A sermon preached by the Reverend, Mr. John Cotton, teacher of the First Church…

The Elders of the Church propound it, Will you renounce all your Sinful Pollutions? Will you keep Covenant? And enter into a Covenant with the Church, and take Christ, and promise to walk after all God's Ordinances? You Answer, All this we will do; all this is no more than the Old Covenant: For you are much deceived if you think there was no speech of Christ in the Covenant of works. What were the Ceremonies but shadows of Christ? What was the laying the hand on the head of the Sacrifice, but the laying hold upon Christ Jesus? What was the blood of the Sacrifice? Was it not the blood of Christ? And what was the Atonement by that blood? Was it not the Atonement which is by Christ? All the understanding Israelites did see that these things did point at Christ. Now, if we do enter into a Covenant to keep the Ordinances of the Law, of the Gospel, and of the Civil State, (for that was the tripartite Covenant) all this may be but a Covenant of Works. What then must we do? We must fall down before the Lord in our Spirits, and profess our selves insufficient to keep any Covenant, and profess our selves unworthy that the Lord should keep any Covenant with us; as to say, Lord! who am I? Or what is my Fathers house, that the Lord should ever ⟨p. 24⟩look upon such a poor Soul as I am? What doth the Church lay hold upon duties, and there's an end? No, no, There are no true Servants of Jesus Christ, but they must be drawn out of themselves by a Spirit of Bondage, and unto Christ by a Spirit of Poverty; and then a Soul seeth there is much in Christ, but he cannot hope there is any thing for him: Now the Lord doth draw a man on to Christ Jesus, and calleth him to believe in Christ, but yet he is not able to reach Him. Now then, if the Lord draw the Soul to depend upon Christ, and shall go forth, and not undertake any thing in his own Strength; so you will keep it by the Strength of the Lord also; now the Lord will have Peace with you, and the gates of Hell shall never prevail against you. Build a Church upon any other foundation but Faith, and the profession of Faith, and it will break into manifold distempers. But if the Church be built upon this Rock; Storms and Winds will not so much as shake it, it being built upon Faith, and Faith upon Christ Jesus:

The Elders of the Church propound it, Will you renounce all your Sinful Pollutions? Will you keep Covenant? And enter into a Covenant with the Church, and take Christ, and promise to walk after all God's Ordinances? You Answer, All this we will do; all this is no more than the Old Covenant: For you are much deceived if you think there was no speech of Christ in the Covenant of works. What were the Ceremonies but shadows of Christ? What was the laying the hand on the head of the Sacrifice, but the laying hold upon Christ Jesus? What was the blood of the Sacrifice? Was it not the blood of Christ? And what was the Atonement by that blood? Was it not the Atonement which is by Christ? All the understanding Israelites did see that these things did point at Christ. Now, if we do enter into a Covenant to keep the Ordinances of the Law, of the Gospel, and of the Civil State, (for that was the tripartive Covenant) all this may be but a Covenant of Works. What then must we do? We must fall down before the Lord in our Spirits, and profess our selves insufficient to keep any Covenant, and profess our selves unworthy that the Lord should keep any Covenant with us; as to say, Lord! who am I? Or what is my Fathers house, that the Lord should ever