A Treatise of Self-Denial, Chapter 4 · Section 2 · Subsection 2 · Sub-subsection 18
The Eighteenth Direction.
18 Frequently renew your Govenant with God.
If you bee true beleevers, you are within the bond of the Covenant, howſoever you profeſſe your ſelves ſuch; you ſay you are baptized, and claime the name and priviledge of Beleevers upon that account. Now ſee what you then Covenanted; you did then promiſe and vow, to forſake the Devil, and all his works, the vain pomp and glory of the world, with all covetous deſires of the ſame, the carnal deſires of the fleſh, ſo that you would not follow, nor bee led by them. Here is the ſtricteſt engagement to Self-denial, that poſſibly can bee, and this you muſt eitherpHere Novices in Religion commonly begin to balk, and no wonder, ſeeing few are called to any ſtrict perſonal account of that which others have undertaken for them at their firſt admiſsion into the Beadrol of Chriſtians. But if the contents of that triple Vow were diſtinctly and fully unfolded unto us, as ſoon as wee had any knewledge of good and evil, and all the ſeveral branches of Gods Covenant with as great care and ſolemnity as often inculcated, as Moſes commanded the Law ſhould bee to the Iſraelites children; and laſtly, the Vow it ſelf confirmed and ratified, by our perſonal proteſtation, in the ſight of the Congregation; the fear as well of God, as of ſhame before men, in whoſe preſence wee made this good profeſſion, would binde many of us to more Chriſtion behaviour, than the beſt of us as the world goes, dare make ſhew of, as alſo reſtrain us from many deadly enormities, which now admoniſhed of, wee will not account any ſins. Dr. Jackſon Treat. of Juſtif. Faith cap. 22. ſect. 413, 414. own, and ſtand to as your Covenant, or you muſt renounce your Baptiſme, and will you renounce your Baptiſme? Therefore ſolemnly engage unto that in your own perſons, which was then ingaged unto in your names by your Suſceptours, and frequently renew your ingagement; Let not many dayes paſs any one week without ſome ſolemne repetition of this Selfdenying Vow before the Lord; The reaſon why men ſeek themſelves ſo much, is becauſe they remember their Covenant ſo little. It is ſaid of the ſtrange woman, that ſhee forſaketh the guide of her youth, and forgetteth the Covenant of her God, Prov. 2.17.
You will finde this a great help in time of temptation, to conſider that you are under a Covenant-engagement: What, ſhall I break my Covenant with God? Wee count it a ſhameful thing to break a promiſe, much more to break a Covenant, wherein there is a ſtipulation on both ſides, ſo ſolemnly made and ratified. Now its far worſe to break with God.
A man is obliged to Self-denial by the Command, but there is a double obligation by the Covenant, for in that a man hath conſented and ſolemnly promiſed; the Command is Gods engagement upon him, but his promiſe is his own engagement upon himſelf. Reaſon then on this wiſe, whenſoever thou art tempted: I am ingaged by Gods command, and there can bee no objection againſt that; but beſides, have I not ſolemnly promiſed? Is not the oath of God upon mee? and ſhall I not perform it? Shall I bee worſe than my word? Worſe than my oath with God? I have ſworn, and I will perform it (ſaith David) that I will keep thy righteous judgements, Pſal. 119.106.
Beſides this, it will bee good ſometimes to make aqIt is good in this caſe to help the ſoul with a firm reſolution, and to back reſolution with a vow, not only in general, but particularly of ſomething within our own power — for by this means the beart is perfectly gained — Strong reſolution diſcovers ſincerity without any hypocritical reſervation and bollowneſſe — Reſolution as a ſtrong ſtream bears down all before it; Little good is done in Religion without this, and with it all is as good as done. Dr. Sibbs Souls Conflict. cap. 28.442. particular Covenant for Self-denial; that is, ſeriouſly and ſolemnly to promiſe that in and through the ſtrength of Chriſt, you will carefully avoid ſuch and ſuch particular wayes, wherein at any time you have given contentment to the fleſh. I have made a Covenant with mine eyes (ſaith Job) why then ſhould I looks upon a Maid? Job 31.1. and that come what will of it (if God give you life and liberty) you will perform ſuch and ſuch particular duties that at any time you have neglected. David ſware unto the Lord, and vowed unto the mighty God of Jacob, ſurely I will not come into the Tabernacle of my houſe, nor go up into my bed. I will not give ſleep to mine eyes, or ſlumber to mine eye-lids, until I finde out a place for the Lord, an habitation for the mighty God of Jacob, Pſal. 132.2, 3, 4, 5.
Till you bee able thus to binde your ſelves, you will never bee conſtant in your obedience, but you will play fast and looſe with God. Let mee put this Queſtion to you: Have you not often been under convictions of ſin in neglecting ſuch a duty, and have not ſuch thoughts as theſe come into your minde. It is beſt to promiſe by a ſolemn Vow and Covenant unto God, that I will never neglect this duty more; have you not been much preſſed and urged by the importunity of conſcience, to enter into ſuch a Covenant, to make ſuch a Vow? and have you not been afraid to do it, leſt afterwards you ſhould not omit it with ſo much eaſe as before, and therefore have put it off from time to time? Well, conſider what hath been the iſſue? Hath not this refuſal to ingage, brought you within a while to a total omiſſion of the duty? Again, It may bee you have been much preſſed in ſpirit to covenant againſt ſuch a particular ſin, but you have been loath to bee bound up, and therefore have ſatisfied conſcience with ſome purpoſes againſt it, you have reſolved you would not commit any more, and you have made that to ſerve the turn, notwithſtanding you have been ever and anon put in minde by ſome ſecret whiſper of conſcience to make a ſolemn Covenant and Vow againſt it: Well, ſee what hath come of it, have you not relapſed again and again into that ſin, notwithſtanding all your purpoſes and reſolutions againſt it? Hath it not proved the ſtumbling-block of your iniquity? You will never bee able to deny your ſelves in abandoning any evil, as you ought, till you bee willing to come under the ſtricteſt engagement that is againſt it.