not deceive our selves No evill shall dwell with him Psal 5.4 5. what communion hath light with darkness c. 1. Joh. 2.6 and 4.12 16. There remains only the sixth and last Axiom Canaan shall be his servant or a servant unto them The doom of Canaan was first denounced generally A servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren ver 25. Then follows a special application of his servitude under Shem and the Jewes of which I have spoken more largely It remains that I shew how Ham and Canaan was a servant unto Japhet and the Gentiles Which because it is not true in regard of the persons of Ham and Canaan we must seek it in their posterity And so we shall finde that what remnants there were of Ham and Canaan in Tyre and Zidon in Thebes and Carthage in Egypt and Ethiopia they all submitted themselves and became servants to the Greek Monarchy raised by Alexander the Great or his Successors as also to the Roman Monarchy Both which sprung of Japhet And so it is true according to the History That Ham and Canaan or the Canaanites became servants unto Japhet or the sons of Japhet I have considered hitherto Shem and Japhet Ham and Canaan severally and apart both in their history and in their mystery Come we now to the Consideration of them joyntly The most antient historians and from them the Poets among the Heathen tell us that Saturn was the first father of all after the flood And therefore Orpheus calls him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the father of all the author of mankinde They adde that he devoured all his children except onely three Jupiter Neptune and Pluto which three remaining divided the world among them Most certain it is that truth is more antient than a lie or fable For a lie is the corruption of truth and truth is the substance and foundation of a profitable fable And therefore it supposeth truth before it The Mythologie therefore and truth of his fable is this Whereas Saturn is said to have devour'd all his children it is to be understood that Noah whom they meant by Saturn condemned the world Hebr. 11.7 to perish by the flood And this is no uncouth manner of speech in Scripture wherein the Prophets are said to do that Gen. 49.7 which they fortell shall be done Jacob divided Simeon and Levi in Jacob Jer. 1.10 and scattered them in Israel Jeremy must pluck up and plant Ezech. 43.3 destroy and build And Ezechiel went to destroy the City And thus Noah condemned and consumed all men whom he foretold that they should perish by the flood being a Prophet and the eighth preacher of righteousness 2 Pet. 2.5 As for his three sons remaining the first Jupiter Hammon who was that but Ham He was famous in Africa which was Hams portion I will punish saith the Lord the multitude of No. That is Hammon of No Jer. 46.25 No where Hammon their God was worshiped Whence it 's called No-Hammon Ezek. 30.15 Nah. 3.8 which the LXX turn Diospolis the City of Jupiter Hammon By Neptune their God of the Sea they understood Japhet as I have shewen to whom all the Isles of the Gentiles were allotted by Noah And then what remained for Shem Shem they understood by Pluto For Shem being a most holy man and a sincere worshipper of the true God he was most hated by the Idolaters of his time as I shewed before whom they made a God indeed but thrust him down to Hell Out of all which we learn what a perverse judgement the wicked world hath of good and evil Ham the worst of all the three brethren they made the highest God Shem the best of all men a figure of the true God they made a Devil yea the Prince of Devils Japhet because a better man then Ham therefore they made him inferiour unto Ham. And because he was not so good a man as Shem therefore he is made superiour unto Shem. And this is the judgement of the wicked world They put good for evil and evil for good darkness for light and light for darkness Esay 5.20 bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter Why then should it discontent any one of the true Shems children to be dis-esteemed by the wicked world Did they not say that the true Shem the Lord Jesus who had God with him that he had a Devill Yea they thought they said well Mat. 11.18 Iohn 8.48 Matth. 10.25 when they said so Nay did they not call him Beelzebub the prince of the Devills And what great matter is it If they so call those of his household Nay did they not say of Simon Magus who had a Devill Acts 8.10 that he was the great power of God The like is the judgement of the evill world even at this day So that it may seem a safe rule and very often true to judge of good and evill men quite contrary of the worlds judgement of them Malum esse oportet quem laudat Nero. Bonum esse oportet quem odit Nero. He must needs be an evill man whom Nero commends and good whom Nero hates What a great folly then is it to esteem or disesteem our selves according to such perverse judgements of wicked men Examenve improbum in illa Castiges trutina nec te quaesiveris Extrà But what application can we who profess our selves Christians make of these three joyntly The soul of man or 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the souly man or natural man is Japhet This natural man is in the midst between two he hath somewhat above him as the heavenly man or man from heaven with all his graces and vertues this is Gods Candle Prov. 20.27 Iob 29.3 which shined upon Jobs head This is the true Shem the divine light He hath something beneath him which is the brute nature figured by Ham a zeal and fervent heat in its due posture and subordination to serve the divine and humane nature whence proceeds a serviceable inclination a bowing down and humbling it self to purvey and inquire after what is necessary or convenient for the well-being of the divine and humane nature and this is Canaan which signifies a Merchant Luke 16.11 12. This suits well with what our Lord teacheth If ye have not been faithful in the unrighteous Mammon who will commit to your trust the true treasure And if ye have not been faithful in that which is another mans who shall give you that which is your own Here the natural man or Japhet is put between Shem and Ham. Ham and Canaan are purveyours for Mammon called the Mammon of unrighteousness because often gotten and often used unrighteously and so said to be another mans The true treasure that 's Shem the treasure hidden in the field of the mans heart which by grace is said to be our own according to that of the Apostle 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the things
the outward profession and practise They are to heal the Nations Revel 22.2 to heal the diseased So the Sun is not only the cause of life but of medicin also Therefore the Poets made Apollo the Sun the Author of both Which is true of the Sun of Righteousnesse in both respects Mal. 4.2 For unto those who fear the Lords Name the Sun of Righteousnesse shall arise with healing in his wings The same tree of life affords both Revel 22.2 Hitherto we have heard the Lords first precept which is affirmative The second followes which is negative But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evill thou shalt not eat of it Through the subtilty of the Serpent the woman given for an help to the man fell a lusting after her own will to be somewhat her self by that desire she had to eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil And hereby she desired in a way contrary to Gods command to be like unto God to see and know all what God sees and knowes And of this forbidden fruit she her self did eat and gave her husband also to eat of it And so fell away from the light and life and wisdom and will of God to her own vain opinion earthly wisdom and will of the flesh This is that we call the fall of man whereby the life is mingled with the death good with evil light with darknesse truth with errour This is the Mother sin and Nurse of all other Hence it is that man was driven out of the light of life out of the Paradise of God and hath lost the power to eat of the tree of life It must be given him anew Do we consider all this only as a most antient History and look at it as done only so many Ages since Or may we not finde the same acted over and over many ten thousand times since in all after generations and even in our own selves I might name many Scriptures I shall note but one which I beseech you read and consider well of it 1 Cor. 11.2 And let us observe the direfull effects of our fall and what an evill and bitter thing it is that we have departed from our God and feed not upon the trees of His Paradise but upon such Plants as are not of our Heavenly Fathers planting For whose plants are envy division contention strife and discord which grow up ranck among us as they say The Serpents teeth did-seges clypeata Whose plant is pride the beginning of sin as the wisman calls it Whose is coveteousness the root of all evill Whose is wrath and revenge and other roots of bitterness Whose plants are lasciviousness luxury gluttony surfeting and drunkeness and other such like Pot-herbs Whence grow the briars and thorns the heathenish cares the curses of the earth These all these are sown and planted and grown up thick in us Are these of Gods planting O no The envious man hath done this All this wickedness is grown up as a tree Job 24.20 Of which the fallen man eates freely contrary to the Command of God The rib which the Lord God had taken from the man Gen. 2.22 made He a woman What they turn made is in the Hebrew built as in the margin Which I prefer the rather because it answers to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to edify or build which is very often applyed to the Church as the Truth of this type Act. 9.31 15.16 and 20.32 1 Cor. 14.4 This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh Word for word This for this once is bone out of my bones Gen. 2. Ver. 23. and flesh our of my flesh And so it answers to the LXX and to the Apostle Ephes 5.30 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and the words following prove this translation Because she was taken out of man implying that the Church is taken out of Christ which S. Paul calls a great mystery Ephes 5.32 For so we receive from Christ a suffering flesh 1 Pet. 4.1 as he promises to us an heart of flesh Ezech. 36.26 a soft heart and sit to receive impressions from the Spirit of God as Josiahs heart was tender 2 Kings 22.19 We receive also bone from his bones The word is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and signifies strength as well as a bone Job 21.23 and elsewhere And hereby we are enabled to act and do according to divine impressions made in our tender and fleshy heart And hereby we become strong in the Lord and in the power of his might Ephes 6.10 and able to do all things through Christ who thus inwardly enableth us Phil. 4.13 SERMON I. SERM. I. The Law and Gospel preached from the begining GEN. 3.15 ANd I will put enmity between thee and the woman Gen. 3. Ver. 15. and between thy seed and her seed c. The obscurity of the Scripture proceeds much what either from mistakes of Translation or else from false Glosses and mis-interpretations The words I have propounded now for my Text may prove an instance of them both For whereas in reading of the Old Testament Moses hath a vail upon his face 2 Cor. 3. v. 13. And not as Moses which put a Vail over his face that the children of Israel could not stedfastly look to the end of that which is abolished In reading the three first Chapters of Genesis Moses is double vailed And therefore those three with the book of Canticles and some other Scriptures were by the wise men of the Jews prohibited to be read by Novices lest they might make ill constructions of them as I shewed before in part This was needful to be premised because the Text propounded is a part of the third Chapter and hath in it more difficulty then appears at the first reading of the words And therefore whereas the Apostle saith concerning the Jews 2 Cor. 3.15 that When Moses is read the vail is upon their hearts but that vail is done away in Christ The Lord be pleased to turne all our hearts unto himselfe that that vail may be done away Moses having described the fall from verse the first to the seventh he brings in God the Judge examining the fact and making inquiry into the causes of it searching out this sin not unknown to himselfe before from Adam to Eve and from Eve to the principall malefactor the Serpent Wherein we may note how the Lord Parts laesa yea Laesa Majestas the highest majestie the party offended how wisely Obs 1. justly mercifully he proceeds in this and the two following sentences Yea hence we may take notice Obs 2. that although the Lord permits sin for the tryall of his creatures and the manifestation of their weaknes and inconstancy in the good wherein they are not unmoveable like himself yet he will certainly call the offenders to an account afterwards Whence also we learn that he is greater then the Devill and all that sin against him Obs 3. both in knowledge
I believe to be the true meaning of the place What we have now in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Then the LXX read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and turn'd 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hierom also read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and turns it Iste this man So far they agree but then they part Hierom goes on Iste caepit This man began He turns 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Invocare to call upon which the LXX render very often 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to preach I turn the sentence thus This man began to preach in the name of the Lord that is This man was the first Preacher before the Flood as S. Peter cals Noe The eighth Preacher of righteousness 2 Pet. 2.5 according to the constant reading of the Greek and Vulg. Lat which Beza also acknowledgeth Of which interpretation I shall give the Reader a further account when I shall examine that place if the Lord will ADam begat a son in his own likeness Gen. 5. Gen. 3. after his image Hierome read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ad similitudinem after or according to his likenesse and the same 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 repeated according to his image So Vulg. Lat. the LXX Tremellius and Piscator also read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in both places but Pagnin the Tigurin Bible and the French Munster Vatablus and others read 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 The difference is not great either in the letters 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 or the sense of the words Nor do I here blame the Translation but the interpretation built upon it by many who aver that Adam begat Sheth in or according to his sinful and depraved image Whence they infer that Sheth also must be depraved as he who was begotten according to the corrupt similitude and image of his father Truly it is a great unhappinesse to any one to have gotten an ill name especially among some men it 's a thousand to one he shall never regain a good report among them Adam fell and his fall is so aggravated as if it were like the fall of a Potters vessel that could never be made whole or like that of the Devils which can never be repaired 'T is true The fall depravation and degeneration of our first Parents is notorious Notorium facti the notoriousnesse of the fact as the Civilians speak ye read Gen. 3. But was that Factum permanens continuum Jer. 8.4 Must the fall last for ever Shall they fall and not arise shall be turn away and not return Surely the rising again return and recovery of our first Parents out of their fall depravation and degeneration is as notable as their fall was notorious For as the promise of means and helps conducing thereunto both the Law and Gospel Gen. 3.15 and 3.22 are clear and evident so likewise the use of those means as I have shewn And the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 and effect answerable unto those means used is as clear and manifest For as Moses tels us of the darknesse and the light and 5.1.2 Gen. 1. and 4.1 1 John 3.12 so he relates the genealogie of the children of darknesse from Cain downward who was of the wicked one born of that filthy seed say the Jews which the Serpent cast into Eve He figuring the propriety in the flesh slew Abel that breathing from God and unto God and vigorously carries on his work of deformation throughout the fourth Chapter of Genesis Gen. 4. per. tot Cap. 5. Moses having related the Genealogy of Cain and the children of Darkness he gives us the Genealogy of Sheth and the Children of Light and so sets good against evill life against death Ecclus 33.14 the godly against the sinners And whereas Gen. Chap. 4. he numbers up seven generations of Cain Chap. 5. he reckons up ten generations from Adam to Noe. Whereby he implies that the Good shall at length overcome the Evill and that when the darkness is past and the children of darkness 1 John 5. the true light shall then shine and the children of light as lights in the world Both these so different so contrary Families have their proportionable originals and fathers of them 1 Sam. 24.13 as saith the proverb of the antients Wickedness proceedeth from the wicked And we may say of these trees of opposit genealogies as our Lord saith Mat. 7.17 18. Every good tree bringeth forth good fruit but a corrupt tree bringeth sorth evill fruit A good tree cannot bring forth evill fruit neither can a corrupt tree bring forth good fruit c. Surely therefore according to our Lords own reasoning as from fallen corrupt degenerate Adam proceeded a fallen corrupt and degenerate Cain according to his image and from him answerably a sinfull generation So from a restored renewed and regenerated Adam proceeded Sheth according to his image And that this image of Adam was a righteous image and the image of God appeares evidently Vers 1.2 of this Fifth Chapter In the image of God made he him male and female created he them and blessed them and called their name Adam in the day when they were created Compare now herewith Gen. 1.26.27.28 and judge impartially whether this be not the same image which Adam had before his fall If so as it is clear out of that text then as sinfull Adam begat Cain according to his sinfull image and similitude so righteous Adam begat Seth according to his righteous image and similitude that is according to his living soul wherin the first man was made 1 Cor. 15. and whereunto he was now renewed And wherein God blessed them that is He made them fruitful gave them power to procreate beget and bring forth children like themselves Genuit ad imaginem similitudinem suam i. e. rationalem ad similitudinem Dei hoc est praeditos animâ rationali Ad similitudinem enim Dei creatus suit Adam Igitur ipse Adam genuit filios ad similitudinem Dei hoc est praeditos animâ rationali Adam begat a son after his own image and similitude that is reasonable and after the similitude of God that is endued with a reasonable soul For Adam was created after the image of God therefore Adam himself begat children after the image of God that is endued with a reasonable soul So Vatablus reasons enforced from the context By which reasonable soul he understood no doubt the living soul as the first man was made saith the Apostle And according to this image S. Luke saith Adam was the son of God And according to this image of God Luke 3.38 S. Paul tells the Athenians 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for we are his off-spring It 's part of a verse taken out of Aratus who having begun his Phaenomena with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 after a few words interposed he saith 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 for we are his off-spring That which the Poet wrote and the
11.12 28. lest his people being mingled among the Nations should learn their works and swear by other gods See the truth of this Jer. 12.14 15 16. Thus saith the Lord against all mine evil neighbours c. it shall come to pass if they shall diligently learn all the wayes of my people to swear by my Name The Lord liveth as they have taught my people to swear by Baal then they shall be built up in the midst of my people And we now live mixt one with another good and bad together and every one endeavours to assimilate and render another like unto himself O that every one of us so far as we have attained would endeavour to render another like unto God! Now although swearing by the Name of God rashly vainly and falsly and without just cause hath alwayes been a sin and so accounted Ecclus 23.9 13. Yet the universal prohibition hereof was reserved until the time of Reformation Matth. 5.33 37. Howbeit that this kinde of swearing ought not here to be understood but Adjuration only and to put an end to controversies among men as hath been said will appear to be true if we lay to the words now questioned and compare with them what Solomon saith Prov. 29.24 He that is partner with a thief hateth his own soul 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 he heareth adjuration and uttereth it not Where we have these very words of the Law Levit. 5.1 and an exemplification of it In this case the Arabic Proverb is not to be understood Repentance for silence is better then repentance for speech And that of Cato hath no place here Nam nulli tacuisse nocet nocet esse locutum For silence in this case argues a consent unto evil Take notice here Christian Reader how strict the Lord is in requiring a discovery of sin and that the truth should be brought to light and judgement and that under a ceremonial dispensation so that he who concealed his knowledge rendred himself guilty And shall we who ought to depart from and hate every evil way and every iniquity and loathe it in our selves shall we hide and keep anothers sin as sweet under our tongue In this case it will well beseem our Christian prudence and charity to enquire what will be more profitable for our brothers reformation whether to accuse him and discover his sin as Joseph did his brethrens Gen. 37.2 or at least for a time with lenity and pious long-suffering to bear his weakness But if we wink at and dissemble our brothers sin as if we favoured it and waited not for a fit time for reproof of it we make our brothers sin and guilt our own and our tenderness and clemency toward our brother will be interpreted no less then contumacy and disobedience toward God Remember how Solomon concludes his Ecclesiastes and with it I shall conclude this Essay God will bring every work into judgement and every secret thing whether it be good or whether it be evil And the Priest shall make an atonement for him concerning his sin Levit. 5. Ver. 6. This sense is imposed upon these words beside their genuin and proper meaning which is this And the Priest shall expiate or purge him from his sin The only difficulty if any there be is in 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 whether it be referred to the person purged from his sin and so 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to purge or expiate is construed with 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Or whether it have reference to the Sacrifice as Arias Montanus understood it Both have their Authors and their meanings good As for Atonement what is meant by it but union with God or oneness as when God and man are at one And how can that be wrought while the sin intervenes and keeps man at a distance from his God Esay 59.2 It is true indeed that the Spirit of God hath couch'd two actions under one word 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1. to cover and 2. to purge cleanse or expiate But although 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifie to cover yet not so as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 1 Pet. 2.16 as a cloak to cover knavery not so as to hide the sin but as a playster is applyed to cover and so to cure and heal a wound and so the first signification will fall into the second Thus the Tigurin Bible renders the words verbatim Et expiabit eum sacerdos à peccato suo And the Priest shall purge or expiate him from his sin And the Chald. Par. saith the very same though somewhat otherwise translated So Munster so Vatablus so Tremellius so Diodati And although the Spanish Bible hath reconcilierà in the text yet it hath expiarà the Priest shall expiate in the margent If meantime the sin remain how can the atonement or reconciliation be made since sin is the only make-bate Quod turbat omnia which therefore if it remain and be not really and truly removed and taken away the wrath and the condemnation and guilt and obligation unto death must remain with it What is wont in this case to be said that there is no condemnation to them that are in Christ Jesus which words are usually cited alone and the following words suppressed it is true of them who walk not after the flesh but after the spirit whom the law of the spirit of life in Christ Jesus makes free from the law of sin and death in whom the righteousness of the law is fulfilled Rom. 8.1 4. It is true these actions are all of them ceremonial poor and beggarly rudiments yet by them are figured out the pretious truths of God touching atonement with God and expiation from sin as gold is weighed out by brass or leaden weights The real purging from our sins by Christ is meant by the ceremonial expiation wrought by the Priest and the sacrifice And therefore the Apostle so reasons if the blood of Bulls and Goats and the ashes of an Heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh so far then it did sanctifie how much more shall the blood of Christ who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God Purge your consciences from dead works to serve the living God Let us well consider this Christian Reader lest in a matter of so great concernment unto our immortal souls we suffer our selves to be deceived by concerning a word of very large signification which if it mean any thing but expiating the sin take heed of it Dolosus versatur in generalibus if we be deceived in the figure we shall also be deceived in the Truth it self which is conveyed by it But suppose the sin only covered which is that which many contend for if it yet remain in us what singular benefit is the Reconciliation or Atonement unto us only that the putrid and loathsom ulcer is skin'd over that the remorse and clamour of the guilty conscience is quiet and stilled for a time that the malefactor is