which is upon the face of all the earth, and every tree in the which is the fruit of a tree yielding seed;—to you it shall be for meat." (Gen. i. 29.) Here we have plainly and distinctly stated, what God intended should be the food of mankind; and which, no doubt, would be best adapted to his nature, most conducive to his health, happiness, and longevity; and the best calculated (so far as food is concerned) for preserving purity of mind, and for subjugating the passions to the mental powers. Man, at his first creation, was placed in a situation in which he might find abundance of such delicious fruits as were adapted to please his eye, gratify his taste, and contribute to his bodily and mental vigor; for we are further informed, that "The Lord God planted a garden[1] eastward in Eden; and there he put the man whom he had formed. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food: the tree of life, also, in the midst of the garden; and the tree of knowledge of good and evil." (Gen. ii. 8, 9.) "And the Lord God took the man, and put him in the garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it. And the Lord God commanded the man, saying. Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat; but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil thou shalt not eat: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die." (Gen. ii. 15—17.)
3. No one, I think, can mistake the language here employed; or arrive at any other conclusion, than that fruit and herbs bearing seed were expressly granted as the food of man; and we shall find that his organization was in perfect harmony with this divine command. He was placed in the garden of Eden, or "garden of delight," that he might "dress it and keep it," for the purpose of supplying him with all such fruits as were "pleasant to the sight, and good for food." Some have contended, that this food is not sufficient to sustain the health and vigor of man; but we may rest assured, that what is of divine appointment will be amply sufficient to produce the effect intended.
4. In the works of the Greek and Latin authors we meet with frequent allusions to this period, in which man lived in a state of innocence and happiness;—the "golden age," when he fed upon the delicious fruits of the earth; when his bodily strength and mental energies were in great perfection; when human life extended through such long periods of time, that the men or heroes of those days were considered immortal; when peace
- ↑ The Hesperidum Horti, or Gardens of the Hesperides,—producing golden apples, (as the mythologists represent,)—appear to have derived their name from צץ פרי HEZ PERI), a fruit tree; and in allusion to the Garden of Eden here described.
