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Calvary, and which cries for better things than the blood of Abel.

But now I come to that part of John's vifion, which I have principally in view, and that is the canopy of state which covers the throne, and him that fat on it, in the clofe of the third verfe. And there was a rainbow round about the throne, in fight like unto an emerald. Where again obferve it, The covering of the throne, it was very stately, like a rainbow. 2dly, The circuit of this covering, it was round about the throne. 3dly, The colour of it, it was like an Emerald.

Here I conceive there is a manifeft allufion to God's covenant with Noah, Gen. viii. When God called back the waters of the deluge from off the face of the earth, he made a promife and bound himself by covenant, That he would never deftroy the earth any more by water, and in token of his faithfulness in this matter he fet his bow in the clouds. With allufion to this, God's throne of grace, or his mercy feat, from which all the promifes of the covenant do proceed, is faid to be furrounded with a rainbow, to fignify, that as God deals with his people in the way of a covenant; fo his faithfulness in that covenant is established in the very heavens, and this bow furrounding the throne is faid to be in colour like an emerald, that is, of a green colour, to fignify that his covenant by virtue of the faithfulness of him that fits upon the throne, is ever the fame, without any fhadow of turning; the fashion of this world withers and paffes away, but the word of the Lord, his word of grace and promife, it endures for ever.

The doctrine I take notice of from the words, is this, That God's covenant of grace, and his faith

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with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindnefs have I drawn thee. This love of God to loft finners, was altogether and abfolutely free, free in oppofition to merit, free in oppofition to constraint ; it hath no other caufe, but only the freedom of his own will, Eph. ii. 4. And as it is free, so it is fuperlatively great, love that paffes knowledge, love which hath a height and depth, a breadth and length which can never be fathomed, or found out; it is diftinguishing love that takes hold of man when it paffed by angels that fell; it fixed upon fome of Adam's family, when it paffed by others.

3. This covenant of grace in the original make and conftitution of it, was tranfacted with Christ as a new covenant-head, a publick perfon reprefenting all the spiritual feed which the Lord hath given him; for, firs, you must know, that fince the fall of man, God never entered into any covenant with him directly and immediately, but only by the intervention of a furety and mediator. Hence in our larger catechifm, in anfwer to that question, with whom was the covenant of grace made? The anfwer is, That it was made with Christ, and with the elect in him as his feed. Hence it is, that we read of Grace given us in Chrift before the world began. In this covenant there are fome things that relate particularly to Chrift himself as furety and redeemer, and fome things in it that relate to the members and feed of Chrift; the Father having promifed fufficient furniture and through-bearing to his Son, both for the purchase and application of our redemption, the Son not only undertakes to fatisfy justice, to fulfil the law, to bruife the head of the old ferpent, but alfo by his fpirit, which he would fend into their hearts, to fprinkle them

with clear water, to take away the ftony heart, to enlighten them, to juftify them, to adopt and fanctify them, and at laft to present them without fpot or wrinkle, or any fuch thing; and when all this comes to be revealed and set forth in a gospel difpenfation, what is incumbent upon us, but to fubfcribe to this glorious tranfaction and plan of redemption that was laid by infinite wisdom? Thus I fay the covenant of grace was originally tranfacted with Chrift, and with us in him and through him; and they who either in print or pulpit ridicule or exclaim against this as a new scheme of doctrine, they do not ridicule us, but the doctrine afferted by the church of Scotland in her ftandards, which as it is founded upon the word, fo we are bound by folemn covenant to cleave unto it.

4. Remark, That the revelation of this covenant of grace tranfacted with Chrift before the world, was made very early to our first parents in paradife immediately after the fall, Gen. iii. 15. The feed of the woman fhall bruife the bead of the Jerpent. Here it was, that the grand fecret which lay in the breaft of God, did firft break forth, when our first parents were waiting with a trembling heart every moment for the execution of the fentence of the broken covenant of works: Behold glad-tidings of great joy are iffued out from a throne of grace, namely, that in the fulness of time the Son of God was to take on the feed of the woman, and bruife' the ferpent's head, to destroy the devil, and his works, and redeem man from that gulph of mifery into which he was plunged; this was the covenant of grace; and it is remarkable that in its first edition it came forth in a promife of Chrift, this was enlarged and explained to Abraham, Mojes, David

and yet more fully opened after the Babylonish captivity by Jeremiah, Ezekiel and other prophets, till Christ himself actually came, in whom all the old teftament types, prophecies and promifes received their full accomplishment, and having by his death confirmed the covenant with many, the covenant of grace after his resurrection and exaltation came forth in its laft and best edition: namely, in the form of a teftament, having the two great facraments of baptifm and the fupper appended to it, as full and uncontested evidences of its being confirmed by his death. This glorious charter is now paft the feal, and therefore faith may make ufe of it with boldnefs.

5. Remark, That this covenant of grace or teftament of our Lord Jefus Chrift may be viewed and confidered in its difpenfation or exhibition. God in his infinite wisdom, for reaching the great end and defign of a covenant of grace, has appointed ordinances, the word, facrament and prayer, and other proper means, by which the benefits of his death, and bleffings of his covenant, may come to be actually applied to us; he has authorized minifters to difpenfe word and facraments, that by these, as through conduit-pipes, his grace and fulness may be communicated to us. And here it should be remembered, that the covenant of grace in the difpenfation and exhibition of it comes to every man's door. It is prefented as the ground and foundation of faith in common to all the hearers of the gofpel, elect and reprobate; we call all and every one to take hold of God's covenant, and tell them, To you is the word of this falvation fent; the promife, or covenant, is to you, to your feed, and to all that

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are afar off, and to as many as the Lord our God Shall call.

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6. This covenant of grace may be confidered in the application and execution of it; and this is either initial, progreffive or confummate. 1. I fay there is the initial application, or the soul's first entry into the bond of the covenant, or rather the fpirit of the great new covenant head taking hold of the poor foul, and the foul at the fame moment taking hold of the covenant by faith, receives it as a good and fufficient fecurity for that life and happiness, which was loft by the fin of the firft Adam. This is in fcripture called the day of efpoufals, wherein the foul does as it were fign and fubfcribe the marriage-contract, faying, I am the Lord's. There is the further improvement of this covenant of grace, for the foul's daily fupply in a way of believing, whereby it is made to grow in grace and in the knowledge of our Lord Jefus Chrift. This is called a drawing water with joy out of the wells of falvation. The believer finding himfelf under this and the other want, improves the promises of the covenant, as they are fuited and adapted to his cafe, And thus the work of fanctification is daily advanced, thy fhall go from ftrength to strength. 3. There is the full execution of the defigns of this covenant, when the foul is brought to glory, and prefented faultless before the prefence of God, without Spot or wrinkle, or any fuch thing. When Christ who is our life fhall appear, then shall we appear with him in glory. At that day, the covenant, and all the concerns of it, is fully executed and performed, even the day of Jefus Chrift, Phil. i. 6. Being confident of this very thing, that he who hath begun a good work in you, will perform it to the day of Jefus Chrift.

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