Fifteen Sermons, Sermon 2
SERMON II.
The Seed of the Woman, and the Seed of the Serpent.
GENESIS iii. 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.
WHEN I read to you theſe words, I may addreſs you in the language of the holy angels, … …he Shepherds that were watching their flocks by night; Behold, I bring you glad tidings of great joy. For …his is the firſt promiſe that was made of a Saviour to the apoſtate …ace of Adam. We generally look for Chriſt only in the New-Teſtament; but Chriſtianity, in one ſenſe, is very near as old as the creation. It is wonderful to obſerve, how gradually God revealed his Son to mankind. He began with the promiſe in the text, and this the elect lived upon till the time of Abraham; to him God made further diſcoveries of his eternal counſel concerning man's redemption. Afterwards, at ſundry times, and in divers manners, God ſpake to the fathers by the prophets, till at length the Lord Jeſus himſelf was manifeſted in the fleſh, and came and tabernacled amongſt us.
This firſt promiſe muſt certainly be but dark to our firſt parents, in compariſon of that light which we now enjoy. And yet, dark as it was, … may aſſure ourſelves they …ilt upon it their … everlaſting ſalvation, and by that faith were ſaved.
How they came to ſtand in need of this promiſe, and what is the extent and meaning of it, I intend, God willing, to make the ſubject-matter of your preſent meditation.
The fall of man is written in too legible characters not to be underſtood: thoſe that deny it, by their denying prove it. The very heathens confeſſed and bewailed it: They could ſee the ſtreams of corruption running through the whole race of mankind, but could not trace them to the fountain-head. Before God gave a revelation of his Son, man was a riddle to himſelf. And Moſes unfolds more in this one chapter (out of which the text is taken) than all mankind could have been capable of finding out of themſelves though they had ſtudied to all eternity.
In the foregoing chapter, he had given us a full account, how God ſpoke the world into being; and eſpecially how he formed man of the duſt of the earth, and breathed into him the breath of life, ſo that he became a living ſoul. A council of the Trinity was called concerning the formation of this lovely creature. The reſult of that council was, Let us make man in our image, after our likeneſs. So God created man in his own image, in the image of God created be him. Moſes remarkably repeats the words, that we might take particular notice of our divine original. Never was ſo much expreſſed in ſo few words. None but a man inſpired could have done ſo. But it is remarkable, that though Moſes mentions our being made in the image of God, yet he mentions it but twice, and that, as it were, in a tranſient manner, as though he would have ſaid, Man was made in honour, God made him upright, in the image of God, male and female created be them. But man ſo ſoon fell, and became like the beaſts that periſh, nay, like the devil himſelf, that it is ſcarce worth mentioning.
How ſoon man fell after he was created, is not told us, and therefore to fix any time, is to be wiſe above what is written. And, I think, they who ſuppoſe that man fell the ſame day in which he w… made, have no ſufficient ground for their opinion. The many things which are crowded together in the former chapter, ſuch as the formation of Adam's wife, his giving names to the beaſts, and his being put into the garden which God had planted, I think require a longer ſpace of time than a day to be tranſacted in. However all agree in this, "Man ſtood not long." How long or how ſhort a while, I will not take upon me to determine. It more concerns us to enquire how he came to fall from his ſteadfaſtneſs, and what was the riſe and progreſs of the temptation which prevailed over him. The account given us in this chapter concerning it, is very full, and it may do us much ſervice, under God, to make ſome remarks upon it.
Now the ſerpent, ſays the ſacred hiſtorian, was more ſubtil than any beaſt of the field which the Lord God had made, and he ſaid unto the woman, yea, … God ſaid, ye ſhall not eat of every tree of the garden.
Though this was a real ſerpent, yet he that ſpoke was no other than the devil; from hence, perhaps, called the old ſerpent, becauſe he took poſſeſſion of the ſerpent when he came to beguile our … parents. The devil envied the happineſs of man, who was made, as ſome think, to ſupply the place of fallen angels. God made man upright, and with full power to ſtand if he would. He was juſt, therefore in ſuffering him to be tempted: if he fell, he had no one to blame except himſelf. But how muſt Satan effect his fall? He cannot do it by his power, he attempts it therefore by policy. He takes poſſeſſion of a ſerpent, which was more ſubtil than all the beaſts of the field, which the Lord God had made; ſo that men that are full of ſubtility, but have no piety, are only machines for the devil to work upon, juſt as he pleaſes.
And he ſaid unto the Woman. Here is an inſtance of his ſubtility. He ſays unto the woman, the weaker veſſel, and when ſhe was alone from her huſband, and therefore was more liable to be overcome, Yea, hath God ſaid, ye ſhall not eat of every tree of the garden? Theſe words are certainly ſpoken in anſwer to ſomething which the devil either ſaw or heard. In all probability, the woman was now near the tree of knowledge of good and evil; (for we ſhall find her by and by, plucking an apple from it,) perhaps …he might be looking at, and wondering what there was in that tree more than the others, that ſhe and … huſband ſhould be forbidden to taſte of it. Satan ſeeing this, and coveting to draw her into a parley with him (for if the devil can perſuade us not to reſiſt, but to commune with him, he hath gained a great point) he ſays, Yea, hath God ſaid, ye ſhall not eat of every tree in the garden? The firſt thing he does, is to perſuade her if poſſible, to entertain hard thoughts of God; this is his general way of dealing with God's children. Yea, ſays he, hath God ſaid, ye ſhall not eat of every tree of the garden? What! hath God planted a garden and placed you in the mid… of it only to teaze and perplex you? hath he planted a garden, and yet forbid you making uſe of any of the fruits of it at all? It was impoſſible for him to aſk a more enſnaring queſtion in order to gain his end: For Eve was here ſeemingly obliged to anſwer, and vindicate God's goodneſs. And therefore,
Ver. 2. 3. The woman ſaid unto the ſerpent, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden: But, of the fruit of the tree which is in the midſt of the garden, God hath ſaid, ye ſhall not eat of it, neither ſhall ye touch it, leſt ye die.
The former part of the anſwer was good, We may eat of the fruit of the trees of the garden, God has not forbid us eating of every tree of the garden. No, we may eat of the fruit of the trees in the garden, (and it ſhould ſeem even of the tree of life, which was as a ſacrament to man in a ſtate of innocence) there is only one tree in the midſt of the garden, of which God hath ſaid, Ye ſhall not eat of it, neither ſhall ye touch it, leſt ye die. Here ſhe begins to warp, and ſin begins to conceive in her heart. Already has ſhe contracted … of the ſerpent's poiſon, by talking with him, which ſhe ought not to have done at all. For ſhe might eaſily ſuppoſe, that it could be no good being, that could put ſuch a queſtion unto her, and inſinuate ſuch diſhonourable thoughts of God. She ſhould therefore have fled from him, and not ſtood to have parleyed with him at all. Immediately the ill effects of it appear, ſhe begins to ſoften the divine threatening. God had ſaid, the day thou eateſt thereof, thou ſhalt ſurely die: or, dying thou ſhalt die: But Eve ſays, Ye ſhall not eat of it, neither ſhall ye touch it, leſt ye die. We may be aſſured we are fallen into, and begin to fall by temptation, when we begin to think God will not be as good as his word, in reſpect to the execution of his threatnings denounced againſt ſin. Satan knew this, and therefore artfully
Said unto the woman, (ver. 4.) Ye ſhall not ſurely die, in an inſinuating manner, Ye ſhall not ſurely die. Surely God will not be ſo cruel as to damn you only for eating an apple: it cannot be. page missing meaſure, to his eating that fruit; and therefore, if he received ſo much improvement, ſhe might alſo expect a like benefit from it. All this, I think, is clear; for, otherwiſe, I do not ſee with what propriety it could be ſaid, When the Woman ſaw that it was good for food. How could ſhe know it was good for food, unleſs ſhe had ſeen the ſerpent feed upon it?
Satan now begins to get ground apace. Luſt had conceived in her heart; ſhortly it will bring forth ſin. Sin being conceived, brings forth death. Ver. 6. And when the Woman ſaw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleaſant to the eyes, and a tree to be deſired to make one wiſe, ſhe took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave alſo unto her huſband, and he did eat.
Our ſenſes are the landing ports of our ſpiritual enemies. How needful is that reſolution of holy Job, I have made a covenant with mine eyes. When Eve began to gaze on the forbidden fruit with her eyes, ſhe ſoon began to long after it with her heart. When ſhe ſaw that it was good for food, and pleaſant to the eyes, (here was the luſt of the fleſh, and luſt of the eye) but, above all, a tree to be deſired, to make one wiſe, wiſer than God would have her be, nay, as wiſe as God himſelf: ſhe took of the fruit thereof, and gave alſo unto her huſband with her, and he did eat. As ſoon as ever ſhe ſinned herſelf, ſhe turned tempter to her huſband. It is dreadful when thoſe, who ſhould be help-mates for each other in the great work of their ſalvation, are only promoters of each others damnation: but thus it is. If we ourſelves are good, we ſhall excite others to goodneſs; if we do evil, we ſhall entice others to do evil alſo. There is a cloſe connection between doing and teaching. How needful then is it for us all to take heed that we do not ſin any way ourſelves, leſt we ſhould become factors for the devil, and enſnare, perhaps, your neareſt and deareſt relations? She gave alſo unto her huſband with …, and he did eat.
Alas! what a complication of crimes was there in this one ſingle act of ſin! Here is an utter diſbelief of God's threatning; the utmoſt ingratitude to their Maker, who had ſo lately planted this garden and placed them in it, with ſuch a glorious and comprehenſive charter. Here is the utmoſt neglect of their poſterity, who they knew were to ſtand or fall with them: here was the utmoſt pride of heart; they wanted to be equal with God: here is the utmoſt contempt put upon his threatning and his law; the devil is credited and obeyed before him, and all this only to ſatisfy their ſenſual appetite. Never was a crime of ſuch a complicated nature committed by any here below. Nothing but the devil's apoſtacy and rebellion could equal it.
And what are the conſequences of their diſobedience? Are their eyes opened? Yes, their eyes are opened; but, alas! it is only to ſee their own nakedneſs. For, we are told, ver. 7. that the eyes of them both were opened, and they knew that they were naked: Naked of God, naked of every thing that was holy and good; and deſtitute of the divine image, which they before enjoyed. They might rightly now be termed Ichabod; for the glory of the Lord departed from them. Oh! how low did theſe ſons of the morning then fall; out of God into themſelves; from being partakers of the divine nature, into the nature of the devil and the beaſt. Well, therefore, might they know that they were naked not only in body but in ſoul.
And how do they behave now they are naked? Do they flee to God for pardon? Do they ſeek to him for a robe to cover their nakedneſs? No. They were now dead to God, earthly, ſenſual, deviliſh; and therefore, inſtead of applying to God for mercy, they ſewed, or platted fig-leaves together, and made themſelves aprons, or things to gird about them. This is a lively repreſentation of all natural men: We ſee that we are naked: We, in ſome meaſure, confeſs it; but, inſtead of looking up to God for ſuccour, we patch up a righteouſneſs of our own (as our firſt parents platted fig-leaves together) hoping to cover our nakedneſs by that. But our righteouſneſs will not ſtand the ſeverity of God's judgment: It will do …s no more ſervice than the fig-leaves did Adam and Eve, that is none at all.
For, ver. 8. They heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the trees of the garden, in the cool of the day: and Adam and his wife (notwithſtanding their fig-leaves) …id themſelves from the preſence of the Lord God, among the trees of the garden.
They heard the voice of the Lord God, or the Word of the Lord God, even the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, who is the Word that was with God, and the Word that was God. They heard him walking in the trees of the garden, in the cool of the day. A ſeaſon, perhaps, when Adam and Eve uſed to go, in an eſpecial manner, and offer up an evening ſacrifice of praiſe and thankſgiving. The cool of the day. Perhaps, the ſin was committed early in the morning, or at noon; but God would not come upon them immediately, he ſtaid till the cool of the day. For if we would effectually reprove others, we ſhould not do it, when they are warmed with paſſion, but wait till the cool of the day.
But what an alteration is here! Inſtead of rejoicing at the voice of their Beloved, inſtead of anſwering the voice of their God, with ſongs of praiſe and thankſgiving; having now broken his only law and diveſted themſelves, by their diſobedience, of their perfect innocence, they, who had ſo openly braved the Almighty, by the violation of his ſingle and eaſy command, now, ſtung by conſcience and dreading the conſequences of ſuch a deliberate crime, ſlunk abaſhed behind the ſhadowy trees; thus attempting to elude the ſearch of him who is all-ſeeing. Is not this then what has diſrobed our ſouls, and thus, contaminating the ſource, renders us impure by nature? aſſuredly it is. We labour to cover our nakedneſs with the fig-leaves of our own righteouſneſs: We hide ourſelves from God as long as we can; and will not come, and never ſhould come, did not the Father prevent, draw, and ſweetly conſtrain us by his grace, as he here prevented Adam.
Ver. 9. And the Lord God called unto Adam, and ſaid unto him, Adam, where art thou?
"The Lord God called unto Adam," (for otherwiſe Adam would never have called unto the Lord God) and ſaid, Adam, where art thou? How is it that thou comeſt not to pay thy devotions as uſual. Chriſtians, remember the Lord keeps an account when you fail coming to worſhip. Whenever, therefore, you are tempted to withhold your attendance, let each of you fancy you heard the Lord God calling unto you, and ſaying, "O man, O Woman, where art thou?" It may be underſtood in another and better ſenſe, Adam, where art thou? What a condition is thy poor ſoul in? This is the firſt thing the Lord aſks, and convinces a ſinner of, when he prevents, and calls him effectually by his grace. He alſo calls him by name: For unleſs God ſpeaks to us in particular, and we know where we are, how poor, how miſerable, how blind, how naked, we ſhall never value the redemption wrought out for us by the death and obedience of the dear Lord Jeſus. Adam, where art thou?
Ver. 10. And he ſaid, I heard thy voice in the garden, and I was afraid. See what cowards ſin makes us. If we knew no ſin, we ſhould know no fear. Becauſe I was naked, and I hid myſelf. Ver. 11. And he ſaid, Who told thee that thou waſt naked! Haſt thou eaten of the tree, whereof I (thy Maker and Lawgiver) commanded thee, that thou ſhouldeſt not eat?
God knew very well that Adam was naked, and that he had eaten of the forbidden fruit: But God would know it from Adam's own mouth. Thus God knows all our neceſſities before we aſk, but yet inſiſts upon our aſking for his grace, and confeſſing our ſins. For, by ſuch acts, we acknowledge our dependance upon God, take ſhame to ourſelves, and thereby give glory to his great name.
Ver. 12. And the man ſaid, the woman which thou gaveſt to be with me, ſhe gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
Never was nature more lively delineated. See what pride Adam contracted by the fall! How unwilling he is to lay the blame upon, or take ſhame to himſelf. This anſwer is full of inſolence towards God, enmity againſt his wife, and diſingenuity in reſpect to himſelf. For herein he tacitly reflects upon God. The woman that THOU gaveſt to be with me. As much as to ſay, If THOU hadſt not given me THAT WOMAN, I had not eaten the forbidden fruit. Thus when men ſin, they lay the fault upon their paſſions; then blame and reflect upon God for giving them thoſe paſſions. Their language is, The appetites that THOU gaveſt us, they deceived us, and therefore we ſinned againſt thee. But, as God, notwithſtanding, puniſhed Adam for hearkening to the voice of his wife, ſo he will puniſh thoſe who hearken to the dictates of their corrupt inclinations. For God compels no man to ſin. Adam might have withſtood the ſolicitations of his wife, if he would; and ſo, if we look up to God, we ſhould find grace to help in the time of need. The devil and our own hearts tempt, but they cannot force us to conſent, without the concurrence of our own wills. So that our damnation is of ourſelves, as it will evidently appear at the great day, notwithſtanding all men's preſent impudent replies againſt God, as Adam ſpeaks inſolently in reſpect to God, ſo he ſpeaks with enmity againſt his wife: The woman, or this woman, ſhe gave me. He lays all the fault upon her, and ſpeaks of her with much contempt. He does not ſay, my wife, my dear wife; but this Woman. For ſin diſunites the moſt united hearts. It is the bane of holy fellowſhip. Thoſe who have been companions in ſin here, if they die without repentance, will both hate and condemn one another hereafter. All damned ſouls are accuſers of their brethren. Thus it is, in ſome degree, on this ſide the grave. The woman whom thou gaveſt to be with me, ſhe gave me of the tree, and I did eat. What a diſingenuous ſpeech was here! He makes uſe of no leſs than fifteen words to excuſe himſelf, and but one or two (in the original) to confeſs his fault, if it may be called a confeſſion at all. The woman which thou gaveſt to be with me ſhe gave me of the tree; here are fifteen words; and I did eat. With what reluctance do theſe laſt words come out? How ſoon are they uttered? And I did eat. But thus it is with an unhumbled, unregenerate heart. It will be laying the fault upon the deareſt friend in the world, nay, upon God himſelf, rather than take ſhame to itſelf. This pride we are all ſubject to by the fall; and, till our hearts are broken, and made contrite by the Spirit of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, we ſhall be always … God fooliſhly. Againſt THEE, and THEE only, … I ſinned, that thou mighteſt be juſtified in thy ſayings, and clear when thou art judged, is the language of none but thoſe, who, like David, are willing to confeſs their faults, and are truly ſorry for their ſins. This was not the caſe of Adam: his heart was not broken; and therefore he lays the fault of his diſobedience upon his wife and God, and not upon himſelf: The woman which THOU gaveſt to be with me, ſhe gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
Ver. 13. And the Lord God ſaid, what is this that thou haſt done? What a wonderful concern does God expreſs in this expoſtulation! What a deluge of miſery haſt thou brought upon thyſelf, thy huſband, and thy poſterity? What is this that thou haſt done? Diſobeyed thy God, obeyed the devil, and ruined thy huſband, for whom I made thee to be an help-meet? What is this that thou haſt done? God would here awaken her to a ſenſe of her crime and danger, and therefore, as it were, thunders in her ears. For the law muſt be preached to ſelf-righteous ſinners. We muſt take care of healing, before we ſee ſinners wounded, left we ſhould ſay, Peace, peace, where there is no peace. Secure ſinners muſt hear the thundering of Mount Sinai, before we bring them to Mount Sion. They who never preach up the law, it is to be feared, are unſkilful in delivering the glad tidings of the goſpel. … miniſter ſhould be a Boanerges—a ſon of thunder, as well as a Barnabas—a ſon of conſolation. There was an earthquake and a whirlwind, before the ſmall ſtill voice came to Elijah: we muſt firſt ſhew people they are condemned, and then ſhew them how they muſt be ſaved. But how and when to preach the law, and when to apply the promiſes of the goſpel, wiſdom is profitable to direct. 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. She does not make uſe of ſo many words to excuſe herſelf, as her huſband: but her heart is as unhumbled as his. What is this, ſays God, that thou haſt done? God here charges her with doing it. She dares not deny the fact, or ſay, I have not done it; but ſhe takes all the blame off herſelf, and lays it upon the ſerpent: The ſerpent beguiled me, and I did eat. She does not ſay, Lord, I was to blame for talking with the ſerpent; Lord, I did wrong, in not haſtening to my huſband, when he put the firſt queſtion to me; Lord, I plead guilty, I only am to blame; oh let not my poor huſband ſuffer for my wickedneſs! This would have been the language of her heart, had ſhe now been a true penitent. But both were now alike proud; therefore neither will lay the blame upon themſelves: The ſerpent beguiled me, and I did eat; the woman which thou gaveſt to be with me, ſhe gave me of the tree, and I did eat.
I have been the more particular in remarking this part of their behaviour, becauſe it tends ſo much to the magnifying of free grace, and plainly ſhews us ſalvation …meth only from the Lord. Let us take a ſhort view of the miſerable circumſtances our firſt parents were now in: they were legally and ſpiritually dead, children of wrath, and heirs of hell; they had eaten the fruit, of which God had commanded them, that they ſhould not eat; and when arraigned before God, notwithſtanding their crime was ſo complicated, they could not be brought to confeſs it. What reaſon can be given, why ſentence of death ſhould not be pronounced againſt the priſoners at the bar? All muſt own they are worthy to die. Nay, how can God, conſiſtently with his juſtice, poſſibly forgive them? He had threatened, that the day wherein they eat of the forbidden fruit, they ſhould ſurely die; and, if he did not execute this threatening, the devil might then ſlander the Almighty indeed. And yet mercy cries, Spare theſe ſinners, ſpare the work of thine own hands. Behold then, wiſdom contrives a ſcheme how God may be juſt, and yet be merciful; be faithful to his threatening, puniſh the offence, and at the ſame time ſpare the offender. An amazing ſcene of divine love here opens to our view, which had been from all eternity hid in the heart of God! Notwithſtanding Adam and Eve were thus unhumbled, and did not ſo much as put up one ſingle petition for pardon, God immediately paſſes ſentence upon the ſerpent, and reveals to them a Saviour.
Ver. 14. And the Lord God ſaid unto the Serpent, Becauſe thou haſt done this, thou art accurſed above all cattle, and above every beaſt of the field; upon thy belly ſhalt thou go, and duſt ſhalt thou eat all the days of thy life, i. e. he ſhould be in ſubjection, and his power ſhould always be limited and reſtrained. His enemies ſhall lick the duſt, ſays the Pſalmiſt. Ver. 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.
Before I proceed to the explanation of this verſe, I cannot but take notice of one great miſtake, which the author of the Whole Duty of Man is guilty of, in making this verſe contain a covenant between God and Adam, as though God perſonally treated with Adam, as before the fall. For, talking of the ſecond covenant, in his preface concerning caring for the ſoul, ſays he, This ſecond covenant was made with Adam, and us in him, preſently after the fall, and is contained in theſe words, Gen. iii. 15. where God declares the ſeed of the woman ſhall break the ſerpent's head; and this was made up, as the firſt was, of ſome mercies to be afforded by God, and ſome duties to be performed by us. This is exceeding falſe divinity: For theſe words are not ſpoken to Adam; they are directed only to the ſerpent. Adam and Eve ſtood by as criminals, and God could not treat with them, becauſe they had broken his covenant. And it is ſo far from being a covenant, wherein, ſome mercies are to be afforded by God, and ſome duties to be performed by us, that here is not a word looking that way; it is only a declaration of a free gift of ſalvation through Jeſus Chriſt our Lord. God the Father and God the Son had entered into a covenant concerning the ſalvation of the elect from all eternity; wherein God the Father promiſed, that if the Son would offer his ſoul a ſacrifice for ſin, he ſhould ſee his ſeed. Now this is a… open revelation of this ſecret covenant, and therefore God ſpeaks in the moſt poſitive terms. It ſhall bruiſe thy head, and thou ſhalt bruiſe his heel. The firſt Adam God had treated with before; he proved falſe; God therefore to ſecure the ſecond covenant from being broken, puts it into the hands of the ſecond Adam, the Lord from heaven. Adam, after the fall, ſtood no longer as our repreſentative; he and Eve were only private perſons as we are, and were only to hold on the declaration of mercy contained in this promiſe by faith (as they really did) and by that they were ſaved. I do not ſay, but we are to believe and obey, if we are everlaſtingly ſaved. Faith and obedience are conditions, if we only mean that they in order go before our ſalvation; but I deny that theſe are propoſed by God to Adam, or that God treats with him on this promiſe, as he did before the fall under the covenant of works. For, how could that be, when Adam and Eve were now priſoners, at the bar, without ſtrength to perform any conditions at all? The truth is this: God as a reward of Chriſt's ſufferings, promiſed to give the elect faith and repentance, in order to bring them to eternal life: And both theſe and every thing elſe neceſſary for their everlaſting happineſs, are infallibly ſecured to them in this promiſe, as Mr. Boſton, an excellent Scotch divine, ſweetly and clearly ſhews, in a book intitled, A view of the covenant of grace.
This is, by no means, an unneceſſary diſtinction; it is a matter of great importance: For want of knowing this, people have been ſo long miſled. They have been taught that they muſt Do ſo and ſo, as though they were under a covenant of works; and then for DOING this, they ſhould be ſaved. This is plainly the whole drift of the book wrongly intitled, The Whole Duty of Man. Whereas, on the contrary, people ſhould be taught, that the Lord Jeſus was the ſecond Adam, with whom the Father entered into covenant for fallen man: that they can now do nothing of or for themſelves, and ſhould therefore come to God, beſeech him to give them faith, by which they ſhall be enabled to lay hold on the righteouſneſs of Chriſt; and that faith they will then ſhew forth by their works, out of love and gratitude to the ever-bleſſed Jeſus, their moſt glorious Redeemer, for what he has done for their ſouls. This is a conſiſtent ſcriptural ſcheme: without holding this, we muſt run into one of thoſe two bad extremes; I mean, Antinomianiſm on the one hand, or Arminianiſm on the other: from both which may the good Lord deliver us.
But to proceed: by the ſeed of the woman, we are here to underſtand the Lord Jeſus Chriſt, who though very God of very God was, for us men and our ſalvation, to have a body prepared for him by the Holy Ghoſt, and to be born of a woman who never knew man, an… by his obedience and death make an atonement for man's tranſgreſſion, and bring in an everlaſting righteouſneſs, work in them a new nature, and thereby bruiſe the ſerpent's head, i. e. deſtroy his power and dominion over them. By the ſerpent's ſeed, we are to underſtand, the devil and all his children, who are permitted by God to tempt and ſift his children. But, bleſſed be God, he can reach no further than our heel.
It is not to be doubted but Adam and Eve underſtood this promiſe in this ſenſe; for it is plain, in the latter part of the chapter, ſacrifices were inſtituted. From whence ſhould thoſe ſkins come, but from beaſts ſlain for ſacrafice, of which God made them coats? We find Abel, as well as Cain, offering ſacrifice in the next chapter: and the apoſtle tells us, he did it by faith, no doubt in this promiſe. And Eve, when Cain was born, ſaid, I have gotten a man from the LORD; or, (as Mr. Henry obſerves, it may be rendered) I have gotten a man,—THE LORD,—the promiſed Meſſiah. Some further ſuppoſe, that Eve was the firſt believer; and therefore they tranſlate it thus, the ſeed (not of THE, but) of THIS woman; which magnifies the grace of God ſo much the more, that ſhe, who was the firſt in the tranſgreſſion, ſhould be the firſt partaker of redemption. Adam believed alſo, and was ſaved: for unto Adam and his wife did the Lord make coats of ſkins, and cloathed THEM, which was a remarkable type of their being clothed with the righteouſneſs of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt.
This promiſe was literally fulfilled in the perſon of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt. Satan bruiſed his heel, when he tempted him for forty days together in the wilderneſs: he bruiſed his heel, when he raiſed up ſtrong perſecution againſt him, during the time of his public miniſtry: he, in an eſpecial manner, bruiſed his heel, when our Lord complained, that his ſoul was exceeding ſorrowful even unto death, and be ſweat great drops of blood, falling upon the ground, when praying in the garden: he bruiſed his heel, when he put it in the heart of Judas to betray him; and he bruiſed him yet moſt of all, when his emiſſaries nailed him to an accurſed tree, and our Lord cried out, My God, my God! why haſt thou forſaken me? Yet in all this, the bleſſed Jeſus, the ſeed of the woman, bruiſed Satan's accurſed head: for, in that he was tempted he was able to ſuccour thoſe that are tempted. By his ſtripes we are healed. The chaſtiſement of our peace was upon him. By dying, he deſtroyed him that had the power of death, that is the devil. He thereby ſpoiled principalities and powers, and made a ſhew of them openly, triumphing over them upon the croſs.
This promiſe has been, is, and will be fulfilled in the elect of God, conſidered collectively, as well before, as after the coming of our Lord in the fleſh: for they may be called the ſeed of the woman. Marvel not, that all who will live godly in Chriſt Jeſus, muſt ſuffer perſecution. In this promiſe, there is an eternal enmity put between the ſeed of the woman and the ſeed of the ſerpent; ſo that thoſe that are born after the fleſh, cannot but perſecute thoſe that are born after the Spirit. This enmity ſhewed itſelf ſoon after this promiſe was revealed, in Cain's bruiſing the heel of Abel: it continued in the church through all ages before Chriſt came in the fleſh, as the hiſtory of the Bible and the eleventh chapter of the Hebrews plainly ſhews. It raged exceedingly after our Lord's aſcenſion; witneſs the Acts of the Apoſtles, and the hiſtory of the primitive Chriſtians. It now rages, and will continue to rage and ſhew itſelf, in a greater or leſs degree to the end of time. But let not this diſmay us; for in all this the ſeed of the woman is more than conqueror, and bruiſes the ſerpent's head Thus the Iſraelites, the more they were oppreſſed, the more they increaſed. Thus it was with the apoſtles; thus it was with their immediate followers. So that Tertullian compares the church in his time to a mowed field; the more frequently it is cut, the more it grows. The blood of the martyrs was always the ſeed of the church. And I have often ſat down with wonder and delight, and admired how God has made the very ſchemes which his enemies contrived in order to hinder, become the moſt effectual means to propagate his goſpel. The devil has had ſo little ſucceſs in perſecution, that if I did not know that he and his children, according to this verſe, could not but perſecute, I ſhould think he would count it his ſtrength to ſit ſtill. What did he get by perſecuting the martyrs in queen Mary's time? Was not the grace of God exceedingly glorified in their ſupport! What did he get by perſecuting the good old Puritans? Did it not prove the peopling of New-England? Or to come nearer our own times. What hath he got by putting us out of the ſynagogues? Hath not the word of God, ſince that, mightily prevailed? My dear hearers, you muſt excuſe me for enlarging on this head; God fills my ſoul generally, when I come to this topic. I can ſay with Luther, If it were not for perſecution, I ſhould not underſtand the ſcripture. If Satan ſhould be yet ſuffered to bruiſe my heel further, and his ſervants ſhould thruſt me into priſon, I doubt not, but even that would only tend to the more effectual bruiſing of his head. I remember a ſaying of the then Lord Chancellor to the pious Bradford: Thou haſt done more hurt, ſaid he, by thy exhortations in private in priſon, than thou didſt in preaching before thou waft put in, or words to this effect. The promiſe of the text is my daily ſupport; I will put enmity between thy ſeed and her ſeed: it ſhall bruiſe thy head, and thou ſhalt bruiſe his heel.
Further: This promiſe is alſo fulfilled, not only in the church in general, but in every individual believer in particular. In every believer there are two ſeeds, the ſeed of the woman, and the ſeed of the ſerpent; the fleſh luſting againſt the Spirit, and the Spirit againſt the fleſh. It is with the believer, when quickened with grace in his heart, as it was with Rebeccah, when ſhe had conceived Eſau and Jacob in her womb; ſhe felt a ſtruggling, and began to be uneaſy; If it be ſo, ſays ſhe, why am I thus? Thus grace and nature ſtruggle, (if I may ſo ſpeak) in the womb of a believer's heart: But, as it was there ſaid, the elder ſhall ſerve the younger: ſo it is here,—grace in the end ſhall get the better of nature; the ſeed of the woman ſhall bruiſe the ſerpent's head. Many of you that have believed in Chriſt, perhaps may find ſome particular corruption yet ſtrong, ſo ſtrong, that you are ſometimes ready to cry out with David, I ſhall fall one day by the hand of Saul. But fear not, the promiſe in the text inſures the perſeverance and victory of believers over Sin, Satan, Death, and Hell. What if indwelling corruption does yet remain, and the ſeed of the ſerpent bruiſe your heel, in vexing and diſturbing your righteous ſouls? Fear not, though faint, yet purſue: You ſhall yet bruiſe the ſerpent's head. Chriſt has died for you, and yet a little while, and he will ſend death to deſtroy the very being of ſin in you. Which brings me
To ſhew the moſt extenſive manner in which the promiſe of the text ſhall be fulfilled, viz. At the final judgment, when the Lord Jeſus ſhall preſent the elect to his Father, without ſpot or wrinkle, or any ſuch thing, glorified both in body and ſoul.
Then ſhall the ſeed of the woman give the laſt and fatal blow, in bruiſing the ſerpent's head. Satan, the accuſer of the brethren, and all his accurſed feed, ſhall then be caſt out, and never ſuffered to diſturb the ſeed of the woman any more. Then ſhall the righteous ſhine as the ſun in the kingdom of their Father, and fit with Chriſt on thrones in majeſty on high.
Let us, therefore, not be weary of well-doing; for we ſhall reap an eternal harveſt of comfort if we faint not. Dare, dare, my dear brethren in Chriſt to follow the Captain of our ſalvation, who w… made perfect through ſufferings. The ſeed of the woman ſhall bruiſe the ſerpent's head. Fear not men. Be not too much caſt down at the deceitfulneſs of your hearts. Fear not devils; you ſhall get the victory even over them. The Lord Jeſus his engaged to make you more than conquerors over all. Plead with your Saviour, plead: Plead the promiſe in the text. Wreſtle, wreſtle with God in prayer. If it has been given you to believe, fear not if it ſhould alſo be given you to ſuffer. Be not any wiſe terrified by your adverſaries; the king of the church has them all in a chain: Be kind to them; pray for them; but fear them not. The Lord will yet bring back his ark, though at preſent driven into the wilderneſs; and Satan, like lightning, ſhall fall from heaven.
Are there any enemies of God here? The promiſe of the text encourages me to bid you defiance: The ſeed of the woman, the ever bleſſed Jeſus, ſhall bruiſe the ſerpent's head. What ſignifies all your malice? You are only raging waves of the ſea, foaming out your own ſhame. For you, without repentance, is reſerved the blackneſs of darkneſs for ever. The Lord … ſits in heaven, ruling over all, and cauſing all things to work for his children's good: he laughs you to ſcorn: he hath you in the utmoſt deriſion, and therefore ſo will I. Who are you that perſecute the children of the ever bleſſed God. Though a poor ſtripling, the Lord Jeſus, the ſeed of the woman, will enable me to bruiſe your heads.
My brethren in Chriſt, I think I do not ſpeak thus in my own ſtrength, but in the ſtrength of my Redeemer. I know in whom I have believed; I am perſuaded he will keep that ſafe, which I have committed unto him. He is faithful who hath promiſed, that the ſeed of the woman ſhall bruiſe the ſerpent's head. May we all experience a daily completion of this promiſe, both in the church and in our hearts, till we come to the church of the firſtborn, the ſpirits of juſt men made perfect, in the preſence and actual fruition of the great God our heavenly Father.
To whom, with the Son, and the Holy Ghoſt, be aſcribed all honour, power, might, majeſty, and dominion, now and for evermore. Amen.