religion: all making up but ONE Society, of which the Bible is the statute book; Jesus Christ the head; and a covenant relation the uniting bond.

ESSAY II.

ON THE FIRST ORGANIZATION OF THE CHURCH.

In the preceding number we have proved the existence of a Visible Church Catholic; and that this is the thing intended by such scriptural phrases as "the Church of God," "the house of God," "the kingdom of heaven." But it does not more certainly exist, than it exists in virtue of a divine interposition. None but the living God could set up, protect, and govern, his own kingdom. The question is, when, and where, and how, so singular a society was instituted? The question is of moment, as being connected with interesting views of the external economy of salvation. Let us attempt to answer it.

We know by experience that the Church of God was in the world before us. So did our fathers. So did the previous generation: and in this manner the historical fact may be deduced from the days of the apostles. The "Church," therefore, has not been created since their days. Was it created then? No: the apostles found it, as we found it, older than themselves. Their writings are full of its privileges, its ordinances, and other pecu

liarities; but contain not a single hint of its originating with them. They uniformly suppose its prior establishment, and speak of it as having been long and familiarly understood. Guided by the clew which they have put into our hands, we go back to the books of the prophets, and meet the same supposition there. We proceed, with similar success, through the Levitical law, and the Sinai-covenant; we pass the age of Moses, and arrive at the Father of the faithful. Here the clew runs out. No ingenuity can follow it further. People of God there were; promises of God there were; gracious revelations, and acceptable worship of God, there were: but a Church of God, organized upon the principle of visible unity, and standing in such relation to him as it did in after ages; such a Church, before the vocation of Abram, there was not, nor any thing which bore the semblance of it. For its original organization; for the germ of that great system into which it has already grown, and shall yet grow, we must look among the transactions of that memorable period which elapsed between the call of Abram, in Ur of the Chaldees, and the birth of his son Isaac.

On the first of these occasions, Jehovah gave him a double promise:

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1. A promise of a numerous progeny, and great personal prosperity. "I will make of thee a great nation; and I will bless thee, and make thy name great, and thou shalt be a blessing; and I will bless them that bless

thee, and curse him that curseth thee."Gen. xii. 2, 3.

2. The promise of his being a medium of conveying extensive blessings to the world. "In thee shall all families of the earth be blessed."-ver. 3.

All the subsequent communications which God made to him are referrible to one of these two promises. They were both called up at different intervals, explained, expanded, and confirmed, till each of them became the basis of an appropriate covenant. Let us briefly mark their progress.

This

1. The promise of a numerous progeny is repeated with an engagement to bestow upon them the land of Canaan. Ch. xii. 7. promise was stated and confirmed in the most precise and ample terms, after Abram had separated from Lot, ch. xiii: 14—17; and finally, as he was advancing in years, and the probability of its accomplishment was proportionably diminishing, the Lord "came to him in a vision," and having cheered him with this gracious assurance, "I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward," ch. xv. 1, renewed the promise concerning his seed, as that which should come forth out of his own bowels, and be multiplied as the stars of heaven. The patriarch on this occasion so glorified the divine veracity by his unshaken, unquestioning faith, that the Scripture saith, "it was counted to him for righteousness." verse 6. The renewed promise concerning his progeny was immediately followed by a

confirmation of the grant of Canaan; and a remarkable pledge that the grant should be executed in due season. Having as he had been commanded, slain several animals, divided their bodies, and placed the sections opposite to each other, his senses were locked up to every other object, and Jehovah disclosed to him a comprehensive view of evils to come upon his family before their possession of the promised land. But their possession at the proper time was guaranteed by solemn compact. "A burning lamp," the symbol of the divine presence, "passed between those pieces" of the slain animals, in token of ratifying every stipulation belonging to the promise in question. "For in that same day, the Lord made a covenant with Abram, saying 'Unto thy seed have I given this land,' ""&c. verses 8-21.

Here is an end of all transactions for establishing the first promise. It was sealed in the covenant, and never again occurs by itself. The end of this covenant, too well defined to be mistaken, was to secure to Abram a numerous posterity, and their inheritance in the land of Canaan. Further it went not. It does not so much as mention the promise relating to the families of the earth being blessed in him. And from the minuteness with which every thing else is adjusted, it is evident that this last promise, not even hinted at, was not intended to be comprised in the covenant which secured the other. Let us proceed then.

2. Fourteen years after the date of this covenant, Jehovah appeared again to Abram, and made another covenant with him. The transaction is thus recorded in the seventeenth chapter of Genesis: "And when Abram was ninety years old and nine, the Lord appeared to Abram, and said unto him I am the Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect. And I will make my covenant between me and thee; and will multiply thee exceedingly. And Abram fell on his face: and God talked with him, saying, As for me, behold my covenant is with thee, and thou shalt be a father of many nations. Neither shall thy name any more be called Abram; but thy name shall be Abraham: for a father of many nations have I made thee. And. I will make thee exceeding fruitful, and I will make nations of thee; and kings shall come out of thee. 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. And I will give unto thee, and to thy seed after thee, the land wherein thou art a stranger, all the land of Canaan, for an everlasting possession; and I will be their God. And God said unto Abraham, Thou shalt keep my covenant therefore, thou, and thy seed after thee, in their generations. This is my covenant which ye shall keep between me and you, and thy seed after thee; Every man-child among you shall be circumcised. And ye shall circumcise the flesh of