Page:An Exposition of the Old and New Testament (1828) vol 1.djvu/80

48, 2 Pet. 2. 4. But man was only sent to till the ground, out of which he was taken. He was sent to a place of toil, not to a place of torment. He was sent to the ground, not to the grave; to the work-house, not to the dungeon, not to the prison-house; to hold the plough, not to drag the chain. His tilling of the ground would be recompensed by his eating of its fruits; and his converse with the earth whence he was taken, was improveable to good purposes, to keep him humble, and to remind him of his latter end. Observe then, that though our first parents were excluded from the privileges of their state of innocency, yet they were not abandoned to despair; God's thoughts of love designing them for a second state of probation upon new terms.

(2.) He kept him out, and forbade him all hopes of a re-entry; for he placed at the east of the garden of Eden a detachment of cherubims. God's hosts, armed with a dreadful and irresistible power, represented by flaming swords which turned every way, on that side the garden which lay next to the place whither Adam was sent, to keep the way that led to the tree of life, so that he could not either steal or force an entry; for who can make a pass against an angel on his guard, or gain a pass made good by such a force? Now this intimated to Adam, [l.] That God was displeased with him; though he had mercy in store for him, yet, at present, he was angry with him, was turned to be his enemy, and fought against him, for here was a sword drawn, Num. 22, 23, and he was to him a consuming fire, for it was a flaming sword. [2.] That the angels were at war with him; no peace with the heavenly hosts, while he was in rebellion against their Lord and our's. [3.] That the way to the tree of life was shut up, namely, that way which, at first, he was put into, the way of spotless innocency. It is not said that the cherubims were set to keep him and his for ever from the tree of life: (thanks be to God, there is a paradise set before us, and a tree of life in the midst of it, which we rejoice in the hopes of;) but they were set to keep that way of the tree of life, which hitherto they had been in, that is, it was henceforward in vain for him and his to expect righteousness, life, and happiness, by virtue of the first covenant, for it was irreparably broken, and could never be pleaded, nor any benefit taken by it. The command of that covenant being broken, the curse of it is in full force; it leaves no room for repentance, but we are all undone, if we be judged by that covenant. God revealed this to Adam, not to drive him to despair, but to do him a service by quickening him to look for life and happiness in the promised Seed, by whom the flaming sword is removed. God and his angels are reconciled to us, and a new and living way into the holiest is consecrated and laid open for us.

CHAP. IV.

In this chapter, we have both the world and the church in a family, in a little family, in Adam's family; and a specimen given of the character and state of both in after-ages, nay, in all ages to the end of time. As all mankind were represented in Adam, so that great distinction of mankind into saints and sinners, godly and wicked, the children of God and the children of the wicked one, was here represented in Cain and Abel; and an early instance is given of the enmity which was lately put between the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. We have here, I. The birth, names, and callings, of Cain and Abel, v. 1, 2. II. Their religion, and different success in it, v. 3, 4. and part of v. 5. III. Cain's anger at God, and the reproof of him for that anger, v. 5..7. IV. Cain's murder of his brother, and the process against him for that murder. The murder committed, v. 8. The proceedings against him. 1. His arraignment, v. 9, former part. 2. His plea, v. 9, latter part. 3. His conviction, v. 10. 4. The sentence passed upon him, v. 11, 12. 5. His complaint against the sentence, v. 13. 14. 6. The ratification of the sentence, v 15. 7. The execution of the sentence, v. 15, 16. V. The family and posterity of Cain, v. 17..24. VI. The birth of another son and grandson of Adam, v. 25, 26.

ND Adam knew Eve his wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the L. 2. And she again bare his brother Abel: and Abel was a keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground.

Adam and Eve had many sons and daughters, ch. 5. 4. But Cain and Abel seem to have been the two eldest; and some think they were twins, and, as Esau and Jacob, the elder hated, and the younger loved. Though God had cast them out of paradise, he did not write them childless; but to show that he had other blessings in store for them, he preserved to them the benefit of that first blessing of increase. Though they were sinners, nay, though they felt the humiliation and sorrow of penitents, they did not write themselves comfortless, having the promise of a Saviour to support themselves with. We have here,

1. The names of their two sons. 1. Cain signifies possession; for Eve, when she bare him, said, with joy and thankfulness, and great expectation, I have gotten a man from the. Observe, Children are God's gifts, and he must be acknowledged in the building up of our families. It doubles and sanctifies our comfort in them, when we see them coming to us from the hand of God, who will not forsake the works and gifts of his own hand. Though Eve bare him with the sorrows that were the consequence of sin, yet she did not lose the sense of the mercy in her pains. Comforts, though allayed, are more than we deserve; and therefore our complaints must not drown our thanksgivings. Many suppose that Eve had a conceit that this son was the promised Seed, and that therefore she thus triumphed in him; it may indeed be read, I have gotten a man, the ; God-man. If so, she was wretchedly mistaken, as Samuel, when he said, Surely the 's anointed is before me, 1 Sam. 16. 6. When children are born, who can foresee what they will prove? He that was thought to be a man, the, or, at least, a man from the , and for his service as priest of the family, became an enemy to the. The less we expect from creatures, the more tolerable will disappointments be. 2. Abel signifies vanity; when she thought she had obtained the promised Seed in Cain, she was so taken up with that possession, that another son was as vanity to her. To those who have an interest in Christ, and make him their all, other things are as nothing at all. It intimates likewise, that the longer we live in this world, the more we may see of the vanity of it; what, at first, we are fond of, as a possession, afterward we see cause to be dead to, as a trifle. The name given to this son is put upon the whole race, Ps. 39. 5. Every man is at his best estate, Abel, vanity. Let us labour to see both ourselves and others so. Childhood and youth are vanity.

II. The employments of Cain and Abel. Observe, 1. They both had a calling. Though they were heirs apparent to the world, their birth noble, and their possessions large; yet they were not brought up in idleness. God gave their father a calling, even in innocency, and he gave them one. Note, It is the will of God that we should every one of us have something to do in this world. Parents ought to bring up their children to business: Give them a Bible, and a calling; (said good Mr. Dodd;) and God be with them. 2. Their employments were