before he could bethink himself how he might procure that which he needed so much 2. The Largenesse of Gods bounty is set out in the Pleasantness of the Garden provided and given man for his habitation In the infinite variety of all sorts of Fruits wherewith it was stored both for Necessity and Delight all of them planted by Gods own hand And in allowing man the free use of them all excepting only One Tree reserved by God as an acknowledgment of his Soveraignty and as a Remembrance to man of his duty In the Investiture of man into his Soveraignty over all the Creatures designed unto him in the former Chapter And lastly in Creating and bestowing the Woman upon him in marriage a greater help unto him and comfort for his life then all the creatures besides could have been 3. The Sufficiency of the Provision which God made for Man appears in this that he had all his wants supplied He wanted no possessions for the Earth was his Inheritance No servants for the work which he had to do was little more then to pluck and eat his own food from the Trees and to oversee and keep in order the Garden ready planted to his hand No food for all those delicate fruits were ready prepared and allowed him for his diet Houses and Apparel there was no need of when there was no deformity that needed covering no Injury by the weather from which he needed to be defended Onely there wanted a VVife both for Propagation and Society and that also God provides for him and that such a one as he acknowledgeth to be every way meet for him and accordingly rejoyceth in her So that God ceased not till he had furnished man every way with all that his Heart could wish or his needfull Occasions required Now for the Lawes and Rules which God gave man to guide himself by in this state of Innocency we must take notice that such of them as are meerly branches of the law of Nature are here omitted VVe call them properly Lawes of Nature which being Rules discovered by the consideration of the Nature of the Creatures are easily found out by the strength of right Reason As if there be a God Reason teacheth that he must be worshipped and if he be a Spirit that he must be worshipped in Spirit and Truth If we have our Being and Education from our Parents that they must be honoured and served If Words must be manifestations unto others of our Thoughts that then they must be answerable unto them so that we must speak what we think even the truth from our hearts and the like These being written in all mens hearts by Nature that is manifest to all men by Natural reason are not mentioned in this brief history as being sufficiently known without relation The Lawes here recorded are onely such as were added to the Law of Nature by Institution which the rule of Equity doth not necessarily enforce of it self without Gods command to have it thus or otherwise As though it were of the Law of Nature that if God must be worshipped that there must be a set time and a time of rest from other employments appointed for that worship yet what portion of time this should be and on what day it should be fixed as that it should be one day in Seven and the last of seven no man could by Natural Reason conclude till God commanded that it should be so That man should take care of the Creatures and endeavour to preserve them especially being appointed for his service reason would prescribe but that Adam should take charge of Paradise to keep and dresse it was meerly by Gods Institution and Command who might as well have disposed of him in some other place as there if he had so pleased That Gods Will should be mans Rule and that his Obedience and Faith should be professed and shewed forth to others is a branch of the Law of Nature but that Adam should manifest his Faith in God by eating of the tree of Life and his subjection to his Will by abstaining from the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was only by Gods own appointment having no other ground but the motion of his own will That Man and Woman should be joyned together for propagation and that too in Marriage may be conceived to be of the Law of Nature But that a man should be bound to one Wife and that for term of Life although Natural Reason must needs acknowledge it to be most convenient yet because it is not necessary God might have ordered it otherwise if he had been so pleased Whatsoever the Reason may be conceived to be why the Holy Ghost mentions only these Positive Lawes whereas he passeth over in silence the Laws of Nature it must needs be acknowledged that these Laws which being only Positive have no other foundation but the meer Will of God are notwithstanding so Equal and Good every way that being once made known natural reason it self cannot but approve them and consequently the Righteousnesse Holinesse and Goodnesse of God appears more clearly in them than in those Lawes that being branches of the Law of Nature are in a sort more Necessary seeing nothing discovers the man more evidently then those things wherein he is most free to do or approve what he will And indeed it may be probably conceived that the Holy Ghost had this scope to manifest the Righteousnesse of God in giving these Lawes because they are so recorded that the Equity of them is withall manifested by some Circumstance or other inserted into the Relation The Equity of appointing the Sabbath unto the last day of the week appears in manifesting that That day being honoured above the rest by putting an end to and declaring the perfecting of the Works of Creation was the fittest day to be observed in remembrance of so glorious a work And the Law of appointing man to labour in Paradise is manifested to be equal by this that God gave him the use of all the fruits in Paradise so that he did but labour for himself That the Interdiction of the Tree of Knowledge might appear to be equall it is recorded withall that God gave Man all the rest of the fruits to make use of freely The same is as clearly manifested in setting down at large the Law of Marriage 2. The Holinesse of these Lawes appears as well as their Equity The Sabbath Sacrament of the Tree of Life and restraint from the Eating of the Tree of knowledge of Good and Evil tending only to the furthering of Faith and Obedience and the raising up of mens hearts to an holy delight in God and enjoying an holy Communion with him Mans labour tending to the exercising of Love and Mercy towards the Creatures and Marriage to further mutual edification in Piety and Godlinesse and the propagation of an holy seed as it is plainly expressed Mal. 2.15 3. The Goodnesse of these Lawes to Man is as
Evident as all the rest What can be imagined more Comfortable to man then the refreshing both of his Body and Mind by ceasing from his labour and enjoying an holy Communion with God in his Ordinances in the Religious observation of the Sabbath day more Necessary and Usefull to the supporting of his heart by Faith by the help of that Sacramental Tree of Life and minding him of his Duty of Obedience by the Interdicted fruit whereby he might continually be stirred up to those holy Duties by Outward Sensible Objects set alwayes before him even in his ordinary and daily employments What more profitable to him then to labour for his own food What more Comfortable and Necessary to him then Marriage affording so many fit helps unto him for the Support and Comfort of his Life In General We cannot otherwise conceive but that the recording of all Gods Lawes given to man as well as all his Works both of Creation and Administration of the Creatures aime at the main end wherefore all things were made and man especially endued with Wisdom and Understanding that he might take notice of and be a witnesse of the All-sufficiency and Eminent Perfections of God and the Basenesse and Emptinesse of the Creatures yea even of Man himself the most Excellent of all his Visible Works We may therefore observe in this Record of Moses of the Lawes given to Man not onely both the Goodnesse Equity and Holiness of God together with his Absolute Soveraignty and Authority in prescribing and giving Rules to man meerly according to his own Will bestowing on him and detaining from him what he pleased and appointing him to be where he appointed and to do what he Commanded but withall the whole Relation layes before us the Vanity Subjection and Emptinesse of all the Creatures and man especially that God might be honoured alone and all things else abased before Him Wherefore we must observe That as all other Creatures so Man himself was nothing at the first and after that a piece of base dead earth till God breathed the breath of Life into him which he is directed to acknowledge in the remembrance of his Creation in observing the Sabbath and Eating of the Tree of Life testifying his dependance on God for his life both present and future 2. His Subjection unto Gods Will by which he was wholly to be guided was manifested in his Abstinence from the Tree of knowledge of good and evil meerly upon Gods Command implying that he had no power to order his own wayes no not in the smallest things wherein he was to guide himself only by that rule which God laid before him 3. His Weaknesse and Vanity was in a lively manner represented to him in making use even of the basest Creatures for the supporting of his Life which he had also by Gods allowance And in his finding of the uncomfortablenesse of his life by the want of a fit Companion till God Created the Woman and gave her unto him so that he had nothing of his own but what was freely bestowed on him by God Himself So that the advancing of Gods Honour and Self-denial we may discover to be the main end of giving man these lawes as well as they are of all the rest of Gods Works Now seeing man was confined unto this present world but only for a time as being at present in some sort shut out from the immediate fruition of God who communicated himself unto him most by the Creatures and by second means so that man in his most perfect Condition in this world remained in a state of Basenesse in comparison of that Glory which he was to enjoy at full after the end of this time of his pilgrimage We may observe both in the course of Gods providence and especially in the Laws which he gave the man that God so ordered all things that man might be sensible of his present mean condition represented to him so many wayes and thereby have his thoughts raised up to the Expectation and Longing after that more glorious estate which was to come sealed unto him in the Sacrament of the Tree of Life and shadowed out in some sort in the enjoying of God in his Ordinances and sequestring himself from the world in the observation of the holy rest of the Sabbath In effect the Scope of this and the former Chapter are in a manner all one as we may easily observe by that which hath been spoken already namely the Advancement of God alone with the Abasement of all the Creatures before him which God hath appointed to be our chief study in this Life as it shall be our greatest happinesse to discover and rejoyce in it fully in the Life to come FINIS CHAP. III. THe Holy Ghost having in the precedent Chapter described unto us the state of man in his Innocency in the History in this Chapter following layes before us his Fall with the Causes Order Manner and Consequents thereof wherein his maine scope is so manifest to the world That God made man upright but that he sought out many inventions Eccles 7.29 that is to clear God of having any hand in mans sinne and of the misery which came upon him thereby discovering the cause of both to be Satans malice and mans own folly and consequently acquitting God of all the evil that came upon man saving the execution of his justice upon him according to his deserts and that too tempered with infinite mercy as we shall see To make this evident we have the whole History laid before us with all the circumstances thereof 1. The Instruments and Agents in this sad Tragedy the Serpent employed to beguile the Woman and the Woman to deceive the Man 2. The persons tempted the first Man and Woman with the order First the Woman and by her the Man 3. The baites both inward and outward with the Art used in tempering and presenting them 4. The successe steps and degrees of the temptation and the effects that it took in drawing our first Parents to Apostasie 5. The Consequents of their Fall with the execution of Gods Justice on all the Delinquents according to the quality of their offences The precise point of time of the acting of this tragedy the Holy Ghost having passed over in silence is not easily found out by conjecture Only seeing our Saviour tells us John 8 44. That Satan was a Murtherer from the beginning and we know by woful experience his diligence and activity in mischief we may assure our selves that he was dealing with our first Parents betimes partly that he might take the advantage to shake them before the habits of Grace were by exercise setled and confirmed in them and partly that by poisoning the fountain of mankind before any streames issued from it he might the more easily and certainly corrupt the whole masse of the nature of man The place where this assault was given though it be not expressely set down notwithstanding seeing we
finde the wowan allured by the view of the fruit forbidden and to fall to the eating of it assoon as she had consented to the sinne we may upon good ground conclude that the place was not only Paradise but the very midst of Paradise where it is most likely the Tree of the knowledge of good and evil stood not far from the Tree of Life The devil as it may be guessed forbearing to presse the temptation till it might be strengthened by the view of that pleasant fruit to the eating whereof he intended to allure our first Parents The rather because all his hope of prevailing stood in the suddennesse of the assault by which the woman being surprised unawares and at an instant overlaid with all the Art and Power which Satan could use before she could recollect her selfe might be overtaken and conquered unto which how much the view of that pleasant object conduced appears by the ensuing Narration Verse 1. Now or But as some others render it for although that particle Va very frequently signifies And yet in this place it seemes rather to be if not an Adversitive yet at least a Discretive then a Conjunctive particle as it is also taken in the first verse of the former Chapter As if Moses had said Thus we see how God had every way manifested his Goodnesse and Bounty towards man not ceasing to heap upon him blessings upon blessings till he had made him perfectly happy And thus man continued in a blessed condition till he was perverted by Satan to his own destruction But how he fell away from God to the utter ruine of himself and his posterity unlesse the Lord out of his abundant mercy and compassion had restored him again will appear in the ensuing Narration Thus when the Holy Ghost had represented God acting his part in Holinesse Mercy and Truth he brings in the Divel on the Stage walking contrary to God in a course of malice subtilty and falshood to overthrow and pervert the order of all that God had made The Serpent The Hebrew name coming from a word which signifies to observe subtilly or wittily might be applied indifferently either to the beast it selfe or to Satan that spake by it But the comparing of the Serpent with other beasts of the field in this place and the kinde of the curse which was laid upon him afterwards discover him to be a true Serpent indeed of which creature why the Devil made choice above the rest we shall see anon For the present it may justly be enquired why Moses names only the Serpent and makes no mention of the Devil at all who was the principal Agent and made use of the Serpent only as the Instrument in this designe The reason hereof we may guesse to be twofold First because there had been hitherto no mention made of the Creation of those invisible spirits or of their Fall the intention of Moses being as it seemes to relate only the History of the Visible World the name of the Divel is not mentioned here because nothing had been spoken of him before and the rather because though he be not named yet he must necessarily be supposed to be the Author of this whole Discourse between the Serpent and the Woman which could not possibly be framed by an irrational creature And seeing Satan is called in other places as namely Rev. 12.15 and 20.2 by the name of a Serpent we may in this place under that name Serpent understand both the Beast and the Devil who used him as his Instrument seeing both are called in Scripture by the same name Secondly Moses his intention being principally to clear God of having any hand in Adams sinne thinkes it fittest to lay before us only the visible passages of the temptation as namely what was uttered and by whom as being most manifest in themselves and consequently the strongest evidences for the clearing of that truth leaving the secret passages which could not so easily be discovered by sense to our guesse as the invisible Author of the temptation the motions of the womans heart against God and the several thoughts which affected her minde which being not subject to outward observation might be easily affirmed but hardly proved More subtile The Serpents subtilty is mentioned elsewhere both in Scripture and in other Authors which some conceive might have been greater before Adams fall then now it is supposing that besides the general decay which came upon all creatures thereby God might justly take away or at least impaire the natural abilities of this creature above the rest being employed by Satan for mans destruction But suppose the Serpents subtilty to be never so great yet seeing it could not be a reasoning or discoursing subtilty which way could Satan make use of that for the perswading of a reasonable creature If there were any Authour of such an opinion or if the word in the Original did any way favour it a man might probably guesse that the Serpents subtilty here mentioned was only his aptnesse to slide and convey himselfe closely into Paradise unespied of Adam or his wife till a fit opportunity presented it selfe to give the onset for we call them subtile men who walk secretly and unseen in all their wayes But that we leave unto the Readers consideration rather proposing this as a guesse then prescribing it to be embraced as a certain truth And he said That is Satan by him if under the name Serpent we understand both the Agent and the Instrument seeing it is out of question that the Devil framed both the voice and the discourse as God did afterwards when he spake to Balaam by his Asse Notwithstanding the voice is ascribed to the Serpent because no other Authour of it appeared to the woman But why doth the Devil make use of a creatures voice when he might have suggested all that the Serpent speakes without a voice as he did to David 1 Chron. 21.1 and doth ordinarily to Gods children as well as to wicked men and by that meanes hath been lesse discovered Whatsoever Satans policy was therein we may probably conceive that God purposely over-ruled him in his way to the end that the whole course of the temptation being carried on openly and made subject to sense it might be made manifest to the world that this suggestion came neither from God nor from any evil disposition of minde that God created in man but only from the malice and subtilty of Satan who having fallen away from God himselfe desired to draw in man to be a party with him in his rebellion partly out of envie against God and partly out of malice to man Withal it cannot be denied but that the weaknesse of so contemptible an instrument must needs discover mans infirmity who was mastered by so base an enemy and withal aggravate his sinne in obeying the voice and believing the word of one of the meanest of his own vassals against the peremptory Command and faithful Promise of
in others another form under the flower comes and ripens the seed again the same in form and nature with that from which it sprung at first That this distinction between the several kinds of creatures all produced by the same common causes and the Identity of every kind and agreablenesse thereto of every individual in that kind through so many variations into severall shapes and forms till it come to perfection should be constantly and unchangeably preserved can come to passe by no other means but by the unchangeble law which God hath set in nature by which he gives to every seed his own body as it pleaseth him 1 Cor. 15.38 And to every plant and herb his own seed so that men gather not grapes of thorns nor figgs of thistles as our Saviour speaks Luke 6.44 In the order of this decree for the production of herbs and plants it is observable that all these are Created before the Sunne or any other of those Celestiall bodies by the influence whereof they are now cherished without which either they spring not at all or at least come to no perfection that we may know them to be the effects of Gods Power and not of any natural cause and were produced before the beasts or Man that were to be sustained by them to manifest Gods Providence who failes not to make provision for all his Creatures which he foresees and takes care to supply even before they need nay before they have any being at all Upon this ground that herbs and plants were produced in their full ripenesse some conclude that the world was created in the Autumne when all things in the course of nature come to their full growth and ripenesse An argument that might be easily answered since God must be acknowledged in their first Creation to do all things Miraculously and therefore did not bind himself to observe the course of nature at all in that work as appears in the Creation of the man and woman not Infants but of full growth in the first moment of their Creation and to regard as little the time of ripening herbs and plants as he did the causes that should produce them In the time of producing those herbs and plants that as soon as the Earth was dried that is was fit to receive them he stored it with such great variety of so many useful Creatures and gave it that fruitfulnesse to produce them for time to come We may 1. Observe God will have nothing barrain and unprofitable Observ 1 NOt the Earth which receiving the first and the later rain he ordained to bring forth herbs to them that dresse it Heb. 6.7 Not the herbs or plants which all of them yeild their seed and fruits Not the beasts Fishes or Fowles which are fruitfull in propagation usefull by their labours and serviceable for food and cloathing Not the clouds which empty themselves upon the Earth Eccl. 11.3 Not the Sunne Moon and other Celestial bodies which by their light and influence cherish all things here below Reason 1. It is the end for which all things were made that they might support one another by their fruitfulnesse and service 2. God thereby testifies his overflowing bounty and goodness by the fruitfulnesse and usefulnesse of all the works of his hands Let not men then for shame be barrain either in any duties of obedience unto God or services of love to men but be fruitfull both waies nay filled with fruits Phil. 1.11 Alwaies bringing them forth in their season and abounding more therein even to their old age Psal 92.14 and encreasing therein Rev. 2.19 As being 1. ordained by God more especially thereunto Joh. 15.16 2. Having all needful helps to that end not onely outward as the word and Sacraments falling on us like the first and latter rain Hebr. 6.7 To which the word is resembled Isa 55.10 11. Or generally by the influence of Gods fructifying Power by which he blesseth the springing of all things Psal 65.10 11. But particularly and inwardly the assistance of his Holy Spirits which is able to work in us both to will and to do 3. Having our fruits ordained to a more excellent end both Gods Glory Joh. 15.8 and the furthering of our own account Phil. 4.17 Wherefore we are justly threatned with the greater plague if we remain barrain and unfruitfull Matth. 3.10 Heb. 6.8 The meanes to be used to make us fruitfull are 1. to be engraffed into Christ Joh. 15 2.2 To live under the continuall dropping of the clowds that is the Ministry of the Word 3. To be often purging and cleansing of our hearts whence are the issues of life Pro. 4.23 and all our actions whether good or evil Mark 7.21 22. The Order observed by God in producing the herbs and plants ministers unto us matter worthy our meditation 1. That they were created before the causes by which they are now according to the course of nature ordinarily produced which make manifest the Power of God that can effect what he will without means Numb 11 23. See the observation before upon verse 3. 2. That God made provision for the sustaining of Man and Beasts before he created them wherein he discovrs his provident care of his Creatures in providing for them before hand But the Observation to be drawn from thence we shall defer till we come to verse 26. In describing the Creation of the herbs and plants Moses laies before us first the Author by whom and then the time When they were produced out of the Earth by his Command he bad the earth bring forth and it did so Whence 2. Observe Even the Herbs and Plants of the Earth are Gods Creatures Observ 2 PSalm 104.14.16 Not onely Jonahs Gourd which was prepared by God extraordinarily but even the Corn which the Earth produceth by humane Culture God is said to prepare Psal 65.9 To which as unto all the rest he gives a body as it pleaseth him yea and cloathing too unto the very grasse of the field Matth. 6.29.30 Let us then take notice of Gods Work in all the fruits of the Earth observing in them 1. the infinite variety of them according to their severall kinds 2. Their beautiful shape and proportions exquisite tastes and delightfulnesse of many of them 3. The strange variety of severall forms through which they passe before they come to their full perfection from small seeds to tender herbs from thence to stronger stemms divided many times into severall branches Covered with leaves and after that garnished with flowers and lastly yielding such seeds as themselves sprang from at the first 4. Take notice of their life by which they grow and encrease which all the Potentates in the World cannot give nor any Art of man imitate Let all these considerations strike into all mens hearts an awful apprehension and admiration of Gods wonderful Wisdom and Power that our mouthes may be filled with his praise And let it bring us all to an acknowledgment of Gods
with those bodies of ours on which he bestowed so much workmanship possessing our vessells in holinesse and glorying neither in our strength nor beauty but in him alone that made us for his own honour and service Now after God had thus curiously framed mans body he became not a living soul untill he himself breathed into him the breath of Life Whence 3. Observe The soul of Man by which he lives comes Immediately from God Himself Observ 3 SO Solomon tells us that God gave the Soul Eccle. 12.7 or made it as it is expressed Jeremy 38.16 And whereas the Body is supported by Meanes and the help of the Creatures the Soul is supported without meanes by the immediate Hand and Power of God Himselfe And comming Immediately from God carries the most lively Resemblance of his Image as we have seen already 1. Let our soules seek unto him who gave them and serve him as we are directed 1 Cor. 6.20 1. Praising him with all that is within us Psalme 103.1 2. Submitting all the Abilities of our souls to be guided by his Spirit that we may be led by it and walk in it 3. And labouring with all our endeavours to lay hold on Heavenly things whence we had our Originall forgetting the things that are here below Col. 3.1 2. Lay hold on this as a ground of special Comfort that which God hath given more immediately he will certainly most carefully preserve and provide for as it appears he hath done by redeeming the soul from hell and purging it from sin by the blood of his own Son and adorning it with the graces of his Spirit and reserving it hereafter to enjoy his presence and there to be satisfied with his Image The manner of Gods uniting the soul unto the body the Holy Ghost expresseth by the phrase of breathing which besides that it points at the secret way of infusing the soul as Elihu testifies that the Breath of the Almighty gave him life Job 33.4 withall may imply the weak band of Conjunction of the soul unto the body so often mentioned in Scripture that our breath is in our Nostrils Whence 4. Observe The life of Man consisting in the union of the Soul with the body hath but a very weak foundation Observ 4 THough the soul it self be of a durable substance ordained by God unto Eternity yet it dwells in an house of Clay founded in the dust supported by meanes which perish with the using and the breath which soders both together is in the nostrils Isa 20.22 to be blown out at one puff which when it is gone they turn to their dust again Psal 104.29 Let it move us in the whole course of our lives to passe the time of our dwelling here in fear having alwaies our Lamps burning and our loynes girt Luk. 12.35 ready to remove hence whensoever God shall call us 2. Ceasing our immoderate care for outward things Luke 12.20 Which are in themselves of short continuance and from which we may be taken we know not how soon 3. And endeavouring to make sure of a state of continuance a Life that is hid with Christ in God 4. Forbearing any dependance upon or fear of men as we are advised Psal 146.3 4. Who cannot long continue to do us either good or evil The body of man which God had framed of the dust was in it self but a lump of Earth 〈◊〉 because though it had the shape of a man yet it wanted life but when God had breathed into it that breath of life then man became a living soul and not before Whence 5. Observe The life of man is only by his Soul Observ 5 THe Breath of the Almighty that is the soul inspired by him is that which gives us life ar Elihu speaks of himself Job 44.4 Wherefore in many places of Scripture we find Life and Soul put one for another as Gen 19.17 That which we render life is Soul in the Original upon the same ground a Living person is frequently in Scripture called a soul because every man lives wholly by his Soul Let every mans Soul be his chiefest care by which we live at present and in which we live Eternally get it clearsed by Christs Blood renewed by his Spirit beautified and adorned by his Graces and assured of enjoying his Glory unto the hope whereof we are called But Beasts we know have souls as well as Men Yea and their soules are called spirits too Eccl. 3.21 yet beasts are no where termed living soules as men are Partly because beasts have a life of a lower and baser Condition as being wholly drowned in the grosse matter of the body and exercised about that alone and partly because their soul dyes together with their body and goes downwards as Solomon speaks Eccl. 3.21 that is perisheth as the body doth which turns to the Earth Whence 6. Observe There is none worthy the name of a Living soul but he only that lives by a Reasonable Soul Observ 6 NOw amongst them whereas men by nature have reasonable souls yet that being so Corrupted that their Reason serves them to no other use then to guide them according to sense howsoever amongst men they are accounted living soules the Spirit of God esteems them amongst bruit beasts Jude 10. Dead while they live 1 Tim. 5.6 Living indeed a Natural life but Spiritually dead as being cut off from Christ who is the fountain of true life yea twice dead and plucked up by the roots Jude 12. as being guided and carried on only by sensual lusts and desires after the manner of a beast Let it then be every mans care and endeavour to live as a man that is as one Created after Gods Image whose soul and the motions thereof ascend upwards and not downwards to the things below Col. 3.2 and therefore unworthy to be embraced by the Soul which is from above lest the man dye while he lives and that not only for the present but for ever VERSE 8. VVHat right God had to dispose both of Man and of all the rest of the Creatures as being all of them the Works of his Own Hands we have seen already He that gave them their Being when they were not and still supports them now they are hath undoubtedly just right to Order them according to his own Will Now how God Disposed of the Man that he had made what laws he gives him and how far he limits him in the use of the Creatures the Holy Ghost relates to the end of the seventeenth Verse of this Chapter in which we have laid before us Gods Direction First for mans Employment Secondly for the Use of those Creatures which he allowes him In the Law given to Man for his Employment are expressed 1. The place where he was to reside and exercise himself Paradise a Garden of Pleasures 2. The Employment it self which was to Dresse and Keep it In the Description of the Place where the Man was to reside and be employed
Ghost He laid up food in the Cities expressing that phrase Indefinitely which in strict signification should be rendred In the Middest of the Citties Notwithstanding seeing in the Hebrew tongue the Middest is the most proper signification of this Phrase we may warrantably render it in the middest and interpret it as we render it to design the particular place in the Garden where this Tree stood Which we may conceive to have been purposely placed in the middest of the Garden that it might be the more often in Adams view which should be alwaies in his thoughts as it must needs be when he must so often passe by it either to take his food or to busie himself in his appointed employment And the Tree of the knowledge of good and Evil Which Adam being forbidden to eat of not for any evill in the Tree or in the Fruit of it but onely because it was the Will of God to forbid it his abstinence from it meerly upon Gods prohibition might signifie unto him that the true bounds of good and evill was onely the manifestation of Gods Will which makes that good and lawful which he allowes and Evill which he forbids So that this Tree which was forbidden amongst all the fruits which were allowed man for his food was as it were a mark by which Good might be known from Evill as one mans land is known from another by the bounds set between them in the fields where they lye The particular place where the Tree stood is not here mentioned but when the Woman Chap. 3.3 names it The tree in the middest of the Garden we must conceive that those two trees stood not far assunder as alwaies the Sanctions of the law in promises and threatnings are either expressed or must be understood to go together By these two Trees then there seems to be represented and figured out unto us the summe of the Covenant between God and Man of which the promise on Gods part was the bestowing of all blessings upon man implyed in the figure of the Tree of Life External Internal and Eternal the life both of Nature and Grace and that in the perfection of both and on mans part the Covenant was Faith by which he was to depend on Gods All-sufficiency and Truth And Obedience by which he wholy submitted to the Will of God to be guided by it in all his waies Both these parts of the Covenant God thought fit to represent unto man by those outward and visible signs of the Two Trees This full description of Paradise being the place which God had prepared for man and assigned unto him for his dwelling and employment with such a particular recounting of the variety of the fruites wherewith he had furnished it and which he allowed man for the comfort of his life gives us occasion to 1. Observe As God gives us all things freely so withall he takes special Notice of all that he bestowes upon us Observ 1 NOt to cast it in our teeth for he giveth liberally and upbraideth no man Jam. 1.5 Unlesse it be in case of Unthankfulnesse and disobedience either to wicked men to aggravate their rebellions and thereby to justifie himself in his Judgments upon them as he doth unto Saul 1 Sam. 15.17 Or to his Children to affect their hearts the more with the sense of their own failings as he doth to David 2 Sam. 12.7 8. But partly for our sakes that we may know that he who takes notice of all that he gives us will withall take account of us how we imploy it as our Saviour represents in the Parable of the Talents Matth. 25.19 that we may possesse his blessings with fear and trembling And partly for himself that he may rejoyce in his own bounty and goodnesse Psal 104.31 which is not the least part of his happinesse Let us much more take particular notice of such blessings as we receive from Gods hands laying up in our hearts and upon all occasions setting before our eyes the number weight and measure of them as far as we are able to comprehend them as the godly do not only of general and Common mercies as Psal 8.7 8. But besides of particular favours as Psal 18. and 116. As well to the filling of our hearts with the apprehension of Gods mercy towards us to raise them up to an holy rejoycing in him and Dependance upon him as also to quicken us to all chearfulnesse in duties of obedience unto which we are tied by as many obligations as we have received blessings from him and for which we may rest assured of our reward hereafter upon that experience that we have of Gods bounty in that which we have received already Those pleasant trees wherewith Paradise was so plentifully furnished God made to grow not onely out of the Earrh but besides in that particular place yea we may add farther in that very Order and Manner wherein they grew So that we may hence 2. Observ Every plant on the face of the Earth growes where and in what Manner and Order God appoints it Observ 1 NOt onely the Gourd which sprang up over Jonah's head Jonah 4.6 which was an extraordinary and miraculous work of God but even the trees and herbs which spring ordinarily out of the Ground God makes to grow Where and How he pleaseth This must needs be so seeing it is onely God that gives them their body and in whom they as well as all things else consist whence it is that we see that many of them cannot be made to grow where man will but where God hath fitted them with a soil and temper of aire agreeable to their natures This leads again to the consideration of Gods Providence and Mercy to us in those things which nature produceth It is not the Earth or the Heavens much lesse humane culture but Gods Blessing by them that makes the grasse to grow in our pastures the Herbs in our Gardens and the Trees in our Woods of which though all the Earth were full yet our grounds might be empty without Gods speciall blessing The Trees and Plants that God furnished Paradise withall were both delightfull every way both to the eye and taste and usefull too and good for food and the variety of them such as no kind of desirable fruit was wanting but was to be found in Paradise so that Gods bounty unto man overflowes to admiration Whence 3. Observe Gods Bounty abounds unto men not onely to the Supplying of their Necessities but also for their Delight Observ 2 HE gives wine to chear mans heart and oyl to make the face to shine as well as bread to strengthen his heart Psal 104.15 So that he bestowes all things abundantly to enjoy 1 Tim. 6.17 And this he doth partly to set out his All-sufficiency and kindnesse to man the more when it is apprehended so many waies by every sense whereunto every different object brings in as it were a new evidence and Testimony of his overflowing
bounty and partly to exercise our Sobriety and Moderation which is not seen but in variety of delights 1. Let us then tender unto God after the measure that we receive from him the most acceptable presents of our chearful services which that variety and abundance which we receive from his hand should provok us unto Deut. 28.47 Serving him with enlarged hearts and delighting to run the way of his Commandements with the Holy Prophet Psal 119.32 2. It may warrant us the honest and moderate use of Gods blessings even for delight So we use them 1. Seasonably when God gives us an occasion of rejoycing 2. within bounds of moderation as we are advised Prov. 23.2 and 3. directed to those Holy Ends proposed by God to his own People Deut. 26.11 Not so much for the pampering of the flesh and delighting of the outward senses as the enlarging of the Spirit in an Holy rejoycing in God when we taste his goodnesse and sweetnesse in the variety of his Creatures Whence 4. Observe It is usuall with God to mixe delight and pleasure with usefulnesse and profit in all his blessings Observ 4 THus he mixeth sweetness pleasant taste in our food which we receive for the nourishing of our bodies Comelinesse and decency in our cloathing which we weare to keep our bodies from the injury of the weather Fruitfulnesse with spirituall delights in the Duties of Gods Service Comfort and joy with Life and strength in his Word Power and increase of faith with heavenly raptures in Prayer Partly to invite us to the use of those needfull things which we are more constantly drawn unto by pleasure then we are by duty And partly that in God we might find all things both for necessary use and for delight and Comfort besides Let Gods example be our pattern for imitation both in Prescribing and Doing Let governours temper the usefulnesse of Power and Government with the sweetnesse of Mercy and Compassion Necessary commands with loving Invitations Exactions of obedience with comfortable Rewards Let Masters sweeten Servants hard Labours with comfortable food moderate intermission gentle encouragements and kind acceptance Let all men season the toiles of the body about the things of this life with Heavenly meditations sweet conferences and chearful expectations of the reward set before them Let there be in our Spirituall actions a fit temper of Joy with our sorrowes of hope with our fears of Comforts with our terrors In the observation of Occurrents mix the remembrance of the Good of times past with the sense of the Evills present and the expectation of the Rest and ease at hand with the bitternesse of Heavinesse by trialls and afflictions that are upon us at present Considering that God Himself hath set the one against the other as the Wise Man tells Eccle. 7.14 The placing of those Trees which were appointed for Spirituall use offer us many things worthy our Consideration First in respect of the persons whom they were to teach Secondly of the place where they stood Thirdly of the Nature of the signs themselves Fourthly of their use and signification The persons to whom these teaching-signs were given were our first Parents now in the state of their Innocency endued with fulnesse of knowledge and holinesse proportionable to their condition In this perfect state of theirs God saw it fit to quicken and strengthen them by the help of such outward meanes as these Whence 5. Observe The best amongst men and most perfect have need of the help of Outward meanes to quicken and strengthen them and put them in mind of their duties Observ 5 IF our first parents in whose hearts the Law of God was more clearly and perfectly written who had more familiar entercourse with God Himself more fresh taste of his overflowing Mercies of all sorts more distinct knowledge of his waies fewer Outward and no Inward impediments by any inordinate lusts yet needed such helps to support and strengthen them how much more needful must they be unto us every way being so imperfect in knowledge weak in the Spirit strong in the flesh compassed with temptations on every side to instruct us in those things that either we know not or know but in part 2 Pet. 3.18 to mind us of those things which we forget 2 Pet. 1.12 to admomonish us in our failings and recover and quicken us in our faintings and backslidings Heb. 10.24 and to exhort us upon all occasions Heb. 3.13 Let no man neglect any outward means Publick or Private as being 1. So needful to our selves 2. Commanded by God Himself 3. Effectuall by his blessing upon the conscionable use of them Considering that the best of us know but in part 1. Cor. 13.9 are subject to so many Temptations Laden with a body of sin Rom. 7.24 By which we are continually assaulted often foiled and continually retarded in our course of obedience The place where God planted these two Trees which he appointed to this Spirituall use was not onely within but in the Middest of Paradise amongst the rest of the Trees and Plants of that Garden Whence 6. Observe Spirituall and Religious duties ought to be remembred in the middest of the use of our employments about the things of this life Observ 6 THus we are directed for the use of our meats for the refreshing of our bodies to raise up our hearts to an holy rejoycing in God and to intermix them with prayers and acknowlegments unto God of his Mercy in bestowing those blessings Deut. 26.11.12 Referring even our eating and drinking to Gods Glory 1 Cor. 10.31 The neglect whereof Job feared in his Children Job 1.5.2 In our labours about the things of this life when we fit in the house or walk in the field Deut. 6.7 we are to have God both in our thoughts and in our mouthes as well to prescribe unto us moderation in the use of those Creatures which we make use of for our refreshings which must be limited by the rules of Religion as also to shew us the end of all those outward things which is to raise up our hearts to the contemplation of God in all his Creatures that we may carry his fear before us in all our waies and trust in him with all out hearts and be encouraged and quicken our selves by the taste of his goodness and bounty to the duties of his service And hereof it behoves us to be the more carefull because of our pronenesse by nature to drown our hearts in the thoughts of outward and sensuall things and forget him that orders and disposeth them and worketh in and by them Wo then be to those that confine their thoughts onely to these outward things while they are busâ—ed about them shutting out God from their Tables where they feast themselves without fear Jude 12. forgetting God in their plenty and abundance which was Agurs fear Prov. 30.9 which he justly recompenceth with sending leannesse into their souls Psal 106.15 Leaving their tables to
usually receives advice or is perswaded by any person of whose sincerity and true affection towards him he hath any cause to doubt Satan first traduceth God himselfe for dealing unfaithfully with man and beguiling him by a false shew of liberality when in the mean time he withheld from him the only meanes which might make him truly happy under a severe interdiction and threatening the penalty of death if he medled with it Now commonly either men are indeed or at least desire to be thought free from those evils which they charge upon other men Again we do not manifest the sincerity of our affection towards others in any thing more then in our careful endeavours to prevent other mens impostures who seek to beguile others by discovering unto them the snares that are laid for them or injuries that are done unto them which good office the devil comes to performe unto the woman in this place Secondly to make yet the fairer shew of the sincerity of his affection to man the divel proposeth such a good unto the woman as seemes meerly to have relation to her only without any manner of respect unto himselfe who gives the advice for what advantage might the woman probably conceive that Satan might make unto himself if the woman should be as God Thirdly to approve his sincerity yet the more in this particular he chargeth God in effect with the contrary practice For to say that God interdicted to man the eating of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil because it would make him as God is in effect to say that he withheld this tree from man for his own advantage namely that he might excel alone and that none might share with him in his honour So then if God manifested his insincerity to man in denying and withholding from him that which might do him most good then doth Satan approve the sincerity and uprightnesse of his heart towards man in shewing him the way to attain that happinesse without any respect at all to his own advantage The third thing by which Satan labours to win credit to himselfe is by endeavouring to gain the reputation of wisdome an ability absolutely necessary to any person that takes upon him to give advice to another the opinion whereof prevailes much with him that is advised to give eare unto the counsel that is given him Now it is no marvel if Satan made shew of wisdome and much knowledge if we consider what a large measure of understanding is yet left in those damned spirits even since their fall though it be exceedingly empaired thereby Now it could not but breed in the woman a great opinion of Satans wisdome and extraordinary knowledge when she heares him speak of things altogether unknown to her as namely of evil of which she had never heard before but much more when he comes to set out that hidden vertue of the tree and that strange property which he affirmed it had to make one wise like a God But above all this when he seems to dive so subtlely and deeply into Gods secret counsels and to discover so strangely his very thoughts and intentions and to lay open all his secret drifts and policies which Solomon affirmes to be a marke of a man of great wisedome and prudence Prov. 20.5 Of Satans third practice his endeavouring to take away from the woman the terrour of the Curse threatened by God if she brake his Commandment By abasing and lessening of the value of the gift which God had bestowed upon man in planting for him and bestowing freely on him that Garden of delights and thereby weakening the opinion that she had conceived of Gods love so largely expressed in that great gift it cannot be questioned but Satan had well nigh loosed the strongest band by which her heart was knit unto God There remained yet behinde another cord which might withhold her from a total Apostasie from him namely the terrour of that fearful curse which God had threatened to lay upon man if he should transgresse his Commandment which the devil finding no meanes to loose and untie makes no more ado but cuts it quite in sunder That God himself had denounced this curse was so evident that it could not be denied Eve herselfe as it is most probable or at least her husband had heard it from his own mouth of the sense of the words there could be as little question they were so plainly and perspicuously delivered that they admitted no doubtful construction As impossible it was to question Gods Power to execute and inflict that curse which he had denounced It must needs be granted that he who had giuen life could much more easily take it away at his pleasure wherefore there was no other way left unto Satan but to affirme boldly that God never intended to execute what he had threatened but that he gave that terrible threatening only in policy for another end of his own Now to make this seem the more probable to the woman Satan layes before her these two grounds which the woman might probably conceive to be manifest truths First he confidently affirmes that God very well knew that the fruit of that tree had no power to work any such effect as to kill those that should eate it Nay on the contrary that he knew as well he might seeing he that made the tree could not be ignorant of the vertue which he had given it that this tree and the fruit thereof had a farre other operation that in stead of killing and destroying it had a wonderful vertue to do good to such as should eate of it yea to bring them the greatest good of which man was capable even wisdome and understanding such as might make them matches to God himself Secondly he suggests that although God knew this yet it was no marvel though he concealed it and to that end threatened them with death if they adventured to taste of the fruit of that tree as well knowing that if man by eating thereof attained to such a measure of wisdome he would become in a sort Gods equal who should thereby lose that honour in which he so much gloried of excelling alone Thus he tells Eve in effect that God did but delude them with a feigned terrour and that also meerly in policie out of an ambitious desire to preserve his own glory of excelling alone for which end it was that he kept under all his creatures as it were in a kinde of bondage and base subjection These two strange assertions the devil layes down with great confidence being such as although they were not easie to be contradicted upon any manifest evidence yet were impossible to be proved by any convincing argument Wherefore after his usual custome putting on a bold face he supports them meerly by his own confident Assertion affirming not only that it was true which he had informed but that God himself knew it to be true laying his own credit to pawne for the
advanced when they should no more behold God in the dim glasse of the creatures as now they did but should see him face to face and know him as they were known All these considerations laid together might prevail much with the woman to make use of the meanes proposed by Satan to encrease her knowledge In the fifth place it was Satans special care to represent unto the woman this meanes of gaining the knowledge of good and evil in the most alluring way that he could possibly devise For whereas there are three things especially that encourage men to the use and effectual pursuing of any meanes that may further them to the attaining of a desired end proposed unto them First that they are easily procured Secondly that they are delight some in the use of them Thirdly that they are of great efficacy and speedy in operation Of all these Satan makes shew in perswading the woman to the eating of this forbidden fruit for the gaining of the knowledge of good and evil For first what could be more easie then to pluck from a tree that stood full in her way Next what could be more delightful then to eat of a fruit so grateful to the taste and beautiful to the eye as that fruit appeared to be to the woman as we shall see anon Lastly there could be nothing more speedy or effectual in operation then this fruit which should produce the desired effect the same day that it was taken as Satan makes the woman believe All these allurements the devil layes before her and how he prevailes by them we shall see Satans sixth policy in beguiling the woman was in the choice of the kinde of the sin to which he tempts her which if it had appeared to be some sin against the Law of Nature such are blasphemy against God lying c. Satan might have found it an hard taske to carry her against the principles of nature so firmely planted in her heart wherefore he makes choice of such a Law as was no Law of Nature but meerly positive prescribed only by Gods Will to tempt her to the breach of that Law which nothing but pure obedience to God will bound her to observe As for the Act it self First it was a matter of no value in which she should offend being only the eating of the fruit of one of the Trees of the Garden A consideration which occasions so much slighting of sin in many profane hearts to this day Secondly the scope of the action seemed to be only mans good without any wronging of God at all who might be conceived to lose nothing by mans gaine or the creature which was ordained to be eaten Thirdly it was an offence unto which they were not carried by any rebellious inclination of their own hearts but unto which they were directed by the advice and counsel of one that pretended and they were perswaded was their friend which also both the man and the woman alledge in their own defence afterwards when God chargeth them with this sinne Lastly if the devils suggestion had been true that God knew that the fruit of that tree had such a vertue that it would open their eyes it might seem to them to be an action unto which God himself invited them howsoever he had in expresse termes forbidden it For why should he give such a vertue to that tree to make one wise to know good and evil if it might not be used to that end and by whom if not by man who was only capable of such knowledge Seventhly in the choice of his arguments to move and perswade the woman to eat of this forbidden fruit Satan makes use of the depth of his cunning and policy which we may easily discover in three particulars First in grounding all his arguments upon such foundations as being not manifest and apparent in themselves might the more safely be supposed because they could not by any clear evidence be disproved Secondly in producing arguments grounded upon some colour of truth but those grosly mistaken and misapplied Thirdly in pressing all arguments that might make for the furthering of his motion and concealing all that might make against it First then he urgeth two arguments grounded upon meer suppositions of such things as being secret in themselves and not maniâ—â—â—ted by any outward effect were therefore impossible to be disproved which suppositions he also fortifies with such faire probabilities as might make them carry at least some shew of truth As first he supposeth that the fruit forbidden had a secret vertue to make one wise like a God to know good and evil who could disprove this seeing none had ever tried it That it might hae such a vertue First the name given it by God himself might seem to imply for why was it called the tree of knowledge of good and evil if it had not some vertue to give that knowledge Secondly the interdiction of the eating of that fruit under so grievous a penalty seemes to imply as much else why should God forbid man the use of that fruit when he granted him all the rest of the fruits of the Garden if there were not some vertue in this that the other fruits had not or how could it stand with Gods justice to lay so heavy a penalty for the eating of this fruit if it were of vulgar and common use Lastly God may perhaps be conceived in policy to conceal the vertue of this fruit from man lest he despising the interdiction eating of the fruit forbidden and thereby becoming wise as God he might share with him in his honour and so God might lose the glory of excelling alone Satans second argument of this kinde is grounded upon the suppofition of Gods secret ill affection towards man which if Satan suggested who could disprove it for who could discover the secrets of his heart which can be known to none but himself alone That God was enviously affected towards man there seemed to be these probabilities First he had planted a Garden for man and denied him some of the fruits of it Secondly that fruit which he had denied him was only of true worth and value and fit for an understanding creature whereas that which God had given him was of little worth only food for the body which he had allowed to the very beasts Thirdly he implies that God must do this wittingly seeing he that had made the tree could not be ignorant of the vertue which himselfe had given it Fourthly he supposeth that God could have no other end in interdicting unto man the use of this fruit but only to keep him under in a state of vassalage destitute of that knowledge of which he was capable that himself might excel alone With these plausible suppositions the divel strengthens his arguments to draw man on into rebellion against his Lord. In the next place Satan grounds his argument upon such things as carry with them some shew of truth but those he wrests
other a Firebrand in hell So that a good man must not reckon his children by their number but by their grace and holinesse Those amongst them that are wicked are none of his The rest of the womans seed according to the flesh for the image of Satan which they beare and wherein they resemble him as a childe doth the Parents are termed his seed for the resemblance that they carry of his nature For under the seed of the Serpent that is of Satan in this place are comprehended not only all the divels who though they come not of Lucifer the Prince of devils by natural propagation yet resemble him in their disposition and may not improperly be termed his seed but besides all such wicked men as are drawen in by him to take part with him against God in hating and persecuting his servants and in submitting them selves to serve him and to be guided in all things by him to do and fulfil his Will Whence 22. OBSERVE Wicked men be the devils children in true account Observe 22 SO our Saviour calls the Jewes John 8.44 and the Apostle 1 John 3.10 termes all wicked men And St. Paul gives that name to Elymas in particular Acts 13.10 so indeed they may be judged to be 1. Because Satans seede abides in them that is those false principles which Satan hath infused into them and wherewith he strongly possesseth their hearts which the Apostle calls strong holds and high imaginations 2 Cor. 10.4 according to which they resemble his nature as children do the disposition of their Parents 2. Because they willingly serve him as a son either doth or ought to do his father Mal. 3.17 walking according to him Eph. 2.2 doing his works and fulfilling his will and lusts by which mark our Saviour proves the Jewes that persecuted him to be Satans children John 8.44 so that the condition of such persons must needs be extreamly both base and miserable which as it may justly move all wise men both to hate and avoid them as so many young devils so it ought to turne our envying at them to which we are too prone into mourning and lamenting for them as so many miserable wretches who instead of the Image of God have upon them the image of Satan which abaseth them below the basest of all creatures Between this bastard seed and the true seed of the woman God hath decreed perpetual enmity which neither can nor shall be ended but in the final destruction of Satan and his cursed feed who shall not leave to hate fight against the godly till they leave to be Whence 23. OBSERVE There is and shall be irreconcileable hatred and enmity between the godly and the wicked men of the world Observe 23 THey have alwayes been and shall be an abomination to the wicked as the wicked are unto the godly Prov. 27.27 See ver 1. Obs 2. in the Use 24. OBSERVE Enmity and malice against godly men is an evident mark of a childe of the devil Observe 24 THereby our Saviour convinceth the Jewes to be of their father the devil because they hated him that came from God John 8.40 and Saint John 1 John 3.10 tells us that this manifests men to be the children of Satan because they love not their brethren as Cain loved not Abel but hated and slew him upon no other quarrel but for goodnesse ver 12. as Davids enemies hated him for the same cause Psal 38.20 Indeed when they make the goodnesse of those whom they hate the ground of their hatred they expresse the image of Satan in them to the life I grant they pretend to hate no man for good or goodnesse but for some evil which they pretend they finde to be in them so the Jews excuse themselves to our Saviour Christ John 10.33 But when they neither hate nor avoid nor abhorre in themselves or other men that hypocrisie pride covetousnesse censorious spirits for which they pretend to hate the godly besides other fouler and grosser sins even against the light of Nature which either themselves live in or else they tolerate in their friends they do clearly convince themselves that the pretended causes of their hatred are but cloakes of their malice which is truly raised in them by the contrariety of their nature to that which is good which because they abhor they hate all those in whom they finde it We have hitherto taken notice of the enmity that God put between Satan and the woman and between his seed and the seed of the woman This inward enmity breaks out at last into open warres wherein Christ who is specially pointed at in the seed of the woman shewes himself on the behalf of his children and undertakes the quarel and for them subdues Satan and breaks and crusheth in pieces all his power yet not without some wounds received by the hand of Satan both in his own person and in the faithful who are his seed and members of his body This indeed happened to our Saviour in his own person in the dayes of his flesh when he took on him our nature and became the seed of the woman as he was indeed and is so termed by God himself in this place Whence 25. OBSERVE Christ is truly the womans seed Observe 25 MAde flesh John 1.14 Mediately through many descents of the seed of David Rom. 1.3 but immediately made only of a woman Gal. 4.4 not the natural way of generation after the manner of other men but by the Power of the Holy Ghost over-shadowing the blessed Virgin but in all other things sinne only excepted made like unto his brethren as the Apostle speaks Heb. 2.17 and thus far it pleased him to abase himself 1. That thereby being made under the Law which was given to the whole nature of man he might in our nature fulfil it for us Gal. 4.5 2. That he might in the same nature suffer and make satisfaction for our sins which as God he could not do becoming a curse for us Gal. 3.13 3. That he might take that is that we might be assured that he doth take compassion of our infirmities whereof he had experience in his own person Heb. 2.17 18. 4. That he might joyn us unto God by taking on him a middle Person and becoming both God and man 5. That in our nature he might conquer Satan death and hell and take possession of Heaven for us as himselfe affirmes he would do John 14.2 3. Christ now becoming the seed of the woman by taking the substance of his flesh from her body and therewithal uniting all the faithful with him into one body whereof he is the Head undertakes the war against Satan wherein as in all wars it happens there are wounds on both sides those of Christ and his members without danger as lighting only on the heele but Satans mortal Let us then consider them first as they light upon Christ in his own Person and then as they light upon his members And 26
by which we are supported in the middest of our wants and weaknesse 4. To encrease our thankfulness when we feel any farther enlargement and growth in that grace which we have received and which vve find encreased in us in some measure at present and are assured will be perfected hereafter We have considered the Agent or Workman with the manner of his secret working the matter upon which he wrought followes it is called the Deep than which nothing could be more vile no not the dirt it self a rude unformed unprofitable masse or lump this was it which the Spirit overspread or fomented and left it not till he brought it into several forms and shapes of infinite variety Whence 9. Observe God is pleased to abase himself unto and to take care of and cherish the very meanest and basest of all his works Obs 9 HE must indeed abase himself to look unto and have respect to any creature Psal 113.6 but yet he is pleased to take care both of man and beast Psal 36.6 of Oxen 1 Cor. 9.9 of the young ravens Psal 147.9 yea of every living thing Psal 145.16 and that so far as to support and uphold them Heb. 1.3 to satisfie their desire Psal 145.16 to provide them food Job 38.41 to cloathe them Matth. 6.30 nay to observe and direct all their wayes Matth. 10.29 Reason 1. They could not otherwise subsist seeing in him all things live and move and have their being Act. 17.28 2. It magnifies his mercy the more Psal 113.5 6. Let none despair being in never so mean a Condition Job's breath may be strange to his Wife and his Maids might account him as a stranger Job 19.15 17. but God heareth the poor and despiseth not his prisoners Psal 69.33 gathereth the outcasts of his people Psal 147.2 looks upon the Church in her blood when no eye pitied her Ezek. 16.6 even upon men in sin Rom. 5.8 Nay even for such persons though more vile then the earth God gives his own Son bestowes upon them his own Spirit makes them up amongst his own Jewels Mal. 3.17 and reserves them to eternal glory Only the proud and such as rebel against him he knowes afar off Psal 138.6 VERSE 3. HItherto have been described the matter out of which all Creatures were to be framed the Workman that undertakes the work with the manner of his working In the rest of the Chapter we have laid before us the description of the severall Creatures which were made successively with the means whereby and manner how they were formed and took their being expressed with wonderfull brevity yet so that the Holy Ghost in this relation forgets not to shew us distinctly 1. The Order in which they were made successively 2. The Author of the Work which was God himself 3. The Means which he used in Creating them His Word 4. The time in which every Creature was made distinguished by severall dayes 5. The Effect or Work it self 6. The Approbation of every work in Particular and of the Whole in General by the Lord himself the most Able and most Impartiall Judge of his own VVork In the Order which God was pleased to observe in making the Creatures we are to take speciall notice that he first Creates those things that were either for General Use to all Creatures as the Light Air Heavens Seas and Earth or for more particular Use to the Creatures afterwards to be made as the Plants before the beasts which vvere to be nourished by them and not onely of them but of the beasts too before he Created the Man that was to make use of them all discovering therein both his Wisdome and Providence in taking care for the comfortable subsistence of the Creatures before he made them Whence 1. Observe The General good of the Creature is Gods First and Chief care Observ 1 AS appears by the largenesse of his bounty in making provisions for his Creatures in General that the desire of every living thing might be satisfied Psal 143.16 And by the strange course of his Providence by which he hath still upheld the kinds of the Creature in the middest of the continual decay of so many particulars and is farther evident by that principle that he hath planted in the hearts of all men that States and Societies of men must be supported even with the losse sometimes of particular persons Woe be then to those Monsters of men that take care and seek with all their endeavours themselves only and their own good without any respect at all to the Church or State A Common evil as appears by the Apostles complaint Phil. 2.21 and yet approved as a principle of great wisdome by too many Psal 49.18 A Sin against nature even in Heathen mens judgment A sottish sin as if any person could possibly subsist or any member continue in any comfortable condition without the preservation of the body And a sin that deservedly deprives a man of all love from men and reward from God Let all that are godly imitate God in caring for and with all their endeavours furthering the General more than their own private good according to the Apostles direction 1 Cor. 10.24 and example vers 33. As 1. More desireable in it self 2. Most tending to Gods honour 3. Most furthering our own good involved in and supported by the general welfare 4. And being that for which we were principally ordained by God 5. And which God will surely reward and men honour as they did Jehojadah 2 Chr. 24.6 which a man may warrantably challenge at Gods hand Neh. 5.19 We find but one efficient cause of all the Creatures God himself whom we may withall take notice of in every particular work as the Spirit of God points him out unto us The Meanes likewise used in the production of every Creature is only Gods VVord or Effectual decree For we may not conceive God speaking with an articulate voyce having none but himself at least no Creature that had eares and understanding to speak unto This Means which God made use of in Creating the VVorld if we take into consideration once for all we may warrantably from thence 2. Observe God needs no other Means to effect any thing but his own Word and Will Observ 2 AS of it self being mighty in operations in Natural effects To create Psal 33.6 to sustain and support Psal 119.89 91. to prevail upon and order all Creatures Psal 29.3 4. Upon the Sun to stay the course of it Josh 10.13 nay to bring it back â— King 20.10 Upon the Sea to remand and hasten it into the Channel prepared for it Psal 104.7 In the works of Grace the Word of God is quick and powerful Heb. 4.12 to cast down strong holds 2 Cor. 10.5 to renew quicken subdue and comfort the heart and to work in us both to will and to do according to Gods good pleasure Thus he doth whatsoever he pleaseth in Heaven and Earth Psal 135.6 so that his counsel standeth
of free bounty 2. Depending and trusting on him by Faith as we are directed Psalme 37.3 grounded on his Promise I will not leave thee nor forsake thee Hebr. 13.5 3. Walking in a Course of Holy Obedience to which sufficiency and abundance in all blessings of this life is promised Deut. 28.13 and Psalme 81.13.16 Especially to diligence in an honest Calling he that tilleth his Land shall be satisfied with bread Prov. 12.11 He that laboureth with his hand the thing that is good shall have both to supply his own wants and an overplus to give to him that needs Eph. 4.28 2. For shame Let us serve him faithfully who feeds us as it were at his own Table nay prepares a Table before us and makes our Cup to run over Psal 23.5 And besides Warmes us and cloatheth us with the flieces of his own Flocks which He gives as he did to Abraham Gen. 24 35. Yea abaseth Himself so low as to take off our yoak from us and to lay our meat before us Hos 11.4 And beyond all this supports and protects us by his Power so that the Everlasting armes are underneath us Deut. 33.27 So that we dwell in safety alone verse 28. and no evil comes near our dwellings The kinds of the provisions which God allowed unto Man followes Herbs and fruits of trees must be his food both of them but a little before and produced out of the Earth by the powerfull Word of Gods Mouth upon the third day verse 11. So that we may out of that Consideration 6. Observe All the Provision that God hath allowed Man for his food is drawn out of Earth Observ 6 WHence by his own blessing upon the labours of Men he brings it forth Psal 104.14 And if we consider it well what are Corn Fruits Cattel and their flesh on which we feed but Earth as it were refined and changed both in shape and quality but not in substance Neither is this more true then necessary that Mens bodies which are themselves out of the Earth should be nourished out of the Earth that is with a kind of food that is proportionable to themselves neither is it more necessary then it is Convenient that the heart of Man by the consideration thereof may be kept low by the representation of the basenesse both of his Original and End that he came out of the earth and thither must return again set before him in every dish at his Table which he feeds upon It justly taxeth both our nicenesse and foolish pride in making that an occasion and meanes of lifting up our hearts and glorying to others by which God most endeavours to humble and abase us our food and cloathing being both of them Evidences of our Weaknesse Basenesse and Shame who being made of Earth dwelling in houses of Earth or Clay as Job calls them Job 4.19 and getting our bread and food out of the Earth are withall cloathed with no better then Earth from whence we draw our finest linnen immediately and from whence the flieces of our flocks the skins and costly furres which we borrow from the backs of beasts are derived in the second descent O Earth Earth Earth know thine own vilenesse and glory not in thine owne shame as wicked Men are justly charged to do Phil. 3.19 If we lay together the dispensations of God unto Man we may easily observe and have cause seriously to consider how strangely God levels Mans waies thereby and tempers together our Advancement and Abasement First Adam is made as it were a God upon Earth and now a Worm feeding as it were upon the dust first a Lord over all the works that God had made to rule and Command them and now made to stoop in a sort to his own vassails and to make use of them for the sustaining of his life Whence 7. Observe God doth strangely counterballance our Honours and Abasements in all his dispensations unto us Observ 7 THus the Prophet David professeth that God did lift him up and cast him down Psal 102.10 Thus he dealt with Jacob whom he advanced in his Birth-right and Blessing above his brother Esau and made him his Lord and not long after brings him down before him on his knees Makes Moses the reputed son of Pharaohs daughter and by and by an Exile and Shepherd in Midian and from that base condition advanceth him to an estate above the greatest Monarchs of the world Thus he dealt with David Job and many others And in the same manner he deals with all his children in spiritual things tempering our advancement with abasement as he dealt with S. Paul 2 Cor 12.7 our Consolations with Heavinesse of spirit our Holinesse with manifold Corruptions And thus it pleaseth him to deal with us 1. To fit us to that condition of basenesse in which he hath placed us in this World 2. To keep our hearts low and humble which especially in this state of Corruption we are so hardly brought unto lest we forget both our selves and which is much worse Him that made as all things so us also for his own honour which Agur feared Prov. 30.9 In the kinds of the food which God allowed to Adam we cannot but take notice of the homelinesse of that provision that God appoints him to feed on no way answerable to those delicates that our Luxurious Palates so much affect and delight in but wholsome and vulgar easily to be found in any place where he should set his foot It cannot be denyed but that those Herbs and Fruits before Gods curse came upon the Earth for sin exceeded both in Taste and Virtue those which the Earth now brings forth Notwithstanding since God makes such vulgar provision for the greatest Monarch that ever the Sun saw we may 8. Observe Plain and Ordinary Fare may and ought to content the best amongst men and is most agreeable to the Mind and Will of God Observ 8 THe Patriarchs of whom the world was not worthy feasted strangers with Veal and Butter Gen. 18.8 and themselves fed upon Pottage of Lentiles Gen. 25.34 Food convenient will content Agur Prov. 30.8 And our Saviours own provisions were but barley loaves and small fishes John 6.9 It is true that John Baptists feeding upon Locusts and wild honey was extraordinary and therefore not to be drawn into imitation And it must be granted that both for Civil and Religious Respects and Occasions we are permitted to a more free and liberal use of the Creatures for our food Rulers as Solomon implyes Prov. 23.1 and as appears by the provision which he made for his own Table and Family 1 King 4.23 and that of Nehemiah Chap. 5.18 and all other men of Abilities and Large Estates are permitted to make provisions for their Tables according to their Places and Conditions Yea men of ordinary rank upon Special Occasions of Marriages Birth of Children entertaining of friends holy feastings and like are allowed to exceed their ordinary proportions Provided alwayes 1.
his own Lord. To the woman Alone as it is most probable that he might the more easily prevaile against her whereas two might have withstood him Eccl. 4.12 And to the woman rather then to the man as conceiving her to be the weaker vessel Now if besides we should imagine as some do that this Interdiction of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil was delivered by God himself only to Adam and by him to the woman then had Satan yet another advantage against the woman in gain-saying that which she had received only upon her husbands report and not immediately from Gods own mouth But it seemes more probable that the Interdiction was delivered unto them both by God himself Yea Or is it true indeed or is it possible so that it may be a speech either of doubting or of indignation or of admiration tempting the woman to question either the truth or at least the equity of that Interdiction Withal that expression seems to have relation to some precedent Conference that had passed between the Serpent and Woman not mentioned in this History wherein Moses contenting himself only with the discovery of the point of that fiery dart which wounded our first Parents to death omits both the entrance into and other passages that passed between the Woman and the Serpent before the temptation Hath God said It is not without some special aime that Satan questions whether this Interdiction were given by God or no. Seeming to imply from the very Name of God either the improbability that God so good and kinde in himself as having planted this pleasant Garden of purpose for man and bestowed it freely on him should deny him the use of any fruit therein Or if it were true that he had so done the indignity that God should deal so unkindly with man as to plant trees of purpose to anger him that he might have that continually in his eye which he might not enjoy yea and so far to envie mans good as to deny him the use of the fruit which only had the vertue to make him truly happy and which he might as easily have given him as he had made it And beyond this to deal so deceitfully with him as to make shew of giving him much when in the mean time he had denied him that fruit by which only he might receive that true good which was proper to a man to make him wise as he tells him afterwards and that also wittingly as well knowing the great vertue of that fruit to that end Ye shall not eat of every tree of the Garden Every is a word of ambiguous signification and may indifferently denote either One or Some or All the trees so that we may understand them thus Is any tree forbidden you Or thus are there some trees denied unto you Or thus is every that is are all trees of the Garden withheld from you Thus begins Satan to treat warily and cunningly with the Woman discovering neither his malice against God nor his mischievous intention to man at the first but keeps himself aloof off In the first place not so much affirming as enquiring and next proposing the termes of this enquiry so ambiguously that if he were challenged for dealing maliciously with God in questioning why he had forbidden man the eating of some or of all the trees whereas he had forbidden but one he might answer that by every tree he meant no more but any one tree and yet the expression might be such as might point either at more or at all that thereby Satan might further his end the better in amplifying the restraint as much as might be as if God had withheld much or in effect All from man that so the womans spirit might rise the more against it as if that which God had granted were inconsiderable in comparison of that which was withheld Verse 2. And the woman said That she feared not the Serpent we need not wonder seeing there was at that present no enmity amongst the creatures and therefore there could be no cause of feare where was no appearance of danger But seeing the woman knew that the Serpent could not be the Authour either of the voice or discourse how is it that she suspects not some fraud for that this could not be the voice of God must needs be evident unto her because the whole scope and frame of the discourse discovers the contrary The Serpents voice she must needs conclude it could not be because she being created perfect in wisdome like her husband must needs understand at least so much of the creatures as to know that beasts of themselves were not capable of speech or reason If she guessed it to be Satan and knew him to be an enemy why doth she hazard her self upon a manifest danger to entertain conference with one that hated her If she knew nothing of him or his disposition how is it that she opens her selfe so freely to a person unknown The woman certainly discovers some unadvisednesse in entertaining conference with the Serpent in matters of so great importance in so familiar a manner We eate of the Trees The woman seems to be shaken and to give ground at the first encounter as we may probably guesse Partly by Satans bold reply to this answer of hers wherein he chargeth God with falshood in expresse termes which in all likelihood he durst not have done if the womans own words had not given him some encouragement thereunto considering how warily he speaks of God in his first question Besides we may discover it yet more apparently in the very forme of the answer it self in these particulars First when she mentions Gods grant unto them to eat of the trees of the Garden there she passeth over Gods Name as if she had no great minde to take notice of his liberality in bestowing on her so large a gift But when she mentions the restraint there she remembers his name expresly as if she meant to take no more notice of God in his mercies but only to quarrel at his restraint and interdiction Secondly when she recounts the grant of eating the rest of the fruits she speaks of it coldly and without affection For whereas God gave man liberty to eat of all the trees of the Garden and that freely and fully as the expression in the Original Eating thou mayest eate implies she leaves out both those clauses and in a very sparing manner only affirmes that they did eat of the trees and addes no more But when she comes to mention the restraint that she layes down in the strictest termes that she can think on which supposeth some rising of her spirit against it if it be true that mens expressions are any indications of the affections within for that the Holy Ghost relates things partially it were blasphemy to imagine Wherefore seeing she sleights the grant and sets out the restraint in so full a manner in her words we have reason to conclude
with two fearful evils The first of envy to man to whom he so severely interdicted that which he knew to be so beneficial unto him The second of notorious falshood divers wayes First in affirming that which he knew to be untrue Next in doing it in the delivery of his Law whereas Lawes above all things ought to be Oracles of Truth Lastly in casting this interdiction as a cloak over his envy to man pretending to be tender of his safety in forewarning him of a danger when indeed he used it as he makes the woman believe as a scar-crow to deterre him from seeking his owne good These horrible blasphemies against God involved in this manner of Satans contradicting his truth we ought to observe the more heedfully that we may accordingly proportion and value the hainousnesse of the sin of our first Parents in assenting unto and believing them that we may the more justifie God in the judgements inflicted on them That in that day Alluding again to Gods threatening that in the day wherein they should eat of the fruit forbidden they should die the death and therein not only contradicting God in every circumstance but besides as God by threatening the speedy execution of the curse deterrs man more effectually from acting the sinne so Satan more strongly allures him to attempt it by promising a speedy reward Besides by this meanes he endeavours to gain some credit to his words because it would quickly be tried whether he spake truth or no and therefore it might seem incredible that he would lie in that wherein he might so speedily and certainly be disproved Your eyes shall be opened An ambiguous speech as are all the rest of Satans Oracles which proved true by lamentable experience although in a far other sense then that wherein the devil desired to have it understood which moves the Holy Ghost to expresse the event afterwards in the same phrase affirming that their eyes were opened indeed but it was only to behold their own shame and misery Now in this expression besides the representing of the benefit which the eating of this fruit would bring them Satan chargeth God by the way that he had all this while kept man hood-winked and thereby ignorant of those things which he might and which it concerned him to know In the mean time Satan doth that indeed wherewith he chargeth God falsely and maliciously dazeling the eyes of our first Parents so much with the brightnesse of that glorious condition unto which he promiseth to advance them that they oversaw and took no notice of that large measure of wisedome and knowledge wherewith God had already enriched their mindes in all things that it concerned them to know and thereby so blinded them in this action that they understood not what they went about till they were utterly undone like the Syrians whom Elisha led that knew not whither they went till they found themselves in the midst of Samaria 2 Kings 6.20 And ye shall be as Gods Or Princes or Angels as the same word sometimes signifies Thus having represented unto them the benefit that they should receive by rebelling against God he now enlargeth it by laying before them a patterne of their happinesse wherein they should equal even God himself and by this enflames their hearts and distempers them It may be withal that he conveighs into the womans minde some ground of hope of attaining to this glorious condition seeing they saw a patterne of it in God himself and therefore might hope that it was possible to be enjoyed It is out of question that he casts into her thoughts of discontent against God by representing their condition so far below that which it might have been as he perswades the woman to believe joyned with much unthankfulnesse for that which she had received already at Gods hand the creating of him after Gods own Image soveraignty over the rest of the creatures the planting and free bestowing of that pleasant Garden with all the fruits thereof and the inheritance of the whole world with a desire to rise higher that she might be a match unto God himself Knowing good and evil Whether he alludes to the name given to that tree given by God himself it is not certain if he do it is to strengthen what he had before affirmed that God knew well enough the vertue of that tree as appears in the very name which he had given it The Promise it self which Satan makes is frivolous if it be duly weighed Good they knew already and what could they gain by the knowledge of evil wherewith they had nought to do We have then here laid before us in brief that temptation by which Satan foiled and without Gods infinite mercy had for ever ruined our first Parents with their posterity as will appear in the sequel and it is by Moses only briefly pointed at and not displayed at large and is therefore by us to be scanned and searched into the more exactly Partly because it nearly concernes us to know the meanes by which all those evils under which all mankinde labours unto this day came first into the world especially seeing those Engines wherewith Satan assaulted our first Parents are the patternes according to which all the rest are forged wherewith he fights against us continually even to this day And partly because we may be assured that this temptation was the Divels master-piece wherein it concerned him to make use of the depth of his policies as having to encounter an adversary First made perfect in wisdome and holinesse and withal filled with Gods love kindled and confirmed by so many fresh experiments of his superabundant favours and mercies and now walking in a course of perfect obedience Secondly Satan was to encounter him meerly with his own strength assisted neither by lusts within nor by any allurements or other instruments without Thirdly he had to deal in a matter of great difficulty namely to set man against that God that had made him and had compassed him with infinite variety of blessings but never provoked him by the least discourtesie Nay against that God upon whom his happinesse still depended and who was able easily to destroy him by the same power by which he had created him or make him as miserable as he had made him happy Fourthly he was to attempt a matter of infinite consequence upon the good or ill successe whereof depended the happinesse or utter destruction of all mankinde the weakening of Gods Kingdome and the advancing and enlarging of the Kingdome of Satan And lastly he was to adventure upon an enterprise to be carried through at this present assault or not at all For if Adam had stood the first brunt and by use and experience been setled and confirmed in that state of Innocency and Holinesse wherein he then stood having once discovered Satans nature and scope he had afterwards in all probability been attempted in vain It will therefore be of good use to take in sunder
justifying of what he had spoken and offering it to be tried by experience and that out of hand One day he tells the woman would evidently by proofe make good all that he had affirmed By these weak suggestions having no ground to support them but only the credit of a liars word Satan having now engaged the womans affections easily removes from her heart the feare of Gods just indignation which the apprehension of that terrible curse threatened by the Lord himself with his own mouth had setled in her heart before Of Satans fourth practice to fasten mans heart to dependance upon the creature after he had drawn it away from God That it concerned Satan if he intended to hold on man in a resolved Apostasie from God to fasten him to a dependance upon the creature that he might have no cause to look back unto God any more hath in part been intimated heretofore That truth is founded upon this an unquestionable maxime that no creature nor consequently man hath sufficiency in and of it selfe and consequently being naturally carried on by a constant desire after its own good cannot possibly be at rest till it meet with some meanes from which it may receive a supply of that which it wants in it selfe Man therefore being a reasonable creature and consequently by the benefit of his understanding sensible of his inability to subsist of himselfe by a principle which God hath planted in nature must of necessity put forth his desires after something out of himself to lean unto from which he may have his wants supplied and when he hath found it to adhere unto and depend upon it Now then Satan having already perswaded the woman that God did but delude her and meant her no good and therefore was not any further to be depended on especially for that good which she now wanted and which was most proper to her nature the knowledge of good and evil the meanes of attaining whereof he had interdicted her under a fearful curse In the next place takes upon him to discover to the woman another and that a more easie and certain meanes of furnishing her selfe with that which God held and kept from her and thereby raising her selfe to a more excellent condition then that which God had bestowed upon her This saith he the fruit of that tree which you are forbidden to touch as you say will furnish you withal Thus Satan deales with Eve as subtile men use to do when they intend to break off a treaty of marriage they set another match on foot rather as those that endeavour to draw away a mans heart from his own wife they entangle him in the love of a strange woman Withal Satan well knew that mans dependance upon God necessarily drew on these two things First an absolute subjection to his Will in all things Secondly the referring and carrying on of all things to his glory Here again Satan takes hold of another advantage To be guided wholly by the Will of another and to lay aside his own will and desires and to refer all to the honour and glory of another might seem to be an heavy yoke such as in all probability man would be very willing to shake off if he might wherefore Satan offers unto man to take his own will for his rule to guide himselfe and to make his own good the end and scope of all his actions If this were hearkened unto as it was very probable it would then was mans Apostasie from God unto the creature as it is described to be total and absolute to himself being a creature as his own end and to other creatures as the meanes on which he might depend to supply him in what he needed Satans first taske namely to take off mans heart from subjecting it selfe and all the desires thereof to the Will of God and aiming at and carrying on all his actions and endeavours to his glory supposing his heart to be already fallen off from God and any dependance on him seemes to be an easie work Indeed if the motion had been to propose unto him another Lord it would have sounded very harshly As good or better continue his service under his old Master then subject himself and stoop to a new But to be subject to no Lord at all and to be every way absolute of himself and free altogether was an offer not only faire and plausible but at the first view seemes to carry with it some shew of justice and equity For supposing God to be removed out of the way then was man the most eminent of all visible creatures and consequently fit to govern himself according to his own will and to be the scope of his own endeavours in seeking his own good Besides that natural self-love which God had planted in all mens hearts by which he is stirred up to use all meanes for the attaining to his own chiefest good and is not only allowable but a duty too if it be done within due bounds and limitations taken from our subordination to God and respect to community when those respects unto God were removed must necessarily carry on man to a total and absolute self-seeking without any limitation or further respect at all Now that this was Satans policy to move man to take it on him to be his owne Lord appears evidently partly by his advice to eat of that tree though it were forbidden which was in effect to guide himselfe by his own Appetite and not by his Makers Will and partly by the inducement upon which he endeavours to perswade him to embrace that counsel because it would make him a God as if his own advancement were the main end to which he should bend all his endeavours And how easily he prevailed upon our first Parents by this policy the lamentable event which immediately followed sufficiently discovered the advice being embraced and assented unto as soon as it was tendered and well nigh as soon put in execution as it was embraced Satan having prevailed upon our first Parents by this suggestion had now gained what he desired For first God was as much as lay in the creature put out of his Soveraignty over the chief work of his hands Secondly Satan himself in effect possessed that Soveraignty of which God was deprived For we shall finde that howsoever the devil tenders unto Adam the title of becoming his own lord yet in effect it was himself that bore all the sway whose counsel and advice wholly ruled man from thence forward who was now over-ruled by such vile lusts as Satan stirred up and raised and continually cherished in his heart as to this day we know wicked men in giving up themselves to their own lusts are said to walk after him Eph. 2.2 to do his lusts or his will John 8.44 and so to be carried and held and led captive by him at his will 2 Tim. 2.26 The devil then having prevailed upon man so far as to renounce his
obedience to God and to set up his own will to be his rule to guide him In the next place because man had no ground to expect any good from that God whom he refused to serve findes out and proposeth unto him another meanes of subsisting and obtaining what he desired without God by the help of the creature Assuring the woman that the fruit of that forbidden tree would furnish her with as great a measure of wisdome as she could desire even sufficient to make her a match to God himself which was far greater then that which was already given her by God That forbidden fruit Satan pitcheth upon above all other baits for divers reasons First it is most probable that Eve had tasted of divers of the fruits of the Garden in which she had found no extraordinary vertue but only that they were pleasant to the taste and good for food This fruit had never yet been tasted and therefore might have in it such a secret vertue as Satan had discovered to the woman for ought she knew to the contrary having never tried it Again that it was a fruit of more then ordinary worth it seemed very probable because it was so precisely interdicted and that under so fearful a curse which was no lesse then death yea all kinds of death now it might seem improbable that God would destroy man the most excellent of all his creatures for a trifle consequently that fruit might be presumed to have some extraordinary worth in it seeing the eating thereof deserved so great a penalty Thirdly Satan might conceive that the very interdiction of that fruit might quicken the womans desire after it if for no other reason yet because it was forbidden Lastly the fruit was at hand and a fruit desirable for the goodness for food and pleasantnesse to the eye and if the woman could once be brought to taste of it he was sure enough that it must necessarily bring utter destruction on her selfe and her posterity which was all his aime A consideration of Satans great Art and deep policy in managing this temptation The first slight of Satan in this temptation was in the choice of a fit opportunity to assault the woman to his best advantage First he sets upon her before use and practice had confirmed and setled her heart in the feare and love of God Secondly he takes her alone as it seems most probable severed at that time from her husband who otherwise by his counsel might have advised her and strengthened her against the temptation Thirdly in deferring the assault until the woman came within the view of the fruit forbidden that by the meanes of that pleasant outward object her affections might be moved being at hand that so he might both strengthen the temptation the more and presse it on with greater violence having the help of her outward senses delighted with the view of such an alluring object to blinde her eyes and thereby pervert her judgement and withal that the fruit being so neare that she might presently put forth her hand and take it and so might in an instant be drawen to act what she had consented unto that so there might be no place left for further deliberation upon which many times men alter their resolution A second policy of Satan may be discovered in his wary proceeding in this temptation wherein he comes on by degrees to his intended purpose First assaying the womans constancy by a question of enquiry before he spake any thing positively and affirmatively And this question too he proposeth partly by way of admiration as wondering that God should do such a thing as to lay a restraint upon man in the midst of his pleasures in the place of his continual abode considering that he had been so free unto him in all the rest of his gifts partly by way of doubting as if he had said Is it true indeed Are you sure of it What that it is God that hath said so What concerning the Trees of the Garden that you shall not eat of them being ordained for meat Lastly by way of indignation if it should be so in this manner Is it possible First that God should plant a Garden for you and deny you to eat the fruits of it Secondly that God should set them full in your eye to vex you the more by beholding daily that which you may not taste or meddle withal Thirdly if the fruit forbidden you be no better then other fruits that God should stick with you for trifles If this fruit be of any rare vertue above the rest that he should grant you the worst and deny you the best These several glaunces the devil may be conceived to cast out in this general and captious question conveighing therein so many several baites to attempt the womans minde that she might taste either the one or the other and be ensnared on which soever she fastened A third dangerous slight of Satan was the concealing of the scope and end at which he aimed which was to draw man into rebellion against God whereof at the first he gives not the least intimation For in his first question he seemes only to enquire of the truth of the pretended interdiction advising the woman to consider whether she were not mistaken at least in some circumstance or other Secondly when he saw the womans minde to be affected with some kinde of discontent against God he foments it rather by secret insinuations which might reflect upon God at the second hand then by plain and direct calumniations Thirdly in his advice he seemes not so much to disswade them from God as to perswade them to seek their own good proposing to them only the meanes of advancing their own estate without touching upon God any way in outward appearance For mans advancement could not be conceived at the first view to be any detraction from God who should retain his own honour though man should come a step nearer to him by attaining the knowledge of good and evil Satans fourth strain of wit was in the choice of that baite by which be drew the woman to the breach of Gods Commandment namely the hope of gaining knowledge which the heart of the prudent getteth Prov. 18.15 as well understanding that it is not good that the heart be without knowledge Prov. 19.2 so that a thing so agreeable to mans nature in the improving of that ability by which he excelled all other creatures and drawes nearest unto God in could not but move the womans affections exceedingly especially considering that great measure of knowledge which she enjoyed in the state of her innocency which could not chuse but quicken her with an earnest desire to encrease it further as indeed it was her duty to endeavour to abound therein or at least to confirme that knowledge which she had by use and experience We may likewise conceive that our first Parents had some knowledge of that future estate unto which they were to be
so much weakened in both those abilities The successe of this temptation with the lamentable Consequents that followed it with the miraculous meanes by which man was recovered after this fall which without Gods infinite mercy had wholly ruined him and his posterity after him we are now to take up these particulars as they are laid down unto us by Moses in the Narration ensuing But first it will not be amisse to take notice what the consideration in general of the several circumstances of this assault described in the five verses which we have already expounded may teach for our Instruction Verse 1. Out of the consideration of the time of this temptation which though it be not expresly set down yet must be questionlesse shortly after the placing of our first Parents in Paradise we may 1. OBSERVE It is the usual custome of Satan to attempt men before they be confirmed and setled in a course of godlinesse Observe 1 THus he assaulted the Churches of Judea and the parts adjoyning by sharp persecutions as soon as they were planted Acts 8.3 He stands before the woman to devoure her childe as soon as it was to be borne Rev. 12.4 troubles the Churches of Galatiâ— Corinth c. in their very insancy with dangerous errours schismes and corrupt doctrine as most of Saint Pauls Epistles wherein he complaines of those evils testifying to the world And unto this practice he is moved 1. By his envy both at mans happinesse and Gods glory neither of which he can endure not for a moment if he may finde meanes to hinder either of them 2. By the opportunity of effecting his intended mischief more easily and certainly as new planted trees are more easily plucked up at the first before they have taken roote and be thereby thoroughly fastened which his own vigilancy and industrious disposition to work mischief will not suffer him to omit Let all persons newly converted prepare for such trials and let all their friends watch over them carefully as mothers do after their new born children after Pauls example 1 Thes 2.7 and direction Acts 20.35 1 Thes 5.14 according to the patterne of Christ Isa 40.11 considering the dangerous assaults wherewith they are to encounter and the inability of those weak ones even to subsist of themselves much lesse to withstand the policies and power of Satan But the consideration of this circumstance of time wherein our first Parents were thus seduced offers unto us further the observation of Satans malice in setting thus upon man and practising his destruction before he had been any way provoked by him yea before he had ought to do with him nay perhaps before man so much as knew that there was a devil Whence 2. OBSERVE Satan conirives mischief even against such as never provoked him Observe 2 THus he dealt with God himself from whom he fell and whom he still opposeth although he had not only made him but made him the most excellent of all his creatures Thus he dealt with Christ by Herod his minister attempting to destroy him almost as soon as he was borne and when he had yet done neither good nor evil Thus he incensed Cain against his own brother Abel and that so far as to take away his life and that upon no other ground but because he was a goodman 1 John 3.12 and sets Davids enemies against him even when he sued unto them for peace Psal 120.7 nay when he did them good Psal 35.12 and prayed for them with fasting ver 13. Hope not for peace with wicked men who being Satans seed must needs resemble his nature as our Saviour testifies they do John 8.44 seeing a good mans peace with them is 1. Impossible because of the contrariety between good and evil men every way As 1. In their very disposition a good and wicked man are an abomination one to another Prov. 29.27 2. And are employed in the service of contrary Masters Christ and Belial 2 Cor. 6.15 3. They follow and are guided by contrary Rules the Law of sinne as the Apostle termes it Rom. 7.23 and the Law of Righteousnesse as Gods Law is termed Psal 119.172 4. And are carried in all their wayes and actions to contrary ends whence it necessarily follows that they must continually crosse one another in all the course of their conversation 2. If the peace of the godly with wicked men were possible yet it must needs be every way unprofitable seeing they have nothing common between them in which they might have commerce together or be helpful one to another the one aiming only at earthly the other especially at heavenly things 3. Such peace must of necessity prove dangerous to the godly seeing experience shews us how easily wicked mens words or conversation as the word in the Original may not improperly be rendered 1 Cor. 15.33 or at the least our commerce with wicked men must be troublesome and full of unquietnesse when a wicked mans ungodly conversation must needs be a grief and continual vexation to a good mans spirit as the wicked lives of the Sodomites were to Lots 2 Pet. 2.8 Indeed as much as in us lies we are commanded to have peace with all men Rom. 12.18 But for an unprofitable outward peace with such men So as 1. To swerve from the course of a godly life or to neglect such services or duties as we owe unto God or his Church which we can hardly performe as we ought being in their company as the Psalmist implies when he commands wicked men to depart from him that he might keep Gods Commandments Psal 119.115 2. Or to coole and slack our zeal for Gods glory 3. Or much more to conforme to any of their wicked practices which are the only termes on which ordinarily he may have and continue peace with them being contrary to the minde and Law of God these are things that lie not in our power Thus far only we may go but no further 1. To forbear provoking them without just cause 2. To endeavour to win them by outward courtesies rendering unto them good for their evil as we are directed Rom. 12.21 and by Christ himself Mat. 5. 3. To embrace peace when they offer it upon warrantable termes and to seek it too by lawful means Notwithstanding in enjoying this peace with them we must take heed of admitting them into our inward familiarity as we are forewarned Prov. 22.24 which David found to be dangerous Psal 55.13 14. 2. Let us not walk with them securely but always suspect and therefore arme our selves against all their dangerous practises with the wisdom of Serpents and innocency of Doves Mat. 10.16 The place of this temptation although it be not mentioned by Moses must necessarily be concluded to be Paradise in which also we may probably conceive that the woman at this time when Satan assaulted her was profitably employed in surveighing the fruits of this pleasant Garden their new Lordship so lately bestowed and that as well to
unto Satan gives him the greater advantage and encouragement to set upon her with a fresh and more violent assault as we shall see This errour of hers in opening her selfe so rashly to one that she knew not gives warrant to 1 OBSERVE It is dangerous to lay open our selves freely to persons unknown or such of whom we have no assurance Observe 1 SOlomon notes it to be a great folly to utter all a mans minde and a point of wisdome to keep it in till afterwards Prov. 29.11 Peter endangered himselfe very farre by conversing with strangers in the High-Priests Hall Mat. 26.69 70. Nay David himself we see ensnared himself by opening himself though to a familiar acquaintance yet to one whose heart he had not throughly sounded Psal 55.13 And Gedaliah by trusting Ishmael too far ruined both himself and his followers Jer. 41.1 This was Eves first oversight a second and no lesse is that she is contented to have a manifest truth questioned though delivered by Gods own mouth namely his interdiction of tasting the tree of knowledge of good and evil which the event discovered to be a great folly in her and may warrant us to 2 OBSERVE It is a dangerous thing to question or debate evident and knowen truthes Observ 2 PRinciples in all Sciences are exempted from dispute much more should they be in Divinity Amongst which we may account 1. The dictates of Nature written by the finger of God in all mens hearts as that there is a God Rom. 1.19 20. that he judgeth the world Psal 58.11 and that in righteousnesse which is a principle that Jeremy will not dispute Jer. 12.1 and that consequently it shall be well with the good and ill with the wicked at last Eccl. 12.13 as being truthes which every mans conscience within his own breast gives testimony unto 2. Such truthes as are delivered by God himselfe either recorded in his Word as the Creation of the world and that great mystery of mans Redemption by Jesus Christ c. or made known unto us by any special message from God as Zachary is both blamed and punished for disputing against the message sent from God by the Angel Luke 1.20 much more did that Prince deservedly perish by the just decree of God that denied the truth of Elishahs Prophecie 2 Kings 7.2 Only believing and acknowledging the truthes themselves we may be warranted to enquire more thoroughly into the Manner Meanes Order and other circumstances of those things which we fully assent unto and believe as Jeremy doth Jer. 12.1 and the blessed Virgin Luke 1.34 and the Prophets searched into what and what time the coming of Christ should be whereof they prophesied 1 Pet. 1.10 11. thereby to informe our selves of those secrets more fully as well to quicken our affections which are most effectually moved by the full discovery of things in particular and to strengthen our faith the more thereby as also to enable us by the full understanding of the truthes which we embrace to satisfie others and to maintain them against and stop the mouthes of such as oppose and contradict the truth And by this assenting unto the truthes of God without questioning or admitting them into debate 1. We seale unto his truth John 3.33 and give him the honour of a God to be believed upon his own testimony whereas we believe not men upon their word without some further evidence 2. And by the same meanes we provide for our own safety who having our mindes full of ignorance and by their corrupt disposition more inclinable to embrace lies rather then truth might be endangered by admitting known truth to debate to be mislead by the mists of humane reasonings into errour to the endangering or overthrowing of our faith These were Eves grosse oversights in entertaining conference with Satan a person unknown and that about such a manifest and evident truth In the substance of her answer and the forme of it she failes many wayes And first in this that if she consented not unto yet she entertaines such a dangerous suggestion as the divels question implies with so much coldnesse of spirit which she ought to have opposed with a zealous detestation and vehement indignation This errour of hers may give just occasion to 3 OBSERVE Blasphemous and foule suggestions ought not to be heard without indignation and detestation Observe 3 THus Job answers his wives damnable counsel to curse God and die Job 2.10 And our Saviour Christ Peters carnal advice to favour himself and not to yield himself to death Mat. 16.23 as he had done before Satans cursed motion to fall down and worship him Mat. 4.10 In like manner doth St. Paul those blasphemous exceptions Rom. 3 4 6. And thus we ought to do 1. To manifest our zeale for Gods honour and for his truth 2. By it we secure our selves from a farther assault which we easily invite when we bear such blasphemies with too much softnesse of spirit and patience 3. And harden our own hearts against such wicked suggestions by abhorring the very mention of them 4. And oftentimes terrifie the suggesters themselves or at least put them to shame The second failing of Eve in her answer is that when she mentions that large grant of God in bestowing on them the free use of all the trees in the Garden she doth not so much as mention Gods Name that had bestowed that large favour so freely not without manifest injury to him who ought to be known and proclaimed to be the Author of his own gift as having bestowed them especially for that end Whence 4 OBSERVE When Gods mercies are mentioned we must withal be careful to remember his Name that bestows them Observe 4 ANd this must be done not only in such solemn thanksgivings as we have Isa 63.7 Psal 68.19 20. but even in ordinary conferences after Jacobs example Gen. 33.5 and that of Moses Exod. 18.8 9. And this we must do 1. That by entituling God unto and prefixing his own Name before his works of mercy wherewith mens hearts are most affected he may be highly advanced above all things and held out and proclaimed to the world as the fountain of all goodnesse when all the good things which we enjoy and in which we rejoyce are still laid down at his foot See Rev. 4.10 11. whereby withal the heart is filled with his love and with an holy rejoycing in him with thankfulnesse and encouraged by such enlargements to all cheerfulnesse in his service with the Prophet Psal 116.12 13 14. which are the main ends that God aims at in lading us with his blessings 2. There is an evil disposition in mens hearts to forget God in his mercies Deut. 32.18 Psal 106.21 and to ascribe them to themselves with Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 4.30 Hab. 1.16 or if not to their idols Hos 2.5 yet at least to some second causes or meanes by which those blessings which they enjoy are conveighed unto them never looking up to the
fountain from whence they flow so that there cannot be too much care used to set God before men in all the dispensations of his mercies since they are so apt of themselves to forget him The womans last failing in this first part of her answer is manifested in the manner of her expression which she useth when she mentions Gods grant of the free use of the fruits of the Garden of which she speaks in so bare and cold a manner that she clearly discovers at how low a rate she valued it in her heart For whereas God in his grant expresly mentions every tree of the Garden of which he gives them liberty to eate freely as we render that significant phrase in the Hebrew eating thou shalt eate she minceth it in her relation to Satan affirming barely and coldly that they did eat of the trees of the Garden concealing those two circumstances that set out the largenesse of the gift This failing of hers gives occasion to 5. OBSERVE Gods mercies ought not when they are spoken of to be represented in cold and weak expressions Observ 5 THus indeed we finde godly men when they have occasion to speak of any mercy to mention and set them out in such a manner as if they poured out the very affections of their soules with their words as David doth Psal 103.3 4. sometimes calling upon and stirring up others to do the like Psal 145.7 sometimes expressing and setting out the blessings themselves with all the varietie of words and phrases that they can devise as we may see in Moses his Song Exod 15. and Deborahs Judges 5. otherwhiles by occasion of remembring one mercy gathering together heaps of other mercies of like kinde as Hannah doth in her prayer 1 Sam. 2.1 and the blessed Virgin in her thanksgiving Luke 1.46 At other times discovering the fountain whence those blessings flow Gods free Mercy great Goodnesse c. Psal 145.7 and to enlarge the mercies the more setting out the unworthinesse of them that receive them as David doth 2 Sam. 7.18 and Saint Paul 1 Tim 1.13 And this they do 1. Because they having their hearts enlarged in the apprehension of them inwardly cannot but speak as they think of them 2. It is our duty to advance the Lord by all the meanes we can that his Name alone may be excellent Psal 148.13 and great Mal. 1.11 now nothing advanceth his Name more then his mercies which therfore must be set out as the mercies of God high and without comparison 3. When all is done and we have made use of all our Art and abilities to set out Gods mercies in the largest manner that we can devise all our words come infinitely short of the full extent of those things which we desire to represent 4. In the mean time while we strive to set out things in the fullest measure we warme our own hearts and quicken our affections the more and fill our hearts with the greater admiration of those things which exceed all our expressions VERSE III. THe woman in this verse which containes the second part of her answer to Satans question coming to speak of the interdiction of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil of which she was demanded it is worth our observation to take special notice how she riseth in her phrases and expressions which we shall finde farre different from the stile which she had used in setting out the grant of the use of the rest of the fruits of the Garden of the former she speaks in a scant and weak manner of the interdiction she speaks fully and strongly as will appear in the particulars For first in this she mentions Gods Name expresly which she had wholly omitted in speaking of the grant Next whereas she in her relation of the grant leaves out two special termes which God had used in giving it herein speaking of the interdiction he expresseth at least all or perhaps more then God had spoken at least more then Moses had related him to have spoken and questionlesse more then Satan had demanded So that by these different manners of expression she plainly discovers the thoughts of her heart within that she made no great account of Gods mercy in the grant but the restraint and interdiction she took very tenderly Whence 1 OBSERVE Mens words and speeches are usually proportioned according to the measure of the affections of the heart Observe 1 SO our Saviour tells us that out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak Mat. 12.34 when Elihu is full of matter and his belly like wine wanting vent Job 32.18 19. observe how large and full of life his expressions are in the chapters following If the heart within be full the tongue must needs be the pen of a ready Writer Psal 45.1 Neither can it be otherwise First because words being ordained to be the meanes of representing the thoughts of the heart within it is agreeable to all reason that they should expresse them in their full proportion as the glasse doth the face Secondly because although the understanding be or at least should hold the raines of the tongue yet the affections adde the spurres unto it as indeed they do many times give the measure to our actions themselves as we run according to our feare sight according to our anger and wake according to our hope and desire and so in many other of our actions Let us then judge of the temper both of our own and other mens hearts and inward dispositions by our expressions although indeed it be more certainly manifested by our actions A spiritual man speaks of the things of the world as he useth them necessarily and sparingly Of spiritual things as of God of Christ of Grace and Glory feelingly and fully See Eph 1.3 on the other side a carnal mans conference of Heaven and heavenly things is rare dry and empty but of worldly things voluntary frequent and large much like Nebuchadnezzars vaunt Dan 4.30 In like manner we may judge of the ebbes and floods of our inward affections by the abounding or scanting and by the strength or weaknesse of our expressions as we do sometimes of the ebbes and floods of the sea by the high rising or low falling of the rivers which run into it And if it happen otherwise as it doth sometimes it is by reason of some natural imperfection It may so happen and doth sometimes that one may have a large heart and a narrow mouth as Moses excuseth himselfe that he was no man of words he means not a man of ready speech Exod. 4.10 sometimes it falls out that by some outward occasion a man is forced to keep in that which his tongue would otherwise be ready to utter as David could and was desirous to have spoken but refrained a while and held his peace even from good for the presence of wicked men Psal 39.2 Thus sometimes the ebbes and floods of the sea are restrained by the violence of
the winde In one thing the woman doth well whatsoever her meaning was or whatsoever moved her the reunto that she mentions the Sanction together with the interdiction whereof only the divel had enquired expressing not only what God had forbidden but withal under how severe a penalty he had forbidden it and may give us occasion to 2. OBSERVE When we remember any Law of God we ought withal to set before us the Sanction an nexed thereunto Observe 2 UNto this God himselfe seems to direct us who hath annexed the Sanctions to some of the Lawes of the Decalogue as namely to the second third and fifth Commandments notwithstanding the great brevity which he useth in penning that Law unto which also after the full delivery of the whole Law are annexed divers others more at large Lev. 26. and Deut. 28. And we know that not only the Law was appointed to be published in the eares of all the people after their coming into the Land of Canaan but the Sanctions both of blessings and curses were to be denounced withal Deut. 28.12 13. This course that God takes in the delivery of the Law both directs Ministers in preaching and applying it to follow that example and private persons in their meditations and examination of their wayes and actions not to sever those things which God himself hath joyned together And that 1. For Gods honour that all our obedience may be tendred to him both in faith and feare wherein we acknowledge both his infinite goodnesse in rewarding even those duties that we owe unto him as his servants and his holinesse and justice in executing justice upon such as wickedly transgresse 2. For our own necessity whose dead hearts need such effectual meanes to quicken us Thus we see God every where stirs up his own people to obedience by the promises of large rewards as the Apostle doth likewise stir us up to be abundant always in the Work of the Lord because we know our labour is not in vain in the Lord 1 Cor. 15.58 On the other side Job makes use of the terrour of Gods wrath to restrain himself from evil Job 31.23 as likewise doth the Prophet David Psal 119.120 The next thing observable in this part of the womans answer is that she prefixeth the Name of God both to the interdiction and to the judgement threatened which though she seem to do with some repining or rising of her heart against the strictnesse of Gods dealing with her notwithstanding howsoever she may make an ill use of it yet she doth no more then she ought to have done and may give us occasion to 3 OBSERVE When we lay the Law of God before us we must withal fixe our thoughts upon him that gives it Observ 3 FOr this purpose in delivering the Decalogue the Lord before the Law himself prefixeth his own Name And thus all the Prophets in urging and applying the Law in all their reproofes exhortations threatenings or promises still prefixeth before them or annexeth unto them The Lord hath spoken or The Word of the Lord. And indeed the remembring of Gods Name upon such occasions is of singular use sundry wayes 1. Together with Gods Name is represented unto us his Authority and withal both his Wisdome and Goodnesse which will be an effectual meanes to stay and silence all carnal reasonings which otherwise will very hardly be answered considering how hard a matter it is for the wisdom of the flesh to submit to the Law Rom. 8.7 But against God himselfe who dare dispute with the Apostle Rom. 9.20 2. By the same meanes we are quickened to obedience with chearfulnesse when we consider that they are the Commandments of that God who gave us our being and in whom we subsist to whom we owe our selves and all we have and from whom we expect glory and immortality and eternal life See Davids answer to his scoffing wife 2 Sam. 6.21 3. Only this looking upon God in all his Commandments makes our services duties of obedience when they are performed at the Command and in submission to the Will of him whose we are whereby we acknowledge both his Authority and besides his Will to be the rule of Righteousnesse Lastly it wonderfully stirs us up to watchfulnesse diligence and sincerity in all our carriage when we behold the Presence Majesty and Holinesse of him to whom we performe our duties serving him with reverence and feare and with a single heart as being the God who sees in secret and whose eyes are purer then to behold evil But all circumstances duly weighed and the whole frame of the womans answer duly considered it seems more then probable that her prefixing of Gods Name to this interdiction proceedes meerly from an humour of discontent and the rising of her spirit against the restraint from eating the fruit of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil and by consequent against God himselfe who had laid this restraint upon her So easie a matter it was for Satan to work her heart even in this state of innocency to impatience and discontent at any restraint at all how much more easily doth he set our heart against it in this state of corruption So that we may from hence 4 OBSERVE It is an hard matter to bring mans heart to submit unto and beare with patience and chearfulnesse any yoke of restraint Observe 4 THe evidence of this truth appears not only in the sonnes of Belial as the Scripture termes them who refuse to beare any yoke but break all bands and cast away the cords from them Psal 2.3 but even in those that pretend to submit to the Law and yet when it crosseth their humour cast it aside as did Johanan and his companions Jer. 43.4 5. or at least submit to it with murmuring like Zipporah Exod. 4.25 Nay the best and dearest of Gods servants though they have really and cordially taken upon them Christs yoke so far that they consent to the Law that it is good and holy Rom. 7.16 and righteous in all things Psal 119.128 and delight in it Rom. 7.22 Psal 119.24 and engage themselves in their purposes and resolutions to observe it constantly in all things Psal 119.106 yet they finde a law in their members that is strong lusts in their fleshly part rebelling and rising up against that Law that their minde approves and submits unto Rom. 7.23 and striving to shake off that yoke that they may be at liberty And this comes to passe because the best are but renewed in part and have sin dwelling in them still although it reigne not in them so that they are partly carnal still and therefore there is still something in them that neither is nor can be subject to Gods Law Rom. 8.7 but growes more rebellious by restraint Rom. 7.8 9. as waters swell the higher by the dam that stops their course This condition of his children the Lord himself hath thus disposed in wisdome 1. That we might be the more
sensible of our deliverance from the bondage of this sin when we finde the neighbourhood of it so troublesome unto us 2. That we might cleave close unto Christ drawing still from him a fresh supply of the Spirit of Power for the mastering of our corruptions 3. That the Power of his Spirit may the more appear in mastering and prevailing upon those lusts that make head continually against it 4. To commend the obedience of his children in submitting to his Law even when their natural inclination bends against it against which when they strive with all their power that they may submit unto Gods Law they do thereby manifest their love unto it and delight in it 1. Let every man then labour the more carefully to subdue and mortifie this fleshly and carnal part which yet remains within us which continually stirs us up to rebellion against God wherein although it prevaile not fully yet it both takes off that chearfulnesse of Spirit wherewith God requires to be served Deut. 28.47 and in which he delights 2 Cor. 9.7 and abates that joy in duties of obedience which we might finde Prov. 21.15 and that enlargement of spirit which should provoke us to run the way of Gods Commandments Psal 119.32 That this body of death as the Apostle termes it Rom. 7.24 being in some measure subdued every thought within us may be brought under to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10.5 Whether that clause neither shall ye touch it were expressed by God himself in the interdiction although omitted by Moses in the relation of it or whether the woman addes it of her own as conceiving it to be necessarily implied in the prohibition to eat of that fruit it is not much material only we may thence 5 OBSERVE Whosoever will not be entangled by allurements to sinne must not come near them Observ 5 WE may not stand in the Councel of the ungodly Psal 1.1 nor come near their pathes as Solomon adviseth Prov. 4.14 15. nor near the door of a lewd womans house Prov. 5.8 much lesse to be where she is which Joseph so carefully avoided Gen. 39.10 we are forbidden to touch any unclean thing 2 Cor. 6.17 or to name fornication or uncleannesse Eph. 5.3 Job will not so much as look upon a maid that he might not think on her Job 31.1 and we are commanded to hate the very garment spotted with the flesh Jude 23. And this we must do 1. Out of the conscience of the weaknesse of our corrupt nature which as easily takes fire by the least allurement to sin as gunpowder doth by any spark that fals into it or rather of it self draws towards it as iron doth toward an adamant now we know that he that will not be burnt must carry no coales in his bosome Prov 6.27 2. That we may manifest our perfect detestation of evil which every man that will approve himself to be a lover of God must hate Psal 97.10 so that by withdrawing from allurements to sin we not only manifest our own holinesse but besides by our example we are a meanes to teach others not to draw near unto that which they observe us so carefully to avoid and flie from It is upon good ground conceived generally that the woman in this answer of hers to Satan gives him great advantage and encouragement by the last words thereof wherein she expresseth the curse threatened against the transgressors of this Commandment in so sleight a manner as if it were either uncertain or at least inconsiderable this is evident that her relation comes farre short of that strong and powerful expression wherein God had delivered it unto her And withal by relating the interdiction in the strictest termes she could devise and the curse in so sleight and weak an expression she gives great cause of suspicion that as she distasted the strictnesse of the command on the one side so she had no great feare of the curse on the other side of which the devil makes great advantage as we shall see in the sequel so that comparing this her sleighting of the curse with her breach of the Commandment which immediately followed we may 6 OBSERVE The sleighting of the curse of the Law makes way to the transgression of the Law Observe 6 HE that blesseth himself in his heart when he heares the cause denounced pronouncing peace to his own soule though he walk in all the abominations of his heart will not feare to adde drunkennesse unto thirst Deut. 29.19 and if one scoffe at Christs coming unto judgment 2 Pet. 3.3 4. to execute vengeance on those that deny subjection Luke 19.27 he will easily resolve to walk after his own lusts Indeed how can it fall out otherwise seeing although the cords of love both to God and to his Law be the strongest bands to keep the godly within their bounds yet the curse and terrour of wrath and vengeance is the strongest bridle to hold in such as are meerly carnal who are therefore compared to horse and mule Psal 32.9 which when they have once cast off the bridle they run on headlong to all excesse of riot Again whosoever hath cast off the feare of Gods wrath hath laid aside in effect all grounds of respect towards him as having in a sort denied his Providence Holinesse Truth Justice and Power and consequently broken in sunder all the bands which might hold him on in any course of obedience VERSE 4. BY this answer of the woman Satan had now sufficiently discovered the temper of her spirit He findes her heart impatient of her restraint and ready to repine against God that had laid it on her and thereupon the pronenesse of her will and affections to break out into actual rebellion if the terrour of the curse threatened in case of transgression of the Commandment could be wholly removed which also held but by a weak thread as we have seen The woman having discovered in her answer her sleighting of it either as uncertain or unconsiderable Wherefore he thinks it best to dally with her no longer but comes up close to her and putting on a bold face First he peremptorily denies the terrour of the curse as if that were only laid before her as a scar-crow seeing God well knew that no such evil would follow the eating of that fruit as he had threatened Secondly with like impudence and confidence in stead of that curse he assures the woman of a singular benefit which the eating of the fruit of that tree would bring her the knowledge of good and evil for the truth whereof he appeales to God himselfe who as he affirmes knew well enough that this tree had such an extraordinary vertue This dangerous assault the woman drew on by her weak and cold answer Whence 1 OBSERVE A little yielding to Satan in his temptations invites and encourageth him to a stronger and more violent assault Observ 1 IF a man yield so farre as to stand in sinners councels Satan
most holy things of God and to fight against him with his own weapons Let us then be alwayes jealous and wary of the taking up of Gods Name or Word by wicked men in their speeches and conferences alwayes fearing some evil practice in hand Seeing we know them to be haters both of the Word it selfe and of God that gave it and of all the truths therein delivered and besides of all godly men and therefore in all their words or actions can neither aime at Gods honour nor intend any good unto us but must even in using Gods Word endeavour either by it to uphold some dangerous errours and heresies to the corrupting of the sound doctrine contained in the Word or to countenance wicked mens own corrupt practices and to disgrace other mens sincerity and thereby to encourage their companions by making their hearts glad and dishearten the godly by making their hearts sad as the false prophets were wont to do Ezech. 13.22 VERSE 5. SAtan had charged God in the former verse which dealing deceitfully with the man and woman in threatening them with a grievous curse if they tasted the fruit for bidden which he well knew should never come upon them In this verse he goes a step farther and chargeth God with envy towards man affirming that he in forbidding the eating of that fruit kept man from the meanes of making him wise and enabling him to discerne between good and evil that so himself might excel alone And this as well as the former the woman must give credit unto upon his own word and confident affirmation Whence 1. OBSERVE Satan in all his Promises gives men no ground to build upon but his own bare word Observe 1 CHrist must take his word alone for it that all the Kingdoms of the earth were his and that he had power to bestow them on whomhe pleased and therefore that he could and would bestow them on him Luke 4.6 7. You must take wicked mens word for it that laying wait for innocent blood is the way to make one rich and to fill his house with spoile Prov. 5.13 so must Ahab take the false prophets word that he should prosper in his attempt upon Ramoth-Gilead 1 Kings 22. on the other side God when he speaks produceth his strong reasons drawn from experience Isa 41.20 21. sufficiently testified to mens own heart who are witnesses with him as himselfe speaks Isa 43.9 10. In like manner his servants that speak unto us in his Name bring forth evident and demonstrative proofes for all that they desire us to believe either out of Scriptures the Oracles of truth or out of strong evidences made good by right reason or by trial of experience as Elijah puts the determination of the question whether God or Baal were the true God upon an answer from heaven by fire 1 Kings 18.24 It is true that God himself doth affirme things upon his own Word alone and justly may seeing his Word is the Standard of Truth and therefore the only ground of faith but this is a peculiar priviledge to him alone incommunicable to any creature not to men who are all liars Rem 3.4 Much lesse to Satan who is the father of lies John 8.44 Indeed Satan sometimes imitates God in this way and offers also and makes shew to confirme by experiments what he suggests as that proud men are happy because they prosper Mal. 3.15 by which meanes he prevailes much upon wicked men to harden their hearts Eccl. 8.11 Jer. 44.17 18. yea and sometimes shakes the faith of the godly themselves as he did Davids Psal 73.2 3 13. But therein he playes the notable Sophister 1. In representing wicked mens prosperity so as if it were the reward of their wickednesse whereas it is either the blessing of God upon their provident care and industry in managing their affaires according to his own decree Prov. 10.4 and 14.23 or for the manifesting of his Goodnesse to all Mat. 5.45 and his Justice in their condemnation who abuse his mercies and provoke him by their sinnes when he doth them good or for the fatting of them against the day of slaughter Jer. 12.3 and raising them up on high unto eminent places their casting down into sudden and horrible destruction may be the more observed Psal 73.18 2. He deceives men by making the world believe that to be their happinesse which is indeed their plague as Solomon had found it in his own experience Eccl. 5.13 neither indeed can it be otherwise 1. Because all Satans words are falshood which therefore can have no reality upon which they are founded for if they had they were not falshood Besides the devil hath no power to effect any thing of himself and consequently in all his promises can give us nothing but words as being not able to make good any thing of all that he undertakes as the event and issue makes it evident at the end Are not they then grossely besotted that believe every word which Solomon tells us is the character of a foole Prov. 14.15 and that of Satan too who is a liar from the beginning as our Saviour tells us John 8.44 and yet those false suggestions of his are the principles by which the wise men of the world guide themselves believing 1. That riches are a strong city Prov. 18.11 that they abide for ever Psal 49.11 that they bring with them all sufficiency so that one may securely rest upon them as the foole thought Luke 12.19 and may be purchased by wayes of injustice and violence Prov. 1.13 grounds that have no other foundation but the opinion of the world blinded by Satan 2 Cor. 4.4 but contradicted by the Word of God and by all experience 2. These groundlesse opinions and others if it may be more false then they as that God hath forsaken the earth that a man shall have peace though he walk in all the abominations of his heart that there is no profit in Gods service and the like men notwithstanding so fairly rest upon that they are swayed by them in the whole course of their practice 3. In the mean time they sleight those infallible grounds of truth which the God of truth hath laid down unto us in his Word and which all experience hath made good unto us And is not he a wise man that guides himself by the wisdome of the world Satan if we mark it well manifests great policie in choosing out the ground upon which he raiseth up jealousie in the womans heart against God That Paradise was a Garden of great pleasure and delight excellently furnished with all varietie of the choicest fruits planted by God Himself and freely given and bestowed on man out of his meere bounty These things were so clear and evident that they could not be contradicted or questioned and theresoâ—e Statan takes it to be his wifest course not to meddle with them at all But the intention of God in this bounty of his was a secret thing
not manifest in it selfe and therefore might the more safely be questioned Wherefore he useth all the Art he can to cast a jealousie into the womans minde that in this great shew of liberality God intended her no true good So that we may hence 2 OBSERVE It is Satans custome and policie to cast suspicions of evil ends on that which he cannot blame or discredit otherwise Observ 2 THus when Davids wisdom valour and good service to the State were so manifest that they could not be denied he breeds a jealous opinion in the heart of Saul that David had an intention to make use of the honour and reputation which he had gotten by these meanes to step into his throne and thrust him out of his Kingdome When no man could blame Ahimelechs supplying of David with such provisions as he wanted being both the Kings servant and as he conceived employed then in the Kings service Doeg an instrument of Satans suggests that he was confederate with David in all his treasonable practices In like manner dealt the Scribes and Pharisees with our Saviour Christ for when they had nothing to blame either in his life or doctrine they cast a jealousie into Pilates head that he practised rebellion against Caesar The like aspersions they cast upon the Christians in the primitive times that they were enemies to and rebellious against all Authority falsifiers of Testaments incestuous and secret practicers of all abominations In the like manner he hath dealt with the Church of God in all ages and doth unto this day The reasons whereof may be 1. Because evil intentions are in true estimation the greatest of all evils wherewith men can be charged 2. Because nothing can be laid unto mens charge especially where their lives and actions are without offence with so much advantage be cause things that appear not in themselves may with as much probability be affirmed as they can be denied 1. Let us then acknowledge Gods infinite goodnesse that findes meanes to justifie his servants and to maintain their credit against such dangerous practices of Satan and his instruments against them as no wisdom of man can prevent notwithstanding all which he bringeth forth their innocency as the light and their righteousnesse as the noon-day as he promiseth to do Psal 37.6 2. Let all good men walk wisely towards those which are without Col. 4.5 cutting off all advantages from those that seek occasion after the Apostles example 2 Cor. 11.12 abstaining from all appearance of evil 1 Thes 5.22 walking circumspectly Eph. 5.15 taking the Prophet David for example who honoured Abners funeral with his own presence which was more then perhaps otherwise he would have done that no man might suspect him to have had any hand with Joab in contriving Abners death 2 Sam 3.36 37. 3. Believe not rashly such jealousies as are oftentimes entertained of men even in good actions as being taken up and cast upon men either by those 1. Who do therein discover their uncharitable mindes for charity thinkes not evil 1 Cor. 15.57 2. And are therein but the instruments of Satan whose work it is to discredit the godly seeing he cannot by their lives and actions which witnesse their holinesse yet by raising jealousies of the unsoundnesse of their hearts as he endeavoured to cast such an aspersion upon holy Job Job 1.9 and 2.4 Now if we observe it well we shall finde those same evils justly charged upon Satan of which he endeavours to taxe God himselfe He chargeth God with deluding man in terrifying him with a feareful curse which should never come in the mean time he deludes him in good earnest in promising a great good which he knew should prove clean contrary He chargeth God with envying mans happinesse when it was he himself that out of envy laboured to seduce him to his utter ruine and destruction as we shall see anon Whence 3. OBSERVE It is usual with Satan and his Agents to charge upon other men those evils falsely whereof themselves are truly guilty Observe 3 THus in all Ages of the Church the false Prophets ambitious Priests Scribes and Pharisees charge the true Prophets of God Christ Jesus Himself and his holy Apostles with those sins whereof themselves were truly guilty with deceiving the people troubling the world affecting greatnesse profaning the holy things of God and other like crimes which may happen upon divers grounds 1. Those that have false and evil hearts of their own are apt to suspect that to be in other men which they finde to be in themselves 2. By casting suspicions upon other men they hope in some measure to clear themselves as if they might in all probability be free from those evils which they taxe in other men or at least they hope to gain thus much that their own evils may seem the lesse hainous when other men appear to be little better then they Let none of us then be much moved at those aspersions that are cast upon godly men although with much confidence and boldnesse as hypocrisie pride covetousnesse contempt and opposing of Authority which upon due examination will be found to reigne in those who lay that to the charge of Gods children whom we know they hate and therefore no marvel if they endeavour to disgrace as much as they may Satans endeavour was to move the woman to taste of the fruit forbidden that she might be advanced thereby to a better condition endued with a greater measure of knowledge enabling her to know good and evil and raised up to little lesse then the honour of a God Those glorious offers tend to no other end but to move her to discontent at her present condition as being far below that which it might have been which must needs at last reflect upon God Himself who withheld from them that better estate unto which they might have been advanced To move the woman to seek after a better condition he presents her those suggestions that might move her to discontent at her present estate Whence we may 4. OBSERVE Discontent at our present condition is a dangerous temptation of Satan Observ 4 IT is indeed directly contrary to Gods expresse direction 1 Tim. 6.8 Heb. 13.5 and unto the practice of all godly men see the Apostles example Phil. 4.11 and is the daughter of pride and self-love which makes us think our selves worthy of much more then we have and is the Parent 1. Of anthankfulnesse to God for what we have received which proceeds from an undervaluing of those blessings which we enjoy 2. Of unquietnesse in our own hearts when our desires are not satisfied as Ahab had no rest in himself when he could not get Naboths vineyard 1 Kings 21.3 4. 3. Of envy at and contention with our neighbours who possesse that which we desire to enjoy and are consequently looked on by us with an evil eye as standing in our way to the obtaining of that which we aime at 4. Of unconscionable dealing
put them under our feet 2. The troubling and vexing of our mindes with continual unquietnesse caused necessarily by seeking and labouring for that unto which we can never attaine 3. The tempting of us to divers wayes of dishonest gaine contentions envyings uncharitablenesse for the attaining of our desired ends seeing the wayes of Justice Mercy and Truth can no way help us to gain that which we aime at There is indeed Self considered in relation to God and community which one may love otherwise our Saviour would never have laid our love to our selves before us as a patterne of love to our neighbours namely one may love himselfe 1. As Gods creature 2. As created after his Image 3. As an instrument of his glory 4. As a servant to community for the good of others so farre one may not only love himself but seek himself too upon these grounds and in relation to these ends But selfe taken without relation to God and community is a meer phantasie to be abhorred as an idol of our owne braines This self-love is founded upon pride and self conceit or an opinion though groundlesse of ones owne worth whether for Wisdome Goodnesse or any inward or outward eminencie And is manifested in leaning to ones own will and wisdome setting out his owne worth rejoycing in himselfe and his own good in directing all his endeavours to the attaining of his own ends and in his zeal against all that oppose him in that course Therfore this foule evil must be opposed by self-denial as incompatible with true Piety which it quencheth where it reignes and blemisheth where it dwells consisting 1. In a low esteem of ones self 2. In the laying aside ones own wisdom and will 3. In rejoycing in God alone looking only at him as the fountain of whatsoever we are or have 4. In bending all our endeavours to advance his glory and to serve one another through love as we are commanded 1 Cor. 10.31 Gal 5.13 To have moved the woman to seek after some base and sensual delight and pleasure or to have tempted her with profit especially being lord of the whole earth had been a vain thing those base earthly things her heavenly minde had never stooped unto wherefore Satan findes out for her and presents unto her a baite fit for her as being agreeable to her temper the encrease of her knowledge which might equal her even with God himselfe thus we usually take fowles and fishes by such baites as they naturally most delight in Whence 10 OBSERVE Satan usually layeth his snares for men in those things wherein they naturally take most delight Observe 10 THus he allures the covetous by wealth and riches the voluptuous by sensual pleasures and delights the ambitious by honours and preferments wise men by knowledge the angry envious melancholick and the like by objects fitted to their several passions and dispositions In like manner he makes use of wives to seduce their husbands as Jezabel to corrupt Ahab 1 Kings 21.25 of Parents to corrupt their children Jer. 44.17 The reason is First because by this meanes he prevailes upon men much more easily as having an help within our own breasts to let in those temptations wherewith he assailes us And secondly because such snares when they have entangled us hold us of all others most strongly as indeed love is strong as death Cantic 8.6 Let men then be alwayes fearful of some snare or other in things of ordinary use if our hearts delight in them as of houses apparel meats and drinks friends goods nay of knowledge and grace it selfe and performances of the best duties lest they lift up our hearts 1 Cor. 8.1 making us to think highly of ourselves and to despise others or make us grow secure and carelesse neglecting the use of those meanes that might establish us in a right way Let us take care to enjoy such things the more they delight us with the more feare and trembling watching diligently over our own hearts lest by the corrupt inclination of them and the policy of Satan they become snares unto us to entangle us before we be aware as being least suspected because they are beloved If we come to consider this bait more particularly we finde it to be knowledge which Satan perswades the woman to labour to encrease by eating the fruit forbidden Now knowledge we know is the ornament of mans soule unto which as Nature hath fitted man only of all visible creatures so duty bindes him to encrease it what he may Prov. 16.16 and 4.7 Thus Satan layes a snare for her in that which was her duty Whence 11 OBSERVE Satan tempts us to sin not only in our pleasures and delights but even in our duties too Observ 11 IN religious exercises to outward performances unseasonable undertakings in our labours to self-service in our food to sensual delight in the creature in our cloathing to pride and vanity in conference to vain jangling in bargaining to injustice in getting and keeping to covetousnesse The reason is 1. Because we are in such wayes most secure and therefore most easily ensnared 2. Satan desires most to corrupt our best endeavours for the greater dishonour to God and Religion 3. Because there be many easie and dangerous errours in circumstances of duty even where the substance of the action is warrantable in it self Let it then be our care as to walk in wayes warrantable in themselves so to go forwards therein with great circumspection and warinesse begging Gods assistance to order our steps in his Word Psal 119.133 that is in the wayes prescribed in his Word walking in the Spirit that we may not fulfil the lusts of the flesh Gal. 5.16 2. Guiding our selves in every circumstance by the rule of that Word in the time in the manner in the measure and in the end of every action that we may do not only What God hath commanded us but As he hath commanded us Deut. 6.25 for the failing wherein God made a breach upon Uzzah even in that good action of bringing the Ark 1 Chron. 15.13 Thus the Word ought to be our Counsellour in every particular Psal 119.24 and as a Lanthorne in our hands to guide our steps verse 105. 3. There needs for this purpose the thinking on our wayes before-hand with the Prophet Psal 119.59 and the examination of them afterwards that we may beg â—â—rdon for our errours as Hezekiah doth for the people that had not clensed themselves before the eating of the Passeover 2 Chron. 30.18 and may look more carefully to our wayes for time to come It will not be amisse to consider what kinde of knowledge it is which Satan perswades the woman to seek after the knowledge of good and evil Good they knew already at least as farre as was needful for them to know with evil they had nothing to do nor consequently any cause much lesse any warrant to seek after the knowledge of that which they could make no use of
Whence 17 OBSERVE Satans preferments are in true estimation abasements and base slaveries Observ 17 SOme of his servants do indeed talk of liberty but are in truth the servants of corruptions 2 Pet. 2.19 He promiseth Christ to bestow on him all the Kingdomes of the world but it is under the condition that he must first worship him and thereby stoop unto the basest of all his vassals Mat. 4.9 Thus he deals with us continually alluring us to be independent upon God and to wait on him no longer and in the mean time endeavouring to bring us to place our dependance upon the meanest of his creatures So likewise in the duties of our service he perswades us to cast off the yoke of Gods Law and subjection to his will and in the mean time provokes us to the service of our own base lusts so that we take on us instead of one God as many lords as we have vile and inordinate affections in our own hearts and which is worst of all himself too after whom we walk in sulfilling them and are led captive by him according to his will 2 Tim. 2.26 exercising us in baser services and exacting them with greater rigour and rewarding with nothing at the last but with shame and sorrow at present and everlasting destruction hereafter Satan well knew that if the woman had taken some longer time to commune either with her own heart or with her husband there would have been discovered so many strong evidences for the justifying of God in his exceeding large bounty to the man and woman by the undeniable experiments of those real favours which they had received from him that the scandalous and blasphemous imputation of Gods ill affection to them would soon have vanished as a mist before the Sunne Wherefore we shall finde that Satan labours all that he can to thrust forward the woman to a speedy resolution and execution thereupon to fall presently to the eating of the forbidden fruit that she might instantly be advanced to the honour of God How destructive that proved unto her will appear in the event that followed So that we may hence 18 OBSERVE Hasty resolutions prove commonly dangerous in the issue Observe 18 WIthout counsel the People and State fall but in the multitude of Counsellours there is safety saith the wise man Prov. 11.14 and he that hasteth with his foot sinneth chap. 19.2 and without counsel as ill wayes are usually resolved on so that which is purposed is overthrown Prov. 15.22 The reason is 1. Because in the oughts of our heart natural motions which are full of errour come first to hand upon which if we settle our resolutions we must needs be mistaken and erre dangerously ere we be aware 2. Because our understanding being weak in it selfe is not able at once to take in and lay before it all things upon which a well-grounded judgement should be setled so that we need some time to search out and lay together all those circumstances and evidences which must guide us in all that we take in hand Now to draw on the woman to this speedy resolution Satan sets before her eyes the speedy and present effect of that fruit that it had such a vertue as to open their eyes that very day that they should eate of it Whence 19 OBSERVE The nearer things are to be enjoyed the more strongly the heart is affected towards them Observe 19 HOpe deferred makes the heart sick saith the wise man Prov. 13.12 as on the other side judgement deferred maketh the heart secure and fearlesse Eccl. 8.11 Mat. 24.48 on the contrary side present judgement fills the heart with terrour as we see in the judgement on Dathan and Abiram did the children of Israel though otherwise a senselesse people Numb 16.34 as likewise when the desire comes it is a tree of life the meanes of reviving the soule whence our Saviour to affect the spirit of the poor thief upon the crosse tells him that he should be with him in Paradise that very day Luke 23.43 The reason is the affections of the heart are most strongly moved by sense which apprehends only things that are present whence it must needs follow that the nearer things are unto us in our apprehension the more strongly the heart must be moved by them If then we desire to have our hearts moved either by mercies or judgements let us labour to bring them as near as we can Thus God represents unto Cain sinne he means the punishment of sinne as lying at the door Gen. 4.7 To morrow the Lord will be angry if we sinne to day say the messengers sent from the children of Israel to the Reubenites and the Gadites Josh 22.18 and Ahijah to Jeroboams wife tells her that the judgment upon Jeroboams house is coming even now 1 Kings 14.14 so in mercies Abrahams rejoycing at Christs day was that he saw it that is apprehended it as present John 8.56 To this purpose 1. Let us be careful to fixe our eyes upon the present examples of mercies or judgements upon our selves or others especially upon those which are inward and spiritual laying hold of eternal life upon the sense of Gods present favours as the Prophet David seems to do Psal 73.24 and beholding and trembling at the very face of hell in present judgments 2. Labour to work those experiments upon our hearts till they awaken faith by which only those things which are to come are made present Heb. 11.1 so that they affect men with joy as if they were possessed already 1 Pet. 1.8 and with like feare on the other side 3. Let us often recount with our selves the shortnesse of this present life Meditation may and will shew a mans life unto him but a span long and may make a thousand yeares seem unto him as God accounts them but as one day VERSE 6. ANd when the woman saw That is when she partly beheld with her eyes and was as fully perswaded in her heart as if she had seen it For although the outward beauty of the fruit might be seen with the eye yet the goodnesse of it for food which nothing could discover but the taste and much more the vertue of it to make one wise were things not to be seen with the eye so that seeing in this place must necessarily withal include believing That the tree That is the fruit of the tree for that only could be eaten Was good for food and therefore as she might be perswaded more apt to preserve life then to bring death as God had threatened Now that the fruit of this tree was good for food she might easily be induced to believe because she had by experience found it so in other fruits of the Garden that those which delighted the eye were likewise grateful to the taste and questionlesse in this the woman was not deceived for the fruit doubtlesse had no evil in the nature of it only the use of it was made evil unto man
by Gods interdiction And that it was pleasant to the eyes Which perhaps she had not taken notice of before as not thinking it fit to look upon that with observation which she might not touch or if perhaps she had looked upon it she beheld it not with the same affection before that now she did which made it now more delightful in her eyes then it had been before This seems to be the womans first outward act in this sinne of hers the gazing upon this fruit with delight And a tree to be desired The womans desire after this fruit is not mentioned by Moses till he come to speak of getting knowledge to intimate that although the beauty of the fruit in her eye and the usefulnesse of it for food might somewhat affect her yet that which set her heart on fire with the desire after it was especially and chiefly the hope of getting the knowledge of good and evil To make one wise or prudent as some translate it although as it seemes not so properly nor agreeably to the sense of the Holy Ghost seeing the wisdom here spoken of must be the same which had before been mentioned by Satan and consisteth rather in contemplation then in practice and therefore must be conceived to be rather Sapience then Prudence or at least must include them both She took of the fruit thereof Which before she had acknowledged she might not touch Now in this kinde of expression the Holy Ghost discovers unto us the Rule by which the woman now guided her self namely by the lusts of her own heart and no longer by the Commandment and Will of God It was now no impediment to her to eate of the fruit of that tree because God had forbidden it it was a sufficient warrant to her to take and eate it because she desired it Withal we have here pointed out unto us the several steps and degrees by which the woman went on till she came up to the height of her sinne she saw she desired she took and eat and at the last gave unto her husband that he might eate And gave also to her husband Having questionless found the fruit as grateful to her taste as she expected but not as Satan with an intention to beguile him but out of love to make him partaker with her of this new-found meanes of her happinesse Thus Satan blinded her eyes and God left her to her selfe to be insensible of the evil which she had brought upon her selfe till she had been led on by Satan to do as much mischief as she might and drawen her husband into the same condition with her With her That is to eate with her or as she had done For otherwise he must needs be with her in the same place when she gave him of the fruit to eat Now whether she went after him to finde him out or whether he came to her of himself and when and whether before she had eaten of the fruit or after which is most probable it is uncertain and not much material to be known And he did eate By his wives perswasion as well as by her offer of the fruit and by her example for ver 17. God censures him for hearkening to the voice of his wife By what words or arguments she prevailed with him it is not expressed it is most probable that she related unto him all that which she had heard from Satan before which the Holy Ghost thinks not needful to repeat again as affecting brevity and having this only scope to manifest that God had no finger in Adams sinne but that the woman was tempted and deceived by Satan and the man by the woman Thus were the two fountaines out of which all mankinde issued both poisoned and corrupted and consequently of necessity by them their whole posterity after them seeing there can be nothing clean drawn out of that which is unclean We have then in this verse set before our eyes the success and effect of Satans temptation First the womans affections are distempered and corrupted by her outward senses and both by them and by Satans suggestions her Minde and Judgement are perverted till she breaks out at last into the actual transgression of Gods Commandment and drawes her husband after her Secondly it is probable that the woman might have seen this tree before without any inordinate affection towards the fruit thereof it may be that it was not then so pleasant in her eyes as it now appeares unto her after Satan had by his suggestions distempered her heart and kindled her affections to an inordinate desire after it and then it seems very beautiful in her eyes Whence 1 OBSERVE Things usually appear unto us as we stand affected towards them in our hearts Observe 1 TO men of carnal minds carnal things seem to be matters of great worth as Riches to the covetous Honour to the ambitious Beauty to the adulterous and dainty fare to the voluptuous because their affections and desires are towards them As likewise on the other side Christ and his Righteousnesse Grace and Glory seem in their eyes to be matters of small value because their affections are against them Nay the very objects of sense and much more the arguments that are brought and presented to us in discourse seem more or lesse weighty and consequently make a deeper or sleighter impression and prevaile more or lesse with us as our hearts stand affected the one way or the other As it happens in our bodies that contagious sicknesses yea distempers of heaâ— or cold and the like prevaile more or lesse upon men according as the body it selfe is inwardly disposed Let it be then the care and labour of every man to get those carnal and sensual affections wherewith all our hearts naturally are possessed subdued and mortified our selves renewed in the spirit of our mindes and our hearts changed from this carnal and earthly disposition to a spiritual and heavenly frame lest they remaining carnal and earthly still represent things unto us not according to truth but according to their own temper as a distempered taste doth the relish of our meats and so beguile us by corrupting our judgements which must necessarily lead us into dangerous errours making evidences of heavenly truths small and sensual objects great And let all men be careful to take heed of judging of any thing when their mindes are distempered with any passion or giving much heed unto such mens judgements who manifest themselves to be engaged in their affections before-hand By that which we have already considered in the prevailing of Satan by this temptation it appears that we cannot lay the blame of drawing the woman to this sin upon the fruit of this tree which she had in all probability beheld before this without sinne but it was the impression made upon her heart by Satans suggestions which made that fruit a snare unto her now which was none before Whence 2 OBSERVE Sinne proceeds not from the outward
object but from the corruption of the heart within Observe 2 INdeed those things that defile a man come from within Mark 7.21 and it is not the beholding of a woman but the lusting after her in ones heart that makes it adultery Mat. 5.18 And St. James tells us that God tempts no man but every man is drawn away by his own lust Jam. 1.13 14. First God tempts no man neither by suggestion of evil that he raiseth up in any mans heart nor by any thing that he hath made now if God should have put any evil into the creature which he had made he might have been said in some sort to have tempted us to evil but every creature of God is good wherefore he affirmes that the cause of evil is within us and not without us the creature being in the nature of it as apt to be applied to good as to evil to which it cannot be turned but by the evil disposition of our owne hearts within us and the motions that arise from thence The evil then was neither in the wedge of gold nor in the Babylonish garment which Achan saw but in his coveting of them nor is it in the wine that gives a red colour in the Cup but in the drunkards inordinate appetite Prov. 23.31 No wicked persons draw from alluring objects motions and sollicitations to sin with an intent to corrupt and draw others to evil as the devil from the glory of the Kingdomes of the world drew his temptation wherewith he endeavoured to allure our blessed Saviour to fall down and worship him yet neither the creature it selfe nor the temptation or motion presented with it causeth any sinne in us unlesse they meet with some corruption in our hearts to embrace and entertain them Seeing the nature of sinne consists in a voluntary motion of the minde against the Law of God whichcan proceed from no other cause but only from the motion of the minde of him that sins We have laid before us the first step of the womans sinne in the outward act that she saw the fruit of the tree that it was pleasant that is that she looked upon it with delight and desire she saw it perhaps before but that was only in a natural way to discerne that object before her eye she lookes now upon it in a sinful way fixing her eye upon it with a more serious observation of the pleasantnesse of it which so affected her heart that she takes the boldnesse to pluck and eate it So she begins her sin in gazing upon and perfects it in taking and eating Whence 3 OBSERVE It is dangerous to a man to fixe his senses upon enticing objects Observ 3 TO look upon the wine in the glasse and to observe the colour and motion or sparkling of it Prov. 23.31 therefore the wise man expresseth inordinate desire of riches by that phrase of setting our eyes upon them Prov. 23.5 Indeed the very looking upon the wedge of gold drew Achan to covet it Josh 7.21 and men are taken with the eye-lids of a whore when they gaze in her face Prov. 6.25 as the looking upon Bathsheba when she washed her selfe ensnared David 2 Sam. 11.2 for which cause it was that Job when he would not think upon a maid makes a covenant with his eyes to prevent it Job 31.1 Let it be then the care of every good man to watch diligently and continually over his outward senses let him turne away his eare from hearkening to a naughty tongue Prov. 17.4 his eyes from beholding vanity Psal 119.37 that is his senses from dwelling unnecessarily upon alluring objects And to do that it will be our wisdom to fixe them upon such things as are useful and profitable remembring the use for which God hath given them unto us which is partly natural to informe us of things profitable or hurtful to the outward man and partly and especially spiritual to set before us those objects that by the due meditation of them may raise up our mindes to heavenly thoughts observing both their perfections that we may raise up our hearts to the admiration of the more eminent perfection of him that gave them and withal their defects by which they come infinitely short of that All-sufficiency upon which our dependance must be grounded Consider therefore in the objects which we meet withal 1. That they are of a nature appliable to good or evil as they are diversly entertained and used and may be as well snares as helps unto us 2. That our senses being naturally corrupt as many senses as we have so many windows we carry about us to let in sin and as many outward objects as are presented to us so many sparks may fall into out hearts in this state of corruption to set the whole frame of our nature on fire unlesse we look warily to our selves Wherefore 1. Avoid the entertaining of unnecessary objects where we may avoid them 2. If they be presented to us look not on their outward appearance but on the dangers into which they may bring us that a Whore is a deep ditch Prov. 23.27 Wine a mocker Prov. 20.1 3. Pray for the assistance of the Spirit as to keep the door of our lips Psal 141.3 so to take the reins of all our senses yea of the affections of our soules that walking in the spirit we may not fulfil the lusts of the flesh Gal. 5.16 But what may we conceive to be the reason why the woman gives so much credit to Satans information that the tree was good for food and to be desired to get knowledge upon Satans bare word without any experiment made or any other proof at all to justifie what he affirmes when she gives so little credit to that which she had heard from Gods own mouth that the eating of that tree would certainly bring death Questionlesse she shews in this errour of hers the disposition of mans nature in general and gives occasion to 4 OBSERVE Men by nature are more apt to give credit unto lies then unto the Truth of God Observe 4 CErtainly if Adam in this his state of perfection standing then in the Truth and having the helpe of a Minde furnished with all divine knowledge and questionlesse affected also with the love of it which might easily have preserved him in the truth was notwithstanding so suddenly carried away to believe so foule a lie and that meerly upon Satans sugestion and information against Gods expresse word delivered by his own mouth we have great reason to be jealous of our selves being naturally blinded with errour having our understanding full of darknesse Eph. 4.18 and our wills wholly averse from Truth and taking pleasure in unrighteousnesse 2 Thessal 2.10 seeing 1. The Truth of God containes many heavenly and deep mysteries hard to be understood much more to be believed seeing they are foolishnesse to a natural man 1 Cor. 2.14 2. Seeing we have by nature an hatred against the Wisdome and Counsel of
God because it crosseth our carnal affections and condemns all our wayes and works John 3.20 Let no man then suffer his judgement to be swayed by the opinion of the world in any matter that concernes the grounds of Truth delivered in the Word seeing the world is guided by the wisdome of the flesh which is enmity against God Rom. 8.7 And therefore no marvel though it oppose his Truth which brings down the strong holds and high imaginations of the natural man to bring under every thought to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10.5 and refuse to give credit to those that speak it as the Jewes dealt with our Saviour John 8.45 because the world lying in wickednesse 1 John 5.19 which the truth of God reproves John 16.8 cannot but hate that which disgraceth and opposeth it Now if we observe it well that which made the woman so apt to give credit unto Satans suggestions was that her heart was beforehand taken with some desire after the knowledge which the eating of that fruit would certainly bring as Satan had informed her and she was desirous to believe Whence 5 OBSERVE Men are easily drawen to believe and hope any thing of that which they affect and desire Observe 5 LOve as the Apostle tells us hopes and believes all things 1 Cor. 13.7 and we know that as our affection is towards the person that speaks unto us so we give credit to his words much more to a friend then to a stranger Thus we are apt to hope well of our children because we love them well much more are we apt to promise ourselves good of our own counsels which we love better then our children It must needs be so seeing love being grounded upon a perswasion of some worth in that which we love we are easily drawn by the experience of that which we know to be in it to hope for and expect that which we know not although it doth not yet appear And whatsoever we desire to have because we desire withal that it may be good we hope it will be so By this one mark it will evidently appear that the generality of men are greater lovers of Wealth of Men of Honours of Pleasures then of God Himself or his Sonne Christ because it is evident they expect and promise themselves more good by them then by God and all his Promises following them more earnestly rejoycing in the fruition of them more cordially preserving them more carefully and resting on them more securely then on Gods Promises of Grace and Glory of this life and of that which is to come which as their own wayes convince them to their faces they esteem little better then meer delusions Yea it is manifest that they have no desire towards any way or work of Godlinesse of which they promise themselves no good by them Job 21.15 but disgrace poverty danger losse of profit and pleasure besides much unquietnesse of minde Nay by the same mark the greatest part of men appear to be greater lovers and better friends to wicked men of whom they never speak nor patiently endure to heare any evil then they are unto the godly of whom themselves are alwayes willing to believe any ill report that can be raised upon them The woman had before her eyes this pleasant fruit but she had withal an Interdiction from God not to meddle with it under the fearful curse of dying the death if she tasted of it but her inordinate appetite stirred up by sense we see prevailes with her above the terrour of the curse though denounced by God himself Whence 6 OBSERVE The terrours of wrath to come cannot prevâ—â—â— against strong and violent affections to things that are present Observe 6 IF the sense of an evil felt cannot withhold us in such a case as Prov. 23.34 35. much lesse can the feare of future evils work on our hearts The Prophet complaines that the peoples violent affection to rebellious courses thrust them forwards as an horse rusheth into the battel Jer. 8.6 of whom the Lord himselfe testifieth that he mocketh at feare and turnes not back from the sword Job 39.22 opposing their confirmed resolutions to evil against any shame or feare that stood in their way Jer. 2.25 26. Like Zimri and Cozbi that scorned the presence and tears of the Congregation and the apprehension of the future danger to fulfil their filthy lusts Numb 25.6 nay even the whole multitude of that rebellious people a little before were not deterred by the fearful judgement executed in their sight on Corah Dathan and Abiram from renewing their rebellion against Moses and Aaron the very next day Numb 16.4 The reason whereof is 1. Because such things as are present such as the pleasures of sinne are being apprehended by sense work more strongly upon the affections then things absent can do because they want that help of sense to conveigh them to the mindes which the affections are most moved by For as hope deferred maketh the heart sick because the thing desired is absent Prov. 13.12 so on the other side when the judgment is deferred and is not present the heart is not affected with the feare of it but hardened in men to mischief Eccl. 8.11 2. Because affections which things present raise up in us blinde our judgements so far that the evils threatened because they are not present are not believed so that men perswade themselves they will not come Deut. 29.19 Isa 28.15 and for that reason the feare of them restrains not men from evil because unto such persons they are esteemed as if they were not at all Let all men by this try their affections either to good or evil If our affections to that which is good be strong Much water will not quench love Cantic 8.6 7. as appears in the example of holy David whom though the proud derided Psal 19.51 Princes spake against him ver 23. the hands of the wicked robbed him ver 61. the proud digged pits for him ver 85. the wicked waited to destroy ver 95. yet all quenched not his love to Gods Law ver 97. nor his endeavours not to decline from his testimonies ver 157. Out of the same affection the Apostles were not deterred from preaching by all the menaces of the counsel and stripes that they laid upon them Acts 4.20 21. Thus Daniel continues his duty of making his request unto God despising the Lions Den Dan. 6.10 as the three children had done the flames of fire Dan. 3.17 On the other side to faint in the day of adversity argues small strength Prov. 24.10 or to take offence and be disheartened when tribulations arise Mat. 13.21 or mens displeasure threatens us as they do John 13.42 or much more when feigned terrours keep us off from our duty Prov. 26.13 That which prevailed so far with the woman or at least by which her minde already distempered by Satans suggestions was so far inflamed that it carried her on violently into this actual
rebellion was the delight somnesse of the fruit to her outward senses she saw that the tree was pleasant to the eye and good for food and took and did eate the great mischief that followed thereupon may then warrant us to 7 OBSERVE Outward sense is an ill and a dangerous guide Observe 7 AChans eye was it that drew him to take of the accursed thing and Davids eye drew him to adultery and Solomon tells us that the drunkards pleasing his eye with the colour of the wine in the cup may draw him to drunkennesse Prov. 23.31 to the beholding of strange women and the heart to the uttering of perverse things ver 33. Upon this ground it is that the Apostle calls wisdome according to sense divellish wisdom and the lust of the eye St. John tells us is of the world 1 John 2.16 That it must be so it stands with good reason 1. Sense was never given men for a Judge or Counsellour to determine and direct but only for an informer 2. Sense can shew us nothing but the outward formes of such things as it represents upon which we shall never be able to lay the ground of a right judgement wherefore judgement according to appearance is opposed to Gods true and infallible judgement 1 Sam. 16.7 wherefore the receiving of things meerly from sense cannot but mislead us in all that we so apprehend awakening and stirring up affections that distemper the minde and blinde the eyes of the understanding And yet is this judgement by sense the wisdom that guides all the world or at the least the greatest part of it as we see by experience It is added that the woman saw that the tree was good for food that is that she was perswaded and believed it to be so and that upon that opinion she did take and eate the forbidden fruit so that which deceived the woman was the false opinion that she entertained of the goodnesse of the fruit Whence 8. OBSERVE A man cannot naturally desire any thing but under a shew and appearance of good Observe 11 THis is all that they seek and enquire after Psal 4.6 Who will shew as any good and as their endeavour is to do well unto themselves so they applaud only those that do so Psal 49.18 Nay the enquiry of all those which have been renowned for their wisdome amongst men hath been especially to finde out what is mans chiefest good And their errour hath been not in chusing evil as evil but in mistaking evil for good Yea although some have been so far blinded by Satan as to become instruments of their own destruction which appears manifestly to be evil notwithstanding even therein they may be conceived to choose that at least which is lesse evil esteeming a speedy death to be better then a miserable and uncomfortable life This firme adherence of the heart of man to that which is good from which it cannot be drawen unlesse it be by mistaking without the destruction of nature it selfe God hath planted in all mens hearts not only that it might be a meanes of their own preservation which all creatures bend unto some by a natural others by a sensitive and Man by a rational inclination but besides for an higher end that Man choosing God above all things to depend on and his will to submit unto and to place all his happinesse in him might thereby give a clear testimony and set to his seale that he esteems God as the chiefest good because his heart which carries him on with a restlesse desire to seek that above all things and desires no more when they do enjoy him with the Prophet Psal 73.25 and 116.7 Hence then appears not only the folly of men of this world who so greedily seek after Wealth Honours Pleasures and the favour of men as if all their happinesse lay in them but more their sacrilegious impiety in robbing God of his due honour to bestow it not only on the creature whom they advance above the Creator Rom. 1.25 when they seek their chief good in that rather then in him besides on our own base lusts by which we guide our selves rather then by the Will of God as if there were more good to be found in them then in God Himself so that the A postle justly censures them to be lovers of pleasures more then lovers of God 2 Tim. 3.4 which must needs be acknowledged to be true when we seek after them more earnestly and constantly and rejoyce and satisfie our selves with them more cordially and contentedly then we do with the favour and love of God this taking away from God the chiefest flower of his Crown which is to be good alone Mat. 19.17 to adorne with it the basest creatures is an abomination not to be expiated but with the pouring out of the wrath of God to the uttermost as the Apostle speaks 1 Thes 2.16 especially when they do not only call evil good and good evil upon whom the Prophet pronounceth that fearful woe Isa 5.20 but seale to it too by their deeds and actions Thus then the woman moved by Satans faire and large promises seconded with the strong outward allurement of a fruit so pleasant to the eye conceiving that she could not be but a great gainer by so rich a purchase without any more ado takes the fruit and eates it But how grosly she was mistaken therein the fearful event of the ruine of her self and her husband in the issue sufficiently declares So that comparing the successe of this action with the hopes upon which it was undertaken upon Satans word We may 9 OBSERVE Man is an ill chooser of his own good Observe 9 ADam we see even in this state of Innocency though endowed with so much wisdom yet as we shall see anon chooseth death instead of life And Solomon the wisest of all Princes either before or after him is faine after his long enquiry and travel in seeking after mans chiefest good Eccl. 2.3 when he looked advisedly back upon all his labours and the fruits of them to acknowledge that they were vanity and vexation of spirit Eccl. 2.11 17. and this he found not to be his own errour alone but that generally the wayes that seem right to a man are found at last in the issues of them to be wayes of death Prov. 14.12 The reason whereof is First mans ignorance by nature is such that he knows nothing as he ought not God the chiefest good of whom we may acknowledge with Bildad that it is a little portion that is heard of him Job 26.14 and that of those that know him best 1 Cor. 13.12 but of the generality of men we may say with Zophar that man is borne like a wilde assâ—es colt Job 11.12 and therefore no marvel if those that know him not desire him not seeing it is the knowledge of things that move us either to desire them or to depend upon them See Psal 9.10 As ignorant are we of the inward
sinne themselves are commonly seducers of others to sin Observe 13 EIther out of the errour of their judgements as it happened in this act of Eve deceiving others as themselves are deceived being perswaded that they lead them on in a right way when they lead them into errour Or perhaps out of self-love desiring to countenance their own evils and to justifie them by other mens concurrence with them in the same way Or being set on by Satan to pervert men maliciously to the encreasing of their own sin and judgement and by drawing in others with themselves into sinful courses to win him more subjects for the enlarging of his Kingdome Thus the leaven is not only soure in it selfe but withall soures all that is mixed with it and one person infected with some contagious disease infects all that come near unto him Let every man both feare and shun sin as one would avoid and flie from the plague or other contagious diseases being not only destructive to his own soule that commits it but besides exceeding dangerous both to his nearest friends and to all his neighbours that are round about him And upon the same ground let us keep far off from persons infected with sin as not only vile in themselves as they are termed Psal 15.4 but besides dangerous to others Prov. 22.24 25. or at least troublesome either by hindering our free exercise in holy duties which moved David to chase them away Psal 119.115 or at least vexing us with their unclean conversation as the Sodomites vexed Lot 2 Pet. 2.8 2. Let this practice of wicked men quicken the spirits of the godly with an holy zeale to be much more earnest and active in endeavouring to draw on men to Religion and thereby to further the enlarging of Christs Kingdome by winning men by our holy examples and by instructions admonitions exhortations as we are directed to do Col. 3.16 1 Thes 5.11 Heb 3.13 And that 1. In love to Christ whose honour we advance by enlarging his Kingdome 2. In love to our brethren for the furthering of the salvation of their soules 3. And for the furthering of our own account who by winning many to righteousnesse shall shine as the stars Dan. 12.3 or if they be not wonne we shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord Isa 49.5 But whom doth the woman beguile even her own husband to whom she was given for an helper The nearnesse of the relation between them gives us occasion to 14 OBSERVE One that is fallen into sinne is many times most dangerous to his nearest friends Observe 16 NOt only by drawing on Gods judgements on them which oftentimes fall not only on the person himself but upon all that are near unto him as Ahabs family perished with himself by Gods just judgement for his and his wives abominations 1 Kings 21.22 23 24. But besides by becoming active instruments of evil to them either by seducing them as Jonadab did his friend Amnon 2 Sam. 13.5 and Achitophel furthered Absalom in his treasonable practices and counselled him to lie with his fathers Concubines 2 Sam. 16.21 and Jezabel stirred up her husband Ahab to work wickednesse 1 Kings 21.25 or by working him some mischief or other if he consent not See Mat. 10.36 as David complaines that it was his guide his equal his acquaintance that did him the wrong of which he complaines Psal 55.13 The reason is 1. Because men are most apt to communicate either that which is really good or evil which seemes good to them to such as they love for love is communicative 2. Because they are most powerful to prevaile with friends as symbolizing with them either in nature or disposition as we know diseases spread most easily in the same blood or at least their perswasions are most powerful with those with whom they deal when they are conceived to be tendred unto them in love and sincerity 3. And by daily commerce by reason of inward acquaintance they have most opportunity to compasse their ends as an infected person most easily spreads the infection to those with whom he continually converseth Now if we consider withal that this woman that tempts and seduceth her husband was created and appointed by God to be an help unto him we may in this example take notice how far the best things being abused by our folly may be turned to our hurt and those things that were intended to us for our help may be the meanes of our ruine but this observation will more clearly be grounded upon Adams excuse unto God of himself that he was drawen away by his wives enticement ver 12. of this chapter For the present we may take notice that she had no ill intent towards her husband but presents him with this fruit meerly in love and conceiving that she had met with a good purchase she desires to make her husband partaker with her of her gaine Whence 15 OBSERVE It is the property of true love to communicate to others whatsoever it self embraceth as good Observe 15 THis is most eminently manifested in God himself who is love it selfe and imparts every good thing to those that love him yea even his own and only begotten Sonne Psal 84.11 John 3.16 Moses being assured of the possession of Canaan invites his wives friends to be partakers with him of his hopes Numb 10.29 In like manner David having found God so gracious to himself in particular calls his friends together to shew them the way how they might get a share in that happinesse that himself enjoyed Psal 34.11 This truth all experience makes good in the dealing of Parents with their children Husbands with their wives and the like which although it appear not alwayes in outward things wherein self-love prevailes with us so far as to cause us to forbear to communicate too much of the things of this life lest we should want our selves yet it constantly holds in spiritual things wherein our imparting to others rather addes unto us then takes from us what we communicate to other men Let every man by this mark try his judgement of the worth and value of heavenly things even by his earnest desire to bring his wife children and family into the fruition of that happinesse whereof himself is partaker after Abrahams example Gen. 18.19 yea his neighbours and acquaintance with the woman of Samaria John 4.29 much more his intimate familiars with Philip John 1.45 God in this encounter leaves both the man and woman to themselves and we see how easily the woman by Satans suggestion and the man by a word of her mouth are withdrawn from their obedience to God and carried headlong into open rebellion Whence 16 OBSERVE The strongest man is not able to stand against Satan if God leave him to himselfe Observe 16 IF our first Parents furnished with so much wisdom and holinesse were so easily foiled by him who can stand before him his advantages against us are infinite 1. In his Nature
taken away Eph. 2.8 9. and that he that rejoyceth may rejoyce in God alone 1 Cor. 1.31 who as he loves us first so he seeks us first Isa 61.1 and recovers us oft when we go astray whence the Prophet begs that favour from him Psal 119.176 A mercy sufficient to astonish us if we consider 1. The infinite distance between God and his creature which he abaseth himself to look upon Psal 113.5 6. 2. The little that he hath of any man or his service Job 35.7 3. The unconceiveable dishonour by which we have provoked him in going a whoring from him Jer. 2.12 4. The infinite price by which he hath purchased our peace 1 John 4.9 5. The manifold effectual meanes by which he labours to bring us back to himself Let this manner of Gods dealing with us be an effectual meanes to move us to deal in the same manner with our brethren 1. Willingly accept though we have been never so farre provoked peace with such as sue for it and seek it at our hands Luke 17.4 2. Seek peace follow after it although it be not offered 1. Rendring to them who have wronged us good for evil Rom. 12.14 and praying for them that persecute us Mat. 5.44 2. Making them offers of peace Psal 120.7 yet with such Christian wisdome that we neither encourage them to do us further wrong by shewing any weaknesse of spirit nor give them occasion of justifying themselves in that which they have done already The voice by which God gave Adam and Eve notice of his Presence whether it were a Thunder or some Whirlwinde or what else was questionlesse a voice full of terrour or representing in some measure the Power and Majesty of him with whom they had to do This is indeed Gods usual way to possesse the hearts of men with reverence and feare before he begins to deal with them So that we may hence 3 OBSERVE God when he deales with men delights to be hearkened unto with reverence and feare Observe 3 TO this end he prepared his people by thunder and lightening the sound of a Trumpet before he delivered them his Law Exod. 19.16 Thus he amazeth Elijah by a strong winde an earthquake and fire before he speaks with him 1 Kings 19.11 12. In like manner he speaks to Job out of a whirlwinde Job 38.1 and amazeth and smites Paul to the ground before he reasons with him And this he doth partly for preserving of his own honour that he may be apprehended to be as he is full of Majesty and partly that he may by this beat down the hearts of his servants that the words which he speaks may take the deeper impression in them Let it move all men when they come into Gods Presence either to hear his Word publickly or to reade it in private especially when we draw near unto him to poure out our soules before him in Prayer or in examining our hearts before him in our Closets to set him up before and to fill our hearts with the apprehension of his Majesty Power and Holinesse as we are advised Eccl. 5.1 2. that our hearts may be brought to tremble at his Word Isa 66.2 and may stand in awe even when we commune with him in our hearts as the Psalmist directs Psal 4.4 God might as well have appeared in flames of fire as have given notice of his presence by this voice so that their spirits within them might have been wholly swallowed up and their hearts have died within them as Nabals did but he tempers the terrour of his Majesty so far that they might tremble and be humbled but not affrighted or distracted out of which dealing with Adam and Eve here we may 4 OBSERVE God in representing his Majesty to men so deales with them that he may humble but not confound them Observe 4 THus he dealt with his people when he gave them the Law Deut. 5.28 and in hearkening to treat with them by Moses Thus he dealt in reasoning with Job chap. 42.6 and with the children of Israel in treating with them after they had provoked him by asking a King 1 Sam. 12.18 and this course he holds not only with his owne children whom he desires only to instruct and reclaim that he might not destroy them but sometimes even with wicked men as appeares in Cains example Gen. 4. that he might manifest his patience and long-suffering towards them that the world may justifie him in the way of his judgements Although at other times he overwhelmes them with terrours as he did Judas and shall deal with all the rest of the wicked at the last day Let all men acknowledge the riches of Gods mercy 1. In dispensing his Word by the Ministery of men and not of Angels whose presence might affright us and that too in such a manner that whereas it is in it selfe like an hammer Jer. 23.29 mighty in operation through God sharper then any two edged sword 2 Cor. 10.5 able if it were set on by the strength of his hand to break the heart in pieces yet is so tempered in the dispensation thereof by men like unto our selves and therefore sensible by experience of humane infirmities that it only pricks the heart as Acts 2.27 but cuts it not in pieces 2. In the terrours of conscience which being in themselves unsupportable Prov. 18.14 yet are so moderated unto us that though we be perplexed we are not in despair 2 Cor. 4.8 burned but yet not consumed like Moses his bush Exod. 2.2 walking safely in the midst of the flames of fire with the three children Dan. 3.25 3. In afflictions which God layes on us in such a measure proportioned to our strength 1 Cor. 10.13 that they only purge us but do not destroy us Isa 27.8 9. The place where God arraignes our first Parents and calls them to account for their sinne is Paradise that Garden of delights which God himself had planted and bestowed on our first Parents for their pleasure Whence 5 OBSERVE God many times calls men to accompt and proceeds in judgement against them in the midst of their delights Observ 5 THus he deales not only with wicked men upon whom he casts the fury of his wrath while they are about to fill their bellies Job 20.23 as he did upon the murmurers even while the meat was yet between their teeth Psal 78.30 31. and on wicked Belshazzar in the midst of his great feast when they were drinking their wine when God wrote the judgement that he had passed on him on the wall before him Dan. 5.5 26 27. But sometimes even with his own children whom he troubles now and then in the midst of their prosperity as he did David Psal 30.6 7. whether by casting troublesome thoughts inwardly into their mindes Thus Job was not in safety nor at rest in his greatest peace Job 3.26 Sometimes laying his hand upon them in their estates or bodies as he dealt with Job afterwards And this he may
dangerous snare 1 Tim. 6.10 Prov. 11.28 Friends and especially wives are great comforts and helps many wayes but if we make them our Oracles they may and often do beguile us Deut. 13.6 Gods sacred word the greatest of all helps and outward blessings the power of God to salvation and the savour of life unto all that receive it as they ought may prove the savour of death if it be not mixed with faith but received into a corrupt heart as meat taken into a fowle stomack may turne into ill humours and so become our poison Much more is this true of Peace Plenty Strength nay of Wisdome it selfe and other abilities of the minde And that 1. Because many of these things though good in themselves yet are of such a nature that the good or evil of them is found only in the use of them and therefore as they are used by us so they prove unto us either good or evil 2. And it is fit that it should be so that God in his Justice should turne good into evil to such as are not good before him as he draws good out of evil it selfe unto all those that love him as the Apostle tells us Rom. 8.28 Let it warne every one of us to use all the helps and blessings which we receive from God with feare and trembling 1. Purging our own hearts carefully for to those which are defiled nothing is pure Tit. 1.15 2. Sanctifying unto our selves the blessings themselves by the word and prayer 1 Tim. 4.5 3. Using all things according to the rule laid down to us in the word and referring them to the end for which he gives them his own glory and the furthering of our Sanctification that he may blesse us in those things the fruit whereof returns unto himself at last If we scan Adams answer a little more thorowly we may easily discover what was his great oversight by which his wives temptation prevailed so much with him and took such effect at last which also God himself points at in the judgment which afterwards he passethupon him namely that he hearkened to his wives voice that is that he yeelded to her motion without examining the ground or warrant of it which was nothing but her bare word and perswasion wheras he ought to have considered First what right she had to bestow on him that fruit which God had forbidden both to him and her Next what power she had to free him from that curse which God had threatned to lay upon them if they did eat that fruit which was forbidden them Whence 8 OBSERVE It is very dangerous to embrace any motion presented unto us without examining the warrant and ground of it Observe 8 JOseph pleads that to his Mistress in bar of that adulterous motion that she makes unto him that he had no warrant to meddle with her neither from God nor man Gen. 39.9 Our Saviour Christ repels Satans fiery darts with the same shield that he had no warrant to turne the stones into bread Mat. 4.4 nor to cast himself down from the pinacle of the Temple ver 7. In the same manner the Apostles answer the Rulers when they silence them that they did that for which they had no warrant to forbid them that which God had commanded them Acts 4.19 But they are noted for fooles that beleeve every word Prov. 14.15 as he that was no sooner tempted by a lewd woman to filthiness but she presently consents to her Prov. 7.22 and Amnon that embraced Jonadabs wicked counsel as soone as he heard it 2 Sam. 13.6 And Joash that enclined to the first motion of his Princes to fall away to idolatry 2 Chron. 24.17 Nay Jehoshaphat himself who consented to joyn with Ahab and to help him against the Syrians found by the event the fruits of their folly in embracing motions tendered to them without examining the grounds of them And good reason it should be so 1. Because this is Gods peculiar prerogative to be beleeved and obeyed upon his Word which when we yield unto men we invest them with his honour and make them in a sort our gods 2. Men are subject to dangerous errors not onely through ignorance which makes them unable to discern between good and evil but besides through inordinate lusts and desires which cast a mist before the understanding and pervert the Judgement so that in hearkning to mens directions we follow blinde guides and then no marvaile though we fall with them into the ditch to our own destruction Mat. 15.14 How Adam the farther he goes the more he sinnes and how every motion of his heart every word and action addes to his transgression til God reclaims him and the observation which might thence be drawn That when men are once perverted in their wayes the farther they go the more they sinne till God change their hearts hath been for the most part handled already upon ver 2. Observ 2. and 6. compared together VERSE 13. AND the Lord said to the woman How is it that he leaves the man before he had drawn him to a more and full acknowledgement of his sin He acknowledgeth the fact indeed but ecxcuseth it withal and there remaine many weighty circumstances by which the sinne was much aggravated which are passed over in silence neither acknowledged by Adam nor enquired after by God himself But we must consider that God had time and means sufficient to perform that work upon Adams conscience afterward in private At present his maine scope is to make it appeare that he had no hand in drawing the man into this sinne by drawing the delinquents both to the confession of the fact and a discovery of the first mover thereunto and the unwillingnesse of the delinquents acknowledgement who though they speak no more then is drawn from them yet utter enough to cleare God of having hand in the sinne makes much for the credit of their testimony on Gods behalf as we have seen already From Adam God turnes next to the woman that she might likewise be convinced of her fact by her own confession and thereby both justifie the equity of the judgement pronounced against her afterwards and besides be drawn to appeach the Serpent as the first Solicitor and enticer to the sinne which was the principal thing that God laboured to discover for the present What is this which thou hast done by transgressing thy self seducing thy husband The question is propounded demanded with some kind of admiration as if God had said How is it possible that thou shouldst be so desperately wicked and sottish as not only to ruine thy self but to be the destruction of thy husband also for whose help and comfort thou wast created The wisdom of God in this examination of the man and woman is not unworthy our observation The maine thing which God sought after was the author and first mover to this sin But of this he mentions not a word to the man before or
to the woman now lest he might seem by his question to direct them what to answer But God who knew the evidence of truth and the desire of justifying themselves must needs draw from the delinquents as much as he expected leaves it to flow from themselves freely without any enquiry at all that it might the more evidently appear to spring meerly from a fountaine of truth The Serpent beguiled me But that on her part was no fit answer to the question proposed howsoever it serve fully to the end that God aimed at or at least the main thing that she should have acknowledged is omitted or coldly satisfied in her answer for God demands not of her who put that motiō into her heart but how she could be so wicked as to commit so foul a sin in slighting his Authority denying his truth forgetting his mercies contemning his power and wronging her husband and consequently destroying him for whose help and comfort she was ordained God calls on her to set all those things before her eyes and to consider what she had done she on the other side passing by that weighty consideration proposed by God falls as her husband had done before to excuse and lessen the sin what she can pretending that it was no voluntary act proceeding from any evil disposition of her own heart but she was enveigled by the cunning and policy of the Serpent who under faire colours and pretences beguiled her Now if God had replied unto her and demanded what those faire colours and pretences were which thus drew away her heart her own answer must needs have stopped her mouth for ever For she knew that her heart filled with Gods love should have been wholly carried after the advancement of his glory Now the Devil never so much as lays before her any such thing if he had the womans error had been the more pardonable if her end had been right and she had only been misguided in the way that led thereunto whereas she closeth with Satan in taking up a false end and seeking her own advancement in stead of Gods glory wherein she was wilfully perverted by the consent of her own heart And I did eat Thus then we have a full confession of the fact by both the delinquents and by the woman the discovery of the plotter and contriver of all the mischief that all the world may justifie God in the righteousnesse of his judgements in the punishment of the offendors who by seeking new tricks or inventions as the wise man calls them to advance them beyond their conditions were justly filled with their own inventions as the Psalmist speaks Psalme 106.39 Thus we see God will not give over the examination till he have discovered the whole plot of this fowle sin and every agent in it first Adam then his wife and at last the Devil the deceiver and seducer of them both Whence 1 OBSERVE No actor in any sin can escape Gods discovery Observe 1 NOt the secret Contrivers and Counsellors as Jonadab to Amnon Achitophel to Absalom Jezabel to Ahab Not the Actors and Executioners as the Elders of Israel and by their procurement the two sonnes of Belial employed by Jezabel in the murther of Naboth Not the abettors and assistants as Joab and Abiathar in Adonijahs treason Not the very frame or contrivance of the sinne or means to colour it As Davids murther of Urijah to colour his adultery with his wife and his cunning conveighance with Joab to conceale his murther which he not only discovered himself but hath left upon record to posterity 1. It cannot be denied or questioned but that he is able to search into the deepest secrets seeing all things are naked in his sight Heb. 4.13 2. It concernes him to do it that the Judge of all the world may appeare and be known to do right to which purpose he must necessarily have a distinct knowledge both of the offendors and of the quality and measure of their offences that every ones judgement may be proportioned in number weight and measure according to their deeds Let no man then embolden himself to have his hand in any sinne in hope to hide his counsel deep from the Lord and his works in the dark Isa 29.15 It is true that mens eyes discover many times nothing but the outward acts of sin or the Agents that work yea even they many times are hidden from mans eyes but God that searcheth the heart and knoweth the thoughts of it afar of Psal 139.2 takes notice of every motion of the heart by which the sinne was begotten of every secret word by which it was whispered into the Actors eares of every affection of the spectators who behold it with delight He knew what the King of Syria spake in his secret chamber 2 King 6.12 He understood the very secret thoughts of Herods heart which it is probable he never uttered to his nearest friends concerning the murthering of Christ Mat. 2.13 much more was he able to discover the King of Israels commission for the taking of Elisha 2 King 6.32 and fourty mens secret conspiracy to kill Paul Those secrets if he discover not to the world at present openly yet he both knows and can and often doth prevent them so that no man hath cause to hearten himself in hope of successe in wicked counsels or fear to be surprized by them We have already intimated that God who might have manifested every thought of Adams heart and left upon record every circumstance of the sinne committed by him notwithstanding contents himself to bring to light only so much thereof as might manifest the delinquents desart of that punishment that he afterwards lays upon them with such a mixture of mercy withal as exceeds belief as we shall see anon that he might be justified in all his wayes and admired in his free grace Whence 2 OBSERVE Mens sinnes must and shall be so farre manifested as may conduce to the advancing of Gods glory Observe 2 THus Joshuah exhorts Achan to confesse his sinne that he might give glory to God Josh 7.19 and David freely acknowledgeth his sin that God might be justified Psal 51.4 And Saint Paul witnesseth the Law convinceth all men of sinne in such sort that the whole world may be guilty before God and that his righteousnesse may be made manifest for the remission of sinnes Rom. 3.19 23 25. And good reason seeing 1. It is the principal end wherefore we and all things are that our selves and all our actions and all events that befal us of good or evil in all Gods dispensations towards us may be referred to the manifesting of Gods glory who therefore permits with patience the vessels of wrath ordeined to destruction for the magnifying of his Justice in their deserved punishment at the last and graciously pardons his chosen ones that he may set out the riches of his free mercy and grace Rom. 9.22 23. which end of his we ought to further in all our
is thus intended for the good of the sinner Unto the Serpent But why to the Serpent being an unreasonable creature and consequently unable to understand what was spoken and therefore could receive no instruction by words First we must conceive that the sentence here pronounced lights not only on the Serpent but on the devil also who set him on work yea the latter part of it principally on him as the cause of the sinne as is intimated in those words Because thou hast done this and that it reacheth both the devil and the beast The words then were understood by Satan though not by the beast and may be conceived to be directed to him under the Serpents name Secondly the words though spoken to the Serpent were chiefly intended for the instruction of the man and woman as our Saviours words directed to the fig-tree were intended to his disciples in whose presence he spake to the tree Mat. 21.19 and indeed the latter part of this censure with which is intermixed the promise of the Messiah cannot be otherwise taken but as a comfort intended only to the man and the woman Because thou hast Thou Serpent as the Instrument and thou Satan as the principal Agent who didst employ him in this action Done this Namely all that hath been mentioned before belied God deceived the woman and by her the man and drewan them both into rebellion against their Creator and thereby into utter ruine both of themselves and their posterity Thus God is pleased to manifest his justice in expressing the cause before he pronounceth the sentence But why doth not God examine the devil as well as the man and the woman before he punish him First God had already his end he was now come to the head-spring of the sin which was the chief thing which he sought after or at least intended to discover Beside it was a vain thing to expect a true confession from the father of lies Lastly God out of favour endeavours the recovery of the man and woman out of their sin by a free confession and sight and sense of their sin but he intends no such mercy to Satan who was already sentenced to everlasting destruction Thou art cursed The words imply more then the decree that the Serpent should be cursed and import a present execution of that decree that the curse should seize upon it at that very instant To curse sometimes signifies to speak evil of another or to wish evil to him in this sense we are forbidden to curse the ruler of the people Exod. 22.28 that is to speak evil of him or to wish evil to him And even in this sense the Serpent is cursed by man and spoken of with detestation and despite and wished to destruction by all men But cursing out of Gods mouth implies more then that an inflicting of all manner of evil upon any person as Deut. 28.20 the Lord threatens for their rebellion to bring upon this people cursing and vexation in all that they put their hand unto So that curse of our Saviour on the fig-tree Mark 11.21 was the present drying up and withering of the tree This curse was indeed inflicted on the true Serpent really as far as it was capable of it as appears by the particulars following neither can be applied to Satan properly although it be true that he above all other creatures is accursed both by God and man Above all cattel That is above all tame beasts for so the word Behemah in the Original being opposed unto Chaiath as it is in this place properly signifies as it doth also in other places of Scripture where it stands in like opposition although where there is no such opposition it signifies any beast indifferently Evident it is that no creeping thing is comprehended under that name whence some conclude that because the Serpent both here and in the first verse of this chapter is compared with foure-footed beasts therefore the Serpent before this curse went upon foure feet as other beasts do But this argument is of small force seeing God might both here and there compare the Serpent with creatures of any other kinde to enlarge the comparison there that it was more subtile here that it should be more miserable then any other beast whatsoever tame or wilde And above every heast of the field That is above every wilde beast thus by a sufficient distribution of beasts into their kindes wilde and tame the Serpent is pronounced not only more cursed then any of them were in their Creation but then now they are even by mans fall the whole creature is made subject to vanity This curse therefore laid upon the Serpent is not only a branch of the general curse which sin hath brought upon all the creatures but a peculiar curse upon this creature above them all Upon thy belly shalt thou go All creeping things go upon the belly as Moses implies Lev. 11.42 where he makes going upon the belly the difference between creeping things and those that go upon their feet the Septuagint here render it belly and breast to expresse the Original Gechon more fully which properly signifies the belly of a Serpent whose belly and breast seem to be all one But seeing going upon the belly is here laid upon the Serpent as a curse It gives occasion of dispute whether the Serpent went upon the belly before it was cursed or nay A question neither very easie nor necessary to determine Only it seems not probable that God by the curse altered the shape or parts of any creatures body but only the perfect and healthy temper the strength regular use and perhaps as in man the comelinesse of the parts So that the conjecture of some seems to be very bold and groundlesse that imagine the Serpent to have been created with feet at the first which they conceive to be taken away by the curse Again neither is it probable that the curse should bring upon the Serpent no change at all although it brought not this change and therefore that the curse brought no alteration upon the Serpent in her going at all It is most probable that when he cursed the Serpent above all other creatures he left some discernable mark of that curse upon it above the rest But it is replied that there needed no alteration at all to make it a curse seeing mans nakednesse by sin became shameful which was not so before without any alteration of the body and the labour is now a curse which before the fall was not so To which it may be easily answered First that in the shame of nakednesse there 's a change although not in the parts of the body save that even mans body it selfe hath not a presence so graceful and full of majesty since the fall as he was before yet in the affections of the minde in which only shame consists Secondly in mans labour which now becomes part of his curse and was not so before there is an evident
him to be righteous and our selves sinful above measure Dan. 9.7 8 9. And withal to set him before us for our pattern hating nothing in men but sinne Considering 1. That otherwise we owe love to all men 2. That we manifest not holinesse more in any thing then when we put difference between man and man only according to their good or evil disposition or desarts In laying the censure upon the Serpent God first pronounceth a curse upon him in general and afterwards expresseth the evils in particular which that curse includes and delivering this judgement in this order and manner gives us occasion thence to 6 OBSERVE Gods curse upon any creature is the fountaine of all plagues and miseries Observe 6 THus God in proceeding against Cain first lays his curse upon him and then sets before him the evils which flow from thence Gen. 4.11 Balak desires nothing of Balaam but to pronounce Gods curse upon the children of Israel and then hopes to prevaile against them Numb 22.6 And Joshuah wishing all mischief to the builder of Jericho pronounceth against him a curse from the Lord Josh 6.26 and a curse a blessing are put for all manner of good evil Deut. 11.26 Whence it is that wicked men to whom as the portion of their cup belong snares fire brimstone and horrible tempest Psal 11.6 are called the people of Gods curse Isa 34.5 and children of the curse 2 Pet. 2.14 It must be so of necessity seeing the curse of God is the manifestation of his wrath who creates all evil Isa 45.7 Let it raise up all our hearts to abhorre sin and behold the heinousnesse thereof which hath brought this curse upon us and to behold the infinite riches of Christs love unto man who became a curse for us that he might redeem us from the curse of the Law Gal. 3.13 An incredible abasement to him who is God blessed for ever and an incredible happinesse unto us especially seeing by him the curse is not only taken away but is besides turned into a blessing Satan chooseth the Serpent to be his instrument to deceive the woman for his subtilty in sliding closely into the Garden and God for that layes on him that punishment that he should alwayes go upon his belly he was his instrument to tempt the woman in eating and is adjudged to eat dust all his dayes see the punishment points at the sinne which is usual in Gods judgements Whence 7 OBSERVE It is usual with God in his judgements so to order them that they may point at the sin for which they are inflicted Observe 7 EIther by paying like for like as in cutting off Adonibezeks thumbs of his hands and feet because he had dealt so with others whence he in his Law gives direction to give eye for eye and tooth for tooth Exod. 21.24 25. or by some circumstance or other he points at the sin which he punisheth Jehoram must be cast into Naboths vineyard to point at his Fathers sin in killing Naboth to get possession of that vineyard 2 King 9.25 26. sometimes the instrument or the time or the manner or some other like circumstance shews what the sinne is that brings the judgement Thus God deals with men 1. To justifie himself that by such lively characters his righteousnesse in all his ways may be read by him that runs 2. To further mens repentance by pointing out unto them the sinne that brings the judgement upon them The curse that God lays upon the Serpent he expresseth and amplifieth by way of comparison that it should light and abide upon the Serpent above any beast of the field So that the Serpent became viler then any other creature by becoming an instrument of sin Whence 8 OBSERVE It is only sin that makes one more vile then another Observe 8 THat makes Coniah though a Prince a despised broken vessel Jer. 22.28 and deprives his father Jehojakim of the common honour that belongs to the meanest man so that he is cast out to be buried with the burial of an Asse ver 19. That makes any that is defiled with it a vile person Psal 15.4 yea though he were a Prince as Antiochus surnamed the glorious is called a vile person Dan. 11.21 and his memory rottennesse Prov. 10.7 It makes whole nations an hissing and an astonishment Jer. 25.9 the taile and not the head Deut. 28.14 as on the other side righteousnesse advanceth one man above another Prov. 12.26 and wisdom promotes to honour Prov. 4.8 All which abasements and honours which sin and godlinesse bring to men in this life are but meere shadows of that more eminent difference which shall be put between them hereafter when they that be wise shall shine as the brightnesse of the firmament Dan. 12.3 The particulars of the Serpents curse are two First that she shall go upon her belly Secondly that her food shall be the dust of the earth so that her abasement is that she is wholly fastened unto the earth Whence 9 OBSERVE It is a shameful abasement to be glewed to the earth Observe 9 IT is a part of our abasement at present that we dwell here on earth in houses of clay Joh 4.19 in bodies of clay termed earthly Tabernacles 2 Cor. 5.1 under which we groane as under an heavy burthen ver 4. waiting to be freed from it Rom. 8.23 that those earthly bodies may be changed into heavenly 1 Cor. 15.44 But our greatest abasement is in stooping to the earth in our affections bringing down our mindes to embrace earthly things which is our shame Phil. 3.19 taking unto us earthly and sensual wisdom as it is termed Jam. 3.15 for our guide whence it is that we are so seriously exhorted to raise up our affections to heavenly things to fixe them on them Col. 3.2 having our negotiation or conversation as we render it in heaven Phil. 3.20 even in our earthly imployments when we do them with heavenly mindes as duties of obedience to God in them serving the Lord Christ Eph. 6.5 6 7. and referring all to his glory 1 Cor. 10.31 and in these services seeking after glory and honour and immortality hereafter VERSE 15. HItherto of Gods curse upon the Serpent which was Satans instrument in deceiving the woman The curse upon himself who was the chiefe agent follows in this verse which some conceive to have relation to the Serpent too but upon no sufficient ground if the words be throughly scanned For howsoever it be true that there is an enmity between men and Serpents yet that is no other then is found between him and other hurtful creatures who hate men or at least hurt them more then Serpents do neither are serpents more apt to hurt men then they are to hurt other creatures Again for the next clause it is true that Serpents usually bite the heele and that men may and do sometimes tread on their heads But it is most evident that God in denouncing this curse aimes not
do not manifest unto men their errour in embracing it they are either wholly besotted with that wretch which was unsensible of his own smart Prov. 23 35. or love death Prov. 8.36 and their own destruction which is against the principles of Nature it self Let every man then carefully observe what impression the experience of sin leaves upon his heart If it be zeal indignation revenge grief and the like 2 Cor. 7.11 2 Sam. 24.10 feare watchfulnesse and resolution against it for time to come Job 40.4 5. so that with Solomon we finde nothing in it but vanity and vexation of spirit and thereupon hate all our labour therein Eccl. 2.18 then is there certainly a spirit within that lusteth against the flesh If after the sin we remain senselesse fearlesse carelesse there is certainly some dangerous spiritual disease upon us which taking away the sense of good and evil discovers it self to have seized upon and much weakened the fountain of life it self But if we come once to this height that acquaintance with sin breeds glorying in it Phil. 3.19 delight and joy in it Job 20.12 hunger and thirst after it so that we resolve that to morrow shall be as to day and much more abundant Isa 56.12 the case is desperate without Gods infinite mercy Thus God promiseth to recover man out of Satans snare and that by infusing into his heart an holy hatred and detestation of Satan and of all his instrments and wayes and counsels and this he promiseth shall be his own work for he speaks it I will put enmity c. Whence 8 OBSERVE Sanctification is the work of Gods Spirit Observe 8 HEnce therefore it is expressely called the sanctification of the Spirit 2 Thes 2.13 unto which both sanctification and justification are ascribed 1 Cor. 6.11 and upon the same ground it is called the Spirit of holinesse or sanctification Rom 1.4 which proceedeth from God and therefore this work is ascribed also unto him 1 Thes 5.23 from whom it passeth thorough Christ as the conduit whence he is also said to sanctifie his Church Eph. 5.26 by the Spirit as the working cause and by the Word as the instrument John 17.17 the power whereof is notwithstanding wholly from God 2 Corinth 10.5 Reason 1. It can proceed from no other cause seeing mans heart in it selfe being wholly corrupted it is impossible to draw a clean thing out of that which is unclean Job 14.4 and therefore if it receive any holinesse it must be infused by him that is the fountain of holinesse 2. And it is fit it should be so that all the honour of every mercy as well our sanctification as our justification might be ascribed to God alone that he that glories might glory in the Lord 1 Corinth 1.31 Now Gods promise being absolute that he will do it it must needs be granted that the work shall infallibly be accomplished according to his word for his thoughts must stand throughout all ages Psal 33.11 and who hath resisted his will Rom. 9.19 Whence 9 OBSERVE The work of grace and Sanctification wrought in the heart of man is unresistible Observe 9 AS depending upon the will of God and not of man so that it is not in him that willeth nor in him that runneth but in God that sheweth mercy Rom. 9.16 who worketh in us both to will and to do according to his good pleasure Phil. 2.13 and not according to ours So much is implied in those phrases of writing the Law in our hearts Jer. 31.33 of taking away the stony heart and giving an heart of flesh Ezech. 11.19 of begetting anew 1 Pet. 1.3 of creating Eph. 2.19 and the like all which manifest a work wrought upon man and not by him and therefore having no dependance upon his will at all Neither 1. Is it fit it should be otherwise lest Gods will should be over-ruled by the will of man and Gods purpose of saving such as he hath chosen to himselfe from all eternity should be frustrate 2. If the work of mans conversion be duely weighed it cannot be otherwise seeing in the first act thereof nature being more corrupted must needs stand in opposition against God and so must continue to do till God change it the Apostle testifying that the wisdom of the flesh that is of a Natural man is enmity against God and neither is nor can be while he so continues subject to his Law Romans 8.7 Notwithstanding in this promise wherein God undertakes to carry on man in an irreconcileable enmity against Satan he implies that he will not carry him on therein by violence and inforcement but intends to make use both of his will and affections in this opposition For enmity consists in a voluntary and strong motion of the minde of a man against that which he hates wherein both the will and affections are exercised Whence 10. OBSERVE The work of mans sanctification is not forced upon him although it cannot be resisted Observe 10 FOr in this act God works in us to will as well as to do Phil. 2.13 so that there is at once both Gods drawing and our running Cant. 1.4 Wherfore the Prophet expresseth it by taking away the heart of stone and giving an heart of flesh Ezech. 11.19 There is in a renewed man an heart still by which he consents unto and endeavours to perform that which is good as the Apostle speaks of himself Rom. 7. only God gives him that will by performing two things First by taking away that heart of stone which is in man by nature which is so hardened by that sinne that cleaves unto it that it is utterly uncapable of any counsel or means that might be used to draw it to that which is good by which it can no more be swayed then a black-mores skin can be made white by washing Jerem. 13.23 Secondly when God hath freed the heart of that obstinacy in sin and untractablenesse thereby to any good and hath destroyed in it that enmity against God which hinders it from submitting to his Law yet the heart could not of it selfe close with and embrace any thing that is good if God did not give a new heart of flesh that is infuse into the heart an inclination and tractablenesse to his will which the Prophet prays for Psal 119.36 by which it is enabled to consent unto God and to the motions of his Spirit to follow after to know him Hos 6.3 and to take up words and return to him Hos 14.2 The truth is God could otherwise have no honour by a sinners conversion if the heart should stand out still against him and not encline to approve choose and delight in his wayes above all things To serve and obey by force is slavery and not subjection and proclaims God to be a tyrant rather then a Lord wherefore he loves a cheerful giver 2 Cor. 9.7 and to be loved and served with all the heart and with all the soule Deut. 10.12 with joyfulnesse and
gladnesse of heart Deut. 28 47. The whole tenor of this promise of God made to man in this place of the estate into which he should be restored by his free grace discovers a double difference between it and the estate in which he was first created 1. In respect of the present imperfection 2. Of the immutability of this renewed state into which he was now restored Of the former we shall speak anon As for the later it is intimated in this promise two wayes First in the means by which he shall be continued in the state of grace which is here promised which shall be the power of God As if God had said it shall not be with man hereafter as it hath been heretofore Then man having power in his own hand to stand or fall lost it quickly hereafter the power shall be in my hand and Satan shall not so far prevaile upon man as to win him to consent unto him and to fall away from God againe but there shall be a perpetual enmity between man and Satan Secondly this is farther manifested in the event wherein Satan having used the uttermost of his power should yet never be able to wound the head of the womans seed either Christ or any of his members to destroy either the one or the other Whence 11 OBSERVE The state of man into which he is now restored and established by grace is unchangeable Observe 11 SO it is promised it shall be Jer. 31.32 his life being now hid with Christ in God Col. 3.3 and not left any longer in his own keeping That it might be so it pleased God to give his children unto Christ out of whose hand no man can take them by any power Joh. 10.29 neither can or will he lose any that is given him Joh. 6.39 having united them as members to his own body and that by the firmest band even his own Spirit so that they are now kept by his power to salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 This indeed is First a great honour to God when according to his unchangeable nature whom he loves he loves unto the end Joh. 13.1 so that his gifts and calling are without repentance Rom. 11.29 And secondly a ground of strong consolation to the godly who knowing whom they have beleeved and being well assured that both he is able to keep that which is committed to him to the last day 2 Tim. 1.12 and withal that he abideth faithful and cannot deny himselfe 2 Tim. 2.13 are thereby strongly encouraged unto all duties of obedience knowing that their labour is not in vaine in the Lord 1 Cor. 15.58 seeing they are assured they shall persist unto the end and having done the will of God shall receive the promise Heb. 10.36 The purpose of God as we have seen was to keep the holy seed hereafter from falling away from God now to this end he takes order that there shall be a perpetual enmity between man and Satan and all Satans seed and instruments that Gods children may be no more allured and intangled in their sins So that we may here discover the malice of the wicked against the godly when and whence it ariseth by whom it is appointed and directed and to what end all circumstances worthy our serious consideration We see then that when sinne came into the world then came in malice too Whence 12 OBSERVE Hatred and enmity is both it selfe a sin and withal the fruit of sin Observe 12 THe Devil being at the first an Angel of light became Satan that is an Hater only by sin Take away sin which shall be when Christs Kingdome is fully setled and all the creatures agree together Isa 11.6 7. and all with man ver 8. and one man with another ver 13. See Job 5.23 It is sin that makes us enemies to God Rom. 8.7 and 1.30 and him an enemy to man Psal 11.5 that makes the wicked hate the godly unjustly and them justly hated of the godly Prov. 29.27 It cannot be otherwise seeing God himselfe is love and consequently could not but infuse love into all his creatures which dwell in love as long as they dwel in God 1 John 4.16 So that hatred could be nothing else but sin by which the creature departed from God and the fruit of sin The greater shame is there to those who having themselves begotten this bastard lay it at the door of Religion and the Professors thereof as they have done in all ages Paul and Silas are charged to be the troublers of the City Act. 16.20 and Paul a mover of sedition Act. 24.5 The same slander was taken up and fastened upon the Churches in the Primitive times as all Histories record the less cause have we to mervaile that it should be charged upon us in our dayes how unjustly it will appeare 1. If we examine the principles of religion and the rules which the Doctrine thereof prescribes all of them tending to love meeknesse patience in wrongs readinesse to forgive nay to render good for evil 2. By observing the carriage of all that imbrace religion in sincerity both towards one another and towards all men It is true indeed that hatred and division usually accompanies Religion Mat. 24.9 10. But that we shall alwayes finde to be raised not by those that embrace it but by such as oppose it as there is trouble in robbing an house but it is caused by thieves that break in and steale not by the true man that maintaines the possession of his own goods Not the Apostles and their followers but their wicked enemies were they that caused all the stir in all places where they come Act. 13.45 50. and 14.2 4 5 19. and 17.5 and 18.12 and 19.23 24. There are indeed three things that evidently manifest that hatred and envy are the fruits of sinne although they be the companions of Religion 1. That we finde them reigning most amongst such as never knew Religion 2. That when the godly are parties in any contention they are usually therein the patients and not the agents 3. That if there happen any differences amongst the godly as it happens sometimes they are occasioned either by such as imbrace religion in outward profession and not indeed or by the remainder of those bitter roots of pride and self-love which are not wholly rooted out of the hearts of Gods dearest servants When sin began then enmity began but from whom did it first spring Satan out of meere malice and envy layes snares for the woman to entrap her who had never provoked him nor had ought to do with him so that he being the hater and enemy both of God and man was the first from whom all hatred and envy sprang Whence 13 OBSERVE Satan is the first author of all envy and malice especially against Gods children Observe 13 HE is the murtherer from the beginning John 8.44 and they that hate and persecute the godly do his deeds ver 41. and fulfil his will ver 44. and
Luke 12.20 sorrow in conceiving and bringing forth children trouble in breeding and bringing them up feare of them what way they will take after they are bred yea even in spiritual things we have alwayes a mixture of joy and sorrow confidence and feare Reason 1. Because in us with that good which by grace is wrought in us there is a mixture of evil which corrupts the sweetnesse of that good which we might enjoy in any blessing as it happens in a body wherein the taste is corrupted by ill humours it mixeth some bitternesse with the food which we take in though of it selfe it have a pleasant relish 2. In this condition it is best for us that it should be so 1. To make us sensible of sin which hath brought vanity upon us and upon all the creatures Rom. 8.20 2. To weane us from this present world and to provoke us to long after the restitution both of our selves and the rest of the creatures into a state of perfection see Rom. 8.21.23 3. It is sufficient that after the enjoying of this state of imperfection for a short space we shall be setled in a state of full perfection for all eternity Let us use even the blessings of this life with feare getting them sanctified unto us by the Word and Prayer 1 Tim. 4.5 and let us take off our hearts from delighting in them but labour to draw near unto God who is the strength of our heart when all outward meanes shall faile us and our portion for ever Psal 73.28 The last clause in the womans censure is that she shall be subject to her husband Whence 5. OBSERVE It is the wives duty to be subject to the will and direction of her husband Observe 5 THe Apostle will have this subjection extended to every thing Eph. 5.24 that is every thing that is not limited by the rule of the Law of God but left to be ordered by Christian Prudence which are things in their owne nature indifferent so Sarah followed Abraham out of her own countrey to Canaan Gen. 12.5 obeyed his command in making provision for the Angels Gen 18.6 as for that particular direction of God to him to hearken to her Gen. 21.12 it extends no farther then such cases wherein the wife adviseth what God himselfe directs Otherwise when she counsels him to take his maid into his bed though God were pleased to wink at it yet it bred her some trouble Gen. 16.2 5. no marvel if Jezabels over-ruling of her husband Ahab in the matter of Naboths vineyard sped much worse and proved the ruine both of her and her husband and the whole family 1 Kings 21.7 22 23 25. Reason 1. There must be order in every society without which there follows division and thereupon confusion Mark 3.25 Now the fittest to governe in the family is the husband as being of the two the more worthy person every way seeing the man was first created and that after the image of God the woman after the image of the man 1 Cor. 11.7 2. And the woman created for the man not the man for the woman ver 9. and of his substance being framed of a rib taken out of his body ver 8. 3. The woman was first in the transgression and seduced her husband 1 Tim. 2.14 4. And the man usually is and alwayes ought to be endued with the best abilities for Government Let all wives learn to know and content themselves with the places wherein God hath set them 1. As being prescribed by God himself who hath power to dispose of his own creatures and who is obeyed in the person of the husband See Eph. 5.22 as he is by a servant in the person of the Master Eph. 6.7 2. As easiest for the woman seeing it is easier to obey then to prescribe and direct 3. And is found in the event to be more safe as Zipporah by obeying her husband in circumcising her childe saved his life Exodus 4.24 26. 4. And is but in matters of lesse moment seeing in the grace of life they are both equal 1 Pet. 3.7 and alike subject to God in his commands so that in matters of duty she obeys only the command of God and not of man 5. And this subjection is but for a short time which makes any thing easie to be borne 6. And if it be conscionably performed is recompensed with a reward hereafter as is servants obedience to their Masters Ephesians 6.8 The expression in which God layes down the rule of this subjection is not to be passed by Thy desire saith he shall be to thy husband which requires not only an outward conformity to the husbands commands but besides an inward subjection of the heart to his Will Whence 6 OBSERVE The subjection of the wife to the husband must be not only in outward obedience to his commands but besides in the inward affection of the heart Observe 6 SHe is therefore commanded to reverence her husband Eph. 5.33 and to yield subjection to him as to the Lord Eph. 5 22 24. which consists in laying aside her own wisdome to receive directions from his mouth as God requires his people to obey him in doing not that which is right in their own eyes but what he shall command Deut. 12.8 and in renouncing her own will as Peter did when he let down his net upon Christs command which otherwise he had no mind to do Luke 5.5 Reasons 1. It is a duty to be performed to God who will be served not only with the outward man but with the heart Col. 3.22 23. 2. Else the subjection must needs be burthensome and the services done therein like that of Zipporah in circumcising her childe Exod 4.25 Let wives labour to submit to their husbands not only out of necessity but with all chearfulnesse conscionably as they are exhorted 1 Pet. 3.1 to which end 1. Let them abound in love towards their husbands which makes all services easie Gen. 29.20 and cordial Psal 119.167 2. Let them learne self-denial which makes one fit to serve another with the Apostle 1 Cor. 10.33 3. Let them fixe their eyes upon God who hath set them over them in his stead as the Apostle exhorts servants to do Eph. 6.5 6. 4. Look not at things present but at the estate to come when they shall both husband and wife without any subordination be both heirs together of the grace of life VERSE 17. ANd unto Adam he said The last censure is upon the man the last in the transgression and the least guilty of all the offendors as being seduced by his wife but seeing his hand was in the sinne good reason be should also have his share in the punishment Because thou hast hearkened to the voice of thy wife And not respected my Commandment who had expressely forbidden thee the eating of that fruit and therein preferred her counsel before my direction Now what perswasions his wife used when she gave that fruit is not
of the Law p. 55 Verse 4. A little yielding to Satans Temptations invites him to a stronger Assault p. 56 Those which seem modest in sin at the first grow bold in it at the last p. 57 No Truth of God so clear and manifest but Satan dare to contradict ibid. Satan and his Agents never make use of Gods Word but for Mischief p. 58 Verse 5. Satan in his promises gives men no ground to build upon p. 59 It is Satans policy to cast suspitions of evil ends on that which he cannot blame p. 61 It is usual with Satan to charge men with those evils whereof himself is guilty p. 62 Discontent at our Present Condition is a Dangerous Temptation of Satan pag. 63 Blindnesse and Ignorance is a great Misery p. 65 It is great Injustice in any man to hinder others for his own Advantage p. 66 It is false Liberality to withhold things that are of true Value and to bestow that which is of little worth p. 67 Mans leaning to the Creature must necessarily divide his heart from God p 69 Self-Love and Seeking is one of Satans most dangerous Snares p. 70 Satan layeth his snares for men in those things wherein they take most Delight p. 72 Satan tempts us to sin in our Duties p. 73 The searching after the knowledge of unnecessary things is unprofitable p. 74 The promises of Satan are of such things as are either Evil or Unprofitable pag. 75 The special End that Satan perswades wicked men to aime at is that they may be as Gods p. 76 It is Satans Policy to draw men to depend upon the Creature c. p. 77 Self-seeking and Dependance on the Creature are Evils that be inseparable p. 78 Satans Preferments are Base slaveries p. 79 Hasty Resolutions are dangerous in the Issue p. 80 The nearer things are to be enjoyed the more strongly the heart is affected towards them ibid. Verse 6. Things usually appear unto us as we stand affected towards them in our hearts p. 83 Sin proceeds not from the outward Object but from the corruption of the heart within p. 84 It is dangerous for a man to fix his Senses upon enticing Objects p. 85 Men are more apt to give credit unto lies then unto the Truth of God pag. 86 Men are easily drawn to believe and hope any thing of that which they affect and desire p. 87 The Terrours of wrath to come cannot prevail against strong Affections to things that are present p. 88 Outward Sense is an ill and a dangerous guide p. 89 A man cannot naturally desire any thing but under a shew and appearance of Good p. 90 Man is an ill chooser of his own good p. 91 It is a grosse Evill to choose what we like out of respect to our selves in particular p. 92 Lust once conceived will at last bring forth actual sin 94 It is not in the power of Satan to draw any man to sin without his own consent 95 They that sin themselves are seducers of others p. 97 One that is fallen into sin is many times most dangerous to his nearest friends p. 98 It is the property of true Love to communicate to others whatsoever it self embraceth for good p. 99 The strongest man is not able to stand against Satan if God leave him to himself ibid. Verse 7. Man can discern nothing but what God is pleased to discover unto him p. 102 It is a great folly in man not to foresee Evil before it be too late to help it p. 103 Satan never discovers any thing unto us but to do Mischief ibid. Those which discover not before-hand the Evils which the errours of their wayes lead them into yet they shall in the end feel the misery into which they bring them p. 104 Sin is able to make the most Excellent of all Gods Creatures vile and shamefull p. 105 Men are more apt to be affected with the outward evils that sin brings upon them then with the sin that causeth them p. 106 Garments are but the Covers of our shame p. 107 Most of our necessities are brought upon us by Sin p. 108 When men are fallen off from God their nature thereby corrupted carries them strongly to seek help from the Creature ibid. Sin besots men and makes them fooles p. 109 All the care men take is rather to hide their sin then to take it away 110 All Satan's promises prove nothing but Lies and meer Delusions 111 Verse 8. God will find men out in their sins 114 God when he is provoked by our sins yet he is the first that seeks to make peace with us ibid. God when he deals with men delights to be hearkened unto with Reverence 116 God so deales with men that he may humble but not confound them ibid. God many times calls men to Accompt and proceeds in Judgment against them in the midst of their Delights 117 It is needful to observe a fit Season in dealing with Offendors after they have sinned 118 The Presence of God is terrible to a Sinner 119 When men are fallen away from God they are left to miserable Shifts 120 Men are naturally apt to flie from the Means of their own Good 121 The Terrours of God will shake the Hearts of all those that sleight his Judgments 122 A guilty Conscience is filled with Terrour upon every Occasion 123 Whatsoever we truly fear we cannot but endeavour to flie from ibid. Mens hearts are wonderful prone to conceive of God as they do of a mortall man 124 Verse 9. Terrours may prepare a mans heart but it is onely the Word of God that informs and subdues it 125 The way to get our bearts affected with what we hear is to apprehend our selves to be spoken unto in particular 126 Those that endeavour to flie from God can by no means shift themselves out of his presence page 127 God loves a free and voluntary Acknowledgment of sin from his children 128 God is full of mildnesse and gentlenesse in his dealing with offenders 129 The Knowledge of ones ill condition is an effectual means to bring him unto true Repentance 130 All those that desire to get out of their misery must consider with themselves what brought them into it Verse 10. All men must appear before God and answer all that they are charged with when he comes to Judgment 133 Men are apt to conceal all that they can even from God himself ibid. One sin commonly drawes on another 134 Gods Word is terrible to a guilty conscience 135 It is an hard matter to bring men to confesse any more then is evident in it self 136 Men may be brought more easily to acknowledge any thing then their sinne ibid. No Means can work any further then they are carried on by God Himself 138 Verse 11. Mans frowardnesse cannot overcome Gods Love and Patience 139 God can easily convince men by themselves ibid. God takes notice of all our wayes 140 God accepts of no Confession till men acknowledge