begat a son in his own likeness; that is, with such a depraved nature as his was then become.

And now consider into what a sad condition these unhappy offenders had brought themselves; and remember that this is your own condition, and the condition of all their posterity.

The law of nature and reason was in full force, and could not possibly be dispensed with.-At the same time they found, by sad experience, that, as St. Paul describes the fallen state of man, there was a law in their members warring against the law of their mind; so that the good which they would, they did not; but the evil that they would not, that they did.

There could not sure be a condition more deplorable than this:—To live only to contract evil habits; and, by doing so, to increase their guiltto displease their Creator; and to leave an

2 Rom. vii. 23. 15.

offspring as miserable as themselves.

This, therefore, gave occasion to God to manifest another of His most glorious perfections, that is, His infinite goodness and mercy.

For God foreseeing this lamentable condition into which they had fallen by departing from their obedience, His goodness had provided such a remedy, as that neither they nor any of their posterity should, on account of their fall, be eternally miserable, except through their own fault.

He, therefore, in consideration of a Redeemer, one of the seed of the woman, who should make full satisfaction to the divine justice for their transgression, and who should bruise the head, or break the power, of that serpent (the devil) which tempted them to sin in consideration of this promised seed, God entered into a new covenant with them, by way of remedy for what was past, and could not be undone.

We have reason to believe that this new covenant was more fully explained to Adam than is set down in this short account given us by Moses, and as it is more fully explained in the Gospel: and which was to this purpose; That on condition of their sincere repentance and sincere obedience afterwards, they should be restored to the favour of God; and after death, to that life and happiness, which in their state of innocence was promised to them without tasting of death; which favour they had forfeited by their disobedience.

And when we consider that our first parents, now become sinners, stood in need of an atonement, without which, while under the displeasure of God, their very lives must be a burden! and it being decreed by God, as it afterwards appeared, that without shedding of blood there was to be no remission of sin, that is, without the death of the sinner;

an

or some one in his stead; we do therefore conclude, that, at this time, God did appoint sacrifices, or sinofferings, to make atonement for the soul, and to foreshow the sacrifice of Jesus Christ (which we now commemorate) until He should be offered in behalf of them and all their posterity.

And this appears from what follows in the next chapter of Genesis, where we find Abel by faith (that is, believing and depending upon this ordinance of God, for the remission of sins, until the promised Redeemer should come; we find him) offering a sacrifice which was acceptable to God, that is, a sin offering, which his brother not doing was rejected.

But here take notice, and remember, that these sacrifices could not take away sin, but only through obedience to the ordinance of God, and through faith in the promised seed.

They were, indeed, very instructive and proper to

lead sinners to repentance and amendment of life, when they saw that their sins could not be forgiven, but by the death of an innocent creature, bleeding and dying before their eyes, to make an atonement for sin.

was

And as all good men, before the coming of Christ, did most religiously keep up the remembrance of the promised Seed, and obtained the pardon of their sins, and acceptance with God, upon offering sacrifices through faith in a Redeemer, which to come; so all Christians, since the coming of that Redeemer, are obliged, as they hope for pardon and favour from God, to keep up the remembrance of God's great mercy, in sending us a Redeemer, and of what that Redeemer has done to save us; and this in the manner which He himself hath ordained.

Now, that you may be more sensible of, and thankful to God for this

His infinite loving-kindness, and that you may be fully convinced of the necessity and blessing of a Redeemer, you ought to know and consider, that our Saviour and Redeemer came not until man had been tried in all conditions,—In a STATE OF IN

NOCENCE--UNDER THE

GOVERNMENT OF HIS OWN REASON-and UNDER THE LAW GIVEN

BY MOSES. All which methods of Providence, through the perverse will of man, had been rendered ineffectual for the amendment of the world.-Notwithstanding which, such was the goodness of God, that He sent, after all, His own beloved Son, to take our nature upon Him, and to assure mankind of the tender love which He had for His poor creatures, which were ruining themselves, without perceiving the danger they were in.

This was the promised Seed! promised to Adam, as He that should break the serpent's head, or

mised to Abraham, as He in whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed; promised to the people of Israel as that Prophetwhom they should hear and obey at their peril:-Lastly, promised to David as one whose kingdom should have no end. And indeed it was with this promise, that God supported the spirits of all who feared Him, and were in fear for themselves, until the fulness of the time for His appearance should come.

And now this promised Redeemer being come, He first showed by His own example, recorded in the Gospel, how men must live so as to please God. And the law of nature, as well as the law of Moses, having through sin been much obscured and perverted, He explained them, and gave us such other laws and rules as were absolutely necessary to mend our nature-to restore us to the Image of God to keep us from

us for heaven and happi

ness.

And because in the decrees of God, as was before observed, without shedding of blood there could be no remission of sin; and it being impossible that the blood or life of any other creature, or of any mortal man, could take away the guilt and punishment due to sin; our gracious God, both to give to mankind the greatest token of His love, and at the same time to show how great His hatred to sin is, by the greatness of the punishments it required, He sent his own Son to be the propitiation for our sins; that is, to make satisfaction to His justice, and to take off the just displeasure which He had declared against sinners.

And His Son (blessed for ever be His goodness!) knowing how dreadfully sad the condition would be of all such as should live and die under the displeasure of God, and