enalfo their mortal bodies. For as in Adam all die, fo in Chrift fhall all be made alive.

Once more, Adam was the first lord and king of the world. Being made a little lower than the angels, he was crowned with glory and honour. Hẻ had dominion over the works of God's hands; and all things were put under his feet: all sheep and oxen, the beafts of the field, and whatfoever paffeth through the paths of the feas*." But, alas! the dominion of this lord of the inferior creation was fhortlived; for being in honour, he continued not. Neverthelefs, in the perfon of Jefus Chrift, God-man, the primeval fovereignty of the human nature is most amply restored; for he is made head over all things unto his body the church, both in the heights and depths. The jurifdiction of Adam, though wide, was not univerfal ; but the kingdom of Jefus Chrift ruleth over all. He can, if he pleafes, extinguish the ftars and the fun, which fhine by his permiffion. And of his government and peace there Jhall be no end§.

Now let us come to the marriage of our great progenitor. God faw that it was not good for man to be alone he caft him into a deep fleep, opens his fide, takes from him a rib, by his creative power forms a woman of it, clofes the wound, prefents the newly formed creature to her husband, who being awaked, knew what was done unto him, and with wonder acknowledged this laft and beft gift of heaven, to be bone of his bone, and flesh of his flesh, For this caufe, fays the facred hiftorian, fhall a man teave his father and mother, and cleave unto his wife¶. Now, may we be allowed to allegorize this real history? Does not the apoftle feem to fay, that this is fpoken of Chrift and the church**? Let us modeftly purfae the allegory a little. The fecond Adam, that he might give life and being to his beloved fpoufe, the church, the mother of all that are truly living, was content to fleep the fleep of death. This fleep of death was not the effect of nature, for he died not of old age or fickness; but he was voluntarily caft into *Pfal. viii. 3, 4, 5.. Pfal. xlix. 12. † Eph. i. 22. $ Ifa. ix. 7. || Gen. ii. 18. ¶ Ver. 24. *** Eph. v. 32.

it, and was delivered by the determinate counfel and foreknowledge of God to be crucified and flain. His fide was opened with a spear, and from the gaping wound came water and blood, that he might fanctify and cleanse, and prefent to himself a glorious church, not having Spot or wrinkle, or any fuch thing*. By this fleep of death, into which he was caft, he becomes at once her husband and her father; for the is a part of himself, of his body, of his flesh, and of his bonest. When he awaked at his refurrection, his wounds were healed; he found himself a glorious conqueror; he saw the travail of his foul, and was fatiffied. He acknowledges the relation, and betrothes her to himself for ever in loving-kindness, in mercies, and in faithfulness. A bloody fpoufe was the church to thee, O dying Redeemer ! So matchless was his love, he left his Father and his mother to cleave to his unworthy bride-left his Father in heaven, when he came from thence into this lower world, and confented to be forfaken for a feafon-left his nother on earth, when he afcended on high as the Captain of falvation. He left the bleffed virgin that bare him to provide for herfelf; he left the church of the Jews, although his mother-church, that he might cleave unto the Gentile church, gathered out of all nations.

Laftly, Adam was the firft covenant-head and public reprefentative. It is true, the hints of this tranfaction are but fparingly given in the book of Genefis. However, the truth of it is clearly evinced from the tenor of divine revelation, and it is evident, that before the law was given by Mofes, a law was given to Adam, because death reigned from Adam to Mofes, and there behoved to be a law by which this death did reign. For, as the infpired apoftle argues with the greatest force of reafon, fin is not imputed where there is no law. Was there then a law before the covenant of Sinai? It was furely none other but the law of works, which God gave to the first man, in whom, as their covenant-head, his pofterity were cither to stand or fall. Full well we know the doleful * Eph. v. 27. + Ver. 39. Rom. v. 13.

event. But as by one man's disobedience many were made finners: fo by the obedience of one, fhall many be made righteous. The first Adam through pride difobeyed the moft eafy precept, and the last Adam obeyed the most difficult commandment. The firft Adam, being a man, affected to be as God: the fecond Adam, being God, was found in fashion as a man. The first Adam was affaulted by the devil in paradife, and was overcome; the second Adam was tempted in the wilderness, by the fame malicious fpirit, but he was a conqueror. The first Adam breaking the law in one point, was guilty of all: the laft Adam obferving it in every point, did magnify and make it honourable. The moment we become the children of Adam by natural generation, we die, for a fin which we could not perfonally commit: the moment we become the children of Chrift by regeneration, we are made alive, by a righteoufnefs which we could not actually work out. In Adam we are condemned for one fin; but in Christ we are justified from innumerable offences. In the first book of the Bible we have a melancholy relation, how the first Adam was fo far from being able to tranfmit life and happiness to his pofterity, or to give them to eat of the tree of life, that himfelf was driven out from the terreftrial paradife, and debarred from all accefs to that facramental tree but in the last book of the facred oracles, we are prefented with a view of the fecond Adam, in a far more glorious place than that happy garden, and hear him declaring from his own mouth,

To him that overcometh, will I give to eat of the tree of life, that is in the midst of the paradife of Godt."

For ever bleffed be the glorious name of God, that what the first Adam did not keep, the fecond hath amply restored to us: "For as in Adam fin hath reigned unto death fo grace hath reigned through righteousness unto eternal life, by Jefus Chrift our Lord‡:" who is not only come that "we might have life, but that we might have it more abundantly§."

Rom. v, 19. † Rev, ii. 7.

Rom. 5. 21. $ John x. 10

II. The Hiftory of Noah.

THA HAT Noah was a figure of Jefus Chrift, feems not obfcurely hinted in his very name given him by his religious father; not without prophetic inftinct. It fignifies reft, comfort, and, as fome have obferved, grace, when its letters are a little tranfpofed. So Chrift is our confolation, our reft, and by him grace reigns unto eternal life. Of him we may truly fay with the strictest propriety, "This fame fhall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands *." Noah "was a juft man, and perfect in his generations, and walked with God, +"when the wickedness of men was grown to the most exorbitant height, and all flesh had corrupted their way. He dared to be good, when all were turned degenerate; and, fearless of reproach or violence, he admonished them of their wicked ways, preaching righteousness in their affemblies t. So Chrift preferved his integrity in every the smallest inftance, in an evil and adulterous generation, preaching what he practifed, with not unlike fuccefs to Noah. For it is written of him in the pfalms, "I have preached righteousness in the great congregation: lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knoweft §." In fome feafons of the Almighty's vengeance, we are informed, that the righteoufness of Noah, Daniel, and Job, could not deliver a finning people, nor yet their nearest relations, from the lifted ftroke. Truly Noah, though righteous, could not by his righteoufnefs, avert the waters of the flood. But the righteousnefs of our adorable Redeemer is of fuch infinite value and perfection, as to deliver from death an innumerable multitude of tranfgreffors.

But let us cheifly confider that memorable history of Noah, his preparing an ark for the faving of his houfe, the antytipe of which remarkable event, we are informed by the apoftle Peter, is "our being faved by baptifm (not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, but the answer of a good confcience towards God) by + Chap. vi. 6. 2 Pet, ii. 5.

* Gen. v. 29. $ Pfal. xl. 9.

Ezek. xiv. 4.

the refurrection of Jefus Chrift*." The long-fuffering of God was now tired out, and his Spirit ceafed to ftrive with rebellious men, whom all means had proved ineffectual to reclaim. The time was come when the threatened vengeance was to defcend with refistless fury. Noah, being long before warned of God, had prepared an ark against the approaching deluge: for he believed God; and being moved with fear, he obeyed the commandment of the Lord. He despised the jeers of the unbelieving world, and confidered not the huge difficulties he behoved to furmount, before he could get a veffel conftructed, of fuch a bulk as would contain in its capacious hold, all forts of beasts and birds, together with their neceffary provifions, for fo longa time as he was to be their prifoner. That God who commanded him, that God in whom he believed, and whom he feared, enabled him alfo both to begin and finish. The fhip is built, the cargo is taken in, the flood comes, and the waters prevail above the tallest trees, and loftiest mountains. The finful race of man is buried in a watery grave. But the ark, the peculiar care of heaven, though without helm or mast, rides triumphant over the foaming billows, is preserved from dafhing on the craggy rocks, or foundering in the mighty waters. At length a dove fetching in her mouth an olive-leaf †, informs the inhabitants of the ark, that the waters were abated. They are at last releafed from their tedious confinement. The venerable patriarch, overwhelmed with gratitude for fuch a wonderful prefervation amidst the howling wafte, facrifices unto the Lord, who smells a favour of rest ‡, and renews with him his gracious covenant, that he will no more curfe the ground for man's fake. Aglorious rainbow is feen over his head ftamping the clouds §, which from that time became a peaceful fign that the waters fhall never more cover the face of the earth; and that though the waves fhall tofs themfelves against the fandy fhores, they fhall never prevail. Who fees not, in this whole tranfaction, a lively picture of the method of our falvation by Jefus Chrift from a far more dreadful flood, that fhall, Pet. iii. 21, 22. Gen. viii Ir. Ver. 21. Chap. ix, 13