be contemplated by him, and lie will soon have his mind raised above earthly things, and fired with a holy ambition to honour and to resemble God. See how the Psalmist expresses his thoughts on such occasions0: what glorious language! how sublime must have been the feelings of his soul, when uttering it before God ! Know ye then that this is the state to which we would invite you, and that the daily experience of it is the best preparative for the joys above.]
c Ps. cxlv. 1 — 7.
Deut. xxvi. 17 — 19. TJwu hast avouched the Lord this day to be thy God, and to walk in his ivays, and to keep his statutes, and his commandments, and his judgments, and to hearken unto his voice : and the Lord hath avouched thee this day to be his •peculiar people, as he hath promised thee, and that thou shouldest keep all his commandments; and to make tliee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour ; and that thou may est be an holy people unto the Lord thy God, as he hath spoken.
THE covenant which was made with the Jews at Mount Horeb, though materially different from that which exists under the Christian dispensation, was yet intended to shadow forth that which all of us are called upon to enter into with our God. The Jewish covenant had respect in a great measure to temporal blessings, the bestowment of which was suspended entirely on their performance of certain conditions : whereas ours relates altogether to spiritual blessings ; and though it has conditions as well as theirs, it provides strength for the performance of them, and thereby secures from failure all those who cordially embrace it. We may take occasion therefore from the words before us to consider,
I. Our covenant engagements —
The Jews were required to w avouch," or profess openly, their acceptance of God as their God, and their determination to obey his will in all things ; and such are the engagements which we also are