Selected quad for the lemma: hand_n
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A06705
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Adams tragedie declaring Satans malice and subtiltie, mans weaknesse and miserie, and his deliuerance from eternall captiuitie.
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Mabb, John.
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1608
(1608)
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STC 17156.3; ESTC S4378
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29,410
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112
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ADAMS Tragedie Declaring Satans malice and subtiltie mans weaknesse and miserie and his deliuerance from eternall captiuitie Serpens Diabolus Salus Christus LONDON Printed by W.W. for Thomas Downe and Ephraim Dawson and are to be solde at their shoppe at the inner Temple gate 1608. TO THE HONORABLE AND very good Knight Sir Iohn Egerton THe least Fish in the Waters the least Seed in the Earth the least Flie in the Aire and the least Starre in the Firmament Honourable and worthie Knight doe shew the glory of GOD in their seuerall kinds although not so great in quantity as do the Whale the Cedar the Eagle and the Sunne And the meanest member in the body the Foote may performe a profitable seruice to the Head although not so lawdable worthy as the Hand The consideration whereof and the happie experience of your heroicall and most vertuous disposition who euer haue encouraged a wel meaning minde in euery good and laudable action maketh mee although the meanest member in the Ciuill body both venterous and hardie in my duetifull loue to offer a litle Guift as the Widdowes mite to your Christian view and Honourable accept by whose good approouement the reproch of presumption will not be imputed to a well meanyng minde when as a Christian man being compared to a Tree whose roote is Fayth the body Holynes the branches Charitie the blossomes Peace and the fruite Obedience is not esteemed in the sight of God or good men by the quantitie of the substaunce but by the quality of the fruite Wherfore if your Honour shall vouchsafe by the sunne rising of your gracious fauour to nourish a tender Grift now yeelding a small fruit vnto your taste and to couer it with your mercifull wing from the biting and nipping stormes of vncharitable blastes your most humble and deuoted protect shal rest euer bound to offer vp prayers night and day to Almighty God for your Honors eternall felicitie and for the prosperous and honorable continuance of your noble posteritie in this world and their happy enioying of the heauenly blessinges in the world to come Your Ho. in all reuerent duety and seruice I. M. TO THE READER GEntle Reader the losse of a Blessing made Esau weepe and the losse of Children made Rachell mourne But now behold not onely a Blessing and Children but also Parents and Paradise lost together Gen. 50.10 It is true that Ioseph and the Egiptians made a great mourning for Iaakob but the lamentation both of Iew and Gentile should be greater for the death of Adam who by creation was holy and righteous the image of God by deputation Lord and Commaunder ouer the whole World the vicegerent of God by benediction the Father of all Mankind the inheritaunce of God and by institution he was placed in Eden the Garden of God and yet the Garden Inheritance Dignitie and Sanctitie all forfeited and lost together Here then is the stratageme and instrument that effectes this Tragedie Ioh. 8.44 Satan that lyer that murtherer from the beginning maligning Adam and in Adam all mankinde deuised and practised how to draw Adam to rebell against God Adam was deceiued by the subtiltie of the Diuell and he did rebell God was displeased by the breaking of the Commaundement Rom. 5.12 Sinne entred Death preuayled Wherefore I intreate thee christian Reader which art the Child of Adam to peruse this Treatise with regard not curiously excepting against but graciously accepting what a free and well meaning minde offereth vnto thee whereby thou shalt see thy Fathers and thine owne estate by what meanes yee were lost how worthily condempned how graciously redeemed and how ioyfully receiued Luke 10.4 That so at all times and in all places thou mayst tremble and feare and loue and honour and prayse the Lord thy God To whose infinite mercie heauenly direction and fatherly protection I heartily commit thee for euer Thine in the Lord I. M. Psal 119 52.39 I remembred thy iudgments of old o Lord haue been comforted for thy iudgments are good ADAMS Tragedie ALthough GOD may be knowne in his glorious Workes to remoue mans excuse by ignoraunce for not seruing him yet he hath reuealed his will vnto man by his Word that man might learne to obey and not to sinne against him And notwithstanding that God hath such care for man yet man hath litle feare of God As we may see and behold in the third Chapter of Genesis beeing the subiect matter of this Booke wherein is handled and described The nature of the Serpent his question vnto Eue vers 1. Eues answere vnto it vers 2.3 The Serpents replication vnto Eue vers 4.5 Eues consent to the Serpents perswasion vers 6. Her guift vnto her Husband of the Fruite and his acceptance vers 6. The effect of eating the Fruite vers 7. The inquisition of God after Adam and Eue for their transgression ver 8.9 Their apprehension vers 10 11 12. Their arreignement ver 13. Their answeres ve 10. vnto 13. Their iudgment vers 14. to the 20. And their expulsion out of Paradise vers 22 23 24. A Historie registred by the Holy Ghost that it might be an instruction to all ages to feare to sinne and to learne to doe well the wages of sinne being death Rom. 6.23 but Life and Grace the guift of God through Iesus Christ our Lord. SECT 1. AS touching the nature of the Serpent and his question vnto Eue. Gen. 1.31 GOD in the beginning saw all that he had made and loe it was very good and therefore the Serpent being a creature of God in his first beeing and nature was good and in reasonable construction it may seeme that it was a creature very pleasing vnto Adam because it was more subtile or wise then any beast of the field And therefore the Diuell cunningly to couer his malicious and wicked intent vseth the Serpent as his instrument to perswade Adam and Eue vnto sinne Such is the craftinesse and wilinesse of Satan in tempting the children of God that hee daunceth vnder a Hood as ashamed of his face seeming to be an Angell of light when he is an Angell of darknesse 2. Cor. 11.14 and deuiseth how to bting men vnto euerlasting destruction For both hee and all the euill Angels that fell with him from heauen which by the sufferance of God doe dispearse and spread themselues in the Ayre Reuel 20.7 8 9 10. Ephe. 2.2 and vppon the Earth and vnder the Earth being continually tormented by the wrath of God doe in their malice watch and deuise to tempt hurt and afflict the Sainctes of God and to draw them away from God that they might be partakers of their punishmentes so great is the enuie of Satan and his members against the felicitie of Gods chosen But God in his infinite wisedome iustice doth turne the burden and bitternes of their malice vpon them selues and by how much the more they striue against
onely to resist and keepe out the troupes and strength of the Enimie but also the Scoutes and Spies of the Armie So euery Christian man who is in this world at warfare with Satan Sinne Death must not onely giue an eye watch to the apparant and grosse Sinnes which are like the Anakims Numb 13.33.34 strong and tall easely a farre off to be discerned but we must also stop the passages of Satans spies scouts which are idle Motions vaine Perswasions carnall Deliberations fleshly Consent which if we discerne not and in time preuent they will sease vpon and catch vs and lead vs away captiues vnto Satan chayned with the strong fetters of sinne to be ledde vnto eternall death And therefore so soone as wee feele and perceiue in our selues any idle Motions rebelling against Gods Spirit and Word let vs not by any meanes consult and deliberate therevpon without calling to God for his espepeciall grace to giue vs strength and iudgment that we may be able to confute repell and resist the same And concerning Eues perspection or beholding of the outward beautie of the Fruite two thinges therein are to be considered the Precurrencie or Forming of the outward sense to like and the Concurrencie or Consent of the inward affection to imbrace Gen. 1.31 God in the finishing of his works Saw all that he had made and loe it was very good And in the disposing of his Creatures when he presented them vnto man man did see that they were very glorious Psal 8.1 And as God made the Eare an instrument to conueigh Fayth into the Heart Rom. 10.14 17. so he made the Eye an instrument to conueigh prayses into the Mouth Psal 8.3 1. Sam. 11.2 But as Nahash the Ammonite did ayme at the right eyes of the men of Iabesh Gilead to thrust them out thereby to bring a shame vpon Israel So Satan picketh at this excellent instrument the Eye of man Satan aymeth at the principall part the eye to destroy it to blind corrupt the sight thereof to make it to dishonor God by conueighing an vnlawfull desire into the heart of Eue to bring a shame vpon her and her posteritie The outward senses are the vshers vnto sinne Wherefore the outward senses are as Vshers and forerunners to make way vnto the minde that it might embrace and giue consent vnto what the sense and body liketh Gen. 3.6 For the Eye tooke delight in the beauty of the fruite and the Heart gaue consent that the Hand as seruant to the Eye might take it the Mouth as taster to the Stomack might eate it and the Feete as Pages to the Belly might fetch it So that it seemeth the Feete will run the Hand will reach the Mouth will taste the Stomacke will receiue and all what the Eye liketh The Eye a predominant sense Such a predominant sense and part is the Eye that it commaundeth all the partes of the body yea it corrupteth and dulleth the faculties of the Soule for the wandering of the Eye carrieth away the Eare from hearing of the word of God which is the foode of the Soule Deut. 7.25.26 The Eye beholding the Beautie of an Idoll perswadeth the Minde to commit Idolatrie Mat. 5.28 The Eye looking vpon a Woman causeth the Heart to lust and to commit Adulterie The Sonnes of God seeing the Daughters of Men that they were faire Gen. 6. 2. tooke them Wiues of all that they liked Ioshu 7.21 Achan seeing the Babilonish garment the Siluer and the Gold lie glittering amongst the spoyle coueted it and hidde them in his Tent. Mat. 14.6 Herod gazing vpon the dauncing Damsell made him vow Iohn Baptists death Therefore we ought to remember the lesson of our Sauiour Christ who teacheth vs If thine Eye causeth thee to offend Mat. 5.29 plucke it out and cast it from thee for Math. 6.22.23 the light of the body is the eye If the light then that is in thee be darknesse how great is that darknesse It is better for thee to goe with one eye into the kingdome of Heauen then hauing two eyes to be cast into Hell fire for euermore But if the eye be holy and vpright then is it compared vnto Iudgement Prou. 4.25 Psal 123.2 and 131.1 Iob. 31.1 and 19.20 Heb. 12.1 2 3. to Obedience Humilitie Chastitie Pitty Fayth Hope and Loue. And Eue abusing her Eye yeelded vnto sinne and coueted the forbidden Fruite And concerning Eues Inspection or Consideration of the inwarde qualitie of the Fruite Certaine it is after the Eye was delighted with the Beautie and the Stomacke longed after the meate of the Fruite then was the Minde vpon Fleshly counsaile and Debate perswaded that it was to be desired to get knowledge and dignitie Euery sinne will haue a colour of some good in it Such is the policie and subtiltie of Satan to deceiue the Minde to draw it to consent and agree to sinne vnder colour and shew of some good moued proposed vnto it And therefore the Adulterer continueth in his sinne saying It is Phisicall the Couetous in his sinne saying It is Frugall the Ambitious in his sinne saying It is Honourable the Proude fashioned in his sinne saying It is comely the Drunkard in his sinne saying It is brotherly Fellowship the Swearer in his sinne saying It is Trueth But Esa 5.20 Woe be vnto them that speake good of euill and euill of good which put darknes for light and light for darknes that put bitter for sweete and sweete for bitter for sinne may make an excuse to the sinner blind his eyes with some shew of goodnesse in the sinne that hee shall not see his fault but it can not so excuse him before God and blinde his fight who will iudge and condemne him for his sinne A similitude against fleshly and carnall defence of sinne For as the Bird that is taken in the Snare or the Fish in the Nette the more they striue to get foorth by their owne strength the more they are fettered and entangled So Man when his outwarde senses and partes are taken and snared by sinne the more he striueth to make passage from sinne by the strength of reason and perswasion of his owne hart the more he is intangled in the snare of sinne and in danger neuer to get foorth For thinkest thou ô foolish man that thy Reason shall ouerrule and defeat Gods Law Or shall thy flattering and smooth Interpretation of sinne free thee from Gods Iudgments denounced against sinne Nay it shall not helpe thee for could this haue serued the turne our Parents had not been cast out of Paradise For what better colour or excuse to couer their sinne then Desire of knowledge Gen. 3.6 the onely ioy and felicitie of the Minde 1. Sam. 15.9 vnto ver 29. Saul had not been remooued from his Kingdome for what better colour or excuse