from the Scriptures of both Tefta

ments.

How a Period would have been put to the Life of innocent Man, we are no where told; but that it was not to be effected by Difeafes and Death, which are now the ordinary and natural Way into another World, is very certain, Enoch and Elijah were tranflated, and never saw Death, and it is not unreasonable to imagine, that Mankind would have been gradually removed to a State of more perfect Felicity in fome fuch Manner.

But to leave Conjectures that are more curious than useful; what is certain, is that Adam's Sin was followed with the Punishment threatned, and which is the fad Part of the Story, that he entailed Corruption and Mortality upon all his Offspring.

By what Means this new Law of Death was put in Execution, has long exercifed the Speculations of inquifitive Men. That Mortality is effected by a natural Course of fecond Causes, and not by the immediate Hand of God, is hardly to be questioned, for then the Death of every Man would be a Miracle; whereas it is next to a Miracle that Men live as long as they do. I cannot

B 3

I cannot fee any Neceffity in this Cafe for going further than the Mofaick Account according to the Letter, for the Solution of this Point agreeably to the Principles of Philo,fophy and Morality.

We learn from the 2d Chapter of Genefis that Adam had a Warrant for eating freely of every Tree in the Garden except the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. This was forbidden under the Pain of Death, in thofe Words, v. 17. For in the Day thou eateft thereof, thou shalt furely die. The Meaning could not be that he should actually die that Day, for he lived many Ages after, but from that Day he should become a mortal Creature, and die after a certain Time. In the following Chapter we read that Adam at the Inftigation of Eve did venture, notwithstanding this Prohibition, to eat of the forbidden Fruit, whereupon he was turned out of the Garden left he should put forth his Hand, and take, and eat of the Tree of Life, and live for ever, v. 23. These Paffages clearly intimate that there were in Paradife two Trees of very particular, and contrary Qualities. The one, bearing Fruit of fingular Beauty and Attraction, but of a poisonous Nature. This Fruit was forbid

den

den in order to try Adam's Obedience, and his Difobedience would naturally carry its own Punishment with it. The other called the Tree of Life, was a Sovereign Remedy against the Poison of the Former, and would have restored him again to Immortality, or a State of Health, free from all Diseases and inward Decays.

Now there is nothing in all this contrary to Reason and Experience; for we know that the Juices of many Vegetables are poifonous and Mortal, fome working their Effect speedily, and others flowly and gradually. There is a Tree * in our American Colonies that bears a very beautiful Apple, which yet has poifoned many, for which Reason they deftroy it near their Settlements. And there are on the contrary many Vegetables whofe Juices are wholesome to human Bodies, both as Food, and as Remedies against Infection and Poison.

It is therefore neither abfurd nor improbable to understand these Paffages of Mofes literally, and that as the forbidden Fruit was a flow Poifon, fo the Tree of Life was a natural Cure for it; and that Adam upon his Trangreffion was thrust out of Paradife B 4

The Manchineel Tree.

left

1

left he should eat of this Fruit, and recover that Immortality which he had forfeited.

And there is no Difficulty in conceiving that this flow Poison being once incorporated with the Blood of our firft Parents, might in a natural Course be transfufed thorough the Veins of all their Pofterity, and carry with it irregular Defires and Paffions, as well as Diseases and Death. For our daily Obfervation proves that not only Paffions and Diftempers, but even the outward Properties of Feature, Stature, Shape and Colour defcend in Families, and remain till the Blood is changed by fome new and prevailing Mixture.

This new Law of Mortality therefore needed no immediate Act of divine Power, but might work its own Effect by the natural Course of fecond Caufes.

If this Hiftory of Adam's Fall,and his entailing thereby Diseases and Death on all his Pofterity, can be thus fairly accounted for by natural Philofophy, fupported by Obfervation and certain Experience, there is no need to depart from the literal Senfe of Mofes, and to hunt for an allegorical one, which fome Men, ill affected to divine Revelation, have studiously done; not so much, I suspect,

I fufpect, with a Design to overturn the Old Teftament, as to undermine the New. For if Adam did not really fall, and thereby entail Death on his Posterity, this seems to fuperfede the Neceffity of the coming of Chrift, the fecond Adam, into the World, in order to repair the Damages sustained by the first. And yet this is the principal Character by which our bleffed Saviour is described in the Gospel, for there we read, first that by one Man Sin entred into the World, and Death by Sin, and fo Death paffed upon all Men, Rom. 5. 12. and next we read of our Recovery by Chrift, For as in Adam all die, even fo in Chrift shall all be made alive, 1 Cor. 15. 22.

But we must not imagine that the Death or Diffolution of the Body is the only Evil to be feared. This is what the holy Scriptures call the first Death: and very comfortlefs and dejecting would the Thought even of this be, were it not for the Hope of a Refurrection, of which our Saviour Chrift is the fole Author. But this is a Trifle in Comparison of the fecond Death, which confifts in a perpetual Exclufion from the Happiness of Heaven, and fuffering unspeakable Miferies in Hell; and this every Man

is