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
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
reines to him as is manifest in Jobs sufferings Job 1. and 2. joyned with malice and sedulity 1 Pet. 5.8 2. Gods Will and Decree and that First for his own honour divers wayes 1. To manifest his childrens sincerity and faithfulnesse in cleaving to him trusting in him Job 13.15 and serving him chearfully Acts 20.24 notwithstanding all the afflictions that befal them 2. To declare his own Power in supporting and preserving his servants in the midst of their trials like the three children in the fiery furnace Secondly he causeth those afflictions to turne to the good of his children 1. To keep their hearts low 2 Cor. 12.7 2. To make us thereby more watchful over our wayes 3. To encrease our reward hereafter Let not us then be discouraged by our sufferings as David was to his great hazard Psal 73.13 much lesse be so offended by them as to forsake our way with those resembled by the stony ground Mat. 13.21 seeing we have therein 1. Christ for our companion 2. The afflictions themselves sanctified in his Person 3. Ordered by the counsel of God for our good Rom. 8.28 4. And recompenced at length with a farre more excellent weight of glory 2 Cor. 4.17 Secondly expect and prepare for trials seeing we know they are 1. Certain 2 Tim. 3.12 as being decreed by God himself 2. In themselves unpleasant to flesh and blood Heb. 12.11 3. And dangerous if we are discouraged by them The best preparation against it is 1. To make sure of Christ and in him of eternal life 2. In all things keep a good conscience 1 Pet. 3.16 that we may have no other burden upon us but the affliction it self 3. Stand loose from the world see 2 Tim. 2.3 4. 4. Joyn in society fellowship with the godly Ps 119.63 who may both advise and encourage us But that which may be unto us instead of all comforts in these combates of ours with Satan and his instruments is this that Jesus Christ himself is engaged in the cause and undertakes the quarrel in our behalf The seed of the woman that is Christ not only enters into the combate against Satan but prevailes in it and in the issue breaks the Serpents head that is wounds him and that mortally and irrecoverably Whence 31 OBSERVE Christ himself in his own Person is he that takes up the quarrel of his Church against Satan and all his Agents Observe 31 SEe Rev. 12.7 He is that strong man that enters into his house and spoiles him Mat. 12.29 it is he that undertakes all his instruments the mighty men of the world and treads them down Psal 110.6 Reason 1. There is none else that can undertake so great an adversory to prevail against him see Isa 59.16 17 18. 2. Neither is it fit that any but he that is the head of the Church should be the Saviour of his body that when he alone is all things unto us the honour of all might returne unto him alone 1 Cor. 1.30 31. Besides it wonderfully establisheth our hearts when we know we are under the wings of a Protector not only mighty to save Isa 63.1 but ready to save and serve the members of his own body upon which grounds our Saviour wills us to be without feare John 16.33 And lastly it cannot but encourage us to adhere firmely to him alone as the children of Israel resolve to do unto God upon the same ground Josh 24.17 18. Let it raise up and support all the hearts of the godly in a full assurance of a certain and glorious conquest over Satan and all his malignant instruments at the last in all their conflicts Rom. 8.37 seeing they have a Protector that in himself is mighty to save Isa 69.1 and that hath received from his father all fulnesse of Power in heaven and earth Mat. 28.18 and that for that purpose that he might save his body the Church 2. Let us undertake Christs quarrel as he undertakes ours and engage our selves for him as he doth for us after the example of the Prophet David Psal 139.21 22. especially Magistrates See Psal 94.16 and 101.8 and every man in his place contending for the common faith Jude 3. standing up and shewing our selves on the behalf of his children against all those that wrong and persecute them In the next place it will be fit to take notice of the kinde of the wounds which they that are the womans seede receive at Satans hand and they are like the wounds that light upon our Saviour in his owne person wounds in the heel painful but not mortal as coming near no vital part Whence 32 OBSERVE The wounds which the members of Christ receive by the hand of Satan and his instruments may be painful but shall not be mortal Observe 32 THey may fall seven times a day but shall still rise again Prov. 24.16 their enemies may afflict them but shall never prevaile against them no though they take away their life Luke 21.16 18. because they cannot be hurt of the second death Revel 2.11 Reason 1. God who hath set bounds unto the sea which it cannot passe Job 38.11 can and doth restraine the remainder of the wrath and rage of wicked men Psal 76.10 yea of Satan himself as we see in Jobs example Job 1.12 2.6 2. And hath given Christ a special charge to keep all those safe that God hath given him John 6.39 10.28 and hath also furnished him with sufficient power for that purpose 3. God should otherwise faile of his maine end the honour that he hath by his Saints whom he hath chosen for himself and taken neer unto him that they might behold his glory John 17.24 and continually sing his praise 4. And besides he must needs suffer in his honour another way when he should be conceived to be either unfaithful in not protecting his own servants or weak as unable to secure those that depend upon him 5. And upon those grounds men must needs be discouraged in giving up themselves to his service or to go on therein with cheerfulnesse and confidence which God requires when they could have no assurance of safety in his wayes Let all those that are Christs labour to establish their hearts with such a firme confidence in Gods protection for the securing of their estates that they may despise all the rage power and policies yea all the effects of the malice of Satan or any of his instruments in those troubles and afflictions wherewith they exercise the godly as the three children despised the menaces of the King of Babylon Dan. 3.16 17. and Saint Paul the prisons and bonds that he knew he was to undergo which moved him not at all Act. 20.24 as there is no cause why they should seeing we know 1. That such things cannot hurt us 2. But shall turn to our good Rom. 8 28. as David found by experience Psal 119.71 and shall encrease our reward hereafter 2 Cor. 4.17 3. And are but the
a God Now seeing there can be but one Being or Jehovah all things besides him must needs be Nothing Of themselves and In themselves Depend not then on the world or any Creature in it Wilt thou set thine eyes upon that which is nothing Prov. 23.5 What Creature soever it be it was nothing at the first and is nothing at present in it self farther then God upholds it Heb. 1.3 nor in Gods account before Whom all the Inhabitants of the Earth are reputed as nothing Dan. 4.35 and shall be after a little while nothing of that which now it is Isa 51.6 Let men stay their hearts upon God when Means fail He that made all of nothing can at his pleasure provide means where there are none Numb 11.23 or do and supply all without means as he gave water without clouds 2 King 3.17 and as he sustained Moses Elijah and Christ 40 dayes without food The last cousiderable Circumstance in this brief summe of the Work of Creation is the Subject or Matter that was made the Heaven and Earth He names the Heaven first as being First if not in time yet at least in dignity and therefore usually acknowledged to be the chiefest amongst Gods Works From whence we may 7. Observe Heaven is more excellent than the Earth Observ 7 HIgher in Place Larger in Extent more pure in the Substance of it more glorious in shew more effectual in Operation graced with the manifestation of Gods presence there inhabited by the Angels and the spirits of just men made perfect as they are termed Heb. 12.23 Let us then make Heaven our chiefest care and desire Matth. 6.33 the scope of all desires and negotiations which the Apostle terms the having of our conversation in heaven Phil. 3.20 whither we make over our estates Matth. 6.20 where we make us friends Luke 16.9 and lay the foundation of our building 1 Tim. 6.10 as being strangers here on Earth Heb. 11.13 heavenly in our better part and partakers of the Divine nature 2 Pet. 1.4 having an inheritance in heaven Col. 1.5 and the earnest of it already Eph. 1.14 our head Christ in heaven Heb. 4.14 from whence we look for him Phil. 3.20 to take us up thither to himself Joh. 14.3 to behold his glory Joh. 17.24 that we may be ever with the Lord 1 Thess 4.17 and be satisfied with his likenesse Psal 17.15 Let us learn of the heavens to stoop to those which are below us as we are advised Rom. 12.16 cherishing them with out influence of love and the fruits thereof and serving them with our abilities as the Heavens do the Earth nay as Christ doth his Church Mark 10.45 teaching us to do the like by his example Joh. 13.15 though we receive nothing from them again Luke 14.14 as the heavens afford their influences to the earth though they receive nothing from it back again Now though the Heavens be first named yet the Earth is not left out that also and all the store of it is affirmed to be Gods Workmanship who created the one as well as the other Whence 8. Observe Even the Earth and all the store of it is the Work of Gods hand Observ 8 ISa. 45.12 18. The Earth as well as the rest of the World he formed from the beginning Psal 90.2 beares up the Pillart of it to this day Psal 75.3 and renewes the face of it from time to time Psal 104.30 and so will do as long as it shall continue 1. Let all men then depend on Gods Power and faithful providence for the supporting and guiding of things here below which he can and will abase himself to look upon though he dwell on high Psal 113.5 6. to take care of and make provision for them Psal 145.15 16. God is not like the Ostrich Job 39.14 15. Whatsoever he hath made he takes care of 1. Because he is a faithfull Creator 1 Pet. 4.19 2. And besides because he hath made all things for himself Prov. 16.4 that is for his own glory which although it be advanced above the earth Psal 148.13 yet is manifest in the earth where all his Creatures praise him Psal 148.7 145.10 2. Acknowledge God alone even in the Conservation and Dispensation of earthly things looking at him as the only true owner of them Psal 24.1 seeking at his hands even our very bread and allowance for every day referring all to his glory 1 Cor. 10.30 and using all things according to his direction 3. Observe the hand and work of God in the ordering and disposing even of the things here below amongst these visible Creatures which both in their Creation Rom. 1.20 and much more in their administration manifest the invisible things of God and were Created for none other end but that in them he might manifest his Wisdome Power Righteousnesse Mercy and Truth and therefore to be searched into by those that fear him Psal 111.2 Vers 2. Vers 2 WIthout form and empty That is without Ornament shape or furniture and void of any Inhabitant The same phrase we find used in the same sense Isa 34.11 which we there render Confusion and Emptinesse and Jer. 4.23 to represent and expresse an utter Desolation or Confusion of all things and emptinesse thereby Darknesse was That is there was no light yet created the absence whereof is darknesse how long that darknesse continued that is how long it was before this light which was after created appeared after the creation of this rude masse is not here expressed sure we are there was light the first day and that this darknesse was no Creature as being a meer Privation and therefore could have no positive cause Notwithstanding as Darknesse is taken for Affliction so God is said to Create it Upon the Face Or upper part which first appears unto and is seen by the eye as being derived from a word in the Hebrew Language which signifies to look upon the same word signifies sometimes Presence and sometimes Person Of the Deep That rude unformed Masse a mixture of Earth and Waters and covered by them like a Sea Psal 104.6 But that place 2 Pet. 3.5 which some apply to this purpose where the Apostle saith The earth consisted out of the water and in the water seems rather to note the present state and form of the earth Consisting and appearing out of the Waters since God gathered them into their channels and Subsisting and abiding still firm in the middest of them Spirit The Third Person in the Trinity to which all Operations are most properly ascribed and by which God still renewes the face of the Earth Psal 104.30 Moving Or Hovering as a bird doth over her Eggs or Young ones as the same word is rendred Deut. 32.11 intimating the cherishing of that Mass by a secret influence of that quickening power of the Spirit by which it drew all the Creatures out of that gross lump or mass into their several forms and natures in which they were all formed
and the thoughts of his heart to all Ages Psal 33.11 and his Word or Decree brings to passe whatsoever he will Depend upon that Word with the Prophet David Psal 130.5 as being in it self unchangeable Isa 45.23 as God himself is that utters it Mal. 3.6 who will not alter the Word that is gone out of his lips Psal 89.34 whether it be for good Numb 23.19 or for evil Numb 14. comparing verse 12. with 25.35 And is as effectuall in the event 2 King 10.10 much more than the word of Kings Eccles 8.4 because he is strong and faithful that utters it Trust in it then firmly it is surer than the strongest Evidences And fear it it is firmer then the Lawes of the Medes and Persians Light is the first of all the Creatures that God makes as being it self most generally useful especially to the end which God principally aimed at which was to make all the rest of his works Visible and thereby capable of observation which was the principal end wherefore he made them This Light being a Creature must needs infinitely differ in nature from that Eternal brightness which God who only hath Immortality is said to dwell in from all eternity 1 Tim. 6.16 In what body it was fixed and how spread over the face of this unformed masse it is not easie to conjecture especially seeing at present we know not the way where the Light dwelleth Job 38.19 nor needful to enquire after seeing the Holy Ghost passeth it over in silence Only because all the works following must needs be created in the Light which was created before them all We may 3. Observe God loves to do all his Works in the light Observ 3 AS he dwells in the light 1 Tim. 6.16 The manner indeed of his working is secret and not observable or visible to men but the work it self is brought forth into the light and made manifest to all He declares his strength Psal 77.14 and his righteousnesse Psal 58.11 92.2 and hath therefore published in his Word the rule by which he proceeds and the end at which he aimes in all that he doth and hath besides planted in all men a light of understanding by which they may both comprehend and judge of all his works Reason 1. Because his work is Perfect Deut. 32.4 and therefore able to endure the light John 3.21 which none hide their works from but evil doers verse 22. 2. Because one special end of all his works is that he might be known In and By them Rom. 1.20 and be honoured for them Psal 111.2 3 4. 145.10 11. for which cause he hath also left his most memorable works upon record to posterity that men beholding all his wayes might know and fear him and trust in him Psal 78.6 7. Let us then search into and heedfully observe Gods works which is the duty and practice of all those that have pleasure therein Psal 111.2 A study 1. Pleasant 2. Profitable 3. Necessary both by Gods Command and because they nearly concern our selves Unto the true understanding whereof there needs Outwardly the direction of the Word Psal 73.16 17. and besides that Inward light of the Spirit which discovers unto all the Counsels of God as far as they concern us Let us also after Gods Example Walk and Work in the light 1 Joh. 1.7 as being Children of the Light Ephes 5.8 ordained by God to shine as Lights in the world Phil. 2.15 that our works being seen of men they may glorifie our Father which is in Heaven Matth. 5.16 doing those things that may abide the light and be approved by it Joh. 3.21 and setting all that we do before the light of our own consciences and before Gods presence Psal 139.23 24. Yea if need be before the faces of all men when Gods honour and our own necessary justification and the credit of Religion thereby require it at our hands Otherwise even works of the light are to be done in secret Matth. 6.3 unlesse the encouragement of other men or the necessity of the work it self require the performance of it in a more publick manner As even modest women choose rather to uncover their breasts before others than to suffer their children to cry for hunger In this Relation although the way where the light dwelleth be not discovered unto us yet the Author who Created it is expresly mentioned Light as well as all other Creatures was the effect of Gods decree Whence 4. Observe Light as well as all others Creatures is the Work of God himself Observ 4 IN many respects resembling him that made it as being Glorious Spiritual Pure diffused in an instant searching all places and useful for Direction and Comfort Thus both the light it self and the Sun that carries it are both prepared by God Psal 74.16 Isa 45.7 How much more is God the Author of VVisdom and Understanding the Inward light of the soul seeing he is the Light that enlightens every one that comes into the world John 1.9 but more of his own children whom he enlighteneth with that true knowledge of the glory of God in the face of his Son Jesus Christ 2 Cor. 4.6 Let all men then seek the Light of VVisdom at Gods hand as we are directed Jam. 1.5 Ephes 1.17 18. and that by the meanes which he hath ordained his VVord especially which is a light Prov. 6.23 shining in a dark place 2 Pet. 1.19 enlightening the eyes Psal 19.8 and directing the steps Psal 119.105 and yet not comprehended by the darknesse John 1.5 which rests upon the hearts of all them that remain in their natural condition and that this light may be discerned the eyes of the mind must be opened by the Spirit which must be begged of God by fervent and frequent prayer as David prayes God to open his eyes Psal 119.18 Let us acknowledge the light as a speciall blessing from God without which our life were both Uncomfortable and Unprofitable and all the Creatures to us for the most part unserviceable as we see in the Egyptian darknesse which fixed men to their places that they moved not for three dayes Exod. 10.22 23. and was an immediate fore-runner of a greater plague Much more let us acknowledge the light of our minds to be his blessing who hath opened our eyes and shined into our hearts when he hath left the rest of the world to perish in their ignorance Our thankfulnesse for so great a mercy ought to be manifested by walking in that light and perswading others to walk in it with us Isa 2.5 We cannot but take notice that God brought this Light out of Darknesse for there was nothing but darknesse upon the face of the Deep when God commanded this light to shine forth as there was nothing but deformity till God brought beauty into the world Whence 5. Observe God can and often doth bring Light out of Darknesse Observ 5 AS he doth daily by renewing the light of the day after the
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
bodies and spirits 2. In divers parts of the Earth to temperate the Ayre which is inflamed there by the extream heat of the Sunne 3. To make way for the falling of those sweet and comfortable dewes by which the Earth especially in those hot countreys is much refreshed 4. And to manifest by experience the comfortablenesse of the Light by interrupting and cutting it off daily by the darknesse of the night and so discovering the comfortablenesse of the presence of that glorious Creature by the terrours occasioned by the absence thereof Let no man in Use confound those things which God hath severed in nature by turning day into night and night into day shutting and closing their eyes against the Light of the day by unseasonable sleeping and opening them to the darknesse of the night using the day for their rest and the night for their sports and pastimes surfeiting and drunkennesse chambering and wantonesse a Custom though sometimes countenanced by great examples yet in true estimation preposterous and every way unprofitable and commonly by experience found to be as much prejudiciall to health as it is undoubtedly crosse to Nature The next use of these Lights is to be for signs or Indications of events which are to follow as natural causes are Prognostickes oftentimes of their effects to ensue now seeing God hath among therest appointed them for this end we by warrant may 6. Observ It is not unlawfull by the Stars and Planets to guesse at some events that are to follow Observ 6 WHether certain and infallible as Summer and Winter which God himself hath promised shall never cease Gen. 8.22 And which we constantly and upon good ground expect according to the Revolutions of those heavenly bodies or probably onely as Heat Cold Rain Drout whereof there may be some sleight guesses by the conjunction of those Celestial bodies but more probable conjectures when the effects themselves begin to appear as rain in the skie which is lowring red which our Saviour himself allowes to be a sign of Rain presently to follow Math 16.3 Onely we must take heed that we ground no more but conjecture upon such signs as these Nay beyond all this as we have already intimated although these general Causes work very uncertainly upon things here below yet the conjunctions of the Planets especially in Eclipses though they point not out the particular events to follow in the Persons Places Times Measure and Manner thereof yet they may not unprofitably stir us up to the expectation of some observable events to ensue which experience shewes us to fall out accordingly sometimes Let no man upon this ground undertake by the observation of those Celestiall bodies to guesse at the knowledge of such future events as they were never appointed for neither in their own Nature can foreshew as the disposition of mens minds successe of their affaires Length of their lives kinds of their death Mutations and Periods of Kingdomes and Cities and the like Curiosities which are condemned by God Isa 47.13 and unprofitable to men to busie their heads about seeing Constellations have their operations in such events only as general causes which effect nothing farther then they are seconded by the more immediate working of particular causes 2. The nature of many of them is rather guessed at than distinctly known and consequently our guesse at their operations must needs be very uncertain 3. If their Nature could be fully known yet the Impediments of their Operations partly by the frequent failing of Particular and Immediate causes and partly by the different disposition of the Subjects on which they work are so many that the effect hath an exceeding uncertain dependance on them which the frequent failings of the predictions grounded thereupon doth evidently discover A Third Use of these Lights and Celestial bodies is for the determining of Seasons by which the labours of men and their affaires are directed Thus we see what a stroke God hath by the Influence of these heavenly bodies on things below in all the affaires of men VVhence 7. Observe All especially the chief of the affaires of men are ordered and directed by God himself from heaven FAring and Harvest have their dependance on the Spring Summer and Autumn included under the names of Summer and Wanter Gen. 8.22 all of them appointed by God in their seasons by the Motions of the Celestial bodies The light of the day sets men on work Psal 104.23 then comes the Night when no man can work Joh. 9.4 Fair weather invites men to labour abroad the Snow and Rain seal up their hands Job 37.7 and confine them to their houses Nay much more is the successe and prospering of all mens labours from heaven From thence they are prospered Deut. 28.12 Mal. 3.10 or blasted Deut. 28.23 24. Hag. 1.10 So that Good and Evil are dispensed as it were out of his storehouse that men may know his work Job 37.7 Let all men then have their dependance upon God who onely Ruleth and disposeth of the Heavens Stars yea of the Clouds that let down the rain on the Earth which are turned about by his counsel to do whatsoever he commands whether in Mercy or Judgment Job 37.12 13. He must hear the Heavens and the Heavens the Earth and the Earth the Corn and Wine Hos 2.22 Let us then pray to him 1 King 8.35 as Elijah did 1 King 18.42 Fear him Jer. 5.22 and behold his Metcy or Judgment in all these dispensations Job 37.13 that our hearts may be sometimes quickned to thankfulnesse and at other times be humbled before him The last Use of the Lights is for dayes and years that is for Computation of Times without which neither could we well either give directions for things to come nor take account of things past without such a means of computing Times which must needs cause great Confusion in all mens affaires So that amongst divers blessings which we enjoy from God this rule for the computation of Times is not to be accounted the least VERSE 15. TO give light And not only to have it in themselves Now under this name of Light is included that secret and effectual Influence which those Celestial bodies cast out with their Light upon things here below to make all things fruitful and to cherish the Creatures Upon the Earth Which hath neither light nor life in it self but that which it borrowes from above It is not amongst the least of Gods Wonders that these Celestial bodies should cast out their light and influence at such an incredible distance as we shall see anon Now this Light and Influence which they convey unto the Earth although it be especially serviceable to men yet we find by experience to be a singular benefit to the rest of the Creatures or at least to the most of them We cannot but take notice that this Light which God hath now planted in the Sun was notwithstanding Created before it that it might be the more evident
to the beasts upon the consideration that they also were Creatures framed by the same powerful hand of God which prevailed with Job in another case Job 31.15 The Earth is here commanded by God to bring forth the Living Creature after his kind not by any power that it had in it self to give life to other Creatures which it had not in it self but by the Power and Will of God who appointed and decreed it And shall not the same Will and Decree of God that produced living Creatures out of the Dead Earth cause the same Earth to yield up her dead and the Sea her dead Rev. 20.13 The difference between the Creation of Beasts and Man cannot be passed by without speciall observation Mans Body was indeed taken out of the Earth as well as the Bodies of the Beasts but his Soul was not from the Earth but from Heaven But in the Creation of Beasts the Body and Soul or Life is wholly out of the Earth for the Earth is Commanded to bring forth the Living Creature that is the Creature with the Life thereof So that we find no Original of the Soul or Life of the Beast but from the Earth onely VVhence 2. Observe Beasts are Wholly Of and Out of the Earth Observ 2 THeir Life or Soul is in their blood Levit. 17.11 and thence it is that all their motions are wholly Earthly and after Earthly things and all the Operations of their Soules in Nutrition Motion or Sense exercised meerly by Bodily Instruments And in their very dissolution their Spirit goes downwards to the earth from whence it was at the first taken as Solomon tells us Eccl. 3.21 VVere it not then a foul shame for Men endowed with understanding to imitate Beasts and to take them for their pattern Surely men that understand not are like the Beasts that perish Psal 49.20 whose wisdom is sensual and earthly Jam. 3.15 Their mind only upon earthly things Phil. 3.19 by which they corrupt themselves as bruit beasts Jude 10. becoming wholly sensual Jude 19. walking altogether by Sense and not by Faith as Gods Children either do or at least should do 2 Cor. 5.7 By the VVord and Decree of God both the tame and wild beasts and every creeping thing were Created VVhence 3. Observe All the Beasts on the Earth being Gods Creatures are Gods Store and at his Command Observ 3 EVen every Beast of the Forrest and the Cattel upon a thousand hills he justly challengeth as his own Psal 50.10 he sends forth his Spirit and creates them Psal 104.30 he opens his hand and feeds them ver 27 28. and he gives out his Word and commands them and orders all their goings directing them to execute his VVill as appears in the example of the two she-Beares 2 King 2.24 and she-Lion 1 King 13.24 and the Lions in the Den Dan. 3. Let us then ascribe all the store that we have unto God 1. Looking upon it as a gift from God as Jacoh doth Gen. 31.9 and made fruitfull and usefull by his blessing Psal 144.13 14. 2. Seek all at his hands 3. And serve and honour him with all that we possesse yea with the first of our increase Prov. 3.9 4. And use all that we have according to his direction in Mercy towards the Creature and in a way of Sobriety to our selves VERSE 25. ANd God made Though God had commanded the Earth to bring forth the Creatures yet it was his own Power giving efficacy to his Will and Word that was the onely means by which they were produced This making of the Creatures was not by means according to the course of nature but the Creating of them without means supernaturally by the power of the Creator VVhence 1. Observe God not only Decrees and Commands but Performs and Brings to effect whatsoever he Wills Observ 1 IF he command Moses to do any thing he shall not lift up his hand in vain but the stretching out of it over the waters shall turn them into blood the Ashes of the Furnace by sprinckling them into the Ayr shall turn in Sores and Blains upon mens bodies his Word alone shall bring forth Froggs and Caterpillers Murrain upon the Cattel Hail and Lightnings from Heaven Darknesse upon the Land and â—eath upon the first born And this God doth not onely in extraordinary miraculous works that are Supernatural but even in those that are according to the course of nature He decreed that Summer and Winter Earing and Harvest should not cease while the world lasted and we see they continue to this day He commanded their Propagation and sustentation and they continue according to his Ordinance unto this day Psal 119. Living Moving and having their Being in him Act. 17.28 And by his Word our food gives us nourishment and strâ—â—gth Deut. 8.3 Nay he wills our Sanctification and Holy conversation and he works in us both to VVill and to do Phil. 2.13 Let this Consideration stay up and support the hearts of Gods Children whatsoever God hath engaged himself unto by his VVord and Promise he will not fail to bring to passe to give Grace at present and Glory hereafter Psal 84.11 For he speaks Righteousnesse Isa 45.16 Never look either upon the weaknesse of the Meanes or the greatnesse of the work but look upon the Power and Truth of him that hath promised it It is Gods VVord and it shall stand when Heaven and Earth shall fail And let this bear up our spirits when they are sincking under the sense of our weaknesse Indeed without Him we can do nothing Joh. 15.5 But as he can do all things Job 42.2 So in him that strengthens us we shall be able to do all things Phil. 4.13 And he will work In and For us Isa 26.12 Onely let us undertake nothing in our own strength but all in the Power of his might That which might be observed out of the particular enumeration of the Creatures which God made we have taken notice of heretofore as also of the Execution of the Decree and answerablenesse of it in all things according to that which he had appointed There followes in the last place the Creation of Man the last and perfectest and the Crown and Glory of all Gods visible VVorks for that cause described more at large and with more variety of Circumstances then any of the rest and Consequently more needful to be attended and more carefully enquired into by us especially seeing withal it more nearly concerns us VERSE 26. LEt Before God gave out his Command to the Creature as to the Earth and Sea to bring forth Fishes Fowls and Beasts or more Generally commands things to be made Let there be Light Let the waters be gathered Let there be great Lights Here he puts as it were his own Hand to the work and in a sort incourageth himself to undertake it as if he had an hard task to undertake if we may speak of God as the Holy Ghost here represents him
God although he thought it not fit to change the Sabbath unto another day till that work should be accomplished which should occasion the change of it yet took speciall care to pen the Fourth Commandement in such expressions that when the time of accomplishing that work should come the day might be changed without altering the letter of the Law Wherefore having occasion in the fourth Commandement to alledge the same reason for the Continuation of the Sabbath that he gives here for the Institution of it and that in the same form of words which he here useth yet in the conclusion inferred upon that reason he changeth the Particular term Seventh unto that which is more General Sabbath saying not as here Therefore the Lord Sanctified the Seventh Day but Therefore the Lord Sanctified the Sabbath Day Implying that the time which he required to be observed must be one Resting day of Seven leaving the Particularity of the day to be designed by the work upon which the observation of it was to be grounded so that both the Jews from that same Law might have warrant for the observation of the Last day of the Week and we that are Christians might have the like warrant for the observing of the First day of the Week Some there are that conceive these words not to contain in them the Narration of what God instituted at present but by way of Anticipation a manifestation of what he Ordained and Appointed to be observed in the Law afterward delivered to his people upon Mount Sinai Exod. 20. As if Moses had said here This Rest of God the Seventh day was the reason why God in the delivering his Law upon Mount Sinai appointed his People to keep that Seventh day for a day of an Holy Rest To whom we answer 1. What ground is there to be drawn out of any Circumstance of the text that enforceth us to admit such an Anticipation and without such a ground who dare suppose it If we may pervert the Order of the Scriptures at our pleasure without warrant from the Letter of the text it self no Man shall be able to draw any binding Argument out of Scripture to conclude any thing at all 2. Anticipations in Scripture are most Commonly if not Alwaies used that by representing before hand somewhat which was done afterwards the whole narration might be made more clear and perspicuous or at least that the Occasion or consequents of such other things as are related might be Considered and laid together that we might the more easily and distinctly observe the VVay of God in his VVork Now in this place to mention the occasion of that which was done more then two thousand years afterwards helps nothing to the understanding of any thing there related and consequently there is upon that ground no cause of supposing such an Anticipation 3. Such an Anticipation in this place must needs be acknowledged to be utterly superfluous seeing the very ground of Instituting the rest of the Sabbath which is mentioned here is expresly and wel-nigh in the same words set down in the very body of the Law given upon Mount Sinai Now it cannot be Imagined that the Holy Ghost in an History so succinctly penned as this is would insert any thing unnecessarily and superfluously 4. Such an Anticipation in this place necessarily supposeth that the Book of Genesis was written after the delivering of the Law upon Mount Sinai for if the Law were not given before the Book of Genesis was written how could this Anticipation here shew the reason of a Law which was not then in being Now that the Book of Genesis was written after the Law was given is impossible to be proved Nay if conjectures might be admitted it seems more probable that Genesis was written while Moses was yet in Midian before he undertook the bringing up of Israel out of Egypt for besides that he was then best at leisure that Book must needs be of singular use to encourage the Children of Israel to undertake their journey into Canaan for which their Fore-Fathers had forsaken their own native soil which God had so many waies made over unto them wherein they had been sojourners so long a time and wherein God had so wonderfully protected and prospered them even to admiration all of them being great encouragements to enter into the possession of so good a Land so freely bestowed upon them Others there are that conceive that those words contain only a narration of what God himself did not what he appointed or ordained Man to do or observe afterwards and will have the words in the first clause to expresse what God did He rested and in the later to expresse how he did it He Sanctified and Blessed his Rest or kept it as an Holy Rest To whom we answer 1. How can God be said to Sanctifie his Rest in this Sense seeing his Actions and Holines of them cannot be severed but whatsoever he doth is Holy because he doth it The actions of Men indeed and the Holinesse of them be two things and are many times too far asunder but God is holy in all his Works Psal 145.17 and in ceasing from his Works And therefore to say that God Rested and that he Sanctified his Rest is to speak Improperly and Superfluously 2. If that be the sense of the term Sanctified how shall we interpret the next word Blessed In what sense God by his own Act of Resting may be said to Blesse the day of his Rest cannot easily be imagined neither do we find any other place of Scripture wherein that phrase bears such a sense 3. The letter of the Text and Series of the Narration seem to oppose this sense wherein we have related unto us three distinct Actions of God First He made 2. He Rested 3. He Blessed and Sanctified the Rest And those three are laid down as succeeding one another at least in Nature if not in Time Yea and to be in a sort the ground one of another The full perfecting and finishing of the Creation was the ground of Gods Resting and his Resting was the Ground or Occasion at least of Blessing and Sanctifying the Day of Rest or appointing of it to be a day of Holy Rest So that as in the words of the second verse He rested from all the works which he had made imply the making of the works before the Rest so in this Verse He Sanctified the Rest because he had Rested must needs imply that the Rest went before the sanctifying of the Rest and to be distinct from it A third sort there are that think those words Sanctified and Blessed to imply Not what God then did but what he purposed and intended to do afterwards and parallel for the strengthening of that conjecture with these words that phrase Jer. 11.8 where God saith that he sanctified and Ordained Jeremy to be a Prophet in the womb which cannot be understood of the Actuall Sanctifying of Jeremy at present but
earth and the Earth the Corn and Wine if any of them prosper Hos 2.21 Let us acknowledge the wonderful Goodnesse and Mercy of God that from time to time provides that means without which neither men nor beasts could possibly subsist and that constantly and seasonably so that neither Earing nor Harvest fail according to his promise Gen. 8.22 And withal take notice of his wonderful Power that makes the Rain a means of cherishing Life in the Herbs and Plants which it self hath no Life at all Without Rain or any help by humane culture God as Moses relates created the Herbs and Plants howsoever he pleaseth ordinarily to make use of both for the propagating and preserving of them Whence 6. Observe Though God be pleased to make Use of Mans Labour in Producing and Cherishing the Fruits of the Earth yet he can encrease and preserve them without it Observ 6 THis He manifested by causing every Seventh Year to produce Fruits sufficient for his people without any labour of theirs at all And indeed all that mans labour doth this way is but the applying of those means which have all their power and efficacy from God Man neither makes the Seed that he sows nor the Earth that receives and nourisheth it nor gives the one power to yield it nourishment or the other vertue to receive it and to grow and spring thereby These are the Effects of Gods Power who gives to every seed his own body who sends forth his Spirit and renewes the face of the earth Psal 104.30 and blesseth the springing of the fruits thereof Psal 65.10 Let no man then burn incense to his own net or yarn or think highly of his own wisdom or diligence as the cause and means by which his fields of Corn or Pastures are made fruitful seeing both our Strength to labour is from God and our Wisdom to manage our affairs aright is from him too Isa 28.26 and this blessing upon our labours is that only that makes them successeful So that every way it is he that gives ability to get wealth Deut. 8.18 riches are his blessing Prov. 10.22 without which it is in vain to rise early and to eat the bread of sorrow and carefulnesse Psal 127.2 Notwithstanding though Moses hereby proves these Herbs and Plants were the work of Gods hand at the first because there was no man to till the ground he must necessarily imply that ordinarily there is required mans labour in the producing and cherishing of the fruits of the Earth So that we may 7. Observe Though the fruitfulnesse of the Earth come only by Gods blessing yet the labour of man is required as the ordinary means to further it Observ 7 TO that indeed is the promise of Gods blessing annexed Deut. 28.8 12. Prov. 12.11 Now this labour God hath laid upon the generation of men Partly to humble us as appears by that Curse upon Man after his Fall and Partly to exercise both our Bodies and Minds and that for the good of them both seeing idlenesse as experience teacheth us both fills the body with ill humours and the Mind with noisome lusts and lastly that being daily busied about the Creatures we might the better observe the wayes of Gods providence in providing for blessing and supporting them and working by his influence both In and By them in a wonderful manner Let then every man apply himself to labour in the place that God hath set him in 1. In Obedience to Gods Command 2. Depending still upon Gods blessing which only must prosper his Endeavours lest otherwise sicknesses in his Body and noisom lusts in his Soul and the Curse of God upon his Estate waste and consume him and misery and beggery come upon him like an armed man Prov. 24.34 VERSE 6. ANd there went up a mist So many read it and then the sense is that as God only made the Creatures so he only cherished them neither by mans labour nor by Rain the ordinary means by which they now grow and live but instead thereof he prepared a Mist which he made to be sufficient to water the Plants which he had made But some there are who translate it Neither a Mist which also the Original may well bear And then the sense seems to be more clear and suitable to the scope of the Holy Ghost who to shew that the Plants and Herbs were produced meerly by the Power of God excludeth all the Ordinary means by which according to the Course of Nature they might be cherished both mans labour and the dew of Heaven whether by rain the more usual and effectual or so much as by a mist the weaker and lesse usuall means of nourishing the Plants Howsoever the words be rendred the scope of Moses appears to be this by excluding the help of any Second cause to make it evident that the Herbs and Plants were produced and sustained only by the Power of God that we might acknowledge the Equity of Gods Command in restraining man from eating of the sruit interdicted and might behold his Goodnesse and Bounty in bestowing on him the free use of all the rest of the fruits which he had Created for which man had never laboured So that if he denied man any sruit seeing he had no right to it it was just and equall and if he granted him any much more if he gave him all the rest it was out of favour and superaboundant bounty Now if we consider the words as we do in our Translation But a Mist We may 1. Observe God wants no variety of means to effect whatsoever he will Observ 1 IF there be no rain to water the Earth the Mist shall suffice if his People want corn to feed them in the wildernesse the Heavens shall rain down Mannah for their food If there be no other means to conveigh bread and flesh to Elijah the Ravens shall bring it him every morning and evening if that meanes fail he hath a widdow in Zarephath that shall provide for him if her proifions fail an handfull of meal in the barrel and a little oyle in the Cruse shall be sufficient to maintain him and her with her whole family till God send rain on the Earth Let no man despair when meanes seem to fail he that takes them away can provide other at his pleasure if they seem weak and insufficient in themselves he can make them sufficient by his Power If Christ be taken away from the Earth to ascend unto to his Father his Spirit shall descend upon the Apostles and work more effectually by their Ministery than it had done by Himself in the daies of his flesh when he was present with his Church here on Earth Now if we render those words as others do Neither a Mist We may 2. Observe God can and many times doth bring things to passe without any meanes at all Observ 2 SEe Gen. 1. ver 30. Obs 7. and ver 11. Obs 2. The end why Moses in this Narration excludeth
and Goodnesse Observ 9 NOthing but his Mercies and the multitude of his Loving kindnesses Isa 63.7 his meer Love and Pity vers 9. And therefore the Church in her distresse flyes unto nothing but the sounding of his bowels and his mercies Isa 63.15 or to his Truth Psal 89.49 Or to the Respect to his own glory Josh 7.9 which alone is sufficient to move him Ezek. 36.22 The truth is God can neither Owe any thing to his own Creature neither can he be engaged by any desert Job 35.7 seeing when we have done all we are unprofitable servants neither can it be for Gods honour that his Bounty should not be every way free and meerly from Himself out of his own abundant goodnesse Let it quiet all our hearts when the sense of our own unworthinesse seems to cut off our hope and expectation of any favour from God towards us Consider what could move him to make us at first when we were not to give us the Soveraignty over all his Creatures the possession of the whole world nay to give us his own Son Jesus Christ when we were Weak Ungodly and Enemies Rom. 5. The same free mercy which moved him to set his heart upon us at the first will move him to continue his Goodnesse to us still because his Compassions and Truth fail not Lam. 3.22 Nothing can separate us from him but our own departing from him by Unbelief and despising the Salvation freely offered unto us The Title given unto the Woman by God in this place is not to be passed by without observation God calls her an Helper VVhence 10. Observe A Wife is but an Helper to her Husband Obser 10 NOt his Guide for she was Created for the Man not the man for her 1 Cor. 11.9 and that too Inferiour unto him both in dignity and usually in abilities So that she is truly and worthily called the weaker vessel 1 Pet. 3.7 Let both married persons know their places the woman contenting her self with that place in which God hath set her â—d for which He hath furnished her with abilities proportionable without affecting or endeavouring to aspire to the higher place of Government which God hath denyed unto her And let the man so use his place of ruling and governing that he may look on his Wife as his helper so ordering the affaires of the family that she may have employment for those abilities that God hath given her and yet not laying the weight of his affaires upon her shoulders remembring that though she be an Helper yet she is but an helper so that he must undertake the greatest employment in the government of the Family The help that God resolves to Create for the man was a meet help one every way fiited for the office of Assistance for which God intended her Whence 11. Observe A Wife cannot be a good Wife unlesse she be a Meet and a Fit Wife Observ 11 ANswerable if it may be 1. in Blood and Parentage See 1 Sam. 23. 2. In Estate 3. Education 4. Especially in the temper of her Disposition 5. But above all the rest in Religion Seeing there can be no fellowship of Righteousnesse with Unrighteousnesse nor of Light with Darknesse 2 Cor. 6.14 Least of all beween married persons Inequality indeed either in Blood or Estate may occasion either Scorn or Presumption either on the one side or the other unanswerablenesse in Education hinders Fitnesse for Employment Unsuitablenesse in Disposition may cause many jarres and unquietnesse in commerce one with the the other But above all difference in Religion utterly cuts off all manner of Holy Communion in Prayers in Comforts in Counsels for mutuall Edification and Endangers the corrupting of the person thus unequally yoaked as appears in the examples of the Old World of Solomon of the Children of Israel after their return from the Babylonish Captivity Neh. 13.23 For which cause God so precisely forbad such matches to his own People Deut. 7.3 4. VERSE 19. ANd out of the ground the Lord God formed Or rather Had formed as we have seen already It was said before ver 7. that man was made out of the Ground and verse 9. that God made the Trees of Paradise to grow out of the Ground So that there may be perhaps some Emphasis in this Word the rather because it hath He prefixed which is many times Emphatical As if the Holy Ghost pointing at the common Originall both of men and beasts would imply that though the same hand formed them both and that of the same matter yet man and the Beasts were so unsuitable in Nature that amongst all the Beasts there could not be found one that was fit to be mans companion But howsoever this repetition may be taken in for a supply unto the 20th verse of the former Chapter and discovers unto us that the Fowls also were made out of the Earth a Circumstance altogether omitted in that pace And brought them to Adan How it is not expressed the phrase implies no more but this that they all presented themselves before Adam as their Lord and that by Gods speciall appointment as it were to do him Homage And this was done questionlesse before Eves Creation as well that she might acknowledge that the Soveraignty over the Creatures was in the Man seeing he onely gave them their names as that the man by the survey of the Creatures might take notice of their unfitnesse to be his Companions and consequently the necessity of Creating the Woman before God undertook the work might appear to Adam himself To see what he would call them By that means in a sort to take possession of his Lordship over them for imposition of names implies a kind of Soveraignty Thus Pharaoh when he admitted Joseph into his service gave him a name and when Pharaoh-Necho set up a new King in Jerusalem he gave him a new Name 2 Chron. 36.4 to manifest that he was to acknowledge him to be his Lord And names amongst the Hebrewes were usually given by the Father who was the Master of the Family and howsoever the Mother was permitted to do it sometimes yet that the power belonged of right to the Father appears by Jacobs changing of the name Ben-oni which his Mother had given into Benjamin Gen. 35.18 And by the appeal of friends to Zachary the Father in the controversie about John Baptist's Name Luke 1.62 Withal God gave Adam thereby occasion to make tryall of that wisdom which he had given him in finding out fit Names agreeable to the Creatures Natures which required a great measure of wisdom And whatsoever Adam called them c. This clause we may probably conceive to be added to manifest both the Power and Wisdom of Adam in giving the Creatures their names when that which he did was ratified as unalterable as being given by him that had power to do it and had done it with such wisdom that there was no cause to alter any name that he had given
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
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
that she so thought both of the one and the other in her heart as she represents them in her speeches having a low esteem of Gods large liberality in the grant of eating of all the trees and grudging at the interdiction from eating of that one Besides we finde that upon Satans reply to this answer the woman turnes wholly away unto the creature which she could not do unlesse she had first departed from God which we may probably conceive is described or at the least intimated in this verse Which is in the midst of the Garden By this answer it is evident that this phrase in the midst cannot be taken largely for within as it is in some other places of Scripture as namely Gen. 41.48 that we render in the Cities is in the Original in the midst of the Cities but more properly and distinctly for the particular place in which that tree stood seeing the woman by this expression distinguisheth it from the rest of the trees of the Garden This Middest here mentioned we must understand within a certain latitude because the Tree of life is said in the former Chapter verse 9. to be planted in the midst of the Garden near unto which it seemes this tree was placed and was it which the woman meant in this place because that only was the tree of which she was forbidden to eat God hath said Whether she answers the Divel to that particular that he points at in his question whether she was sure that it was God that had forbidden the eating of that tree so that it is as if she had said yea it is God himself that hath forbidden not only the eating but the very touching of that fruit or whether she is moved to name God not so much in satisfaction to Satans question as out of a distaste of his strict interdiction it is not much material Questionlesse when she expressely mentions his name in the restraint and passeth by it in the grant of all the rest of the trees in the Garden she cannot but be conceived to discover some unkinde thought of God of whom she seemes to take no notice at all in so free and large a grant which if she had valued as she ought she might and in justice ought to have cleared God in this interdiction acknowledging both the equity of God in interdicting the use of one tree when he had so freely granted them all the rest and her ready and willing submission thereunto especially seeing also the whole Garden was of Gods own planting and therefore it was free for him to grant or withhold what he pleased Neither shall ye touch it Of this clause we finde no mention in the relation of the interdiction recorded in the former Chapter whether that clause was left out by God in the delivery of that Law or by Moses in recording of it it is uncertain Howsoever we may probably conceive that if that clause was not expressed in giving the Law yet the woman might conceive it to be implied But admit she did it was more then she needed to have added in her answer to the divels question who enquires only of the restraint from eating and not from touching or handling so that she may justly be conceived in this voluntary expressing of more then was demanded to discover some discontent and propension to grudge and complain of Gods hard dealing with her and her husband Lest ye die Some adde peradventure and it is true that that particle Pen in the Original signifies sometimes only the likelihood or possibility of an uncertain Consequent Take it how you will it appears plainly that the woman expressing the curse in a phrase so much different and so much weaker then that wherein God had delivered it gives great cause of suspicion that she entertained not that sharp threatening of so heavy a judgement with that feare and trembling of heart that she ought seeing she could not but speak of it as her heart was inwardly affected by it and consequently discovereth the wavering of her heart in not firmly believing that certain truth of Gods judgement threatened in case of her transgression of which she speaks so slightly and doubtfully whereby she gives encouragement to Satan in his reply to deny that flatly and peremptorily which she believes so weakly as being assured by one assault more wholly to overthrow that which began to totter already Verse 4. And the Serpent said Watching more diligently to catch something from the womans mouth then ever Benhadads Messengers did from Ahabs 1 Kings 20.33 And perceiving that the woman began now to stagger and give ground he renews his assault with the more violence as we shall see by and by Ye shall not surely die The forcible forme of speech used by God which the woman had omitted Satan takes up perhaps not without some derision as if he had said yea I know you are threatened death certain death yea death in the highest degree if you will be such fools as to believe God It must needs then be granted that Satan relating the curse more exactly according to the forme wherein it was delivered then the woman had done knew it well enough beforehand as being questionlesse present when God denounced it at first whereat we need not wonder seeing we know how diligently he watcheth God in all his wayes and his children in all his dispensations towards them as appears in the History of Job which if Eve had well observed she might have had just cause to suspect Satans dealing with her in enquiring of her that which he knew before hand as well as her selfe And withal it manifestly discovers Satans impudency in contradicting that which he knew God had uttered with his own mouth and that to the woman her selfe who had heard it as well as he But he well knew that he could now speak no more then the woman was ready to believe And besides he takes the more liberty to deny that which God had affirmed because no man had hitherto by trial had experience of the contrary by the execution of that curse which God had threatened And therefore seeing there was no meanes to convince him of falshood he takes the more boldnesse to gain say that upon his word which God had affirmed only upon his Word Hoping that his Nay might prevaile as much with so favourable a hearer as Gods Yea could do when there was no meanes to determine the point in difference but the credit of the persons that affirmed and denied Verse 5. But God doth know Whatsoever he speaks or affirmes to the contrary This circumstance the divel urgeth with great probability if the tree were believed to have any such vertue that God who made the tree could not be ignorant of the nature of his own work and enforceth with great advantage for the furthering of his main end to take off mans heart from God if it were assented unto as true for then God must be charged
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
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
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
what can flesh and blood do against a Spirit 2. In his Abilities he surmounts Solomon himself in knowledge 3. In his experience we are but of yesterday in comparison of him In his diligence his eyes never sleep neither doth he take rest night or day in watching to do us mischief 4. Besides he hath within us a strong party of our own lusts that fight for him against us 5. He hath without us the world with the allurements thereof And lastly he hath as many instruments to make use of to corrupt us as there be wicked men in the world Let every man then take the Apostles counsel Eph 6.13 1. Take to us all the Armour of God 2. Let men be sure to walk in a right way in which God hath promised us his Protection Psal 91.11 3. Let them watch continually and stand upon their guard 4. Let them stand strong in faith and in the Power of Gods might 5. And pray continually unto him that is able to save them VERSE 7. ANd the eyes Not so much of the Body as of the Minde for which cause it is added not that they saw but that they knew that they were naked which though it might be discerned by the eye of the body yet the shame that accompanied it could appear to nothing but the eye of the minde Of them both Not Adams only but Eves too whose eyes Satan had blinded so long that she observed nothing no not after she had eaten her selfe till she had seduced her husband too and then when they were both in the transgression and the temptation had taken full effect her eyes were opened too as well as her husbands Were opened Both by God who having suffered Satan to blinde them thus long at length in mercy discovered unto them and gave them hearts to take notice of the miserable and sad condition into which Satan had brought them that they might be humbled and seek to God for pardon And by Satan who though he had blinded them all the way in which he led them yet now he had brought them whither he desired sticks not to shew them where they were as Elisha dealt with the Syrian army which he led into Samaria 2 Kings 6.20 but it was only to encrease their grief and misery by beholding the great evil which they had brought upon themselves This opening of their eyes might consist in two things First in fixing their eyes upon their nakednesse which it may be they might not else have observed Secondly in representing the shame that now accompanied it that they might the more fully discover the change of their condition and have their hearts the more feelingly affected with it And they knew that they were naked And deformed in their nakednesse whereof as it may be gathered by their hiding of themselves they were ashamed Not because there was any change in the parts of their bodies but only in the use of them which before being instruments to righteousnesse and comely by the right ordering of them to the end for which they were created were now uncomely by their inordinate disposition to sin as the affections of the soule within were likewise become filthy and shameful by the like inordinate inclination of them to evil And they sewed fig-leaves Whether because they were nearest at hand or by reason of their largenesse fittest for that use it is not easie to guesse Only the making use of these leaves to cover their bodies gives us no sufficient ground to conclude that therefore the tree the fruit whereof they had eaten against Gods interdiction was a fig-tree For if it had been so now when their eyes were opened that they saw both their misery and the cause of it they would in all probability have abhorred the tree by which they had sinned above all others and consequently have made choice of any other thing for the covering of their bodies rather then of the leaves of that tree Now how they fastened those leaves together it is to no purpose to enquire questionlesse without a needle and thread it was not impossible to devise some meanes both to joyne them together and to fasten them to their bodies as we see they did And made them aprons Or coverings to tie about their loines for the covering of their secret parts But why those alone seeing all the body was deformed especially the Eares Eyes Mouth and Hands as being really defiled by the contagion of sin whereof they were special instruments it is most likely because the beholding of those parts more easily suggests unto our minds motions to uncleannesse Although withal we may conceive that because sin the cause of shame is more especially propagated by those parts as David implies in that expression Psal 51.7 it pleased God to make a deeper impression of shame which sin brings with it upon those parts then upon any of the rest Hitherto Moses hath described unto us mans fall with the Meanes Order and several steps thereof The Consequents thereof are laid before us in the next place and they are First the misery that came upon him thereby discerned in part though not fully by himselfe with the remedy which he useth but in vaine to help it Secondly we have their sin by which they fell discovered by God in the examination of the offendors and the punishment inflicted on them In describing our first Parents discovery of the misery into which they had fallen we have set before us First the opening of their eyes with the time when which was not till they had both eaten of the forbidden fruit Secondly what they discovered thereupon which was rather their shame then their sin which was the cause of it Thirdly what meanes they used to cover their shame but none to take away their sinne the girding of themselves with aprons of fig-leaves From the time considered in relation to the woman that she saw her nakednesse when she had drawen her husband into the same sinne with her selfe but discovered it not before We have occasion to 1 OBSERVE Man can discerne nothing but What and When and how farre God is pleased to discover it unto him Observe 1 IN our bodies sight it is manifest We see the Sodomites could not see Lots door although just before them when God had smitten them with blindenesse Gen. 19.11 Neither could Hagar see the Well of water till God had opened her eyes Gen. 21.19 Nor the Syrian army the way which they went till God opened their eyes when they were in Samaria 2 Kings 8.20 Nor the disciples Christ with whom they were familiarly acquainted Luke 24.31 Much more is it true of the eyes of the minde David could not discerne the sinfulnesse of that act of numbring the people although Joab warned him of it till his heart smote him for it after it was done 2 Sam. 24.3 10. nor Absalom nor Rehoboam the good counsel that was given them when God took away their hearts 1 Kings 12.15 2 Sam.
those Rev. 6.16 or at least astonisheth them by them hereafter as our Saviour represents it to us in the Parable of Dives Luke 16.24 Now thus God deales with wicked men as well to increase their plagues as to manifest his righteousness in giving them the fruits of their own wayes as they do acknowledg Ps 58.11 And with his own children as appears in the examples of David 2 Sam. 24.10 and of Peter Mat. 26.75 1. To bring them to repentance for their failings past 2. To make them more watchful for time to come 3. To give them a fuller and quicker taste of Gods mercy in their reconciliation by Jesus Christ in pardoning their sinnes and delivering them from the wrath to come That whereof Adam and Eve were most sensible after their eyes were opened was their nakednesse now by that they were indeed exposed to the injury of the weather which must necessarily breed them much annoyance But with that they seem not to be so much affected at present because they provide no present remedy against it But that which was fuller in their eye was their deformity by their nakednesse which they were ashamed to look upon and therefore desire to hide it from their own eyes by girding about themselves aprons of fig-leaves Now if we consider that they were the glory of all the visible creatures which God had made as being in a more especial manner created after Gods Image we may here easily observe what a fearful change sin brings upon all that are defiled with it Whence 5 OBSERVE Sin is able to make the most excellent and glorious of all Gods creatures vile and shameful Observe 5 THat was it that made Lucifer created by God a most glorious Angel of light a most ugly and hateful fiend which made Antiochus surnamed the glorious a vile person as the Angel termes him Dan. 11.21 as all wicked men are likewise called Psal 15.4 very beasts Psal 49.20 nay the most filthy of all beasts even swine wallowing in the mire 2 Pet. 2.22 The reason is 1. It defaceth the Image of God in them which especially consists in righteousnesse Ephes 4.24 which sinne perverts Job 33.27 2. It separates a man from God as all sin doth Isa 59.2 who is our glory Isa 60.19 and 28.5 3. It disorders all the faculties of the soule and parts of the body and consequently all the motions and actions that flow from them and subjects us to our own base lusts and vile affections to do things that are not comely Rom. 1.24 26 28. Let all men then esteem sin as the basest vilest and most abominable of all things and that not only drunkennesse adultery and the like which make men base in the eyes of men but more those fouler sins of infidelity pride covetousnesse which in true estimation and 〈◊〉 Gods eye are more foule and abominable then any of the rest not fit to be named amongst Christians Eph. 5.3 much more to be acted by them things that men are ashamed to owne which men do in the dark or at least when they have done cover with darknesse Now men may be truly said to be ashamed of sinne when for it they loath and think basely of themselves as David doth Psal 73.12 when we blush at the sight and the sense of them before God and man esteem basely of all those that are defiled with them which is one of the characters of a godly man Psal 15.4 abstaining not only from their wayes as from filthinesse but from all inward society with them See Psal 101.5 7. and 1â—9 115 esteeming only the righteous more excellent then his neighbour Prov. 12.26 and there fore only worthy to be his companion with the Prophet David Psal 119.63 Now if we observe what meanes they use to cover their shame it will evidently appear that they look no farther then the nakednesse of their bodies for which only they provide a covering but never take notice of their sin which was the cause of it and of a greater deformity in their soules then that which they observed in their bodies which they see not at all till God farther open their eyes Whence 6 OBSERVE Men are more apt to be sensible of and to be more affected with the outward evils that sin brings upon them then with the sin that causeth them Observe 6 THus Cain complains of the danger that might come upon him being put out of Gods Protection but never complaines of his sin in spilling his brothers blood The people of Israel were sensible of the losse of their corne and wine but were so unsensible of their sinne that brought that evil upon them that they continued their rebellion against God Hos 7.14 and in the evils which sin brings upon them they are rather affected with outward then with inward plagues As Saul more feares disgrace before the people then he doth to be cast out of Gods favour 1 Sam. 15.30 The reason is evident for men being generally sensual even the best among them in some part it must of necessity follow that they must be first and most effectually moved by the objects of sense now both sin and the inward plagues are of a spiritual nature and consequently not discernable by outward sense By this mark then let every man try and judge of the frame of his own spirit whether it be carnal and earthly or spiritual and heavenly by what he most takes notice of whether some judgement for sin or the sin it self and in the judgement what he findes affects his heart most whether some outward trouble or losse or whether the sense of Gods displeasure whence it ariseth manifested in the withholding of his grace or the inward comforts and the like For according to the temper and frame of the heart so are our desires and hopes and fears and joyes and sorrowes either carnal and earthly or spiritual and heavenly The man and woman being sensible of the nakednesse of their bodies and of their shame thereby use the best meanes they can to cover it and for that devise to make themselves garments of fig-leaves the best materials that came to hand at present so thereby they discover the first and chief use of garments Whence we may 7 OBSERVE Garments are but the Covers of our shame Observe 7 TO put honour upon those parts that want it as the Apostle speaks 1 Cor. 12.23 and to hide the shame of them from mens eyes Exod. 28.42 And by this example we see that this was the first cause of inventing them although it be true that since they serve for divers other uses 1. For necessity to keep off the injury and annoyance of the weather Job 31.19 20. Prov. 31.21 2. For Distinction 1. Of Sexes Deut. 22.5 2. Of Offices Exod 28.2 3. Of Estates and Degrees 2 Sam. 13.18 Mat. 11.8 4. And may be too of Nations 3. For the discovering of our affections upon different occasions either of joy Eccl. 9.8 as in marriages
Mat. 22.11 Psal 45.13 14. or of sorrow as in Widowhood Gen. 38.14 or in times of fasting Psal 69.11 or any other Humiliation Exod. 33.4 5. Although these ends seem to be pointed at either in the matter or in the forme of our garments but the covering and hiding of our bodies by them appears to be occasioned and taken up upon the sense of the shame of our nakednesse and of our weaknesse by which we are subject to the annoyance of the weather Let no man be so shamelesse as to abuse this apparel which is the badge of his weaknesse and basenesse to a foolish and vain-glorying which we do when we deck our selves with costly cloathing to commend our selves to the eye and observation of other men But consider 1. That the first occasion of the use of cloathing was to cover our shame 2. That the materials of it are things much baser then our selves in just estimation 3. The apparel at the least doth but grace the body but adornes not the soule at all which is the only part wherein man is truly honourable 4. And the outward person they commend also only to men of vaine mindes but to no wise or sober man 5. And withal do more discover the vanity of our mindes then they cover the shame of our bodies Now although shame were the immediate occasion of cloathing the body yet sin was the cause both of it and besides of that weaknesse of body that did accompany it Whence 8 OBSERVE Most of our necessities are brought upon us by sinne Observe 8 IT is true indeed that wants necessarily accompany the condition of a creature seeing Autarchy or self-sufficiency is not to be found but in God alone but the necessary wants of mans nature if we look upon it in the first Creation were few in comparison of those that were brought in by sin as Cloathing Houses Physick Armes and the like Nay many things appertaining to food it self which if we lay together we shall easily discover that besides all the rest the necessary provisions of food in the use of fruits and herbes without dressing or cookery were nothing near the truth of these various supplies that the weaknesse of nature brought upon us by sin now necessarily requires to support and uphold it Let the observation of the multiplicity of our wants in outward things and of endlesse labours and drudgery in the affaires of this life by occasion thereof be a meanes to put us in minde of sin which brought those evils upon us groaning not so under the burden of our manifold wants or of the labours that we are necessarily to undergo for the supplying of them as of sinne it selfe which is the cause of all Well the man and woman now see their nakednesse take notice then in the next place what meanes they seek out to cover it They have presently recourse to the next tree that hath the broadest leaves which they pluck and fasten together to make themselves aprons God is not in all their thoughts but when they had left him to embrace the creature to it they flie for help upon every occasion Whence 9 OBSERVE When men are once fallen off from God their nature thereby corrupted carries them strongly forwards to seek help from the creature Observe 9 THus Asa when his heart falls off from God as appears 2 Chron. 16.10 flies to Benhadad to help him against Baasha ver 2 3. and in his sicknesse to Physicians rather then to the Lord ver 12. Thus carnal men put confidence in chariots and horses Psal 20.7 in King Jareb Hos 5.13 and generally in wealth and riches Prov. 10.15 when any danger threatens them The reason whereof is evident 1. They are wholly carnal and sensual in their dispositions and therefore easily carried after sensual and carnal things 2. They cannot but be enemies to God from whom they are driven away by the guiltinesse of their own consciences as having no cause to depend on him whose yoke they have cast off and therefore have ground to expect no help from him to whom they resolve to do no service 3. And they are by the just judgement of God delivered over to abase themselves to vile things farre below themselves because they have not advanced God nor glorified him as God as they ought Let us the more carefully observe our own wayes and the inclinations of our own hearts that we may the better judge how they stand affected towards God For if we finde an aptnesse in them to close with the creatures upon all occasions flying to them in our feares waxing confident in our helpes which we have from them and full of cares when we are in danger to lose them and of grief when we are deprived of them these are arguments if not of our departing from God yet of much weaknesse in our dependance on him Wherefore let us 1. Bewaile our faultering with God and dishonouring him by leaning to beggerly base and unprofitable dependencies 2. Endeavour to bring our hearts to close more fully with him in faithful services firme dependance on his All sufficiency and faithful Promises addressing our selves to him in all our wants or dangers in frequent and fervent prayers thanksgivings upon all occasions and rejoycing in his goodnesse faithfulnesse and truth Now if we consider there were no persons in the world but Adam and Eve and withal that they were man and wife and consequently had lesse cause of shame in beholding one anothers nakednesse it may he wondred why they make such hardship to hide their shame from one anothers eye But we have cause to wonder much more that they have no apprehension of the Presence of that God to whom lay open not only the nakednesse of their bodies even when they were covered with those aprons of fig-leaves but withal the sinfulnesse and thereby the shame of their soules which they never labour to hide at all wherein the grossenesse of their folly appears in labouring to hide the lesse shame from men and leaving open the far greater shame unto the eyes of God Whence 10 OBSERVE Sin besots men and makes them fools Observe 10 SInne indeed in Scripture is every where termed folly and sinners consequently marked out by the name of fooles bruitish men Psal 92.6 Natural bruit beasts made to be taken 2 Pet. 2.12 walking in darknesse Eccl. 2.14 whose wisdom and foolishnesse in Gods that is in true account 1 Cor. 3.19 It must of necessity be so 1. Seeing such men are separated from God who is only the fountain of true wisdom and have cast away his Word which is the Oracle of true wisdom Jer. 8.9 And 2. Seeing God in the course of his justice then takes away that wisdom which they have when they use it not to glorifie God therewith as they ought See Rom. 1.22 28. only he leaves them wisdome to manage natural things for the furthering of the common good or to do mischief to themselves by being wise
wrought upon them that they humbled themselves under his hand and thereby prevented their utter ruine 2 Chron 12.5 7. and the sick man findes that his perverting of righteousnesse had brought him into that sad condition before he seeks to God for favour Job 33.27 28. The reason 1. There can be no meanes of removing evil but by taking away the cause of it neither is there any meanes to take that away till it be known 2. Besides God can no way gain so much honour as when men by searching out the cause of the evils that befal them finde and acknowledge that their destruction is from themselves Hos 13.9 He nee it is that the Lord oftentimes makes the judgement whien he inflicts to point it out either by the kinde of the judgement or by some circumstance of the Time Place Instrument or the like by the observation whereof the evil it self that brought that judgement on us may be made manifest especially if we take with us for the discovery thereof the light of Gods Word VERSE 10 I Heard thy voice in the Garden In both Adams answers we may by his shifting easily discover his unwillingnesse to confesse any more then needs he must which is a great evidence that what he speaks is truth not only because it is against himself but besides because he shewes his unwillingnesse to acknowledge any more then he is pressed unto and convinced of to his faceâ— In this first clause of his answer he acknowledgeth his feare to be the cause of his flight but when he alledgeth the voice of God to be the cause of his feare he by implication chargeth God himself as if the terrour of his voice which he could not endure had driven him away And I was afraid The feare of reverence had not been blame worthy but commendable but that would not have driven him to his beeles and yet this is the feare he seemes to alledge in his defence when he addes in the next clause that his nakednesse made him feare when he heard Gods voice But yet he answers not the question fully alledging that the hearing of Gods voice made him to feare and flie but why the voice of God which he heard without feare before made him feare now which was the chief thing enquired after he gives no reason at all Because I was naked Which was not altogether true for he had some covering though it were but of fig-leaves to hide his nakednesse In the mean time he seems to justifie himself when he pretends that it was only modesty and not the conscience of any evil or feare of punishment that made him to hide out of the way Nay further then that he implies at least that if there were any thing blame-worthy in his flight the fault was Gods who had made him naked and consequently unfit to be looked upon and not his So that in this answer he layes the blame upon God though covertly which in his next answer he doth plainly and in expresse termes And I hid my selfe Why had not God made him naked and was he now ashamed to look upon his own workmanship Again was he not naked before when God put him into the possession of the Garden and when he brought all the creatures before him that he might give them names and when he took a rib out of his side and framed the woman of it and brought her to him Why was he now more ashamed of his nakednesse then he was then But Adams excuses will not abide the truth Something he sayes but his answers like his fig-leaves are no fit covering neither the one for the nakednesse of his body nor the other for his sin This is Adams first answer upon his examination wherein he seems wholly to clear and excuse himselfe from any evil in his flight and hiding himself affirming in effect that if he were afraid it was God that put him into that feare Secondly he alledgeth that it was only modesty and not the conscience of any sin that caused him to hide himself out of Gods Presence In both implying that if any thing were to be blamed in his flight and hiding it must be charged not so much upon him as upon God himself who had both terrified him with his voice and had made him such a creature as was not fit to appear in his sight This seemes more probable to be Adams meaning in this answer when he alledgeth his nakednesse as an excuse for his hiding out of the way then to conceive that he points at the nakednesse of his soule of which it seems he had very little feeling hitherto seeing that in his last answer wherein God comes closer to him in charging him home with the very fact which he laboured to conceal to excuse himself he forbears not to charge God with giving him a snare to entrap him in stead of a wife to be a meet help for him We may therefore probably conceive that he who in his last answer when his sin in matter of fact is so fully charged upon him stands so stiffely upon his justification was farre enough at present from acknowledging the â—akednesse of his soule whereof hitherto he seemes to have no sense at all Adam we see when God calls him must come out of his lurking hole where he had hid himself and not only appear before the Presence of God but when he questions him must make answer whether he will or no to that which God demands of him Whence 1 OBSERVE All men must appear before God and answer all that they are charged withal when he comes to judgement Observe 1 ALl must appear before the Judgment Seat of Christ at the last day 2 Cor. 5.10 all Nations Mat. 25.31 those that are swallowed up by the sea which must give up her dead or are buried in their graves Rev. 20.13 and such as shall be then found living 1 Thes 4.17 and all must be judged and every man must give an accompt of himself unto God Rom. 14.12 1. That God by his power can enforce and draw all men before him and to confesse him too Rom. 14.11 no man can deny 2. Besides it is fit that God should do it for the clearing of his Justice both in rewarding his own and punishing the wicked and ungodly when every mans work is manifest and it appears that every man receives according to his deeds Rom. 2.8 of this truth there can be no clearer evidence then the observation of that judgement which passeth upon every man in the private Consistory of his own Conscience from which none can flie nor silence his own thoughts bearing witnesse for him or against him no not those which have no knowledge of God or his Law Rom. 2.15 Now though Adam must appear when God calls him and must give an answer to the question proposed unto him yet in his answer we see he discovers a desire to conceal all that he can at least as long as
which is the special thing after which God enquires Whence 5 OBSERVE It is an hard matter to bring men to confesse any more then is evident in it self Observe 5 ONe example of Saul may in this case be unto us in stead of many First he justifies himself that he had fulfilled the Commandment of the Lord 1 Sam. 15 13. when he is therein convinced of a lie by the bleating of the sheep and lowing of the oxen ver 14. then he excuseth himself that they had indeed brought away a few cattel which were reserved only for a sacrifice ver 15. when that was manifested to be a lie too and that it was done only out of a greedy humour to enrich himself only with the spoile ver 19. then he pretends that if that were a fault it was not to be charged upon him but upon the people that would needs have it so ver 21. so hardly is he brought at last with much ado till Samuel told him in plain termes that if all were true that he pretended for his own excuse yet God abhorred it to acknowledge it to be a sin ver 24. In considering Adams answer unto God it is observable that Adam confesseth indeed both his hiding from Gods Presence and his nakednesse but his sin which was the true cause both of his flight and of the shame of his nakednesse that he mentions and conceales not at all Whence 6. OBSERVE Men may be brought more easily to acknowledge any thing then their sinne Observe 6 WE have seen it in the example of Saul mentioned before who although he could not deny the fact yet by all means labours to justifie his innocency by his own good intentions and by his yielding by compulsion to the violence of the people the whore when she had committed adultery yet by no meanes will be known of it but wipes her mouth and stands to it that she hath committed none iniquity Prov. 30.20 neither had the people if they might be believed despised Gods Name Mal. 1.6 7. nor robbed him of his tithes and offerings There can be no other reason hereof then the conscience of the basenesse and filthinesse of sin which though men will not avoid yet for their credits sake they are afraid to own Let this endeavour even of the vilest amongst men in hiding and covering their sin shew us more clearly the foulnesse and hatefulnesse of it which is such that those that love and delight in it most yet dare not justifie as appears by their endeavours to hide it every way as is manifest 1. By their acting in the dark Job 24.15 16. 2. Covering it over with the faire vaile of some vertue near unto it as covetousnesse with the name of thrift and good husbandry 3. Sometimes denying 4. Blanching it over with ignorance good intentions and the like all arguments that they condemne the sin which who can approve when the best friends of it disclaim it and labour to cover it from the eyes of the world Let all that are godly labour to bring their hearts to that which nature so much abhors that is in all sinful actions to finde out especially the sinfulnesse of them in themselves and our sinfulnesse in acting them First to bring our hearts to acknowledge that sin is out of measure sinful in it self and we hereby 1. As having the spring of it in our own hearts as David doth Psal 51.4 2. The motions of it being carried on by our own affections which lust against the Spirit Gal. 5.17 3. The injury to God thereby unvaluable wherein we despise his Authority Holinesse and Righteousnesse and forget his mercies and blessings Deut. 32.6 4. The folly of it more then brutish Jer. 2.12 13. 5. The scandal of it infinitely dishonourable to God and Religion Secondly our selves being defiled thereby let us 1. Cover our faces with shame 2. Fly unto the blood of Christ that it may wash from all our filthinesse This confession of Adam that it was the feare of Gods Presence which made him flie and hide himself out of the way might if it had been improved have wrought further upon his heart and have caused him to bethink himself how he might make his peace with that God whom he feared But we see it works no such effect in him Whence 7 OBSERVE No meanes can work any farther then they are acted and caried on by God himself Observe 7 GOds great and astonishing wonders which he wrought in Egypt when he delivered his people thence wrought nothing to purpose upon their hearts Psal 78.11 17 32. because God wrought not with them Deut. 29.4 though sometimes they drew them to a formal but not a true and hearty submission Psal 78 36. no more did Christs miracles upon the Jewes John 37.38 for the same cause So happens it in the dispensation of the Word all the powerful effects of it in casting down strong holds are thorough God 2 Cor. 10.4 5. therefore we finde that in some it works nothing at all in others some shew of fruit which is never brought to perfection in a few it hath an effectual and powerful work Mat. 13. It must needs be so seeing all the quickening power is in the Spirit John 6.63 without which neither Paul nor Apollos are any thing 1 Cor. 9.7 2. And it is fit it should be so that when all the efficacy is from God the honour and praise for all that is wrought might be returned to him alone 1 Cor. 1.31 Let every man acknowledge God in the efficacy of all meanes that we use even in outward things In our labours in our food and the like especially in the meanes of grace the Word and Sacraments depending upon him and asking at his hand the efficacy of all that we do and ascribing the praise of all that we obtain by the use of any meanes unto him alone Observing how unequally the same meanes work at the same time or several persons and at several times on the same persons VERSE 11. WHo hath told that thou wast naked A convincing reply as if he had said How durst thou see thy nakednesse now which thou didst not see before or rather how art thou ashamed now of that whereof thou wast not ashamed before whence proceeds this change either in thy self or in the apprehension of thine own condition Thus God takes advantage of Adams own words and out of his own mouth convinceth him that his nakednesse was not the cause of his hiding from Gods Presence but something else which he had hitherto concealed which God discovers and layes plainly before him in the words immediately following Hast thou eaten of the tree It became not the Majesty of God to trifle with him any longer wherefore without any further enquiry God points out his sin to him in expresse termes and in effect tells him that it was his sin in breaking the Commandment which he gave him which caused both his shame and feare of his
that had thrust in himself amongst the guests without a wedding garment Mat. 22.12 but Adam seems not yet to be so far affected with the Majesty of God that charged him or with the foulnesse of the sin wheâ—ewith he was charged or with the dreadfulnesse of the judgement which hung over his head according to the curse threatened for the breach of this Commandment as appears evidently by his reply The woman When God by this direct charge had made it evident that he knew all that was done it was a vain thing for him to stand out in the denial of a fact which was so manifest Wherefore the man falls to excuse that which he could not deny Not respecting therein his own wife but laying all or the greatest part of the blame of the sin upon her not caring who bare the blame so he might remove it if not wholly yet at least in some degree from himself Whom thou gavest See whither a rebellious spirit may carry a man It is not enough to Adam to appeach his wife unlesse he charge God himselfe making him if not the Author yet at least the occasion of the sin not only blaming the woman for enticing him to sin but withal in some sort God himself that had bestowed her on him under a colour to be an help meet for him but as the event had manifested it to be a snare unto him as Saul gave Michal to David 1 Sam. 18.21 See now how farre Adam differs from himself that which he rejoyced in as a special favour bestowed on him by God in the former chapter here he quarrels at as a meanes of his ruine Thus a mans foolishnesse perverts his way and then his heart frets against the Lord Prov. 19.3 To be with me The word in the Originnl Gnimmadi used in this place is by some observed to be of greater force then the word Gnimmi which is of the same signification as indeed it must be if we derive it from Gnamad which signifies to stand fast by so that Gnimmadi implies in this place not only to be with me but more then that to stand and be close by me Howsoever we may observe that the expression of Adam differs from the phrase which God useth in the former chapter God intended to create a woman that might be before him or stand in his Presence to assist him and as it were to minister unto him but that phrase did not so well sort with Adams excuse For if the woman were given to Adam only to be before him or to minister unto him then did Adam amisse to take his direction from her that was appointed to be only his minister and therefore fit to take and not to give direction It is probable therefore that Adam purposely changeth the expression and in stead of saying to be before me with a little alteration expresseth it in those termes to be with me implying that she being appointed to be his inseparable companion he could not avoid her nor do lesse then hearken to her advice and perswasion being so near a companion and as it were his bosome friend She gave me Questionlesse with perswasions to eate it too wherefore God afterwards as we shall see in his censure taxeth him for hearkening to his wives voice But what authority had she to give or Adam warrant to receive at her hand that which was forbidden unto them both or what manner of excuse is this to cast his wives perswasion into the ballance against Gods expresse interdiction besides this answer is not to the purpose God asks him whether he had not eaten of the fruit he answers that he had eaten indeed but it was by his wives perswasion which God knew as well as he but enquires not after at present And I did eat A cold expression manifesting neither any horrour or grief or shame at so foule a fact and yet sufficient to justifie God in his proceeding in judgement against him grounded upon this confession of his own which he therefore repeats when he gives judgement upon him afterwards in these words Because thou hast hearkened to the voice c. This answer of Adams discovers in him still a desire rather to cover his sin then to humble himself for it before God in a free and ingenuous acknowledgement wherein he might have confessed in plain termes that not so much his wives solicitation as his own ambitious desire to become a God which his wife no sooner suggested but he embraced drew him to contemne Gods Commandment despise his threatenings and to forget his mercies and so to eate of the forbidden fruit So that when we finde Adam still unwilling to close with God to confesse his sin we have no cause to conceive that he would speak any thing partially on Gods behalfe from which he is so far that we see he forbears not to charge God himself though falsly upon the least colour of advantage So then if Adam and Eve as yet standing out against God even in this examination of theirs do notwithstanding clear him in these two points First that they were not made sinful but became so only by Satans enticement Secondly that God had no hand in drawing them into this sinne Seeing First Eve who was first in the sinne hath nothing to charge God withal Secondly that Adam himself who spared not to charge him as far as he could with the least colour could fasten no more upon him but this only that he gave some occasion to Adams sinne by bestowing the woman on him wherein how far he wrongs God who intended the woman to be an help to him the whole Series of the History of the womans Creation his own acknowledgement of Gods favour in bestowing that help upon him do evidently discover it must necessarily be concluded which is the maine scope of this whole History that sinne and all the judgements that followed proceeded from man himselfe and from Satan who seduced him And consequently that God was 1. Just in punishing the man according to his deserts 2. And infinitely rich in mercy in restoring him after his fall out of his compassion and free grace Well let Adam do what he can to conceal and excuse his sin yet when God layes it down to his charge he must be forced to acknowledge it before him Whence 1 OBSERVE No man can beare out sin before God howsoever he may for a while out-face it before men Observe 1 CAin though he seemes to deny it at the first yet is mute and cannot open his mouth when God chargeth him with his brothers blood Nay when God chargeth them home with it though by the voice of a man Saul cannot deny his rebellion Ahab his oppression and murther Gehazi and Ananias their covetousnesse Neither can any man answer his own conscience when it chargeth him in Gods behalfe as appeares in the examples of Josephs brethren Gen. 42.21 and Judas Mat. 27.4 and very often in the free and voluntary
at the hurt which men and Serpents either do unto or receive one from the other Because this combate is not said to fall out between the Serpent and all men in general but between him and the womans seed by which as we shall see hereafter is meant both Christ and the holy seed such as are members of him So that in this expression the Lord representing especially the combate between Christ and Satan thinks fit to borrow a metaphor from the fight between men and Serpents Shadowing out Satan under the name of the Serpent and the combate between Christ and him under the fimilitude of the Serpents fight And I will put enmity That is deadly and irreconcileable hatred which God is said to put between them partly by decreeing and permitting the hatred of Satan and his instruments against the godly and partly by infusing into the hearts of the holy seed a perfect detestation and hatred of Satan and all his followers Thus because familiarity between Satan and the woman had given him advantage to seduce and deceive her to her own destruction God to prevent that mischief for time to come so stirs up the spirit both of her and her seed against him hereafter that she should hate him as unfeignedly as he hated her so that she should henceforth avoid him and hearken no more unto his counsel This work God takes into his own hand as is implied in those words I will put c. that from thenceforth mans estate might stand firme when it should not be in his power to do what he would as it was before seeing when he had power in his own hand either to stand or fall he was quickly and easily overthrown But God should reserve the power in his own hand to settle him in such a condition that man should not be able to alter if he would Between thee and the woman We have here three paires of combatants matched in opposition one against the other The first the Serpent against the woman The second the Serpents seed against the seed of the woman The third paire are the Captaines on both sides Christ and Satan Wherof the first begin the second continue and the third end the quarrel The beginning is in hatred and enmity the continuance in fighting and wounding and the end in the final conquest of Satan who began the quarrel Now the putting of this enmity between man and Satan is both a part of Gods curse upon him and withal not the least but the greatest portion of the blessing promised to man Of Satans curse that he should be alwayes kicking against the pricks hating and persecuting the womans seed without cause to his own destruction at the last And of mans blessing whose safety and duty is to hate Satan with a perfect hatred whereby though he be not wholly freed from yet he is the lesse endangered by his snares especially seeing he resists in a sort by Gods power and not by his own for so much seemes to be implied in that phrase I will put enmity As if God had said It shall be no longer in mans choice to accord with Satan or to hate him but I will so guide and over-rule his heart by my spirit that he shall persist constantly in this hatred and warre against him till that enemy be troden under his feet Thus God seeing how soon man had wasted that stock of grace that he had put into his hand resolves to provide better for him in time to come and to keep his heart and will in his own hand guiding it by his own Spirit that he might not hazard his estate any more nor be cheated of it by Satan any more as he had been So that in mans restitution after his fall his state was indeed impaired in respect of the perfection of it in this present life for he must be bruised in the heele by divers temptations and slips into sin thereby but is much bettered in respect of the firmnesse of it as God implies in that promise Jer. 32.40 It may be demanded why the woman only is mentioned in taking up this enmity against Satan whereas the promise belongs as well and equally to the man But it seemes to be done upon a double ground First that the promise might be the firmer for if Satan could not prevaile against the woman being the weaker vessel it was very unlikely that he should prevaile against the man which was the stronger It may be withal that God mentions the woman because she was the first in the transgression and besides the seducer of her own husband Now if God would pardon the woman much more might the man assure himself of the recovery of his favour whose sin admitted the more excuse because he was drawn in by the example and allurement of his wife Another ground upon which God mentions the woman and not the man may be upon two other respects either because she most needed comfort that had most cause to be humbled Or rather because the seed mentioned afterwards which was to continue the war and at last to obtaine the conquest over Satan must specially be meant of Christ who was made of a woman Gal. 4.4 and not immediately of man wherefore because he was more properly the seed of the woman then of the man it was more fit to call him her seed then the seed of the man And between thy seed Seed signifies properly that in any creature by which the kinde thereof is propagated here and in many other places of Scripture it signifies persons begotten and propagated of that seed So that the womans seed are her children the men and women that were to come and be begotten of her body Now though Satan to speak properly can have no such seed that is can have none that come of him by natural generation of which spirits are altogether uncapable yet because the rest of the devils are of the same nature with their Prince and all wicked men that are corrupted by him are of the same disposition beare his image and resemble him as children usually do their parents therefore all wicked men and the rest of the devils are called his seed by this name wicked men are called 1 Joh. 3.10 seeing they are of him as our Saviour speaks John 8.44 not by natural but by spiritual generation that is by receiving such false principles as Satan infuseth into their hearts by which they become like him in affection and disposition and serve him as a child doth a parent Mal. 1.6 And her seed Not all that are so by natural generation but such as are her seed according to the spirit as well as according to the flesh And they onely are called her seed because the rest degenerating are no better then bastards and the seed of Satan By this seed of the woman then we are to understand the whole body of the Church whereof Christ is the head who is principally intended in this name as
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
effects not so much of mens wrath or malice as of Gods truth and faithfulnesse Psal 119.75 And let this comfort support our hearts not only in our outward afflictions but in inward temptations and buffettings of Satan which are more dangerous where by though he foile us sometimes yet we know Christ hath prayed for us that our faith shall not faile Luk. 22.32 but we shall be kept by the power of God to salvation 1 Pet. 1.5 But that which above all the rest we should fix our eye upon in this combate between the woman and her seed and the Serpent and his seed is the issue and event of it both the one and the other shall be bruised and wounded but differently For the womans seed shall be wounded only in the heele far from the fountain of life and therefore without danger but the wounds of Satan and his seed shall light upon their head which is the fountain of life and power from whence 33 OBSERVE The combate between Christ and Satan and his Instruments shall end at last in the Total and Final subduing of them and breaking in pieces all their power Observe 33 SAtan must be troden under the feet of the Saints Rom. 16.20 and Christ himself shall wound the heads over many Countreys Psal 110.5 6. This truth indeed will be most fully and clearly manifested to all men in that great day when Satan himself with his chief instruments shall be cast into the lake of fire and brimstone Rev. 20.10 but in the mean time is evident enough to all that have eyes to see in those conquests which the godly obtaine at present as especially in spiritual combates when they hold fast their faith in the midst of the strongest assaults as Job doth Chap 19.25 and even in outward afflictions under which they are exercised in which they are more then conquerors Rom. 8.35 Reason 1. He hath no power in himself more then any other creature which consequently may be taken away at Gods pleasure and is limited by him in the mean time so that God may prevaile over him when he will 2. Satan is Gods enemy Mat. 13.28 39. and so are all his followers now it is Gods honour that all his enemies should fall before him Jer. 51.47 48. Rev. 19.22 3. Neither is there any other meanes of establishing a full and perfect peace in the Church of God then by subduing those that trouble it Let the godly then raise up their spirits by fixing their eyes not too much upon the sharp conflicts which they endure at present but upon the glorious conquest which they shall obtaine at last when Satan shall be troden down under their feet which is assured 1. By Gods promise Rev. 14.8 which is Yea and Amen 2. By the respect which he must needs have to his own honour infinitely advanced by triumphing gloriously over all the powers of darknesse and dashing his enemies in pieces Exod. 15.6 of which he is tender above all things Ezek. 36.22 23. 3. And by his holinesse by which he hates all that work iniquity 4. By his power which enables him to tread down all strength under his feet 5. And by all experience See Psal 106.45 46. The last thing to be taken notice of in Gods promise is his expression in speaking of the womans seed which he still mentions as One it shall be at enmity with Satan it shall be bruised and it shall break Satans head that is the whole body which is comprised under that name of seeds Christ himself with all his members who have all of them as well an interest in this victory as they have had their share in the combate Whence 34 OBSERVE Christs victory over Satan though it be by yet is not for himself alone but for all his members who also subdue Satan in and thorow him Observe 34 AS they are affirmed to do Rev. 12.11 even to have overcome the wicked one 1 John 2.13 14. whom therefore Christ will shortly tread under their feet Rom. 16.20 It is true in general that Christ as Mediator hath done nothing apart for himselfe wherein all his members have not an interest with him Reason 1. Christ needed no such combate with Satan and victory over him for any thing that concerned himself seeing he had in the beginning cast him down into hell where he holds him still in chains of darkness Luk. 8.28 2 Pet. 2.4 2. The neere relation which he hath unto the Church bindes him to be the Saviour of his body Eph. 5.23 3. Unlesse his children had been delivered out of the hands of their enemies they could never either serve him in holinesse which is the end of their redemption Luk. 1.74 75. nor praise him and rejoyce in him cordially as they ought to do see Rev. 2.10 A great encouragement to the godly even to all the holy seed to fight resolutely against Satan and all his instruments against our own corrupt lusts within this body of death as the Apostle terms it Rom. 7.24 25. by the power of the Spirit Gal. 5.24 and temptations and tryals from without cleaving still fast unto Christ Rom. 8.35 over all which we are sure to obtaine a glorious conquest at the last and having fought manfully under Christs banner to receive the Crown of life as is often promised Rev. 2.11 17. and 3.5 12. VERSE 16. UNto the woman he said She being the first in the transgression is first in the censure as she had justly deserved I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and conception That is thy sorrow in conceiving and breeding of children Sorrow is pain and weaknesse of body which makes the heart sad and heavy and that such kinde of paines and weaknesse and indisposition of body in women doth usually accompany the conceiving and breeding of children all experience shews now though that arise from a cause in nature yet it is ordered and appointed by God himselfe in a course of Justice In sorrow shalt thou bring forth children That is with bitter and sharp paines which most women generally suffer in their travail many times to the endangering yea as we see sometimes to the losse of their lives this is a farther encrease of the judgement to sicknesse in conceiving are added strong paines in travaile And thy desire shall be to thy husband The same phrase the Lord useth to expresse Abels subjection to his brother Cain Gen. 4.7 which implies not only subjection to him in obeying his commands but reacheth farther to the bringing under unto him the very desires of her heart to be regulated by him so farre that it should not be lawful for her to will or desire what she her selfe liked but only what her husband should approve and allow A just law unto her who having given way to her own inordinate phantasie and appetite stirred up in her by the suggestions of Satan had undone at once both her self and husband And yet a rule given her for her own good and safety
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