God can be their God, if they take him not in his covenant? Ye that never clofed with God in a perfonal covenant, have your religion to begin yet. Think on it, ye old neglecters, and ye young ones that have never ratified with your own confent, the covenant made for you in baptism.

2dly, The not renewing our covenant with God, and repeating our choice. Our frequent backflidings require it, Jer. 1. 4. What hope can we have that fo often go a-whoring from our Lord and Hufband, if we do not return and renew the marriage-covenant? The neglect of this is a fatal mistake at this day, when judgement is at the door. O what should we do in fuch a time, but humble ourselves for breach of covenant, and renew covenant with God under the view of these evil days? If this were done, it would be a good preparation, and would make way for national renewing our covenant-engagements.

3dly, Hypocritical covenanting, confenting in words to the covenant, but not taking God for our God with our hearts, Hof. viii. 2. 3. They that would take God for their God, muft put away their strange gods, and open their hearts that the King of glory may come in. But alas! many give him the hand, who give him not the heart. He is our God to whom our hearts are devoted. Though we give God the best of words, if our lufts get the beft of our hearts, we are dealing hypocritically with God.

4thly, Dealing falfely in the covenant, Pfal. 1. 16. 17. O what matter of fhame and confufion is there for us here! What children of Belial are we, whom national, baptifmal, and personal covenants will not bind! How often after vows have we made inquiry, returned to those fins which we have renounced, and engaged againft, eat in the best words that ever we spoke in making a covenant, and thrown away the happiest bonds that we ever came under!

5thly, Covenanting and engaging against God, his caufe and way, and binding ourselves to in; whether VOL. II. 3 L

rafhly in our private walk by the vehemency of our paffion, Eccl. v. 6. or more deliberately in obedience to authority, Hof. v. 11. This has been, is at this day, and is ftill like to be more, the fin and fnare of this land. But let us remember, that our covenant with God muft regulate all other engagements we come un der; and if once we take God to be our God, our hands are bound up from taking any other in his place. For we can do nothing against the truth, but for the truth, 2 Cor. xiii. 8.

Lastly, All compact with the devil. Such is the corruption of human nature, that men will take the devil for their god. Here is forbidden, (1.) All witchcraft, forcery, magic, and devilry. These renouncing God, become the devil's vaffals and fervants in a special manner, to have comunion with him here in mifchief and wickedness, and comunion with him in hell fire. Two things readily occafion it: either dif content with one's own condition, or defire of revenge, which ye would beware of. (2.) All ufing of fpells and charms, whether for knowing of fecret things paft or to come, for curing or preventing of difeafes in men or beafts, or for any other effect whatfoever. This is an implicit compact with the devil, which thofe that are far from exprefs covenanting with him may fall into. Both are condemned, Deut. xviii. 1o. &c. There are, alas! many of these things which are unworthy to be named; but take this rule in this cafe, That whatsoever is brought to pafs by means which neither by the appointment of God nor the nature of the mean ufed can be expected, is from the devil. The facraments and medicines are means of divine inftitution, and by the bleffing of God, when ufed in faith, are conducive to the ends for which they are appointed. But the truth is, fpells, charms, &c. are the devil's facraments. For what virtue can there be in words, a key, riddle, laying fuch or fuch things above a door-head, &c. to produce the effects expect ed by miferable creatures from them? but they are

Satan's facraments, that must be used with a kind of truth or belief of the fuccefs, at which the devil produceth the defired effect fometimes, God permitting it: for he cannot always do it.

2. Whereas it is a duty of this command to make God our chief end, it forbids,

1, Men-pleating, Gal. i. 10. There is a holy manpleafing which we thould all learn, if we would please God, Rom. xv. 2. Let every one of us pleafe his neighbour for his good to edification. Paul was dex. terous at that holy art, 1 Cor. ix 19.-22. turning himself into all colours, but black to please them, for their good. But this finful man pleafing is, when we fet ourselves to please men without regard to the pleasing of God, propofing their pleasure as our only or chief end, Tit. ii. 9. Compare Eph. vi. 6. Col. iii, 22, And this we are guilty of, either when we do a fin to please men, or do a good thing or lawful more to pleafe them than God.

zdly, Not making God our end at all, Pfal. lxxxvi. 14. when God's honour has no place at all in our projects and actions. Thus he who fhould have the chief place in all we do, has none; the chief cornerftone is not admitted into the unfanctified building, But felf is the beginning, middle, and end. Many fuch black pieces without mixture are in the web of our converfation.

3dly, Not making God our chief end, when tho' we have an eye to God in our actions, yet not the chief eye; not feeking him above all, in all, and beyond all, 1 Cor. x. 31. Pfal, ixxiii, 25. Man's will at his creation was made chiefly looking to God; and the leaft deviation from this is our fin, But how often doth our refpect to God lie under, and that to ourfelves a top? God is made the mean, and ourselves the great end. Many pieces of the faints religion, and all the religion of others, are rather a ferving themfelves of God than a ferving of God,

3.: Whereas felf-denial is a duty of this command, it forbids,

1ft, Self-feeking. Not that we may not at all seek ourfelves, but we must not make ourselves our only and chief end, Phil. ii. 21. That is finful feeking, when our own things exclude Chrift's things, or are above the things of Chrift; when, neglecting God, we feek only our own profit or pleafure; or when in any thing we have no view beyond thefe to God. In natural, civil, or religious actions, men may feek their own profit and delight, Prov. xxvii. 23. Eccl. ii. 24. & ix. 7. 8. Cant. i. 2. but these must be directed towards God, being fought, that thereby we may be in the better capacity to ferve our God. They must be used as ftage-coaches to help us on our way, not as beds to lie down in and reft there. But O what guilt is contracted in these matters! What self-seeking is chargeable on us,

(1.) As to natural actions, Zech. vii. 6. having no higher end in these than ourselves, no respect to the -command of God, but our own appetite; not to fit us for the duties of our general or particular callings, but to please ourselves.

(2.) In civil actions, Prov. xxi. 4. No eye to God's command, no eye to his honour; but to our own wealth and outward eftate. This was the fin of the old world, Matth. xxiv. 38. Luke xvii. 27. 28. But religion teaches to eat and drink, becaufe God has faid, Thou shalt not kill; to marry, because he has faid, Thou shalt not commit adultery; to work, because he has faid, Thou shalt not fleal, and that they may honour the Lord with their fubftante.

(3.) In religious actions, Prov. xv. 8. How often is religion made to ferve mens intereft, and lacquey at the feet of carnal projects? What felf feeking is there in our religion, feeking worldly advantage, credit, and a great name, our own peace, and welfare for eternity at beft, which is but felt feeking, if

we fee not that in God which makes us feek him for himself!

2dly, Self-love, 2 Tim. iii. 2. Love ourselves we may, our fouls, our bodies; but the love of God muft regulate our love to ourselves, and we must love ourselves in God and for God, not more than God, nor as much, Matth. xxii. 37. 38. 39. The love of God is the first command. Our neighbour must be loved with an inferior fort of love, not as our God, but as ourselves: therefore the love of ourfelves muft be inferior to that of God. Now, finful felf-love is that inordinate affection which we bear to ourfelves without due fubordination to God, a love of ourfelves that carries us off our duty to God. This prevails over us when we are not ready to facrifice our all to God at his call, Luke xiv. 26. Hence proceeds defection from the truth in time of trial, the gratifying of ourselves at any time at the expence of God's ditpleasure.

3dly, Self-pleafing, Rom. xv. 1. It is a narrowness of fpirit, whereby, if we can please ourselves, we value notothe pleafing of others for their good, as if we had been only born for ourfelves. It is a fin that is highly difpleafing to God, and the bane of fociety, whereimmen muft retrench fomething from themselves to please others, otherwife they will be as briers and thorns continually in the fides of one another: for what can be expected there where each will needs have his own way of it? Upon this it is that the ufing or not ufing of indifferent things is built.

4thly, Self-confidence, whereby men lean to the broken reed of their own wifdom and their own ftrength, instead of leaning to God, Prov. iii. 5. & xxviii. 26. It carries men off from God, and brings down a curfe on that in themfelves which they lean unto; their parts, their pains, abilities, refolutions, c. Jer, xvii. 5. There is much fin this way. 5thly, Self-conceit, Prov. xxvi. 12. It is mens blindness and ignorance that makes them fo. Were their eyes opened, they would fee they were nothing.