Page:Faith's plea upon God's covenant (3).pdf/4

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been validated.

(4)

II. We are to ſnew what it is for God to have reſpect
to the covenant.
I. God hath reſpect to the covenant when he remembers
it, and ſo remembers us, as in that forecited, Lev. 26. 42.
'I will remember my covenant, and then will I remember
the land.' This Pſal. 109. 5. He hath given meat to them
that fear him.' Why, he will ever be mindful of his co-
venant, if he come to give us meat to feed our fouls at
this occaſion, the ground will be, he will be mindful of
his covenant, mindful of his promiſe.
2.God may be ſaid to have reſpect to his covenant, when
he regards it. He hath no reaſon to have reſpect or regard
to us, but he fees reaſon to have a regard to his covenants
he puts honour upon it, for reaſons that I ſhall afterwards
ſhew, only I ſhall ſay here, his honour is engaged therein,
therefore he ſays, My covenant will I not break, nor al-
ter the thing that is gone out of my lips,' Pſalm 89.34.
He hath more regard to it than he hath to heaven and earth:
for he ſays heaven and earth ſhall paſs away, but my
words ſhall not paſs away.' He hath ſuch regard to it, that
he will never break it, but ever keep it.
3. He hath reſpect to his covenant, when he eſtablishes
it. And when we pray, that he would have reſpect to the
covenant,' we not only pray he would remember the cove-
nant, and regard the covenant, bar eſtabliſh the covenant
betwixt him and us, as be laid to Abraham, Gen. 17. 7.
' I will eſtabliſh it between me and thee, and thy feed af-
ter thee.' He ſhews reſpect to the covenant, when he makes
the covenant take hold of us, and makes us take hold of
the covenant; for then he makes us pus reſpect upon him,
and upon his covenant.
4. He hash reſpect to the covenant, when he performs the
covenant-promiſe, according to Micah 7.20 Thou wilt
perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham,
which thou haft ſworn to our fathers from the days of old :'
and he does this, when be acts according to the covenant,
or according to the mercy that made the promiſe, and the
truth that is engaged to make out the promiſe.
In ſhort the ſum of this prayer, as it concerns the import
of the word Respect, Have reſpect to the covenant,' is,
' Lord, remember the covenant, and ſo remember me;
Lord, have regard to the covenant, and let me be remem-
bered on this ground, when there is no reaſon why I ſhould