History of Presbyteriant’sm

thing that is good to him as the Great First Cause. “Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above and cometh down from the Father of Lights, with Whom is no variableness, neither shadow of turning.”

The scriptures of truth give us a view of cove- nants which God was pleased to make with men ; but these covenants were to man as developments for the times which required them, for the honor and glory of God, and for the good of his creatures, until the time should come for a clear manifestation of the covenant of grace entered into in the counsels of the Trinity from all eternity.

All that is communicated to us in the holy scrip- tures are manifestations of his divine will. The Abrahamic covenant is a part of the eternal arrange- ment of all things, and is merely a precursor of the glorious revelation afterwards to be made of the eternal covenant in which the Son of God stood as the covenant head. The Abrahamic covenant was only an intermediate step in the grand development of God’s revelation to mankind. The covenant of works was made with Adam while he was in the state of innocency, as he came perfect, as regards his humanity, from the hands of his Maker, who made all things very good. Adam was placed as lord over the lower creation; he was, therefore, in that character and capacity, a proper type, for the time being, of the Son of God, who is Lord over all blessed for ever. Adam not being the real covenant- head, but the typical, could not continue ever; there-«

23o