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within the fea-mark till the waters of the fea overflow him, there is no help for that; God's faithfulness in his covenant with Noab stands firm, tho' the man perish: fo here the rainbow about the throne of grace, is a fign of God's faithfulness in a word of promife, that no man fhall perish who will take the advantage of the dry land that ftands before him in the gospel. Indeed, if a man will by unbelief, ftand ftill within the fea-mark of God's wrath till he perish, there is no help for that; but the faithfulness of God, in the covenant of grace ftands firm, and fhall not be made of none effect, through his folly: But I fay, whofoever believeth or taketh hold of the faithfulness of God, pledged in his covenant, fhall not perish, but have everlasting life; the deluge of wrath fhall never touch him. Thus much for the first thing, namely, What this rainbow about the throne, in colour like an emerald, is a fign of?

The fecond thing was to enquire, What it is to improve this rainbow of the covenant? I answer, as it is well expreffed in our Confeffion of Faith, chap. xiv. fect. 2. at the clofe, "It is to believe " in Chrift, or to accept, receive, and rest upon "him alone for juftification, fanctification, and "eternal life, by virtue of the covenant of grace." This is a very material expreffion, and I fear little obferved by the generality of people; a refting upon Chrift by virtue of the covenant of grace. As we reft upon a man by virtue of his word or promise, so we reft upon Chrift by virtue of the covenant and the promises thereof. It is obfervable here in the text, that the rainbow is round about the throne, and him that fits on it; fo that there could. be no coming to the throne, or Christ fitting on it,

without coming within the rainbow; fo there is no coming to Chrift, no true believing in him, but by virtue of his word of grace, and promife in a covenant of grace. And this is one main difference between true faving faith, and the prefumptuous faith of hypocrites. Hypocrites by a prefumptuous faith, will indeed lay hold on Chrift and falvation; but in the mean time, they do not receive Christ and his benefits as they lie within the rainbow, they do not receive and improve him by virtue of the covenant of grace. The covenant of grace, or the pomife of God in Chrift is his teftament-bond or difpofition, wherein he affigns and makes over himself, his righteousness, his fpirit, his fulness, and all the bleffings of his purchase: Now true faith receives and refts upon Christ by virtue of this covenant of grace. I defy you either to faften your faith or truft upon God or man, without a word of promife to ground your faith upon. If I fhould bid you truft or believe your neighbour, or any fubftantial man for a fum of money that you ftand in need of, you would ask me, why, what ground have I to truft him? Has he promised to give it, or lend it to me? If he has not promised to do it, there is no ground of truft; and you would think that I were but mocking you, when I bid you truft him for it, unless he had past his word. So here, when we bid you believe in Chrift, receive him, or reft upon him for falvation, your eye must immediately be turned to the word of grace, or promife, and his faithfulness engaged in it for it is by virtue of that, that we receive him, or improve and apply him to our own fouls: Hence believing in Chrift is expreffed by a taking hold of Chrift's covenant, Ifa. lvi. 4. Which expreffion plainly im

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plies a fastening on the veracity or faithfulness of God pledged in the covenant. And how far the faithfulness of God is engaged in the covenant of grace, fhewed in the doctrinal part of this discourse. He has fubfcribed it as a party, he has fealed it with his oath, and the blood of his Son; he has attested it in the capacity of a witnefs, he has confented to the registration, yea, has actually regiftred his bond, that we might have the more speedy diligence upon it at a throne of grace. Now, I fay, faith is a taking hold of God's faithfulness thus pledged in the covenant, it is a refting upon his veracity, it is a trufting to him, that he will be as good as his word, because it is impoffible for him to lie; it is a fetting to the feal that he is true, and a faying with David, God hath Spoken in his holiness, I will rejoice. O firs! faith in Chrift by virtue of his word of grace and promife, is one of the plaineft and cleareft things in the world, if the devil and an unbelieving jealous heart, working together, did not darken and obfcure the account we have of it in the word. What is plainer than to truft the word of an honeft man, or to reft on him by virtue of his word? So here believing is a refting on Chrift, or a trusting in him by virtue of his covenant, or word of grace: But the legal proud heart of man has fuch a strong bent after falvation, by doing or working for life, that nothing else than the mighty power of God can bring the finner to quit and renounce all his works and righteousness as filthy rags, and to take falvation and eternal life by trufting or believing the bare word of a promifing God in Chrift. But I shall not enlarge further upon this at prefent.

The third thing propofed was to enquire what

This a law term used in Scotland.

are

are these bleffings or privileges which lie within the circuit of this rainbow of the covenant, and of which the foul comes to be poffeffed either in part or in whole, that moment that it takes hold of the covenant. The very naming of these bleffings may serve as fo many motives or arguments, to perfuade you to take hold of the covenant, to come to a throne of grace by virtue of the rainbow that furrounds it. And here a field of matter prefents itself to view, fo large and copious, that 'tis impoffible for the heart of man to conceive it, far lefs can the tongue of man tell it or exprefs it in words, for all the bleffings of heaven and eternity lie within the wide circuit of this rainbow of the covenant, which furrounds God's throne of grace. All grace whatfoever lay originally in the heart of God; but, as it lies there, it is inacceffible by finners, for who hath known the mind of the Lord? Well, becaufe that grace that is in God's heart, is inacceffible by us, therefore he brings it yet nearer to us, by taking a piece of our nature, uniting it to the perfon of his eternal Son, and calls it Chrift, Meffiah, Immanuel, God-man, or God with us: And makes all the fulnefs of the Godhead, all the grace that is in his heart to dwell there, that fo we might not be afraid to come to one in our own nature for grace and mercy to help us. But that our faith might yet have a greater advantage, he does not reft there: But he brings all the grace that is in Chrift into a promise or a covenant of grace, pledges his faithfulness in the ftrongest way imaginable, in the promise or covenant, that fo unbelief might have nothing to object. Unbelief might be ready to fay, It is true there is enough of grace in Chrift, but alas he is in heaven, and he has carried all his grace to heaven with

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him; and the throne on which he now fits is fo high that I know not how to get at him. But, fays the Lord, O finner, fay not so, think not fo; for all the fulness of Chrift is nigh thee in the rainbow of my covenant. I give thee a word of faith, a faithful word of promife, lean to that, reft on that, and Chrift, and all that is in him, and all the grace that is in my heart, fhall come along with it into thy foul. What is it, O finner, thou wants, but thou may have it, either in title or poffeffion, by refting on the veracity of him who has fet his bow

in the clouds?

I shall instance in a few of the many bleffings that are to be had by taking hold of God's covenant, or by believing in Chrift by virtue of the co

venant.

1. Would you have Jehovah, Father, Son and Holy Ghost to be thy God, even thy own God, to be the ftrength of thy heart and thy portion for ever? Well, come within the rainbow by taking hold of God's covenant, or trufting the word of a promisfing God in Christ, and it shall be fo: For this is the leading article of the covenant, I am the Lord thy God. I will be their God; I am thy fhield and thy exceeding great reward. O firs, you loft your claim to God by the firft covenant, and while in a ftate of nature, under a covenant of works, you are without God in the world: But here is a God in Christ coming back into a new covenant, a covenant of grace and peace. O take him at his word, and take him in his word, for faithful is he that hath promifed. Let thy foul fay to the Lord upon the covenant ground and grant, This God is my God for ever and ever: And he shall be thy God even unto death, because he has faid it in his cove

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