Knoxville daily chronicle. [volume] (Knoxville, Tenn.) 1870-1882, 1882-06-11

covenant of works and the covenant of
grace. st. Paul speaks of the better GOV.
enant, and ''of Christ as the mediator of the
new covenant" And our Savior spoke of
his blood as OF that of the New Testament
or covenant. The promise of the old Gov
enant was eternal life through obedience
nut eternal life being lost through disobe-
olence-the promise of the new covenant is
eternal life through faith-believing ST.
raul speaks of this covenant in his epistle
10 the Hebrews, quoting, at the same time,
from prophecy: ''This is the covenant that
l Will make with the house of Israel, after
those days, saith the Lord I will put my
laws into their mind and write them in
their hearts, and their sins and iniquities
| will l remember no more" Gods law
written in the heart by the Holy Spirit
constrains it with the law of love and makes
His service perfect freedom. 'tBut the
most precious part of the new covenant
is that of forgiveness, the cancel
ling of guilt, the blotting out
of sin, and this is by
the blood of the Lamb which is in the midst
of the throne of power for ali power is
given to Hun in heaven aid in earth.
In whom we have redemption through
His blood, even the forgiveness of sins, &C.
cordlng to the riches of His grace" Aud
speaking through this infinite love God says
to the sinner, Come now, let us reason
together. Though your sins be as scarlet,
they shall be as white as snow and though
they be red like crimson, they shall be as
wool" II have blotted out" etc.
| We are sinners, but God has put away sin
in the sacrifice of His only Son, who was
made sin- offering for us. Under the law
we are condemned, but under grace we are
free. BY the deeds of the law shall no
flesh be justified" If He should be ex-
treme or exact to mark what we have done
amiss, we could not answer for one of athou-
SAND faults. Under the law there is nothing
but fear and alarm for us, on
account of transgression, but there
Is a rainbow about the throne and in
Gods covenant love in Christ there is for
glveness and peace for us. 1t is token of
reconclled God; and, therefore, a token
OF peace and safety. We know what a
sense of relief and safety we experience
when we see rainbow overspanning the
storm cloud, and even though We still hear
the thunder rolling in The distance and see
the flashes playing on it, yet we are COM
posed and tranquil as we gaze upon it. for
we know that its fury is spent and its
danger overpast.
So the sinner, as he contemplates Gods
covenant love in Christ, may be awed. by
sAO LiidJCoIy VI OOu law duQ uuInDl6u ny d
sense of his transgressions yet he can pos
sess his soul in peace, and triumphanuy ex-
claim, cit is Christ that died. 1t is God
who justifeth Who is he who con-
den tn ?" For there is now no conden.
nation to them that are in Christ Jesus.
The throne of God is now a mercy
seat, blood-sprinkled mercy seat,
to which we may come with boldness that
we may obtain mercy and find grace to help
ID time of need. Let me now note one or
two characteristics of Gods covenant love
as set forth by the rainbow round about the
throne; and first it is an all Astounding love;
1t reaches the deepest depths of our spirit
ual necessities. 1t covers all transgression.
The bow spans the whole cloud its arch
touches its utmost boundary. Gods cove
nant love in Christ blots out all transgress-
ion.
1.-The blood of Jesus Christ, His Son,
cleanseth us from all SIM" Again, the
rainbow covers the cloud but doesn't des-
troy it-so Gods love In Christ overspans
divine justice, but doesn't destroy it. Sal
walton by grace, through faith, does not |
destroy the law. Nay, says the Apostle. it |
establishes the law. 1t confirms the eter-
nal perfection of its holiness. 1t is not I'M
conditional salvation. The gospel is the |
power of God unto salvation to every one |
that beheveth. |
Again, the rainbow is caused by |
the retraction of light, the breaking up OF |
the solar rays into their several colors, the |
cloud beng the prison or medium through |
which it is thus refracted. And the same |
III the dew drop as in the cloud The cloud |
and the sun are necessary conditions of the
rainbow, and SO also certain attitude of |
VISION, IN order to behold it,
SO with Gods covenant love in Christ
1t Is the cloud of sln and transgression that
gives to that law of love its precIousness and
beatty.
WHAT an awful cloud was that that hung
over Calvary black as midnight. 1t was
the cloud OF our sins, resting upon the son
of God, who was wounded for our trans
gresslons AMI bruised for our iniqultles that
were laid upon Him, and by whose stripes
We are healed. But what bow of peace
and consolation overspans that cloud, now
that We can see the face OF a reconclled God
above It, 1t touches the earth from
horizon to horizon. We are encircled
III Its light, and it reaches the heavens and
enclrcies the throne of God. 1t is seen
through tears of penltance and with the eye
of faith, faith III the Savior of sinners. 1t
Is by faith we are justified through our Lord
Jesus Christ. Inc peace of God is the
peace that Is in believing. 1t is by faith III
The blood of Jesus that the bow of peace
overspans the storm cloud of conviction of
sin III the soul. | said that the same law of
the retractlon of light pervades ali nature
and ls seen In the smallest dew drops as well
as on the over archlng sky, SO these divine
conditions of grace and love pervade the
whole realm CT spiritual necessity. They
are for tine Oldest sinner and for the
n
this " orld of sin and wue that is excluded
from the love of God in Christ, except by
its own unbellef.
There Is not heart among all the millions
of the race that may not rejoice III it
through faith in the Son of God. l said the
the bow of Gods love in
Christ, was seen through tears
of penitence by the eye of faith 1 wall
say also that that bow of love is seen
through tears of sorrow with the eye of
faith. Not always in the hour of its crush
ing presence and under its immediate
shadow, but when time has lifted it to
little distance and the stricken heart is able
by faith to cast its burden on the Lord and
lay hold of His promises, and say, with
calmer and more submissive mind, 'Thy
will be done"
Then the bow of peace and consolation
overspans the cloud, and the chastened
spirit breathes responsively to the plaintive
strain of David, " In the multitude of the
sorrows that l had in my heart They COM
forts have refreshed my soul"
Another characteristic of Gods covenant
love Id Christ, set forth in the rainbow
about the throne, is, it is an unchanging
love. That rainbow about the throne which
indicates redemption through the blood and
sacrifice of Christ, is always there and will
be there to all eternity. It is not like the
ordinary rainbow we see ON the cloud-that
we behold for a moment and in the next
moment It Is gone, sometimes fading from
our sight while we are gazing on it-but is
token of Gods eternal love. 1t is as lasting
as the throne itself.
1t represents the sacrifice and mediation
of Christ
And He offered him self once for all time