holy man, Pfal. xxiii. viewing the covenant, and God engaged to be with him in death, cries out, ver. 4. Yea, though I walk through the valley of the Shadow of death, yet I will fear no evil: For thou art with me, thy red and staff shall comfort me: See a fweet promife of the covenant to this purpose, Hof. xiii. 14. I will ranfom them from the power of the grave: I will redeem them from death: O death, 1 will be thy plague; O grave, I will be thy deftruction. But after all you may perhaps fay, these things may yield excellent fupport and relief to the be-. liever that has taken hold of God's covenant; and got within the arches of the bow; but I fear I am none of thefe. An anfwer to this leads me to the last use of the doctrine; which I do not defign to enlarge upon at prefent: Only let me exhort and call all hearing me, whether believers or unbelievers, to put this matter out of doubt, prefently without delay, by taking hold of God's covenant, here reprefented by the rainbow furrounding the throne in colour like an emerald. Sirs, you cannot lay hold on the natural rainbow with the hands of your body; but when you fee it, you may lay hold on God's covenant with Noah by an act of truft, or believing, that God, according to that covenant will deliver you from a deluge of water : Well, do the fame in the prefent cafe; take hold of God's covenant of grace, and his faithfulness therein engaged through Chrift for your deliverance and freedom from the deluge of eternal wrath, which threatens to fwallow you up for ever and ever. But I go no further at present. SERMON SERMON II. At Abernethie, Saturday and Sabbath July 5th and 6th 1728. REV. iv. 3. -And there was a rainbow round about the throne, in fight like unto an emerald. I Proceed to the laft ufe which I defigned to make of the doctrine, viz. in a way of exhortation. Is it fo that the covenant of grace and the faithfulness of God engaged therein is like a rainbow round about the throne in colour like an emerald? Then my exhortation to all hearing me, is to answer the design, and improve this manifeftation and difplay of the grace of God: Why has he fet the rainbow of his covenant round about his throne? Is it not to encourage finners, who are far off, to come and enter in within God's covenant, and take hold of his faithfulness pledged therein, that they may obtain grace and find mercy at a throne of grace to help them in time of need? Sirs, when you fee the bow in the clouds, you remember God's covenant with Noah, and believe that you are fafe against a second deluge of water, not for any good deed done by you to deserve such a thing, but because of the veracity of God pledged in his covenant with Noah: So when you fee the bow of the L13 covenant covenant about a throne of grace, improve it as a fecurity against the deluge of wrath, which was ftopped and recalled upon the fatisfaction and death of Chrift: Improve it, I fay, for this and all the other bleffings that lie wrapt up in the large bofom thereof. But that I may fet this exhortation in a clearer light, I fhall endeavour through divine affiftance, 1. To fhew what the rainbow of the covenant of grace is a fign of. 2. Shew what it is to improve this rainbow of the covenant. 3. What are these bleffings or privileges that lie within the circle of this rainbow, and of which the foul comes to be polfeffed either in part or in whole, that moment that it takes hold of God's covenant. 4. Who they are that may warrantably come within the compass of this rainbow. 5. Roll away fome impediments or ftumbling ftones that lie in the way of the finner, and which have a fatal influence to difcourage them from taking the benefit of the rainbow of the covenant which is about the throne. 6. Offer a few advices, in order to your improving the rainbow of the promise or covenant, for your safety against the deluge of wrath that threatens you upon the account of fin. The first thing propofed is to enquire what this rainbow of the covenant is a fign of? You know the rainbow in the visible heavens is a fign of fomething; and fo is this fpiritual rainbow of the covenant. As, 1. It is a fign that the first covenant is broken, and that the wickedness of man was great upon the earth; for which caufe the fountains of the great deep of God's wrath were opened like a mighty fea, fweeping all Adam's family to the bottomlefs pit. When we see the bow in the heavens, we remember the flood of Noah, which was fent to take vengeance upon the old world for their fin; fo when we view the rainbow of the covenant, we fhould remember the flood of divine wrath and vengeance, that is broken out against the whole family and race of mankind. O firs, the broad flying roll of the curfe of God is gone forth over the face of the whole earth, because of the fin of man. Gal. iii 10. Curfed is every one that continueth not in all things, written in the book of the law, to do them. Remember this when you fee the bow of the covenant of grace round about the throne of grace. 2. This rainbow of the covenant is a fign that a ranfom is found out, and that the facrifice of our great Noah is accepted; that God has fmelled a fwet favour in the death of our Lord Jesus Christ. You know the rainbow was fet up in the heavens, after God had accepted of Noah's facrifice; and when we fee God's bow in the clouds, we remember this fo, when we look upon a covenant of grace, we ought to remember the death and fatisfaction of Jefus, as the very ground and foundation of God's dealing with finners in a way of grace. When we behold the covenant, we should behold the blood of the covenant, behold the red streams of this rainbown, Zech. ix. 11. By the blood of thy covenant, I bave fent forth thy prisoners out of the pit, wherein there was no water. I have read that in Holland, where most of their country is taken off the fea by strong dykes, if the fea, at any time happen to make a breach, whereby the country is in danger of being laid under water, any man that obferves the breach, is by the law of the country or dered to stop the breach, if pofible though it were with L14 with his most valuable packs of goods, and he has member the bow about the throne. 3. The bow of the covenant as it is fet up in the heavens of the visible church, is a fign that the deluge of God's wrath is recalled, and that God is a God of peace towards finners, through the attoning blood of the Lamb. Sirs, I bring you glad tidings of great joy, the waters of the deluge of God's wrath are fo far abated and fallen, that the olive-branch is brought forth to your view by God's minifters. We preach the gofpel of peace, and bring glad tidings of good things to you; we tell you in the name of God that he is fo well pleafed with the ranfom that he has found, that he declares fury is not in him; that tho' he was angry, his anger is now turned away; and if you will not believe his word, take his oath for it, in which he has pledged his very life, Ezek. xxxiii. 11. As I live, fays the Lord, I have no pleasure in the death of the wicked, but rather that be turn from his evil ways, and live. 4. The rainbow in the clouds is a fign of God's faithful promife, that no man fhall be ruined by an univerfal deluge. Indeed, if a man will stand 1 . |