I am often puzzled as to why religious people who, in their business
life, are regularly making covenants and contracts, either for labour
or material, should so fail to follow on similar lines in their
relations to God. My duty called me lately to examine a contract, and I
found the basis expressed in terms like these: 'This is an agreement
between So-and-so in the first part and So-and-so in the second part'.
And then on each side there were pledges and responsibilities and
commitments; finally, the contract was 'signed, sealed, and delivered'
by the two contracting parties. Now, that illustrates precisely what is
meant by a covenant with the Lord. He, on the one part, and we on the
other part, uniting for a common purpose, and each undertaking definite
responsibilities to secure the purpose desired.

Mind, this covenanting with God is not a case of bargaining. I know
that it pays to be on right relationships with God, and to do His will;
but do not forget--He settles and dictates the terms, our part is to
comply and surrender.

Moses puts this in a simple but beautiful way to his people when he
said, '_Thou hast avouched_ the Lord this day to be thy God, and to
walk in His ways, and to keep His statutes, and His commandments, and
His judgments, and to hearken unto His voice: and _the Lord hath
avouched_ thee this day to be His peculiar people, as He hath promised
thee, and that thou shouldst keep all His commandments'. The appeal of
the Apostle is also familiar to us all, 'I beseech you, therefore,
brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living
sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable
service'.

Jesus always kept this before His disciples. He certainly talked of
daily cross-bearing, and following and confessing Him before the world;
but He was careful to say to them, 'There is no man that hath left
house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom
of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present
time, and in the world to come life everlasting'.

Our songs and prayers are full of the same ideas, and we are again face
to face with the appeal expressed by Jeremiah: 'Come, let us join
ourselves unto the Lord in a perpetual covenant that shall not be
forgotten'. Now, there are certain features of this covenant-making
that I should like to look at.

1. To begin with, _it is to be an inward act, a thing of the heart_.
I believe in outw