2. Let the extent of the rainbow encourage and warrant you to come within it. The natural rainbow reaches from one end of the heaven to the other: But O firs, the grace of God in a covenant of grace is much wider and larger, for it reaches forth its arms to clafp every creature in its bofom. Mark xvi. 16. The voice of a God of grace, is to men and the fons of men to take hold of his covenant, to improve his faithfulness in the rainbow against this the deluge of his wrath. Ifa. lv. 1. Ho, every one that thirfteth come to the waters: and he that hath no money: Let him come. O why do you spend your money for that which is not bread? and your labour for that which profiteth not?

3. The rainbow of the covenant is pointed towards you in particular, and if you will but look to it, you will fee the end of it coming close to your very hand. Acts ii. 39. The promife is to The promife is to you and your feed, and to all that are afar off; to you is the word of this falvation fent. Art thou a finner, far away, like the prodigal? Well, fee the rainbow about the throne pointing to you. Ifa. lvii. 19. I create the fruit of the lips; peace, peace to him that is afar off. So Acts ii. 38. Art thou a polluted finner, black like the Ethiopian, fpotted like the leopard? Well, fee the rainbow of the covenant pointing out its grace to you, Pfal.lxviii. 13. Though thou haft lien among the pots, yet thou shalt be as the wings of a dove. Art thou finking under the load of fin, as a burden heavier than thou can bear? Well, fee the bow of the covenant reaching grace and mercy to help thee. Caft thy burden upon the Lord, and he will fuftain thee. In a word, whatever be thy condition, if on this fide of hell, thou wilt find ftill the bow of God's covenant ftretching out Mm 2

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its hand to thee, and accommodating itfelf to thy condition and circumftance. Although the arch of the bow be high, yet it ftoops down to every man; though the throne be high and lifted up, and he that fits on it be exalted, yet the bow that is about his throne bows itself down to thy very hand, that thou may climb up to Christ by it in a way of believing: And therefore fay not in thine heart, Who shall afcend to heaven, to bring Cbrift down from above? or, Who fhall defcend to the deep, to bring him up from the dead? for the word is nigh thee, even in thy mouth, and in thy heart, that is the word of faith which we preach, Rom. x. 6, 7. 8.

4. It is most pleafing to him that fits on the throne of grace to fee a loft finner come within the circuit of his rainbow for safety. You cannot do a thing that is fo pleafing to God as to believe in Chrift by virtue of the covenant. John vi. 28. This is the work of God, that you believe in him whom he bath fent. He fpeaks as if this were the only work; and indeed it is fo much the only work of a finner, that without it, it is impoffible to please him; and with it every thing ye do is pleafing, your perfons and your facrifices are accepted upon his altar. O firs, will you not do a thing that is fo pleafing to him that made you, him that preferves you, him that provides for you, him that fhed the blood of his heart to redeem you? Never was the fond breaft of a tender-hearted mother more glad to be fucked, than the Lord is to fee a finner come within the bow of his covenant for grace and mercy to help in time of need.

5. The nature of the throne, and the nature of the rainbow, invites and encourages your faith and truft. The throne is of the nature with the rainbow, the throne is a throne of grace, and the covenant a covenant of grace. What fort of a throne is a throne of grace? It is a throne for beggars, divors and bankrupts to come to, that they may get whatsoever they want freely; it is a throne that ftands by outgiving, by giving liberally to all without upbraiding. What fort of a covenant is a covenant of grace? The very name of it tells you what is its nature; a covenant of grace can be nothing elfe but an abfolute free grant of all the riches of grace that lie about the throne of grace. If any thing were required of us as a condition of our taking or receiving the bleffings of the covenant, it would that moment ceafe to be a covenant of grace. But, fay you, is not faith the condition of the covenant? Answer, I will be loath to condemn that way of speaking, becaufe worthy men have used it, and do use it in a found fenfe: But, firs, I would have you to remember that when it is called a condition, all that fuch worthy learned men mean by it, is only this, that you can have no faving benefit or advantage by Chrift unlefs he be received you can have no benefit by God's covenant or promife, unless you believe the promise to be true, and believe it with application to your own fouls. Faith is just fuch a condition as fhews the infeparable connection between one thing and another: As if you should fay to a beggar there is your alms. on the condition that you take it; there is meat on the condition you eat it; there is a good bond for a fum of money, on condition that you truft him M m 3 that

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that granted it. Or, if I fhould fay to one, thou shalt have the benefit of the light of the fun, on condition thou open thine eyes to fee it. Or the ground will bear you, on condition you lay your weight upon it: Now fuch a condition of the covenant of grace is faith; it is just a taking what is freely given without money and price: and let it be remembered that itself is one of the bleffings promifed in this covenant. Now, I fay, let the nature of the throne, and the nature of the rainbow of the covenant encourage and warrant you to come and truft in a God of grace. I make but a fuppofition, that a great and rich king should erect a throne in the open field, and emit a proclamation for all beggars, bankrupts, and people in want and ftraits to come to his throne, and they fhall get whatever they needed: O what a gathering would there be! With what confidence would needy people flock thither, and afk what they wanted, efpecially if the king had fworn by his life that they should be ferved? Well, this is the very cafe: The throne of grace is a throne only for the needy, for rich folk are fent empty away, and the bow about the throne is just the faithfulness of God engaged in a free promife, that come to him who will, he will in no wife caft them out. O then take the advantage, and truft his promife, and you have the thing promised, for his promife is as good as payment.

6. Will you but take a view of the name of him that fits upon the throne within the rainbow, and let that encourage your faith, hope and expectation. O firs, they that know his name will put their trust in him; his name that fits on the throne is a ftrong tower, to which the finner may flee, and to which

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the faints do flee and are fafe: See what his name is, Exod. xxxiv. 6. his name is the Lord, The Lord God JEHOVAH EL, the ftrong God, able to do for thee exceeding abundantly above what thou can ask or think: He stretched out the heavens, and laid the foundations of the earth, and does whatever pleases him in the armies of heaven, and among the inhabitants of the earth, and therefore is able to do for thee whatever thou askest of him, yea, more than thou can afk. Abraham by faith stayed himself upon the power of a promifing God without ftaggering, Rom. iv. 20. Again his name is merciful, and therefore may thou fay, will he not anfwer his name, and extend mercy, confidering that mifery is the only proper object of mercy, and I am wretched, miferable, blind, and poor, and naked. David's faith found footing in this name of a God in Chrift, when he could not ftand before the bar of the law. Pfal. cxxx. 4. But there is mercy with thee that thou mayeft be feared. Again, his name who fits upon the throne within the rainbow is gracious, and it is the very nature of grace, as I faid, to give and to give freely: Grace is that attribute of the divine nature which shall be cele brated through eternity; this world is but a theatre on which he defigns the manifeftations of his grace. May not this encourage thee to go within the circuit of the rainbow, and afk grace and mercy to help thee in time of need. Unbelief indeed will tell thee, That the Lord has forgotten to be GRACIOUS; but it is not fo, for he cannot forget his own name. Unbelief will tell thee that thou art unworthy of his grace, and this will hinder thee from fucceeding; but that cannot be neither, for