The Mount Holly news. [volume] (Mount Holly, Burlington Co., N.J.) 1891-1942, 1896-05-26
LEGENDO THE CROSS
WOOD DERIVED FROM THE TREE OF
LIFE IN THE GARDEN OF EDEN.
A Story of the Death of Adam and the
Crucinxion OF Christ which Was Recited
In the Middle Ages-How Seth Got a
Glimpse Of Paradise.

A Story OF the Death of Adam and the
Crucinxion of Christ which Was Recited
In the Middle Ages-How Seth Got a
Glimpse of Paradise.
When Adam was banished from par
adise, he lived in penitence endeavor-
ing to expiate the past by prayer and
toll. When he reached great age and
felt death approach, he called Seth to
him and said: ''Go, my son, to the ter
restrial paradise and ask the archangel
who keeps the gate to give me balsam
which will save me from death. You
will easily find the way, because my
footprints scorched the soil as l left
paradise. Follow my blackened traces
Z and they will conduct you to the gate
whence I was expelled.
Seth hastensS to paradise. The way
was barren, vegetation was scanty and
of somber colors. Over all lay the black
prints of his fathers and mothers feet
Presently the walls surrounding para
disc appeared Around them nature re-
vived, the earth was covered with YER
dure and dappled with flowers. The air
vibrated with beautiful music. Seth
was dazzled with the beauty which sur
rounded him, and he walked on forget
full of his mission. Suddenly there
flashed before him wavering line Of
fire upright, like serpent of light con-
tinuously quivering. 1t was the flaming
sword in the hand of the cherub who
guarded the gate.
As Seth drew nigh he saw that the
angels wings were expanded so as to
block the door. He Frustrated himself
before the cherub, unable to utter a
word. But the heavenly being read in
his soul, better than a mortal can read
book, the words which were there i'm
pressed, and he said:
The time Of pardon is not yet come.
Four thousand years must roll away be-
fore the Redeemer shall open the gate
to Adam, closed by his disobedience.
But as a token of future pardon the
wood wherein redemption shall be won
shall grow from the tomb Of thy father.
Behold what he lost by his transgres-
sionp'
At these words the angel swung open
the great portal of gold and fire and
Seth looked in.
He beheld fountain, clear as crystal,
sparkling like silver dust, playing in
the midst of the garden, and gushing
forth in four living streams Before
this mystic fountain grew mighty
tree, witt trunk of vast bulk and
thickly branched, but destitute of bark
and foliage. Around the bole was
wreathed a frightful serpent or cater
pillar, which had scorched the bark and
devoured the leaves Beneath the tree
was a precipice. Seth beheld the roots
of the tree in hell. There Gain was
striving to grasp the roots and Chamber
up them into paradise, but they laced
themselves around the body and limbs
Of the fratricide as the threads of
spiders web entangle fly, and the
fibers of the tree penetrated the body Of
Cain as though they were endowed with
life. Horror struck at this awful sight
Seth raised his eyes to the summit Of
the tree There all was changed The
tree had grown till it's branches reached
heaven. The boughs were covered with
leaves, flowers and fruit. But the fair
est fruit was little babe, living sun,
who seemed to be listening to the songs
Of seven white doves who circled about
his head A woman, more lovely than
the moon, bore the child in her arms.
Then the cherub closed the door and
said: 81 give thee now three seeds taken
from that tree. When Adam is dead,
place these three seeds in thy fathers
mouth and bury him. -
So Seth took the seeds and returned
to his father. Adam was glad to hear
what his son told him and praised God
On the third day after the return of
Seth he died Then his son buried him
in the skins of beasts which God had
given him for covering, and his sepul-
cher was on Golgotha. In course of time
three trees grew from the seeds brought
from paradise One was a cedar, .anoth-
er q cypress and the third pine. They
grew with marvellous force, thrusting
their branches to right and left. 1t was
with one of these boughs that Moses per-
formed his miracles in Egypt, brought
water out of the rock and healed those
whom the serpents slew i'll the desert.
In the time of Solomon this was the
noblest of the trees Of Lebanon. 1t sur
passed all in the forests of King Hiram
as monarch surpasses those who crouch
at his feet. Now, when the son of David
erected his nalace he cut down this tree
to convert it into the main pillar sup