the day-star was produced which operated unto

the perfect day.

150. Thus the first good started into existence; by whose reproductive influence, co-operating with every thing" produced

the divine GOODNESS,

66

151. "So God created man in His own image; in the image of God created He him :"

152. "Male and female created He them:" not principally as to their material and visible form, which not being uniform, could not be in His own image; but in the immaterial and spiritual image of God, created He, them: imparting to them the necessary proportions of His attributes of power, wisdom, and goodness.

153. Thus mankind endued with a peculiar existence with rationality and its concomitants, became living souls.

154, God endued them (male and female) with full natural power: with wisdom (or spiritual light) sufficient to have enabled them to stand by goodness in that good in which He had placed them.

155. Thus amply endued, God sent them forth.

156. In blessing, having declared them good, God charged them to "be fruitful," (in goodness) to "multiply," (good) "and replenish the earth, "(with good and goodness)" and subdue it," by the power of that reflected wisdom, (that intellectual light) which was the primeval good of

man.

157. With that recreative power, as intelligent and discretional agents, mankind, as arbiters of their own fate, made their first entrance upon the theatre of the world.

158. Mankind were possessed of the province of rationality, in which good greatly predominated in which there was only one inlet to evil.

159. As a garden, in which every tree (or thought) would grow that was "pleasant to the sight:" (or sense) and every sustenance "good for" (spiritual) "food."

160. There was "the tree of life" (or spiritual correspondency) "in the midst of the garden."

161. There was also "the tree of" (theological) “knowledge of good and evil;" so constituted, that in the eventual choice, evil was not left destitute of good.

162. That garden, which, at first, produced spontaneously, required to be dressed and kept.

163. Mankind had free use of whatever was good for food; and while nourished by that food, they were good and free in goodness.

164. Mankind had within their reach the tree of life, or spiritual correspondence with their Creator, whose presence was beatitude to inno

cence.

165. While the garden was dressed and kept mankind were happy.

166. The mind retaining the knowledge of good, only, every thought was internal goodness: every thing externally was good.

167. Mankind were content with that simple good, which was ordained for the promotion of goodness; which was derived, as a second cause, from the earth, and through which they had the purest intercourse with their Creator!

THEOLOGICAL CORRUPTION.

168. MANKIND in neglecting to cultivate the ground allotted them, lost the natural communication with their Creator; and, aspiring to a superstitious knowledge". -they touched the forbidden tree.

169. Mankind became acquainted with evil; and then they soon found, from common sense that they were spiritually naked.

170. Returning reason re-conducted Mankind, when too late, for lost innocence, for shelter to those trees; that shade which they never should have forsaken!

171. Mankind there learned this simple and useful lesson-that though all animated and vegetable nature were before them, they were not, in general, as then absolutely necessary for deduction: the very leaves combined (or the least combination of thought) would afford them spiritual clothing would have led them to that

deity which had been within them; and who was, even then, to be met in the garden.

172. Mankind, lest their earthly tabernacle, more contaminated, should cease to be the peculiar residence of the Divine attributes;were ultimately referred, for spiritual clothing, to the brute creation, as the more reflected resemblance, the more permanent residence of the deity.

173. Mankind having become acquainted with evil, that corrupted knowledge depraved their original taste with them every idea was transposed, for every thing they touched they infected with original sin.

174. That tree had been touched and polluted, which, whilst untouched by mankind, produced only good; but productive of evil, they ingrafted and it was produced.

175. Mankind tasted of the fruit; their rational faculties were impaired; and their depraved appetites predominated; inflamed, they operated a flaming sword" (or instrument of destruction) "which turned every way;" and kept "the way of the tree of life" from the polluting touch

as

66