fake, he established this his everlasting covenant with Noah and his fons, and with their feed after them; and with every living creature, of the fowl, of the cattle, and of every beast of the earth, that was with Noah in the ark, and with all that should be of them, that all flesh should not any more be cut off by the waters of a flood, neither fhould there any more be a flood to deftroy the earth.Thus, in fubmiffion to God, and an acknowledgment of the forfeit of life, and flying to the blood of the everlasting covenant, the creature found refuge from the waters of the flood, in that fame redemption-law, and inftitution of judgment, which had brought them upon the earth.

The covenant being thus established, is unchangeable, and its promifes are, yea, and amen; for the conditions all refting with Chrift, the truth which enfures the performance of all, is effential to the divine exiflence; that power of his, which had fubjected the world, was proved fufficient to hold it in fubjection; and the gracious operation, which had wrought fuch a free fubmiffion to the divine will in Noah, was fhewn to be all-fufficient to make willing a people to bear his name in every age of the world. Moreover, the pow er that could do this, could alfo cut off and confume from the earth all thofe who fhould be found unwilling to fubmit, and should remain unreconciled and oppofed to his name and authority; and his faithfulness to exert this his archangel-power, according to that

Z z

covenant which is its eternal fource, could not fail.

Therefore God faid, the ground should not again be curfed, because of the works of men: Although, indeed, the foul of man, throughout, be folicitoufly bent upon the evil thing, all living flesh should not again be fmitten. All the days of the earth, feed time and harvest, cold and heat, fummer and winter, day and night, fhould not ceafe.

Section 12. The Rainbow.

And the Lord God faid unto Noah, this is the token of the covenant, which I have established between me and yours, as the charter of all living flesh; and which shall be with yours for perpetual generations; I do fet my bow in the cloud, and it fhall be for a token of the covenant between me and the earth. And it shall come to pafs, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow fhall be feen in the cloud: And I will remember my covenant, which is as the charter of me and yours, and of all living flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood, fo as to defiroy all flesh.

grace

This is the most expreffive fign or token of the power and of the world to come, in relation to the conftitution and ffate of the prefent world. It fhows, at once, the divid ing and the uniting line of mercy and truth, of righteoufnefs and peace; for, whilft the peculiar conflitution and frame of this world is exhibited to the eye, a view, alfo, is here

by given of the power and grace of the world to come, as prevailing over all.—This will be perceived, by obferving the circumstances in which the bow appears in the cloud.

The fingle and widely diffufed cloud, from which the rains fall gently, and without tempeft, (which circumftance of the cloud indicates the more general tranquillity of the winds) does not show the rainbow; for, fuch reflections of light, as give to the eye the appearance of the bow in the cloud, require that the waters diftilling from the cloud should descend to the earth in a bowing or circular form, which requires the agency of oppofing winds. In mifts, or particles of water, not moving in a circular direction, there is not this appearance. The circular form of the vapours which exhibits this appearance, may often be obferved in the Spray of a water-wheel going with the wind of the wheel against the natural current of the air. But,' in the folded and thickly condenfed cloud, from which the rains fall with violence and tempeft, (which state of the cloud thews the preffure and conflict of oppofing winds) the bow is feen; which, therefore, betokens clearly the peculiar ftate of this world, as fubfifting by two powers acting against each other.

Again, it may be obferved that this cloud, by an established caufe, is fo circumfcribed in width, that it muft foon pafs over; for,' the preffure by which it is formed exifts evidently between two tides; I mean the tides of ebb and of flood, which are known to be the fame in the air as in water, The moft ex

tenfive cloud of this kind, which I have feen, paffed over in lefs time than fix hours, Moreover, it may be observed, that however great is the conflict, the weftern or fair wind ever prevails. If the bow appears in the morning, the cloud being weft, the wind is banking it from the eaft; but the cloud paffing over in its tide, the wind changes; and when the bow appears in the cloud, that has paffed over, the wind is ever weft.-In this eastern pofition of the cloud is the most common, and always the brightest appearance of the bow; for, as the wind which follows is the strongest, the cloud, being driven before it, becomes on this fide the most compreffed.

The watery and fiery colours of the bow, their relative inward and outward fituation, and many other circumftances of this token of the covenant, might be pointed out as fhowing the fearful and wonderful frame of the prefent world. But enough, perhaps, has been remarked to fhew how exprefsly the bow, in relation to thefe pavilions of the Lord of Hofts, the dark waters and thick clouds of the fkies, and the brightness before. him from which coals of fire are kindied, proclaims the true condition of the prefent world, as being conftituted according to the archangel-ftate of the everlafling covenant.

But, as in relation to natural things, whilft the dark waters and thick clouds of the fkies are on the one fide of the bow, the fun and clear heaven are on the other; fo alfo, in the view of its being a token of the covenant, the clouds and rains, and fwelling wa

ters of tribulation, through which is wrought the redemption-work, appear on the one fide; but the kingdom, the glorious reward of that work, according to the divine will, is feen on the other. The bow in the cloud, in many refpects, is fignificant of the ministration of the Spirit, and accords with the token of the covenant given to the church in gospel baptifm.-In confidering the subject in this view, we have the warrant of St. John, who, defcribing the gospel kingdom, fays, Rev, iv. 3. A rainbow was round about the throne.

Our theory, according to the divine principle, offers to view two diftinct baptisms, viz. One, in the deep; the other, far above it.The baptifin, as under the requirement of the divine will, of humiliation and fuffering unto death; and the baptifm, by the expreflion of the divine favour, and the bestowment of the promised reward, in the gift and grace of the Holy Ghoft. Thefe baptifms, though they be infeparably connected in the divine will, and belong both to the redemption-covenant, are still widely different things. And it will be recollected, that the flate of humiliation and trial of Chrift and his people, wherein the heir differeth nothing from a fervant, tho' he be Lord of all; is often referred to in the Scriptures, as being a baptifm. But Jefus anfwered and faid, ye know not what ye afk. ye able to drink of the cup that I drink of, and to be baptifed with the baptism that I am baptized with? They fay unto him, we are able. And he faith unto them, ye fhall drink indeed of my cup, and be baptized with the

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