the great end of all his works and dispensations. The providence of God in regard to sin consists, first, in his purpose to permit free agents, in the exercise of their freedom, to commit sin; secondly, in so directing and governing sinful creatures, that their actions may be made subservient to his own wise purposes; and when they would not have this tendency they are restrained, according to that declaration in the Psalms, "Surely the wrath of man shall praise thee: and the remainder of wrath shalt thou restrain." The Holy Scriptures constantly represent the providence of God as concerned in the evil actions of men, not as causing or approving them, but as permitting, governing, and directing them, so that they may promote his own glory. Thus, the envy of Joseph's brethren, which led them to sell him as a slave, was overruled to be the occasion of preserving the whole family from death. The crucifixion of our Lord was by the hands of wicked men, in the free indulgence of their own malice, but it was nevertheless, "by the determinate counsel and foreknowledge of God." And the same is true of all sinful actions; they are hateful to God, considered in their own nature, and yet his providence is concerned in their permission, and direction, so as to promote a good end. The providence of God, therefore, in its relation to the sins of men, is most holy and wise, and does not interfere in the least with man's free agency. "He worketh all things according to the counsel of his own will:" and his "counsel shall stand." "Shall there be evil in a city, and the Lord hath not done it?" Amos iii. 6.

The providence of God extends to all events, great and small. Both reason and revelation teach this doctrine. For if God governs the world at all, his providence must extend to small things as well as to great,

because of the concatenation of events, according to which the great often depend for their existence on the small. And if reason were silent, the Scriptures speak out clearly on this point. "The lot is cast into the lap, but the whole disposal thereof is of the Lord." "Are not two sparrows sold for a farthing, and one of them shall not fall to the ground without your Father.” "For the very hairs of your head are all numbered."

The doctrine of a particular superintending providence, as it is a most reasonable, so is a most comfortable truth. If any thing could occur without being included in the plan of the divine government, we never could feel that we were safe. The sure ground of our trust in God is, "that he works all things according to the counsel of his own will." When the dark and cloudy day of adversity comes, and billow after billow rolls over us, and threatens to overwhelm us, our consolation is that our God rideth on the whirlwind and directeth the storm. We may often think with Jacob, "that all these things are against us;" but when we can view every event, however afflictive, as the appointment of our heavenly Father, we can say with Eli, "It is the Lord; let him do what seemeth him good." It is a delightful thought to the true Christian, that all events are under the government of Divine Providence. The book of providence, the leaves of which are successively unfolded day after day, should be carefully studied, and its indications faithfully used in directing us in the path of duty.

CHAPTER XIV.

MAN'S PRIMEVAL STATE.

As man was created a free, moral agent, it is not only true that he was capable of being governed by a moral law, but such a law resulted necessarily from his relation to his Creator. It was his duty as it was his delight,to exercise love and every holy affection toward that Being who possesses every perfection. Although man was perfect in holiness, being created in the image of God, yet he was mutable, as being a creature; for immutability properly belongs to God only. All accountable creatures are, therefore, from their very condition, in a state of probation, that is, they are made subject to a law which they are required to obey, but which, in the exercise of their freedom, they may disobey. It cannot be doubted that man was endowed with full power to comply with all the divine requisitions. The law demanded nothing but the faithful exercise of those powers and affections which belong to human nature. The sum of all obedience was to love the Lord his God with all his heart. This was not only easy to an uncorrupted nature, but his highest happiness was connected with it. Man's probation would have continued without limit, unless God, in great condescension and kindness, had been pleased to enter into covenant with him.

The word "covenant” is to be understood in a much more general and comprehensive sense, than the common import of the English term covenant. It is a

solemn transaction in which God appoints and establishes certain conditions on which man might become partaker of eternal life in heaven, secure from all danger of forfeiting his interest in the favour of God. And as it pleased God that the human kind should come into the world in connexion with the first man, and should proceed from him as his children, it seemed good to infinite wisdom to make him the federal head and representative of all his posterity; so that upon his rendering perfect obedience to the commandments of God, for a certain limited period, eternal life would be secured to himself and to all his natural descendants; and on the other hand, if he transgressed the law given to him, his sin should be considered as the sin of the whole race; or, in other words, should be so imputed to them, as that they should be brought into existence in the same moral condition into which he should fall, and be subject to the same penalties. And in order that there might be a clear and decisive test of the obedience or disobedience of man, under this covenant of works, a particular tree was selected, called on account of its use, "the tree of knowledge of good and evil." Although the fruit of this tree was good for food, and pleasant to the eyes, yet our first parents were forbidden to eat of it, or even to touch it; and thus it became a precise test of obedience or disobedience.

There was also another sacramental tree, called "the tree of life," the fruit of which was to be used to prevent all disease or tendency to death; or, more probably, to be a sign and seal of eternal life to our first parents, when their period of probation should be ended, provided they continued in obedience.

Man, when created out of the dust of the earth, was

inspired with a rational and immortal soul, and placed in a pleasant garden, planted with every kind of trees, bearing nutritious fruits; the temperature of which was so mild that no covering for the human body was needed. As he was without experience, all knowledge necessary for the preservation of life and the performance of duty was given to him, and among these gifts was that of speech, without which there could have been no easy interchange of sentiments, nor any considerable progress in knowledge. Man was also made lord of the creation; for God said to his newly formed creature, "Have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over every living thing that moveth on the earth." And in this respect, also, man was the image of his Creator. It was, therefore, left to Adam to give names to every beast of the field and fowl of the air; and for this purpose they were made to pass before him, "and whatever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof."

It would seem from the tenor of the sacred history, that God conversed freely with his creature man, while he remained in Paradise, either by the ministry of holy angels; or, more probably, by his Son, assuming by anticipation the appearance of man. But, on points where the Sacred Scriptures do not speak decisively, it is our wisdom to be silent.

Here we may contemplate the interesting condition of our first parents. They were holy and happy, and had nothing to fear but sin; yet, considering the natural weakness of creatures, their situation was most critical, and the everlasting interests of unnumbered millions. were suspended on the fallible will of our first parents. And soon, alas! all was lost!