Chap. '2 . Seer.7. Book Ill. 109 theeof temporal mercies ; thou haft ~~rrhoil haft by free.l;olding of Covenan_t-Grace : dry Bread is by Covemnr, thy lleep Is by Covenant, thy fafety from fword IS by-the Covenam, the very tilling of thy Land is by a Covenant.of Grace, Ez..elz, 36. _34· 0 how fwect is this ? Every Crum IS fromChn[\, and by vmue of a Covenant of Grace. 2 . He ha_th made a Covenant with thee, of fpiritual mercies ; even a Covenant ofPeace•. aud ·Grace and Bleffing, and Life for evermore; God is become thy God, he Is all things to tbce; he bath forgiven thy fins, he h~th given thee his Spirit, to lead _thee,_ to fanCl:ifie thee, to uphold thee m that ftate wherein thou flandeft; and at!aft he will brmg thee to a full enjoyment of himfelf in Silory. where thou 01alt blefs him, and rejoyce before him with joy unfpeakable and full ot glory: 0 pluck up thy heart,_ hft up thy · head, fhengtben the weak hands and the feeble knees ; ferve the Lor~ With &lad_nefs and joyfulnefs of Spirit, confidenng the day of thy falvatton draweth n1gh: wme It m Letters of Gold, that thyGod i< in Coven.mnvith thee, to low thee, to blefs thee, ar:d to fave thee. Yet a little wliile, and he that illa\1 come will come, and receive tbee to him– felf, and then thou 0Jalr fully know what it is to h~ve God to be thy God, or tObe in Covenant with God. l know thefe Objects rejoyce not every heart; a man out of Co– venanr, if he look on God, he isa confulning fire; if on the Law, -it is a Sentence of Condemnation; if on rheEarth, it brings forth thornsby reafon of fins; if on Hea– ven, the Gate is Omt; if on the Signes in Heaven, Fire, Meteors, Thunder, ftrike iri him a terrour. But 0 my Soul, thisis not thy cafe: a man in Covenant with God, looks onthefe things with another eye; if he look on God, he faith, this is my Fa– ther; if on Chrif\, this is my dder Brother; if on the Angels, thefe are my Keepers ; if on Heaven, this is my Houfe, if on the Signes of Heaven, Fire, Meteors, Thun– der, tl1efe are but the effects of my Fathers power; if on the Law, the Son of God hath fulfilled it for me; if on Profperity, God bath yet better things for me in fiore; if on Adverlity, JefusChriO: bath fuffered much more for me than this; if on the Devil, Death, and Hell, be faith with the Apoftle, 0 Death ! where is thy fling? 0 t:Cor.' t~. SSi Grave ! where is thy viflory ? Come poor foul, isit not thus with thee I what? art thou in Covenant with God, or art thounot I If yet thou doubte!t, review thy grounds of hope, and leave not there, till thou comef.t up to fome meafure of alfurance: but if thou art perfwadcd of thy Imereft, 0 rhen rejoyce therein; is it not a Gofpel-duty to rejo)'CC in theLord, and again to rejoyce? The Lord is delighted in thy delights ; hewould Phi!. 4:·4. fain have it thy conll:am frame and daily bulinefs to live in joy, and to be alwayes delighting thy fclf in him. Thisone Promife, I am the Lord thy Cod, is enough to cauferhy appetite to run to it, and to unite it felt to it by Love; and to fcatter it felf on it, and to overflow thofe pow– ersof the Sou l that are neJreft tO ir, that every part of the Soul may concur to the pof– feffion of it. B!lfs the Lord, 0 my Soul (faithDavid) and all that u within meblefs his holy Name. So rejoyce in the Lord, 0 my Soul, and all that is within me-, rejoyce in the_NJme of God: this is true joy, when the foul unites it felf to the good polfelfed in a!lrts parts: And was there ever fnch an objedof true joy as this/ Heark, as if Hea– ven opened, and rhe voice came from God in Heaven; I will be aGod to thee, and to thy Seed afttr thee; I am the Lordrhy Cod; arrd I will be thy Cod. What dorh not thy heart leap 111 thy bofom at this found ? John the Baptift leaped in his mothers womb for joy, at the found of Mariei Votce; and doth nor thy foul fpringwitbin thee at rhisvoice of God ? 0 wonder! fame cJn delight themfelves in lin, and is not God better than fin I others more refined, and indeed fanCl:ified, can delight themfelves in remilllon of fin, m grace, pardon, holinefs, fore-thoughts of Heaven, how exceedingly h;!Ve fomegrauous hearts been ravilhed with fuch rhoughts I but is not God, the objective happmefs, the fountain-blelfednefs, more rejoycing than all tbefe? why? dear foul , if there be m thee any rejoyting faculty, now awake, and ftir it up; it is the Lord thy.God whom thou art to r:joyce in; it is he whom the glorious fpirlts joy in ; it is he who is the_top of heavens JOY, their exceeding joy : and it is he who is thy God as well as thmGod: Enough! enough! or if this be not enough, bear thy Duty as the-Lord comnunds thee; Re;oyce in the Lord, Phil, 3. r. Be glad ye Children of Zion, andrejoyce m the Lordyour Cod, J oelz. 2 3. Rejo)'C~ in the Lord all yr righteous, f•r praife u Phi!. ;: r' comelyfor the uprzghr, Pfal. 33· I. Rejoyce in the Lord ye righteoHs, andgive thank; at Jo<l ' · 'l· the remembrance of hu holinefs, Pfal. 97 . 12. Let all thofe that pnttheir tmft in thee N 1 . rejO)'Ct, let themever Jlrout for joy brcarife th011 defendejf them ; let them alfo that love thy pf~l: ~~: ';,. Name be;o)fttl m thee, Pfal. 5. 1I. Let the righteous be glad, let them rejojce before Pful. s. " ' Cod, · :·
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