ployed in support of this opinion have been generally far-fetched, and unsupported by history; as indeed all arguments must be, which are adduced in support of the opinion, that the Scriptures are the only source from which the ideas of the Greeks, Romans, and others, respecting the original state of man, are derived, and that these ideas have been only corrupted, in being transmitted, by the intermixture of fable.-This opinion was advocated by Huetius, in his "Demonstratio Evangelica," where he endeavoured to show, that the Scripture history was at the foundation of the whole Grecian mythology. But his theory is inconsistent with facts, as is very generally acknowledged at the present day. Much, indeed, of the scriptural account respecting the original condition of man may have been preserved, and diffused among the nations of the earth. But it cannot be historically proved, that our sacred history is the only ground of these ideas of a golden period, in which all nations agree. These universal ideas on this subject may have arisen partly from other sources. Men are every where alike in all the essential parts of human nature. And hence there prevails among them a certain universal analogy in respect to language, manners, modes of thought and opinion; and from this analogy, their agreement on many points may be explained, without supposing them to have learned or borrowed from one another; vid. Introduction, § 9, No. 6.

ENT.

(b) One cause of this notion of a golden age so widely diffused among heathen nations, is the disposition, which may be seen in all men, to think THE PAST better and more happy, than THE PRESThis disposition has its origin in a certain urgent feeling of our natures, of which we shall in a moment say more. We shall here speak only of the disposition itself, as it is seen among men. And in accordance with it, the higher one ascends into antiquity, the more happy and charming does the world become to his view; the nearer he approaches the times in which he lives, the more imperfect and dismal does every thing appear. It was the same with men in respect to their views of the past a thousand years ago. And had the world actually degenerated physically and morally, a thousand years ago, as much as the old men,-laudateres temporis acti, doubtless then thought and said; and had each successive generation of men since proved, according to the expression of Horace, progenies vitiosior, then the world by this time would have become a mere waste, and the whole human race would have

long since perished !—This prevalent belief, that the world from the first had been constantly deteriorating, was now clothed in a historical form, and taught as actual truth; and the fables thus invented respecting the early state of man, though they differ in some particulars, are yet every where essentially the same.

The manner in which the ideas of a golden age may have originated, and have been gradually developed into those mythological descriptions which are found in all nations, may be shown by the following remarks, founded upon experience. When we have arrived at mature years, and especially when we are in the decline of life, the period of our youth appears to us far better, than the present. We were then more free from anxiety, than ever after; our susceptibility of pleasurable emotions had not then been blunted; our heart was open to the enjoyments of life. And when we look around, and every thing seems to us to have degenerated since we were young, it is not unnatural to conclude, that the same has been true in every age,-that at a very early period, in the infancy of the world, it was full of peace and happiness, and from that time to the present has been gradually growing worse and worse. And we are strengthened in this conclusion, by hearing our parents and grand parents speak in the same way respecting the times which they have lived through. Thus at length we come to the conviction, that old times were better than the present, and that, the farther back we may go, the more delightful, happy, and perfect we shall find the state of the world. We then proceed to fill up this general outline which we have formed of a happy age. And this we do, by carefully removing from that golden period all the ills and imperfections of our present state, the physical sufferings which we now endure, and also the evils arising from our social connexion, and from the progress of refinement. Then, we suppose, there was no need of clothing, there was no rough and uncomfortable weather, there were no harmful beasts, and men were not as yet unjust and cruel. Such is the picture of the primitive state of the earth, and of the human race, in which the ancient fables of almost all nations agree. It deserves, however, to be remarked, that Moses dissents from nearly all the heathen mythologists, who have described the original state of man as one of indolence and perfect rest, and on the contrary, makes it a state of activity and labor.

These mythological descriptions have, no doubt, a historical

basis; but whatever of truth there is in them, has been enhanced and beautified by the imagination, in its attempt to bring up the golden age to its own ideal of perfection. For in reality, that hap py state of man of which so many dream, and which is depicted in heathen mythologies, is nothing more than the state of barbarisa, with its best side turned to the beholder, beautified by the imagination, and placed in that same magic and enchanting light, with which we have seen the entire absence of cultivation covered over by the genius of Rousseau; vid. his "Discours sur l'origine et les fondements de l'inegalité parmi les hommes." If the worst side of this state should be exhibited, instead of pleasing, it would shock and disgust all who have ever enjoyed the blessings of civilization and refinement.

In this way we can account for the origin of these universal ideas respecting the original state of man, without supposing that they were altogether derived from the Mosaic record.

(c) These remarks respecting the manner in which the opinions and ideas of men respecting a golden age first originated and are gradually developed, are so obvious and have so much internal truth, that they occur of themselves to every observer of the world and of mankind. But for this very reason, that the universal ideas respecting the primitive state of man can be so easily accounted for, without supposing a historical foundation for them, the Mosaic history of this original state, has, like the rest, been regarded by many as fabulous. But those who have taken this view of the Mosaic history, have overlooked other very important aspects of the subject, and have but a very partial acquaintance with it. Should they look at this subject on all sides, they would see the necessity of admitting some real truth as the basis of these wide spread conceptions; and that the claims of the Mosaic account to our credence, are greatly superior to those of heathen mythologies. This will be evident from the following considerations.

(a) The general disposition of all nations to regard the original condition of mankind as eminently happy, proves, beyond dispute, that they have felt a certain pressing necessity to believe that God, who is supremely wise and good, would have created the human race in a better condition, than that in which it is now found. This feeling is universal among men. Most of the ancient philosophers acknowledged it, nor have modern philosophers been able

entirely to suppress it; vid. the writings of Kant. But to mere philosophers there has always been a riddle here, which they have endeavoured, but have never been able satisfactorily to solve. This riddle, so inexplicable to them, has been perfectly solved by the Bible, in the account which it gives of the fall of man from a state of innocence and happiness.

(B) That something must have taken place to corrupt the human race, must seem at least probable, from the mere necessity of believing, that it was once better than now. But if a book, accredited as a divine revelation, gives historical information respecting both the original happy condition, and the commencement of the degeneracy of our race, we are no longer left in uncertainty with regard to the fact.

(7) The Mosaic history of the state of innocence, although it agrees in some respects with the fables of the heathen respecting the golden age, in other respects differs widely from them. The extravagant, and plainly false and fabulous representations which are found in the writings of Hesiod, Ovid, and Plato, who describe the happy state as one of ease and indolence, do not occur in the writings of Moses. This circumstance alone would lead us to conclude, that his record is of wholly a different origin from theirs, and that it is not a mere fiction, but founded on historical facts. Moreover, it is more ancient than any other account which we have of the first age of the world.

$57. Of the propagation of the human race.

The Mosaic history informs us, with a simplicity which is characteristic of the age in which it was written, that God designed that the human race should be propagated, and should extend itself over the earth; and that he gave to man, as well as to other living creatures, the power to propagate his own species; Gen. 1: 28, coll. v. 22.-But as man consists of two essential parts, body and soul, the origin of both these in the posterity of Adam, must be considered.

I. Origin of the human body.

The Hebrews generally describe the human body, as derived directly from parents; as appears from the phrases, to come from the

loins of the father, to be in his loins, etc.; Gen. 46: 26. Heb. 7. 5, 10, sq. Sometimes, however, they speak of it, as taken out of the earth, from the earth, or dust; and so as returning to the earth, to the dust, etc.; vid. § 52, II. 2. The passage, Ps. 139: 15, 16, may perhaps be most easily explained in this way. The human body is there represented as being in a dark pit before its birth, and as formed in the depths of the earth, from lime and earth. The phrase in, is in other places entirely synonymous with Si. Both Greeks and Hebrews represented the state of man before his birth, as similar to that in which he will be after his death, and comprized both conditions under the words, big and gong. Moses describes man as coming from the earth, and as returning to it. And so according to the notions of the Hebrews, man is in the earth, as well before his birth, as after his death; and comes forth into the material world from that same vast, subterranean, invisible kingdom, to which he again returns; Job 1: 21. 10: 9. 33: 6. Eccl. 12: 7. Book of Wisdom 15: 8.

II. The origin of the human soul.

Respecting the manner of the propagation of the soul among the posterity of Adam, the sacred writers say nothing. The text, Eccl. 12: 7, gives us, indeed, clearly to understand, that the soul comes from God in a different manner from the body (vid. § 51, I.); but what this manner is, it does not inform us. The texts, Is. 42: 5, and Job 12: 10, which are frequently cited in this connexion, merely teach, that God gave to man breath and life, and so do not relate to this subject. Nor can any thing respecting the manner of the propagation of the soul be determined from the appellation, Father of spirits, which was commonly given to God among the Jews, and which occurs, Heb. 12: 9; vid. Wetstein, in loc. This appellation implies nothing more than that, as man is the father of an offspring of the same nature with himself, so God who is a spirit, produces spirits. It is doubtless founded upon the description of God, Num. 16: 22, as the God of the spirits of all flesh."-The whole inquiry, therefore, with regard to the origin of human souls, is exclusively philosophical; and scriptural authority can be adduced neither for nor against any theory which we may choose to adopt. But notwithstanding the philosophical nature of this subject, it cannot be wholly passed by in systematic theology, considering the influence which