OFSERPENTS. 175 



Upon this Suppofition, we may charitably infer, that firtce 

 our firft Mother might converfe with Angels in that Terpentine, 

 or fome other bright Form, fhe now converfes with the Serpent 

 without Scruple or Dread of Inipofture. And as flie apprehended 

 the Serpent to be a good and kind Spirit, fo Adam did, upon her 

 Reprefentation of the Matter, and took the forbidden Fruit, and 

 eat it : And perhaps the Serpent was prefent, giving Atteftation to 

 the Report made by the Woman to her Hufband. 



This being granted, 'tis conceivable how the Woman might 

 freely converfe with a Creature that aiTum'd an Image fo glorious, 

 efpecially if we confider llie was in her infantile State, and with- 

 out any experimental Knowledge, or any Apprehenfion of Dan- 

 ger, from an Enemy, of which flie had no Idea 5 being no Sin- 

 ner, fhe was without Fear. 



In the Sentence pad upon Adam, there is one Claufe that feema 

 to corroborate this Hypothefis ; for, upon the Expuliion of our 

 firft Parents . ..the Gates of Eden were guarded by a Cherub (to 

 prevent their re-entrance) which, by the Jews, was efleem'd a 

 J'econd Angel, and may be aptly imagin'd to be a Seraph, or an 

 Angel in the Form of a flying Serpent, whofe Body vibrated in 

 the Air, with a peculiar Refplendency, and may be fitly defcrib'd 

 by the Image of fuch a Sword. 'Tis faid, God drove out the Man, 

 and placed at the Eafi-e?id of the Garden of Eden, Cherubims and a 

 flaming Sword, which turned every way, to keep the Way of the 

 ^ree of Life, Gtn.m.ult. God made Angels Guardians of Pa- 

 radife, and a fparkUng Fire, like a flaming Sword j fays the Ara^ 

 bick Verlion.. 



But why may not this Text bear an Interpretation pregnant 

 with good Tidings, as an Explication of the Promife made to the 

 Woman, that is, an Inftrudion to our firft Parents how to wor- 

 ship God after the Fall, namely by Sacrifice, which was to be of- 

 fer'd by them before the Cherubim^ (eredled over the Gates of 

 Paradiie) as S crifices afterwards were before the Cherubims in the 

 "Tabernacle and Temple, or,, as the Hebreiv, before the Faces of 

 Jehovah ? 



The faming Sivord and the Cherubims, might be Emblems or 

 Figures of fome things to be obferved in the Form of Worfliip de- 

 fign'd for that new Difpeniation. The ^zVry ^i£;5r<^/ being a killing 

 Weapon, might reprefent irritated Juflice ; and Cherubims being 



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