as to fay touch not, handle not; but only of the teeth and tongue, tast not, neither eat of it. To alter Gods word is a foul fault, but with an ill minde to add or detract from it, hath a grievous threatning and curse annexed to it, both by Mofes the firft, and St. John the last pen-man of the word of God: we fee then, that this her addition is fignum difplicentia, which fecret diflike of Gods Law, being caft into mans hearts, doth at laft make them break out into that outrage and rebellion against it, as to fay, Pfall. 3. 3. Let us break his bonds; and cast away his yoke from us, which are called the Sonnes of Beliall that is, fuch as willingly would be fubject to no Law; it maketh men fift in minde to esteem. Gods word as a heavie burden, Jeremiab 13: 33 and it caufe:h men at laft to fay as they did, John 6. 60. durus hic Sermo eft quis ferat? As therefore that is true which St. John faith, 1 70.5.3. Qui deum diligunt iis mandata ejus non funt gravia ; lo è contra we may inferre this generall rule Cui difplicet præceptum ag gravat illud, for want of will doth make Verbum veritatis effe Jugum Servitutis, and fo with offence, the wicked ones of the world doe cait from them."

Now we come to the punishment, of which we say, that as we ought to amplifie Gods goodness and liberality, to ftitre us up to obe. dience, fo we should enlarge, and plainly fet out Gods juftice and fe verity, that fear thereof might keep us from finne.

f

But it is Gods judgement oftentimes feen, that they which will not fee Gods goodness by thankfulnefs, fhall not fee fearfull vengeance untill they feel it, because of the hardne fs oftheir hearts. Eve hich before enlarged Gods reftraint, making a mountain of a mall mol hil now is as farre wide on the other fide, abridging the penalty into two words, whereof the one is but as it were half a word, be caufe forte fheweth that the half doubted of that the faid, for whereas God doubled both the argument of his liberality before, faying comedendo liberè comedes, and alfo the argument of his feverity, faying moriendo certè morieris, the one the rather to make them obey, the o ther to keep them from finne: Eve taketh upon her to fingle them both at the last, because fear might not too much terrific her; the qua life h with forte q. d. peradventure if we finne youfhal die, and per adventure no; fo that the full perfwafion of the truth and certainty of Gods word is decayed in her; and indeed this is the behaviours and natures of all wicked ones, by this né forte, to incourage themselves to goe forward in finne and tranfgreffion; for if they did perfwade themselves and fully believe the certainty of Gods word, that God inded would fo feverely punish finne as his word doth fhew, no doubt then they would never dare to break Gods Law, it would be as. a bridle to pull them back from evill.

This her dealing then is an argument of the decay of her faith by wavering doubts, for as fhe hath let goe her hold and hand-fast of love and liking Gods word, and made the knot of faith very loose, fo now there is nothing but fear of punishment which enforceth her yet to hold her to God, and to keep her back from open rebellion and difobedience,

Kk 3

difobedience for if it were not for ne fortè which doth trouble her minde, if the were once fure of nequaquam moriemini instead thereof, why then the match were fully made,and the would without delay cat ofit, as we fhall fee hereafter. Now we fee unto what the Devill bath brought her, love is gone, faith is faint, and fear is feeble, hanging but by a fmall thread, for the is come to that pafs as to make death a peradventure, a thing very doubtfull whether it will come or noë, faying fortè moriemini, whereas indeed fhe of all other things in the world might have been moft fure of this, and faid certè moriem:ni, for this is the Decree of God, that feeing we dallyed with his judgements threatned, and doubted of it as a thing of hap-hazard; therefore God by his Decree hath made it a Statute of all other moft certain, never to be repealed or reversed to any; for it is made a Law and Statute, that all finfull men fhall once moft certainly die, to teach us that this threatning was not in vain, and to make us not to dally with the fearfull judgements of almighty God, not to doubt of them as our Grandmother Eve did. Now let us work the means and degrees by which the Serpent led her from innoceny unto finne.

Firft her mifly king conceit, not content with Gods goodness but fufpecting his hardness, corrupted her will, and decayed her love to God and delight in his word: Then these questions cur & né corrupted her faith, which fhewed it felf in her ne fortè; fo that faith being qualified, instead thereof the Devill did plant doubt and unbeleefe; love being allayed, instead thereof he placeth difcontentment and miflike: God gave her fure hold-fift and bound her to him by a threefold Gable, which one would think fhould not be thus cafie broken, namely by love, faith, and fear; but the Serp having fhorn afunder the cords of faith, and alfo filed the links of love, now all the hold the hath is only by fear, which when the Devill feeth to be fomewhat loofe, and that it stood upon fortè, we shall fee how fuddenly he will fnatch that out of her heart, and fo make her reach out her hand unto finne.

This then is fumus incendio præcedens, we fhall fee the firie flame infue this fmoke, wherefore we must listen to the counfell of the Wifeman ergo nos quantum in nobis eft è lubrico recedamus, for where the Serpent hath made the ground flipperie, there our nature can fcarce ftand upright; let us not therefore give any occafion to the Devill; open not any gappe to his temptations as the doth, but refift the Devill and he fhall flye from thee without doing thee hart. And thus much of the first part of their conference.

Dixit

Dixit vero Serpens ille mulieri, non utique moriemini: Novit Gen 31 4.5; enim Deus, quo die comederitis ex eo, aperturos fe oculos ve

ftros

vos fore ficut Deos, fcientes boni

mali.

Hefe words do contain the Serpents rejoynder or Novemb. 27, replie in his second Dixit to the Woman, in which 1591. he now having occafion, doth plainly lay himself open and discover himself to be aveva blafphemous mouth, oppofing himself to the holy word of God; wherefore though at the first fight he was hid under a Mask, yet now he feeing the time doth uncover himself, bewraying how foul a fpirit he is by his impudent lies, and horrible impiety, by which one would think that fle might now at laft and not too late have efpied him, though at the first fight in fimplicity she took him for a Serpent indeed; for fhe might well know, that no Creature of God unless he had by Apoftacy rebelled and oppugned the truth and will of God, that ever could fpeak fuch horrible and impious blafphemies and lies as these.

But it may feem that he giving fuch care and credit to the spirit of lies, having the knowledge of Gods truth, that by Gods juft judgements fhe was blinded and could not fee, as it oftentimes commeth to pafs, Rom. 1. 21. 24. 26.

Now we are come to speak of the particulars of this reply, in which we see firft his drift and intent is, to remove and take away that little fear of Gods judgements which was yet remaining in her, and kept her from eating the forbidden fruit; wherefore in this fpeech he feemeth friendly to reprove her, q. d. Alas! you are more timerous and fearfull a great deal than needs; you are all this while in an error if you perfwade your felf, that you fhall die for eating this fruit, for I tell you and will prove to you, that without all peradventure you shall be so farre from any danger of death hereby, that you fhall not once taste of death at all.

Thus we see him with an impudent face and blafphemous mouth, to face her out with his bragging argument drawn from his own authority; for if we confider the matter of his fpeech, it is nothing at all but that which commeth out of his forge of lies, for he is a lier from the beginning, John 8. 44. Thus he oppofeth his own word to the infallible word of Gods truth, and would have it taken and believed before that which God hath faid, q.d. You are too credulous to beleeve all that God faith to be true, for I tell you in this point it is not true, for you fhall not die.

Now because there might be a question and doubt, whether all this that the Devill faith be gofpell and true; therefore he craftily zendereth a reason for the proof and confirmation of his affertion.

His

His first reason to prove it, is fcit deus, which is a calling of God to witness by way of proteftation and oath, to appeal to the knowledge of God for teftimony that he faith true, which ever fince hath been the practile of the Devill in wicked men, to teach them by swearing to call God to witness against the truth, as if he were the maintainer of their falsehood and lies, which is not only the taking of Gods name in vanum but also in falfum, which is moft divelifh.

Secondly, he will take in hand by a plain demonftration, that they fhould not die by eating of this fruit, after this fort; God doth envy your good eftate, which by eating this fruit you may come unto; for God knowing that by eating it you should become equall to himself, doth therefore take this order and courfe to keep you from it, namely, to tell you and make you beleeve, that if you once eat ofit you are poyfoned and undone, as if it were deadly, whereas indeed it is most fovereign and precious; In which you fee how impiously and blafphemoufly he chargeth Almighty God of envy and of a malici ous minde, and that of a Serpentine malice, fuch as is indeed the Devill, namely, that he (under the colour and pretence of good will) doth cover and hide his hatefull and fpitefull minde withall, which might have made her to fay of the Devill, as Paul did of Elimas the Childe of the Devill, Acts 13. 10. O pater mendacii & plenus omni dolo; Ó inimice veritatis & juftitia: For as blafphemous Rabshakeh did Ifaiah 36.15. fo doth the Devill here facet Deum falißimum & falacißimum, the rather to deceive fimple men.

Now for the fecond part of his fpeech; it conteineth a promise to open their eyes, to deifie them and make them as God if they eat this,q. d. Tufh,what talk you of dying the death; God which miketh a fhew of loving you as a friend, doth goe about to hide and keep from you the fruit which is moft precious and more beneficiall to you than all the trees of the Garden befidés; for it is not only good and wholesome for meat, but also of fuch rare and divine virtue, that it will make them that eat thereof as God knowing all, &c. So that by advice, ye should rather forbear all the trees in the Garden than this one which is forbidden you. This may feem to be the effect of his fpeech; but now particularly he will goe forward to fhew her what the speciall hidden virtues of this tree are: first faith he, it hatha power to open your eyes: In which speech he feemeth to perfwade her, that as yet they were in the ftate of blinde men, as if the eyes of their mindes were hooded and blinde-folded, fo long as they had not the knowledge of evill as well as of good: So the Devill mifliketh their eftate because they knew not evill, but God would have had them fo holy, harmeless and good, that they should not fo much as once know what any evill fhould mean, much lefs to doe or feell evill; but the Devills intent and defire was to make them know evill, both by act and alfo by wofull experience to their utter overthrow. But fuppofe that it were a want and imperfection in them, we know that their duty had been to have fought to God for remedy, who in Revel. 3. 18. willetk all fuch blinde ones to buy eye falve of him, but they

making the Devill their Phyfitian,became indeed ftarke blind,and had both eyes put clean out.

The fecond bait wherewith hee d th fish to take and entrap her is, ficut Dei, in which hee doth promise to deifie her, and canonize her as a God in heaven; he would perfwade her that it were too bafe an eftate for her ftill to remain as a Lord and Prince on earth, he would have them to afpire to all Honor, Power, Glory, and Majefty, that they might once come to bee as God, without check or controll of any other fuperior power.

This apple of preferment renown and dignity, is the bait at which all ambitious and vain-glorious men doe greedily gape after and are taken by the Devill. By this then appeareth that the devill was the first which went about to make and have more gods than one, and his fpeech is co this effect q. d. Your God is a jealous God, and by his good will would not admit any other to be as good or equall to him, he cannot abide a partner; but I will tell you how you fhail attain to this honor whether he will or no, only eate of this and it fhall bee fo. Thus the Devill beginneth to fet up another kingdom against the kingdom of almighty God.

The third and laft bait is of knowledge, which he addeth for the more affurance, left the former two fhould not take; for it is q. d. Although happily you can be contént with this eftate in Paradife as Jufficient for you, yet if that move you not, then look to this excellent gift of knowledg unto which you fhall attain hereby.

Now even upon all thefe principles and reafons, he inferreth his conclufion thus. Seeing you fhall reape and receive all these benefits fafely and without danger of death: Therefore why doubt you? why forbeare you any longer to eate of this fruit? Surely, if the fpi rit of lies had not blinded her eyes, the image of light and knowledg which was in her might have perfwaded her this. That all these things which the Serpent had spoken cou'd not poffibly bee true: Because it standeth with common fense and reason, That God which made all things, would never make fuch a Tree which fhould be fo prejudiciall to his own glorie.

Therefore the might have well answered the Serpent to all this. That if it be a Tree of fuch force and virtue, he should firft begin to her and eate of the fruite, that then the might fee him to be as God knowing all things fhe might know that he said true, and then follow his counsell and doe the like; But this fheweth that the Spirit of error had blinded her eyes and bewitched her heart; for it is Gods juft judgement that when men are thus farre overgrown in pride that they fhould be blinded, Pfal. 94.7. and that fo blind that they fhall fay with the Foole, Tufh God feeth us not, there is no knowledg in God.

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