Now, he that retreats to God in his distresses, reminds God of his covenant: " Thou saidst thou wouldst do me good." And the bring- ing forth of God's word of promise is as good a token as his own bringing forth the bow in the cloud. And this is the foundation of all the good he doth for us, or in us.
Thirdly. What is there in the covenant, that God doth thus re- member, that will give us relief in times of distress, and in our pro- spect of future calamities that may befall us? and what are we to have regard unto that may give us that relief? I answer, —
1. God himself is in it; there lies the nature of it. When he came to make it with Abraham, " I am God Almighty," saith he. He doth not speak a word there what he will do for Abraham; but, " I am God Almighty." He leaves it there; then requires his obedience: " Walk before me, and be thou perfect." Abraham shall rest in this, that God himself is in the covenant : " For the rest that is to be done, trust me with it ; I take that upon myself." And saith he, Hos. ii. 23, " They shall be my people, and I will be their God." Here we have the eternal fountain and spring of all relief (if our houses are not so as we could desire), — that is, God himself. So that, if there be any thing in the nature of God, in his infinite, eternal excellency, that is suited to the relief of a soul, he hath made his covenant sufficient to convey it unto the souls of believers. And what we come short of is not for want of fulness in the fountain, and ability in the means of convey- ance ; but for want of faith to receive it.
2. Christ is in the covenant, Gal. hi. 1 6, " To Abraham and his seed were the promises made. He saith not, And to seeds, as of many ; but as of one, And to thy seed, which is Christ." In all the promises made to Abraham, Christ, as the seed, was intended ; so that Christ shall be theirs, with all his benefits. This is also in it. And, —
3. All the ijromises of God are in it ; which are in unspeakable variety, as effects of infinite wisdom, suited unto the wants that may
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befall us in this world : so as that it is utterly impossible that any believer should ever want any thing, that there is not grace in one promise or other suited unto that want. They all belong unto the covenant. Consider the fountain of it, — God himself, who is inex- haustible in stores of help and grace; consider the means of procur- ing,— Christ is in it, who hath purchased for us every thing that is needful ; and, lastly, consider the means of communication, — which are the promises: so that there is nothing wanting for our relief.
Fourthly. If Ave would have relief in the covenant, let us consider our own entering into covenant with God, and what is comprised therein. Whosoever entereth into covenant with God, he doth accept God to be his God, for all the ends of the covenant whatever; and he that will retreat for relief unto the covenant, must stand to the covenant. And in this acceptance of God to be our God there are two things: —
1. An absolute renunciation of all expectation of any help for the ends of the covenant from any other thing whatsoever. For what we look for therein (and therein we look for all), there is to be an express renunciation of any expectation from any thing else to that end and purpose. So do they in Jer. hi. 22, 23, " Behold, we come unto thee; for thou art the Lord our God. Truly in vain is salvation hoped for from the hills, and from the multitude of mountains: truly in the Lord our God is the salvation of Israel." Things are called hills and mountains, because they make a great and goodly appearance of help and relief. The people here are directed to take up their relief in God alone: "We come unto thee; for thou art the LORD our God." What is required hereunto? Why, an absolute renunciation of all help and assistance from the hills and from the mountains. And one great reason why we are so slow in drinking in that relief, which God is so willing to give out unto us, is, because we are still casting our eyes towards the hills and mountains, — looking this way and that way for something that may give us relief. But it is in vain; there is an ab- solute renunciation of all other help included in accepting of God to be our God in covenant. So Hos. xiv. 3, " Asshur shall not save us; we will not ride upon horses: neither will we say any more to the work of our hands, Ye are our gods : for in thee the fatherless fmdeth mercy." And if there hath not been a solemn renunciation of other helps in our covenant with God, it is no wonder we do so halt as we do between God and the world, when we come to our straits and distresses. Where this hath been firm in the soul, and he is nakedly cast upon God as a poor, fatherless creature, to find mercy in him, and goes to him and saith, " Truly thou art our God, in thee is our help;"- — that soul shall not fail of such supplies as shall be needful for him in his condition. This leads me to observe [that]. — -