Ephraim shall say, "Come ye, and let us go up

to Zion unto the Lord our God. They shall come with weeping and supplications; for he that scattered Israel will gather him, and keep him, as a shepherd doth his flock."*

Are there no promises, then, recorded in Scripture which shall surely come to pass? May the word of the Most High fail? This cannot be. The promises of God shall be accomplished in their season, though nations and individuals may forfeit their share in the blessing. The bow in the cloud gives assurance of the truth of the divine promise in one particular instance. And that promise, as we have seen, is sure and steadfast to the whole world, though some regions or places upon the earth may suffer from partial inundations. The Seed of the woman, according to the first promise after the fall, shall crush the serpent's head, though many be led captive by him, and subjected to his power. In the Seed of Abraham all generations shall be blessed, though thousands and tens of thousands may, through unbelief, reject the blessing. The blessing promised to the people of Israel by Moses, and repeated by the prophets, shall surely take effect; they shall not cease to be a nation before him

for ever, nor shall there fail one of the house of David to sit upon his throne, though the nation be for many ages led into captivity, or be scattered over the face of the earth. And the promise of everlasting happiness to the people of God under the Gospel shall be fully and certainly accomplished, though many perish through unbelief and ungodliness. In one word, the purpose of God shall take effect, to the clear demonstration of His truth and goodness; but it rests with every individual to accept or refuse the proffered blessing, to share in the promise by an obedient faith, or perversely and wickedly reject it. And such instances of unbelief and disobedience, and the punishment which attends them, so far from throwing doubt upon the truth of God's word, shall serve to confirm and illustrate it; just as the swelling of a torrent, or some more terrible inundation, or an occasional interruption in the regular course of the seasons, affords to believers a proof of the overruling power and providence of Him, who "turneth all things round about by his counsels;" while they "stand still and consider the wondrous works of God."

Let us, then, brethren, apply individually the lessons which are taught us by the beautiful sign which the Almighty hath placed in the heavens. Let it be to each of us a pledge and assurance of

the faithfulness of the Most High. When the darkest cloud of adversity hangs over our horizon, let a bow be seen in the cloud; let the divine goodness be reflected from it upon our hearts: the darker and deeper it may be, the more brightly will a ray of divine light appear to the faithful; exhibiting in the most chaste or most brilliant hues the seven-fold perfections of the Deity; rising high into the heavens, but "taking hold of the ends of the earth." Let it teach us the excellence of a good assurance of hope, continuing steadfast unto the end. It may indeed be fallacious in the morning of life, as the rainbow in the early part of the day foretels storms and showers; it may form but a small circle, and be little raised above the earth, in the middle of our days, when the sun of this world is on the meridian: but it will shine with unequalled splendour and with happy omen upon the evening of old age, predicting a more glorious dawn after the night of the tomb.

And will not the Gospel receive, and reflect much and beautiful illustration upon this, as upon every subject? Oh yes, the rainbow, the emblem of grace and truth, is seen there, encircling the head of the mighty angel who "came down from heaven, clothed with a cloud, his face

as the sun, and his feet as pillars of fire.”*

The

throne of God, likewise, in the vision of the Church presented to the eye of the Apostle, was encompassed with a rainbow which was "in sight like unto an emerald †;" intended, perhaps, to designate by this mild and cheering colour the goodness of God as pre-eminent among his other attributes, and encircling the Divine Majesty on every side, under the Gospel of his dear Son. Let us learn to contemplate with elevated thought and devout gladness of heart the mercy and truth revealed under this dispensation, and beautifully represented and reflected to our minds in the Church by its ordinances and means of grace. Let us dwell with peculiar delight upon the great and precious promises made to the faithful, and especially upon the mild and cheering graces with which our Lord is clothed. When gloomy thoughts and anxious fears press upon the children of God, a beam from the Sun of righteousness shall shine upon their hearts: and the truth of his word and faithfulness of his promises shall be seen in the heavens, written as with his own finger in characters of light; giving the assurance of a faithful witness, that "His mercy endureth for ever."

173

ABRAHAM

SERMON XI.

THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH.

GEN. XV. i. After these things the word of the Lord came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward. And Abram said, Lord God, what wilt thou give me, seeing I go childless, and the steward of my house is this Eliezer of Damascus? And Abram said, Behold, to me thou hast given no seed: and, lo, one born in my house is mine heir. And, behold, the word of the Lord came unto him, saying, This shall not be thine heir; but he that shall come forth out of thine own bowels shall be thine heir. And he brought him forth abroad, and said, Look now toward heaven, and tell the stars, if thou be able to number them: and he said unto him, So shall thy seed be. And he believed in the Lord; and he counted it to him for righteousness.

A VERY important passage, seeing it is that to which St. Paul refers as an instance of the justi fying faith for which this patriarch was so highly distinguished. Abram was now above fourscore years old, and had been several years a sojourner in the land of Canaan; possessed, indeed, of great wealth, and of such power as to be able to defeat a formidable confederacy. Still, however, the fulfilment of the promise made to him when he first left his father's house, "I will make of thee