1.

said "We according to his promise, look for new heav- CHAP. ens and a new earth wherein dwelleth righteousness; it is evident that the new heavens and earth, spoken of, 2 Pet. ilis ́in different ages, were things yet to be created, which 13 none could possibly reach, but through those revolutions which should lead to that period.

12. It is certain that the matter, of which the body of man is composed, existed before the human body was formed, and that matter was incapable of comprehending its intermediate state, before it was organized into human form.

13. And no better able, is the most penetrating mor tal, to conceive of the intermediate state of man between the old and new creation, until he is created anew according to the progressive work of the new creation; which belongeth to God to make manifest through Christ, by the gospel, in the order of the times appointed.

14. Nothing can be created without a creator, and he that created all things is God: "He is before all things and by him all things consist :" but every thing in its own order hath a secondary cause.

15. God always worketh by means that are adapted to the end; The Lord God did not form man by or out of nothing, but out of the ground; nor are the human species created or propagated by or out of any other than the living substance of man.

16. Therefore, before a thing can be created the means of its creation must exist. And as Christ was promised to be the immediate Creator, or secondary cause of the new heavens and earth, or the beginning of the new creation; so the future destiny of the human race was suspended on the coming of Christ.

17. Now the coming of Christ was not to destroy the order of the visible heavens and earth that were created very good, in the beginning; but to form out of them a new world, or order of things, that should be of eternal duration, beyond the present:

18. And therefore he came into this world and passed through it as a stranger, and did not abide in it; his work lay entirely beyond, although not far from every one of us; and having laid and completed the foundation of that order of eternal duration, his message by his servants is," Come, for all things are now ready."

19. It never was intended by the Creator of all things, that any part of creation should be redeemed or govern

Col. i 17.

Luke x.

17.

I.

CHAP. ed by a foreign power; for that would have laid a foundation for confusion, and shown a lack of wisdom in the whole order of things; which may be observed in things that are natural :

20. But God proportioned to every part of creation its own internal government, without dependance on foreign aid, or the fear of foreign invasion.

21. And therefore, when Christ Jesus came into the world as the redeemer and ruler, he did not come, descending through the air from some remote part of space, but being born into the world as all other human beings are, he was qualified, commissioned and sent of God, while dwelling in the midst of those whom he came to redeem, and over whom he was appointed ruler.

22. And thus were fulfilled the words of the prophet: Micah v. 2. "Out of thee shall he come forth unto me that is to be Ruler in Israel." Plainly showing, that in the order of things, the power of redemption would arise out of that creation itself which needed a redeemer.

23. Seeing then that the whole of God's work is connected like the links of a chain, and that one thing riseth out of another in an increasing line from beginning to end; it will be proper to treat of things in their true and natural order as they arise, from age to age; from which the appearing of Christ, first and last, may be understood in its true nature and design

CHAPTER. II..

The state of Man in his first creation.

IN N the beginning, God having set in order the crea- CHAP. tion of the visible heavens and the earth, "rested

I1.

from all his works which God had created to make :" for Gen. ii, 2 as a thing must be begotten and conceived, before it is 3. Heb. visibly brought forth; so in all things, there is evidently a first and second cause.

2. Thus the First-cause of all things "made every Gen. ii. 4 plant of the field before it was in the earth, and every 5. herb of the field before it grew; for the LORD God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground."

3. By which it may be understood, that the Father had reserved the times and seasons in his own power: for although it was said, "Let the earth bring forth Chap. grass, the herb yielding seed, and the fruit-tree yielding fruit after his kind, whose seed is in itself upon the earth; and it was so yet it was not instantly so.

4. The earth could not bring forth grass, nor the herb yield seed, nor the fruit-tree yield fruit, any otherwise than according to the order of creation established in each particular thing, whose seed was in itself after its kind; and according to the order of the times and seasons appointed by the Father, and reserved in his own power.

5. This was the order established in the vegetable creation; and every thing was beautiful after its kind, and in its times and seasons. "And God saw that it was good."

6. No law was given from an inferior to any superior part of creation, but each part of the creation regulated according to its own order, and the whole operating and moving in one harmonious concert with the first moving

cause.

7. "And God created great whales, and every living creature that moveth, which the waters brought forth abundantly after their kind, and every winged fowl after his kind; and God blessed them saying, Be fruitful and multiply and fill the waters in the seas, and let fowl multiply in the earth.

8. And God said, Let the earth bring forth the liv- Gen

21, 22.

II.

CHAP. ing creature after his kind, cattle and creeping thing, and beast of the earth after his kind; and it was so." Thus God made the animal part of the creation, which was superior to the vegetable, from the great whales in the sea to the least reptile of the earth.

9. And it is evident, that every particular part was created with an instinct to multiply, each after its own order, and after its own kind, and in the times and seasons proper to each.

10. Thus the mere animal creation was set in order > and each part after its own kind, and in its own place, showed forth, the glory and power of the Creator. Gen. 1, 31. And God saw every thing that he had made, and behold it was very good."

11. But concerning the Man it is particularly said, that "the Lord God formed the man of the dust of the ground, [matter the most refined,] and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and man became a living soul." That is, he became endowed with spiritual senses and the faculties of reason.

12. "And out of the ground the LORD God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air." Also, the animal parts of the creation which were formed out of the ground, were endowed with animal faculties or bodily senses, such as hearing, seeing, feeling, tasting, and smelling, which made them noble in their order.

13. And although man was formed of the ground, yet as he was made the most noble part of the creation, distinct from his living soul, he could not be deficient of such animal sensations as pertained to any of the inferior parts of the creation.

14. Therefore, distinct from his living soul, he was likewise endowed with those natural or bodily senses of hearing, seeing, feeling, tasting and smelling, which are called the five senses. And thus his living soul gave him the pre-eminence over the animal part of the creation, and constituted him a human and rational creature, more noble than the rest.

15. Again, the living soul of man being superior to his animal body, could not, therefore, be deficient in any one part or sense which pertained to the body, consequently, in the union of soul and body every part or sense of the body must be occupied by a corresponding part or sense of the soul.

16. And hence there was also a spiritual hearing, see

II.

ing, feeling, and so on, which being superior to all those CHAP. natural senses, were capable of dictating and ordering every faculty and sense of his natural body aright.

17. And thus man was created with a most noble capacity, to know how to please and serve his Creator, and how to order and govern every capacity and bodily sense, for the honour and glory of the GREAT FIRST CAUSE.

18. And as this noble and superior capacity of the living soul had the pre-eminence over all the inferior senses of his own natural frame; therefore Man was capable of having the sole dominion over all the inferior creation, and of preserving its order and harmony, for his own happiness, as well as for the honour and glory of the creator.

19. But as man was formed of the ground, like the rest of the animal parts of the creation; so like those, his natural body was created for time. And because the LORD God breathed into lm the breath of life, and man became a living soul; therefore his living soul was the image of him who is eternal, and was created for eternity.

* Heb.

20. "And the LORD God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him."* For among all other living creatures that had yet been formed, for Adam there was not found an help like that according to that order which was before him.

21. And out of the man the LORD God made him an helper, who was called woman, because she was taken out of man. Thus man was formed of two parts, male and female. These two, as to their visible form, were distinct; but in point of nature and species they were one, constituting one entire man, complete in his order,

22. Then as the woman was formed out of the man, who was the most noble and superior part of all the creation, by reason of his living soul; so the woman also was endowed with those same rational faculties and governing powers, as a suitable help in the dominion and government of all the inferior creation.

23. But as the man was first formed, and afterwards the woman, to be an helper with the man; therefore she was dependant on him for her counsel and instruction, and was not first, but second, as to headship, in the order and government of the inferior creation. Thus the order in the first formation of man was finished.

kenegeddo

before him See Marg.

Bible,

Gen.ii, 18: