angelic fpirit with the ferpent, may not feem fo ftrange: for in fuch a political concern, or matter of ftate, whilft the Lord of Heaven afsociated with man in the intereft of the government, a defign of rebellion would naturally lead thofe fubjects of the upper world to feek a correfpondence abroad, in order to draw into their interest the subjects of this, where immediately the scene of action was defigned to commence.

And it fhould ever be a warning to all who are diftinguished for their natural endowments, not to truft even to fuperior fagacity and genius; that the moft fubtile and intelligent of all the creatures of the world, was the first to be drawn into that accurfed enterprize, in which he was crushed to the ground and irrecoverably loft; for, though the other creatures will be preferved, and enjoy at laft the glorious liberty of the children of God; yet, by the irrevocable decree of Heaven, the serpent and all his generation fhall die. On account of this early connexion of the arch-rebel with the ferpent, and also of his fubtile and wily character, he himfelf is doomed to bear the hateful name of the ferpent.

Upon this ground, therefore, of the inte eft of the kingdom, and the question who fhall have the dominion? the war of ages first broke out; and notwithstanding the fuccefsful attempts which have been made, in thefe laft days, to conceal the nature of Je fus Chrift's gofpel, and to divert the attention. of men from the Hope of Ifrael in the restor

ation of the kingdom, to fyftems of mere piety, religion and morality; the kingdom-the doctrine of the kingdom is ftill, and to the great day of decifion, will be the point, the all-interefting ground of the folemn controverly. And being thus at once affaulted, by the fubtilty of the ferpent, and the falsehood of the devil, the woman was deceived and fell; and by one of the deepest ftratagems that was ever conceived, together with the natural force of, perhaps, as tempting an object as ever allured the human eye, the man alfo was overcome and ruined.

By the fall, man loft the image of God, and as neceffarily expired as a living foul, as the body expires feparated from air; the crown of glory and honor fell from his head, and he ceased to be lord of the creation, and became like the beafts that perish, as necellarily as the breathlefs body lofes its glory and ftrength, and changes into a corpfe.-This event most strikingly illuftrated the all-important truth, that all the bleffednefs, glory and power of creatures arife from their union with the bleffed, glorious and almighty Word; that life, and the favor of God is enjoyed only through the Lord of Life, the beLoved One, who was fet up from everlasting.

And being thus without ftrength, having left the Rock of Ages, man, and the whole creation with him, neceffarily fell under the pow. er and tyranny of the great enemy the devil, who, by the difplacing of Adam, came in and took poffeffion of the whole realin, and fet up over man and all the creation, the reign of death.

This finished what is called the threatening to Adam, dying thou fhalt die. Falling from Christ his life, fatan rofe over him armed with power derived from his feparation from the only fource of life, and which is therefore called the power of death, and fet up over him the dominion of darkness, tyranny and horror. But the darkness and mifery of the power and reign of the devil in the world, ferves thus to brighten the illustration of the light and bleffedness of the power and reign of the Lord of Light and Bleffedness.

Section 3. Depravity.

The doctrine of the entire depravity of man by the fall, properly stated, can admit of no difpute but what implies either ignorance or disbelief of the whole divine fystem; for as the uprightnefs and perfection of man all confisted in the divine constitution of his creation; his being made in the image of God; the lofs of this standing in covenant union with Christ, must imply a state of total and univerfal depravity.

The idea of the covenant of life being partly broken, and partly kept, or of the divine union with Christ being partly lost, and partly retained, has never been advanced; fuch a thing is inconceivable; what was declared by the word of God, was the most evident truth, that in the day man fhould eat of the tree that was the article of the trial of his co

venant fidelity, he fhould die; for, loofing the breath of life, he must of course be a dead

man.

It will also be observed, that the depravity of the fall cannot be contemplated as being merely negative, or the lofs of the image of God; for this covenant, as fhewn, being of the nature of marriage, the breach of it implies being joined to another. A feparation from Chrift can exift only by union with an AntiChrift. An entire feparation from Chrift, and union with the ferpent, being free from righteoufnefs, and filled with all unrighteousness, is the fearful state of the apoftacy; and the true statement of the cafe is fufficient to fhew, that without an almighty intervention, the depravity of the fall muft have extended univerfally through nature,

THE

DIVINE THEORY.

PART II.

THE ARCHANGEL: ILLUSTRATING THE TRUTH OF CHRIST AS BEING THE HEAD OF THE REDEMPTION-WORLD.

CHAPTER I.

OF THE ELECT ESTABLISHMENT.

Section 1. The Union of the elect World with the Beginning.

THOUGH the elect establishment did not distinctly open, in our world, till the call of Abraham; yet, as the lines were marked out in the beginning, and it actually took place in the upper world, immediately upon the great apoftacy; from this time we may confider the glorious Lord as entering upon his mediate flate, and commencing the work of redemption.

By the name of archangel, being compounded of the words beginning and angel, we are reminded, that the fcene immediately opening will be a twofold exhibition, and that views of the fervice-work will be closely combined with profpects of the fame nature of thofe already contemplated; for the