better their condition, Matth. xvi. 26. For what is a man profited, if he shall gain the whole world, and lose his own soul? or what shall a man give in exchange for his soul?'

Fourthly, The mischievous design. The design of the great tempter, and the design of the thing, is always the ruin

[Extracts from the notes on ver. 16--19. must also be omitted for want of room.] Ver. 20. And the man called, the name of his wife, Eve. The name given her at firft, was taken from man, fhe being called woman; or mannefs, chap. ii. 23; for then Adam confidered her chiefly as a wife, as one made after his own likenefs. But the new name he gave her, after the awful folemnity before described, is taken from life; for then he eyed her chiefly as a mother, the mother of the living and life-giving feed. And by his naming her fo, he declared his faith of the promife. And thus by the fame method, that God reconciled man to himself, he reconciled the man wife, namely, through that promised feed.--When, she was, mother of all living, namely, of the life-giving feed and his brethren, who shall live for ever. She was mother of thefe, when fhe got this name; but of no other. She had then been folemnly declared mother of the Meffias, the feed that fhall bruise away the ferpent's head; and had actually commenced mother of all that fhould believe in him, by believing first herself. And no other feed of hers had been as yet mentioned, as her feed, but what should be at enmity with the ferpent the devil. And what comfort could it have been either to Adam or her, that he was to be the mother of others alfo; fince to them fhe was to be the mother of death, rather than of life?

Ver. 21. And Jehovah God made, to Adam and to his wife, coats of fkin, and caufed them to put [them] on.' Coats of skin are skin-coats, or coats made of skin. Thefe fkin coats were a humbling memorial to our first pa. rents, of the firft fpring of their ruin. Satan, by his fubtilty, induced them to accufe God, of dealing better by the beafts of the field, than by them, in that these were covered, but they were left naked. Now they are covered like them; and instead of being like God, are like beafts. Thus the backflider in heart fhall be filled with his own ways. I make no question but this clothing of Adam and Eve, was a typical action. Sacrifices were offered by Abel, chap. iv. 4 And if by Abel, then by Adam too before him, from whom he learned it. And being an acceptable piece of service to God, they behoved to be of divine inftitution, which we can no where find, if not in this text. The skins of the facrifices, by the law of Mofes, were given to the priests, Lev. vii. 8: the great promise of Chrift to come, which was all along confirmed by facrifices, was now made: the curse was now laid on the beafts in man's ftead; and fo they were fitted to be made facrifices, as God himself should be pleased to design the kinds of them, to be so used: God fpake to Noah, before the flood, concerning clean and unclean beafts, as a distinction well known to him, chap. vii. 2. being handed down from Adam; in token whereof, it is marked, that Abel's sacrifice was of the flock, viz. fheep or goats, which were clean beasts: it was after this that accefs to the tree of life, a feal of the first covenant, was blocked up, ver. 24; it was at the wind of the day, ver. 8. that these

of the party, by falling into sin, and misery by sin. They are snares and traps for ruin, 1 Cor. x. 12. and land men in the bottomless pit.

SECONDLY, What is meant by leading us into temptation? It is holy wise providence so ordering matters about us as

things were tranfacted; the fame time of the day, at which Chrift in the fulness of time, died a real facrifice for fin. From all which one may rea.. fonably conclude, that the promife, the new covenant, being promulgated, and by our first parents believed and embraced, was inftantly, by divine appointment, confirmed and fealed by facrifice; by which means the tree of life was fuperfeded, as the paffover, by the inftitution and adminiftration of the Lord's fupper; and the girdle of fig-leaves, by the skin coats; and Chirft was typically flain from the foundation of the world, (Rev. xiii. 8.), which is the date of the events of this open fection, Gen. ii. 4: and that these beats of whose skins the coats were made, were clean beafts, which, Adam and Eve having firft laid their hands upon the heads of them, were offered in facrifice, by Adam as the priest, to whom accord, ingly the skins were given, for his own ufe, and the ufe of his wife, whose recourfe was to be to him, for what he wanted. Thus these skin-coats fignified the righteousness of Chrift; by which our spiritual nakedness is covered, we are defended from the wrath of God; and adorned in his fight, Ifa. lxi. 10. God himself made thefe coats; for it is the righteoufnefs of God, Rom. iii. 22 and they were put on for benefit by them; for it is the righteousness of God, by faith of Jefus Chrift, ibid. They were made to the man and his wife; for it is unto all, ib. They were actually clothed with them, had them on them; for it is upon all them that believe, ib, even Eve, as well as Adam; for there is no difference, ib. And in this mat ter, there is neither male nor female, they are all one in Chrift Jefus, Gal. iii, 28. The fame God who made them, caufed the man and his wife to put them on; for as the righteoufnefs itfelf is God's free gift, fo is faith alfo, by which it is put on and applied, Eph. ii. 8. In thefe coats Adam and Eve appeared like the beats whofe fkins they wore; and they who have on them the righteousness of Chrift, appear in fome measure like him, in holiness of life, walking as he alfo walked, 1 John ii. 6. Thus the coats of fkin were garments of honour [put] upon their feh, as Oukelos paraphrafes the text. To this occafion alfo, I would refer the original of eating of flesh, as brought in by facrificing. This agrees belt with the va nity and bondage (popze) of corruption (or deftruction), which the creature was unwillingly made fubject to, through the fall of man, Rom. viii. 20, 21. the chief branch of which bondage Peter expreffeth, 2 Eph. ii. 12. brute beafts made (ss plopzv) for destruction, So man's new diet would be of use to keep him in mind, that it was by eating of the flesh, and drinking of the blood, of the great facrifice, he was to have life, now that the first co. venant was broken. Here ends this open fection, bearing an enlargement of the history of the three last days of the creation, wherein there is a very particular account of man's creation, on the fixth day, the making of the woman, their fall and their restoration, all in a continued connection. Those who cannot believe that fo many various events, as are here related from chap. ii, 7. were crowded within the compafs of one day, may confider 3 Q

1

VOL. III.

we are attacked with temptation to sin, brought upon the stage to fight with temptations, so as we may give a proof of ourselves. Here consider,

How the Lord leads men into temptation; and how it consists with his holiness so to lead them.

the words of the Holy Ghoft, Pfal. xlix. 13 12ths. Adam in honour could not night, without receding from the propriety of the expreffion, till they have otherwife proved the neceffity of fo doing. And withal they may confider the variety of events, relative to the fecond Adam's death, recorded Luke xxii. 66. to the end, chap. xxiii. 1,-33. and elsewhere; and what time thefe events took place. There one finds, the fanhedrim is contened; Chrift is examined and condemned before them; they lead him to Pilate; he holds a court; Chrift is accufed, and answers for himfelf, before him; Pilate sticks, and will not go forward fo cleverly as the Jews would have him; he removes the caufe to Herod's court; they had about a mile to go to Herod, and Christ appears before him; he is queftioned by him in many words, vehemently accused, mocked, arrayed in a gorgeous robe, and fent back to Pilate again; Pilate convenes the chief priests, the rulers, and the people; there is a mighty ftruggle between Pilate and them, about him, the former to fave him, the latter to get him condemned to the cross; Pilate's wife fends to him; Jefus is fcourged, John xix. 1. led by the foldiers into the common hall; they put on him a scarlet robe, Matth. xxvii. 27, 28. they plate a crown of thorns, and put on his head, John xix. 2. Chrift is brought out again, and fhewn to the chief priests, às a fpectacle of commifferation, by Pilate, ver. 5. Pilate prevails not, goes in again into the judgement-hall, examines him anew, ver. 9,-12. Jefus is brought thence also, and Pilate fits down in a place called the Pavement, and there has a new encounter with the Jews, ver. 13,-15. Pilate washeth his hands, declares the panuel innocent, Matth. xxvii. 24. and then sentenceth him to die; then they lead him out of the city to Calvary, and crucify him there: All these things were done in the fpace of half a day, men being the immediate actors in them: for Chrift was crucified about twelve o'clock, and hung upon the cross more than three hours, Luke xxiii. 44,-46. [Compare the author's notes on the Marrow of Modern Divinity, edit. 1726 p. 40. 42.]

Ver. 22. And Jehovah God faid; Behold the man (who) was as one of us, viz. being made after our image, chap. i. 26, 27. the image of God the Father, Son, and Holy Ghoft, which is one, and but one, in the bleffed Three; fo that he was, as it were, a fourth, a God upon earth, partaking of that image: fo groundlefs was the temptation, ver. 5. Ye fhall be as God. The plurality here mentioned cannot be God and angels, for the image of God and angels is not one, but two vaftly different; neither was man made after the image of angels, but of God himself, chap. i. 26, 27. Therefore not angels, but the three perfons of the ever-bleffed Tri. nity, are here meant. That there is here an ellipfis of the relative, appears from the pointing, which determines the word, the man to be the accufative after behold, not the nominative before was: and the pointing being obferved, our language bears the ellipfis, as well as the Hebrew. Comp. Lam. iii 1. I (am) the man, hath feen affliction. Pfal. lii, 9-7ths. Behold

1. How the Lord leads men into temptation. He does so only two ways.

1. By a providential placing them in such circumstances, as the heart may take occasion of sin from them. Thus innocent Adam was led into temptation, being placed within

the man would not, &c. i. e. the man [that], &c. as our translators rightly fupply it in both these texts. For knowing, good and evil, q. d. and particularly was as one of us, in the point of knowing good and ill; knowing ill as we know it, though not experimentally as now he does." And now left he should put forth his hand; and take also of the tree of life; and eat, that he may live for ever." This verse is so far from being an irony, that it is a most pathetic lamentation of the Mediator over fallen man, with a molt affectionate concern to prevent a fecond ruin. And in token hereof, the fentence is imperfect; fomething is fuppreffed, and ftopt as by a fob; as when David's grief fwelling, cut short his expreffion, Pfal. vi. 4.3ds. The fame is to be obferved in his lamentation over Jerufalem, in the days of his flesh, when he wept over that city, Luke xix. 41, 42. The fenfe of the whole is, q. d. "Behold the man!" What a spectacle of commiferation is he now, who not long ago was as one of us, with our image in pers fection upon him; who was as one of us, particularly for knowing of good and ill, knowing the fame as we know them, yet could not be content with that, but would needs otherwife be as God, knowing of good and ill; and for that end put forth his hand, and ate of the forbidden tree: how much more now that he is fallen, will he entertain the thought of making himfelf proof againft dying, flight his own mercy, thinking to keep himfelf in this miferable life? and for that foolish end, eat of the tree of life, with the fame fuccefs with which he did of the tree of knowledge, and by eating of it reject the covenant of grace he hath embraced, and, by betaking himself to the feal of the covenant of works, run back to that covenant where there is no life for him now? So then, left he put forth his hand again; and take alfo, of the tree of life, as he took of the tree of knowledge; and eat of the former, with a defign thereby to render himself immortal, as he did eat of the latter, that he might be as God, knowing of good and ill, and fo reject the new covenant, by eating of this tree, as he broke the first covenant by eating of the other tree, [1 muft, I will fet him away out of paradife], to prevent his being ruined a fecond time. [Compare the author's notes on the Marrow of Modern Divinity, edition. 1726. p 19.] Ver. 23 And Jehovah God, did fet him away from the garden of Eden;" i. e. obliged him to remove out of the garden. That no ignominy nor violence is imported in this word, whatever may be in fome things, of which it is ufed, appears in that it is the word Mofes conftantly makes ufe of, in the name of God, to Pharaoh, in favour of the Ifraelites, Exod. iv. 23. v. 1. vii. 26. al. yiii. 1. viii. 16. al. 20-For to dress even the ground; what he was taken away from, i. e. from whence he was taken away. Inftead of dreffing the garden, chap. ii. 15. which was one inclofed plat of ground, he is fet to drefs the ground, q. d. the ground the ground, i. e. the ground in feveral plats here and there. The conftruction is, to dress the ground; [to drefs] what (i. e. that which) he was taken away from. So he was fent back to the place, where he was formed, chap. ii. 7. From

reach of the forbidden fruit; Joseph, by being alone in the house with an adulterous woman, where yet he came fair off; Achan, by seeing the wedge of gold, and having an opportunity to take it, where he fell by it; Peter by being in the high Priest's hall, where he was attacked. It is on this ac

thence the Lord brought him in unto paradife, and there made the covenant with him, and now that he had broken that covenant, he is fent back to the place whence he came; there to dress the ground, and as it were to dig his own grave; until he fhould returu unto that ground, from whence he had been taken away.

Ver. 24. So he quite turned out, even the man. The Lord fet him away, ver. 23. So he quite turned him out of paradife, for good and all, never to come back again. As this is the genuine notion of the word, fo here it is most agreeable to the pathetic lamentation, and affectionate concern fhewn for man, ver. 22. whereof this was the effect. And fince this word in Pihel denotes no violence, it can far lefs import any fuch thing in Kal It is not more generally, than juftly, obferved, that thefe two words rendered fetting away, and turning out, are terms ufed in the law of divorce. The law, as the covenant of works, was, according to the fcripture, the first husband, Rom. vii. Paradife was the house of that husband. But our first parents having once finned, were no more able to live with the firft hufband: So the Son of God, as fupreme Lord, wrote the divorce, diffolved the relation, upon moft weighty grounds, and turned them out of its houfe. And never was there a divorce and turning out fo great a mercy to any poor broken hearted woman, who could have no comfortable life with a husband, as this was to Adam and Eve in their lapfed flate, and will be to all who imitate their faith in Jefus Chrift, the fecond Husband. And he made to inhabit on the east to the garden of Eden, i. e. east in refpect of the garden. Now, the garden was on the eaft part of Eden, chap. ü. 8 And the dwelling of the cherubims here affigned them, was eaft in refpect of the garden. Therefore this dwelling place was without Eden, or at least in the outmoft part of Eden, to the east. And even the flame of the fword, [the fword] that turned itself. Flame of the fword is a flame like a fword, and therefore a real flame, but the fword not real. For to keep; even the way of the tree of life, i. e. he did this, that thereby he might keep the way leading to the tree, or trees, of life; that man might not come upon that way for the two laft clauses are, by the pointing, balanced with the two first of this hemiftich. The pointing of the first word of this verfe, and the manner of expreffion ufed through the whole, agreeing to the native effect of that pointing, perfuade me, that the cherubims and the fiery fword were within the garden before this time, as well as the man was: and that he being turned out, they were turned out too in mercy to him. For the first word of the verfe, being by a diftinctive feparated from the fecond word, with which it doth undoubtedly agree in conftruction; that fhews it to be conftructed, not only with that fecond word, but also with what follows, fince the words themselves will admit the fame, q. d. "And he quite turned out even the man: [And he quite turned out and made to inhabit on the eat, the cherubims; and flame, &c." I conceive, then, that Mofes here gives us an account of