Returning unto God the great concernment of a covenant people. Or A sermon preached…

Q. 3. But why should the Lords People Return unto Him?

A. I shall mention only that Reason implied in the Text, namely, The Consideration of the holy and gracious Covenant which they are under. Return unto the Lord thy God O Israel: He is thy God, and therefore thou art to Return to Him. Therefore, this consideration of the Covenant is often used in the Scripture as an Argument to enforce Repentance, Jer. 3. 14. Turn O backsliding Children, for I am married unto you, viz. in respect of the Covenant which was between God and them. And the Apostle calls upon the Jews to Repent and be Converted, Act. 3. 19. and presseth his Exhortation with this Argument, You are the children of the Covenant which God made with our Fathers, v. 25. So do the Seals of the Covenant, engage the subjects of them to repent and return unto the Lord more and more. Hence it is said of John, that he did baptize unto Repentance, Mat. 3. 112 because those whom he baptized, were thereby engaged to practise Repentance. Its true, that they who are in Covenant with God, are bound to walk closely with him and to be careful that they do not make work for Repentance. Nevertheless, in case they do through Temptation fail and Fall, the Covenant doth engage them to renew their Repentance, and to make hast to ⟨p. 8⟩Return unto the Lord again, when they have backsliden from Him. They that lye under their Falls, continue breaking the everlasting Covenant. Moreover, the Lord in the Covenant of Grace, declareth unto men, that he will pardon their Sins, in case they do unfeignedly Return unto him. The Gospel is sometimes called the Covenant. It was prophesied concerning Christ, that he should confirm the Covenant with many for one week, h. e. for seven years, which is a Prophetical Week. The Lord Christ did himself ^(t)preach the Gospel to the Jews for the space of three years and an half, and after that (as some observe) his Apostles did offer the Gospel other three years, and something more, before ever they preached to the Gentiles. Thus was the Covenant confirmed for one week,