It is his good pleasure to give me a kingdom which fadeth not away, referved in Heaven for me, which he is here framing me for by his Spirit, in the princely life and temper, meeting me in the academic retirements of groves and fhades, the clofet and the chambers of his houfe, till I am ripened for the glories of my coronation-day. O happy retirement! O heavenly folitude, that always affords me the prefence of my FATHER and my GOD, where I may at all times find thee, fpeak to thee, and receive the delightful intercourse of thy converfe and love! Happy poverty, where thou never-failing fountain of fulness art my inexhauftible portion! Happy banishment, that can at no fmall distance feparate me from thee! Happy prifon, where thy fociety cannot for one moment be excluded! Happy bed of fickness, when thou are continually by to chear and fupport me! Happy hour of death, when my fpirit departs, but only to be in thy ever-circling and paternal arms! Happy condition! extending itself to all places, to all circumftances, and through all duration! Happy creature, both here and for ever poffeffed of the infeparable intimate presence and favour of a GOD, a FRIEND, and a FATHER!

Friendly. I am charmed with your meditation, wrapped up in the enjoyment of my GoD, delighted in attracting profpects of wildom, love and power, that kindness and munificence, my Father and my GOD has difplayed in the creation of the world! Sure his bleffings must be boundless in grace, and yet more boundless in glory, that appear fo brilliant in nature! But, if my defires are not too tedious, I should now be glad to be entertained with your thoughts concerning the creation of man-in what state he was created-what was his knowledge, power, dominion, and enjoyment in that ftate?

Truth. So far as I am able, Friendly, I will fatisfy you in thefe enquiries. First, Obferve, That the creation of man is the work of the TRINITY, the fruit of divine counfel, as well as redemption; therefore you find in Gen. i. 26, 27. that GOD faid, Let us make man in our own image, according to our likeness; in the image of GOD created he him; in his moral rectitude and likeness, in righteousness and true holiness; in a ftate of full perfection, joy and happiness; near a-kin unto his Maker, as Adam's nature, being JEHOVAH's image, as his understanding, will and affections were a perfect harmony of light, life, love, joy and peace. Such was the perfection of Adam's nature by creation, that, I humbly conceive, we F

are not able to form an adequate idea of it; we never knew what a ftate of innocency was by enjoyment, therefore, I think, we always fail in forming just ideas of the perfection of that state. It is more than what we conceive or express it to be; we can tell by woeful experience the lofs and want of it, but not the glory and perfection of it. This leads me to obferve, fecondly, the understanding that Adam, in his state of innocency enjoyed, which was very extenfive. He had a very comprehenfive knowledge of the Deity, of the perfections, excellencies and glories of the divine nature, a knowledge of a Trinity of divine perfons in this divine nature; for I cannot fuppofe that ever the FATHER made himself known, either in the creation of men or angels, without making known to them the knowledge of the ETERNAL WORD, who was with GOD, and who was GOD: Besides, as the work of creation, as well as redemption, was the work of the Three that bear record in Heaven, confequently the knowledge of the Three was made known thereby; and further, it would be abfurd to fuppofe Adam, in a ftate of innocency, to be ignorant of him who made him; and, I am fure, it was the LORD JESUS that created Adam, if an inspired writer is to be credited, John i. 3. All things were made by him, and without him was not any thing made that was made.

Friendly. But, Truth, do you think that Adam knew from whence his felicity flowed?

Truth. Yes, Friendly, Adam certainly knew that his happinefs flowed from divine favour, fettled upon him as the fruit of JEHOVAH's pleasure, to be continued and maintained at his fovereign will, or to leave him to the freedom and mutation of his will, as infinite wifdom faw most fit.

Friendly. In the third place, what was Adam's enjoyment in his ftate of innocency?

Truth, First, Adam undoubtedly enjoyed a continual fenfe of divine favour, uninterrupted communion with his GoD, friendship and familiarity with his MAKER. As his mind was not only free from corruption, but alfo the fubject of holy principles, and heavenly knowledge, it was capable of the most intimate communion and fellowship with God; as his mind was free from all vanity and wandering of affections, it confequently took up the fum of its happiness, the fource of its joy, in contemplating the perfections of the divine nature, and in poffeffing a fenfe of divine favour, not only in viewing wildoni, power and glory, difplayed in the creation, but viewing himself, made as the head and chief of all; thereby his

But,

happiness was confummated and made compleat. fecondly, Adam, in his ftate of innocency, enjoyed a true fenfe of the law of God, as a covenant of life, that he was then under; he well knew its extenfive nature and what it did demand, it being written in his heart (as the image of GOD) therefore he could not vary from the knowledge of it, as to its demand of perfect obedience in thought, word and deed; he not only knew the law of his MAKER, but really loved it with the higheft complacency and delight; he yielded that obedience to it that it required. The law of GoD, and Adam's obedience, in his ftate of innocency, was commenfurate with each other; pufity and perfection was ftamped upon all his actions; thereby reverence, love, delight, and joy, flowed from his mind, as naturally as it flowed from the Angels in glory. His obedience, in his ftate of innocency, was as perfect as theirs, and confequently Adam was an object of JEHOVAH's delight and approbation; for to fuppofe GOD to make a creature he did not delight in and approve of, would be a fuppofition unworthy the name of GoD, his truth and nature. Befides, he could do no less than love his own image, in which he had created him; then confequently, Adam's enjoyment in paradife was very great, as he enjoyed a fenfe of divine favour, a true knowledge of the law of GOD, and a perfection of love and obedience unto it, fuch as GoD approved of, as it flowed from the rectitude of that nature he had created in his own image; for, as the learned and judicious" Mr. Brine obferves, in his treatise of the Original Purity of Human Nature, page 20. "That his pure and holy mind was "not reluctant and indifpofed to religious fervices, nor wan"dering and fluggish in the performance of them; for then man was not the fubject of any averfion to holiness and com"munion with GOD, and therefore, divine worship must be a "branch of duty, wherein man took a peculiar pleafure in his

original ftate; perfect love to the infinite glorious object of "his worship, fweetly engaged all the powers of his foul unto "acts of adoration, thanksgiving and praife. As his under"ftanding difcerned the infinite excellencies of his CREATOR, "fo his affections delighted in GoD his MAKER."

Friendly. But Truth, do you think that Adam knew that this his happy ftate depended upon his obedience, as you before obferved?

Truth. Yes, certainly, for that is contained in his knowledge of the law of GoD as a covenant of works. As a legiflator in

giving forth a law, is naturally led to open the nature and intent of it, in order to inforce obedience, and to secure the privileges of the fubjects thereby; if this is neceffary between man and man, how much more fo between GoD and man in a state of innocency! Befides, as God created man in his own image and likeness, and thereby ftamped his royal law upon his heart, and his understanding having no veil nor cloud of darkness upon it, he must certainly thereby know for what intent the law was given him as a rule of life, and that the continuation of his happiness depended upon a finlefs obedience thereunto; and confequently, as he knew that his happpiness depended upon his obedience, fo his difobedience and transgreffion would be attended with the depths of mifery, a train of forrows, a flood of endless woes. And yet, O amazing! be aftonished, O heavens, at this!--man fins, he ventures to tranfgrefs in the face of divine authority! O how is his crime aggravated! how does it afcend above the heavens! doubtless it spread an universal blush and aftonishment throughout the heavenly hoft, to fee man-happy man!-the darling of heaven!-the glory of the creation!--funk!-fallen!But, alas! where will not that fin, that was aggravated with rebellion, presumption, unbelief, and horrid ingratitude, caft him? for him to fin against divine favour, against knowledge, after an explicit declaration from GoD of the confequence of it, In the day thou eateft thereof thou shalt die the death. And yet, O amazing! horrid rebellion fprings in his mind! Through an eafy temptation he dared to prefume and break his Maker's law in defiance to his command; difbelieves his word, tramples upon divine authority, mingles the highest ingratitude with his crime, by finning against fuch rich beneficence and kindness; at once dethrones his honour, lofes his dignity, and finks not only upon a level with the beast, but in many respects beneath it, and his nature thereby correfponded with the nature of the devil.

Friendly. What was the effects of Adam's tranfgreffion, as to his mind?

Truth. Guilt, fear, and flight from GOD. His mind, that was (before he finned) full of peace, joy, and harmony, was now full of guilt, diftraction, and diftrefs; his understanding, that was light, life, and knowledge, was now darkness, death and ignorance; his affection, that was love, delight, and pleasure, was become enmity, diftraction, and forrow; his will, that was winged with alacrity to ferve and adore his Maker, was now become the feat of rebellion and obstinacy;

his confcience, that was before foft and tender, was now become as hard as adamant. A mournful ftate! O doleful cafe indeed 1

Friendly. But Truth, wherein does it appear that this was Adam's cafe?

Truth. The fame amanuenfis and penman, that gives us an account of Adam's happy ftate by creation, gives us likewife an account of his mifery and defolation by tranfgreffion, as you have in Gen. iii. 8 Then the eyes of them were both opened, and they knew that they were naked; which nakednefs denotes that of the mind or foul, as you have in Rev. iii. 17. His mind was, before he finned, covered with purity, righteoufnefs, and true holiness, in which he could appear before GoD without fear or dread; but now fear, guilt, and diftrefs, take hold of him, and his naked foul trembles to appear before God: therefore the HOLY GHOST obferves in the 8th verfe, that when they heard the voice of the LORD GOD walking in the garden, they hid themfelves from the prefence of the Lord God among the trees of the garden.

Hence obferve the malignant evil of fin, it not only fills the foul with deep diftrefs, but drives the diftreffed object away from Gon, the chief good: and that a guilty finner would never seek God, if God did not firft feek him, is plainly proved in the 9th verfe, the LORD GOD called unto the man, and faid, Adam, where art thou? Thou waft wont to meet me in acts of love, reverence, devotion and fear; but where art thou now, with regard unto thy foul, with regard unto thy condition? And Adam said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself. Obferve here, that the voice of GoD makes a guilty fmner tremble before him: This was Adam's cafe for his tranfgreffion, Cain's in the affair of his brother's life, and Saul's for his mad zeal against the faints. I was afraid, faid Adam, because I was naked, and I hid myself. Note here, that a guilty finner would, if it were poffible, hide himfelf from GOD; but GoD fought him, and faid unto him, Haft thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou fhouldest not eat? and he faid, the woman which thou gavest me, gave me of the tree, and I did eat. Obferve here the impudent nature of fin, in tacitly accufing God, the woman which thou gavest me, &c. and likewife the hardening nature of fin; it left no ingenuity, nor softness in Adam's mind to make a confeffion, though his deftruction was his own voluntary act and deed, She gave me