The Manning times. [volume] (Manning, Clarendon County, S.C.) 1884-current, 1891-09-09

other attractive, one is harsh, the
other soft.
Fifty years ago, when I was ten
year old Sunday-school scholar, I was
aware that a Saviour for sinners had
died, but was not taught that He
had been promised, nor that the
promise was made before Adam was
driven from Eden, nor that it was re-
corded in the fifteenth verse of the
third chapter Of Genesis.
Many years afterwards catechism
was prepared for children in which
the question is asked, did the Sa-
viour come and die for sinners as soon
as the first man sinned?' and the an
swer is given No; but He promised
He would come, and He did come"
A negro boy who had been in
structed in this catechism was asked
this question, and he answered, "No;
he promised to come, but he didn't
come"
An Irishman would say, the white
boy and the black boy were just alike,
but different.
The white boy knew He had come,
but did not know that He had been
promised. The black boy knew that
He had been promised, but did not
know that He had come.
Adam was sentenced to death, but
the promise preceded the sentence.
He was driven from Eden, but he
carried the promise with him, and its
ful6llment was foreshadowed in the
Offering of Abel.
After the food the same direction
was given to Noah and his sons, that
had been given to Adam: be fruitful;
the same dominion over every living
thing; the same permission to eat of
the green herb, with the addition OF
permission to eat the flesh of animals
only excepting their blood, because it
was their life, and typifed the blood
of Christ which would bring eternal
life to man.
When the people had become scat
tered abroad upon the face OF the
earth, the promise was renewed to
Abram, and sealed with circumcision,
thus again signifying that salvation
would come by the blood Of the Sa-
viour.
The promise was renewed to Isaac
and Jacob, to Moses and the Israel
ties, and kept fresh in the minds OF
the people by types and ceremonial
observances; by the assurance that
God would send his Angel before
them, and keep them in the way;
that He would commune with them
above the mercy seat; that the taber-
nacle should be sanctifed by His
glory, and that His presence should
60 with them.
The threat of death made to Adam
before be disobeyed was conditional:
if ye eat ye shall die.
The promise to him after he DISC
beyed was unconditional; her seed
shall bruise the serpent's head. So
also the promise to Abram, in thee
shall all the families of the earth be
blessed.
When the Israelites had reached
the foot of Mount Sinai, and Gods
love and power had been fully shown,
condition was again attached; they
were told if ye will obey my voice, ye
shall be peculiar treasure. To US it
is said, if we believe we shall live for
ever.
When the Saviour came He assured
His followers, and all who should be-
lieve on Him, that He would be with
them Away, even unto the end of the
world.
After his death and resurrection,
when he was about to return to heav-
en-, he promised to send the comfort
er, the Holy Ghost, and that he would
come again and receive them to
himself, and they should be Joint
heirs with him in his Fathers King
dom, and that they should be like
God, and see him as he is.
It will be observed that there was
no special manifestation of Gods
love for Adam until aftes he DISC
beyed, and no promise of restoration
until after he confessed his guilt.
When Adam said, I did eat, and
Eve said, I did eat, God turned to
the serpent, and while pronouncing
curse upon him he promised redemp-
ton to Adam and Eve, and all their
posterity.
And this is peculiar to all his prom
ises. They are never made until
they are needed. No pardon for sin
is offered until guilt is confessed, and
the argument of unrepenting men that
God is too merciful to punish sinners
is fallacious.
Gods wrath is visited upon sin,
and if man clings to it, be must re-
ceive its punishment.
This promise OF a Saviour is the
foundation of all Gods promises to
man. All the promises of God IN
Him are Yea, and in Him Amen.
Without the promise of Saviour,
and the love therein manifested, man
can expect nothing good from his
Maker.
Without expectation Of good he
can have no hope; without hope he
can have no love; without these he
can have no faith; without faith he
can have no grace, and without grace
he can have no salvation, for by grace
be is saved through faith.
It is also peculiar to. Gods earlier
promises to men that they were to be