The Communicant's Companion (continued)
prosperous condition, and will sanctify and sweeten all the comforts of it to us.
And we must in like manner resolve never to be so discouraged and disheartened by the frowns of the world, as by the force of them to be robbed of our joy in God, or by the fear of them to be driven from our duty to God. We must come to Christ with a steady resolution to abide by him in all conditions: "Lord, I will follow thee whithersoever thou goest. Though I should die with thee, yet will I not deny thee. None of these things move me."
(VI.) We must rely upon the righteousness and strength of our Lord Jesus
Christ in all this.—Christ is the Mediator of this peace, and the guarantee of it, the surety of this better covenant, that blessed days-man, who has laid his hand upon us both, who has so undertaken for God, that "in him all God's promises to us, are yea and amen;" and unless he undertakes for us too, how can our promises to God have any strength or stability in them? When, therefore, we enter into covenant with God, our eye must be to Christ, the Alpha and Omega of that covenant. When. God had "sworn by himself, that unto him every knee should bow, and every tongue should swear," immediately it follows: "Surely shall one say," every one that vows and swears to God, "in the Lord have I righteousness and strength;" in the Lord
Jesus is all my sufficiency for the doing of this well. In making and renewing our covenant with God, we must take instructions from that of David: "I will go in the strength of the Lord God; I will make mention of thy righteousness, even of thine only."
1. We must depend upon the strength of the Lord for assistance, and for the working of all our works in us and for us. In that strength we must go, go forth, and go on, as those that know we can do nothing that is good of ourselves; our own hands are not sufficient for us, but we can "do all things through Christ strengthening us." Our work then goes on, and then only, when we are "strengthened with all might by his Spirit." This way we must look for spiritual strength as Nehemiah did: "Now, therefore, O God, strengthen my hands." On this strength we must stay ourselves, in this strength we must engage ourselves, and put forth ourselves, and with it we must encourage ourselves.
We cannot keep this covenant when it is made, nor make it at all, but. in the strength of Christ. Nature, corrupt nature, inclines to the world and the flesh, and cleaves to them; without the influences of special grace, we should never move towards God, much less resolve for him; we cannot do it well, but in Christ's strength, and in a dependence upon that. If, like Peter, we venture on our own sufficiency, and use those forms of speech which import a reliance on the divine grace, only as words of course, and do not by faith trust to that grace, and derive from it, we forfeit the aids of it, our covenant is rejected as presumptuous, and shall not avail us. Promises made in our own strength betray us, and do not help us, like the house built on the sand. We cannot keep this covenant, when it is made, but in the strength of Christ: for we stand no longer than he by his grace upholds us; we go no further than he by his grace, not only leads us, but carries us. His promises to us are our security, not ours to him; from his fulness, therefore, we must expect to receive grace for grace: for it is not in ourselves, nor is it to be had any where but in him.
We then that are principals in the bond, knowing ourselves insolvent, must put him in as surety for us. He is willing to stand, and without him our bond will not be taken. We are too well known to be trusted; for all men are liars, and the heart is deceitful above all things. Go to Christ, therefore, with