In brief, then, the Jews fixing on the law of Moses as the only means of delivery from sin and death, as they do thereby exclude all mankind besides themselves from any interest in the love, favour, or grace of God,—which they greatly design and desire,—so they cast themselves also into a miserable, restless, self-condemned condition in this world, by trusting to that which will not relieve them; and into endless misery hereafter, by refusing that which effectually would make them heirs of salvation: for whilst they perish in their sin, another, better, more glorious, and sure remedy against all the evils that are come upon mankind, or are justly feared to be coming by any of them, is provided, in the grace, wisdom, and love of God, as shall now further be demonstrated.
23. The first intimation that God gave of this work of his grace in redeeming mankind from sin and misery, is contained in the pro- mise subjoined unto the curse denounced against our first parents, and their posterity in them: Gen. ui. 15, “The seed of the woman shall bruise the head of the serpent, and the serpent shall bruise his heel.” Two things there are contained in these words ;—a promise of relief from the misery brought on mankind by the temptation of Satan; and an intimation of the means or way whereby it should be brought about. That the first is included in these words is evi- dent; for,—
First, If there be not a promise of deliverance expressed in these words, whence is it that the execution of the sentence of death against sin is suspended? Unless we will allow an intervention satisfactory to the righteousness and truth of God to be expressed in these words, there would have been a truth in the suggestion of the serpent, namely, that whatever God had said, yet indeed they were not to die. The Jews, in the Midrash Tehillim,—as Kimchi informs us on Ps. xcii., whose title is, “A Psalm for the Sabbath-day,” which they generally assign unto Adam,—say that Adam was cast
SECT. 22-24.] PROMISED OF OLD. 171
out of the garden of Eden on the evening of the sixth day, after _which God came to execute the sentence of death upon him; but the Sabbath being come on, the punishment was deferred, whereon Adam made that psalm for the Sabbath-day. Without an interpo- sition of some external cause and reason, they acknowledge that death ought immediately to have been inflicted; and other besides what is mentioned in these words there was none.
Secondly, The whole evil of sin, and curse, that mankind then did, or was to, suffer under, proceeded from the friendship contracted between the woman and the serpent, and her fixing faith in him. God here declares that he will break that league, and put enmity between them. Being now both of them under the same condition of sin and curse, this could not be without a change of condition in one of them. Satan is not divided from himself, nor is at enmity with them that are left wholly in hisestate. A change of condition, therefore, on the part of the woman and her seed is plainly pro- mised; that is, by a deliverance from the state of sin and misery wherein they were. Without this the enmity mentioned could not have ensued.
Thirdly, In pursuit of this enmity, the Seed of the woman was to bruise the head of the serpent. The head is the seat of his power and craft. Without the destruction of the evil and pernicious effects which by his counsel he had brought about, his head cannot be bruised. By his head.he had contrived the ruin of mankind; and without the destruction of his works and a recovery from that ruin, he is not conquered nor his head bruised. And as these things, though they may now seem somewhat obscurely expressed in these words, are yet made plain unto us in the gospel, so the importance of them was evident unto our first parents of old, bemg expounded by all the circumstances wherewith the matter of fact was attended.
Again, there is an intimation of the manner how this work shall be performed. This, first, God takes upon himself: ‘I will do it; “JT will put enmity.”’ Itis an issue of his sovereign wisdom and grace. But, secondly, he will do it in and by the nature of man, “the Seed of the woman.” And two things must concur to the effecting of it;
-—first, That this Seed of the woman must conquer Satan, bruise his head, destroy his works, and procure deliverance for mankind there- by; secondly, That he must suffer from, and by the means of, Satan in his so doing,—the serpent must “bruise his heel.” This is the re- medy and relief that God hath provided for mankind. And this is the Mess1au, or God joining with the nature of man to deliver mankind from sin and eternal misery.
24, This promise of relief by the Seed of the woman is, as the first, so the only intimation that God gave unto our first parents of a way of deliverance from that condition whereinto they, and the
172 MESSIAH, THE DELIVERER FROM EVIL, [EXERO. VII.
whole creation, were brought by the entrance of evil or sin. It was likewise the first discovery that there was in him f¥7, 0°90, nm>D, ’ IDM, 11,—benignity, grace, kindness, or mercy, compassion, pardon. Hereby he declared himself to be D377) fan nimep AION, Neh. ix. 17, —‘“a, God of pardons, gracious, and tenderly merciful;” as also, Ps. Ixxxvi. 5, 700727) 20) AW, —“ good and pardoning, and much in mercy.” And if this be not acknowledged, it must be confessed that all the world, at least unto the flood, if not unto the days of Abraham,—in which space of time we have testimony concerning some that they walked with God, and pleased him,—were left with- out any certain ground of faith, or hope of acceptance with him; for without some knowledge of this mercy, and the provision of a way for its exercise, they could have no such persuasion. ‘This, then, we have obtained, that God, presently upon the entrance of sin into the world, and the breach of its public peace thereby, pro- mised a reparation of that evil, in the whole extent of it, to be wrought in and by the Seed of the woman,—that is, the Messiah. 25. According unto our design, we may take along with us the thoughts of the Jews in this matter, expressed after their manner. [As] for the serpent that tempted Eve, who is here threatened as the head of all the evil that ensued thereon, they confess that Satan accompanied him, and was principally intended in the curse de- nounced against him. So the Targum of Ben Uzziel: “ When the serpent came to tempt Eve, she saw xno qxdo Sxop,—Samael the angel of death upon him.” And Maimonides gives a large account of the doctrine of their wise men in this matter, More Nebuch. pag. 2, cap. xx.: “At neque hoc preetereundum quod in Midrash adducunt sapientes nostri, serpentem equitatum fuisse, quantitatem ejus instar cameli, et sessorem ejus fuisse illum qui decepit Evam, huncque sessorem fuisse Samaelem, quod nomen absolute usurpant de Satana. Invenies enim quod in multis locis dicunt Satanam voluisse impedire Abrahamum ne ligaret Isaacum, sic voluisse im- pedire Isaacum ne obsequeretur voluntati patris sui; alibi vero in hoc eodem negotio dicunt, venit Samael ad Abrahamum. Sic itaque apparet quod Samael sit ipse Satan.” To omit their fables, this is evident, that they acknowledge ity was Satan who deceived Eve. And in Bereshith Rabba, sect. 10, they give an account why God expostulated with Adam and Eve before he pronounced sentence against them, but without any word or question proceeded imme- diately unto the doom of the serpent; for say they, “The holy, blessed God said, %> wow sin pwsy 1 as oe ond mawn bya yen ar wns xox ons sins ond yabn son mp aD ONIN NS WN) DMN MY Os po ns ab poy Sy ypp ;—“ This serpent is wicked, and a cunning dis- puter, and if I speak unto him, he will straightway say, ‘Thou gayest them a commandment, and I gave them a commandment; why