venant engagement is perfect.
Either in its matter or manner, each of these may have many defects.
Indeed, were one to vow all the duty unfolded in the Scriptures, the
engagement would be sound. Every believer virtually does that. But
special vows are necessary. The former, exclusively, is competent only
to a period of the Church's future history, when her attainments will
far exceed those heretofore made by her. But in order that such a step
as that may be taken, by vowing habitually and performing, the Church
ought to make assiduous preparation. Men ought to enter into Covenant as
duty presents itself. If we perceive that we have vowed to sin, let us
not perform, but pray to God for forgiveness, and engage to what is
lawful. It is foreign to the scope of the ordinance to give countenance
to sin. None, however, on that account, can excuse himself for not
coming under and fulfilling a good obligation. Though we cannot do other
duties perfectly, we would not be warranted in refusing to perform
these. We have no might in ourselves to do any good thing: nay, even the
services of the saints, performed in faith, are all imperfect; but we
are, nevertheless, called to duty. The dread of doing evil ought not to
prevent from making efforts to perform what is good. One may be left to
enter into a wrong engagement; but he is not on that account to abstain
from endeavours to engage and perform aright. Man has a claim upon his
brother in consequence of his engagements made with him. If one,
however, promise what is evil, and another demand fulfilment, both are
faulty,--the one for engaging to do evil, the other for urging an
unwarranted claim. Covenant engagements should not, however, be
neglected, but be wisely made and kept. By Covenanting to do duty, we
are neither foolishly nor sinfully committed. God will require what is
right, and that alone. We ought to make every lawful effort to perform
duty. Our best efforts to serve God are but approximations. They ought,
however, to be continued. Are we to abandon any one means of doing good,
because the improper use of it would do injury? The bond of a covenant
with God is a holy bond: it cannot come in contact with what is evil.
With various condemnation, it allows all such to pass; but it constrains
to good. The evil in a bond professing to sustain that high character
mars it. Better that were changed, by the removal of the evil, than to
remain imperfect because of the continuance there