question, therefore, that God began the development of this system at the right point, so as to make it most intelligible to the human race, and bring it most easily within the reach of their thoughts. To accomplish this, he began with the elements, laying down first principles. The whole scheme was new-beyond the range of human thought, and to be communicated by a revelation from heaven. God, therefore, must of necessity begin at the beginning, and through a period of four thousand years did He continue the work of revelation, until the book of prophecy was closed by John. The system of truth was developed gradually from age to age during this long period-developed, too, in its order, as fast as the Divine plans matured, and as the race was prepared for its reception. God began this work of instruction in the infancy of the race, and wisely adapted Himself to its feebleness and necessities, revealing truth in its simplest form, and such truth as the years of its childhood required. Redemption was a stupendous work, to be carried forward through a series of dispensations, and, from its own nature, could be developed only gradually and more fully as the end drew on. The Bible, now, is the history of that divine working, its continuous development from the germ to its perfected state. Must there not be wisdom, then, in our studying this system in the natural order, following closely upon the track of the divine revelations? Is there not a very necessity here laid upon us, if we would comprehend the elements of this subject, and go on unto perfection? Are we wiser than God, that we can improve upon His method of instruction, or afford to lose the benefit of His plan of revelation?
Yet how signally have we failed of this most simple idea in our systems of theology, which have an artificial arrangement of their own, without any reference to the