(upon the matter) a league with Satan. God and Satan will never meet
in one covenant. "For what communion hath light with darkness? and what
concord hath Christ and Belial?"

_Second_, Before you enter into this covenant with God, consider of, and
repent for this special sin, your former breaches and failings in God's
covenant. "We who were sometimes afar off, aliens from the commonwealth
of Israel, and strangers from the covenant of promise, are made nigh by
the blood of Jesus," even so nigh, as to be in covenant with God. Some
who pretend to this privilege, will be found "Such as have counted the
blood of the covenant to be an unholy thing." And where is the man that
walketh so holily in this covenant as becomes him, and as it requires?
Labour therefore to have those breaches healed by a fresh sprinkling of
the blood of Christ upon your consciences, before you enter this
covenant: If you put this new piece to an old garment, the rent will be
made worse: If you put this new wine into old bottles, the bottles will
break, and all your expected comforts will run out and be lost. If you
should not feel and search your own hearts, without doubt the Lord will.
"And if you be found as deceivers, you will bring a curse upon
yourselves, and not a blessing." This is a covenant of amity with God:
reconciliation must go before friendship, you can never make friendship
till you have made peace, nor settle love, where hostility is unremoved.

_Third_, Inquire diligently at your own hearts, whether they come up to
the terms of this covenant? You must bid high for the honour of a
covenanter, for a part in this privilege. "Which of you," saith our Lord
Christ to His hearers, "intending to build a tower, sitteth not down
first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
Lest haply after he hath laid the foundation, and is not able to finish
it, all that behold it, begin to mock him, saying, this man began to
build, and was not able to finish." We are met this day to lay the
foundation of one tower, and to pull up the foundation of another; we
are pulling up the foundation of Babel's tower, and we are laying a
foundation for Zion's tower. We have seen some who have heretofore done
as much, but they have done no more; when they had laid a foundation
for those noble works in taking a solemn oath and covenant, they have
never moved a hand after either to build or to pull down, unless it were
quite cross to their own eng