A Covenant is the last resort of the godly and wise Christian; and with this, he draws himself neerer Heaven, and closer to that glorious Essence, and the im­mediate flowings and emanation of an Al­mighty power: A Covenant is such an Obligation, as layes [Page 10] an ingagement upon the soule; and as in tossings and storms at sea, the Mariners find out no safer course then by casting out Coards and Anchors, to hold them at some Period; so in civill waves and spirituall fluctuations, there can­not be a more secure experiment, then this of Covenanting, w^ch is like the casting out our Coard and An­chors as they did in S. Pauls storme, Vn­dergirding [Page 11] the Ship, and casting out foure An­chors. Covenants, they are Divine Engines, which the godly have found out to winde up their soules from irre­gular wandrings and strayings, into hea­venly heights and sta­tions, the onely reme­dy, and preventive a­gainst Relapses, and Apostasies; and those vertues & operations the Saints have ever found in Covenants: for such resolutions of [Page 12] soule are but the finer cordage, which the Spirit spins out and twists from the sub­stance of its owne es­sence; and now God and his Angels have something to hold our soules by, even the operations and efflux­es of our own spirits: and though God need none of those, but is able to keepe us up by the immediate and in­distant workings of his holy Spirit, yet he is a God that is plea­sed [Page 13] to take us at our own rebound, and to admit us into that ho­ly consotiation, Wee as workers together with him.

He that covenants with God, by that ve­ry act doth carry up himselfe unto Gods throne, and cites his soule to his Tribunall, and then the majesty of God looks on him with a fuller gleame; & so long as that glo­rious interview conti­nues, or any sparkling [Page 14] or raying of it, man is awed from sinning, and stands trembling like the people of Is­rael, while God ap­peard upon the Mount.

And thus Divine Covenants, as they exalt and situate a soul in more glory then be­fore, even in the glo­rious face of God, so they are the spirituall stayes, and supports, and strengthnings of a soule.

God him selfe first drew forth his owne [Page 15] essence into this course of Covenants to A­braham and Moses, and Joshua, and his peo­ple, and from that Co­venant he went high­er, to one of grace, besides the particular obligations of his, to Noah & other Saints, not as if he received any consolidation or confortation by it, or any such act of cove­nanting that hee had not before; not as if he begun to re-act up­on himself in any new [Page 16] operation (farre be it from his immutable essence) hee was as firme and unchange­able in the eternall im­manency of his own, before ever he passed himselfe abroad into any such act of pacti­on: and therefore he could not shew him­self to man in the like­nesse of any other no­tion, than, I am.

Only he was plea­sed to light us by a beame of his own na­ture, into this duty of [Page 17] holy confederation, & to shew us a new way of spirituall advance­ment and establish­ment: how sacred then? and how invio­lable▪ ought these to be? which are made with a most high God; when even pactions and promises and Co­venants in friendships and lower confedera­tions, are reputed holy.

[Page 18] Thus far of the power of the Covenant upon the soul in that grand and heavenly ingagement; now there is a power reflexive, and that is a returne it makes from Heaven, and in that return it brings with it something of God; for the soule going up thither by a spirituall might and holy violence, brings away from thence graces and blessings, and the resort of many temporall mercies, as when Moses had been looking God in the face, he brought a divine lustre upon his owne, home with him.

We see Nehemiahs Co­venant had excellent con­comitances, [Page 19] the dedication was kept with gladnesse, and singing and Psalteries, and the people offered themselvs willingly, and the businesse at Ierusalem, and all the affaires of Gods house went better on in all the particu­lars. Nehem. 11. 3. 12. 27.

The Covenant of Iudah drew along with it the like blessings; the Lord was found of them and gave them rest; and one more superlative blessing not in­consistent with our calami­ty▪ Maachah was remoued from being Queene, because she had made an Idoll in a grove, 2 Chron. 5. 25, 26.

And for this Covenant [Page 20] of ours I am bold to say, it hath been in heaven alrea­dy; it came not only from thence in its first inspirati­on, but it hath had a return backe, and by the power of that reflexive act, it hath brought downe with it cheerefull concurrencies & contributions in both king­domes, and there are divine stirrings, and movings, and aspirations in the people of late: and as in the Poole of Bethesda the stirrings and troubles in the waters were the only signe of the Angels comming downe: So these waters in both kingdomes, which in the holy Spirits language are people, doe [Page 21] stirre and move more of late, not onely in their highest and supreame repre­sentative, but in their own places, which is an indicati­on of some Divine vertue, descended and co-operating.

THese are such maxims as will make a kingdome ho­ly and happy; for ho­linesse is the founda­tion and basis to all o­ther blessings, and hath a perpetuating quali­ty, and it is such a condition as God takes in at the felicitating of a person or people: Seeke first the kingdome of God, and all things [Page 24] shall be added unto you.

The advancement of Gods kingdom, was alwayes the advance­ment of the kingdome of Israel; and the glo­ry of the one declined and set in the declina­tion of the other: for the Arke and the glo­ry departed together, and both expired at once in a dolefull Ichabod.

The advancement of Christs Kingdome hath been the designe of God from all eter­nity, [Page 25] and it is the de­signe of the godly too: God revealeth his secrets to his servants, and we have the mind of Christ. Now knowing so much of the counsels, and designes, and se­crets, and minde of God, we are carried on by the same Spirit to be aiding to that designe: now though the kingdom of Christ be such a name as im­ports glory and domi­nion, yet it is not a glory of this world, [Page 26] but a spirituall glory seated in bare and sim­ple administrations; such as are foolishnesse to the Greek, and to the Jewes a Rock of offence: and this kingdome of Christ like other Mo­narchies, hath its rise and growth, its ages & improvements, ac­cording to the pro­pheticall latitude, be­ing at no fulnesse nor perfection till the rest of the Monarchies be consumed before it: this is that small ex­crescency [Page 27] advancing out of the Mountaine, and by a power insen­sible exalting it selfe through all oppositi­ons, working through Atheisms, Paganisms, Idolatries, Superstiti­ons, Persecutions, and all the carnall machi­nations, into a lustre glorious, in the judge­ment of those onely, who can spiritually dis­cerne: the advance­ment of this kingdom is onely attainable by a Reformation to the [Page 28] word of God; & here we shall take occasion to part with all the Models and Idea's w^ch are not to be found in holy Scriptures; it is markt there as a grand transgression to walke after the imagination of our owne hearts: and that was laid to Jero­boam's charge, That his Priests, and Sab­baths, and worship, were such as he devised in his own heart: God will indure no such ri­vallity nor conjunct­ures [Page 29] with himselfe: it is an incompleating the worke of God to build his house with our own timber: and as he made this world at first onely after the patterne of his owne counsels, so in this se­cond work of the set­ting up a spiritualll structure for his glo­ry: God thinks none worthy of coordina­tion, in those things wherein his glory shal be sure to suffer in a distribution with his [Page 30] creatures, and his owne Image hath ever plea­sed him best, & there­fore he made the best piece of his creation according to it.

And where this kingdome of Christ is, there is holinesse of Doctrine, holinesse of Government, holiness of Ordinances, holi­nesse of Life; GOD hath had a people at first whom hee made his owne, by speciall adoption, by eminent priviledges, by rare [Page 31] providences, by lawes and institutions, by worship and admini­strations.

And now because darknesse in part is hap­ned to Israel, God will still have a people that shall be his, and have their lawes and usages and forms from him; their guidance & pro­vidences from him.

This kingdome of Christ is a company of godly gathered by his own Spirit, having their Lord and Savi­our [Page 32] in the midst, con­federated by an holy and sacramentall pa­ction, ruled by the law of his will and Spirit; obeying his cōmands, whither in silent inspi­rations or lowder ex­hortations, either by a word behinde us, and a saying, Seeke yee my face; or by outward intimations and inter­pretations of his will, from such wayes of distribution & admi­nistration as hee hath ordained; studying [Page 33] what will adorne the Gospell of Jesus Christ, and those that walke in the light and glory of it, Being trans­formed frō glory to glo­ry, as by the Spirit of the Lord.

Now these princi­ples, viz. The ad­vancement of Christs kingdome, and humi­liation for sinnes, are such as will bring God into this kingdome, and seat him and de­termine his presence, as the Tabernacle and [Page 34] Arke & Temple were the engagements and enthronizations of, & mysterious fixations of Gods divinity.

They are likewise an advancement of the nation too, setting it higher then other na­tions, that was the pre­ferment of the Jewes, That to them the Oracles of God were committed. Therefore they were said to dwell in the light, when other na­tions sat in the Region and shadow of death.

[Page 35] And that principle of reformation accor­ding to the Word of God and the best re­formed Churches, brings us closer to God, and consociates us with heaven, and makes us arrive at the highest mystery, even the deniall of our selves, our owne inventions, will-worship, and su­perstitions; pulling down at once all our relations to Rome and Popery, and working to the patern, so That [Page 36] things which shal be seen shall not bee made of things which do appear: we shal likewise be as­sociated to the Church of Christ, and so in­corporated more cleer­ly and purely and my­stically, into the body of Christ, we shall be now in a capacity w^th them to partake equal­ly of graces and privi­ledges: and thus the kingdom of Christ ga­thers power and lati­tude, and stretches to the breadth of that [Page 37] Prophesie, Of the ful­nesse of the Gentiles, and gathers strength too against the present an­tichristian Monarchy; & by that other prin­ciple of humiliation, we obtain the qualifi­cation and condition for mercy and peace, wee approach into tearms of reconcilia­tion with God; if the wicked forsake his way and the unrighteous man his thoughts, God will forgive and abundantly pardon. What is it that [Page 38] thickens the clowde over us, but the eva­poration and exhalati­on of our sins and ini­quities, For your iniqui­ties have turned away these things, & your sins have with-held good things from you.

HEre lies the pro­pheticall power of it against the Church of Rome, or Antichristian Monar­chy, and the bloody plots and conspiracies are such fresh remem­brances, as seal us to strong and perpetuall endeavours; we can read in the leafs of our former ages their conspiracies still in [Page 40] red Letters, and at this day we have a succes­sion of their bloody Designes, and I con­ceive the rise we take from their own foun­dations in blood, is but in holy parallel to him, into whose remem­brance great Babylon came to give unto her the cup of the wine of the fiercenesse of wrath; and to his own peo­ples resolution, Happy shall he be that reward­eth thee as thou hast served us; and the trea­cheries [Page 41] and tyrannies of Gods enemies have ever drawn along with them this resolution in Gods people; Ama­lek▪ and Ashur, and E­gypt, are standing ex­amples of Divine re­venge.

And for Extirpati­on, it is but a retaliati­on to their own just cruelty, who would raze out the name of Israel, that it should be no more in remembrāce.

And what hath their endeavor in our king­dom [Page 42] of Ireland been, but an eradication of our memories.

And our confede­rations now, cannot but be powerfull in the very notion; Nati­onall Leagues have brought forth great effects in States and Kingdoms, in the mu­tuall aydings and as­sistings; and therefore Israel sent to Syria, and Iudah to Assyria, and Iudah to Israel, and o­ther Kingdoms have sought to one another [Page 43] for such combinati­ons, in any grand En­terprise; That famous Designe of Christen­dom, which was such a universall confede­ratiō against the Turk, onely it was a Designe in a wrong channell; Therefore the more spirituall that Leagues are, the more power­full; that which made Israel so famous in their conquests to Ca­naan, was the Associ­ation of the Tribes, and the Ark of God amongst [Page 44] them, therefore the Philistims cryed out, Woe unto us, the Ark of God is in the camp of the Hebrews; and when they marched with the Ark amongst thē, Iordan vvas driven back, and the moun­tains and little hills were removed, the walls of Iericho fell; And certainely this grand and blessed As­sociation of the three Kingdoms, is a glori­ous portent to the de­struction of Rome it [Page 45] self, carrying amongst them such an Ark and Gospel; this is the first time that ever the Sun saw such a Triple Confederation▪ against the Triple Crown, so many States, so so­lemnly combined a­gainst the Popish Hie­rarchy; this is the time the spirit of God hath set up a Standard; this is a fair rise, and im­provement to the pro­phecy, When the Prin­ces of the earth shall gather themselves toge­ther, [Page 46] and shall agree to make her desolate.

I know there hath been many confedera­tions, but they were narrower then this, and so, opposings, and strong ones too, and by confederacies too; yet those were but sin­gle to this, when our Princes in their eyes appeared in their gra­duall Extirpations, our Henry, and Edward, and Elizabeth, when in Scotland, they against the French power and [Page 47] Idolatry, ayded by a power from this king­dom▪ yet these were not from such strong resolutions, such able Principles, such a sa­cred Covenant; they were but ordinary and civil contributions, & weak strivings, and so had shorter expirati­ons, and relapses, and had little more of Re­ligion, then brought them into the fields, and enabled them to break down Images: The Confederations [Page 48] and Covenants in Ger­many, so many Princes and States entring in­to a solemn Protesta­tion upon Luthers dis­coveries; The Confe­rations of those in Holland, and those States in the Nether­lands; The Confede­ration of those Princes in France; But these had their ebbings and flowings. But now, as if this were the Anti­christian crisis, and as if the Reformation had recovered the Pe­riod [Page 49] of declination, three kingdoms strike into a sacred League; And now methinks I hear the Angel saying to us, The Prince of the kingdom of Persia with­stood me one and twenty dayes, but loe Michael one of your chief Princes came in to help me, and now I am come to make you understand what shal befall in the latter daies; now methinks the set time to favour Sion is come, her servants take pleasure in her stones.

[Page 50] And for the Extirpation of Prelacie, though it be a government rivetted into our Laws and usages; and into the judgments, and Consciences of some, through a mistasten and colluding Divinity, yet let us not like the Iews, lose our Gospel, with holding our Laws too fast; I know this kingdom hath ever been a retentive nation of Customes, and old Consti­tutions, and it parted but sadly with its old Prga­nisme, and with its latter Antichristianisme; in the es [...]lation of Abbies and Priories; And hence it is that Reformations in this Nation, hath been with [Page 51] such little power and du­ration, for we have ever easily gone back with a new successour, never ta­king in so much of the power of godlinesse, as should be able to make us live Protestants to ano­ther succession; and e­specially the Supersti­tions and Idolatries of late, were woven with such strange and plausible Insinuations; Episcopacy was got upon the bottome of mis-interpreted Scri­ptures; and the whole Government upon a pre­tended Antiquity; and the Innovations upon a spirituall Decency and [Page 52] Order; upon an Eccle­siasticall Magistrality, and Reverend Infallibility, and prodigeous Policy; as if theire were no way to bring a Papist to Church, but by going with him to Rome first; if we considr well we shall finde cause enough to remove these as not consistent with the holy simplicity of the Go­spel of Jesus Christ; nor the spiritmall purity; we were then trading with Popery, when we igno­rantly thought, we had not enough to serve us frō the Scriptures of God, now we see they are per­fect, & cōplete in Iesus Xt; let us cast away those weak [Page 53] & beggarly rudimēts, of the which we are now ashamed; & they do not savour the things of God, who would now (like Saul at Endor) raise up Aron, and the whole Hierarchy, and bring us back again to the Law, forcing us under that cool sha­dow, of Types & Cere­monies, drawing the curtains of the Law before the light of the Gospel; we serve now in the newnesse of the spirit, not in the dead­nes of the letter.

[Page 54] THe next thing I observe, is the Politicall excel­lency, those sound maxims for the king­domes duration, as the preservation of Parli­amentary rights, and Nationall rights, and Royall rights, that they exceed not, nor exorbitate; and this is no more then to re­duce the kingdome in­to its primitive con­temperation, and to keep the mixture even: for we see that whilest [Page 55] the power of Monar­chy would needs take in such poyson'd prin­ciples, as the Divines and Privadoes did in­still, carrying up the notion of a King into an higher firmament thē its own, the whole State was in a posture of ruine: for nothing hath more betrayed kingdoms into destru­ctive alterations then exorbitancy of go­vernment; and States must respect their fun­damentals and origi­nals [Page 56] in their present constitution; for those infuse secret dispositi­ons into al the Orders & subordinations, and that ingagement ina­bles to incline to their own interests; & then in their inclinations & pursuit thither, tu­mults and stirres are wakened, and there is a noise of some new & treasonable endea­vour; when it is but the naturall workings of each degree for its owne preservation; & [Page 57] hence have these late aspersions been borne & received, the Prin­ces and people being carried on by the strength and violence of a late predominan­cy, almost out of sight of their true funda­mentals, till they have forgot their interests, & maligne those that would bring thē back: and for the temper of our English Monar­chy, I will not say more to the praise of the constitution, (so [Page 58] many having spoken before mee) than its own duration, breath­ing to this day, under the succession of so many ages, and never distemper'd, but when the fiduciary power would needs be seve­rer and taller then the rest, and entertaine designes of trying strengths & interests, to see If the fire out of the bramble would at length come forth, and consume the trees of the Forrest. And whereas [Page 59] there are some other subordinate principles in order to these; as the discovery of Incendi­aries and Malignants; certainely they that shall suffer any relati­ons to corrupt them to secrecy, are men of too narrow affections for the latitude of a kingdome; they are only in the reputation of Patriots and Fide­lio's to their countrey, who have such a com­mand of spirit, as they can open and close as [Page 60] the occasion of the State requires.

And I do further ob­serve, that we are ob­liged to a mutuall pre­servation of the peace of the kingdomes, and in speciall of the Reformation of the Church in Scotland.

For the first, it is bottom'd upon the foundation of our go­vernment, which is a concentration of the three estates in one; and there is such a samenesse almost in [Page 61] the fundamentals of the three, and there is such a Monarchicall onenesse which influ­ences into all, that if any alteration begin in any one of them, it will soon like an in­fection (where there is consanguinity of na­ture) spread and make over to the rest; so that there is as much policy in suffering our care and faithfulnesse to enlarge & acquaint it selfe with the inte­rest of the other E­states, [Page 62] which are in no other sense foreigne, than onely in the di­stance of place.

And for the particu­lar preservation of the Church of Scotland, it is as concerning an in­terest as any of the rest; what godly soul will repine to take up the care of another Church; he was (we know) a sanguinary man that replyed, Am I my brothers keeper? And we may take no­tice there how God [Page 63] cals for an account of every relation at our hands. It was an holy principle that perswa­ded the Apostle To take care of all the Chur­ches: & the more neer wee approach to such endeavours, the more neer we are to the de­signes and activity of God & Angels, whose businesse and admini­stration is universall; and especially should our care bee for that Church and State, which hath been the [Page 64] conservatory of the Gospell, and kept a­live that holy sparke, which wee in this kingdom do warm our souls by at this day; she was that Philadel­phia who kept the Word of his patience.

Nor let any com­plain of restraints in this our Covenant, as if we multiplyed un­necessary oaths, as if like Sauls oath it had troubled the land, there is no such true Liber­ty, as in these holy re­straints; [Page 65] nor is it any diminutiō to our chri­stian Latitude, that we cannot transgresse nor exceed in this or that; it is rather the sublimation of our Liberty, and a delive­rance into the glorious liberty of the sons of God; and as it is the highest perfection, non posse peccare, not to be able to transgresse; so our estate and condi­tion in this our Cove­nant, is a degree to that, for God, Angels, [Page 66] and Saints, are not lesse perfect, nor lesse free, be­cause they cannot sin, but is a firmation of soule in the height of holinesse, for as it is the highest aggra­vation of sin, not to be able to do good, so it is the highest perfection of goodnesse not to be able to do ill; so that I know none that hath a spirituall and discerning soule, that will complaine for want of liberty to transgresse; or that he is in heaven before his time; such chaines are but chaines of gold, nay, but the bracelets of the spouse, and as ir is the devills and reprobates torment and [Page 67] misery to be held in chaines of darkenesse, so it is the glory of the blessed Saints and Angels to be held in such chaines of light and holinesse; and none but Libertines will complaine, that they are walled in, and that their lusts have not liberty to anger God, and undoe their Country.

I observe another trans­cendency in it, there have been many Coven [...]nts ta­ken by the people of God, Iosiahs, Iehoshaphats, and Nehemiahs, the Forraigne Protestations and those of our owne, yet none that hath such a Spirituall and [Page 68] Politicall breadth in it, rea­ching not only to Natio­nalls, but all particulars; and taking in the furthest, and most forraigne neces­sary, and circumstance ei­ther in state, or Church.

I might take in other particulars, but they are such as cleere up to your first discovery, only my thoughts have rouled up themselves into this con­clusion.

Since the Covenant is of this transcendency and excellency, so solemn and sacred, it were fit there were some holy designe, to worke it more close to the soules of those that [Page 69] take it, all our happinesse spirituall and civill is now in the successe of our con­federation with our God, & therefore there would be as much holy art used in preserving the spirits of people in that height of Covenanting, as there was used in the raysing them up; God himself makes conservation as much his businesse as the creation of the world, and therefore some make it the same act repeated againe.

I should thinke it not unnecessary, that those parts in it which have most of the attestations, & invocation, & imprecation, [Page 70] and most of the Politicall and civill advantages, be set on by the ministery in frequent inculcations, e­ven to a Catechizing, and by a civill ordinance, or law to that purpose to re­minde the ministery, for we complaine of looseness and neglect in former Co­venants, and we take no care to enquire into the reasons, & remedies; and certainly the sudden laying aside such nationall & ob­ligatory doctrins, & mak­ing them but the musick and solemnity of one day, is the only reason of our relaxations, & apostacies, when as having got the [Page 71] Soules of men into a Co­venanting station, we should apply our strengths and honest designes to keepe them there.