OF SE R PEN TS. i8i 



III. THE Laws of Pdriidifi ivere inforced by a very awful 

 SanSiion^ viz. Life and Death: The one expreffing fomething 

 moft terrible, the other imply iiig fomewhat vaftly delightful. 

 Threatnings were neceflary Cautions in Paradiie : How furprizing 

 this I The firfl day of Man's Life, Man was put in mind of 

 Death, of which the Tree of Life was a Memento. If you eat 

 the Fruit of it, you forfeit your Life, die you muji without Re- 

 medy. This Pvlenace of Death, in the Defign of it, was to guard 

 againft Sin, as that which only could be the Caufe of Death. 



IN the day thou eateft thereof^ dying thou llialt die j or, die 

 the Death. Behold here ! as in a Cloud, the firft Alarm of Mor- 

 tality, the iirfl Institution of Funerals, and the melancholy Office 

 of Grave-diggers. Bells from the Pinnacle of the Temple, pro- 

 claim it aloud to Man, T)uft thou arty and unto Dufl thou JJdalt 

 return. In this paradifaical Scheme of Government, we find 

 Death to be a near Neighbour to Life: Both the Trees grew near 

 to one another. 



Some have made this Tree of Life ^ Reprefentation oi Chrijl,. 

 and if fo, here, as in a Glafs, darkly Man faw his Saviour before 

 he flood in need of him : The Tree of Life planted in the midft 

 of Paradife, was to preferve Adam's Life, and without doubt had 

 done fo, if he had not rebelled. According to a Learned 'Jew^ 

 the Tree of Life reprefents Piety j and that of Knowledge, Pru- 

 dence *. Some of his Countrymen tell us ridiculous Stories about 

 the Tree of Life, viz. That it was of prodigious Size, and all 

 the Water of the Earth gufli'd out at its Foot, &c. 



I T is from the Hiftory of Paradife that pagan Poets took their 

 NeBar and Ambrofia^ which were faid to be the Meat and Drink 

 of the Gods j upon which fome put this Conftrud:ion, viz. 

 NeBar fignifies young 5 Ambrofa^ hnmortality ; intimating, that 

 in a State of Innocency, the Vigor of Youth would have been 

 immortal. 



The Heathen were not without fome Idea of the Mofaic 

 Creation, and Fall of Man, and of a Woman that brought Sor- 

 row into the World ; envying, that a Fire, which is the Light 

 of Knowledge, was hid from them .... and alfo. of 01d-Age„ 

 brought in by the Counfel of a Serpent. — — - 



P A R A- 



