or else thou wilt never be able to "keep thy covenant;"
hear Him, else, "without me ye can do nothing." And as Christ speaks
thus in the negative; so you may hear the apostle speaking by blessed
experience in the affirmative; "I can do all things through Jesus
Christ, Who strengtheneth me." Observe, I pray, "Without Me ye can do
nothing. Through Christ I can do all things." Nothing, all things. There
is a good deal of difference between two men; take one without Christ,
and, be his parts never so excellent, his resolutions never so strong,
his engagements never so sacred, "he can do nothing;" unless it be to
"break his covenant and vows," as Samson brake his cords like threads
scorched with the fire; and, take the other with a Christ standing by
him, and be he in himself never so weak and mean, unlearned and
ungifted, lo, as if he were clothed with omnipotency, "he can do all
things," he can subdue such corruptions, conquer such temptations,
perform such duties, and in such a manner, do such things, suffer such
things, (and in all these keep his covenant with God) as to other men,
and to himself before, were so many impossibilities; he could not
before, now He can. Nothing before, all things now. All things fit for
an unglorified saint to do; all things God expects from him; all things
in a gospel sense; all things comparatively to other men, and to
himself, when he was another man. See, I beseech you, how without a
Christ, and thro' a Christ, makes one man differ from another; yea, and
from himself, as much as can and cannot; all things and nothing;
impotency and omnipotency, "Without me ye can do nothing." "Through
Christ I can do all things." If therefore you would make a covenant with
Eternity to eternity, study Christ more than ever, labour to "know
nothing but Jesus Christ, and Him crucified." And therein these two
things,

_First_, Labour to get interest in Christ. Interest is the ground of
influence; union the fountain or spring of communion; so Christ, "as the
branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more
can ye, except ye abide in Me." There you have the truth and the simile
of it; no fruit from Christ, without being and abiding in Christ; there
is truth: illustrated and proved by the vine and the branch; there the
simile, which is prosecuted and enlarged by our Saviour.

And, as all communion ariseth from union, so look what the union is,
such is the communion; Christ was filled w