established" a covenant" with him and his seed, and with every living creature, that is, voluntarily engaged himself, as a grace or favor no more to destroy the earth with the waters of a flood. This he calls his "Berith" "between them and him, and every living creature," "for perpetual generations :" and the rainbow is to be the continually repeated sign of this covenant. This was certainly an extension of the original meaning of the term "Berith," or covenant." Over the sacrificial symbols of the "Berith" representing "the reconciliation of all things to himself through Christ Jesus," and as though he was moved thereto by "the sweet smelling savour of the offered victim," God enters into a stipulated engagement with all his creatures upon this earth, and to this engagement gives the name of Berith. The Berith, strictly speaking, was the typical sacrifice, but the gracious engagement respecting "the waters of Noah" bears the same appellation, "this is my Berith," "that I will no more destroy the earth with a flood," &c.

But here again we learn, that, even in this extended sense, the Berith does not necessarily imply a covenant, under the notion of stipulated conditions, to be performed respectively by the covenanting parties.

God's covenant, with all the creatures upon the earth over Noah's sacrifice, that he would "no more destroy the earth by a flood," was unconditional: be the sin of the intelligent creature what it might, this awful catastrophe should befal the world no more. Mankind had only to receive with thank

fulness the favour so mercifully and graciously bestowed, for the sake, as it was made to appear, of the sacrificed Saviour to come; and to encourage their faith, when dreadful storms arose, and threatening torrents were poured forth, by looking at the perhaps new phenomenon that appeared in the clouds, which the gracious God had pointed to as a pledge of his covenant. And so in the real "Berith" or covenant, where God declares himself to have bestowed eternal life on all who receive his Son, "that is, who believe on his name,"-he, to whom "Christ has been revealed" for the production of faith, has only thankfully to receive the favour so mercifully and graciously bestowed; and, in all his trials, and difficulties, and mental conflicts with the powers of darkness, to encourage his faith, by "the word of truth," where "the exceeding great and precious promises" are contained, and by the sacraments of Christ's holy Church, which he has instituted as effectual signs of his grace-as "pledges of his love," and for a continual "remembrance of his death," "until he come."

It might seem, indeed, at first sight, that the engagement on the real "Berith"-the covenant in its grand primary sense-which stipulates eternal life to those who receive Christ by faith, is not so absolutely unconditional as that which pledged to Noah and the new world that there should be no return of the flood. Faith, it might be said, is here made the condition of life: with respect to the returning waters, no condition is made. "If ye believe," is not added; but here it is added, and,

therefore, he who is constituted a party in this covenant, is in a capacity to violate the same. This is most true, if by the violation, we mean the rejection of Christ, and the covenant in his blood by the unbeliever-he "submits not to the righteousness of God," and "judges himself unworthy of eternal life." Properly speaking, however, he does not violate, but refuses to enter into the covenant, because he rejects Christ, in union with whom alone he can become a party in the covenant; or entering insincerely, or with a double mind, into the profession of this covenant relation to God, his unbelief and walk in darkness shews him a hypocrite in his professed submission to that covenant, which he "had taken in his mouth." But he who, "drawn" of the Father, "cometh unto" Christ, and in the power of the Holy Ghost "receiveth him, is made "one with him," and "in him," as his surety, and head of his mystical body, the Church, is taught to know that he hath received "the gift of eternal life," according to the tenor of "the everlasting covenant," without any condition to be supplied on his part, and, therefore, without capacity of violating the covenant, "according to his purpose and grace given us in Christ before the world began."

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He is made, or manifested to be, one with the victim slain,-" that being dead in which we were held," which was doubtless shadowed in the ancient ceremonial of their covenants, when the engaging party "cut the victim in twain, and passed between the parts thereof." It is given to the lost sheep of Christ, to believe in that which was

"By

and that not of "It is of faith,

true before he did believe it, that Christ died for him, and he is "kept by the power of God through faith;" that "of the sheep, which his Father hath given him," and "for whom he laid down his life," "the good Shepherd" "might lose none." grace ye are saved through faith; yourselves, it is the gift of God." that it might be by grace; and, therefore, not by faith considered as a condition, supplied on the receiver's part, as a work and achievement of his own mind or virtue; yet, he must first obtain the precious faith in the righteousness of God his Saviour,” from "the Father of lights, from whom cometh every good and perfect gift, in whom is no variableness nor shadow of turning,"-who "is rich unto all that call upon him."

But to return: a covenant in this extended sense of the term, which we have been considering, was that which God made with Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, and his natural descendants, through the sacred rite given to the engagement. It was made over sacrificed victims; and under this solemn sanction, God was pleased to engage himself to Abraham, to give the possession of the land of Canaan to his children, in the fourth generation, from that time. This engagement God fulfilled by the hand of Joshua and his successors. It had no force beyond; it was only to give them at that time possession of the country.

For it is carefully to be observed, that though THE EVERLASTING inheritance of that land by the seed of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, is often pledged

and promised, yet it is never solemnly covenanted over a sacrificed victim. That such a covenant, however, was in God's design, they are not only told, but are commanded to mark the persons of their male children with the sign of it, throughout all their generations, as we read particularly in the seventeenth chapter of Genesis.

But this "sign of a covenant" had in itself a mystic, we may say a prophetic, meaning: it was "the outward and visible sign of an inward and spiritual grace," which God did not indeed at that time bestow, but pledged it for a generation of that family in the last days, so that the covenant of circumcision, as given to the fathers, was, as to its spiritual import, a promise of covenant only. A badge of profession it was, the neglect of the outward form, separated the individual from the privileges of the family of Abraham and Church of Israel,who as a people were separated from all others, in order to receive such a dispensation of favour: but the receiving of the outward sign, did not pledge a covenant of the everlasting possession of the land to the circumcised individual. It held forth, however, this great promise to the family of Abraham, that a generation of their's should one day arise, which should not only receive "the circumcision in the flesh, made with hands;" but "the foreskins of whose hearts the Spirit of God would circumcise," to the effect that all " superfluity of naughtiness" should be removed, and their hearts changed, as it were, from stone to flesh; should be influenced to love the Lord their God; and that then, as a people, they would receive a