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houfe *" &c.

In all which David published not his own edict; but that of him who is King of Kings and Lord of Lords.

SIXTHLY, I fhall now attend unto the MATTER of this Covenant. It is concifely delivered by the facred hiftorian, in the following terms: " Now, therefore, in fight of all Ifrael, the congregation of the Lord; and in the audience of our God,-keep, and feek for all the commandments of the Lord your God: that ye may poffefs this good land, and leave it for an inheritance for your children after you for ever t." Obferve the duties unto which they were engaged; and the motive unto obedience.

1. THE Duties unto which David took this Congregation engaged; which are, To keep and feek for all the commandments of the Lord. They must KEEP all the commandments of the Lord, as their God in covenant; that is, all the commandments which the Lord God of Ifrael had given them, whether morals, ceremonials, or judicials. The duty of keeping them is expreffed by a term which is frequently used to denote God's faithfulness in performing his promifes‡,-teaching Ifrael to imitate God in this refpect; as he keepeth his

* 1 Chron. xxviii. 3, 6. + Chron. xxviii. 8.
Deut. vii. 9, 12.
1 Kings viii. 23. 2 Chron. vi.

14. &c.

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their life.

covenant ever in remembrance, fo we fhould never forget his precepts. We fhould preferve this facred depofitum, with heart and hand, all the days of our life.It behoved them to SEEK for all the commandments of the Lord. They must apply their minds to fearch into the will of God: They must fearch into it with care and confcience; their defires being fet upon the facred fyftem all the days of This duty was peculiarly fit at this time, as Ifrael was funk into great indifference and ignorance, during the reign of Saul on the one hand; and as David, and other prophets, had added various books unto the volume of inspiration, on the other. He had alfo given various directions, under the infallible guidance of the Holy Ghoft, respecting the worship of God in his temple, as well as the duty of building it. Thefe additions to the facred canon deferved the moft diligent fcrutiny, and the clofeft attention from the whole congregation. The truth is, it is a ftanding duty to fearch the fcriptures ftill, as enjoined in both Teftaments: Said Chrift, "Search the Scriptures for in them. : ye think have eternal life *." Said God, by Isaiah, "Seek ye out of the book of the Lord, and read†," &c.

ye

2. THIS Covenant contains motives unto o

bedience." That ye may poffefs this good

* John v. 39. + If. xxxiv. 16.

land."

land*.". That is, that ye may continue to poffefs that land which your ancestors have poffeffed more than four hundred years. years. The poffeffion of this land was necellary unto the celebration of God's worship; as feveral parts of it could not be obferved, as it was commanded, any where elfe. The privileges enjoyed in this land alfo exhibited, as in a figure, thofe immunities which are referved for the heirs of falvation in the better country. ———Another motive unto the duties fpecified is, "That ye may leave this good land for an inheritance unto your children after you vert." This motive was included among the promifes of the Sinai Covenant: And, as regard to pofterity is one of the ftrongest affections that God has implanted into the human heart, under the divine bleffing, it could not fail of commanding influence on the conduct .

for e

SEVENTHLY, The next thing in order is, The OCCASIONS of this Covenant. As the fpace of time between this and the foregoing

* 1 Chron. xxviii. 8.

Chron. xxviii. 8.

Hence the poet excludes Eunuchs from the number of the merciful:

Adde quod Eunuchus nulla pietate movetur
Nec generi natis que cavet, clementia cunétis
In fimiles, animos que ligant confotia damni.

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tranfaction was long; fo the incidents are numerous. We fhall felect only a few: The fpace of time between them is not lefs than four hundred years*; and yet the hiftory of the church, for that period, is dispatched in a very few chapters, where we must not expect an account of every thing that befel her. We may obferve,

1. THAT fhortly after the death of Joshua, and the elders who outlived him, having been his cotemporaries, the Church was plunged into very great corruption: For which many reafons may be affigned; fuch as, the young generation's forgetfulness of the good old paths in which Caleb and Joshua, and the rest of the godly walked; mixing with, and learning of the heathen their way, inftead of covenanting with the Most High, in gratitude for, and abuse of mercy received; idolatry, unbridled licentioufnefs, and emulation among the tribes themselves, the native effect of covenant-violation with God.

2. As a correction of their error, and chaftifement for their crimes, God delivered them over to the fury of their enemies: And they tyrannized over them with unmixed and almoft unexampled cruelty. They travelled over a tract of fin and punishment; of repentance,

* Vide Spanheim, Chron. p. 234.

deliverance,

deliverance, and relapfe after repentance, almoft as often as God raifed up a deliverer for them. The capital crime of which they were convicted is, Covenant-violation: "And the anger of the Lord was hot againft Ifrael; and he faid, becaufe this people hath tranfgreffed my covenant, which I commanded their fathers," &c. Covenant-violation was a fin as little thought of in that age as in this, perhaps; but it implied every other fin, as the covenant extended to the whole and every part of the law. It was a covenant extending from father to fon; though it was enjoined their fathers, yet they were as guilty of covenant-violation as if they had covenanted in their own perfons, when they tranfgreffed it.

3. FROM time to time God had raised up deliverers unto them, who were fo many forerunners of the Redeemer of fouls. The design of the book of Judges, and the first book of Samuel, is, to give us an exalted idea of divine fovereignty in this refpect. The deliverance was more or lefs remarkable, both in point of degree and duration, as the deliverer kept God's way. Accordingly, fome of them were honoured to advance, at once, the interefts of religion and the commonwealth: Some of them, fuch as Gideon's family, began well, but ended ill.

* Judges ii. 20.

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