gdom, sundry times sworn and subscribed,
obliging us who live at this time; the duty of a good patriot, the
office and trust of a privy councillor, the present employment, to have
place amongst those that are first acquainted with his majesty's
pleasure; the consideration that this is the time of trial of your
lordship's affection to religion, the respect which your lordship hath
unto your fame, both now and hereafter, when things shall be recorded to
posterity; and the remembrance, that not only the eyes of men and angels
are upon your lordship's carriage, but also that the Lord Jesus is a
secret witness now to observe, and shall be an open judge hereafter, to
reward and confess every man before His Father, that confesseth Him
before men: all of these, and each of them, beside your lordship's
personal and particular obligations to God, do call for no less at your
lordship's hands, in the case of so great and singular necessity: and we
also do expect so much at this time, according as your lordship at the
hour of death would be free of the terror of God, and be refreshed with
the comfortable remembrance of a word spoken in season for Christ Jesus,
King of kings, and Lord of lords.
THE NATIONAL COVENANT.
SERMON AT ST. ANDREWS.
_BY ALEXANDER HENDERSON._[2]
"Thy people shall be willing in the day of Thy power, in the
beauties of holiness from the womb of the morning; Thou hast the
dew of thy youth."--_Psalm_ cx. 3.
It is, beloved in the Lord, very expedient, and sometimes most necessar,
that we turn away our eyes from kings and their greatness, from kirkmen
and men of state, and that we turn them towards another object, and look
only to Jesus Christ, who is the great king, priest, and prophet of His
kirk. The godly in former times, who were kings, priests, and prophets
themselves, used to do this, and that before Christ; and mickle more is
it required of us now in thir days, seeing we live in troublesome times;
for there is a comfort that comes to the children of God that way. The
first part of this psalm expresses to us the threefold office of Christ,
and the second part of it expresses the valiant acts our Lord Jesus does
by these His three offices, but especially by His Princely office; whilk
indeed is His worst studied office by many men in the world. We would,
many of us, willingly take Him for our prophet to teach us, and for our
priest to intercede for us, and be a sacrifice for our sins, but when
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