This covenant goes back into the ages that are past, and forward
with such feelings that faith takes up the sweet singer's words, and, looking round upon the frailty of created excellency, muses upon the endless being of the everlasting One—"They shall perish, but thou shalt endure; they shall all wax old as doth a garment: as a vesture shalt thou change them, and they shall be changed; but thou art the same, and thy years shall have no end" (Ps. 102:26, 27).
2. It thinks of the EVERLASTING covenant (Is. 55:3; Heb. 13:20).— This covenant goes back into the ages that are past, and forward immeasurably info the ages to come. It stretches over and covers, with its infinite provisions of grace, the whole vastness of eternity. As the atmosphere compasses the earth about, so does the "everlasting covenant" compass the Church about, to secure and to bless it. The knowledge of this covenant, in its suitableness to the sinner, was that which first spoke peace to us, and made us feel that there was forgiveness with God. We received God's testimony concerning it, and so it became a resting-place for us in our weariness. Having found footing here, we looked around, and surveyed the fulness of our city of refuge. We saw its foundation to be grace. We saw that, in addition to grace that was large and free enough to receive every fallen child of Adam, if they would but come, there was a superadded sovereign grace, to lay hold of those whom the Father had given to Christ in the ancient covenant—not one of whom would have availed themselves of the grace, had they not been thus laid hold of. We saw that in the covenant there was forgiveness, and life, and joy, not only here, but hereafter. We saw that it could not grow old or out of date, for it was the covenant of the eternal God. We saw that it could not be broken, for it was sealed with blood, and so made sure by righteousness. We saw that it must abide for ever, in all its completeness, securing thereby to us, not merely a morning of joy, but an eternal day of glory.
3. It thinks of the EVERLASTING arms (Deut. 33:2).—Sometimes we read of God's "holy arm" (Ps. 98:1); of his "mighty arm" (Ps. 89:13); of his "glorious arm" (Is. 63:12); of his "high arm" (Acts 13:17); of his "stretched-out" arm (Ps. 136:12): but, in addition to all these, we read