supremacy. Thus, 2 Chron. xv. 12, 15, Asa and the people "entered into a
covenant, to seek the Lord God of their fathers with all their heart,
and with all their soul:--And all Judah rejoiced at the oath; for they
had sworn with all their heart, and sought him with their whole desire."
They had an affection to the work, and did it with complacency, not in
dissimulation, so as not to design to perform it: nor through
compulsion, with an eye to secular profit or preferment, as many in
these lands did.

7. It is necessary, in order to right covenanting, that the work be
gone about with a firm purpose and resolution (through grace enabling
us) to adhere to our covenant engagements, notwithstanding whatever
opposition and persecution we may meet with from the world for so doing,
and whatever difficulties and discouragements may arise from the
multitude of those, who prove unsteadfast in, or foully forsake their
covenant. We must stand to our covenant, as it is said of Josiah, 2
Chron. xxxiv. 32, that "he caused all that were present in Judah and
Benjamin, to stand to" the covenant, which implies as well a firm
resolution to perform, as consent to engage, as in the latter part of
the verse, it is remarked, that "the inhabitants of Jerusalem did
according to the covenant of God, the God of their fathers;" where
_doing according to the covenant_ is exegetical of _standing to it._
David also joins the resolution of performance with swearing; Psal.
cxix. 106. "I have sworn, and I will perform, that I will keep thy
righteous judgments."

From the doctrine thus confirmed and explained, he drew this inference,
by way of information, that seeing it is a people's duty, who have
broken covenant with the Lord, to engage themselves again to him, by
renewing their covenant, that it is not arbitrary for us (as many are