In these times therefore God was pleased to manifest himself to the fenfes of men, and visibly conduct them, by the angel of his prefence, in all encouragement for him to hope for a full restoration to the divine favour; without any further import? Though if this fhould have yet a more diftant and extenfive view, pointing to a more noble facrifice, and one of a much higher nature, (V. p.) whereof it may have been fome Sacramental prefiguration; (V. p.)it anfwers thefe ends for the prefent never the lefs; and is more like all other parts of the divine œconomy, which ferve for various purpofes, immediate and remote. But if we admit thefe ufes, they will make it improper for this rite to have been inftituted before the fall; which is another objection, p. 22. And if they will warrant the fuppofition of its being inftituted at all by God, it must be inftituted with a merciful defign; and as fuch, every dutiful compliance with it would be conceived, in fome respect, to better the condition of the worshipper, as far as he could carry his thoughts on that condition; how dark foever his notions might be, as to the time and manner of completing it. Upon the whole, I cannot help concluding it to be more probable in itself, and more analogous to the general courfe of things, that this fo univerfal a practice of facrificing animals, however odd and unaccountable it may feem to be in fome refpects at prefent, how much foever inferior to fome modern notions of the world, and its all-perfect Governor; fhould owe its origin to fome divine appointment; be propagated every where by primitive tradition; and afterwards [as in too many other cafes] by a pretended imitation, and improvement, but a real mifreprefentation and abufe, receive fuch gradual alteration, from the authors of all fuperftition and vice, as at length to arrive at that degree of enormity, which this ingenious writer has fo well defcribed. And I fubmit it to his candor, whether the fuppofition of its coming from one who might have farther views than could appear at first fight, or be at once accomplished; be not as likely to remove his difficulties, as attributing this rite wholly to the invention of men, at a time when it is agreed, that they were capable of inventing very little; and who, if they could fee fo far before them as to ftrike out fuch a form of worship, muft (we may think) have likewife been apprifed of fome of the fame difficulties, which would always attend it. And lastly, whencefoever it did come, whether fuch a perfuafion as this gentleman entertains, of its being fundamentally wrong, and in every light fo glaring an abfurdity, be not equally hard to reconcile with the belief of God's exprefs acceptance of the fame on fome occafions; his permiffion of it all along to his diftinguished favourites: and at last formally enjoining, and establishing it with the minutest circumftances; and this, without any fuch intimation as is given in other cafes, of its being all merely a compliance with fome of their own cuftoms, or their prejudices. A all the chief concernments of religion. And this infant state of the world must stand in need of his especial guidance, and protection. They were not yet able (with Mofes *) to look up to him who is invifible; and perform a purely rational, and fpiritual worship. They could have no very perfect notions of his nature and providence; nor had they much leisure for speculation, and refinement in these fubjects. They were all tillers of the ground, or keepers of cattle; employed fufficiently in cultivating and replenishing this new world; and through the curse, brought on it by their forefather, forced with him to eat their bread in the fweat of their brow. We may fuppofe the generality of them, to have been no better than Anthropomorphites †, in their conceptions of the Divine Being; as many were found to be long after them, in much more knowing times; and as perhaps a great part of the world yet are, by giving way to their imagination, notwithstanding the clearest revelations, and plainest arguments to the contrary. Frequent apparitions then might be necessary, to keep up a tolerable fenfe of religion among men, and fecure obedience • Heb. xi. 27. The reafon of this is given at large by the author of Glory of Christ as God-man, Disc. I. fea. 1. Lactantius is to prove that God has human paffions to prevent being misunderstood, and to provide a proper fubject for these paffions, he contends ftrongly for God's having a human form; no difcreditable notion at that time in the church. Div. Leg. B. iii. fect. 4. p. 372. add Locke on H. U. B. i. c. 4. fect. 16. and Huet. Origen. L. ii. B. i. fect. 8. P. 39. dience to the divine inftitutions *; and that the Almighty did not exhibit fuch fo frequently as was either neceffary, or fit to answer this end, cannot be concluded from the filence of thofe very short accounts we have in facred history, as was obferved before. Befides, Adam himself continued nine hundred and thirty years, an eye-witness of the power and providence of God; and could not but reflect on those remarkable inftances of both, exerted at the beginning of his own life; and must have acquainted the rest of mankind with all those truths relating to the Deity, that were implied in the creation of man, and his first fituation in the world; as well as his present state of punishment, and profpect of a future redemption; which were exhibited together, and doubtless explained to him, upon his fall. He was all that while, a living monument both of the justice, and mercy of God; of his extreme hatred, and abhorrence of fin; as well as his great love, Και γαρ οικῶ ἐν ἀρχῇ τε κόσμε ἔπι πλειον βεβοηθηθας την άνθρωπων φυσιν, έως προκοπης γενομένης εις σύνεσιν, και τας λοιπας ἀβελας, και την εύρεσιν των τεχνων, δυνηθώσι και καθ' ἑαυτες ζην, ὦ χρήζοντες αει ἐπιτροπευοίων και οικονομείων αυλες μελα παραδοξε ἐπιφάνειας των υπη gilumaru, TY TH D Buλnuarı. Orig. cont. Celf. p. 216. Ed. Cant. + See Allix's Reflections, B. I. c. 8, &c. How he was able always to convince the world that he was the firit man, from a peculiarity in the formation of his body. See Cumberland De leg. patr. p. 409, 410. Adamus, ejufque uxor Eva fecundum naturam non potuerunt habere umbilicos in medio ventrum fuorum, uti habent omnes homines qui nafcuntur e mulieribus propter vafa umbilicalia quæ umbilico inferuntur, et e Placenta uterina nutrimentum afferunt infantibus, in utero matrum fuarum generatis, indeque prodeuntibus. Nec credibile eft Deum creaviffe in protoplaftis umbilicos qui iis effent prorfus inutiles, et eos redderet obnoxios periculofo morbo qui omphalocele dicitur a medicis. ib. love, and long-fuffering towards the finner. He was very fenfible how fin entered into the world, and could not but apprise his children of its author; and at the fame time inform them, of the unity of God, and his dominion over the evil one; and affure them of his being the fupreme governor, and judge of all. For fo much, I think, might easily be gathered from that tranfaction in paradise, in what sense soever we underftand it; not to mention that the garden of Eden, the great scene of this tranfgreffion, might perhaps still be visible *. This would produce a tolerable idea of the Divine Being, and afford fufficient motives to obey him. And accordingly we find the effects of it, in the righteous family of Seth, who began to call upon the name of the Lord † ; or, as that text is better rendered in the margin, to call themselves by the name of the Lord. They foon diftinguished themselves from the posterity of Cain; and for their extraordinary piety, were entitled the people, or Sons of God. Of them, fometime after, sprang a person fo very eminent for goodness and devotion, as to be exempted from Adam's fentence, and the common lot of his fons: who after he had walked with God three hundred years, or held converfe with Angels || ; and prophefied to his brethren, and forewarned them * Allix, Reflect. p. 62. fuppofes it to continue till the deluge. + Gen. iv, 26. See Shuckford, Vol. I. p. 42, &c. Van Dale's Orig. & Progr. Idol. c. 2. Stilling fleet, Iren, c. 3. p. 73. 4to. Or this man Enos, was called by the name of Jehovah. V. Dawfon on Gen. iv, v. p. 37, &c. H Cleric. in Gen. v. 22. Comp. Dawfon, ib. p. 55. them of the approaching judgment *, was tranflated that he should not fee death. This very remarkable event, must have made the world about him, fenfible of the good providence of God, inspecting and rewarding his faithful fervants; and one would think, it should have induced them to look up to a better state than the prefent; where righteous Enoch was already entered, and whither all fuch might expect in due time to arrive. To Adam himself, if he was then alive (as the Samaritan account makes him to be above forty years after) it must have been a lively and affecting inftance of what he might have enjoyed, had he kept his innocence; as well as an earnest of the promised victory over the evil one, who robbed him of it; and a strong ground of confidence that he, and the rest of his pofterity, should not be left entirely in their present state; but fome time or other, be restored to the favour of their Maker, and behold his presence in blifs and immortality +. At Jude 14. He foretells likewife the particular manner in which that judgment was to be inflicted, and by way of fign or confirmation [a frequent method on fuch occafions. Comp. I. viii, &c.] im-poses on his fon the name of Methuselah, importing that when the perfon fo called was dead, there should come an Inundation of Waters. And fo exactly did that event correspond with his name, that in the very year he died, the earth was overwhelmed by the deluge. Owen, B. L. S. 6. Bochart Phal. L. 2. C. 13. + Heb. xi. 5. comp. Ecclus xliv. 14. and Arnald upon Wisdom, iv. 10. There is no doubt but his contemporaries had fome vifible or fenfible demonftration of this fact. And as the fate of Abel was an argument to their reafon, fo the tranflation of Enoch was a proof to their fenfes (as it were) of another ftate of life. Peters Crit. Diff on Job, p. 274. See Bull's Difcourfes, Vol. I. p. 343. Vol. II. p. 585, &c. Dr. Worthington argues farther, that this tranflation of Enoch was more |