people of God one to another, as all of them in their duty to God; and,
as it flows from the nature of the covenant to unite the friends of
reformation, so it is observable as one of the peculiar fruits of
covenant-renewing, that union in the Lord has followed thereupon: thus
it was with Israel and Judah in the text, who united together in making
a covenant with the Lord. Whence all the people of God, who are called
to be united and "perfectly joined together in the same spirit, and in
the same mind;" and especially they who have been lamentably divided one
from another, by their manifold defections from God, and from their
covenant-engagements, ought to be strongly inclined, moved, and engaged
to this duty; from this consideration, the upright covenant-renewing is
a usual mean of land-uniting and church-uniting dispositions amongst the
people of God.

As for the manner of renewing covenant with God, and how the duty ought
to be gone about, he propounded and opened it in the following
particulars, to this effect:--

1. That it must be done with understanding and judgment, both in
relation to the nature of the duties we engage to perform in the
covenant: grossly ignorant persons being justly deprived of the
privilege of engaging in covenant, though bound to inform themselves of
its nature and obligation; and also in relation to the breaches, such as
would engage into it being called to have some suitable sense and
understanding, both how it has been violated, and by what means persons
come to be guilty of the breach thereof. So, Neh. x. 28, 29--"Every one
that had knowledge and understanding entered into the covenant."

2. This duty must be gone about with sincerity and uprightness of heart;
thus Joshua, when making a covenant with the people, that they should