Ralph Erskine

“ The poor wrestling man is a prince, and the poor wrestling woman a princess, in God's sight: this is the honour of all the saints. They have power with God, and therefore no wonder that they have 'power over the nations, to rule them with a rod of iron:' they judge and torment them that dwell upon the earth, even here; and 'know you not, that hereafter the saints shall judge the world?' God hath a respect to you, and he will shew it in due time, because he hath a respect to the covenant, and hath filled your heart with respect to it also. ”

“ They have an everlasting respect to the grace of the Covenant of grace: they are adorers and admirers of free grace. They have an everlasting respect to, and remembrance of the words of the Covenant, particularly these words that have been let in with any life and power upon their souls, or that they have been caused to hope upon; whatever they forget, they can never forget such a word that brought life to their souls; "I will never forget thy words," says David, for by them thou hast quickened me." ”

“ Have respect to thy Power, that shines in the efficacy of the Covenant: not only for overpowering principalities and powers, but overcoming thyself, and the power of thine own wrath, by the power of thy love. ”

“ As the power and virtue of the loadstone draws the iron so the virtue of an exalted Christ draws the iron bar of the will: "Thy people shall be willing in the day of thy power." O then plead it, saving, Lord, Have respect to the Covenant. ”

“ It is called a Covenant of peace and reconciliation because it both treats of Peace with God, and makes it good. It is called a Covenant of promise, because it lies in promises with reference to us, and these to be accomplished on the condition already fulfilled in Christ's obedience and satisfaction, and because therein the faithfulness of God is pledged, for making out all the promises to believers, and the children of promise. It is called a Covenant, of salt, because it is an incorruptible word, an everlasting Covenant, well ordered in all things and sure. ”

“ The word of grace is sweeter to them 'than honey and the honeycomb.' They have a full and universal respect to it, and to all the promises of it; they respect the
promise promise of purity as well as the promise of pardon; the promise of salvation from sin as well, and as much, as the promise of salvation from hell; the promise of holiness as well as of happiness. As they have a respect to all God's commandments, so they have a respect to all his promises; and particularly as David had his golden Psalms, so they have their golden Promises, that they are made to hing upon. ”

“ Woe to you if you remain in this case; for the day is coming, wherein God will, before all the world, shew no mere respect to you, than to say to you, "Depart from me, ye cursed into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels!" ”

“ If we would deal with God for mercy, or plead with him for favour, or look to him for any good at this occasion, let us expect it only upon this ground, the respect he hath to the Covenant, and plead upon his argument. ”

“ I have heard Ephraim bemoaning himself.—O my dove that art in the cliffs of the rock, in the secret places of the stairs: let me hear thy voice, let me see thy countenance; for sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is comely. ”

“ If ever you got grace to draw a bill upon God as a covenanting, promising God in Christ, and have any bills lying tabled before the throne, and are sometimes unable to plead and pursue the bill, with, Lord, 'Have respect unto the covenant,' you have the strongest encouragement to wait on him, and expect his answering the bill in due time ”

“ God may be said to have respect to his covenant when he regards it. He hath no reason to have respect or regard to us, but he sees reason to have a regard to his covenant; he puts honours upon it, for reasons that I shall afterwards shew, only I shall say here, his honour is engaged therein, therefore he says, 'My covenant will I not break, nor alter the thing that is gone out of my lips,' Psalm lxxxix. ”