ADAM IN HIS INNOCENCIE BY WILLIAM BLOYS Esquire LONDON Printed by Robert Young for George Lathum at the signe of the Bishops head in Pauls Church-yard 1638. ADAM IN HIS INNOCENCIE I Have heretofore engaged my selfe to shew how Medit on 42. Psal Ver. 6. those places that in themselves are most delightfull may by our good improvement become most profitable Which I intended of the pleasures of a Garden the best fruit whereof will be to carry up our thoughts into heaven And this being the time wherein I see every thing put forth I am admonished to doe likewise and thereby to discharge my promise It may be thought a strange enterprise and unadvised choice to undertake this new discovery and to attempt a reformation in that Instrumentum duorum vitiotum vanitatis torporis desidioe sepulchrum Lips which hath been the instrument of two vices vaine Ostentation and dull Stupidity wherein many doe offend as by intemperate eating of the fruit to the prejudice of the health of their body so likewise by excessive delight in affected rarities and fond curiosities to the depravation of their mind whereas if they were endued with divine wisedome and could restraine their extravagant desires within the proper limits of reason and moderation they might gather singular contentment in the use thereof It was the employment of Adam in the estate of innocency to dresse and keep the garden of Eden which in respect of the fertility of the place needed no husbandry but that he might be a law to his posterity The knowledge of trees and herbes did well beseem Solomon himselfe who was the wisest of men Having named him Cyrus Attalus Massanissa Cato c. it will be superfluous to rehearse other Kings Potentates who have seriously addicted themselves to this worke Abraham would not plant a grove Gen. 21.33 but hee would call upon the Name of the everlasting God then much more ought we in planting an orchard the apple tree so farre excelling the trees of the wood to worship the Lord. Cant. 2.3 It pleased the Almighty to forbid his people to eate of the trees that they should plant in the first three yeeres Deut. 20.20 in which time the fruit was to be counted as uncircumcised Levit. 19.23 but in the fourth yeere all the fruit should be holy to praise the Lord withall During the time of their abstinence they might consider that by reason of the sin of man who had corrupted his way and filled the earth with violence and contagion this good creature of God was not so pure unto them but that it had need to be sanctified by the word of God and by praier and ever after the first of the ripe fruits were to be offered unto the Lord without delay Yea Exod. 22.29 Nec ante gustare quam diis consecrassent Turneb the very Heathens when their fruit came to maturity dared not so much as taste of it untill they had consecrated some part thereof unto their gods Should wee accomplish this worke of plantation without seeking for a blessing it were just with God to blast our endeavours with barrennesse that the trees of the Land should not yeeld their fruits or though they doe that wee should not gather them or though we doe that we should not eate of them The story is not unknowne of him Ancaeus in Naâ— Com. Mythol who gave occasion to that Proverbe Senex in Perotto Many things fall between the cup and the lip Or lastly though we did brutishly devoure them without looking up to the giver God may punish our usurpation as hee did the excesse of Noah they may be in the mouth as honey for sweetnesse but bitternesse in the end To avoid these punishments and to obtaine Gods blessing upon us in all that we set our hands unto let us labour to make an holy use of the creatures and to be heavenly minded in all our actions It was anciently thought Hortosque contra invidentium effascinationes dicari videmus Plin. Sec. that gardens had a speciall immunity against the charmes and machinations of the malignant If wee could exalt our selves in these high contemplations that infernall Serpent should never fold himselfe about us It is reported of Caesar Ut assectatorem à se ablegaret Turneb that he selected a garden remote from the city being on the other side of the river that he might free himselfe from petitioners and attendants It will be our greatest wisedome in these places to retire into our selves laying aside those waighty cares and troubles whereby we are pressed downe lifting up our hearts unto the Lord looking unto Christ and he also will looke upon us in mercy and behold us under the tree as he did Nathaniel John 1.48 And as Amos being a gatherer of Sycomore fruit was taken to be made a Prophet of the Lord unto whom he revealed his secret so we shall come to be more perfectly instructed in the good pleasure of God The invisible things of God Rom. 1.20 that is his eternall power and Godhead are seen by the creation of the world being considered in his workes Mans speciall vocation was the study of the creatures wherein hee might discerne the wisedome of the Creatour There is plentifull variety of good meditations obvious to every beleever and able to satisfie the understanding with endlesse contentment The great volume of nature the book of the creatures is laid open before us and in every leafe and page and line of it God hath imprinted such evident characters of his divine properties such-lively representations of his glory that we may runne and reade his excellency therein Psal 145.10 All thy workes shall praise thee O Lord and thy Saints shall blesse thee they shall speake of the glory of thy Kingdome and talke of thy power Thus every good Christian being a tree of righteousnesse of the Lords planting is full of sap replenished with the influence of that gracious Spirit and filled with prudence duely to ponder the infinite majestie and incomprehensible greatnesse of God by those visible expressions which are continually presented unto him The ungodly are not so but as if they had eaten of the fruit of the Lote-tree which made them that eate of it to forget their native country they remember not whose off-spring they are Dulcedine Loti liquerat patriam Alciat they be unmindfull of the celestiall Jerusalem which is the mother of us all and doe as much neglect to seek that heavenly Canaan as Abraham did to returne to Haran from whence he came These may fitly be compared unto that bird Humi aliquo casu depreheâ—si Apodes nullo negotio capiuntur Scal. in Arist which if by any casualty it happened to be upon the ground it was readily taken as not being able to raise it selfe In like manner they are readily overwhelmed by the snare of the fowler while they
subject themselves to the love of the world and the things of the world Velut si prolapsus cecidisset terran osculo contigit Liv. Ant. Muret. Var. Lect. And as Brutus by direction of the Oracle did cast himself downe and kisse the earth that he might come to governe so they regard not before whom they doe fall downe and worship that wealth and power may be given unto them It is related of a covetous wretch that he most corruptly perverted that place in the Psalme where it is said The earth hath hee given to the children of men Psal 115.16 as a forcible allegation for his greedy pursuit after worldly commodities whereas if we did rightly weigh it we might be excited to blesse the Lord for his bounty in filling the earth with his goodnesse and giving it to the sonnes of men who are educated at Gods footstoole as Paul at the feet of Gamaliel where we have many good things Acts 22.3 many vertuous instructions committed unto us which we by the help of the holy Ghost ought to keep for our future comfort And now speaking of the earth I am come to the foundation upon which I must erect my future discourse desiring to have the soile well prepared that so there may arise the more fruit and benefit by this ensuing Treatise First then that I may proceed the more methodically being to extract mine observations out of a place of order and not out of an intricate wildernesse of confused wandring in the beginning of our egresse and stepping forth that there may be an enlargement of the mind as well as of the body even in that motion and exercise of the body manifold good thoughts may accompany us and as we walke out for our refreshing so our heart Palpitat quasi alterum movetur animal Plin. Sec. which is as another creature ever stirring within us may be directed unto the Lord and may draw nigh unto him through faith in Christ who is the only way that leads unto the Father We have great cause to praise the Lord who hath given us strength and libertie thus to walke He did as hee speaketh of Ephraim Hos 11.3 teach us to goe taking us by the armes and guiding us in our unstable yeeres preserving us from the fall and lamenesse of Mephibosheth 2 Sam 4.4 He hath kept us ever since from any exceeding great disease in our feet 2 Chron. 16.12 as Asa had we doe not rightly consider Gods love herein If we had been smitten and after received strength wee would enter into the Temple leaping and praising God Acts 3.8 as the man did who was lame from the wombe and raised by Peter Hee hath delivered us from the restraint which Joseph endured Psal 105.18 whose feet were hurt with fetters yea he hath given us a pleasant path to walke in having bestowed many blessings and comforts upon us whereas others as well deserving have their waies beset with briers doe meet with many crosses and encumbrances He hath sent us the light to walke in that we may discerne whither we goe having rightly informed our judgements that we might eschew errours and walke before him in truth with all our heart whereas others are in darknesse and have many stumbling-blockes in their way their evill troubled conscience being possest with many impertinent scruples insomuch that they walke like them that were to be tried by Fire-ordeal Verstegan who being blind-folded did passe over many glowing hot irons they feare every step they set to fall into some inevitable danger Now in our going out and returning back there seemeth to be some resemblance with the life of man Psal 104.23 who goeth forth unto his worke and to his labour untill the evening He entreth into the world in his child-hood where he meets with much commotion and agitation After which he beginneth to ebbe and retire in his old age Having ascended the hill of his full strength he then descends and walkes through the valley of the shadow of death Psal 23.4 1 Kin. 2.2 which is the way of all the earth as Joshuah call'd it Josh 23.14 who before conducted the people into the Land of the living who then shewed them the way to their rest where they should sleep in the dust Man is alwaies going to his long home as well in the sweet walkes of recreation as in the tedious journies of important necessity as well in the smooth allies of joyfull contentment as in the deep and difficult road of vexation and sorrow In our walkes our faces are not alwaies towards the rising but sometimes we looke towards the declining Sunne and thereby we may be put in mind to set our faces as though we would goe to Jerusalem Luke 9.53 to prepare for that time when we shall lye downe in darknesse which that we may doe we ought seriously to consider whether it be a good and a straight way that we walke in or not No man will take many turns in an uncouth path that is inconvenient for his passage being overgrowne with weeds and bushes or offensive to his senses by reason of evill savours and hatefull objects And yet how many be there that go on yea that run head-long in the dangerous waies bringing them to destruction The drunkard staggers in the broad way that he makes to be defiled The adulterer goeth an obscure shady way in the evening Prov. 7.9 in the twilight that he may not be discovered The extortioner walketh in crooked waies The ambitious climbeth up the rocky way whose feet stand in slippery places The covetous man goeth in a by-way on the other side with the Levite Luke 10.32 that he might avoid occasions to exercise charity All these are impure and uncleane waies and they that walke in them may rightly be said to goe in the Dolorous way tending to sorrow and confusion while they violently presse forward in wickednesse 1 Kin. 13.24 There was a Lion in the Prophets way that slew him for his disobedience there is roaring Lion watching to kill and devoure all those which runne astray in these disconsolate waies going downe to the chambers of death As the people stood still in the way when they came to the place where Amasa was slaine 2 Sam. 20.12 so it will behoove us when we see how many have miscarried and perished by wandring in these waies of misery not to proceed any further therein but to step into that good and upright way whereby we may be conducted into eternall life It is a dreadfull signe of Gods displeasure when he suffereth any man to walke on prosperously in his stubborne way and ungodly councell as in an even alley without any obstacles or impediments not sending his messenger to stop him in his sinfull course It were much better that the Lord should hedge up our way with thornes and make a wall that we should not find our
the light of reason and everie Beleever with the light of happinesse and glorie when hee goeth out of this world into the holy Citie that doth not need the Sun Rev. 21.23 for the Lamb is the light thereof To day The performance of this gracious promise is limited to a short time and therefore all doubting is excluded Our Saviour is crucified in the midst as nigh to one malefactour as the other Both formerly were brethren in evill consenting in wickednesse Both began to revile him before their death yet one is rejected and exposed to vengeance the other is taken as a brand snatcht out of the fire Christ doth overshadow him in mercy and delivers not from death but from condemnation Thou shalt bee with Mee A blessed change to bee freed from the fellowship of an impenitent sinner a blasphemous reprobate and to be admitted into the society of Saints yea for ever to be with the Lord An unspeakeable mercy that hee who by his owne confession suffered justly should be with him who had done nothing amisse The righteous died for the ungodly Christ for us sinners hee became Emmanuel God with us that wee may live with him in his kingdome of glory Thou shalt bee with mee in Paradise What wee gaine by the second Adam is much better than that wee lost by the first in the beginning Adam was in Paradise but God was not with him nor the feare of God before his eyes when hee yeelded to the tempter and hee was not with God neither dare hee appeare before him when hee walked in the Garden Then the presence of the Lord was a terrour unto Adam having sinned Now the presence of Christ was the best of comforts unto the theefe being penitent Paradise it selfe was not Paradise unto Adam after hee had offended But when wee shall bee set at liberty from the prison of the grave and acquitted from the sting of death wee shall bee as uncapable of sinne as of mortalitie Oh then let us ever aspire unto this most blessed estate Although this good thiefe did suddenly as it were with holy violence breake into heaven to shew that there is no end of the rich mercies of God yet let not us presume upon this example of grace and so become examples of judgement unto others Our whole life is given us to this end that by patient continuance in well-doing wee should seeke for glory The taste of Gods goodnesse in these outward benefits should excite and quicken our desire to obtaine the full fruition of eternall happinesse If we rest contented in the commodities of this life wee thinke the pleasures of this life to bee as acceptable as the joyes above As Lot thought the plaine of Jordan to bee as the garden of the Lord Gen. 13.10 And then wee cannot bee delivered from the common destruction without the wonderfull mercy of God But let us seeke a better countrie even this celestiall Paradise Strait is the gate and narrow is the way that leadeth thereunto and therefore our best diligence is required to find it Yet for our encouragement there are not Cherubims in the entrance to keep us from approaching nigh unto it but the Angel of the Covenant is the way whereby we must walke and which doth guide us in the truth And the doore whereby wee must enter and which doth admit us that wee may bee saved Yea all the Angels rejoyce when we enter into this path of life and doe keep us in this way ministring unto us the heires of salvation who as some have thought were created to supply the defect of some of them and to repaire the breach that their fall had made in this heavenly Paradise There is not a flaming sword turning every way which may strike a terrour into us that we should not come neere But the Sword of the Spirit is given unto us by which we may withstand and vanquish all enemies that shall encounter us in this our passage There bee divers who goe to the Holy Land which is now the spectacle of Gods wrath but let our journey be to the Jerusalem above which is and ever will be the Seat of Mercy and the Throne of Glory While other men labour to plat and describe the place where Paradise was upon earth let us seeke for this place that Christ is gone to prepare for us into which when he comes againe he will receive us that where hee is wee may be also FINIS Perlegi Librum hunc cui titulus est Adam in his Innocencie atque illum typis mandari permitto Martis penult 1637. ex Aedibus Londin SA BAKER