Ordinateur

John Cunningham

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Ordinateur

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• Publié par: orewowul
• Publié le: 08 décembre 2010
• Nombre de lectures: 63
• Langue: Français
• Poids de l'ouvrage: 1 Mo

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Project Gutenberg's The Ordinance of Covenanting, by John Cunningham This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere at no cost and with almost no restrictions whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at www.gutenberg.org Title: The Ordinance of Covenanting Author: John Cunningham Release Date: May 6, 2008 [EBook #25353] Language: English Character set encoding: UTF-8 *** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK THE ORDINANCE OF COVENANTING *** Produced by Stacy Brown, Jordan and the Online Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net THE ORDINANCE OF COVENANTING. BY [Pg v] JOHN CUNNINGHAM, A.M. "HE HATH COMMANDED HIS COVENANT FOR EVER." Ps. cxi. 9. "THOUGH IT BE BUT A MAN'S COVENANT, YET IF IT BE CONFIRMED, NO MAN DISANNULETH, OR ADDETH THERETO." Gal. iii. 15. GLASGOW:—WILLIAM MARSHALL. SOLD ALSO BY JOHN KEITH. EDINBURGH:—THOMAS NELSON AND JOHN JOHNSTONE. LONDON:—HAMILTON, ADAMS, & CO. MANCHESTER:-GALT & ANDERSON. BELFAST:—WILLIAM POLLOCK. [Pg vi] TO THE REVEREND ANDREW SYMINGTON, D.D., PROFESSOR OF DIVINITY IN THE REFORMED PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, THIS VOLUME IS MOST RESPECTFULLY INSCRIBED. CONTENTS. INTRODUCTION 1 [Pg vii] CHAPTER I. NATURE OF COVENANTING. Term Covenant defined, Sinners Redeemed, are in Covenant with God, This relation not a mere law, has parties, has conditions, is the Covenant of Grace, Term Covenanting defined, By Covenanting men make a Covenant with God, This Covenant not distinct from that of Redemption, or that of Grace, The formal exercise of Covenanting not indispensable to an interest in the Covenant of Grace, God's Covenant may, for the first time, be entered into in the exercise of Covenanting, 5 6 7 7 7 8 8 8 9 11 12 In Covenanting, if God's Covenant has been laid hold on before, it is then renewed, THE VOW. 14 Definition, Vow made to God alone, a solemn promise to God, to be made voluntarily, must be consistent with duty, never made but in Covenanting, THE OATH. 15 15 16 17 17 17 Definition, To swear, to use an oath, It is by the Lord that all ought to swear, Oath sworn with the lifting up of the right hand, Swearing a devotional exercise, In the oath is implied a condensed adoration, The oath a solemn appeal to God, In swearing a lawful oath, a Covenant with God is made, whether given to confirm an assertion, or given to confirm an explicit promise, The civil or moral use of the oath depends on its spiritual character, The oath distinct from the vow, CONFESSION. 18 19 19 20 21 21 23 23 23 26 29 30 To confess, to perform services which include Covenanting, —in the Old Testament, —in the New, To confess Christ, to Covenant, To profess, sometimes, to confess, Then, profession equivalent to confession, PERSONAL COVENANTING. 31 32 33 36 37 38 This an act, of adherence to God's Covenant, 38 approving of the way of salvation through Christ, of accepting Christ and all his benefits, of renouncing satan and sin, of self-dedication to God, in which duty is promised to God, SOCIAL COVENANTING. 39 39 42 43 44 This also an act of acquiescence in God's Covenant, Performed by the Church in an ecclesiastical capacity, Performed by Covenanting in a national capacity, That may be performed by various communities in one confederation, Implying all that is included in Personal Covenanting, An act of acceptance of the benefits of God's Covenant, Of vowing general and specified obedience, Of federal engagement among the members of the Covenanting community, Of public acceptance of the truth of God and of renouncing error, Performed in the name of those who engage in it, and in the name of posterity, COVENANT RATIFICATION. 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 By oath, Oath and Covenant associated, Oath for confirmation, Oath essential to a Covenant with God, 54 54 55 55 [Pg viii] CHAPTER II. MANNER OF COVENANTING. Preliminaries, Intelligently, 57 61 Cordially, Deliberately, Sincerely, In the first ages by sacrifice, Phrase considered, What intended by the bisection of the victim, Swearing symbolized by sacrifice, Explicit proof, Covenants ratified by blood of sacrifice, In all ages by faith, Devotionally, In solemn assemblies, A holy exercise, Should be performed with godly fear and reverence, With confession of sin, Vow made in prayer, Sometimes with the living voice, Sometimes by subscription, Covenanting a distinct exercise, Though entering into other duties, yet by itself not unnecessary, 62 63 63 64 64 67 67 69 70 71 73 73 74 74 75 76 77 77 78 79 CHAPTER III. COVENANTING A DUTY. According to the will of God as King and Lord, Obedience to Christ as possessed of all power in heaven and in earth, Believers engage in it as under law to Christ, Covenanting in an ecclesiastical capacity, obedience, Covenanting in an ecclesiastical and in a national capacity, obedience, Commanded in the MORAL LAW , In the first three precepts of the decalogue, 83 83 84 86 88 92 92 In statutes that illustrate these, commands to glorify God, to worship God, enjoining faith, forbidding federal transactions with what is evil, Enjoining the vowing of the vow, Explanation of Deut. xxiii. 22, of Eccles. v. 5, inculcating the swearing of the oath, The duty of swearing the oath not abrogated, enjoining the exercise in all its parts, The exercise inculcated in threatenings of Divine judgment against such as disregard it, Personal Covenanting commanded, Social— in an ecclesiastical capacity, in a national capacity, Nations whose constitutions are immoral and unscriptural, called to the duty, Nations that have not heard the gospel, not guiltless for not Covenanting, in various capacities, Assemblies for the investigation of Divine truth, Bible societies, Missionary Societies, None may be excused for not engaging in Covenanting, 94 94 95 96 96 98 100 102 103 104 106 106 108 109 110 112 118 119 120 122 122 125 128 CHAPTER IV. COVENANT DUTIES. Covenanting ought to embrace present and permanent duty, Duties to each one's self, 131 132 The cultivation of personal religion, Sobriety and temperance, The cultivation of the various powers of the soul, The proper application of every capacity, All such different from restraints imposed by human authority, Duties to society in general, To families, To civil communities, Owing by masters and servants, Lawful civil governors and the people under them, Duty of the civil magistrate, Duties of the people in regard to the choice of their civil rulers, —and to their obedience to them, Duty of people living under civil governments not sanctioned by God's authority, The doctrine evil, that so long as any law exists it ought to be obeyed, To promote the real welfare of civil society, the duty of nil, To classes of men, of whatever kind, To the Church of Christ, To abide by all the ordinances of divine grace, To support the ordinances of religion, where enjoyed, To maintain the rights and privileges of the Church, To unite the various Churches of Christ, To enlarge the Church, —through Bible Societies, Missions, at home, —to the heathen, 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 141 142 143 144 145 148 151 155 156 157 158 159 159 160 161 163 163 164 165 [Pg ix] —to the Jews, To the Mediator, as Lord of all, To declare the glory of God, To maintain the truth, by profession and practice, —of God's character, —of God's government, —of the relations of the persons of the ever-blessed Trinity in the Everlasting Covenant, —of the mediatorial character and glory of Christ, —of the influences of his word and Spirit, —of the atonement and intercession of Christ, —of the Headship of Christ, over the Church, over the nations, —of man's depravity and inability to restore himself, Covenanting should engage all to every former good attainment, —to cleave to new correct views of truth and duty, —to abandon the evil in the vow unobserved at the making of it, Covenanting does not shackle inquiry, 167 168 169 169 170 171 171 171 172 172 172 172 173 175 176 177 178 179 CHAPTER V. COVENANTING CONFERS OBLIGATION. Covenanting confers obligation by the authority of God, Personal and social—on the Covenanting parties, Such are represented as bound—are said to be joined to the Lord—to take hold of his covenant—to cleave to him, God enjoins obedience as the fulfilment of 181 182 183 Covenant duties, —that the vow be paid, Difficulty considered, He threatens those who keep not his covenant, Social Covenanting entails obligation on the society till the end of the covenant be attained, Because by it, Covenants are made in the name of posterity, Because the Church is one in all ages, Because of the Church's social character, Every adult member of the Church engaged to its privileges and duties, Children of church members are members of the Church, and therefore under obligation, The privileges enjoyed by children show them to be under obligation, Social Covenanting entails obligation on the society till the end of the covenant be attained —Because Social Covenanting, approved in Scripture, conferred obligation, Because the ends of such covenants may not be attained during the lives of those who entered into them, Because the people of God view themselves bound by anterior engagements of his Church, Because the Lord himself views his Church as bound by these, Covenanting entails obligation even on the unbeliever who vows and swears, Even those in the Church who do not formally Covenant are under obligation, A minority in a church or nation are bound by Covenant engagements, though the others cast them off, Covenanting does not implicate conscience, That men are bound by previous engagements is no reason why they should not Covenant, 184 186 187 187 189 189 190 192 193 193 194 196 197 198 199 201 203 204 205 207 CHAPTER VI. COVENANTING PROVIDED FOR IN THE