To stamp on man his own image, was the defign of God in creating him; to reftore that image, when loft, was the defign of God in redeeming him. Could greater honour have been done to human nature? Never may the guilt be ours of debafing our nature, and obliterating this image and fuperfcription;" a fpecies furely of treafon a gainst the majefty of heaven. Sloth will obfcure the fair impreffion; its attendants, ignorance and vice, will deftroy it. Let diligence therefore be appointed to watch over it, and to retouch, from: time to time, the lines that are faded; till, the whole ftanding confeffed in knowledge, righteoufnefs, and true holinefs, men may glorify our Father which is in heaven, while they behold his refemblance upon earth. So fhall we answer the ends of our creation and redemption, and serve our generation in the most effectual manner. And though, when this is done, we must close our eyes in death, and fleep with our fathers; yet the hour cometh, in which we fhall open them again, to "behold thy face, O God, in righteoufnefs; we fhall be fatisfied, when we awake with thy likenefs.”*.

Was Adam invefted with fovereignty over the creatures? Obferve we from hence, that man was made to rule.. Majeftic in his form, he was ordained to trample upon earth, and afpire to heaven, which, without putting a force upon nature, he cannot but behold, and regard. In the original · subjection of the creatures we fee what ought to be that of every defire and appetite, terreftrial and animal, to the ruling principle within us. The fubtlety of fome creatures, and the fierceness of others, now exhibit to us the difficulty of fubduing.

* Pf. xvii. 15.

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and governing the paffions, broken loofe, like them;. from the dominion of their mafter; infomuch, that the apostle, who afferts, that every creature may be, and has been tamed of man, yet says of one part of man, the tongue," it is a deadly evil, which no man can tame," meaning, by his own powers. Through the redemption and grace which are by Chrift Jefus, this dominion, as well as the other, is restored, not only over our own paffions, but over ftill more formidable opponents, the evil fpirits in arms against us. For thus our Lord gave his difciples power not only over the natural "ferpents and feorpions," but over fome, whose venom is of a more malignant and fatal kind; "over all the power of THE ENEMY." The apoftles returned, accordingly, crying out, "Lord, the very DEVILS are fubject unto us, through thy name !?? And we have a general promife, that, in our combats with them, God will give us victory, and bruise their leader, Satan himself, under our feet. Our Redeemer is exalted above the heavens, and human nature in the second Adam, restored to dominion over all the earth. And though, at present, the apostle's lot may be ours, to "fight with beasts," with evil men, evil paffions, and evil spirits, yet through God we fhall do great acts; it is he that fhall tread down those that rise up against us; till finally triumphant over the last enemy, and exalted to the eternal throne, we fhall view the earth beneath us, and the fun and stars shall be duft under our feet.

THE GARDEN OF EDEN.

GEN. ii. 8.

And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had formed.

IN a preceding discourse some confiderations were

offered, tending to elucidate the particulars related by Mofes concerning the origination of man; namely, the time of his formation; the refolution taken by the Deity on the occafion; the materials of which he was compofed; the divine image in which he was created; and the dominion over the creatures with which he was invested.

The words now read mark out the hiftory of that habitation in which it pleased the Almighty to place him at the beginning, for the fubject of our prefent enquiries. A fubject not only curious, but highly interesting. For if Levi be faid to have paid tythes to Melchifedek, as being in the loins of Abraham, at the time of that transaction; we may, in like manner, regard ourselves, as having taken poffeffion of Eden; being in the loins of our anceftor, when he did fo. And though it can afford but small comfort, to reflect upon the excellence of an inheritance which we have loft, it may infpire into us due fentiments of gratitude and love towards that bleffed perfon, who hath recovered it for us, And thus every confideration which en

hances.

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hances the value of the poffeffion, will proportionably magnify the goodnefs of our great benefactor.

For these reasons, we fometimes, perhaps, find ourfelves difpofed to lament the conciseness and obscurity of that account which Mofes hath left us of man's primeval eftate in paradife. But when we recollect, that to this account we owe all the information we have, upon fo important a point, it will. become us to be thankful that we have been told fo much, rather than to murmur because we have been told no more; and inftead of lamenting the obfcurity of the Mofaic account, to try whether, by diligence and attention, that obfcurity may not be, in part, difpelled. For though Mofes, hath only given us a compendious relation of facts (and facts. of the utmost importance may be related in very few words) that relation is ratified and confirmed in the Scriptures of both Teftaments, in which are found many references and allufions to it. By bringing thiefe forth to view, and comparing them together, we may poffibly be led to fome agreeable fpeculations concerning the fituation of Adam in the Garden of Eden, the nature of his employment, and the felicity he there experienced.

On a subject fo remote, and confeffedly difficult, demonstration will not be expected. Much of what is advanced, must be advanced rather as probable, than certain; and where there is little pofitive information, the candor fo often experienced will accept of fuch notices as can be obtained by inference and deduction.

When we think of Paradise, we think of it as the feat of delight. The name EDEN authorifes us fo. to do. It fignifies PLEASURE; and the idea of pleafure is infeparable from that of a Garden, where man ftill feeks after loft happiness, and where, per

haps,

haps, a good man finds the nearest resemblance of it, which this world affords. "What is requifite," exclaims a great and original genius, " to make a wife and a happy man, but reflexion and peace? And both are the natural growth of a Garden. A Garden to the virtuous is a Paradife ftill extant; a Paradife unlost.” * The culture of a Garden, as it was the first employment of man, fo it is that, to which the moft eminent perfons in different ages have retired, from the camp and the cabinet, to pass the interval between a life of action, and a removal hence. When old Dioclefian was invited from his retreat, to refume the purple which he had laid down fome years before, "Ah," faid he, "could you but see those fruits and herbs of mine own raising at Salona, you would never talk to me of empire!" An accomplished statesman of our own country, who spent the latter part of his life in this manner, hath fo well defcribed the advantages of it, that it would be injuftice to communicate his ideas in any words but his own. ther fort of abode," fays he, " seems to contribute fo much both to the tranquillity of mind, and indolence of body. The fweetnefs of the air, the pleasantnefs of the fmell, the verdure of plants, the cleannefs and lightnefs of food, the exercife of working or walking; but, above all, the exemption from care and folicitude, feem equally to favour and improve both contemplation and health, the enjoyment of fenfe and imagination, and thereby the quiet and eafe both of body and mind. A Garden has been the inclination of kings, and the choice of philofophers; the common favourite of public and private men; the pleasure of the greateft, and the care of the meaneft; an employment

* Dr Young-Centaur not fabulous. P. 61.

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