"A people in covenant with God are a willing people; though they cannot serve God perfectly, they serve Him willingly. They do not grudge God a little time spent in His worship; they do not hesitate or murmur at sufferings; they will go through a sea and a wilderness, if God call. 'Your people shall be a willing people,' (Ps. 110:3). This spontaneity and willingness is from the attractive power of God's Spirit: the Spirit does not force, but sweetly draws the will; and this willingness in religion makes all our services accepted. God does sometimes accept of willingness without the work, but never the work without willingness.
"God's covenant people are a consecrated people, they have holiness to the Lord written upon them. . . . God's covenant people are separated from the world, and sanctified by the Spirit. The priests under the law were not only to wash in the great laver, but were arrayed with glorious apparel, (Ex. 28:2). This was typical, to show God's people are not only washed from gross sins, but adorned with holiness of heart: they bear not only God's name, but image. Tamerlane refused a pot of gold, when he saw it had not his father's stamp upon it, but the Roman stamp. Holiness is God's stamp; if He does not see this stamp upon us, He will not own us for His covenant people."
