· Cbap.1.Se8:. :&. •Book III. r35 pofi"dfed of the Dive!. Sathan could not provoke our firft parents to fin by any inward temptlltion, as~ow he doth by the help of our corruption : ,nor could he emer mto their bodies or minds becaufe of the holineffe and glory that was in them; and there~ fore he prefumed to take _a b~a~ of the earth, and by difpofing ofhis tongue he fpeaks wtthm htm. But wha.t? muft the Serpent have punifument, that was onely Sathans inftrument in the temp· cation ? yes : Such was Gods love to man, that he ('Ondemns both the. Author asd inftrument of that evil : as one that in anger breaks the· {word wherewith his fonne , or his friend was wounded. fo· God breaks Sachans fword : the Serpent is puni!hed according to the letter of the text, lfnd Sathan is punifued in thefpiritual: _ meaning of the Lord. 2. who is the woman? Some are all for Allegories , and they will tell yon , that the Serpent and the woman are. the- fuperiour and inferiour faculties of the fou·l ; and that ever fince the fall there hath beenea continual war betwixt thefe : but I look at this Commentary as vain and trifling , though it be fathered on fome"Of the ancients, and ofno fmall note; others fay this woman is the bleffed Virgin, in relation to which they read the !aft words thus, fhe fhall bruife thy head; this reading· is-not onely allowed, but confirmed by the counce! ofTrent; and in fome of . b 4 their prayer-bookes they call her the mother of our Lord,. the tree 1a~%ao::ft:tt 1 Dj life , the bret~k.fr of the Serpents head, and the gate of heavrn. ferundum 11[u1111 Butllook on this Commentary as ignorant and· idolatrous and Ec~lej H1ldm!· ·wholly derogatory to the kingdom~ ofChrifr. Othersare not fo lhcm. eafily mifiead, and rherefore fay, that the woman wherefoever mentioned in tbis text , is Eve, and none but Eve; {he it was whom the tempter bad feduced , and in juft judgement for her · familiarity with the tempter, God meets with her,! will put enmity (f.tith God) betweene thee and the woman. · ' 3. What is the feed of the S erpmt ? in Scripture phra fe feed is. fo!Uetimes taken colletl:ively, for many at once ;~ as when the · Gcn.11, 17- &! Lord faid to Abraham , I will be thy God, and theGod of thy feed: ·•~ .J and to thee (l nd tothy.feed will I give this la11d : and I wi!lml(ltiply thy feed a> t he[and of thefea: and fometimes .it is-taken ,fingu!arly for one only pe:fon thus Eve called l~_er fon Seth, for God, .fa~d Gcn.4.~~ IJ!! •· hiith appamtedme iinvtherfeed st~ftead of .Abel :: an~ fo tt: ts . ~~ .• ..
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