.17' 



A NATURAL HISTORY 



of folemn Expiation, to appeafe his Indignation *. 'Tis faid, 

 this Serpent eat the forbidden Fruit and did not die for it ; the 

 Woman inferred flie might alfo eat, and not die. 



Others there are, who will not allow the feducing Serpent 

 to be an Animal, but the Z)ra//himfelf in that Shape, who there- 

 fore in the facred Writings is called the great Dragon, old Ser- 

 pent, and Murderer from the Beghini7tg. And feme are of Opi- 

 nion, he borrowed the Body of a real Serpent, which he made 

 ufe of, as a Vehicle, thro' which he inftilled Poifon into the Wo- 

 man's Mind : And if fo, what occafion to fay the Serpent was more 



fubtle than any Beaft ? Since the grand Enemy in tempting 



Eve, did not ufe the Craft of the Serpent, but his own Cunning, 

 in the Management of that cruel Stratagem. 



Those who are not pleafed with fuch Ratiocinations, fatisfy 

 themfelves with this, viz. That our iirft Parents, in whofe Loins 

 we were, tranfgrefl:, and made a Forfeiture of Paradife for them- 

 felves and Defcendants ; but the manner how they fell is not ob- 

 vious, nor to be accounted for, in a State of Imperfedlion. 



If it be afk'd. Why did not the divine Goodnefs put our firft 

 Parents beyond a Capacity of finning ? 'tis anfwer'd. 



That Mutability is eff'ential to all Creatures, as fuch, in all 

 their Kinds : In this mutable State our firft Parents were created, 

 holy and happy : Life and Death were fet before them ; they had 

 freedom of Choice, a free-will to ufe the Powers of Nature as they 

 pleafed ; that is, they were made in a State of Liberty, with a 

 Power to determine for themfelves, whether to abide or not in 

 that glorious Situation, So that if there be a Difficulty in account- 

 ing for the Fall, there is as great a one in fuppofing a reafonable 

 moral Creature uncapable of Choice: for where there is no Choice, 

 there can be no Virtue ; and where there is no Virtue, there can 

 be no Happinels. . 



Again, Adamandi Eve ivcre arind with a fiifficieiit Power 

 to Jiand, being created after the divine Image pure and upright, 

 without Error in their intelledual Powers ; therefore if they mif- 

 took the Objed:, or were impofed upon, 'twas not for want of 

 Light in the Mind, but want of Application of that Light, which 

 was in their power .... Which Light told them, the Tree of Life 

 planted in Paradife, was to perpetuate their Lives j and that the 



Tree 



* Calmet in Verbum. Hab. Benach In Genef. iii. 



