A. M. 1. A. C. 4004; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, 5411. GEN. CH. 3. was natural to it, was an universal harmony in all its | of bliss; that, & in his state of exile, having lost all hopes, faculties; an understanding fraught with all manner of knowledge; a will submitted to the divine pleasure; affections placed upon their proper objects; passions calm and easy; a conscience quiet and serene; resplendent holiness, perfect felicity, and a body adorned with such comeliness and majesty, as might justly challenge the rule and jurisdiction of this inferior world. and despairing of reconciliation with the Almighty, he abandoned himself to all kinds of wickedness; and, upon the creation of man, out of pure envy to the happiness which God had designed for him, resolved upon a project to draw him into disobedience, and thence into ruin and perdition; but how to put his scheme in execution was the question. The woman he perceived, as by nature more ductile and tender, was the properer subject for his temptations; but some form he was to assume, to "The If it be demanded, how much of this image is defaced, lost, or impaired; the answer is, that whatever was supernatural and adventitious to man by the be-enable him to enter into conference with her. nignity of Almighty God, (as it depended upon the condition of his obedience to the divine command,) upon the breach of that command, was entirely lost: what was perfective of his nature, such as the excellency of his knowledge, the subordination of his faculties, the tranquillity of his mind, and full dominion over other creatures, was sadly impaired: but what was essential to his nature, the immortality of his soul, the faculties of intellection and will, and the natural beauty and usefulness of his body, does still remain, notwithstanding the concussions they sustained in the fall. figure of a man was the fittest upon this occasion; but then it would have discovered the imposture, because Eve knew very well, that her husband was the only one of that species upon the face of the earth. And therefore considering, that the serpent, which before the fall was a bright and glorious creature, and (next to man) c endued 3 If it be asked, what we must do in order to repair this defaced image of God in us? the only answer we can have in this case, is, from the sacred oracles of Scripture. We must be renewed in the spirit of our mind, and put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness.' We must be followers of God as dear children; grow in grace,' be renewed in knowledge,' and 'conformed to the image of his Son,' We must 6 give all diligence to add to our faith virtue ; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly kindness; and to brotherly kindness, charity:' that we may be complete in him, who is the head of all principality and power :' and that as we have borne the image of the earthly, we may also bear the image of the heavenly Adam.' 86 SECT. III. CHAP. I.—Of the Fall of Man. THE HISTORY. THE sacred historian indeed gives us no account of Satan, the chief of the fallen angels, and grand adversary of God and man; but, from several other places in Scripture, we may learn, that he at first was made like other celestial spirits, perfect in his kind, and happy in his condition, but that, through pride or ambition, as we may suppose, falling into a crime, (whose circumstances to us are unknown,) he thence fell into misery, and, together a with his accomplices, was banished from the regions 'Hale's Origination of Mankind. Eph. v. 1. * Col. iii. 10. 7 Eph. iv. 23, 24. Rom. viii. 29. 2 Peter i. 5, &c. 1 Cor. xv. 49. a That profane, as well as sacred writers, had the same notion of the fall of wicked angels, is manifest from a tradition they had (though mixed with fable) of the Titans and Giants invading heaven, fighting against Jupiter, and attempting to depose him from his throne, for which reason he threw them down headlong into hell, where they are tormented with incessant fire; and 9 History of the Old and New Testament, by M. Martin. therefore Empedocles, in the verses recited by Plutarch, makes mention of the fate of some demons, who, for their rebellion, were, from the summit of heaven, plunged into the bottom of the great deep, there to be punished as they deserved. To which the story of Ate, who once inhabited the air, but being always hurtful to man, and therefore, hateful to God, was cast should never return again, seems not a little to allude.— Huetius down from thence, with a solemn oath and decree, that she in the Alnetan Questions, b. 2. b Our excellent Milton represents Satan within prospect of Eden, and near the place where he was to attempt his desperate enterprise against God and man, falling into doubts, and sundry passions, and then, at last, confirming himself in his wicked design. But say I could repent, and could obtain, c Milton, who is an excellent commentator upon the whole history of the fall, brings in the devil, after a long search to find out a beast proper for his purpose, concluding at last to make use of the serpent. Him, after long debate (irresolute Of thought revolv'd) his final sentence chose. To enter, and his dark suggestions hide As from his wit, and native subtilty Active within, beyond the sense of brute. tioned in Scripture, as qualities which distinguish it from other The wisdom and subtilty of the serpent are frequently menanimals; and several are the instances, wherein it is said to discover its cunning. 1. When it is old, by squeezing itself between two rocks, it can strip off its old skin, and so grows young again. 2. As it grows blind, it has a secret to recover its sight by the juice of fennel. 3. When it is assaulted, its chief care is to secure its head, because its heart lies under its throat, and very near its head. And, 4. When it goes to drink at a fountain, it first vomits up all its poison, for fear of poisoning itself as it is drinking; with some other qualities of the like nature.-Calmet's Dictionary. But a modern author of our own has given us this further reason for the devil's making use of the serpent in this affair, namely,-That as no infinite being can actuate any creature, beyond what the fitness and capacity of its organs will admit; A. M. 1. A. C. 4004; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, 5411. GEN. CH. 3. with the greatest talents of sagacity and understanding, as they were, for so slight a transgression; and that the would be no improper instrument for his purpose, he usurped the organs of one of these, and through them, he addressed himself to the woman, the first opportunity when he found her alone. After some previous compliments (as we may imagine) and congratulations of her happy state, the tempter put on an air of great concern, and seemed to interest himself not a little in her behalf, by wondering why God, who had lately been so very bountiful to them, should deny them the use of a tree, whose fruit was so tempting to the eye, so grateful to the palate, and of such sovereign quality to make them wise, and when Eve replied, that such was the divine prohibition, even under the penalty of death itself, he immediately subjoins, that such a penalty was an empty threat, and what would never be executed upon them; that God would never destroy the work of his own hands,' creatures so accomplished sole intent of this prohibition was, to continue them in their present state of dependence and ignorance, and not admit them to that extent of knowledge, and plenitude of happiness, which their eating of this fruit would confer upon them for God himself knew, that the proper use of this tree was, to illuminate the understanding, and advance all the other faculties of the soul to such a sub-' limity, that the brightest angels in heaven should not surpass them; nay that they should approximate the Deity itself, in the extent of their intellect, and independence of their being. In short, he acquainted Eve, that the jealousy of the Creator was the sole motive of his prohibition; that the fruit had a virtue to impart, e an universal knowledge to the person who tasted it; and that therefore God, who would admit of no competitor, had reserved this privilege to himself. Above all, he engaged her to fix her eyes upon the forbidden fruit; he remarked to her its pleasantness to the sight, and left her to guess so, the natural subtilty of the serpent, and perhaps the pliable- at its deliciousness. Eve, in the very midst of the tempness, and forkiness of its tongue (which we know enables other tation had a freedom of choice; but the fond conceit of creatures to pronounce articulate sounds,) added to the advan-knowing good and evil,' of becoming like God, and of tages of its form, made it the fittest instrument of delusion that can be imagined.—Revelation Examined. a Milton has very curiously described the artful and insinua ting carriage of the serpent, upon his first approach to speak to He, bolder now, uncall'd, before her stood, His fraudulent temptation thus began. The first words in his address are, Yea, hath God said, ye shall not eat,' &c., which do not look so much like the beginning, as the conclusion of a discourse, as the Jews themselves have deserved: and therefore it is not improbable, that the tempter, before he spake these words, represented himself as one of the heavenly court, who was come, or rather sent, to congratulate the happiness which God had bestowed on them in paradise; an happiness so great, that he could not easily believe he had denied tem any of the fruit of the garden.-Patrick's Commentary. changing her felicity (great indeed, but subordinate) for She, however, had no such sense of her condition; but, fancying herself already in the possession of that chimerical happiness, wherewith the devil had deluded her, she invited her husband (who not unlikely came upon her while she was eating) to partake with her. 2 The most 1 Milton. Saurin's Dissertations. d It is very well worth our observation, how ambiguous and deceitful the promise, which the tempter makes our first parents, was: for by opening the eyes,' she understood a further degree of wisdom, as the same phrase imports, Acts xxvi. 18.; and Eph. i. 18.; but he meant their perceiving their own misery, and confusion of conscience, as fell out immediately by being like gods,' she understood the happiness of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, as appears by the words of God himself, verse 22.; but he meant it of angels, (frequently styled Elohim, that is, gods,) and of such fallen angels as himself, who are called principalities and powers,' Col. ii. 15. And by knowing good and evil,' she understood a kind of divine omniscience, or knowing all manner of things, (as the phrase frequently signifies;) but he meant it, that thereby she should experience the difference between good and evil,' between happiness and misery, which she did to her cost. A method this of cunning and reserve, which he has practised in his oracular responses ever since.-Ainsworth's Annotations. e Burnet, in his Philosophical Archæology, has given us the whole dialogue (as he has framed it at least) between the serpent and Eve; which, though a little too light and ludicrous for so solemn an occasion, yet, because the book is not in every one's bands, I have thought fit to set down in a translation of his own words. "Serpent. Hail, fairest! what dost thou under this shade? Eve. I am gazing at the beauty of this tree. Serpent. It is indeed pleasant to the sight, but to the taste its fruit is much more so, hast thou yet tasted it, my mistress? Eve. Verily not, God hath forbade us the use of that tree. Serpent. What do I hear? Who is that God? who envies his own creatures the innocent delights of nature, nothing is more sweet, thing more safe than that fruit, why should he forbid it, unless by some foolish law of his own. Eve. Nay, he forbade it under penalty of death. Serpent. Undoubtedly the matter is not understood by thee, the tree possesses no deadly property, but rather something divine and beyond the usual power of nature. Eve. I cannot answer thee myself, but I will go to my husband. Serpent. Why shouldst thou interrupt thy husband for an affair of so small importance. Eve. Shall I taste the apple? how beautiful its hue, how fragrant its smell, can it have a bad e The words 'good and evil,' when applied to knowledge, flavour? Serpent. Believe me, it is food not unworthy of the comprehend every thing that is possible for man to know, for so angels, taste of it, and if the flavour be bad cast it from thee, the woman of Tekoa, in her address to king David, tells him 2 and deem me the most mendacious of liars. Eve. I will at- Sam. xiv. 17. 'as an angel of God is my lord the king, to distempt, indeed the flavour is most agreeable, thou hast not de-cern good and bad;' and that by the terms good and bad,' we ceived me, give me another that I may bear it to my husband. are to understand all things,' the 20th verse of that chapter Serpent. That's well remembered! take this one, go to thy will inform us, where she continues her compliment, and says, husband-Farewell, child of happiness, meanwhile I will glide My lord is wise, according to the wisdom of an angel, to away, she will manage the rest." B. ii. chap. 7. know all things that are on the earth.'-Le Clerc's Commentary. D 6 A. M. 1. A. C. 4004; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, 5411. GEN. CH. 3. 1 absurd arguments appear reasonable, and the most unjust desires equitable, when the person who proposes them, is beloved; the devil therefore knew very well what he did, when he made his first application to the woman. Her charms and endearments, which gave her the ascendency over her husband's affection, would be of more efficacy (he knew) than all the subtile motives which he could suggest; and therefore he made use of her to engage him in the like defection: and after some small reluctancy (as we may suppose) he, like an uxorious man, was by her entreaties prevailed on, (contrary to the sense of his duty, and convictions of his own breast,) to violate the command, merely because she had done it, and to share whatever fate God's indignation for that transgression should bring upon her. Thus the solici-those who take it in this sense, have observed farther, that by tations of the woman ruined the man, as the enchantments of the tempter ruined the woman. She held forth the fair enticing fruit to him; and he, rather than see her perish alone, chose to be involved in the same common guilt. 2 Earth trembled from her entrails, as again Sky lowr'd, and, murmuring thunder, some sad drops For as soon as they had eaten of the forbidden fruit, a' their eyes were opened,' but in a sense quite different from what the tempter had promised them, namely, to see their own folly, and the impendent miseries, and make sad reflections upon what they had done. They had acquired knowledge, indeed, but it was a knowledge arising from sorrowful experience, that the serpent had beguiled them both, and drawn them from the good of happiness and innocence, which they knew before, into the evil of sin and misery, which (until that fatal moment) they had no conception of. They saw a living God provoked; his grace and favour forfeited; his likeness and image defaced; and their dominion over other creatures withdrawn from them. They saw, very probably, the heavens grow angry and stormy; the angel of the Lord standing with his sword, threatening them with vengeance; and the devil himself, who before had seduced them, throwing off the disguise, and now openly insulting over them. They saw that they were naked ;' were stripped 1 Mede's Discourses. Milton. * Edward's Survey of Religion. 'Miller's History of the Church. a Le Clerc observes, that it is reputed an elegancy in the sacred writing to make use of the figure, which rhetoricians call antanaclasis, whereby they continue the same word or phrase that went before, though in a quite different sense; as the learned Grotius upon John i. 16., and Hammond on Matth. viii. 22. have abundantly shown; and for this reason he supposes, that Moses repeats their eyes were opened,' which the devil had used before, though he means it in a sense quite different from the former. of all their intellectual and moral ornaments; were sub- As with new wine intoxicated both, They swim in mirth, and fancy that they feel Wherewith to scorn the earth: but that false fruit Carnal desire inflaming: he on Eve Began to cast lascivious eyes, she him As wantonly repaid, in lust they burn.--Milton. c Our translation indeed tells us, that our first parents 'sewed fig-leaves together,' which gives occasion to the usual sneer, What they could do for needles and thread? But the original word tapar signifies no more than to put together, apply, or fit, as is plain from Job xvi. 15., and Ezek. xiii. 28.; and the word gneleh, which we render leaves, signifies also branches of trees, such as were to make booths or bowers, Neh. xviii. 15. So that, to adapt or fit branches (which is translated sewing leaves together) is only to twist and plat the flexible branches of the figtree round about their waists, in the manner of a Roman crown, for which purpose the fig-tree, of all others, was the most serviceable, because, as Pliny tells us, b, 16. ch. 24., it had a leaf very large or shady-Patrick's Commentary. d The word, in the translation is aprons; but since in the original it may signify any thing that covers or surrounds us, it covered with the branches of the fig-tree wherein the fallen pair may every whit as properly here be rendered a bower, or arbour, thought to have hid themselves from the sight of God; to which interpretation the subsequent verse seems to give some countenance.-Le Clerc's Commentary. Nor is Milton's description of the fig-tree uninclinable to this sense: Such as at this day spreads her arms, that it was either a soft gentle noise like a breeze of wind among the trees of paradise, or a louder one, like the murmuring of some large river, which gave Adam notice of God's approaching.-Le Clerc's Commentary. e The word voice may be equally rendered noise: and since God's usual way of notifying his presence afterwards was either by 'a small still voice or noise,' 1 Kings xix. 12., or by a noise like that of great waters,' Ezek. i. 24., or like the rustling of b Those who take the word naked' in a literal sense, sup-wind in the trees,' 2 Sam. v. 24., we may reasonably suppose, pose, that upon the fall, the air, and other elements, immediately became intemperate, and disorderly; so that our first parents soon knew, or felt, that they were naked, because the sun scorched them, the rain wet them, and the cold pierced them. -See Patrick's Commentary; and King on the Origin of Evil. But others take the expression rather in a figurative sense, namely, to denote the commission of such sins as man in his senses may well be ashamed of: and to this purpose they have observed, that when Moses returned from the mount, and found that the people had made and consecrated a golden image, the expression in Scripture is, 'That the people were naked,' that is, were become vile and reprobate sinners, (for so the word yuuves signifies in the New Testament, Rev. xvi. 15.;) for Aaron had made them naked, unto their shame, among their ƒ Milton makes Adam, upon this occasion, express himself in this manner: How shall I behold the face A. M. 1. A. C. 4004; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, 5411. GEN. CH. 3. с ception, pain in childbirth, and constant subjection to her husband's will; to the man, a life of perpetual toil and slavery; and to them both, as well as all their posterity, a temporal death at the time appointed. Nor was it mankind only which felt the sad effects of the induction of sin, but d even the inanimate part of the creation suffered by it. The fertility of the earth, and serenity of the air, were changed; the elements began to jar; the seasons were intemperate, and the weather grew uncertain: so that to defend themselves against the immoderate heat, or cold, or wind or rain, which now began to infest the earth, our first parents were instructed by God how to make themselves vestments of the skins of body, as, in the course of nature, must have occasioned the extraordinary pain here spoken of; for so we find, (that in the sentence pronounced against the serpent, against the earth, and against man, the word of God was not only declarative, but executive likewise, as producing a real change by a new modification of matter, or conformation of parts.-Revelation Examined; and Bibliotheca Biblica, vol. 1. to themselves. Their consciences set their sin before them in its blackest aspect; and, as they had then no hopes of a future mediator, so there 'remained nothing for them but a certain fearful looking for of judgment, and fiery indignation ready to devour them.' And accordingly, no sooner did they hear the sound of God's majestic presence drawing nearer and nearer to the place where they were, (which happened towards the cool of the evening,) but they immediately betook themselves to the thickest and closest places they could find in the garden, in order to hide themselves from his inspection; for so far were they fallen in their understanding, as never to reflect, that all places and things are naked and open to the eyes of him, with whom they had to do.' Out of their dark retreat, however, God calls the two criminals, who, after a short examination, acknowledged their guilt indeed, but lay the blame of it, the man upon the woman, and the woman upon the serpent: whereupon God proceeds to pronounce sentence upon them, but first of all, upon the devil, as being the prime offender. The devil had made the serpent the instrument of his c The words in the text are, In the sweat of thy face, shalt deception; and therefore a God first degrades it from thou eat bread,' ver. 19. From whence some conclude, that the the noble creature it was before this fact, to a foul creep-earth, before the fall, brought forth spontaneously, (as several of ing animal, which, instead of going erect, or flying in any pains to cultivate it; as indeed there needed none, since all the ancient poets have described the golden age,) and without the air, was sentenced to creep upon its belly, and there- things at first were, by the divine power, created in their full upon become incapable of eating any food but what was perfection. What labour would have been necessary in time, mingled with dust. And to the devil, who lay hid under if man had continued innocent, we do not know; only we may the covert of the serpent, (and therefore is not expressly required, than men are now forced to take for their sustenance. observe from the words, that less pains would then have been named,) he declares, that how much soever he might The wisdom, goodness, and justice of God, however, is very glory in his present conquest, a time should come, when conspicuous, in decreeing, that toil and drudgery should be the a child, descended from the seed of that very sex he had consequence of departing from an easy and rational obedience; now defeated, that is, the MESSIAS, should ruin all his in making the earth less desirable to man, when his guilt had reduced him to the necessity of leaving it; and in keeping in new-erected empire of sin and death; and, having order those passions and appetites which had now broke loose spoiled principalities and powers, should make a shew of from the restraint of reason, by subduing their impetuosity with them openly, triumphing over them in his cross.' This hard labour.-Patrick's Commentary; and Revelation Excould not fail of being matter of great comfort and consolation to Adam and Eve, to hear of the conquest of their malicious enemy, before their own sentences were pronounced, which to the woman, was sorrow in con 1 Col. ii. 15. 1 a Josephus, in the beginning of his Antiquities, pretends, that all creatures using the same language, and consequently being endued with reason and understanding, the serpent, excited by envy, tempted Eve to sin, and, among other things, received this signal punishment, namely, that it should be deprived of its feet, and ever after crawl upon the ground, which Aben Ezra, and several other Rabbins, confirm: but what is certain in the serpent's punishment, is this-that it actually eats the dry and dusty earth, (as Bochart and Pliny tell us,) otherwise we can hardly conceive how it could subsist in dry and sandy deserts, to which God, in a good measure, has condemned it.-Revelation Eramined. It is remarkable, that a woman is the only creature we know of, who has any sorrow in conception. This Aristotle expressly affirms, and only excepts the instance of a mare conceiving by an ass, and, in general, where there is any thing monstrous in the fetus. Other creatures, we find, are in more perfect health, and strength, and vigour, at that time, than before; but Aristotle reckons up ten different maladies, to which the woman is then naturally subject. And, as she is subject to sickness in the time of her conception, so it is farther remarkable, that she brings forth her offspring with more pain and agony than any other creature upon earth, even though she has Some advantages in her make above other creatures, that might promise her, in this case, an alleviation; and therefore we may suppose, that, upon God's saying to the woman, In sorrow thou shalt bring forth children,' a real effect did immediately accompany the word spoken, and cause such a change in the woman's amined. d Milton brings in God, soon after the fall, appointing his holy angels to make an alteration in the course of the celestial bodies, and to possess them with noxious qualities, in order to destroy the fertility of the earth, and thereby punish man for his transgression. The sun Had its first precept so to move, so shine, e It cannot be denied, but that the skins of beasts were a very ancient sort of clothing. Diodorus Siculus, b. 1., where he introduces Hercules in a lion's skin, tells us no less; and the author to the Hebrews makes mention of this kind of habit: but the Jewish doctors have carried the matter so far, as to maintain, that as Adam was a priest, this coat of his was his priestly garment which he left to his posterity: so that Abel, Noah, Abraham, and the rest of the patriarchs, sacrificed in it, until the time that Aaron was made high priest, and had peculiar vestments appointed him by God. But all this fine fiction of theirs falls to the ground, if we can but suppose with some, that by the word which we render coats, we may not improperly A. M. I. A. C. 4004; OR, ACCORDING TO HALES, 5411. GEN. CH. 3. those beasts, which, very probably, they were appointed to sacrifice, either in confirmation of the covenant of grace couched in the sentence pronounced against the serpent, or as a representation of that great expiatory sacrifice, which, in the fulness of time, God might inform them, was to be offered as a propitiation for the sins of all mankind: and, upon this account, it very likely was, that Adam changed his wife's name (who, as some think, was called Isscha before) into that of Eve, as believing that God would make her the mother of all mankind, and of the promised seed in particular, by whom he hoped for a restoration both to himself and his posterity, and to be raised from death to a state of happiness and immortal life. Considering then a what a sad catastrophe this transgression of theirs had brought upon human nature, and that such a scene of complicated misery might not be perpetuated by means of the tree of life, God in his great mercy, found it convenient to remove them from the garden of paradise into that part of the country lying understand tents, or arbours, to defend our first parents from the violence of the heats, and such hasty showers as were common in the countries adjacent to paradise, and where the winter was not so cold as to require coats made of skins, which would certainly be too warm. That they could not be the skins of slain animals is very manifest, because as yet there were no more than two of each species, male and female, nor had they propagated. And therefore others have imagined, that if the original word must mean coats, they were more probably made of the bark of trees, which are called depkata, the skins of them, as well as the hides of animals.-See Le Clerc, and Patrick's Commentary; and Bibliotheca Biblica, vol. 1. a The words in the text are these, Behold the man is be come as one of us, to know good and evil; and now, lest he put forth his hand, and taste of the tree of life, and live for ever,' Gen. iii. 22. The former of these sentences is held by most interpreters to be an irony, spoken in allusion to the devil's manner of tempting Eve, ver. 5.; but, from the latter part of the words, this question seems to arise, "Whether Adam and Eve, if they had tasted of the tree of life, after their transgression, should have lived for ever?" Now it is very manifest, that by the violation of God's command, they had justly incurred the penalty, In the day thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die,' that is, shalt surely become mortal: from whence it follows, that whether they had, or had not eaten of the tree of life, they were, the moment they fell, subject to the necessity of dying, nor could the virtue of the tree, be what it would, preserve them from the execution of the sentence; and therefore these latter words, And now, lest he put forth his hand and taste of the tree of life, and live for ever,' are, in like manner, spoken sarcastically, and as if God had said, "Lest the man should vainly fancy in himself, that by eating of the tree of life, he shall be enabled to live for ever, let us remove this conceit from him, by removing him from this place, and for ever debarring him from any hopes of coming at that tree again."-Estius on Diff. Passages. Examples of God's speaking by way of sarcasm, or upbraiding, are not uncommon in Scripture: but considering that, in 'the midst of judgment, he here thinketh upon mercy;' that before the sentence against our first parents, he promises them a restoration, and after sentence passed, does nevertheless provide them with clothing; some have thought, that the words, by taking the original verb (see Gell's Essay) to signify the time past, (as it may well enough do,) are rather an expression of pity and compassion, and of the same import as if God had said, "The man was once, like one of us, to know good and to pursue it; to know evil, and to avoid it; (for that is the perfection of moral knowledge;) but behold how he is now degenerated! And therefore, lest this degeneracy should continue upon him, and he become obdurate, the best way will be to seclude him from the tree of life, by expelling him from paradise." But this opinion seems to ascribe too much to the power of the tree, and is not supported with authority equal to the former. b towards the east, where at first he created them; and that he might prevent their meditating a return, he secured every passage leading to it with a guard of angels, (some of which flying to and fro in the air, in bright refulgent bodies, seemed to flash out fire on every side, or to resemble the vibrations of a flaming sword) that thereby he might deter them from any thoughts of ever attempting a re-entrance, until he should think fit to destroy, and utterly lay waste the beauty of the place. Thus fell our first parents, and, from the happiest condition that can be imagined, plunged themselves and their posterity into a state of wretchedness and corruption: for, as from one common root, 1'sin entered into the world, and death by sin; so death passed upon all men, forasmuch as all have sinned,' and been defiled by this original pollution. CHAP. II.-Difficulties obviated, and Objections answered. How long our first parents continued in their state of What is meant by the flaming sword represented to be in the hands of the cherubim, at the entrance of the garden of paradise, is variously conjectured by learned men: but, of all essays of this kind, that of Tertullian, who thought it was the Torrid Zone, is the most unhappy.-Tertul. Apol, ch. 47. The words of Lactantius are (Divine Justice, b. ii. ch. 12.) Ipsam paradisum igne circumvallavit, He encompassed parudise with a wall of fire: from whence a learned man of our nation, pretending that the original word signifies a dividing flame, as well as a flaming sword, supposes, that this flame was an ascension of some combustible matter round about the garden, which excluded all comers to it, till such time as the beauty of the place was defaced.-Nicholls's Conference, vol. 1. Some Rabbins are of opinion, that this flaming sword was an angel, founding their sentiments on that passage in the Psalms, where it is said, that 'God maketh his angels spirits, and his ministers a flaming fire,' Ps. civ. 4. And hereupon another learned man of our nation has imagined, that this flaming sword (which was accounted by the Jews a second angel) was of a different kind from the cherubim, namely, a seraph, or flaming angel, in the form of a flying fiery serpent, whose body vibrated in the air with lustre, and may fitly be described by the image of such a sword.-Tennison of Idolatry. |