The rainbow of the covenant furrounding the throne of grace.

BEING

The substance of some SERMONS preached at the sacrament 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.

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1

OT to stand in the entrance of this discourse, we may observe here three things, which John saw in the vision. Ist, A Throne Set in heaven, in the close of the second verse. 2dly, The glorious majesty that sat on the throne, who was like a Jafper 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 respect immediately to the church militant here upon earth, and the glorious dispensation of the grace of God under the new-testament economy; and that which inclines me to understand it in this view is because this vision is prophetical, and has a respect to things that that were to be done afterward, as you fee in the first verse. Come up bither, and I will shew thee things that must be bereafter, that is, things which. are to be transacted in the church in the fucceeding ages and generations of the world; and therefore by the throne here that was set 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 satisfied and judgment executed upon the fon of God, for its basis 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 chrystal, Rev. xxii. 1. And this throne is said to be set in heaven, not as if God's throne of grace were only in heaven properly so called; for we find the church militant on earth frequently expressed by heaven in scripture, Heb. xii. 20. She is called the heavenly ferufalem, to wit, the church, I Pet. ii. 2. the heavenly nation; and therefore by heaven here, we may understand the church of God in general: and it is so called to shew 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 Christ, who is set down at the right hand of the Majesty on high, and his ministry in the heavenly sanctuary. By him that fits on the throne, I understand Christ or God in our nature, not excluding the Father and the Holy Ghost; for it is the throne of God and of the Lamb. Ezek. i. 26. we have the same 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 Ii 4 Chrift

Christ Jesus; and there is no doubt but it is the same throne and the fame person sitting on it, that was feen both by Ezekiel and the apostle John. As for his posture, he is represented as fitting upon 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 disturb his administration. We are told here further, that his appearance upon the throne was like a Jafper and a Sardine stone. These stones being unknown to us, we shall not take up time in telling you what is said about them by naturalifts and some curious interpreters, only we are told, in short, the Jasper is a bright transparent stone, 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 shining in him, now when he is upon the throne, that all the precious things on earth put together, are but faint shadows and reprefentations of his divine glory and excellency; The brightness of the Jasper and the redness of the Sardine stone are put together, to shew that he is white and red, white in his divine, red in his human nature, white in his holiness, red in his suffering; the bright and glorious perfections of God shining 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. Ixiii. 1. he is faid to be glorious, and yet red in bis apparel, and his appearance in the midst of the throne is as it were of a Lamb flain, having the sprinkling of his blood about him, which was shed 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 vision, 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 verse. And there was a rainbow round about the throne, in fight like unto an emerald. Where again observe ist, 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 manifest 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 promise 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 allusion to this, God's throne of grace, or his mercy feat, from which all the promises of the covenant do proceed, is said to be furrounded with a rainbow, to fignify, that as God deals with his people in the way of a covenant ; so his faithfulness in that covenant is established in the very heavens, and this bow surrounding 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 shadow of turning; the fashion of this world withers and passes away, but the word of the Lord, his word of grace and promise, it endures for ever.

The doctrine I take notice of from the words,

is this, That God's covenant of grace, and his faithfulness with an everlasting love, therefore with loving kindness have 1 drawn thee. This love of God to loft finners, was altogether and abfolutely free, free in oppofition 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 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 passed by angels that fell; it fixed upon some 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 Chrift 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 his 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