CHAPTER IX.

Subject Stated-Covenant of Redemption-Made after the Fall of Angels-Why after that—For whom Made-For the Lost or New Creatures?-Proof of such Covenant-Vicarious-Christ Representing Man-Terms Liberal and Prudential— Will be Approved by the Lost-Made before this World-Hermas Clear -Sustained by Paul and others-Devils knew Christ-Kingdom Prepared for the Faithful, and When-Part of the Covenant Scheme - The Mission of Messiah-A Question Propounded.

We have now reached our fifth proposition, which is: "That after they were so 'cast out,' a covenant of grace and mercy was made between the Father and the Son, in and by which it was provided that the Son should follow after those lost spirits, and offer them, on specified terms, pardon and restoration to that holy estate from which they had fallen."

If such covenant was made at all, we must believe it was done after the fall of those for whose benefit it was designed; for previous to that time they had no need of such special and extraordinary grace. And it will not do to say it was made before their apostasy and in anticipation of it, as that would involve the Deity in the imperfection of entering upon a work which was then wholly unnecessary, and which never would have been required, if He had seen fit to interfere in the matter at that time. For it would have been quite as easy for Him to have prevented their fall, before they had gone so far in sin and rebellion (for which purpose a simple act of His will would have been sufficient) as to have suffered them to go on and on, in their downward tendencies, until they had worked out their own damnation and eternal ruin, without the costly redemption which was, in pursuance of that divine

covenant, afterward purchased for them. We had as well say that such covenant was made before the creation of the angels who fell, as that it was made before their fall, for if their redemption was provided for before its necessity arose, and if that is the plan on which the great Architect of the universe works, we can see no good reason why all his work was not finished when it first began. The God revealed in the Bible has all power and wisdom, including prescience and perfection in all IIis attributes. He could, therefore, have made all His rational creatures so perfect that they never would have violated His laws. Could He not? But He did not so make them. This we know, if He made us; for we are but poor erring creatures, as the same holy Book teaches and our own observation proves.

Foreknowing that they would apostatize as they were, and not having made them more perfect, so as to prevent it, if He intended to permit them to fall away, as they did, and then to redeem them as He (to some extent and on some terms) has done, why could He not have done all that He intended ever to do for their redemption, and for any and all other purposes, at the same time? Had that been IIis plan, He could have done all His work "in the beginning," and had one eternal Sabbath of rest from all His works, running through that vast eternity spoken of by all the sacred writers, but of which our limited capacity can form no just conception. But did He do so? All nature, with one euphonious voice, cries aloud, No! and Inspiration, from Genesis to Revelation, echoes back the sound, No! no! Our blessed Savior says: "My Father worketh hitherto, and I work."-John 5: 17. As, then, the great Creator is still at work, and as He is a perfect workman, we will presume that He progresses regularly and systematically with all His work, never failing to do any thing at the right time, and doing nothing out of its regular order, and that He sits happily in quiet and ease, on His high throne in heaven, observing with His "all-seeing eye, "every motion of the vast machinery which He has set at work; and through His own chosen and effective agents

and instrumentalities, directs all things continually, as the perfection of His wisdom and plenitude of His power may, from time to time, and at all times require and enable Him to do; and never failing to carry into effect all, or any, of His divine schemes.

If He so progresses with perfect system and success, we may not suppose that He went so far ahead of the designs which He had marked out for Himself, as to redeem those which were not lost. But some one may inquire what evidence have we that any redemption has been prepared for those fallen angels? To such a question my answer would be, if that had not been done, and we were newly created beings, the argument applies to us with redoubled force. For if the Bible be true, and our souls are procreated as are our bodies, as is generally believed, a divine covenant was made for our redemption, thousands of years before we had any sort of real being whatever. Or, if the souls of all men were created when Adam was, as some think, or, if they are created each a new creature, when the body is prepared for occupation, as others say, in either view, that divine intermundane covenant was entered into for our restoration, not only before our fall, but really before we were created at all; and when it would have been just as easy for our Creator to have made us above temptation, as to have made us fallible, and then to have put us directly under the influence of the devil.

Some may think that such are the facts of the case, and yet believe that the work was well done; "very good," but I must confess my own inability so to understand it. This may be one of the results of my great stupidity; but if so, the Bible is so written as to be well calculated to mislead and deceive all persons of such humble capacity. That is hard to believe, however; for we are taught in that good Book, that it is the province of Satan to deceive, and of God to instruct.

Then, was there any such covenant? Let us see what the Scriptures say about that: "Behold, I will send my messenger, and he shall prepare the way before me and the Lord, whom ye seek, shall suddenly come to his temple,

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even the messenger of the COVENANT, whom ye delight in: behold, he shall come, saith the Lord of hosts."-Mal. 3 : 1. The messenger mentioned first in this verse is evidently John the Baptist, but that, by him who is introduced as "the Lord whom ye seek," and described as THE MESSENGER OF THE COVENANT," Jesus Christ is intended, is equally clear. In Heb. 12: 24, he is called the "Mediator of the new covenant," by which the covenant of grace was intended as distinguished from the covenant of works. God said to Noah: "But with thee I will establish my covenant." -Gen. 6: 18. To Abraham, He said: "And I will establish my covenant between me and thee and thy seed after thee, in their generations for an everlasting covenant, to be a God unto thee, and to thy seed after thee."-Gen. 17: 7, Again, in the nineteenth verse of the same chapter: "Sarah thy wife shall bear thee a son indeed; and thou shalt call his name Isaac: and I will establish my covenant with him for an everlasting covenant, and with his seed after him." As all Bible readers know, page after page could be filled with such Scriptures, were it deemed necessary; but the above must suffice for the present.

What are we to understand by "covenant" in these and other like passages? With us, it means a contract or agreement, and can only be made between two or more parties, and must relate to some particular thing or things. The word is used in a different sense in the Bible. Our covenant, to be valid, must be made with the assent of all the parties affected by it, and must be mutually binding on all, or else it is void as to each.

Observe the phraseology in which that divi covenant is always expressed. Nothing like the mutual stipulations which are uniformly contained in covenants between men are to be found in them. The language is: "Behold, I will send MY messenger;" "With thee will I establish MY COVENANT;” “I WILL establish MY COVENANT between me and thee, and thy seed after thee;" "I will establish MY COVENANT with him (Isaac) for an everlasting covenant," etc., etc. These are not the reciprocal promises and obligations which are expressed in covenants between equals, and bind both parties

to the same extent.

It is true that conditions are in some places expressed and in others implied, on compliance with which, on the part of man, the promised blessings depend; yet unlike a breach of our contracts with each other, the consequence of non-performance by one party does not operate as a release of the other; but by failure to comply with the terms expressed, man incurs a penalty, and the possibility of non-performance by the other party, so far from being provided for, is not so much as intimated.

As communicated to man, it is called a "covenant" indeed, and we must admit that it was properly so called. It is not, however, spoken of as our covenant, our contract, our agreement, but as "MY COVENANT." Then, if it belongs to one party exclusively, why is it denominated "a covenant?" My answer is, because it was, and is a covenant. Not a contract originally entered into between the great Jehovah, as one of the contracting parties, and poor, fallen, sinning man, in person, as the other; but a "covenant of grace and mercy," made between God the Father as the party offended, and God the Son (the beloved of the Father), acting as the friend and agent of man, and who voluntarily took upon himself the responsibilities and painful office of Mediator between God and man, and Redeemer of those who were already lost. Hence it was that when either the Father, by his angels, or the Son, spoke to man of the beneficent arrangement which had been made for his benefit, it was called "my my covenant.” Either could properly so claim it. "I and my Father are one," says the Savior. It was the compact of each and of both, at the same time, and either could well claim it as my covenant."

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Without stopping to discuss all, or any, of the metaphysical and mysterious questions which have so much perplexed the Christian world, as to the unity or several existence of the Father and Son, we can readily understand why they are said to be one, so far as our redemption is concerned, and it is only in that regard that we are at present interested in the question of their unity. In virtue of the covenant stipulations now under consideration, they have jointly undertaken the recovery of such of our race as may deserve such divine favor when most mercifully bestowed.