94 same. race. Despoiled of the holy image of all the evil that dwells in their hearts, (2.) How vast and awful the change that has taken place in our condition, and how deplorable the state of every unregenerate man? Many among Adam's descendants have experienced the melancholy transition from health to sickness, from ease to pain; many have passed from riches to poverty, from glory to shame, and not a few have exchanged empire itself for banishment or a dungeon. But in consequence of the sin of Eden more than the accumulated weight of all these at once has fallen upon the devoted heads of our guilty As (3.) We learn hence how astonishing was the divine mercy in providing for us a Saviour. It is needless to say that our first parents could do nothing to repair the evil which they had commitBut God with infinite benignity ted. interposed and announced a purpose of mercy immediately after the fall. if he feared that the sentence would overwhelm the unhappy culprits, he hastens to declare the tidings of recovery before he declared their condemnaWith the promise of a tion and ruin. Saviour he cheered the hearts which were yielding to the dark dominion of despair. To this gracious promise we owe it, that we are not all involved in endless and irremediable misery. What reason have heaven and earth to stand astonished at the goodness of our God! In what an amiable character does the Most High here appear! What instance of divine mercy can be conceived of more tender, more condescending, more captivating than this, that self-moved and unsolicited he should have purpos CHAPTER IV. 2 And she again bare his AND Adam knew Eve his brother Abel. And Abel was a wife; and she conceived, and bare Cain, and said, I have gotten a man from the LORD. keeper of sheep, but Cain was a tiller of the ground. a ch.3. 23. & 9. 20. ed in so glorious a manner to repair the most emphatical and demonstrative disasters of the fall! And what aggra- | manner, and the Targum of Jonathan vated condemnation will be ours if we renders it, 'I have gotten a man the anrefuse to testify our acceptance of the gel of Jehovah,' which was an estabproffered grace by fleeing for refuge to lished appellation of the Messiah in the the hope set before us! latter period of the Jewish church. 'Our first parents must have had their minds directed habitually and with strong feelings of interest towards the CHAPTER IV. 1. I have gotten a man from the Lord. I have | promised seed which was to triumph קניתי איש את יהוה .Heb over the destroyer of their happiness, and the birth of their first child must have been productive of the deepest impressions on their minds. Notwithstanding what they might have observ gotten a man (even) the Jehovah, or with Jehovah. Gr. dia rov Ocov by God. She accordingly bestowed upon him the name Cain implying possession or rather acquisition. It is not perhaps to be understood from this that Eve re-ed in animals, the severe and unexpectally imagined that the son now born ed pains endured could not but occasion was the divine personage promised as great distress and alarm. Yet equally the Messiah, but recollecting the gra- great would be the delight when the cious assurance recorded ch. 3. 15, she pains suddenly ceased, and a new huis now on the birth of her first-born so man creature was brought to view. fully persuaded of the truth of the Let any tender mother recollect her promise, that although she may never own feelings on the first enjoyment of be privileged to see the predicted seed in this blessing, and let her then try to person, yet by faith she already posses-imagine what must have been the feelses him, and in token thereof bestows upon her child a name which should be a standing testimony of her faith to all succeeding generations. Thus the patriarchs, Heb. 11. 13, 'not having received the promises (i. e. the things promised) but having seen them afar off were persuaded of them and embraced them.' It is but just, however, to observe that the words may literally be rendered, 'I have obtained a man even Jehovah,' and may be considered as expressing her eager and pious, though mistaken, expectation, that the above promise was now actually accomplished. The primary and usual force of the particle 7th placed here before Jehovah is to designate an object in the ings of the first mother on the first occasion of a child being brought into the world! The most vivid imagination must probably fall short of conceiving the reality of this most impressive case. It would seem to have been an idea not merely probable, but inevitable, to Adam and Eve, that the beauteous and lovely creature thus presented to them by the providence of their God was indeed the destined Deliverer.' J. P Smith. This is a plausible view of the subject, but we still incline to the opinion that in the birth of Cain she did not recognise the wished-for Redeemer himself, but simply a proof and pledge of his appearance in due time. 2. And she again bare his brother 3 And in process of time it came to pass, that Cain brought of the fruit of the ground an offering unto the LORD. 4 And Abel, he also brought of b Num. 18. 12. He the firstlings of his flock, and of the fat thereof. And the LORD had respect unto Abel, and to bis offering: c Num. 18. 17. Prov. 3. 9. d Heb. 11. 4. ration of any set period when this service was to be performed. Adam had taught his sons the duty of religious worship as well as that of industrious toil in some useful occupation.—¶ Brought. That is, either to the place appointed for the special worship of God, where the Shekinah or visible glory was displayed, or to Adam as the officiating priest of the family, or, which is perhaps still more probable, brought here is to be understood as synonymous with offered, a usage of very frequent occurrence. — - Of the fruit of the מנחה .Heb Abel. The name Abel (Heb. bel) signifies vanity, or a soon vanishing vapour, a term applied by the Psalmist to the human race in general. Ps. 39. 5, 'Verily every man at his best estate is altogether vanity (Heb. Hebel).' So also the apostle James, ch. 4. 14, 'For what is your life? It is even a vapour that appeareth for a little time and then vanisheth away. Perhaps his parents were secretly overruled to give him a name of prophetic import in allusion to his untimely and mournful end, many instances of which occur in the Scriptures. See note on Gen. 5. 29.¶ground an offering. Abel was a keeper of sheep. Heb. 'A mincha, an oblation, usually rendered feeder, or shepherd, of a flock,' which meat-offering, Lev. 2. 1, 4, 7, although, in the original comprehends both sheep as it consisted of flour, cakes, wafers, and goats, as appears from Lev. 1. 10. &c., a more correct version would be Whether these employments were of meal-offering or wheat-offering. But their own selection respectively, or ap- the English word meat, at the time pointed them by their father, is uncer- when the present translation was made, tain; but it is plainly to be inferred that was applied to farinaceous as well as the brothers had been brought up by animal substances. Thus Prov. 23. 3, their parents to habits of active labour 'Be not desirous of his dainties, for they instead of indolence and ease-an ex- are deceitful meat (Heb. bread of lies).' ample set by the father of the race 1 Sam. 20. 34, 'And Jonathan did eat worthy to be followed by all other fa- no meat (Heb. bread of food) on the thers. Abel the younger is here named second day of the month.' The Minbefore Cain the elder either because his cha when given by one man to anothemployment was considered the more er denotes some peculiar dignity in the honourable, or as an intimation of the receiver, of which such a gift is the acprecedency which, as a general fact, the knowledgment, and is a token of subyounger son was to obtain over the el- jection, or at least submission on the der. See note on Gen. 9. 24. part of the giver. But when a Mincha 3. In process of time. Heb. is presented by man to God it usually, though not invariably, signifies a bloodless oblation in contradistinction from the zeba, or bloody sacrifice, which constituted Abel's offering, though the Mincha was for the most part joined with the Zeba in the sacred oblations. 4. Brought of the firstlings of his .at the end of days ימים That is, probably, at the end of the year, the time at which the feast of the ingatuering was afterwards kept, Ex. 23. 16. The expression, however, is in itself indefinite, and may denote the end of the year, the end of the week, or the expi flock. is, Either the first-born, which | who tells us, that 'by faith Abel offerGod afterwards, by an express law, ed unto God a more excellent sacrifice appropriated to himself, or the choicest (Gr. Xova Ovotav) than Cain,' or as and best of the flock; as the chief of Wickliff's translation with more litany thing is frequently called the first-eral exactness renders it, 'a much more born, Job 18. 13. Jer. 31. 19. Heb. sacrifice,' i. e. a more full or complete 12. 23.¶ The fat thereof. Heb. sacrifice. Here by declaring the offer'the fatnesses of them.' A similar re-ing of Abel to have been made by faith, mark to the above is applicable to this the writer teaches by necessary impliterm also. The fat of any thing is cation that Cain's offering was not made equivalent to the best part of it. Thus by faith, and hence undoubtedly Num. 13. 2, 'All the best (Heb. the fat) that the sacrifice of Abel is said to have of the oil, and all the best (Heb. the fat) been more full, complete, and excellent of the wine,' &c. Gen. 45. 18, And than Cain's. It was distinguished by I will give you the good of the land of a principle which the other lacked. Egypt, and ye shall eat of the fat of Cain undoubtedly had a general belief the land.' Ps. 147. 14, 'He filleth or persuasion that God would accept thee with the finest (Heb. the fat) of his oblation, for the very act of offering the wheat.' The offerings of Abel, a sacrifice involves the persuasion of however, we suppose to have been hol- the sacrificer that it would be acceptaocausts- - The Lord had respect ble. But the faith here spoken of is of unto Abel and to his offering. That a more particular kind. It is evident is, kindly and favourably regarded, had from the context that the faith which complacency in. Chal. He accepted the apostle celebrates is a prospective with good will Abel and his gifts.' As faith in Christ. Faith then in Christ the apostle Heb. 11. 4, informs us that was the faith of Abel, and this faith God testified his approbation of Abel's was that which Cain wanted. His ofoffering, it is reasonable to suppose fering was a mere acknowledgment of that this was done by the visible token God as a benefactor. It was just what of fire from heaven consuming it upon a self righteous heart would offer. It the altar. The Hebrew word denotes plainly evinced that he recognised no to look with a rapid and keen glance of material breach between him and his the eye, indicating special earnestness. Creator, nor any need of confession of It is apparently with great propriety sin or dependence on an atonement. therefore, that Theodotion renders it He had indeed so far a sense of reliEvervρiσev kindled or set on fire; upon gious obligation as to thank God for which Jerome remarks, 'How could the benefits of his providence, but he Cain know that God accepted his broth- evidently thought it sufficient to trust er's offering and rejected his own, un- solely to the divine mercy and his own less the translation which Theodotion good works for acceptance. But as has given be the true one? If it were this was virtually denying the only renot by this particular token that Abel vealed plan of grace and pardon to sinunderstood that God was propitious to ners, his offering was rejected. His him, it must have been by some other conduct showed that he preferred the equally indubitable. Comp. Lev. 9. 24. conclusions of his own reason to the Jud. 6. 21. 1 Kings, 13. 38. 2 Chron. express appointment of his Creator. 7. 1. For a correct view of the reason The two brothers therefore may be of the more favourable acceptance of considered as the representatives of two Abel's offering, we must have recourse great classes of men found in all ages, to the words of the Apostle Heb. 11. 4, one of whom serve God merely accord 5 But unto Cain, and to his offering, he had not respect. And Cain was very wroth, ⚫ and his countenance fell. Why art thou wroth? and why is thy countenance fallen ? 7 If thou doest well, shalt thou not be accepted? and if thou do 6 And the LORD said unto Cain, est not well, sin lieth at the door. e ch. 31. 2. And unto thee shall be his desire, and thou shalt rule over him. 7. If thou docst well, or Heb. 'doest good. By which we are taught that what God esteems well-doing consists not so much in outward offerings or services as in the state of the heart, in a truly pious spirit, and especially in the exercise of a simple faith in the divine declarations and promises. 'In these words it is plainly implied that Abel acted 'well,' i. e. righteously, in the business of his sacrifice; and that Cain acted not well,' i. e. unrighteously, in the business of his sacrifice. This ing to the light of natural reason. which instead of dictating the propriety of animal sacrifices, would simply require the expression of thanksgiving and homage, while the other have a single eye to the divine precept as to the true mode of seeking God, and always recognize the principle laid down by the apostle, Heb. 9. 22, that without the shedding of blood there is no remission.' 5. Cain was very wroth. Displeased, disaffected, angry. The original implies an inflamed and burning anger, or fierce resentment. He was indig-righteousness in Abel, by which he obnant at the marks of the divine favour tained the preference to his brother, the bestowed upon Abel and denied to him- apostle ascribes to his 'faith.' Here self. His eye was evil because God we see that the first act of worship was good. He was not only angry which God accepted with open marks of with his Maker for not accepting his approbation, was a sacrifice, in which services, but enraged with his brother the life of one of his creatures was debecause he was evidently the object of voutly offered up to him; and that the divine complacency rather than what made it acceptable was the faith himself. The excellence of Abel's char- of the offerer. In this account are conacter served only to add fuel to the tained two points: (1.) That sacrifice flame. His virtues were his faults; so was from the beginning acceptable to true is it that the wicked dislike the God; and (2.) That faith made it so.— good for no other cause than their Nothing is more absurd than to imagoodness-an awful argument of the gine that God could ever be gratified or deep depravity of our nature. Cain appeased by the destruction of his crea hated in his brother the divine image tures. Such an action is not in itself as much as he envied him the divine acceptable to God; and therefore nothfavour. The light of his brother's ex- ing but duty could make it acceptable; ample was offensive to his eyes; and and nothing but the command of God on this account he sought to extinguish could make it a duty in the case before it. His countenance fell. That us. No action is just or good otheris, it henceforward assumed a downcast, wise than as it is conformable to the gloomy, sullen aspect. The workings will of God either revealed or estabof his envious and malicious spirit lished in the nature of things. But that showed themselves in his looks, and such an action as this was conformalike the gathering cloud before the tem-ble to the divine will could only be pest were a presage of the terrible result known by revelation, i. e. by being that followed. commanded; therefore the rectitude of |