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A65748
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A commentary upon the three first chapters of the first book of Moses called Genesis by John White.
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White, John, 1575-1648.
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1656
(1656)
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Wing W1775; ESTC R23600
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464,130
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520
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both within and without to shew us both how vile and of how short continuance we are but study both to walk humbly at present and minde and prepare for our estate hereafter VERSE 24. SO he drove out the man Out of Paradise driving out implies a removing if not by force yet at least in displeasure which is mentioned the second time that we might take the more notice of that judgement of God upon our first Parents in casting them out of this pleasant Garden which he had planted for them And he placed at the East of the Garden of Eden Which in all likelihood was the only way of entring into it otherwise it had been in vaine to stop up one passage and to leave the rest open Cherubims Angels the formes whereof resembling young men having wings to note their incorruptible nature and agility in service were by Gods appointment Exod. 25.18 placed over the Mercy-Seat and being well known by that name unto the Jewes Moses here and other Authors of Holy Scripture use to signifie Angels And a flaming sword By this outward visible signe deterring Adam and his posterity from attempting the entrance again into Paradise which they saw they could not endeavour without running upon their own destruction Turning every way In what manner is not here expressed and therefore not to be curiously enquired into the Holy Ghost being pleased only to intimate that God so cast our first Parents out of Paradise that there should be no possibility for them to returne thither again for ever To keep the way of the tree of life The Seale of the Covenant of works the condition whereof man being now corrupted and weakened by his fall being utterly disabled to performe was for ever to be taken away But by the infinite mercy of God the way unto the celestial Paradise whereof this earthly was but a figure was opened by Christ by the Covenant of grace The double expression of the driving of man out of Paradise seemes to imply that God would have special notice taken of that judgement of his upon him So that we may thence 1 OBSERVE Gods judgements are not to be passed over sleightly but to be considered seriously and observed and remembred carefully Observe 1 PSal 64.9 they made a deep impression on Davids heart Psal 119.120 and wicked men are taxed that they observe them not Psal 10.5 Isa 26.11 Reason 1. They are a great deep Psal 36.6 and therefore not understood without careful observing and searching into them 2. They are instructions to us Isa 26.6 1. Discovering Gods righteousnesse as Psal 58.11 and 9.16 2. Appertaining unto us Luke 13.3 5. 1 Cor. 10.6 7 11. 3. Who are all of us warned by such precedents as being subject not only to the same God but besides to the same Law of Righteousnesse according to which God dispenseth to all men Mercy or Judgement according to their wayes or works without respect of persons Let every one of us 1. Search into Gods judgements comparing them with the rule according to which they are acted with the Prophet Dan. 9.12 13. and enquiring into the cause of them Deut. 29.24 25. that we may justifie God in them Psal 119.137 2. Let us be careful to lay them up in our memories as being performed as all the rest of his eminent works are for that end Psal 111.4 3. Be as careful to apply them to our selves upon all occasions Josh 22.16 17. till our hearts tremble at them Psal 119.126 But why did not God destroy Paradise out of which he had now excluded man for ever so that it could now be of no farther use Certainly it could be for no other end but that it might be a monument of Gods bounty to make him the more sensible of what he had lost by his rebellion So that we may thence 2 OBSERVE God loves to leave monuments both of his Mercies and Judgements for the justifying of himself and the convincing of men of their unworthy carriage towards him Observe 2 THe pot of Mannah Exod. 16.33 the brazen Serpent till Hezekiah brake it in pieces 2 Kings 18.4 the song made by Moses at Gods Command conteining the summe of Gods wonderful mercies to his people and their manifold rebellions against him Deut. 31.19 21. Reasons 1. The tender respect which He hath to his own glory 2. And mans pronenesse to forget Gods administrations towards his people Psal 106.21 3. And the great use that might ought to be made of both Ps 78.7 8. Let us carefully keep by us records of both as to justifie God and shame our selves so to bring our hearts to an holy dependance on him Psal 78.7 and a care to walk before him with reverence and feare all our dayes But withal the particle So in the beginning of this verse may not be passed over as pointing us back to all that went before the sinne of Adam the discovery of it with the conviction of the offendors the sentence pronounced against them and the danger of their falling into a farther sin circumstances all manifesting the justice and equity of God in casting man out of Paradise Whence we may 3. OBSERVE In searching into Gods judgements our special care must be to observe the precedents and cause of them Observe 3 JUdg 5.8 Deut. 29.24 25. Thus God himself sets out the sins of Sodom before he pronounces or executes his judgments on them and that they may be the more clearly manifested he oftentimes over-takes men in the very act of sin as in the case of Corah Dathan and Abiram Numb â—6 31 35. and the peoples murmuring against Moses and Aaron ver 41.46 49. Sometimes in the very judgement he points at the cause of it in the Kinde Instrument Time Place or some other circumstance or more clearly by the mouth of his Ministers Reason 1. This makes most for his honour in clearing his justice which he especially aimes at see Psal 58.11 Deut. 32.4 2. This is the only way to direct and instruct us See Neh. 13.18 Now Adam having so lately found by experience his own folly in hearkning to Satans counsels and having been called to account by God himselfe and so sharply censured by him and withal having the Covenant of grace proposed unto him in Christ one would conceive might be sufficiently served against any temptation of Satan that might have drawn him on to a second sin Yet we see God thinks fit to set before him this terrour of the flaming sword to deter him from attempting to eate of the tree of life So that we may 4 OBSERVE The best of Gods servants have need of the terrours of his judgements to restraine them from sinne Observe 4 THe Psalmist professeth that he made special use of them Psal 119.120 and Joshuah thinks it needful to lay the consideration of Gods jealousie and revenging hand before his people even then when he findes their hearts most pliable Josh 24 19 20. Reason 1. Because the best
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