The Cause and Cure of Ignorance, Section 6 – Section 8
SECT. 6
The originall of the worlds hatred.Quest. WHat is the original ground of the worlds hatred?
Ans. That Proclamation which God himselfe made in Paradise Gen. 3.15. where hee saith unto the Serpent; I will put enmity between thee, and the woman, and betweene thy seed…, and her seed, hee, or it, shall bruise thine head, and thou shalt bruise his heele.
Gen. 3 15 opened & explained.Quest. As to the building of an house, it is needfull, first to lay a good foundation, before wee either raise the walls, or cover it with the Roofe: so this Text being the foundation, roote, or spring of our insuing discourse, it is necessary (for the better supporting, and also conceiving of that which follows) clearly to open it, or take it in peeces, that every part may bee viewed severally.
Ans. The whole frame, or substance of the text being a generall Proclamation of VVarre, even of its owne accord, falls, or empties it selfe into ten parts; And they especially leade us to consider these particulars, Viz.
The Thing, proclaimed,
The Author, proclaiming,
The Captains & Souldiers, between whom,
The Cause why,
The End wherefore,
The Time when,
The Manner how,
The Place where,
The Continuance,
The Issue & effects.
Quest.An enmity proclaimed, and what it is. The whole being thus let fall into parts, let us take up each severall in order, and view it. And first tell me what is intimated, by this Enmity which is here proclamed.
Ans. By Enmity is ment, a bitter, inveterate, irreconsiliable and endlesse hatred and devision; opposite to that amity and familiarity, which formerly had been betweene the Woman and the Serpent. Breifly it is the very gall of the Prince of darkenesse.
Quest.The Author proclaiming. Who was the Author and proclamor of it?
Ans. The Authour and principall efficient of it, is God himselfe: for it we looke a little backe to the preceding verse, wee shall see that this (I) is Iehovah; the eternall God, and Lord of Hosts.
The Captaines and Souldiers between whom,Quest. Betweene whom was this Enmity proclamed?
Ans. Between the Serpent, and his seed on the one side: and the woman, and her seed on the other.
Quest. What is meant by the Serpent, and his seede.
Ans. By the Serpent wee are to understand Sathan who opened the Serpents mouth; and caused it to speake with mans voyce. as the Lord by an Angell, opened the mouth of Balaams Asse, Num. 22.
All wicked men are the Serpents seed.Secondly, by the Serpents seede, is ment the whole Generation of wicked men, as interpreters conclude generally: and other Scriptures make cleare, calling them Serpents, Generations of vipers, and Children of the Divell. Mat. 23.33. Iohn 8.44. and 1 Iohn 3.10. yea! when Sathan by seducing Adam, to breake Gods law in eating the forbidden fruite, had deformed him after his own Image; as God had formed him after his: hee intituled all his heires to that name the seede of the Serpent. Iohn 8.44. of which more hereafter.
Quest. What is meant by the woman and her seed?
Ans. By the woman is meant Eve:What is meant by the Woeman and her seed. by her seede, wee are to understand first and cheifely Christ; the singular seede, who was so the seed of the woman, as that hee was not of the Man. Gal. 4.4. being borne of a Virgin. Esay 7.14.
Secondly it implyeth all the elect his members; who are not only Eves seede, as she was the Mother of all liveing by nature; but by faith also: as else where they are called the seed, or children of Abraham Gal. 3.29,
Quest.Severall uses of instruction. What may bee gathered from these tearmes thus explicated? and what instructions afford they?
Ans. 1.1. Vse. That there was a twofold Kingdom set up in this world: A Kingdome of darkenesse, of sinne, and of misery; and a Kingdome of light, of holinesse, and of happinesse: the King, and cheife Commander of the one being Sathan, the Prince of darkenesse; the God of this world, (that is of all wicked men in this World) And cheife of evill spirits, his subjects all the sons of Adam, without exception, or exemption of any; even the Elect before calling, and Regeneration; and the reprobate without limitation. And the King of the other being Christ, called in scripture the wonderfull Councellor, the mighty God the everlasting Father and Prince of peace, the Lord of Lords and King of Kings. Isa. 9.6. Rev. 17.14. who is also the chief of men, even the chief son of man. His Subjects, the godly alone, by which I understand so many of the Elect, as are regenerate: though indeed wee have all received our presse-money in baptisme, and ought every one according to our ingagement; maintain this fight against the Devil and the World.
2. That Sathan hath more Subjects, th…n any Emperor in the world;2 Use yea, more men to serve and fight for him; th…n the Trinity which made us: that the little handfull of the Church, is invironed, and besieged with a numberless Multitude of deadly Enemies: All the Armadoes and Troopes of Devills, all the Companies of the wicked, all the forces and powers of Hell; have bent their Bowes, and made ready their Arrowes, that they may privily shoote at the righteous; who are the only marke of their malice, and white at which they levell. Psa. 11.2.
I confesse among us Christians: Christ is the subject of all tongues; Oh that hee were the object of all hearts! but whereas the Schoole disputes of him, the Pulpit preaches of him, Hipocrites talk of him, time servers make use of him, Polititians pretend him, Profane men swear by him, Civill honest men persecute him, Millions professe him, few love him, few serve him, few care to honour him. Godly men even amongst us Christians, are like timber Trees in a wood; here one and there one; yea, it is to bee feared, that as once in Israel, a thousand followed Baal, for one that followed God: So now in England, many serve the world, and the flesh and the Devill, for one that truely serves God in sincerity, truth and holinesse.3 Use
3 If our Enemies are so many in number, so great in might, in malice, in experience and cunning; as from hence wee are informed: yea, if wee have Enemies inferiour, as wicked men, exterior, as the world; interior, as the flesh; superiour, as the Devill; it behooves us not to trust to our owne strength (Hercules himselfe could not coape with two adversaries at once) but to implore the assistance of Almighty God, and Christ our Captaine; whose weakenesse was too strong for all their power and might; the which beeing done; feare not a strong Enemie against thee, seeing thou hast a stronger friend with thee.
SECT. 7.
Quest. WHat collect you in particular from those words; I will put Enmity &c.
The certainty of this War.Ans. This shewes the stabillity, and certainty of it, for with God, neither doth his word disagree from his intention (because hee is truth it selfe) nor his deede, from his word, because hee is power it selfe: God is not as man, that hee should lye; neither as the Sonne of man that he should repent: Hath hee said, I will put enmity, and shall be not do it? Or hath he spoaken the word, and shall not hee accomplish it? Numb. 23.19. Heaven and Earth shall passe away, but one jott, or tittle of …is word shall not passe, til all bee fulfilled, Mat. 5.18.
Quest. What instruction affords this?
Ans. Lessons of Instruction from hence.1 That to be without reproaches, or persecutions, wee may rather wish then hope; for what peace can we looke for,1 Lesson. betweene the seede of the woman, and the seede of the Serpent, seeing God himselfe from the beginni…g hath set them at Enmity? yea, once to expect it were an effect of frenzy, not of hope.
2 Since we can expect no peace f…om the Serpents seede;2 Lesson. let as many as are of the womans seede, and of Christs side; …nanimously hold together. It is hard to say, whither Bazil ▪ and Eusebius, who perceiving the Arrians to improve a difference between them; to the prejudice of the Orthodox; soone reconciled themselves, and united their forces together against the common enemy, are more to bee commended, Or the Pope to bee abhorred, who was so busie and hot against Luther, that hee neglected to looke to all Christendome against the Turke. Which declared, that hee could easier disgest Mahometisme, then Lutheronisme. The case of too many in our dayes, that thinke they love Christ fervently, though wee may justly suspect the contrary, by their being so busie, and hot against the Reformation established. Against which they cannot bring any expresse scripture; only they seek straws to put out their own eyes, & puzzell others withall. As Bernard speaks of som… in his time; and sure I am, it would argue more love to Christ, and obedience to his gospell; if they would ioyne with the godly party, against Atheists, and Papists. As, let but two Mastifes bee jarring betweene themselves: when the Bare comes they forget private strife, to assayle their common Enemy. And certainly they might bee as firme friends to truth; although they were not such bitter enemies to peace. For as the case standeth it is hard to determine whether they more intend to doe God service; or really doe the Devill and his instruments service; by their contradicting, and aspersing all that are not of their owne judgement.
3 Lesson3 If the Lord have put this Enmity, betweene us and the wicked. Here is warrant in opposing, comfort in suffering.
4 Lesson4 If the seede of the Woman, fight on Christs side, and they have Gods word for their warrant: they are sure to have him assist them, and prevent their Enemies: and is not that God wee fight for able enough to vindicate all our wrongs?
SECT. 8.
Quest.Originall sin the orig…nall of this dis…cord. What occasioned the Lord to proclaime this enmity?
Ans. Adams si…ne in eating the forbidden fruite. a…d Sathans malice in moving, and seducing him thereunto, was the meritorious cause: the originall of this discord,The end why …hreefo…d, is from originall sin.
Quest. What was the finall cause or end why God proclaimed it?
Ans. His end was threefold, in regard of himselfe, the wicked, and the godly.
1 In regard of himselfe: his principal …nd was his owne glory, which should a…ise from the manifestation, or admirable composition of his justice, mercy, holinesse, wisdome, power, and providence herein.
2 In regard of Sathan, and wicked men… that hee might for the present punish one sinne with another, and in the end take due vengeance on them in their greater condemnation, and finall Ruine and destruction.
3. In regard of the Godly for their greater good, as namely that they might, by this affliction and chastisement, be stopt in their course of sin, be brought to the …ight of their evills pas…, and made repent of them, and prevented from si… ning for the time to come, and lastly to keep them in continuall exercise, that so they might walke on in the way of holiness which will bring them to eternall happiness, and not to be condemned with the world.