I. DISC. and redemption, and serve our generation in the most effectual manner. And though, when this is done, we must close our eyes in death, and fleep with our fathers; yet the hour cometh, in which we shall open them again, to " behold thy face, O God, " in righteousness; we shall be fatisfied, " when we awake with thy likeness." Was Adam invested with sovereignty over the creatures? Observe we from hence, that man was made to rule. Majestic in his form, he was ordained to trample upon earth, and aspire to heaven, which, without putting a force upon nature, he cannot but behold, and regard. In the original subjection of the creatures we fee what ought to be that of every defire and appetite, terrestrial and animal, to the ruling principle within us. The subtlety of fome creatures, and the fierceness of others, now exhibit to us the difficulty of subduing and governing the paffions, broken loose, like ► Pf. xvii. 15. them, I. them, from the dominion of their master; DISC. infomuch, that the apostle, who asserts, that every creature may be, and has been tamed of man, yet says of one part of man, the tongue, "it is a deadly evil, which no " man can tame," meaning by his own powers. Through the redemption and grace which are by Christ Jesus, this dominion, as well as the other, is restored, not only over our own passions, but over still more formidable opponents, the evil spirits in arms against us. For thus our Lord gave his disciples power not only over the natural "ferpents and scorpions," but over some, whose venom is of a more malignant and fatal kind; " over all the power "of THE ENEMY." The apostles returned, accordingly, crying out, " Lord, the very "DEVILS are subject unto us, through thy " name!" And we have a general promise, that, in our combats with them, God will give us victory, and bruise their leader, Satan himself, under our feet. Our Redeemer is exalted above the heavens and human nature in the second Adam, restored to dominion C2 I. DISC. minion over all the earth. And though, at present, the apostle's lot may be ours, to " fight with beasts," with evil men, evil passions and evil spirits, yet through God we shall do great acts; it is he that shall tread down those that rise up against us ; till finally triumphant over the last enemy, and exalted to the eternal throne, we shall view the earth beneath us, and the fun and stars shall be dust under our feet. DISCOURSE II. THE GARDEN OF EDEN. GENESIS II. 8. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed. I N II. a preceding discourse some confi- DISC. derations were offered, tending to elucidate the particulars related by Mofes concerning the origination of man; namely, the time of his formation; the resolution taken by the Deity on the occafion; the materials of which he was composed; the divine image in which he was created; and the dominion over the creatures with which he was invested. The words now read mark out the hiftory of that habitation in which it pleased II. DISC. the Almighty to place him at the beginning, for the fubject of our present enquiries-a subject not only curious, but highly interesting. For if Levi be said to have paid tithes to Melchizedek, as being in the loins of Abraham, at the time of that tranfaction; we may, in like manner, regard ourselves, as having taken poffeffion of Eden; being in the loins of our ancestor, when he did so. And though it can afford but small comfort, to reflect upon the excellence of an inheritance which we have lost, it may inspire into us due sentiments of gratitude and love towards that blessed person who hath recovered it for us. And thus every confideration which enhances the value of the poffeffion, will proportionably magnify the goodness of our great benefactor. For these reasons, we fometimes, perhaps, find ourselves disposed to lament the conciseness and obscurity of that account, which Mofes hath left us of man's primeval estate in paradise. But when we recollect, that to this account we owe all the information |