confirms the essential and eternal divinity of the Godhead, is undeniably conclusive of the scriptural meaning of the word "likeness," used by Moses in his inspired history of the creation of man, and reciprocally with the word "image," relates to the first and second Adam, assigns to each person individually the possession of the like divine and distinct human natures. The actual accomplishment of the assumption of man's corporeality by the seed of the woman, is thus predicted by Isaiah between eight and nine hundred years before the birth of Christ. 66 Behold, a virgin shall conceive, and bear a Son, and shall call his name Immanuel.” The very name here given to the Messiah, positively implies the actual and personal possession of the divinity of Jehovah, and that natural image common to Christ and man in each person individually, so that the real and definite meaning of the word "image," used by Moses, and applied by him to God and man, relates to the human nature of both. It therefore follows, that the purposed incarnation of Christ was declared when Jehovah said, "Let us make man in our own image," and the immediate deviation from the divine Trinity to the seed of the virgin-woman, or to God the word made flesh, was an intentional act on the part of Jehovah, designed to point out that individual Person of the divine Trinity, who was to be God and man in one Christ. It has been already observed that the words, "seed of the woman," exclude every sense and possibility of human paternity, and directly imply a sole and superhuman origin and existence in the person of the Messiah, a power alike infinite and incomprehensible to man; and we accordingly find that the beginning of natural life in the person of the second Adam, was commenced by the omnipotent operation of the power of the Highest, even by the third distinct person of the co-equally divine Trinity, the Holy Ghost, and such was the origin of life in the first Adam. With respect to the acquisition of the knowledge of good and evil, the first created pair in their own persons immediately felt a conviction of the loss of that divine innocence and immortality which their flagitious and uncalled-for rebellion against the prohibition to transgress, had justly brought upon them. They were also made sensible of that indwelling sin, the inveterate corrosion and pestilent nature of which had brought death, the wages of sin, upon themselves, and which mortal corruption of all the bodily powers of natural man has continued to constitute the just and rightful inheritance of their very naturally debased descendants. : Much of speculation has been indulged in with respect to the origin of moral and natural evil originally no wisdom but that of the Omniscient can be requisite or competent for the solution of this man-created or philosophical difficulty. The Bible is perfectly clear on this head: moral and natural evil was originated and entered into our world by the like means and the same unholy agency which had drawn away, and nurtured into open rebellion and warfare, a third part of the angels of heaven. The serpent, or Satan, styled also the prince of the power of the air, on beholding the perfect innocence and felicity of the new-made man, was moved by that same rancorous and inveterate malignity against him, on account of his obedience to Jehovah, which he had before entertained, and with open but impotent arrogance exhibited in the court of heaven; and forthwith determined to mar or destroy this highly-distinguished and hitherto immortal favourite of the Creator, in revenge and hatred for his own justly-merited fall. Man, perhaps but very lately created, was beguiled by the specious subtilty of the deceiver, and in the end willingly became the co-partner with Satan in the heinous act of guilt that ensued. On this the Creator, in vindication of his outraged and divine authority, and offended truth, exercised his own judicial power against the transgressors, as we find it detailed in holy writ, but which will be of a definitive and ever-enduring nature at the general resurrec tion. Some observations will now be made on what modern antiquaries say concerning those systems of belief in which the early inhabitants of the earth are, from sacred and profane historical authority, known to have placed their faith; and modern antiquaries of the sceptical order will be compelled to acknowledge that to whatever height of impiety the wickedness of man may have attained since the flood, the recorded and uniformly impious habits of the imaginary divinities, or as they are called in Scripture by Jehovah, "new gods newly come up," transcendently exceed the impiety of their benighted devotees, both in the possession and indulgence of all that is to be deemed most flagitiously abandoned, and wicked, as offences against common morality. And yet sceptical antiquarians of the present day speak with very evident and self-complacent satisfaction of that sapience which has enabled them in such an amazing and atonishing manner to discover that the doctrine of Christianity sprang up, comparatively speaking, as a faith of yesterday, or, at least, is of very modern growth. Truth requires that just concessions must be made, even when appearances at first sight may seem to operate against the arguments earnestly sought to be established, and, therefore Christians may readily and safely admit that Christianity is not an ancient religion, and for this single and very satisfactory reason that though antiquity connects itself with the most remote periods of the history of mankind, yet it must be bounded by the extent of time: whereas the declared purpose of the incarnation of God the Word made flesh proclaimed in the sacred text antecedently to the creation of the great progenitor of the |