The Covenants And The Covenanters: Covenants, Sermons, and Documents of the Covenanted Reformation
Religion
The Covenants And The Covenanters: Covenants, Sermons, and Documents of the Covenanted Reformation
Covenanters -- Scotland -- History -- Sources; Presbyterian Church -- Scotland -- History -- Sources
Yea, secondly, a wonderful mercy, and an high favour we may count it
from God, that yet such a sovereign means is left us for our recovery
and reconciliation. Infinite condescension and goodness it is in our God
that, after so many fearful provocations by our unhallowed and
treacherous dealing in the covenant, He will vouchsafe yet to have any
thing to do with us, that He will yet trust or try us any more, by
admitting us to renew our covenant with His Majesty, when He might in
justice rather say unto us, as to the wicked, "What have you to do, that
you should take My covenant into your mouths, seeing you hate
instruction, and cast My words behind you?" Certainly, had man broken
with us, as oft as we have broken with God, we should never trust them
any more, but account them as the off-scouring of mankind, the vilest,
the basest that ever trode upon God's ground; and yet that after so many
unworthy and treacherous departures from our God, after so much
unfaithfulness and perfidiousness in the covenant, (such as it is not in
the capacity of one man to be guilty of towards another) that God should
say to us, as once to His own people, "Thou hast played the harlot with
many lovers; yet return to Me, saith the Lord:" Oh, wonder of free
grace! Oh, might this privilege be offered to the apostate angels, which
kept not the covenant of their creation, nor consequently their first
estate, and to the rest of the damned souls in hell! Would God send an
angel from heaven to preach unto them a second covenant, upon the laying
hold whereon, and closing wherewith, they might be received into grace
and favour; how would those poor damned spirits bestir themselves! what
rattling of their red-hot chains! what shaking of their fiery locks! In
a word, what an uproar of joy would there be in hell, upon such glad
tidings! how many glorious churches, as Capernaum, Bethsaida, the seven
churches of Asia, with others in latter times, who have for their
covenant-violation been cast down from the top of heaven, where once
they sat in the beauty and glory of the ordinances, to the very bottom
of hell, a dark and doleful condition; and God hath never spoken such a
word of comfort, nor made any such offer of recovery, and reconciliation
unto them, as He hath done to us unto this day? "Surely He hath not
dealt so with any people." Let it be our wisdom, and our thankfulness,
to accept of it, with both hands; yea, both with hands and hearts. If
God give us hearts suitable to this price that is in our hands,
covenanting hearts, as He gives us yet leave and opportunity to renew
our covenant, it will be to me a blessed security that we are not yet a
lost people; and a new argument of hope, that He intends to do England
good. If neglected and despised, whether this may not be the last time
that ever England shall hear from God, I much doubt, unless it be in
such a voice as that is, "I would have healed England, and she will not
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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