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Time as the Moon fhone in clouded Majefty, and unveiling her peerlefs Light, caft her filver Rays thro' the Night, of which fhe had the apparent Dominion; when ADAM thus addrefs'd himfelf to EVE:

FAIR Confort! the Hour of Night and all Things now being retir'd to Reft, teach us to feek like Repofe; fince God hath fet Labour and Reft to MAN fucceffiyely, as Day and Night, and the feasonable Dew of Sleep, now falling with its foft Weight, inclines our Eyes to Slumber. Other Creatures rove idle all the Day long unemploy'd, and therefore need lefs Reft, but MAN hath his daily. Work of Body or Mind appointed, which declares his Dignity, and that the Regard of Heaven is upon all his Ways: While other Animals range and rove at large, and GOD takes no Account of their Doings. To-morrow before the Break of Day, or at the firft Approach of Light, we must be up, and at our pleasant Labour, to clear yonder flowry Arbours and green Alleys, where we are us'd to walk at Noon, which are overgrown fo with Branches, that they are almoft too much for us, and require more Hands than ours to lop their wanton Growth: Thofe Bloffoms alfo, and thofe Gums that are dropt, and lie all ftrown about rough and unfightly, must be ridded away, if we think to tread with Eafe; mean Time Nature requires, and Night calls us to Reft.

To whom EvE, adorn'd with perfect Beauty, reply'd: My Author and Difpofer! what thou bidft, I without Argument obey; for fo GOD has ordain'd: GOD is thy Law, but thou art mine; to know no more is the happy Knowledge of a Woman and her Praife: When converfing with thee I forget all Time, the Seafons and their Change, for all pleafe alike: The Breath of the Morning is fweet, with the Charm of Birds that fing at its earliest Appearance; the Sun is pleasant,

pleasant, when firft he spreads his Eastern Beams up. on this delightful Land, on the Herbs, Trees, and Fruits, and Flowers fhining with Dew; the fertile Earth becomes fragrant after foft Rains, and the coming on of the grateful and mild Evening is fweet; and then the filent Night with her folemn Bird, and this fair Moon, and these the Gems of Heaven, the Stars that are in her Train; but neither the Breath of the Morning, the pleasant Sun, the fertile Earth, the mild Evening, the filent Night, nor Moon, nor Stars, are fweet without thee. But wherefore do these shine all Night long? And for whom is all this glorious Sight, when Sleep hath shut up all Eyes?

To whom our firft Anceftor reply'd: Accomplish'd Eve! Daughter of GOD and of MAN! these have their Course to finish round the Earth by Tomorrow Evening, and they fet and rife, adminiftring prepar'd Light, in Order from Land to Land, tho to Nations yet unpeopled; left total Darkness should regain its old Poffeffion, and extinguish Life and Nature in all Things; which these foft Fires not only enlighten, but alfo foment and warm, temper and nourish, with a kindly Heat of various Influence; or elfe in Part fhed down their Virtue upon all Kinds that grow upon the Earth, hereby made fitter to receive Perfection from the Sun's more powerful Ray. These then, tho' not seen in the Dead of Night, do yet rot fhine in vain; nor let us think tho' there were no MEN, that Heaven would want Spectators, or GOD want Praise; for there are Millions of fpiritual Creatures, that unfeen walk the Earth, both when we are awake and when we fleep; all thefe with never-ceafing Praise behold his Works, both Day and Night: How often from the fteep Hill that ecchoes, or from the Thickets, have we heard heavenly Voices in the Middle of the Night, finging alone, or answering one another's Song, finging their great Creator; often M

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have we heard them in Bands, while they keep Watch, or take their nightly Walk; when with hea venly Touch of Inftruments join'd in full Harmony, their Songs have divided the Night, and lifted our Thoughts up to Heaven.

TALKING in this Manner, and join'd Hand in Hand, they pafs'd on together to their happy Bower: It was a Place chofen by GOD himself, when he fram'd all Things to the delightful Use of MAN: The Roof was thick cover'd and fhaded with Laurel and Myrtle, and what grew up higher were Trees, whofe Leaves were fubftantial and fweet fmelling; on either Side grew ACANTHUS, (d) and bushy Shrubs fenc'd up the green Wall; every beautiful Flower rais'd its full-blown Head in between, Iris of all Hues, and Rofes, and Jeffamin, looking like MOSAIC (e) Work; under Foot Violets, and Crocus, and Hyacinth, richly beautify'd the Ground, and colour'd it finer than any Stone of costlieft Emblem could do: No other Creature durft enter here, neither Beaft, Bird, Infect, or Worm, fuch Awe did they ftand in of MAN; PAN nor SYLVANUS (f) were never feign'd to have flept, nor Nymph nor Faun have haunted in a fhady Bower more facred and retired: Here in clofe Recefs Ev E, after being efpous'd to ADAM, firft deck'd her nuptial Bed with Flowers and Garlands, and fweet-fmelling Herbs; and the heavenly Choir fung the Marriage Song, what Day the friendly

(2) Acanthus; Lat. Gr. i. e. A Prickle or Thorn: Because many Thorns grow about it. A Tree or a Shrub with a long and a large Leaf turning in.

(e) Mofaic; Fr. Ita. Lat. Gr. A T. of Archit. A curiousWork of many little Stones of different Colours, inlaid or joined toge. ther upon a Bottom of Plaiiter,

of Paris, upon Walls or Floors, representing Flowers of divers Shapes, Chequer Work.

(f) Sylvanus; Lat Gr. i. e. Woody A God of the Woods. and Groves among the old Hea thens. Pan, Faunus and Silvanus are but the fame Deity; their Feafts were called Lupercalia.

friendly Angel brought her to him, adorn'd with naked Beauty more lovely than what is feign'd of PANDORA, (g) whom the Gods were faid to have endow'd with all their Gifts, (and Oh too like in the fad Event!) when to the unwife Son of JAPHET, (b) being brought by HERMES, fhe enfnar'd Mankind with her fair Looks, to be aveng'd of him who had stole Fire from Heaven to animate a MAN.

THUS being arriv'd at their fhady Lodge, both ftood, and turn'd, and under the open Sky ador'd that God that made the Sky, and Air, and Earth, and Heaven, which they beheld; the Moon's refplendent Globe, and the Stars: Thou alfo, (they faid) Oh Omnipotent MAKER, madeft the Night and the Day, which we employ'd in our appointed Work have finish'd; in our mutual Help happy, and happy in our mutual Love, which is ordain'd by thee to be the Crown of all our Blifs; and happy in this delightful Place, too large for us, where thy Abundance wants more to partake of it, and Plenty falls uncropt to the Ground: But Thou haft promis'd, that from us two M 2

(g) Pandora; Lat. Gr. i. e. All Gifts. The Wife of Epimetheus: Pallas gave her Wifdom; Venus, Beauty; Mercury, Eloquence: And fo every God and Goddess gave her fome Perfection. Jupiter fent her to Epimetheus with a Box, which he rafhly opened; and all Diseases, Evils and Miferies flew out of it, and infected Mankind. She is defcribed by Hefiod, L. 1. 60.

. Eve is this Woman, and the Fall of Man is couched under the Fable, which the Heathens had by a long Tradition.

(b) Japhet; Heb. i. e. Perfuaded. The Poets call him Japetus; and the Tatarı call him

fhall

Japhis: He is faid to be the Son of Epimetheus, Lat. Gr. i. e. After Wit: Because he smarted for his Curiofity, in opening the Box. The Brother of Prometheus, Lat. Gr. i. e. Wit before Hand: Forecast and Wisdom. He was faid to have put Life and Soul into a Man, which he made of Clay; to quicken which, he ftole Fire or Soul from Heaven. Jupiter, for his Prefumption, fent Pandora to plague the Earth. These are Memorials of the Creation and Fall of Adam, from Gen. 2. 7. and oral Tradition, couch'd in Fables.

fhall proceed a Race to fill the Earth, who fhall with us extol thy infinite Goodness, both when we wake, and when as now we afk thy good Gift of Sleep.

THIS they faid unanimoufly; and obferving no other Ceremony, but pure Adoration, which GOD likes beft; they went with joined Hands into the inmost Bower, and not needing to put off these troublefome Difguifes which we now wear, they immediately lay down Side by Side: Nor do I fuppofe that ADAM turn'd away from his fair Spoufe, nor Eve refus'd the mysterious Rites of connubial Love; whatever fome Hypocrites may talk aufterely of Purity, and Place, and Innocence, defaming that as an impure Thing, which GOD has declar'd pure, has commanded to fome, and leaves free to all: Our Maker bids us increase, and who bids us abftain? Who, but our Destroyer? The Foe both of GOD and MAN? Hail wedded Love! great Mystery! true Source of human Offfpring! fole Propriety in PARADISE! where all Things elfe are common; by thee it was that adulterous Luft was driven out from MEN to range among the Beasts, founded in Reafon, juft, loyal, and pure; by thee firft were known the dear Relations, and all the Endearments of Father, Brother, and Son: Far be it from me that I fhould call thee a Sin, or blameable, or think thee unbefitting the holieft Places; thou perpetual Fountain of domeftick Sweets! whofe Bed is undefil'd, and pronounc'd chafte, prefent or paft, as being fo to Saints, and Patriarchs: Here are Love's true Darts felt; here Love's Lamp is constantly lighted; here Love reigns, plays and revels, not in the bought Smiles of Harlots, without Love, without Joy, without Endearment; meer cafual Fruition! not in the Amours of Courts, mix'd, Dances, or wanton Mafquerades, or midnight Balls, or Serenades, which the Lover fings in the cold Night to his proud Miftrefs, which deferves nothing from

her

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