WHEN the Lord had created man, he prepared for him "a garden eastward in Eden, and there he put the man whom he had made." It would seem from this, and the parallel passages, that the terms Eden and garden are not of precisely the same import. Eden appears to have been the name of a country, within the limits of which the garden was situated. The exact location either of the garden or country, it is impossible now to ascertain. We only know that it was "eastward" from Palestine or Arabia, where Moses was when he wrote this history, and that it was in the neighborhood of the Euphrates and the Tigris. The garden, we are told, contained " ry tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; the tree of life, also, in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil."

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We have further mention of "the tree of life," in the following chapter. It was lest fallen, doomed man should "put forth his hand, and partake of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever," that he was "sent forth from the garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken." "So the Lord drave out the man; and he placed at the east of the garden of Eden, cherubim and a flaming sword, which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life."

Before attempting an explanation of this difficult portion of Scripture, it will be necessary to consider some of the various expositions which commentators have given of it.

The first is that which regards the narrative, in the first three chapters of Genesis, as a mythus, an allegory, an interesting and instructive fable. The whole account of man's creation and apostasy, it is said, is not veritable history, but allegory, and

is to be interpreted accordingly. This view of the matter we reject ; and for the following reasons:

1. The language here used, is not that of poetry and fiction, but of sober, historical prose. Here are no startling figures, and bold personi. fications; none of the imagery and drapery which belong to oriental verse; but all has the appearance of simple, historical narrative and truth. Judging from the style, merely, if the first three chapters of Genesis are not history, then is there no history in the Bible. But

2. The first three chapters of Genesis are to be regarded as history, because in their proper, historical sense, they furnish a rational account, and the only rational account, of many known and important facts. Among the facts here referred to, are the creation of the world; the origin of the human race; the institutions of marriage, and of the Sabbath; the division of time into weeks; the introduction of sin and misery into the world; the natural sterility of the earth, and the consequent necessity of labor; the subjection of the woman to her husband; the sorrows of child-bearing; the natural antipathy of the human race to the serpent, &c. Here is a long train of acknowledged facts, (to which several others, we presume, might be added,) all which are satisfactorily accounted for, if we admit the historical truth of the first chapters of Genesis. But if we reject this truth, and substitute an allegorical sense, no rational account of them, and indeed no account whatever, can possibly be given.

3. That the first three chapters of Genesis are to be interpreted as history, is certain from the allusions to them in other parts of Scripture. Our Savior refers to one of these chapters, and quotes expressly from

In reference to this theory, we remark, in the first place, that we have never yet been able to discover any evidence in the Scriptures, of a proper covenant transaction between God and Adam, previous to the fall. God created our first parents rational, intelligent beings free moral agents-the proper subjects of law and government. As such, he placed them at once under law-a dispensation which imported that if they obeyed, they should be rewarded; if they disobeyed, they should be punished. The language of God to Adam, on this occasion, was that, not of proposal, of condition, of covenant, but of imperative law. "The Lord God commanded the man, saying, of every tree of the garden, thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of knowledge of good and evil, thou shalt not eat of it; for in the day that thou eatest of it, thou shalt surely die." Certainly, this is the language of strict law; and except, as law is sometimes loosely called covenant in the Scriptures, there was no covenant with Adam, before he fell. Manifestly, there was no literal, proper covenant. But if there was no proper covenant made with Adam in the garden, then the tree of life could not have been the token of such a covenant; and the theory above stated, as to the object and import of this tree, is without foundation.

There is another objection to the theory in question. Man needed no token, to assure him that God would reward the obedient, more than the angels now need such a token in heaven. The proper import of law is, obey and live; transgress and die. And this was the

*We do not suppose, indeed, that the obedient merit a reward at the hands of God, in the same sense that the disobedient merit punishment. Still, they are proper subjects of reward. It is suitable that they should be rewarded. They have the merit of congruity, (if not con

very dispensation under which Adam was placed-a dispensation of pure law, to confirm which no pub lic pledge or token was necessary.

Some have thought there was a connexion between the tree of life, and the trial, the probation, on which our first parents were placed. If they persevered in holiness to the end of their trial, they were to be confirmed in holiness; in assurance of which they should then be permit ted to eat of the tree of life. Its fruit should be to them a pledge, a token, that their probation was happily ac complished, and that an unchang ing state of holiness and happiness would now be their portion.

We have no doubt that our first parents were on trial before the fall, and that, had they persevered in holiness for a limited time, they would have been, like the angels, confirmed in a state of holiness and happiness forever. But we much doubt whether the object of the tree of life is truly stated in the above theory. This theory supposes, that the fruit of the tree of life might not be eaten, until the probation of our first parents was ended; whereas it is plain, from the narration, that it might be eaten at any time. There was but one prohib ited tree in the garden; and that was the tree of knowledge of good and evil. Of every other tree (and consequently of the tree of life) it is expressly said that our first pa rents might freely eat. How, then, can it be made to appear that they might not eat of the tree of life, until their trial was accomplished, and their confirmed state of holiness and happiness commenced?

But if neither of the above theories as to the import and design of the tree of life is to be admitted, what supposition shall we form in regard to the subject? What was

dignity,) on the ground of which the goodness of God has always rewarded them, and always will.

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the object of the tree of life? For what was this remarkable tree planted in the midst of the garden? Before replying to these questions, let it be premised, that tem poral death-the dissolution of the connexion between soul and bodyis to be regarded as one of the bitter consequences of the apostasy. It is so represented in the Scriptures. 'By man came death." "In Adam all die." "By one man, sin entered into the world, and death by sin." (1 Cor. xv, 21; Rom. v, 12.) It is not at all likely that man would ever have been called to endure the pains of temporal death, if he had not sinned. He might not, in that case, have lived in this world always, but some easier exit out of it would have been provided for him, than that to which he is now subjected. might have been translated, as Enoch and Elijah were.

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At any rate, he would not have been doomed to pass through the iron gate of death.

But if man in his innocence was not to die, then some provision must have been made for counteracting and removing the sources of disease and decay within him-the ordinary causes of death. As he was not to lead a life of indolence, but one of cheer ful, healthful industry, being commanded to "dress the garden and to keep it;" he was subject, as man now is, to casualties and injuries. As he was on trial, too, he must have been placed in circumstances fitted to try him; to try his faith, his fortitude, his submission, his patience, his self-denial. He was moreover subject, inherently and naturally, to hunger, thirst, lassitude, weariness, disease, decay. And these causes must ultimately have worn him out and resulted in death, unless some method had been devised to counteract their influence, and repair those wastes in the physical constitution which they were calculated to make.

And here, we think, we have the precise object and use of the tree of life. It was planted in the midst of the garden-in a situation easy of access from every part of itthat it might be a perfect and universal restorative; that it might heal all maladies, overcome all the causes of disease and decay, and preserve innocent and happy man in perpetual health, strength, and maturity, till his trial should be ended, and he should be removed to his final and glorified state in heaven.

That this was the design and use of the tree in question is evident, first, from its name. It was called the tree of life; thus indicating that it was intended to preserve and perpetuate life, and to deliver from death.

The same is still more evident, secondly, from what was said of this tree subsequent to the apostasy. Of the curse pronounced upon fallen man, temporal death constituted a part. "In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken; for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return." Of the doom here denounced, there was to be there has been, no remission. With the exception of Enoch and Elijah, the dread decree has been rigidly executed, and will be, upon all the generations of men. But the tree of life is upon the earth, and how is man ever to die, if he may have access to this verdant tree? If he may pluck and apply its healing leaves, and partake of its life-giving, health-restoring fruit; how is the inexorable curse of temporal disso. lution ever to be executed? It can not be. Man must be shut out from the tree of life, or he can never return to dust. He must be rigidly kept from it, or he will live forever. Accordingly, we find him instantly driven out from the garden of Eden; and driven out for this express and

specific reason, "lest he put forth his hand, and take also of the tree of life, and eat, and live forever." What force or propriety in the reason here assigned for the expulsion of Adam out of Eden, except on the ground that the purpose and use of the tree of life were actually such as have been stated? If this tree were intended as a universal restorative, a catholicon, in the use of which man could feel no disease, could suffer no decay, could never die; then was it necessary that doomed, dying man, should be driven away from it, and kept away from it. On this supposition, and no other that we can imagine, was it necessary that there should be placed at the east of the garden of Eden, cherubim and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.

That the proper account has been given of the tree of life is evident, third, from the figurative uses of this phraseology in different parts of the Bible. As the figurative use of language is founded on the literal, it is common first to ascertain the literal sense, and then determine the figurative from it. But in some instances we reason the other way. We may be essentially aided, often, in ascertaining the literal sense of a word or phrase, by first considering how it is used figuratively. And this is what we propose to do here. The phrase, tree of life, is used frequently, and in a highly figurative sense, by the writer of the Proverbs; and it will appear, on examination, that it is used, in every instance, in the sense of healthful, saving, salutary, lifepreserving, &c. Thus, of wisdom it is said, "She is a tree of life to them that lay hold upon her;" in other words, she is healthful, saving to them. She will be a means of preserving and prolonging their lives in this world, as well as conferring immortal life in the next.

Again, it is said, "The fruit of

the righteous is a tree of life; and he that winneth souls is wise." By the fruit of the righteous may be understood their good examples, their pious conversation, their wise and faithful instructions, their fervent prayers. And these are a tree of life; that is, (as before,) they are saving, salutary. They tend to the preservation and salvation, temporal and spiritual, of those who enjoy them.

"Hope deferred," says Solomon, "maketh the heart sick; but when the desire cometh, it is a tree of life." The desire when it cometh, removeth that sickness of the heart which is the result of hope deferred. It delivers from it. It restores and preserves the soul.

Still again it is said, "A wholesome tongue is a tree of life." Here the same meaning is very obvious. A wholesome tongue, full of wise and good counsel, is exceedingly salutary. It preserves from a thousand ills in this life, and confers often immortal blessings.

From all these instances, taken from the book of Proverbs, it is evident that Solomon must have had the same idea as to the purpose and use of the literal tree of life, with that given above. He must have regarded the literal tree as designed for the perpetual health of man-for the preservation and indefinite prolongation of his physical life; since on this single idea all his figurative applications of the words are based.

We only add, fourth, that with this idea corresponds exactly the symbolical use of the phrase, tree of life, in the Scriptures. In the last chapter of the Apocalypse, we have a symbolical description of the celestial paradise, in which the drapery, the imagery, is borrowed extensively from that of the ter restrial paradise, or the garden of Eden. In the midst of the street" of this celestial paradise, "and on either side of the river, was there