SERMON II.

ON THE SERPENT's TEMPTATION TO OUR FIRST PARENTS.

GENESIS III. 4, 5.

AND THE SERPENT SAID UNTO THE WOMAN, YE SHALL NOT SURELY DIE. FOR GOD DOTH KNOW, THAT IN THE DAY YE EAT THEREOF, THEN YOUR EYES SHALL BE OPENED; AND YE SHALL BE AS GODS KNOWING GOOD AND EVIL.

WHEN God, the creator and sovereign, placed our first parents in the garden of Eden, he gave them full liberty to eat of all the trees in it, excepting one, which was called the tree of the knowledge of good and evil :Of this, they were forbidden to eat, on pain of death. This was the test of their obedience: If they did not disobey, they were to live forever: If they did, they were to die, be forever shut out from the favour of God, and be eternally wretched. But it was not long after they were placed in that pleasant garden, surrounded with every thing necessary for their comfort, before their peace and happiness were interrupted. They were assailed by a subtile adversary, here called the serpent. That this was the devil, through the instrumentality of one of the beasts of the field, seems to be evident from what is said, Rev. xii. 9, and xx. 2. "And "the great dragon was cast out, that old serpent, call"ed the devil, and satan, which deceiveth the whole " world. And he laid hold on the dragon, that old 66 serpent, which is the devil, and satan, and bound him, "a thousand years." He is here probably, stiled the old serpent, because it was the same, who tempted and deceived our first parents. He seems to have taken advantage from the name given the forbidden tree, to insinuate his temptation, and give plausibility to his

lie. He suggests to the woman, that, instead of suffering any loss, or inconvenience by taking of the forbidden tree, they should be great gainers-They would immediately find their eyes opened, their minds enlarged, and their natures greatly enobled. They, very foolishly and wickedly, made the experiment. They found it fatal to their peace and comfort; and, by it, introduced a train of evils and miseries, which will never come to an end.

In treating on the subject before us, it is proposed,

I. To inquire, what we may suppose to have been the reason, why the fruit of this tree was forbidden to our first parents, on so awful a penalty.

II. To consider the nature and import of the motive, which prevailed on them to disobey, Ye shall be as gods knowing good and evil.

I. IT is to be inquired, what we may suppose to have been the reason, why the fruit of this tree was forbidden to our first parents, on so awful a penalty, "In the "day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die."

It is no more than reasonable to suppose, that moral creatures, the subjects of God's moral government, should, all, go through a state of trial or probation; in order that it may appear, previously to their being established in holiness and happiness, that they deliberately and understandingly choose the service of God at all hazards, submitting their wills, in all things, to his wise and holy will. By this, it becomes more manifest, that God treats them as moral agents-beings, who are to choose and act for themselves; and, that their final fate is suspended on themselves, and on their own free choice made in the view of motives fit to influence intelligent agents. In this way it is rendered visible, that the love and service of God are understandingly chosen and preferred: And, that the consequent blessings and good, bestowed upon them, are expressions of God's wellpleasedness with them for the wise choice they have made. In this way, too, God shews himself to be a

rewarder of righteousness. Moral creatures are hereby taught the nature of God's moral government; and, prepared to see the propriety of his executing punishments, as well as bestowing rewards. The holy God would not so visibly appear to be a rewarder, were the subjects of his moral government never in a probationary state: Nor would it appear, that, God, who ever judges righteous judgment, considers and treats us as moral, rational agents, capable of judging and choosing and acting for ourselves; and this, in such a sense, and to such a degree, as that our future state and destiny are decided, (though not independently of God,) by ourselves, and result from our own free and voluntary choice. Accordingly, there is every reason to suppose, that the Angels were originally in a state of probation : For we read, Jude, 6, of " angels which kept not their "first estate, but left their own habitation."

GOD formed this world for man, and furnished it with every thing necessary for his use and comfort. But when he created Adam, and placed him on it, he neither made him the sole proprietor of it, nor gave it him without conditions. The garden, in which Adam was placed, was God's vineyard; and, he took the man, and put him into it, to dress it, and to keep it.—His duty and his business were assigned him, and he was under every obligation to comply with what God required. It was altogether fit, that he'should know, and forever keep in mind, that God, the Creator, was the supreme and sole owner of the world, and the rightful disposer of itThat he, himself, was wholly indebted to God for it, and for all the right he had in it-That he held it under God, and was, as it were, to pay fealty to God for it; ever feeling and acknowledging Him to be the Lord, the proprietor, and the owner of it. Hence, he must be sensible, that he was bound to use and improve the world, not for himself and his own private pleasure, but for God and his glory; and, as he directed him. The prohibition of one tree, in the garden, was evidently designed, as well as, every way, fitted continually to remind Adam of all this--of the conditions on which he was to enjoy the world, and the favor of God with it. And this prohibition was directly calculated to preserve a conviction,

perpetually, on his mind, that, not he, but God, the Maker, was the Lord, the owner, and the sovereign of the world; and, that he, himself, held under God, and was ever to acknowledge God to be the giver.

ON such conditions, and on such only, was Adam to enjoy the world, and the perpetual favor of God with it. On these conditions he was to enjoy life, in the image and favor of God: And, on the same conditions to be blessed with a posterity, like himself happy in innocence, and in the enjoyment of God. Adam's taking of the forbidden tree carried in it a refusal of the world on the most reasonable terms, on which God proposed to him to take it and have dominion over all creatures and things on it. The language of his conduct was, that he would not take the world and reign over the lower order of creatures, which were in it, on such conditions-That he would not consent to hold it under God-That he would have it for his own, and use it for his own pleasure-or, not at all. Thus he wickedly rebelled against God, his Creator and rightful sovereign; and, hereby brought death and ruin on himself, and entailed them on all his posterity.

and evil.

II. We may, now, enquire into the nature and import of the motive, by which our first parents were prevailed on to disobey, ye shall be as gods knowing good The tree which bore the fruit forbidden to Adam, was called, "the tree of knowledge of good and " evil," Gen. ii. 9, 17. Probably, it was so called, because such great events depended on the conduct of our first parents relative to it; and such vast consequences, and of such immense extent, were to follow on, either their odedience or disobedience to the divine injunction. Their own future and eternal destiny were here at stake, together with that of their innumerable posterity--All was suspended on their strict and punctual observance of the divine command. On this depended their own future good or evil--their endless happiness or misery. By this it was to be decided, whether they were forever to know and enjoy the good of that favor of God, which is as life--that loving kindness of his, which is better than life: : or, whether they were to know and experience the

awful evil of being the objects of his eternal displeasure and abhorrence. All the endless happiness or misery, both of our first parents themselves, and of a postsrity which was to fill the earth, were suspended on their conduct relative to this one tree. Well might it be termed, "The tree of the knowledge of good and evil." What mere creature ever had such a stake put into his hand! Consequences so vast and immeasurable suspended on his conduct! The obedience of our first parents to the most reasonable command of God respecting this tree, would, by divine constitution, have secured to them, and to the innumerable offspring, which was to proceed from them, uninterrupted peace, prosperity and good-Their disobedience involve them and all their posterity in utter ruin and endless evil!

THE motive, which the tempter presented to our first parents to venture on the forbidden fruit, the event proved was effectual. Under the influence of the serpent's suggestion, it must have been, that they expected an increase of happiness, instead of that of sorrow and evil, which were the just consequences of their wicked temerity. When the adversary said to the woman," For "God doth know, that in the day ye eat thereof, then "your eyes shall be opened; and ye shall be as gods "knowing good and evil," it cannot be supposed, that he meant to excite in her an expectation, that an experimental knowledge of evil would be the consequence of her eating; or, that the suggestion had this effect. To be as gods knowing good and evil, could not be understood to imply, that evil should be known by experience: In this sense, God himself does not know evil, nor ever will. Our first parents did know evil, to their sorrow, on disobeying the voice of God. But to suppose, either that the serpent meant to suggest, or that any such idea was suggested, must imply that the subtile tempter was, at the same time adding his own influence to that of the divine prohibition, "in the day ye eat thereof, ye shall "surely die," and taking the most direct method to defeat his own malicious design.

WHEN the tempter said to the woman, " Ye shall be *as gods knowing good and evil," he must have meant,

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