ran round about the whole earth, and was parted into four parts. Phison, which denotes a multitude, running into India, makes its exit into the sea, and is by the Greeks called Ganges. Euphrates also, as well as Tigris, goes down into the Red Sea.* Now the name Euphrates, or Phrath, denotes either a dispersion or a flower; by Tigris, or Diglath, is signified what is swift, with narrowness; and Geon runs through Egypt, and denotes what arises from the East, which the Greeks call Nile.

God therefore commanded that Adam and his wife should eat of all the rest of the plants, but to abstain from the tree of knowledge, and foretold to them, that if they touched it, it would prove their destruction. But while all living creatures had one languaget at that time, the serpent, which then lived together with Adam and his wife, shewed an envious disposition at his supposal of their living happily, and in obedience to the commands of God; and imagining that when they disobeyed they would fall into calamities, he persuaded the woman, out of a malicious intention, to taste of the tree of knowledge, telling them, that in that tree was the knowledge of good and evil, which knowledge when they should obtain they would lead a happy life; nay, a life not inferior to that of a god ;‡ by which means he overcame the woman, and persuaded her to despise the command of God. Now, when she had tasted of that tree, and was pleased with its fruit, she persuaded Adam to make use of it also. Upon this they perceived that they were become naked to one another; and being ashamed thus

the east; while he very well knew the literal Nile arises from the south; though what farther allegorical sense he had in view is now, I fear, impossible to be determined.

By the Red Sea is not here meant the Arabian Gulf, which alone we now call by that name, but all that South Sea which included the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, as far as the East Indies; as Reland and Hudson truly note from the old geographers.

Hence it appears, that Josephus thought several at least of the brute animals, particularly the serpent, could speak before the fall: and I think few of the more perfect kinds of those animals want the organs of speech at this day. Many inducements there are also to a notion, that the present state they are in is not their original state, and that their capacities have been once much greater than we now see them.

‡ Gen. iii. 5.

Those who take the word naked in a literal sense, suppose 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

to appear abroad, they invented somewhat to cover them, for the fruit sharpened their understanding; and they covered themselves with fig-leaves, and tying these before them, out of modesty, they thought they were happier than they were before, as they had discovered what they were in want of. But when God came into the garden,* Adam who, was wont before to come and converse with him, being conscious of his wicked behaviour, went out of the way. This behaviour surprised God: and he asked what was the cause of his procedure; and why he, that before delighted in that conversation, did now fly from, and avoid it? When he made no reply, as conscious to himself that he had transgressed the command of God, God said “I had before determined about you both, how you might lead a happy life, without any affliction, care, or vexation of soul; and that all things which might contribute to your enjoyment and pleasure should grow up by my providence, of their own accord, without your labour and pains taking: which state of labour would soon bring on old age, and death would not be at any remote distance. But now thou hast abused my goodwill, and hast disobeyed my commands; for thy silence is not the sign of thy virtue, but of thy evil conscience." However, Adam excused his sin, and intreated God not to be angry with him; and laid the blame of what was done upon his wife, and said, that he was deceived by her, and thence became an offender; while she again accused the serpent. But God allotted him punishment, because he weakly submitted to the counsel of his wife; and said, the ground should not henceforth yield its fruits scorched them, they became wet with the rain and the cold pierced them. Others take the expression in a figurative sense, to denote the commission of such sins as man in his senses may well be ashamed of. 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, the people were naked, they were become vile and reprobate sinners, (for so the word yuuvos signifies in the New Testament, Rev. xvi. 15,) for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame, among their enemies, Exod. xxxii. 25. See Nicholl's conference, vol. I. B.

Our first parents were conscious of the approach of God to them in the garden by the voice which they heard as usual from the divine presence. The word voice may be rendered noise; and since God's usual way of notifying his presence after. wards was either by a still small voice, or noise, 1 Kings xix. 12. or by a noise like that of great waters, Ezek. i. 24, or like the rustling of wind in the trees, 2 Sam. v. 24. We may reasonably suppose, 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 approach.

B.

of its own accord, but that when it should be harassed by their labour, it would bring forth some of its fruits, and refuse to bring forth others. He also made Eve liable to the inconveniency of breeding, and the sharp pains of bringing forth children; and this because she persuaded Adam with the same arguments wherewith the serpent had persuaded her, and had thereby brought him into a calamitous condition. He also deprived the serpent of speech, out of indignation at his malicious disposition towards Adam. Besides this, he inserted poison under his tongue, and made him an enemy to men; and suggested to them that they should direct their strokes against his head, that being the place wherein lay his mischievous designs towards men, and it being easiest to take vengeance of him that way; and when he had deprived him of the use of his feet, he made him to go rolling along, and dragging himself upon the ground; and when God had appointed these penalties for them, he removed Adam and Eve out of the garden* into another place.

CHAP. II.

OF THE POSTERITY OF ADAM, AND THE TEN GENERATIONS FROM HIM TO THE DELUGE.

ADAM and Eve had two sons,† the elder of them was named Cain, which name, when interpreted, signifies a possession.— The younger was Abel, which signifies sorrow. They also had daughters. Now the two brethren were pleased with different courses of life: for Abel the brother was a lover of righteousness, and believing that God was present at all his actions, he excelled in virtue, and his employment was that of a shepherd. But Cain was not only very wicked in other respects, but was wholly intent upon getting, and he first contrived to plough the ground. He slew his brother on the following occasion:-they had resolved to sacrifice to God; now Cain brought the fruits of the earth, and of his husbandry: but Abel brought milk, and the first fruits of his flocks. But God‡ was more delighted with

*Gen. iii. 23.

Gen. iv. et sequel.

St. John's account of the reason why God accepted the sacrifice of Abel, and rejected that of Cain; as also why Cain slew Abel, on account of his acceptance with God, is much better than this of Josephus; I mean, because "Cain was of the evil one, and slew his brother. And wherefore slew he him? Because bis own

the latter oblation, when he was honoured with what grew naturally of its own accord, than he was with what was the invention of a covetous man, and gotten by forcing the ground. Cain, therefore, was very angry that Abel was preferred by God before him, and he slew his brother, and hid his dead body, thinking to escape discovery. But God knowing what had been done, came to Cain, and asked him, What was become of his brother? because he had not seen him many days, whereas he used to observe them conversing together at other times. But Cain was in doubt with himself, and knew not what answer to give to God. At first he said, that he was himself at a loss about his brother's disappearing; but when he was provoked by God, who pressed him vehemently, as resolving to know what the matter was, he replied, "He was not his brother's guardian or keeper, nor was he an observer of what he did." But in return God convicted Cain, as having been the murderer of his brother, and said, "I wonder at thee, that thou knowest not what is become of a man whom thou thyself has destroyed." God however did not inflict the punishment of death upon him, on account of his offering sacrifice, and thereby making supplication to him not to be extreme in his wrath to him; but he made him accursed and threatened his posterity in the seventh generation. He also cast him, together with his wife, out of that land; and when he was afraid, that in wandering about he should fall among wild beasts, and by that means perish, God told him not to entertain such a melancholy suspicion, but to go over all the earth without fear of what mischief

works were evil, and his brother's righteous." 1 John iii. 22. Josephus's reasons seems to be no better than a Pharisaical notion or tradition.

The punishment of Cain was doubtless a severe one, but not more so than bis aggravated guilt demanded. Referring to it, Moses represents him as saying, My punishment is greater than I can bear, Gen. iv. 13, but as the Hebrew word signifies iniquity rather than punishment, and the verb signifies to be forgiven, as well as to bear, it seems to agree better with the context, to render the verse positively, my iniquity is too great to be forgiven; or by way of interrogation, is my iniquity too great to be forgiven? A learned annotator has observed that as there are seven abominations in the heart of him that loveth not his brother, Prov. xxvi. 25, there were the like number of transgressions in Cain's conduct. 1. He sacrificed without faith. 2. He was displeased that God respected him not. 3. He hearkened not to God's admonition. 4. He spake dissemblingly to his brother. 5. He killed him in the field. 6. He denied that he knew where he was. 7. He neither hoped or asked for mercy from God, but despaired, and so fell into the condemnation of the devil. Ainsworth's Annot. R.

he might suffer from wild beasts; and setting a mark upon him that he might be known, he commanded him to depart.*

When Cain had travelled over many countries, he, with his wife, built a city, named Nod,† which is a place so called, and there he settled his abode: where he also had children. However, he did not accept of his punishment in order to amendment, but to increase his wickedness; for he only aimed to procure every thing that was for his own bodily pleasure, though it obliged him to be injurious to his neighbours. He augmented his household substance with much wealth by rapine and violence; he excited his acquaintance to procure pleasure and spoils by robbery; and became a great leader of men into wicked courses. He also introduced a change in that way of simplicity wherein men lived before, and was the author of measures and weights. And whereas they lived innocently and generously while they knew nothing of such arts, he changed the world into cunning and craftiness. He first of all set boundaries about lands; he built a city, and fortified it with walls; and he compelled his family to come together to it: and called that city Enoch, after the name of his eldest son. Now Jared was the son of Enoch, whose son was Malaliel, whose son was Mathusela, whose son was Lamech, who had seventy-seven children by two wives, Silla and Ada. Of those children by Ada, one was Jubal: he erected tents, and loved the life of a shepherd. But Jubal, who was born of the same mother with him, exercised himself in music,|| and invented the psaltery and the harp. Tubal, one of his children by the other wife, exceeded all men in strength, and was very expert and famous in martial performances; he procured what tended to the pleasures of the body by that method, and first invented the art of making brass; Lamech also was the father of a daughter whose name was Naamah. And because he was so skilful in matters

* Of this punishment of Cain in the seventh generation, and of the punishment of Lamech in the seventy-seventh generation, as also of the mark set upon Cain and his posterity, see Literal Accomplishment of Scripture Prophecies, Supplement at large, page 106-134.

Gen. iv. 16.

+ Gen. iv. 17.

From this Jubal not improbably came Jobel, the trumpet of Jobel, or Jubilee : that large and loud musical instrument used in proclaiming the liberty at the Year of Jubilee.