tantalize. It had fruits, but they were not to be eaten on pain of temporal and eternal death. We are led to think that serpents could talk in those days, for this serpent conversed with Eve, according to the literal history, and that without any surprise on her part. We are induced to wonder that human nature, in its most perfect condition, should be overcome and outreasoned by a beast. We are astonished to think that God should care so much for the forbidden fruit, and so little for his immortal children, as to punish the taking of the one by the eternal destruction of the other. We find another law, opposite to that declared in the Gospel, prevailing, and are led to infer that it is that which entereth into the man which defileth the man, for, according to the literal history, the fruit thus eaten defiled the whole race. All these and many other difficulties press upon us from the natural understanding of the history, and compel us, if we would think reverently of God, of his Word, and of man, to look for a signification of a more exalted kind. But some, perhaps, may think we are entirely passing by the circumstance that gives an air of truth and probability to the whole narrative, namely, that the devil entered into the serpent, and was thus the great and potential cause of the fall. Many, no doubt, imagine that this important point is fully stated in the history, and ought never to be forgotten. This is entirely a mistake. The Word is silent where Old Church theology speaks so loudly. That which forms the grand point in ordinary religious doctrine, in the Word is never mentioned-is nothing at all. The serpent, it is said, was a beast of the field-not was the devil, or had the devil in it; the serpent did act so and so, and the serpent was punished. If, indeed, the devil were in the serpent, how can the fact be explained that he was allowed to escape unpunished? The serpent suffered, and the devil was overlooked. Besides, if we conceive the serpent to have been a natural animal, we must confess that one portion of the sentence has never been executed. There is no serpent which feeds on dust. No animal, in fact, can live on unorganized matter. Further, if a natural serpent be understood, we must suppose the wild conceit that it lived until our Lord came into the world; for it is said of the glorious seed of the woman, "It shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel." This would be utterly absurd. In no point of view can the narrative be sustained as a literal narrative; and why should we attempt it? The very next introduction of the term serpent into the Divine Word is in the same book of Genesis, and evidently it has there a spiritual meaning. "Dan shall be a serpent by the way, an adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward."

(Gen. xlix. 17.) Here it is said, Dan, a man, or a tribe, shall be a serpent. How unintelligible if naturally conceived, but how beautiful and important in the spiritual sense! All the outward world corresponds to the whole inward world-the world of mind. Animals, as the living portion, correspond to the affections, for man lives from his affections. The more he loves, the more he is in active life. Each animal, according to its especial nature and habits, corresponds to some particular affection, which gives rise to corresponding habits in man;→ the serpent, from the low state of its organization, being inferior even to fishes, and from its creeping near the earth, corresponds to self-love, which was intended only to preserve our individual and earthly interests, that we might be able to render uses to the Lord's kingdom. Its object is to provide the means for our having a sound mind in a sound body. While it performs this service it is eminently valuable; it is indispensable. The man who does not take good care of his own concerns will be able to render little service to others. He will soon be a burden to society rather than a help. To preserve man himself in order and in health is, then, the work of self-love,-the spiritual serpent. And here we have an answer to the questions unanswerable by a literalist:-Why did God make the serpent? or why continue it in its mischievous existence? Why not annihilate it when it was about to deceive man? Self-love is essential to man's existence and happiness. In its own place it is invaluable. It only becomes pernicious when it is suffered to rule instead of serving-to become a sovereign instead of ministering-to usurp the place in the soul of the holy principles of love to God and charity to man. The fall consisted in the serpent's being permitted to guide, to teach, and to rule, and its dictates being suffered to prevail over those of love and wisdom from the Lord.

But here we must observe, that the fall really commenced before the serpent is introduced at all into the narrative. When Adam came into such a state that the Lord God saw it was not good that he should be alone, and he needed a help, then the first movements of disorder had begun. All before this was very good; now, something was found not good. Here was a change. And if we bear in mind that Adam and Eve, as the principal objects in this spiritual history, represent the will and the understanding of the celestial degree of the mind;-Adam, the chief, representing the will to love the Lord above all things, and Eve, the subordinate, representing the intellect in the same degree;—we shall perceive that by his not wishing to be alone, and a help being needed, is represented the descending state of the soul. To be alone, in the spiritual sense, is to be simply and singly under the influence of the

Lord. To set him only before us, to be actuated only by his love, and to live as in his sight only, this is to be alone. Hence it is written:“Israel shall dwell in safety alone; the fountain of Jacob shall be upon a land of corn and wine; also his heavens shall drop down dew." (Deut. xxxiii. 28.) Again," Arise, get you up unto the wealthy nation, that dwelleth without care, saith the Lord, which have neither gates nor bars, which dwell alone." (Jer. xlix. 31.) Adam's dissatisfaction with being alone, represents a desire no longer to be actuated by perception flowing from love to the Lord only. They wished to see truth by reasoning. They desired to have happiness, and to see wisdom by the use of a self-conscious power. They would come to the same conclusions but by their own intellectual activity. This is meant by the rib from Adam's side being made into a woman, a help, and his saying, "This is now bone of my bone, and flesh of my flesh." They rejoiced that there was something of their own both in the truth and the good which they received.

Having traced the descent of the human mind from celestial perception to reasoning respecting divine things, though at first in their favor, let us now notice the serpent again. He corresponds, as we have said, to self-love in the natural degree of the soul. Hence he is so frequently introduced when the wicked are described, to whom selfishness gives the tone of their character. Thus in Job:-"The triumphing of the wicked is short, and the joy of the hypocrite but for a moment. He shall suck the poison of asps; the viper's tongue shall slay him;" (Chap. xx. 5, 16.)-where the horrible falsehoods which self-love engenders in a wicked man are represented by the poison of the asp and the viper's tongue, which slay him. In Isaiah it is said,-"They hatch cockatrice' eggs, and weave the spider's web; he that eateth of their eggs dieth, and that which is crushed breaketh out into a viper." (Chap. lix. 5.) How true a description of the infernal schemes of perverted self-love! He who is deceived by them dies, and he who crushes or opposes them is assailed with all the virulence of the viper. When John the Baptist saw the selfish Sadducees approaching him, he said,"O generation of vipers, who hath warned you to flee from the wrath to come?" (Matt. iii. 7.) And when our Lord himself unmasked the Pharisees, it was in these words:" Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" Hypocritical and base, under the forms of piety, self was their ruling principle. Hence they are described by the serpent, the symbol of self-love. This principle, then, it was that began to insinuate itself into notice after man had made the first descent from celestial wisdom to reasoning. It is

useful to notice the gradual manner in which it proceeds to acquire influence. It commences by proposing a doubt whether the Divine Being has really forbidden the fruit of the tree of knowledge to be eaten; (Ver. 1.)-just as self-love proceeds now in undermining any principle of good or truth which opposes its projects,-"Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden?" Are you quite certain that the divine law is so? Is there not some little doubt about it? And after thus inducing hesitation, it grows bolder and declares," Ye shall not surely die." (Ver. 4.) It has drawn the mind down lower. It has taken a position opposed to divine truth. From doubt it has become infidelity. Such was the progress of the soul in its descent in the fall in early times, and such it is now. When we allow self-love to influence us against religion, we first hesitate, doubt, and tamper with the lessons of heaven; then we positively oppose, harden ourselves, and deny them. There is not so much difference as we might at first suppose between a fall now and the fall then.

We may notice another interesting circumstance which should not be lost sight of;—the altered position of the tree of life and the tree of knowledge. In the second chapter, ver. 9, the tree of life is said to be in the midst of the garden; but in the third the woman, after she has been talking to the serpent, finds that the tree of knowledge is in the midst. But of the fruit of the tree which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, Ye shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die." Here another change has evidently been accomplished. The tree of knowledge is in the midst, and has taken the place of the tree of life; or, in other words, external knowledge is preferred to internal wisdom. That which should be at the circumference is placed in the centre,-appearances are now esteemed the very truth. estimation of degenerating man, earthly knowledge becomes the chief and centre of the garden of the soul. Sad perversion! Awful delusion! The bane, alas! of this age, as it was the ruin of the early generations of men. "The letter killeth; it is the spirit which giveth life."

In the

The next circumstance which calls attention, is the appearance of the tree and its fruit to the woman, prior to the eating of it :-" She saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise." How strikingly does this language pourtray the appearance of an improper course to one so deluded to follow it! Its false blandishments seem good-its promises fair-its arguments plausible. It professes to be a most likely course

for being crowned with success; a tree to be desired to make one wise. But it only appears thus to the infatuated mind misled by self-love. It is only to such a soul that the phantasy can seem a truth, that we should prefer our puny knowledge to the wisdom of the Most High. Only a mind already inwardly disordered can imagine external and temporal things are to be preferred to internal and everlasting ones. To such only the tree of earthly knowledge seems likely to make one wise.

This last phrase is another of those portions of the Word which deeply impress the thoughtful mind with the fact that spiritual things alone are here understood. For what can be literally meant by a tree that can make one wise? Can any one suppose our first parents, in a state of perfection, could imagine wisdom to come from the fruit of a natural tree? Surely not. But it is an error still prevalent, and especially so among the learned, that outward knowledge makes a man wise. Knowledge without charity puffeth up. It was so in ancient days—it is so now. When a person has allowed himself to think little and lightly of divine wisdom, outward talent and outward learning increase in estimation; and as they rise in their delusive importance, it seems a tree to be desired to make one wise. But oh, how hollow, unsubstantial, and visionary is science, when unblest with an eternal end! It mocks with apparent fulness, it glitters with apparent glory; but when grasped by the earnest soul, it yields nothing but "vanity and vexation of spirit." When used as the clothing and guard of what is holy, it subserves the purposes of the Most High; but when valued for its own sake, and above the living wisdom of heaven, it is as the reed which pierces the hand of him who leans upon it.”

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The men of early times, after passing through the various changes to which we have adverted, are said to have eaten of the fruit of the tree of knowledge. To eat, is to incorporate the food taken with our bodies; and to eat spiritually, is to incorporate instruction with our souls. Hence, we are to hunger and thirst after righteousness, that we may be filled. And in the eighty-first psalm it is said,-" Open thy mouth wide and I will fill it." (Ver. 10.) But man is not to incorporate into his soul the appearances of truth, of which external science consists, and to confirm them as realities. He is to eat the bread of God, and to drink of living water. He must feed his soul upon real goodness and real truth. The appearances of things are useful to regulate the external man,—to guide us in our demeanour to each other, but not to be confirmed as certain truth. When the body of a man exhibits suffering, and at length death, to be guided by these appearances so as