2. Observe whether thou dost grow out of, and live upon an everlasting Covenant or no, Rom. 11. 1. God hath not cast off his people, whom he […]. Who are those? Children of the promise, Rom. 9. 7, 8. That are born and bred of the promise or whole Covenant of Grace; God hath treasured up all Grace in Christ, laid it up in that store-house, Christ hath dropped it in his promises. Now when the soul is rooted in the Covenant, now it shall never die nor perish. As 'tis with some trees, set them in the ground, they will grow, if they have Sun and rain, but die at last: Take another, and set it in a Stock, so that it abides there, and fetcheth all its life from thence by cleaving to it; now it will grow and become a flourishing Branch. Now then the soul grows out of the Covenant, when the whole soul cleaves to the whole Covenant, for the whole benefit of it, and is fully satisfied with it, 2 Sam. 23. 4, 5. As take a soul that feels a want of all the benefits of the Covenant, pardon, peace, life, that the Spirit is ready oft to fail, and hath no assurance it shall have any part of that which is the Children's portion; and looks upon his own unworthiness, never to have any from the Lord, yet it looks up to the free mercy and Grace that made it to some, to make it good to me, and so pleads the promise, and so lays it self there, and there rests, and there looks, and here sucks, and takes root, and the roo• spreads to every part of the Covenant. The Lord hath now rooted the soul in this Covenant, and it hath received life from hence, this is everlasting, you shall continue. And when the soul especially is like a bough blown by the wind, yet it stands fast still. If men have been in horrors and then fell to reformation, and there rested, it will not last. If men have had some workings and actings of the Spirit upon them, and then say, God must do all, but they grow not into the Covenant, they will die; But here though God keeps thee short and naked, and thou only pleadest the Covenant, thou shalt stand. If you plead for pardon, and some good, not the whole good of the Covenant, you shall die also. If you grow upon some distemper, and the whole heart grow not upon this, you will die also. Look as 'tis with a man that builds, he will make an end if the foundation be laid, but if not pull it down, so here.
2. Observe whether thou dost grow out of, and live upon an everlasting Covenant or no, Rom. 11. 1. God hath not cast off his people, whom he 〈…〉. Who are those? Children of the promise, Rom. 9. 7, 8. That are born and bred of the promise or whole Covenant of Grace; God hath treasured up all Grace in Christ, laid it up in that store-house, Christ hath dropt it in his promises. Now when the soul is rooted in the Covenant, now it shall never die nor perish. As 'tis with some trees, set them in the ground, they will grow, if they have Sun and rain, but die at last: Take another, and set it in a Stock, so that it abides there, and fetcheth all its life from thence by cleaving to it; now it will grow and become a flourishing Branch. Now then the soul growes out of the Covenant, when the whole soul cleaves to the whole Covenant, for the whole benefit of it, and is fully satisfied with it, 2 Sam. 23. 4, 5. As take a soul that feels a want of all the benefits of the Covenant, pardon, peace, life, that the Spirit is ready oft to fail, and hath no assurance it shall have any part of that which is the Childrens portion; and looks upon his own unworthiness, never to have any from the Lord, yet it looks up to the free mercy and Grace that made it to some, to make it good to me, and so pleads the promise, and so laies it self there, and there rests, and there looks, and here sucks, and takes root, and the roo• spreads to every part of the Covenant. The Lord hath now rooted the soul in this Covenant, and it hath received life from hence, this is everlasting, you shall continue. And when the soul especially is like a bough blown by the wind, yet it stands fast still. If men have been in horrors and then fell to reformation, and there rested, it will not last. If men have had some workings and actings of the Spirit upon them, and then say, God must do all, but they grow not into the Covenant, they will die; But here though God keeps thee short and naked, and thou only pleadest the Covenant, thou shalt stand. If you plead for pardon, and some good, not the whole good of the Covenant, you shall die also. If you grow upon some distemper, and the whole heart grow not upon this, you will die also. Look as 'tis with a man that builds, he will make an end if the foundation be laid, but if not pull it down, so here.
