fort; but, as these would not be understood by Adam whilst he remained in his integrity, I have not taken any notice of them. These will more properly fall under our consideration in the following chapter.

57

CHAPTER V.

The immediate Consequences of the Fall, and the Promulgation of the Covenant of Mercy.

THE situation of Adam and Eve, together with their posterity, became entirely changed by their transgression. They had been the happiest of all creatures not placed in the immediate enjoyment of heaven; by their offence they had become the most miserable.

The covenant which had been established between them and their Maker, and which was ordained to be a covenant of life, had, by their breach of it, become a covenant of death: the sentence of it hung suspended over them, and was only waiting for the command of the Almighty to fall upon them, and overwhelm them with everlasting destruction.

The temptation had been an increase of knowledge; "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."* To acquire this knowledge,

* Gen. iii. 5.

row.

they had transgressed; and had at length found, by wretched experience, that knowledge gained by disobedience was only an acquisition of sorTheir eyes were indeed opened to know good and evil; but the first fruit of their enlarged discernment was to feel their own nakedness and unfitness to appear before their Creator, whose presence they speedily anticipated.

Previous to this, they had been insensible of anxiety, or any other painful emotion. Το have access to, and enjoy intercourse with their Maker, had been their privilege and delight. It was now become a matter of awful necessity. They held it imperiously requisite to provide for it, and prepare a covering for their nakedness; but where could they find the materials for such an undertaking, or the means of uniting them ?-the broad leaves of the fig-tree promised most easily to supply what was wanted. They were applied for the purpose; but so far were these from giving them assurance or confidence to endure their Creator's presence, that upon the first warning of his approach, they fled to hide themselves. Can any feeling be more painful than that of guilty terror?—any expression of it more forcible than that of flight? From the moment of their transgression, their whole experience had

been that of distress, and all their expectation misery.

"And they heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife hid themselves from the presence of the Lord God amongst the trees of the garden. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and said unto him, Where art thou? And he said, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid, because I was naked; and I hid myself. And he said, who told thee that thou wast naked? Hast thou eaten of the tree whereof I commanded thee that thou shouldest not eat? And the man said, the woman whom thou gavest to be with me, she gave me of the tree, and I did eat. And the Lord God said unto the woman, what is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, the serpent beguiled me, and I did eat."* Had it been possible for them to have disobeyed this call into the divine presence, or to have eluded these enquiries, without doubt they would have done so; but the command was irresistible; the very enquiries carried conviction, and their consciences read to them the sentence of their condemnation before the Judge pronounced it.

It may be enquired, might they not have averted this evil by pursuing another course,

* Gen. iii. 8-13.

and so have prevailed upon the Almighty to accept their submission, and restore them to the situation from which they had fallen? God is represented as a Being of extraordinary mercy and love. He had exercised his benevolent attributes in the formation and disposal of his creatures-why not display these yet further in restoring them to their former situation, to make a fresh trial of their obedience, after they had in some degree experienced the dreadful consequences of guilt?

A supposition of this kind necessarily implies a forgetfulness of the perfections of the Almighty that he cannot admit of any imperfection, especially in the principles of his own rule and government. All his attributes must equally share in his peculiar excellence-his justice as well as his mercy. He is also holy, and holiness cannot associate with guilt. He is "faithful and true," therefore he will display his consistency in all his regulations. "He cannot deny himself."+

If this required any additional confirmation, it might be derived from observing the results which must necessarily have followed from measures founded on imperfect principles. The pardon of this first act of disobedience would not have raised the transgressor to his former + 2 Tim. ii. 13.

* Rev. xix. 11.