OFSERPENTS. 175 



Upon this Suppofition, we may charitably infer, that lince 

 our iiiil Mother might converfe with Angels in that ferpentine, 

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

 without Scruple or Dread of Impofture. And as fhe apprehended 

 the Serpent to be a good and kind Spirit, Co Ada?7z 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 afllun'd an Image fo glorious, 

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

 out any experimental Knowledge, or any Appreheniion of Dan- 

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

 ner, flie was without Fear. 



In the Sentence paft upon Adam, there is one Claufe that feems 

 to corroborate this Hypothefis ; for, upon the Exp'-lfion of our 

 firft Parents . . . the Gates of Ede7i were guarded by a Cherub (to 

 prevent their re-entrance) which, by the JewSj was efteem'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 Eajl-end of the Garden of Eden, Cherubims and a 

 fami7ig Sword, ivhich turned every way, ■to keep the Way of the 

 Tree of Life, G&n. iii. ult. God made Angels Guardians of Pa- 

 radife, and a fparkling Fire, like a flaming Sword ; fays the Ara- 

 bick Verfion. 



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 Infl:rud:ion to our firfl: Parents how to wor- 

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

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

 Paradife) as Sacrifices afterwards were before the Cherubims in the 

 Tabernacle and Temple, or, as \\\& Hebrew, before "the Faces of ^ 

 yehovah t 



The flaming Sioord 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 Difpenfation. 'V\\^ fiery ^woribeinga killing 

 Weapon, might reprefent irritated Juftice ; and Cherubims being 



A. the: 



