s,r2. Chap. z6. An Expo1i:ion upon the BAOkof J (Q B. Verf. r3,. beafis of the field, which the Lord godhad made, and be/aidunto the woman, that is,The Devil in or by the Serpent Paid unto her, &c. He hath we! deferved to be called aSerpent who anted his firft malice againít mankind by the helpof a SerpentAnd for his thus early making ufe of a Serpent, he is called not only a fer- pent but, that old ferpent,(Rev.t 2.9 )?'hegsreat Dragon tea ca out,tbat oldferpent, called the Devill,.and Satan, whichdeceivetb the while world:be was call tut into the earth, and loù Angels were cftt out with him, The hand of God bath formed this crook. ed ferpent.. To cleare which fome interpret the former piritar' ejus part ofthe verfe in complyance with this fence,for the good An- ornavitccrles gel, rhus;By bir fpirit be bathgarnißhed the heavens; that is, he "Ig' ha h b flowed excellent ifts-u on the An els whoare the great e. cce'e1es- i9 P g , fpi,itutornan,é ornament of heaven,and.may tropically be called heaven,as men tic, f iGcer rpi-, are called earth.Ard.as holy, wife, uft, and faithful! men,are the rátuabum do?"' ornaments, and.garnifhings ofshe earth, fo the holy Angels are rum. AEI*. the garnifhings of heaven, they having fuch mighty power and ECobftetri- eaate manu excellent gifts. Now(faith this interpretation). as Godgarnifhed' ejus edu cus the heavens with good Angels,fohe brougktforth thecrooked fer- eli coleber tor- pent the Devil,by his working power. Not as if they,who farad teefw. vulg. up for this expofition,did affi.me that God did make the Devil by his immediate hand,as he did the good Angels and the rest of thecreatures; for when God Jaw every thing that he had made, behold it was veryg,ed,and therefore the crooked ferpent as taken under this Notion for the Devil (who is the Evil one)couldnot be of his making. Therefore though the Devil according to his original or general nature, as an Angel was formed-ofGod; yet the crookednefs of his nature as well as of his wayes, which prei- perlyand formally denominate him a Devil was of bimfelf,he ha- ving turned away fromGod; and defiled that Elate, by the free.: duxirdew dome ofhis own will. in which he was created pure,and had fo- tüabt/um è me. ciety with his fellow.Angels,till God for his fin did (as it were) dio Angelornrn.: pull him and his Adhwrents from the midit of them; and as the *quin. A.pottle Jude faith(v.6>)Hatb refervedtbem(togerher)in chain: ofdarkues unto the judgement of thegreat, day.But 1 conceive that lob is not here fpeakingofan Allegorical) or Metaphorical! fer. pent, fuch a one as the Devill is, but ofa real and proper one; And therefore I.lay by.this expoition as unfutable. to the teat in hand.. And.
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