A Treatise of Paradise, Chapter 49 – Chapter 50
CHAP. XLIX.
Whether when God curſed the ſerpent, it is to be vnderſtood of the true ſerpent, or of the deuill.
MOſes Barcephas, Ephren, with diuers other, thinke that this curſe is laid vponupon the ſerpent, although hee did not commit any crime at all: his reaſon is, becauſe this narration of Moſes being hiſtoricall, it is to bee vnderſtood ſimply, as the words doe ſound.
Now if it bee demanded how this ſtandeth with naturall reaſon, and the iuſtice of God, which is neuer contrary to reaſon, but is rather the rule of all reaſon, that the ſerpent being innocent, and not capable of reaſon, neither conſequently of ſinne, that hee ſhould hauehave inflicted ſo great a puniſhment and curſe, as is denounced againſt him, Gen. 3. verſ. 14. where God ſaid to the ſerpent, becauſe thou haſt done this, thou art curſed aboue all cattell, and aboue eueryevery beaſt of the field; vponupon thy belly ſhalt thou goe, and ſhalt eat duſt all the dayes of thy life:
I anſwer with Barcephas and others aboue alledged, that God did this principally as a puniſhment, and in hatred of the principall agent, the old ſerpent the deuill; thereby to puniſh him not only in himſelfe, but euen in his inſtrument, by which hee had committed that hainous offence againſt his God: like as he who breaketh the inſtrument in hatred of the Muſitian who plaied vponupon it. So likewiſe in the 20. chapter of Leuiticus, God commanded that the beaſt ſhall be ſtoned to death, with which any man hath offended; thereby to ſignifie how great the offence is in the ſight of God, who doth puniſh it, not onelyonly in the principall actor thereof, but euen in his inſtrument; thereby to ſignifie vntounto vsus how hatefull ſinne is, ſeeing often hee doth puniſh it in his vnreaſonable and inſenſible creatures, who are not capable of the ſinne it ſelfe.
Againe, he curſed the ſerpent for Satans ſake, as he did the earth for Adams ſinne: yea and that which is moſt dreadfull, he drowned the world with an vniuerſall deluge, not ſparing the beaſts, for their owners ſinnes.
The like alſo we finde in Princes and other Potentates of this world, who take vengeance of the innocent for the nocents ſake, of the ſonnes for their fathers offences, of their ſubiects for their Princes outrages. So the Poet, not as a Poet ſaith: Quic quid delirant Reges, plectuntur Achiui.
The Chaſtillians bloud in France ſpilt at the maſſacre, was long after required of the Guiſ…an race. The Thracians did beat their wiues, becauſe their forefathers had killed Orpheus. And Agathocles waſted the Iland Corſyra, becauſe in ancient times it gaue entertainment to Vlyſſes.
But now the difficultie may be about theſe words aboue alleaged: VponUpon thy belly ſhalt thou goe, and ſhalt eat duſt all the dayes of thy life. For if it were a ſerpent before, euen the very name doth ſignifie, that it crept vponupon its belly: if then it was the ſerpents nature, how was it a curſe? or if a curſe, how was it his naturall propertie?
I anſwer with Ephren and Barcephas in his booke of Paradiſe, that creeping rather proceeded of Gods curſe, then of the ſerpents nature, who as we reade of other ſerpents, went vponupon his feet, yea more vpright then any other ſerpent, but as Lucifer his principall mouer became by his ſinne a moſt vgly deuill of a moſt beautifull Angell; ſo the ſerpent, who was the inſtrument of Lucifer in this action, became a moſt filthy, venomous, and deteſtable creeping beaſt or worme, of a beautifull and vpright going creature.
Neuertheleſſe, as I hauehave already before inſinuated, the curſe pronounced againſt the ſerpent, is principally to bee vnderſtood againſt the principall author of the temptation, and mouer of the ſerpent, to wit, the deuill, according to the opinion of S. Auſtine, Beda, Rupertus, Hugo de ſancto Victore, Caietan, and many others: ſo that the deuill (as hath beene touched already) is called a ſerpent, for his ſubtiltie and craft in deceiuing of mankinde. Againe, he is ſaid to be curſed amongſt all the beaſts of the earth, becauſe he is condemned to eternall puniſhment: and whatſoeuer is ſaid to be obſcene, filthy and abominable in any whatſoeuer beaſt, or other moſt filthy creature; that ſpiritually is found in the deuill in a higher degree, and more deteſtable meaſure: hee goeth likewiſe vponupon his breaſt and belly, becauſe he tempteth principally in pride and lecherie: and therefore moſt fit to tempt, attempt, and ouercome the woman, as moſt inclinable to theſe kinde of vices: he eſpecially (I ſay) tempteth in pride, ſignified by the breaſt; in luſt, by the belly. Or finally, hee goeth vponupon his breaſt, which is the ſeat of the iraſcible power, anger, and wrath; and vponupon his belly, becauſe this is the fountaine of all filthy luſt and concupiſcences.
CHAP. L.
Whether Adam was caſt out of Paradiſe the ſame day that he was created.
Moſes Barcephas ſupra citatus. Philoxinus oratione de arbore vitae Ephren cō ment in Gen. Sabugenſis oratione de paſſione Domini. Irenaeus, Cyrii…us, & Diodorus Tharſenſis.SOme thinke that Adam was created the firſt houre of the ſixt artificiall day, without the compaſſe of Paradiſe, and was brought in thither at the third houre: afterwards about the ſixt houre he eat of the forbidden fruit; and finally about the ninth being reprehended by God, he was caſt out about Sunne ſetting. The reaſon of this opinion is taken from the words of the ſerpent vntounto Eue: Why did God command you, that you ſhould not eat of eueryevery tree of Paradiſe? by which words wee may inferre that Adam and Eue had not eaten any thing till that time, and conſequently that they were but newly brought into Paradiſe, yea that they were created but a little before.
Neuertheleſſe I thinke it more probable,Baſil. homil. de Paradiſo Damaſcen. l. 2. de fide Orthodexa, cap. 10. Auguſt. li. 11. de gen. ad lit. cap. 21. & l. 20 de ciuitate Dei, cap 26. Gregorius lib. 4. dial cap. 1. Toſtatus Abulenſis ſuper 13. ca p…t Gen. Ioſeph lib. 1. antiquitat. that our firſt parents perſiſted more then one day in Paradiſe, and that this was done by the particular prouidence of God, to the end that they might the better perceiue the miſerie into which they fell by ſinne, by the knowledge and experience which they had of their former felicitie in Paradiſe. And this is the opinion of S. Baſil, Damaſcene, Auſtine, Gregory, Abulenſis, and Ioſephus. Yea it ſeemeth moſt probable, that our firſt parents were not one only day in Paradiſe, for otherwiſe the ſerpent would not hauehave asked them, why they did not eat of eueryevery tree of Paradiſe: for then it might eaſily be anſwered, becauſe their neceſſitie did not require it as yet.
Wherefore though many hauehave defined the time of their abode in Paradiſe to hauehave beene ſo many yeeres as our Sauiour liued in this mortall life, others fortie dayes, according to the time of our Sauiours faſt; yet if it be lawfull to coniecture in this matter ſo doubtfull and vncertaine, I would thinke that they were only eight dayes in Paradiſe, becauſe this was ſufficient for the experience of that happy eſtate: ſo that as our Sauiour was conceiued (as many thinke) on the Friday, and died on the ſame day; ſo likewiſe (as ſome coniecture) was the fall of Adam the cauſe of his death the ſame day: ſo that Adams fall, his creation, and redemption, was by the particular prouidence of Almighty God, wrought (as ſome contemplate) vponupon one and the ſame day. The which, though it be no conuincing reaſon, neither ſufficiently grounded in the ſacred text, yet can it not be denied but that it hath ſome congruitie and conueniencie in reaſon, that the wound and the remedie ſhould bee in one and the ſame day appointed to be by God, who from eternitie foreſeeth the end, together with the meanes, and decreeth of the end together with the meanes, to the end that the common courſe of time, and remembrance of the day, might put vsus in minde both of our miſerable fall by Adam, and our more happie redemption by Chriſt: that ſo wee might continually bewaile our ſinnes, proceeding from Adams, and giuegive humble and hearty thankes for the infinite mercies receiued by Chriſt.