, although I was an husband unto
them;" that is, although I had chosen them for my spouse, and married
myself unto them with an everlasting covenant of mercy, and entailed
heaven unto them, yet they have broken my covenant. This was a great
provocation. Thus, "When thou wast in thy blood, and no eye pitied thee,
to have compassion upon thee, I said unto thee when thou wast in thy
blood, Live: Yea, I said unto thee, Live." It is twice repeated. As if
God should say, "Mark it, O Israel, when no eye regarded thee, then I
said unto thee, Live." Behold, saith God, "Thy time was the time of
love." Behold, and wonder at it. "And I spread my skirt over thee, and
covered thy nakedness: yea, I sware unto thee, and entered into covenant
with thee, saith the Lord, and thou becamest Mine." And yet for all
this, thou has sinned grievously against Me. "Wo, wo unto thee, saith
the Lord God."
There is a fivefold mercy in the covenant, especially in the covenant of
grace, that makes the sin of covenant-breaking to be so odious.
1. It is a mercy that the great God will vouchsafe to enter into
covenant with dust and ashes. As David saith in another case, "Is it a
light thing to be the son-in-law of a king?" So may I say, "Is it a
light matter for the Lord of heaven and earth to condescend so far as to
covenant with His poor creatures, and thereby to become their debtors,
and to make them, as it were, His equals?" When Jonathan and David
entered into a covenant of friendship, though one was a king's son, the
other a poor shepherd, yet there was a kind of equality between them.
But this must be understood warily, according to the text. "Blessed be
God, who hath called us unto the fellowship of His Son Jesus Christ our
Lord." He is still our Lord, though in fellowship with us. It is a
covenant of infinite condescension on God's part, whereby He enters into
a league of friendship with His people.
2. The mercy is the greater, because this covenant was made after the
fall of Adam. After we had broken the first covenant, that the Lord
should try us the second time, is not only an act of infinite goodness
of God, but of infinite mercy. There is a difference between the
goodness and the mercy of God. Goodness may be shewed to those that are
not in misery: but mercy supposeth misery. And this was our condition
after the breach of the first covenant.
3. That God should make this covenant with man, and not with devils.
4. This sets out the mercy of the covenant, because it contains such
rare and glorious benefits, and therefore it is called a covenant of
life and peace. "An everlasting covenant even the sure mercies of
David." It is compared to the waters of Noah, Isa. liv. 6. Famous are
those two texts; Exod. xix. 5, 6; Jer. xxxii. 40, 41--texts that hold
forth strong consolation. By virtue of the covenant, heaven is not only
made possible, but certain to all believers, and certain by way of oath.
It is by virtue of the covenant that we call Him Father, and may lay
claim to all the power, wisdom, goodness and mercy, that are in God. As
Jehoshaphat told the king of Israel, to whom he was joined in covenant,
"I am as thou art, my people as thy people, my horses as thy horses:" so
doth God say to all that are in covenant with Him, "My power is thine,
My holiness is thine." By virtue of this covenant, whatsoever thou
wantest, God cannot deny it thee, if it be good for thee. Say unto God,
Lord, Thou hast sworn to take away my heart of stone, and to give me a
heart of flesh, Thou hast sworn to write Thy law in my heart, Thou hast
sworn to circumcise my heart, Thou hast sworn to give me Christ, to be
my king, priest and prophet. And God cannot but be a covenant-keeper.
By virtue of this covenant, God cannot but accept of a poor penitent
sinner, laying hold upon Christ for pardon. In a word, we may challenge
pardon and heaven by our covenant. God is not only merciful but just to
forgive us; we may challenge heaven through Christ, out of justice. And
5. That the condition of the covenant on our part should be upon such
easy terms, therefore it is called a covenant of free grace, and all
that God requires of us is to take hold of this covenant; to receive
this gift of righteousness; to take all Christ, as He is tendered in the
covenant; and, that which is the greatest consolation of all, God hath
promised in His covenant to do our part for us. Therefore it is called a
testament, rather than a covenant. In the New Testament, the word
_diatheke_, is always used by the apostle, and not _syntheke_. Heaven is
conveyed into the elect by way of legacy. It is part of God's testament,
to write His law in our hearts, and to cause us to walk in His ways. Put
these together, seeing there is such infinite mercy in the covenant. A
mercy, for God to enter into covenant with us, to do it with us, and not
the angels; with us fallen, with us upon, such easy terms, and to make
such a covenant that contains so many, and not only so but all blessings
here and hereafter, in the womb of it. It must needs be a
land-destroying, and soul-destroying sin, to be a covenant-breaker.
The use and application of this doctrine is fourfold. 1. Of information.
If it be such a land-destroying sin to be a covenant-breaker, let us
from hence learn the true cause of all the miseries that have happened
unto England in these late years. The womb out of which all our
calamities are come--England hath broken covenant with God, and now God
is breaking England in pieces, even as a potter breaks a vessel in
pieces. "God hath sent His sword to avenge the quarrel of His covenant,"
as Christ whipped the buyers and sellers out of the temple, with whips
made of the cords which they had brought to tie their oxen and sheep
withal. A covenant is a cord to tie us to God; and now God hath made an
iron whip of that covenant which we have broken asunder, to whip us
withal.
We are a nation in covenant with God, we have the books of the covenant,
the Old and New Testament; we have the seals of the covenant, baptism,
and the Lord's supper; we have the messengers of the covenant, the
ministers of the Gospel; we have the angel of the covenant, the Lord
Jesus Christ, fully, freely, and clearly set out before us in the
ministry of the word: but alas! are not these blessings amongst us, as
the ark was amongst the Philistines, rather as prisoners, than as
privileges, rather _in testimonium et ruinam, quam in salutem_; rather
for our ruin, than for our happiness? May it not be said of us, as
reverend Mulin said of the French protestants, "While they burned us
(saith he) for reading the scriptures, we burned with zeal to be reading
of them; now with our liberty is bred also negligence and disesteem of
God's word." So is it with us, while we were under the tyranny of
bishops; Oh! how sweet was a fasting day? How beautiful were the feet of
them that brought the gospel of peace unto you? How dear and precious
were God's people one to another? But now, how are our fasting days
slighted and vilified? How are the people of God divided one from
another, railing upon (instead of loving) one another? And is not the
godly ministry as much persecuted by the tongues of some that would be
accounted godly, as heretofore by the bishop's hands? Is not the Holy
Bible by some rather wrested than read? Wrested, I say, by ignorant and
unstable souls, to their own destruction? And as for the seals of the
covenant, 1. For the Lord's supper, how oft have we spilt the blood of
Christ by our unworthy approaches to His table? And hence it is, that He
is now spilling our blood; how hard a matter is it, to obtain power to
keep the blood of Christ from being profaned by ignorant and scandalous
communicants? And can we think, that God will be easily entreated to
sheath up His bloody sword, and to cease shedding our blood? 2. For the
sacrament of baptism; how cruel are men grown to their little infants,
by keeping of them from the seal of entrance into the kingdom of heaven,
and making their children to be just in the same condition with the
children of Turks and Infidels? I remember, at the beginning of these
wars there was a great fear fell upon godly people about their little
children, and all their care was for their preservation and their
safety; and for the continuance of the gospel to them. But now, our
little children are likely to be in a worse condition than ever. And all
this is come upon us as a just punishment of our baptismal
covenant-breaking. And as for Jesus Christ, who is the angel of the
covenant: are there not some amongst us that ungod Jesus Christ? And is
it not fit and equal that God should unchurch us and unpeople us? Are
there not thousands that have sworn to be Christ's servants, and yet are
in their lives the vassals of sin and Satan? And shall not God be
avenged of such a nation as this? These things considered, it is no
wonder our miseries are so great, but the wonder is that they are not
greater.
2. An use of examination. Days of humiliation ought to be days of
self-examination. Let us therefore upon such a day as this, examine,
whether we be not amongst the number of those that make the times
perilous, whether we be not covenant-breakers? Here I will speak of
three covenants; 1. Of the covenant we have made with God in our
baptism. 2. Of the covenant we have made with God in our distresses. 3.
And especially of this covenant you are to renew this day.
1. Of the covenant which we made in baptism, and renew every time we
come to the Lord's supper, and upon our solemn days of fasting. There
are none here, but I may say of them, "the vows of God are upon you."
You are _servi nati, empti, jurati_, you are the born, bought, and sworn
servants of God, you have made a surrender of yourselves unto God and
Christ. The question I put to you is this: How often have you broken
covenant with God? It is said, "The sinners in Zion are afraid; who
shall dwell with everlasting torments? Who shall dwell with devouring
fire?" When God comes to a church-sinner, to a sinner under the Old
Testament, much more to a Christian sinner, a sinner under the New
Testament, and layeth to his charge his often covenant-breaking,
fearfulness shall possess him, and he will cry out, "Oh! woe is me, who
can dwell with everlasting burnings? Our God is a consuming fire, and we
are as stubble before Him; who can stand before His indignation? Who can
abide in the fierceness of His anger? When His fury is poured forth like
fire, and the rocks are thrown down before Him. Who can stand?" Of all
sorts of creatures, a sinful Christian shall not be able to stand before
the Lord, when He comes to visit the world for their sins. For when a
Christian sins against God, he sins not only against the commandment but
against the covenant. And in every sin he is a commandment-breaker, and
a covenant-breaker. And therefore, whereas the apostle saith,
"tribulation and anguish upon every soul that sinneth: but first upon
the Jews," I may add, first, upon the Christian, then upon the Jew, and
then upon the Grecian, because the covenant made with the Christian is
called a better covenant: and therefore his sins have a higher
aggravation in them. There is a notable passage in Austin, in which he
brings in the devil thus pleading with God, against a wicked Christian
at the day of judgment. Oh! Thou righteous Judge, give righteous
judgment; judge him to be mine who refused to be Thine, even after he
had renounced me in his baptism; what had he to do to wear my livery?
What had he to do with gluttony, drunkenness, pride, wantonness,
incontinency, and the rest of my ware? All these things he hath
practised, since he renounced the devil and all his works. Mine he is,
judge righteous judgment; for he whom Thou hast not disdained to die
for, hath obliged himself to me by his sins.
Now, what can God say to this charge of the devil's, but take him,
devil, seeing he would be thine; take him, torment him with everlasting
torments. Cyprian brings in the devil thus speaking to Christ in the
great day of judgment. I have not (saith the devil) been whipped, and
scourged, and crucified, neither have I shed my blood for those whom
Thou seest with me; I do not promise them a kingdom of heaven, and yet
these men have wholly consecrated themselves to me and my service.
Indeed, if the devil could make such gainful covenants with us, and
bestow such glorious mercies upon us as are contained within the
covenant, our serving of Satan and sin might have some excuse. But,
whereas his covenant is a covenant of bondage, death, hell, and
damnation; and God's covenant is a covenant of liberty, grace, and
eternal happiness, it must needs be a sin inexcusable to be willingly
and wilfully such a covenant-breaker.
2. Let us examine concerning the vows which we have made to God in our
distresses; in our personal distresses, and our national distresses. Are
we not like the children of Israel, of whom it is said, "When He slew
them, then they sought Him, and they returned and inquired early after
God. Nevertheless they did flatter Him with their mouth. For their heart
was not right with Him, neither were they stedfast in His covenant." Are
we not like little children that, while they are being whipped, will
promise any thing; but, when the whipping is over, will perform nothing?
Or like unto iron that is very soft and malleable while it is in the
fire, but, when it is taken out of the fire, returns presently to its
former hardness? This was Jacob's fault: he made a vow when he was in
distress, but he forgot his covenant, and God was angry with him, and
chastised him in his daughter, Dinah, and in his two sons, Simeon and
Levi; and at last God Himself was fain to call him from heaven to keep
covenant; and after that time God blessed Jacob exceedingly. We read of
David, that he professes of himself, "That he would go to God's house,
and pay the vows which his lips uttered, and his mouth had spoken, when
he was in trouble." But, how few are there that imitate David in this
thing.
3. Let us examine ourselves concerning this Solemn League and Covenant
which we are to renew this day. And here I demand an answer to this
question. Quest. Are we not covenant-breakers? Do we not make the times
perilous by our falsifying of our oath and covenant with God? In our
covenant we swear to six things.
1. "That we will endeavour to be humbled for our own sins, and for the
sins of the kingdom:" But where shall we find a mourner in England for
his own abominations, and for the abominations that are committed in the
midst of us? It is easy to find a censurer of the sins of the land, but
hard to find a true mourner for the sins of the land.
2. We swear "that we will endeavour to go before one another in the
example of a real reformation." But who makes conscience of this part of
the oath? What sin hast thou left, or in what one thing hast thou
reformed since thou didst take this covenant? We read, "That they
entered into a covenant to put away their wives and children by them,"
which was a very difficult and hard duty, and yet they did it. But what
bosom-sin, what beloved sin, as dear to thee as thy dear wife and
children, hast thou left for God's sake, since thou tookest this oath? I
read, That the people took an oath to make restitution, which was a
costly duty, and yet they performed it. But alas! where is the man that
hath made restitution of his ill-gotten goods since he took this
covenant? I read, that king Asa deposed his mother Maachah, her even,
from being queen, after he had entered into covenant: and that the
people, after they had sworn a covenant, brake in pieces all the altars
of Baal thoroughly. But where is this thorough reformation. We say, we
fight for a reformation, but I fear lest in a little time, we fight away
our reformation. Or, if we fight it not away, yet we should dispute it
away. For all our religion is turned into questions, in so much that
there are some that call all religion into question, and in a little
while will lose all religion in the crowd of questions. There was a time
not many years ago, when God did bless our ministry in the city, to the
conversion of many people unto God; but now there are many that study
more to gain parties to themselves, than to gain souls to God. The great
work of conversion is little thought on, and never so few, if any at
all, converted as in these days wherein we talk so much of reformation.
And is this to keep covenant with God?
3. We swear "to endeavour to amend our lives, and reform not only
ourselves, but also those that are under our charge." But where is that
family reformation? Indeed I read of Jacob that when he went to perform
his vow and covenant, he first reformed his family. And that Joshua
resolved, and performed it, "for himself and his family to serve the
Lord." And so did Josiah. And oh! that I could add, And so do we. But
the wickedness committed in our families proclaims the contrary to all
the world. What noblemen, what aldermen, what merchants, families, are
more reformed since the covenant than before? We speak and contend much
for a church-reformation, but how can there be a church-reformation,
unless there be a family-reformation? What though the church-worship be
pure, yet if the worshippers be impure, God will not accept of the
worship? And if families be not reformed, how will your worshippers be
pure?