creator. And, no wonder, if men, who take this ground of juftification, prove, abund antly, by their love of the world, and converfation in the things of time and sense, that the law of their own faith, is weak through the evidence of their own faith; and that they are still holden and commanded, by the ftronger principle of the law of fin and death.

But through the eternal law and righte oufness of faith, grace reigneth-this is the ftrength of the throne of heaven; and by this, grace has reigned from everlasting, and will reign to everlasting; and the believer in the gospel, which is, not the faith of the crea ure, but the revelation of Jefus Chrift's kingdom, founded in the faith and righteousness of God-the true believer, I fay, may rejoice, and he will rejoice; and, by his love of the Father, and converfation in heaven, he will prove that grace reigns through righte oufness-that by faith he obtains the victory, and that the body is dead, because of fin; but the fpirit is life, because of righteousness.For if by one man's offence, death reigned by one; much more they which receive abundance of grace, and of the gift of righteousness, shall reign in life by one, Jefus Chrift.-Moreover, the law entered, that the offence might abound: but where fin abounded, grace did much more abound: That as fin hath reigned unto death, even fo might grace reign through righteousnefs unto eternal life, by Jefus Chrift our Lord. Rom v. 17, 20, 21.

Through the breach of the covenant in

Adam, men were left naked to the law; and, as in this ftate, they were free from righteousness, and filled with all unrighteousness; the law, though holy, juft and good, could be none other to them, fo difconnected from Christ, than a law of fin and death: As, however, Christ was made under the law, it became an inftrument whereby his obedient people were united to him; and so, even in that ftate of the fervant, were able to fland in judgment against fin and death. It might even be faid of fome of God's fervants, under the law, that they were conquerors. Mofes was an hundred and twenty years old when he died, in the embraces of his God, in the top of Pilgah; his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated:-And Elijah mounted to heaven on a chariot of fire, and out flew all the arrows of death,

But, O! how may they exult in the strength of God, who are under grace, and are connected with Chrift Jefus in the gospel of the kingdom? They are justified from all things! By the law of grace, they are brought to God; and through the finifhed evidence of the everlafting righteoufnefs, in the crucified, rifen and afcended Redeemer, they are prefented at the right hand of the Majelly on high; and being thus juftified by faith, we may boldly fay, God is our helper; and that we are more than conquerors.

"As I rode on the sky,
Justified from on high,

Could I envy Elijah his seat?

My soul mounted higher

Than his chariot of fire,

While the moon rolled under his feet.

O! the rapturous height

Of the holy delight,

Which I found in the life-giving blood!
Of my Saviour possess'd

I was perfectly blest,

As if fill'd with the fullness of God."

In the spirit, we have already obtained the victory over fin; and have now come unto Mount Zion, and unto the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerufalem; and we are waiting for the adoption, to wit, the redemption of our body. For this corruptible must put on incorruption, and this mortal must put on immortality. So when this corruptible shall have put on incorruption, and this mortal fhall have put on immortality, then shall be brought to pass the faying that is written, death is fwallowed up in victory? O death, where is thy fting? O grave, where is thy victory? The fting of death is fin; and the ftrength of fin is the law. But thanks be to God, which giv eth us the victory through our Lord Fefus Chrift.

CHAPTER III.

OF THE RIGHTEOUSNESS OF FAITH

REVEALED.

Section 1. Fallen Man vifited. DARK was that hour, in which the world lay wholly fhadowed by the power of the ferpent; but the new day dawned; speedily, in the wind of the day, the voice of one feeking the loft, was heard in the garden that God had planted. Man is found, naked, without covenant righteoufnefs, without truth. and fidelity; and therefore, without confidence, feeking to hide himself from the prefence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden; undone! undone! but a Saviour draws near.

The errand of Chrift to our world now was, to reveal himself as the elect head; and to make an establishment here, upon the foundation of his own truth and righteousnefs, in his engagement in covenant with the Father. By the name of the feed of the woman, he reveals himself as coming forward in the flesh, the mighty antagonist of the ferpent; and by pronouncing a curse the ground; which, in effect, would diforder, ficken, and finally diffolve the constitution of nature; he intimates the manner of the folemn warfare; but efpecially, by paffing

Tt

upon

fentence of diffolution upon the human bo dy, in this connection, he reveals the great and eternal purpose of God respecting himfelf; for having offered himself to view as man, or as the feed of the woman, and then faying to man, duft thou art, and unto duft fhalt thou return; this was pronouncing the fentence upon himself; and, therefore, it was a declaration of the will of God, and of his own free confent to lay down his life.

Thus the foundation of the everlasting covenant was laid open to view, for an elect establishment in our world; and which is feen immediately to take effect. Adam now ceases to view himfelf as conftituted in the beginning, the father of the world, or the head of the human family; and turns his attention wholly to that which fhould be of the woman; and he called his wife's name Eve, because she was the mother of all living. Alfo, unto Adam, and to his wife, did the Lord God make coats of skins, and cloathed them; for, from henceforth, their fupport would not be from a natural source, but by means of death; and they must now look for cloathing, for protection, life and glory, from the fain; from the fupernatural, and mysterious fource of the fhedding of blood.

O the wisdom of God! How far out of fight must this have been, even from the ferpent's piercing eye, that the Creator would fo promptly have configned over that wonderful creature man, the fairest woman, yea, and that tender body prepared for himself, to the duft of death? And the heavens and