Because they have transgressed my Covenant

Because they have transgressed my Covenant.

God loves to clear his justice, and to show what the cause of the evil is that comes upon us, he would have it clearly charged upon our selves, that we may not put it off to God's decree, that we are predestinated to such and such evils, but the Lord has his time to charge all the evils that comes upon sinners, upon themselves. Your destruction is of your self. The bond that is between God and his Church, it is his Covenant, and all the good or evil of a Church depends upon the Covenant; and therefore it was the way always of the people of God when they were far declined from God, to return to him by way of renewing Covenant. In (Psalms 25:10), all the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth to them that keep his Covenant; and especially all our good now depends upon the Covenant more than formerly the good of the people of the Jews did, because the Lord has sealed the Covenant now with the blood of Jesus Christ actually, which was not so then. But for this expression we had it formerly, and somewhat was spoken about the opening of the Covenant of the Jews and what kind of Covenant it was, but yet not then fully opened, and as then I said, so still I look at it as a point that will require a particular exercise of its self.