Observations Upon the Old Testament, Genesis · Chapter 3
CHAP. III.
…rs. 1. SErpent] Divers sorts are of them Some specious, and beautiful to the eye.
subtil] Prudent, Matth. 10. 16. crafty, 2. Cor. 11. 3. and so the fitter instrument for Satan.
he said] Many Angels fell, Mar. 5. 9, 12. 2 4. Pet. 2. Jude v. 6. having one for Principal, Matth. 25. 41. And they fell from the beginning, 1 John 3. 8. Now they are called Devils or Daemons, of their knowledge and cunning still remaining. One of them, if not the Principal, opened here the Serpents mouth, and caused it to speak with mans voice, 2 Cor. 11. 3. as the Lord did with Bala…ms Asse. And the Devil did this speedily after mans creation: Whence he is called a Murtherer from the beginning, Joh. 8. 44. and that old Serpent, which deceiveth the whole world, Rev. 12. 9.
yea, hath God] This would be an abrupt beginning. But it seemes to presuppose a Precedent parley in a more cunning and winning way.
V. 2. And the woman said] She wonders not at the Serpents speaking: and speaking so, or it may be, she did at the first, for a while at least; though it be not here expressed: yet haply conceiving that her knowledge in some things was to increase by experience, as our blessed Saviour did, Luke 2. 52. He came to finde fruit on the fig-tree, when the time of figs was not yet, Mar. 11. 13. And she being not apt, b… able to suspect any evil or sinne, as not knowing the fall of the Angels; or any evil to be in the world, she might the rather entertaine this conference.
V. 3. Neither shall ye touchit, lest ye die] These words may be uttered with a good intention, and receive a good interpretation, in answer to the Serpents question: she hereby heightening Prohibition to the utmost, to put the greater …ie upon her obediente; and averring, and ascertaining the danger and death, which otherwise would ensue; as, Matth. 15. 32. compared with, Marke 8. 3.
V. 4. ye shall not surely die] Thus the Devil is a liar, and the father of it, John 8. 44.
V. 5. as Gods] Satan might be pretend to meane it of the Angels. But the woman conceived it of the true God, in plurality of persons, as appears, v. 22.
Knowing] Satan abuseth the name of the tree… to a wrong sense: pretending all good, but intending all wofull knowledge of sinne and misery by it, experimentally.
V. 6. And when the woman saw, &c.] Here was the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life, 1 John 2. 16. And thus through his eating, by one man sinne and death entered into the world: In Adam all his posterity sinned, being then in his …oines, Rom. 5. 12, 19. And in Adam all die, 1 Cor▪ 15. 22. Rom▪ 5. 15, 16, 17, 18.
and he did eate] Yet it is said Adam was not deceived, but the woman being deceived, was in the transgression, … Tim. 2. 14. She first and deepest in the transgression; and she, not the Devil immediately, the meanes to induce her husband to sinne, she giving the forbidden fruit to him; with words to perswade him, v. 17. though she did not purposely deceive him, as the Devil did purposely deceive hee.
V. 7. And the eyes of them both] Small distance then betweene the time of both their eating.
naked] In body before, without shame, while without sin, chap. 2. 25. But now experimentally they know that they were naked, both in body and soule; with shame; as, Exod. 32. 25. through guilt of sinne, and sting of conscience.
they sewed] A silly shift. And therefore notwithstanding this, they seek to hide themselves, v. 8. But for their souls, they did not, nor indeed could make any shift at all.
aprons] To cover especially those parts, of all most uncomely now, which serve for generation; By which sinne hath its derivation to all mankinde.
V. 8. voice of the Lord God walking] Either in an humane shape, or otherwise without that, making this voice, and noise by his Almighty power.
in the coole of the day] Coole winde, at evening tyde; which brought the voice and noise to their hearing.
hid themselves] With as much folly as faultinesse: through the horror and amazednesse wherewith they were stricken at Gods approach.
V. 10. I heard] He toucheth not, but dissembleth the true and maine cause.
V. 11. hast thou eat…n, &c?] q. … I appeale to thy conscience, whether this be not the true cause of thy fear, and present shame at thy nakednesse now.
V. 13. What is this, &c?] How heynous an offence? as, chap▪ 44. 15.
V. 14. unto the Serpent] Curseth him, as the Devils instrument. Such is Gods hatred of sinne, punishing the bare instruments of it: as in Exod, 32. 20. Levit 20. 15, 16. as a father breaks the sword wherewith his childe was shine. Yet this curse upon the Serpent is so expressed, as fitly in a Mystical sense, relates to, and includes the curse inflicted on the Devil, the chief agent and author.
upon thy belly] This going on his belly, and feeding on dust, was not the natural gate and food of the Serpent before. For he is numbered among the beasts, chap. 3. 1. distinguished from creeping things, chap. 1. 25. And the greene herbs was given him for meate, chap. 1. 30. But now he is adjudged to go on his belly and breast; and that with more paine and difficulty, then other creeping things: As to Adams labours, and Eves conception, and sujection to her husband, paine and …orrow were added for their sinne. And for meat, he must lick the dust, Mi…h 7. 17. Esay 65. 22. Whence they are called Serpents of the dust, Deut. 32. 24. The Sovereignty of Gods power and authority over all his creatures doth clear the justnesse of his proceeding and doome here against all Serpents.
V. 15. enmity] A natural antipathy betweene Mankinde and Serpents. A greater enmity betweene Mankinde and the Devil; His enmity to Mankinde is too apparent; And mans to him, so farre as he is rightly knowne and discerned to be the Devil: though by his cunning▪ conveyances, as here with Eve, he reignes since the fall, as a God over a great part of Mankinde, 1 Cor. 4. 4.
It] Or, He; the World for Seed, and the Verb for shall break, being both in the Hebrew of the masculine gender, pointing to Christ, the Seed of a woman, Gal. 4▪ 4. Luke 1. 42. 2. 7. the promised Seed, Gal. 3. 16. who destroyed the Devil, Heb. 2. 14. John 12. 31▪ and his works, 1 John 3. 8. triumphing over him on his Crosse, Col. 2. 15. And in Christ our Head, we resist and overcome the Devil, 1 Pet. 5. 9. 1 John 2. 13, 14. The God of Peace bruising Satan under our feet, Rom. 16. 20.
V. 16. thy desire] Shall be subject to thine husband, as, Gen. 4. 7. As Abels to Cain, as the first-borne.
and he shall rule over thee] By Creation she was to live in subordination to man, 1 Tim. 2. 13. 1 Cor. 11. 9. But now a further rule in the man, and desire of subjection in the woman is required here, as a punishment or chastisement on her then he had over her by Creation; and with more grief unto woman-kinde, 1 Tim. 2. 12. 1 Pet. 3. 1, 5, 6. 1 Cor. 14. 34. Tit. 2. 5.
V. 17. Cursed is the ground] The earth which he gave to the children of men, Psal. 115. 16. and to their use, is now by Curse made more unprofitable to them and their use, verse 18, 19. chap. 5. 29. Yea, the Creature was made subject to vanity by mans sin; subject to a vanishing, flitting, and perishing estate; subject to the corruption and abuse of man; subject to serve for the object and instrument of sin, Esay 24. 5. And therefore the heavens and the earth, which are now, are reserved unto fire against the day of judgement, 2 Pet 3. 7, 10. And the whole Creation groaneth, and travelleth in paine together untill now: The earnest expectation of the creature waiting for the manifestation of the sonnes of God; that it may be delivered from the bondage of corruption into the glorious liberty of the children of God: that all the steps and traces of that malediction put upon it for mans sin, may be utterly rased out of the world; and new heavens, and a new earth created, as the Scripture phraseth it; every creature according to every ones degree and nature partaking of that glorious liberty of the children of God; being fully delivered from all vanity, slavery, abuse, and evill, Rom. 8. 19, 20, 21, 22.
V. 18. the herb of the field] Not the herbs and fruits of Paradise, v. 23, 24.
V. 20. Eve] Here first so called. God calls her Adam, chap. 5. 2.
because she was] To be; thus Propheticaly he foretels it: else it is Moses that gives the reason of the name.
V. 21. coats of skins] In likelihood of the skins of beasts, which God taught him to kill for sacrifice: being that Abel did so soone sacrifice, chap. 4. 4.
V. 22. And now lest, &c.] Spoken by an ironie. For it was not the eating of the fruit, that could recover him, or preserve him from the sentence of death, whereunto God for his sin had now doomed him? Both the Trees were Sacraments of the first Covenant of works to confirme the Promise, and threatening there unto appertaining; which Sacramental tree of Life he had now nothing to do withal, no right to it, having broken the Covenant, and incurred the Curse; no more then he ought to have medled with the other Tree, in the state of innocencie.
V. 24. drove out] The day not so certainly knowne; But in all probability, the same day of his creation. For Satan would omit no time. The woman, if she had beene better practised, and not taken at the first, would not so soone have …r…ed: or if she had knowne the Fall of the Angels, she would have suspected the more. Her speech, v. 2. We may eate seemes to shew, that no fruit had been eaten before. And doubtlesse she fell a Virgin. And accordingly Jewes, Caldeans, A…abians, Greeks, Latines, Barbarians, hold that they fell the day they were created.
at the East] Where the entrance was into Paradise.
Cheru…ims] Angels. Moses in the use of this word applying himself to the capacity of the people, to whom the Cherubims in the Tabernacle were well known, representing the Angels. In Ezekiels Vision, we read of Cherubims as living creatures, with wings, chap. 1. 5. and 10. 1, 15. In Daniel, the Angel Gabriel flying.
and a flaming sword] Haply to each, if there were more Angels then one, Cherubims being of the plural number. We read of an Angel with a drawn sword in Davids time, 1 Chron. 21. 16.
which turned every way] All for the more terror, that… man should not dare to attempt re-entrance.