Heb. xi. 6.

Gal. iii. 16.

looked for a city which hath foundations, whose builder and maker is God."-"These" (with Abel,

Enoch, Noah, and Sarah) "all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them, and confessed that they were strangers and pilgrims on the earth. For they that say such things declare plainly, that they seek a country:—that is, an heavenly: wherefore God is not ashamed to be called their God, for he hath prepared for them a city."- "But without faith it is impossible to please him: for he that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him."

Now these people, to whom the promises were made, pleased God, by a firm belief in the word of God, that he could, and would do all that he had promised; therefore they were justified before the giving of the law of Moses: but if the justification of mankind was intended to have been obtained by the law; it would have been given to Abraham instead of the promises. "Now to Abraham and his

seed were the promises made. He saith not, and to seeds, as of many; but as of one, and to thy seed, which is Christ."-" Wherefore Gal. iii. 19. then, serveth the law? It was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come, to whom the promise was made; and it was ordained by angels in the hand of a mediator. Now a mediator is not a mediator of one, but God is one. Is the law then against the pro

mises of God? God forbid: for if there had been a law given which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law. But the Scriptures hath concluded all under sin, that the promise by faith of Jesus Christ might be given to them that believe; but before faith came, we were kept under the law, shut up from the faith, which should afterwards be revealed. Wherefore the law was our schoolmaster, to bring us unto Christ, that we might be justified by faith;" that is, to bring us into the purity of the Spirit of God. "But after that faith is come, we are no longer under a schoolmaster; for ye are all the children of God, by faith in Christ Jesus. For as many of you as have been baptized unto

Gal, iv.

Christ, have put on" the Holy Spirit of "Christ. There is neither Jew nor Greek, there is neither bond nor free, there is neither male nor female: for ye are all one Spirit in Christ Jesus. And if ye be Christ's, then are ye Abraham's seed, and heirs according to the promise."

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Now, I say, that the heir, as long as he is a child, differeth nothing from a servant, though he be lord of all; but is under tutors and governors until the time appointed of the father: even so we, when we were children, were in bondage under the elements of the world: but when the fulness of the time was come, God sent forth his Son, made of a woman, made under the law. To redeem them that were under the law, that we might receive the adoption of sons. And because ye are sons, God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts, crying, Abba, Father. Wherefore thou art no more a servant, but a son; and if a son, then an heir of God through Christ,"

Hence, the creation of mankind was not

completed in Adam, but in the seed of the woman, Jesus Christ, who by promise bruised the serpent's head, by the fulfilment of the law; and the atonement made for mankind by his death, whereby we receive the Holy Spirit to subdue the spirit of the world-of malignity " and darkness that was upon the face of the deep," to replenish the world with the Holy Spirit of God, and bring the whole in subjection to him, in the fruits of good works.

Adam was created in the image of God, knowing good; but he had not the knowledge of the wiles of evil, and its consequent sorrows to man; and to know it, the penalty was, he should die by it: but being of the pure Spirit of God, when he transgressed, the wiles of evil he was, evidently, suffered to obtain, by the following words:-"The Lord God said, Behold Gen. iii. 22. the man is become as one of us, to know good and evil:"-"therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the garden of Eden: "—that is, he was shut out from the joys of the Holy Spirit of God, by the passions that formed the veils of malignity in the heart, which our Saviour had

to remove by fulfilling the law: and “cherubims, and a flaming sword," were appointed over Adam and his posterity, "to keep the way of the tree of life."

Of the veil formed by the reign of the passions in the heart from Adam's transgression, St. Paul speaks; and of a part of the children of Israel not believing Jesus to be the promised Christ, whose Holy Spirit by grace removes it. 2 Cor. iii. 14. He says: “But their minds were blinded, (by the passions): for until this day remaineth the same veil untaken away in the reading of the old testament; which veil is done away in Christ: but even unto this day, when the law of Moses is read, the veil is upon their heart," from their belief of justification by the law. "Nevertheless, when it shall turn to the Lord, the veil shall be taken away. Now the Lord is that Spirit" that takes it away; "and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is liberty" from the bondage* of the passions under the law.

*Romans viii. 15.-" The spirit of bondage again to

fear."