Now either God has given us eternal life in Christ before the world began, or he has not. If he has, then we are unbelievers if we reject it. If he has not given it, and should we still believe that he has, we would then believe a lie. But neither our belief, or unbelief can ever alter the fact.

God has "chosen us in Christ before the foundation of the world that we should be holy and without blame before him in love; having predestinated us unto the adoption of children by Jesus Christ to himself according to the good pleasure of his will."

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"Having made known unto us the mystery of his will according to his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself; that in the dispensation of the fulness of times, he might gather together, in one, all things in Christ, both which are in heaven and which are on earth, even in him." Some apply the above to the elect. But it embraces all things in heaven and earth, which are to be gathered together in Christ, and be new creatures. In addition to this we will introduce two more passages. "Who hath saved us, and called us with a holy calling, not according to our works, but according to his own purpose and grace which was given us in Christ Jesus before the world began." "In hope of eternal life, which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began." In these scriptures we are assured first, that God chose us in Christ, before the foundation of the world— second, that he saved us according to his own purpose and grace before the world began, and third that he promised eternal life before the world began. These things being embraced in his original plan, and purpose, their performance is therefore certain as that the whole plan of God will be carried into execution.

There is, in my humble opinion, a strange inconsistency in the common doctrine. They contend that on account of the transgression of our first parent, all mankind were fallen creatures, and even came into existence totally depraved. To show the justice of God in this constitution of our nature, they contend that Adam was our covenant head, and had he maintained his original purity, we should also have stood perfect in holiness, and no one would have had any reason to complain. Now since Adam has fallen, and involved us in ruin, it is equally just in God that we should share the fate of our covenant head in the one instance as in the other. But if we make use of this same argument in relation to Christ, the second Adam-if we contend that he was the covenant head of every man, that the covenant was not made for this, but for the future world—that this covenant of grace being made between the Father and the Son, was to stand independent of man-that eternal life was promised and given us in him before the world began -that as our covenant head, he resisted all temptations, and perfectly fulfiled the lawthat he died, and appeared alive beyond the tomb free from temptation, and in a holy and immortal constitution. If we contend for this, making use of their own arguments, saying that it is just as rational that we should appear in the image of Christ in the future world as that we should come into this world in the image of Adam, they will pronounce the argument so far as applicable to Adam, sound logic, but so far as this same argument of theirs is applied by Universalists to Christ, they pronounce it perfect jargon.

But, says the objector, there is one point you have not settled, and I will here rest the

also had the promise of eternal life. This would be believing a lie, because you say God has not made them that promise. How would you preach to such persons? If you called upon them to believe the truth of the gospel, which is eternal life, you would call upon them to believe a lie. How can you extricate yourself from this difficulty? But inquires the objector, how do you know that God has promised this eternal life to all? Ans. Because the scriptures do call all men either believers, or unbelievers, in view of the promise that God has made Take away that promise, and belief or belief respecting it can no longor have an existenceBelievers and unbelievers would be no more.

But says the objector this is not proof that eternal life is promised to an unbeliever. Well, I am surprised at this assertion of my opponent! First, I ask, what do you call a believer? Ans. One, who believes that God has promised, and given him eternal life in Christ before the world began. Then of course an unbeliever must be one, to whom God has also promised and given eternal life in Christ before the world began, but who will not believe it. But says the objector this cannot be. I would then ask whether eternal life was not promised, and given in Christ to the believer before he believed it? Certainly. It must have been a truth before he could believe. Well, what was he at that time? An unbeliever of course. Then eternal is promised to all, because it is the lack of faith in that never failing promise of Jehovah that constitutes an unbeliever. But says the objector-a man "must do so and so," or he cannot be saved. This is not correct; he must believe, or he cannot be saved. We are saved by faith in the promise, and are

permitted to look forward with satisfaction and joy to an immortal existence where we shall be free from sin, sorrow and pain. This faith and hope fill the soul with love to God, and induce us to break off our sins by righteousness. So a salvation by faith can only be enjoyed in this life, and is to end when faith and hope are lost in certainty and in joy. Though only few are saved by faith, yet all shall know the Lord from the greatest to the least, whom to know is life eternal.

SERMON VIII.

Jesus answered and said unto him, verily, verily, I say unto thee, except a man be born again, he cannot see the kingdom of God.

John iii. 3.

As we have in the last three sermons dwelt particularly on a salvation by faith, we will take the liberty to introduce the subject of the new birth next in order, as it will be, more readily, retained by the reader, in this connexion than otherwise. Indeed, it bears a strong resemblance to them so far as the subject of faith is concerned in our present exposition. But whoever is a careful reader of the New Testament, will discover that the subject of faith, and the genuine repentance which that faith produces, is not of trivial

moment.

There is no subject of divine revelation, on which more has been said, preached and written than the one, which we are now about to consider. It has been brought for