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four-footed beasts, and made them male and female. On the same day he also formed man. Accordingly Moses says, that in six days the world, and all that is therein, was made; and that the seventh day was a rest, and a release from the labour of such operations, whence it is that we celebrate a rest from our labours on that day, and call it the Sabbath, which word denotes rest in the Hebrew tongue.

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Moreover Moses, after the seventh day was over, begins to talk philosophically; and concerning the formation of man says thus: that God took dust from the ground, † and formed man, and inserted in him a spirit and a soul. This man was called Adam, which in the Hebrew tongue signifies one that is red, because he was formed out of red earth compounded together, for of that kind is virgin and true earth. God also presented, the living creatures, when he had made them, according to their kinds, both male and female, to Adam, and gave them those names by which they are still called. But when he saw that Adam had

* Since Josephus, in his preface, says that Moses wrote some things enigmatically, some allegorically, and the rest in plain words; since in his account of the first chapter of Genesis, and the three first verses of the second, he gives us no hints of any mystery at all; but when he comes to ver. 4. &c. he says, that Moses after the seventh day was over, began to talk philosophically, it is not improbable that he understood the rest of the second and the third chapters in some enigmatical, allegorical, or philosophical sense. The change of the name of God just at this place from Elohim to Jehovah Elohim, from God to Lord God, in the Hebrew, Samaritan, and Septua gint, also seems to favour some such change in the narration or construction.

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The place wherein the country of Eden, as mentioned by Moses, seems most like to be situated, is Chaldea, not far from the banks of the Euphrates. To this purpose, when we find Rabshekah vaunting his master's actions, "have the Gods of the nations delivered them which my fa thers have destroyed, as Gazan and Haran, and Rezeph, and the children of Eden, which were in Telassar?" lassar, in general, signifies any garrison or fortification, so here, more particularly, it denotes that strong fort which the children of Eden built in an island of the Euphrates, towards the west of Babylon, as a barrier against the incursions of the Assyrians on that side. And

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no female companion, no society, for there was no such created, and that he wondered at the other animals which were male and female, he laid him asleep, and took away one of his ribs, and out of it formed the woman; § whereupon Adam knew her when she was brought to him, and acknowledged that she was made out of himself. Now a woman is called in the Hebrew tongue Issa: but the name of this woman was Eve, which signifies the mother of all living.

Moses says farther, that God planted a paradise in the east, flourishing with all sorts of trees, and that among them was the tree of life, and another of knowledge, whereby was to be known what was good and evil; and that when he had brought Adam and his wife into this garden, he commanded them to take care of the plants. || Now the garden was watered by one river, ¶ which ran round about the whole earth, and was parted into four parts. Phison, which denotes a multitude, running into India, makes its exit into the sea, and is by the Greeks called Ganges. Eu

therefore, in all probability the country of Eden lay on the west side, or rather on both sides the Euphrates, after its conjunction with the Tigris, a litle below the place where, in process of time, the famous city of Babylon came to be built. Thus we have found out a country called Eden, which for its pleasure and fruitfulness, as all author's agree, answers the character which Moses gives of it. Herodotus, who was an eye witness of it, tells us, that where Euphrates runs out into Tigris, not far from the place where Ninus is seated, that region is, of all that ever he saw, the most excellent: so fruitful in bringing forth corn, that it yields two hundred fold; and so plenteous in grass, that the people are forced to drive their cattle from pasture, lest they should surfeit themselves. B.

¶ Whence this strange notion came, which is not peculiar to Josephus, but Dr. Hudson says, is derived from elder authors; as if four of the greatest rivers in the world, running two of them at vast distances from the other two, by some means or other watered Paradise, is hard to say. Only since Josephus has already appeared to allegorize this history, and takes notice that these four names had a particular signification: Phison for Ganges, a multitude; Phrath for Euphrates, either a dispersion or a flower; Diglath for Tigris, what is swift with narrowness; and Geon for Nile, what arises from the east; we perhaps mistake him when we suppose he literally means those four rivers, especially as to Geon, or Nile, which arises from the east; while he very well knew the literal Nile arises from the south; though what farther allegorical sense he had in view is now, I fear, impossible to be determined.

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phrates also, as well as Tigris, goes down into the Red Sea. * Now the name Euphrates, or Phrath, denotes either a dispersion, or a flower; by Tigris, or Diglath is signified what is swift, with narrowness; and Geon runs through Egypt, and denotes what arises from the East, which the Greeks call Nile,

God therefore commanded that Adam and his wife should eat of all the rest of the plants, but to abstain from the tree of knowledge, and foretold to them, that if they touched it, it would prove their destruction. But while all the living creatures had one languaget at that time, the serpent, which then lived together with Adam and his wife, shewed an envious disposition at his supposal of their living happily, and in obedience to the commands of God; and imagining that when they disobeyed they would fall into calamities, he persuaded the woman, out of a malicious intention, to taste of the tree of knowledge, telling them, that in that tree was the knowledge of good and evil, which knowledge when they should obtain they would lead a happy life: nay, a life not inferior to that of a god; by which means he overcame the woman, and persuaded her to despise the command of God. Now, when she had tasted of that tree, and was pleased with its fruit, she persuaded Adam to make use of it also. Upon this they perceived that they were become naked to one another; and being ashamed thus to appear abroad, they invented

* By the Red Sea is not here meant the Arabian Gulf, which alone we now call by that name, but all that South Sea, which included the Red Sea and the Persian Gulf, as far as the East Indies; as Reland and Hudson truly note from the old geographers.

+ Hence it appears, that Josephus thought several, at least, of the brute animals, particularly the serpent, could speak before the fall; and I think few of the more perfect kinds of those animals want the organs of speech at this day. Many inducements there are also to a notion, that the present state they are in is not their original state, and that their capacities have been once much greater than we now see them.

Gen. iii. 5.

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§ Those who take the word naked in a literal sense, suppose that upon the fall, the air, and other elements, immediately became intemperate and disorderly; so that our first parents soon knew, or felt, that they were naked, because the sun scorched them, they became wet with the rain, and the cold pierced them. Others take the expression in a figurative sense, to denote the commission

somewhat to cover them, for the fruit sharpened their understanding; and they covered themselves with fig-leaves, and tying these before them, out of modesty, they thought they were happier than they were before, as they had discovered what they were in want of. But when God came into the garden, || Adam, who was wont before to come and converse with him, being conscious of his wicked behaviour, went out of the way. This behaviour surprised God; and he asked what was the cause of his procedure and why he, that before delighted in that conversation, did now fly from, and avoid it? When he made no reply, as conscious to himself that he had transgressed the command of God, God said, • "I had before determined about you both, how you might lead a happy life, without any affliction, care, or vexation of soul; and that all things which might contribute to your enjoyment and pleasure should grow up by my providence, of their own accord, without your labor and pains taken: which state of labor would soon bring on old age, and death would not be at any remote distance. But now thou hast abused my good-will, and hast disobeyed my commands; for thy silence is not the sign of thy virtue, but of thy evil conscience." However, Adam excused his sin, and intreated God not to be angry with him; and laid the blame of what was done upon his wife, and said, that he was deceived by her, and thence became an offender; while she again

of such sins as man in his senses may well be ashamed of. To this purpose they have observed, that when Moses returned from the Mount, and found that the people had made and consecrated a golden image, the expresssion in scripture is, the people were naked, they were be come vile and reprobate sinners, (for so the word υγμένος signifies in the new Testament, Rev, xvi. 15.)" for Aaron had made them naked unto their shame, among their enemies," Exod. xxxii. 25. See Nicholl's Conference, vol. I. B.

|| Our first parents were conscious of the approach of God to them in the garden by the voice which they heard as usual from the divine presence. The word voice may be rendered noise; and since God's usual way of notifying his presence afterwards was either by "a still small voice, or noise," 1 Kin. xix. 12, or by a noise" like that of great waters," Ezek. i. 24. or like "the rustling of wind in the trees," 2 Sam. v. 24, we may reasonably suppose, that it was either a soft gentle noise, like a breeze of wind among the trees of Paradise, or a louder one like the murmuring of some large river, which gave Adam notice of God's approach. B.

accused the serpent. But God allotted him punishment, because he weakly submitted to the counsel of his wife and said, the ground should not henceforth yield its fruits of its own accord, but that when it should be harassed by their labor, it should bring forth some of its fruits, and refuse to bring forth others. He also made Eve liable to the inconveniency of breeding, and the sharp pains of bringing forth children; and this because she persuaded Adam with the same arguments wherewith the serpent had persuaded her, and had thereby brought him into a calamitous condition. He also deprived the serpent of speech, out of indignation at his malicious disposition towards Adam. Besides this, he inserted poison under his tongue, and made him an enemy to men; and suggested to them that they should direct their strokes against his head, that being the place wherein lay his mischievous designs towards men, and it being easiest to take vengeance on him that way; and when he had deprived him of the use of his feet, he made him to go rolling along, and dragging himself upon the ground: and when God had appointed these penalties for them, he removed Adam and Eve out of the garden* into another place.

CHAP. II.

OF THE POSTERITY OF ADAM, AND THE TEN GENERATIONS FROM HIM TO THE DELUGE.

ADAM and as named Cain, which name DAM and Eve had two sons† the elder when interpreted, signifies a possession. The younger was Abel which signifies sorrow. They had also daughters. Now the two brethren were pleased with different courses of life; for Abel, the younger, was a lover of righteousness, and believing that God was present at all his actions, he excelled in virtue, and his employment was that of a shepherd. But Cain was not only very wicked in other

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respects. but was wholly intent upon getting, and he first contrived to plough the ground. He slew his brother on the following occasion:-they had resolved to sacrifice to God; now Cain brought the fruits of the earth, and of his husbandry; but Abel brought milk, and the first fruits of his flocks. But God was more delighted with the latter oblation, when he was honored with what grew naturally of its own accord, than he was with what was the invention of a covetous man, and gotten by forcing the ground. Cain, therefore, was very angry that Abel was preferred by God before him, and he slew his brother, and hid his dead body, thinking to escape discovery; but God, knowing what had been done, came to Cain and asked him, What was become of his brother? because he had not seen him many days, whereas he used to observe them conversing together at other times. But Cain was in doubt with himself, and knew not what answer to give to God. At first he said, that he was himself at a loss about his brother's

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disappearing; but when he was provoked by God, who pressed him vehemently, as resolving to know what the matter was, he replied, "He was not his brother's guardian or keeper, nor was he an observer of what he did." in return God convicted Cain, as having been the murderer of his brother, and said," I wonder at thee, that thou knowest not what is become of a man whom thou thyself has destroyed." God however did not inflict the punishment of death upon him, on account of his offering sacrifice, and thereby making supplications to him not to be extreme in his wrath to him; but he made him accursed, and threatened his posterity in the seventh generation. He also cast him, together with his wife, out of that land; and when he was afraid, that in wandering about he should fall among wild beasts, and by that means perish. God told him not to entertain such a melancholy suspicion, § but to go over all the earth

Josephus's reason seems to be no better than a Pharisaical notion or tradition.

§ The punishment of Cain was doubtless a severe one, but no more so than his aggravated guilt demanded. Referring to it, Moses represents him as saying," My punishment is greater than I can bear," Gen. iv. 18. but as the Hebrew word signifies iniquity rather than punishment, and the verb signifies to be forgiven, as well as to bear, it without

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