n. Days of humiliation ought to be days of
self-examination. Let us therefore upon such a day as this, examine,
whether we be not amongst the number of those that make the times
perilous, whether we be not covenant-breakers? Here I will speak of
three covenants; 1. Of the covenant we have made with God in our
baptism. 2. Of the covenant we have made with God in our distresses. 3.
And especially of this covenant you are to renew this day.

1. Of the covenant which we made in baptism, and renew every time we
come to the Lord's supper, and upon our solemn days of fasting. There
are none here, but I may say of them, "the vows of God are upon you."
You are _servi nati, empti, jurati_, you are the born, bought, and sworn
servants of God, you have made a surrender of yourselves unto God and
Christ. The question I put to you is this: How often have you broken
covenant with God? It is said, "The sinners in Zion are afraid; who
shall dwell with everlasting torments? Who shall dwell with devouring
fire?" When God comes to a church-sinner, to a sinner under the Old
Testament, much more to a Christian sinner, a sinner under the New
Testament, and layeth to his charge his often covenant-breaking,
fearfulness shall possess him, and he will cry out, "Oh! woe is me, who
can dwell with everlasting burnings? Our God is a consuming fire, and we
are as stubble before Him; who can stand before His indignation? Who can
abide in the fierceness of His anger? When His fury is poured forth like
fire, and the rocks are thrown down before Him. Who can stand?" Of all
sorts of creatures, a sinful Christian shall not be able to stand before
the Lord, when He comes to visit the world for their sins. For when a
Christian sins against God, he sins not only against the commandment but
against the covenant. And in every sin he is a commandment-breaker, and
a covenant-breaker. And therefore, whereas the apostle saith,
"tribulation and anguish upon every soul that sinneth: but first upon
the Jews," I may add, first, upon the Christian, then upon the Jew, and
then upon the Grecian, because the covenant made with the Christian is
called a better covenant: and therefore his sins have a higher
aggravation in them. There is a notable passage in Austin, in which he
brings in the devil thus pleading with God, against a wicked Christian
at the day of judgment. Oh! Thou righteous Judge, give righteous
judgment; judge him to be mine who refused to be Thine, even after