Goodwill Towards Men, Part 1 · Section 19
Sect. 19.
PROP. XIX. The Sin of our first Parents in eating of the forbidden fruit, how light a matter soever it may seem to many; yet was indeed exceeding hainous, full of dreadful Aggravations.
THe blasphemy of Pope Julius the third is ever to be abhorred, who said, since God was so angry with our first Parents, propter pomum, for an Apple, Szeged Spec. Pontif. 75.he had more cause (being his Vicar) to be angry propter pavonem for a Peacock.
But that Man brake with God for so small a matter, it made the sin so much the greater; Quo levius Mandatum eo gravius peccatum.and the easier it was for him to have obeyed Gods command, the more inexcusable was his disobedience. That he had more power than ever Man had since, to have resisted the temptation, his sin and transgression appears hereby to have been the more wilful. So the dignity of his state makes his sinful fall the more shameful. As the wonderful favours God had heaped on him, added the odious stain of ingratitude to his sin of disobedience. And what a causeless Jealousie and base distrust of God was here, even of that God, who had been so good and kind towards him; that he despised Gods counsel, trusting to his own inventions, and shifting for himself. And what horrible pride, Heaven-daring Ambition, in affecting to be as God? wherein appeared his wretched discontent at the good condition God had set him in, over-looking that glory and honour the Lord had crowned him with, and envying at the Divine perfection of his Maker, what a notorious contempt was here? a contempt of his Soveraignty and Authority, slighting the prohibition given him, a contempt of Gods power and justice, slighting the commination; a contempt of Gods bounty and goodness, slighting the promised life and happiness. And as Samuel said, Disobedience is as the Sin of witchcraft, and as the iniquity of Idolatry; was there not Atheism, Infidellity, Blasphemy, Idolatry here; in believing, yielding to the Devil, preferring his lying suggestions before the Word of God? Besides sensuallity, indulging his appetite contrary to Gods command; yea, Murder, and the greatest cruelty towards his posterity, doing what in him lay, to ruine and undoe them for ever.
These with many other sins, were contained in the first Transgression.
One more I must not let pass un-named, viz. that it was a direct breach of Covenant. Breach of Covenant with God, horrid perfidiousness, not meerly the breach and transgression of Gods Law; but also the violation of his Covenant, and so a shameful requital of Gods gracious condescention. Had it been an enemy or a stranger, that had carried it thus, there had been less of wonder & strangeness in it; but that a friend, and a confederate should deal so treacherously with God, may not Heaven and Earth be astonished at this?
This (I say) was a direct breach of Covenant with God, an irreparable breach of that Covenant. An utter renouncing of it. As it was a breach of that Law, God had given to be the Test of Man's obedience (& perfect obedience was the condition of the first Covenant) so it was as an open profession of disobedience, *It was the transgression of that precept which God had given for the trial of Man's obedience, and so was an absolute denial of subjection, & renouncing of obedience; as the observance of it had been an open profession of submission and due obedience. Ball of Meditation. p. 213. 214.and declared renouncing of his Covenant.
I know it is a great Question, how our first Parents could so strangely overshoot themselves?
But that they did so, is plain, and out of Question. Some Question whether the sin of pride, or incredulity was first in the fall of our first Parents? But methinks we must conceive them something declined from God, and their duty, before they could be guilty of either that pride, or incredulity. So it would seem that incogitancy, and not retaining God in their thoughts, as they ought to have done, was the first step to their ruine. That through incogitancy, they came to be seduced by the Serpent, drawn into error, and incredulity, and so to an inordinate appetite after the forbidden fruit, and next to eat, which was the compleating Act of their sin.
What need then have we all to look well about us, watch and pray, that we enter not into Temptation. Give not the water a little passage, least it prove as a breach of the Sea, that cannot be repaired, that fire which at first one might stamp out with his foot, that spark which might be put out with a wet finger, being let alone, doth soon become a devouring flame, consuming all before it.