HOMILIES BY VARIOUS AUTHORS. Vers. 8-17.-.Jfon's first dwelling-place. The description of Eden commences an entirely new stage in the record. We are now entering upon the history of humanity as such. I. The first fact in that history is a state of II PLEASANTNESS." The garden is planted by God. The trees are adapted to human life, to support it, to ~ratify it; and in the midst of the garden the two trees which represent the two most important facts with which revelation is about to deal, viz., immortality and sin. II. OUTSPREAD BLESSING. The BIVEB breaks into four fountains, whose description carries us over enormous regions of the world. It is the river which went out of Eden to water the garden ; so that the conception before us is that of an abode of man specially prepared of God, not identical with Eden in extent, but i? character; and the picture is carried out, as it were, by the channels of the outflowrng streams, which bear the Eden life with them over the surface of the earth, so that the general effect of the whole is a proplUX?J of blessing, Eden-like beauty, and pleasantness, ovCT the whole ext,ent of the world. III. THE PREPARED GARDEN WAITED Fon ITS INHABITANT. 11 And the Lord God took the man, and put him into the garden of Eden" (literally, made him to rest !n the i:;-arden) "to dress it and to keep it." Perhaps the simplest view of these words 1s the most significant. Man is led into a life of pleasantness, with only ~ueh demands upon him as it will be no burden to meet; and in that life of J:!Ure happmess n!1d free activity he is ruade conscious, not of mere dependence upon his Creator for existence, not of laws banging over him like threatening swords, but of a Divine eomme.nd- ment which e.t on~e ga\'e libnrty and restrained it, which surrounded the one tree of knowledge of good and evil with its circle of prohibition, not as an arbitr~ry test of obedience, but as a Divine proclamation of eternal righteousness. "Evil 1s death,' CH. I[, 8--17,l 'fHE BOOK OF GENESIS. 49
11 Thou alrnlt not eat of it," for this reason, that "in the day that thou eatest thereof thon shalt surely dio." It is not a subjection of a new-made creature to a test. It would be a harsh demand to make of Adam, unless he understood that it was founded on the nature of things. IV. '.rHE TREE OF Lill'!!: AND THE TREE OF DEATH STAND TO0ETHER in the midst of the garden. They hold the same position still in every sphere of human existence. But the book of Divine grace, ns it teaches us how the sin-stricken, dying world is restored to a paradise of Divine blessedness, reveals at the last, in the vision of the Christian seer, only the tree of life beside the water of life; the evil cast out, and the death which it brought with it, and the ncw-macfo inhabitants " taking freely" of "the pleasures which arc for evermore. "-R.
Vers. 9, 10.-Tlie tree of life and the water of life. These two features of Eden claim special attention. I. THEIR RECURRENCE IN SCRIPTURE. They link the paradise of unfallen man to that of redeemed man. Actual channels of life and blessing, they were also figures of that salvation which the history of the world ,vas gradually to unfold. But sin came, and death ; present possession was lost. \Vhat remained was the promise or a Saviour. We pass over much of preparation fvr his coming: the selection of a people ; the care of God for his vineyard ; the ordinances and services foreshadO\v- ing the gospel. Then a time of trouble: Jerusalem a desolation; the people in captivity ; the temple destroyed ; the ark gone ; sacrifices at an end. "Where is now thy God?" \Vhcre thy hope? Such the state of the world when a vision given to Ezekiel (Ezek. xlvii. 1-12), reproducing the imagery of Eden, but adapted to the need of fallen man. Again we have the stream ; now specially to heal. Its source the mercy-seat (comp. Ezek. xliii. 1-7; xlvii. 1; Rev. xxii. 1). And the trees;. not different from the tree of life (Ezek. xlvii. 12: "It shall bring forth new fruit'') ; varied manifestations of grace ; for food and for medicine. But observe, the vision is of a coming dispensation. Again a space. Our Saviour's earthly ministry over. The Church is struggling on. The work committed to weak bands ; the treasure in earthen vessels. But before the volume of revelation closed, tho same symbols are shown in vision to St. John (Rev. ::a.ii. 1, 2). The "river of water of life" (cf. "living water," John iv. 10), and the tree whose fruit and leaves are for food and healing. Meanwhile our Lord had said, "Blessed are they which do hunger and thirst after righteousness." A link to connect this with Gen. iL is Rev. ii. 7 ( cf. also Rev. xii. 11 ). And again, the word used for "tree" in all these passages is that used for the cross in Gal. iii. 13 and 1 Pet. ii. 24. ll. THEIR SPIRITUAL SIGNIFICANCE. The tree with its fruit and leaves are the manifestation of Christ to the soul-to sinners pardon, to the weak support and guidance, to saints communion. And the stream is the gospel (the four-parted river in Eden has been likened to the four Gospels), spreading throughout the world, bringing healing, light, and life ; enuhling men to rejoice in hope. But mark, the drops of which that stream is composed are living men. The gospel spreads from heart to heart, and from lip to lip (cf. John vii. 38). Forming part of that healing flood are preachers of the gospel in every place and way; and thinkers contending for the faith; and men mighty in prayer; and those whose loving, us.eful lives set forth Christ; and tho sick silently preaching patience; and the child in his little ministry. There is helping work for all. The Lord hath need of all. To each one the question comes, Art thou part of that stream? Hast thou realised the stream of mercy, the gift of salvation for thine own need? And canst thou look at the many still unhealed and be content to do nothing? Thou couldst not cause the stream to flow; but it is thine to press tho "living water" upon others, to help to save other!! Art thou doing this? Is there not within the circle of thy daily life some one in grief whom Christian sympathy may help, some anxious one whom a word of faith may strengthen, some undecided ono who may be influenced? There is thy work. Let the reality of Christ's gift nnd his charge to thee so fill thy heart that renl longing rnny l~nd to earnest prnyer; tl,rn a w:iy will bo opencd.-M. GliN!iSIS, 60 'l'lIE DOOK OF GENESIS. (en. 11. 18-26,