UNITY OF SYSTEM. 149 



the succeeding one. The latter part of the third day is characterized 

 by the appearance of vegetation, which takes up or assimilates inorganic 

 matter. The second great epoch was occupied by the successive 

 creations of animal life, which is to vegetation what the latter is to the 

 earth. The latter part of the sixth day contains the creation of man, 

 for whom all the previous creation was preparatory, and who himself is 

 preparatory for a future existence, in which all things will he new; and 

 such, it is said, is the order of creation, not only in the earth, but 

 in every other sphere. 



There having been no work, that is, no new being having been created, 

 and no great change having occurred on the earth's surface since the creation 

 of man, the seventh epoch still continues, and when compared to the six 

 preceding periods, is, in the person of man, a progressive separation from 

 the earth, and represents a future existence. A more particular separation 

 appears by man being placed in the garden of Eden, as distinguished from 

 the rest of the earth, and representing another existence, which is still 

 more especially typified by the tree of life; so also the tree of knowledge 

 of good and evil, is figurative of the present epoch and of its enjoyments, 

 without reference to the next, and it appears at the close of the third 

 chapter of Genesis, that the possession of both is incompatible, or that the 

 two epochs cannot co-exist. "The tree of knowledge is not that of life." 



In the second chapter of Genesis it appears that the plan of the Bible 



in unity with the System of Nature, for successive ages and epochs 

 iccord in Nature with the form and growth of a single creature, and in 

 the Bible with the relation of a single circumstance or event. That passage 

 iiscloses or prefigures the death of Christ, and the eternal life of those to 

 whom His Spirit is given, and their unity and equality with Him. The 

 epoch which commenced here was closed by the deluge, and the present 

 jpoch which began at the Crucifixion, is ordained to have a corresponding 

 end, which will be mentioned in the sequel. 



The third chapter of Genesis announces a period which began at that 

 time, and though partially ceasing when Christ was on the earth, will 

 lot be fulfilled until some future time. It relates man's exalting him- 

 self, and his consequent unfitness for, and exclusion from eternal happiness, 

 or the tree of life, but the way to it was then promised, and afterwards 

 disclosed in Christ, to be again generally forfeited, as was foretold by Him 

 and His apostles. Thus the time from the event mentioned in that 

 chapter to the close of the present epoch is but one illustration of the 

 iw of degradation, already mentioned as universal, that is, the higher 

 the degree of every creature or assemblage of creatures in each epoch of 

 mortality, the greater is its difference from those of the succeeding epoch; 

 the humility which was outward in all preceding periods becoming inward 



VOL. VII. x 



