The rainbow of the covenant furrounding the throne of grace. BEING The substance of fome SERMONS preached at the facrament of Muckart, June 23, 1728. By the Rev. Mr. EBENEZER ERSKINE. REV. iv. 3. And there was a rainbow round about the throne, in fight like unto an emerald. N OT to ftand in the entrance of this difcourfe, we may obferve here three things, which John faw in the vifion. ft, A Throne fet in heaven, in the clofe of the fecond verfe. 2dly, The glorious majefty that fat on the throne, who was like a fafper and Sardine ftone for brightness. 3dly, The canopy of the throne, a rainbow round about it in colour like an emerald. I understand the whole of this to have a refpect immediately to the church militant here upon earth, and the glorious difpenfation of the grace of God under the new-teftament economy; and that which inclines me to understand it in this view is because this nis prophetical, and has a refpect to things that that were to be done afterward, as you fee in the first verse. Come up hither, and I will fhew thee things that must be hereafter, that is, things which, are to be tranfacted in the church in the fucceeding ages and generations of the world; and therefore by the throne here that was fet in heaven, I understand the throne of grace, to which we are invited to come with boldness for grace and mercy to help in time of need, Heb. iv. 16. The throne which hath justice fatisfied and judgment executed upon the fon of God, for its bafis and foundation, Pfal. xxxix. 14. The throne of God and of the Lamb, from which proceeds a pure river or water of life, clear as chryftal, Rev. xxii. 1. And this throne is faid to be fet in heaven, not as if God's throne of grace were only in heaven properly fo called; for we find the church militant on earth frequently expreffed by heaven in fcripture, Heb. xii. 20. She is called the heavenly Jerufalem, to wit, the church, 1 Pet. ii. 2. the heavenly nation ; and therefore by heaven here, we may understand the church of God in general: and it is fo called to fhew that the hearts of believers even while here upon earth, are in heaven, they are defiring a better country, that is an heavenly, and when they address a throne of grace, they have their eyes upon an exalted Chrift, who is fet down at the right hand of the Majefty on high, and his miniftry in the heavenly fanctuary. By him that fits on the throne, I understand Chrift or God in our nature, not excluding the Father and the Holy Ghoft; for it is the throne of God and of the Lamb. Ezek. i. 26. we have the fame description of a throne in a vifion, and we are told that above upon the throne was the appearance of a man, which can be applied to none other than the man Ii4 Chrift Christ Jefus; and there is no doubt but it is the fame throne and the fame perion fitting on it, that was feen both by Ezekiel and the apostle alım. As for his pofture, he is reprefented as fitting up the throne. This points at the perpetuity of his government, that he is in the quiet poffeffion of it, it being for ever out of the power of his enemies to difturb his adminiftration. We are told here further, that his appearance upon the throne was like a fafper and a Sardine ftcne. Thefe ftones being unknown to us, we fhall not take up time in telling you what is faid about them by naturalifts and fome curious interpreters, only we are told, in fhort, the Jafper is a bright transparent ftone, representing to the eye a variety of the most vivid or lively colours; the Sardine is faid to be red. The Scope is plainly this, to point out the admirable and inconceivable glory and excellency of an exalted Christ. Such is the brightness of the Father's glory fhining in him, now when he is upon the throne, that all the precious things on earth put together, are but faint fhadows and reprefentations of his divine glory and excellency; The brightnefs of the Jafper and the redness of the Sardine ftone are put together, to fhew that he is white and red, white in his divine, red in his human nature, white in his holiness, red in his fuffering; the bright and glorious perfections of God fhining through the rent vail of his human nature, do as it were receive a tincture of red from the vail through which they are tranfmitted, Ifa. lxiii. 1. he is faid to be glorious, and yet red in his apparel, and his appearance in the midst of the throne is as it were of a Lamb flain, having the fprinkling of his blood about him, which was fhed upon mount Calvary, 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 close of the third verfe. And there was a rainbow round about the throne, in fight like unto an emerald. Where again obferve 1ft, The covering of the throne, it was very ftately, 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 promises 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 faithfulness fullness engaged therein, is like a beautiful rainbow furrounding the throne of grace for the encouragement of our faith and trust in him that fits on it. In difcourfing on this doctrine, I fhall, through divine affiftance, do these things following. (1.) Offer a few thoughts concerning the covenant of grace or promife. (2.) Concerning the faithfulness of God engaged in this covenant. (3.) Take a view of this covenant under the fimilitude of a rainbow in colour like an emerald furrounding the throne of grace. (4.) Speak a little of that faith or trust which the fight of this bow of the covenant fhould beget in us. (5.) Apply the whole. The First thing propofed is to offer a few thoughts concerning the covenant of grace and promise. And, 1. I remark, that the occafion of the covenant of grace, like that of God's covenant with Noab was a deluge of wrath which broke out upon Adam and all his family for the breach and violation of the covenant of works. This is what is pointed at Ezek. xvi. 4, 5, 6, 7, 8. Where you fee that that which gave occafion to God's entring into a covenant of grace, is that miferable eftate man had brought himself into by fin. When I paffed by thee, and faw thee polluted in thine own blood, thy time was a time of love, I fpread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: Yea I fware unto thee, and entered into covenant with thee, faith the Lord, and thou becameft mine. Here it may readily be afked, what is that state we are reduced unto by the breach of the first covenant? I answer, in fhort, it is a state of fin; original fin like a contagion has over-run all men, and the whole man from the crown of the head to the foul of the foot: It is a state |