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النشر الإلكتروني

grace

covenant, the of his covenant will keep you in the way of his commandments. Jer. xxx. 40. I will make an everlasting covenant with them, that I will never turn away from them to do them good, but I will put my fear in their hearts, and they shall not depart from me.

Object. 5. I am afraid to take hold of God's covenant, in cafe that I never be able to bear the cross: I will faint in the day of adverfity, for my frength is. Small. Anf. Do not fear that, for he that fits on the throne has faid in his covenant, that when thou paffeft through the water, he will be with thee, and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee; when thou paffeft through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt, neither fhall the flame kindle upon thee. His prefence shall go with thee to the hottest furnace, and unto the deep waters of MARA; and if fo, there is no fear but thy head fhall be carried above.

Object. 6. I have formerly endeavoured to take hold of God's covenant; but I have played the harlot with many lovers fince that. Anfw. Renew thy hold of the covenant, for the grace of God's covenant, the rainbow about the throne, is ftill pointing thee out as it were by name. Jer. iii. 1. Tho' thou haft played the harlot with many lovers, yet return again to me, faith the Lord.

Obj. 7. But I have acted as a rebel against heaven, I have been waging war against God, and will ever he allow me to meddle with his covenant, or come within the verge of this rainbow? For Anf. fee Pjal. lxviii. 18. where we are told concerning him that fits upon the throne of grace within the rainbow; He received gifts for men, yea even for the rebellious, That the Lord God might dwell among us. See alfo

Ifa. Iv. 7. Let the wicked for fake his way, and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and turn to the Lord, for be will have mercy, and to our God, for he will abundantly pardon.

Obj. 8. I want power to take hold of the covenant, I want power to believe in Chrift by virtue of the covenant. Anf. He that fits upon the throne with the rainbow about it, is faying, I will give power to the faint, and increase ftrength to them that have no might; yea, he has said that he will make thee willing in the day of his power; and if he has given thee the will to believe, there is no fear of the want of power; for he that works the will by his covenant, he has engaged to work the do; alfo he works in us both to will and to do of his good pleasure.

Obj. 9. You are always fpeaking of the bow of the covenant, but I would fain fee it; I have feen the natural bow, but the rainbow of the covenant is invifible. Anf. It is ftrange not to fee it when you have it in your hand, the old and new teftament is the rainbow that I am fpeaking of; the rainbow is at this moment fhining upon you in a preached gofpel. O remember that awful word, 2 Cor. iv. 3, 4. If our gospel be hid, it is hid to them that are loft; in whom the God of this world hath blinded the minds of them that believe not, left the light of the glorious gofpel of Chrift, who is the image of God, fhould Shine upon them.

Obj. 10. I am afraid of being one of these, from whom this rainbow is hid, and fo am loft for ever. Anf. If thou doeft not fee it, I afk, art thou longing to fee it? If fo, I can tell you for good news, thou fhall fee it ere long, for he fatisfeth the longing foul, and filleth the hungry foul with goodness: and then he that fits on the throne has faid, that he will open the

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blind eyes, and turn thee from darkness, that thou fhalt behold the glory of the Lord, and the excellency of our God.

Thus I have endeavoured to roll away all the impediments I can think upon, that you may be encouraged to come within the bow that is about the throne of grace. What are you refolved to do? Will you come within the bow of God's covenant or not? I would fain expoftulate the matter -with you; what will you do in the day of death, if you come not within this rainbow? What will you do in the day of reckoning, when standing before the bar of God? Whither will you flee when rocks and mountains refufe to fall on you to hide you from the face of the Lamb? O firs, there is no fhunning the deluge of divine wrath, but by taking hold of the covenant and of the faithfulness of God engaged therein; the whole creation cannot help you, if you do it not, but you must lie under the fiery mountains of God's wrath for ever; for he that believeth not is condemned already, and the wrath of God abideth on him.

But I cannot think of parting with you upon mount EBAL or SINAI; and therefore let me beseech you by the mercy of God, by all the bleffings of his covenant, by the blood and bowels of a God of love in Chrift, by all the glory of heaven and eternity, that you come within the compafs of the rainbow that is about the throne. O, fay you, with my whole foul I would take hold of God's covenant and his faithfulness engaged therein, but will you give us your advice as to this matter? An Anfwer to this leads to the

Laft thing propofed, which was to offer a few advices in order to your improving the rainbow of

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the promise or covenant for your fafety against the deluge of wrath.

1. Study to be firmly perfuaded of your misery and loft ftate without Chrift, and while without the confines of the bow that furrounds his throne. Till you fee your loft state by the breach of the covenant of works, you will never take hold of a covenant of grace; and therefore be firmly perfuaded that by nature you are wretched, miferable, blind, poor and naked: But now if you have come to this perfuafion, you must not reft content here, for many have perished in this place of breaking forth of children; and therefore,

2. Be firmly perfuaded, that there is relief for you in Chrift, and in the new covenant whereof he is the glorious head; however bad thy condition is there is relief for thee in Chrift; for he is all in all. Is thy ftate a state of fin? Well, Chrift is the faviour of none but finners. Is thy ftate a state of diftance from God? Well, he came to bring us near by his own blood. Is thy ftate a state of enmity and war against heaven? Well, his work is to reconcile God and man, to fatisfy juftice, and to flay the enmity of the heart; he breaks down the wall of partition, and brings both parties into one. Is thy ftate a hopeless state? Well, he is the hope of all the ends of the earth. Is it a state of darknefs? He is the light of the world. Art thou in an impotent state? He is the ftrength of the poor and of the needy. Art thou in a state of bondage? He proclaims liberty to the captive, and the opening of the prifon to them that are bound. Art thou curfed? He came to redeem from the curfe. Art thou dead in fin, dead by the law? Well, he

died that we might live; and though thou be dead, yet thou shalt live, if you believe in him. So that I fay, there is that in Chrift, which meets with the condition of the finner, let his cafe be ever so bad, if he be on this fide of hell. Now, I fay, be perfuaded of all this, be affured of it, that there is help laid upon this mighty Redeemer, and that he is indeed able to fave to the very uttermoft.

3. Be perfuaded that the rainbow that is furrounding the throne of grace is pointing to you; I mean that the covenant of grace, or promife of help, relief and reft through Chrift is left to you, and directed or indorfed to you in particular, and that it belongs to you as a thing you may claim without any vicious intromiffion. This is abfolutely neceffary, for I can never truft to a fecurity, which mean time I think or imagine is granted to another man, and not to myself. Can I purfue upon a bond granted in another man's name, and not in my own? O, fay you, if I thought I had a right to the covenant or promife of God in Chrift, I would believe it, and rejoice. Well, to establish you in the faith of this, know O finner for thy encouragement. 1. The covenant and promife is indorfed or directed to thee, as if thou were named by name and firname; like a letter, when it is backed to a man; when he reads the back of the letter, and finds it directed to him, he breaks the feal of it, and claims all that is in it, tho' it were a fecurity for millions of gold and filver. 2. Thou haft already gotten the feal of the covenant in baptism; and would God allow the feal of his covenant, and yet wilt thou fay thou haft no claim to intermeddle with the covenant itself? 3. God has put his covenant, his confirmed teftament in

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