SERMON IV.

JER. 1. 4. 5.—In those days, and in that time, saith the Lord, the children of Israel shall come, they and the children of Judah together; saying, Come, and let us join ourselves to the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be forgotten.

You will remember, that in our first sermon upon this text we told you, that public religious covenanting under the New-Testament dispensation is the subject of it, and gave you some account of the nature of that work. You will also recollect, that in our next two sermons, we both instructed the warrantableness of that work, and likewise answered some of the most material objections against it. It therefore, according to the method in which we proposed to handle this subject, follows of course, that we should now proceed,

III. To specify some of the seasons in which there is a special call to the performance of this duty.

It is one of the rules laid down in our Larger Catechism, Quest. 99. for the right understanding of the ten commandments, that "what God commands is always

"our duty; and yet every particular duty is not to be "done at all times." This rule is undeniably just, and one that will apply to a variety of case. The giving of alms to the poor, for example is always a commanded duty; and yet it is only when we have some necessitous objects among us, and when we ourselves are in such circumstances as to be able to afford them some relief, that we have any present call to the discharge of it. Religious fasting is likewise a duty both moral in its nature, and perpetual in its obligation; and yet Christ himself informs us, in Matth. ix. 15. that there are times in which the performance of it would be unseasonable. A duty may therefore be really moral, and yet merely occasional. Of this description is the duty of which we now treat, viz. covenanting, as attended with all these solemnities with which it is usually accompanied in the present time. It is not, indeed, merely occasional as to the substance of it; for there never can be a time in which it would be improper for a people to devote themselves to the Lord, and bind themselves to his service. But, with regard to its being accompanied with all the solemnity of an oath, and bearing a pointed testimony against particular corruptions, it is only an occasional duty, suited to particular times and seasons; and what these particular seasons are, is the design of this head to declare. We accordingly here observe the following things.

1. That a time of the Lord's conferring some signal mercy or mercies upon a poeple, or of his working some eminent deliverance for them, is a proper season for the performance of this work. Such was the season in which the children of Israel both considered themselves

as having a call to it, and actually engaged in it, at Mount Sinai. That was evidently a year of the right hand of the Most High to that distinguished people. In it they were delivered from a most cruel and degrading bondage, and freed from a long-continued course of persecution. God now divided the Red Sea before them, gave them a safe passage through it, made their implacable enemies to sink there as lead in the mighty waters, and wrought miracle after miracle to supply their wants. Mercies so numerous, and so great, called loudly for a grateful return; and a better way of testifying their gratitude to the God of their mercies they knew not, than that of devoting themselves to his honour, and binding themselves to his service. All," say they," that the Lord hath said we will do, " and be obedient." Much in the same manner did the Jews conduct themselves, on an occasion somewhat similar, in the days of Nehemiah. At that time the Lord, by a strong hand and a stretched out arm, delivered them from a seventy years captivity, restored them to their own land, and settled them comfortably there, in the full enjoyment of all their religious privileges. And what better course could they now take, to express their obligations to him for such unmerited kindness, than the bringing of themselves under covenant-engagéments to cleave to him, and serve him? This course they accordingly followed: "They entered into an "oath to walk in God's law, given by his servant " Moses."+

It is both the universal sense of mankind, and the plain doctrine of revelation, that when God is loading *Exod. xxiv. 7. + Neh. x. 29.

a people with his mercies, it is their duty to render to him according to the benefits done. Ingratitude has therefore been always considered as one of the basest of crimes. It is impossible that any can make God a proper recompence for the mercies they receive at his hand but it is certainly their incumbent duty to acknowledge his goodness, and make him all the return that lies in their power; and one of the best returns they can make, is to dedicate themselves to him by a public vow. Personal vowing is acknowledged by all to be a proper mode of testifying gratitude to God for personal favours; and surely public and social vowing is as reasonable a return for inercies of a public nature. Convinced of this, the mariners of Joppa had no sooner, by an astonishing interposal of providence, escaped the perils of a sea-storm, by which Jonah their passenger was swallowed up, than they testified their gratitude to the God of their mercies, by bringing themselves under vows to him; as you will see by consulting the latter part of the first chapter of Jonah.

2. A time of great trouble and distress measured out to a people, is also a proper season for engaging in this work. What you have in the 13th and 14th verses of the 66th Psalm, where we expressly read of the vows which the Psalmist made unto God in his trouble, plainly shows, that a time of personal tribulation and affliction is a proper time for personal covenanting; and certainly, what makes personal covenanting proper for a day of personal trouble, will equally make public and social covenanting proper, in a day of public and general tribulation. No reason can be given for the one, but will apply with equal force to

are in this world.

the other. You all know that troubles, of one sort or other, are incident to the people of God, so long as they These may be both many in number, and various in kind. "Many," says the Psalmist, "are "the afflictions of the righteous." Some of them are of a general nature, and what they share in common with all other men; others are of a more special kind, and are peculiar to themselves as christians; and some of them are what they are even subjected to purely on account of their christian profession. Some of them proceed immediately from God's own hand, while others of them come more immediately from the hands of men.— It is not, however, our purpose at present, either to describe the nature, or to point out the various sources of their troubles, but to show, that when these do really abound among them in any signal degree, that is a proper season for their devoting themselves to the Lord by solemn covenant; and, without saying more at present, this is abundantly plain from what you have in the three last verses of the 9th chapter of Nehemiah: "For the 'land which thou gavest to our fathers, to eat the fruit thereof, and the good thereof, behold, we are servants "in it; and it yieldeth much increase to the kings "whom thou hast set over us because of our sins; also they have dominion over our bodies, and over our cat"tle at their pleasure; and we are in great distress; and because of all this, we make a sure covenant, and "write it; and our princes, Levites, and priests, seal " unto it."

3. A time of general rebellion against God, and revolt from his government, is another fit season for this work. It was in a season of this kind that the children of Israel