Religion & morality > Human nature in its fourfold state

Of Man's Original Fhppinefs. ^ 3 3
furnifhed with herbs and trees, God faid, Let the earth
bring forth grafs, and the fruit trce> &c. Gen. i. 11.
But of Paradife it is faid, God planted it, chap. ii. 8.
which cannot but denote a fihgular excellency in that
garden beyond ail ocher parts of the then beautiful
earth. There he wanted neither for necefiky nor
delight; for there was every tree that is pleafant to
the fght, and good for food, ver. 9. He knew not thefe
delights which luxury has invented for the gratifying
of luffs ; but his delights were fuch as came out of
the hand of God; without paffing through finful hands,
which readily leave marks of impurity on what they
touch. So his delights were pure, his pleafures
refined. And yet may \ foeuyou a more excellent way,
Wifdom had entered into his heart-. Surely then know¬
ledge was pleafant unto Ids fou! ! What delight do
fome find in their difcoveries of the works of nature,
by the fcraps of knowledge they have gathered!
But ho v much more exquifite pleafure had Adam,
while his piercing eyes read the book of God’s works ;
which God laid before him, to the end he might glorify
him in the fame! And therefore he had furely fitted
him for the work. But above all, his knowledge of
God, and that as his God ? And the communion lie had
with him, could not but afford him the mofl. refined
and exquifite pleafure in the innermoft receffes of his
heart. Great is that delight, which the fonts find
in thefe views of the glory of God, that their fouls
are fometimes let into, while they are compaffed
about with many infirmities ! But much mote may
well be allowed to finlefs Adain ! No doubt he relilhed
thofe pleafures at another rate.
Laftly, He was immortal. He would never have
died, if he had not finned ; it was in cafe of fin that
death was threatened, Gen. ii. 17 Which (hews it to
be the ccnfequent of fin, and not of the finlefs human
nature. The perfect conftitution of his body, which
came out of God’s hand very good ; and the righteouf-
ntfs and holinefs of his foul, removed all inward caufes
of death ; nothing being prepared for the grave’s
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