Eve's exclamation on the birth of Cain-" I have gotten a man from the Lord," proves how closely and devoutly she still traced all blessings from His gracious hand :--hallowing her maternal joy by gratitude to Him. His love had bestowed on her a blessing unknown even in Eden-a child-a possession peculiarly her own and her husband's; and in the exultation of her grateful joy she calls his name 2 Cain, from, to possess or to acquire. In his early infancy, ere he became awake to right and wrong, his parents could but feel enjoyment to train him up so as to know no sin, to love and serve the Lord, and to give them love and reverence in return for the deep, endless fondness they lavished upon him. But by the name bestowed upon their second son, Abel, we may almost suppose that they had already felt the vanity of these hopes and wishes; that even in his boyhood Cain manifested those evil passions and that headstrong will, which led in after years to such fearful consequences.

The effects of Eve's disobedience were now to be displayed in her own offspring-the child of exultation and joy-whom she had welcomed with such delight, that she almost felt as if no sorrow or suffering could assail her more, was the instrument in the Eternal hand to bring her back meekly and submissively to Him, in prayer for that beloved one; in recognition that her sin was working still. The passions and rebellion of her first-born brought all the agony of remorse fresh upon her heart; and deep as was the joy with which she had hailed his birth, was the anxiety, the suffering his dawning character called forth.

Actuated by such emotions, it was with sorrow, then, more than joy that the birth of her second boy was hailed. She had already felt the vanity, the transientness of her hopes :—and mournfully she called his name Hebel-transientness or vanity, from 57, which signifies to follow a vain thing, to cherish vain thoughts. But as is the case (how often even now!) the child of tears and anticipated sorrow, proved as dear and precious a blessing, as the son of exultation was of grief. She saw in him the ascendancy of the spiritual, the deathless part of their mingled nature, that evil could still be subdued, and man be still acceptable and worthy in the sight of his Creator. The compassionate love of the Eternal, while He chastised through Cain, gave hope and trust and comfort through Abel. He showed, through these varying natures, that free-will to choose the good and eschew the evil was still given; and that though the latter to the eyes of the world might seem, nay, was the ascendant, He would yet preserve His witnesses among mankind, to keep alive the knowledge of the Lord, and prove the pre-eminence, the beauty, the glory, and the consolation of piety and virtue.

So years rolled on the boys grew up to manhood. And though it is not specifically mentioned, it is evident that Eve must also have borne a daughter, who, as was absolutely necessary in the early stages of the world, became the wife of Cain. Some writers believe that Cain and Abel were both born with twin sisters. It may or may not be, as it must be only conjecture— though Cain's wife only is mentioned.

The words of Scripture "and he (Adam) begat sons and daughters," are sufficient for our information. In

all probability his family was a large one, that his seed might fulfil the intention of the Eternal in peopling the world; but how many daughters he had before the death of Abel does not appear, and is of little con

sequence.

During the growth of their elder children, the lives of our first parents differ little in feeling from those of the present day. Their employments, indeed, were as unlike, as patriarchal simplicity is from worldly interest and luxury-the peace of nature from the contention of the world. In reading the narratives of the Bible, we often blend situation with feeling, and believe that as the one is too antiquated for interest and example, so is the other for sympathy and love. But the Bible tells of no character above human nature; and why not, then, in perusing the circumstances of their simple lives, try their feelings by the standard of our own? Who that is a mother, does not feel anxiety, pleasure, grief, joy, despondency and hope, almost all at the same time, according to the differing dispositions of her children? Who that is a parent does not acknowledge that maternal love may combine the intensest joy with the intensest grief? And will they not then sympathise in the feelings of Eve?at one time bowed to the very dust in the anguish occasioned by the sinful inclinations and rude temper of her first-born, in self-accusation that she, perhaps, was the original cause, even as an affectionate mother very often accuses herself for the faults of her offspring at another, weeping tears of sweet joy, and love, and consolation, on the gentle bosom of her Abel, whose whole life and thoughts were directed to piety and virtue to God and to his parents-whose very exist

ence, as her own had been in Paradise, seemed bright with reverence and love?

But even this life of mingled grief and comfort might not last. Not yet had Eve sufficiently atoned for her disobedience, and proved her love and faith to pass through the awful portals of death, to the home prepared for her in heaven. Death, as concerned herself, her husband, her children, was still the dark shadow through which as yet no certain light had beamed. The Eternal, in His mercy, had prepared to reveal it, but through clouds of denser, more appalling blackness than had yet gathered round His creatures.

Wrought up to frenzy by the preference manifested towards the pious offering of his younger brother—refusing to acknowledge that it was the temper of his own mind at fault, and that he had himself trampled on, and defied the favour he yet coveted, when shewn to another --still sullenly and obstinately encouraging the evil, even when the Lord, in infinite mercy, condescended Himself to speak with his rebellious servant, and asking why he was wroth, informed him, that though sin was ever crouching beside him, he (Cain) had the power to rule over and subdue it, still disregarding even this, listening but to the fearful instigations of his own heart,—“ it came to pass, when they were in the field together, that Cain rose up against his brother Abel, and slew him."

The dark terror of death was mysterious no longer. In its most fearful, most appalling shape, it had descended upon earth-the bright, the beautiful, the loving and the holy, there he lay before the eyes of his agonised parents, his life-blood dyeing the green-sward—that face, so fair, so sweet an index of the pure glorious soul

those limbs, so soft and round and graceful, whose every movement had brought joy to his mother's heartthey gazed upon them still, beautiful as if he slept, save that there was a stillness and a coldness as the earth on which he lay. This, then, was death, and it had been dealt by a brother's hand. Can any woman, much less a mother, reflect on Eve's immeasurable agony, and yet pass lightly and heedlessly over this first narration of Holy Writ, refusing sympathy, even interest, in the deep dark floods of misery, with which, though her name is not mentioned, those few words of a brother's hate and wrath and murder teem? Not alone a mother's anguish, deprived of both her children in one fearful day-not, not alone the wild yearnings of affection towards the guilty and the exile, struggling with the passionate misery for her own bereavement, but more crushing, more agonising still-it was her work-she had disobeyed, to obtain the knowledge of good and evil and how appallingly had that forbidden knowledge poured back its stinging poison into her own heart! Her beautiful had fallen-she might never, never gaze upon him, list his sweet voice more-the dust had gone to its dust-sent to his grave in his youth, his sinlessness-the helpless and the innocent crushed by the strong hand of the guilty-and the Eternal had looked down from his awful throne, and interfered not. Why had the only innocent the only righteous, been the first to pay the penalty of death, when his guilty parents and yet more guilty brother were permitted still to live? Nay, the doom of Cain, which the hardened one himself declared " was greater than he could bear," was not to die, but to live as a wanderer whom none might slay.