Page:Faith's plea upon God's covenant (5).pdf/7

Rh he would remember the covenant, and regard the covenant, but eſtabliſh the covenant, betwixt him and us, as he ſaid to Abraham, Gen. xvii. 7. 'I will eſtabliſh it between me and thee, and thy ſeed after thee.' He ſhews reſpect to the covenant, when he makes the covenant take hold of us, and makes us take hold of the covenant; for then he makes us put reſpect upon him, and upon his covenant.

4. He hath reſpect to his covenant, when he performs the covenant-promiſe, according to Micah vii. 20. 'Thou wilt perform the truth to Jacob, and the mercy to Abraham, which thou haſt ſworn to our fathers from the days of old;' and he does this when he acts according to the covenant, or according to the mercy that made the covenant, and the truth that is engaged to make out the promiſe.

In ſhort the ſum of this prayer, as it concerns the import of the word Reſpect, 'Have reſpect to the covenant,' is, 'Lord, remember the covenant, and ſo remember me; Lord, have regard to the covenant, and let me be remembered on this ground, when there is no reaſon why I ſhould be regarded; Lord, eſtabliſh thy covenant with me, and ſo put honour upon thy name manifeſted in that covenant, and do to me according to the promiſe of the covenant, cauſe me to hope in thy word, and then 'remember thy word on which thou haſt cauſed me to hope;' and deal with me not according to my ſin and deſert, but according to thy covenant and mercy in Chriſt Jeſus.'

III. We are next to ſhew what it is in the covenant he hath a reſpect to, or that we ſhould plead upon. 1. 'Have