GARDEN OF EDEN AND THE GOSPEL.
By S. N. H.
“AND the Lord God planted a garden 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. 2:8, 9. Never until the mind is educated to believe what God has said, on the authority of God’s testimony alone, can we draw from the Scriptures the sweetness there is in them. The Lord never makes a mistake, so as to have to say, as man often does, “Had I known that such and such things would have happened, I would have done thus and so.” The wise man said: “The thing that hath been, it is that which shall be; and that which is done is that which shall be done; and there is no new thing under the sun. Is there anything whereof it may be said, See, this is new? it hath been already of old time, which was before us.” Eccl. 1:9, 10. Again, “I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be forever; nothing can be put to it, nor anything taken from it; and God doeth it, that men should fear before him. That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.” Eccl. 3:14, 15. In the Garden of Eden was taught the Gospel of Jesus Christ. If man had not partaken of the forbidden tree, then he never would have had the conflicts of life which have arisen in consequence of sin. Were not all of our unpleasant experiences with strife and evil undeveloped in the first transgression? It is transgression of God’s just requirements that forces us to drink the bitter draught of “the waters of Marah.” There is a remedy; for is there not in the Gospel everything “that is pleasant to the sight and good for food?” No human mind can fully comprehend the blessings there are in the Gospel. Look at this promise: “Eye hath not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him.” It is now by the agency of the Holy Spirit that we obtain a knowledge of these things. “But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit; for the Spirit searcheth all things, yea, the deep things of God. . . . But the natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” 1 Cor. 2:10–14. In the garden of the Gospel is everything that is pleasant to the sight, and good for food; for “godliness is profitable unto all things, having promise of the life that now is, and of that which is to come.” 1 Tim. 4:8. “There is no man that hath left house, or brethren, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or lands, for my sake, and the Gospel’s, but he shall receive an hundred-fold now in this time, houses, and brethren, and sisters, and mothers, and children, and lands, with persecutions; and in the world to come eternal life.” Could any soul ask for more? Is there not embraced in the Gospel above all that we can ask or even think? Had Adam remained faithful, would he not have enjoyed all of these spiritual blessings? And was not, therefore, the Garden of Eden, with its rich, immortal, never-fading flowers, with everything pleasant to the sight and good for food, an object lesson of the Gospel of Jesus Christ? Man was not to be an idler in the garden, for “the Lord God took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it.” Gen. 2:15. That home, beautified by the hand of God himself, was the dwelling of Adam and Eve. The blue heavens were its dome; the earth, carpeted with delicate flowers of every hue and color, was its floor; the leafy trees were its canopy, and the walls adorned by the Master artist, under the bowers of Adam’s own training. He could sit and receive the visits of angels, listening to their instruction with happy meditation. This beautiful garden was to be their home, their special residence. Nothing could add to their happiness only as they learned more and more of God as he revealed himself in nature. They could converse not only with the angels of God, but God himself could talk with them without any obscuring veil. was in the midst of the garden, the glory of which surpassed all other trees. Its fruit, like apples of gold and silver, was designed to impart eternal life and perpetuate immortality. Its leaves contained healing properties. Altho no disease would have ever been known if sin had not ruined all, yet in the tree of life were salvation and properties that, had the holy pair continued obedient to God’s commandment, would have brought to them every blessing that a righteous man can receive in Christ Jesus. But man sinned. This made his relation to God of such a nature that he could not longer remain in the garden, to enjoy its blessings. For by a continual eating of the tree of life his existence would have been perpetuated, and he would thus have become an immortal sinner. “Therefore the Lord God sent him forth from the Garden of Eden, to till the ground from whence he was taken. So he drove out the man; and he placed at the east of the Garden of Eden cherubim, and a flaming sword which turned every way, to keep the way of the tree of life.” Gen. 3:22–24. It was the life of Christ in the tree that gave it the qualities of life, health, and immortal vigor. It was because of this tree being in the garden that man was deprived of entering and partaking of it. The same life is in Christ still. The same life is in his word as he reveals himself thus to the human family. It became necessary that Christ should take the nature of man after man had sinned, and thus bring down to him in his sinful condition that life which was in the tree, so that man could take hold of mercy and blessings in him, be made as innocent in Christ as Adam was before he sinned, bear the same image of God that Adam bore, in order to again enter past the flaming swords, and enjoy the blessings found in the garden. The Lord is our strength and happiness. He becomes the great storehouse of blessings, from which the human agent may draw upon every occasion. He becomes a present help in every time of need. Christ is to us the tree of life in the midst of the Paradise of God. His branches reach to the lower world, that the blessings contained in the tree of life, but lost by sin, and purchased by Christ for us, might be brought within our reach. From this tree we may pluck and eat, and then guide others to it, that they also may eat. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter, and Christ’s representative. He is ever present with us to present to us the mellow fruit from the tree of life. The office work of the Holy Spirit is to bring to our remembrance all things that Christ has spoken for our comfort, that we may have hope and a sweet sense of our forgiveness of sins. A rich current of praise and thanksgiving will flow from our soul; the sweet Spirit of Jesus will kindle in our heart grateful praise; our souls will be uplifted with a sense of security; and the unfailing, inexhaustible righteousness of Christ becomes our righteousness by faith. In the words of the prophet, “Wherefore do ye spend money for that which is not bread? and your labor for that which satisfieth not? hearken diligently unto me, and eat ye that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness. Incline your ear, and come unto me; hear, and your soul shall live; and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David.” Isa. 55:2, 3.