This world being created and designed for a state of probation, it must necessarily continue to be such to Adam's posterity, as well as to himself. To suppose that Adam's faithfulness would have released his posterity from a state of trial, is a mistaken supposition; because a season of probation was no less necessary for them than for him: for evil still existed; and it was therefore as necessary for his posterity to gain power over it, as for himself. His faithfulness could not have released them from the trial of their own obedience, nor have secured them from the wiles of the Adversary. Each individual must therefore necessarily pass through a state of trial; and had Adam stood faithful, his posterity, even to the latest generation, while the order of nature remained, must have stood by their own obedience, or fallen by their own disobedience, to the authority of their righteous parents, who, by standing in the order of God, and keeping the Divine law, would have been God's representatives to their offspring.

Adam and Eve having, through disobedience, yielded to the influence of evil, were overcome by it; and the spirit of evil having once found an entrance, could enter again and again. They must therefore, ever after, be under the power of that evil influence, unless protected by some superior power. And as like causes produce like effects; so they begat children in their own likeness, an offspring like themselves, and under the power of the same evil influence in the work of generation. Their union and relation to their Creator was now lost. They were now forever debarred from the tree of life, which was before accessible to them, and by which they partook of the life of God, and shared communion with him, in their natural state. Having now nothing to support them in their former exalted station, they of course, fell from their relation to God, into that nature which they had indulged and gratified; the nature of lust. The rational soul having yielded its power, their animal propensities, being corrupted by the nature of the serpent, had now the preeminence over them.

Here we may clearly see the cause why it is, even to this day, that the rational soul of man is so much under the influence of his animal passions. And yet, even of this, the greater part of mankind seem to be utterly insensible, and will often imagine that they are guided in their speculations and pursuits, by the dictates of truth and right reason, while in fact, they are either led by their animal passions, or deceived by some of the propensities of a fallen nature. This is often seen, not only in the ordinary transactions of life, but also in the pursuits of religion, in the establishment of many religious institutions, in the speculations and writings of men on subjects of divinity, and may be observed in a thousand instances, even among those who are esteemed great and good men : But the tree is known by its fruit.

THE FALL, LOSS AND DEPRAVITY OF MAN, INCLUDING GOD'S PROGRESSIVE WORK, AND HIS DEALINGS WITH MAN IN HIS FALLEN STATE.

CHAPTER 1.

The cause, nature and effects of Man's loss from God. It is universally acknowledged by the professors of christianity, that in consequence of Adam's transgression, mankind are lost from God. This is so fully taught in the scriptures, and the evidence of it so visible throughout the world, that it cannot be disputed. But what was the real cause of that loss, and wherein its nature and effects are most clearly manifested, is but little considered, and still less understood. It is generally viewed, however, as a punishment inflicted on mankind, for an act of disobedience committed by their first parents. In this view, God is represented as an arbitrary despot, with his eternal and absolute decrees, imputing guilt to the whole human race, as the effect of Adam's transgression. But this doctrine, to say the least of it, is a blind impeachment of God's righteousness.

The idea that mankind are born into the world with Adam's guilt upon them, is wholly inconsistent with Divine Righteousness, and contrary to all the light of reason and revelation that ever God bestowed on man, and has no foundation in truth. Even the common sense of mankind must teach them, that it is impossible for a son to be guilty of an act of sin which was committed by his father, before he was born; and it would be considered as the height of injustice to punish the son for his father's sin. "The son shall

"not bear the iniquity of the father, neither shall the father bear "the iniquity of the son: the righteousness of the righteous shall "be upon him, and the wickedness of the wicked shall be upon "him." Yet this son might afterwards become guilty of the same sin by his own act; and in that case he would justly deserve punishment.

To say that the child of fallen parents is born in a fallen state, or under the influence of a fallen nature, is to declare the truth; but this by no means implies guilt in the child. No one will pretend that a child who is the offspring of adultery, is, on that account, chargeable with the guilt of his parents; nor would it be consistent with justice for him to suffer for the crime of his parents. But as a corrupt fountain cannot send forth pure waters, and as like causes necessarily produce like effects; so the fruit of every tree partakes of the nature of the tree which produced it. And tho the wicked act of the parents cannot be charged upon the child;

Ezek. xviii. 20

yet the child is liable, unless restrained by a superior principle, to follow the same wicked example, and bring guilt upon himself by a similar act.

This is just the situation of Adam's posterity. Those who yield to the same propensity, and follow his example, naturally run into the same act of sin, and as really partake of the forbidden fruit as Adam did; and by that means they bring the same guilt upon themselves, and are thenceforth as effectually excluded from the tree of life as Adam and Eve were. But those who are willing to yield obedience to a superior principle, and to deny themselves and take up their crosses against the propensities of that nature which they have received from their parents, are justly entitled to eat of the tree of life and live forever.

Disobedience to the positive command of God, was evidently the cause of man's fall; and his fall was the inevitable consequence of the act which he committed, of which he was forewarned at the time he was forbidden to commit it. As if a father who had a son residing in the neighborhood of an enemy, should warn his son of the danger of listening to the insinuations of that enemy, and command him not to do it at his peril. The son disobeys, and the consequences of which he was forewarned, follow of course. Here the blame and loss falls upon the son, while the father stands justified, having done his duty in warning his son of the danger. It is impossible that there should be injustice with God. A holy and righteous Being cannot tempt any of his creatures to their own destruction: it is inconsistent with his nature. "Let no man say "when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God cannot be "tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man: but every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own lust, and enticed."* The very command of God to the man was an evidence of his danger, and showed that there was an opposite influence, against which it was necessary to be guarded. The temptation to disobedience proceeded from the prince of darkness, the great enemy of souls, who found an entrance into God's creation through the serpent, the very emblem of subtilty and deception. Through the insinuations of his deceitful spirit, he infused into the animal sensations of the woman the lust of concupiscence, which she communicated to the man, and by which they were both overshadowed with darkness, and unseasonably led into the act of sexual coition; and thus they partook of the forbidden fruit.† Hence the curse which followed was denounced, and actually laid upon that nature

*Jamesi. 13, 14.

The soul having been endowed by the Creator, with sufficient power to protect the body, the animal propensities could never be overcome and made subservient to evil, until the soul had yielded to the influence of the evil spirit upon the animal propensities, and giv en up its own power to the doininion of the tempter. Having once done this, the soul could never regain its power until it had found its union to a superior Spirit, which was able to overcome the tempter and bruise the serpent's head,

which they had thus received from the serpent, and mutually indulged in themselves. And the same nature and the same curse, have both been continued down, in the line of natural generation, to this day. And this curse can never be taken off without a full and final cross against the indulgence of that same fleshly lust, and the final destruction of that nature which leads to it.

Many objections have been urged against this doctrine, as well as against the doctrine of celibacy and continence in general, which are well known to be among the principle articles of our faith. To enter fully into the discussion of this subject, and answer in a satisfactory manner, all the objections that may be raised against this doctrine, will require great plainness of speech.* But as this appears to be the most darling principle of the world, and as the greatest opposition against our faith is levelled at this particular principle; therefore, in conformity to the strict demands of light and truth, revealed in this day, it appears necessary that the covering which has so long been spread over all nations, should be taken away, and the vail removed from the face of all people.f

This vail was prefigured by the vail of the temple, which separated the entrance into the most holy place. "The vail of the templé was rent in twain" at the crucifixion of Jesus, which signified the rending of the vail of the flesh by his sufferings for sin. After that, those who faithfully followed his footsteps through mortification, and lived a spiritual life, were able to look within the vail, and to discover, in some measure, what it was which separated those who lived in the works of generation from having access to the most holy place. Yet the vail remained untaken away. "Neverthless," says the apostle, "when it shall turn to the Lord, "the vail shall be taken away," And this never could be done till the second appearing of Christ, when it was taken away by that chosen female in whom the second appearing of Christ first commenced. As the vail of darkness which hid the face of God from man, was first caused by the transgression of the first woman; so it could not be removed until it was removed by that distinguished woman, in whom was revealed the Bride of the Lamb, the first Mother of the children of the Kingdom, in the new creation.

That Adam and Eve were unseasonably led into the act of sexual coition by the lust of concupiscence, through the insinuations of the serpent, and (whatever may have been done in a figure) that this lust was, in reality, the forbidden fruit of which they partook, appears evident from the following considerations. 1. The sentence denounced upon the woman. "I will greatly "multiply thy sorrow and thy conception; in sorrow shalt thou *We would not willingly give offence to any; our only design is to show and vindicate our faith clearly on this subject, for the information of all who desire to understand it, and are willing to be benefitted by it.

See Isa. xxy. 7.

See Matt. xxvii. 51.

2 Cor, ili. 16.