ndly. It is desirable to imitate God in Covenanting. He draws near
to his people; and should they not draw near to him? God is waiting on
men to take hold on his covenant. He has entered into covenant with
others who sought to imitate Him; He offers to do so with us. He
waits,--Infinity waits and draws while waiting,--Excellence waits, and
waiting transforms into excellence,--blessings wait, and attract while
waiting,--He waits on men. To follow finite good, is to seek good,
though limited. To imitate finite excellence, is to aspire at
excellence, even though but in part. To take God for an example, is to
prosecute the course to boundless happiness and honour. Where he walks,
there is sin rebuked, evil flees away, and corruption dies; there good
is seen, a field of duty without limit stretches out, happiness
immeasurable begins, and glory eternal opens. It was by his covenant
that the scene of heavenly bliss was to be opened to sinners, and
peopled by them. Taking hold upon it, the unnumbered millions for whom
it was prepared, in imitation of him, make preparation for it. To follow
these would be delightful and honouring; but would be to follow what is
merely a copy, and only finite. What is it then to follow the great
Original, the provider of glory, and honour, and immortality, to be
dispensed to the eternal honour of his character,--God himself!

Finally. It is a duty to imitate God in Covenanting. The act of swearing
by the name of God is holy. The performance of it is inculcated in the
decalogue. Swearing on the part of the Most High is a manifestation of
His holiness. Swearing on the part of men is at once an imitating of
Him, and a holy service. When men endeavour to discharge the duties of
the ten commandments, they are exercised to holiness, and acting in
imitation of Him who only is holy. And accordingly these commandments
are injunctions to imitate God. Enjoining therefore the duty of
Covenanting, they inculcate that as an imitation of Him--swearing by
himself. Again, even as the exercise of keeping the Sabbath is enforced
by the Divine example, so is that of entering into Covenant with God.
In the fourth commandment, the former duty is explicitly enjoined on
that ground. "For in six days the Lord made heaven and earth, the sea,
and all that in them is, and rested the seventh day: wherefore the Lord
blessed the Sabbath-day, and hallowed it."[610] And although the
observance of no other of the ten precepts is i