[2.] When Adam sinned, this privilege was forfeited : Gen. iii. 22, * And the Lord said, Behold, the man is become as one of us to know good and evil ; ' that is, he will be at his own finding and know what is good or evil for himself, and not take my direction, but live accord- ing to his own will : * And now, lest he put forth his hand, and take
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also of the tree of life, and eat, and live for ever. Therefore the Lord sent him forth from the f^arden of Eden.' That expression might seem to intimate that if Adam, in a state of sin and mortality, had tasted of the tree of life, he should now, notwithstanding his fall, live for ever ; but God respected not the event in that speech, but the opinion of Adam, or the use for which the tree was ordained. Possibly man might believe Satau suggesting that Adam notwithstanding his fall might be immortal still by the use of that tree ; therefore God drove him out of paradise. But the true reason is, God would not suffer Adam to make use of the token of life when he had forfeited life itself by his transgression. The tree had lost its use ; it was the sign of life to Adam ; tlierefore to prevent his sin in profaning the holy ordi- nances when he had no right to them, God drove him out. Thus our first parents, being separated from God, they were separated from life, for God was their life.
2. What Christ will be to us if we choose his ways, and walk in them. Take that in these propositions —
[1.] That we, that did once partake of life (which lieth in the fruition of God) in our common root and first father Adam, are now excluded by sin : Eccles. vii. 29, *Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright, but they have sought out many inventions.' In our mere natural estate we are deprived of life : Eph. ii. 1, ' And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins.' And the longer we live in our unrenewed estate, we are the more estranged from it : Eph. iv. 18, ' Being alienated from the life of God, through the ignorance that is in them because of the blindness of their heart.' And so made incapable in a further degree : Ps. liii. 2, ' God looked down upon the children of men to see if there were any that did understand, that did seek God,' Every sin maketh the breach and distance between us and God broader and wider.
[2.] In pity to lost mankind God hath set up a new tree of life. Though we are deprived of the first tree, yet God hath planted a better, which yieldeth better fruit, to be enjoyed in a better place. This better tree is Christ : Eev. xxii. 2, ' And in the midst of the street of it, and on either side of the river was there the tree of life, which bare twelve manner of fruits, and yielded her fruit every month ; and the leaves of the tree were for healing of the nations.' This tree can be no other but Christ, who by his ordinances dispenseth all manner of blessings and comfort to his people at all times. His fruit, abundance of spirituality in obedience to the doctrine of the twelve apostles : the leaves, the mere outward and civil conversation, is so excellent that it draweth others to imitation and conversion. And it is said, 1 John V. 12, ' He that hath the Son hath life ; and he that hath not the Son hath not life.' His fruit is better ; the fruit of the first tree was corporeal, and did only represent spiritual and heavenly things ; but this fruit is the things themselves, saving grace and eternal life : Cant. ii. 3, ' I sat down under his shadow with great delight, and his fruit was sweet to my taste.' And we have this life and immortality in a better place than Adam had. Not in an earthly paradise among beasts, but in an heavenly paradise, in the immediate presence of God and his holy angels : Eph. i. 3, ' Blessed be the God and Father
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of our Lord Jesus Christ, who hath blessed us with spiritual bless- ings in heavenl)' places in Christ.' Therefore heaven is called paradise : Luke xxiii. 43, ' This day shalt thou be with me in paradise.' And Paul was caught up into paradise, 2 Cor. xii. 4, ' Which is the same with the third heaven,' ver. 2. Oh ! what should we do but take hold of this tree, gather the fruit of it ? What greater thing can be given us than Christ, and what shaU we want if we have him for our Redeemer and Saviour ?
[3.] This grace is offered to all that lay hold of him, and will not let him go, but still cleave to him by an entire dependence and close ad- herence. There are two things qualify us for the grace of Christ — thankful acceptance and close adherence ; and the heirs of promise are described sometimes by the one, and sometimes by the other.