to them nor any thing without blemishing them taken from them Eccl 3.14 Let it be our endeavour to imitate God as far as we may so to walk that our works every one of them a part and our whole way considered together may all appear to be good answerable one to another in Order and Proportion so that our whole conversation may be approved as a perfect frame of unblameable holinesse There are amongst Men that do some things well to which their ordinary and constant carriage is not suitable The difference between the works of a godly Man and an Hypocrite appears most in this An Hypocrites work is best considered apart a good Mans works are best and most approveable when they are laid together Thus have we the History of the Creation of the world a short record of a wonderfull glorious work which being laid before us in so sincere and brief a manner requires the more serious meditation and examination of the particulars therein expressed The rather because it gives us a true mirrour both of God Himself appearing in his infinite Power Wisdom and Goodnesse and of the Creatures nothing in it self till God gave it a being and being now what it is meerly by his gift and goodnesse In the right knowledge of these two main heads are included the grounds of all true Wisdom To look back therefore and to take a view of the principal scope at which the Holy Ghost aimes in the description of the Creation of the World we may find therein set before our eyes 1. In God the Creator of all things 1. His Eternity who if he had not been before the World and consequently before all time which began with the world could not have made it 2. His Power in Creating all things 1. Of nothing 2. By the Word alone 3. Many of them of Vast and almost infinite extent as the Heavens Stars Earth Seas and some other Creatures of almost incredible bignesse 3. His All-sufficiency manifested 1. In Creating such infinite Variety of so many sundry sorts of Creatures 2. And in affording them all even the basest amongst them such plentifull provision for their maintenance 4. His Goodnesse and Perfection appearing in his works which taken severally or together were found to be exceeding good in their mutuall correspondency and uses to which they are assigned 5. His Faithfullnesse who both performed and made good all that he decreed and setled all things that he made in such sort that they continue to this day according to his Ordinance 6. His Wisdom discovered in the excellent order of all his works and in their fitnesse for their several ends and services for which they were appointed 7 His loving kindnesse to Man above all the works of his hand whom he Created after the most exact pattern even his own Image and likenesse advanced to be the Lord over all the works that he had made and furnished with infinite variety of provisions both for necessity and delight II. In the Creatures made by God is manifested their vanity and weaknesse which 1. Were 1. Nothing till God gave them a Being 2. A Rude unformed and imperfect Masse when they first began to Be. 2. Are 1. Perfect in deed in their kinds and measure but neither in all kinds of perfections which are not to be found in any one Creature nor in those they have but in a weak proportion infinitely short of those absolute and boundlesse perfections which appear in Him that made them 2. Not subsisting in themselves but in God that made them in whom they have their Being and Motions without whom they must speedily be resolved into Nothing as they were nothing at the first 2. Base 1. in their Original being all of them drawn out of a confused Masse without any form at all and the most of them out of the Earth and waters the basest of all Elements 2. In the means of their support for the continuance of their being which are both Base like themselves and supplied unto them from day to day So that we may conceive that in recording and setting before us the history of the worlds Creation the Holy Ghost may aime at three things 1. To settle our hearts in a right judgment of the emptinesse and consequently of the Insufficiency of all the creatures that none of us may rest our selves upon them which being considered a part from God are Nothing and consequently can do nothing and are therefore neither to be entertained with any extraordinary affection nor sought after with any great care or desire nor much lesse to be rested on with any firm Confidence 2. To fill our hearts with the Apprehension and Meditation of Gods infinite Majesty Glory Power Wisdom All-sufficiency Goodnesse and Truth 1. That we may in our hearts advance and lift him up alone casting down all his workes at his feet and we may be still kept in a reverend awe and fear of him 2. That we may be quickened to all duties of obedience serving that God with all our hearts and that with chearfulnesse by whom we are and from whom we have received such an advancement to be made after his own Image and appointed Lord over all the works of his hands and do daily receive such a liberall supply of all needfull meanes for the comfort of our lives 3. That we may be brought to stay our hearts upon God alone as being both able to provide us all things seeing he made them al and Faithful and True to support us and do us good as a faithfull Creator and therefore cannot but take care to preserve all that he hath made lest he should have made any thing in vain 3. To direct us in the Use both of our selves and the rest of the Creatures what to aym at which is indeed chiefly the advancing of Gods honour In and By them when we discover those glorious Attributes of his Wisdom Power and Goodnesse appearing in the Creation of all things and sustaining them and upon all occasions speak of them to his praise But withall the directing of our selves and all the rest of the Creatures in our power to the preservation of Community which is one of Gods Speciall Aimes in making all the Creatures serviceable one to another and all of them to Man and in charging him with the care and oversight of them all that so they might be the better carried on to that general End whereunto God had ordained them So then a man aiming only at himself or using the Creatures only for the service of himself without relation to the Community perverts the whole Course and Order which God hath set in Nature than which nothing can be more directly opposite to Gods Mind and Will more Injurious to the Creatures or unprofitable to our selves whose good is included in the Common good of all that God hath made FINIS A COMMENTARY upon the Second CHAPTER OF The First Book of MOSES Called GENESIS The Second Book
by Gods interdiction And that it was pleasant to the eyes Which perhaps she had not taken notice of before as not thinking it fit to look upon that with observation which she might not touch or if perhaps she had looked upon it she beheld it not with the same affection before that now she did which made it now more delightful in her eyes then it had been before This seems to be the womans first outward act in this sinne of hers the gazing upon this fruit with delight And a tree to be desired The womans desire after this fruit is not mentioned by Moses till he come to speak of getting knowledge to intimate that although the beauty of the fruit in her eye and the usefulnesse of it for food might somewhat affect her yet that which set her heart on fire with the desire after it was especially and chiefly the hope of getting the knowledge of good and evil To make one wise or prudent as some translate it although as it seemes not so properly nor agreeably to the sense of the Holy Ghost seeing the wisdom here spoken of must be the same which had before been mentioned by Satan and consisteth rather in contemplation then in practice and therefore must be conceived to be rather Sapience then Prudence or at least must include them both She took of the fruit thereof Which before she had acknowledged she might not touch Now in this kinde of expression the Holy Ghost discovers unto us the Rule by which the woman now guided her self namely by the lusts of her own heart and no longer by the Commandment and Will of God It was now no impediment to her to eate of the fruit of that tree because God had forbidden it it was a sufficient warrant to her to take and eate it because she desired it Withal we have here pointed out unto us the several steps and degrees by which the woman went on till she came up to the height of her sinne she saw she desired she took and eat and at the last gave unto her husband that he might eate And gave also to her husband Having questionless found the fruit as grateful to her taste as she expected but not as Satan with an intention to beguile him but out of love to make him partaker with her of this new-found meanes of her happinesse Thus Satan blinded her eyes and God left her to her selfe to be insensible of the evil which she had brought upon her selfe till she had been led on by Satan to do as much mischief as she might and drawen her husband into the same condition with her With her That is to eate with her or as she had done For otherwise he must needs be with her in the same place when she gave him of the fruit to eat Now whether she went after him to finde him out or whether he came to her of himself and when and whether before she had eaten of the fruit or after which is most probable it is uncertain and not much material to be known And he did eate By his wives perswasion as well as by her offer of the fruit and by her example for ver 17. God censures him for hearkening to the voice of his wife By what words or arguments she prevailed with him it is not expressed it is most probable that she related unto him all that which she had heard from Satan before which the Holy Ghost thinks not needful to repeat again as affecting brevity and having this only scope to manifest that God had no finger in Adams sinne but that the woman was tempted and deceived by Satan and the man by the woman Thus were the two fountaines out of which all mankinde issued both poisoned and corrupted and consequently of necessity by them their whole posterity after them seeing there can be nothing clean drawn out of that which is unclean We have then in this verse set before our eyes the success and effect of Satans temptation First the womans affections are distempered and corrupted by her outward senses and both by them and by Satans suggestions her Minde and Judgement are perverted till she breaks out at last into the actual transgression of Gods Commandment and drawes her husband after her Secondly it is probable that the woman might have seen this tree before without any inordinate affection towards the fruit thereof it may be that it was not then so pleasant in her eyes as it now appeares unto her after Satan had by his suggestions distempered her heart and kindled her affections to an inordinate desire after it and then it seems very beautiful in her eyes Whence 1 OBSERVE Things usually appear unto us as we stand affected towards them in our hearts Observe 1 TO men of carnal minds carnal things seem to be matters of great worth as Riches to the covetous Honour to the ambitious Beauty to the adulterous and dainty fare to the voluptuous because their affections and desires are towards them As likewise on the other side Christ and his Righteousnesse Grace and Glory seem in their eyes to be matters of small value because their affections are against them Nay the very objects of sense and much more the arguments that are brought and presented to us in discourse seem more or lesse weighty and consequently make a deeper or sleighter impression and prevaile more or lesse with us as our hearts stand affected the one way or the other As it happens in our bodies that contagious sicknesses yea distempers of heaâ— or cold and the like prevaile more or lesse upon men according as the body it selfe is inwardly disposed Let it be then the care and labour of every man to get those carnal and sensual affections wherewith all our hearts naturally are possessed subdued and mortified our selves renewed in the spirit of our mindes and our hearts changed from this carnal and earthly disposition to a spiritual and heavenly frame lest they remaining carnal and earthly still represent things unto us not according to truth but according to their own temper as a distempered taste doth the relish of our meats and so beguile us by corrupting our judgements which must necessarily lead us into dangerous errours making evidences of heavenly truths small and sensual objects great And let all men be careful to take heed of judging of any thing when their mindes are distempered with any passion or giving much heed unto such mens judgements who manifest themselves to be engaged in their affections before-hand By that which we have already considered in the prevailing of Satan by this temptation it appears that we cannot lay the blame of drawing the woman to this sin upon the fruit of this tree which she had in all probability beheld before this without sinne but it was the impression made upon her heart by Satans suggestions which made that fruit a snare unto her now which was none before Whence 2 OBSERVE Sinne proceeds not from the outward
unto Satan gives him the greater advantage and encouragement to set upon her with a fresh and more violent assault as we shall see This errour of hers in opening her selfe so rashly to one that she knew not gives warrant to 1 OBSERVE It is dangerous to lay open our selves freely to persons unknown or such of whom we have no assurance Observe 1 SOlomon notes it to be a great folly to utter all a mans minde and a point of wisdome to keep it in till afterwards Prov. 29.11 Peter endangered himselfe very farre by conversing with strangers in the High-Priests Hall Mat. 26.69 70. Nay David himself we see ensnared himself by opening himself though to a familiar acquaintance yet to one whose heart he had not throughly sounded Psal 55.13 And Gedaliah by trusting Ishmael too far ruined both himself and his followers Jer. 41.1 This was Eves first oversight a second and no lesse is that she is contented to have a manifest truth questioned though delivered by Gods own mouth namely his interdiction of tasting the tree of knowledge of good and evil which the event discovered to be a great folly in her and may warrant us to 2 OBSERVE It is a dangerous thing to question or debate evident and knowen truthes Observ 2 PRinciples in all Sciences are exempted from dispute much more should they be in Divinity Amongst which we may account 1. The dictates of Nature written by the finger of God in all mens hearts as that there is a God Rom. 1.19 20. that he judgeth the world Psal 58.11 and that in righteousnesse which is a principle that Jeremy will not dispute Jer. 12.1 and that consequently it shall be well with the good and ill with the wicked at last Eccl. 12.13 as being truthes which every mans conscience within his own breast gives testimony unto 2. Such truthes as are delivered by God himselfe either recorded in his Word as the Creation of the world and that great mystery of mans Redemption by Jesus Christ c. or made known unto us by any special message from God as Zachary is both blamed and punished for disputing against the message sent from God by the Angel Luke 1.20 much more did that Prince deservedly perish by the just decree of God that denied the truth of Elishahs Prophecie 2 Kings 7.2 Only believing and acknowledging the truthes themselves we may be warranted to enquire more thoroughly into the Manner Meanes Order and other circumstances of those things which we fully assent unto and believe as Jeremy doth Jer. 12.1 and the blessed Virgin Luke 1.34 and the Prophets searched into what and what time the coming of Christ should be whereof they prophesied 1 Pet. 1.10 11. thereby to informe our selves of those secrets more fully as well to quicken our affections which are most effectually moved by the full discovery of things in particular and to strengthen our faith the more thereby as also to enable us by the full understanding of the truthes which we embrace to satisfie others and to maintain them against and stop the mouthes of such as oppose and contradict the truth And by this assenting unto the truthes of God without questioning or admitting them into debate 1. We seale unto his truth John 3.33 and give him the honour of a God to be believed upon his own testimony whereas we believe not men upon their word without some further evidence 2. And by the same meanes we provide for our own safety who having our mindes full of ignorance and by their corrupt disposition more inclinable to embrace lies rather then truth might be endangered by admitting known truth to debate to be mislead by the mists of humane reasonings into errour to the endangering or overthrowing of our faith These were Eves grosse oversights in entertaining conference with Satan a person unknown and that about such a manifest and evident truth In the substance of her answer and the forme of it she failes many wayes And first in this that if she consented not unto yet she entertaines such a dangerous suggestion as the divels question implies with so much coldnesse of spirit which she ought to have opposed with a zealous detestation and vehement indignation This errour of hers may give just occasion to 3 OBSERVE Blasphemous and foule suggestions ought not to be heard without indignation and detestation Observe 3 THus Job answers his wives damnable counsel to curse God and die Job 2.10 And our Saviour Christ Peters carnal advice to favour himself and not to yield himself to death Mat. 16.23 as he had done before Satans cursed motion to fall down and worship him Mat. 4.10 In like manner doth St. Paul those blasphemous exceptions Rom. 3 4 6. And thus we ought to do 1. To manifest our zeale for Gods honour and for his truth 2. By it we secure our selves from a farther assault which we easily invite when we bear such blasphemies with too much softnesse of spirit and patience 3. And harden our own hearts against such wicked suggestions by abhorring the very mention of them 4. And oftentimes terrifie the suggesters themselves or at least put them to shame The second failing of Eve in her answer is that when she mentions that large grant of God in bestowing on them the free use of all the trees in the Garden she doth not so much as mention Gods Name that had bestowed that large favour so freely not without manifest injury to him who ought to be known and proclaimed to be the Author of his own gift as having bestowed them especially for that end Whence 4 OBSERVE When Gods mercies are mentioned we must withal be careful to remember his Name that bestows them Observe 4 ANd this must be done not only in such solemn thanksgivings as we have Isa 63.7 Psal 68.19 20. but even in ordinary conferences after Jacobs example Gen. 33.5 and that of Moses Exod. 18.8 9. And this we must do 1. That by entituling God unto and prefixing his own Name before his works of mercy wherewith mens hearts are most affected he may be highly advanced above all things and held out and proclaimed to the world as the fountain of all goodnesse when all the good things which we enjoy and in which we rejoyce are still laid down at his foot See Rev. 4.10 11. whereby withal the heart is filled with his love and with an holy rejoycing in him with thankfulnesse and encouraged by such enlargements to all cheerfulnesse in his service with the Prophet Psal 116.12 13 14. which are the main ends that God aims at in lading us with his blessings 2. There is an evil disposition in mens hearts to forget God in his mercies Deut. 32.18 Psal 106.21 and to ascribe them to themselves with Nebuchadnezzar Dan. 4.30 Hab. 1.16 or if not to their idols Hos 2.5 yet at least to some second causes or meanes by which those blessings which they enjoy are conveighed unto them never looking up to the
put them under our feet 2. The troubling and vexing of our mindes with continual unquietnesse caused necessarily by seeking and labouring for that unto which we can never attaine 3. The tempting of us to divers wayes of dishonest gaine contentions envyings uncharitablenesse for the attaining of our desired ends seeing the wayes of Justice Mercy and Truth can no way help us to gain that which we aime at There is indeed Self considered in relation to God and community which one may love otherwise our Saviour would never have laid our love to our selves before us as a patterne of love to our neighbours namely one may love himselfe 1. As Gods creature 2. As created after his Image 3. As an instrument of his glory 4. As a servant to community for the good of others so farre one may not only love himself but seek himself too upon these grounds and in relation to these ends But selfe taken without relation to God and community is a meer phantasie to be abhorred as an idol of our owne braines This self-love is founded upon pride and self conceit or an opinion though groundlesse of ones owne worth whether for Wisdome Goodnesse or any inward or outward eminencie And is manifested in leaning to ones own will and wisdome setting out his owne worth rejoycing in himselfe and his own good in directing all his endeavours to the attaining of his own ends and in his zeal against all that oppose him in that course Therfore this foule evil must be opposed by self-denial as incompatible with true Piety which it quencheth where it reignes and blemisheth where it dwells consisting 1. In a low esteem of ones self 2. In the laying aside ones own wisdom and will 3. In rejoycing in God alone looking only at him as the fountain of whatsoever we are or have 4. In bending all our endeavours to advance his glory and to serve one another through love as we are commanded 1 Cor. 10.31 Gal 5.13 To have moved the woman to seek after some base and sensual delight and pleasure or to have tempted her with profit especially being lord of the whole earth had been a vain thing those base earthly things her heavenly minde had never stooped unto wherefore Satan findes out for her and presents unto her a baite fit for her as being agreeable to her temper the encrease of her knowledge which might equal her even with God himselfe thus we usually take fowles and fishes by such baites as they naturally most delight in Whence 10 OBSERVE Satan usually layeth his snares for men in those things wherein they naturally take most delight Observe 10 THus he allures the covetous by wealth and riches the voluptuous by sensual pleasures and delights the ambitious by honours and preferments wise men by knowledge the angry envious melancholick and the like by objects fitted to their several passions and dispositions In like manner he makes use of wives to seduce their husbands as Jezabel to corrupt Ahab 1 Kings 21.25 of Parents to corrupt their children Jer. 44.17 The reason is First because by this meanes he prevailes upon men much more easily as having an help within our own breasts to let in those temptations wherewith he assailes us And secondly because such snares when they have entangled us hold us of all others most strongly as indeed love is strong as death Cantic 8.6 Let men then be alwayes fearful of some snare or other in things of ordinary use if our hearts delight in them as of houses apparel meats and drinks friends goods nay of knowledge and grace it selfe and performances of the best duties lest they lift up our hearts 1 Cor. 8.1 making us to think highly of ourselves and to despise others or make us grow secure and carelesse neglecting the use of those meanes that might establish us in a right way Let us take care to enjoy such things the more they delight us with the more feare and trembling watching diligently over our own hearts lest by the corrupt inclination of them and the policy of Satan they become snares unto us to entangle us before we be aware as being least suspected because they are beloved If we come to consider this bait more particularly we finde it to be knowledge which Satan perswades the woman to labour to encrease by eating the fruit forbidden Now knowledge we know is the ornament of mans soule unto which as Nature hath fitted man only of all visible creatures so duty bindes him to encrease it what he may Prov. 16.16 and 4.7 Thus Satan layes a snare for her in that which was her duty Whence 11 OBSERVE Satan tempts us to sin not only in our pleasures and delights but even in our duties too Observ 11 IN religious exercises to outward performances unseasonable undertakings in our labours to self-service in our food to sensual delight in the creature in our cloathing to pride and vanity in conference to vain jangling in bargaining to injustice in getting and keeping to covetousnesse The reason is 1. Because we are in such wayes most secure and therefore most easily ensnared 2. Satan desires most to corrupt our best endeavours for the greater dishonour to God and Religion 3. Because there be many easie and dangerous errours in circumstances of duty even where the substance of the action is warrantable in it self Let it then be our care as to walk in wayes warrantable in themselves so to go forwards therein with great circumspection and warinesse begging Gods assistance to order our steps in his Word Psal 119.133 that is in the wayes prescribed in his Word walking in the Spirit that we may not fulfil the lusts of the flesh Gal. 5.16 2. Guiding our selves in every circumstance by the rule of that Word in the time in the manner in the measure and in the end of every action that we may do not only What God hath commanded us but As he hath commanded us Deut. 6.25 for the failing wherein God made a breach upon Uzzah even in that good action of bringing the Ark 1 Chron. 15.13 Thus the Word ought to be our Counsellour in every particular Psal 119.24 and as a Lanthorne in our hands to guide our steps verse 105. 3. There needs for this purpose the thinking on our wayes before-hand with the Prophet Psal 119.59 and the examination of them afterwards that we may beg â—â—rdon for our errours as Hezekiah doth for the people that had not clensed themselves before the eating of the Passeover 2 Chron. 30.18 and may look more carefully to our wayes for time to come It will not be amisse to consider what kinde of knowledge it is which Satan perswades the woman to seek after the knowledge of good and evil Good they knew already at least as farre as was needful for them to know with evil they had nothing to do nor consequently any cause much lesse any warrant to seek after the knowledge of that which they could make no use of
object but from the corruption of the heart within Observe 2 INdeed those things that defile a man come from within Mark 7.21 and it is not the beholding of a woman but the lusting after her in ones heart that makes it adultery Mat. 5.18 And St. James tells us that God tempts no man but every man is drawn away by his own lust Jam. 1.13 14. First God tempts no man neither by suggestion of evil that he raiseth up in any mans heart nor by any thing that he hath made now if God should have put any evil into the creature which he had made he might have been said in some sort to have tempted us to evil but every creature of God is good wherefore he affirmes that the cause of evil is within us and not without us the creature being in the nature of it as apt to be applied to good as to evil to which it cannot be turned but by the evil disposition of our owne hearts within us and the motions that arise from thence The evil then was neither in the wedge of gold nor in the Babylonish garment which Achan saw but in his coveting of them nor is it in the wine that gives a red colour in the Cup but in the drunkards inordinate appetite Prov. 23.31 No wicked persons draw from alluring objects motions and sollicitations to sin with an intent to corrupt and draw others to evil as the devil from the glory of the Kingdomes of the world drew his temptation wherewith he endeavoured to allure our blessed Saviour to fall down and worship him yet neither the creature it selfe nor the temptation or motion presented with it causeth any sinne in us unlesse they meet with some corruption in our hearts to embrace and entertain them Seeing the nature of sinne consists in a voluntary motion of the minde against the Law of God whichcan proceed from no other cause but only from the motion of the minde of him that sins We have laid before us the first step of the womans sinne in the outward act that she saw the fruit of the tree that it was pleasant that is that she looked upon it with delight and desire she saw it perhaps before but that was only in a natural way to discerne that object before her eye she lookes now upon it in a sinful way fixing her eye upon it with a more serious observation of the pleasantnesse of it which so affected her heart that she takes the boldnesse to pluck and eate it So she begins her sin in gazing upon and perfects it in taking and eating Whence 3 OBSERVE It is dangerous to a man to fixe his senses upon enticing objects Observ 3 TO look upon the wine in the glasse and to observe the colour and motion or sparkling of it Prov. 23.31 therefore the wise man expresseth inordinate desire of riches by that phrase of setting our eyes upon them Prov. 23.5 Indeed the very looking upon the wedge of gold drew Achan to covet it Josh 7.21 and men are taken with the eye-lids of a whore when they gaze in her face Prov. 6.25 as the looking upon Bathsheba when she washed her selfe ensnared David 2 Sam. 11.2 for which cause it was that Job when he would not think upon a maid makes a covenant with his eyes to prevent it Job 31.1 Let it be then the care of every good man to watch diligently and continually over his outward senses let him turne away his eare from hearkening to a naughty tongue Prov. 17.4 his eyes from beholding vanity Psal 119.37 that is his senses from dwelling unnecessarily upon alluring objects And to do that it will be our wisdom to fixe them upon such things as are useful and profitable remembring the use for which God hath given them unto us which is partly natural to informe us of things profitable or hurtful to the outward man and partly and especially spiritual to set before us those objects that by the due meditation of them may raise up our mindes to heavenly thoughts observing both their perfections that we may raise up our hearts to the admiration of the more eminent perfection of him that gave them and withal their defects by which they come infinitely short of that All-sufficiency upon which our dependance must be grounded Consider therefore in the objects which we meet withal 1. That they are of a nature appliable to good or evil as they are diversly entertained and used and may be as well snares as helps unto us 2. That our senses being naturally corrupt as many senses as we have so many windows we carry about us to let in sin and as many outward objects as are presented to us so many sparks may fall into out hearts in this state of corruption to set the whole frame of our nature on fire unlesse we look warily to our selves Wherefore 1. Avoid the entertaining of unnecessary objects where we may avoid them 2. If they be presented to us look not on their outward appearance but on the dangers into which they may bring us that a Whore is a deep ditch Prov. 23.27 Wine a mocker Prov. 20.1 3. Pray for the assistance of the Spirit as to keep the door of our lips Psal 141.3 so to take the reins of all our senses yea of the affections of our soules that walking in the spirit we may not fulfil the lusts of the flesh Gal. 5.16 But what may we conceive to be the reason why the woman gives so much credit to Satans information that the tree was good for food and to be desired to get knowledge upon Satans bare word without any experiment made or any other proof at all to justifie what he affirmes when she gives so little credit to that which she had heard from Gods own mouth that the eating of that tree would certainly bring death Questionlesse she shews in this errour of hers the disposition of mans nature in general and gives occasion to 4 OBSERVE Men by nature are more apt to give credit unto lies then unto the Truth of God Observe 4 CErtainly if Adam in this his state of perfection standing then in the Truth and having the helpe of a Minde furnished with all divine knowledge and questionlesse affected also with the love of it which might easily have preserved him in the truth was notwithstanding so suddenly carried away to believe so foule a lie and that meerly upon Satans sugestion and information against Gods expresse word delivered by his own mouth we have great reason to be jealous of our selves being naturally blinded with errour having our understanding full of darknesse Eph. 4.18 and our wills wholly averse from Truth and taking pleasure in unrighteousnesse 2 Thessal 2.10 seeing 1. The Truth of God containes many heavenly and deep mysteries hard to be understood much more to be believed seeing they are foolishnesse to a natural man 1 Cor. 2.14 2. Seeing we have by nature an hatred against the Wisdome and Counsel of
God because it crosseth our carnal affections and condemns all our wayes and works John 3.20 Let no man then suffer his judgement to be swayed by the opinion of the world in any matter that concernes the grounds of Truth delivered in the Word seeing the world is guided by the wisdome of the flesh which is enmity against God Rom. 8.7 And therefore no marvel though it oppose his Truth which brings down the strong holds and high imaginations of the natural man to bring under every thought to the obedience of Christ 2 Cor. 10.5 and refuse to give credit to those that speak it as the Jewes dealt with our Saviour John 8.45 because the world lying in wickednesse 1 John 5.19 which the truth of God reproves John 16.8 cannot but hate that which disgraceth and opposeth it Now if we observe it well that which made the woman so apt to give credit unto Satans suggestions was that her heart was beforehand taken with some desire after the knowledge which the eating of that fruit would certainly bring as Satan had informed her and she was desirous to believe Whence 5 OBSERVE Men are easily drawen to believe and hope any thing of that which they affect and desire Observe 5 LOve as the Apostle tells us hopes and believes all things 1 Cor. 13.7 and we know that as our affection is towards the person that speaks unto us so we give credit to his words much more to a friend then to a stranger Thus we are apt to hope well of our children because we love them well much more are we apt to promise ourselves good of our own counsels which we love better then our children It must needs be so seeing love being grounded upon a perswasion of some worth in that which we love we are easily drawn by the experience of that which we know to be in it to hope for and expect that which we know not although it doth not yet appear And whatsoever we desire to have because we desire withal that it may be good we hope it will be so By this one mark it will evidently appear that the generality of men are greater lovers of Wealth of Men of Honours of Pleasures then of God Himself or his Sonne Christ because it is evident they expect and promise themselves more good by them then by God and all his Promises following them more earnestly rejoycing in the fruition of them more cordially preserving them more carefully and resting on them more securely then on Gods Promises of Grace and Glory of this life and of that which is to come which as their own wayes convince them to their faces they esteem little better then meer delusions Yea it is manifest that they have no desire towards any way or work of Godlinesse of which they promise themselves no good by them Job 21.15 but disgrace poverty danger losse of profit and pleasure besides much unquietnesse of minde Nay by the same mark the greatest part of men appear to be greater lovers and better friends to wicked men of whom they never speak nor patiently endure to heare any evil then they are unto the godly of whom themselves are alwayes willing to believe any ill report that can be raised upon them The woman had before her eyes this pleasant fruit but she had withal an Interdiction from God not to meddle with it under the fearful curse of dying the death if she tasted of it but her inordinate appetite stirred up by sense we see prevailes with her above the terrour of the curse though denounced by God himself Whence 6 OBSERVE The terrours of wrath to come cannot prevâ—â—â— against strong and violent affections to things that are present Observe 6 IF the sense of an evil felt cannot withhold us in such a case as Prov. 23.34 35. much lesse can the feare of future evils work on our hearts The Prophet complaines that the peoples violent affection to rebellious courses thrust them forwards as an horse rusheth into the battel Jer. 8.6 of whom the Lord himselfe testifieth that he mocketh at feare and turnes not back from the sword Job 39.22 opposing their confirmed resolutions to evil against any shame or feare that stood in their way Jer. 2.25 26. Like Zimri and Cozbi that scorned the presence and tears of the Congregation and the apprehension of the future danger to fulfil their filthy lusts Numb 25.6 nay even the whole multitude of that rebellious people a little before were not deterred by the fearful judgement executed in their sight on Corah Dathan and Abiram from renewing their rebellion against Moses and Aaron the very next day Numb 16.4 The reason whereof is 1. Because such things as are present such as the pleasures of sinne are being apprehended by sense work more strongly upon the affections then things absent can do because they want that help of sense to conveigh them to the mindes which the affections are most moved by For as hope deferred maketh the heart sick because the thing desired is absent Prov. 13.12 so on the other side when the judgment is deferred and is not present the heart is not affected with the feare of it but hardened in men to mischief Eccl. 8.11 2. Because affections which things present raise up in us blinde our judgements so far that the evils threatened because they are not present are not believed so that men perswade themselves they will not come Deut. 29.19 Isa 28.15 and for that reason the feare of them restrains not men from evil because unto such persons they are esteemed as if they were not at all Let all men by this try their affections either to good or evil If our affections to that which is good be strong Much water will not quench love Cantic 8.6 7. as appears in the example of holy David whom though the proud derided Psal 19.51 Princes spake against him ver 23. the hands of the wicked robbed him ver 61. the proud digged pits for him ver 85. the wicked waited to destroy ver 95. yet all quenched not his love to Gods Law ver 97. nor his endeavours not to decline from his testimonies ver 157. Out of the same affection the Apostles were not deterred from preaching by all the menaces of the counsel and stripes that they laid upon them Acts 4.20 21. Thus Daniel continues his duty of making his request unto God despising the Lions Den Dan. 6.10 as the three children had done the flames of fire Dan. 3.17 On the other side to faint in the day of adversity argues small strength Prov. 24.10 or to take offence and be disheartened when tribulations arise Mat. 13.21 or mens displeasure threatens us as they do John 13.42 or much more when feigned terrours keep us off from our duty Prov. 26.13 That which prevailed so far with the woman or at least by which her minde already distempered by Satans suggestions was so far inflamed that it carried her on violently into this actual
sinne themselves are commonly seducers of others to sin Observe 13 EIther out of the errour of their judgements as it happened in this act of Eve deceiving others as themselves are deceived being perswaded that they lead them on in a right way when they lead them into errour Or perhaps out of self-love desiring to countenance their own evils and to justifie them by other mens concurrence with them in the same way Or being set on by Satan to pervert men maliciously to the encreasing of their own sin and judgement and by drawing in others with themselves into sinful courses to win him more subjects for the enlarging of his Kingdome Thus the leaven is not only soure in it selfe but withall soures all that is mixed with it and one person infected with some contagious disease infects all that come near unto him Let every man both feare and shun sin as one would avoid and flie from the plague or other contagious diseases being not only destructive to his own soule that commits it but besides exceeding dangerous both to his nearest friends and to all his neighbours that are round about him And upon the same ground let us keep far off from persons infected with sin as not only vile in themselves as they are termed Psal 15.4 but besides dangerous to others Prov. 22.24 25. or at least troublesome either by hindering our free exercise in holy duties which moved David to chase them away Psal 119.115 or at least vexing us with their unclean conversation as the Sodomites vexed Lot 2 Pet. 2.8 2. Let this practice of wicked men quicken the spirits of the godly with an holy zeale to be much more earnest and active in endeavouring to draw on men to Religion and thereby to further the enlarging of Christs Kingdome by winning men by our holy examples and by instructions admonitions exhortations as we are directed to do Col. 3.16 1 Thes 5.11 Heb 3.13 And that 1. In love to Christ whose honour we advance by enlarging his Kingdome 2. In love to our brethren for the furthering of the salvation of their soules 3. And for the furthering of our own account who by winning many to righteousnesse shall shine as the stars Dan. 12.3 or if they be not wonne we shall be glorious in the eyes of the Lord Isa 49.5 But whom doth the woman beguile even her own husband to whom she was given for an helper The nearnesse of the relation between them gives us occasion to 14 OBSERVE One that is fallen into sinne is many times most dangerous to his nearest friends Observe 16 NOt only by drawing on Gods judgements on them which oftentimes fall not only on the person himself but upon all that are near unto him as Ahabs family perished with himself by Gods just judgement for his and his wives abominations 1 Kings 21.22 23 24. But besides by becoming active instruments of evil to them either by seducing them as Jonadab did his friend Amnon 2 Sam. 13.5 and Achitophel furthered Absalom in his treasonable practices and counselled him to lie with his fathers Concubines 2 Sam. 16.21 and Jezabel stirred up her husband Ahab to work wickednesse 1 Kings 21.25 or by working him some mischief or other if he consent not See Mat. 10.36 as David complaines that it was his guide his equal his acquaintance that did him the wrong of which he complaines Psal 55.13 The reason is 1. Because men are most apt to communicate either that which is really good or evil which seemes good to them to such as they love for love is communicative 2. Because they are most powerful to prevaile with friends as symbolizing with them either in nature or disposition as we know diseases spread most easily in the same blood or at least their perswasions are most powerful with those with whom they deal when they are conceived to be tendred unto them in love and sincerity 3. And by daily commerce by reason of inward acquaintance they have most opportunity to compasse their ends as an infected person most easily spreads the infection to those with whom he continually converseth Now if we consider withal that this woman that tempts and seduceth her husband was created and appointed by God to be an help unto him we may in this example take notice how far the best things being abused by our folly may be turned to our hurt and those things that were intended to us for our help may be the meanes of our ruine but this observation will more clearly be grounded upon Adams excuse unto God of himself that he was drawen away by his wives enticement ver 12. of this chapter For the present we may take notice that she had no ill intent towards her husband but presents him with this fruit meerly in love and conceiving that she had met with a good purchase she desires to make her husband partaker with her of her gaine Whence 15 OBSERVE It is the property of true love to communicate to others whatsoever it self embraceth as good Observe 15 THis is most eminently manifested in God himself who is love it selfe and imparts every good thing to those that love him yea even his own and only begotten Sonne Psal 84.11 John 3.16 Moses being assured of the possession of Canaan invites his wives friends to be partakers with him of his hopes Numb 10.29 In like manner David having found God so gracious to himself in particular calls his friends together to shew them the way how they might get a share in that happinesse that himself enjoyed Psal 34.11 This truth all experience makes good in the dealing of Parents with their children Husbands with their wives and the like which although it appear not alwayes in outward things wherein self-self-love prevailes with us so far as to cause us to forbear to communicate too much of the things of this life lest we should want our selves yet it constantly holds in spiritual things wherein our imparting to others rather addes unto us then takes from us what we communicate to other men Let every man by this mark try his judgement of the worth and value of heavenly things even by his earnest desire to bring his wife children and family into the fruition of that happinesse whereof himself is partaker after Abrahams example Gen. 18.19 yea his neighbours and acquaintance with the woman of Samaria John 4.29 much more his intimate familiars with Philip John 1.45 God in this encounter leaves both the man and woman to themselves and we see how easily the woman by Satans suggestion and the man by a word of her mouth are withdrawn from their obedience to God and carried headlong into open rebellion Whence 16 OBSERVE The strongest man is not able to stand against Satan if God leave him to himselfe Observe 16 IF our first Parents furnished with so much wisdom and holinesse were so easily foiled by him who can stand before him his advantages against us are infinite 1. In his Nature