PROPOSITION I.

OF GOD AND HIS ATTRIBUTES.

66 'Hear, O Israel! The Lord our God is one Lord, and thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart and with all thy soul, and with all thy might."-Deut. vi. 4, 5.

There is one God-the Creator, and the Upholder of all things in heaven and on earth-Omnipotent !— Omniscient and Omnipresent! There are three that bear record in heaven, and these are One-the Father!-the Word !-(or the Son) and the Holy Spirit!

In the beginning was the Word—the Word was with God, and the Word was God. The worlds were framed by the Word of God: all things were made by him, and without him was nothing made that was made. The Word of God is quick and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword: it is a discerner of the thoughts and intents of the heart, neither is there any creature that is not manifest in his sight.

When John saw heaven opened in vision before him, he beheld a white horse, and He that sat upon him: "and his name is called The Word of God," which name is therefore a divine attribute.

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NOTE.-Those who are accustomed to consider "The Word," "the Word of God," and "the Bible," as synonymous terms, need only substitute one for the other in reading the above chapter, to perceive, how awfully inconsistent it is to confound, without any qualification, terms which so widely differ.

OF ADAM AND THE FALL OF MAN.

"God created man in his own image, in the image of God created he him."-Gen. i. 27.

God formed the first man, Adam, after his own likeness, and for his own glory; and he made the first woman, Eve, for an helpmeet to man. Male and female created he them-and God saw that they were good. And God gave them Eden for their inheritance, a garden of his own planting in Paradise; every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food, was there. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, "Of every tree of the garden thou mayst freely eat, but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it, for, in the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." Thus was Adam placed in Paradise, in a state of perfect innocence and happiness: he was then a spiritualminded man; he had the life of God in his soul, and God communed with him as a man with his friend.

Through disobedience to the divine command, our first parents lost this happy state: they ate of the forbidden fruit, and became carnally-minded,

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which is spiritual death. By hearkening to, and uniting with, the temptation of the great Adversary of man's innocence and happiness, SIN entered into the world, and separated Adam and Eve from their Maker, and they were driven out of Paradise from the presence of God. For what communion hath light with darkness? what concord can purity have with that which is impure? or what fellowship has God with the works of Satan? In Adam all die the spiritual death, for the carnal nature of the parents has descended to all their posterity.

All men have sinned, and fallen short of the glory of God, which Adam enjoyed before he fell; for we are by nature children of wrath, and alienated from God. In us, that is in our flesh, dwelleth no good thing.

OF REDEMPTION IN AND BY CHRIST.

"As in Adam all die, so in Christ shall all be made alive."1 Cor. xv. 22.

God is love, and in his marvellous compassion and loving-kindness, he had a merciful regard to the workmanship of his own hands which sin had so woefully marred, and we have seen and do testify, that the Father sent his Son to be the propitiation for our sins, and the justifier of him who believeth in Jesus.

The Lamb of God, slain from the foundation of the world, gave himself a free-will offering for the sins of all mankind, for without shedding of blood, there is no remission: God was in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, he willeth not the death of a sinner, but that all should return, repent and live; but he will not justify the wicked.

In the fulness of time, the Divine Word which was in the beginning, was born of a virgin; he was made flesh, and dwelt amongst men, and being found in fashion as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient unto death, even the death of the

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cross. He was wounded for our transgressions, and bruised for our iniquities, and by his stripes we are healed.

Christ was offered once for all, to bear the sins of many, and unto them that look for him will he appear the second time without sin unto salvation— he is the resurrection, the way and the life-he that hath the Son hath life, and he that hath not the Son of God hath not life.

Christ dying for us, and Christ living in us, is the very ground and pillar of truth. Being justified by his blood, we shall be saved from wrath through him, by whom we have now received the atonement. He died for our sins, the just for the unjust, and he arose again for our justification. He ascended on high, leading captivity captive, and was manifested to destroy the works of Satan. He received gifts for men, even the spirit of truth, to preserve us in the hour of temptation, and from the power of the adversary. He gave himself for us, that he might redeem us from all iniquity, and purify unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works.

If any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, even Jesus Christ the righteous, who sitteth on the throne at the Father's right hand, and is the only Mediator, Intercessor, and Saviour of men.