Chap. HE oh and reſtored, yet he might awake as ſoon as ever that was done, the reaſon of his ſleep ceafing,and ſo might ſee the making of the Woman. Or, 2. By the Revelation of God, who put theſe. words into Adams mouth, to whom therefore theſe words of Adm are aſcribed, Matth. 19. 5. o Or, For this time the Woman is made of my Bones, &c. bur for the time ro come the 'Wornan as well as the Man thall be produced another way, to wit,' by Generation. p Made of my Kib and Fleſh, 7. e.God hath provided me a mect help and Wife, not out of the brute Creatures,but nearer hand, a part of my own Kody, and of the ſame narure with my ſelf, 24 * Therefore q hall a man leave his Father” and * Matth. nis Mother r, and ſhall cleave unto, his Wife 5: And 19.5-Mar. chey-t ſhall « be one Fleſh x, EI: q Theſe are the Words of Moſes by divineinſtin&,or his inference eg A from Adam's words. r In regard of Habitartion and Society, bux © P2537: not'as.to a natural duty and affeCtion. s In Conjugal relation and higheſt atfettion,ev:n above what th-y owe totheir Parents. e Or, they two, as it is in the Samaritan, Syriack, and 4rabick Tranſlations, and Matthew 19.5. u ( 3. e. ) Shall be eſteemed by themſelves and others to be as entirely, and inieparably united, and thall have as intimate and univerſal communion, as if they ' were » (7. e. ) ione Perſon, one Soul, one Body. And this firit inſtitution ſhews 'che ſinfulneſs of Divorces, and Polygamy, however God might upon 2 particular-reafon for a time diſpenſe with his own infti- rution, or remit the punifhment due to the violaters of ir. 25 Andtiey were both naked, the Man' and his Wife ; and weie not aſhamed y. 3 To wir, of their nakedneſs, as having no guilr, nor cauſe of {name ; no filthy or evil inclinations in their Bodies, no ſinful Concupiſcence, or impure motions in their Souls, but ſpotleſs innocency and perfeCtion, which muſt needs exclude ſhame.
GCHAP. HL
The Serpent*s ſubtilty, and enſnaring Queft ion, 1 The Woman's Anſwer, 2. Fhe Serpent denies the certainty of the threatuing, 4. Suggeſts a Benefit by Eating, 5. The Woman looks on the Fruit, takes, eats, gives to the Man, who alſo eats of it, 6, The conſequence of their ſin, 5, 8: Adam's S:1mmons, 9. Appearance, 10. Examination, 11. Excule,12. The Woman examined, excuſes, yet confeſſes the fatt, 13. Sentence upon the Serpent the inflrument, 14. Upon the Devil the chief agent with the firſt Goſpel Promiſe, 15. Upon the Woman, 16. Upon the Mm, 17 -+»——- 1g. Adam names his Wife, 20. God clothes them, 21. Tizey are thrown out of Paradiſe, 22. totill the Ground, 23. Their retura impoſfibley 24.
A] Ow the Serpent 2 was more ſubtile than any
Beaſt of the Fie!d 6, which the LO RD God ; had made : and he ſaid c unte the Woman 4d, + Yea, #Heb.t:; "2 e hath Ged ſaid f, Ye ſhall not eat of every g Tree becauſe, | of the Garden ? | &e.
a Or, rather, this or that Serpent : For here is an emphatical article, of which more by and by. b The Serpents eminent ſubrilry is noted both in facred Scripture, Gen.q9.17. Plal. 58. 5. Mat.10.16. 2 Cor, 11. 3. and by Heathen Authors, whereof theſe inſtancesare given ; that when it is affaulted, it ſecures itshead ; That it Rops its ear at the Charmer's voice; and the like. If it be yet ſaid, tharſome Beaſts are more ſubtile,and therefore this is not true;it may be re- plied. r. It is no wonder if the Serpent for its inſtrumentality in mans fin hath loſt the greateſt part otits originakſubrilty, even as mans fin was puniſhed with a great decay both of the natural en- dowments of his Mind, Wiſdom,and Knowledge,& of the beauty, and glory of his Body, the inftrument of his tin. But this Text may,and ſeems to be underſtood not of the whole Kind of Serpents, bur of thisindividual,or particular Serpent;for it is in the Hebrew Hannachaſh, that Serpent, or this Serpent, to ſignifie that this was not only an ordinary Serpent, but was a&ted and aſſiſted by the Devil, who is therefore called that old Serpent, Rev. 12. 9.And this ſeems moſt probable,partly from the following difcourte, which is added as a proof of that which is here ſaid concerning the Serpents ſub- . rilty;and that ſurely wasnort the diſcourſe ofa Beaſt,but ofa Devil; and partly from 2 Cor.11.3. which hatha manifeft reference to this place,where the Apoſtle affirmeth thar the Serpent beguiled Eve through his ſubtilty;not ſurely through that ſubrilty which is common to all Serpents, but through that ſubtilty which was peculiar to this,as it was poſleſſed and ated by the Devil. There ſeems indeed to bean allufon here to the natural ſubrilty of all Serpents ; and the ſenſe of the ſacred Penman may ſeem to be this, as if he ſaid, The Ser- pentindeed in its ſelf is a ſubrtile Creature, and thought ro be more ſabrile than any Beaſt of the Field ; but howſoever rhis be in 0- ther Serpents, It 1s certain that this Serpent was more ſubrile than any Beaſt of the Field,as will appear by the following words. If it be ſaid,the particle 7h7s,or that,is relative to ſomething going before, whereas there is not a word about it in the foregoing words ; it may be replicd, - That relative particles are often pur without any antecedents, and the antecedents are left to be ga- thered not only out of the foregoing, but ſometimes alio out of the following paſſages, as is apparent from Exod.14. 23. Numb. 7. 19. and 24.17. Pſal. 87. 1. and 105. 19. and 1714. 2. Prov. 7.8. and 14. 26. So here, that Serpent, that of which I am now to” ſpeak, whoſe diſcourſe with the Woman here followeth. c Que#. How the Serpent could ſpeak, and what the Woman conceived of his ſpeech,and why ſhe was not affrighted,bur continued the diſcourſe with it? There betwo fatisfaftory anſwers may be given to theſe queſtions.1.The Woman knew that there were Spirirs,and did free- ly and frequently converſe with Spirits or Angels, whoalſo did p- pear in ſome viſible ſhape to her,which ſeems very credible;becayic in the following Ages not only the Angels, but even the bletled | God himſelf did. in that manner conyerſe with men. And as they afrerwards uſed to appear in the ſhape of mien,why mighrnot one of them now appear to her,and converſe with her 1n the ſhape of a : beautiful Serpent? And why might ſhe not freely and ſecurely dif- | courſe with this which ſhe ny 5 to be one of thoſe: good Angels, 3 bl
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