them. y Or, tyed, twiſted, or faſined. » The lefſer branches or twigs, upon-which were alſo the leaves of a Fig-tree, which per- adventure was then near them, and which becauſe of its broad leaves was molt fit for that uſe. a To cover their nakednefs,
8 And they heard the voice bof the LORD God c walking in the garden in the cool + of the day 4: + ch. and Adam and his wife hid themſelves from the pre- we ſence of the LORD God e; amongſt the trees of the garden.
b Mentioned wer. g. or rather the found, as the word woice is of-
ten taken in Scripture, as Pſal. gz. 3. Rev. 16. 3. and 19. 6. c Ei- ther God the Father, or rather God the Son, appearing in the thape of a man, as afterwards he frequently did, ro give a fore- taſte of his Incarnation. 4 Abour Evening, the time when men uſe to walk abroad to recreate themſelves,when there was a cool and refreſhing Wind, whereby allo the voice of the Lord was more ſpeedily and effeQtually convey'd to Adam and his wite. e Eeing ſenſible of God's approach, and filled with Shame and Conſcience of their own Guilt and dread of Judgment, in ſtead of flying to God for Mercy, they fooliſhly attempted to run a- way from him, whom it was impoſlible to avoid.
9 And the LORD God called f unto Adam, and ſaid unto him, Where art thou g ?
# With a loud voice. g Thou whom I have fo highly obliged, Whither and wherefore doeſt thou run away from me thy Friend and Father, whoſe preſence was lately ſo ſweet and acceptable to thee 7 In what Place, or rather in what Condition art thou ? What is the cauſe of this ſudden and wonderful Change ? This he asks, not that he was ignorant of it, but to make way for the following Sentence, and to ſet a pattern for all Judges,that they ſhould examine the Offender, and enquire into the Offence be- fore they proceed to Puniſhment.
io And he ſaid, 1 heard thy voice in the garden : and I] was afraid, becauſe 1 was naked 6 ; aid I hid my ſeif ;. |
h He confeſſeth his nakedneſs, which was evident, but ſaith no- thing of his ſin; which,it poſſible, he would have hid. See Job 31. 33. And 15grieved for the ivameful effe&ts of his fin,but nor yer fin- cerely penutent for his tin.;Our of reverence tot hy gloriousMajeſty
11 And he ſaid, Whorto:d thee that thou waſt na- ked *? Haſt thou eaten of the tree, whereof 1 com- manded thee k, that thou ſhoujdeſt not eat? |
* Or, that thy nakedneſs, which lately was thy glory, wis now become m:tter of {thame. k Concerning which 1 gave thee fo ſevere a charge upon pain of death.
i2 And the man faid, The woman / whom thou gaveſt zo be with me 7, ſhe gave me of the tree, and 1 did eat »..
{ I have eaten,not by my own choice and inclination, but by the perſwaſion of this: woman. »: As a meet help,a fairhfu] friend and ' conſtant companion, ſuppoling that it was not good for me to be a= lone, which theevent ſnews would have been much better for me. Fhus Adam excuſeth himiclf,& chargeth God fooliſhly with his fin. » Qut of complacency to her,notfrom any evil deſign againſt thee. 13 And the LORL God faid unto the woman, What zs this that thou haſt done 0? And the woman
laid, The Serpent p beguiled meq, and I didear 7.
o How hainousa crime haſt thou commirted ? What a World of miſchief haſt thou, by this one a&, brought upon thy ſelf and all thy poſterity ? Or, Why haſt thou done this? What cauſes or motives couldſt thou have for ſo wicked an a&ion ? What need hadſt thou of meddling with this forbidden fruit, when I had given thee ſo large and liberal an allowance ? p A Creature which thou haſt made, and that afliſted by an higher Power, by an evil Angel, for ſuch I now perceive by ſad experience there are. q A weak and fooliſh Woman,whoſe ſeduCtion calls for thy Pity, not thine Anger. r Being ſurpriſed, and over-perſwaded againſt my own Judgment and Reſolution.
14 And the LORD God ſaid unto the Serpent s, Becauſe thou haſt done this, thou art « curſed above all cattel, and above every beaſt of the field x : upon thy belly ſhalt thou go *, and duſt ſhalt thou ear y all the days of chy life. *Ifa. 65.
s Or rather th7s,cr that Serpent, which as was ſaid before on wv. 1. 25. was no ordinary Serpent,burt aSerpent ated and aſſiſted by the De- vil;and therefore this ſentence or curſe 1s pronounced againſt both of them; 1.Againſt the Serpent it ſelf, which though an unreaſona= ble Creature,and therefore not ſubjett to a Law,and conſequently not capable of guilt or fin, Rom.4 15. yet,being the Inſtrument of the Devils malice,is rightly puniſhed, as other Beaſts being abuſed by man's fin did ſuffer. together with him,Exod.32.20.,Levit.20.15, 16.not for their crime,bur partly for the puniſhmenr,and partly for the benefit of man, who is their Lord and Owner, Pſal 8. 6. for whoſe ſake ſeing they were made, it is nor ſtrange ifthey be pu- niſhed for his uſe, that in their puniſhment man might have a de- monſtration of God's anger againſt fin,and a motive to Repentance. See 0nce6,7. 2.Againſt the Devil, who is hereprincipally intended, though as he lay hid in the body of the Serpent which he poſſefled and uſed;ſo his curſe is here mentioned under the cover of the Ser- pent's curſe, and under the diſguiſe of ſuch terms as properly and literally agree to the Serpent,bur are alſo myſtically to be under- ſtood concerning the Devil ; with whom the Lord entertaineth no conference, as he did with Adam and Eve, whoſe ſin was leſs than his,and whom God meant to bring to repentance; but immediatly denounceth the curſe againſt him,as one that ſinned againſt mve greater Knowledge,and from far worſe Principles, not from miitake or miſinformation, but from choice and rebellion, from hatred of God,and from meerenvy,and implacable malice againſt __ _
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It. ceived the Woman, and ternpted her to thus fin. = Or tial be from henceforth, both really and 1n the opinion of all mankind : Or, Be hou. '* Asin other reſpeCts, ſo particularly .n that which. here fol- lows. +Ifthe Serpent did ſo before the fall ; what then was natu- ral. is now become painful and ſhameful to it,asnakednels and ſome | other things were to man. But it ſeems more probable, that this = Serpent betore the Fall either had Feet, or rather did go with its