L r B. I. OfParadifc. ( _!!!__ A OGod, wecanneverbelofersbyrhychange3, we have nothing bur what ;s · thine: take from us thine own, when thou wilt, we are fi.ue thou canfi nor bot give usbetter. OfParadife. AN could nofooner fee, then he law himfelfhappy: His eye-fight and reafon were borh perfect a< once, and the objects of both were able tomake him as happy as he would. When he firfi opened his eyes, ·he faw heaven above him, e.rth under him, the creatures about htm, B God before him, hee knewwhat all thefe things meant as if heeh;;d been longacquainted with them all: He Caw the heavens glorious, but f.meoff: his Maker thought it requiGte to fit him with a Paradife necrer home. IfGod had appointed him immediately to heaven, his body had been fuperfluous; It was fit his body fhould be onfwered with an earrhen ll!lageofthat heaven, which was for his foule : had Man been made only for contemplation,it would have ferved as well to have been placed in fome vafi defart, on the top of fame barren Mountaine; Bur the fame power which gave him a heart to meditare, gave him hands to work; and worke tit for his hands. Neither was it the porpofeoftheCreator, that Man<hou'd but live: pleafure may fhnd with innocence; he that rejoyced ro fee all be had made tobegood, rejoyccth to fee all that he had made to be well. God loves to fee his C creatures happy; Our lawful! delight is hi• : they know not God that thtnke to pleafe himwith making themfelves miferable The Idolaters thought it a fit fervice forBaat,to cut and launce themfelves;never any holy man lookt for thankesfrom the TrueGod,by wronging himfelfe. Every Earth was not fit for AJ•m, bur aGarden;a Paradife. What exceUenr plealures,and rare varieties have men found inGardens plantedby the hands ofmen ? And yet all theWorld ofmencannotmake cne twigge or leafe, or fpire ofgraffe: When he that made thematter, undertakes the fafhion,how mull it needsbe beyond our capacity, excellent?No herb,noflower,no tree waswanting t!rere,that mightbe fur ormment orufe;whether for fight,or for fent,or for tafie.The bountyofGod wrought further then to neceffiry, even to comfort and recreation : Why arewe niggardly to our 0 felves,when God is liberali?But for all tbis;ifGodhad not thereconverfed with man, no abundance could have made himbleffed. Yet behold: that which wag mans fiore-houfe was alfo his work-honfe; his pleaCure was histafk: Paradifeferved not only to feed hi> fenfes, bur to exercife his hands. Ifhoppineffe had confilled in doir.[!: norhing,man had not been employed;All his delights could not have made himhappy in an idle life.Man rherfore is no fooner made,then he is fer to work: neirher grearneffe nor perfe/J:ion canpriviledge a folded hand; he mufi lahor,becaufehe wos happy; how much more we, that wemay be? Thi• firfi labor ofhiswas,aswithoUt neceffity, fa without paines,without wearineffe; howmuch more cheerefully we go about our buGneffes fo much nearer we E comeroour Paradife. Neither did thefe Trees afford himonely all:ion for his hands, but inl!rull:ion ro bisbeart : for here heefaw Gods Sacraments grow before htm; Allotherrrees bad anaturallufe; thefe two in the middefiof the Garden,afpiriruall. Life is the all: oftbeSoule, knowledge the li!eoftheSoule; The Treeofknowled[!:e, and the Tree oflife then, were ordained as earthly helps of rbe fpiritua!I part : Perhaps beewhich ordained the end, immortalityof life ; did appoint this Fruit as tl;e means ofthat life. It is not for usro enquireofrer the life we had; and themeamwe lhould ha ye had. I amfure it ferved to nourifh the foule by a lively reprefentarion ofthatlivingTree, whofe fiuitis eternalllife, and whofe leaves ferve to keale the Nations. 0 infinite mercy I Man fawhisSaviour before bimere he had n~d ofaSaviour, hefawinwhom he lhould recover anheavenly life, erehe lofi the earthly; but after hee
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