woman said, The serpent beguiled me, """ and I did eat."

Never was a more wretched defence framed for the palliation of guilt, nor could poorer excuses have been offered for wilful rebellion against the positive command of God! for a ready compliance with the wicked desire of a deluded woman! and for a voluntary surrender of duty to a mean temptation! Well, therefore, might the miserable pair endeavour to conceal themselves from the presence of their abused benefactor: well might they feel, when discovered, all the shame and remorse of conscious guilt, and all the alarms and horrors of anticipated vengeance!

With what mingled feelings, then, of softened sorrow, surprise, gratitude, and joy, must they have heard the compassionate sentence of their Almighty Judge upon the deadly sin which they had committed! a sentence, temporal as to its inflictions, but everlasting in its mercies-a sentence, which, while it solaced the trembling culprits, humbled their triumphant adversary

-a sentence, that gave to man an eternal instead of a perishable world, and reconciled the vindication of the divine justice with the recovery and salvation of the race

which had insulted it-" And the Lord "God said unto the serpent, Because thou "hast done this, thou art cursed above all "cattle, and above every beast of the field;

"Upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust "shalt thou eat, all the days of thy life; and I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and "her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and "thou shalt bruise his heel."

That our first parents would understand this promise in its fullest extent is not to be supposed; but that they would receive it as a prediction of some great future good to their fallen race-of some mighty personage, descended from themselves, who should appear in after times, and effectually avenge them of their present foe, there cannot be a doubt; as God himself intended that this very conviction should be their immediate support and comfort.

Of this fact, indeed, we have the most convincing proofs; for with Adam's right interpretation of the words in question commenced that wonderful traditional faith in a future Saviour, which, passing through Seth, Enoch, and Noah, became a direct revelation in the everlasting covenant" made with Abraham; and formed, in the family of Jacob, and with all the more

thoughtful of the Jews in after times, that confident expectation of the Messiah, which was so prevalent among them at the period of Christ's appearance" in the flesh."

Early as the time of Abraham a clear apprehension of the future Saviour, and of the blessings to be conveyed to mankind in and through him, was entertained by the holy men of that day; for Christ himself declares, "Abraham rejoiced to see my

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day, and he saw it, and was glad." Job, also, a contemporary with the Patriarchs, alludes expressly to the same expected "seed of the woman"-" I know that my

Redeemer liveth, and that he shall stand "at the latter day upon the earth;" and further down in time, both Moses and David spake emphatically of Christ. "A

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prophet," saith the former to the Israelites, shall the Lord your God raise up "unto you of your brethren, like unto me; "him shall ye hear:" and the royal and inspired author of the greater portion of the Psalms, looking with the eye of faith into distant ages, beheld and predicted that glorious deliverer," the Lion of Judah," who, "in the fulness of time," should appear in the world, to "bruise" the great adversary of mankind "with a rod of iron," to lead

"captivity captive," and to "give good gifts unto men.

Nay, what is more, the opinions even of the ancient heathen world on this subject seem to furnish another argument that Adam rightly apprehended the original promise of the Saviour; and that a tradition to this effect flowed to the Gentile nations directly from our first parents, through the race of the apostate Cain; for one of the most gifted among the heathen philosophers expressed his opinion, that mankind were to look forward to a divine instructor upon earth; and we know from history that at the very time of our Saviour's advent a full expectation was entertained, by the Gentile part of the world, of the speedy manifestation of some extraordinary personage among men.

To whatever extent, however, the ori ginal promise of the Saviour might be under stood by our first parents, to us, their descendants, its meaning is clear as the unclouded sun; and since the advent of Jesus Christ, and the publication of the gospel, no doubt can remain on the minds of those who have heard of either, in what sense they are to receive the significant words of the text, "I will put enmity be"tween thee and the woman, and between

"thy seed and her seed: it shall bruise thy "head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

The following observations will, I trust, be considered as an useful comment on this important passage of scripture.

The words of the text include three distinct propositions: first, that there should be, to the end of time, a perpetual conflict between the spiritual enemy of mankind and the seed of the woman, or Christ and his church: Secondly, that, during man's temporal state, the arch-deceiver would be permitted to throw perpetual obstacles in the way of our virtue, happiness, and peace; that a limited power would be conceded to him to "work in the children "of disobedience," and to disfigure the general surface of society with confusion, disorder, and sin: But, thirdly, that the influence of evil would be only temporary; that the Redeemer would, in due time, "take unto himself his kingdom;" and that, after having supported his faithful followers, by his grace, in their struggle with the world, the flesh, and the devil; he would, at the last, "bruise the head" of Satan; or, in other words, destroy his influence, crush his power, and utterly annihilate all his works."

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That there is a spiritual intelligence,