CIIAPTER I. 383 innocence ? A. The practice of all the duties toward God, and toward creatures, which the light of nature or reason could teach him ; together with his observance of this one positive precept, of abstaining from the fruit of the tree of knowledge : and this was given him as a special test or trial of his obedi- ence to his Maker. This is called the dispensation ofinnocence. 20. Q. Ilow did Adam behave himself in this time of his trial ?; A. He eat the.fruit of the tree of knowledge, which God had forbid him on pain of death ; Gen. ii. 17. and iii. 6. 21. Q. How came Adam to disobey God, and eat of this forbidden tree ? A. Eve first was persuaded to eat of that deadly fruit, and then she persuaded Adam to eat of it too ; Gen. iii. 12. 22. Q. Who tempted Eve to eat of it ?, A. The evil spirit, that is, the devil, which lay hid in the serpent; Gen. iii. 1. 2 Cor. xi. 3. and for this reason he is called the old serpent; Rev. xii. 9. 23. Q. What mischief followed from hence? A. As Adam sinned against God, só he brought in sin and death among all mankindwho were. his children, and they have spread through all generations ; Rom. v. 12. 24. Q. Then God did not put Adam and Eve to death as soon as they had sinned ? A. No : But they were condemned to die,, and became liable to sickness and death ; they were driven out of the garden of paradise that they might not taste of the tree of life, and they were appointed to labour hard for their food all their clays ; Gen. iii. 19, 23. 25. Q. Did God, who spared their life, shew them any fur- ther pity ? A. Yes, he gave them a kind promise, and clothed them with the skins of beasts, because they were naked; Gen. iii. 15, 21. 20, Q. What was the kind promise that he gave them ? A. That the seed of the woman should break the bead of the ser- pent who tempted them to sin ; Gen. iii. 15. 27. Q. Who is this seed of the woman? A. The Lord Jesus Christ the Son of God, who in due time was born of a woman; Gal. iv. 4. 28. Q. What is meant by his breaking the serpent's head ? 1. That Christ should destroy the wicked works and designs of the devil, and thereby save mankind from thesin and death which were brought in among them by his temptation ; 1 John iii. 8. lieb. ii. 14, 15. 29. Q. Whence came the skins of the beasts with which God clothed Adam and Eve? A. It is likely God taught Adam to offer sacrifices at this time, and that these were the skins of the beasts that were offered in sacrifice. Note, Whether flesh was eaten by the religious families be- fore the flood is uncertain ; but it does not appear that God had
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=