of the curse and sin; (e) and the eternity of the Lord God's (Father-Mother's) Reign.

THE PERENNIAL PARADISE.

What a contrast does this inspired picture represent to the experience of every-day life! In most of our modern cities, both in the old and new world, there exists a "Paradise row," but instead of health and happiness, it stands for the vilest slum. In this vision humanity is comforted by the blaze of the Beautiful Presence and by the description of a city. This will be anything but comforting to some; they feel that they could no more bear the perpetual glory of that Parental Presence than they could now stand the constant unclouded rays of the sun. Again, in their minds, paradise is a synonym for rest, and the inspired penman points them to a city, the centre of toil and activity. Yes, it is a fact not to be gainsaid that this city must be a place of work, but without vexation or worry; and, indeed, it would appear to be the great emporium of the new earth, for we read that "the kings of the earth do bring their glory into it." Again, this description will be distasteful to some as proving "that all men are not equal," for it is evident that the whole of redeemed mankind do not equally share in the privileges of the city. We are confronted with distinct nationalities and separate sovereigns, who, it would seem, have, from time to time, to present themselves in homage before "the King of kings and Lord of lords." Then, paradoxical as it must appear, there is a tree of life which is certainly not only for ornament, but it would appear as though, in some

mysterious manner, the eternal and immortal health of nations distant from the holy city was dependent upon the leaves of "the tree of life." This surely is a test of humility, and must be somewhat of a shock to those who, even in this life, think slightingly of the "means of grace." There is, however, a universal antidote in this book, which will soothe every heart and unfurrow every brow perplexed almost to despair; and with faith in this sublime consummation it will be necessary to consider and contrast the first book. The following is the pentecostal pæan :

"And I saw a new heaven and a new earth: for the first heaven and the first earth are passed away; and the sea is no more. And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, made ready as a bride adorned for her husband. And I heard a great voice out of the throne saying, Behold, the tabernacle of God is with men, and He shall dwell with mankind, and they shall be His peoples, and God Himself shall be with them, and be their God. And He shall wipe every tear from their eyes; and death shall be no more, neither shall there be mourning, nor crying, nor pain any more: the first things are passed away. And He that sitteth on the throne said, Behold, I make all things new." (Rev. xxi. 1-5.)

THE CREATION OF THE FIRST PARADISE.

It is for us now to consider closely the first creation and its connection with humanity.

"These are the generations of the heaven and of the earth when they were created, in the day that the Lord God (Father-Mother) made earth and heaven. And no plant of the field was yet in the earth, and no plant of the field had yet sprung up: for the Lord God (Father-Mother)

had not caused it to rain upon the earth, and there was not a man to till the ground. But there went up a mist from the earth, and watered the whole face of the ground. And the Lord God (Father-Mother) formed the man of the dust of the ground, and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life; and the man became a living soul. And the Lord God (Father-Mother) 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 (Father-Mother) 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 the knowledge of good and evil.”

The reader cannot fail to be struck by the new name, "Lord God," given to the Almighty Parents in this description, which is the same as that found in the Apocalypse; and also that this man is not left to grow up with the previous race described in the first chapter of Genesis, but is placed in the garden by the Lord God. Again, there is found the tree of life in the first Paradise as in the second; but there is also a tree of the knowledge of the good and of the evil, which finds no place in the second Paradise, but which certainly must have been placed in the first Paradise for a wise and beneficent purpose. Of that more anon :—

"And the Lord God (Father-Mother) took the man, and put him into the Garden of Eden to dress it and to keep it" (the man, therefore, was to work, not to be an idler). "And the Lord God (the Father-Mother) commanded the man, saying, Of every tree of the garden thou mayest freely eat: but of the tree of the knowledge of the good and of the evil, thou shalt not eat of it: for in the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt surely die."

Observe that this important command

and

warning is given to the man direct from the lips of the Almighty, and before the completion of this special creation, as though to impress the man with the solemnity of the sacrament, and with the responsibility which he, individually, would incur, should he transgress ere the Lord God had completed the creation He had in view.

"And the Lord God said, It is not good that the man should be alone; I will make him an help answering to him. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field, and every fowl of the air; and brought them to the man to see what he would call them and whatsoever the man called every living creature, that was the name thereof."

THE CREATION OF THE PARADISE PAIR.

:

"And the man gave names to all cattle, and to the fowl of the air, and to every beast of the field; but for the man there was not found an help answering to him. And the Lord God (Father-Mother) caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man, and he slept: and He took one of his ribs, and closed up the flesh instead thereof; and the rib which the Lord God had taken made He the woman, and brought her unto the man. And the man said, This is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh: she shall be called the Woman, because she was taken out of the Man. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed." (Genesis ii. 4-25.)

Such were the pair of Paradise, the royal race of humanity, and to this history, and to the sanctity of holy wedlock, both the Divine Master of mankind and St. Paul bear testimony. Eden was the cradle

of chastity, though the representatives thereof were not infants, but in the full plenitude of the manhood and the womanhood. The Divine Master of mankind shows how different was the divine institution of holy wedlock to the mundane marriages in vogue in His day. The Master points to the original dependency of the sexes in these words :

"But from the beginning of the creation God made them male and female. For this cause shall a man leave his father and mother, and cleave to his wife; and they twain shall be one flesh: so then they are no more twain, but one flesh. What therefore God hath joined together, let not mankind put asunder.—(St. Mark x. 6-9.)

Hear also St. Paul :

"Know ye not that he which is joined to an harlot is one body? for two, saith He, shall be one flesh. But he that is joined to the Holy Spirit is one spirit."-(1 Cor. vi. 16, 17.)

་་ But, because of fornication, let each man have his own wife, and let each woman have her own husband. Let the husband render the wife her due; and likewise also the wife unto the husband. The wife hath not power over her own body, but the husband; and likewise also the husband hath not power over his own body, but the wife. Defraud ye not one the other, except it be by consent for a season, that ye may give yourselves unto prayer; and may be together again, that Satan tempt you not because of your incontinency.-(1 Cor. vii. 2-7.)

"But I would have you know that the head of every man is Christ; and the head of the woman is the man; and the head of the Christ is God. Every man praying or prophesying, having his head covered, dishonoureth his head. But every woman praying or prophesying with her head unveiled dishonoureth her head; for it is one and the