A covenant to walk with God in an holy stedfastness to maintain the peace of our spirits with God in Christ.: Solemnly entred into by certain persons resolving to live according to, and in the power of the life of Christ in them.

SECT. 1. The occasion & ground of this Covenant.

VVEe seriously and in the sight of God, obser∣ving that glorious

and blessed condi∣tion we have been called into, in the revelation of the Lord Jesus Christ upon our Spirits in the power of the Gospel, and therein seeing

• 1. The singular and infinite love of God, in revealing to us effectually the great mysteries of Christ through the Spirit, and thereby speaking peace to

• our Spirits, through the promise in his Son.
• 2. And thence evidential union & communion with Christ resulting. We have truly found bestowed upon us

A Spirit of life,to live the life of Christ.

A mysterious mer∣cy we must needs acknowledge, and beyond imaginati∣on, much more

possibility of re∣quital; especially in as much as we have found from thence, by blessed & happy experience commu∣nicated freely unto us, that which may fit us in some pro∣portion and com∣fortable measure to enjoy communion with our God, as

• 1. An holy frame of Spirit, answering to the holy nature of God in Christ in

• some happy mea∣sure.
• 2. Sensiblenesse of infinite love in God to us through Christ in that re∣spect.

And from these two principles have had experience in our hearts of

1. An holy ten∣dernes towards God in the Lord Jesus Christ.

Spiritual joy in God, as our portion

now in Christ re∣conciled to us.

3. Love to, and sincere delight in him.

All which wee have found have been accompanyed with three special & prevailing fruits;

• 1. The alienating of our Spirits from things here below, to favour, minde and taste spirituals.
• 2. The disappro∣bation & disalow∣ance

• of lust and sin dwelling in us.
• 3. The subjuga∣ting of the power and strength of cor∣ruption, that it raigned not, nor prevailed in our spi∣rits nor wayes.

From all which blessed works of Christ in us, through the strength of this Spirit of life cast into us by his inha∣bitation in us fol∣lowed

Power in some measure to walk ac∣ceptably to God in peace.

Frō these grounds and principles (be∣sides the internal light of Faith, and the witness and seal of the Spirit) war∣ranted by Scripture to be the lot and only portion of the Elect of God called to be Saints. We have concluded

We are now actu∣ally

in the state of grace, and partakers of the new Cove∣nant in the Lord Jesus.

Therefore ha∣ving these eviden∣tial grounds, that this is the true grace of Christ, wherein we now stand we cannot but finde our Spirits

• 1. Very sensible of singular love in God towards us in Christ.

• 2. Widely enlar∣ged answerably in love and thankful∣nesse to God again for so much good∣nesse.

Therefore know∣ing our selves here∣by sealed up unto our full Redempti∣on in the great day of Christ, and that the time of our abi∣ding here is but short. Conclude it our duty

That we live the

rest of our pilgri∣mage wholly unto God, in the power of that grace and spiritual life thus communicated to us from GOD in Christ.

And forasmuch as we carry still about with us a body of Death (and live in the world, although we are not of the world) that hauls back unto deadnesse and dulnesse in the

way of Christ to the corruptions of our own natures, causing in us by woful experience to finde the bitternesse of our own folly in neglects, coolings, carelesnesse and un∣steddiness of Spirit, often procuring ir∣regularities and un∣evennesse in our wayes, & sad events upon our Spirits. We finde our selves therefore bounden

in all Spiritual wis∣dom to tye our selves up

To keep a strict and close watch o∣ver our hearts and wayes.

Notes

• 1 Thess. 1.5.
• Rom. 5.1, 2.
• Rom. 8.6
• Gal. 5.25.
• Eph. 3.17, 18.
• 2 Pet. 1.4
• Rom. 5.5
• 2 Cor. 5.14.
• 1 Pet. 1.8
• 1 Ioh. 4.8.
• Col. 3.1.
• Rom. 7.15.
• Rom. 8.10.
• Acts 9.31.
• Psal. 63.5.
• Psa. 116.12, 13.
• Eph. 1.13.
• Rom. 6.4
• Eph. 4.17
• 1 Cor. 1••.14.