resolved what to do: and I said, hear His resolution, "Thou shalt call Me, my Father, and shalt not turn away from Me:" that is, as if He had said, I will take this course with thee, I will first give thee the heart of a child, "thou shalt call Me, Father:" and then I will give thee the inheritance of a child, "a goodly heritage." And when I have done; I will not leave thee to thyself, but I will knit thee to Myself, by an indissoluble union. "I will put My Spirit into thee." "And thou shalt not turn away from Me." There is God's wise resolution; He resolves to do all Himself, and then He is sure it will not fail His expectation; He undertakes it. "Thou shalt call Me, my Father, and shalt not turn away from Me." Thus God, when He marrieth His people to Himself, doeth it in judgment. Now therefore, "be ye followers of God, as dear children." And since you come now about the counterpart of the same work; namely, to join or marry yourselves to God, do it in judgment. Consider well what you do; and, among other things, since you are so poor, and nothing in yourselves, as you have seen in the opening of this precious Scripture; bethink yourselves where you will have strength and sufficiency, to make good this great and solemn engagement with your God. But of this more hereafter. _Secondly_, See that you come to this service with a reverential frame of spirit, with that holy fear and awe, upon your hearts, as becomes the greatness and holiness of that God, and that ordinance, with whom you have to do; remembering that you are this day to swear before God, by God, to God: either of which, singly considered, might justly make us fear and tremble; how much more may this threefold cord bow and bind our hearts down in an humble, and holy prosternation? It is said of Jacob, "He sware by the fear of his father Isaac." Jacob in his oath chooseth this title of fear, to give unto God, to shew with what fear he came; but to swear by this God, what should we do; when, as I say, we come to swear by Him, and to Him? Surely, when He is so especially the object of our oath, He should then especially be the object of our fear. The consideration of that infinite distance between God and us, may wonderfully advantage us towards the getting of our hearts into this holy posture. Great is that distance that is between a king and a beggar; and yet, there is but creature and creature; greater is that distance between heaven and earth; and yet these, but creature and creature; and yet, greater is the distance between an angel and a worm; and yet still, there is but creature and creature. But now, the distance that is between God and us, is infinitely wider; for behold, there is the "Mighty, Almighty Creator, before whom all the nations are but as a drop of a bucket, and the small dust of the balance." And the poor nothing creature, "vanity, and altogether lighter than vanity." And yet, this is not all; yea, this is the shortest measure of that distance,