ever mindful of his covenant:' Of your seed, for he will be a God to them, and will entail the blessing on them. He commands that your widows and fatherless children should be left on him. He is, by covenant, to look after their concerns: you need not be solicitous; he is tender of you, when he seems most to neglect you; as Moses's sister, that was secretly watching behind the bush, and wishingly looking on, to see what was done to the child; though to the finders, it seemed exposed to famine and death in the flags.

Art. VII. That he will give you, or be himself to you instead of, all comfort. 'He will be a sun and a shield, and give grace and glory, and no good thing will he withhold, from them that walk uprightly?" (Psa. lxxxiv. 11.) Oh the treasure that is in these words, I am thy shield and exceeding great reward! I will undertake both for thy protection and provision: When evil assails thee, I will be a shield to thee; when any good is wanting, I will be a supply; thou shalt have children, or I will be better to thee than ten children; thou shalt have riches, or I will be thy store; thou shalt have friends, if best for thee, or else I will be thy comforter in the solitude, thy counsellor in thy distress. My secrets, my ears, and my doors, shall be ever open to thee.' (Mark x. 50.)

'He shall receive a hundredfold in this time: though he have not the things them

selves, yet he shall have all these, and more than all, in me; I will be house, friend, and father, to him, all in one. If you should have a hundred candles burning in the room, and should put out every one, and open the window, and let in the sun, this would be better than the hundred lights that were put out; so here, though thou shouldest be called on to forsake all, it will be but as letting the cistern run, and opening the fountain.

Art. VIII. That he will maintain you all your days in his service. He will be your guide even unto death.' (Psa. xlvii. 14.). Christian, whilst thou hast a day to live, God will stand by thee: he will never leave thee, nor forsake thee. (Heb. xiii. 5.) Surely goodness and mercy shall follow you all the days of your lives. (Psa. xxiii. 6.) And the Lord will never turn away from you to do you good. (Jer. xxxii. 40.) O happy Covenant that the Lord sealeth to you!

Art. IX. That when you come of age, he· will give the kingdom to you. God saith to the believer here, Thine is the kingdom; whatever is promised in the covenant is sealed in the sacrament. (Luke xii. 32.) It is your Father's good pleasure to give you the kingdom. (Luke xii. 29.) I appoint unto you a kingdom. Mark the promise pregnant with a kingdom; it is no less than a crown, a kingdom, that is here delivered to you. (Luke xix. 12.) A certain nobleman.

went into a far country, to receive to himself a kingdom, and to return: This is the business you are come hither for, to receive to yourselves a kingdom, and so to return. Oh! methinks, you should forget the ground you go upon, as you are going home to think what you have received here. Methinks you should go forth as Haman from the banquet, joyful and with a glad heart. Sirs, do you know what you are doing? Why, the Lord doth by these signs give you the kingdom; as a man, by delivering to you a turf or a key, gives possession of a house or land.

Brethren, have you ever read of the kingdom of joy, of the crown of life, of the robes of righteousness, of the throne of glory? Why, all these God here makes over to you. I tell you, Sirs, these are not big words, nor cunningly-devised fables; God Almighty is here come to certify you of the reality of his promises. As sure as you now sit on your seats, you shall shortly sit on your thrones. As sure as you are now clothed with flesh, so surely shall you be clothed with glory. Are you sure you are now on earth? So surely shall you be shortly in heaven; the Lord intendeth you but for a very little while in this lower region; you must dwell above. Where Christ is, there must you be also. As sure as you now see a crucified Christ, so surely shall you see a glorified Christ. The Lord Jesus doth anti

cipate his sentence here, and calls to you, his guests, "Come, ye blessed, inherit the kingdom. Take the writings, hold the seals, here are the conveyances of the kingdom; the donation is sure and full, unalterable, irrevocable."

Christians, do you believe? If you do, methinks you should be ravished; methinks you should be filled with joy unspeakable, and full of glory. But do you stagger at the promise through unbelief? Do you say, "Oh, it is too much and too great!" Why, how can this be? What! too great for God to make good! Thou darest not think so. "But it is too great for me to count upon." Why, but man, dost thou not bear upon thee the mark of the Lord Jesus? Whose image and superscription is this? Doth not your very heart prize Christ above all the world? Hast thou not made a deliberate choice of him, for thy head and husband? Hast thou not entered into a solemn contract with him, to be his for all times and conditions, and to love, honour, and obey him, before all others, to thy death? And doth not thy heart stand to all its choice? Hast thou not taken him, with his yoke and with his cross? And dost thou not, in thy practice, first seek the kingdom of God and the righteousness thereof? And hast thou not chosen the way of the kingdom? Art thou not in love with holiness, and desirest grace more than gold? Dost thou not prefer

a holy, spiritual life, before all the grandeur of the world, and pleasure of the flesh? And all this, not only for a fit, or flash, but in the settled frame and disposition of thy heart? Surely thou must wrong God and thyself, if thou deemest it to be thus with thee. Why, these are the marks of the Lord Jesus upon thee, the sure marks. Fear not, these cannot deceive thee; they evidence that thou art born of God, that thou art a son, and so an heir, and therefore mayest lay claim to the inheritance.

Come, then, beloved christian, be of good comfort, why shouldest thou doubt? Thou hast the mark of the sheep, and therefore thy portion shall be at the right hand, and thy sentence among the blessed. Well, then, receive this holy sacrament as the pledge of all this. Go home and look over all these blessed promises, and count them thine. Do not read them, (as too often heretofore,) as if they did not concern thee. Remember what God hath here promised under hand and seal to thee; and let not all be left behind thee, when thou goest hence, but let the remembrance, the sweet and fruit of them, abide upon thee while thou hast a day to live. Never forget what the Lord hath here spoken to thy soul. Make more of the promises than ever in thy life before; bless thyself in them; remember how the Lord delivered thee the promises; how he sealed to the several articles: how