The Ordinance of Covenanting — A Closer Reading

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Authors: Cunningham, John, 1819-1893 Digital Source: Project Gutenberg Gutenberg Release Year: 2008 First Publication Year: Not confirmed

Key Word: Covenant theology Target Reader: Readers of public-domain and historical texts

Book Edition: Project Gutenberg digital edition Book Language: en

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Words 133,419

Reading time 581 min

Text sections 15

The source record for The Ordinance of Covenanting — A Closer Reading measures this digital text at 133,419 words, 9 hr 41 min estimated reading time, and 15 detected text sections.

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Source: Project Gutenberg record #25353

John Cunningham's 19th-century theological treatise examines covenanting as a biblical ordinance, defining its nature through vows, oaths, confession, and personal and social acts, with sustained reference to Scripture and Reformed doctrine.

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CHAPTER I. NATURE OF COVENANTING.

Term Covenant defined, 5 Sinners Redeemed, are in Covenant with God, 6 This relation not a mere law, 7 has parties, 7 has conditions, 7 is the Covenant of Grace, 8 Term Covenanting defined, 8 By Covenanting men make a Covenant with God, 8 This Covenant not distinct from that of Redemption, or that of Grace, 9 The formal exercise of Covenanting not indispensable to an interest in the Covenant of Grace, 11 God's Covenant may, for the first time, be entered into in the exercise of Covenanting, 12 In Covenanting, if God's Covenant has been laid hold on before, it is then renewed, 14

Definition, 15 Vow made to God alone, 15 a solemn promise to God, 16 to be made voluntarily, 17 must be consistent with duty, 17 never made but in Covenanting, 17

Definition, 18 To swear, to use an oath, 19 It is by the Lord that all ought to swear, 19 Oath sworn with the lifting up of the right hand, 20 Swearing a devotional exercise, 21 In the oath is implied a condensed adoration, 21 The oath a solemn appeal to God, 23 In swearing a lawful oath, a Covenant with God is made, 23 whether given to confirm an assertion, 23 or given to confirm an explicit promise, 26 The civil or moral use of the oath depends on its spiritual character, 29 The oath distinct from the vow, 30

To confess, to perform services which include Covenanting, 31 --in the Old Testament, 32 --in the New, 33 To confess Christ, to Covenant, 36 To profess, sometimes, to confess, 37 Then, profession equivalent to confession, 38

PERSONAL COVENANTING.

This an act, of adherence to God's Covenant, 38 approving of the way of salvation through Christ, 39 of accepting Christ and all his benefits, 39 of renouncing satan and sin, 42 of self-dedication to God, 43 in which duty is promised to God, 44

This also an act of acquiescence in God's Covenant, 44 Performed by the Church in an ecclesiastical capacity, 45 Performed by Covenanting in a national capacity, 46 That may be performed by various communities in one confederation, 47 Implying all that is included in Personal Covenanting, 48 An act of acceptance of the benefits of God's Covenant, 49 Of vowing general and specified obedience, 50 Of federal engagement among the members of the Covenanting community, 51 Of public acceptance of the truth of God and of renouncing error, 52 Performed in the name of those who engage in it, and in the name of posterity, 53

COVENANT RATIFICATION.

By oath, 54 Oath and Covenant associated, 54 Oath for confirmation, 55 Oath essential to a Covenant with God, 55

CHAPTER II. MANNER OF COVENANTING.

Preliminaries, 57 Intelligently, 61 Cordially, 62 Deliberately, 63 Sincerely, 63 In the first ages by sacrifice, 64 Phrase considered, 64 What intended by the bisection of the victim, 67 Swearing symbolized by sacrifice, 67 Explicit proof, 69 Covenants ratified by blood of sacrifice, 70 In all ages by faith, 71 Devotionally, 73 In solemn assemblies, 73 A holy exercise, 74 Should be performed with godly fear and reverence, 74 With confession of sin, 75 Vow made in prayer, 76 Sometimes with the living voice, 77 Sometimes by subscription, 77 Covenanting a distinct exercise, 78 Though entering into other duties, yet by itself not unnecessary, 79

CHAPTER III. COVENANTING A DUTY.

According to the will of God as King and Lord, 83 Obedience to Christ as possessed of all power in heaven and in earth, 83 Believers engage in it as under law to Christ, 84 Covenanting in an ecclesiastical capacity, obedience, 86 Covenanting in an ecclesiastical and in a national capacity, obedience, 88 Commanded in the Moral Law, 92 In the first three precepts of the decalogue, 92 In statutes that illustrate these, 94 commands to glorify God, 94 to worship God, 95 enjoining faith, 96 forbidding federal transactions with what is evil, 96 Enjoining the vowing of the vow, 98 Explanation of Deut. xxiii. 22, 100 of Eccles. v. 5, 102 inculcating the swearing of the oath, 103 The duty of swearing the oath not abrogated, 104 enjoining the exercise in all its parts, 106 The exercise inculcated in threatenings of Divine judgment against such as disregard it, 106 Personal Covenanting commanded, 108 Social-- 109 in an ecclesiastical capacity, 110 in a national capacity, 112 Nations whose constitutions are immoral and unscriptural, called to the duty, 118 Nations that have not heard the gospel, not guiltless for not Covenanting, 119 in various capacities, 120 Assemblies for the investigation of Divine truth, 122 Bible societies, 122 Missionary Societies, 125 None may be excused for not engaging in Covenanting, 128

CHAPTER IV. COVENANT DUTIES.

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Cunningham opens by defining covenanting as a biblical ordinance, grounding it in the covenant of grace and distinguishing it from mere law. He immediately introduces three constituent acts—vow, oath, and confession—each treated with precise scriptural citation. The work's structure is announced in the table of contents, moving from personal to social covenanting, then to historical and doctrinal applications. Readers should note the author's method: he builds each concept from definition to scriptural proof, often citing multiple verses in rapid succession. The epigraphs from Psalm 111 and Galatians 3 signal the dual emphasis on divine command and human obligation.

Defining the Ordinance

Cunningham devotes the first chapter to establishing the nature of covenanting. He argues that redeemed sinners are in covenant with God, a relation that is not a mere law but has parties and conditions. The term 'covenanting' is defined as the act by which men make a covenant with God, though he clarifies this is not distinct from the covenant of redemption or grace. A key nuance: the formal exercise of covenanting is not indispensable to an interest in the covenant, yet it may be the means by which one first enters it or renews it. The chapter then dissects the vow, oath, and confession as components. For the oath, he specifies that it is sworn with the lifting up of the right hand, a devotional exercise implying condensed adoration. The civil use of the oath depends on its spiritual character—a claim that ties legal practice to theology.

Personal and Social Dimensions

Personal covenanting is described as an act of adherence to God's covenant, involving approval of salvation through Christ, acceptance of Christ and his benefits, renunciation of Satan and sin, and self-dedication to God. Cunningham emphasizes that duty is promised to God in this act. Social covenanting extends this to the church in an ecclesiastical capacity and to nations. It implies all that is included in personal covenanting but adds federal engagement among members, public acceptance of truth, and renunciation of error. The author insists that social covenanting is performed in the name of those who engage, suggesting a representative dimension. Notably, he distinguishes between the church and the nation as covenanting bodies, each with its own scope.

Biblical Precedents and Representation

Cunningham draws heavily on Old Testament narratives to illustrate covenanting. He cites the covenant at Bethel, where Jacob's encounter is interpreted as representative: 'He found him in Bethel, and there he spake with us.' Peter's words to Israel are quoted to show that the covenant with Abraham included future generations. The Red Sea song is presented as an expression of transmitted obligation: 'The Lord is my strength and song... my father's God.' The most extended example is the Abrahamic covenant ratification, where a smoking furnace and burning lamp pass between the pieces. Cunningham interprets the furnace as symbolizing Israel's future affliction in Egypt, and the lamp as God's gracious presence. He argues that the covenant was made with Abraham's seed, not yet born, yet they were taken into covenant with him.

The Perpetuity of Covenant Obligation

A central claim is that God views the church as bound by covenant engagements made in earlier periods. Cunningham cites the command to Abraham: 'Thou shalt keep my covenant, therefore, thou and thy seed after thee.' He then broadens this to all generations, quoting Psalm 111: 'He hath commanded his covenant for ever.' The implication is that covenant duties are not limited to the original parties but extend to their descendants. This principle undergirds the entire treatise, linking historical covenants to present obligation. Readers should watch how Cunningham applies this to later chapters on national and ecclesiastical covenanting, as the logic of representation recurs throughout.

This work rewards readers who attend to its scriptural architecture. Cunningham rarely makes an assertion without multiple proof texts, and his definitions are cumulative. The early chapters on vow, oath, and confession provide the vocabulary for the later discussions of personal and social covenanting. Readers unfamiliar with Reformed covenant theology may find the density of citation challenging, but the structure is logical: each section builds on the previous. The index and table of contents are reliable guides for locating specific topics.

There are moments in Cunningham's patient unfolding of covenant vows that feel almost like a held breath—the weight of a promise, spoken aloud. It reminded me of an old, quieter conversation I once had with A Few Remarks on the Scripture History of Saul and the Witch of Endor — Reading Notes, where the solemnity of a single encounter lingers long after the page is turned. Strange, how both books whisper about binding words.