3. In the acceptableness of his offering.

And Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the Lord. And Abel he also brought of the firstling of his

sorrows of life; and to communicate a sense of their wretchedness, when this son was born they called his name Abel, vanity, mourner, expressive of his frailty and the misery of their condition. Did he not in this pre-flock and of the fat thereof. And figure the humble state of our in- the Lord had respect to Abel carnate Redeemer, who descen- and to his offering; but unto ded from his celestial mansions Cain and to his offering he had to dwell in an house of clay, ap-not respect. By faith Abel offerpeared as a root out of dry ed unto God a more excellent ground, was a man of sorrow and sacrifice than Cain, by which he acquainted with grief, which ter- obtained witness that he was minated his life in agony, groans righteous, God testifying of his and death? gifts. Did not this firstling of Abel's flock represent that lamb of God who took away the sin of the world, and who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot unto God, in which offering he took infinite satisfaction and complacence; which was infinitely more acceptable to him than all the gifts and sacrifices of his Jewish brethren, than thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of oil? Sacrifice and offering thou didst not desire; then said I, lo I come to do thy will, O God; and he took away the first that he might establish the second. Of the acceptable

2. In his employment.

Abel was a keeper of sheep, and led a pastoral life. The flock occupied his attention and he employed himself in protecting it from ravenous beasts and devouring wolves, in leading it to green pastures, to living fountains of water and conducting it to the fold. In this did he not typify the good Shepherd, who laid down his life for the sheep; who left his father's bosom and came into the wilderness of this world to seek his sheep which were scattered and lost in the mountains, and bring them homeness of his offering God gave to to himself, as the great shepherd and bishop of souls; who gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them in his bosom, and keeps his flock by day and by night, protecting and securing it from ravenous wolves and roaring lions who go about seeking whom they may devour; who maketh it to lie down in green pastures, leadeth it beside the still waters, and maketh it to rest at noon, amidst the scorching beams of the sun, under his own refreshing shade, and will consummate his pastoral care by giving it eternal life?

all men assurance by raising him from the dead and seating him at his own right hand, by sending the holy Spirit in his gifts and graces and sealing his purchased flock to the day of redemption.

4. In being a subject of the ther Cain. envy and persecution of his bro-

The piety of Abel and the acceptableness of his offering excited the envy, the malice and resentment of his brother Cain. And Cain was very wroth and his countenance fell, and he gratified his rage by imbuing his

hands in his blood. And for | but of adoption; crying abba, Christ's zeal, for his Father's father. The happiness attainable honor, and the mighty works under it, approaches near to that which he wrought in his Father's of the heavenly world; so near name, did not his brethren of the does its land border, as it were, human race, his kinsmen accord-upon it, that believers in the ing to the flesh, hate and revile present state, are said to be him, mock and persecute him," come to mount Sion, to the even to the death of the cross? city of the living God, to the The apostle, Heb. xii. 24, con-heavenly Jerusalem, to the intrasts the blood of Christ with numerable company of angels, the blood of Abel to display its to the spirits of the just made meritorious virtue and excellent perfect," &c. Yet it is not less effects. Ye are come to the blood true, that the greater part of of sprinkling which speaketh bet- professing Christians live as tho' ter things than the blood of A- they stood upon no such ground, bel. Abel's blood declared his and possessed no such opportumurder and cried for vengeance nities. We possess an Old Testo be executed on guilty Cain ; tament spirit amidst New Testabut the blood of Jesus, while it ment advantages. A promise is speaks him crucified and slain by left us of entering into rest; but wicked hands, proclaims divine we seem at least, to come short displeasure appeased, justice pa- of it. How is this? Is it not owing, cified, vengeance suspended, God in a great degree, to the neglect propitious, pardon for the guilty, of the gospel? Having assented peace to the conscience, hope to to a system of doctrines, we fanthe desponding, and eternal life cy we know almost the whole to penitent transgressors. that is to be known upon this subject, and have nothing more to do, but to hold them fast against the errors of the times, and take heed that we do not dishonor them by an inconsistency of conduct. Hence, what is called Religious Conversation, seldom turns upon the gospel, unless any part of it be called in question; but either upon our own want of spirituality, or the pleasures that we have formerly experienced; or, perhaps, upon the talents of this or that popular preacher.

From the London Evangelical

Magazine.

Evangelical truth the grand object

of angelical research.

A meditation on 1 Peter i. 12. "Which things the angels desire to look

into."

Tis a truth, allowed by all Christians, that the dispensation under which we live, affords us far greater advantages for spirituality and heavenly enjoyment, than any other which preceded it. To us, life and immortality are brought to light. The spirit that properly belongs to it, is not a spirit of bondage,

When a company of Christians meet together, and feel a wish for improving conversation, let one of them take a Bible and read; and, as he reads, let him frequently pause, and let any one that can, make a remark, or ask a serious question, so as, upon

the whole, to promote the understanding of what is read. This would draw off the attention from less profitable things; and the blessing of the Lord attending it, would, ere we are aware, produce those holy pleasures which, while pouring over our own barrenness, we shall sigh after in vain.

Thus Mary stooped and looked into the sepulchre, in hope of discovering her Lord; and thus believers are described as looking into the perfect law of liberty, or the gospel of Christ.

In former ages, the angels employed their capacious powers on other themes. At first, the display of the divine perfections in creation, furnished them with matter for praise and gladness.

Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of Hosts: the whole earth is full of his glory!" But since the coming of the Son of God in our nature, and the laying down of his life, they appear to have been so engaged on this subject, as to be comparatively indifferent to every other. In other works of God, they had seen sometimes one perfection glorified, and sometimes another; but here all unite their beams, and form one general blaze. These are the things, therefore, which now "they desire to look into."

Tocomfort the primitive Christians, who, as well as we, were "in heaviness through mani-"The morning-stars sang tofold temptations," Peter took no gether, and the sons of God other course than to declare un- shouted for joy." Afterwards, to them the glorious truths of the providence of God, in the the gospel, and the vast advan-government of the world, entages which they had over all larged their mental boundary. others of former ages, in pos-"One cried to another, saying, sessing the knowledge of them. Three things in particular he holds up to their consideration : -1. That the prophets were to us ministering servants: "Not unto themselves, but to us did they minister things which are now reported." They sowed, that we might reap.-2. That the things which they foretold, and which we possess, were the objects of their most intense research: "Of which salvation, the prophets have enquired and searched diligently; searching what, and what manner of time" the Spirit of Christ, which was in them, did signify, when it testified before-hand of the sufferings of Christ, and the glory that should follow."-3. That such is the excellence and glory of the gospel, as not only to be the study of prophets, but of angels: "Which things the angels desire to look into."

It is generally supposed, I believe, that the phrase look into, alludes to the cherubims which were placed bending over the Mercy-seat, and looking as it were, with intenseness at it.

The powers of angels are far superior to those of men. Their means of instruction also, and long experience of divine things, must render them far more capable of understanding the gospel than we. Yet, with all their advantages and discoveries, such is the fulness of the subject, that they are at an infinite distance from comprehending it: all that is said of them is, that they "desire to look into it."

Angels were doubtless acquainted with the general design of salvation, from its first discov

The cross of Christ, instead of issuing in disgrace, is followed with glory. His friends learned to glory in it; yea, and to glorý in nothing else and well they might. It was glorious to see the powers of darkness stripped naked, as it were, to their shame; -to see Satan foiled by the woman's seed, and his schemes ex

ery to man; but the particular who created all things by Jesus way in which it should be ac- Christ, to the intent, that now complished, appears to have unto the principalities and powbeen, in a great measure, hidden ers it might be known by the from them. It was a way so church; that is, by the redempmuch above what any creature tion of the church, the manifold would have expected, that tho' wisdom of God." When the there were hints of it under the event transpired, therefore, it was Old Testament, and some very like a flood of light bursting forth plain intimations, yet it was far upon them. The resurrection of from being clearly comprehend- Christ filled all heaven with transed. The prophets, as we have port. Hence, perhaps, we may seen, did not fully understand account for the question of the their own prophecies; but dili-angel to Mary, "Woman, why gently searched into the mean-weepest thou?" q. d. “ Did you ing of them :-neither did the but know all, you would not apostles, with all their advan-weep? It is not yours to weep tages prior to the event :-nei- now, but your adversaries !" ther did evil angels, with all their subtilty; for if Satan had known that, from the death of Christ, his cause would receive so deadly a wound, it is scarcely conceivable that he would have stirred up Judas and the Jewish rulers to accomplish it. He appears to have entertained a kind of forlorn hope, that by getting him put to death in the most ig-posed to the derision of the uninominious form, and by the only religious nation upon earth, he should be able to stamp everlasting infamy upon his name, and that all after-generations would be ashamed to own him. The disappointment and unexpected shock that he and his adherents met with on this occa-guage than if the world had sion, seems plainly intimated by our Saviour's having "spoiled principalities and powers, and made a shew of them openly, triumphing over them on his cross" and though the holy angels might be supposed to un-purity in the heart --for this derstand much more than fallen ones, yet were they not equal to this subject till events made it manifest. Hence it is said, "from the beginning of the world, to have been hid in God,

verse; to see him taken in his own net, and falling into the pit that himself had digged. It was glorious to contemplate the numerous and important bearings of this one great event! By this the divine displeasure against sin is manifested in stronger lan

been made a sacrifice :-by this, a way is opened for the consistent exercise of mercy to the chief of sinners :-by a believing view of this, peace arises in the mind, and, at the same time,

he is crowned with glory and honor in the heavens, principalities and powers being made subject to him. This is the only hope of a lost world, the only medium of acceptance with

grace in exercise in this world, Davarly connected in life, and