creature. This thraldom to the great Deceiver is to be broken in no other way. O when shall the time come, that the polluting errors of the nations that know not God shall be superseded by the purifying counsels of heavenly wisdom; the noxious, though poetic, dreams of heathen mythology be forgotten in the messages of truth and love, and these victims of delusion and misery be made joyful in the glad tidings of great joy! How many more circles shall this planet of ours accomplish round the sun before these dreadful caverns of iniquity shall be invaded by the truths of God, there to combat and conquer the powers of darkness! Vigor, wisdom, courage, fidelity, self-denial, prayer, never were put in greater requisition than by the existing enterprise of Christendom to wrest these usurped domains of the adversary from him, and restore them to their rightful owner and Lord.

And how full of encouragement is the thought, that notwithstanding the deceptions of the adversary, and the extent of his power, we may triumph in his final and certain overthrow! In defiance of the convictions of our better judg ment, a sort of superstitious dread comes over us, when we call to mind that we live in a world where he who "was a murderer from the beginning," goes “to and fro in the earth, and walks up and down in it." There is one view in which this

alarm is causeless. One there is of woman born, who is "stronger than the strong man armed," and wiser than the crafty serpent. Perplex, tempt, ensnare, and depress the people of God he may; but his power over them extends not beyond this partial and temporary injury. "God shall bruise Satan under their feet shortly." Extend his ravages over this fallen world he may; but never to final conquest. "Thou shalt bruise his heel," is the utmost limit of his power. It is a great and glorious truth, that "for this purpose was the son of God manifested, that he MIGHT DESTROY THE WORKS OF THE DEVIL. The very curse which the tempter provoked upon the woman, enveloped the germ of her hopes, and contained the foreshadowing of that "promised seed" who should "bruise the serpent's head." The adversary was caught in his own snare. That vilest and most artful of his machinations, the death of the Son of God on the cross, was the most fatal to his hopes, and the surest presage of his defeat and shame. After three short days of seeming triumph over the sleeping Son of Mary in the tomb of Joseph, the manifesto was published and the war began, which is to terminate not until the "devil and his angels" are consigned to "their own place," to go no more out. Even now he durst not venture beyond the length of his chain; nor will many centuries pass away ere he is shut up within the fiery

walls of his prison, and bound forever in chains of darkness and wrath.

With joyful lips, therefore, do we proclaim the supremacy of our redeeming God and King. "Dominion is with him!" The very hostility of Satan to his great design and work, is in itself a guarantee of his triumphs. It is a contest of no doubtful issue, in which the King of Zion is engaged with the great Deceiver. "He shall reign until all enemies are put under his feet." In councils far back of the ages of time, this great question was decided; and amid scenes far beyond this changing world, and to be hereafter realized, the triumphs of the Great Conqueror shall be proclaimed in the song, "He loved us, and washed us from our sins in his own blood, and hath made us kings and priests unto God, and we shall reign with him forever and ever!"

CHAPTER XI.

Man's First Sin.

It is something more than romance, that we cannot help feeling an interest, and even a deep sympathy, in that melancholy chapter in the history of our first parents, that narrates their apostasy. Whether it be from the wonted and cherished contemplation of those truths which their apostasy presents; or whether it be that the penal consequences of this first transgression have come upon us, and, in defiance of all our philosophy, we have an instinctive and resistless consciousness of the circling chain that binds our destiny with theirs; or whether it be that for the honor of humanity, we cannot suppress the wish that they had preserved their rectitude; certain it is, that we never read this tale of woe without becoming partakers in their blighted expectations.

The time was, when, above, without, within them, there was nothing to detract from their joy. Sin had not sullied them, nor had its turbid waters

mingled with the pure current of their thoughts. There were no bodings of suspicion; recrimination and reproach had not poisoned their lips; remorse had not begun to prey upon their conscience, nor had a shade of apprehension settled upon their brow. They had no conflict with themselves, none with one another, none with the creatures around them. And what is more, nothing disturbed their sweet fellowship with their Maker; they were happy in his love; with uplifted eye and adoring heart, they beheld, praised, and enjoyed him. So beautiful is the picture, that it seems almost like fable. We can scarcely believe that we ourselves are the progeny of such innocence and joy, and that our parents were once the possessors of an inheritance so bright and unsullied.

This primeval Paradise was of short endurance; how short, God has not seen fit to reveal to us. Our first parents were not confirmed in this holy and happy state, without a previous trial of their integrity. Nor was it a severe or unwise arrangement, which thus put them upon their good behavior, placed them literally in a state of probation, and suspended their destiny upon their perfect obedience. They enjoyed the immediate and miraculous teachings of their benevolent Creator, and all those means and motives to obedience which could be furnished by the supreme authority, the instructive wisdom, and the persua