The Communicant's Companion (continued)
that address—"Be surety for thy servant for good." "I am oppressed, undertake for me."
2. We must depend on the righteousness of Christ, making mention of that, even of that only, for acceptance with God in our covenanting with him: we have nothing in us to recommend us to God's favor, no righteousness of our own wherein to appear before him; we have by sin not only forfeited all the blessings of the covenant, but incapacitated ourselves for admission into it. By sacrifice therefore, by a sacrifice of atonement, sufficient to expiate our guilt, and satisfy the demands of injured justice, we must make a covenant with God; and there is none such but that one offering by which Christ has "perfected forever them which are sanctified;" that is, the blood of the covenant, which must be sprinkled upon our consciences, when we join ourselves to the Lord. That everlasting righteousness, which Messiah the prince hath brought in, must be the cover of our spiritual nakedness, our wedding-garment to adorn our nuptials, and the foundation on which we must build all our hopes, to find favor in the sight of God.
I shall not here draw up a form of covenanting with God, both because such may be found drawn up by far better hands than mine, as Mr. Baxter, Mr. Alleine, and others, and because a judicious Christian may, out of the foregoing heads, easily draw up one for himself.
II. After what manner we must renew our covenant with God, that we may therein please God, and experience the good effect of it on our souls.
1. We must do it intelligently.—Blind promises will produce lame performances, and can never be acceptable to the seeing God: ignorance is not the mother of this devotion. Satan indeed puts out men's eyes, and so brings them into bondage to him, and leads them blindfold; for he is a thief