60 pounds Sterling; and there he buried Sarah his wife.

daughter called TAMAR, 2 Sam. iii. 3. xiv. 25.-27. xviii. 18.

Three years after, he resolved to provide a match When Tamar his sister was ravished by Amfor Isaac his son. He called Eliezer, his princi- non, she complained to him of the injury done her. pal servant, and after giving him his instructions, Absalom resolved on a thorough revenge. Bent and binding him by oath, to take for his son a wife to execute it, he entirely concealed his resentment. out of his own kindred; and to avoid every step After two years, he invited his brethren to a calculated to make Isaac return to Mesopotamia, shearing-feast at Baalhazor. When Amnon had he sent him away with a suitable train, and a num-drunk hard, Absalom ordered his servants to kill ber of presents. Rebekah was obtained for Isaac.him; and then fled to his grandfather, at Geshur, Next year Abraham himself espoused Keturah; in Syria. He had continued three years in exile, and his body being invigorated by the influence of when Joab, observing David's fondness of a reconGod, he had six sons by her. Their names were,ciliation, prompted an artful widow of Tekoah, Zimran, Jokshan, Medan, Midian, Ishbak, and by a feigned speech, concerning the danger of her Shuah. These Abraham, in his life time, portioned son, who, she pretended, had in a passion killed and sent eastward into ARABIA the Desert, where his brother, to solicit it. Absalom was recalled; they became heads of tribes numerous and potent.but lived two years at Jerusalem, without enter4. M. 2183, Abraham died in the 175th year of his age: his sons Isaac and Ishmael, who now lived at a small distance one from another, buried him in the cave of Machpelah, beside Sarah his wife. Gen. xxiii. xxiv. xxv.

ing his father's presence. Stung with grief and indignation, he sent for Joab, with a view to engage him to be his advocate with the king. Joab at first refused to go; but Absalom, by burning of his corn, obliged him to it. On coming, Joab unAbraham is famous in the stories of the ancient derstood his intent, and went directly to King DaHeathens, and of the Mahometans, Indians, and vid, and procured his admission to court. Scarce Jews, as a king of Damascus, as a teacher of arith-was this reconciliation effected, when Absalom metic and astronomy to the Egyptians, &c. It is prepared to usurp his father's throne He got probable, human sacrifices took their rise among himself a number of horses and chariots, and fifty the Canaanites, from his intended oblation of men to run before him. By kind usage of those Isaac. Severus, the Roman emperor, reckoned who came to his father for judgment; by indirect him one of his deities, along with Jesus Christ.hints, that their causes were good, but his father The sacred volumes represent him as the friend of neglected to do them justice, and by wishes that it God; as the father and pattern of the faithful; as were in his power to do them right, he won the one who, with joy unspeakable, foresaw the com-hearts of the people. ing of the promised Messiah; as a noted possessor of the heavenly glory; and hence a share of it is represented as a lying in his bosom. Rom. iv. Heb. xi. John viii. 56. Matth. viii. 11. Luke xvi. 22.

About Whitsuntide, A. M. 2980, in the 40th year after David's unction by Samuel, and the 4th after Absalom's return from Syria, he, under pretence of fulfilling a vow, solicited his father's permission to repair to Hebron, a city southward of Was Jesus Christ typified by this venerable pa- Jerusalem. Two hundred persons of note attendtriarch? How astonishing was his meekness; his ed him thither, without suspecting his designs. love and kindness to men; his intimacy with, fear He immediately opened his mind to them; and of, obedience to, and trust in his God! He the caused it to be proclaimed in all the cities of Israel, chosen favourite of Heaven; the Father and cove-that he reigned in Hebron. Ahithophel, David's nant-head of innumerable inillions of saved men. principal counsellor, upon invitation, revolted to To him were all the promises relative to the evan-him with the first: the body of the Israelites folgelic and eternal state of his church originally lowed his example. David, with a handful of made. All-obedient, he, at his Father's call, in a such friends as he could depend on, fled from Jemanner left the native abodes of bliss, and became rusalem. Ahithophel, after making him publicly a stranger and sojourner on earth, not having defile ten of his father's concubines, advised Absawhere to lay his head. At his Father's call, helom, without delay, to give him the command of offered himself an acceptable sacrifice to God.12,000 chosen troops, and he would directly purBy all-prevalent intercession, and supernatural sue his father, and apprehend him, before he had influence, he delivers his, ah, too ungrateful, friends time to recover from his fright. This advice was from the hand of their foes. After long patience, extremely proper to answer his end. But Hushai, he obtains a numerous seed in the Jewish and gos-was also consulted: he pretended, that Ahitho pel church. In his visible family are many pro-phel's counsel was not seasonable, as David and fessors, children of the bond-woman, the covenant his friends were brave and desperate fellows, and of works; who, in the issue, are, like the modern would readily spring forth from pits, or like hiding Jews, rejected, and cast out into a state of wicked-places, and all of a sudden cut off some of Absaness and misery: others are children of the free lom's forces, and so dispirit the whole party, bewoman, who, like Isaac, are, by the powerful in-fore it was firmly established. To flatter Absafluence of the promise, begotten again unto God. lom's vanity, and give David time to put himself ABSALOM, the third son of King David: his mother was Maacah, the daughter of Talmai, king of Geshur. He was one of the most comely men that ever breathed: every year he cut the hair of his head, and it weighed 200 shekels, or about six pounds English weight; or perhaps, rather was valued at the rate of 200 shekels of silver, Hushai's advice was approven and followed. which, at least, is about 23, or according to Pri-Absalom collected his troops; marched over Jordeaux, 20 pounds Sterling. He had three sons, dan to attack his father; a battle was fought in who all died in their childhood, and a beautiful the wood of Ephraim: his raw undisciplined host

in a posture of defence, he advised to assemble every man of Israel capable to bear arms; and that Absalom should command them in person : he pretended, that with this huge host, they should, without fail, ruin David and his party, whether they found him in city or field.

was easily defeated by the providence of God, and trance. Our access to a gracious state, and to his father's veteran troops. David had ordered God, is through Christ, as our ransom and way; his warriors to spare the life of his rebellious son; by the Spirit, as applying to us the person and fulbut riding through the wood, an oak-branch caughtness of Christ; and by faith, as the means of rehold of his highly valued hair, and hung him byceiving and improving Christ, as the Lord our it, instead of an halter, while his mule went away.righteousness and strength, Eph. ii. 13. iii. 12. Informed hereof, Joab hasted to the place, and Rom. v. 2. put an end to his life. He had erected a proud ACCHO, was a city of Galilee, on the coast of monument to perpetuate his fame; but had not the Mediterranean sea, about 32 miles south of the honour to be buried therein. His corpse was Tyre. It was built on a plain, but had mountains cast into a pit, as the carcass of an ass, and a great surrounding it on all sides, except towards the sea: heap of stones thrown over him. Whether his on the south was Carmel; on the east, the mounfather, who so lamented his death, removed it totains of Galilee; and on the north, the ladder of a more honourable sepulchre, we know not, 2 Sam. xiii. xiv. xv. xvi. xviii.

The

Tyre, about 12 miles distant. It had a fine harbour; and on the north of it, the river Belus, and ABSENT, out of one's sight, or presence, Gen. the sea-shore afforded great quantities of sand for xxxi. 49. Col. ii. 5. The saints on earth are making of glass. It was given to the tribe of absent from the Lord; they enjoy not the imme-Asher; but they suffered the Canaanites to condiate vision and fellowship of Jesus Christ, and of tinue in it, Judg. i. 31. It made no great figure God in him, as those in heaven do, 2 Cor. v. 6. till Ptolemy Philadelphus king of Egypt rebuilt ABSTAIN, to forbear using. ABSTINENCE is it, and called it PTOLEMAIS: after which, it often strictly a forbearing of the use of food, Acts xxvii.shared in the distress of the Syrian war. 22. During their sacred ministrations, the Jewish Christian religion was early established here; and priests were to abstain from wine and grapes, or here Paul visited the saints, in his way to Jerusaany thing produced by the vine, Lev. x. 9. Solem, Acts xxi. 7. Church-history informs us, were the Nazarites, during the term of their vow, that here were bishops in the 2d, 3d, 4th, 5th, and Numb. vi. 3. The whole Hebrew nation were to 6th centuries of the Christian æra. In the 12th abstain from the flesh of animals declared unclean and 13th centuries, it was a place of great strength by the law; and from the fat of such as were sacri-and was the object of no small contention beficed to the Lord; and from the blood of all, Lev.tween the Mahometans and the Europeans, in the xi. iii. 17. vii. 23. To commemorate the shrink-sacred wars. It began about that time to be caling of the sinew of Jacob's thigh, when touched led St. John de Acre: and here the knights of St. by the wrestling Angel, they voluntarily forbore John of Jerusalem fortified themselves a long eating of the correspondent sinew in animals, Gen.time. It has for about 300 years been subject to xxxii. 25. To avoid giving offence to Jewish or the Turks, and is still remarkable for many magweak Christians, the apostles enjoined the Gen-nificent ruins of palaces, castles, and about 30 tile converts, to refrain from eating of blood, and churches. It is now poorly built and inhabited; things sacrificed to idols, Acts xv. 28. 1 Cor. viii.scarce a mile in circumference; and without 7.-10.; but Paul declares it the doctrine of de-walls, as the Arabs will not allow it to be enclosvils, to abstain from any wholesome food, undered, lest they should lose their power over it. It pretence of intrinsic holiness and devotion, 1 Tim. has an old church, and a bishop of the Greek church. The Popish monks have an inn, which serves them instead of a convent.

iv. 3. 4.

ABUNDANT; very large, as an overflowing stream, I Pet. i. 3.

ACCOMPLISH; (1.) To perform; FULFIL; ABUNDANCE; a great deal of any thing, 2 fully execute, Jer. xliv. 25. (2.) To bring to pass Chron. ix. 9. Roin. v. 17. 2 Cor. xii. 7. Great what is desired, purposed, or promised, Prov. plenty and wealth, Deut. xxviii. 47. The abun-xiii. 9. (3.) To finish; so days are accomplished, dance of the seas, is plenty of fishes, and of profits Acts xxi. 5. Luke ii, 6.

arising from sea-trade, Deut. xxxiii. 19. See ACCORD; of its, or his own accord; freely, ABOUND. without pains or constraint, Lev. xxv. 5. 2 Cor. To ABUSE; to use persons or things from viii. 17. With one accord, with universal harmowrong ends or motives; or in a sinful and dishon-ny and agreement, Acts i. 14. ii. 46. v. 12. ourable manner, Judg. xix. 25. Men abuse them- ACCORDING; (1.) Agreeably to, 2 Tim. i. selves with mankind, when they commit the horrid sin of Sodom, that brought ruin on that, and the cities around, 1 Cor. vi. 9. Men abuse the world, when they use the good things of it, to dishonour God, and gratify their own lusts, 1 Cor. vii. 31.

9. (2.) Even as; in proportion to, Acts iv. 35. God rewards all men according to their works; that is, agreeably to the nature of their works, 2 Cor. v. 10. Rev. xxii. 12.; but deals not with his elect, according to the merit of their works, whether good or bad, 2 Tim. i. 9. Tit. iii. 5.

To ACCEPT; (1.) To receive favourably, Mal. i. 10.-13. (2.) To take pleasure in, Jer. To ACCOUNT; to reckon; judge; value, xiv. 10. (3.) To esteem highly, Luke iv. 24. To Deut. ii. 11. The Hebrews made account for the be accepted of God, is to be received into his grace paschal lamb; every eater paid his share of the and favour, Acts x. 35. The saints are accepted price, Exod. xii. 14. To put a thing to one's in the beloved through union to the person, and account, is to charge it on him, as his debt; to imputation of the righteousness of Jesus Christ, reckon it on him, as his good deed, Philem. 18. they are received into the divine favour, and en-Phil. iv. 17. To take account, is to search into, titled to all the blessings of eternal life, Eph. i. 6. and judge a matter, Matth. xviii. 23. To give The sinful accepting of persons, is the shewing them account, is to have our conduct tried, whether it partial respect, in judgment or otherwise, on ac-be reasonable and lawful, or not, Rom. xiv. 12. Count of some carnal circumstances and motives, Heb. xiii. 17. 1 Pet. iv. 5. God giveth not acProv. xviii. 5. Job xxxii. 21. Gal. ii. 6. count of his matters: he doth not ordinarily inACCESS; free admission; unhampered en-form his creatures of the reasons and circumstances

of his conduct; nor is he under obligation to dolvii. 3. It is certain it was the potters field, whence it, Job xxxiii. 13. they digged their materials: its soil being quite ACCURSED. The Hebrew word HHEREM, exhausted by them, it was of very small value. and the Greek ANATHEMA, which our version of-When Judas brought back the thirty pieces of ten renders accursed, signify things set apart or silver, which he had gotten for betraying his Masdevoted, and with Jews and Christians marked ter, the high priest and rulers pretended that it the highest degree of excommunication. They was not lawful to cast it into the sacred treasury, generally imported, the cutting off one from the as it was the price of blood, and purchased with community of the faithful, the number of the liv-it this field, to bury strangers in; and so it came ing, or the privileges of society; and of a thing to be called Aceldama or Hakeldama, the field of from existence, and common use. The cities of blood, Zech. xi. 12, 13. Matth. xxvii. 8. Acts i. King Arad; the seven nations of Canaan; the sa-18. Travellers assure us, that it is now covered crifices of false gods, were accursed, or devoted to with an arched roof, and will consume a corpse destruction. Numb. xxi. 2. 3. Deut. vii. 2. 26. in two or three days. Exod. xxii. 19. 20. The Hebrews devoted to a

ACHAIA, a country of the Greeks in Europe. carse, such as did not assist in punishing the Ben-Sometimes it was taken largely, and answered to jamites, Judg. xxi. 5. Jephtha devoted what- GRECIA proper, now called Livadia: but Achain ever should first meet him from his house, Judg.proper was a very small canton, on the south of ni. 29. Saul devoted such in his host, as should Greece, and north of the Peloponnesus or Morea. taste any food before sun-set, while he pursued the Its capital, and only city of note, was Corinth. Philistines, 1 Sam. xiv. 24. Above forty Jews Gallio was the Roman deputy here when Paul devoted themselves under a curse, if they did eat preached the gospel, and founded various Chrisor drink before they had killed Paul, Acts xxiii.tian congregations, Acts xviii. 1.-12. 2. Cor. 12. 13. Nothing devoted to the Lord under the i. 1. form of a curse, could be redeemed, Lev. xxvii. ACHAN, or ACHAR, a descendant of Judah by 28.23. The wealth of Jericho was accursed; the Zerah, Zabdi and Carmi. At the taking of Jerigold, silver, brass, and iron, were, under the form cho, he, contrary to the express charge of Josuof a curse, set apart to the service of God, and the UA, coveted part of the accursed spoil: Having rest devoted to ruin, Josh. vi. 16. 19. and vii. 1. seized a Babylonish garment, a wedge of gold, and The hanged malefactors were accursed of God, two hundred shekels of silver, he concealed them devoted to public punishment, and in emblem of in his tent. Offended with his crime, and to deter Jesus dying under the curse, Deut. xxi. 23. To others from secret wickedness, God marked his promote the salvation of his Jewish brethren, indignation hereat, in the defeat of three thousand Paul could have wished himself accursed from Hebrews before A1, and the slaughter of thirtyChrist; not east into hell, and for ever under the six. Pained with grief, Joshua and the elders of power of sin, and employed in blasphemy of God; israel rent their clothes, and cried to the Lord for but cast out of the church, and made a tempora-help. The Lord informed Joshua, that one of the ry monument of God's wrath, Rom. ix. 3. Moses, people had taken of the accursed spoil, and hid too, is thought to have offered himself to ruin for it among his stuff; till the discovery and punishthe preservation of Israel; but I suppose he only ment of which, they should have no assistance washed that he might not outlive the destruction from him. By the direction of God, the whole asof his people, Exod. xxxii. 32. Haters of Christ,sembly of Israel sanctified themselves, and preand preachers of righteousness by the works of the pared for a solemn search on the morrow: the law, are accursed, Is. Ixv. 20. Gal. i. 8. 9. To search was referred to the determination of the be Anathema, Maranatha, is to be finally separat-ot: First the tribe of Judah; next the family of el from Christ, and the saints, and devoted to Zerah; next the family of Zabdi; and lastly, everlasting punishment by him at his second com- Achan himself was taken: admonished of Joshua, ing: the one word is Greek, and the other Syriac,he candidly confessed his offence, and, it is hoped, to import, that neither Jews nor Gentiles shall be truly repented of it: the stolen goods were brought excepted, 1 Cor. xvi. 22. To call Jesus accursed, and publicly exposed to the view of the assembly: is to account him a deceiver, and act toward him then he and his children, who probably concurred as such, in our profession or practice, 1 Cor. xii. 3. in the theft, and all his cattle, were, for the terror TO ACCUSE; to charge with a crime, Dan. of others, publicly stoned to death, and the dead III. 8. ACCUSATION, is the act of charging one bodies, with his household-furniture, burnt to with a fault; or the charge itself, Luke xix. 8.ashes in the valley of Gilgal, called from that 1 Tim. v. 19. Mens thoughts accuse them, when event АCHOR, that is, trouble; and a great heap their conscience charges their sins on them, and of stones cast on them. 1 Chron. ii. 5.-7. Josh. fills them with pain, shame, and fear, on account vii. thereof, Rom. ii. 15. Moses accused the Jews in ACHISH, or ABIMELECH, king or lord of the Christ's time; his law pointed out, and condemn-Philistines of Gath. To avoid Saul's persecution, ed them for, the defects and irregularities of their David retired to Gath. The courtiers representpractice, John v. 45. Satan is the accuser of theed to Achish, that this David had killed Goliath, brethren before God day and night: without ceas-and been celebrated as a noted destroyer of their ing, be, by his agents, accused the primitive Chris-nation. Informed of these insinuations, David, to tians before the civil magistrates; and towards secure himself, meanly counterfeited madness.God, to the world, and to their own conscience, Achish hinted to his servants, that they had no he, in every age, charges the saints with manifold crimes, real or feigned, Rev. xii. 10.

ACELDAMA; a field, said to have lain on the south of Jerusalem, just north of the rivulet SHILOAH. It is said to have been the same with the fallers field, where they whitened their cloth, Is.

reason to be afraid, and himself had no need of a fool to make sport to him: he ordered them to expel him from the city. About four years after, David returned to Gath. Achish, the same who had formerly contemned him, or perhaps his son, gave him a friendly reception. He assigned him

ACQUIT, to clear from the charge of guilt, Nah. i. 3.

and his warriors, Ziglag, one of his cities, to dwellll persons to whom one is familiarly known and inin. Almost two years after, he required David tunate, Job xix. 13. and his warriors to assist him and the Philistines,|| against Saul and the Hebrews; and promised to make them his life-guard. The other lords of the Philistines absolutely refused to aliów David and his men to serve in their army. Achish, therefore discreetly dismissed them to their home, Psal. xxxiv. tit. 1 Sam. xxi. xxvii. xxviii. xxix.

ACHMETHA. Some think it signifies Echatana, the capital, or chief city of Media, built by Dejoces or Phraortes, and surrounded with a sevenfold wall, of different colours, and unequal height. But perhaps it signifies only a strong box or press, in which the old rolls of the Medo-Persian court were deposited, Ezra vi. 2.

ACRE. The English acre is 4840 square yards, the Scotch 6150 2-5, the Romans 3200, and the Egyptian aroura 3698 7-9; but the Hebrew Tzemed appears to mean what one plough tilled at one time. Ten acres of vineyard, yielding one bath, and, the seed of an homer an ephah, imports excessive barrenness; that the best ground should scarce produce the tenth part of the seed, Isa. v. 10.

ACT, ACTION, a deed; particularly a more noted one, Isa. lix. 6. xxviii. 22. Deut. xi. 3. AcTIVITY, an alert briskness, attended with wisdom ACHOR, the valley near Jericho where A-and prudence, in doing business, Gen. xlvii. 6. CHAN was stoned. The valley of Achor being a The ACTS of the Apostles, are an inspired hisrest for flocks, and a door of hope, imports, that un-tory of their actions and sufferings at or after the der the gospel, chiefly during the thousand year's ascension of their adored Master It chiefly rereign of the saints, the issue of discouraging trou- lates those of PETER, JOHN; PAUL and BARNAbles, and the ordinances and influences of God's BAS. It gives us a particular account of Christ's grace, shall afford restful pasture to his people, ascension; of the choice of Matthias, in place of and encourage their solid hope of the heavenly Judas; of the effusion of the Holy Ghost at the bliss; even as the Hebrews first encampment in feast of Pentecost; of the miraculous preaching the valley of Achor, was to them an hopeful of the gospel by the apostles, and the success pledge of their complete possession of the promised thereof; and their persecutions on that account, fand, Josh. vii. 26. Is. lxv. 10. Hos. ii. 15. chap. i. to v: of the choice of the deacons, the prosecution and murder of Stephen, one of them, chap. vi. and vii: of a more general persecution, and a dispersion of the Christian preachers into Samaria, and places adjacent; of the baptism, and baseness of Simon the sorcerer; and of the conversion and baptism of the Ethiopian eunuch, chap. viii. of Peter's raising Dorcas to life, preaching to, and baptizing the Gentiles of Cornelius's family, and vindication of his conduct herein, chap. ix. 32-43. x. xi. 1-18: of the spread of the gospel among the Gentiles, by the dispersed preachers; and the contribution for the saints at Jerusalem, in the time of a dearth, chap. xi. 19-39: of Herod's murder of James, imprisonment of Peter, and fearful death, chap. xii.

ACHSAH, the daughter of Caleb, the son of Jephunneh. To excite some brave warrior to wrest Kirjath-sepher from the Canaanitish giants, Caleb proffered Achsah as his reward. On these terms, Othniel, her cousin, quickly obtained her. In her way home to her husband's residence, she alighted from her ass, threw herself at her father's feet, and begged, that as he had portioned her with a south, a dry land, he would give her some moist field, abounding with springs of water; he gave her one, or perhaps two fields thoroughly moist, Josh. xv. 16.-19. Judg. i. 12.-15.

ACHSHAPH, a city about the foot of mount Tabor. Joshua conquered the king of it, and gave it to the tribe of ASHER. In Jerom's time, about 400 years after Christ, it seems to have been a small village called Chafalus, Josh. xii. 20.

xix. 25.

of the council held at Jerusalem, which condemned the imposition of Jewish ceremonies, and advised, to avoid offence of the weak, to forbear ACHZIB, a city pertaining to the tribe of eating of meats offered to idols, or of things stran Asher. It is thought to have been the same with gled of blood, chap. xv. The rest of the book Eedippa, now Zib, which stands on the shore of relates the conversion, labours, and sufferings of the Mediterranean sea, about half way between Paul, chap. ix. 1-31. xiii. xiv. xvi. to the end. Tyre and Ptolemais, Josh. xix. 29. There was It contains the history of the planting and regulaanother city of this name in the tribe of Judah, tion of the Christian church for about 30 years. Josh. xv. 44. The houses, forts, or families of Nor have we any other for 250 years after, that Achzib, were a lie to the kings of Israel; dis- deserves our belief. This large gap betwixt inappointed them, or proved unfaithful to their al-spired history, and that of human authority which legiance, during the Assyrian invasion, Mic. i. 14. deserves credit, Providence, no doubt, ordered,

To ACKNOWLEDGE; (1.) To own or con- that our faith and practice, relative to the confess, Gen. xxxviii. 26. (2.) To observe; take no-cerns of the church, should stand, not in the wistice of, Isa. xxxiii. 13. (3.) To esteem and res-dom of men, but in the authority of God. pect, Isa. Ixi. 9. 1 Cor. xvi. 18. (4.) To approve Luke the evangelist was the penman of this hisof, 2 Cor. i. 13. Philem. 6. (5.) To worship, pro-tory: he wrote it as a continuation of his history fess, and own as a God, Dan. xi. 39. We ac-of Christ. The Marcionite and Manichean heriknowledge the Lord in all our ways, when in every tics of the early ages of Christianity utterly rematter, we request, and wait for, his direction jected it. The Ebionites translated it into Heand assistance; when we observe what direction brew, grossly corrupting it. Other heretics ator encouragement his word and providence afford tempted to obtrude on the church a variety of us in our affairs, temporal or spiritual, Prov. iii. 6. forged imitations of it: as Abdias's Acts of the To ACQUAINT, to get a familiar knowledge Apostles; the Acrs of Peter, Paul, John, Anand intimacy, Psalm cxxxix. 3. To acquaint one's drew, Thomas, Philip, Matthias, &c. ROYAL self with or accustom to God, is, by repeated en- Acrs, in the east, were first formed by the King's deavours, to get spiritual knowledge of and inti-scribes or ministers, and then enacted by the macy with him, Job xxii. 21. AcquaINTANCE, Sovereign, Isa. x. 1.

ADAM. This name was divinely imposed on | he became ashamed of his nakedness, and why he both the original parents of the human race, to had eaten of the forbidden fruit? Adam laid the import their earthly original, their comeliness, whole blame on Eve, whom, he said, God had and affectionate conjunction, Gen. v. 2.; but it is given him for an assistant and comfort. Eve ordinarily appropriated to the man. On the sixth blamed the serpent as her deceiver. After passday of the creation, when God had fitted the earthing a sentence of ruin upon Satan and his agents, for his residence, he formed man's body of the by means of the Seed of the woman; and of afdust of the ground: he breathed into his nostrils fliction on the serpent, the instrument of his dethe breath of life, and endued him with a rational ceit; of sorrow, painful child-birth, and further soul, resembling himself in knowledge, righteous subjection to her husband, on the woman and her ness, and holiness: for his exercise and refresh-female offspring, God threatened Adam and his ment he placed him in the garden of Eden, to keep whole posterity with a curse on their fields, with and cultivate it. Though his most perfect obedi-scanty crops, with sorrow and toil, and finally, ence was due to his Maker, and could properly with death, and a return to dust. herit no valuable reward, God, in rich conde- The threatening on Satan implied a promise of scension and grace, made a covenant with him, mercy and redemption to mankind, by the blood importing, that upon condition of his perfect obe-of God's Son: God therefore now instructed Adience to every precept of the divine law, he and dam and his wife in the manner and signification all his posterity should be rewarded with happi-of typical sacrifices. To mark their degrading of ess and life, natural, spiritual, and eternal; but, themselves to the rank of beasts by sin, and dein case of failure, should be subjected to the con-note their recovery by the imputed righteousness trary, death; to which he consented. This, to of the great atonement, God clothed them with be sure, was the shortest, easiest, and most proba-the skins of sacrificed animals. To testify his disble method of securing happiness to mankind. pleasure with sin, and prevent their vain attempts Adam too was the fittest person, and lay under the to procure happiness and immortality by eating of strongest obligations to perform the condition. To the tree of life, God expelled them from Eden, to render him the more attentive; to keep him mind-cultivate the fields eastward, whence their body ful of his fallible nature, and that his happiness consisted only in the enjoyment of God; to try his obedience in the easiest point of indifference, he was prohibited, under pain of immediate death, to eat of the fruit of a certain TREE.

had been formed. The symbols of the divine presence hovered on the east of the garden; some angels, and perhaps some fiery meteor there placed, rendered it impossible for mankind to reenter. Just before his expulsion, Adam had callThat same day, God constituted him lord of the ed his wife Eve, because she was to be the comth, fowls, cattle, and creeping things, vegetables, mon mother of men, particularly of those appoint and other things on the earth: the fowls, cattle,ed to everlasting life. Now he knew her, and she and creeping things, he convened before Adam,conceived and bare CAIN, and soon after ABEL. as his vassals; and Adam marked his wisdom and These Adam taught to sacrifice to the Lord: but authority, in assigning to each its proper name.both in the issue proved to their parents a source None of these animals being a fit companion for of trouble and grief. Soon after the death of Adam, God cast him into a deep sleep, took a Abel, Adain, in the 130th year of his age, had piece of flesh or a rib from his side, without the Seth born to him: he had besides a great many least pain, and formed it into the body of a most other children. After he had lived 930 years he beautiful woman: Her too he endued with a rea-died. A number of fancies concerning him, are sonable soul, and brought her to Adam, who re-reported by Heathen and Jewish writers: but he seived her with the utmost affection as his wife. is represented in scripture as a covenant-breaker; There being no inclemency in the air, no irregu-as a coverer of his transgressions; as a source of larity in their nature, they went both naked, and guilt and death to all his posterity; and as a figure were neither hurt nor ashamed, Gen. i. 26.-31.of the promised Messiah, Gen. iii. iv. v. Hos. vii. ii. Peal. viii. 4.—7. Rom. v. 12.-19. That very 6. Job. xxxi. 33. Rom. v. 12.-19. 1 Cor. xv. 21. day, or rather soon after, Satan, just expelled 22 45.—49. from the heavenly abodes, conceiving the strong- Jesus Christ is called the second ADAM, because est envy at the happiness of mankind, resolved to of his similitude to the first. He is in a peculiar effectuate their ruin. Sticking at nothing base, manner the Son of God, the express image of his he entered into a serpent, the most simple or sub-person, and brightness of his glory. He is a new tile of the animal tribe. Thence, finding the wo-thing created in the earth, by the overflowing inman all alone, he conferred with her; tempted her fluence of the Holy Ghost. He is the glorious fruit to suspect the meaning and certainty of the di-of the earth, the product of the chief counsels of vine prohibition, and to eat of the forbidden fruit. God, and the ornament and centre of all his Solicited by her, Adam followed his wife's exam-works. He is the head and representative of his ple, received part of the fruit from her hand, and people in the second and last covenant: he is did eat thereof. He no doubt hoped for happi-their common parent, who communicates to them nesa, at least impunity, in so doing: but it is quite his spiritual image, and intitles them to all the absurd to imagine, that he wittingly threw him- fulness of God: he is their great prophet, priest, elf into endless woe from affection to her. Guilt and governor. All things without reserve are immediately seized on their conscience, and ir-subjected to him for their sake. Having by his regular passions awaked in their soul, they were blood regained the celestial paradise, he resides ashamed of their nakedness, and applied fig-leaves in it, and cultivates the whole garden of his for a covering. In the cool, or afternoon of the church; and hath, and gives men power to eat of day, they heard the Voice, the WORD, or Son of the tree of life. Being, by the determinate counGod, walking in the garden, and fled to hide them-sel of God, cast into the deep sleep of debasement selves amidst the thick bushes or trees. God and death, his church, in her true members, was called for Adam, and enquired why he fled, how formed out of his broken body and pierced side :

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