A Complete and Compendious Church History, Chapter 1
The Firſt Plot againſt the Church, &c.
CHAP. I.
THis I ſhall Demonſtrate by an Induction of Particular Inſtances (as the Lord ſhall help me) both out of Sacred and Civil Hiſtory, to make manifeſt the marvellous Conduct which the Pillar of Providence hath ſecured the Church withal in all her paſſages through the World, as the Pillar of Glory did the Church in the Wilderneſs.
The 1ſt. Inſtance of the wicked Plotting againſt the Church, and the Lords laughing it to Nothing, is, that firſt Plot of the Grand Plotter [foreign] that wicked One, 1 Joh. 5. 18. the Devil, againſt our firſt Parents: As of Jacob's Ladder, (which conſiſted of ſo many rounds or ſteps as would reach from Earth to Heaven) 'tis ſaid, The Lord was upon the top of it, Gen. 28. 12, 13. So of this Scale of Conſpiracies againſt the Church, (which contains ſo many Diſtinct Deſigns as do Reach from Adam to our preſent time) it may as truly be affirmed, That the Devil muſt be at the top of it. We Read of a Book of the Wars of the Lord, (a Book not extant, but (if not loſt) latent,) Numb. 21. 14. However this is extant in the Book of God, that here began the War of the Devil or Dragon againſt the Church: No ſooner was Lucifer faln from Heaven, Iſa. 14. 12. and of a Glorious Angel was become a damned Devil, Jude v. 6. 2 Pet. 2. 4. partly for his pride againſt God, in aſpiring to be like the moſt High; and partly for his Envy at Man, when he firſt beheld the Honour and Happineſs wherein Man was Created, and firſt heard the charge which God gave the Angels to keep Man in all his ways, Pſal. 91. 11. This Command proud Lucifer diſdaining, that a ſuperior ſhould wait (like a ſervant) upon an inferior Creature, Pſal. 8. 5. He kept not his firſt Eſtate, but left his firſt Habitation, Jude v. 6. Thus he ſinned from the beginning, 1 Joh. 3. 8. and abode not in the Truth, Joh. 8. 44. And now being come down, (by his Sin) or rather caſt down (for his ſin) from Heaven; and having great Wrath (Rev. 12. 12.) for being hurl'd out of Heaven into Hell, he had no comfort left him, ſave onelyonly this miſerable and miſchievous one, to make Man as miſerable as himſelf, and to bring him into the ſame Condemnation, 1 Tim. 3. 6. For this purpoſe, he lays a dangerous and Diabolical Plot, conſiſting of many parts: As
(1ſt.) He aſſumes a fit Engine, that Creature which was more ſubtile than all the Beaſts of the Field, Gen. 3. 1. The ſharper a Weapon is, it makes a deeper wound, and gives a more deadly blow: the ſharpeſt and ſubtileſt Wits are (of all others) the moſt miſchievous Inſtruments in the Devils hands againſt Gods truth. This grand evil Angel made uſe of this Serpent (which, as ſome ſay, was very ſpecious and delightful to the Eye by his comely mixture of lovely Colours) to deceive the firſt Woman, as the good Angel made uſe of the Aſs to rebuke the mad Prophet, 2 Pet. 2. 16. Numb. 22. 28.
(2dly.) The 2d. part of his propoſed and purſued Plot, is, in Aſſaulting (not the Man, but) the Woman, the weaker Veſſel, which is ſooneſt and eaſieſt overcome; where the Hedg is loweſt, there the Beaſt leaps over with the leaſt difficulty: A beſieging Enemy raiſes his Batteries againſt the weakeſt part of a beſieged City; the weaker Sex is moſt likely to truckle to his temptations; hence he Eſſays to break the Mans head with his own Rib, and to make uſe of this Rib, as of the Round of a Ladder, whereon to climb up ſo high, as to Reach a blow to her Head and Husband.
(3dly.) He ſets upon the Woman when alone: 'Tis ſuppoſed, As Adam and Eve walk'd together in Paradiſe, Eve ſtood ſtill, gazing with her fancy upon ſome Delectable Object, which Adam paſſed by with leſs looking on; he got ſo far before her, as to leave her behind, whereby ſhe was overtaken by the Tempter; the abſence of her Head (with its counſel and comfort) gives Satan a fair opportunity, which he improves to the utmoſt. Solomon ſaith, Where Two are, there is Help, Eccle. 4. 10.
(4thly.) While Eve is alone, the Tempter falls a diſputing with her, in asking her a Conciſe and an Abrupt Queſtion, [Yea, hath God ſaid, &c. ?] That he might Enervate the Authority of the Divine Menace or Commination: Hereupon the weaker Veſſel (Eve) gives but a weak Anſwer, for ſhe might (in her ſtate of Innocency) have that Ignorance which the Schools call a pure Negation, not a depraved Diſpoſition; (which is found in Children, &c.) She might not know whether Serpents could naturally ſpeak, or whether there was now any Devil exiſting, not hearing of the fall of Angels: ſhe did know her protection of Angels, (as before) ſo might miſtake the Devil (in the Serpent) for a good Angel, and therefore diſputes with him, and was deceived by him, (as ſhe confeſſes, Gen. 3. 13. So dangerous it is to diſpute with the Devil, who is better believ'd away, than argu'd away. They do but ſhoot with Satan in his own Bow, that think by parlying with this [foreign] or ſubtile Sophiſter, to put him off: by this means he draws Eve out of her Trenches of the Divine Praecept, and wrings the Sword of the Spirit (the Word of God) out of her hand, then doth he what he will with her, yea, wins the Day, when he had diſarm'd her.
(5thly.) No ſooner had the Woman put in her weak Anſwer (in this Diſputation) to the Devils Queſtion, mincing the matter of the Divine Menace in her. [Leaſt ye Dye] inſtead of Gods Word▪ [Ye ſhall ſurely Dye.] Whereby ſhe made that Danger doubtful only, which God had made Certain, peremptory, and without a peradventure. Hereupon this ſubtile Serpent (watching for her halting, and when to have her upon the hip) doth as confidently deny that ſentence of Death, v. 4. as God had ſeriouſly and ſeverely Threatned it before, Gen. 2. 7. Hereby her belief of Gods Word is batter'd down, and not oppoſing the certainty of Gods Threatning (which ſhe but ſeem'd to doubt of in the Diſputation) againſt Satans Inſinuation, (in his plain and poſitive Denyal of it) ſhe yieldeth. If the Word of God had abode in her, ſhe had overcome the Devil, 1 Joh. 2. 14.
(6thly.) The Tempter tempts her with an Apple from the Forbidden-Fruit-Tree, telling her (as ſome ſay) that there was no death in the Apple, (according to the Divine Threatning) from a proof of his own Experience, For (ſaith the ſubtile Serpent) I do climb the Tree, and eat of the Fruit thereof, and yet am not Dead for ſo doing. This was (probably) done while Eve looked on, and therefore ſhe ſaid, (at leaſt in her mind) That ſhe ſaw it was good for Food, v. 6. Hereupon ſhe concluded that Death was not in the Fruit of the forbidden-Tree, and hereupon inclines to take and Eat.
(7thly.) The Devil (to promote his Plot the more) accuſes God of Envy, to Eve, (which is truly call'd) Morbus Satanicus, the Devils own Diſeaſe; as if God had forbid them the Fruit of this Tree of Knowledge, onelyonly out of Envy, leaſt their Eating thereof ſhould make them Equal with God in Knowledge and Wiſdom. Thus the Devil abuſed the very name of the Tree of Knowledge to her, making it far better than (indeed) it was; as if it would make them as Omniſcient as God: Thus he muſed, as he uſed, and would have made God as envious as himſelf, who envyed that either God ſhould be honoured or obeyed by Man, or that Man ſhould be Gifted and Graced by God: Hereupon he tells her, [Your Eyes ſhall be Opened,] pretending, to Divine Contemplation, but intending, to Horrible Confuſion, as it proved afterwards, when aſhamed of their Nakedneſs: So that (in v. 5.) this Lyar from the beginning, was not ſo much [Mendax] a Lyar, as [Fallax] a Deceiver; according to that Antient ſaying, [Et ſi ſemel videatur Verax, Millies Mendax, & ſemper Fallax.] Though he ſometimes ſeem to ſpeak truly, yet will he lye a thouſand times for it, and be always Fallacious and Deceitful.
(8thly.) He promiſes to her, [Ye ſhall be as Gods,] which was more likely to make them Devils (like himſelf,) or (at leaſt) Beaſts that Periſheth, Pſal. 49. 12, …0. What God ſaid Ironically and by a ſad Sarcaſm, Gen▪ 3. 22. The Man is become as one of us. The Beaſts might ſay moſt truly, and without any figure, The Man is become as one of us. Thus while Satan makes her Free from Fear, it was only deſigned by him to make her Free to Sin; hereupon She took of the Fruit, and gave it alſo to her Husband, v. 6. to whom ſhe Related all Satans Promiſes concerning the force of the Fruit, &c. whereby ſhe ſeduced him, v. 17. in hearkening to her Voice, hoping that according to her ſuggeſtion from Satan) he might become a God, and his Wife a Goddeſs. Thus the plurality of Gods was firſt taught by the Devil, whoſe Grammer [Deum pluraliter declinare Docuit] firſt learnt to Decline God in the Plural Number, and thus he transforms his own ſin upon them, [Ero ſicut Altiſſimus] I ſhall be like the moſt High, Iſai. 14. 12. ſaith he of himſelf, and [Eritis ſicut Dij.] Ye ſhall be as Gods; ſaith he of them.
The 9th. and laſt part of his Plot, is the Timeing of his Temptation: herein this ſubtile Serpent hath a ſingular ſagacity: no ſooner was he caſt out of Heaven, but he Reſolves to be Reveng'd of his Maker for this expulſion; and becauſe he could not come at his Creator (God) with his Revenge, he Falls immediately upon his Creature (Man,) the Maſter-piece of the Creation, upon the ſame Day wherein he was Created; he loſes no time, but about high-Noon the ſame Day (which was Dinner or Eating-time) he Attempts his Ruine by tempting him to Eat Forbidden-Fruit, and ſo flatters them out of the True Paradiſe into a Fools Paradiſe of their own Dreams and Dotage. Thus [foreign] by the cogging of a Dye, Eph. 4. 14. (like a cheating Gameſter) he gives them an Apple for Happineſs, and Sin, & Miſery, for a ſtate of Innocency; not ſuffering them to Reſt (ſo much as one Night) upon the Bed of Honour and Happineſs. This the Pſalmiſt (according to ſome Interpreters) doth Inſinuate, Pſal. 49. 12. Adam being in Honour, [Bal Jalin, non pernoctavit] abode not (or lodged not) one Night in Paradiſe. 'Tis the ſaying of a Greek-Father, That Adam [foreign] was made and marr'd all in one Day. Thus he who thought to become a God, became a Beaſt that periſheth, Yea, Carrion, ſaith Junius. Here the prime Plot of the principal Plotter, (the Prince of Darkneſs) hath a ſhrewd ſeeming ſucceſs, yet the Lord laughs at it; and Ridendo irritum Reddidit; he Defeats the Devils Deſign, and that with Diſgrace, for there was a Covenant tranſacted betwixt God the Father, and God the Son [ab Aeterno] from all Eternity, 1 Pet. 1. 20. Joh. 17. 6. Tit. 1. 2. and 2 Tim 1. 9. This Covenant the Devil knew nothing of, and it was this that ſpoiled all his Plot: Indeed our firſt Parents were under this dedolent and diſconſolate Condition, from Noon to Night, or (at leaſt) to the cool of the Day: (having now moſt woful Experimental Knowledge both of the Good which they had loſt, and of the Evil wherein they lay.) Then commeth Jehovah to Judge them, V. 8. Satan aſſuredly expected that the Greatly Offended Creator (God) would have met his Greatly Offending Creature (Man) in as much Fury, as he did (afterwards) Moſes in the Inn, when he had much ado (as it were) to forbear Killing him, Exod. 4. 24. Or that he would have come to Adam, as the Angel came to Balaam, with a drawn Sword in his hand, wherewith to deſtroy him, Numb 22. 32. or that he would have ruſhed upon this Rebel, as David ran upon Goliah, and cut off his head, 1 Sam. 17. 51. No ſuch Fury is in God againſt faln Man, Iſai. 27. 4. The Devil is diſappointed, for God comes to Man, (indeed,) but not ſo much a Judge, as a Father, and as a Phyſitian. 1ſt. As a Father, ſaying, (as it were) Though Man be faln by the Devils malevolence, yet he ſhall be raiſed up again by my Benevolence, by my Good will to Man, Luk. 2. 14. 2dly. As a Phyſitian, God hath prepared a Soveraign Plaiſter to Apply to the wound that Man had receiv'd from the Devil; God promiſeth Chriſt to be a Redeemer to Man, and (withal) to be a Deſtroyer of the Devil, Hebr. 2. 14. and of all his Works, 1 Joh. 3. 8. This Plaiſter was prepared by the good pleaſuro of God the Father, Covenanting with God the Son long before Man was in being, much more before he was wounded. No ſuch Plaiſter was provided to Cure the Fall of Angels, for they ſinned upon their own accord, and without a Tempter, Therefore Gods foreign, did out-ſhine his foreign, His love to Men was greater than his love to Angels, for in coming to Judge Man, ſuch was his Graciouſneſs towards him, that in Wrath he Remembred Mercy, Habb. 3. 2. And giving the Promiſe of Chriſt, (in the Seed of the Woman) Adam takes hold of the Promiſe, and in Faith therein, he calls his Wife, Eve, (which ſignifies Life,) He (inſtead of Dying the ſame Day of his Eating Forbidden-Fruit,) Lives 930 Y. after, and ſhe became the Mother of all Living: and though they brought in Death by their Diſobedience, yet God Taught them the Ordinance of Sacrificing, ſo the firſt thing that Dyed in the World, was a Sacrifice, or Chriſt in a Figure, the Lamb, ſlain from the Foundation of the World, Rev. 13. 8. And who opens a paſſage into a better Paradiſe than that which they had Forfeited, Luk. …3. 43. 2 Cor. 12. 4. Rev. 2. 7. And if that Rabbinical Notion (no way diſſentaneous to Truth) be Received, to wit, That the Tree of Knowledge ſtood upon Mount Calvary, (Paradiſe being placed in Canaan, the Glory of all Lands, Ezek. 20. 6.) where Chriſt was (after) Crucified on a Tree, then it follows, that in the ſame place, and by the ſame means an Expiation of Sin was made, where & as it was firſt committed. Thus God overſhoots Satan in his own …, and the Devil goes off from his firſt Plot with a broken-Head by the Womans Seed, which makes him weaker in his Projects ever after.