God hauing a reasonable soule indued with knowledge in generall and a commaundement giuen vnto him in particular be excused by simplicitie when hee breaketh the Commaundement and Law of God the proclamation whereof Exod. 19.16 is declared with a shrill Trumpet that the deafe may heare it For Rom. 10.18 The sound thereof is gone out to the vttermost partes of the earth the contentes whereof are written in great Characters that the simple sighted may run and read it and the knowledge whereof is as cleare as the light for Psal 119.105 Heb. 5.12 It giueth Light and Vnderstanding to the Simple and It is Milke to the weake Meate to the strong and therfore Simplicitie can be no excuse for Sinne. For as the Law and Commaundement of God is giuen to all without respect of persons so it taketh vengeance against all without respect of excuses And as the fire will burne the child A similitude that all are vnder the cursse of the Law if it fall into it as wel as the aged the parents which should haue looked after the Childe and not the fire is to be blamed because it keepeth the naturall working and effect wherefore it was ordayned euen so the Law taketh holde vpon euery one that breaketh it for both young and old ignorant learned shall be iudged and condemned by it But the Parentes shall answere for the sinnes of their Children the Maisters for the sinnes of their Seruantes the Princes for the sinnes of their People and the Pastors and Ministers for the sinnes of their Flocke Ezek. 3.17 for they are as the Lords Watchmen to looke ouer their Family Flocke and People If therefore they regarde not to giue warning nor admonish the wicked of their wicked wayes that they might liue and be saued yet Ezek. 3.18 The Wicked man shall die in his iniquitie but his blood will I require at thy hand sayth the Lord. SECT 6. AS touching the Effect of eating the forbidden fruite Two thinges therein are to bee considered The Miserie of Man by Transgressing and the Iustice of God by Punishing To disobey Gods Word Disobeydience the cause of the losse of Gods loue is to disinherite our selues of Gods loue But our Parentes did disobey Gods word therefore as much as in them lay they disinherited themselues of Gods loue and to be disinherited of Gods loue is to be bound ouer to a perpetuall separation from the comfortable presence of God to remaine howling in Hell with the Diuell and his Angels for euermore Rom. 6.23 This is The reward of sinne euen eternall Death which our Parentes purchased to them selues and their posteritie by eating the forbidden Fruite had not God in his mercie spared and redeemed them in the loue of his Sonne Iesus Christ Sinne imbraced by the soule and practised by the body both soule body shall suffer for it For as Sinne is first embraced by the Soule which is immortall afterward practized by the body which by sinne is made mortall yet at the generall resurrection the body shall be made immortall to suffer with the soule and that most iustly For as it sinned with the soule so also must it be condemned and suffer with the soule and as the soule and body maketh one Man so the condemnation of them both maketh but one perfect execution of Gods iustice against them For as Sinne is sweete and pleasaunt vnto Man in his life so the punishment of Man for Sinne shall be greiuous in his death the paines and torments whereof can no more be declared 1. Cor. 2.9 then The ioyes of heauen can be expressed which neither Eye hath seene nor Eare hath heard nor the Heart of man can not conceiue I might also speake of the punishmentes in this life wherewith God doth punish the wicked for their sinnes but of this we may read at large in the 28. chapter of Deutronomie to the which I do referre you wherein as in a perfect Mirror and Glasse you may behold and see the miserie of Man euen in this life for breaking and disobeying the Commaundementes of God Gods iustice is most vpright and necessary And touching the Iustice of God in punishing of sinne it necessarily agreeth both with his Nature and with his Word By his Nature he is most holie and therefore can not but punish iniquitie By his Word he hath threatned punishment for sinne and therefore sinners must looke for punishment because he is most true For who can charge the Lord that hee hath spoken and not performed what he hath spoken at all times and in all ages Or whether any Tittle of the word of God hath fayled and not taken effect Math. 5.18 at his appoynted time against the workers of iniquitie as well high as low rich or poore and 24.35 For heauen and earth shal passe away but my wordes shall not passe away sayeth the Lord. Are not all men All men are sinners aswell peasants as Princes proceeded from the loynes of Adam Hee sinned wee as children and members of him haue also sinned with him hee repented and was saued by beleeuing the Promise but whosoeuer and of what estate soeuer they be that doe not Repent Math. 3.2 John 3.18 and Beleeue in Iesus Christ the promised Seede can not be saued So sincere and pure is the Iustice of God * There is no respect of persons with God Deut. 10.17 Rom. 2.11 Exod. 14.28 that there is no Respect of persons with him For he Drowned and destroyed aswell Pharaoh the King as his meanest Subiect that did driue his Chariot Coran Num. 16.32 Dathan and Abiram were swallowed vp of the earth as the meanest of their Famulie It is not the potencie maiestie dignitie honour riches strength or worldly wisedome that can stop the sentence of Gods iustice or stay the stroke of Gods hand for he is pure in his iustice and will not bee ouercome with Bribes for the round World is his and the riches thereof And farre dearer is innocent Lazarus in the sight of God Luk. 16.22.23 then wicked Diues clothed in Purple and abounding in wealth For Psal 33.18 The eye of the Lord is vpon them that feare him and put their trust in his mercie SECT 7. AS touching the Inquisition of God after Adam and Eue therein Three things are to be considered The Time of the Inquisition the Cause of the Inquisition and the Inquisition it selfe God made Inquirie after Adam and Eue when as they departed from him and had eaten of the forbidden Fruite as Salomon did after Shimei 1. king 2.36 vnto the end of the chap. when he departed from Ierusalem and had broken his Commaundement for the Lord neuer punisheth but when man offendeth The cry of sinne For our sinnes haue Voyces Winges to cry and flie vp before the throne of God for reuenge and iudgment as did the sinnes of Sodome and
then Pitty and Mercy toward Agag a distressed and captiue King and Sauls pretended care to preserue the best Cattell for Sacrifice What better colour could it haue then Religion and yet for all this Sauls sin was not done away 2. Sam. 6.6.7 Vzzahs Zeale could not excuse his Presumption nor the Simplicitie of the Man of God 1. king 13.8 excuse his Disobedience Luk. 12.18.9 The Rich mans Content could not exempt his life from Graue Act. 5.1 vnto vers 12. nor Ananias and his wiues Care to saue somewhat for their Familie excuse their Impietie who lyed not vnto Men but vnto God For so pure so iust so holy so righteous so mighty so powerfull is the Law and Word of GOD that the breakers and contemners thereof shall not go vnpunished no not the deare Children of God 1. Pet. 4.17.18 And therefore If iudgement for sinne begin at the house of God where shall the wicked and vngodly appeare Gal. 6.7 Be not deceiued God is not mocked His word is Trueth and Amen 2. Cor. 1.20 for euer Be not ouercome of euill Rom. 12.21 but ouercome euil with goodnesse for Blessed are they Reue. 22.14 that keepe and doe the Commandements of the Lord that their right may be in the tree of Life and may enter in through the gates into the holy Citie heauenly Ierusalem vers 15. for without shall be Dogges such as are enuious and enchaunters such as are deceiuers and whoremongers and murtherers and idolaters and whosoeuer loueth and maketh lyes And concerning Eues setled Resolution or Determination to Take and eate the Fruite It may be sayd Iudg. 7.5 that as Gideons Souldiers when he went against the Midianites were knowne to be resolute not feareful by lapping of water with their tongues So Eue was knowne to be resolute and not fearefull to breake the Commandement of God by taking with the hand and tasting with the mouth of the forbidden Fruite A similitude that sinne is dead and of no force vnles the heart consent And as the plentifull store of Weapons for Warre pleasure not the Captaine without men to weare them so the readinesse of the Senses vnto sinne pleasure not Satan without the Heart to imbrace them And like as the Bodie is dead without the Soule so Sinne is dead without the Heart for the Senses may be entised and Lust may be conceiued but it is the Consent and Resolution of the Heart that bringeth foorth Sinne giueth strength courage to the members of the body to finish and performe it to bring forth death Jam. 1.15 Therefore in this resolution of Eue both the Captaine and the Souldiers the soule the members of the Body did all march forward with one consent and resolued without all feare to take and eate of the fruite of the Tree 1. Sam. 26.6 7. Euen as Dauid and Abishaj went boldly without all feare into the Hoast of Saul and tooke away his Speare and Pot of water which were standing by his head for it is most certaine if once the Soule longeth and thirsteth for sinne the members of the body are set on fire without al feare will aduenter to satisfie her desire euen as the Seruants of Dauid when he longed for Water out of the Well of Bethlem they presently ranne and brake into the Hoast of the Philistims and drew and tooke brought it vnto him Wherfore although the Senses being drawne and entised vnto sinne are strong allurers and flatterers of the Soule to giue and graunt her consent because without it they can doe nothing no more then the Members without the Head yet the Soule imbracing Sinne she can without the consent of the Senses commaunde the Body For she is being once wicked resolued vnto sinne strong and tyranous like the Legion Mark 5.2 vnto 14. which will not suffer the body to rest neither night nor day but will distract trouble and torment it and all the partes thereof vntill it obey her will to runne headlong with her into the lake of eternall destruction Thus we see the Resolution of Eue and the cause thereof her Senses entising her Soule consenting to take and eate of the forbidden Fruite But let vs beware by her example not to be so forward in euill but to be onely resolute in that which is good and in it to Stand fast 1. Cor. 16.13 and for it to fight a good fight and so to continue steadfast and faythfull vnto the end that wee may be saued SECT 5. AS touching the Womans Guift to her Husbande and his Acceptance Two thinges therein are to be considered Eues simple Intent and Adams simple Consent the one in offering the other in taking the Fruite Eues loue in true simplicitie vnto her husband Eue in deed perswaded her Husband to take and eate the Fruite and that for loue to him because shee thought that Adam should haue been made more happy and not vnhappy by it And although her sinne in yeelding to the perswasion of the Serpent can not be excused yet in giuing it to her husband out of the aboundance of her loue to him she can not so greatly be condemned for shee so loued him as shee loued her selfe and therefore would not receiue a benefite by her selfe alone had it been a benefite but she would make Adam her husband partaker of it And the Diuell in his malice sought the destruction both of Eue Adam because they were both the good creatures and image of God and beloued of God but he came first vnto Eue to tempt her both because he knew that she was inferiour vnto Adam in iudgment and knowledge and therefore not so well able to resist confute his temptations as also because Eue was most amiable louely in the heart and eyes of Adam because of the ioy and comfort that hee receiued from her and therefore the Diuel thought that if he could perswade Eue so great was the affection and loue from Eue to Adam and from Adam to her that it were impossible that either of them should contradict one another in any request or offer that they made they were so simple louing and faythfull in each others sight And therefore vnder colour of good how easily might Eue nay Adam him selfe bee deceiued with euill But neither this simple intent Simplicitie is no excuse for sinne nor simple consent of our fore-parents can remoue abolish the cursse for their sinne For to euery man and woman be they either wise or simple learned or ignoraunt rich or poore young or old Rom. 6.23 the Wages reward of sinne is death For not onely Man but euery sensible Creature by instinct of nature haue a sense of things which are good or hurtfull vnto them for the one they imbrace as their apparant good and the other they fly from as their apparant euill How then can Man who is the image of
one to another for the Diuels subtiltie and malice could not excuse their sinne wickednes for as he is the roote of sinne so we are his branches if we remaine continue in sinne and therefore of our selues being vnfruitfull Math. 2.10 dead and withered we are worthy to be cut downe and cast into the fire of Gods eternall and most heauie wrath because we haue rebelled against him haue not harkened vnto his voyce to bring foorth fruite worthy of amendement of life The Serpent is silent and pleades not at all And as touching the Serpent or the Diuell in the Serpent he maketh no answere at all vnto God neither had he any coulour to excuse his fault by any meanes or to lay it vpon any person for he is the Author of sinne the Father of lyes and therefore he is conuicted by his silence and standeth mute and dumme trembling quaking before the presence and throne of Almightie God who is a most iust Iudge and fearefull Lord vnto all those that hate him SECT 11. AS touching their Iudgement it is seuerall and contrary to the course that God obserued in their Arraignement for he first giueth sentence against the Serpent because he was the principall actor to perswade to sinne Then against Eue because she first consented to sinne Lastly against Adam because he agreed to his wiues perswasion to sinne In the Iudgement of the Serpent are to be considered three thinges his exceeding Miserie Thou art cursed aboue all creatures his Malice to Christ for Enmitie shal be betweene thee and the Woman betweene thy seede and her seede his Weakenes to resist Christ Thou shalt bruse his heele but be shall breake thy head In the first we see what is the rewarde of sinne a Cursse In the second Satan is enimy to God and man wee must consider that Satan is Enimie to God and vs and therefore wee must be Enimies vnto him for otherwise we can not be friendes vnto our selues nor vnto God when we shall make peace and be at league with Gods enimies In the third we see a comfortable Victorie promised which Christ hath gotten for vs and his mercy in sauing vs who if Satan could haue preuayled should neuer haue been restored vnto life but condempned vnto death for euermore Adams Eues iudgment from God is mercifull And the Iudgement of Adam Eue in the loue of Christ is most mercifull and gracious for it is but temporall not eternall death And as in the pride of their heartes they forgate God committed sinne so by their paine and miserie in this world they shall remember God and it shall be a meanes to keepe them from sinne that they may haue ioy and peace for euermore in the world to come SECT 12. AS touching their Expulsion out of Paradise in it there are to be considered two things The Care which God had of Adam And his Milde reprehension of him His Care hee made them Coates clothed them Satan dealt with our Parents A similitude of Satans contempt to God and malice to man 2. Sam. 10.3.4 as Hanun King of the Ammonits did with Dauids seruantes who in contempt of Dauid and hatred vnto them shaued off the halfe of their Beard and cut off their Garmentes in the middle euen to their buttocks and sent them away So the Diuel in contempt of God and malice to Man deuised how to shaue off with the knife of Sinne from the heartes of our Parentes not the halfe but the whole ornament and beautie of grace and to cut off not onely their Garmentes of Innocencie and Righteousnesse in the middle but wholly to spoyle and to robbe them thereof and to leaue them all naked and ashamed in the sight of God and Angels Adams shame Which God beholding and also perceiuing Adam to be exceedingly ashamed by hiding himselfe in the Garden as bewayling his sinne in disobeying of his gracious God and Lord and blaming his follie so to be beceiued deluded spoyled by Satan Gods pittie God as a mercifull Father pittied Adam in his loue promise in his sonne Iesus Christ comforted the inward man by fayth hope and renewed the outward man by Sanctification Preseruation And as the Seruaunts of Dauid were appoynted to tarry in Iericho vntill their Beardes were growen 1. Sam. 10.5 A similitude of mans corruption in earth and of his glorious resurrection to heauen and then to come vnto the Kinges Court at Ierusalem so God hath appoynted Adam and all flesh the sonnes of Adam to dwell vpon the earth and to rest in the Graue vntill their mortalitie shall put on immortalitie and then to come vnto the heauenly Court of God in his holy and celestiall Ierusalem there to remaine dwell with him for euer And also Gods reuenge against Satan for his malice to man as Dauid reuenged himselfe of Hanun for the dishonour offered vnto his Seruaunts so God hath reuenged himselfe vpon Satan for his malice vnto Adam O the louing kindnesse and great mercy of God thus to regarde and to take pittie vpon man to comfort and to preserue him both in body and soule A good thing to remember our miserie nakednes And therefore when wee feele the inwarde grace of Gods spirit working sorrow in our heartes for sinne then let vs remember the nakednesse of our soules which once were robbed and spoyled by Satan that wicked and enuious Serpent And when we put on our Cloathes to couer our bodyes then let vs also remember that they are but as vayles and shadowes to hide away our shame being spotted with sinne and to sheild and defende our corrupt weake bodyes from heate and cold which are dayly subiect to sicknesse and vnto death by reason of our sinne And as concerning the Milde reprehension of God to Adam although it may seeme ironicall and in some sort spoken by way of disgrace yet it is most milde in respect of Adams sinne who deserued no fauour to heare Gods mercifull voyce sparing and not destroying him in the fiercenes of his wrath Gods loue to Adam But God here sheweth his loue to Adam as Dauid did vnto Absalon 2. Sā 14.21 for he pardoned his disobedient Sonne who returned home from Geshur to Ierusalem but he must turne into his owne House verse 24. and not see the King his fathers face vntill he be called So God pardoneth Adam and he is returned from the bondage of Satan and admitted into the libertie of the Sonnes of God but he must turne into his owne House being Earth and Dust Gen. 3.19 and not see the glorious face of God his mercifull Father in Paradise with these eyes vntill he be called which shall be in the day of the Resurrection when God will receiue his children with the kisses of his loue But some peraduenture will say Hath Adam sinned An obiection to Gods iustice who did
not destroy Adam for his sinne and deserued death now doth God pardone and pittie him how can this stand in the course of Gods iustice when as at the deliuerie of his Commandement he threatned death vnto Adam saying In the day that thou eatest thereof thou shalt die the death To aunswere this Obiection The aunswere to the obiection The Iustice of God is perfectly satisfied according to his word for as Man sinned so Man for his sinne had the sentence and iudgement of death but the execution of death for sinne was spared in Adam and layde vpon Christ Esa 53.10 Ephe. 5.2 who was made an Offering for sinne and appoynted by God him selfe before the foundation of the world euen for all thē that put their trust in him so that the iustice of God taketh effect in man but Chrst perfect God perfect man hath ouercome death although his humanity for a time was seased vpon and kept in the graue by death to satisfie the sentence of his Fathers iustice pronounced against Adam yet by his Deitie he raised vp his Humanity from death 1. Cor. 15.20 Joh. 17.4.5 and glorified it with Immortalitie in heauen and he wil also glorifie all the faythfull that trust in him Rom. 6.5 Gal. 4.6 being ingrafted into his body Sanctified by his spirit whereby they cry Abba Father Gods prouident care ouer Adam euen in this world And notwithstanding that Adam was cast out of Paradise wherby he had a dayly continual feeling of his miserie purchased by his sinne yet God left him not forlorne but by his gracious prouidence louing eye which he had ouer him he kept him safe not onely from the rage and furie of cruell beastes which became rebellious vnto Adam but also from the crueltie of that roaring Lion Satan 1. Pet. 5.8 which gaped and euer looked for the eternall fall and destruction of Adam And God also blessed his labour that the Earth thereby should bring foorth fruite meate vnto him for the preseruation of this life and likewise he continued the loue betweene Adam and his wife that neither of thē should take exception one against the other for their eiection and casting out of Paradise but rather make much of and comfort one another in the time of their pilgrimage and miserie of this world The mutuall loue which should he betweene man and wife Which teacheth vs that man and wife should neuer fall out or be offended with each other for the losses of the riches and possessions of this world when as our Parentes twitted not each other in the teeth whē they lost the possession of that ioyfull Paradise O happie man The happy translation of man to a heauenly paradise who hath so mercifull a God that sinning yet thou art pardoned being lost art found reiected yet receiued dead yet lyueth and liuing shalt be glorified with him not in the earthly but in the heauenly Paradise for euermore The glory of heauen The glory whereof is infinite for the riches therein are without measure there is plentie without want comfort without griefe light without darkenesse life without death The ioy of Gods presence with his saincte Gods presence is as a bright shining Temple in the middest thereof before whose throne doe stand the holy Angels and Sainctes whose eyes are neuer satisfied with beholding him their eares neuer glutted with hearing him their tongues neuer silent from praysing him their handes neuer wearie with lifting vp vnto him their hearts neuer filled with the sweetnes of his loue and their feete neuer tyred with walking in his wayes Reu. 22.1.2 There is the Water of Life euer running the Tree of life euer growing and the fruite of Loue and peace neuer fading To which place and Paradise God of his infinite mercy bring vs for Christ Iesus sake our onely Lord and Sauiour Amen FINIS