Thus is most clearly shewn the end and use for which the tree of life was designed. It set forth Christ, he being the very sum and substance of the covenant of mercy: therefore he is the root, the stock, and his members the branches.

Secondly. The fruit thereof, which were twelve manner, were for meat; which may be, love, joy, peace, holiness, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance, hope, patience. But of this the christian is well assured, that these are the fruits upon which the sincere followers of Christ do constantly feed, and likewise produce, if they are walking in him. But its "leaves were for the healing of the nations." This appears to me typical of the word of God, whose leaves indeed are medicine: for, let a poor sinner's case be as desperate as it may, yet may he find some of those to suit his malady; and Christ being the tree of life, the sum and substance, the beginning and the end of that book, and all the leaves thereof testifying of him-shewing the mind and purpose of God respecting man's salvation through him, as likewise his righteous dealing with all the diversified characters of men, both individually and nationally. In such a light may the pages of holy writ be viewed as the leaves which were for medicine. And the author can say on his own behalf, that when under great trouble and distraction of mind, he has found them suitable medicine indeed as well as myriads more besides him, in all ages. But now I must say a little about the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

While man refrained from tasting of its fruit, he only knew good, and the abstaining from its fruit, was the only test of his obedience. I do not

suppose that there was any inherent property in the fruit of that tree, to communicate knowledge to him, any more than that of any other tree; but it was partaking or not partaking thereof, upon which the opening of his eyes depended-and a woeful scene did he open his eyes to, when he gratified his lust of pride at the cost of his happiness, as we shall see in his future history, which, after this necessary digression, I again resume.

THE PURPOSE FOR WHICH MAN WAS CREATED.

Verse 15. "And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the midst of the garden, to dress it and keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it for in the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die. And the Lord God said, it is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help meet for him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air, and brought them unto Adam, to see what he would call them: and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name thereof. And Adam gave names" to every living creature, &c. Another instance in which he resembled his Maker-his first act of sovereignty his taking possession of his regal office, by naming the inferior order of animals: " And whatsoever he called every living creature, that was the name thereof." It is remarkable, that every Hebrew name attached to the various living creatures, are significant of their nature, as, for

instance, the name of the hare, signifies to crop the fruit of the ground, and the name of the eagle, to tear in pieces; and I think there is no room to doubt but the Creator directed the judgment of the man to give names to every living creature, descriptive of their nature.

Whether Hebrew was the language with which Adam was inspired, I cannot pretend with a certainty to determine; but I am inclined to conclude that it was: for, notwithstanding that the universal language was confounded and split into a variety of tongues at the building of Babel, yet there can be no reasonable doubt, but one branch of Noah's family retained the original; and as the word of God is very precise in recording the pedigree of those worthies who scrupulously adhered to the true worship of him, and has caused their genealogical line from Adam, the first man, down to the birth of Christ, to be recorded, it is more than probable, yea, perfectly rational to conclude, that the oracles of truth would be handed down to posterity in that original language with which God inspired the first man.

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Verse 20. And Adam gave names to all cattle, and to the fowls of the air, and to every beast of the field: but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him"-that is a partner to help him.

THE CREATION OF WOMAN.

"And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam, and he slept: and he took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh thereof. And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man, made he a woman, and brought her

unto the man"-or, according to the original,

ויבן יהוה אלהים את הצלע אשר לקח מן האדם

"And built Jehovah Elohim, the very rib which he took from Adam N into a woman,

and brought her to Adam ויבאה אל-האדם

shewing that the man was not complete without her. "And Adam said, this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called Woman, because she was taken out of man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed."

Thus we see that the woman was made in the likeness of man, and man in the likeness of God. Therefore a man who debaseth himself, dishonours his Maker; and a man who dishonours his wife dishonours himself, and a woman who dishonours herself dishonours her husband, who is the likeness of his Maker: and the unity and love of man and wife, as ordained in the holy ordinance of marriage, is a lively type of the unity and love of Christ and his church; for, as the side of Adam was opened, and woman taken therefrom, whom Adam considered as part of himself, even so was the side of Christ pierced, and through that wound did he pour out his soul for the redemption of his church, of which he is the head, and which he has declared is one with himself, and, that "he that toucheth his church, toucheth the apple of his eye." But to the text.

"And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." They had not sinned and where no sin is, there can be no shame. Then let such persons as are proud of

their splendid apparel, know that that which they pride themselves in, is nothing else than the badge of their depravity; seeing man needed it not, until he lost the likeness of his Maker, when instantly followed shame, confusion, care, perpetual misery, and death, as the next chapter states.

MAN'S TEMPTATION AND FALL.

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Chapter 3rd. "Now the serpent was more subtle than beast of the field which the Lord God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" This passage seems to imply a previous conversation between the woman and the serpent, to which the woman answered, “We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, but of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die. And the serpent said unto the woman, Ye shall not surely die for God doth know, that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil." And the sixth verse states, that the woman took of the fruit and did eat, and gave to her husband with her, and he ate.

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Verse 7. And the eyes of them both were opened;"" and they sewed fig-leaves together, and made themselves aprons.' "" And so is it the case with men now; when their guilt is discovered, they try to cover it with some lying subterfuge from the eye of public justice. But the word of God says, "Be ye sure your sins will find you out"-and so it proved with our first parents. Verse 8. "And they heard the voice of