hall ever be released from prison. It is too good news to be
true. Well, shall his unbelief make the king's promise of none effect?
The king forbid; yea let the king be true, but that man a liar. But
let it be remembered that he cannot be proved a liar unless he is
liberated. Would you now go and tell that man-sir, because you will
not _believe_, you shall never come forth from prison? But do you not
perceive that by so doing you would give the king the lie? It would be
saying that his promise was good for nothing unless the man would
believe it. It would be contending that the unbelief of this prisoner
will make the king's promise of none effect.

The other two prisoners exclaim--we believe this _second_ covenant,
but it must bear some resemblance to the first which is conditional.
We believe that we shall get out of this prison if we continue to
serve the king as, we have heretofore, by keeping his commandments.--
Here are two men trusting in the _first covenant_ for deliverance.
They are trusting in the law. They are depending on their own _love
and faithfulness_ to the king for redemption, and not on the king's
_love, promise and faithfulness_ to them. Here then we see the
righteousness of the law in those two prisoners; in another we see the
effect of unbelief; and in those three who remained disobedient under
the first covenant, we see the righteousness which is of faith when
they heard the glad tidings of redemption in the second covenant.

At length the day of their redemption dawns. They are all brought to
the knowledge of the truth. Those three prisoners, who were saved by
faith in the promise during those two years of suspense, now find
their faith lost in certainty. Their salvation, by faith has come to
an end. And so has the unbelief, condemnation and doubtings of the
other three prisoners. In one word--the _belief and unbelief_ of the
six are lost in knowledge, and they burst out in songs of deliverance
So we perceive that a salvation by faith, and a condemnation in
unbelief can last no longer than till we come to the knowledge of the
truth.

Let us now apply this to the scriptures. Man sinned, and not only
involved himself in guilt and misery, but was sentenced to that very
death with which God threatened him--"Dust thou art and unto dust
shalt thou return." Here was the end of the first covenant, and the
termination of all the miseries of life. It is evident from revelation
as well as reason that man