into manifestation of the fulness, which from Eternity, was in our Only Lord, as "the Only Begotten of the Father." The exhibition of the fulness which the Son of God comprehends in Himself will occupy eternity. This wondrous visible universe, Paradise into which we hope to come after death, and high above Paradise, Heaven, and the heaven of heavens, are only a partial development of the Fulness of God, the Son. His Fulness is unsearchable. "It pleased the Father that in Him all Fulness should dwell." But the visible and invisible creations together do not display "all the Fulness of God." God's Eternal Purpose to bring His Divine Fulness into creaturely manifestation is in no fear of being exhausted. An Infinite Fulness will ever and ever be coming out to view, but will never be brought out to view.

VIII. Some of the steps in this great development are sufficiently awful, but nevertheless they are steps. Sin, whether we speak of the origin and working of it in heaven, or the propagation and working of it in the earth, is an awful mystery, as dark, as it is great.

It is direct rebellion against

God, and yet it is clearly subject to Him; and under Him, becomes a strangely, sadly interesting condition for the revelation of the mystery of the

Divine Nature.

The Father knew well the Fulness that was in His Son, but no creature knew; and had there been no sin, no misery, no want in the creation, creatures would never have had a suspicion of the treasures of mercy, humility, meekness and tenderness, hidden in Him. Wild and deep are the ruins which have come by sin, but there are deeper Helps in the Son of God than the deepest ruins.

IX. The Son of God is not a creature, but He is "The Firstborn of every creature." The ground, therefore, of every creature's being and individuality, abides in eternal integrity in Him. He is not a creation, but He is "the Beginning of the creation of God;" and the "Beginning" of the creation being Divine, and therefore neither susceptible of a fall, nor a change, the fallen creation is not without a Remedy, every way adapted and sufficient for its need. Creature and creation have fallen, but in their "Beginning," they have not fallen. In themselves they have lost their first estate, but in "The Firstborn" of every creature, nothing has lost its first estate. The Son of God then becomes the Saviour, because He is the Saviour,— the possibility of the creature's restoration is in Him alone. Every affection, principle and form

of being are in Him, not only in "their first estate," but in their Divine perfection and efficiency. The recovery of the creature is His work, because He is creation's Firstborn, or, Head of Strength. Every creature's perfection is in Him, and in Him, is in league with Almighty Power. The way to make salvation sure and certain to the creature, would be for Him to put on the creature's nature,to take part of the same,-and, delivering it from the dominion of evil powers, to restore it, not simply to its first estate, but to absolute perfection, corresponding with the Divine ground in Himself.

X. We may safely say, this "would be the way," for this is God's way. And herein we have at once the mystery of Godliness and the mystery of Atonement, revealing equally the Judgment, and the Love of God, His reconciliation to man, and His irreconcilability to sin in man. God is glorified; the inflexibility of His Holiness is demonstrated; sin has received its final death-blow in the death of Christ; (the unmingled agony of Christ, even unto death, has for ever settled the question of sin,-God is God and sin has no quarter,-His own Eternal Nature is sin's eternal damnation ;) yet Love has triumphed and man is redeemed.

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XI. Behold then, "the Beginning of the Creation of God" is also "the Ending:" the Son of God is doubly "Head over all:"-as Original Creator, He is The Head, and as Redeemer "unto the uttermost," He is The Head. As the principles of all things are not only in Him, but in Him, in their perfection and unity, He must be universal Reconciler. If any desire to know in what way He will reconcile all things, and present them in beautiful and perfect unity, as "one Body" unto the Father, has He not already shewn us the perfect pattern of the whole in the Mount? Is He not Himself the "First-fruit" of the groaning creation? As is the First-fruit, such also shall the mass be.

XII.-How can we express our worship? how can we contain our wonder and joy, that we are "joint heirs" with such an Heir? branches of such a Stock? members of such a Body,-the Body of such a Head? Who can understand the height and depth of sympathy, subsisting between our Lord and His redeemed creatures? Can the head help being in sympathy with the body? Is not the sense of the least hurt, or pain, of the remotest member, instantly present in the head? There is no surer truth than that the Son of God is afflicted

in all the afflictions of His Body, the Church. The relation between a mother and her babe is neither so close, nor so tender, as that between Christ and His redeemed. The Lord is, in a far stricter sense, the Life of the Church, than the mother is the life of her babe. Separate from Christ, the Church is no more capable of one single heavenly affection, or thought, than the body is capable of feeling, or action, without its head. 'Can a woman forget her sucking child, that she should not have compassion on the son of her womb? yea, they may forget, yet will I not forget thee."

XIII-Judge whether there is not in the Nature of the Son of God, the Eternal Ground of the Gospel to every creature. He can help, regenerate, and perfect "every creature," because the Divine Original of every creature's integrity is in Him, and in Him allied with the wisdom, goodness and might of Godhead.

XIV. In the light of this subject also, what fulness of meaning breaks through the following surprising, blessed words: "Every creature which is in heaven, and on the earth, and under the earth, and such as are in the sea, and all that are in them, I heard saying, Blessing, and Honor, and Glory, and