Of old God, in patient grace, did deal with man on lower grounds than the gospel—put them under the schoolmaster up to Christ. But there was no contradiction in it. It took the ground of man's responsibility to God; and God dealt in partial temporal judgments, and even in cutting off the people, as showing the true result of being on this ground, which the gospel fully confirms, though this way of dealing be not the gospel. The former history was promise or law; the gospel is neither, but perfectly consistent with both, while putting man on another ground, and that is, redemption, where the true light on fully shine, where grace and heavenly blessing can reign through righteousness. God's way of meeting man under promise, and, still more, his way of meeting man under law, must be different from his relationship with them under redemption. But promise told that the redemption would come; and law made the need of the redemption felt, by putting mail on the ground of responsibility to god, so as to make redemption a far clearer and more felt thing, and God's goodness far more distinct and intelligible. But the unbeliever, who judges of all as one system by his own thoughts and views, insists on the variance, as if it were a contradiction, and hence all could not be divine. It is about as much sense as if I should insist on the contradiction of a mall's bringing seed, and putting it into a field, and then reaping it, and taking it all out