nd consoled and encouraged his heart. But, because a ase and wicked woman uttered her malicious menaces gainst him, he trembles, he flies, he abandons his duty, Le throws aside his work, he takes his refuge in the deert, he prays that he may die. Lord, what is man! Is his the same Elijah that confronted, that defeated, that aused to be slain, four hundred and fifty idolatrous riests, whose heart, on that occasion, knew not fear? Yes, this is he; but oh! how changed! But not less asonishing is the forbearance of Heaven. "What dost

thou here, Elijah?" is all the censure which Divine enignity passes upon him; and immediately, he has reewed tokens of the presence, power, and love of Israel's God. Well might St. James affirm, that Elias was a nan of like passions with ourselves. And how often do we imitate this unwise and unworthy portion of his chaacter! Sometimes, Divine goodness, so affects, so amaces, so dissolves, so subdues us, that we determine, we never will distrust our God again. Vain determination! The first difficulty that occurs, the first temptation that ssails, the first peril that awaits us, unmans our soul; and ike Elijah, either in temper or in conduct, we act so unike ourselves, so out of character, that God puts us to hame, by the keen interrogation, "What dost thou here? thou, a child of God, who keeps his people, as the apple - of his eye; thou, a disciple of Jesus, who gathers his * brood under his wings, what dost thou here, in this un* worthy company, in these unbecoming scenes, in this Funchristian temper, in this complaining attitude, in

that we are not consumed. Amen.

ON THE CURSE PRONOUNCED AGAINST THE SERPENT, INCLU
DING THE FIRST PROMISE OF A SAVIOUR, MADE TO OUR
FIRST PARENTS.

GENESIS III. 15.

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between "thy seed and her seed: it (he) shall bruise thy head, and thou "shalt bruise his heel."

OUR text, connected with the immediately previous verse, contains the curse of God, pronounced upon the serpent, the seducer, the wicked seducer of the mother of all the human family. Subjects of fear, shame, and a sense of guilt, because of the fall, Adam and Eve had vainly attempted to hide themselves from the Lord ' amongst the trees of the garden."* "The Lord called 'unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou?"f Adam made a feeble and false apology: "I heard thy 'voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was 'naked; and I hid myself." God convicted him, and charged him with his crime in the mode of interrogaion. "Who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou 'eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou 'shouldest not eat?" Adam makes another feeble apoogy :|| "The woman whom thou gavest to be with me, 'she gave me of the tree, and I did eat." The woman,

the 16th, 17th, 18th, and 19th verses, we find the predicting curse of God, upon our mother Eve, and upon Adam, and the very ground for his sake; "because he "had hearkened unto the voice of his wife," and disobeyed his Maker. This curse of God, the consequence of sin, we find laying upon both sexes of the human race ever since, except so far as, in particular cases, it is reversed by Sovereign Providence. Some think the sentence pronounced in the text, was pronounced against the serpent as an animal; others, that it was pronounced against the Devil, who made use of the serpent as a visible instrument of his deception and malignity: others again, are of opinion, that both the animal serpent and Satan, were the objects of the curse. With these last we agree; and cannot understand the passage rationally without so doing. Among the many kinds and species of serpents in the world, it is not agreed, I believe, what kind of serpent that was, in the form of which, or by which, positively, Satan tempted our first parents to sin, and to ruin themselves. Some suppose it was the basilisk. The curious on this subject, may examine Pool's Synopsis, and other authors on Natural History.

We acknowledge uncertainty as to the kind, form, and capacity of the original subtle serpent. But from the terms of the curse, we think there is no hazard in believing, that previously to the temptation and fall of man, the serpent went erect, and eat better food than mere dust. Such a supposition, or fact, would be but a plain and proper antithesis to the last member of the 14th

"head, and thou shalt bruise his heel."

Observe, these words were spoken directly to the serpent, but in the hearing of Adam and Eve; and though they be a curse, as to the serpent, whether animally or Satanically considered, yet they contain, as far as we know, the first drop of mercy ever made known to an intelligent creation; at least, the first ever made known to man. They are Gospel-a glimmering Gospel-the first medicine applied to the despair and alienation, and to the recovery of the human heart. As the language of the text regarded man, and especially woman, it was predictive and promissory of great honour and good. Satan, in and by the serpent, had intrigued the woman, the darling wife of Adam, into his service; to procure the fall of Adam, a covenant head; and so bring the merit of damnation upon all the human kind; and, no doubt, felt an infernal gratification at his success. But, as mortification and disappointment to the devil, and commiserating, pardoning grace, to the fallen, fearful pair, God, as it were, says, 'Boast not, Satan, in your alliance with the 'woman, the immediate cause of her husband's ruin. "I will put enmity"-not continue friendship and co-operation-"between thee and the woman;" yea, more, "and between thy seed"-all thy kind, all devils and wicked men-" and her seed;" her son Jesus Christ and the true Church: "it (he,)" Christ, her seed, "shall bruise thy head"-do thee a capital injury-"destroy thy works,"* " and thou shalt "bruise his heel"-only