A86526:39
The faithful covenanter. A sermon preached at the lecture in Dedham in Essex. By…
The faithful covenanter. A sermon preached at the lecture in Dedham in Essex. By that excellent servant of Jesus Christ, in the work of the Gospel, Mr. Tho. Hooker, late of Chelmsford; now in New England. Very useful in these times of covenanting with God.The faithful covenanter. A sermon preached at the lecture in Dedham in Essex. By that excellent servant of Iesus Christ, in the work of the Gospel, Mr. Tho. Hooker, late of Chelmsford; now in New England. Very usefull in these times of covenanting with God.
London: printed for Christopher Meredith, 1644
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
But then for the binding of one another, you will say, How shall we know God will perform his part, and how shall the Lord know that we will perform our part to him, what Bond is there for it? The world is naught, and one cannot tell who to trust, and therefore God must bind us (brethren) to keep our Covenant; and we are not to think much that he should: And we have Bond of him too because of our unbelief: now the Bond is a corporal Oath passed from the one to the other. The Lord takes a corporal Oath, that if we will keep his Commandments, he will not be God if he bless us not: And so (brethren) you swear too, again on the other side to the Lord, and did when you were baptized, every one of you, that you would be his people, and obey his Laws and Commandments.
But then for the binding of one another, you will say, How shall we know God will performe his part, and how shall the Lord know that we will performe our part to him, what Bond is there for it? The world is naught, and one cannot tell who to trust, and therefore God must binde us (brethren) to keepe our Covenant; and we are not to think much that he should: And we have Bond of him too because of our unbeliefe: now the Bond is a corporall Oath passed from the one to the other. The Lord takes a corporall Oath, that if we will keepe his Commandements, he will not be God if he blesse us not: And so (brethren) you sweare too, again on the other side to the Lord, and did when you were baptized, every one of you, that you would be his people, and obey his Lawes and Commandements.
The Lords people take a corporal Oath, and a Curse upon themselves, if they do not keep Covenant with the Lord. This belongs to us at this day, for we entered into a Curse, and desired that all the plagues and curses written in the Book of God, might light upon us if we keep not the Commandments of the Lord, Deut. 29.10. When the Lord had propounded the Covenant, mark how he deals with the people;1