Man is the great end and mafter-piece of all God's works in this earthly globe. The globe itself, and all its furniture, were created for Him. But then, man must be underflood in the sense of David, (P/2. vii. 4, 8.) as explained by St. Paul, (Heb. ii. 5, 10.) which Man is collectively con fidered, as including both Head and Body, or Chrift and Mankind. We are principally to note, That the world is the world after the "Times of the Reflitution of all things," as well as the prefent evil one, (Gal. i. 4.) and intended by both David and his expofitor, and exprefsly mentioned by the latter in ver. 5. Farther obferve, that to make Man, or Mankind, was no less than to bring into a ftate of actual conscious existence an innumerable multiude of intellectual, rational, and immortal beings, candidates for endless happiness; or, if finally rebellious, of proportionable mifery. Take but a very fuperficial view of the human frame, it will abundantly confirm that infpired remark, that we are fearfully and wonderfully made! The majestic gait, the erection of our bodies, the ufe of our tongue in conversation, &c. fufficiently evidence the human fuperiority over the brute. The Tongue is the interpreter of the heart-the inftrument of conveying information, inftruction-public, focial, and reciprocal joy; as the Ear is the Organ of founds; without which, the tongue would be of little ufe. The admirable conftruction and ufe of the Eye, the Cafement of this earthly houfe, out at which the foul both fhews itself, and beholds ten thousand beauteous objects in nature, as fo many Indexes pointing to the Deity; how wonderful are thefe Organs in contemplation! But how much more wonderful in their different ufes! The feveral Ufes of the ftruc ture and pofition of each fingle Mufcle, Galin computed to be no less than ten in number. De

Form.

Form. Fortus, page 81. And it is worth your while to obferve, That Heaven and Earth, in á fenfe, were united in our compofition! Certainly no less than immortality, and the divine image, were infufed into our frame by that divine afflatus (Gen. ii. 7.) or breath of Lives.

The capacities of our intellectual powers, in this lapfed condition, are truly wonderful! Underflanding, judgment, volition or freedom of choice, memory or recollection, &c. in fome perfons are very extraordinary; but the moral fenfe, or consciousness of virtue and vice, as it proves us rational, fo confequently accountable creatures. By virtue of the image of Elohim, the first couple could fuftain a fight of the divine glory, or unclouded Shechinah, with whom they were qualified to converse, and actually poffeft the incomparable privilege.

Phil. The more perfect these endowments were, the greater would be the furprise of this new-made couple at the firft appearance of the furrounding objects. But fay, my dear Didas. did any thing intervene between the creation of Adam and formation of Eve?

Didas. Moft certainly. But, obferve, the wo man, and probably all mankind, fubfifted in individual Adam at his creation. Of that One blood all the nations of men were made that have, or ever will be upon the face of the earth. The fame holds goods both of animals, vegetables, &c. all previously fubfifting in their refpective Seeds.

Adam was made of Adamak, or virgin earth, without the limits Paradise. This was the intended Capital and Palace of his Kingdom, which, as the Viceroy of his Maker, extended over the regions of Earth, Air, and Ocean. He was fole Monarch over the inhabitants of those three regions. Doubtlefs he was made in order to be invefted with this Dominion:

Dominion; but in this he was a type of Him that was to come, (Pa. viii.) as is evident in Heb. ii. 5. comp.

Phil. Do not many place the divine Image in this Dominion?

Didas. Certainly. But is it not rather the confequence of his being in the divine Image, than any effential part of the Image itfelf? When Adam was invefted with this Dominion, no undue fubordination was fo much as hinted at, refpecting either Eve or their Pofterity.. The Woman was equally invefted with the fame Dominion as him felf before the Fall.

Phil. What was it that firft introduced fervile Tubordination into the world?

Didas. It was Sin; and obtained first between Man and Wife, and between man and man, very different, both in kind and degree, from what it otherwife would have been. Since which, Priority in birth seems to have laid the principal foundation of all inequality among mankind. This is to be underfood of the latter days chiefly. Among the Patriarchs, the younger brother got the bleffing, for the most part, as above obferved, for a typical reafon. Nevertheless, there feems to have been a degree of fubordination between Man and Wife intended, though not at firft expreffed; the natu. ral reafon of which appears in the Apoftle's remark, that "Adam was firft formed, then Eve." Adam the glory of Chrift-Eve the glory of Adam :-A holy and natural inequality!

The fuperior fize, ftrength, and activity of terrene quadrupeds in lonely Adam, could excite no dread: So long as he bore the lovely Image of his maker, the Elephant, Dromedary, Camel, Rhinoceros, &c. could excite no timidity, or difagreea, be fenfation, in that mind that knew no confcious guilt. The dread was in the cattle, not in their

Lord

Lord and Proprietor. The gift of speech, and knowledge of language, Adam firft employed about his duty, Ch. ii. 15, 18. then, to fhew his autho rity, in giving names to fome of his inferior fub jects; and at length to his Wife. But before this, obferving the different fexes coupled according to their kind, he would eafily perceive his own want of a fecond felf, to affift in propagation, ver. 20. This want, probably before perceived by himself, his indulgent maker had refolved to fupply, ver. 18. This was no fooner done, and prefented, and given in Marriage, than the Father of all pronounced the fuperiority of the marriage-union above the paren tal ties of nature. But this was not done, until Adam had obferved an identity of nature in his bride, as flefh of his flefh, and bone of his bone→→ a fecond felf, made out of him! Man being ari intire dependent creature, rational, and therefore accountable for his conduct; his happiness muft fpring from an union with the author and fountain of his Being, which union would continue so long as no difobedience intervened on his part to interrupt it, for nothing elfe could; and fo long his happiness would be fecure, and probably increaf ing.

.

But his primeval created happiness was neither the whole that his nature was capable of, nor that his indulgent Creator intended for him. Being no Machine, but an intelligent free agent, it comported both with his prefent ftate, and his Maker's defigns, that he fhould give proof of his entire dependence upon, and voluntary fubmiffion to, his moft facred will, in order to his future advance.

ment.

With a view to this, what could be better adapted for the purpofe of giving proof of his obedience, than a pofitive prohibition to abftain from fome thing, which, while it put to the test all the powers

of

1

of his nature, fhould nevertheless have nothing compulfive in it, but which fhould leave his will in perfect equilibrio, without the leaft bias to infringe upon his freedom?

Such, most certainly, was the forbidden fruit. But, query, would Adam ever have tasted it, if Eve had not led the way? And is it not another queftion, whether Eve would have tasted it, if the had not been Deceived by an enemy? The probability appears to me to lie on the negative fide of the queftion in both cafes. These were circumtances which might, in fome degree, mitigate their guilt, heinous as it was. They were neither of them folely felf-tempted. The laft, very probably, was the cafe with Devils. This, among others, might be one reason why we fuppofe that there is no mercy for them. But, be this as it may, we may justly fuppofe, that had he flood firm in his trial, his advancement to future happinefs, in due time, would have been a tranflation into a better world, Enoch or Elijah-like; the fruit of the Tree of Life having immortalized his body in his primeval flate.

But as the cafe proved otherwife, degraded Adam loft the divine Image, and with it his delegated Dominion, &c. A fecond Adam was then appointed. This was no other than that divine Perfon in the Elohim, who, as above obferved, feemed to have the most active hand in the forma. tion of every thing. The defign of this divine appointment was, among other things, to Rehead the human Race, by an incarnation or an affump, tion of the fame nature: In this nature, to Do and Suffer the whole will of God-his fufferings to be of a piacular kind, in order to make an Atonement for the first offence of the firft Adam, and the abounding offences of his difobedient PofterityTo deftroy the works of the Devil-and refcue Man