which we know from other parts of the sacred Scriptures, is a Trinity of Persons:-Matt. xxviii. 19. note.

1. created] Viz. made out of nothing, as is evident from Heb. xi. 3. where see note; "the heaven and the earth," i. e. the whole world or universe; ch. xiv. 19. 22.; Exod. xx. 11. xxxi. 17.; Ps. cxxi. 2. cxxiv. 8. cxlvi. 6.; Isa. xxxvii. 16.; Jer. xxxii. 17.; Acts iv. 24. xiv. 15.; Rev. xiv. 7. From other passages of the Scriptures we learn that it was the Father who created all things BY the Son, conjointly WITH the Holy Ghost: -see John i. 3. 10. and notes.

2. the earth] The globe "was without form and void," i. e. a confused mass without order; a chaos desolate and waste: Jer. iv. 23.; Nah. ii. 10.; Wisd. xi. 17. "and darkness was upon the face of the deep," i. e. the vast abyss, or confused heap of matter of which the globe is composed, lay buried in darkness.

2. the Spirit] The Holy Spirit, the third Person in the blessed Trinity," moved," or brooded "upon the face of the waters," i. e. communicated a vital and animating principle to "the face of the waters," an expression probably equivalent to "the face of the deep." Such appears to be the meaning of this obscure phrase; for it agrees well with the signification of the verb, which denotes to flutter or hover, as an eagle over her young, thereby animating and cherishing them; and seems to be confirmed by Job xxvi. 13.; Ps. civ. 30.; Isa. xl. 12, 13.; Matt. iii. 16.; John iii. 8.; Acts ii. 2. But some explain "the Spirit of God" of a Divine power or energy which operated upon and vivified the chaotic mass; and others take it to mean a mighty wind which agitated it. The Hebrew word rendered " Spirit does sometimes denote wind; but the addition "of God" was surely intended to designate the Holy Spirit.

3. God said] Viz. commanded; Ps. xxxiii. 6. 9.; 2 Cor. iv. 6. so v. 6. 11. et al. As the sun and heavenly luminaries were not created till the fourth day, by "light" must be understood something distinct from them; and modern researches seem to show that light is a subtile fluid, independent of the sun. The next verse proves that it cannot signify some lucid body, or fire, or heat, caloric, as some commentators suppose.

4. God saw] Observed and approved, v. 10. 12. 18. 21. 25. 31. "that it was good," i. e. fit and proper, agreeable to his design; v. 10. 12. et al. "And God divided," &c. i. e. separated, or made a distinction between "the light and the darkness;" he prescribed to them their bounds.

5. God called] This is to be taken in connexion with the preceding verse; viz. God made a separation between the light and the darkness, ordaining that the former should be called, i. e. should be Day," and the latter Night." In other words, this separation constituted day and night. In Scripture phrase, "to call" often signifies to be; 2 Kings viii. 1.; Ps. cv. 16.; Isa. lvi. 7.; Matt. i 23. note. "And the evening," &c.

i. e. the first revolution of the periods prescribed for darkness and light, formed "the first day," or the time which is measured by the revolution of our planet round its axis.

6. a firmament] Rather, as in the margin," an expansion," i. e. the air, or atmosphere, which is expanded round the globe, Ps. civ. 2.; Isa. xl. 22. xlii. 5. "And let it divide," &c. The region of the air manifestly separates the waters above from the waters under it on the earth; v. 7.; Ps. cxlviii. 4.; Amos ix. 6.

8. heaven] This word in the Scriptures denotes, 1st, The region of the air, as in this verse, v. 20. ch. vii. 3. xxviii. 28.; Deut. xi. 12.; Prov. xxx. 19.; Isa. lv. 10. 2dly, All that is above the earth, the visible heavens, v. 14—17. 3dly, The region of the blessed, Matt. v. 12. 4thly, God himself, whose habitation is in heaven, Dan. iv. 26.; Luke xv. 21.

9. let the waters, &c.] The seas and the earth were thus separated, and had their respective bounds assigned them; Job xxvi. 10.; Ps. xxxiii. 7. civ. 9.; 2 Pet. iii. 5

11. whose seed is in itself] Viz. which have the vegetative

power of propagating and multiplying, "each after (i. e. according to) his kind," i. e. according to the kind or species to which it belongs. In v. 11, 12. all the productions of the earth are included.

of

14. lights] "Let there be luminaries in the expanse of heaven, (v. 8. note,) to divide (i. e. to separate) the day from the night; and let them be for signs," &c. i. e. for the purpose distinguishing the various seasons, and the grand divisions of time; Ps. civ. 19. cxxxvi. 7, 8, 9.; Ecclus. xliii. 6,7. Another use of them was "to give light upon the earth," v. 15. 17.

16. to rule] Viz. the sun for the purpose of regulating and distinguishing the day, and the moon the night; Jer. xxxi. 35.; Ps. cxxxvi. 9.

20. and fowl that may fly] Rather," and let fowl fly above the earth in the expanse of heaven;" for they were created out of the ground, ch. ii. 19. This is further explained in the next verse, where the word rendered "great whales" seems to be a generic word for great fishes of all kinds; Job vii. 12.; Isa. xxvii. 1.; Ezek. xxix. 32. comp. v. 24. note; ch. vi. 20. vii. 14.; Ps. civ. 26.

22. be fruitful] Comp. v. 28. ch. viii. 17. ix. 1.

24. let the earth bring forth] Meaning, not that the earth brought these forth spontaneously, but that God formed them from the earth, v. 25, as he had formed the fishes from the sea,

v. 20.

"In

26. let us make] A plain intimation of a Plurality of Persons in the Godhead, v. 1. note; ch. iii. 22. xi. 7.; Isa. vi. 8. our image, after our likeness," i. e. having a certain degree of similitude to us; for the Hebrews often join two words nearly synonymous to signify the same thing: ch. v. 1. ix. 6.; 1 Cor. xi. 7.; James iii. 9. In ch. v. 3. this phrase denotes same

ness of nature; but the similitude of a creature to God can only be to a limited extent; and as God is a Spirit, the Divine Image in man must consist in his spiritual part, in the intellectual and moral powers with which he is endowed: Eccles. vii. 29.; Ephes. iv. 24.; Col. iii. 10. Therefore he was invested with "dominion over the fish of the sea," &c. for the Divine likeness did not consist in this dominion, but this dominion was in consequence of his being created in the image of God: ch. ix. 2.; Ps. viii. 6.; James iii. 7.

27. male and female created he them.] Rather, "a male and a female created he them," i. e. one male and one female were created at first: Matt. xix. 4. note. It is evident from what follows, that the word "man" includes both the male and the female; ch. ii. 15, 16. v. 2.

28. God blessed them,] Viz. blessed them with the power to multiply and replenish the earth; so v. 22. comp. ch. ix. 1. 7. "And subdue it," i. e. have dominion over the earth, so as to fit it to your use and advantage.

29. Behold, &c.] Here God assigns only the plants and fruits of the earth for their food, making no mention of beasts. The permission to eat animal food was not given till after the flood; Gen. ix. 3. note.

31. very good.] Exactly adapted to the ends and uses for which it was designed. The works of creation are an illustrious display of the Divine power, and wisdom, and goodness. The more we know of them, the more do they raise our admiration, and excite our gratitude and praise. "O Lord, how manifold are thy works! in wisdom hast thou made them all the earth is full of thy riches."-Ps. civ. 24.

CHAPTER II.

1. all the host of them.] Viz. all the creatures, and every thing else with which "the heavens and the earth" were replenished and adorned; Neh. ix. 6.; Isa. xlv. 12. "The host of heaven" often denotes the stars; Deut. iv. 19. xvii. 3.; 2 Kings xvii. 16. and also the angels, 1 Kings xxii. 19.; Ps. ciii. 21. cxlviii. 2.; Luke ii. 13.

2. on the seventh day] As the whole works of creation were finished on the sixth day, this should be rendered "on the seventh day God had ended his work which he had made; and [then] he rested," &c. i. e. he ceased from works of creation, Exod. xx. 11. xxxi. 17.; Deut. v. 14.; Heb. iv. 4. but not of providence; Neh. ix. 6.; Ps. cxix. 91.; Heb. i. 3.; James iv. 12.

3. God blessed] This clearly attributes some eminence and distinction to the seventh day, as it alone was blessed, which must surely consist in its being made an appointed time for conferring benefit and happiness to intelligent creatures. This

is confirmed by the additional expression," and sanctified it," i. e. separated it from a common to a sacred use; for that is the acknowledged signification of the Hebrew word; and such separation manifestly implies its appropriation to religious purposes. As at the close of the creation the seventh day was thus set apart by the Almighty for sacred purposes, without limitation to age or country, the observance of it is obligatory upon the whole human race to whom, in the wisdom of Providence, it may be communicated. This further appears from the reason why God blessed and sanctified it, namely, BECAUSE that in it he had rested, &c.," which is a reason of equal cogency at all times, and equally applying to all the posterity of Adam; and if it formed a just ground for sanctifying the first day which dawned upon the finished system of the universe, it must be equally so for sanctifying every seventh day to the end of time. The observance of the seventh day, both as a day of rest and a day of holiness, is also enjoined in the Decalogue, which was not abolished with the peculiar polity of the Jews, but remains binding upon Christians; Exod. xx. 8. note. Thus the Sabbath is a Divine institution, and it is recognised and sanctioned by Christ and his apostles; Matt. xii. 3-8.; John v. 17. xx. 19. 26.; Acts xx. 6, 7.; 1 Cor. xvi. 1, 2.; Rev. i. 10. et al.

4. the generations] Viz. this is a faithful account or history "of the heavens and of the earth when they were created, in the day," i. e. at the time when "the Lord God made the earth and the heavens."

5. before it was in the earth-before it grew] Viz. God created the plants and herbs BEFORE they could have been raised in the ordinary course of vegetation; for, at the time when he made them, "the Lord God had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground;" so that they were not produced in the ordinary way, by fertilizing rains, or the cultivation of man. The Hebrew particle rendered " before" may mean not yet; viz. " and every plant of the field was not yet in the earth, and every herb of the field had not yet sprung up;" which nearly agrees with the former; both implying that they were made by the Almighty, and not produced by the vegetative powers of the earth, BECAUSE at the time they were produced, there was neither rain, nor man to cultivate the ground; "but," on the contrary, "there went up a mist," &c. v. 6. ie. instead of fertilizing showers, an ungenial vapour covered the face of the earth. In the first chapter the historian describes generally the creation of all things in six days; in this he adverts to some circumstances relating to it, and in a more particular manner to the formation of Adam and Eve.

7. and breathed, &c.] Viz. gave life to, or animated the body which was formed" of the dust of the ground," and in consequence man became a living soul," or being; Isa. lxiv. 8.; Job xxvii. 3. xxxiii. 4.; Eccles. xii. 7.; 1 Cor. xv. 45. 47.

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8. planted] Rather, "had planted a garden," i. e. before

he made man. Eastward," probably, of Judea, agreeably to the mode of speaking among the Hebrews; though it may mean in the eastern part of Eden. The various opinions as to the situation of Paradise cannot be reviewed here; but if the terms employed are proper names borrowed from the geography of the Mosaic age, it was clearly situated somewhere in the vicinity of the Tigris and Euphrates.

"The

9. out of the ground] Viz. of the garden of Eden. Tree of Life," i. e. the Tree, whose fruit being eaten, would be the means of preserving life for ever, ch. iii. 22. a circumstance in which there is no impossibility, nor any thing repugnant to the Divine attributes; Prov. iii. 18. xi. 30. xiii. 12. xv. 4.; Rev. ii. 7. xxii. 2. 14.-" the Tree of Knowledge of good and evil;" i. e. a Tree which was the test of good and evil, a tree by which our first parents would be tried whether they would be good or bad, and which would be the means of knowing whether they would obey or disobey the authority and commands of their Creator:-v. 17. ch. iii. 3. 22.

10. from thence] Viz. from the garden, and then became divided into four heads," i. e. four principal streams or rivers. For the Proper Names in this description of Paradise, see the Index.

12. bdellium and the onyx stone] The Hebrew words are of uncertain interpretation.

15. to dress it, and to keep it.] Thus in the state of primeval innocence man was to labour in cultivating the garden: a proof of the advantage of industry to man, independently of its necessity.

17. in the day, &c.] Meaning, not that death should be inflicted the same day on which the offence was committed, but that they should then become subject to death, i. e. subject to all the evils of mortality. Among these evils, the loss of the Divine favour, and spiritual death, are included; Ezek. iii. 18. 20. xviii. 4. 20.; Rom. i. 32. v. 12. et seq. notes.-The injunction to abstain from the fruit of a particular tree, as a test of obedience, has been often cavilled at as absurd, and derogatory to the Supreme Being. But as the perfections of the Deity demand obedience from all his rational creatures, something must have been enjoined upon our first parents as the test of their fidelity. It could not, however, be any moral obligation, like those in the Decalogue, there being no opportunity, under the circumstances in which man was placed in Paradise, of violating the moral law; and the command not to eat of a particular tree was an easy prohibition, when free indulgence in all other fruits was granted; while it was a suitable test of Adam's fidelity, inasmuch as it was placed in the garden with him, and gave him every moment an opportunity of testifying his obedience by abstaining from it. The infringement of this injunction was, therefore, an act of direct rebellion against the sovereign autho rity of the Creator, and was consequently justly punished with