bones of animals, some included in stones, others in distant places, deep fissures, or on high mountains. In fact, all our petrefactions are and will continue to the end of time to be standing me. morials of it.

I now proceed to set forth the distinguish ing favor and "blessing shewn to Noah and his family, in preserving them from perishing by the flood, with his grateful sense of it, and the way in which he expressed it.

Section 1. It was indeed a most singular and distinguishing blessing shewn to Noah, out of the riches of Jehovah's grace, not only to preserve him and his, but also in giving evidence of his remembrance of them, by giving command for their coming forth out of the ark, when the ground was dry, and fit to receive them. Noah came out of the ark about the beginning of November, and became the common parent of mankind, as Adam was. From this era mankind took a new beginning, and in some respects a new condition. In the revealed account given us of Noah's way of making his acknowledgments to God, for the singular grace and blessing shewn him, and the Lord's way with him on that great occasion, we have the state of mankind set before us, and of what it hath been ever since. It is a very just observation of an excellent writer, that when Noah was directed to make the ark, he was commanded to take of every clean beast and fowl by sevens, and only the male and fe

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male of the rest: and at his coming out, we are told that he took of every clean beast and fowl, and offered them as whole burnt-offerings on the altar, which he had reared for that purpose. It is obvious from this account, that this distinction between clean and unclean, had not its first rise in what is called the ceremonial law, given by Moses, but that it had been established from the time that sacrifices were ordained a part of worship. Men, it appears, were not left at liberty to offer what they pleased, but what they were directed of God, any more than they might devise for themselves the terms of pardon and acceptance with him. This brings me to my text, which reads thus; "And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar. And the Lord smelled a sweet savor; and the Lord said in his heart, I will not again curse the ground any more for man's sake, for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth; neither will I again smite any more every thing living, as I have done. While the earth remaineth, seed time and harvest, and cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and night, shall not cease." In which we see the new world begun, with a solemn exhibition of Christ's death, as the sacrifice of atonement, and Jehovah bearing a divine testimony of its being remembered by him with unspeakable delight: "the Lord smelled a sweet savor."

Section 2. Noah's sense of the goodness of Jehovah, when he came out of the ark, must exceed, without all doubt, the utmost of our conception. He knew Christ; had been favored with vast views of him, and much free and divine communion with him before, and also during his continuance in the ark. He had both heard, pronounced, seen, and executed, the sentence of God on all flesh A deep apprehension of all which had sunk into his mind. In order to testify his faith, and express his gratitude to the eternal Three for the mercies he had received, and expected further to receive, he built an altar, and offered sacrifices thereon, which the Lord accepted, and promised to curse the earth

no more.

The cherubic emblems at the east of the garden of Eden, the word of promise, and the instituted sacrifices, were the gospel and means of grace to all the antediluvian patriarchs. Noah had been fully instructed into them by his believing cotemporaries, and enlightened into the sublime mysteries expressed and shadowed forth by them, through the light and unction of the Holy Ghost. The way of God's worship being settled, he was at no loss how to set about the performance of it: therefore he built an altar unto the Lord, and offered burnt-offerings thereon. In our text we have Noah's sacrifice, Jehovah's acceptance of it, and his promise that he will

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curse the earth no more, but will preserve theorderly course of it through all ages, unto the end of it, under which the perpetuity of the covenant of the Trinity, ratified by the blood and sacrifice of Jesus, is included: see Jer. xxxiii. 20, 21. "And Noah builded an altar unto the Lord, and took of every clean beast, and of every clean fowl, and offered burnt-offerings on the altar.

Every part of sacrificial worship, as instituted by the Lord, had in it that which was very expressive of what Christ was to be, to do, and to suffer. Though the original of it began in paradise, and was immediately upon the fall commanded, and was performed before the faces of Jehovah, or the cherubic hieroglyphic, yet the first express mention made of it in so many words is in the fourth chapter of this book. We are there informed, that Abel offered unto Jehovah; his offering was a lamb, a type of Christ, the Lamb of God. He offered it at the appointed place of worship, which was at the east of the garden of Eden, where Jehovah inhabited the cherubim; and the Lord testified his approbation of it. It is declared, "The Lord had respect unto Abel, and to his offering," ver. 4.

As sacrifices were typical of Christ, the real sacrifice for sin, so they were on particular occasions consumed by fire from heaven, as marks of God's acceptance of them, and of his wrath being satisfied; and doubtless this was the case,

though it is not expressly mentioned, when Abel offered his.

As Noah was a believer, and a prophet also, he well knew God's institution, and his will and command concerning them; and his first act recorded, on his coming out of the ark, was his offering a burnt-offering, in faith of the great propitiatory sacrifice of Immanuel, THE LORD

OUR RIGHTEOUSNESS.

He was himself the priest: he built an altar to offer on it. His offering was of every clean beast and bird. It was a burnt-offering; and was offered on the altar.

The Lord Jesus Christ is the substance and antitype of all this. He is the priest, altar, sacrifice, and peace-maker, and the prince of peace, to bestow on his church and people all the blessings of the everlasting covenant.

The altar built by Noah, was probably of earth, a law being afterwards given in Exod. xx. 24. "An altar of earth thou shalt make unto me." As the altar signified Christ, so his human nature was signified by it as made of earth. He was made of the seed of David according to the flesh, Rom. i. 3. His humanity being in union with his divinity, which sanctified the offering of it. He offered his whole person, God and man united in one Christ. The altar was, as it were, an holy place, as it sanctified the gift put on it. The altar was a sacrificatory or slaying place, as on or near it, the sacrifices were slain. It