Gen. 36. Novemb. 23. 1591. Quum ergo videretur mulieri bonum effe fructum arboris illius in cibum, gratifsimam effe illam oculis, ac defiderabilem effe arboris fructum ad habendum intelligentiam, accepit de fructu ejus & comedit: etiamque dedit comedendum viro fuo fecum, qui comedit. Tour general handling the temptation of Eve, in the entrance of this chapter, we referred the finne it felf to this verse we are now to handle; which verse containeth as it were a third temptation of Eve, in that the faw the tree good for meat, pleasant, and profitable, as the Devil in Christs temptation, in the fourth of Matthew, useth three forts of temptations: The first is Diftruft, the fecond Prefumption, and the third is Inticement and Allurement of honour: First, when Christ was hungrie, he would have him turn ftones into bread, he would have him diftruft God and his word: Secondly, he fet him on a pinacle, and would have him caft himself down, by unlawfull means he would have Chrif prefume of God: Thirdly, he tempteth him fetting him upopa bigh mountain, offering him all the kingdoms of the world and the glory of them, to worship him. So here Sathan by his fielt question tempteth Eve to distrust Gods commandements and goodneffe: Secondly by prefumption be tempteth her to eate, by making her to beleeve that though he did eat the forbidden fruir, yet she should not dye at all And then, thirdly, he comes with his inticing temptation, if you will be as Gods and know all things, you must cate hereof. : In this laft is a spectacle of delight, the fruit was fweet and wholfome, pleasant to the eye, whereby to get knowledge: Whatsoever wealth and honor was to be defired, was fhewed her; whatsoever delight and plealure might be defired, was fhewed her by Sathan the tempter of him and her. Chrift was tempted with all wealth, and Eve with all knowledge. But as it is in James 3.15.this wisdome defcendeth not from above, it is earthly, fenfual, and devillish. The Serpent by his laft temptation doth labour not only to quench faith, but to kindle luft; he will by the kindling of luft extinguish faith: In Ephef. 4. 14. we must not be carried away with every winde of Doctrine and craftineffe, whereby Sathan lyeth in wait to deceive; but as it is Ephef 6.16. above all things we must take the field of faith, wherewith we may quench all the firie darts of the wicked; which are faid to be firie darts because they fet on fire our concupifcence, which faith is able to extinguish luft: Now there is fides per charitatem operans, faith that worketh by love; and fides per timorem operans, faith that worketh by fear and therefore Sathan, to extinguith the faith and obedience of Eve, dealeth with her love firft,and with her fear after:By his non omnino he ex : tinguisheth 1 tingafheth love, for love fhe was not obedient, fides per timorens operans, only faith by fear did retem her in obedience, leit peradven ture you thould die; fear, not love, made her yet a little faithfull; but he took order alfo for her fear; as before he extinguified love by affirming that God was a hard and fearfull Lord, so now to drive a way fear, he will have her to make an account of him as a God of clouts, no: to be feared and now he inkindleth the concupiscence of Eve By thofe two he extinguished faith, in making obedience painfull and pre judiciall, and making disobedience pleasant and beneficiall; edite,eate, & eritis ficut dei fcientes bonum & malum, and ye shall be as Gods knowing good and evill. Here by letting a fair fhew to the eye, he affaulteth the eye with a glorious fhew. Austin faith that there are two manners or means whereby luft is provoked and kindled; the one is the care by hearing, and the eye by feeing: Bernard faith there are two wayes o Sathan; the one is circuitio, the other circumventios the one is going about like a roaring Lion feeking whom he may devoure, the other is his circumventing a man in all fubtilty, the one is inspeaking (welling words of vanity, and beguiling in wantonness, 1 Pet. 2. 18. his circumventing is taken out of the 2 Corinthians 2. 11. Here he ufeth both the means, by bringing Gods word in question, in all fubeilty extinguishing love, and his oppofing the falfeness to the truth, faying though you eat you shall not die, cxpelling fear, and shew ing that obedience was burthenfome and difobedience full of delight; and thus befieging them on every fide, yet would not give them over till he had made them both to eat ; for fo long as any fpark of Gods word is remaining in them, he will not leave them, nor give over his temptation; fuch is his diligence in his tempting: It is the Law of Sathans mouth that leadeth man captive unto the Law of finne, Romans 7.23. In Jobs temptation Sathan bringeth one grief upon another; his Oxen were taken away, his Servants flain, then another came and told him his Sheep were burnt, another his Camels were taken, another his Sonnes and Daughters were flain, &c. Sathan in his temptation of Eve begins at the eare, and from the care to the eyes, from the eyes to the fingers, from the fingers to the mouth 5 his proceeding was from hearing to feeing, from feeing to touching from touching to tafting: Sathan first made a question, Eve the made a doubt per adventure we shall die, which doubt Sathan refolved, you shall not die at all; these are the three parts of Eves inward temptation: Vidit, tulit, comedit, fhe faw the forbidden fruit, fhe took it, and she did eat thereof; these be the three parts of Eves outward temptation, seeing, taking, and eating. As before the hearing of the eare was the temptation to incredulity, fo here the feeing of the eye is the temptation to fenfuality; as before efca intellectus was the bait of the understanding to know both good and evill, fo here efca fenfus is the bait of the fenfe, that fo Eves reafon inwardly, and her fenfe outwardly might be deceived, which temptation of the fense is treble here; of the eye that feeth, of the fingers that touch, ofthe mouth that tasteth The Serpent full of fubtilty will make noe vi L12 fible fible temptation untill he hath throughly infected the heart; when neither for love nor for feare he feeth Eve regardeth the commandement, then hek noweth that he will be allured cafily by the fence, and therefore he brings her where the may fee the Tree: But did not Adam and Eve fee the tree that was forbidden, in the middeft of the garden, in the time of innocency? Well faith one Non dedit Deus iis legem ae arbore quam non viderunt, God gave them not a law of restraint from a tree which they faw not, for they did fee this tree before their fall in love and in teare, their love then to God and his Word was fuch that much water could not quench it, neither could that love be bought with all the fubftance of the world, Cantic. 8.7. and then their feare wherewith they feared the Lord was to thema Mis method in well-spring of life, to avoid the fnares of death, Prov. 14. 27. but when his Temptation the mift of incredulitie did arife in their beart then fathan had hope of prevayling in his temptation, then he begins with corrupt fpeeches; You shall not die at all, yen shall be as Gods knowing good and evill, and evill speakings (as you know) corrupts good manners, 1 Cor. 15.33. The end of his and then with vaine fhewes of pleasure he tempteth the fence; this is Temptation. the fubtlety of the devills method in tempting Eve. Now the fubtlety of his end in his temptation, is partly to withdraw the minde, partly that of a sparke there may become a flame, that from feeing the truit The may be brought to the eating of the fame, and fo doe that God hath forbidden; albeit that his fpeech eritis ficut Dei, fcientes bonum & malum tickled her minde, but that was not the very end, yet it is plaine that every lie runneth lamely, yet every liar covereth the imperfection; that then there might be no delay nor no ftay, the ferpent prefently bringeth her to the tree, and fheweth her the fruit, that her fenfe might verifie fo much as he had faid, Non vidit & tulit lignum quia prohibitum fed quia bonum: fhee looked on the tree, fhee tooke of the fruit because she was perfwaded that thereby would come to her all excellency, all knowledg, and that by the eating of it fhe fhould not die at all, They probably thought they should not die at all, in the 17 of the 2. chap. it is called the Tree of knowledg of good and evill, wherein they thought to be the virtue of all knowledg, and thetree of life they had ftill, which perfwaded them they should live forever, they were perfwaded that they should have ftillthe fa crament of immortality and of univerfall knowledg, and indeede plus poffe, plus nofcere is that wherewith fathan hath infected us all, for he perfwades us we can doe more then we can doe, that we shall live still and know all things: Sathan thought that delay would be dangerous and that if he had given her any leifure the fifting of the Commandement would have beene prejudiciall unto his temptation, and therefore prefently be brought her to fee the Tree, the fruit whereof he had fo highlie magnified, that fo fhee might breake the Lawe of God. The Fathers doe fay well, It was not the force of the devils words but Gods punishment that made her b:leeve the devill and fall from God, qui dubius eft, infidelis erit, he that doubteth Gods word, shall become pu become an Infidell and beleeve the devills words; this is Gods nishment of incredulitie, to beleeve a lyar,even the father and founder of Lyes for if men will not belteve Gods writings nor his words, John 5.47. God therefore shall send them strong delusions that they should beleeve Lyes, 2 Thef. 2.11. fo that the beleeving the Serpent rather than God is not the force of the devils words, but Gods punishment of their incredulity, panalis eft necesitas, God, as it is Zepha. 1. 17. faith, tribulabo homines & ambulabunt ut caci, quia domino peccaverunt, I will bring diftreffe upon men, that they shall walke like blinde men because they have finned against the Lord, fo did God deale here, fay they with Eve and Adam. Here Sathan after his dixit comes with vides, fo foone as he had tooke her though fhe did eate fhe should not dy, but enjoy all happiness, he fhewed her the forbidden tree, that The beholding it might bufie her felte with the pleasure of seeing that which was fo pleasant and so much to be defired, that fo then when fhe had most caufe to fear and tremble, the pain which the fhould incurre by her eating thereof fhould not fo much as be thought upon; this is Sathans fubtlety, to proceede from faying to feeing, from debafing their state prefent, wherein they knew nothing but good, to extoll their faln state, wherein they should know good and evill. As Chryfoftome faith, from hodie to cras, from this day to to morrow, from things before our eyes, to fee what hereafter we shall enjoy ; as much as if he should fay, I will fhew you what I tell you, you shall fee that I fay truely, let your fenfe judge of my fpeech; beleeve your fense not mee; you fee the fruit is pleafant to behold, when you tafte it you fhill finde no poyfon in it,the fhew is correfpondent to my words, and when you eate of it you fhall finde the virtue I have faid to be in it; you doe fee it is pleasant, you fhall tafte it is wholfome, in a word, the Tree will fpeake what I have faid: Thus the devill magnifyeth his word and her fenfe, that fo by the eating and feeing his dixit might receive their Sentence of allowance. Thus much may ferve for the withdrawing of Eve from her beleefe by a matter of fenfe. Now for the manner of alurement: Shee feeing the Tree was good for meate and pleafant to the eyes, though the eare by hearing of excellency and knowledge doe move her, yet hearing these things doth but warme her defire and concupifcence to tranfgrefs; it is the eye, and the beholding of the pleasant fruit which fetteth the concupifcence on fire to eate thereof; It is the eye that maketh the heart like a bakers Oven, that maketh concupifcence to burne as a flame of fire, Ofee 7. 6. Seeing moveth much more than hearing; when we tell you of the joyes of Heaven, which are ineftimable, of the paynes of hell, which are intollerable, by our fpeeches you are nothing moved, but if you might fee with your eyes the joyes of Heaven, you would be enamoured of them, might you fee the paynes and torments of hell, which finners have, you would abhorre fin, and tremble at the torments; Eve was moved more by feeing than by hearing. Inchap. 43.28. Jacob was moved with joy to heare the report of his fonnes that Seeing that Jofeph was alive, but yet he belceved them not, butwhen he faw the chariots which Jofeph had sent to carry him, then he was revived, and he faid My fonne Jf:ph is yet alive; it was the feeing of the chari tts, not the faying of Ifrael, that made Jacob lay, defcendam & videbo illum antequam morior, that kindled his desire to say, I will goe and fee Jofeph before I die: The defire of the buyer and of the faller is moved by the fight, the buyer is defirous of the ware, to b cause the feller layeth it is good, but for that he feeth and difcerneth the goodness, of the cloth or other thing, by his eye; and the feller is moved the more when he feeth ready money laid forth before his eyes; feeing, in things law full, is much more effectual than hearing; and feeing is much more dangerous thin hearing of things unlawfull: the Serpent thinketh be cannot bring his temptation to full effect, unleffe he bringeth her videre lignum, and therefore the Serpents petition, as it were, to Eve is but this: I will rot bid you so much as touch the Tree, nor eate: only vide & ne comedito: Heare me what I shall fay, doc but behold how pleafant the fruit is, and fee if you can abftain; it is expédient to fee that which we may not cate,and to know fin that we may avoid it: But feeing the Thee is an occafion to cate of the fruit, the occafion of finne (which is the feeing of the fruit) is to be cut off; hearing was an occafion to make Eves heart proud, and beholding the Tree caufed her haughtie lookes, and as it is, Prov.21. 4. A haughtie looke and a proud heart is the plowing of finne; they had liberty to fland or to fall, but we must not use our libertie as an occafion to finne, Galat. 5. 13. S. Chryfoftome upon that place faith, That not only finne, but the defire and the occafion of finne, by all means, is to be cut off. Though that the feeing the forbidden Tree were not femen peccati, the fowing of finne, yet it is like plowing of fin, it is a meanes to perfwade us to eate, by feeing to take an occafion to offend, without regard of Gods commandement, not being warie when we have forIworne finne; if we retaine the occafion of fin we may easily be caused to finne. Exod. 10. 7. Pharaoh was content the Ifraelites should depart, yet he would have their beasts remain behinde, which were an occafion of offence; neither fin nor occafion of fin must be left, but must be cut off; the eye is an occafion to defire and a means to difcover fin. There are two waies to convey finne into us, by the eare and by the eye; and there are two waies to discover finne, the mouth and the eye, because the eye is a way both in the conveyance and in the discoverie of finne; therefore fay the Fathers, God hath placed Lachrymas, the teares of repentance, which are the bicol of the foule; and by the eyes; the yellow-Faundis is difcovered by the eyes, wherethey doe infinuate That the eye is the broker to all finne. Inchap. 6.2. for that the children of God did fee the daughters of men to be fayre, they tooke unto them wives of all they liked, And chap. 10. 13. Lot lifted up his eyes and for that he faw the playne of Jordane was well watred and very fruitfull, he chofe it for his dwelling; Ic is the eye that provoketh to luft and to pleasure, it is the eye that provoketh to covetousness: Ahab de fired |