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washes out the remembrance of sin and its attending punishment. He creates this earth and all that thereto belongs. He places me in a state of probation and trial, and thus gives the means of reconciliation and of restoration to goodness. Such is the immeasurable gift of infinite mercy: and thus is Reason answered when she asks, "Why was I placed here upon earth?"

FALL OF MAN.

UPON Adam was bestowed the breath of life; he was spiritually created in the express image of his Maker; he was innocent, he was holy, he was divine. But, since it is impossible for divinity to yield to temptation, his soul must have also been evil in its nature. Therefore was Adam discontented, proud, devilish.a In him were spiritually united the supreme good and a spirit of evil. It was in his power not only to remain upright, but to grow in holiness and grace. But it was in vain. The archprinciple of evil knew that destruction was threatening his dark kingdom. The indwelling spirit of contradiction which lay enshrined within the breast of the first father of mankind listened rejoicingly to the false promises of his master, the kindred prince of evil. Ambition and pride stirred within him, and all the slumbering evil

a "Infection of nature doth remain; yea in them that are regenerated." Art. ix.

of his nature was awakened to activity. He, a fallible being, coveted the knowledge of good and evil, and believed that, by its possession, he should become a god. Thus he fell, and thus was effaced the divine likeness of his creation. But his guilt was itself his punishment, his wickedness was no longer concealed, and he knew that he was naked.

Thus he voluntarily relinquished all opportunity of continual advancement towards the perfection of holiness, and thus he himself first knew the bitterness

"Of man's first disobedience, and the fruit

Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste
Brought death into the world, and all our woe,
With loss of Eden, till one greater Man

Restore us."

Thus, then, are we doubly sinners; in eternity, as fallen angels, we rebel against heaven; and in time, as the sons of Adam, sin comes upon all, and we yield to temptation. Now we see clearly that "our very virtues may be snares unto us. The enemy that waiteth for all occasions to work our ruin hath found it harder to overthrow an humble sinner than a proud saint. There is no man's case so dangerous as his whom Satan

hath persuaded that his own righteousness shall present him blameless in the sight of God. ... Indeed, God doth liberally promise whatsoever appertaineth to a blessed life to as many as sincerely keep his law, though they be not exactly able to keep it. Wherefore we acknowledge a dutiful necessity of doing well; but the meritorious dignity of doing well we utterly renounce. We see how far from the perfect righteousness of the law, the little fruit which we have in holiness is; it is, God knoweth, corrupt and unsound; we put no confidence at all in it, we challenge nothing in the world for it, we dare not call God to reckoning as if we had Him in our debt books: our continual suit to Him is and must be, to bear with our infirmities and pardon our offences.""

Deeper then, far deeper, is our sin than we are accustomed to imagine. Now, we see that the powerful language of the inspired writers fails to give a true picture of our iniquity. Reason and faith join together to tell us, that if left to our own power, our portion would have been inevitably the black darkness of despair; and the heart now truly feels the full meaning of words which have hitherto too frequently fallen

a Hooker's Discourse on Justification.

from the lips unheeded and unappreciated, but which, in reality, must fall far short of the actual depravity of our nature.

"The

"The way of man is froward and strange." "There is not a just man upon earth that doeth good, and sinneth not.” "The heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil." heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked. Who can know it ?" "I was shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me." But yet again was the manifold love of Heaven poured forth :

" a

"All the souls that are were forfeit once, And he that might the 'vantage best have took, Found out the remedy!"

"The Lord is longsuffering to us-ward, not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance."

b

a Prov. xxi. 8.; Eccl. vii. 20., viii. 11.; Jer. xvii. 9.; Ps. li. 5.

b 2 Pet. iii. 9.

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