ABSTRACT
God seems solicitous of Adam and Eve as he takes measures to protect them from evil, but these measures are only partially successful, and eventually they altogether fail. The Son is essential in allowing God to behave harshly while projecting an image of himself as benign. If God obliterates his new creation as a punishment, both his "goodness and [his] greatness" will be "blsphem'd without defence"; and his image will be irrevocably damaged. God's severity had threatened to tarnish his image, but with his rage appeased and his supremacy confirmed, he will be seen to be benevolent and powerful, merciful and stern. The collateral damage in the feud between the principals is the downfall of Adam and Eve, the damnation of most of their progeny, and the horrors of human history. If God had not freed Satan, there is little likelihood that Adam and Eve would have fallen.
