N00263:35
Covenant-keeping the way to blessedness, or, A brief discourse wherein is shown the connection…Covenant-keeping the way to blessedness, or, A brief discourse wherein is shewn the connexion…
Covenant-keeping the way to blessedness, or, A brief discourse wherein is shown the connection which there is between the promise, on God's part; and duty, on our part, in the covenant of grace: as it was delivered in several sermons, preached in order to solemn renewing of covenant. / By Samuel Willard teacher of a church in Boston in New-England. ; [Seven lines from Deuteronomy]Covenant-keeping the way to blessedness, or, A brief discourse wherein is shewn the connexion which there is between the promise, on God's part; and duty, on our part, in the covenant of grace: as it was delivered in several sermons, preached in order to solemn renewing of covenant. / By Samuel Willard teacher of a church in Boston in New-England. ; [Seven lines from Deuteronomy]
printed by James Glen, 1682
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.
A Covenant, in general, may then be thus described: It is a mutual Engagement between two Parties. Whatsoever is contained in this description, necessarily belongs to every Covenant, and if you take away any one syllable of it, it destroys the nature of a Covenant.
A Covenant, in generall, may then be thus described: It is a mutual Engagement between two Parties. Whatsoever is contained in this description, necessarily belongs to every Covenant, and if you take away any one syllable of it, it destroyes the nature of a Covenant.
In this Description three things are observable:
1. fThat it is required to every Covenant that there be two parties concerned in it: the notion of a Covenant belongs to the head of Relation, now all Relations are made up of two parties: every Relate must have its Correlate: if there be a Father, there must be a Child: if there be a lender, there must be a borrower: so if there be a Covenanter, there must be one to be Covenanted withal. It is improper to say a man Covenants with himself, or if he doth, he must put on a double respect, or represent himself under various considerations to himself. And as there must be two parties, ⟨p. 7⟩so no more than two parties are in a Covenant, absolutely necessary; nay, properly there can be no more: For although there may be ten thousand Men engaged in a Covenant (thus all the Subjects in a Kingdom do stand in Covenant-relation to their Prince) yet still they constitute but one party in that engagement. This doth not deny but that a Covenant may (in case of need) admit of an interposing Party, whose place and business may be to stand as a surety, and that either for one Party, or else between both, and for each; which latter sort of surety is also called a Mediator: