did so before the fall what then was natural is now become painful and shameful to it as nakedness and some other things were to man But it seems more probable that this Serpent before the fall either had feet or rather did go with its breast erect as the Basilisk at this day doth God peradventure so ordering it as a Testimony that some other Serpents did once go so And so the sense of the curse being applied to this particular Serpent and to its kind may be this whereas thou hadst a priviledge above other kinds of Serpents whereby thou didst go with erected breast and didst feed upon the Fruits of Trees and other Plants now thou shalt be brought down to the same mean and vile estate with them upon thy belly or rather breast as the word also signifies shalt thou go c. as they do and * Isa. 65. 25. dust shalt thou eat y Dust is the food as of Earthworms Scorpions and some other Creatures so also of some Serpents as appears both from Isai. 65. last Mic. 7. 17. and from the Testimony of Nicander Thâ—…riac vers 372. and Philo an Arabick Writer Or the dust is the Serpents sawce rather then his meat whilst creeping and groveling upon the Earth and taking his foâ—… from thence he must necessarily take in dust and filth together with it These two clauses being applyed to the Devil signifie his fall from his noble state and place to Earth and Hell the baseneâ—…s of his nature and of his food his delight being in the vilest of mâ—…n and things it being now his meâ—…t and drink to dishonour God and destroy mankind and promote the esteem and love of earthly things all the days of thy Life 15. And I will put enmity z Though now you be sworn Friends leagued together against me between thee and the Woman a And the Man too but the Woman alone is mentioned for the Devils greater confusion 1. The Woman whom as the weaker Vessel thou didst seduce shall be the great occasion of thy overthrow 2. Because the Son of God who conquered this great Dragon and old Serpent Rev. 12. 9. Who came to destroy the works of the Devil 1 Iohn 3. 8. was made of a Woman Gal. 4. 4. without the help of man Esa. 7. 14. Luk. â—… 34 35. and between thy * Matt. 3. 7. and 13. 38 and 23. 3â—… John 8. 44. Acts 13. 10. â—… John 3. 8. Seed b Literally this Serpent and for his sake the whole seed or race of Serpents which of all Creatures are most loathsome and terrible to mankind and especially to Women Mystically that evil Spirit which seduced her and with him the whole society of Devils who are generally hated and dreaded by all men even by those that serve and obey them but much more by good men and all wicked men who with regard to this text are called Devils and the Children or seed of the Devil Iohn 6. 70. and 8. 44. Acts 13. 10. 1 Iohn 3. 8. and her †Psal. 132. 11. Isi. 7. 14. Mic. 5. 3. Seed c Her off-spring first and principally the Lord Christ who with respect to this text and promise is called by way of eminency the Seed Gal. 3. 16 19. whose alone work it is to break the Serpents head i. â—… to destroy the Devil Heb. 2. 14. Compare Iohn 12. 31. Rom. 16. 20. Secondly and by way of participation all the members of Christ all believers and holy men who are called the Children of Christ Heb. 2. 13. and of the Heavenly Ierusalem Gal. 4. 26. All the members whereof are the Seed of this Woman And all these are the implacable enemies of the Devil whom also by Christs merit and strength they do overcome It shall ‖ Som. 16. 20. Heb. 2. 14. 1 John 5. 5. Rev. 12. 7 17. bruise thy head e The principal instrument both of the Serpents fury and mischief and of his defence and the principal seat of the Serpents life which therefore men chiefly strike at and which being upon the ground a man may conveniently tread upon and crush it to pieces In the Devil this notes his Power and Authority over men the strength whereof consists in Death which Christ the blessed seed of the Woman overthroweth by taking away the sting of death which is Sin 1 Cor. 15. 55 56. and destroying him that had the power of death that is the Devil Heb. 2. 14. and thou shalt bruise his heel f The part which is most within the Serpents reach and wherewith it was bruised and thereby provoked to fix his venemous Teeth there But a part remote from the Head and Heart and therefore its wounds though painful are not deadly nor dangerous if they be observed in time If it be applyed to the seed of the Woman Christ his heel may note either his humanity whereby he trod upon the Earth which indeed the Devil by Gods permission and the hands of wicked men did bruise and kill or his Saints and Members upon the Earth whom the Devil doth in diverse manners bruise and vex and afflict while he cannot reach their head Christ in Heaven nor those of his members who are or shall be advanced thither 16. Unto the Woman he said I will greatly g Or certainly as the repetition of the same word implyes multiply thy sorrow h In diverse pains and infirmities peculiar to thy Sex i. e. Thou shalt have many and those oft-times false and fruitless Conceptions and Abortive Births and whereas thou mightest commonly have had many Children at one Conception as some few Women yet have now thou shalt ordinarily undergo all the troubles and pains of Conception Breeding and Birth for every Child which thou hast Or Thy sorrows and thy Conception by a figure called Hendiaduo are put for thy sorrows in Conception or rather in Child-bearing which the Hebrew word here used signifies Gen. 16. 4. Iud. 13. 3. and thy conception In sorrow i Aristotle in his Histor. Animal 7. 9. observes that Women bring forth young with more pain than any other Creatures thou shalt bring forth k Or bear for the word notes all the pains and troubles which Women have both in the time of Child-bearing and in the act of bringing forth Children l Heb. Sons and Daughters too both being comprehended in that word as Exod 22. 24. Psal. 128. 6. And thy desire m Thy desires shall be referred or submitted to thy husbands will and pleasure to grant or deny them as he sees fit Which sense is confirmed from Gen. 4. 7. where the same phrase is used in the same sense And this punishment was both very proper for her that committed so great an errour as the eating of the forbidden Fruit was in compliance with her own desire without asking her Husbands advise or consent as in all reason she should have done in so weighty and doubtful
Serpent could speak and what the Woman conceived of his speech and why she was not affrighted but continued the discourse with it There be two satisfactory answers may be given to these questions 1. The Woman knew that there were spirits and did freely and frequently converse with Spirits or Angels who also did appear in some visible shape to her which seems very credible because in the following Ages not onely the Angels but even the blessed God himself did in that manner converse with men And as they afterwards used to appear in the shape of men why might not one of them now appear to her and converse with her in the shape of a beautiful Serpent And why might she not freely and securely discourse with this which she thought to be one of those good Angels to whose care and tuition both she and her Husband were committed For I suppose the fall of the Angels was yet unknown to her and she thought this to be a good Spirit otherwise she would have declined all conversation with an Apostate Spirit 2. A late ingenious and learned Writer represents the matter thus in which there is nothing absurd or incredible The Serpent makes his address to the Woman with a short speech and salutes her as the Empress of the World c. She is not affrighted because there was as yet no cause of fear no sin and therefore no danger but wonders and enquires what this meant and whether he was not a brute Creature and how he came to have speech and understanding The Serpent replies that he was no better than a brute and did indeed want both these gifts but by eating of a certain fruit in this Garden he got both She asked what Fruit and Tree that was Which when he shewed her she replied this no doubt is an excellent fruit and likely to make the eater of it wise but God hath forbidden us this Fruit To which the Serpent replies as it here follows in the Text. It is true 〈◊〉 discourse is not in the Text 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 â—…ewish and other Expositors that these words Yea hath God said c. Are a short and abrupt sentence and that they were but the close of a foregoing discourse which might well enough be either this now mentioned or some other of a like nature And that expression which follows verse 6. When the Woman saw i. e. understood that it was a Tree to be desired to make one wise may seem to imply both that the Serpent told her and that she believed that the speech and understanding of the Serpent was the effect of the eating of that Fruit and therefore that if it raised him from a brute-Beast to the degree of a reasonable Creature it would elevate her from the humane to a kind of divine nature or condition unto the Woman d Who had upon some occasion retired from her Husband for a season an advantage which the crafty Serpent quickly espieth and greedily embraceth and assaulteth her when she wanteth the help of her Husband †Heb. Yea because c. yea e Or Why or Is it so or indeed or of a truth hath God said f It is scarce credible that God who is so bountiful and the soveraign good and so abhorring from all parsimony and envy should forbid you the enjoyment of any part of those provisions which he hath made for your use and comfort ye shall not eat of every g Or of any for the word is ambiguouâ—… which therefore the cunning adversary useth to hide the snare which he was laying for her Tree of the Garden 2. And the Woman said unto the Serpent we may eat of the Fruit of the Trees of the Garden 3. But of the Fruit of the Tree which is in the midst of the Garden God hath said ye shall not eat of it neither shall ye touch it h To wit in order to the eating of it Or the touch might be simply forbidden or she might reasonably understand it to be forbidden in and by the prohibition of eating because it was an occasion of sin and therefore to be avoided For it is not probable that the Woman being not yet corrupted should knowingly add to God's Word or malitiously insinuate the harshness of the precept lest ye dye i Others lest peradventure ye dye as if she doubted of the truth of the threatning Which seems not probable the Woman yet continuing in the state of 〈◊〉 and such doubting being evidently sinful and the Hebrew particle Pen doth not always imply a doubt as appeares from Psal â—… 12. Isa. 27. 3. and 3â—… 18. compared with 2 King 18. 3. 4. * 2 Cor. 11. 3 1 Tim. 2. 14. And the Serpent said unto the Woman ye shall not surely die k It is not so certain as you imagine that you shall die God did say so indeed for your terrour and to keep you in awe or he had some mystical meaning in those words but do not entertain such hard and unworthy thoughts of that God who is infinitely kind and gracious that he will for such a triâ—…le as the eating of a little Fruit undo you and all your Posterity and so suddenly destroy the most excellent work of his own hands 5. For God doth know l If you would have the whole truth of the matter and God's design in that Prohibition it is only this that in the day ye â—…at thereof then your eyes shall be opened m He knoweth that you shall be so far from dying that ye shall certainly be entred into a new and more noble kind of Life and the eyes of your minds which are now shut as to the knowledge of a World of things shall then be opened and see things more fully and distinctly and ye shall be as Gods n Or as God like unto God himself in the largeness of your knowledge knowing Good and Evil o As the very name that God hath put upon the Tree may teach you But this is a priviledge of which for divers causes best known to himself some of which your own reason will easily guess at he would not have you partake of 6. And when the Woman saw p By curious and accurate observation and gazing upon it or perceiving it by the Serpents discourse as was observed on ver 3. that the Tree was good for Food and that it was †Heb. a desire pleasant to the Eyes * To wit in an eminent degree for otherwise so were all the rest and a Tree to be desired to make one Wise q Which she might know by the Serpents information See the Notes on ver 1. she took of the Fruit thereof * 1 Tim. 2. 14. and did eat and gave also unto her Husband r Who by this time was returned to her with her s i. e. Who now was with her or that he might eaâ—… with her and
take his part of that Fruit. and he did eat t By her perswasion and instigation See 1 Tim. 2. 14. 7. And the Eyes of them both u Of their Minds and Consciences which hitherto had been closed and blinded by the arts of the Devil were opened x As the Devil had promised them though in a far differing and sadder sense and they knew ‖ They knew it before when it was their glory but now they knew it with grief and shame from a sense both of their guilt for the sin newly past and of that sinful Concupiscence which they now â—…ound working in them that they were naked and they fewed y Or Tyed Twisted or Fastned Fig-leaves z The lesser branches or twigs upon which were also the leaves of a Fig-tree which peradventure was then near them and which because of its broad leaves was most fit for that use together and made themselves ‖ Or things to gird about Aprons a To cover their nakedness 8. And they heard the voice b Mentioned ver 9. or rather the sound as the word voice is often taken in Scripture as Psal. 93. 3. Rev. 10. 3. and 19. 6. of the LORD God c Either God the Father or rather God the Son appearing in the shape of a man as afterwards he frequently did to give a forecast of his incarnation walking in the Garden in the †Heb. wind cool of the day d About Evening the time when men use to walk abroad to recreate themselves when there was a cool and refreshing Wind whereby also the voice of the Lord was more speedily and effectually conveyed to Adam and his Wife and Adam and his Wife hid themselves from the presence of the LORD God e Being sensible of God's approach and filled with shame and Conscience of their own guilt and dread of judgement instead of flying to God for Mercy they foolishly attempted to run away from him whom it was impossible to avoid amongst the Trees of the Garden 9. And the LORD God called f With a loud voice unto Adam and said unto him where art thou g Thou whom I have so highly obliged whither and wherefore doest thou run away from me thy friend and Father whose presence was lately so sweet and acceptable to thee In what place or rather in what condition art thou What is the cause of this sudden and wonderful change This he asks not that he was ignorant of it but to make way for the following sentence and to set a pattern for all Judges that they should examine the offender and enquire into the offence before they proceed to punishment 10. And he said I heard thy voice in the Garden And I was afraid because I was naked h He confesseth his nakedness which was evident but saith nothing of his sin which if possible he would have hid See Iob 31. 33. And is grieved for the shameful effects of his sin but not yet sincerely penitent for his sin and I hid my self i Out of reverence to thy glorious Majesty 11. And he said who told thee that thou wast naked * Or that thy nakedness which lately was thy glory was now become matter of shame hast thou eaten of the Tree whereof I commanded thee k 〈◊〉 which I gave thee so severe a charge upon pain of 〈◊〉 that thou shouldst not eat 12. And the man said the Woman l I have eaten not by my own choice and inclination but by the perswasion of this Woman whom thou gavest to be with me m As a meet help a faithful friend and constant companion supposing that it was not good for me to â—…e alone which the event shews would have been much better for me Thus Adam excuseth himself and chargeth God foolishly with his sin she gave me of the Tree and I did eat n Out of complacency to her not from any evil design against thee 13. And the LORD God said unto the Woman what is this that thou hast done o How hainous a crime hast thou commâ—…ted What a World of mischief hast thou by this one 〈◊〉 brought upon themself 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thy posterity Or why hast thou done this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 motives couldst thou have â—…or so wicked 〈◊〉 What 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 thou of meddling with this 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 it when I had gâ—…en thee so large and liberal an allowance And the Woman said the Serpent p A Creature which thou hast made and that assisted by an higher power by an evil Angel for such I now perceive by sad experience there â—…e beguiled me q A 〈◊〉 and foolish Woman whose seduction cast for 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Anger and I did eat r Being surprized and overperswaded against my own Judgment and Resolution 14. And the LORD God said unto the Serpent s Or rather this or that Serpent which as was said before on ver 1. was no ordinary Serpent but a Serpent acted and assisted by the Devil and therefore this sentence or curse is pronounced against both of them 1. Against the Serpent it self which though an unreasonable Creature and therefore not subject to a Law and consequently not capable of guilt or sin Rom. 4. 15. Yet being the instrument of the Devils malice is rightly punished as other Beasts being abused by mans sin did suffer together â—…th him Exod. 32. 20. Levit. 20. 15 16. not for their crime but partly for the punishment and partly for the benefit of Man who is their Lord and Owner Psal. 8. 6. for whose sake seeing they were made it is not strange if they be punished for his use that in their punishment man might have a demonstration of Gods anger against sin and a motive to Repentance 2. Against the Devil who is here principally intended though as he lay hid in the body of the Serpent which he possessed and used so his curse is here mentioned under the cover of the Serpents curse and under the disguise of such terms as properly and literally agree to the Serpent but are also mystically to be understood concerning the Devil With whom the Lord entertaineth no conference as he did with Adam and Eve whose sin was less than his and whom God meanâ—… to bring to Repentance but immediately denounceth the curse against him as one that sinned against much greater Knowledge and from far worse Principles not from mistake or mis-information but from choice and Rebellion from hatred of God and from meer envy and implacable malice against men because thou hast done this t Deceived the Woman and tempted her to this sin thou 〈◊〉 u Or shalt be from henceforth both really and in the opinion of all mankind Or Be thou cursed above all Cattle and above every Beast of thâ—… Field x As in other respects so particularly in that which here follows upon thy belly shalt thou go ‖ If the Serpent
our first Parents had utterly lost and 〈◊〉 by 〈◊〉 price of his own blood and hath revenged the Death of Mankind upon the great Contriver of it the Devil by destroying him and his kingdom and hath taken a course to preserve our Name and Honour and Persons to Eternity And if the places where God is called Goel in the Old Testament be examined it will be found that either all or most of them may be and some of them must be understood of God the Son or oâ—… Christ as Gen. 48. 16. Isa. 59. 20. See also Psalm 74. 2. Isa. 41. 14. 44. 6. 49. 7 52. 3. 63. 16. 3. Because Iob was so far from such a firm Confidence as he here professeth that he had not the least degree of hope of any such glorious temporal restauration as his Friends promised to him as we have oft seen and observed in the former Discourses as Chap. 16. 22. 17. 12 13 c. And therefore that hope which every righteous man hath in his death Prov. 14. 32. and which Iob oft professeth that he had must necessarily be fixed upon his happiness in the future life 4. Because some of the following expressions cannot without wresting and violence be applied to a Metaphorical Resurrection as we shall see in the Sequel 5. Because this is a more lofty and spiritual strain than any in Iob's former Discourses and quite contrary to them And as they generally â—…avour of Dejection and Diffidence and do either declare or encrease his Grief so this puts him into another and much better temper And therefore it is well observed that after this time and these expressions we meet not with any such impatient or despairing passages as we had before which shews that they had inspired him with new life and comfort 6. Because this well agrees with other passages in this Book wherein Iob declareth that although he had no hope as to this life and the comforts thereof yet he had an hope beyond death which made him prosess Though 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 me yet will I trust in him Iob 13. â—… 5. Trust in him For what Suâ—… for comfort and happiness Where Not in this life for that he supposeth to be lost therefore it must be in the next life And this was one reason why he so vehemently desired Death because he knew it would bring him unto God and unto true Felicity And this his hope and confidence in God and in his Favour to him Iob. opposeth to those â—…oul and false aspersâ—…ons which his Friâ—… had cast upon him as iâ—… he had forsaken God and cast off all â—…ear of him and hope in him Object 1. If this place had spoken of the Resurrection of the Body some of the Hebrew Writer or Commentators upon this Place who did believe that Doctrine would have understood it so and have urged it against the Sadduces which they did not Answ. 1. All the Jewish Writers which are now extant lived and wrote â—…ce Christ's time when the Doctors of that People were very ignorant of many great Truths and of the plain meaning of many Scriptures and very corrupt in their Principles as well as in their Practises 2. There was a manifest Reason why they could not understand this Text thus because they believed that Iob in his Agonies did deny God's Providence and consequently the Resurrection and the future Judgment which though it was a most uncharitable and false Opinion yet forced them to interpret this Text another way Obj. 2. How is it credible that Iob in those ancient times and in that dark stare of the Church should know these great Mysteries of Christ's Incarnation and of the Resurrection and Life to come Answ. 1. The mystery of Christ's Incarnation was revealed to 〈◊〉 by that first and famous Promise that the seed of the woman should break the Serpent's head Gen. 3. 15. which being the onely Foundation of all his Hopes for the recovery and salvation of himself and of all his Posterity he would doubtless carefully and 〈◊〉 teach and explain it as need required to those that descended from him 2. That the ancient Patriarchs and Prophets were generally acquainted with these Doctrines is undeniably evident from Heb. 11. and 1 Pet. 1. â—… 10. 11 12. 3 Particularly Abraham from whom Iob is supposed to have dâ—…ded had the Promise made to him that Christ should come out of his Loins Gen. 12. â—… and is said to have seen Christs day and 〈◊〉 to see it John 8. 56. and had his hopes and desires fixed upon a divine and heavenly City and Country Heb. â—…1 10 16. And as 〈◊〉 liveth m knâ—…w and believed these things himself so it is manifest that he â—…aught them to his Children and Servants Gen. 18. 1â—… aâ—…d to his Kiâ—…red and others as he had occasâ—…on And therefore it cannot seem strange that Iob professeth his Faith and hope in these things 〈◊〉 I am a dying man and my hopes are dying but he liveth and that for ever and therefore though i die 〈◊〉 both caâ—… and will make me to live again in due time â—…ugh not in this World yet in the other which is much better and though I am now highly censured and condemned by my Friend and others as a great Dissembler and a secret Sinner whom God's haâ—…d hath found out yet there is a day coming wherein 〈◊〉 Caâ—…se shall be pleaded and my Name and Honour vindicated from all these Reproaches and my Integrity brought to light and that he shall stand n I am falling and dying but he shall stand firm and unmoâ—…able and victorious in full power and authority all which this word stand signifies and therefore he is able to make me to stand in Judgment and to maintain my Cause against all Opposers Or 〈◊〉 â—…all arise as this Verb most commonly signifies i. e. Either 1. he shall exist or be born as this word is oft used as Num. 32. 14 Deut 29. 22. Iudg. 2. 10. 1 Kings 3 12. Matth. 11. 11. And it notes Christ's Incarnation that although as he was God he was now and from all Eternity in being yet he should in due time be made man and be born of a woman Or 2. he shall arise out of the dust which had been more probable if it had been in the Text from or out of as now it is upon the earth or dust for Christ's Resurrection from the dead might be fiâ—…ly mentioned here as the Cause of Iob's Resurrection which followeth ‖ Or at last at the latter day o Either 1. in the days of the Messiah or of the Gospel which are oft called the letter or last days or times as Isa. 2. 2 〈◊〉 â—… 5. 〈◊〉 2. 28. Compared with Acts 2. 17. 1 Tim. 4. 1. and 2 〈◊〉 3. 1. 〈◊〉 1. 1. Or rather 2. at the day of the general Resurrection and Judgment which as those holy Patriarchs well knew and firmly believed was to be at
that are my people though you cannot rejoice with that degree of joy that attendeth a present fruition of good yet be glad and rejoice with the rejoycing of hope for the thing is certain what I am already doing nor let your present state or the discouragements you have from seeming improbabilities spoil your joy for it is not a work to be produced in an ordinary course or by an ordinary power but by the power of me who brings something out of nothing or out of what hath no fittedness to such a production and I will create in that which I create for behold I create Hierusalem g Hierusalem a rejoycing and her people a joy by Hierusalem here must be meant the Church as well under the Gospel as under the law because the Gospel Church is grafted into that Olive or else this prophecy mâ—…st be understood as fulfilled in the coming of Christ Luke 2. 10. Or else it referreth to a more full calling of the Jews then we have yet seen or heard of a rejoycing and her people a joy 19 And * Chap. 62. 5. I will rejoice in Hierusalem and joy in my people i The nature of joy lying in the satisfaction and well pleasedness of the Soul in the obtaining of the thing it hath willed agreeth unto God and joy and rejoycing are applied to him ch 62. 5. and in this text so also Ier. 32. 41. Zeph. 3. 17. and the * Chap. 35. 10. Rev. 7. 17. 21. 4. voice of weeping shall be no more heard in her nor the voice of crying k Such kind of promises are to be found ch 35. 10. 51. 11. Ier. 31. 12. Rev. 21. 4. which must be understood either comparatively They shall indure no such misery as formerly or if interpreted to a state in this life as signifying only some long or eminent state of happiness if as to another life they may be taken strictly as signifying perpetuity and persection of joy and happiness 20 There shall be no more thence an infant of days nor an old man that hath not filled his days l Whereas God had made many promises of long life to 〈◊〉 Jews they should all be fulfilled to Gods people among them so as there should be rare abortions among them Exod. 23. 26. few infants should be carried out to burial nor but few that should not have filled up their years those that were now Children should die at a great age nor none of these things should be of any advantage to wicked men but if any of them should live to be an hundred years old yet they should die accursed This seemeth to be the plain sense If any desires to read more opinions of these words he may find enough in the English Annotations for the child shall die an hundred years old but the sinner being an hundred years old shall be accurâ—…ed m. 21 And * Amos 9. 14. they shall build houses and inhabit them And they shall plant Vineyards and eat of the fruit of them n The quite contrary to what is said of the sloathful man and Iob 27. 13 14 15 16 17. Prov. 12. 27. 22 They shall not build and another inhabit †Psa. 92. 12. they shall not plant and another eat for * as the days of a tree are the days of my people and mine elect †Shall make them continue long or shall wear out shall long enjoy the work of their hands o Duration and perpetuity are promised to them in their happy estate 23 They shall not labour in vain nor bring forth for trouble for they are the seed of the blessed of the Lord and their off-spring with them p And not only a blessing to them but also to their Off-springs But what is here promised which wicked men do not oft times enjoy and Gods People oft times want Ans. 1. Wicked men may have them for their good parents sake and good men may sometimes want them for evil parents sake 2. Bad men may have some of these things but they cannot expect them good men may at present want them but they may expect them from the hand of God if they be good for them 3. Bad men may have them in wrath the blessing of God gives them to good men and adds no sorrow therewith 24 And it shall come to pass that before they call I will answer q God promised ch 58. 9. to answer them when they called here he promiseth to be so ready to answer as to answer the words assoon as they should be formed in their hearts before they should get them out of their lips Psal. 32. 5. Dan. 10. 12. and whiles they are yet speaking r Yea while they were speaking Dan. 9. 20. 23. Acts 10. 44. nor doth God say only they shall have the things they would have for so wicked men may sometimes have from the bountiful hand of Divine Providence but they shall have them as an answer or return unto their prayers I will hear 25 The * Ch. 11. 6. 9. wolf and the lamb shall feed together and the lion shall eat straw like the bullock s This verse containeth a promise much like that ch 11. 6 9. And relates to the ceasing of persecution The People of God for their whiteness and innocency are often compared to Lambs and Sheep wicked men to Wolves and Lions for their antipathy to the seed of the Woman God here promiseth to take off the fierceness of the Spirits of his Peoples Enemies so that they shall live quietly and peaceably together and dust shall be the serpents meat t Wicked men are compared to Serpents Micah 7. 17. compared with Psal. 72. 9. God promiseth a time of tranquillity to his Church under the Metaphor of Serpents eating the dust their proper meat Gen. 3. 14. instead of flying upon men it signifies such a time when wicked men should mind their proper business and not make it their work to eat up the people of God like bread they shall not hurt nor destroy in all my holy mountain u For the last phrase see ch 11. 9. what is before noted But will some say When shall these things be The Scripture gives us no record of any such period of time yet past And it is very probable that this is a promise yet to be fulfilled and it is not for us to know the times and seasons but in the mean time to let our faith and patience be seen in the mean time we my learn That it is Gods work to restrain the Wolves and Serpents of the world who would else be always doing what they are some times doing it is a sad sign that God is not yet at peace with that people where we see Wolves devouring Lambs and Serpents destroying men instead of licking up dust nor well pleased with that part of his holy mountain where there is nothing but hurting
his slave to be abused despised or trampled under his feet but to be kindly treated and used like a companion with moderation respect and affection Qu. How could a Rib be taken from Adam but it must be either superfluous in Adam while it was in him or defective afterwards both which reflect upon the Creator Answ. 1. It was no superfluity but a conveniency if Adam had at first one Rib extraordinary put into him for this purpose 2. If Adam lost a Rib upon so glorious an occasion it was but a scar or badge of honour and no disparagement either to him or to his Creator 3. Either God created him a new Rib or hardned the Flesh to the Nature and use of a Rib and so there was no defect in him and closed up the Flesh i Together with another Bone or Rib. in stead thereof k i. e. Of that Rib and Flesh which he took away from him which was easie for God to do 22. And the Rib which the LORD God had taken from Man †Heb builded made he a Woman and brought her l From some place at a little distance whether he first carryed her that for the decency of the action he might bring her thence unto the Man m A Bride to a Bridegroom to be married to him the great God being pleased to act the part of a Father to give his Daughter and workmanship to him thereby both teaching Parents their duty of providing Marriages for their Children and Children their duty of expecting their Parents consent in Marriage 23. And Adam said n Qu. How knew he this Answ. Either 1. By his own observation For though it be said that he was asleep till the Rib was taken out and restored yet he might awake as soon as ever that was done the reason of his sleep ceasing and so might see the making of the Woman Or. 2. By the Revelation of God who put these words into Adams mouth to whom therefore these words of Adam are ascribed Matth. 19. 5. this is now o Or For this time the Woman is made of my Bones c. but for the time to come the Woman as well as the man shall be produced another way to wit by Generation Bone of my Bones and Flesh of my Flesh p Made of my Rib and Flesh i. e. God hath provided me a meet help and Wife not out of the brute Creatures but nearer hand a part of my own Body and of the same nature with my self She shall be called Woman because she was * 2 Cor. 11. 8. taken out of man 24. * Matth. 19. 5. Mar. 10. 7. 1 Cor. 6. 16. Eph. 5. 31. Therefore q These are the words of Moses by divine instinct or his inference from Adam's words shall a man leave his Father and his Mother r In regard of Habitation and society but not as to natural duty and affection and shall cleave unto his Wife s In Coniâ—…gal relation and highest affection even above what they owe to their Parents And they t Or they two as it is in the Samaritan Syriack and Arabick translations and Matthew 19. 5. shall u i. e. Shall be esteemed by themselves and others to be as intirely and inseparably united and shall have as intimate and universal communion as if they were be one Flesh x i. e. One Person one Soul one Body And this first institution shews the sinfulness of Divorces and Polygamy however God might upon a particular reason for a time dispence with his own institution or to remit the punishment due to the violaters of it 25. And they were both naked the Man and his Wife and were not ashamed y To wit of their nakedness as having no guilt nor cause of shame no filthy or evil inclinations in their Bodies no sinful Concupiscence or impure motions in their Souls but spotless innocency and perfection which must needs exclude shame CHAP. III. 1. NOw the Serpent a Or Rather this or that Serpent For here is an emphatical article of which more by and by was more subtile than any Beast of the Field b The Serpents eminent subtilty is noted both in sacred Scripture Gen. 49. 17. Psal. 58. 5. Mark 10. 16. 2 Cor. 11. 3. and by Heathen Authors whereof these instances are given that when it is assaulted it secures its head that it stops its ear at the charmers voice and the like If it be yet said that some beasts are more subtle and therefore this is not true it may be replied 1. It is no wonder if the Serpent for its instrumentality in mans sin hath lost the greatest part of its original subtlety even as mans sin was punished with a great decay both of the natural endowments of his Mind Wisdom and Knowledge and of the beauty and glory of his Body the instrument of his sin But this Text may and seems to be understood not of the whole kind of Serpents but of this individual or particular Serpent for it is in the Hebrew Haunachaâ—…h that Serpent or this Serpent to signifie that this was not only an ordinary Serpent but was acted and assisted by the Devil who is therefore called that old Serpent Rev. 12. 9. And this seems most probable partly from the following discourse which is added as a proof of that which is here said concerning the Serpents subtlety and that sâ—…rely was not the discourse of a Beast but of a Devil and partly from 2 Cor. 11. 3. which hath a manifest reference to this place where the Apostle affirmeth that the Serpent beguiled Eve through his subtlety not surely through that subtlety which is common to all Serpents but through that subtilty which was peculiar to this as it was possessed and acted by the Devil There seems indeed to be an all â—…sion here to the natural subtilty of all Serpents and the sense of the sacred Penman may seem to be this as if he said the Serpent indeed in it self is a subtil Creature and thought to be more subtil than any Beast of the Field but howsoever this be in other Serpents â—…t is certain that this Serpent was more subtil than any Beast of the Field as will appear by the following words If it be said the particle this or that is relative to something going before whereas there is not a word about it in the foregoing words it may be replyed that relative particles are often put without any antecedents and the antecedents are left to be gathered not onely out of the foregoing but sometimes also out of the following passages as is apparent from Exod. 14. 29. Numb 7. 89. and 24. 17. Psal. 87. 1. and 105. 19. and 114. 2. Prov. 7. 8. and 14. 26. So here that Serpent that of which I am now to speak whose discourse with the Woman here followeth which the LORD God had made and he said c Quest. How the