the flavour, entreated her husband to do the fame. Adam, fufpicious of fome fraud, hefitated for a while; but being impelled by an excess of affection to share the fate of her he loved, be the confequences what they would, he at length reluctantly confented. Thus, by disobeying the commands of their Creator, did this first, and nearly perfect pair, bring on themselves, and entail on their posterity, "all the ills which flesh is heir to.' appear No fooner had they both tafted of the fatal tree, than a sense of shame was implanted in their minds; and though till now they had not observed any impropriety in their ance, they perceived that they were become naked, and made for themselves a covering of fig leaves. Being likewife deprived of that innocence which had hitherto emboldened them to converfe freely with their Maker, who fometimes deigned to bestow that privilege on them, the first time they heard his voice after the commiffion of the fatal deed, confcious of their tranfgreffion, they hid themselves from his prefence among the trees of the garden, The Almighty, obferving that they thus withdrew themselves, demanded of Adam the cause of this unwonted procedure, afking him why he now avoided entering into converfation with him, as he had hitherto always delighted to do? Adam making no reply, God addreffed them in the following manner: "I had determined, when I placed you here, that you should lead a happy life, free from pain, care, or vexation, and that all things which might contribute to your enjoyment and pleasure should grow fpontaneously, without your being neceffitated to procure them by labour and fatigue, which would unavoidably bring on old age, and a confequent diffolution: but your filence convinces me that you have difobeyed my injunction relative to the tree of knowledge, and thereby forfeited my benevolent intentions towards you." Adam endeavoured to vindicate himself, by laying the blame on Eve: "The woman whom thou gaveft to be with me," faid he, "fhe gave me of the tree, and I did eat.” While Eve, in her own juftification, replied, "The ferpent beguiled me, and I did eat." These palliations not appearing fatisfactory to God, he allotted punishment to Adam, because because he had weakly fubmitted to the counfel of his wife, which his judgment fhould have prevented him from doing; and he pronounced this fentence against him: "Curfed is the ground for thy fake; in forrow fhalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life. Thorns alfo and thiftles fhall it bring forth to thee. Thou shalt eat the herb of the field. In the fweat of thy face fhalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it waft thou taken: duft thou art, and unto duft fhalt thou return." To Eve he thus faid: "I will greatly multiply thy forrow and thy conception; in forrow thou fhalt bring forth children; and thy defire shall be to thy husband, and he fhall rule over thee." The fraudful ferpent was upon this occafion deprived of the faculty of speech; poison was inferted under his tongue, and a general enmity against mankind implanted in him; but at the fame time, the readieft method of destroying him, by bruifing his head, was fuggefted to man. And as this creature had hitherto been a quadruped, as a farther mark of his difpleafure for the malicious. deception B 4 belly fhalt thou go," faid the Lord," and duft shalt thou eat all the days of thy life." And left Adam and Eve fhould eat of the tree of life, as they had done of the tree of knowledge, and by that means fecure to themselves immortality, he expelled them from the garden of Eden, placing on each fide of the gate, through which they paffed, armed cherubims, to prevent a poffibility of their return. How humiliating and afflictive must this expulfion have been to them!-banifhed for ever from that delightful spot where they had tafted of ineffable and uncloying happiness !from a garden, in which uncultured grew the goodlieft trees, loaded with the faireft fruit !a lovely landscape, fanned by the pureft air, and inspiring delight and joy!-Such was the place from which this unhappy erring pair were driven, to wander down into a lower world, a fpot, to their late refidence, obfcure and wild, and where they were doomed to fuffer toil, anxiety, and pain. Thus |