the work of God's fingers. It was but reasonable that he that was to be the object of God's special care and love, in his ensuing providences towards him, should have some pre-eminence above the rest in his creation. So in Ps. cxxxix. 15, man is said to be curiously wrought,- -acu pictus,-embroidered as with a needle. The word translated formed, properly signifies the potter's forming of his vessel upon the wheel, and elegantly applies to the creation of man; for is not man the clay, and God the Potter? Isa. lxiv. 8.

Of the dust of the ground. A very unlikely thing (I should think) to make man of. But the same infinite power that made the world of nothing, made man, the masterpiece,-of next to nothing; and this sets forth the wisdom and power of God. And lest we should imagine this to be some extraordinary dust, perhaps golden dust, we are told that it was dust of the ground; common, ordinary dust. In the original it is, God formed man the dust of the ground; not of the dust only, but dust itself. His body was nothing else but a heap of dust, a clod of clay. Oh! how should it lay us low, and keep us low, to consider the meanness of our origin. What hath dust to be proud of? Well may we say, we have nothing but what we have received. The sprinkling of dust upon new writing prevents a blot;

so of our original dust prevents proud boasting.

II. As to the soul of man. That was not made of the dust of the ground: that is of more noble ex-. traction. What fools then are they that fix their thoughts, and affections, and desires, (the noble faculties of a heaven-born soul,) upon earthly objects; minding and pursuing earthly things, as if their souls were clods of clay. Phil. iii. 19. No; the soul was made of better mould, and designed for better purposes.

God breathed. He is therefore called the God of the spirits of all flesh, Num. xxvii. 16; and still the soul is the breath of God, not produced as the body is, by the parents. Elihu acknowledges, the breath of the Almighty hath given me life, Job xxxiii. 4; and the spirit is said to return to God that gave it. Eccles. xii. 7. And should not the soul be employed for God, that was received from God? Certainly it should.

The breath of life; Heb. of lives; including all the powers and faculties of the soul; all which we owe to Him who breathed into our first father the breath of life. And as our natural being, by which we live, is the fruit of God's beathing into us the breath of life; so the spiritual being, by which we live to God, is the fruit of God's breathing into our souls the grace of Christ. A soul without grace, is

but the carcase of a soul. Grace is spiritual life, and is of God's imparting.

8 And the LORD God planted a garden eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed.

When the rest of the creatures were made, God had in a manner done with them, and nothing remained but the putting forth of common acts of providence, for their preservation and supply; but as for man, he did not leave him so, but did, as it were, separate him from the rest, and make him the object of his special love and care. In the first place he provided a peculiar abode for him, in the garden of Eden; concerning which, doubtless it might be said, as it was of the land of Canaan, that it was a place which God himself spied out for him; a choice place, a chosen place. Concerning the rest of the plants, God had only said, Let the earth bring forth, &c., (chap. i. 11;) but when he comes to speak of Paradise, he uses another expression, (as before, concerning man,) The Lord God planted a garden; hence called the garden of the Lord, Gen. xiii. 10; in the Hebrew, Pardese, (Paradise,) an orchard. Cant. iv. 13. Eccles. ii. 5. In Eden, which signifies pleasure. It was, no question, a pleasant place, and 'tis therefore called a garden; not for the quan

tity of it, but for the goodness of the soil, and the sweetness of the situation.

9 And out of the ground made the LORD God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food; the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

God, consulting not only Adam's profit, but his pleasure, provided not only for mere necessity, but for his comfort and delight. Having given him a body as well as a soul, he gave him,-not only his own love and communion with himself, which was the happiness and comfort of his soul,-but also beautiful trees and pleasant fruit, to be the food and delight of his body. And was this all that Adam had in Eden? Much good may it do him. Have not we trees in our gardens and orchards, that are pleasant to the eye and good for food? What advantage then had Adam? Much every way. Eden's trees were far more pleasant to the sight, and much better for food, I doubt not, than any of ours are; Eden's nettles beyond our roses. And there were moreover two trees peculiar to paradise, which were the glory of it, and which are here particularly mentioned:

1. The tree of life. What tree this was is too nice a question; but why it was called the tree of life is a good question. It was called so perhaps for one of these three reasons: Either, (1.) Because the fruit of it had a special quality and virtue, (whether natural or supernatural is uncertain,) to preserve and prolong life, and so to be an appointed means of Adam's immortality, which was the happiness promised him; and, it being God's usual way to work even extraordinary effects by ordinary (though unlikely) means, he instituted this tree to be the means of Adam's attaining that which he had promised him. Or, (2.) Because it was to be a sign or memorial to Adam, of the fountain and original of that life which he had. God would have Adam, as often as he tasted the fruit of that tree, to remember from whence he had his life, and to remember it with thankfulness. So that it was, in effect, a visible signification of that great truth, that in Him we live, and move, and have our being. Acts xvii. 28. And if Adam in innocency had need of such mementos, what need have we! Or, (3.) Because it was a seal of the covenant of works which God made with Adam. It was ordained by God to be a sacrament to him, to signify and seal to him life eternal, and to assure him of immortality, upon condition of perfect obedience. One calls the