bringeth one grief upon another his Oxen were taken away his Servants slain then another came and told him his Sheep were burnt another his Camels were taken another his Sonnes and Daughters were slain c. Sathan in his temptation of Eve begins at the eare and from the eare to the eyes from the eyes to the fingers from the fingers to the mouth his proceeding was from hearing to seeing from seeing to touching from touching to tasting Sathan first made a question Eve she made a doubt per adventure we shall die which doubt Sathan resolved you shall not die at all these are the three parts of Eves inward temptation Vidit tulit comedit she saw the forbidden fruit she took it and she did eat thereof these be the three parts of Eves outward temptation seeing taking and eating As before the hearing of the eare was the temptation to incredulity so here the seeing of the eye is the temptation to sensuality as before esca intellect ûs was the bait of the understanding to know both good and evill so here esca sensûs is the bait of the sense that so Eves reason inwardly and her sense outwardly might be deceived which temptation of the sense is treble here of the eye that seeth of the fingers that touch of the mouth that tasteth The Serpent full of subtilty will make noe visible temptation untill he hath throughly infected the heart when neither for love nor for feare he seeth Eve regardeth the commandement then he knoweth that she will be allured easily by the sence and therefore he brings her where she may see the Tree But did not Adam and Eve see the tree that was forbidden in the middest of the garden in the time of innocency Well saith one Non dedit Deus iis legem ae arbore quam non v derunt God gave them not a law of restraint from a tree which they saw not for they did see this tree before their fall in love and in feare their love then to God and his Word was such that much water could not quench it neither could that love be bought with all the substance of the world Cantic 8. 7. and then their feare where with they feared the Lord was to them His method in his Temptation a well-spring of life to avoid the snares of death Prov. 14. 27. but when the mist of incredulitie did arise in their heart then sathan had hope of prevayling in his temptation then he begins with corrupt speeches You shall not die at all you shall be as Gods knowing good and evill and evill speakings as you know corrupts good manners 1 Cor. 15. 33. The end of his Temptation and then with vaine shewes of pleasure he tempteth the sence this is the subtlety of the devills method in tempting Eve Now the subtlety of his end in his temptation is partly to withdraw the minde partly that of a sparke there may become a flame that from seeing the fruit she may be brought to the eating of the same and so doe that God hath forbidden albeit that his speech eritis sicut Dei scientes bonum malum tickled her minde but that was not the very end yet it is plaine that every lie runneth lamely yet every liar covereth the imperfection that then there might be no delay nor no stay the serpent presently bringeth her to the tree and sheweth her the fruit that her sense might verifie so much as he had said Non vidit tulit lignum quia prohibitum sed quia bonum shee looked on the tree shee tooke of the fruit because she was perswaded that thereby would come to her all excellency all knowledg and that by the eating of it she should not die at all They probably thought they should not die at all in the 17 of the 2. chap. it is called the Tree of knowledg of good and evill wherein they thought to be the virtue of all knowledg and the tree of life they had still which perswaded them they should live for ever they were perswaded that they should have still the sacrament of immortality and of universall knowledg and indeede plus posse plus noscere is that wherewith sathan hath infected us all for he perswades us we can doe more then we can doe that we shall live still and know all things Sathan thought that delay would be dangerous and that if he had given her any leisure the sifting of the Commandement would have beene prejudiciall unto his temptation and therefore presently he brought her to see the Tree the fruit whereof he had so highlie magnified that so shee might breake the Lawe of God The Fathers doe say well It was not the force of the devils words but Gods punishment that made her beleeve the devill and fall from God qui dubius est infidelis erit he that doubteth Gods word shall become an Infidell and beleeve the devills words this is Gods punishment of incredulitie to beleeve a lyar even the father and founder of Lyes for if men will not beleeve Gods writings nor his words John 5. 47. God therefore shall send them strong delusions that they should beleeve Lyes 2 Thes. 2. 11. so that the beleeving the Serpent rather than God is not the force of the devils words but Gods punishment of their incredulity poenalis est necessitas God as it is Zepha 1. 17. saith tribulabo homines ambulabunt ut caeci quia domino peccavêrunt I will bring distresse upon men that they shall walke like blinde men because they have sinned against the Lord so did God deale here say they with Eve and Adam Here Sathan after his dixit comes with vides so soone as he had tooke her though she did eate she should not dy but enjoy all happiness he shewed her the forbidden tree that she beholding it might busie herselfe with the pleasure of seeing that which was so pleasant and so much to be desired that so then when she had most cause to fear and tremble the pain which she should incurre by her eating thereof should not so much as be thought upon this is Sathans subtlety to proceede from saying to seeing from debasing their state present wherein they knew nothing but good to extoll their faln state wherein they should know good and evill As Chrysostome saith from hodie to cras from this day to to morrow from things before our eyes to see what hereafter we shall enjoy as much as if he should say I will shew you what I tell you you shall see that I say truely let your sense judge of my speech beleeve your sense not mee you see the fruit is pleasant to behold when you taste it you shall finde no poyson in it the shew is correspondent to my words and when you eate of it you shall finde the virtue I have said to be in it you doe see it is pleasant you shall taste it is wholsome in a word the Tree will speake
Paradise in Heaven but let us detest such detestable vices which will cause men to lose such excellent glory yet though we have all lost these pleasures of Paradise by Adams fall we need not with too much sorrow lament it because that was temporall and not permanent and we are put in assurance through Christ of another Paradise much better being eternall In respect of which this below was a shadow and nothing else but quasi vestibulum and this first Paradise was but a shew of such store of earthly pleasures and blessings which God is able to bestow on his servan 〈◊〉 in this World So Luke 23. 43. the second Paradise hath in it a shew and view of heavenly pleasures and delights spiritual which he will bestow on us in the world to come And as by the default of the first earthly Adam we lost earthly Paradise which was temporall So by the second Adam which is heavenly and his rightcousnesse we have hope of that heavenly Paradise which is eternall Again as the sinne of the first Adam did lock and chain up the first Paradise So the second Adam shall open the gate of Heaven and make an entrance of free passage thither As this Paradise past was a bodily place for bodies so the other to come is the spiritual Paradise for our souls This is Paradisus veteris Testamenti but that to come is foederis novi And thus we must understand all the places of the new Testament which speake of Paradise now for by it are meant the joyes of Heaven Seeing then we are not left destitute of a Paradise but have the promise of one which is more excellent than that let us not fall into the same sinnes of ingratitude and infidelity which we see was the cause of driving Adam out of that Paradise and will be the cause to keep us out of the second which is to come for no unclean person shall enter into it 1 Cor. 15. for Christ will say to such Depart from me yee workers of iniquity Matth. 7. 23. Wherefore these sinnes must be detested and infidelity as the root of all for his beleeving the Devills nequaquam moriemini before Gods morte moriemini was the cause of his fall and of his losse Thus if we beware of this fall and losse we shall at last not only come to that Sabbatum cum intermissione which was but once a week but to that Sabbatum sine intermissione which Christ hath appointed for us and then by Christ we shall be brought and placed not in Paradise cum amissione but sine amissione which is eternall in Heaven In which place we shall enjoy an everlasting Sabbath of repose and rest without any ceasing and of such a Paradise of pleasures as are without fear or danger of losing as these earthly ones were All these things are provided for us all if we demean and behave our selves holily in the faithfull steps of the second Adam Feceratque Jehova Deus ut germinaret è terra illa quaevis arbor desiderabilis ad adspectum bona ad cibum arbor quoque vitae in horto illo arbor scientiae boni mali Gen. 2. 9. June 8. 1591. AFter the more particular setting down of the essentials of Man being created in the 7. verse I told you that Moses proceedeth to set down the place in which man was seated from the 8. verse to the end of the 14. And the vocation in which he was to be imployed from the 14. to the 18. verse 2. Touching the place we considered two priviledges expressed c. 1. One in regard of the scituation of the Garden being in the East or right side of Eden 2. The other in regard of the Gardiner which was God Now he goeth forward to commend the Garden in another respect namely of the Trees and Plants which were in it set down in this 9. verse And also in respect of the waters in the 10. and 11 verles by which he telleth us that it was both a well planted and a well watered Garden and therefore could not choose but be pleasant and profitable Concerning the plants and trees in it first he propoundeth it in general and then in special marking out two kindes of fruits by name as the tree of life and the 〈◊〉 of knowledge Here are two kindes of commendations of the trees and planting it 1. The first respecteth the excellency of the fruit that were both pleasant to the eye and good for taste 2. Secondly In regard of the plenty and variety in that there was of every kinde and sort that nothing might be missing in it God made it Nemus a grove of pleasant trees good for shadow and also Hortus an Orchard of good trees for our use and service that we might not only rest under the shadow but reach out for the fruit to taste thereof Both these degrees of excellencie are applyed and attributed to this Garden and to the trees thereof Touching pleasure and delight we know that there is voluptas remota voluptas conjuncta the one removed farre off but being 〈◊〉 unto us applyed to the sense is very good and that is the delight of raste for the eye hath its delight though the object be remote but the taste hath no pleasure if the object be not applyed The one delight is transitory for that which is pleasant for taste when we eate it it is consumed and wasted away in the use of it but the other pleasure of the eye is perdurable and lasteth not only while we look on it but remaineth long after as delightfull still God then in this Garden joyned both these delights and excellencies together making both concur that evermore the trees should be speciosae fructiferae Jer. 11. 16. Thus much of the excellency Now I come to the plenty and variety of trees for it is said that out of the ground God made to grow every tree that is every kinde of tree pleasant to the sight and good for meat which is a speciall commendation for as the Heathen man saith Non omnis fert omnis tellus Therefore Salomon was fain to send to Hyram for Cedar trees which his Country afforded not and Hyram was fain to send to Salomon for Wheat and Olives because his Countrie either wanted that or else it bare not plenty that year 1 Reg. 15. 10. So that all Countries even the best and most fruitfull have not all sorts of commodities but are driven to have enterchange for supply Only this place of Paradise had plentifull store of all kinds of fruit and wanted nothing So that we may truly say of this garden as it is said of Salomons time there came never in any place such trees and such plenty of all as was here 1 Reg. 10. 12. This then sheweth the bounty and liberality of God for he dealt not with us sparingly nor with any envious eye but poured out the aboundance
of his blessings on him in this happy place which sheweth Adam in all justice worthy to be condemned as filius mortis 2 Sam. 12. 5. in that he having such infinite store of all good trees that were yet was not content but did impiously and ungratefully take away and steal from him which had but only one tree From both these we gather that it is not lawfull in respect of Gods will nor against the Law of nature but it is allowed and permitted to man in the estate of innocencie to desire and to use and enjoy both plenty and variety of Gods blessing here on Earth which are pleasant and good that is such good Creatures which may serve for delight and profit David Psal. 23. 5. giveth God thanks for both for God gave him balme which is a thing for pleasure and an overrunning cup which is for plenty And Salomon 2 Chro. 9. 21. and in the 1 King 10. 22. when his Navie went to Ophir he took order according to the wisedome God gave him that they should bring him Apes Peacocks and Parrots c. which we know are only for delight and hath a use for pleasure so he had both a desire and fruition of such things and our saviour Christ which is wiser than Salomon John 18. 2. he often resorted to and reposed himself in a garden and took pleasure therein and Luke 24. 43. there we see he cate of an honey-Combe for the pleasure of taste and St. Augustine giveth this reason because God caused Bees not to gather honey for the wicked only but for the godly also The desire then and the use is lawfull only we must take this Caveat by the way and beware that we long not after the forbidden Tree that is that we both in respect of our wills and desires in regard of the means to obtain and get these things and also of the use and enjoying them must beware that we doe not that which is forbidden for to desire those things in affection immoderately to seek them by evill means inordinately and indiscreatly or to use them in excesse unthankfully is the abusing and making them evill unto us And let this suffice for the first part Now for walking about the Garden Moses here calleth us into the mid'st of it and we know that usually in the mid'st of their places of pleasure men will have some curious devise so God applying himself to the nature of men is said to have a speciall matter of purpose in the mid'st which Moses will have us now see and consider We read in the 1 Cron. 16. 1. that in the middle of the Temple and in the mid'st of the middle part God caused the Cherubins and the Ark to be set where his glorie and presence did most appear for there he contriveth and conveyeth the most excellent things in all Paradise and setteth them in the mid'st thereof to be seen which were no where else that is to say the tree of life and the tree of knowledge of good and evill which he expresseth by name as for all the rest he hudleth them up in a general term as not worthy the naming in respect of this Touching which two St. Austin saith well that we must note that they came out of the ground not out of the Aire that is they were not fantasticall trees as some men have imagined but very true and substantial trees as the rest not differing but only this in prerogative and special fruit which by Gods blessing they brought forth fructus erat non ex natura arboris sed ex gratia Creatoris as è contra it was not an evill or hurtfull tree ex voluntate plantantis sed ex culpa comedentis for by Adams sinne it became deadly We see then that as Paradise was a natural place though it had reference to a spirituall place for in this tree of life is both matter of Historie which proveth the very true and essential being of it and yet withall matter of mysterie For as it is a true use to be applyed to the body and natural life to maintain it So besides that History in it was a mysterie to signifie a heavenly matter to be spiritually applyed to our souls as the Scriptures doe teach And in these two respects we shall have a perfect comprehension of these trees in the middest Touching the tree of life and the corporal use of it we must remember that it is said in the 7. verse that God gave man a spirit of life and made him a living soul that is such a soul which could give life to every part in the body with the functions and faculties thereof as to eat and drink to move goe and stirre which the soul of Beasts also giveth to them naturally Touching the natural life and living soul of Man all Physicians doe well agree with divinity in this that it standeth in two points and that there were two causes ordained by God by which it should be maintained or impaired the one is set down Deut. 34. 7. Humidum radicale the natural vigor and strength of nature in moisture the other is called Calor naturalis 1 Reg. 1. 1 2. that is natural heat So long as they two are perfect and sound the bodily life doth continue perfect but when there is a defect or decay of them then the natural life doth cease and end Wherefore God taketh order that by eating and drinking there should be a supply of that natural moisture which should be spent in us by travail and labor Jer. 18. 15. And therefore it is called a refection and recovering by food that moisture which before hath been decayed in us now because the moisture and juice which cometh of meats and drinks would at last by often mixture become unperfect as water being mixed with wine is worse therefore God gave this tree of life for mans bodily use that whatsoever naturall defect might grow in these two yet the fruit of this tree shall be as balm as it were to preserve his bodily constitution in the first perfect good estate of health Secondly though there be no decay of moisture or that yet sinne which is the sting of death might impair or destroy this immortall life 2 Chron. 15. 16. For when God doth punish or chastise man for sinne then even as a moth fretteth a garment so doth sinne consume our life Psal. 39. 11. Therefore God ordeined also the other tree of knowledge to a remedy for that that as the body should be sustained by that corporall fruit of life so his heart also might be propped up or upheld by grace Heb. 13. 9. which this tree of knowledge did teach him to apprehend And thus much of the corporall use of these trees which were truely in the Garden as this History doth shew Now for the other part it is not to be doubted but that as it hath a true matter of history So it hath in it also a spirituall mystery
three Islands which though they be dis-junct yet they meet in one point and make but one Paradise which Garden sheweth what an one the Gardiner was that is three dis-junct in person and yet but one in unity of substance which three Islands Arselius calleth the three Islands of blessing and the Heathen doe call them Elisii campi By which we see they had a glimering knowledge of Paradise The Land of Babylon Chuse and Ashur and other places as Writers doe testifie doe carry in their names the men that first inhabited and possessed them But only the Land of Eden hath in it the name and title of no man for God gave it the name And therefore it is counted the most ancient and excellent Countrie in which man was first created and first set his foot and therefore some think Adam had his name of Eden but there is no likelyhood of that But whatsoever excellencies this Land had yet now they are lost though reliques and resemblances of them remain which must teach us how vile and dangerous a thing sinne is for as it caused the Ark of God to be taken away 1 Sam. 4. 11. and the Temple and Citie of God to be wasted and destroyed so we see that the same sinnes were the overthrow and dissolution of the Garden of God and therefore we must beware of it As we have taken a view of the four Rivers so now let us take a survey of the four Regions which are about Paradise for Paradise was the center and 〈◊〉 about it was the compasse of these four 〈◊〉 On the one side was Havilah where was Gold and that the best Gold and where such wealth and riches are from 〈◊〉 any thing may be 〈◊〉 and brought And on the other side was 〈…〉 from 〈◊〉 came health and the means of health namely the best medicines the flower and choice of all dreggs of Physick On the other quarter 〈◊〉 Africa which is the glory and pomp of the world And on the other side was Caldea from 〈◊〉 came all the learning and knowledge of the world So that 〈◊〉 must needs be the 〈◊〉 pleasant place being invironed and compassed with all those blessings namely 〈◊〉 the mid'st of health wealth honor and learning yet you may observe that when sinne began in the center of the world how all these blessings round about it began 〈◊〉 curses to mankinde 〈◊〉 and learning grew into 〈◊〉 All the wisdome of 〈◊〉 Gen. 11. 31. grew into 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 which was the glory of the world degenerated and fell into pride and so to cruelty and 〈◊〉 and so was made the 〈◊〉 of Gods wrath which ever God 〈◊〉 to threaten sinne Ezech. 12. 13. Havilah became by sinne a means to draw 〈…〉 from Paradise for they which dwelt in this wealthy Country became the most covetous secure and carelesse people in the world forgetting God every man was there on horseback by reason of wealth and prosperity which made them ride away from Paradise with the more speed And for Arabia they enjoying bodily health yet made them so presumptuous that as one of their country-men saith they were 〈…〉 For by reason they had 〈◊〉 for all diseases and infirmities of the body to preserve health they gave themselves to all 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 and to wallow in all 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 knowing present help to recover their health again Thus we see that by sinne and corruption of our nature these things are used contrary to Gods ordinances namely as means to remove us as far as may be from the center of Paradise and from the tree of knowledge and 〈◊〉 which is 〈◊〉 the mid'st thereof If we fall into the pride of 〈◊〉 into the 〈◊〉 and security of Havilah and 〈◊〉 our selves into all 〈◊〉 of 〈◊〉 and give our selves to the 〈◊〉 and Idolatry of 〈◊〉 then 〈◊〉 shall be like 〈◊〉 those which were 〈◊〉 neighbors 〈◊〉 Paradise and yet were 〈◊〉 off from 〈…〉 and therefore shall be 〈◊〉 to 〈◊〉 or enter into it We have 〈◊〉 this one thing briefly yet to note and it is that which I 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 the Jew and St. Augustine the converted Christian to make use of by thinking on Paradise for they all are carefull to preserve and 〈◊〉 the 〈◊〉 of this story and to prove that these are not Rivers running in 〈…〉 place imaginary but 〈◊〉 and cortain known seen and tasted of by many Gen. 13. 10. So for matter of my story for spirituall use and instruction they gathered and delivered some good and profitable things which their age was able to bear though our age hold it curiosity and cannot abide it Arelius reporteth that Zoroastes had this as one of his chief Lessons which he held and taught to all his Schollars as an Oracle That in this life their chief care should be to obtain Paradise after this life where only their Souls should finde pleasure and joy The Caldeans also did see that it was a mans duty not to seek a Paradise upon earth but to contemplate a spirituall Land and place of pleasure which the heathen in their Books called Elisii Campi In which they place the four cardinall virtues instead of the four pleasant Rivers which are here named And also Ambrose doth concerning the depth of Pishon to the profoundnesse of wisdome the shallownesse of Hiddikell to temperance and sobriety Tygris to fortitude and Euphrates to justice So doth Philo the Jew fall into the like spirituall meditation of Paradise for his use he said this is the course which a man must take here to seek the light of knowledge and hereafter the participation of the light of glory Sirah 24. labored in this comparison likening the four Rivers in Paradise to true wisdome and that which floweth from it So there is a Paradise above which is spirituall a tree of life and knowledge and such streams and rivers spirituall which our Souls may apprehend for instruction and comfort St. Augustine and Ambrose have gathered two other resemblances spirituall by this out of the old Testament Ezech. 1. 5. Rev. 4 6. They lay that Faith on earth doth apprehend Heaven and therein these four things 1. God the Sonne as in the form of a man having a fellow feeling and compassion of our infirmities and miseries on earth 2. And also as having the strength of a Lion to save and defend us 3. Thirdly as an Oxe to be made a sacrifice by his death 4. And lastly as an Eagle to mount up again by his Resurrection and Ascention They say they are as it were the four streams in which our Faith doth run and direct his course in by meditation of heavenly Joyes in Paradise above Again he taketh another out of Ezech. 15. 16. There are saith he four Wheels on Earth which have a sympathy between them and the Beasts above And as these Wheels move on earth so doe they move or stay in heaven The four Wheels are these Job 4.
Law then had their been no trangression and so no punishment and so it had been very well with all men still Indeed in some sense the words of St. Paul doe sound very well if we understand them as he spake them for all Laws have two parts the one directive the other corrective So Paul saith That he which keepeth the first part of that Law which is directive and so becommeth just he shall never need to fear the other part of the Law which is corrective 2. Object The second objection which accuseth God of hard dealing is like that other objection in the new Testament namely Seeing that Christ knew that Judas would betray him John 6. 71. why did he make choise of him Resp. 2. The answer to both is this namely That the foreknowledge of God is no cause of any action no more then our eyes being open and seeing a man is the cause of his going wherefore Gods foreknowledge is extra seriem causarum as the Schoolmen say God gave Adam power and ability and freedom of minde to perform a greater obedience than this Preach 7. 31. but man sought the inventions of his own heart and followed not the will and counsell of God wherefore it is sure that seeing the Law given to man is most 〈◊〉 and the power which man had was most perfect and seeing he was not constrained to transgresse but was forewarned of it therefore man knowing Gods will and yet willfully breaking it is the cause of his own 〈◊〉 and God is justified to be without all rigor whatsoever except we will say Why did not God then make man immutable which question if we move Rom. 9. 20. we are not to dispute plead with God though this reason may be yeilded thereof first quia necessitas non habet legem God would not make him immutable for then man must needs be God for only God is so Secondly because necessitas non habet laudem for what thank praise or reward could he have had if he could not have chosen but necessarily must obey as the fire by nature must needs burn and goe upward wherefore we should rather saith St. Augustine magnifie Gods goodnesse and benefits which worthily requireth our obedience and contemn our own unthankfull disobedience This is a more profitable course of meditation than to knit many knots and make many questions to reason with God Now we come to the Law it self which I divided into the preface body and penalty of it of the which the first is introductive the second directive and the third corrective The body of the Law we see is planted between the preface and the penalty both which are to perswade us to the love and obedience of that in the mid'st It is therefore faced and garded with the consideration of Gods love and liberality and it is backed behinde with the fear of Gods just judgement if we break it The first is set down as a spur to prick our dull natures forwards to obedience for who would not be stirred up with love and liberal rewards The other is set as a bit or bridle to keep us back at least from transgression So that if perswasion or threatning love or fear fair means or foul will serve to keep us from sinne and make us serve God here God had put them all together This preface is of the admirablenesse of his love and goodnesse which he promiseth before he commeth to the poor restraint of forbidding that 〈◊〉 There be four parts of his loving favours set out to us in it First Comedes Secondly Comedendo comedes that is thou shalt eat freely and frankly Thirdly Ex omni ligno not freely of one or of a few but of all the trees Fourthly Ex omni ligno totius horti not of all the trees in one corner or quarter but of all in all the 〈◊〉 of Paradise and of all he 〈◊〉 but one and one is the least that he should have restrained so liberal is he and so loath to deny us any thing he hath and he would not have forbidden this had it not been for our good also such was Gods liberaliry to Adam that 〈◊〉 doth permit him to eat not only liberè liberaliter that is when he will what he will how much soever he will for his sufficient necessity and strength freely at his choise liberally according to his desire In this plenty and variety granted God permitteth to him the best which is the tree of life and he gave him the means unde vivere bene vivere semper vivere possit for all the trees were means to sustain his life The tree of knowledge being a testimony of his obedience shewed him how he might live well and the tree of life would have caused him to live for ever wherefore all these several blessings of God bestowed on him might have moved him to due obedience in this one and easie commandement for seeing he had the use of all the trees upon condition to abstain from this one it is sure the levis esset ejus continentia si non dèesset benevolentia But if eating thou shalt eat could not allure him to obedince yet dying 〈…〉 dye one would think should have been able to have kept him from disobedience yet it did not and therefore mortem morier is is a just recompence to such wilfull sinne There is yet another thing which the ancient Writers doe make 〈◊〉 great matter of in this place that is the marking That here first of all God and Man doe enter into a league obligation covenant one to the other by which they prove that Ecclesia vinculum Ecclesiae is more ancient than the state Politique that is that the bond ecclesiasticall is of greater antiquity than the bond of Commonweals Politicall or oeconomicall For before Eve was made or ever Man and Wife Parents and Children Masters and Servants were united with a bond of duty which commendeth the bond of true Religion and Divinity which by obedience teacheth us how to be inseparably united to God and made one of his Church to whom is a promise of the tree of life De fructu verò arboris scientiae boni mali de isto ne comedas Gen. 2. 17. June 19. 1591. THis Law of Paradise we sorted into three parts the first whereof we handled before now follow the second and third parts to be spoken of namely the direction and correction the Precept it self and the penalty which necessarily doe ensue In these words then is set down the restraint of the forbidden 〈◊〉 which is the body of the Law it self And then after it in the end of the verse insueth the punishment if we breake it In this former part of the Law we observe two points 1. First The subject of the Commandement concerning which the restraint is made that is the tree of knowledge 2. Secondly The action it self restrained that is eating which
may be resolved two wayes as the School-men say Quando actio cadit super materiam indebitam that is either when an action is forbidden from lighting on it which should not or when it is invested with all his due circumstances In speaking of this we will take this course first to entreat of the subject and action here expressed and then of the application of it to us The subject is a Tree and that but one tree of knowledge which tree with the fruits of it were without question no more evill than the other trees for all alike God saw to be good as we have seen and therefore it was such as might have been eaten as well as the other if this restraint had not been And again if this restraint had fallen on any other tree in the Garden as it did on this it had been as unlawfull to eat as this So that it is not the nature of the tree but of Gods word which made it evill to eat for there was no difference between them but in respect of Gods word and charge which said Thou shalt not eat thereof In which respect it is called the tree of knowledge of good and evill We must understand that this tree hath not his name of every quality in it but of the event and effect which should come by it Exod. 15. 25. The Wise man calleth it lignum dolorum Eccles. 38. 5. of the effect and event it had of these waters So in Gen. 35. 8. there is a tree called Arbor lamentationis not that the fruits thereof would make a man sorrowfull but for the casualty and event which happened and befell Israel there not that it was the cause of any lamentation So we must know that whereas Adam before knew good both wayes both by contemplation and experience now having broken the Law he knew evill both wayes also we had the knowledge of good and evill morall by naturall contemplation Gen. 4. 7. so long as thou doest good to thy self men will speak well of thee So that to know good is bene pati while he did bene agere Dicite justè quia bene Esay 3. 10. 11. The just shall eat the fruit of their righteousnesse and the wicked the fruit and reward of their sinne and this is the other knowledge of good and evill Numb 11. 18. there was knowledge of good and evill by sight sense and experience Psal. 133. 1. this is shewed that malum culpae was the cause of malum poenae and by feeling the bitternesse of the punishment he knew how bitter a thing it was to forsake God and not to fear him So he knew the good of obedience by the good of reward which was the sweetnesse of pleasures before his fall and after his fall he knew the evill of sinne by the evill of his punishment The one knowledge is Gen. 18. 19. the other kinde of knowledge is Gen. 22. 12. If we follow St. Augustine and Tertullian we may say truly that it is called the tree of knowledge of good and evill both wayes both in respect of the effect and also of the 〈◊〉 Tertullian conceiveth that it was called so of the effect and duty which was to arise and be taught out of it in which respect he calleth it Adam's little Bible and the fountain of all divinity for as the Bible is the perfect rule of knowledge to us So was that to him and should have been 〈◊〉 if he had not fallen for by this dicendo it should have plainly 〈◊〉 Gods will and so it should exactly teach that to be good which was according to it in obedience and that to be evill which is contrary to it by transgression for the knowledge could not be more 〈◊〉 set down then by this object and action Thou shalt eate of these and shalt not eat of this God then by forbidding them to eat of the tree of knowledge did not envy or grudge that they should have knowledge but rather made this rule the root of all knowledge to them that the science of good and evill is taken only from Gods dicendo that is things are therefore good because God by his word alloweth them and are evill because he forbiddeth them Now touching St. Augustine He saith this is called the tree of knowledge in respect of the event in regard of the exeperimentall knowledge which man had by it both because by it he had felt the reward of obedience so long as he stood upright and also by it he found and felt by experience the reward and penalty of disobedience for when he had contrary to Gods word reached his hand to the tree and eaten of it he had experimentall knowledge by and by both how birter a thing it was to sinne and forsake God Jer. 2. 19. and also how good and sweet a thing it was to stick fast to God by obedience Psal. 73. 28. He found that in the action of obedience was life and happinesse and in the act of sinne was death and wretchednesse 〈◊〉 before Adam had eaten of the tree he had knowledge of good by contemplation and experience and so for ever should have had and then he had argumentall knowledge by presumption and contemplation also of evill for he by the argument of privatives must presume this conclusion that if he doe that which is forbidden he should be deprived of the tree of life and that happy estate and so consequently must needs come to death and all misery which he found to be most true by wofull experience so soon as he had put it in triall And thus much of the object and of the name given to it Touching the Action which is the second part in which I mean thus to proceed by way of certain positions and grounds the one necessarily arising out of the other We lay then for the first ground that it was not lawfull for God nor behoofull for us that God should make triall of Adam who he had made for it is equally expedient and right in the practice and behaviour of men first to make proof and triall of 〈◊〉 before they will make any reckoning or commendation of them as good laborers so God tried Abraham Gen. 22. 12. that he might have experimentall knowledge of his obedience and say nunc scio c. Now I know that thou fearest God seeing for my sake thou hast not spared thine only sonne So he proved Israell at the waters of striffe and Job by an other triall So God had knowledge of man whom he made that then he was good but he would by triall see whether he would continue so or not 2. Second it was meet that seeing a triall must be made that it should be by some externall thing in which this outward obedience and practice might appear as masters doe make triall of their servants obedience in some such work Doe this Goe thither So seeing Gods will was that Adam should be a spectacle in obedience
〈…〉 all and also 〈◊〉 in such simplicity of words and yet hath such a 〈◊〉 and majestle in every phrase that Eusebius faith well of it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈…〉 〈…〉 for so we see that God approveth all the names which Adam giveth to the Creatures saying that as the man called them so should their 〈◊〉 and so continue to the worlds end Now we are come from this generall consideration of his tongue and language to consider of the names in particular which he gave Touching it I will give you but a taste of a few because it were infinite to reckon all the excellent significant and most fit names of the Creatures which he gave Adam having first severed the Beasts from the Fowls as being distinct in nature among all the Beasts he seeing a Horse he knew that God had made him for man to ride and trundle upon for his case and better speed doth therefore at the first sight according to the nature of him give this name which in 〈◊〉 signifieth a swift Runner So seeing the Sheep and knowing that God had made them to beare wooll to cloath and keep warm he by and by calleth him the man clothier An Asse he nameth the mase Porter because he knew his nature was to carry mens burdens c. So for the Fowls he seeing the Eagle to be the Prince and chief of Birds giveth him a name of the noblenesse of his nature The Peacock he calleth a pround Bird of that inward property of pride which he knew to be in him The Stork he calleth the gratefull loving or pitifull bird for the dutifull care and kindnesse which he hath of his Damme So for creeping things he calleth the Serpent by the name of subtilnesse or deceivablenesse which knowledge of his dangerous nature might have made him beware and take heed of him The Locust hath his name of going out in swarms The Bee hath his name given him of his artificiall cunning workmanship with which God hath naturally indued him in making his Combes of honey and waxe By all which Adams great wisdome and insight into the nature of things is seen because the name doth so fitly answer the nature of things And thus much of the execution of the Decree concerning the denomination of Creatures Now we are come to the 〈◊〉 of this Writ which is set down in these words He found not a meet help for him Touching which we may observe that he returneth not the answer of this that he had given meet names to all the Creatures by which they should be called for ever But letting this passe he saith that He could not finde a meet help for Man which sheweth indeed that this was the most chief and principall end of the assembling the Creatures before him that he might finde a help and fit companion for him if any were for not finding argueth a seeking and seeking argueth a desire to have a companion like him and that desire argueth a want which want made him to seek diligently but he could not finde therefore here he returneth Non est inventus This is then q.d. somewhat Adam found by search and seeking namely the divers natures and qualities of good Creatures which were made for his good But yet because they were all bruitish and unreasonable he refused them all to be his mate for in Adam God had placed naturally not only appetitus socii sed etiam similitudinis that is to be one of his own kinde nature and disposition but he found none as yet This confession of his want doth argue there this conclusion of his desire to God as Augustine saith 〈◊〉 simile non est simile ergo Domine fac simile Vocavissetque Adam nominibus pecudem quamlibet volucrem Coeli omnemque bestiam agri non aderat Adamo auxilium commodum Gen. 1. 20. Octob. 19. 1591. I Shewed that the Precept was directed to the Beasts and Fowl to come before man Gods Lieutenant whereby he was invested with honour and supremacie above the beasts here Gods generation in the 4. verse is named by man This verse standeth upon the execution and return of the Precept directed to man which commandement as I told you stood upon two parts Seeing and Calling The Hebrews in their tongue call themselves not only men of speculation but also men of utterance and practise adduxit ut videret vocaret It is received as approved in divinity that in Adam are two estates First out of the fourth verse of this Chapter that though God be Pater generationis yet Adam is Pater generatorum the father of the World as in the 20. verse of the next Chapter Hevah had her name for that she was Mater cunctorum viventium Adam pater contemplationis And secondly hence they say he is called Pater contemplationis for by the Divines both ancient and new there are in Adam two perfections the one of Minde and Understanding the other of his Will the one is gratia gratis dats the other is aceepta the one concerneth his Wisdome the other his Justice Hence they gather his Wisdome by the knowledge of natures to give apt names and his Justice out of the last verse of the first Chapter God bash made man righteous but they have sought many inventions saith the Wiseman Preach 7. 29. that is God made mans minde without corruption in the beginning his will was free his thoughts strait his understanding without questions The multitude of Quarists and Quomodists of those that make doubts and questions come from the Devill who saith in the beginning of the third Chapter cur praecepit vobis Deus ut non comederitis Wisdome in contemplation and utterance Tertulltan saith well that the knowledge of man standeth either in scientiis mutis as in contemplation in videre or in scientiis disertis that is in utterance in vocare that is as the School-men say in the science of Reals and Nominals For the first which is to weigh in silence Paul in 1 Cor. 13. 2. saith There is a knowledge of 〈◊〉 and of Mysterie Adam as it were induced with a propheticall spirit in the 23. verse said that she was bone of his bone and flesh of his flesh being before in an heavie sleep There was in Adam a science of Mysteries in that he was made in Gods Image the 26. of the first Chapter and by his obedience he knew the Mysterie of the tree of life which was his erernall reward as it is in the end of the 22. verse of the next Chapter Now last for the knowledge of The knowledge of Adam in naural Philosophie Philosophie it was in Adam The knowledge of wisdom is as gold of the Creation as of silver this of nature and of names as pearl Of Salomon Great was the knowledge of Salomon in natural Philosophie who spake of the nature of Trees of Beasts and of Fowls 1 Kings 4 33. Of Moses And Moses he was
sinne but the occasion of sinne must be removed the inside and the outside must be taken away and therefore David Psal. 119. 20. saith not only iniquitatem 〈◊〉 viam iniquitatis move à me Domine take from me O Lord the way of iniquity The Seer is active the 〈◊〉 is passive say the Fathers which was her yeelding to 〈◊〉 behold the tree who telleth Eve as it were you have libertie to see and to have your eyes to wander about the world God himself Numb 15. 39. would have them have fringes upon the border of their garments that even by looking of them they might remember all the commandements of the Lord This is Jobs protestation in Job 31. 7. that he hath not walked after his eye he hath not accomplished the lust of his eye The eye enticeth the heart to sinne By apparel the eye is inticed to pride which as the Fathers call it is vexillum superbiae the standard of pride nidus luxuriae the nest of lasciviousnesse And by the standard of pride thinking to be as Gods and by the nest of laseiviousnesse we are drawn to beleeve the words of Sathan and to sacrifice unto the Serpent If Abraham in chap. 19. 28 looking toward Sodom and Gomorrha did behold and see the smoak of the Land as of a furnace it was because he was not commanded to the contrarie But in 17. verse of the same chapter Lot might not look back upon Sodom which was full of vain pleasures for he was forbidden to look behind we must rather suspect our infirmitie with Lot than think to look and to be constant as Abraham Better it is not to behold the pleasure of the 〈◊〉 because it was forbidden than by beholding it to fall from her obedience Let not us look upon vain pleasures least we fall with Eve It is the counsell of our Saviour in Mat. 〈◊〉 29. If thy eye cause thee to offend pull it out and cast it from thee he meaneth that we should pull away vanitie and wantonnesse from our eyes and that we should refrain our eyes from beholding vain pleasures For faith a Father very well nisi tu caveas unlesse thou be carefull of thy eye hereafter thou wouldest have wished that he had meant the pulling out of the eye it self that so by not seeing vanitie and by losing thy eye thy whole body might be delivered from Hell torments The ancient Fathers doe observe out of Acts 5. 3. that by the eye Sathan filled the heart of Annanias and Saphira to conceale the monie he had for his 〈◊〉 It is the eye that maketh a meet soyl in the heart to entertain sinne but we must not entertain sinne nor retain the occasion of transgression Quum ergo videretur mulieri bonum esse fructum arboris illius in cibum gratissimam esse illam oculis ac desiderabilem esse arboris fructum ad habendum intelligentiam accepit de fructu ejus comedit c. Verse 6. Novemb. 25. 1591. THis last temptation as I told you was of the sense which by the eye allured Eve to eate that God had said you shall not eat at all for seeing the tree made her take the fruit and taste thereof by the sense supposing to have been as Gods and to attain knowledge Our Saviour Christ in Luke 17. 32. biddeth us to remember Lots wife who looked back to Sodom Gen. 19. 26. But he that secketh by the sense to save the soul shall lose 〈◊〉 So we must from hence remember not to look upon the tree least we eat of the fruit Now we will consider the object which she saw which is said to be the Tree the properties of which Tree are said to be three fold good for meat pleasant to behold and to be desired to get knowledge In this triplicitie first is the meat Secondly is the delight of the eyes Thirdly it is to be desired to get knowledge Which triplicitie first for the meat we doe reduce to the good that is profitable The delight of the eyes to the good whieh is pleasant And that it is to be desired for knowledge we doe reduce to morall good as it is in Prov. 19. 8. Here are all the Bonums utile jucundum and honestum Every man standeth upon three faculties the one is Vegitative the other Sensitive and the third is Reasonable Now by the three kindes of good of bonum utile jucundum and honestum he tempteth severally each of these faculties The faculty Vegitative whereby man liveth is allured in that it is said to be good for meat The facultie Sensitive of the sense is tempted for that by the second the eye which is the very chief of all the senses by the pleasure of the fruit is allured And for the third facultie which is reasonable he had this inticement That the reason should be advanced and should have greater knowledge In 1 John 2. 16. these are the three inticements of the world The first is concupiscence of the flesh or carnall pleasure The second is lust of the eyes which is the wantonnesse of the looks The third is the pride of life or ambition and with these was Eve inticed as eye service pleaseth men Coloss. 3. 22. so pleasure delighteth the eye here the lifting up the eye to be as Gods and the curiositie of knowledge the one is the pride of sense the other is the pride of reason She supposed that in the tree there was not only utile and delectabile but even omne desiderabile what ever good might be desired She took this tree to be as the Pandora of the Heathen wherein were all the gifts and graces to be desired to be found And by the eating of this tree so adorned with all things she accounted to be Mistrisse of all pleasure of all knowledge Good for meat First It was good for meat True it is that man must have meat to preserve life cibus enim habet umbr am naturae nostrae meat hath the shadow of our nature we are bound in a statute and strong band by meat to save and preserve nature this is the band of necessitie which he hath bestowed not only to eate of one tree but he had the varietie of all And though God had allowed him many more trees than ever he could eate of yet he will be looking upon the only tree God hath reserved to himself yet must she needs desire to taste of fructus vetitus the forbidden fruit She is so dainty mouthed that she must needs eat thereof though even with a curse she were forbidden it thinking because it was forbidden it would be more pleasant for as Salomon saith stolne waters are sweet and hid bread is pleasant Proverbs 9. 17. It is a general fault of all Mankinde to desire to eat or to have that is forbidden or that we ought not In 1 Chron. 11. 17. David longed to drink of the waters of the well of Bethlehem which were the
to thy self and Paul the first to the Corinthians the second chapter and the second verse saith he esteemeth the knowledge of nothing but of Jesus Christ and him crucifyed And the Tree of life is fenced with Cherubyms which is taken for knowledge and the Sword for power Paul in the first to the Celossians and the 24 verse Rejoyceth in his afflictions to fulfill the rest of the sufferings of Christ in his flesh And Christ himself by his sufferings entred into glory the twenty fourth of Luke and the twenty sixt verse and if we with a contrite heart in repentance make a Sacrifice of our sensuall and bruitish affections and with patience beare our afflictions we shall passe with Christ to everlasting glory the Angel shall lay down his Sword the Cherubyms shall become our friends we shall be partakers of Christs Sacrifice which worketh reconciliation between God and man and the wrath of God being appeased then followeth the restoring of us to the heavenly Paradise And to him that overcommeth God will give to eate of the Tree of life in the middest of the Paradise of God the second of the Revelations and the seventh verse And so much shall suffice at this time AMEN LECTURES PREACHED UPON the fourth Chapter OF GENESIS LECTURES Preached in the Parish Church of St. GILES without Cripple-gate LONDON Deinde Adam cognovit Chavvam uxorem suam quae ubi concepit peperit Kajinum dixit acquisivi virum à Jehova Postea pergens parere peperit fratrem ipsius Hebelum Gen. 4. 1. February 7 1598. THIS continuance of the story of Moses begins to set forth the increase of the world after Adam and Eve were expelled Paradise The sum of all set downe in this Chapter to that end is of two parts First the propagation of mankinde Secondly the partition of mankinde set out in Cain and Abell The propagation is the fulfilling of that Prophesie of Adam who foretold of his wise that she should be mater viventium in the third chapter and the tewentith verse and it is indeed a resemblance of the tree of life in that by means hereof albeit life cannot continue in any singular person because of the Sentence pronounced by God that as hee is dust so shall heereturne to dust Chapter the third yet there is immortalitas speciel that is a perpetuall succession of life in the posterity of Adam As a Tree albeit in the end of the yeere it casts his leaves yet still there remaines a substance of life in it which makes it send forth leaves again Esay the sixt and the thirteenth verse so it is in mankinde for as the old life falls so there riseth up a new When the Father dieth the Child stands up in his place and so is life still preserved This is done by generation which is a kinde of creation as it is said of Adam that he begat a Child in his own likeness after his Image Genesis the fifth and the third verse For as there is in God diffusiva virtus whereby he communicateth his goodnesse to others so it is a thing to bee desired that Adam having received life should shew the same to others that when Adam dyeth Cain and Abell issued up in his stead which desire is so planted in man that albeit God when he said to Adam that in sorrow and the sweat of his browes he should eate his owne bread told him that hee should have enough to doe to get a living for himselfe yet Adam being scarce able to provide for himselfe begetteth children And albeit God said unto the woman that shee should bring forth children in sorrow and travell Genesis the third Chapter and the sixteenth verse yet shee not only brings forth Cain but having tryed the paine of child-bearing shee said not as Rebecca Genesis the twenty fift Chapter and the twenty second verse but addeth yet and brings forth Abell so high a reckoning did Adom and Eve make of continuing their kinde In the propagation we have two parts First Adams knowing And secondly Eves conception unto which two things are to be added first the manner of expressing the carnall copulation of Adam and Eve by this terme of knowledg Afterward Secondly the circumstance of time noted in the word afterward For Adams knowledg and the generation of mankinde wee see that the transgression of the Commandement of God in Paradise doth not hinder marriage so as it should be a sinne to beget children but contrary wise marriage is a remedy against sinne the first of the Corinthians the seventh Chapter and the second verse And that which God affirmeth touching the joyning of man and woman Genesis the second Chapter and the twenty fourth verse That Man shall leave father and mother and cleave to his wife and they two shall bee one flesh is not repealed by God for wee see the accord of marriage betweene Adam and Eve is continued and they company together and bring forth children And as the estate of marriage was not taken away by sinne so was not the blessing of fruitfullnesse and conception Therefore as before they fell God said Bring forth fruit and multiply and fill the Earth the first Chapter and the twenty eighth verse so here Eve receiveth from the Lord strength to conceive and bring forth Cain and Abell Now the woman bringeth forth not only a seede but the seede promised in the third chapter of Genesis and the fifteenth verse and that a holy seede Matthew the second chapter and fifteenth verse not only Men in Earth but Saints in Heaven and the end hereof is not only that wee should desire to have our own names continue but as Joshua speakes in the seventh of Joshua and the ninth verse quid fiet magno tuo nomine that is that not only wee may magnifie Gods name while wee live but that when wee fall another seede may stand up and prayse his name that the seede may serve him Psalme the twenty second and the thirtith verse A people that shall bee borne shall praise him the hundred and second Psalme and the eightteenth verse Know Touching the carnall copulation of Adam with Eve where God expresseth it by the terme of knowledge it sheweth us the holinesse of this tongue wherein the holy-Ghost writ this then which there is no tongue that useth so modest and chaste speeches and therefore is called the holy tongue and it withall sheweth us that the holy-Ghost by his owne example commendeth unto us modesty and chaste speeches for that modest speech which hee useth here to expresse the company of man and woman he useth also Matthew the first where he saith Joseph knew not Mary and this thing hee calleth by another terme Debitam benevolentiam I Corinthians the seventh and the third verse that is he exhorteth us to avoid fornication uncleaness and filthiness Ephesians the fifth and the third verse so he might provoke us by his example for as that broad speech uttered
St. Paul found in the work of his Ministerie was to plant faith and to perswade men that we are justified before God by Faith in Christ without the works of the Law But St. Peter and St. James met with them that received the doctrine of Faith fast 〈◊〉 but altogether neglected good Works But because both 〈◊〉 necessary therefore St. Paul 〈◊〉 all his epistles joynes the 〈◊〉 of Faith with the doctrine of Works This is a faithfull saying and to be avouched That they which beleeve in God be carefull to shew forth good works Titus the third chapter and the eighth verse Therefore with the doctrine of the Grace of God he joynes the doctrine of the carefull bringing forth of good works Titus the second chapter and the 12. verse The saving grace of God hath appeared and teacheth us to deny ungodlinesse and worldly lusts and to live soberly and righteously and godly in this world The doctrine of Grace is not rightly apprehended untill we admit of the Doctrine of good works Wilt thou know O man that Faith is dead without works Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offred his sonne Isaac James the second chapter and the twentieth verse Therefore St. Peter saith That is no true faith which is not accompanied with virtue and godlinesse of life It is true that good works have no power to work justification because they doe not contain a perfect righteousnesse And in as much as they are imperfect there belongs the curse of God unto them Cursed is he that continueth not in all things Galatians the third chapter Good works a token of justification So farre are they from justifying but yet they are tokens of justification Genesis the fourth chapter Respexit Deus ad Abelem ad oblationem suam God first looked upon his person and then upon his sacrifice For before the person be justified his works are not accepted in Gods sight The best works if they proceed not of Faith are sinne Romans the fourteenth chapter Our Saviour saith No branch can bring forth fruit of it self except it abide in the Vine John the fifteenth chapter Therefore if we doe any good works they proceed from our incision and ingraffing into Christ by whom they are made acceptable to God Paul saith Abraham was justified by faith before works not when he was circumcised but when he was uncircumcised Romans the fourth chapter and the tenth verse But James saith Abraham our Father was justified by Works James the second chapter and the twenty first verse To reconcile the Apostles we must know that the power of Justification which in Paul is effective But that which James speaketh of is declarative It was Abrahams Faith that made him righteous and his works did only declare him to be justified Therefore Paul saith That albeit good works have no power to justifie yet they are good and profitable for men Titus the third chapter For they declare our justification which is by faith and by them we make our selves sure of our calling and election the second epistle of Peter the first chapter and the tenth verse In these two verses Peter delivers two things First A Rule by which we may examine our selves Secondly An application of the same Seeing we have such a good Rule to try whether we be elected and called let us study by the practise of these virtues to assure our selves of our calling and election Two things commend this Rule which the holy Ghost sets down First That it is Regula negativa For having said before affirmatively If these things be in you and abound they will make you that you shall not be idle nor unfruitfull in the knowledge of Christ. Now he speaks negatively But if you have them not you are blinde which is more than if he had contented himself with his affirmative speech For as the tree in the Garden was called Arbor scientiae boni Genesis the second chapter though directly it brings us to the knowledge of nothing but evill because Adam knew not what a good thing it was to be obedient till he felt the smart of his disobedience So we doe perceive the goodnesse of things by the want of them better than by the enjoying of them The benefit of possessing the graces of Gods spirit doth not so much move us as the want of them Therefore the Apostle saith If ye care not for being fruitfull in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ yet let this perswade you to practise all these virtues for that if you be without them you are blinde And as no man knoweth what a benefit it is to have sight so well as a blinde man that wants it so it is with them that practise not these virtues Secondly That it is a universal Rule Whosoever hath not these things For our nature is inclined to take exception against good rules As John Baptist when he willed all men to bring forth fruit worthy of repentance Nor as the Jews not to say We have Abraham to our Father Matthew the third chapter It is our corruption as the Apostle faith to think that we shall escape the plagues of God for these sinnes which we condemn in others Romans the second chapter Therefore our Saviour prevented that exception when speaking to his Disciples he said Quod vobis dico omnibus dico Mark the thirteenth chapter Even so Peter saith Whosoever wants these virtues whatsoever occasion he pretends for the want of them he is blinde and hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sinnes But to speak more particularly of this Rule two things make us secure in the matter of our Salvation which notwithstanding We should work out with fear and trembling Philippians the second chapter and the twelfth verse The one is our Knowledge We are ready to say with Job I know that my Redeemer liveth Job the nineteenth chapter But unlesse we perform somthing else it shall be in vain to make this allegation Have not we prophecied in thy name Matthew the seventh chapter The other cause of confidence and carelesnesse is the opinion we have that it makes no matter how we live The blood of Christ doth purge me from all sinne the epistle of John the first chapter and the seventh verse To these two the holy Ghost opposeth two things First Doe we think we know God and Jesus Christ whom he hath sent Yea but he that knoweth not these virtues is blinde and knoweth nothing Secondly Doe we think we need not to be carefull of holinesse of life because we are purged by Christs blood But except we be carefull to walk in newnesse of life we have forgotten that we were purged from our old sinnes For the first point That he that hath not these virtues is blinde we are to know That albeit there be no opposition between knowledge and wickednesse of life because all that know Gods will doe not practise it yet there is a necessary dependance
to awake us from that Lethargie of sin wherein our Soules lye steept and swallowed up Certainly nothing that is humane will raise us out of our senselesnesse and carnall security All the vehemence and Invention all the noyses and Declamations all the Grimaces and gestures of all the Lectures in the world will but amuse our Eares and lull our Fancies and benum our Apprehensions and like so much Ladanum make us snore in our sins so much the lowder T was by the q 1 Cor. 1. 25 21. which compare with vers 18. foolishnesse of God to use the Apostles Catachresis and by the foolishnesse of preaching as the worldly-wise then thought it by which it pleased God to save them that beleeve that is to say by the plainnesse and simplicity of the Gospell without the artifice and colours of skilfull men the world was turned upside downe as the envious r Act. 17. 5 6 Jewes were pleased to phrase it By that word and that spirit which the learned Greeks so much despised Saint Peter preached to the conversion of s Act. 2. 41 three thousand Souls at one short Sermon and of t Act. 4. 4 five thousand at another Far be this which I have spoken from being spoken to the disparagement of those judicious and pious Sermons which have beene usefully preached by able men Had I not beene a true lover of all good preaching and even of all such Lectures as were regularly founded and authorised not to factious but pious ends I should not now have gratified the importunity of friends however many and urgent on this occasion by helping to usher into the world and by commending to the perusall of every Reader who can bee glad to grow wiser then now he is The very learned wise and sacred Reliques of this Great Author who lies before us I am not now to be taught That though the best way to knowledge is to u Job 5. 39. search the Scriptures as those that testifie of him who hath the words of w Job 6. 68. eternal life and that as faith cōmeth by hearing so hearing commeth by the word of x Rom. 10. 17 God not by the glosies or conjectures or dexterities of men yet there are many 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 pretious and hidden treasures of knowledge which God was pleased to lock up in Tropes and Figures of which the unstable y 2 Pet. 3. 16 and the unlearned are not entrusted with the z Luk. 11. 52 Key The Priests a Mal. 2. 7 lipps should keep knowledge and they should seek the Law at his mouth as being the * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 apud LXX Angell or Messenger of the Lord of Hosts and the Steward of those Mysteries which God hath committed to his keeping The famous Eunuch of c Acts 8. 27. 28. 29. 30. 31 Ethiopia was able to read the Prophet Esay and had so good an understanding as to discern how little he understood it and therefore St Philip was joyned to him for his Guide There were some d 2 Pet. 3. 16 hard things in St Pauls Epistles which many did wrest to their own destruction of which St Peter doth give us no other reason then their want of learning as well as of stability Those waters e Isa. 55. 1. of life are not every where fordable no not to this tall Elephant who waded in them so very deeply much lesse to the low-statur'd silly Lambs who are apt in shallow places to sink or swimme And therefore though it is evident that our very best drinking is immediatly out of the crystall Spring whilest the f 1 Pet. 2. 2. milk of the word is yet f 1 Pet. 2. 2. sincere not mixt and troubled with the skilfull deceipts of knavish g Eph. 4. 14. Phil. 1. 15. 16 Teachers or with the zealous ignorance of honest h Rom. 10 2. Heb. 5 12. fools yet in the Body of the Church we know that every Member is not an k 1 Cor. 12. 14. 17. 19. 27. 28. Eye and every one that hath Eyes is not a l Isa. 30. 10. Mich. 3. 7. Seer and yet there must be Seers that there may be Vision for where there is no m Prov. 29. 18. Vision the People perish The Church of God which is the n 1 Tim. 3. 15. Pillar and ground of the Truth is universally acknowledged The common Mother of us all And though some of her Children can feed themselves by her direction and are able to digest the strongest o Heb. 5. 14. Meat and can carve besides to their weaker Brethren yet such as are Infants in understanding or new born Babes p 1 Pet. 2. 2. in Christianity must suck the * 1 Cor. 3. 2. Heb. 5. 12. 13. milk of the word from their Mother's Brest or else receive it from their q Mal. 2. 7. lippes whom she hath appointed to give them food in due season For want of able Pilots to steer their course by the knowledge which they have to use their Card and their Compasse in Application to their polar r Hebr. 12. 2. Num. 24. 17 Starre how many s 2 Pet. 3. 16. little ones have been s 2 Pet. 3. 16. drowned in the t Rev. 22. 1. River of life and as it were swallow'd up by that sincere * 1 Pet. 2. 2. milk of the word which able Pastors would have taught them to swallow down But as on the one side it must be granted that where the Scriptures are dark there must be Guides to the blinde and where the places are steep or slippery there must be Leaders of the Infirm so again on the other side it is too plain to be denyed that there are many u Mat. 23. 16 blinde Guides and feeble Leaders of the blinde who carry those that follow them into the same w Mat. 15. 14. Ditch of error wherein themselves are delighted to lye and welter There are not wanting in our Israel some blear-eyed Seers who love x Job 3. 19. darknesse rather than light Their inward eyes are so fore and so farre from being patient of seeing the Sun in his Meridian that nothing seemeth to hurt and offend them more than the brightnesse and glory of any opposite Truth when it endeavours to break in and dispel the darknesse of their Designes which is in effect the very reason that St. John hath rendred why men love darknesse and hate the light because saith he Their y Ibid. deeds are evil There is another kinde of Seers who are not blear-eyed but rather purblind they are extremely short-sighted and cannot see a far z 2 Pet. 1. 9. off They look no farther than the outside and face of things And not discerning the very marrow and kernel of what is written they conclude that there is nothing beyond the bone and the shell So when Hercules had travelled
omnisque exercitus illorum Gen. 2. 1. Thus the heavens and the earth were finished and all the host of them p. 115 Quum autem perfecisset Deus die septimo opus suum quod fecerat quie vit ipso die septimo ab omni opere suo quod fecerat vers 2. And on the seventh day God ended his work which he had made and he rested on the seventh day from all his work which he had made p. 122 Et benedixit Deus diei septimo et sanctifica vit ipsum quum in eo quie visset ab omni opere suo quod crea venat Deus faciendo 3. And God blessed the seventh day and sanctified it because that in it he had rested from all his work which God created and made p. 128 Istae sunt generationes coeliet terrae quando creata sunt 〈…〉 ate Jehova Deus fecit terram et coelum Et omnem stirpem agri qui nondum fuisset futurus in terra omnemque herbam agri quae nondum fuisset oritura 〈◊〉 quum non demisisset Jehova Deus pluviam super terram et nullus homo futsset ad colendum terram 4.5 These are the generations of the heavens and of the earth when they were created in the day that the Lord God made the earth and the heavens And every plant of the field before it was in the earth and every he 〈◊〉 of the field before it grew For the Lord God had not 〈◊〉 it to rain upon the earth and there was not a man to till the ground p. 142 Aut vapor ascendens è terra quiirrigaret 〈◊〉 superficiem 〈◊〉 Finxit verò Jehova Deus bominem de pul vere terrae sufflavitque in nares ipsius 〈…〉 sic factus est homo anima vivens 6.7 But there went up a mist from the earth and watered the whole face of the ground And the Lord God formed man of the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life and man became a living soul. p. 147 Ornaverat autem plantis Jehova Deus hortum in Hedene ab Oriente ubi collocavit hominem illum quem finxerat 8. And the Lord God planted a garden eastward in Eden and there he put the man whom he had formed p. 155 Feceratque Jehova Deus ut germinaret 〈◊〉 quaevis arbor desiderabilis ad adspectum et bona ad cibum arbor quoque vit ae in hortoillo it arbor scientiae boni et mali 9. And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every tree that is pleasant to the fight and good for food the tree of life also in the midst of the garden and the tree of knowledge of good and evill p. 162 Fluvius autem procedit ex Hedene ad irrigandum hunc bortum inde sese dividit ferturque in quatuor capita Primi nomen est Pischon hic est qui alluir rostam Regionem Chavilae ubi est aurum Et aurum illius 〈…〉 ibidem est Bdellium lapis Sardonyx 10.11.12 And a river went out of Eden to water the garden and from thence it was parted and became into four heads The name of the first is Pison that is it which compasseth the whole land of Havilah where there is Gold And the Gold of that land is good there is Bdellium and the Onyx stone p. 167 Nomen verò 〈◊〉 secundi est Gichon hic est qui alluit 〈◊〉 Regionem Cuschi Et nomen tertu 〈…〉 hic est qui labitur ad Orientem Assyriam vèrsùs 〈◊〉 autem quartus est Euphrates 13.14 And the name of the second river is Gihon the same is it that compasseth the whole land of Ethiopia And the name of the third river is Hiddekel that is it which goeth toward the east of Assyria and the 〈◊〉 river is Euphrates p. 172 Accipiens itaque Jehova Deus homimem collocavit ipsum in horto Hedenis ad colendum 〈◊〉 et ad 〈◊〉 cum 15. And the Lord God took the man and put him into the garden of Eden to dresse it and to keep it p. 177 Interdixitque Jehovah Deus homini dicendo De fructu quidem omnis arboris hujus horti liberè comedes 16. And the Lord God commanded the man saying Of every tree of the garden thou may est freely eat p 182 De fructu ver ò arboris scigntiae boni et mali de isto ne comedas 17. But of the tree of the knowledge of good and evill thou shalt not eat of it p. 187 Nam quo die comederis de eo utique moriturus es For in the day thou eatest therof thou shalt surely dye p. 192 Dixerat autem Jehovah Deus non est bonum esse hominem solum faciam ei auxilium commodum ipsi 18. And the Lord God said It is not good that the man should be alone I will make him an help meet for him p. 197 Nam quism formavisset Jehova Deus è terrâ omnes bestias agri omnesque volucres coeli et adduxisset ad Adamum ut 〈◊〉 quî vocaret singulas etenim quocunque nomine vocavit illas Adam animantem quamque id nomen ejus est 19. And out of the ground the Lord God formed every beast of the field and every fowl of the ayr and brought them unto Adam to see what he would call them and whatsoever Adam called every living creature that was the name thereof p. 204 Vocavissetque Adam nomininibus pecudem quamlibet et volucrem Coeli omnemque bestiam agri non aderat Adamo auxilium commodum 20. And Adam gave names to all cattell and to the fowl of the air and to every beast of the field but for Adam there was not found an help meet for him p. 211 Quapropter injecit Jehova Deus soporem altum in Adamum quo obdormivit et desunepta una de costis ejus inclusit carnem pro illa 21. And the Lord God caused a deep sleep to fall upon Adam and he slept and he took one of his ribbs and closed up the flesh in stead thereof p. 216 Extruxitque Jehovah Deus ex costa illa quam sumpserat de Adamo mulierem camque adduxit ad Adamum 22. And the rib which the Lord God had taken from man made he a woman brought her unto the man p. 219 Tum dixit Adam Hac demum vice adest os ex ossibus meis caro ex carnemea haec vocabitur vira eò quòd haec ex viro desumpta est 23. And Adam said This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh she shall be called woman because she was taken out of man p. 222 Idcirco relicturus est vir patrem suum matrem suam adhaerebit uxori suae eruntque in carnem unam 24. Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother and shall cleave unto his wife and they shall
darknesse and on the other side joyn darknesse to light which should be separated not come together Non est aliud Abyssus aliud facies Abyssi they are not two things severed and therefore if it be dark or light in the deep it will appear so in the face of the deep So we must appear and shew plainly and outwardly by our face and deeds what we are within the bottome and depth of our hearts and indeed as the shewing his darknesse over the face of all was a preparation to have light sent to all so when we professe and manifest outwardly how evill we are by repentance it is the very note of reformation and 〈◊〉 we begin to be good Thus we see God is our pattern for imitation to teach us to separate and distinguish good and evill Touching our selves first which thing Gods word also resembling God himself doth teach us Heb. 5. 10. For it discerneth and separateth the will in the hearts and thoughts of men aswell as in actions and setteth his mark on them saying to us this is evill avoid it this is good receive it Two things in light There are two things in light which are the marks and notes of his goodnesse by which it is known that is brightnesse and comfortablenesse So Gods Spirit is called the light and oyle of knowledge for knowledge instruction and direction and in the 45. Psal. 7. He is called the oyle of gladnesse and comfort and consolation so Gods word is a lanthorne and also a joy and comfort Psal. 119. 105. but e contra ignorance and darknesse is melancholy and uncomfortable So we may make our marke of distinction on things for if we see them uncomfortable to the soul and conscience set a mark on it that knowing them we may eschue such things and ensue such things as are good and comfortable And thus much for our selves Now touching others we learn also that in Common-wealths the Magistrate must have his stone of Tynne Zach. 4. 10. that is his marking stone for that is the word also here to set his mark of difference on the evill to discover them from the good The Minister hath belonging to him only vision to discern them Jer. 15. 19. but the Magistrate hath division to doe it so that he may by deed approve and commend the good and reprove and condemn the bad and if all did keep this difference the world would be a light world but because the good and the evill without any distinction or regard are shuffled together 1 Sam. 8. 1. this confusion in Common-wealths is the cause by Gods just judgement of the confusion and renting a sunder of Common-wealths and Churches Dan. 5.18 This just division then looked to in the Governor would avoid confusion in the popular sort as God doth here begin to distinguish light from darknesse so doth he the same continually by his word Heb. 4. 12. separating and marking the works of darknesse from the armour of light for it sheweth to us daily which are ignorant and negligent these things are evill and not to be done that is good and must be done these things the ignorant Gentills and Infidells did therefore thou must not doe the like which hast knowledge these things doe they which are desparate and without hope of comfort therefore thou which hast peace and joy with God must not doe so Thus we must be carefull in separating evill from good untill the great day of separation when God shall sever all evill from good for ever for here God is a Fisher and Common-wealths and Churches are as a Net which hath in them good and bad together children of light and darknesse but then at the last day of separation when a full finall and perfect distinction shall be made all shall not be taken into Gods Boat Math. 25. 32. but the good fish only shall be taken into Gods Boat and the evill shall be cast away Then God will be a Sheepherde Math. 25. 32. and divide the Sheep from the Goats for ever setting this eternall marke venite Benedicti ite Maleaicti Untill the last day of perfect separation there will be still confusion and disorder both in private men and publique Weales but they which cease not to confound themselves in themselves Justice with unrighteousnesse qui confundunt confundentur Thus we have seen the order of separation in God also the manner of it in us both privately and publickly And what confusion will be unto the last day And thus much of the natural separation and the spiritual use thereof Now as here we see divisio rerum so in the next place is set down divisio nominum denominationum which ever ensueth the other for it is the sinne of the world not to divide things in their denominations and names which are perfectly and plainly distinguished in their natures for they call repentance and remorse sullennesse and melancholy and Davids spiritual joy foolishnesse covetousnesse they call honest thrift profuseness providence and riot liberality patience they call cowardlinesse and quarrelling manhood light darknesse and darknesse light So they confound the names when they cannot the natures But such shall give account for it to the great distinguisher in the great last day of division We have in this distinction many things to consider as The names given The Athcists objection And sundry other matters of which the next time Lucemque Deus vocavit diem tenebras verò vocavit noctem Gen 1. 5. verse AFTER God had distinguished and divided light from darknesse as being things in nature opposite and in degree unequall which contrariety and inequality not being separated are the authors of all confusion Now he proceedeth to divide them in name for as the natural division serveth for all things so this distinction of denominations and names in respect of us men serveth for our knowledge to distinguish them which inducement moveth us to think that God had respect to mankinde even from the beginning in all things that he created as if he purposed to make them for men for though light and darknesse affecteth all Creatures even beasts yet the name and title given to them concerneth only man who understandeth and discerneth things by their names and therefore as soon as he made man he gave him a gift to know by what names to call and distinguish one thing from another Gen. 2. 19. for God hath in the Creation ordained things that they should be known and that they might be known he giveth names of distinction which are symbola rerum as it were notes to know them by and because we cannot in this life know all that God made we look for a clearer light after this life by which our knowledge shall be perfect 1 Cor. 13. 12. Touching this division of names we have four things to consider First the manner of denominations Secondly the cause Thirdly the ende Fourthly the dependance of the day on the light and not on
15. 45. Man was not immortall by himself but the life he had God gave him In the state of his innocencie he had heat and moisture which God breathed into him when he breathed life chap. 2. 7. and therefore man needed even then food to preserve heat and moisture Man before was immortall and his meat uncorrupted but by mans fall man became mortal subject to death so that both man and mans meat were corrupted and Adam was a debtor to the flesh to satisfie his hunger Before God said Dominamini all beasts and fowls were peculium Dei Gods proper store The trees and fruits were before but this is mans warrant To touch any thing any tree any herb for their meat Herein then more particularly we will consider two things what God gave unto man and to what end Ecce Ecce Behold is a word of wonder expressing a matter of wonder and Gods great love to Mankinde Ecce saith a Father on this place patentem amentem Creatorem He is not only a Creator full of power but even a faithfull Creator 1 Pet. 4. 19. for behold he is both mans Creator and mans Cator He visiteth the Earth and watereth it be maketh it very rich and for men he prepareth corne Psal. 65. 9 And he saith unto man Deut. 28. 4. and 5. That if he obey God blessed shall be the fruit of his body the fruit of his ground the fruit of his cattel and blessed shall be thy basket and thy dow So that God provideth us corn for bread and bread to eat It is even God that giveth us life and meat he maketh us and serveth us quis autem est major but who is greater he that sitteth at the Table or he that serveth is not he that sitteth at the Table And I am among you saith Christ as he that serveth Luke 22. 27. God the great Jehovah ministreth unto man all that he needeth David assureth himself that God will help and defend him Psal. 38. 22. from the hand of his enemies God made for man coats of skinne and cloathed them chap. 2. 21. God giveth to men beds whereupon to take their rest God will strengthen him upon the bed of sorrow and turn all his bed in his sicknesse then will God send him comfort Psal. 41. 3. Thus much of Ecce behold Ecce dedi He saith not Ecce dixi but Ecce dedi He opens his hand not his mouth he sheweth his liberalitie which is wonderfull it is a beholding of works not of words Manifold are the works of God the Earth is full of his riches Psal. 104. 24. There is also a further thing for he saith not Ecce do but Ecce dedi as much as to say Oh man before you were born I provided for you all herbs and all trees I respected you before you were I had you in minde in all the dayes of the Creation Fecit quae fecit omnia pro homine Deus before he said faciamus hominem he made all things for man before that he made man which sheweth Gods care and fatherly love he bare to men even before man was What shall I say hereof more but this Amor Dei erga hominem est antiquior homine Every Herb having seed every Tree having fruit He giveth unto man every herb having seed every tree having fruit bearing seed whereby he giveth us all grain seed corn pulfe spice the grape and other fruitfull trees Adams diet objected to be raw It may be objected That to eat of nothing but of herbs and of trees and of such fruit as the Earth brought forth were but a raw diet Well fare Noah's Table for he had flesh in great plentie for his meat Gen. 9. 3. for as the green herb so gave God unto him all things for meat If God be our Cator as he is liberall so he will be frugall Eliah was fed by the Angell with a cake baked on the coals and a pot of water 1 Kings 19. 6. yet in the strength of that meat walked he fourty dayes and fourty nights Answer And surely unto Adam the trees of Paradise were better and more pleasant than all the dainties of Noahs Table for the trees that were there were pleasant to the sight and good for meat chap. 2. 9. These innocent meats were fit for the state of innocencie even unto this day the service of delight is the herbs and fruits of the Earth even then when flesh was for meat it was to be eaten without the blood the Hunter might eat that he had hunted Virgo terrae fuit herba blood corrupted the Earth all meats are but obsonia but sawce in respect of bread which is the comfort of the heart if we be thankfull for otherwise though God give us our desire yet will he send leannesse into our soul Psal. 106. 15. By simples at this day the Physitions use to restore health If God conveyed every herb then every herb was meat for man yea then so was the Coloquintida which is called now fel terrae and a vehement poyson yet Elisha caused the people to eat thereof and they had no hurt yet they said that in it was death 2 Kings 4. 40. and that death was in the pot mors in olla came by sinne it was not so from the beginning Furthermore here is no necessity imposed upon man to eat of all the trees but a liberty is given him to eat of any Some also make another objection If he might eat of all trees then of the forbidden tree But the Fathers answer That saying that gave to Adam every tree bearing ordinary fruit such were not the trees of knowledge and of life To what end Herbs and Trees are given Man The last point is To what end God gave man herbs and trees Fuit ut sint alimentum that they might be for meat to have herbs and trees given and that for meat are divers things For fruition There is a man to whom God hath given riches and treasures and he wanteth nothing that he can desire but God giveth him not power to eat thereof but a strange man shall eat it up Preach 6. 2. Elisha told the King That he should see with his eyes the great plenty that should be in Samaria but he should not eat thereof 2 Kings 7. 19. Though a man have aboundance yet his life standeth not in his riches Luke 12. 15. and therefore in that chapter what availed it the rich man to have much fruit many barns and much goods layed up for many yeers when that even in the same night they should fetch away his soul Then whose were those things which he had provided Dedi vobis ut sint in escam There is the fruition In esca tria In escâ tria sunt 1. The first is a content of the appetite which avoideth famine for when God shall break the staffe of bread men shall eate and not be satisfied
to be understood as the Scriptures well teach us Augustine saith that the tree of life served not only ad alimenta sed etiam ad sacramenta for doubtlesse as Adam in his estate of innocency had a bodily Sabbath so therein he had a spirituall use of these trees in the mid'st of the Garden and that in this sort First for the tree of life it was not so called as if it gave life to him for God breathed that into him at the first But besides that the tree of life was a means to preserve it It was also a Symbolum and memoriall also to put him in minde to know that it was not 〈…〉 virtute arboris but vi virtute divina by which he had life at first and by which his life and length of dayes shall be continued hereafter In the middest of the Garden was the Pulpit and this is the Sermon which was preached unto him by these things which the trees did represent namely That God was his life and length of dayes 〈◊〉 30. 20. And that this gratious visitation did preserve his life Job 10. 12. As he breathed out his life into him at the first Again it did put him in minde that seeing he had received a spirituall life of immutability in esse so also he received a spirituall life of eternity in posse Therefore he had matter and just occasion of thankfulnesse for the one and of obedience for the other Adam had two things injoyned him the one was praeesse Creaturis the other subesse Creatori he had no need of a Caveat for the one for he was ready enough to govern and bear soveraignty but for his duty to God he had great need to be put in minde and for the try all and practise thereof he caused this tree of knowledge to be planted there with an inhibition not to eat of it upon pain of death which now and ever hath offended many Some wish it had not been in the Garden Others wish Adam had never tasted it But Saint Augustine saith if it were good and pleasant why should it not be there Gods purpose therefore in planting the forbidden tree was that it might be a triall of his obedience and practise of his duty that if he should continue as he might and had ability given him then he should have the greater reward afterward 〈◊〉 saith Rev. 2. 7. Vincenti dabo edere de ligno vitae in medio Paradisi Well saith St. Paul But no man can overcome except he strive first and fight the good fight 2 Tim. 2. 5. And no man that will or can strive well but he abstaineth from something 1 Cor. 9. 25. For which cause therefore that we might be rewarded it was necessary that there should be a commandement and forbidding for his abstinence that when there should be a tryall of the Tempter saying Eat of this he should strive and say I may not and so get the victory and be crowned that is eate of the tree of everlasting life and live for ever with God in Heaven On the contrary side 17. verse if in triall he should wilfully fall then for transgression the tree of life should be a tree of death Mortem morieris And the reason of this choice why God should prescribe him a law and form of obedience is because this should be primor dialis lex as one saith ut nostrum obsequi sit nostrum sapere Deut. 30. 20. This is our wisdome to know and doe that which God will have us to doe if God give a Law at large every one will consent to it As if God had said No man shall disobey or transgresse my will none will deny it But let it come to positive law and bring the triall and practise of that generall to a particular as to say I forbid and restrain this tree none shall break my will nor eat of it then is the triall of obedience indeed Object But some may say What hurt is it to know good and evill For we read Esay 7. 15. that Christ shall doe that And therefore it is no sinne Resp. I answer that God forbiddeth not to eat the fruit nor that he would have us ignorant of that knowledge quam quis quaerit a Deo sed quam quis quaerit a seipso And no doubt Adam had the knowledge both of good and evill per intelligentiam si non per experientiam And he knew how to choose the one and to refuse the other to pursue the one and to fly from the other he understood it then but when he would know both by experience Gen. 3. 6. He could not see why God should forbid him and therefore the Tempter taking occasion by it made him make an experiment of it This is the cause then why at last Adam came to know evill by sense and experience and saw to his shame what evill was for to take he knew and confessed by experience that bonum erat adhaerere Deo as the Prophet saith Jer. 2. 19. And now he knew by tast how bitter a thing it was to forsake the Lord And that he knew it appeareth Gen. 3. 8. by hiding himself for fear he shewed that he knew it when he did feel ante-ambulatores mortis which is sorrow and sicknesse and when he saw the Statute of death that now it must necessarily come to him and all his posterity to dye the death then he knew evill by wofull experience You see the cause of the Law and of his sinne of good and evill it remaineth that we believe Adam in his knowledge and in his experience both of good and evill For by his good lost we come to the knowledge of the means by which our good may be lost that is if we seek to satisfie our lusts and curiously not contented with the open knowledge of his revealed will shall try conclusions with God and say what if we should break the Law Wherefore abandoning these faults which by experience we see were the cause of evill in him it behoveth us to receive more thankfully of God the good things we have and live obediently resting on the Sonne of God for good things to come And so at last Christ will be unto us the tree of eternal life hereafter as we have made him the tree of knowledge wisdome and sanctification to us in this life Fluvius autem procedit ex Hedene ad irrigandum hunc hortum inde sese dividit ferturque in quatuor capita Primi nomen est Pischon hic est qui alluit totam Regionem Chavilae ubi est aurum Et aurum illius Regionis praestans ibidem est Bdellium lapis Sardonyx Gen. 2. 10,11,12 June 10. 1591. THe verse going before containeth as we have seen the planting of the Garden and the devise of God framed and set in the middest of Paradise which is a plain resemblance of all Divinity both touching our duty in knowledge and
it became a great stumbling block to many in Religion and Divinity for where they compared this with the history of other writers and seek for a place where are four such great rivers coming from one head and fountain they died in it And again missing also in the knowledge of the Land of 〈◊〉 taking it for another Land it grew to a marvailous difficulty that they could not tell how to reconcile this part of holy 〈◊〉 with the histories of other men But I will come to the particulars and touching the first River it is 〈◊〉 after three names first by name it is called 〈◊〉 Secondly by the 〈◊〉 and compassing of it about havilah Thirdly by the commodies of that Country ophir which being taken by 〈◊〉 is included by gold 〈◊〉 and the 〈◊〉 for by Gold is understood all kinde of metals by 〈◊〉 all kinde of Perfumes and Spices by the 〈◊〉 all kindes of Jewells and pretious Stones Touching the name it 〈◊〉 in Hebrew the rich and plentifull River which name 〈◊〉 giew to be called Armelcha the 〈◊〉 call it the kingly 〈◊〉 or stately River if we compare this River to Saul 1 〈◊〉 10. 23. We shall see it well called so For as he was taller by the head and shoulders then all the men in Israell so was this river 〈◊〉 longer and did passe with more state then all other The second is the circuit and compasse by the coast for it compasseth and runneth along by the Country Havilah the name of which Land and Country made the doubt amongst writers because in the 〈◊〉 we read of two Countries of that name the one in 〈◊〉 10. 29. For the sonne of Heber which is called Havilah did 〈◊〉 and it is sure that one of his sonnes also did plant himself in Ophir The other is 〈◊〉 Kings 10. 22. which is in the 〈◊〉 parts of the 〈…〉 of India And the old writers taking it for this which is very 〈…〉 from that did 〈◊〉 in the matter There was another Havilah which came from 〈◊〉 and 〈◊〉 Gen. 10. 7. which dwelt in that Country where the river 〈◊〉 is of which now some are called 〈…〉 In Strabo this Land is called Chavilah 〈◊〉 which as you see is very like 〈◊〉 and in this place was the Kings royall place and seat in the citie of Shushan 1 Hester 2. 5. Which for the commodities of it was called the citie of joy or pleasure as indeed Chavilah signifieth for in Hebrew it importeth most fruitfull rich and plentifull as if it were ever bringing forth and yet ever with childe This is the Country then that is next neighbor to Paradise bordering neerest upon it Touching the third point we necessarily infer and prove by the fruits and commodities which are here named that it must needs be this Havilah of which we have spoken for only it hath store of 〈◊〉 things as Plinie and Strabo doe witnesse The particular fruits here specified be those which in the opinion of all ancient writers are set down figuratively namely one chief for all of that kinde for it was the infinite store of all these rich commodities which made the King of Persia so proud in the City Shushan as we read in the 1 Hester First for Gold we see that it had not only store but also store of the best Gold for there were divers sorts as we doe make difference of ours here though there was great plenty of base and common Gold which came from Ophir yet the best and purest Gold came from Havilah For the other kinde of Bdelium some take it for a precious stone but indeed it is a tree and not a stone by which rare and excellent tree all spice and sweet perfumes which did there abound are comprehended and understood The third fruit is of jewels and precious stones where the best of all is specified for all the rest namely the Onyx stone for the Sardys is but a compound of it and of this kinde of stone we read was set in Aarons breast plate and also we read it to be one of the gates of the City and the Caldees doe call this stone the mother and seed of all other precious stones whatsoever and therefore doth contain all the rest And thus yee see what he meaneth by the fruits and commodities of this land by which Moses thinketh he hath sufficiently described unto us the place where Paradise was Now we must note and understand that all these commodities are in Havilah which is without Paradise and as it were in the backside and out-houses for these are not the things which doe principally commend Paradise but by this Moses is willing to shew the difference between the worldly Paradise and the Godly Paradise For worldlings when they come to Havilah and whilest they are amongst the gold and sweet perfumes and spices and precious stones which is before they come to Paradise they sit down there as if they were at their journeys end and had found the Paradise and happinesse which they looked for But Gods Children never stay nor rest themselves in Havilah amongst these earthly things but goe on still till they come to the tree of life which is in the mid'st of Paradise And as it is erronious to think that Gods Church is where all these earthly things are So on the the other side were it erronious to conclude that that could not be Gods Paradise where gold and silver and prosperity is Because Havilah and this 〈◊〉 is without the circuit and compasse of Paradise for though indeed the tree of knowledge and of life be the works of it yet the other trees of pleasure and profit are not denyed alwaies to the Church of God For God willed the People 〈◊〉 offer all their treasures Exod. 35. 4. And yet though these outward things doe accompanie the Church and profession of the truth yet we are not to rest in them as the true works of Paradise but as things adjacent and as part of the world in the outside thereof yet it is the property of our earthly nature more to admire these things than the true treasures of Paradise For when the Israelites saw 〈◊〉 first they asked what it was for they were ignorant of it they could not understand it nor tell what to make of it comming from Heaven but when they first saw gold glistering they called it by this name give it me There is no comparison between lignum vitae and lignum Bdelii nor between a wedge of gold and the tree of knowledge so saith Job 28. 16. yet the world thinketh that Job was in an error for they think all knowledge nothing in comparison of a wedge of gold But remember what our Saviour Christ saith Though we could get all the world what would it avail if we lose our souls Matth. 26. 15 16. wherefore we must remember to say as Eusebius reporteth of one Arcelius who being busie about worldly 〈◊〉 was wont often to say to
to Angells and all other Creatures therefore it was necessary that he should prescribe the place and triall of it in a visible and sensible object and in a thing which might be manifest to good and evill Angells to see and behold him This is the cause and reason why God saith not Thou shalt not desire to lust in thy heart after the fruit of this tree Because that action and triall of the heart soul and thought God only could discern for he only trieth the heart and reins 1 King 8. 39. Therefore he saith not non concupisces sed non comedes for that that action is apparant 3. Thirdly it was convenient and seemed good to God that it should be made by a restraint and interdiction that as before idlenesse was forbidden and taken away by labor so here licentiousnesse of lust might be restrained by saying Thou shalt not eat of this tree of knowledge 4. Fourthly God saw it good and meet that it should not be generall but particular and brought to a speciall instance of this one tree 5. Fifthly it seemed necessary to God that this triall should not be in a particular of naturall obedience but rather in morall and positive obedience in which this commandement consisteth 6. Sixthly as it was a positive and morall thing so was it to be made in a thing indifferent for if it had been a thing naturall and simply evill or good it had been no triall As Augustine saith if God had said the fruit of this is poyson he would not have done it or if it had been such a thing which had been a detriment or hurt to God he would not have done it for the vile nature of it wherefore God placed this triall in a thing indifferent which by its own nature was not hurtfull to man neither could bring any hurt or detriment to God So that God would have the triall of his obedience stand not in the nature of the thing but only in this respect that it was Gods will to forbid it that Adams triall might be this I can see no reason why I should not eat of it it is as good to eat and as pleasant to look to as any other fruit but God hath restrained it and said Thou shalt not eat of it therefore I will not Lastly God in this triall giveth no reason of it but maketh it an absolute Law simply saying Thou shalt not eat of it for else man might think that he might doe it for the reason sake for this maketh plain the perfect pattern of true obedience when we doe it only respecting Gods will and not looking for any other reason whatfoever Thus we see why God look't our this speciall tree of knowledge and laid this prohibition on it Now out of this we gather and say that the making of 〈◊〉 Laws by a magistrate is lawfull and good 1 Sam. 14. 24. Saul may command his subjects upon occasion to 〈◊〉 as God did his servant Moses Levit. 11. 1. c. 〈◊〉 1. 1. c. Also 〈◊〉 may make a Law to command his Sonnes to drink neither wine nor strong drink So Kings in respect of the good of the Common-wealth may make the like positive Laws and binde their subjects to abstein and not to eat this or that which of it self is lawfull and good and not to be refused Rom. 14. And subjects are bound to obedience though they see no reason but that the meat is good and allowed of God I come now to the applying of this to our selves Matth. 24. 32 Christ willeth them to learn a parable of the fig-tree So the wisdome which we may learn out of this tree is most excellent and profitable even the whole body of divinity Before we come to the pith and marrow of it we must first break and pluck off the husk or shell for the Leviticall Laws as the Fathers say are as Aarons Almonds which his rod did bear Numb 17. 8. in which was Cortex medulla and if we can 〈◊〉 crack and take off the shell the sweet kernell of instruction will soon appear The husk and difficulty of this precept is that God should inflict such a penalty for the taking and eating such a fruit this is that hard shell that few can crack But our rule is that we must not stick still at the shell but break it and cast it away Therefore this is our rule in all such Laws That not the outward presentation of the thing commanded but the power and authority of the commander and law maker is to be respected as the pith and substance of our duty Therefore we say that the principall summe and scope of the morall Law and the pith of it is expressed in these two terms Bonum ost faciendum malum est fugiendum Psal. 34. 14. And this is known and received of all but here is all the question what that good is and what is that evill If any make this question why is this thing good and to be done and that thing evill and to be avoided If we say as Eve did judging it by reason and by the nature of the thing as to say I see and know that it is good pleasant and agreeable to our nature and therefore it is good and I may doe it that were to fetch and draw the rule of God from the nature of things as if it were in the thing it self but it is said 1 Cor. 6. 12. 13 Though meats be made for the belly and the belly for the meats yet if we 〈◊〉 them contrary to Gods word they are evill and God will destroy both them and us wherefore we will not take the 〈◊〉 of good and evill from the nature of things but make Gods will expressed in his word to be the rule of all things that are good If we will then define good 〈◊〉 we must not say it is that which the reason of man alloweth which the sense of man doth feel to be agreeable and pleasant to our nature neither may we say that it is good and not to be refused which in it self 〈◊〉 a nature delightfull and profitable for mans use for that were to place the rule of good and evill either within us in our own reason and understanding or else without us in the natures and proprieties of the things created but we must not doe so for that only is good which God alloweth of and sanctifieth by his blessed word allowing the use of it saying thou mayest and shalt doe this and so è contra that is evill whatsoever it be that God forbiddeth and saith thou shalt not doe it for things are good and lawfull only because Gods word saith it is so so that every thing taketh his goodnesse only from Gods word And this is the pith and marrow of this commandement Therefore Deut. 12. 32. God saith Whatsoever I command you take heed ye doe it thou shalt put nothing thereto nor take ought therefrom
is a jealous God and by his good will would not admit any other to be as good or equall to him he cannot abide a partner but I will tell you how you shall attain to this honor whether he will or no only eate of this and it shall bee so Thus the Devill beginneth to set up another kingdom against the kingdom of almighty God The third and last bait is of knowledge which he addeth for the more assurance lest the former two should not take for it is q.d. Although happily you can be content with this estate in Paradise as sufficient for you yet if that move you not then look to this excellent gift of knowledg unto which you shall attain hereby Now even upon all these principles and reasons he inferreth his conclusion thus Seeing you shall reape and receive all these benefits safely and without danger of death Therefore why doubt you why forbeare you any longer to eate of this fruit Surely if the spirit of lies had not blinded her eyes the image of light and knowledg which was in her might have perswaded her this That all these things which the Serpent had spoken could not possibly bee true Because it standeth with common sense and reason That God which made all things would never make such a Tree which should be so prejudiciall to his own glorie Therefore she might have well answered the Serpent to all this That if it be a Tree of such force and virtue he should first begin to her and eate of the fruite that then she might see him to be as God knowing all things she might know that he said true and then follow his counsell and doe the like But this sheweth that the Spirit of error had blinded her eyes and bewitched her heart for it is Gods just judgement that when men are thus farre overgrown in pride that they should be blinded Psal. 〈◊〉 7. and that so blind that they shall say with the 〈◊〉 Tush God seeth us not there is no knowledg in God Quum ergo videretur mulieri bonum esse fructum arboris illius in cibum gratissimam esse illam oculis ac desiderabilem esse arboris fructum ad habendum intelligentiam accepit de fructu ejus comedit etiamque dedit comedendum viro suo secum qui comedit Gen. 3 6. Novemb. 23. 1591. AT our general handling the temptation of Eve in the entrance of this chapter we referred the sinne it self to this verse we are now to handle which verse containeth as it were a third temptation of Eve in that she saw the tree good for meat pleasant and profitable as the Devil in Christs temptation in the fourth of Matthew useth three sorts of temptations The first is Distrust the second Presumption and the third is Inticement and Allurement of honour First when Christ was hungrie he would have him turn stones into bread he would have him distrust God and his word Secondly he set him on a pinacle and would have him cast himself down by unlawfull means he would have Christ presume of God Thirdly he tempteth him setting him upon a high mountain offering him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them to worship him So here Satnan by his first question tempteth Eve to distrust Gods commandements and goodnesse Secondly by presumption he tempteth her to eate by making her to beleeve that though she did eat the forbidden fruit yet she should not dye at all And then thirdly he comes with his inticing temptation if you will be as Gods and know all things you must eate here of In this last is a spectacle of delight the fruit was sweet and wholsome pleasant to the eye whereby to get knowledge Whatsoever wealth and honor was to be desired was shewed her whatsoever delight and pleasure might be desired was shewed her by Sathan the tempter of him and her Christ was tempted with all wealth and Eve with all knowledge But as it is in James 3. 15. this wisdome descendeth not from above it is earthly sensual and devillish The Serpent by his last temptation doth labour not only to quench faith but to kindle lust he will by the kindling of lust extinguish faith In Ephes. 4. 14. we must not be carried away with every winde of Doctrine and craftinesse whereby Sathanlyeth in wait to deceive but as it is Ephes 6. 16. above all things we must take the shield of faith where with we may quench all the firie darts of the wicked which are said to be firie darts because they set on fire our concupiscence which faith is able to extinguish lust Now there is fides per charitatem operans faith that worketh by love and fides per timorem operans faith that worketh by fear and therefore Sathan to 〈◊〉 the faith and obedience of Eve dealeth with her love first and with her fear after By his non omnino he extinguisheth love for love she was not obedient fides per timorem operans only faith by fear did retein her in obedience lest peradventure you should die fear not love made her yet a little faithfull but he took order also for her fear as before he extinguished love by affirming that God was a hard and fearfull Lord so now to drive away fear he will have her to make an account of him as a God of clouts not to be feared and now he inkindleth the concupiscence of Eve By those two he extinguished faith in making obedience painfull and prejudiciall and making disobedience pleasant and beneficiall edite eate eritis sicut dei scientes bonum malum and ye shall be at Gods knowing good and evill Here by setting a fair shew to the eye he affaulteth the eye with a glorious shew Austin saith that there are two manners or means whereby lust is provoked and kindled the one is the care by hearing and the eye by seeing Bernard saith there are two wayes 〈◊〉 Sathan the one is circuitio the other circumventio the one is going about like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devoure the other is his circumventing a man in all subtilty the one is in speaking swelling words of vanity and beguiling in wantonness 1 Pet. 2. 18. his circumventing is taken out of the 2 Corinthians 2. 11. Here he useth both the means by bringing Gods word in question in all subtilty extinguishing love and his opposing the falseness to the truth saying though you eat you shall not die expelling fear and shewing that obedience was burthensome and disobedience full of delight and thus besieging them on every side yet would not give them over till he had made them both to eat for so long as any spark of Gods word is remaining in them he will not leave them nor give over his temptation such is his diligence in his tempting It is the Law of Sathans mouth that leadeth man captive unto the Law of sinne Romans 7. 23. In Jobs temptation Sathan
waters of blood and bitternesse gotten with peril To be desired to get knowledge But happily the bellie might be satisfied with the fruit of some one of the trees that were permitted yet all the pleasure of the other trees in Paradise were not so pleasant in Eves eyes as was this The eye is not satisfied with seeing nor the eare with hearing Preacher 1. 8. That every tree in the Garden of Eden was pleasant to the sight and good for meat chap. 2. 9. In Eves sight this tree was more pleasant and better for meat than all the other trees in Paradise In 1 Sam. 6. 19. the men of Beth-shemash would needs be looking into the Ark of the Lord which none might touch into which none might look but the Priests this was the reward God slew fifty thousand and seventy men Eve will eat that she might not eat But when we will see that we ought not to see this desire of vanitie will admit the fruit of the forbidden tree to be both good for meat and full of pleasure The chiefest of the three goods is that it is atres to be desired to get knowledge whereupon chiefly she relieth that she shall attain the knowledge of good and evill every one desireth knowledge Triplex est tentatio this latter temptation is treble Eve seeing the tree is tempted by necessitie by vanitie of the eye and curiositie of reason she should have followed the advise of Paul in Heb. 12. 1. seeing she was compassed with such a multitude of assaults she should have cast away every thing that would have withdrawn her from obedience she should have taken away the occasion whereby sinne would have hanged on she should not have beheld the tree This amplifying of the goodnesse of this tree for meat for pleasure and for knowledge and for what so might be desired argueth a notable fetch in the Devill that she busying her eyes in beholding the same and being imployed in thinking of the great good that should come to her by eating thereof might at length take and eate and never think of Gods words in quocunque die comederitis mortem moriemini but rather regarding the Serpents words in quocunque die comederitis ex eo eritis sicut Dei scientes bonum malum He cloyeth her with pleasure he maketh no mention of punishment The Children of Israel in Exodus 16. 3. being a little pinched with samin they could murmur and remember their flesh pots in Egypt and that then their bellies were full of bread but they bring not in remembrance the sirie furnace wherein they were inforced to make brick Sathan in Matthew 4. 8. in the 〈◊〉 of our Saviour oftendit sibi regnum mundi gloriam regni he shewed him the Kingdomes of the world and the glorie of them but he shewed him not the cares and dangers that are in Kingdomes For Kings themselves have termed their Governments of their Kingdomes splendidam servitutem a glorious service or servitude Here the Serpent causes Eve to see three things in this tree The fruit was wholsome for meat the pleasure to the eye and that it was good to be desired to get knowledge So he might have told her of three things written for the eating of this fruit which he omitteth The first whereof is Gods wrath the second is death and the third death again moriendo moriêris dying thou shalt dye the one is the death of the body which he incurred willingly the other the death of the soul which he must consequently run into for the reward of sinne is death and for the goodnesse of the tree it shall have the bitternesse of sinne for the beautifull fruit which his eyes beheld tenebrae exteriores outward darknesse for the desire to know all things man shall have Gods nescio vos I know you not In every sinne there is an allurement and a punishment as it is in 1 Tim. 6. 9. there is an allurement and a snare as in covetousnesse Lust bath a bait and an 〈◊〉 covered and not seen as may appear by James 1. 14. When a man is tempted he is drawn away by his own concupiscence and is inticed Tenebantur eorum oculi their eyes were holden that they could not know Christ Luke 24. 16. And here the eyes of Adam and Eve were holden that they should not see the truth for it is Gods punishment because they will hearken to the words of the Devill because they have sinned against the Lord therefore they shall walk like blinde men Zephaniah 1. 17. God he saw that if they did eate of the tree forbidden they should 〈◊〉 die the Serpent he saw they should not die at all but if they did eate their eyes should be opened and they should be as Gods what God saw they would not see but what the 〈◊〉 that would they 〈◊〉 Here Eve saw that the fruit was good for meat for meat for the body and for meat for the soul that is knowledge where with Paul Philip. 4. 18. saith he was filled In 2 Kings 4. 39. they put 〈◊〉 in the 〈◊〉 and knew it not and were not poysoned The fruit of this tree was to Eve such meat as was the wine of the Vine of Sodom for 〈◊〉 it is in Deut. 32. 32. The Vines of Sodom Gomorr ah were pleasant to behold but what followeth the wine of those Vines is the poyson of Dragons the cruel gall of Aspes So here the tree is pleasant to the eyes and beautifull in outward shew but the fruit to them is most 〈◊〉 in the taste The former part of this verse is Eves sinne the latter 〈◊〉 sinne which we will not now handle for the occasion of 〈◊〉 was in her seeing the goodnesse whereof res ipsa loquitur Her disposition to 〈◊〉 is in her taking the fruit and stretching her hand to the same The sinne it self is in the eating of that which God hath said you shall not eat Eve by seeing took the fruit A Father saith well Dedit Deus 〈◊〉 propter bonum dedit palpebr as propter malum God gave us eyes only to behold good and eye lids that we should not see evil But seeing they have abused Gods commandement God hath put this tree as a stumbling block of their iniquitie before their face as it is in Ezech. 14. 3. As before we did justly reprehend Eve for her hearkning to the Serpents first speech which was a question So now much more Eve is to be reprehended for her hearkning to the Serpents second speech which is meerly repugnant to the word of God you shall surely 〈◊〉 saith God you shall not dye at all Sathan saith Where she heareth not a speech of his dissimuled subtiltie but even the speech of 〈◊〉 maliciousnesse and open blasphemy apparant to the simplest for now she should have stopped her eares she should have stepped upon the Serpents head and she should even have stamped the Serpent which was so malicious under
her foot Every one cannot spy Sathan when he appeareth as a friend When Christ would have gone to suffer at Jerusalem Peter as a friend in words of compassion saith to him 〈◊〉 thy selfe this shall not be 〈◊〉 thee Christ he perceived friendly Sathan in Peter Matt. 16. 23. But in the grosse sinne of Idolatry 〈◊〉 downe and worship mee and in this notorious sinne of 〈◊〉 you shall not die at all any man may easily discover Sathan But Eve shee was not moved at the report of an Angell of light but at the words of a base Serpent or buggish worme shee was not only content to hear his needlesse questions his reproaches to Gods word and his blasphemous termes against God himselfe but which is more she heard him willingly shee beleeved him and shee was very forward to doe as the 〈◊〉 perswaded her Aspiceret 〈◊〉 timentibus oculis shee should have beheld the Tree with twinckling eyes as it is 〈◊〉 1 Sam. 3. 11. with tingling eares she should not have striven about words which were to no profit but to the perverting of the hearers yet heare you that Eve giveth her eyes to behold the Tree her eares to hear blasphemous words she giveth her hands to take of the fruit she giveth her mouth and bellie yea all her bodie unto the 〈◊〉 But it is not good to eat much honie nor to seek glorie by the sense When that she could not refrain her appetire she was like a 〈◊〉 which is 〈…〉 and without walls Proverbs 25. 28. and her inward parts were battered We finde in the outside three things vidit tulit comedit she saw she took and she did eate The first was the concupiscence of the eye The second the stretching out the arme to take of the fruit was the attempt The last was the actuall sinne and the 〈◊〉 The ancient Divines doe call the first desiderium the second conatum the endeavor the last actum the accomplishment The The desire of the eye and the endeavor of the hand doe argue a consent and by the assent of reason she yeeldeth to eate Seven degrees in every sinne The ancient Fathers doe make seven degrees in every sin out of this very first sin of Eve But five of these degrees are past before we come to tulit and the other two last one concerneth the taking the other the act 1. Suggestion The first of these degrees they call a suggestion 2. 〈◊〉 the second they call the invading of the consent 3. Consent to delight the third they call consensum in delectatione a consent to sinne with delight 4. Lingring the fourth they call moram a lingring and stay in the delight 5. Consent to sinne the fift they 〈◊〉 call 〈◊〉 in actum a consent to the very practise of sinne 6. Taking Then after these five degrees commeth the 〈◊〉 which is tulit the taking the fruit 7. Eating and the seventh which is comedit the very act of sinne These seven degrees are seven several motions and distinct as you may easily see in this sinne and disobedience of Eve The first suggestion in Eve to disobedience was wrought by the Serpent but now the suggestion in our mindes is by our selves Here the Serpent made question of Gods goodnesse now the corruption of our own nature maketh many needlesse questions Sathan hath two wayes to convey concupiscence either by his Pipes to play unto us pleasant notes or by his Glasse therein to shew us many allurements But after the Fall the Devill needed not to use his suggestion for behold all the imaginations of the thoughts of mans heart were only evill chap. 6. 5. Christ calleth these suggestions cogitationes ascendentes mounting and ambitious thoughts She saw three things which are three degrees and all the three are the second general degree The first degree of the seeing they doe call allubescentiam an entertaining of the luggestion and we call it here aspectum intuitum arboris the beholding of the outward shew of the tree The second degree of seeing is by beholding it to withdraw our asfection from the fear of God which we call 〈◊〉 a 〈◊〉 our turning our selves from God 3. Consâ—… sua cum delectatione The third degree I told you was called a consent with delight which is a further bair not only willingly but even wishly to behold the fruit and to look into the nature of the fruit This degree they call inspectum and contuitum vidit quod delectabile she seeth that which is delightfull to the sight and this is consensus intellectus a consent of the understanding as it is in Job 20. 13. when wickednesse was sweet in her mouth she hid it under her tongue and favoured it and would not for sake it but keep it close in her mouth 4. Morosa delectatio The fourth degree is beyond the third it is mora and morosa delectatio a lingring of the del ght this makes her dote on every circumstance on the beautie on the virtue of this tree Hereby when we have removed from us the thoughts of sinne sinne is resumed this is non inspectio sed introspectio she seeth knowledge not to be seen Hereby she seeth quod concupiscendum this degree is the hunger and thirst of sinne a burning desire to sinne wherein she seeth lignum delectabile and desiderabile that the tree is pleasant and to be desired to get knowledge 5. Consensus in actum The fift degree as I told you is called consensus in actum the consent to the act it self thinking with themselves If the beholding this tree be so pleasant having in it to the eye all varietie of pleasure what and how wonderfull delightfull will the taste thereof be surely it will be full of all pleasure and therefore I think it expedient to take thereof and I doe long to eat of the same this is the consent of reason ad opus malum to work wickednesse even with greedinesse and they doe call this last degree of sinne vidit aberrationem cordis a wandring astray of the heart See Prov. 20. 1. 6. Conatus In the sixt place comes the sixt degree which is conatus the endeavor to streatch our the hand and to apply our hand to the pulling of the fruit from the forbidden tree 7. Actus peccati In the seventh place comes the last degree which is the eating of the fruit the consummation of all even the sinne it self These seven degrees are compared to the seven degrees of 〈…〉 of a childe in the mothers bellie by the ancient Divines and that out of James 1. 15. where the Apostle saith When last hath conceived it briugeth forth sinne and sinne when it is finished bringeth forth death And indeed Eve by seeing was brought to bed of sin which was the first begotten of Sathan The Cavilists doe say of suggestion here of Sathan by his question that the suggestion is as
root of all bitternesse is infidelity for Adam seeing Eves case that though she had eaten of that pleasant and forbidden tree yet she was living and that there was as yet no apparent signe of any ill thought the rather surely God spake not this in earnest neither for the eating of a small apple shall man dye But should have accounted Gods word to be infallible and that mortem moriêris was a sentence of condemnation Faith should be rooted in Gods word but from incredulitie which is the root of bitternesse it commeth that he beleeveth Eve by an inordinate love not of lust but of necessitie to his wife which we call a bashfulnesse and the Fathers call it noxia verecundia In 1 Kings 2. 4. So long as Davids sonnes shall walk in the way of truth with all their hearts and all their souls their posteritie shall inherit the Kingdome Adam by eating this fruit shewed a desire in him to grant her request he loved her entirely for that she was taken out of him and given unto him by God and then there were no more women in the world He did eat that he might be accounted indulgens maritus a most loving husband that as Austin saith In unitate peccati etiam socius sit that even in the unitie of iniquitie he might be her companion The Heathen call necessarium 〈◊〉 mulierem a woman to be a necessarie evill So intire is his love to his wife that as S. Gregorie saith well Plus credit uxori quà m 〈◊〉 he beleeveth more his wife who is his helper than God who is his maker St. Ambrose saith Man will be content to hear blasphemous and obscene speeches ut offendatur Deus ne offendatur amicus that God may be offended rather than his friend displeased Now by the 22. verse you may see the ambitious desire of Adam to become as God himself to know good and evill therefore it is by the Fathers presumed That by Eves information he presumed to be so He was now wearie of credere and obedire to beleeve and obey God and his word He desired now to command and controll to be non sub Deo sed sicut Deus to be no longer under God but as God his faith and obedience became a burthen he was not content with his knowledge of good alone but he would needs by eating attain the knowledge both of good and evill he began frige fieri in affectu to waxe cold in his affection toward God And lastly he made full account that he should be preferred he should not be punished none should be so excellent he should be equall with God But if that God were angrie with him yet Adam had his excuse that he for the love and entire affection to her which was taken out of himself for a good minde which he had to her gave her his consent to eat of the forbidden fruit which they gather out of the twelfth verse of this chapter where Adam saith The woman which thou gavest to be with me she gave me of the tree and I did eat He did behold what Eve did see and thought that thereby he should attain knowledge But here the Holy Ghost to avoid rediousnesse briefly without any farther repetition saith And he did eat Adams understanding it was corrupted his will it was infected he was perswaded that he should be as a God and that there was great virtue in the tree whereupon he transgressed that is he went beyond the Commandement God said he should not eat but he did eat Whereas Paul saith 1 Tim. 2. 14. Adam was not deceived but the woman was deceived and was in the transgression The Serpent deceived Eve and Eve was Sathans instrument to deceive Adam Upon which place the Fathers doe make inquirie of Adams sinne saying That Adam yeilded to Eve though he were not properly deceived by her this his sinne say they is the sinne of necessity not of his will Salomon for the love he did bear to his wives was tempted to Idolatry Ahab for fear committed murther It was neither love nor fear of God could keep man in Gods commandement and yet they impute malice to God and they are even set on mischief Exod 32. 22. Adams sinne came out of himself out of Eve which was his rib Wickedness first came from the Devill himself and his Cockatrioe egge that hatcheth iniquitie is malice he that imagineth to doe evill men call the author of wickednesse Prov. 24 8. According to the old and ancient proverb in 1 Sam. 24. 14. wickednesse proceedeth from the wicked Sathans wickednesse is of malice Eves wickednesse is of error Adams is of infirmitie then cometh noxia verecundia a guilty shame fac'dness Adam he fell of infirmitie in that he loved his wife more than he loved God The ancient Divines considering Adams sin doe consider the same by the circumstances which are seven 1. The person The first circumstance is of the person Adam he was Gods vassal from whom he received infinite benefits whom he made governour of Paradise as if a Countie Palatine to whom he gave a short Law and an easinesse not to sinne to whom he gave strength to withstand all violence to whom he permitted all the trees in the Garden reserving but one to himself for whom also being alone he made woman to be to him a meet help The bond of love unto God was before ever there was any Eve It was love that linked Adam unto Eve it was fear love that linked Adam unto God he therfore should have regarded more the word of God than of woman 2. The Object The second Circumstance is in respect of the object against whom he offended he sinned against God that created him that gave unto him the government of Paradise as a Father saith well Quem nunc despicitis 〈◊〉 fecit he whom now you despise is your maker Besides it was he that made her to be an help but now she setteth her self against God He gave to Adam a commandement brevissimum levissimum that was most short to be remembred and most easie to be observed seeing that he will offend him that is so gracious seeing he will break that Law which so easily may be kept this circumstance maketh the sin of Adam to be the greater 3 The motive and retentive to and from sinne Thirdly They doe consider the motive to sin and the retentive from sin What was it that moved Adam to sinne and to lose Gods favour It was but an Apple a small fruit that seemed pleasant to the eyes wherein there was but a short and transitorie pleasure while the fruit was a eating and in the mouth But the retentive was in the highest degree mortem 〈◊〉 thou shalt dye the death thou shalt dye eternally the fear was 〈◊〉 greater than the pleasure Paul Philip. 2. 8. faith of Christ That he humbled himbled himself and became obedient unto the death even the death of the crosse
himselfe to pacifie his wrath and prevent the danger by praying to God and offering presents to him but of all his follies which are yet seen herein it most appeareth in that which Adam here useth for his purpose maketh most against him in that this which he useth and challengeth for his defence and appoligie is indeed the very occasion of his condemnation as we shall see in the next verse in which God maketh this his confusion of his nakedness wherewith he chargeth God to be the very ground of his occasion and interrogatorie which he cannot avoid nor finde any colour nor evasion for but to confess himself guilty Dixit verò Deus Quis indicavit tibi nudum esse te An de fructu illius arboris de quo interdixeram tibi ne comedas ex eo comederis Gen. 3. 11. February 5. 1591. NOW we are come to proceed in the judiciall part of Gods cause and manner of judgment concerning which we have seen before this order to have been observed First God sent a Sergeant to arrest him and ascite him to make his appearance to answer for that which should be laid and objected against him in the seventh verse Secondly he sent out an attachment more forcibly to lay hold on him and to apprehend him which he fled from in the eighth verse Then God came himself making search for him being hid and brought the Malefactor out to his arraignment and to answer to ubi es in the ninth verse which is his inditement and accusation Then God will have him make his plea to his inditement which he doth in the tenth verse pleading not guilty for though he confesseth the fact laid against him that he is out of his ubi and is fled and hid yet we see that he so confesseth it that he traverseth the right and lawfulness of that deed done by him which is quia and ergo saying God was the cause of it he could not doe otherwise for God spake so fearefully to him that he could not but flie and God made him naked and therefore he hid himself In saying which he seemeth so to maintain and uphold his doings as if he had said I have therefore done well in thus saying and hiding yea I should not have done well if I had done otherwise and so his plea is that he is not to be charged of any ill or offence in this behalf Now to this answer God maketh a rejoynder and answereth that plea of his by a double interrogation In which God first of all joyneth issue with him in that one point which is plain and evident between them both by his own confession namely that he was naked and then bringeth in such an ergo against him that Adam could not choose but confess his offence and could not conceal or shift it off any longer For God proveth to him that it could not be that he should come ever to the knowledge of his evill and shamefull nakedness but only by the act of eating the forbidden tree so that he taketh out of his own mouth and words confested that whereby he will make matter enough to judge and condemn him namly that he knew that he was naked and ashamed to shew his face for upon this point he joyneth issue with him and upon the strongest part of his quia and reason as who should say be it true which you have said stand to the words confessed already let us both grant and agree in this point and issue that you know that you were naked and ashamed I demand of you but this one thing answer me if you can How came you to know that you were naked thus he beginneth to debate the matter to the proofe let us therefore now see how he traverseth this point with him his reason must be framed after this form That which was evill Adam might not doe this is a morall ground but it was evill that Adam being naked should know it to be a shamefull thing and to hide therefore Adam in knowing this his nakedness hath done some ill Thus standeth the reason Now God would know of Adam how he knew nakedness to be evill and the reason of the doubt and question is because it is certain that Adam presented himself naked before he sinned without any shame or hiding therefore here groweth the question how he knew it to be so now Adam knew his nakedness was evill God asketh how he came to the knowledge of any evill q.d. who brought thee acquainted with this knowledge of evill there is no man in the world to teach it thee and there is no other means in the world by which thou maist attain to it but only by eating the forbidden tree which of this effect hath his name to be the tree of knowledge of good and evill Ex arbore didicisti ergo de arbore comedisti for there was no ordinary way or means to come to this knowledge by the decree and counsell of God either to the knowledge of evill by privation of God or else to the science of evill by wofull experience and sense of evill but only this way by eating of this tree forbidden This then is that point in which God joyneth issue with him to make and enforce him to confess the truth by which two points the one of joyning issue in one instance and so closing with Adam therein The other concluding by an invincible proof the breach and transgression of that negative Law of God non comedes c. We gather necessarily thereout that this is the right and orderly course of proceeding in upright judgment and determining of causes here taught and allowed by of God to be imitated and put in practise namely that after the indictment and accusation laid against any man for transgressing a Law either for doing evill forbidden or not doing a necessary God commanded that then the party so accused must be brought to his answer personally and permitted quietly and freely to put in his answer thereunto for the acquitting himself if he can For these are two other parts of Justice and right Judgment according to Gods Law and this is a good and a lawfull proceeding as we may see by the example and practise of the Church of God and this is called a course of Judgment according to law and equity 〈◊〉 10. 3. and as St. Paul saith Judge aright according to Law Acts 23. 3. of which every good just Judge must have a speciall care Another point of this proceeding further is that after the party accused and arraigned hath put in his answer and pleaded not guilty that then the Accusant doe goe forward and see the issue joyned with the Defendant and a plaine evidence and proofe of his act done to convince him and prove him guilty by his own words or deeds if he can For so doth God deale with Adam here saying thus It appeareth by your own confession that you knew your selfe to be
naked and you cannot deny but that you informed your selfe with that knowledge of evill and it is plaine that there is none in all the world which hath taught or told you so therefore I conclude against you that there was no way for you to know this but only by eating of the forbidden Tree of knowledge whereof I therefore challenge and charge you These then are the two points of proceeding That there be a state of the question in controversy made drawing it to an issue and then that there be proofes and arguments brought to convince the falshood and to shew the truth that so controversies may be justly determined as wee may see in this Case which is brought in tryall here Adam saiththat hee did flie and hide himself indeed but the motives and causes which induced him to doe it and the reasons why he did it were because Gods voice was so fearfull and because God had made him naked Now God joyneth with him in the point and will prove that it was not Gods workmanship nor his voyce but Adams own sinne which was the true cause of his flight and hiding So in Acts 24. 14. S. Paul being arraigned and indicted before Foelix hee doth not absolutely deny the matter which they layed against him but confesseth how farre hee is guilty and in what respect he is not saying I confesse that I worship God after that manner which they lay against me and call Heresie but it is not Heresie let them prove that and I will yeeld for it is according to the Scriptures Thus he shewed how far he did that they accuse him of and how far he will 〈◊〉 and shew good reason that he did not so as they charged him falsly that so the matter in Controversie before the Judge might grow to an issue and point agreed upon between them and that the state of the question might bee known truly unto all There be two things therefore to be performed on both parties in strife which the Judge must take order for that the matter may be decided The one is called Citatio realis The other is probatio realis and both of them are most necessarily required adcognitionem rei for they must not only be caused to appeare before the Judge but also when they have made their appearance they must not stand dumb and speechlesse before the Judge but both speak and declare for themselves And we may see it warrantable by Gods word and the practise of the Church that not only a party may be caused to witness a truth before the Judge for or against his neighbour in a matter doubtfull and that upon his oath as we may see Leviticus the fifth chapter and the fourth verse and the first of Kings the eighteenth chapter and the tenth verse but also in the clearing of himself being suspected as we see Jeremiah the thirty sixt chapter and the seventeenth verse Acts the twenty third chapter and the twentieth verse yet there are exceptions to be taken in this matter as we see Jeremiah the thirty eighth chapter and the fourteenth verse when the King would bring Jeremie to examination in a matter that concerned himself Jeremie made his exception If I confess and tell all wilt thou not kill me for if the matter be capitall and concern mans life he will not to indanger his own life answer no to the King and the reason why a man in that case should not be bound to be a witness against himself is because the Devill saith Job the second chapter and the fourth verse A skin for a skin a man will doe or say any thing to save his life and therefore no reason to urge a man so hardly in so high and capitall a point But in other cases which only concern the loss of goods or a matter of some punishment and mulct a man must not refuse to answer and that upon his oath and this we see also warranted even by this judgment of God And so consequently all these actions in our course of judgment being laid to this rule of Gods first judgment and the proceeding of justice being weighed in this balance in the twenty eighth chapter of Isaiah and the seventeenth verse that is all things being done uprightly agreeable to this pattern of Gods proceeding we may be sure that it is good lawfull and just Cui dixit Adam Mulier ista quam posuisti mecum ipsa dedit mihi de fructu illius arboris comedi Gen. 3. 12. February 10. 1591. ALmighty God having in the former out of Adams own mouth and confession in his answer joyned issue with him upon the discoverie of his nakedness and upon it so effectually concluding his sinne and transgression which he could by no means avoid or dissemble any longer therefore here we shall see how he is inforced to confess it which confession of his as St. Gregarie saith whereas it should have been such as might have made an end of all and procured a pardon but saith he I would it were not such as maketh him more culpable and his sinne more hainous for we shall see and finde that this his confession needeth a pardon as well as his transgression for it is a confession extorted and wrung out of him whereas if it had been done willingly and of his own accord it had been far better and more acceptable In the tenth verse before Adam did offend as we saw in his Apologie defending his sinne now being beaten from that hold he fleeth to his Castle of excuses and as his defence stood in two points quia nudus qui aaudivi vocem so his excuse also consisteth of two points God and the Woman for saith he the Woman which thou gavest me gave me of the apple and I did eat that is as it is not simple so it is not sincere For Pride as we said hath two twins the first is before the act of sinne before the fall namely to desire to be better than they are and to be in higher estate than God hath placed them The other after the fall namely a desire not to seem so ill as they are indeed Arrogantiae est tumor in tremore Humilitas tumor in timore The first is Arrogancy This is Hypocrisie both the whelps of pride and vain glory which at last turneth to shame But the last is so much worse than pride because it is tumor in timore it is as much as to be proud when one is at the lowest and so to life up himself which is most unseemly That reall Hypocrisie in action of which we have spoken before consisted in two points In volucro in latibulo So here now we may see a double verball hypocrisie in tongue and speech That is if there be any good thing praise worthy that we must have ascribed wholly to us but if any evill thing be apparant that must be put as farre from us as may be Before his
take the sword and revenge his own quarrel but in case of necessity when there is none to defend it is lawfull to use the Sword for his defence It is not lawfull originally for Cain to make his 〈◊〉 his Wife as the Fathers prove Genesis the 2. chapter and the 4. verse so where God saith therefore shall a man leave his Father and Mother and cleave to his Wife his meaning is he will not have friendship kept within one Familie but will have men so to marry that 〈◊〉 Families may be linked together in love Again where both in Genesis the second chapter and Matthew the ninteenth chapter it is said they two shall be one flesh that is not true where Brother and Sister are joyned together for they are one flesh already in as much as they are born of the 〈…〉 Therefore where there is unity of blood between such 〈◊〉 is no lawfull marrying but necessity is without law and therefore Cain is dispensed withall because necessity caused him Touching the mixture of Brother and Sister it is 〈◊〉 to the Lord and his soul abhorrs it Leviticus the 〈◊〉 chapter and the twenty third verse but if this kinde of copulation were originally lawfull it would not be so abhominable that he would punish it in such sort Besides we see this is a thing so unlawfull that John Baptist chooseth rather to hazard his life than he will suffer this sinne unreproved which he would not have done but that it was originally unlawfull for Herod to have his Brothers Wife Matthew the fourteenth chapter For the knowledge Cain had with his wife we see that as Adam when he was cast out of Paradise knew his Wife so Cain being departed from Gods presence to a Land of trouble and disquietness having lost spirituall comforts seeks for rest in carnall delights For the procreation of Children as Sarah speaks Genesis the eighteenth chapter is an act of pleasure which albeit it be lawfull for Adam a repentant sinner yet not for Cain being in that state that he was for in the time of repentance the Bridegroom must come forth of his Camber and the Bride out of her Bedchamber Joel the second chapter and the sixteenth verse and they that are married may not so give themselves over to the flesh but that upon speciall cause sometime they give themselves to prayer and fasting in the first to the Corinthians the seventh chapter and the fifth verse but Cain standing as he did at this time transgresseth the Command of God And yet touching the third point Gods goodness appeareth herein that for all that he so blesseth 〈◊〉 which was unlawfull that she conceiveth It was in Gods hand and his sinne deserved it that she should have been barren for Jeremiah the twenty second chapter in the second of Samuel the sixteenth chapter the sinne of Jeconiah and Michal is the cause of their barrenness Therefore in Gods justice it is a due punishment to all sorts not to have Children but yet as he brings light out of darkness so to shew he can of evill Parents bring forth good Children he gives Cain issue as he brought good Ezekiah out of Achan and Josia out of Ammon For this cause he gives the wicked Children as also in this regard to shew that he is able to break the Serpents head not one way only by killing sinne in men but by making them examples of his justice as in Pharaoh Romans the ninth chapter For this cause have I stirred them up even as we see the bodies of Malefactors are given to Chyrurgeons for Anatomies that in them men may see the state of our bodies and so it may be for the good of others For as it were inconvenient that evill Parents should only have evill Children because by this means evill would be infinite so it is as inconvenient that good Parents should have none but good Children for so that which is of grace would be ascribed to nature And so we see that albeit the act be unlawfull and the seed stolne yet being cast into the ground we see God so blesseth it that it is fruitfull The fourth point is that Cain called his Sons name Enoch the meaning whereof is a dedication or consecration and this gives hope as if there were some goodness remaining in Cain for those things that are built to be dedicated are Altars and Churches things for Gods use as Noah built an Altar and offered burnt offerings Genesis the eighth chapter but that which Cain built is no Altar but a City and we know Cities and Towns are dedicated to the world and the consecration that he makes is to no God except he make the world his God Philippians the third chapter his position is that gain is godliness in the first to Timothy the fourth chapter and therein he bestowes his service But after we have another Enoch so truly called Genesis the fift chapter the Son of Seth who did not depart from Gods presence as this Enoch did but consecrated himself to God and became a Preacher of righteousness who as well by his preaching as by uttering the censure of excommunication behold the Lord commeth with a thousand of Angels as Jude speaks dedicated himself to the Church but the first work that Cains Enoch sets himself about is the world This is the difference between Cains Henoch and Seths Henoch the one builds a City on earth the other seeks for a City from above whose builder is God So that there is no hope of Cains return he consecrates his Sonne and City but it is to the wrong God if to any Secondly Touching the building of the City which is a matter respecting the world before wee come to that we must know there was now a great distance of yeeres betweene the time that Cain knew his wife and the time that hee built the City for hee built not the City only for himselfe his wife and childe but was now grown to bee so great a number that hee must have a City to place his posterity in for God respecting mankinde rather then the sinne of man made the seede sowne plentifull They that came of Abraham Isaac and Jacob came but to twelve and in few yeeres of those twelve came seventy five and for the increase of mankinde Hee makes the barren families like a flock of sheepe as it is in the hundred and seventh Psalme Therefore when Cain was grown to so great a multitude he built him a City It is true of Cain which the Apostle affirmeth Hebrews the third chapter No man departs from God but by an evil heart of unbelief So Cain thinks that albeit God hath cursed that part of the earth where Adam was yet it may be the Land toward the Sun rising may be better and therefore he makes triall like the Isrealites which being forbidden to keep any of the Manna till morning for all that would trie whether it would be full of worms and being forbidden to
between them If ye love me saith Christ keep my commandements John the fifteenth chapter And the Preacher Seek for the mysterie of faith as in a pure conscience the first epistle of Timothy and the third chapter For they that put away a good conscience make shipwrack of faith the first epistle of Timos thie the first chapter and the nineteenth verse The Gentils did know God but did not glorifie him as God They knew the truth but did detinere veritatem in injustitiâ Romans the first chapter As they held knowledge so they should not withhold it from others but should have made manifest the same that others might have known God which because they did not God gave them over to be darkned in their understanding We must manifest our knowledge by doing some good works for he that hath knowledge and is not carefull to be fruitfull in the knowledge of Christ is in the half way to be blinded for when men receive not the love of the truth that they may be saved God will send them the efficacie of error that they may beleeve lies the second epistle to the Thessalonians the second chapter and the eleventh verse This knowledge is but a shew of knowledge and not the power of it If any man think he knoweth any thing he knoweth nothing as he ought to know it the second epistle to the Corintbians the eighth chapter and the seventh verse This knowledge is like that which John Baptist speaketh of Matthew the third chapter 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Think not to say with your selves c. rest not in this knowledge The rule of true knowledge is when it is accompanied with holinesse of life as he speaks If any man love God he is known of him the first epistle to the Corinthians the eighth chapter and the third verse The virtue that openeth mens eyes to make them see is wisdome So he that hath no care of virtue is not wise for the fear of God is wisdome and to depart from evill is understanding Job the twenty eighth chapter And to fear God is the beginning of wisdome Proverbs the first chapter The Art of sowing is of pollicy so is buying and selling But the Kingdom of God is likened to the traffique of a Merchant man and to the sowing of seed Matthew the thirteenth chapter To teach us that to our knowledge we must ad spiritual wisdom without which we are blinde and ignorant He that is blinde nescit quò vadit John the twelfth chapter He considers not how he lives whether he be in the way that leadeth to life or to death he knows not what shall come to him after this life Incedit tanquam Bos He goeth as an Oxe to the slaughter Proverbs the seventh chapter But he that to knowledge adds godlinesse and holinesse of life he knoweth whither he goeth That it shall goe well with him at the last Ecclesiastes the eighth chapter and the twelfth verse So saith the Prophet Marke the righteous and thou shalt see his end is peace at the last Psalme the thirty seventh and the thirty seventh verse Secondly He is not only blinde but cannot see a farre off Two things are said to be a farre off things Spiritual and eternall and he that hath not these Christia virtues cannot see a farre off neither in things spiritual nor eternall For the first The favour of the world makes a man commit many sinnes but the favour of God keeps him from sinne Worldly pleasures make a man commit many sinnes but the pleasure of the life to come and the joyes of the holy Ghost make a man forbear sinne Secondly For things eternall the evill estate of the wicked is very bad be his temporal estate never so good therefore they are to consider what God will doe in the end thereof Quod fiat in fine Jeremiah the fift chapter and the thirty first verse The least pleasure that the wicked have in this life brings poenas inferni And howsoever Godly men be subject to miseries in this life yet their eternal estate is most happy I know that it shall goe well with them at the last Isaiah the third chapter and the tenth verse He hath forgotten that he was purged Wherein we are to consider First How true this is There are so many perswasions arising from the benefit of the purging of our sinnes that it is confest that he hath forgotten that he was purged that is not carefull to obtain these virtues First That God passeth over the time of our former ignorance Acts the seventeenth chapter Admonishesh us now to repentance That it is enough that we have spent the time past of our life the first epistle of Peter the fourth chapter The consideration of this should make us to become holy The Prophet saith When thou hast enlarged my heart I will runne the way of thy commandements Psalme the hundred nineteenth But what doth enlarge our hearts so much as that all our former sinnes are washed away in the blood of Christ That now we shall runne the way and race of holinesse not in the spirit of fear but of adoption Romans the eighth chapter Not as servants but as children in obedience to God our father we need not to fear the curse of the Law which Christ hath delivered us from Galatians the third chapter Only we may look for temporal plagues if we sinne against God Psalm the eighty ninth Secondly If we consider how we are purged the which would perswade us hereunto that is Not by corruptible things as silver and gold but with the blood of Christ the first epistle of Peter the second chapter But with the blood of Christ not a prophane and common blood Hebrews the tenth chapter but a pretious blood Thirdly If we consider the end of our purging which is not to continue in sin but as Christ saith I will refresh you that you may take my yoke upon you and be obedient unto me Matthew the eleventh chapter The father purgeth the branches that they may bring forth more fruit John the fifteenth chapter And Christ gave himself for us that he might purge us to be zealous of good works Titus the second chapter and the fourteenth verse Whereby we see it is true That he which hath not care of holinesse hath forgotten that he was purged from his old sinnes Secondly We are to consider how evill a thing it is to forget the purging of our former sinnes which we shall perceive if we consider what a benefit it is to have them cleansed When Gods benefits upon us are fresh they somwhat affect us for a time but we presently forget them And we are sorie for our sinnes while they are fresh and newly committed and feel the plague of God upon us so that we can say with David I have sinned and done wickealy in the second of Samuel and the twenty fourth chapter but the remembrance of them soon departeth away But howsoever we forget them yet
old man is corrupt through lust and the abandoning of that corruption must bring us to the participation of the divine nature and it is comparance that makes us avoid this corruption For unlesse we temper our affections we shall never be partakers of the divine nature Secondly It follows the natural power of 〈◊〉 Having placed Knowledge which is a virtue of the reasonable part he comes next to the affectioned part that is Desire 〈◊〉 temperance answers he would not have sensuality grow 〈◊〉 nor the body to govern the soul The upper part 〈◊〉 already perfected the lower part must next in order be made perfect as in the first epistle to the Corinthians the fifteenth chapter That which is natural is first and then that which is spiritual So moral virtues are the perfections of men in this life and theological virtues are the perfections in the life to come Thirdly Knowledge being the virtue that teacheth what is good or evil Temperance follows it very well in as much as it is a helper forward and a preserver of good It keeps us from the graves of lust Numbers the eleventh chapter It preserves reason which is the power of the minde For by worldly cares we doe gravare cor overcome the heart Luke the twenty first chapter and the thirty fourth verse but this temperance makes it and therefore is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 of keeping the minde and understanding safe And for the body we see the effect of this virtue in Daniel the first chapter and the fifteenth verse therefore the Apostles counsel to young men is in the second epistle of Timothy the second chapter and the twenty second verse Flye the lusts of youth and Titus the second chapter and the third verse To be temperate and sober minded It preserves knowledge not only by keeping the body in order but Proverbs the twenty third chapter the fourth verse and Romans the twelfth chapter and the third verse 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not to deal in genealogies and curious questions which are unprofitable but to be wise with sobriety Titus the third chapter and the ninth verse and the first epistle to Timothy the first chapter and the fourth verse So it follows by good order in as much as it preserves the virtue going before Secondly Touching temperance what it is and wherein it stands When knowledge hath taught what to chuse the next thing is nullis inde illecebris avocari and that is it which Temperance performs For in the beginning this corrupter of the world sought to draw our Parents away from their duty by a baite he shewed them bonum delectabile that was the goodly fruit so fair to behold the allurement being offered concupiscence flyeth to it as a bird to the snare Proverbs the seventh chapter and the twenty third verse Every man is 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 James the first chapter and the fourteenth verse There is a bait offered to lust to catch at therefore it is called 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Hebrews the twelfth chapter sinne is so pleasant that if concupiscence be not weaned there is no child desires the mothers breast more than it desires sinne Psalm the hundred thirty first and the second verse men being in this case and add drunkennesse to thirst Deuteronomie the twenty ninth chapter and the nineteenth verse and seek baits to allure concupiscence therefore our concupiscence needs a bridle to wean and restrain this soul. Lust is two fold the first Epistle of John the second chapter and the sixteenth verse carnis occulorum The corruption of the 〈◊〉 is either for the belly as it is in the sixth chapter of St. Luke or that carnall pleasure that Felix and Drusilla were over come with Acts the twenty fourth chapter so that he could not abide to heare Paul dispute of temperance the eye lusteth for faire apparell as Luke the sixteenth chapter to bee cloathed in purple for that is a hait of 〈◊〉 as Achan when hee saw the Babylonish garment desired it Joshuah the seventh chapter So also the eye delighteth in bedding and furniture for houses as Jer the twenty second chapter and the fourteenth verse to have it shine with Cedar to lye on beds of Ivory Amos the sixt chapter and the fourth verse Temperance is the refrainer of all these For the desire of the belly the first of the Corinthians and the ninth chapter They that run a race absteyne from all meat that may hurt For carnall pleasure If they cannot contein let them marry the first epistle to the Corinthians and the seventh chapter And for apparell that must bee done in temperance the first epistle to 〈◊〉 and the second verse thus wee see what is the object of temperance which virtue performes two things First to bee able to want those things as Philipians the fourth chapter possum deficere then having them to use them moderatly as the Apostle counsels in Timothie 1 Timothy 5. modico vino utere for many comming to have the possession of these things exceede in Ryot For the first it is a dangerous lust how pleasant soever it bee not to bee able to want them if wee make necessary lusts of them so as wee must have our lusts satisfied though it cannot bee without sinne wee bring our selves under the power as it is in the second epistle to the Corinthians and the eight chapter if wee make our selves debtors to the flesh so farre Romans the eighth chapter A man that cannot refraine his appetite hee is like a City broken downe and without walls Pro. 25. 28. Thirdly for the end why the Apostle exhorts to this virtue It is first to eschue corruption and so to bring us to the divine nature and Temperance is the virtue by which wee eschue corruption both of soule and body for as those things that are sweete doe stop and putrisy the body so doe those corrupt desires of the minde and the corruption of mankinde desires to corrupt man with these allurements If wee love wee are not the servants of sinne we are servi corruptionis as it is in the second epistle of Peter and the second chapter For the body it corrupts it also for so hee sinneth against his owne body the first epistle to the 〈◊〉 and the sixt chapter and such doe corrupt the Temple of God the first epistle to the Corinthians and the third chapter The flesh spotteth the garment as it is in the epistle of Saint Jude the bed desiled Hebrewes the thirteenth chapter so that wee cannot possesse our vessels in holinesse Fourthly that it bee not so Temperance must effect this so it disposeth us to the participation of the divine nature who is a spirit John the fourth chapter as they that are spirituall minded are for they that take care to fulfill the lusts of the flesh Romans the thirteenth chapter doe make their bellies their God the thirteenth chapter of the epistle to the Philippians and minde earthly things such are
carnall and are not spirituall Temperance will make men depart from the flesh and grow spirituall and so be like the 〈◊〉 nature To Temperance hee exhorts to add Patience the first voice of this quire which the Apostle reckons among the fruits of the Spirit Galathians the fift chapter and the twenty third verse for three reasons as the Philosophers observe to 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 there is next adjoyned 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 to the effective part is joyned courage For as is observed from John the first chapter and the thirteenth verse not of the will of the flesh nor of the will of man There are in man two wills the will of the flesh and the manly will for God having planted in the Soule desire to follow good there followes courage to remove whatsoever shall hinder our desire and as wee have a virtue to moderate our concupiscence or sensuality so here is Patience against our courage Secondly what makes a man intemperate but 〈◊〉 as Genesis the twenty fift chapter Esau must needes die except hee have the meat hee desires therefore 〈◊〉 is a virtue necessarily required in the faithfull the sixteenth chapter of the Proverbs and the ninteenth chapter of the Revelations Haec est sides patientia Sanctorum The third reason of the dependance is 〈◊〉 vincit qui patitur Intemperance and Impatience are the great Conquerors of the world the one being the Nurse of Phisitians the other of Lawyers And as we have had a virtue to conquer intemperance so it followes by good order next that wee have the virtue against impatience As the one sort are said to bee clothed in white that is the innocency of the Godly Apocalyps the seventh chapter and the ninteenth verse so others by Patience have made their garments purple in the blood of the Lamb Apocalyps the ninteenth chapter Secondly when wee know what to doe wee must not be drawn from it by any terror For as the devill to alure us to sinne joyns dulce malum so to keepe us from good hee joynes bitter with that which is good He joynes to 〈◊〉 labour and disgrace that by them hee may keepe us from it Labour is a thing our nature cannot away with durum pati the object of this virtue is tribulation as Romans the twelfth chapter bee patient in tribulation a virtue that becommeth Saints Apocalys the ninteenth chapter haec est fides patientia Sanctorum For the originall of tribulation men doe not feare the evils of the life to come and therefore God is faine to send them crosses while they live which must bee borne patiently as Micah the seventh chapter portabo iram Domini quia peccavi Secondly they are sent for tryall of our faith ut tollet ferro rubiginem addat 〈◊〉 puritatem That was the cause of Jobs trouble to try his faith The use of this virtue in respect of men is as Matthew the fift chapter If they smite thee on the one cheeke to turne the other If they take way thy coate let them have thy cloak also If men reproach ye as David was to beare it as hee did the second of Samuel and the sixteenth chapter to endure the spoyling of our goods as Hebrewes the twelfth chapter In such cases it is the perfection of the Saints while they live here to possesse their Souls with Patienee as it is in Saint Luke the one and twentith chapter For the use the Apostle makes of this virtue patience is needfull for the avoiding of corruption Give not place to the Devil by suffering the Sunne to goe down upon thy wrath Ephesians the fourth chapter For men in their impatience utter the corruption of their hearts Michah the seventh chapter Secondly It makes them like God as John the third chapter and the first verse for there is nothing in God more divine than patience this virtue he shewed to the old world which he endured so long the first epistle of Peter the third chapter and to the new world the second epistle of Peter and the third chapter He is not slack but patient to all and would have all repent The same is the affection of the Sonne of God towards his Church What did Moses admire Exodus the third chapter to see the bush a fire and not burn but videt rubum ardentem Even so now the faithfull shall drink deadly poyson and it shall not hurt them as Christ promiseth Mark the sixteenth chapter that is the evil tongues of the wicked which are as the poyson of Asps as Psalm the hundred and fourtieth The Apostles exhortation is James the first chapter and the fourth verse Be patient that ye may be intire and perfect and as the first epistle of Peter the fift chapter If ye suffer but a little God shall make you perfect And Christs advise is To bring forth fruit in patience Luke 8. Tolerantiae pietatem pietati verò fraternum amorem fraterno verò amori charitatem 2 Pet. 1. 7. IN the first of these three verses the Apostle makes his first conjunction of Faith Teaching that as we must be of a sound belief so of a virtuous life The second of Knowledge not to be drawn from a virtuous life by any deceits Of Temperance against allurements And Patience against terrors and troubles all these are moral virtues And to these he joynes in the third verse the threefold train of Godlinesse Brotherly love and Charity all which are theological virtues For as Christ exhorteth not only to doe good to them from whom we receive good Luke the sixt chapter and the thirty third verse which be the virtues of kindnesse that the Heathen practised but to add Christian virtues Doing good to them that hurt us and as Matthew the sixt chapter Our righteousnesse must exceed the righteousnesse of Scribes and Pharisees So theological virtues doe not exclude moral but as the Apostle shews we 〈◊〉 beside moral virtues 〈◊〉 these theological Faith doth not abolish but establish the Law so Romans the third chapter the Gospel requires of a Christian both will virtues and theological In the course of the world we finde it otherwise the civil man will shew himself temperate and patient but makes little account of religious virtues Others as Jude the first verse will seem to be religious by hearing and discoursing of the word and by certain religious terms but neglect those moral duties According to the first table they are religious but neglect the duty of the second Therefore for the Civil man albeit moral virtues are the perfection of this life yet if he look higher to the great and pretious promises of being partaker of the divine nature his moral virtues cannot raise him up so high as those virtues of Christianity that must doe that And for them that stop at the moral duties of the second Table and content themselves with a shewing religion by theological virtues If any man seem to be religious
first epistle to the Corinthians the eleventh chapter The prayers of all the just are available but specially of the elders therefore send for them James the fift chapter A Serjeant Constable or Scrivener by virtue of his office may doe that which a greater man cannot doe so the prayer of a person called to that holy function may prevail more The Priests are appointed to offer up prayers and the calves of the lips Hosea the fourteenth chapter So Genesis the twentieth chapter Abraham is a Prophet and shall pray for thee Leviticus the sixt chapter and the seventh verse he shall pray for thee Orabit pro eo Sacerdos Therefore Hezekiah saith Lift up thou thy prayers Isaiah the thirty eighth chapter And Saint James saith in his fift chapter The prayer of faith made by the Elders shall save the sick The prayer of the just avails much but especially of the elders and Priests for to such a grace is given as in the first epistle to the Corinthians and the fifteenth chapter Gratia data est 〈◊〉 and this grace is not in vain Secondly But it must be oratio cum statione Phinehas stood up and prayed For as in the first epistle to the Corinthians and the eleventh chapter of a woman uncovered judge whether it be a comely thing to sit still in prayer All things in the Church must be done 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first epistle to the Corinthians the fourteenth chapter We must please and serve God etiam habitu corporis The Angels of God stood before God Job the first chapter The Cherubims stood and hid their faces Isaiah the sixt chapter And millions of Angels stood before the seat Daniel the seventh chapter Therefore we must conclude our sitting is not pleasing to God Sedentes orare extra Discipulum est The other sense is the execution or judgement And it hath a good relation to sinnes They prayed and wept Numbers the twenty fift chapter but that prevailed not till Phinehas executed vengeance upon the sinne but the vengeance being performed by Phinehas the plague ceased verse the eighth So then the wrath of God will cease if people cease to sinne or if Phinehas the Magistrate begin to punish sinne in the people For punishment is of two sorts First Every man in himself is to punish sinne as David smit his heart in the second book of Samuel the twenty fift chapter and the twenty fourth verse and the first epistle to the Corinthians the eleventh chapter judge your selves But if not Moses the Magistrate must take vengeance of sinne for if he will not God himself will set his face against that Magistrate Leviticus the twentieth chapter When the people look not at him that strikes them but to natural causes then shall the hand of God be stretched out still Isaiah the ninth chapter and the thirteenth verse The wrath of God for our sinnes being the cause of this plague we must appease him with prayer and repentance If we fail to doe this the devotion of the Priest and the zeal of the Magistrate must look to it else the plague cannot but still increase Amen Amen Addenda Vae vobis Legis interpretibus quoniam sustulistis Clavem cognitionis ipsi non introstis eos qui introibant prohibuistis Luke 11. 52. Octob. 13. 1590. Place this in the beginning of the book next before the Sermon upon Gen. 1. 1. For this was the Bishops first Lecture in Saint Pauls preached as an Introduction to his following discourse upon the four first chapters of Genesis KNOWLEDGE of 〈◊〉 things is compared by our Saviour Christ to a Key 〈◊〉 the eleventh chapter of Luke and the 〈◊〉 second 〈◊〉 as being a thing necessary both to 〈…〉 in this life the way we should walk in 〈◊〉 the second chapter the tenth and 〈…〉 as also for the entrance into the 〈…〉 of 〈…〉 the life to come For which cause holy men in 〈◊〉 have 〈…〉 to this kinde of knowledge Jeremiah the 〈…〉 chapter 〈◊〉 the thirty fourth verse and these have made it 〈◊〉 delight 〈◊〉 the fifty eighth chapter and the thirteenth verse and prefer it before their daily food Job the twenty third chapter and esteem it above all treasures Proverbs the second chapter and the fourth verse But such as are ignorant and know not these thing 〈◊〉 biddeth to goe out and dwell among beasts Cant the first chapter and the seventh verse as if they were not worthy the company of men and therefore Christ weepeth for them Luke the 〈…〉 chapter as if their case were most 〈◊〉 which knew not that they ought Wherefore God hath given 〈◊〉 means and wayes by which we may come to knowledge The one is the 〈◊〉 of the World by the view of his Creatures 〈…〉 hearing of his word by the Ministry of Men. These two are the two great leaves of this gate and way to Heaven which that 〈◊〉 of knowledge must unlock and set wide open that so we may 〈◊〉 enter therein Which two means are spoken of and 〈◊〉 unto us in Psalm the nineteenth the first and the 〈…〉 And St. Paul beginneth his epistle to the Romans with the 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the first chapter the sixteenth and twentieth verses and it was his order in preaching and teaching men the knowledge of God 〈◊〉 at 〈◊〉 Acts the seventeenth chapter and the twenty third verse These are as it were the two great books of God which he would have known and read of all men For as his written word is called a scroll Ezekiel the third chapter and the second verse so is the frame of the world 〈◊〉 a book or scroll Isaiah the thirty fourth chapter and the fourth verse God spake once and twice saith David Psalm the sixty second and the eleventh verse Once he 〈◊〉 Job by the view of his Creatures Job the thirty eighth chapter and again he spake to Moses on Mount Sinai shewing his will Exodus 20. 1. These then being the two effectual means to attain to knowledge there is no place in the Scripture nor any book therein that doth more lively expresse them both than this book of Genesis which we have in hand For it setteth out to us the word of God by which all things were made fiet and the Word by which all things are increased 〈◊〉 multiplicamini and the word by which all men were corrupted non moriemini and the word whereby all are restored conteret caput Serpentis which is the word of Promise and of Faith We are willed to enquire for the old and good 〈…〉 〈◊〉 sixt chapter and sixteenth verse Christ warranteth that 〈◊〉 sheweth us both Matthew the sixteenth chapter the seventh and eighth verses It is the ancientest in time for it beginneth with the very beginning It is first in order and in place in the 〈◊〉 of Gods book and therefore I have thought it good to enquire of this way Some doe give this reason why John of all other is called the Divine