versaries." He gives this charge to all the disciples of Christ, "Ye wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in heavenly places. Therefore take unto you the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to withstand in the evil day, and having done all, to stand." So we are told by the Lord that "the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence, and the violent take it by force." The first great moral contrast is between the Holy and All-perfect God, who is love, and light, and "in whom there is no darkness at all," so perfectly and essentially good that He cannot even be tempted with evil; and the whole universe of created Being, men and angels and any other unknown races of rational and responsible beings, who either have actually fallen under the power of moral evil, or at least are liable so to fall, but for whom also redemption and recovery are not impossible. But here again there is a second great moral contrast between the sinless and the fallen, or those who have actually wandered from God into the paths of sin; and again, between the penitent and the impenitent, those who persevere in evil and sin presumptuously, and those who turn their face to God, and seek to return to the path from which they have wandered. This great contrast, among angels, between the elect angels and those who "sinned and left their first habitation;" and amongst men, between the "poor in spirit," the lowly and penitent, who are willing to learn of Him who is "meek and lowly in heart," and the proud, the unbelieving and profane, who turn their back to the light, and walk on wilfully in darkness; between the church of true believers and the world, is set before us through all Scripture as the summary of the moral history of our fallen race. The conflict, though it lasts for long ages, is to be followed by a sure and full triumph of redeeming mercy. The exalted Redeemer at God's right hand is now expecting until His enemies be made His footstool," and we are taught that "the earnest expectation of the creature, (or, the whole creation with outstretched neck), waiteth for the manifestation of the sons of God." 5. THE SUPREMACY OF DEATH. A last main feature and law of the economy of providence from the days of Paradise, through 6000 years, is the reign and supremacy of death, summed up in the words, "By one man's offence death reigned by one," and "by one man sin entered into the world and death by sin, and so death passed through unto all men, for that all have sinned." This dark and gloomy reign of death and the grave from age to age, our author perversely and blindly extols as the "glorious perfection and invariability of the order of nature." He is so enamoured of this "law of sin and death," that he counts any interference with its unbroken sway, by the resurrection of the Son of God Himself from the grave, "shocking to reason and to moral sense." He seems so satisfied with the world in which death reigns supreme, that he reckons any communication with the higher world, where moral laws reign supreme, to be superfluous and incredible. How far more consistent with reason, and moral sense, and true philosophy, is the double description of death which Milton, in his striking allegory, has put into the mouth of Sin and Satan. "I fled, and cried out, Death. Hell trembled at the hideous name, and sigh'd "Paradise Lost," B. ii. 788, 741. CHAPTER XX. THE WISDOM OF GOD IN REDEMPTION. CHRISTIANITY, as expounded and distorted by this author, is a theory of an abortive design of creation, and of impotent efforts to amend it. "Both the details of the scheme and the circumstances which are supposed to have led to its adoption, are shocking to reason and to moral sense, derogatory to the power and wisdom of the Creator, and degrading to the idea of His moral perfection."..." Not only is the assumption that any such revelation was necessary, excluded on philosophical grounds, but it is contradicted by the whole operation of natural laws." S. R. I. p. 49. Long ago the Apostle said, "We preach Christ crucified, to the Jews a stumbling-block and to the Greeks foolishness," but he adds, "The foolishness of God is wiser than men." I Cor. i. 23, 25. He who had been caught up into Paradise, and "heard unspeakable words, which it is not lawful for man to utter," 2 Cor. xii. 4, thus describes the real character of that message which the bats and moles' of earth account so foolish and unreasonable. "To me is this grace given that I should preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, the mystery which from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, to the intent that now unto the principalities and powers in heavenly places, might be known by the Church, the manifold wisdom of God, according to the eternal purpose which He pur posed in Christ Jesus our Lord." Eph. iii. 8—11. He expounds the secret cause of the contemptuous rejection of this mystery by earthly minded Sadducees, "The god of this world hath blinded the minds of them which believe not, lest the light of the glorious Gospel of Christ, who is the image of God, should shine unto them." 2 Cor. iv. 4. Not only the message itself, but the wisdom to discern its excellence, is a gift of Divine grace. "God who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ." v. 6. The duty of the servants of God is, with patience and "meekness to instruct those who oppose themselves, if God peradventure will give them repentance to the acknowledging of the truth, that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil." 2 Tim. ii. 25, 26. Creation is no abortive work, in which the expectations of the Creator have been wholly frustrate and disappointed. The exact reverse is the express and repeated statement of Scripture. (Acts xv. 18) "Known unto God are all His works from the beginning of the world." The redemption of the Gospel is the "eternal purpose of God;" and Christ is the "Lamb of God, who verily was fore-ordained before the foundation of the world." I Pet. i. 20. It proclaims that "hope of eternal life which God, that cannot lie, promised before the world began." Tit. i. 2. It is the "revelation of the mystery which was kept secret since the world began," but then by "the commandment of the everlasting God," the "Only wise," to whom be "glory for ever, was made known to all nations for the obedience of faith," Rom. xvi. 25-27, and "this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil." Joh. iii. 19. Let us turn from the follies and blasphemies of modern Sad ducees, enamoured of the reign of death; and observe the revealed laws and principles of that Gospel, which is the highest and noblest exhibition of the perfect wisdom and love of God, and the subject of adoring praise and devout wonder to ten thousand times ten thousand pure and perfect spirits, dwelling in light and bliss before the throne of the "blessed and only Potentate; whom no man hath seen or can see, to whom be glory and power everlasting." 1 Tim. vi. 15. (1) The first principle is the great truth proclaimed by Christ Himself, that God is the only Good Being; there is none good but one, that is God." Matt. xix. 17. This glorious and primary truth, uttered by Christ in reply to a solemn inquiry, and transmitted by the consenting evidence of more than 500 copies of each of three Evangelists, has been replaced in five copies only, of one of the three, by a human substitute which blots out this great truth and substitutes the pointless inquiry, "Why dost thou ask of me concerning the good?" This seems to imply a censure on what is most lawful and praiseworthy, for to inquire after God is one of the first of revealed duties. The great truth proclaimed by our Lord is afterwards expounded by St James, into the double maxim, that all evil is from the creature, and all good from God alone: "God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth He any man. Every good and perfect gift is from above, and cometh down from the Father of Lights." Jas. i. 13, 17. The negative truth, of evil in the creature is expounded both by the apostle and the patriarch: Rom. iii. 23, “All have sinned;" v. 12, "Death passed through unto all men, for that all have sinned;" "Behold, He put no trust in His servants, and His angels He charged with folly." Job iv. 18. "The heavens are not clean in His sight." xv. 15. "It was necessary" that" the heavenly things themselves" should be |