A View of Mans Estate, Tract 1 · Chapter 5
The fifth Chapter.
¶The fall of Adam, and his miſerable estate by occaſion thereof.
THus God loued the worlde euen in his firſt foundatiō, wherin he ſhewed manifolde tokens of a fatherlye fauour towardes man, but this was not that ſpeciall louelove here meante, there was yet no néede of that louelove: let vsus therefore nowe conſider the occaſion of this our neceſſitie, why God ſhoulde ſo ſhewe his merciemercy towardes vsus as is here mentioned: let vsus ſearch the ſore, ſo ſhall the ſalue ſéeme more precious. He that can not in himſelfe finde what he is of himſelfe, let him loke vponupon Adam, as the childe on the father, and the true image of vsus all, ſo iuſtly valewing our ſelues, what we are whom God ſo loueth, we ſhall hauehave occaſion to ſet the greater price on that louelove, and it may be as a ſpur vntounto vsus, ſtirring vsus vntounto a further thankefulneſſe. Nowe therefore when God had ſo mercifully dealte with Adam, ſettling him in that place of pleaſure, giuing him ſuch libertie as theſe wordes do import:Gene. 2. Thou ſhalte eate freely of eueryevery tree of the Garden: yet leaſte the pot might ſet vp himſelfe againſt the potter, leaſt by preſumption man ſhoulde aduance and equall himſelfe with his creator, it was the good pleaſure of the almightie God to giuegive him this brydle to byte on, and to kepe down that ſtomacke which he foreſawe woulde ſhortly ſwell with pride, ſo to reſtraine his libertie, as in thoſe wordes is expreſſed. But as touching the tree of knowledge of good and euill, thou ſhalte not eate of it, for whenſoeuer thou eateſt thereof, thou ſhalte dye the death. This was the holy commaundement of our heauenly father, whiche it had bene the parte of man willingly to hauehave obeyed, alwayes to hauehave obſerued, neuer to hauehave reſiſted: ſo might he hauehave kept his poſſeſſion in Paradiſe. For all the benefites which God had moſte plentifully beſtowed vppon man, he deſired but this one thing, that is,1. Sam. 15. obedience to his will. This was a ſacrifice wherewith he woulde be pleaſed: he hath alwayes cryed for obedience, euen from the firſte man hither vntounto: but he could neuer get it at any mans handes, excepting Chriſte the righteous. For Adam how did he behaue himſelfe? what obedience ſhewed he? he ſtopped his eare at the voice of the liuing God his louing Lorde, who dealte ſo mercifully and liberally with him, it was forgotten whiche God ſayde, thou ſhalte dye, and that voyce of the ſerpent, ye ſhal not dye, howe ſoone did that enter the eare? For the man he gaue eare to the Woman, the Woman to the Serpent, they brake the commaundement, they eat of the excepted trée: ſo the blinde led the blinde, and they fel togither into the ditch, they became ſubiecte to the curſe of God, who called them to accompt for their diſobedience, and gaue to eueryevery one his ſeueral curſe: here is the point, here lieth the matter a bleeding: this is the olde ſore (as they ſay) bred in the bone, that will neuer be gotten out of the fleſhe, paſſing mans cunning to cure, without a ſpeciall remedie prouided of God. O Adam how wert thou bewitched? thou wert once in an highe and heauenly eſtate, but thou arte falne flat to the earthe: thou werte ſure in Paradiſe, but now thou art endaungered to become a firebrand of hell: it was ſwéete meat perchance thou taſtedſt, but thou ſhouldeſt hauehave remembred the ſowre ſauſe that followed. Coulde not theſe bleſſings and manifolde benefites, receyued of thy creator, coole thy preſumptuous courage? coulde not the feare of falling into the contrarie plagues and calamities ſtay thy wilfull appetite? O howe didſt thou forget that threatning, thou ſhalt dye the death, that double deathe, the due rewarde of thy ſinne? But thou ſhouldeſt hauehave bene obedient: obedience had bene the waye to hauehave kepte thee vpright, but nowe thou haſt receiued thy wages, the wages for ſinne is death.Rom. 6. Whileſt thou keptſt thy ſelfe within the bounds which thy louing Lorde hadde appoynted for thée, then waſte thou an happie Adam: O thanke God for that: nowe arte thou vnhappie and in miſerie, thanke thy ſelfe, thy ſelfe will ſinne for that. Thou waſte once in the fauoure of God, he ſhewed hymſelfe a moſte fauourable father vntounto thée, whileſt thou behauedſt thy ſelfe as an obedient childe: but nowe hath he iuſtly turned thée of. Thou waſt once the frée friende of God, but nowe art become the ſworne ſeruant of ſinne, and bondſlaue of Sathan: this is ſpoken as by the mouth of God.Iohn. 15. Then are you my friendes, if you doe what I commaunde you: nowe therefore arte thou an enimie vntounto God bycauſe thou haſt neglected his holy commaundement: whoſoeuer committeth ſinne, is the ſeruaunt of ſinne:Iohn. 8. therefore arte thou Adam out of Gods ſeruice: he that ſinneth is of the Deuill: thou haſte ſinned Adam,1. Iohn. 3. therefore arte thou not of God. Thou didſt once receiue a bleſſing at Gods hande, thou didſt féele no part of paine, God cared altogyther for thée, thou tookeſt no care for thy ſelfe, thou waſt warme without clothes, naked without ſhame, ſatiſfied without trauel, thy meat was put into thy mouth, God hadde ſo bleſſed eueryevery thing for thée, that the earth, the herbes, the trées, the cattell, the foules, the fiſhe, they gaue thée their fruite and yelded their encreaſe of their owne accorde, in the meane while mighteſt thou take thy pleaſure in thy garden: but now thou haſte ſinned Adam, therefore muſt thou harden thy handes to labour, thou muſt ſet thy ſhoulders to heauie burthens, thou muſt buie thy breade dearely with the ſweate of thy face: this might hauehave bene foreſéene: hadſt thou not ſinned, thou néedeſt not hauehave ſweated: but there is no remedie that man may finde. Thou art ſicke Adam, thou art ſicke vntounto deathe, thou haſt prouoked the wrath of God, thou haſt cauſed him to poure out his vengeance, and to open his cup of curſes. O beholde howe the wrath of God being once kindled, ouerrunneth the whole worlde, for the diſobedience of man: ſée what a flame riſeth of the burning ſparke of ſinne:Iohn. 9. As before in obedience man was bleſſed, ſo in diſobedience, of the iuſtice of God muſte he néedes be curſed: harken therefore vntounto the dreadfull iudgement and hard ſentence pronounced vponupon diſobedience Adam, thus ſayth the Lorde,Gene. 3. bycauſe thou haſt eaten of the tree whiche I commaunded thée thou ſhouldeſt not eate of, Curſed is the earth for thy ſake, in ſorowe ſhalte thou eate of it, all the dayes of thy life, thornes alſo and thiſtles ſhall it bring forthe vntounto thee, in the ſweate of thy face ſhalt thou eate breade, till thou returne to the earth, thou art duſt, and to duſt thou ſhalt returne againe. O lamentable fall, O pitifull caſe, wherin thou nowe ſtandeſt (Adam) ſo cladde and clogged with the intollerable burthen of ſinne, ſo ouerwhelmed with the bloudie floudes of Gods vengeance and curſes, ſo pitifully and plentifully poured out vponupon thy heade, and beſides this he may no longen enioye his paradiſe, he is diſpoſſeſſed thereof, he is baniſhed, he is turned abrode into the wide worlde, whereas nowe he might not ſo much as come neare the trée of knowledge of good and euill, for the which he ventred ſo far, neyther might any longer enioy any part of that libertie, as to eate of all other the trees and fruites of the garden, & loſt alſo the fight of the trée of life. Theſe are the wages of ſinne payde as debte due vntounto a ſinfull and diſobedient man: Let vsus therfore by this knowe our ſelues what we are: What is Adam? he is but duſt, he is hated of GOD, he is aſhamed of himſelfe, he is curſed, he is ſicke with ſinne, he is deade, he is twice deade, ſubiecte to mortalitie, and ſubiecte to eternall damnation. Crie out then (Adam) giuegive thy Children warning, that they maye knowe themſelues, tell them in what caſe thou ſtandeſt, and what an inheritance thou haſt purchaſed for them. Thus ſayth your father (O children of men) he that hath cares to heare, let him heare. I was once a man, a frée man, a bleſſed man, full of life as God had breathed into me, the light ſhining rounde aboute me, the merciemercy of God embraſing me on eueryevery ſide: if I behelde the earth, there was bleſſing for me, ingraued as it were in the herbs, the flowrs & the fruits thereof, turning me to the firmamēt, ther I ſawe the ſunne, the moone, the ſtars, in them was God to be ſéene a bleſſed God, likewiſe in the waters there were innumerable tokens of Gods tender merciemercy towards me: ſo far was I in the fauor of my creator, I might ſtand in his preſence enioying his ioyfull countenance, yea, he made me like vntounto his own Image:Pſal. 49. But alas wretch that I am, whē I was in honor knew not my ſelf, forgot my duetie, & became far vnlike to my God, not like to my ſelfe, but altogither like vntounto a beaſt, yea, rather worſe thā a beaſt, for behold ye dul ore he knoweth his owner,Eſay. 1. & the ſimple Aſſe he knoweth his maſters crib: but I man, nay the ſhadowe of man, a very worm & no mā, I could not bear the yoke of my creator, I would not herken vntounto his voice, I denied him my ſeruice, I hauehave ſinned I hauehave ſinned, therfore I am worthily rewarded: I preſumed & am therfore brought low: I aduanced my ſelf, & therefore I am throwne downe: I hauehave eaten without néed, & therefore I am ſubiect to hunger, I pine away for deſire of the fruit of that pleaſant garden, I thirſte as the Harte after the waters of thoſe ſwéete rūning riuers, I am become of the ſonne of God the childe of wrath, I am cleane altered, I hauehave loſt the light, I walke in darkneſſe, of a bleſſed creature I am become a curſed caitife: Where may I reſt myſelfe? I hauehave ſinned, and my ſinne is euer before me, againſt thée alone, againſt thée (Lord) hauehave I ſinned: I dare not preſent, my ſelfe in thy preſence, I tremble at thy voyce, I am aſhamed of my ſelfe. Whither then may I flée? what ſtay may I finde? I ſinke in ſinne. O that ſting of death, howe it pierceth me. O death, O graue, yours is the victorie, and thou Sathan mine enimie how ruefully thou roareſt? thou ſtandeſt with open mouth readie to deuour me, & I finde yet no defenſe: Thou ſubtill ſerpent that dreweſt me into this net, how thou ſpetteſt thy poyſon, howe buſie art thou about my héele? how faſte hangeſt thou? howe ſuckeſt thou my bloude? O that I coulde ſhake thée of, or that I might bruſe thy heade: And thou Eue, which ſhouldeſt be my comfort, thou haſt as muche néede of comfort thy ſelfe, thou ſhouldeſt hauehave comforted me, but thou haſt deceiued me, and thy ſelfe alſo, we are become a curſed couple, and with my creator I finde this comfort, thou ſhalt die the death: verily it had bene better for me neuer to hauehave bene made, than ſo to hauehave falne into the handes of the liuing God. This might be a true confeſſion of Adams follye, and the deſcription of his eſtate after his fall: wherein we hauehave to conſider what we are of our ſelues without Chriſte, euen as it were ſworne enimies, and at vtter defiance with God.