and then lastly to state and demonstrate, so far as we may, by the light of scripture, the true course, which is there pointed out for our return to God. In the mean time this may be premised, as the result of our enquiry, so far as it has been conducted hitherto. Man is fallen in Adam. If he is ever to recover from this state of degradation, he must for that purpose again learn to obey the law, which he has broken. But this he cannot do with dimished powers and depraved propensities. In order therefore to surmount these disabilities, he needs first a hope of acceptance, and secondly spiritual assistance: and happily for him the first of these is afforded him by the atonement of Christ, and the second by his gift of the holy Spirit. Thus is Christ constituted a new head to the human race; and it becomes necessary for us to be engrafted into him, as we were once united to Adam. The union to Adam was effected by nature. The union to Christ must be produced by grace. This then is the general outline, which we shall have hereafter to fill up, when we come to look more minutely into the course, through which we must pass in being translated from the sinfulness of nature to the holiness of God. The work indeed is arduous for it is a work above and against nature. It is called in scripture a fight, a conflict, a warfare. But, if the work be great, how much greater is the end, how inconceivably great the reward! If we aim at nothing less than the recovery of that divine image and likeness, from which we have fallen, if we are contented with nothing less, as the end of our pursuit, than sinless perfection, how glorious will be the victory, how transcendant the joy and blessedness, when it shall have been attained ! To him that overcometh, will I give,' (saith the Lord) to eat of the tree of life, which is in the midst of the paradise of 'God. The pure in heart shall see God. 'When he shall appear, we shall be like him: for ' we shall see him, as he is.' To be made like unto the son of God, to resemble our perfect redeemer, to be presented, faultless, before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy-well may we endure pain and self-denial by the way, if such is to be the happy end of it for then the last stain of sin will be purged away, and : the redeemed and purified sinner will stand forth again, as the image and glory of God, qualified through his beauty, which is bestowed on him, to see, to enjoy, to hold hallowed and uninterrupted communion with his creator. Then will the work of God be perfected, and the victory of the cross complete. Then will the son of God see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied, when the righteous shall shine forth, as the sun, in the kingdom of their father. Thus, my brethren, as it is written, that, when the maimed and the sick came, to touch the hem of our saviour's garment, every one, who touched, was made perfectly whole, so they, who return to God in the way of his appointment through Christ by the spirit, will be healed of their spiritual malady. They will be made perfectly whole. May we all have wisdom to discern, and grace to follow this only path of peace and safety, that we may also experience the end of our faith, even the salvation of our souls! SERMON IV. ISAIAH XLIV. 20. A deceived heart hath turned him aside, that he cannot deliver his soul, nor say 'Is there not THE promise of a redeemer was immediately consequent upon the fall. It was conveyed indeed in obscure terms, but yet in terms, quite adequate to the purpose, for which they were designed, namely to that of teaching Adam and Eve to repose an undoubting confidence upon the power, wisdom, and goodness, which were pledged for their deliverance. It was not necessary, or even desirable to this end, that they should know explicitly the manner, in which their reconciliation and consequent deliverance were to be effected. They had disbelieved the word of the Lord, which made death the penalty of transgression. They were required now to rely on the word of promise, which made righteousness the reward of their faith. Accordingly the only language, in which the promise of a future redeemer was conveyed to them, was that mysterious declaration, addressed too not to them, but to the serpent- I will put 'I enmity between thee and the woman, and be-, 'tween thy seed and her seed. It shall bruise thy head; and thou shalt bruise his heel.' There was enough in this promise to cheer their trembling hearts with the assurance, that at some future day the head of the serpent, who had ruined them, should be bruised, and that the deliverer, who should achieve this victory, would be the seed of the woman. In all this they could see nothing distinctly. Still less could they see in the qualifying clause, which followed it, that the serpent should bruise his heel. But they saw in it a distant promise of a future deliverer : and that was enough. That promise was guaranteed to them by the word of the Lord, a word, the truth of which they began now to experience, and were thus led to believe: and in this manner they were trained from the very beginning to walk by faith, and not by sight. There was an apparent fitness in the remedy to correct the disease for as they had sinned through unbe |