* Breaſt ere&, as the Baſilisk ar this day doth ; God peradventure ſo ordering it asa Teſtimony that ſome other Serpents did once go ſo. And ſo the ſenſe of the curie being applied to this particular Serpent, , and to its kind,may be this; whereas thou hadſt a priviledge above other kinds of Serpents, whereby thou didſt go with eretted Breaſt, and didſt feed upon the fruits of Trees and other Plants; now thou ſhalt be brought down to the ſame mean and vile cſtare with them, upon thy Belly, ( or rather Breaſt,as the word alſo ſignifies ) ſhalt thou go, &c. as they do. y Duſt is the food, as of Earth-worms,Scorpions,and ſome other Creatures; ſo alſo of ſome Serpents, as appears both from 1/a. 65. laſt. Mic. 7. 17. and from the Teſtimony of N:icander, E Tyeriac. verſe 372. and Philo an Arabick Writer. Or, the duſt is the | Serpent's ſawce rather than his meat,whilſt creeping and groveling
upon the Earth, and taking his food from thence, he mult neceſſa- rily take in duit and filth rogether with it. Theſe two clauſes being applicd to the Devil, ſignific his fall from his noble State and Place tro Earth and Hell ; the baſeneſs of his Nature and ofhis Food, his delight being in the vileſt of men and things, it being now his Mcit and Drink to diſhonour God, and deſtroy Mankind,and pro- mote the eſteem and love of earthly things. 15 And I will put enmity z berween thee and the *Mat:3:7: woman a, and between thy * ſeedb, and her # ſeed and13:38: c 2 it ſhall * bruiſe thy head e, and thou ſhalt bruiſe and23:33- his heel f. ! John 5: z Though now ye be ſworn Friends,Jeagued together againlt me: 44- 3 Arid the man too, but the woman alone is mentioned, for the AMXS 13: Devils greater confuſion. 1. The woman, whom \as the weaker ns Veſſel. thou didit ſeduce, ſhall be the great occaſion. of thy over- 1ſohn3.8- ,1.../ +. Becauſe the Son of God who conquered thisgreat Dragon + PC 132- , 1.014 Serpent, Rev. 12. 9+ Who came to deſtroy the works of the Devil,
Ft. 1 John 3. 8. wasmade of = woman, Gal, 4. 4. without the help of man, If: 7: 14* 7. 7. 14. Laker. 34, 35. © Litcrally, this Serpent, and for his ſake, Mic: 5: 3* the whole ſeed or race of Serpents, which of all Creatures are moſt *Rom:10* 1,,.thſome and terrible to mankind, and eſpecially to women: My- Q0- ſtically that evil Spirit which ſeduced her, and with him the whole Heb: 2:14- ſociety of Devils ( who are generally hated and dreaded by all men, 1johns:5- even by thoſe that ſerve and obey them, but much more by good Rev: 12*. en, ) and all wicked men; who,with regard to this Text,are cal- 7, ITe led Devils, and the Children,or ſecd of the Dcwvil, John 6. 70. and 8. 44.
As 13. 10. 1 Jolm 3. 8. c Her of-ſpring ; firſt and principally, the Lord Chriſt, who with reſpe& to this 'Text and Promiſe js called, by way of cminency, th- ſeed, Gol. 3. 16, rg. whoſe alone work it is to break the Serpent's head; 7. e. to deſtroy the Devil, Heb. 2. 14. Compare John 12. 31. Rom. 16. 20. Secondly, and by way of par- ricipation, all che members of Chritt, all Believers and holy Men, who are called the Children of Chriſt, H:b. 2. 13. and of the Heaven- ly Jeruſalem, Gal. 4. 26. All the Members whereof are the feed of this Woman ; and all theſe are the implacable Eyonjig of the Dev1]; whom alſo by Chriſt's merit and ſtrength they do overcome. e The principal inſtrument both ofthe Serpent's fury and miſchief,and of his detence,and the principal ſeat of the Serpent's life, which there- fore men chicfly ſtrike at ; and which being upon | the ground, a man may conveniently tread upon, and cruſh it to pieces. In the Devil this notes his Power and Authority over men ; the ſtrength whereof conſiſts in Death, which Chritt, the bleſſed ſeed of the Woman, overthroweth by taking away the ing of death,which is ſim, 1 Cor: 15: 55, 56: and deſtroying him that had the power of death,that 1s the Devil, Heb: 2: 14:f The part which is moſt within the Serpeat's reach, and wherewith it was bruiſed, and thereby provoked to fix his venomous Teeth there : But a part remote from the Head and Heart, and therefore irs wounds, though painful, are not deadly, 'nor dangerous, if they be obſerved in time. IF it be applied to the ſeed of the Woman, Chriſt, his heel may note either his humanity, | whereby he trode upon the Earth, which indeed the Devil by God's permiſſion, and the hands of wicked men, did bruiſe and kill : Or his Saints and Members upon the Earth, whom the Devil doth in diverſe manners bruiſe, and vex and affli&t, while he cannot reach their head Chriſt in Heaven, nor thoſe of his Members who are or ſhall be advanced thither. 16 Uzto the woman he ſaid, I will greatly 2 mui- tiply thy ſorrow, and thy conception +: in ſorrow 35 thou ſhalt bring forth & children / : and' thy deſire + Or, ſub. 77 ſhall be + to thy husband, and he ſhall rule * over
Jef ro thy thee ».
Heusband, 9g Or, certainly, as the repetition of the ſame word implies. h In * 1 Cor. diverſe Pains and Infirmiries peculiar to thy Sex, ( 2. e.) Thou ſhalt 14. 343 have many, and thoſe oft-times falſe and fruitleſs conceptions,and abortive Births; and whereas thou mighteſt commonly have had many Children at onz Conception, as ſome few Women yet have;
now thou ſhalt ordinarily undergo all the troubles and pains of Con- ception, Breeding and Birth, for every Child which thou haft. Or, thy Sorrows and thy Conception,by a figure called Hendiaduo, are put for thy ſorrows in Conception, or rather in Child-bearing,which the Hebrew word here uſed ſignifies, Gen: 16: 4: ud: 13: 3. 1. Ariſtetle in his Hiſtor: Animal: 7: 9: obſerves, that Women bring forth young with more pain than any other Creatures. & Or, bear, for the word notes all the pains and troubles which Women have, both in the time of Child-bearing,and in the a& ofbringing forth. / Heb. Sons;and Daugh- ters too,both being comprehended in that word, as Exod. 22.24.Pſal, 128. 6. m Thy detires ſhall be referred, or ſubmitted to thy Huſ- bands will and pleaſure to grant or deny them,. as he ſees fir. Which ſenſe is confirmed from Gen- 4.7. where the fame phraſe is uſed in the ſame ſenſe. - And this puniſhment wasboth very proper for her rhat committed ſo great an errour, as the eating of the forbidden
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