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CHAPTER III.

THE GARDEN.

THE GARDEN OF GOD.'-EZEK. XXXI. 9.

How beautiful is many a Garden planted by art and man's device! What then must have been the perfection when God planted a Garden! And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food; and a river went out of Eden to water the Garden.' 'And there He put the man whom He had formed.' In the Trees of God, in the flowing river, in each Herb and Flower, in animated nature, vocal in melody, and endlessly varied in form and colour, man saw the Perfection of Him who is wonderful in counsel and excellent in working. (Isa. xxviii. 29.)

God gave to man Wisdom to understand the nature of the objects around him, an intelligent enjoyment of all things, an instinctive knowledge of things as they were; the Light of Truth, which has no false colours, no deceiving shows. The Lord God brought unto Adam every beast of the Garden, and every Fowl of the air, and whatsoever Adam called every living creature, that was the name

C

thereof.' Adam saw all things in the Light of the Lord, there was nothing to darken, nothing to hinder that Light, his knowledge flowed from the Most High, his words spoke of things as they are before God, therefore they could not be reversed.

To man was given by God the Companionship that most suited his nature, an help meet for him. His life possessed 'the joys that flow from hearts assured and mutual love;' while the voice of the Lord God held familiar converse with him. There was no want for body, soul, or spirit; perfect satisfaction, perfect happiness flowed on through man's Life, like the river that watered the Garden of God, gliding tranquilly on for ever.

Yet at the first Temptation man fell from God, loosed his hold, and in that fall lost all that made his Life before. Allegiance and Obedience must be tried in order to prove them; until tried, they are not. That is not obedience which only waits for a Temptation to disobey. That is not virtue which can offer no resistance to vice; if pure at all it is only pure by circumstances; change its circumstances, and it becomes impure. In this lies the difference between Innocence and Holiness. Innocence stands pure in itself because no Temptation has been presented to it. Holiness stands fast in the Lord, and in the Power of His Might resists, striving against Sin: therefore the Angels of God' (Gen. xxxii. 2) are called by Christ, 'Holy Angels (Matt. xxv. 31), because when other Angels fell

they held their first Estate;' they held them fast by God, and are for ever secured in Holiness and Happiness through the Eternal Son-by Whom, and for Whom, all things were created. (Col. i. 16, 20.) Man, when Temptation was presented to him, did not hold him fast by God; he fell from God, fell into Sin, and Innocence was gone for ever; one spot defiles that robe, and a Sin-defiled nature can never be restored in itself; Sin can never enter Holiness, the Sinner, in his Sin, can never be restored to God.

When Man stood in Innocence, the Garden of God was no doubt often visited by Holy Angels; they would be as familiar friends to Man before Sin deceived, and blinded, and slew him. The Devil can transform himself into the appearance of an Angel of Light, but he was not suffered in that form to enter Eden. Had he appeared as an Angel, as one of those trusted messengers of God, Man had the more easily been taken off his guard; but when the Tempter took the form of one of the brute creation, Reason itself called upon Man to pause and consider the real nature of the Serpent's words.

The woman was found by the forbidden Tree. She may have wandered there in curiosity to look on the forbidden fruit. A desire to look upon the things not provided for us by God, to see them, to know what they are by the sight of the eye, is often still the first step in a downward course. A look opened the way to the Sin that overwhelmed the World! It is written, Mine eye affecteth mine heart' or

soul. (Lam. iii. 51.) And the Spirit of God has taught us to pray, 'Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity, and quicken Thou Me in Thy Way.' (Ps. cxix. 37.)

It may have been that the woman suffered the Tempter to lead her to look on the forbidden Fruit. God had said, 'Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.' Did she think within herself, God has not said, Thou shalt not look! there can be no disobedience in looking! We may be sure we are on dangerous ground when we wish to go as far as we can without disobedience. It is written of the way in which Temptation lurks, Avoid it, pass not by it, turn from it and pass away.' (Prov. iv. 15.) The woman entered the path of Temptation; it led to the World's undoing! What can any expect who venture where God does not lead them? but an understanding blinded by the God of this World, and a Sin-deceived heart!

The woman does not appear surprised that the Serpent should speak with the words of man. The records of Holy Scripture reveal to us what is needful for our instruction, not what may satisfy the questioning curiosity of the mind. We are told that the Serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilty' (2 Cor. xi. 3); he may have led her to believe that eating of the Tree God had forbidden man to touch, had given him the power of speech, even as he said that eating of it would make them as gods; for He who best knew that old Serpent called the

Devil,' said of him, he is a liar, and the father of it.' (John, viii. 44.)

The woman listened to the voice of the Tempter when he questioned the Word of the Lord, and led her on to doubt the instruction of Heavenly Wisdom and knowledge. The Spirit of God, in tender compassion to our weakness, exhorts us, Take fast hold of Instruction; let her not go: keep her; for she is thy Life.' (Prov. iv. 13.) This our first Parents did not do, and they proved the terrible truth of the word of warning twice given to us by God, There is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of Death.' (Prov. xiv. 12; xvi. 25.)

She gave her ear to the Tempter whispering doubt. To be forewarned, it is said, is to be forearmed; yet how often is the divine warning unheeded, 'Cease, my son, to hear the instruction that causeth to err from the words of knowledge.' (Prov. xix. 27.) It is easy to open the ear of the understanding to the Doubter; but after that, it lies beyond all human Power to cut away the fibrous roots of unbelief that spread and grow within, until the words of Him who is the Truth come with no quickening power, no balm of Life to the soul, because the poison of Doubt has choked the very avenues of Life.

Stand by the Death-bed of him who in life past lent his ear to the Doubter; see him vainly trying to lay hold of the Word of the Lord, while at