office of mediator between God and man as soon
as man fell, because mercy began to be exercised
towards man immediately. There was mercy in the
forbearance of God, that he did not destroy him,
as he did the angels when they fell : but there is
no mercy exercised toward fallen man, but through
a mediator. If God had not in mercy restrained
Satan, he would have immediately seized on his
])rey. Christ began to do the part of an intercessor
lor man, as soon as he fell. There is no mercy ex-
ercised towards man, but what is obtained through
Christ's intercession: so that now Christ entered
on that work which he was to continue throughout
all ages of the world. From that day forward Christ
FROM THE FALL TO THE FLOOD. ID
took upon him the care of the church, in the exer-
cise of all his offices ; from thence he undertook to
teach mankind, in the exercise of his prophetical
office ; to intersede for them, in his priestly office ;
also he took upon him, the government of the
church, and of the world. He from that time
took upon him the defence of his elect from all their
enemies. When Satan, the grand enemy, had con-
quered and overthrown man, the business of resist-
ing and conquering him was committed to Christ ;
and he undertook to manage that subtle powerful
adversary. He was then appointed the captain of
their salvation, and ever after acted, and will con-
tinue to act, as such to the end of the world.
Thenceforward this w^orld, with all its concerns, was
as it were, devolved upon the Son of God : for when
man had sinned, God the Father would have no
more to do with man immediately ; but only through
a mediator ; either in teaching, in governing, or in
bestowing any benefits upon him.
And therefore, when we read in sacred history
what God did from time to time for his church and
people, and how he revealed himself to them, we
are to understand it especially of the second person
of the Trinity. When we read of God's appearing
after the fall, frequently in some visible form, or
outward symbol of his presence, we are ordinarily,
if not universally, to understand it of the Son of
God. This may be argued from John i. 18, ' No
man hath seen God at any time ; the only begotten
Son, which is in the bosom of the Father, he hath
declared him.' He is therefore called ' the image of
the invisible God,' intimating, that though God the
Father be invisible, yet Christ is his image, or re-
presentation, by which he is seen.
Yea, not only this world devolved on Christ, that
he might have the care and government of it, and
order it agreeably to his design of redemption, but
also in some respect, the whole universe. The
angels from that time were given unto him, to be
ministering spirits in this grand business ; and ac-
20 HISTORY OF REDEMPTIOX.
cordingly were so from this time, as is manifest by
the scripture history, wherein we have accounts of
their acting as such in the affairs of the church of
Christ, from time to time.
And therefore we may suppose, that immediately
on the fall, it was made known in heaven that God
had a design of redemption with respect to man ;
that Christ had now taken upon him the office and
work of a mediator between God and man ; and
that the angels were henceforward to be subservient
to him in that office : and as Christ has been, since
that time, as God-man, exalted King of heaven ;
and is thenceforward as Mediator, the Light, and the
Sun of heaven, (agreeable to Rev. xxi. 23, ' And
the city had no need of the sun, neither of the moon,
to shine in it ; for the glory of God did lighten it,
and the Lamb is the light thereof;') so the revelation
now made in heaven among the angels, was as it
were, the first dawning of this light there. When
Christ ascended into glory after his passion, and
was solemnly enthroned, then this Sun arose in hea-
ven ; but the light began to dawn immediately after
the fall.
2. Soon after this the gospel was first revealed on
earth, in these words : ' I will put enmity between
thee (the serpent) and the woman, and between thy
seed and her seed : it shall bruise thy head, and
thou shalt bruise his heel.' Gen iii. 15. We may
suppose, that God's intention of redeeming fallen
man was first signified in heaven before it was signi-
fied on earth, because the business of the angels as
ministering spirits required it, that they might be
ready immediately to serve him in that office : so
that the light first dawned in heaveif, but very soon
after was seen on earth. In those words of God
there was an intimation of another surety to be ap-
pointed for man, after the first had failed. This was
the first revelation of the covenant of grace, the first
dawn of light of the gospel upon earth.
This world before the fall enjoyed noon-daylight;
the light of tlie knowledt^c of God, of his glory, and
>
FROM THE FALL TO THE FLOOD. 21
of his favovu' : but when man fell, all this sight was
at once extinguished, and the world reduced again
to total darkness ; a darkness worse than that which
was in the beginning of the world. Gen. i. 2.
Neither men nor angels could iind out any way
whereby this might be scattered. The blackness of ^
this darkness appeared when Adam and his wife M^
knew that they were naked, and sewed fig leaves ; n^^
when they heard the voice of God walking in the ^
garden, and hid themselves among- the trees, when
God had first called them to an account, and said to
Adam, ' What is this that thou hast done ? Hast
thou eaten of the tree, whereof 1 commanded thee
that thou shouldst not eat ? ' Then we may suppose
that their hearts were filled with shame and terror.
But those words of God, Gen. iii. 15, were the first
dawning of the light of the gospel after this dark-
ness. Now first appeared some glimmering of light;
but it was an obscure revelation of the gospel, and
was not made to Adam or Eve directly, but in what
God said to the serpent. It was however very com-
prehensive, as might be easily shown, would it not
take up too much time.
Here was an intimation of a merciful design by
* the seed of the woman,' which was like the first
glimmerings of light in the east when the day dawns.
This intimation of mercy was given before sentence
was pronounced on either Adam or Eve, from ten-
derness to them, to whom God designed mercy, lest
they should be overborne with a sentence of con-
demnation, without having any thing held forth
v/hence they could gather any hope.
One of those great things that were intended to
be done by the work of redemption, is more plainly
intimated here than the rest, viz. God's subduing his
enemies under the feet of his Son, This was threat-
ened now, and God's design of it now first declared.
This was the work Christ had now undertaken,
which he soon began, has carried on, and will ac-
complish at the end of the world. Satan probably
triumphed greatly in the fall of man, as though he
22 HISTORY OF REDEMPTION.
had defeated God's designs : but in these words
God gives him a plain intimation, that he should not
finally triumph, but that a complete victory should
be obtained over him by the seed of the woman.
This revelation of the gospel was the first thing
that Christ did in his prophetic office. You may
remember, that it was said in the first of our three
propositions, that from the fall of man jto the incar-
nation of Christ, God was doing those things which
were preparatory to Christ's coming and working-
out redemption, and forerunners and earnests of it.
And one of those things which God did in this time
to prepare the way for Christ's coming into the
world, was to foretel and promise it, as he did from
time to time, from age to age, till Christ came. This
was the first promise given, the first prediction made
of it upon the earth.
3. Soon after this, the custom of sacrificing was
appointed to be a standing type of the sacrifice of
Christ till he should come, and offer up himself to
God. Sacrificing was not a custom first established
by the Levitical law ; for it had been a part of God's
instituted worship long before, even from the begin-
ning of God's visible church on earth. We read of
the patriarchs, Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, offering
sacrifice, and even before them Noah and Abel : and
this was by divine appointment ; for it was part of
God's worship in his church, and that which he ac-
cepted, when offered up in faith ; which proves it
was by his institution, for sacrificing is no part of
natural worship. The light of nature doth not teach
men to offer up beasts in sacrifice to God ; and see-
ing it was not enjoined by the law of nature, if it
was acceptable to God, it must be by some positive
command or institution : for God has declared his
abhorrence of such worship as is taught by the pre-
cepts of men, without his appointment. Isai. xxix.
13. ' Wherefore the Lord saith, Forasmuch as this
people draw near to me with their mouth, and with
their lips do honour me, but have removed their
heart far from me, and their fear towards me is
FROM THE FALL TO THE FLOOD. 23
taught by the precepts of men, therefore behold I
will proceed to do a marvellous work,' &c. And
such worship as hath not a warrant from divine in-
stitution, cannot be offered up in faith ; because
faith has no foundation where there is no divine ap-
pointment. It cannot be offered up in faith of God's
acceptance ; for man hath no warrant to hope for
God's acceptance in that which is not of his appoint-
ment, and to which he hath not promised his accep-
tance ; and therefore it follows, that the custom of
offering sacrifices to God was instituted soon after the
fall ; for the scripture teaches us, that Abel offered
' the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof,'
Gen iv. 4 ; and that he was accepted of God in this
offering. Heb. xi. 4. And there is nothing in the
story that looks as though the institution was first ,;
given when Abel offered up that sacrifice to God ; . ^ ,
but it appears as though he only therein complied J»^ J^ a
with a custom already established. ^ 1 /tf'^rf
grace ; which covenant and promise was the founda-
tion on which the custom of sacrificing was built.
Gen. iii. 15. That promise was the first stone that
was laid towards this glorious building, the work of
redemption, which will be finished at the end of the
world. And the next stone which was laid upon
that, was the institution of sacrifices, to be a type of
the great atonement. ^^
The next thing that we have an account of, after ^
God had pronounced sentence on the serpent, on the ^ ^w»
woman, and on the man, was, that God made them J^ ^ ^
coats of skins, and clothed them ; which, by the ' ^ ^ J^
generality of divines, are thought to be the skins of J |*-
beasts slain in sacrifice ; for we have no account of \^^S^
any thing else that should be the occasion of men j^JJ^'
slaying beasts, but only to offer them in sacrifices,
till after the flood. Men were not till then allowed
to eat the flesh of beasts. The food of man before
the fall, was the fruit of the trees of paradise ; and
when he was turned out of paradise after the fall,
It is very probable that sacrifice was instituted Wa^ ^.
mediatelv after God had revealed the covenant of V- »*^^H'^
24 HISTORY OF REDEMPTION,
his food was the herb of the field : * And thou slialt
eat of the herb of the field.' Gen. iii. 18. The first
grant that he had to eat flesh as his common food
M^as after the flood. Gen. xi. 3. ' Every moving
thing that liveth shall be meat for you; even as
the green herb have I given you all things.' So
that it is likely that these skins that Adam and Eve
were clothed with, were the skins of their sacrifices.
God's clothing them with these was a lively figure
of their being clothed with the righteousness of
Christ. This clothing was not of their own obtain-
ing ; but it was God that gave it them. It is said,
* God made them coats of skins, and clothed them,'
Gen xiii. 21 ; as the righteousness our naked souls
are clothed with is not our righteousness, but the
righteousness which is of God. It is he alone that
clothes the naked soul.
Our first parents, who were naked, were clothed
at the expense of life. Beasts were slain to afford
them clothing. So Christ died to afford clothing to
/ our naked souls. Thus our first parents were covered
with skins of sacrifices, as the tabernacle in the wil-
derness, which signified the church, was, when it
was covered with rams' skins dyed red, as though
they were dipped in blood, to signify that Christ's
righteousness was wrought out through the pains of
death, under which he shed his precious blood.
We observed before, that the light which the
church enjoyed from the fall of man till Christ came,
was like the light which we enjoy in the night ; not
the light of the sun directly, but as reflected from
the moon and planets ; which light did foreshow
Christ, the Sun of righteousness, which was after-
wards to arise. This light they had chiefly two
ways : one was by predictions of Christ, wherein
his coming was foretold and promised ; the other by
types and shadows, in which his coming and re-
demption were prefigured. The first thing that was
done to prepare the way for Christ in the former of
these ways, was in the promise above considered;
and the first thing of the latter kind, viz. of types,
FROM THE FALL TO THE FLOOD. '25
was the institution of sacrifices. As tliat promise,
Geii iii. 15, was the first dawn of gospel light after
the fall in prophecy ; so this institution was the first
hint of it in types. The giving of that promise was
the first thing done after the fall in tliis work, in
Christ's prophetic office ; the institution of sacrifices
was the first thing that we read of after the fall,
by which Christ exhibited himself in his priestly
office.
The institution of sacrifices was a great thing
done towards preparing the way for Christ's coming,
and working out redemption. For the sacrifices of
the Old Testament were the principal of all the Old
Testament types of Christ and his redemption ; and
it tended to establish in the minds of God's visible
church the necessity of a propitiatory sacrifice, in
order to the Deity's being satisfied for sin ; and so
prepared the way for the reception of the glorious
gospel that reveals the great sacrifice, not only in
the visible church, but through the world of man-
kind. For from this institution of sacrifices after the
fall, all nations derived the same custom. No nation,
however barbarous, has been found without it any
where. This is a great evidence of the truth of re-
vealed religion ; for no nation, but only the Jews,
could tell how they came by this custom, or to what
purpose it was to offer sacrifices to their deities.
The light of nature did not teach them any such
thing. That did not teach them that the gods were
hungry, and fed upon the flesh which they burnt in
sacrifice ; and yet they all had this custom ; of which
no other account can be given, but that they derived
it from Noah, who had it from his ancestors, on
whom God had enjoined it as a type of the great
sacrifice of Christ. However, by this means all na-
tions of the world had their minds possessed with
this notion, that an atonement or sacrifice for sin was
necessary; and a way was made for their more
readily receiving that great doctrine of the gospel,
which teaches us the atonement and sacrifice of
Christ.
26 HISTORY OF REDEMPTION.
4. God soon after the fall actually began to save
the souls of men through Christ's redemption. In
this, Christ who had lately taken upon him the work
of Mediator between God and man, did first begin
to exercise his kingly office. In the first prediction
the light of Christ's redemption first began to dawn
in the prophecies of it ; in the institution of sacri-
fices it first began to dawn in the types of it ; in
his beginning actually to save men, it first began to
dawn in the fruit of it.
It is probable, therefore, that Adam and Eve were
the first fruits of Christ's redemption ;* it is proba-
ble by God's manner of treating them, by his com-
forting them as he did, after their awakenings and
* Adam and Eve the first fridts of Clirist's redemption. Milton has
beautifully and evangelically illustrated tliis supposition in the follow-
ing manner —
They forthwith to the plaec
Repairing where he judged them, prostrate fell
Before him reverent, and both confess'd
Humbly their faults, and pardon begg'd, with tears
Watering the ground, and with their sighs the air
Frequenting, sent from hearts contrite, in sign
Of sorrow unfeign'd, and humiliation meek.
Thus they in lowliest plight repentant stood
Praying ; for from the mercy-seat ahove
Prevenient grace descending had removed
The stony from their hearts, and made new tiesh
Regenerate grow instead, that sighs now breath'd
Unutterable, which the Spirit of prayer
Inspir'd, and wing'd for heav'n with speedier (light
Than loudest oratory
To heav'n their pray'rs
Flew up, nor miss'd the way, by envious winds
Blown vagabond or frustrate ; in they pass'd
Dimensioiiless through heav'nly doors ; then clad
With incense, where the golden altar fum'd.
By their great Intercessor, came in siglit
Before the Father's throne : them the glad Son
Presenting, thus to intercede began :
See, Father, what lirst fruits on earth are sprung
From thy implanted grace in man, these sighs
And pray'ers. which in this golden censor, mix'd
With incense, I thy priest before thee bring ;
Fruits of more pleasing savour from thy seed
Sown with contrition in his heart, than those
AVhich his own hand manuring all the trees
Of Paradise could have produc'd, ere fall'n
From innocence. Now therefore bend thine car
To supplication : hear his sighs though mute.
Unskilful with what words to pray, let me
FROM THE FALL TO THE FLOOD. 27
terrors. They were awakened and ashamed with
a sense of their guilt, after their fall, when their eyes
were opened, and they saw that they were naked,
and sewed fig-leaves to cover their nakedness ; like
the sinner who under his first conviction endeavours
to hide the nakedness of his soul by a righteousness
of his own. Then they were farther awakened and
terrified by hearing the voice of God, as he was
coming to judge them. Their coverings of fig-leaves
would not answer their purpose ; for notwitlistand-
ing these, they ran to hide themselves among the
trees of the garden, not daring to trust to their fig-
leaves to hide their nakedness from God. Then
they were farther awakened by God's calling them
to a strict account. But while their terrors were
raised to such a height, and they stood, as we may
suppose, trembling and astonished before their
judge, without any thing to catch hold of, whence
they could gather hope ; then God condescended to
hold forth some encouragement to them, to keep
them from the dreadful effects of despair under their
awakenings, by giving a hint of a design of mercy
by a Saviour, even before he pronounced sentence
against them. And when, after this, he proceeded
to pronounce sentence, whereby we may suppose
their terrors were farther raised, God was pleased to
encourage them, and to let them see that he had
not wholly cast them off", by taking a fatherly care
of them, making them coats of skins and cloathing
them. This also manifested an acceptance of those
sacrifices offered to God, (of which these were the
skins) which were types of what God had promised,
when he said, ' the seed of the woman shall bruise
the serpent's head ; ' which promise, there is reason
to think, they believed and embraced. Eve seems
plainly to express her hopes in, and dependence on.
Interpret for him, me his advocate
And propitiation ; all his works on me.
Good or not ^ood, ing^raft ; my merit those
Shall perfect, and for these my death shall pay.
Far. Lost, Book x. xi.
28 HISTORY OF REDEMPTION.
that promise, at what she says at the birth of Cain,
Gen. iv. I, * I have gotten a man from the Lord;'
i. e. as God has promised, that my seed should
bruise the serpent's head ; so now has God given
me this pledge and token of it, that I have a seed
born. She plainly owns, that this her child was
from God, and hoped that her promised seed was to
be this her eldest son ; though she was mistaken,
as Abraham was with respect to Ishmael, as Jacob
w^ith respect to Esau, and as Samuel with respect to
the first-born of Jesse. Also what she said at the
birth of Seth, expresses her hope and dependence
on the promise of God ; see ver. 25. * For God
hath appointed me another seed instead of Abel,
whom Cain slew.'
Thus it is exceedingly probable, if not demonstra-
ble, that as Christ took on him the work of mediator
when man fell, so he now actually began his work
of redemption, encountered his great enemy the
devil, whom he had undertaken to conquer, and
rescued those two first captives out of his hands ;
therein baffling him soon after his triumph in the
victory he had obtained over our first parents. And
though he might be sure of them and all their pos-
terity, Christ the Redeemer soon convinced him of
his mistake, and that he was able to subdue him,
and deliver fallen man. He let him see it, in deli-
vering those first captives of his ; and so gave him
an instance of his fulfilment of that threatening,
' The seed of the woman shall bruise the serpent's
head ; ' and a presage of the fulfilment of one great
thing he had undertaken, viz. his subduing all his
enemies under his feet.
After this we have another instance of redemption
in one of their children, viz. in ' righteous Abel,' as
the scripture calls him, whose soul perhaps was the
first that went to heaven through Christ's redemp-
tion. In him we have at least the first instance
recorded in scripture of the death of a redeemed
person. If he was the first, then, as the redemption
ot Christ began to dawn ])eibre in the souls of men
FROM THE FALL TO THE FLOOD. 29
in their conversion and justification, in him it first
began to dawn in glorification, and at his death the
angels began first to act as ministering spirits to
Christ, in conducting the souls of the redeemed to
glory. And in him others in heaven had the first
opportunity of seeing so wonderful a thing, as a
human soul, that had been sunk into an abyss of sin
and misery, brought to heaven and glory; which
was a much greater thing, than if they had seen man
return to the earthly paradise. Thus they by this
saw the glorious effect of Christ's redemption, in
the great honour and happiness that was procured
for sinful, miserable creatures by it.
5. The next remarkable thing that God did in the
farther carrying on this great affair of redemption,
that I shall take notice of, was the first out-pouring
of the Spirit through Christ, which was in the days
of Enos. We read. Gen. iv. 26, * Then began men
to call upon the name of the Lord.' The meaning
of these words has been considerably controverted
among divines. We cannot suppose the meaning is,
that then men first performed the duty of prayer.
Prayer is a duty of natural religion, and a duty to
which a spirit of piety does most naturally lead men.
Prayer is, as it were, the very breath of a pious
spirit, and we cannot suppose therefore, that holy
men had lived for above two hundred years without
prayer. Therefore some divines think, that the
meaning is, that then men first began to perform
public worship, or to call upon the name of the Lord
in public assemblies. Whether it be so to be under-
stood or not, yet certainly there was now something
new in the visible church of God with respect to the
duty of prayer, or calling upon the name of the
Lord, which was the consequence of the out-pouring
of the Spirit of God.
If it was now first that men were stirred up to
meet together in assemblies, to assist one another in
seeking God so as they had never done before, it
argues something extraordinary as the cause ; and
could be from nothing but the uncommon influences
30 HISTORY OF REDEMPTION.
of God's Spirit. We may observe, that a remarkable
out-pouring of God's Spirit always produces a great
increase of prayer. When the Spirit of God begins
a work on men's hearts, it immediately sets them to
calling on the name of the Lord. As it was with
Paul after the Spirit of God had laid hold on him,
then it is said, Acts ix. 11, ' Behold he prayeth! ' So
it was in all the instances which we have any account
of in scripture ; and so will it be in the great effusion
of the Spirit in the latter days. It is foretold, that it