The covenant of life opened, or, A treatise of the covenant of grace

and notwithstanding of the differences, yet it may be said that Christ and Believers are in one writ,¹ and one letter of acquittance dischargeth both from condemnation, Christ from condemnation of punishment, us from condemnation of inherent guiltiness and punishment. Blessed we to be unite to him every way, and to join our Amen and consent to the Covenant: yea, and in regard of profession, we should subscribe and write our names to it, Isa. 44.1, 2, 3. Our maimed and broken and half consent proclaims an overly and cold Covenanting. Its true, parties are but once married, once Covenanting by oath is as good as twenty:² but frequent and multiplied acts of marriage-love add a great deal of firmness and of strength to the Marriage band, they are confirmations of our first subscription. Renewed acts of faith to take Christ for Jesus and Redeemer, and renewed acts of love, do more and more engage the heart to Christ as Lord and King. Little conversing with Christ deadens marriage-love. Rare visits and thin bring on worn out acquaintance. We are apt to complain he visits us seldom: that is because we have not the childish hire of consolation and feeling, we refuse to work, and yet we should look at comfort for the duty, and not on the duty for the comfort,³ when its a duty to our Father; And who looks upon the comfort both as a comfort and a duty▪ 1 Thes. 4.18. Comfort one another with these words: and so must they comfort themselves. Comfort is mainly for believing, Colos. 2.2. Heb. 6.18. and there is a feast and a fill of joy in believing, Rom. 15.13. We seek but a comfort and a joy of cheering and solacing our selves, and that is all.