72 Book III. 1/..ooktng unto 1Jefu.s. Chap. 1 .Secr.4promife, be might fully have difcovered his illimired fupream power, bur his fo dear love and faithfulnefs could nor have been known : now therefore let the world take notice of his fingular love, and ofhis faithfulnefs; as Mofes faid to Ifrael, Becaufe the Lord loved you, and becau(e he would k;ep the oath which he had[worn ttntoyD'-rfathers, hath the Lord brought ) 'Oil out with!' mighty hand, and redeemedyo" out ofthe hou(e of bondmen, from the Deut. 7• 8,9. hand of Pharaoh, Rmgof Egypt. Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he t5 God the faithful God, whichk;epeth Covenant and mercy with them that love him, and k;ep his Com. mandments, to tt thonfand gcnerattons. • 2. In refpect ofus, God would rather deal with us in aCovenant-way, than in ameer abfolute fupream way, upon thefe grounds.-- r. That he might bind us the fafler to himfdf: a Covenant binds on both parts: the Lord doth not bmd htmfelfto us, and leave us free; ,No, I will bring you (faith God) fzck. 20. 37. into the bond rf the Covenant. The Lord fees how llippery and nnflable our hearts are Jer. , 4 .. 10, how apt we are to fl:art. afide from our dury towards him, tve love to n•.<nder; and therefore to prevent rillS mconllancy and unfetlednefstn us, and to keep our heansmore flable in our obedient walking before him, it pleafed the Lord to bind us in the bond of Covenant, that as we look for a bleffing from God, fo we look to it to keep Covenant With God : you may fay aCommand bmds as well as a Covenant, it isrrue, bur a Cove. nanr doth as it were twill: the cords of the Law, and double the precept upon the foul– when it is only a precept, then God alone commands it, bur when I have made apromif; to it, then I command it and bind it upon my felf. · 2. That our obedience might b: more willing and free; an abfolure Law might feem to extort obedience, but a Covenant and agreement makes it clearly to appear more free and willing. This is of the nature of the Covenant ofgrace; firlt, God promifeth mercy, to be our exceeding great reward; and then we promife obedience, to be his free, and willing people; and thus we become Gods,notonly by a property founded in his foveraign power and love,bur by a property growing out of our own voluntary confems; we are not only his people, but his willing people; we give him our hand, when we become his, and Ezek. '7 18. enter into covenant with him : See the expreffion, E>:.<i{, 17. 18. He defpifed the oath by Ez<k. t6. 8. breaking the covenant, when foe he had given hi< h.1nd. VIe are his,· as the wife is her husbands; I entred into covenant with thee , faith the Lord God, and thoJt becamejfmine; now in marriages, free and mutual confent you know is ever given, and fo it is here, 3. That our confolation might be flronger; that in all our difficulties and dif!relfes we might ever have recourfe to the faithfulnefs and love ofGod. 1. To the faithfulnefs of 1 chron. 1 p;. God. T~is was David'sfl'!Y• and this may oe ours ; though frien.ds be unfaithful , and may dece~ve, yet the Lord IS faithful, and cannot fail Ius people, hu promifes arcYea, attd >Cor.I.lo, Amen, we may build upon it. 2. That we might have recourfe to the love of God: this indeed was the prime end why God delivered his Law in way ot a Covenant, that he might fweeten and endear himfelf to us, and fo draw us to hillr with cords of love; had God fo pleafed, he might have required all obedience from us, and when we had done all, he might have reduced us into nothing, or at leaf! nor have given us heaven for an inheritance, or himfelffor a portion. bur his love is fuch, drat he will not only com– mand, but he will covenant, that he'might further exprefs and communicate his love: how then 010uld this bur encourage us ro go to God in all diflrelfes? 0 what thankful loving thoughts llrould we have of God that would thus infinitely condefcend to cove– nant with us! 5. What are the good things promifed in this exprelfure ofthe covenant? not to reckon up rhe temporal promifes of riches, honour, victory, peace, and protection in a land of Oyle, Olive, and Honey, thegreatmerciesofGod are exprelfedin thefe terms, Jam the Lord thy Godwhich.brought thee o~et of t~e f-and of Egypt, out.of the houfe of bondage. This is rhe great promtfe ofrhe covenant, tt IS as great as God htmfelf. That we may better fee it, and know it, I Otall take it in pieces; the gold is fo pure, l'hat tt IS pity the leall:lilingllrouldbeloll. Here Goddefcribes himfelf by rh& notes, I. By hiS only, eternal, and perfect e[ence, I am the Lord. :z. By the pluraltty. of p~rfons m that o~e elfence, IamtheLordGod, JehovahElohim. 3. By the. propnety htsyeo~le have tn Jehovah Elohim, I am the Lord thy God. f. By the frutt ofthatpropnety tn reference to Ifrael, which bro~tghtthee out ofthe Land of Egypt, out ofthe houfe of bondage. h Ex>J. 6. ~: 1. I am tehovah : We read that he appeared to Ab~aham•. I(aac , '!nd Jacob by 1 ' name of God Almighty, bur now he was known to the Ifraelttes by hts name Jeh~!,~~· I am the Lord. Why, was ir not by that n~me that he appeared to Abraham• ~:nd
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