forms of worship with tolerable exactness, and, perhaps, some of the truths intended to be circulated through them; but Adam had to commence the practice; he had to establish the custom, and give the force of parental example and authority to the continual and regular celebration of divine worship, and this he could not do with a mind alienated from God. To have left him to himself would have been to yield the victory to the tempter, and to frustrate the Creator's resolve to re-establish his own throne in the heart of man. But divine grace having awakened him to repentance and love of God, the conscience being thereby quickened to remonstrate with him whenever carelessness, neglect, or a disposition became apparent to disuse altogether the ordinances of religious worship, however the enemy might plot to corrupt them, their continuance was secured,

LECTURE IV.

EVE'S MISTAKE AS TO THE SEED-THE CHARACTER OF THE TWO BROTHERS -THE MOTIVES FOR THE PRESENTATION OF THEIR OFFERINGS-HOW AREL CAME TO OFFER A BLOODY SACRIFICE THE PROBABLE EFFECT OF CAIN'S REJECTION ON ADAM-THE NECESSITY FOR THE DEATH OF ABELTHE CHANGE IN THE REGARDS OF EVE TO CAIN-THE EFFECT OF HIS REJECTION ON CAIN-HIS PUNISHMENT, AND THE REASONS FOR IT-PART OF IT REMITTED-HIS CONVERSION.

"And Cain went out from the presence of the Lord, and dwelt in the land of Nod, on the east of Eden."-GENESIS iv., 1-16.

WE have now to examine into Adam's care to preserve the truth undefiled, and to discharge uprightly his priestly office. It is not to be supposed that the tempter would cease to thwart the Creator's purposes, and resign his prey without a struggle, when, by sin, he had obtained dominion over his victim. Two ways seemed open to him, whereby he might maintain his wicked ascendancy: either first, to obliterate from Adam's mind all recollection of the promise, and all anxiety for restoration to Eden; or, secondly, to corrupt by his subtlety the truth, and neutralize its efficacy by impure admixture with error. The benevolent care of the Creator prevented the first from being even attempted,

by the restricted discipline indirectly established by the curse of barrenness on the earth to be both a punishment and preventive of crime. The second was more easy, and, as it offered the greatest hopes of success, selected by the tempter.

The situation of Adam was now sufficiently critical. In more favoured circumstances the tempter triumphed over him: he had, then, only to obey the divine commandment which the moral purity of his nature powerfully inclined him to; but now his inclinations were to evil— his natural disposition, to forget God-and in this much worse condition he is called to contend against his intelligent and victorious enemy, and to preserve the truth confided to him, on which rested his own hopes, and those of his posterity, of a restoration to the divine favour and the happiness of Eden. Against the craft of the foe, and the corruptions of his own nature, he had one defence the leaven of divine grace, placed in his heart by the compassionate Creator-a leaven not intended to free him at once from the dominion of the devil, for this, as we have already seen, would have been inconsistent with the divine purpose, and not serviceable to him, but which would gradually release him from bondage

to the tempter and prepare him for future happiness. Before this could be accomplished, he would experience many stumbles and falls; his walk, never sinlessly perfect, would manifest many serious deviations into wilful sin; and if his personal conduct would thus be seriously affected by the influence of temptation, his character as a teacher of religion must also suffer. Here the enemy would lay his most dangerous snares, and Adam's inexperience would present him with many opportunities to do so with success. It was an interesting spectacle. Who could behold it unmoved? The first parents of mankind, fallen by sin from the divine favour and deprived of the instruction and communion with him enjoyed in their innocence, sent out to preserve for their posterity the promise of redemption, and to give the force of time, the influence of custom derived from parental example and authority to the ordinances of religious worship; to teach from their own sad experience the danger of sin, and the safety and pleasures of obedience; to curb the froward dispositions of their children, and early sow the seeds of religion in their minds. They had, indeed, much to learn themselves; they had already bitter experience of sin; another cala

mity, and one scarcely less heart-rending, awaited them, which, too, was occasioned by their own folly, but the divine goodness made it subservient to their instruction.

In this brief narrative of seventeen verses, is the record of all that it concerns us to know of the history of mankind for many years. The trifles of daily life are nearly alike in all ages; and even most stirring events are too closely connected with local and ephemeral circumstances to interest the next generation. An antiquary might be curious enough to know the rude instrument with which Adam commenced his labour for his subsistence; but curiosity is easily satiated, and a record designed to gratify it could command no permanent attention. But it is interesting to trace the first efforts of the enemy to corrupt the truth, and to see Adam once more engaged in conflict with his crafty foe. This Moses relates for our instruction.

He groups together two events, separated from each other by a distance of many years; he connects in the narrative the birth of Adam's two sons, with their coming long after to present their offerings to the Lord. There was surely some design in this. As a mere, simple fact,

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