them fuch hopes as might enable them to exercise a reasonable religion. So far the light of prophecy extended. By what means God intended to work his falvation, he did not exprefsly declare; and who has a right to complain that he did not, or to prefcribę to him rules in difpenfing his mercy to the children of men? This prophecy we, upon whom the latter days are come, have seen fully verified; more fully than those to whom it was delivered could perhaps conceive. View this prophecy then with refpect to those to whom it was given, it answered their want, and the immediate end propofed by God; view it with respect to ourfelves, and it answers ours; and fhall we still complain of its obfcurity?

The bringing in of prophecy was not the only change in the state of religion occafioned by the fall. Sacrifice came in at the fame time, as appears by the course of the history; and it is hardly poffible it should come in, especially at the time it did, any otherwise than upon the authority of divine inftitution. It is the first act of religion mentioned in the facred story to be accepted by God; which implies ftrongly that it was of his own appointment; for we can hardly fuppofe that fuch a mark of diftinction would have been fet upon a mere human invention. In later times, when the account of things grows clearer, facrifice appears to be appointed by God as an expiation for fin; and we have no reason to imagine that it was turned afide from its original ufe. There is indeed no express declaration of the use of facrifice in religion at its firft appearance, and, yet fomething there seems to be in the account that may give light in this matter. We read, that Cain brought an of

fering of the fruit of the ground, and Abel of the firftlings of his flock, and the fat thereof: the Lord had refpect unto Abel and to his offering; but unto Cain and to his offering he had not respect. Allowing the maxim of the Jewish church to have been good from the first inftitution of facrifice, that without blood there is no remiffion, the cafe may poffibly be this: Abel came a petitioner for grace and pardon, and brought the atonement appointed for fin; Cain appears before God as a just person wanting no repentance, he brings an offering in acknowledgment of God's goodness and bounty, but no atonement in acknowledgment of his own wretchednefs. The expoftulation of God with Cain favours this account; If thou doeft well, shalt thou not be accepted? And if thou doeft not well, fin lieth at thy door: i. e. if thou art righteous, thy righteousness fhall fave thee; if thou art not, by what expiation is thy fin purged? it lieth ftill at thy door. Add to this, that the Apoftle to the Hebrews fays, that Abel's facrifice was rendered excellent by faith. What could this faith be, but a reliance on the promises and appointments of God? which faith Cain wanted, relying on his well-doing.

If you admit this interpretation, it plainly fhews that the true religion instituted by God has been one and the fame from the fall of Adam, fubfifting ever upon the fame principles of faith; at first upon only general and obfcure hopes, which were gradually opened and unfolded in every age, till the better days came, when God thought good to call us into the marvellous light of his Gospel.

This piece of history is all the account we have of

the religion of the antediluvian world: it was proper to be confidered for the relation there is between prophecy and the state of religion in the world; and for this reafon alfo, becaufe facrifice may perhaps be found to be one kind of prophecy, or reprefentation of the one great facrifice once offered for the fins of the world.

DISCOURSE IV.

WE have feen the beginning of prophecy, and its

firft entrance into the world, and what measure of light and hope it brought with it. The next inquiry is, to examine by what degrees this promise was opened and unfolded in the fucceeding ages of the world; and to trace the methods of divine providence in preparing all things for its accomplishment.

If we confider the first prophecy as the foundation of those hopes, in which all the fons of Adam have an intereft; in which the ages yet to come, as well as the prefent, and thofe already paft, are concerned; we shall not wonder to find that the administrations of Providence have had in all ages relation to this prophecy, and fhall have, till the end of all things brings with it the appointed time for the full accomplishment.

One thing, I prefume, will be easily granted, because it cannot be eafily denied; that if the ancient prophecies, which concern the general state and condition of man with regard either to this world or the next, are indeed divine oracles, there must be a confiftency in the whole; and how dark or obfcure foever some part of them might be at the first delivery, and for generations afterwards, yet must they

in the event confpire and centre in that great end which was always in the view of Providence: Known unto God are all his works from the beginning of the world, Acts xv. 18.

Taking then this prophecy to contain the purpose of God with.refpect to mankind; the adminiftrations of providence, together with fuch further declarations as God has thought fit to make, must needs be the best comment to help us to its meaning.

The account we have of the antediluvian world is very short, and conveys but little knowledge to us of the religion of those times, or of the hopes and expectations then entertained: yet something there is to fhew, that the curfe of the fall was remembered and felt during that period; and that those who preserved a sense of religion had an expectation of being delivered from the curfe; which could be grounded, as far as appears, upon nothing but the prophecy already mentioned.

Noah was born in the eleventh century after the fall, and, at the time of his birth, his father Lamech, by the spirit of prophecy, declared, This fame fhall comfort us concerning our work and toil of our hands, because of the ground which the Lord hath curfed, Gen. v. 19.

This paffage is a very material one; and, confidered in all its views, will give fome light to the state and condition of the world during this period. We may, I think, from hence fairly collect, 1. That the curfe upon the ground fubfifted in all its rigour to the days of Lamech; and that the work and toil neceffary to raise from the ground a fufficient fupport for life, was a grievous and irksome burden. There is