tized from God,—not in act only, but in the attitude of the nature, in the inmost powers of the soul. In the thirteenth and fourteenth verses it is exhibited as existent in the generations who flowed from Adam, the apostate head,-innate but latent in infants, and active and revealed as sin in adults, and in all condemned by justice and accursed by God. In the twentieth and twenty-first verses, and throughout the sixth and seventh chapters, it is viewed as an active principle, working transgression. In all, it is one enormous sin,-"the sin of the world,"— deserving, and, but for the redeeming grace of Christ, receiving, the infinite curse of God. This curse is just as fully incurred, and, but for grace, as infallibly inflicted, where sin has never grown to active transgression, as, where the vine of Sodom has fully proved its identity by the abundant clusters of Gomorrah which weigh down its branches.

How strangely contrasted with this is the theory before us! Its first feature is a sin, which is no crime, but a mere condition of being regarded and treated as sinners,-a regarding which does not mean that they are in fact looked upon and regarded by God as real sinners, and a treatment which does not consist in visiting them with the proper penalty of real sin; but something altogether different. Its second characteristic is a guilt which is devoid of sinfulness, which does not imply moral demerit or turpitude. Then follows a punishment, which consists not in the penalty of the law, nor necessarily in the active infliction of any thing, but merely the withholding of an influence for man's retention in uprightness,-an influence which Adam never enjoyed, when in the highest favour with God,—the withholding of which leaves man no alternative; but, if active at all, —and such he must be, for such God has made him, he must be active in sin! Only when sin has thus been wrought, does this theory recognise a turpitude, which is real crime, in such sense as to deserve the full meed of God's wrath and curse.

1. The curse on man is

stayed.

CHAPTER XIX.

THE ETERNAL COVENANT.

Bound every heart; and every bosom, burn!
O what a scale of miracles is here!

Its lowest round high planted on the skies,

Its towering summit lost beyond the thought

Of man or angel.-YOUNG.

THUS have we traced the dark features of man's wicked apostasy from holiness and God. In his creation, crowned with a glory, honour and dignity which constituted him a becoming image of the Creator, in presence of God's universe; enthroned in dominion over earth and every living thing; endowed with every requisite to the highest and perfect happiness here, and with the promise of infinite blessedness, in eternal life, on condition of obedience; he yet contemned the present favours of a beneficent God, and rejected his covenant of peace. He turned his back upon that throne of radiant light whence shone upon him unmixed goodness and love; before which the seraphim of glory, in veiled prostration, rejoice to adore. He plucked the forbidden fruit, violated the seal of God's loving and rightful sovereignty, and set his hand to the covenant of Jehovah's curse. His nature and his race he thus plunged in a guilt and ruin, alike fearful in extent and enormity of moral evil and crime and dark in the shadows of a hopeless misery and despair. Death entered the world, and passed to all men. The curse swooped down to claim and seize its rightful victims. The law and justice of God concurred to denounce an infinite woe against the impious, whose puny arms had lifted up defiance against the power of God, and whose hearts returned contempt and hate to his goodness and holiness. Confident in the success of his malignant arts against our race, Satan exulted in the imagined

disappointment of God's designs of love to man.

Secure of its

victims, hell from beneath was moved to meet them at their coming; and the fallen angels, for whom it was ordained, expected new companions in the woe of their undying anguish and deepening despair. All heaven stood in silent awe and expectation. The adoring throng of blessed spirits looked to see an indignation and vengeance revealed which should be adequate satisfaction for such sin.

Yet no clouds of darkness gathered about the throne. No wrathful thunders uttered their curses, nor lightnings of vengeance flamed against the guilty. But the light of God's infinite compassion and eternal love illumed the world, and salvation from sin and the curse was provided for man by the wisdom and goodness of his insulted God. The hour of man's utmost need, when trembling he fled from the presence of his Maker, was the chosen time of God's revelation of grace. He, who expected nothing but wrath, is greeted with assurances of love, and hears the promise of redemption from ruin, and restoration to a higher dignity and richer privilege and favour than that so wickedly lost. The penal requirements of the law shall be obeyed. Justice shall be fully enforced. The curse shall be satisfied. God's holiness, which abhors sin, and his righteousness, which punishes it, shall be maintained. Every attribute of God's nature shall be revealed in untarnished radiance and infinite growing glory. But lost and hell-deserving man shall be saved. God shall be just, and the justifier of the ungodly. Mercy and truth shall meet together; righteousness and peace shall kiss each other. Truth shall spring out of the earth; and righteousness shall look down from heaven. The woman's seed shall bruise the head of the serpent, and the Son of man thwart all the wiles of Satan. A Captain of salvation shall arise, whose conquering arms shall recover our revolted world to the allegiance of God; and cause the schemes of the enemy to recoil upon his own head, in a storm of devouring indignation. By the arm of the second Adam shall the destroyer of the first be overthrown in utter discomfiture and eternal shame. He who made man as the crown of the crea

tion and image of himself, is not taken by surprise, nor disappointed in his purposes of kindness to our race, by the successful treachery of Satan. On the contrary, man's ruin is the very occasion awaited by Omniscience, for unfolding to his creatures the mystery of his boundless wisdom, and the riches of his grace. "The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit-God

Devised the wondrous plan;-devised, achieved;
And, in achieving, made the marvel more.

-God was made flesh,

And dwelt with man on earth! The Son of God,
Only-begotten, and well beloved, between
Men and his Father's justice interposed;
Put human nature on: His wrath sustained;
And in their name suffered, obeyed and died,
Making his soul an offering for sin;

Just for unjust, and innocence for guilt."-POLLOK.

All of which we have heretofore spoken,-the creation of man in the image of God,-his endowment with glory, dominion and blessedness, the law which was laid upon him, and the covenant which was given him, the permission of the temptation and of the fall and ruin of the race,-all were but so many steps toward the accomplishment of a scheme of infinite wisdom and love, borne forward by the energies of infinite power, for the revelation of the glorious attributes of the Author. But this wonderful scheme was not merely a plan devised by the divine wisdom, and accomplished by the divine will and power. Its elements were the provisions of an eternal covenant, which was ineffably made, between the persons of the Godhead. Of that covenant, the Father was the author. The parties to the contract were the Father and the Son; and the Spirit was witness. Its seal was the tremendous oath of Jehovah; its date, God's own eternity, before the foundation of the world; and its terms comprehended the whole order of providence concerning all the creatures. All of these were made by and for Him who is, by the covenant, enthroned Head over all. But the especial object of the whole transaction was the provision of salvation for fallen man; and, by this means, the revelation, to all crea

tures, of the riches of God's infinite wisdom, power, holiness, justice, and glorious grace.

The first announcement of this covenant was addressed to the serpent, but in the hearing and for the comfort of the apostate 32. History of and convicted parents of our race. "The Lord God the promise. said unto the serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field: upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life: and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her Seed; It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise His heel."-Gen. iii. 14, 15. Thus, the curse glanced upon the serpent, the instrument of the seduction, and fell with gathering fearfulness upon the head of Satan, its author. To arrest his impious and malignant exultation, he is assured that not only is he henceforth doubly accursed, but his plots against man and God will all be turned to utter contempt;-that the Seed of the very woman, over whom he imagined so easy a triumph, shall amply avenge her wrong, and, if with bruised heel, yet with triumphant might, crush the head of her enemy, and redeem her from the ruin which he had devised.

If the announcement of the coming Seed was confusion to the seducer, it was the dayspring from on high to the fallen pair. It assured them not simply of respite from the curse, but of triumph over it. It proclaimed life to the dead; and, in token of the faith which laid hold of the precious promise, Adam called his wife EVE, that is, LIFE,-"because she was the mother of all living,”—Gen. iii. 20; as being the mother, both, of that promised Son, to whom it was given to have life in himself, who hath abolished death; and also, of those to whom he shall give eternal life. In confirmation of this faith, and pledge of its acceptance, Adam was taught to offer sacrifices of blood; and, as the sacrificial animals expired, and the smoke of their burning rose from off the altar, and God's own hand clothed the repentant worshippers with the skins of the sacrifices, they, in a figure, saw the Lamb slain from the foundation of the world,a vicarious atonement for their sins, and his righteousness an