Discourses on Divers Texts of Scripture, Discourses 2 · Sermon 10

Discourses on Divers Texts of Scripture · Discourses 2 · Sermon 10

p. 414GEN. 3. 13, 14, 15.Gen. 3 13, 14, 15.Gen 3:13Gen 3:14Gen 3:15

13. And the Lord God said unto the woman, What is this that thou hast done? And the woman said, The Serpent beguiled me, and I did eat.

14. And the Lord God said unto the Serpent, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all cattell, and above every beast of the field: upon thy belly shalt thou go, and dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life.

15. And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

THE Story, whereof the words I have read are part, is so well known to all, that it would be needless to spend time in any long preface thereof; Who knows not the story of Adams fall? who hath not heard of the sin of Eve our Mother? If there were no Scripture, yet the unsampled irregularity of our whole nature, which all the time of our life runs counter to all order and right reason, the wofull misery of our condition being p. 415a scene of sorrow without any rest or contentment: This might breed some generall suspition, that Ab initio non fuit ita, but that he who made us Lords of his creatures, made us not so worthlesse and vile as now we are, but that some common Father to us all, had drunken some strange and devillish poyson, wherewith the whole race is infected. This poyson saith the Scripture, was the breach of Gods commandement in Paradise, by eating of the forbidden fruit: for which Adam being called to an account by the great Judge, and laying the fault upon the woman which God had given him for an helper, God vouchsafes, as ye hear in my Text, to examine the Woman, saying, What is this that thou hast done? And she answers, The Serpent beguiled me and I did eat.

These words contain in them two parts; First, Gods Inquisition accusing. Secondly, the womans Confession excusing her fact. The first in the first words, And the Lord said unto the woman, &c. The second in the last words, And the woman said, The Serpent, &c. For the first words which God speaks being considered absolutely, are an indictment for some crime; as they are interrogative, they are an inquisition concerning the same, and therefore I call them an Inquisition accusing. So the second are a Confession, as the woman says, I have eaten; but with an excuse when she says, The Serpent beguiled me; and therefore I call them, a Confession excusing.

In the Inquisition are two things to be considered, First, the Author and Person who makes it, which is the Lord God himself; So saith my Text, And the Lord God said unto the woman. Secondly, the Inquisition p. 416it self, What is this that thou hast done? In the Person who comes and makes this Inquest, being the Lord God himself, we may observe and behold his foreign, his wonderfull goodnesse, and unspeakable love to mankinde, which here reveals it self in four most remarkable circumstances: First, in his forbearance; And the Lord said; When said the Lord? namely, not till Adam had accused her; she who was first in the sin, was last questioned for the same; and that too because her husband had appealed her. God knew and observed well enough the first degree, and every progresse of her sin, he needed no information from another, yet as though he were loth to take notice thereof, as though he were loth to finde her guilty, yea as though he were loth to denounce the punishment which his Justice required, he comes not against her untill now; and that as though he were unwilling to come at all.

If we look back into the story, we shall yet finde a further confirmation thereof: How long did God hold his hand before he stripped the woman especially, of that glorious beauty of her integrity, and made her with opened eies to see her shamefull nakednesse? She had at the first onset of her conference with the Serpent, sinned a sin of unbeleef of God, and yet God spared her: In the progresse she sinned more in her proud ambition of being like to God himself, and to be wise above what was given her; and God yet spared her: She sinned when she coveted and longed once to eat of the forbidden fruit, when it began to seem more pleasing and desirable unto her then obedience to Gods Commandement; and God yet spared p. 417her: At last she takes and eats thereof, and so came to the heighth and consummation of her sin, and yet behold and see the clemency and longanimity of our good God, he paused yet a while untill she had given unto her husband also, and then, and not till then, he opened their eyes to see their wofull misery.

A lesson first to us men, if so be we think the example of God worthy our imitation, to bear long with our brother as God bears with us; to admonish him, as it is in the Gospel, the first, second and third time, before we use him like an Heathen or a Publican; to forgive him seven times, yea, (as Christ says to Peter) if he repent and ask forgivenesse, seventy times seven times.

Secondly, this may be a cordiall of spirituall comfort unto us sinners, though we make a shift to keep our selves from the execution of sin, yet we finde our hearts full of sinfull thoughts, ungodly desires, and unclean lusts, and such like sinfull motions from the infirmity of our flesh: which notwithstanding we cannot ever expell or be rid of, yet let us hope that God out of his mercy will bear with our weaknesse, and passe by our infirmities, who bore with the sin of our first Parents untill it came to execution.

The second circumstance is the temper of his Justice; in that he vouchsafes first to enquire of the offence, and examine the fact, before he gives sentence or proceeds to execution. The like example we have Gen. 11. where it is said, The Lord came down to see the City and Tower which the children of men had builded, afore he would confound their language, or scatter p. 418them abroad from that ambitious Babel, upon the face of the earth. Again, Gen. 18. the Lord says, I will go down, and see whether they of Sod…me have done altogether according to the cry of it, which is come unto me; and if not, I will know. He from whom no secrets are hid, he that formed the heart of man, and knows all the works we do; he that trieth and searcheth the heart and reins, even he will first examine the fact, will first hear what miserable man can say for himself, before his sentence shall passe upon him: not out of ignorance of what was done, for how should the omniscient God be ignorant? but out of his wonderfull clemency, and unspeakable moderation towards man: I say, towards man, for to him alone he shews this favour; for as for the Serpent, we see, he vouchsafes not to ask him one question, nor to expect what he could say for himself, but presently without examination proceeds to judgement against him.

Doth the great God, the Almighty Creator of heaven and earth, deal with so unspeakable a temper with his creature, and is vile man, a base earth-worm, so austere unto his brother? It was the heighth of Eves whole ambition to be like unto God, but her off-springs ambition is to be most unlike unto him; He glories in mercy and clemency, we in rage and rash austerity: He hears his creature speak before he condemns him, we condemn our brother before we hear him speak. Be wise and learned ye Judges of the earth, let this great example of God be the pattern of your imitation; yea let no private man condemne another rashly, untill he hath heard what he may say for himself, as God himself here vouchsafed to go before us.

p. 419The third circumstance is Gods condescent unto man, in that he sends neither Angels nor Ministers to examine our first Parents, and to make inquisition of their offence, but he comes himself in person to take notice thereof. When men are offended, especially great men, they will not deign to look upon, or to admit into their presence those that have offended them: How great therefore is this indulgence of Almighty God, who deigns here his presence to our most wretched and most naked Parents, who had so grievously sinned against him? How happily graced would a poor offender think himself, if he might be admitted to the presence of his Prince, there to say what he could either for his defence or excuse, or else to sue for mercy and move compassion? By how much therefore God is greater then the greatest Monarch of the world, even as much as they are greater then nothing; so much is this indulgence of God here expressed in my Text to Eve, as before to her husband, surpassing all the favour and condescent of men, who sent not for man, but came himself unto him; yea, who vouchsafed then to seek them out, when they ran away from him.

Now all this is spoken foreign, after the fashion of men, and therefore not so much to expresse what God himself did, as what men ought to do: Let it be a lesson therefore to those who are set over others, not to be too hard of accesse to such as are obnoxious unto them. If God himself vouchsafed so far unto his creature so wretched, much more should man unto his brother.

The fourth circumstance is the manner of his speech p. 420to Eve, in that he that was the Lord God should so mildly speak unto her, What is this thou hast done? The Lord God said it, saith my Text, but who would not think it rather the speech of a familiar and condoling friend, then of so great a Judge, so greatly offended: here is no word of asperity, but of lenity, no menacing, no upbraiding terms, but only, What is this thou hast done?

And should not we learn hence not to insult over such, whose offences make them liable either to us or others? should we upbraid, rail, triumph, and vomit our impotency upon them? certainly we seem not to remember what a gentle and commiserating Judge God is, or that our selves are men, and have to deal with humane frailty, and mans miserable condition, which we ought to behold with pity, and not handle with bitternesse.

THE next thing is, the inquisition it self; What is this thou hast done? Some reade, Why hast thou done this? expounding foreign for foreign. But Eves answer following where she saith, I have eaten, plainly argues the question was what she had done, and not why she had done it: And therefore I take the words as our Translation hath them, and understand this manner of asking by God to be a scheme of admiration, and to imply an exaggeration of the womans sin, as if he had said, O what an horrible sin is this thou hast committed? How grievously hast thou transgressed? O what hast thou done? And therefore, God enquiring of her sin with exaggeration, she makes answer with diminution; Indeed, she had offended because she had eaten, but yet the offence was the lesse, for the Serpent had deceived her.

p. 421This then being the meaning of the words, let us behold in them the greatnesse of the sin of our first Parents, which made the Lord God himself to say, What is this thou hast done? The greatnesse of this sin I will first consider as it concerns them both in generall, and then as in particular: The greatnesse of the sin in generall appears in these four considerations.

First, it was a transgression of such a Law, as was given only to prove man whether he would be under God or no: For the morall Law which was written and engraven in the hearts of our first Parents, and was for the doing of things simply good, and abstaining from things simply evill; such things as a good man would do, were there no commandment, and such things as he would not do, were there no prohibition; so that in these there was no triall whether man would obey God or no, only because he commanded him, and meerly for obedience sake. And therefore had God ordained this Symbolicall Law, prohibiting a thing in it self neither good nor evill, neither pleasing nor displeasing unto God, but indifferent, that mans observance thereof might be a profession and testimony, that he was willing to submit himself to Gods pleasure, only because it was his pleasure. And that it might yet the more appear, God made not choice of such a thing as man cared not for, but of a pleasant and desirable thing, whereunto the more his inclination was carried, the more by his abstaining might his willing subjection be approved: The violating therefore of this Law, was an open profession, that he would not be under God, and renouncing of him to be his Lord. And this is the p. 422first respect, wherein appears the greatnesse of Adams sin.

The second consideration arguing the same is, that he on whom God had bestowed so many glorious endowments, whom he had as it were stuffed with so many excellent abilities, and adomed with so many precious graces, that he should sin against him, and set so light by his commandment: for of those to whom God had given so much, he might justly require and expect much: Therefore those whom God hath furnished with the best gifts, either of knowledge or other abilities, they, if they sin, sin most grievously: so that in this respect the sin of Adam and Eve exceeded the sins of their posterity, as much as their integrity did our corruption. The greater the person, the greater his sin: The sin of a Prince greater then the sin of a vulgar person, and therefore in the Law there was a greater Sacrifice to be offered for the sins of the Prince and Priest, then of the people.

The third circumstance aggravating his sin, was the easinesse of the commandment, and the easinesse man had to keep the same, both in regard of himself, whom no itching concupiscence urged, as being altogether free therefrom; and not as we his off-spring are continually vexed with the boiling thereof: Secondly, in regard of the thing it self he was to abstain from, being onelyonly one fruit, in so great a liberty of all the garden besides. How easily might he have abstain'd from one, to whom God had given the use of all saving this one? he wanted not to feed him, he wanted no variety of food, he had even enough to surfet on; only to approve his obedience to Him who p. 423had given all the rest unto him, he was to abstain from one, and yet he would not: Quanta fait (saith S. Aug.) iniquitas in peccando, ubi tanta erat non peccandi facilitas?

The fourth circumstance aggravating this sin, was the place, which was Paradise, as it were in Gods own presence, even afore his face: for as heaven above other parts of the world, is the place of Gods speciall presence; so was Paradise above other parts of the earth, as it were an heaven upon earth: the place wherein he singularly revealed himself, and therefore an holy place and the Temple of God. Do not men, otherwise giving the loose rein to wickednesse, yet abhorre to commit it in Gods Temple? How impudently contumelious was this sin therefore which was committed in Gods very Presence-chamber?

All these aggravations are common to both our Parents, which all laid together makes their sin as great as ever any was, saving the sin against the holy Ghost; for so the best Divines do think. But Eve addes one aggravation more to her weight, in that she was not content to sin her self alone, but she allured and drew her husband also into the like horrible transgression with her, whereby she was not only guilty of her own personall sin, but of her husbands also. And this added so much unto her former summe, that S. Paul, 1 Tim. 2. 14. speaks of her as if she had been the only transgressour; Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, was in the transgression: So great and horrible a thing it is in the Eye of God, to be cause or mover of anothers sin: woe be unto them, who by any means are the cause of anothers p. 424fall: And justly might God say to Eve for this respect though there had been no more, What is this that thou hast done?

Now I come to the womans excuse, The Serpent beguiled me. In which words are three things considerable: The author, the Serpent. The action, Guile. The object, Me.

Concerning the author, the Serpent; two things are inquirable: first, what the Serpent was indeed▪ secondly, what Eve supposed him to be? For the first; I think none so unreasonable as to beleeve, it was the unreasonable and brute Serpent: for whence should he learn, or how should he understand Gods commandment to our first Parents? Or how is it possible a Serpent should speak, and not only so, but speak the language which Eve understood? For though some there be who think that beasts and birds have some speech-like utterings of themselves, yet none that a beast should speak the language of man. It remains therefore, that according unto the Scriptures, it was that old deceiver the Devil and Satan, who abused the brute Serpent, either by entring into him, or taking his shape upon him. The last of which I rather incline unto, supposing it (as you shall hear presently) to be the law of spirits, when they have intercourse or commerce with men, to take some visible shape upon them, as the Devil here the Serpents, whence he becomes styled in Scripture, The old Serpent.

Now for the second question, what Eve took him to be, whether the Serpent or Satan? If we say she thought him to be the brute Serpent, how will this p. 425stand with the perfection of mans knowledge in his integrity, to think a Serpent could speak like a reasonable creature? who would not judge her a silly woman now that should think so? and yet the wisest of us all is far short of Eve in regard of her knowledge then. Again, if we say she knew him to be the Devil; I will not ask why she would converse at all with a wicked spirit, who she knew had fallen from his Maker; but I would know, how we should construe the meaning of the Holy Ghost in the beginning of this Chapter, where he saith, The Serpent was the subtillest of all the beasts of the field which God had made; and so implies the womans opinion of the Serpents wisdome was the occasion why she was so beguiled: otherwise to what end are those words spoken, unlesse to shew that Satan chose the Serpents shape, that through the opinion and colour of his well-known wisdome and sagacity he might beguile the woman.

For the assoiling of which difficulty I offer these propositions following: First, I will suppose there is a law in the commerce of spirits and men, that a spirit must present himself under the shape of some visible thing: For as in naturall and bodily things there is no entercourse of action and passion, unlesse the things have some proportion each to other, and unlesse they communicate in some common matter; so it seems God hath ordained a Law that invisible things should converse with things visible, in a shape, as they are, visible: which is so true, that the conversing presence of a spirit is called a Vision or Apparition. And experience with the Scriptures will shew us, that not only evil Angels, but good, yea God himself converseth p. 426in this manner with men. And all this I suppose Eve knew.

Secondly, I suppose further, that as spirits are to converse with men under some visible shape; so is there a law given them, that it must be under the shape of some such thing as may lesse or more resemble their condition: For as in nature we see every severall thing hath a severall and sutable physiognomy or figure, as a badge of the inward nature, whereby it is known as by a habit of distinction; so it seems to be in the shapes and apparitions of Spirits. And as in a well governed Common-wealth, every sort and condition of men is known by some differing habit, agreeable to his quality; so it seems it should be in Gods great Commonwealth, concerning the shapes which spirits take upon them. And he that gave the law, that a man should not wear the habit of a woman, nor a woman the habit of a man, because as he had made them divers, so would he have them so known by their habits; so it seems, he will not suffer a good and a bad spirit, a noble and ignoble one to appear unto men after the same fashion. And this also I suppose Eve knew.

Now from these grounds it will follow, that good Angels can take upon them no other shape but the shape of man, because their glorious excellency is resembled only in the most excellent of visible creatures; the shape of an inferiour creature would be unsutable, no other shape becomming those who are called the sons of God, but his only who was created after Gods own image. And yet not his neither according as now it is, but according as he was before p. 427his fall in that glorious beauty of his integrity. Age and deformity are the fruits of sin; and the Angel in the Gospel appears like a young man, his countenance like lightning, and his raiment white as snow as it were Mar. 16. 5. Mat. 28. 3.Mark 16:5Matt 28:3resembling the beauty of glorified bodies in immutability, sublimity and purity.

Hence also it follows on the contrary, that the Devil could not appear in humane shape, whilest man was in his integrity, because he was a spirit fallen from his first glorious perfection, and therefore must appear in such shape which might argue his imperfection and abasement, which was the shape of a beast: otherwise no reason can be given, why he should not rather have appeared unto Eve in the shape of a woman then of a Serpent; for so he might have gained an opinion with her both of more excellency and knowledge. But since the fall of man the case is altered, now we know he can take upon him the shape of man, and no wonder, since one falling star may well resemble another: And therefore he appears it seems in the shape of mans imperfection, either for eyes or deformity, as like an old man, (for so the Witches say;) and perhaps it is not altogether false, which is vulgarly affirmed, that the Devil appearing in humane shape, hath always a deformity of some uncouth member or other; as though he could not yet take upon him humane shape entirely, for that man himself is not entirely and utterly fallen as he is.

By this time you see the difficulty of the question is eased: now it appears why Eve wondred not to see a spirit speak unto her in the shape of a Serpent, because she knew the law of spirits apparitions better p. 428then we do. Again, when she saw the spirit who talked with her to have taken upon him the shape though of a beast, yet of the most sagacious beast of the field, she concluded according to our forelaid suppositions, that though he were one of the abased spirits, yet the shape he had taken resembling his nature, he must needs be a most crafty and sagacious one, and so might pry farther into Gods meaning then she was aware of. And thus you may see at last, how the opinion of the Serpents subtilty occasioned Eves fall; as also why the Dev…, of all other beasts of the field, took the shape of a Serpent, namely, to gain this opinion of sagacity with the woman as one who knew the principles aforesaid.

Here I observe that overmuch dotage upon a conceived excellency, whether of wisdome or whatsoever else, without a speciall eye to Gods commandement, hath ever been the occasion of greatest errours in the world, and the Devil under this mask, useth to blear our eyes, and with this bait to inveigle our hearts, that he may securely bring us to his lure. It was the mask of the Serpents wisdom and sagacity, above the rest of the beasts of the field, whereby he brought to passe our first Parents ruine. The admired wisdome of the long living Fathers of the elder world, having been for so many ages as Oracles to their off-spring, grown even to a people and Nation while they yet lived, was the ground of the ancient Idolatry of mankinde, whilest they supposed that those to whom for wisdome they had recourse being living, could not but help them when they were dead. This we may learn out of Hesiod, The men, saith he, p. 429of the golden age being once dead, became foreign they became godlings and Patrons of mortall men, &c. So the opinion of the blessed Martyrs superlative glory in heaven, was made the occasion of the new-found Idolatry of the Christian Churches, wherewith they are for the greater part yet overwhelmed. And the esteem which Peter had above the rest of the Apostles in regard of chiefdome, even in the Apostles times was abused by the old Deceiver to install the man of sin: This made S. Paul to say, the mystery of iniquity was even then working; and therefore laboured as far as he could to prevent it, by as 2 Thes. 2. 7.2 Thess 2:7much depressing Peter as others exalted him. Nay, he puts the Churches in minde of this story of the Serpents beguiling Eve, that her mis-hap might be a warning to them; 2 Cor. 11. 2, 3. I am jealous over you (saith he) with a godly jealousie, for I have espoused you to one husband, that I might present you as a chaste Virgin to Christ. But I fear lest by any means as the Serpent beguiled Eve through his subtilly, so your minds should be corrupted from the simplicity that is in Christ. And to come a little nearer home, have not our Adversaries when they would get Disciples, learned this of the Devil, to possesse them first with an opinion of superlative learning in their Doctors surpassing any of ours? I will say no more in this point, but that we ought so to prize and admire the gifts and abilities of learning which God hath bestowed upon men, that the pole-starre of his sacred word may ever be in our eye.

THE next thing to be spoken of is, the action, p. 430Guile: and first, I shall shew what it is: To beguile is through a false faith and perswasion wrought by some argument of seeming good, to bereave a man of some good he had or hoped for, or to bring upon him some evill he expected not. Practice hath made it so well known, that I should not need to have given any definition or description thereof, but only for a more distinct consideration: whereas therefore I said, that guile wrought by forelaying a false perswasion or beleef, I would intimate, that it was nothing else but a practicall sophism, the premisses whereof are counterfeit motives; the conclusion an erroneous execution. Now as all practice or action consists in these two; The choice of our end; and the execution of means to attain thereunto: so is this practicall sophism we call Guile found in them both, either when an evil end is presented unto us in the counterfeit of a good, and so we are made to embrace Nubem pro Iunone, and find our selves deceiv'd in the event whatsoever the means were we have used: or else we apply such means as are either unlawfull or unsufficient to attain our end, as being so mask'd that they appear unto us far otherwise then they are. With both these sorts or parts of guile the Devil wrought our first Parents ruine; first, by making it seem a thing desirable, and by all means to be laboured for, to be like unto God: which was an ambition of that whereof man was not only not capable, but such as little beseemed him to aspire unto, upon whom God had bestowed so great a measure of glorious perfections, as he seem'd a God amongst the rest of the creatures. What unthankfulnesse was this, that he upon whom God bestowed so p. 431much, as he was the glory of his workmanship, should yet think that God should envy him any degree of excellency fit for him? for this was the mask wherewith the Devil covered both the unfitnesse and impossibility of the end he insinuated; but he beguiled them. Secondly, he puts the same trick upon them in the choice of the means to be used, which was to transgresse the severe commandement of Almighty God: Had the aim been allowable, yet could not the means have been taken for good, but only of such as were beguiled, in that the Devil made the woman beleeve with his questioning the truth of Gods commandement, that the danger was not great, nor so certain as it seemed; or that evil which might be in the action, would be counterveiled with the excellency to be attained thereby; the gloriousnesse of which end the Devil so strongly sounded, that it drowned in her imagination the least conceit of evil in the means. And as a man which always looks upward, sees not the danger in the path and way he walks in, untill he tumbles into a pit; so was it here with our first Mother, when thus the Devil beguiled her.

This first act of the Devil is that wherein we may behold as in a glasse, the art he still useth to tempt Eph. 6. 11.Eph 6:11us unto sin, and bring us to utter destruction: All his method is nothing else but guile; he presents all things fair unto our face, and suffers not evil to appear before us in its own ugly shape, for so every man would fly from it: when he would tempt a man to covetousnesse, he cals it thrift; when to bribes, he cals them gratuities; when to intemperance, forsooth it is good fellowship; when to cruelty, it must be called p. 432justice; when to prodigality, it must be taken for no other but liberality, and such like. This is that which the Scripture saith, The Devil transforms himself into an Angel of light: when he draws to vice, he would seem to mean nothing but virtue; when he tempts to works of darknesse, he presents them as the works of light; when he plots our ruine and everlasting undoing, he bears us in hand, that all aims at our welfare and felicity.

This is that which is meant in the following verse, where it is said, The seed of the woman should bruise the Serpents head, but the Serpent should bruise his heel; as though the Serpent should love to assault at unawares, and so as he might not be seen to intend any such matter before he had done the feat, and therefore his fashion should be to come behinde a man, and as it were to catch him by the heel. For that this was the embleme of guile and deceitfull dealing, it may be gathered from the story of Iacob and Esau, when as Esau being beguiled of the blessing by the craft of his brother Iacob, makes an allusion to his name; Well, saith he, may he be called Iacob, for he hath beguiled me now these two times: Now Iacob had his name in the beginning because he caught his brother by the heel, when he came out of the womb; for foreign signifies the heel, and foreign, is as much to say, as an Heeler, whence the allusion of Esau hath this sense, if we take it verbatim; My brother may well be called an Heeler, for he hath heeled me these two times: Now because to come behinde a man, and take him by the heel was foul play, therefore of foreign an heel comes foreign, (dolus, fallacia) guile, and foreign, a verb signifying p. 433to deceive or beguile, which is the second sense that Esau would imply by his allusion, that his brother might well be called a Beguiler, because he had beguiled him now these two times. But of this I shall have occasion to speak more hereafter.

Since therefore we have seen the Devils practice, and learned that he works altogether by deceit, how wary should the consideration hereof make us to be in all the ways of our life? If we knew we had to deal with a man that used to beguile all that came into his fingers, in what continuall jealousie and suspition would we be? how would we cast about to find which way he might not circumvent us? how wary would we be to entertain any proffer from him? there could be nothing made seem so fair, but we would suspect some foul meaning to be in it. If we would be thus disposed in matters of lesser moment, how carefull should we be in greater? if where the ability of deceiving is lesser, what manner of men should we be when we know the Arch-deceiver of the world is continually attending upon us, labouring to beguile us? should we here adventure upon any action rashly? No surely; but be first well advised. We should not be too confident in our own perswasions, lest they may prove the Devils suggestions: and though the reasons we apprehend be never so good, and the case seem never so clear, and the way we are to walk in never so secure, yet ought we to make some pause, and act a fit of jealousie afore we adventure.

And thus much of the Serpents action, Guile: Now I come to the object, Me. Me, that is, the weaker of the two. Me, so much endeared in the affection p. 434of my Lord, that he could not but do any thing at my request. Of these two respects I will speak in order; and first of the first. The Devil assaults us there where he finds us weakest, as here in this first sin he attempts the woman the weaker vessell; The Serpent beguiled me: for he knows this is the readiest way to overcome. A skilfull Commander being to take a City, will not make his battery on that part of the wall, which is strongly fortified, (for so he might make his shot in vain;) but will assault it there where it is least defensible, where a breach will be easily made, and yet entring he becomes Master of the whole, how well fortified soever: even so the Devil will be sure to force us there where we are least able to resist; if he finds any part not well bulwark'd with resolution, there he plants the Cannon of his temptation, and with an easie breach becomes Master of the whole piece.

Hence we may learn what to esteem of those imperfect courses concerning the Commandements of God, too frequent among the sons of men: There are many who resolve firmly against divers kinds of sins, that they will never be drawn by any means to commit them, but they have always some one wherein they demurre whether they should resolve to yeeld to or not, if occasion should be offered. Many will fortify themselves very strongly against the assaults of bribery, of covetousnesse, of theft, of promise-breaking, of drunkennesse; but as concerning their lust they are unresolved what to do, if a temptation should assault them; & so in others, there is some other inclination but slenderly guarded, when for the rest they p. 435could glory how strongly they are fortified. But we must know, that when the Devil comes to assault us, he will passe by us where we are strength, and attempt us only there where our weaknesse lies; and then we shall find all our labour lost, and all our other strength to have stood us in little stead: For what wil it boot to guard the wals of our City never so strongly, if but one part be left unguarded for the enemies to enter? Is not all the enemies? A Ship though in other parts never so sound, will sink, if but one leaking hole be left unstopped. Let us therefore survey our hearts diligently, and finding where we lie exposed to danger, there most to strengthen our selves with resolution.

And thus I come to the second respect, why the Devil made choice of the woman, namely, because of the vehemency of her husbands affection towards her; so that to have gained her was to have gotten him also: for he seemed to think that her strength in her husbands affection was more powerfull to prevail with him, then his subtile motives were to overcome him; and indeed the event prov'd he was not much deceiv'd. Hence we are to observe that the Devil taketh advantage of the vehemency of our passions, to work our overthrow, if he once finde these to fasten his hold by, he then thinks he may lead us whither he list. To have gained our affections is as it were to have gotten a party within, which is a dangerous advantage to further the invasion of an enemy; especially when most of our passions are our favorites, which we can deny nothing they ask, and if they be once bribed, will work us wholly to the dispose of our archenemy.Eph. 4. 27.Eph 4:27

p. 436That we may not therefore afford the Devil this advantage, and as it were reach him a rope to hang us withall, it behoves us so to govern and temper our passions and affections, that they transport us not into the Devils jurisdiction: which that we may the better do, it will not be unfit to set down some rules for performance thereof,

First, therefore it is best to resist our passions at the beginning, and to use the same policy which Pharaoh did with the Israelites, that they might not over-run his Country, in killing all their infants as soon as they were born. While the sore is green Surgeons seldom despair, but festered once, they hardly cure it: So it is with the passions of our minde, when they are first growing, they are soon curbed, but being a little entertained, they will hardly be subdued.

The second means is, to inure our selves to crosse our passions when there is no danger, and to bridle our selves sometimes from ordinary and lawfull desires, that we may do it with more ease when we are in danger; for how can he hope to be able to master his passions when dangerous temptations assault him, who never used them to it in the time of his security? We know that men who would fit themselves for the Wars, will practice in the time of peace when there is no enemy near, and will toil and labour when they might be at rest, will lie hard when they may command a soft bed, will watch when they might sleep, and all to make themable to indure the like when they shall have need: the like must we do, that we may get an habit to crosse and subdue our passions when we shall have need.

p. 437The third means is, to fly occasions which may incense the passions whereunto we are inclined: Occasiones faciunt latrones, saith the Proverb, Occasion makes him a theef, which else might have been an honest man; wherefore he that commits himself to Sea in a boisterous tempest is worthy to suffer shipwrack; and he that willingly puts himself in the company of infected persons, may blame himself if he fall into their diseases.

Lastly, but chiefly, when thy passions are most vehement, then seek for succour from heaven, fly under the wings of Christ as the chickens under the hen, when the kite seeks to devour them: beat at the gates of mercy, and crave grace to overcome thy misery: He is thy Father and will not give thee a Serpent, if thou ask him Fish: humble thy self before him, open thy sores and wounds unto him, and the good Samaritan will pour in both wine and oyl, and thy passions shall melt and fall away as clouds are dispelled and consumed by the Sun.

p. 438VERSE 14.

And the Lord said unto the Serpent, &c.

THese words contain in them the Serpents doom and destiny, pronounced upon him by the great Lord of Heaven and Earth; They contain in them two parts: First, the reason of this sentence in the words, Because thou hast done this: Secondly, the sentence it self in the words following, Thou art cursed above all cattell, &c. The reason of this heavy doom is, Because he had done this. What This? namely, because he had beguiled the man and woman, which God had made, and caused them to transgresse his great commandment. He therefore that is the cause and occasion of anothers sin, is as hatefull to God as the door, and is liable to as great, or rather a greater punishment then he: for the Serpent here for causing hath this doom, as well as the man and woman for doing. Nay, which is to be observed, his doom is the first read unto him, as if he were the archoffender, and not to the man or woman till he was done with: What should this mean, but that his fault being the mover, was more grievous in the eyes of God then theirs? which is the reason also, why the woman comes in the next place to have her sentence, because she had been a sin-maker, and was guilty not only of her own personall sin, but of her husbands also; whence the man who had sinn'd only himself, and not caused others to sin, had his judgement last of all. I might also confirm the same from the quality p. 439of their severall judgements, in that the Serpent alone is doom'd to be accursed, and no such word spoken either of the man or the woman.

But I shall not need to tarry here to prove how horrible and fearfull a thing it is to be the author of anothers sin: We know they are the words of our Saviour, Mat. 18. 6, 7. Wo unto the world because of scandals, and woe unto the man by whom a scandall commeth; it were better for him that a milstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the Sea. And S. Paul (1 Cor. 8.) would eat no meat as long as the world lasteth, rather then make his brother to offend. Would they would consider this, who are not content alone to sin themselves, but play the Devil in corrupting others. It seems they long to be double damn'd. I would also they would think of this, who make no conscience at all by extremities and vexations, and other grievances, to drive a man to perjury, and other grievous sins, and yet think themselves free, when they should know, that he that is the author of anothers sin, makes anothers guilt his own, and shall share in the punishment every whit as deep as he.

But this shall suffice to have observed in the first part, the reason of the Serpents doom. Now I come to the second, the doom it self: wherein the words as you see have all relation to the Serpent, for the Lord said unto the Serpent, Thou are cursed &c. Thou shalt go upon thy brest, &c. But because this Serpent was more then a brute Serpent, the Devil himself being the chief agent in this his instrument, it is a thing much controverted, upon which of these this curse is p. 440here pronounced. Some would have it spoken only of the brute Serpent, because here is a comparison made with cattell and beasts of the field, thereby accounting the Serpent one of that number. Besides, Satan they say was accursed before this time, and some of the words in this curse cannot well be applied to any but the brute Serpent, as that he should eat the dust of the earth, &c. Others would have this curse pronounced only upon the spirituall Serpent the Devil, because the brute Serpent was only an instrument abused by the Devil, and neither knew what was done, nor could do withall; and why should it therefore be punished? Others would divide the controversie, applying the first part of the curse in the 14. verse, to the brute Serpent, the latter in the 15. verse, to the Devil or spirituall Serpent; because as the latter of the promised seed of the woman, which should destroy the Serpent and his seed, must needs be meant of Christ and Satan; so the former words are most fitly appliable to the brute Serpent only: But against this may be said, that the same Thou and Thee spoken of in the first part of the curse, is all one with the Thou and Thee in the latter; and therefore of whatsoever the first is meant, of the same is also meant the latter. There is therefore a fourth opinion, that this curse is throughout pronounced upon both, both upon the Serpent and the Devil: In which, though there be some difference about the manner how, yet I imbrace it as the truest, as not only conceiving it may be so, by the fitnesse of all the parts so applied to both; but think moreover that this only ought to be the meaning and no other, if it be conceived as I am now to shew.

p. 441For in the first place, the Devil when he beguiled man, came not as a naked spirit, but in the shape and figure of a Serpent, (as I have shew'd heretofore;) and therefore that his punishment in the manner might be sutable and answerable to his offence, he was to receive his doom likewise under the figure of a Serpent, and the style thereof framed unto a Serpents condition: for it is the constant method of the allwise God to brand the punishment with the stamp of the sin, that the offender thereby might not only know what he felt, but also read why he suffered. Why was Adonibezeks thumbs and great toes cut off, but that he might read therein, as he did, his former cruelty? Threescore and ten Kings having their thumbs and toes cut off, gathered meat under my Table. As I have done, so God hath requited me. Why was Pharaoh with his Host rather drowned in the Sea, then slain in the field, but that all the world might read it was for his cruell Edict to drown all the male children of the Hebrews? Why did Absalom lie with Davids Concubines, but to put David in minde that he had lien with Vriahs wife? And why was the curse of the Devil shaped here in and unto the condition of the Serpent, but because he had beguiled man in a Serpents shape?

Secondly, for the Serpent; The fashion, excellency and subtilty of the Serpent above all the beasts which God had made, the Devil had abused to gain credit with the woman, that he was an excellent and a most sagacious spirit, and therefore might be able to pry farther into Gods meaning then she could, which was the cause of her attention, and so of her ruine. For p. 442I have shewed heretofore that the woman in the state of integrity knew well enough, that as it was the law of spirits in their commerce with men, to present themselves under the shape of some visible thing: so it must be likewise under the shape of some such thing, as may more or lesse resemble their condition: And that as the glorious spirits might take no other shape but of man, the glory of visible creatures: so the fallen spirits could not then afore mans fall, take any other shape but of a beast, thereby to bewray his abasement: yet because the Devil here took upon him the shape of the most wise and most excellent of beasts, he so bleared the womans eyes with an opinion of his excellency and sagacity, that in a manner she forgot, or regarded not, that he was one of the evil and abased spirits, which was the ground of her miserable ruine and overthrow.

Now because the excellency and sagacity of the Serpent had thus been the occasion of mans confusion, by being made the lying counterfeit of the Devils excellency and wisdome, and the mask whereby he so covered his vilenesse, that the woman took him not to be as he was indeed: Therefore God in his wisdome thought good to change the copy, and henceforth to blurre and deface that unhappy physiognomicall letter, and by abasing the Serpent for the time to come, to make him an everlasting embleme and monument, wherein man might hieroglyphically read the malice, vilenesse and execrable basenesse of that wicked spirit which had beguiled him, to hate him (as now we do the Serpent) with mortall hatred, and by his unlucky and brained fortune, to expect the p. 443Devils destiny: In a word, that which was once used for a mask to cover the Devils knavery, should for the future be a glasse wherein to behold his villany.

These being the reasons which have led me to understand this curse in an equall sense, both of the brute Serpent and the Devil, and in the literall applied unto the Serpent, yet therein shaping out the malediction of the Devil, as truly as the Devil had taken upon him the Serpents shape: Let us now come to the particular handling of the words; and first consider them, as they are the curse of the unreasonable Serpent. Secondly, as they include the Devils malediction.

But for the better understanding thereof, before we can proceed, two things are to be resolv'd: First, how it could be just with God to punish the brute Serpent, who was Instrumentum foreign, and had neither will to sin, nor yet knowledge of what the Devill had done; especially, if we suppose as I have hitherto, that the Devil took only the shape of a Serpent, which the Serpent could not do withall? for this argument hath driven some to affirm, that the whole curse was to be understood only of the spirituall Serpent, and not at all of the naturall. But why should this stumble them more as concerning the justnesse of God, then that in Adams censure in the 17. ver. where the whole earth is cursed for Adams sake, Cursed be the earth for thy sake, &c. But what had the earth done? or how was it guilty of Adams transgression? Again, in the sixth Chapter following it is expresly said, That because God saw the wickednesse of man was great in the earth, he said, I will destroy both p. 444man and beast, and the creeping things, and the fowls of the aire. But how were the beasts, the creeping things, and the fowls of the air partakers of mans wickednesse? what had they done more then been abused by him? which they could not avoid he being their Lord and Master. And should not we think that Law of God just, Levit. 20. where if a man commit abomination with a beast, the beast is commanded to be slain as well as the man, who only had sinned? This proves that objection to be wholly insufficient: But yet the difficulty of the resolution, How this may stand with Gods justice, remains as before; which therefore comes now to be resolved.

First, we know that all the beasts of the field, all the fowls of the air, and the fishes of the Sea were made for the use and service of man in one kinde or other, as he should have occasion to use them. Secondly, if man had stood in his first creation, the service of the creatures should have been sutable to his excellency and integrity, and so far more noble then now it is, that even the creatures might be partakers of his happinesse then, that since they yet look for the glorious liberty of the sons of God to come. Thirdly, but when man was once fallen, the service of the creature was altered, and became a bondage of corruption, as S. Paul terms it, that is, gnoble & sutable to the corrupt condition of man under sin: those which should have been imploied excellently for the use of his integrity, are now to serve him ignominiously according to his sin and misery; namely, either to be the means to punish him for his sin, or to relieve him in his misery. To punish him, all the creatures for p. 445his use are become base, corrupt and unworthy, and so nothing so usefull for him as they had been: The earth will not bring forth for him, but with his labour and toil, and then too when it should bear him corn, it brings forth thorns and thistles: The creatures which should serve and honour him, do often seise upon him, and destroy him. And thus are the creatures imploied for mans use, indeed but a wofull use to afflict and punish him for his sin all the days of his life. Another way notwithstanding they are usefull and serviceable for his good, as helps to relieve and better him in this his condition of sin; as to be made documents of the wrath of God to move him to repentance, and emblemes to know the condition of his most deadly enemy the Devil, and how he ought to abhorre and hate him, and the hope and expectation of conquering and triumphing over him in the blessed seed of the woman. And for this use and service was the Serpent abased and made vile, according to his curse in my Text; that as he was made excellent to serve him in integrity, so he was now abased, to be made fit to do him the best service in his misery. And what injustice could this be in God? when he made him at first so as he made him for the service of man, and now when he marr'd him, he marr'd him likewise for mans service.

The second thing to be resolved is, Whether this curse were pronounced only upon one individuall Serpent; or whethet upon all Serpents in generall; or upon some one only kind which the Devil had thus abused? Of one individuall Serpent it cannot be, because there is mention here of the seed of the Serpent, p. 446and seed of the woman, which implies a generation of many Serpents; and besides, this curse was to be a monument not only to him but to all his posterity, as long as the world lasted, but one individuall Serpent lived not so long. Neither is it credible to be spoken of all kinds of Serpents in generall, because there is almost as great a variety of Serpents as of four footed beasts of severall kinds and species, and why should any kind suffer, save that only which had been abused to offend? Besides, I make no doubt but divers kinds of Serpents went at the first Creation upon their brests as now they do, and were every whit as base as now they are, excepting the generall decay of all creatures since the fall. It remains therefore that it was only one kind of Serpent which bore this speciall malediction; and that such a kind as was not only the noblest of all the kinds of Serpents, but as it seems far excelling all the Creation besides (man only except) for beauty, wisdome and sagacity, but afterward by this curse became not only baser then the rest of the beasts of the field, but even as base and vile as the vilest kind of Serpent. And therefore it could not be the Basilisk, as some have held, though it be the most poisonfull of all others, and as it were a King among Serpents, as the name imports; for if Plinie and Solinus, who report the former, say true, this Serpent here accursed, should rather be any other kind then that, because the Basilisk (upon their report) goes with his brest and fore-part of his body advanced, (erectus à medio incedens, saith Plinie, or as Solinus, mediâ corporis parte serpit, mediâ arduus est & excel sus) but this Serpent here was from the hour of his p. 447doom, to go for ever upon his brest, which I wonder they considered not, who from the advanced posture of the Basilisks body have conceived the clean contrary: For as by this example we may beleeve that the Serpent now accursed, did so before his curse; so that he should still do so, it is a most direct gainsaying of Scripture to imagine.

But to come to the words of the doom; which, as you see, are first generall; then particular. Generall in these, Thou art cursed above all cattell, and above, &c. What it is to be accursed, we shall know, if we first understand what it is to be blessed. To be blessed or happy, is nothing else, but an all-fruition of good, or to have a sufficient provision and furniture of good, both for being and well-being: So therefore that creature is happy and blessed which hath a sufficiency of all good for the being and preservation of it self; which wants neither endowments inward, nor means outward for the attaining of that end, whereof it is by nature capable. To be accursed is to have the contrary of this; to be despoiled either of indowments internall or inherent, without which it hath no dignity among the creatures; or externall, without which it cannot live or preserve it self, but with much penury, difficulty, toil and danger. Whatsoever therefore among the beasts of the field, (for with such only is the comparison made) is for inherent perfections of all the most unworthy and base; or for the outward furniture of means for the preservation of that ignoble being by unprovision of all others the most wretched and miserable; this is that which is accursed above all cattell, and above every beast of the field. p. 448And such was the Serpents condition to be for the generall.

And now for the particulars; Let us go on and see how they are expressed, and that is in three things: First, To go upon the brest, or to have the posture of the body groveling on the earth; whereby (as I shall shew presently) is implied the abasement of the creature. Secondly, to have for meat the dust of the earth; wherein is shewn its unprovision of food for the maintenance of its life, being of all beasts of the field to have the basest and coursest fare. Thirdly, to be in continuall, mortall, and irreconcilable enmity with man, both his Lord and the Lord of the rest of the creatures: from whom it should be in continuall danger and fear of its life, and once espied be sure to have its brains dash'd out by him. And which makes the misery so much the greater, to be no way able to be revenged of his enemy other then to come unawares behind him, and then neither not able to reach above his heel; as being most unequally matched, he walking aloft with his head and whole body advanced, while the miserable Serpent shall lie groveling on the ground, ready to be trodden apieces under his feet.

Of these three particulars let us speak severally; and first of the first, VponUpon thy brest shalt thou go. In the Hebrew it is foreign, which some turn, upon thy belly: which interpretation hath been one great cause of the difficulty to understand the meaning of this malediction: For if the shape of the Serpent were after the fashion it is now, it is not possible to imagine how it could ever have gone otherwise then p. 449upon the belly; for to think that ever it went an end, were a conceit more worthy to be derided then to be beleeved. By which means there appeared no other way of evasion out of this difficulty, but to affirm that the Serpent indeed went upon his belly from the beginning; but either it was not so toilsome to him, or not for a curse unto him till now, which for my part, it being so far from the letter of the Text, I could never yet beleeve. I had much rather in this follow the Vulgar, or Ieromes Translation, which reads, super pectus tuum gradiêris; for upon the belly I beleeve the Serpent went from the first Creation, but not upon the brest untill this present malediction. The brest of the Serpent I call the upper part of the Serpents body, from the navell to the head; the other part of the other half downward, with which though at the first he walked prone to and upon the earth, yet was the other part, his brest and head, reared up and advanced, untill for having been abused to the ruine of mankind, he was now with his whole body to creep groveling upon the earth. And perhaps thus much the Septuagint meant to insinuate by their Translation, which is foreign, upon thy brest, and thy belly; where it may seem that they rendred two words for one in the Text, for illustration, and for intimation of this, that whereas the Serpent before went only upon his belly, foreign, now he should from henceforth walk foreign ▪ upon his brest and belly too.

As for the Hebrew foreign here used, there is no necessity at all to translate it, the belly, but rather some probability of the contrary in the etymology of the p. 450word: for though in the Hebrew the theme be not used, yet in the Chaldee foreign, which signifies incurvatus fuit, to bow downward, and seems to mean the inclination of the head and brest, or upper part of the body, to the earth, as may be gathered from that of Eliah, 1 King 18 42. where it is said, that Eliah went up to the top of …armel, & pronum se abjecit in…terram, and put his face between his knees; for here the Targum useth this word foreign, the radix of foreign. Again Mark 1. 7. in those words of Iohn Baptist, There is one commeth after me, the latchet of whose shoes I am not worthy to stoop down and unloose; here for the Greek word foreign, stoop down, the Syriack hath foreign, of as near a kin to foreign as is the Syriack to the Chaldee. The word foreign it self is of rare use in the Bible besides in this place, and therefore we can receive no great help from the comparing of places. It is read again Levit. 11. 42. and that with a singular mark, as the Masorites have observed, for the Vau cholem in the last syllable is foreign, a great Vau, and exactly the middlemost letter of all the Law of Moses; if their Arithmetick failed them not. But no particularity of signification can from that place be gathered, the speech being of creeping things, which go as well upon the brest as the belly, and the belly as the brest.

Since therefore the word here used neither hindreth our opinion, nor much furthereth it, we will come to such other grounds as may prove our assertion, for the Serpents going with brest advanced afore the fall of man, and not groveling till his malediction. And first let it be considered there is no impossibility of it in regard of the frame of the Serpent, which appears p. 451both by their advancing themselves when they assault a man, (which the Painters expresse in their Pictures) and also when they swim through the water, which is with their head and some part of their brest raised above water, even as a Swan holdeth up her neck, as I have heard affirmed by such as have been eye-witnesses: and lastly, Plinie and Solinus report of the Basilisk, that the Basilisk walks so still; as I shewed a little before. And it may be as when the Giant-like stature of mankind was diminished after the stood in a manner throughout the world, and for many ages, yet was there by Gods disposition, still a race of Giants left even till the time of David, for a monument and witnesse of the truth of a far bigger stature in former times, which else could not so easily have been beleeved or imagined. Such were the Zanzummims in Abrahams time, the sons of Anak in Moses, and Goliah in the time of David; and it may be there are yet some in some part of the world to be found. So I say, as these seem to have been preserved by God, as a memoriall unto men, that they were not now as at the first; so it may be it was the will of God and is, amongst so many kinds of Serpents to preserve this one, that it should not as the rest go groveling upon the earth, but might be as a monument of the truth of the malediction of the rest to all posterity. Thus much of the possibility, which would be far greater, if we should with S. Basil, Ephrem, Bar Cephas, and many others affirm that the Serpent had feet, namely, some short ones beneath the navell: for feet are not essentiall to the nature of a thing, as appears by the lame, who can live without them, and p. 452by others, sometimes by the defect of nature born without them. And those who can beleeve the wonderfull change of man by his fall, of an immortall creature to become mortall; of one to have been born with all glorious endowments both of body and soul, now to be brought into the world the most unfurnished of the creatures. Those who beleeve the great alteration of the earth it self, when it was accursed for mans sin; the diminution of the time of mans life, and of his stature, even since the flood. Can any who believe these things, think it so incredible for the Serpent once to have had some small feet, and afterward to have had none, being a creature wherein God intended to leave a monument for ever? But of this I will determine nothing, neither doth my assertion simply depend upon it, but may well enough consist without it.

But because possibility is not sufficient of it self alone to infer a probability, I have therefore one thing to adde more thereto, namely, the reason and cause even in nature (supposing still Gods abasing of the Serpents first creation) of this alteration of the posture of the Serpents gate from that it was at the beginning.

First, we know the more excellent and sublime the nature of a creature is, the more it raiseth it self upward; the more ignoble and baser, the more it fals downward. This we see in the elements themselves; the fire the most excellent and operative of the four, raiseth it self above the rest: The earth the basest and most unactive of all, is also of all the most dejected.

p. 453Secondly, as there is this difference in the elements, so there is in the mixed bodies; some consisting of a more sublime and excellent temper, others of a more base and ignoble mixture: and that as in other, so amongst such creatures as live and move upon the earth.

Thirdly, this their noblenesse within discovereth it self in the body without, by advancing them naturally in their gate and gesture; whence man being of all creatures living upon the earth of the most excellent temper and sublimed condition of nature, is therefore of all other the most advanced in body:

Pronáque cum spectant animalia caetera terram,

Os homini sublime dedit, &c. Yea, experience will tell us, that even amongst men themselves, those who are of a more exalted nature, either by heroick temper, or predominancy of heat, are also more advanced in the posture of their bodies. Among beasts themselves, the basest is the most creeping, the noble Lion advanceth his head and brest so far as the frame of his body is thereof capable, and so the rest: and of all creatures we may observe besides, that such creatures have the most sagacity, who come most near to walk upright as a man doth.

If therefore the Serpent were of so sublime a nature at the first, as thereby it was more subtle then any beast of the field which God had made, how could so excellent a temper, the ground of so much sagacity, but advance the body thereof, as far as the frame and shape thereof could admit? On the contrary, if afterward the Serpent became the most abased and accursed of all the beasts of the field, how should p. 454not this alteration of his former temper and disposition of nature, make the gesture of his body also sutable, by stooping and groveling upon the earth? Who knows not that the naturall position of man is erected agreeable to his excellency above other creatures having life and motion? and yet notwithstanding so much hath the dejection of his primitive nature for sin weakned in him this propension, that were it not for education, it is supposed, yea and by experience confirmed, that he would walk upon all four like a beast. And shall we wonder that the malediction of the Serpent, exceeding that of mans, should produce as much as this?

So then to conclude this first particular of the Serpents curse; I understand it, from the ground aforesaid, as insinuating the cause by the outward and sensible effect, according to the manner of the Scripture; namely, the abasement and fall of the Serpents whole nature from his primitive perfection, discovered by the fall of his once advanced body, thenceforth to go groveling upon the earth: Even as the despoiling of the nature of man, of the inward indowments of perfection, is by the same sacred trope, insinuated by his outward nakednesse; that is, the obsruration of that glorious and celestiall beauty, which he had before his sin: The difference whereof was so great; that he could not endure afterward to behold himself any more, but sought for a covering, even to hide himself from himself.

And now I come to the second particular; Dust shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. The coursest diet that any living creature hath allowed him: None of p. 455the beasts of the field with whom he is compared, are thus poorly provided for; nay, not any other, unlesse the base earthworm, not worthy to be named among the creatures. Even with this vilest of creatures is now ranked that once so noble a creature, the Serpent. Which yet is not so to be understood, as though the Serpent did not sometime eat something else, for they sometime devour birds, frogs, and such like; but that this is the ordinary fare which God hath provided him, and if at any time he getteth any other, he goeth beyond his limits. Whence Esay 65. among the blessings of the new Jerusalem, this is reckoned for one, That the Serpent should eat dust; that is, be made contented with the diet God had appointed him, and not to encroach upon the food appointed for others.

But why did God appoint him this food? I answer, even to continue him in that accursed and vile condition to which he had dejected him: For food is for the repairing and preservation of nature, and the goodnesse and badnesse thereof doth make the temper of the body better or worse. Hence according to the degrees of excellency in the creatures, their food is finer or courser: Plants suck the moisture of the earth; beasts live most upon plants, but man of the flesh of cattell, fowl, and fishes: Since therefore the Serpent was to have no better fare then the dust of the earth, as it argues the basenesse of his nature, which can with such food be nourished; so doth it necessarily imply his continuance in that his dejection and vilenesse: whereas otherwise it were not impossible, because his nature for the essence is still the same it was, if his diet were as it had been, for him to improve p. 456himself more near to his primitive temper then now he is. But God who had decreed he should ever remain under this malediction, appointed also the means to retain him therein.

VERSE 15.

And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, &c.

THE third and last particular remains to be treated of; I will put enmity between thee and the woman, &c. This no doubt intendeth in some things, more directly the spirituall Serpent then the brute; yet for the generall it may and ought as well as the rest, to be expounded of the brute Serpent, as a glasse wherein to behold the malice and destiny of the other the Devil. It containeth two parts; The Enmity, and the Event and managing thereof. For the enmity, how it is verified concerning the brute Serpent, experience telleth: It is some part of the happinesse of the creature, to be the favourite of man who is the Lord thereof; what honour could betide it greater then this? But between the Serpent and Man is the most deadly enmity, and the strongest antipathy that is amongst the beasts of the field: Such an one as discovereth it self both in the naturall and sensitive faculties of them both: For the first, their humours are poison each to other; the gall of a Serpent is mans deadly poison; and so is the spittle of man affirmed to poison the Serpent. For the sensitive antipathy, it appears in that the one doth so much abhorre p. 461the sight and presence of the other; mans nature is at nothing so much astonished, as at the sight of a Serpent; and like enough the Serpent is in like manner affected at the sight of man; And that more especially, as the Naturalists affirm, of a naked man, then otherwise. As though his instinct even remembred the time of his malediction, when he and naked man stood before God to receive this sentence of everlasting enmity.

And whereas the words of the Text do in speciall point out the woman in this sentence of enmity; the Naturalists do observe, that is greater and more vehement with that sex, then with the male of mankinde: Insomuch that Rupertus affirmeth, that if but the naked foot of a woman doth never so little presse the head of a Serpent before he can sting her, both the head and body presently dieth, which no cudgell, or other weapon will do, but that some life and motion will still remain behinde: Hoc (saith he) ita est, ipsorum, qui per industriam exploraverunt, fide relatione comperimus. Lib. 3. de Trin. c. 20. You know my Author.

The remaining words of my Text do expresse the managing and event of this enmity, which is far more dangerous and unlikely on the Serpents part then on Mans; for man is able to reach the Serpents head, where his life chiefly resideth, and where a blow is deadly: but as for the Serpent he shall not be able to prevail against man otherwise then privily and unawares, and that but in his lowest part, namely, when he shall passe him unseen, to sting him by the heel. And that this is the nature of a Serpent it appeareth p. 458in the words of Dans blessing, Gen. 49. Dan shall be a Serpent by the way, an Adder in the path, that biteth the horse heels, so that his rider shall fall backward. And to make an end of this discourse also, it is a thing to be observed in the nature of a Serpent, that assoon as he perceiveth man ready to throw or strike at him, he will presently roul his body for a buckler to save his head; even as though he had some impression of that doctrine, which God here read him in my Text, Ipse conteret tibi caput; Beware thy head.

And thus hitherto I have considered these words as they are the curse of the brute Serpent; now I am to go over with them again, to shew how they are propounded unto us by God, as a glasse wherein to behold the Devils malediction: the Serpent being made now the discovery of his vilenesse, which once he abused for a mask to hide it from the woman. As therefore the Serpent is the most accursed of all the cattell and beasts of the field; so is the Devil the most accursed spirit amongst all orders and degrees of spirits; namely, of the highest of Angels become the abjectest of spirits, more base & accursed then the most cursed damned soul, having little or nothing left him of that good which was sutable to a spirituall condition: and this is the state of the Devil for the generall, answerable to that of the Serpent.

Now for the particulars: The first is, VponUpon thy brest shalt thou go: How doth this befit the Devil? The Devil hath no bodily brest to go upon: But as I shewed in the Serpent, that this groveling signified the abasement of his whole nature from his primitive excellency; so in the Devil it signifies, his stooping down p. 459and falling from his most sublime and glorious condition. A wonderfull stoop this was, when that which had been advanced as high as heaven, was made to fall down as low, yea lower then the earth it self; This is the Devils going upon his brest, this the groveling of that once so highly reared posture; according to that description of Iude ver. 6. who cals them the Angels that kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation: agreeable to that of S. Peter 2 Ep. c. 2. v. 4. God spared not the Angels that sinned, but cast them down to hell.

The second particular is, The dust of the earth shalt thou eat all the days of thy life. The food wherewith spirits are fed, is analogicall, spirituall and not corporall, we must therefore here seek out that, which in them hath the fittest resemblance with corporall food. The life of Angels consists in the continuall contemplation of the excellent greatnesse, wonderfull goodnesse, and glorious beauty of the essence of God, both as it is in it self, and as it is communicated unto his creatures. This is that which our Saviour intimates, Mat. 18. 10. Their Angels do always behold the face of my Father which is in heaven. The food of Angels whereby this their intellectuall life and vegetation is strengthned and continued, is that unspeakable joy and delight which accompanies this contemplation of God, and which they finde in the beholding of whatsoever else hath any conformity or sutableness with him, his power, his wisdome, his glory, his goodnesse: According to that in the Gospel, There is joy in heaven, and in the presence of the Angels of God, for one sinner that repenteth. This is that Manna which p. 460feeds the blessed Angels, and which makes them unweariable and unsatiable in their contemplation, and imitation of God, as corporall food enableth the body for the continuance of corporall works.

And such as this had been the Devils fare, had he not fallen from his first estate by sin: whereas now in stead of that Manna, he is fain with the Serpent to feed of a food as course and as base as the dust of the earth; for as of a glorious Angel he is fallen to be a damned spirit; so is his diet answerable to continue him in that damnable estate; namely, a food clean contrary to that of the blessed Angels, and a very earth to their heaven; A most execrable joy, and a malicious delight in whatsoever is opposite to the power, the wisdome, the goodnesse, the glory of God his Creator: this is that he hungreth and hunteth after, and nothing but this. If there were no sin, no confusion, no misery of creatures in the world, the Devil would be soon starved; for this is that he preys after, this is that carrion he seeks for, when he goeth about, as S. Peter saith, like a roaring Lion seeking whom he may devour. I have read of a people of America, that will eat no flesh before it be stinking rotten, and then it seems to them most tender and delicate: These are of a diet like unto the Devil, for nothing but garbage and carrion are his dainties, the more rotten with sin, the more pleasing to his palate, that which stinks most in Gods nostrils, that smels the sweetest in his.

The last part of this curse remains, I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed, &c. In which we will first consider the parties who are to be at this deadly feud: Secondly, the event and successe p. 461they have one against the other: For the first, the parties are on one side said to be the Serpent and his seed: on the other side, The woman and her seed. By the Serpent we are to understand Satan the Prince of darknesse and Father of Devils: This Serpents seed in the first place are the whole crue of Devils and damned spirits, who are fallen from their first estate and condition. These are the Serpents first-born, begotten by him not by corporall generation, nor as they are spirits, but by spirituall deformation, as they are Devils: For it is the opinion of Divines, that Satan fell first himself, and afterward propagated his Apostasie by drawing others after him, over whom therefore he worthily deserveth to have the principality and chiefdome; in which respect also were there no other, yet he might be called their Father, and they his sons or seed, as we know the use of the Scripture is, to call Princes Fathers, and Subjects sons. The latter off-spring of the Devil being a second brood, are the whole company of wicked and reprobate worldlings: for that such as these are the spawn of that foul fiend, it appears clearly by the words of our Saviour to the Pharisees, Ioh. 8. 44. Ye are of your Father the Devil, and the lusts of your Father ye will do. And again, 1 Ioh. 3. 10. The children of God are opposed to the children of the Devil: Therefore Christ cals Iudas a Devil, Ioh. 6. And Paul Act. 13. 10. cals Elymas the Sorcerer, A child of the Devil. The case is plain: And as the Vanguard consisted of the first crue, so these latter are the Rere of Satans Army.

Now on the other side against this Army of Hellhounds, stand the Woman and the Womans seed. The p. 462woman though only named, excludes not the man, who was to be at enmity with the Devil as well as the woman: But the reason of this unusuall Trope, which cals the kind by the name of the weaker and inferiour sex, is because of the words following, of …he seed, wherein is contained the great mystery of Christs Incarnation, under whose colours, and in whose power alone this Army is both to march and overcome: for this great Captain was to be, as you know, the seed of the woman only, and not of the man; A Virgin should conceive a Son, whose name is called Emmanuel. Whence it comes to passe, that some by seed, will have no other seed to be understood, but the person of Christ only; both because he is alone that seed of the woman, which is not the seed of man; and because S. Paul, Gal. 3. 16. in those words, In thy seed shall all the Nations of the earth be blessed, expoundeth seed singularly and individually of Christ himself alone. But if it be well observed, the case here is not the like; for the seed of the woman, is opposed to the seed of the Serpent, which seed cannot chuse but be taken collectively for Satan and all his regiments of Devils and hellhounds. And why should not also the seed of the woman be understood of Christ mysticall, that is, of Christ the Head with all his members, who are incorporate into him by faith into one mysticall body? For although they are naturally the seed of man as well as of the woman, yet spiritually by this incorporation, they are the feed of the woman only, as is their Head with whom they are one: And this it is which makes them of the party against the Serpent, for till they once became the seed of the woman only, there was no enmity betwixt them.

p. 463The seed therefore of the woman, I expound to be Christ and his Members: He foreign, the seed of the woman by nature, they foreign, by their spirituall engra…ment into him. Hence appears the difference of these two Armies; First, in Satans Army all march under their Father, who begot them; but Christs Army sighteth under the Colours of their elder brother, the first begotten seed of the woman. Secondly, in their ranging Christ and his Army are as one body informed by one Spirit; the Devil is far more disunited. Thirdly, in their fighting, for in Satans Army every Souldier useth his own strength, and fights with his own weapons; but in Christs Army the whole strength lies in Christ their Generall: All our Armour is on his back, and our weapons guided by the power of his hand. So we may learn out of S. Paul, Ephes. 6. 11, 12. Put on (saith he) the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the Devil. For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darknesse in this world, against spirituall wickednesse in high places.

Thus then having seen the marshalling of these two Armies, which are at so deadly an enmity, let us at last see the successe of their skirmishes, and of the stratagems which they practise one against the other: these are described on the Devils part very terrible, that his head should be mauled. But on Christs side the losse should be very small, the Devil prevailing but to the wounding or bruising of his heel.

But what is this Head of the Serpent? and what the Heel of the womans seed? Those who understand p. 464the seed of the woman singularly of the person of Christ only, make his head to be the Godhead, against which the Serpent could prevail nothing; but his heel to be the manhood, which the Serpent so bruised at his Passion, that the grave became his bed for three days together: This indeed is true, and no marvell, for the head is as it were the whole bodies epitome. But we who have expounded the seed of the woman collectively, of Christ and his Members, must also in this mysticall body find a mysticall head, and a mysticall heel: and so in like manner for the Serpent and his seed.

The Head therefore, or if you had rather, Headship, is nothing else but Soveraignty: The Serpents head is the Devils Soveraignty, which is called …rincipatus mortis, the Soveraignty of death; namely, both objectivè and effectivè; that is, such a Soveraignty as under which are only such as are liable to death both temporall and eternall; and such a Soveraignty whose power consists not in saving and giving of life, but in destroying, and bringeth unto death both of body and soul. Under the name also of death understand, as the Scripture doth, all other miseries of mankind, which are the companions of this double death I speak of: This is that damnable head of the Serpent, the Devillish Soveraignty of Satan. Now the Sword whereby this Soveraignty was obtained, the Scepter whereby it is maintained, or as S. Paul speaks, the sting of this Serpents head, is Sin: This is that which got him this Kingdome at the first, and this is still the right whereby he holds the greatest part thereof: Imporium iisdem artibus conservatur, quibus acquiritur.

p. 465This Soveraignty of the Devil, which once overwhelmed nigh all the world, the womans seed should break in pieces and destroy, which according to this Prophecy, we see already performed in a great measure, and the grounds laid long ago for the destruction of all that remaineth. As saith S. Iohn Ep. 1. c. 3. v. 8. The Son of God is revealed for this purpose, that he might destroy the works of the Devil. And Christ himself said, that the time was come that the Prince of this world should be cast out; and bade his Disciples be of good chear, for he had overcome the world. If you would see what a wonderfull victory he hath long ago gotten of the Serpent, when after a terrible battell he overcame and destroid the Soveraignty of the Serpent in the Romane Empire, see it described in the 12. of the Revelation, where a Michael (that is, Christ) and his Angels, fought against the great Dragon and his Angels, till the Dragon with all his Army was discomfited, and their place found no more in heaven, that is, he utterly lost his Soveraignty in that state; whence there was a voice in heaven, Now is come salvation, strength, and the Kingdome of our God, and the power of his Christ. And what he will at the length do with the remainder yet of the Devils Soveraignty, you may finde in the 19. and 20 of the Revelation; For he must reign, as S. Paul saith, untill he hath put all his enemies under his feet, untill he hath destroyed all power, rule, and authority adverse unto him: And then, last of all destroying death by giving immortality to our raised bodies, shall surrender up his Kingdome unto his Father, as it is 1 Cor. 15.

But Satan, saith my Text, shall prevail something p. 466against him, for the Serpent shall bruise his heel. What is this heel? Those who understood the seed of the woman singularly, as I told you, made it Christs Manhood. But how we expound the seed Christs mysticall body, what shall we make the heel thereof? I could say that by it were only meant a light wound; or the Devils assaulting the Body of Christ ex insidiis, at unawares, for that is his fashion since the great overthrow, which our Michael gave him, to work his feats underhand, and to undermine our Lord in his members: But this though true is not full enough. It may seem therefore the fittest, to make hypocriticall Christians, who professe Christ outwardly, but inwardly are not his, to make those the heel of his mysticall body: for against such the Devil we know prevaileth somewhat, and by them annoyeth the rest of the Body with his venome, though he be far enough yet from impeaching our Lords Headship, and Soveraignty. But will you give me leave to utter another conceit? If the blessed souls in heaven be the upper part of Christs mysticall Body, the Saints on earth the lower part of the same; may not the bodies of the Saints deceased, which lye in the earth, be accounted for the heel? for I cannot beleeve, but they have relation to this mysticall Body, though their souls be severed from them, and yet must that relation be as of the lowest and most postick members of all. If you will admit this, then it will appear presently, what was this hurt upon the heel, when Christ had once mauled the Devils head; for the Text seems to intimate that the Devil should give this wound after his head was broken.

p. 467I will hold you in suspence no longer; read the 13. of the Revelation, and see what follows upon Michaels Victory over the Dragon, what the Devil did when he was down: He forms a new instrument of the wounded Roman Empire, by whose means under a pretence of the honour given to the precious reliques of the Saints and Martyrs, he conveyed the poison of Saint-worship, and Saint-invocation into the Kingdome of Christ, with which wound of the heel, the Devil comming on the blinde side, the true Church had been long annoyed and limpeth still.

THE Christian Sacrifice, OR, The Solemne VVorship in the EVCHARIST: Foretold by the Prophet Malachi, Taught by our blessed SAVIOUR, AND Practised by the Primitive CHVRCH.

BY JOSEPH MEDE, B. D. and late Fellow of Christs Colledge in CAMBRIDGE.

LONDON, Printed by M. F. for JOHN CLARK, and are to be sold at his Shop under S. Peters Church in Cornhill. MDC XLVIII.