was made in the image and likeness of God, The place, which he then held in the scale of the creation, is beautifully described by the Pfalmift, in a strain not unfuitable for the harp of heavenly Beings: "Thou haft made him a little lower than the Angels; and haft crowned him with glory and honour. Thou haft made him to have dominion over the works of thy hands; and haft put all things in fubjection under his feet; all flocks and herds, the beafts of the field, the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the fea. O Lord our Governor, how excellent is thy name in all the world!" There was one happiness above the rest, which in this state of innocence he liberally enjoyed, that he had continued intercourfe with heavenly Beings. God himself occafionally talked with him; and all the Sons of light visited his dwellings, and formed a chain of harmony between heaven and earth. This chain conditionally was to be closer drawn. If he obeyed one prohibitory law, which was given him for the test of his integrity, he should be removed in convenient season, without tafting death, to the more immediate presence of God, and should be с affociated affociated with celeftial Natures in the bliffful exercise of praifing and magnifying God for ever. But this communion did not long fubfift, nor was this profpect long maintained. Too foon for human peace our first Parents yielded to the feductions of an enemy; and mifery followed their too fatal difobedience. God averted the light of his countenance from them, and the Sons of God no longer vifited the abodes of Men. One most unhappy confequence enfued. The guilt of their tranfgreffions entailed a moral corruption on all the human race. Nevertheless, God would not abandon his creatures to all the fatal effects of their apoftafy. In the midst of judgement he remembered mercy; which in the fulness of time he refolved to exercife, in a way that man could never have prefumed to hope. Mean while fome partial communications were indulged to mortals by the miniftry of Angels. But it was only on rare occafions, and to peculiar favourites of heaven, that an open and audible conference was allowed. They repeatedly visited the Patriarchs; they cheered them in their wanderings with the affurance of God's favour and the promife of better things to come. They were present in the ministry ministry of the Law, for that, Saint Stephen testifies, was given by the difpofition of Angels ; Saint Paul affirms, that the word of the Law was spoken by Angels ; and it has been conjectured, that a multitude of thefe heavenly Beings compofed the glory of the Divine Presence, whenever it was manifefted under that difpenfation. They also visibly appeared to fome of the Prophets. Thus Isaiah teftifies, that he faw the Lord fitting on a high and lofty throne, and his train filled the temple: And before his presence the Seraphim cried one to another in alternate fong, Holy, holy, holy is the Lord of hofts! The whole earth is full of his glory." 66 But an event of much greater importance was now drawing nigh. That scheme of divine grace, which the Father of mercies had determined in his counfels, for reftoring man to his own image, and for reconciling the world unto himself, was now to be put in execution. For this high purpose the Son of God undertook for us what we could never do for ourselves. In order to effect the miniftry of reconciliation, he confented to leave the bofom of his Father, and to d Acts vii. 53. • Heb. ii. 2. come come among us in the body of our nature. For fo it was expedient, that he might be qualified to become a Mediator between God and Man. When the fulness of time was come, God fent forth his Son, to be born indeed of a woman 5, but to be born out of the ordinary course of nature, according to the declaration of the Prophet, "Behold a Virgin fhall conceive and bear a Son h.' It had lately been the office of one of these Children of light to announce the Virgin Mary for the Mother of our Lord. And when the promised hour was come, the whole band of Angels welcomed the event with gratulations. When they faw the means of grace and the hopes of glory again expanded to the race of men, they confidered this as the dawn of a new Creation. For as far as related to the fpiritual condition of man, God herein had created all things new. And as they had originally fung to the glory of God at his creation, fo alfo at his renovation they fung to the fame effect. "Thus when he bringeth in the first begotten into the world, he faith, And let all the Angels of God worship him." € Gal. iv. 4. iRev. xxi. 5. h Ifa. vii. 14. It It was fuitable to the benignant nature of the Sons of God to impart such welcome tidings to the Sons of men. But to whom among the Sons of men fhould they impart them firft? To the wife, the noble and the great of this world? To the Sages among the Heathens, to the Scribes among the Jews, to Kings, to Captains, and to Counsellors? All this in the sentiment of men would have been moft agreeable to the dignity and honour of the Perfonage proclaimed. But the thoughts of God are not our thoughts, neither are our ways his ways. It was agreeable to his counfels in this economy of grace, that the great Mediator between God and Man fhould come into the world in the humbleft character and ftation, yet at the fame time fhould retain fufficient evidence of the divinity within him. As being the Son of God, the brightnefs of his Father's glory and the image of his person, the brightest Sons of light were employed to minifter in his fervice, and to ufher him into the world. As humbling himself to be made in the likeness of man, and even to take upon him the form of a fervant, the perfons chofen before all others to receive this truth were in 'Ifa. lv. 8. the |