a state of alienation and estrangement from God; we are alienated from the very life of God, through the ignorance that is in us; like the prodigal we have gone into a far country, and care not for returning to our father's house: Yea, more, it is a state of enmity and hoftility against God, the carnal mind is enmity against God, we are enemies in our minds by wicked works: It is a godless and a hopeless state, therefore said to be without God and without hope in the world: It is a state of worse than Egyptian darkness; we are not simply in the dark, but we are darkness itself: once ye were darkness: It is a state of impotency and weakness, for when we were without ftrength in due time Christ died for us: It is a state of bondage and captivity to fin, Satan and the world; we are led captive by these potent enemies: It is a cursed and condemned state, we are condemned already, and the wrath of God abideth on us : It is a state of death, we are dead spiritually under the power of fin, and lying upon the very borders of eternal death. Now this is the condition we are reduced unto by the fall, upon which account we may well take up that melancholy song, The crown is fallen from our head, wo to us that we have finned; however infinite mercy and love takes occafion from this miferable and ruined estate of man to enter into a new covenant, even a covenant of grace, in order to his deliverance.

2. Remark, that the rise and spring of this covenant of grace was not foreseen faith or good works, or any thing else in the creature, but only the free and surprising love of God, John iii. 16. God fo loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in bim, might not perish, but have everlasting life, Jer. xxxi. 3. I have loved thee fullness engaged therein, is like a beautiful rainbow furrounding the throne of grace for the encouragement furrounding of our faith and trust in him that fits on it.

In discoursing on this doctrine, I shall, through divine assistance, do these things following. (1.) Offer a few thoughts concerning the covenant of grace or promise. (2.) Concerning the faithfulness of God engaged in this covenant. (२.) Take a view of this covenant under the fimilitude of a rainbow in colour like an emerald surrounding the throne of grace. (4.) Speak a little of that faith or trust which the sight of this bow of the covenant should beget in us. (5.) Apply the whole.

The First thing proposed 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 see that that which gave occafion to God's entring into a covenant of grace, is that miferable estate 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 spread my skirt over thee, and covered thy nakedness: Yea I fware unto thee, and entered into covenant with thee, faith the Lord, and thou becamest mine. Here it may readily be asked, what is that state we are reduced unto by the breach of the first covenant? I answer, in short, 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

a state of alienation and estrangement from God; we are alienated from the very life of God, through the ignorance that is in us; like the prodigal we have gone into a far country, and care not for returning to our father's house: Yea, more, it is a state of enmity and hoftility against God, the carnal mind is enmity against God, we are enemies in our minds by wicked works: It is a godless and a hopeless state, therefore said to be without God and without hope in the world: It is a state of worse than Egyptian darkness; we are not simply in the dark, but we are darkness itself: once ye were darkness: It is a state of impotency and weakness, for when we were without ftrength in due time Christ died for us : It is a state of bondage and captivity to fin, Satan and the world; we are led captive by these potent enemies: It is a cursed and condemned state, we are condemned already, and the wrath of God abideth on us : It is a state of death, we are dead spiritually under the power of fin, and lying upon the very borders of eternal death. Now this is the condition we are reduced unto by the fall, upon which account we may well take up that melancholy song, The crown is fallen from our bead, wo to us that we have finned; however infinite mercy and love takes occafion from this miferable and ruined estate of man to enter into a new covenant, even a covenant of grace, in order to his deliverance.

2. Remark, that the rise and spring of this covenant of grace was not foreseen faith or good works, or any thing else in the creature, but only the free and surprising love of God, John iii. 16. God so loved the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him, might not perish, but have everlasting life, Jer. xxxi. 3. I have loved thee with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have 1 drawn thee. This love of God to loft finners, was altogether and absolutely free, free in opposition to merit, free in opposition to constraint; it hath no other cause, but only the freedom of his own will, Eph. ii. 4. And as it is free, so it is fuperlatively great, love that passes 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 passed by angels that fell; it fixed upon fome of Adam's family, when it passed by others.

3. This covenant of grace in the original make and conftitution of it, was transacted with Christ as a new covenant-head, a publick person representing all the spiritual feed which the Lord hath given him; for, firs, you must know, that since the fall of man, God never entered into any covenant with him directly and immediately, but only by the intervention of a surety and mediator. Hence in our larger catechism, in answer 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 bis feed. Hence it is, that we read of Grace given us in Christ before the world began. In this covenant there are some things that relate particularly to Christ himself as surety and redeemer, and some things in it that relate to the members and feed of Christ; the Father having promised sufficient 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 bruise the head of the old ferpent, but also by his spirit, which he would fend into their hearts, to sprinkle them

with clear water, to take away the stony heart, to enlighten them, to justify them, to adopt and sanctify them, and at last to present them without spot or wrinkle, or any such thing; and when all this comes to be revealed and set forth in a gospel dispensation, what is incumbent upon us, but to subscribe to this glorious transaction and plan of redemption that was laid by infinite wisdom? Thus I say the covenant of grace was originally transacted with Christ, 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 asserted by the church of Scotland in her standards, which as it is founded upon the word, so we are bound by folemn covenant to cleave unto it.

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4. Remark, That the revelation of this covenant of grace transacted with Chrift before the world, was made very early to our first parents in paradise immediately after the fall, Gen. iii. 15. The feed of the woman shall bruise the head of the ferpent. Here it was, that the grand fecret which lay in the breast of God, did first break forth, when our first parents were waiting with a trembling heart every moment for the execution of the sentence of the broken covenant of works: Behold glad-tidings of great joy are issued 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 bruise' 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 Christ, this was enlarged and explained to Abrabam, Mofes, David,

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