That no such precaution, on the part of the God of the Bible, was pursued towards his new made creatures, will be fully proved by the examination of the events recorded as having taken place in the Garden of Eden! Whatever were the passions or the inclinations included in the physical organization of our first parents, they had not any control over them whatever, because of the impossibility of their being consulted in a state of non-existence. Whatever they were then, and, also, what was to be their future destiny, was known to Jehovah only; to Adam and Eve, it was all unknown. This, then, was the state of the pretended Creator and the creatures.
We will pass over the account of the six days' creation, together with the serpent's deceiving Eve by the aid of what the Christians believe to be the Devil. It deserves no comment, except, that from the account given in the Bible, we may infer, that happy would it have been for Adam if he had remained an old bachelor; for, in that case, Satan perhaps would neither have scraped acquaintance with the serpent, nor ever thought of lurking about the garden. But the source of all human misfortune, according to the Old and New Testaments, is included in Eve's eating the forbidden fruit. We may ask, why was one tree forbidden among so many? Certainly as a trap, set to catch the inexperienced, virtuous, and harmless Eve. What humbug! to make such a fuss about Adam's being alone, without a help-mate; and: at the very time the rib operation was going on, Jehovah, stood by, and knew whatever he might say, that the woman, on leaving her ribship, would damn all that he had declared to be good. Can we, dare we, charge the Governor of the Universe with such trickery? It must never be lost sight of, that the very prohibition of one tree, would be certain, in their state of ignorance, to produce the consequence that followed: viz., to induce Eve, from curiosity, to partake of it. Is it any thing short of insanity to suppose that such dreadful consequences would follow so trifling an offence?
This forbidden tree had something in it, that, to us, seems very strange. It was to impart knowledge; and as the fruit was inviting to the eye, and a desire existing to obtain knowledge, Eve fell a victim to her unfortunate curiosity. Nor was this all. Until Eve ate thereof, it appears that the happy couple did not perceive their want of clothing. Instantly they set to work to repair this first mishap, by sewing leaves together to make aprons. But in this stage of the business, the Lord seems to have some compassion left, for he, "_the Lord, made coats of skins and clothed them_"--poor Adam and Eve being ignorant of the strength and durability of leaf aprons. We may suppose the Lord as thinking or saying to Adam,--"Why, this will never do; you must have something more lasting, or else, by every wind that blows, you will be no more than a bundle of tattered rags." Soon, therefore, by the Lord's assistance, poor Adam and Eve jumped into a new suit of clothes! And, to make sure of man's destruction, by taking that which was forbidden, the serpent was permitted to point out the advantages that would follow; so that the appearance of the fruit, and the desire to get knowledge, urged on by the serpent, together with Eve's ignorance that any thing like lying existed in the Garden of Eden, the disobedience of our first parents was, by ninety-nine chances out of a hundred, secured, and the damnation of their posterity made sure.