By W. F. COLLIER, LL. D.
_The Creation of Man_ involved the necessity of preparing a
dwelling-place for him. The Bible informs us that the world passed
through successive changes, which transformed an unshapely mass to
its present condition of beauty and fitness. God said, “Let there be
light,” and the rays of the sun burst upon the surface of the earth.
Then the land appeared from under the waters, and was clothed with
vegetation. The fishes, reptiles, and birds were called into existence.
Next, quadrupeds appeared. Finally, as a crowning act, man was created
in the image of God, his Maker. “Then the woman was formed from the rib
of the man, in token of the closeness of their relation, and the duty
of man to love his wife as his own flesh.”
Man having been created, means were employed for his occupation. In
order to develop his mind and body activity was necessary. He was to
dress and keep the garden, to subdue the lower animals, study them, and
subject them to his control and use.
Distinguished from all other created beings around him by the gift of
speech, he was enabled to classify and name the animals, hold converse
with his wife, and engage in oral acts of praise and worship of his
Heavenly Father.
The locality of the Garden of Eden is believed to be in the highlands
of Asia Minor, near the sources of the rivers Euphrates and Tigris.
The whole district drained by these rivers is represented by travelers
as one of surpassing beauty. Mountains rise, by easy slopes, to the
height of five thousand feet; their sides are clothed with gigantic
forest trees, underneath which the box, bay, and rhododendron flourish.
The valleys and lowlands are studded with villages, and checkered by
orchards, vineyards, and gardens, yielding both the cereals of the
temperate zones and the fruit of the tropics. Somewhere in the eastern
part of this charming district the garden was located, on the shore of
Lake Van. This lake is described by travelers as follows:
“The shores of Lake Van (a noble sheet of water, two hundred and
forty miles round), are singularly fine. They are bright with poplar,
tamarisk, myrtles, and oleanders, whilst numerous verdant islands,
scattered over its placid bosom, lend to it the enchantment of fairy
land. In one direction the gardens cover a space of seven or eight
miles long, and four miles broad. The climate is temperate, and sky
almost always bright and clear. To the southeast of the lake extends
the plain of Solduz, presenting in one part an unbroken surface
of groves, orchards, vineyards, gardens, and villages. The same
description is applicable to the tract extending along the Araxes,
which, for striking mountain scenery, interspersed with rich valleys,
can scarcely be equalled. This district accords, in every respect, with
the best notions we can form of the cradle of the human race.”
Here, say the Armenians, was the Vale of Eden. On the summit of Mount
Ararat, at no great distance from this, the ark rested; and here, also,
the vine was first cultivated by Noah. It is impossible to say whether
further investigation in this comparatively unknown district will ever
guide us nearer to the spot where the Lord planted the garden; but
there can be no doubt that these plains, lakes, and islands must have
given birth to the images of Elysian fields and Fortunate islands that
continued, age after age, to gild the traditions of the world.[E]
_The Fall of Man._—This expression signifies the loss of the innocence
and perfection with which he was endowed at his creation. The Fall was
the consequence of disobedience.
Milton thus describes the momentous event:
“Of man’s disobedience, and the fruit
Of that forbidden tree, whose mortal taste
Brought death into the world, and all our woe.”