UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 133 



them was peculiarly adapted to the moral state 

 of the world when it was promulgated. 



" During the term of the patriarchal dispen- 

 sation, which comes first in order, it pleased God 

 to make known such a portion of his will, and to 

 dispense throughout the world such a degree of 

 knowledge of his purposes, as would have been 

 abundantly sufficient to have conducted mankind 

 to heaven, if they had not wilfully resisted the 

 benevolent offers that were made to them, and 

 turned aside from the easy path of duty that was 

 prescribed. The patriarchal dispensation was 

 evidently intended to be universal in its offers, as 

 well as in its conditions ; for Adam would of 

 course communicate to the numerous genera- 

 tions of his children, with whom he was con- 

 temporary, the knowledge, which he had himself 

 derived from direct revelation, of God's gra- 

 cious will and intentions. But this universality 

 was of short duration. Animal sacrifice appears 

 to have been appointed as a type of that mighty 

 sacrifice or atonement by which mankind were 

 to be enabled in the fulness of time to triumph 

 over their spiritual enemy j and the conduct of 

 Cain in rejecting it produced an immediate dis- 

 tinction between the servants of God and those 

 who were seduced to follow the principles of his 

 apostasy. The terms on which that general 

 atonement had been offered were neglected ; the 

 reconciliation of fallen man by means of the pro- 



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