Part I. OF AN ALLEGORY. efpecially the Continuation of a Metaphor. When Jehovah fpeaks to the Serpent, he underftands the Devil, e1ther by a Metonymy, becau!e the Devil lurked m the Serpent, and by it fpokc to Eve;. or by a Metaphor, becaufe the natural Serpent was curfed by the Word of God, Verfe I4· And fo made abominable to the Race of Man, and fo bore the Figure of the Devil, whence the Devil is called a Serpent and Dragon, Re·v. vii. 7• 8, &c. By the Woman Mankind is meant (by a Synecdoche) becaufc Mankind was to fpring from thofe Protoplafts or firft formed Parents (Eve bewg called the Mother of all living, Verfe 20.) The Enmity denounced, denotes the ferious Will of God to deliver Men in due Time from the Power of the Devil; fee .!lfls xvii. 26, 27. xxx. 3 . and xxvi. t 8. He mentions the Woman only, becaufe !he was firlt feduced to Sin, as !he confelfes, Verfe '3· and to provoke her the more againft her Conqueror. By the Seed of the Serpent, the whole Power and Troop of Devils and wicked Men, who ftudy the Overthrow of Chrift's Kingdom, is metaphorically reprefentcd. By the Seed of the Woman, by Way of Eminency x~1 •E•X"'• the Mejjiah, the Son of Man, is metonymically underftood, who alfo was to deftroy the Devil's Machinations. The E~tmity between him and the Serpent's Seed, intimates God's immutable Decree of Man's Redemption by Chrift. The Metaphor is continued l'l1i1 ipfum, It (that is, the )11i femen, Seed of the Woman, mentioned immediately before) jhall bruife thy Head, and thou jhalt bruife its Heel. The firft Phrafe (it jhall bruife thy Head) metaphorically de– clares, that Chrift will deftroy the Power of the Devil, for as a venomous Serpent when his Head is bruifed or broken, has neither Strength or Life; fo the Devil's Power being broken, they can no longer hurt or deftroy Men. *But more particularly, By the Head of the Serpent, is meant Sin and Death, for as the Serpent's Poifon and Power of Biting lies in his Head : fo the Devil's Poifon is Sin, which infects and deftroys the whole Man; hence it is defervedly called the Poifon of D,-agons, and the cruel Venom of .!lfps, Deut. xxxii. 33· where note, that in the Hebrew TV!l1 a "t Head is put for Venolit, and the Epithet crttel, is added, as if there were a perfect Allufion to the Head of that moft cruel Serpent, Gen. iii. I 5· Therefore when Chrift takes away Sin, he breaks the Head of that infernal Serpent: See John iii. 8. And becaufe the Serpent's Life, and Strength lies in his Head, and becaufe the Head is the fupreme and moft noble Member in a Creature, by whofe Virtue and Influence the whole Body is govern– ed, it is put for Power, Dominion, and Superiority, Deut. xxviii. 13, 44· L am. i. 5, &c. The Power, Strength, and Dominion ofthe Devil againft Men, confifts in Death or Killing, Heb. ii. '4· Therefore when Chrift abolilhes JPiritttal Death, he breaks the Serpmt's Head, (viz. his Power to deftroy Men fpiritually.) See I Cor. xv. 54· The other Phrafe (and thou jhalt bruife his Heel) denotes the Manner and Mediumof effecting Men's Salvation, viz. his Paflion, and moft bitter Death. Chrift is propofed as a mag– nificent Hero, "'ho, as it were, with his Feet tramples on the Serpent, and breaks his Head. And as a Serpent when trampled upon, refifts with all his Strength, while he has any Life, wrelhng and winding himfelf, fpitting Poifon, and biting his Enemy; fa 'jehovah intimates, that the Devil would do fo, by this Phrafe; as if he had faid, thou !halt defend thyfelf with all thy Might, and ufe all Endeavors to dcftroy thine Enemy, the Mejjiah, (whilft I indulge thee for fallen Man's Sake to ufe thy worft) neither !hall he efcape unhurt, for he !hall fuffer a moft ignominious Death, by thine Inftruments: But this will not profit thee, for thou !halt not be able to touch his Head, but only one of his Heels, that is, the lefs principal Part, will in fome Meafure be hurted by thee, but my Divine Omnipotence !hall cure that Wound, by giving him a glorious Refur– rection from Death, and by my Gofpel, declaring him to the whole World to be Con– queror of Hell, and all its Powers: Whereas thou !halt utterly perilh; not only thy Heel, but thy very Head !hall be broken. We have inlifted the larger upon this great Oracle of Divine Truth, becaufe it is the Foundation of the Prophecies concerning the Mejjiah, and all our Hope and Com– fort, which we hope !hall not feem tedious to the pious Reader. Gen. xlix. r r, r2. Binding his Foie unto the Vine, and his .!lifts Colt unto the choice Vine; he wajhed his Garments in Wine, and his Clothes in the Blood of Grapes, -his Eyes jha/1 be red with Wine, and his 'l'eeth white with Milk-. In the !aft Words of the Patriarch Jacob, there are many Things fpoken allegorically in this Chapter-, of which thefe Words are moft emphatical, which are fpoke in the Bleiling of Judah ; which the Rabbies and fome Chriftians underltand by an Hyperbole of an earthly Inhe- • Yid. Gram. focr. Page 86g. 3 D t '!'he fomt Word i11 Gen. iii. I 5. ritance,
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