It is true, the design of the Holy Spirit was to assist our faith, not gratify our curiosity. And, therefore, the accoun't he has given in the first chapters of Genesis, is exceeding short. Nevertheless, it is so clear, that we may learn therefrom whatsoever it concerns us to know. 3. To take the matter from the beginning, "The Lord God," (literally JEHOVAH, the GoDs; that is, One and Three,)" created man in his own image:" in his own natural image, (as to his better part,) that is, a spirit, as God is a Spirit: endued with Understanding, which, if not the essence, seems to be the most essential property of a spirit. And probably the human spirit, like the angelical, then discerned truth by intuition. Hence he named every creature as soon as he saw it, according to its inmost nature. Yet his knowledge was limited, as he was a creature: igno- rance, therefore, was inseparable from him; but error was? not: it does not appear that he was mistaken in any thing. But he was capable of mistaking, of being deceived, although not necessitated to it, 4. He was endued also with a Will, with various affections, (which are only the Will exerting itself various ways,) that he might love, desire, and delight in that which is good; otherwise his understanding had been to no purpose. He was likewise endued with Liberty, a power of choosing what was good, and refusing what was not so. Without this, both the will and the understanding would have been › utterly useless. Indeed, without liberty, man had been so far from being a free agent, that he could have been no agent at all. For every unfree being is purely passive, not active in any degree. Have you a sword in your hand? Does a man, stronger than you, seize your hand, and force you to wound a third person? In this you are no agent, any more than the sword: the hand is as passive as the steel. So in every possible case. He that is not free is not an Agent, but a Patient. 5. It seems, therefore, that every spirit in the universe, as such, is endued with understanding, and in consequence with a will, and with a measure of liberty: and that these + three are inseparably united in every intelligent nature. And observe liberty necessitated, or over-ruled, is really no liberty at all. It is a contradiction in terms. It is the same as unfree freedom; that is, downright nonsense. 6. It may be farther observed, (and it is an important observation,) that where there is no liberty, there can be no moral good or evil, no virtue or vice. The fire warms us, yet it is not capable of virtue; yet this is no vice. There is no virtue, but where an intelligent being knows, loves, and chooses what is good: nor is there any vice, but where such a being knows, loves, and chooses what is evil. 7. And God created man, not only in his natural, but likewise in his own moral image. He created him not only in knowledge, but also in righteousness and true holiness. As his understanding was without blemish, perfect in its kind, so were all his affections. They were all set right, and duly exercised on their proper objects. And as a freeagent, he steadily chose whatever was good, according to the direction of his understanding. In so doing he was unspeakably happy, dwelling in God and God in him, having an uninterrupted fellowship with the Father and the Son, through the eternal Spirit; and the continual testimony of his conscience, that all his ways were good and acceptable to God. 8. Yet his liberty, (as was observed before,) necessarily included a power of choosing or refusing either good or evil. Indeed it has been doubted, whether man could then choose evil, knowing it to be such. But it cannot be doubted, he might mistake evil for good. He was not infal lible; therefore, not impeccable. And this unravels the whole mystery of the grand question, "Unde Malum ?" "How came evil into the world?" It came from "Lucifer, Son of the Morning" it was the work of the devil. "For the devil, (saith the Apostle,) sinneth from the be ginning;" that is, was the first sinner in the universe: the author of sin: the first being, who, by the abuse of his liberty, introduced evil into the creation. He, "of the first, "If not the first Archangel," was self-tempted to think too highly of himself. He freely yielded to the temptation, and gave way, first to pride, then to self-will. He said, "I will sit upon the sides of the North: I will be like the Most High." He did not fall alone: but soon drew after him a third part of the stars of heaven in consequence of which they lost their glory and happiness, and were driven from their former habitation. 9. "Having great wrath," and perhaps envy at the happiness of the creatures whom God had newly created, it is not strange, that he should desire and endeavour to deprive them of it. In order to this, he concealed himself in the serpent, who was the most subtle, or intelligent, of all the brute creatures, and, on that account, the least liable to raise suspicion. Indeed some have, (not improbably,) supposed that the serpent was then endued with reason and speech. Had not Eve known he was so, would she have admitted any parley with him? Would she not have been frightened rather than deceived? (as the Apostle observes she was.) To deceive her, Satan mingled truth with falsehood: "Hath God said, ye may not eat of every tree of the garden?" And soon after persuaded her to disbelieve God, to suppose his threatning would not be fulfilled. She then lay open to the whole temptation; to "the desire of the flesh," for the tree was "good for food;" to "the desire of the eyes," for it was "pleasant to the eyes;" and to "the pride of life," for it was "to be desired to make one wise," and consequently honoured. So unbelief begot pride. She thought herself wiser than God, capable of finding a better way to happiness than God had taught her. It begot self-will: she was determined to do her own will, not the will of him that made her. It begot foolish desires, and completed all by outward sin: "she took of the fruit, and did eat." 10. She then " gave to her husband, and he did eat." And in that day, yea, that moment, he died! The life of God was extinguished in his soul. The glory departed from him. He lost the whole moral image of God, righteousness and true holiness. He was unholy; he was unhappy he was full of sin, full of guilt and tormenting fears. Being broke off from God, and looking upon him now as an angry judge, “he was afraid." But how was his understanding darkened, to think he could “hide himself from the presence of the Lord, among the trees of the garden?" Thus was his soul utterly dead to God! And in that day his body likewise began to die; became obnoxious to weakness, sickness, pain: all preparatory to the death of the body, which naturally led to eternal death. II. Such are "the works of the devil," sin and it fruits, considered in their order and connexion. We are, in the second place, to consider, How "the Son of God was manifested,” in order ❝ to destroy them." 1. He was manifested as the only begotten Son of God, in glory equal with the Father, to the inhabitants of heaven, before and at the foundation of the world. These "morning stars sang together," all these "sons of God shouted for joy," when they heard him pronounce, "Let there be light; and there was light;" when he "spread the north over the empty space, and stretched out the heavens as a curtain." Indeed it was the universal belief of the ancient church, that God the Father none hath seen, nor can see: that from all eternity, he hath dwelt in light unapproachable; and that it is only in and by the Son of his Love, that he hath, at any time, revealed himself to his creatures. 2. How the Son of God was manifested to our first parents in Paradise, it is not easy to determine. It is generally, and not improbably, supposed, that he appeared to them in the form of a man, and conversed with them face to face. Not that I can at all believe the ingenious dream of Dr.Watts, concerning "The glorious humanity of Christ," which he supposes to have existed before the world began, and to have been endued with, I know not what astonishing powers. Nay, I look upon this to be an exceeding danger ous, yea, mischievous hypothesis; as it quite excludes the force of very many scriptures, which have been hitherto thought to prove the Godhead of the Son. And I am afraid it was the grand mean of turning that great man aside from the faith once delivered to the saints; that is, if he was turned aside, if that beautiful soliloquy be genuine, which is printed among his posthumous works, wherein he so earnestly beseeches the Son of God not to be displeased, "Because he cannot believe him to be co-equal and co-eternal with the Father." 3. May we not reasonably believe it was by similar appearances that He was manifested in succeeding ages, to Enoch, while he "walked with God:" to Noah, before and after the Deluge; to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob on various occasions; and to mention no more, to Moses. This seems to be the natural meaning of the word; “My servant Moses is faithful in all my house. With him will I speak mouth to mouth, even apparently, and not in dark speeches; and the similitude of Jehovah shall he behold, namely, the Son of God.” 4. But all these were only types of his grand manifestation. It was in the fulness of time (in just the middle age of the world, as a great man largely proves,) that God brought his first begotten into the world, made of a woman," by the power of the Highest overshadowing her. He was afterwards manifested to the shepherds; to devout Simeon; to Anna the prophetess; and to "all that waited for redemption in Jerusalem." " 5. When he was of due age for executing his priestly office, he was manifested to Israel, "preaching the gospel of the kingdom of God, in every town, and in every city.' And for a time he was glorified by all, who acknowledged, that he "spake as never man spake;" "that he spake as ́one having authority," with all the wisdom of God, and the power of God. He was manifested by numberless ❝signs and wonders, and mighty works which he did:" as well as by his whole life, being the only one born of a |