albeit God faid unto the woman that fhee should bring forth children in forrow and travell, Genefis the third Chapter and the fixteenth verfe, yet thee not only brings forth Cain, but having tryed the paine of child-bearing, thee faid not as Rebecca, Genefis the twenty fift Chapter and the twenty fecond verfe, but addeth yet and brings forth Abell, fo high a reckoning did Adom and Eve make of continuing their kinde: In the propagation we have two parts. First,Adams knowing:And fecondly, Eves conception, unto which two things are to be added: firft the manner of expreffing the carnall copulation of Adam and Eve,by this terme of [knowledg.]Secondly the circumstance of time, noted in the word [afterward.] For Adams knowledg, and the generation of mankinde, wee fee that the tranfgreffion of the Commandement of God, in Paradife, doth not hinder marriage, fo as it should be a finne to beget children; but contrary wife marriage is a remedy against finne, the first of the Corinthians the feventh Chapter and the fécond verfe. And that which God affirmeth touching the joyning of man and woman, Genefis the fecond Chapter and the twenty fourth verfe, That Man fhall leave father and mother and cleave to bus wife, and they two fhall bee one flesh, is not repealed by God, for wee fee the accord of marriage betweene Adam and Eve is continucd, and they company together and bring forth children. And as the eftate of marriage was not taken away by finne, fo was not the bleffing of fruitfullneffe and conception: Therefore, as before they fell, God faid Bring forth fruit and multiply, and fill the Earth, the firft Chapter and the twenty eighth verfe, fo here Eve receiveth from the Lord ftrength to conceive and bring forth Cain and Abell. Now the woman bringeth forth not only a feede, but the feede promised in the third chapter of Genefis and the fifteenth verfe, and that a holy feede, Matthew the second chapter and fifteenth verfe, not only Men in Earth, but Saints in Heaven; and the end hereof is, not only that wee fhould defire to have our own names continue, but as Fofhus fpeakes in the seventh of Fobus and the ninth verfe, quid fiet magno tuo nomine, that is, that not only wee may magnific Gods name while wee live, but that when wee fall, another feede may ftand up and prayfe his name, that the feede may ferve him, Pfalme the twenty fecond and the thirtith verfe, A people that shall bee borne fhall praise him, the hundred and fecond Pfalme and the eightteenth verfe. Touching the carnall copulation of Adam with Eve, where God expreffeth it by the terme of [knowledge] it fheweth us the holineffe of this tongue wherein the holy-Ghoft writ this, then which there is no tongue that ufeth fo modeft and chafte fpeeches, and therefore is called the holy tongue, and it withall fheweth us, that the holy-Ghoft, by his owne example, commendeth unto us modefty and chafte fpeeches, for that modeft fpeech which hee ufeth here to expreffe the company of man and woman, he useth allo Matthew the firft, where he faith Fofeph knew not Mary, and this thing hee calleth by another terme, Debitam benevolentiam, 1 Corinthians the ! the feventh and the third verfe, that is, he exhorteth us to avoid for- ry, but they that fhall be counted worthie of the life to come, neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are as the Angells of God, Luke, the twen. tieth chapter. The use of marriage is, that because men die, they fhould beget fonnes, and leave a pofterity to ftand up after them: But the Children of the Refurre&ion dye as men, and therefore he was made to beget Children. And, for fpitituall joy or comfort it is none; But poftquam fpiritus deficit, veniunt ad folatia carnis. It is a carnall pleasure: For as Cain being curfed out of Gods City, built himfelt a City, in the fourth chapter of Genefis: As Saul being caft out of the Lords favour, would be honoured of man, in the firft of Samaell fift chapter; So Adam being deprived of fpirituall comfort and pleasure, ufeth marriage as a carnall pleasure. For the point of Partitio. divifion jointly,in these, this pair of Bretheren, we have a view of all mankinde. Adam had more Children, but the Holy Ghost contenteth himself to fet out mankinde in thefe two; Even as the Apostle faith of Abraham, that he had two sonnes; one born after the flesh, another after the Spirit, Galatians the fourth chapter, and the two and twentieth verfe. So were the fonnes of Adam. To Cain are reckoned as his pofteritie, Henoch, Lamech, Nimrod, Pharaoh, and all the wicked: To Abell, Enoch, Noah, Shem, Abraham, Ifaac, and all the faithfull, which is the great partition of mankinde. For the holy Scripture fetteth out which is Gods City, that is Sion, and Ferusalem; and which is the Devils City, by Babylon, The one anfwering to Abell, the other to Cain: They fet out the Devls city, by amor fui ad contemptum Dei; Gods city,by amor Dei ufque ad contemptum fui. Again, by Abell is fer out thofe that are in ftate of grace; by Cain they that are in ftate of nature: By the one are set out all them that are born after the flesh; by the other fuch as are born anew,and led by the Spirit, Galatians, chapter the fourth. And this partion is made of all man kinde through the world, till that laft partition which Christ shall make of the Sheepe from the Goats, in the five and twentieth chapter of Mathew. This partition we fee in these two: For that although they were both of one Father and Mother; yet fuch was the diverfitie and contrariety of their nature and difpofition, as they fitly re- Contrary na Z23 prefent tures. forrow and va nity' prefent the diverie ftate of mankinde. The divertitie is in refpe&t of their names, the contrarietie in refpect of their works; for the one rose up against the other and flew him. The Devilis focietie in refpect of their names is, the one is called Cain, that is, a purchaser or poffeffioner, that is such a one as thought it his felicity to enjoy this Cain and Abell World,and, contrariwife, mifery to lose it, and the poffeffions therewhy fo called. of: But the other Abell, that is, forrow, and vanity, fuch a one as doth, with Salomon, account all things in this lite vanity and vexation of spirit,in the first chapter of the book of Ecclefiaftes; such a one as hath forrow by reafon of continuall finnes, whereby he offendeth Abell fignifich God: of them Chrift faith, in the fift chapter of matthew, Bleffed are they that mourne and forrow, for that they are out of their place. As the Prophet (peaketh, in the one hundred thirty feventh Pfalm, By the waters of Babylon we sat down and wept, when we remembred ther O Sion. For Abell was not a City of this world, as Cain; but was one of thofe that fought for a City in Heaven, that was to come,Hebrews the thirteenth and the fecond verfe. He is called Abell, that is vanitie, First, in refpe&t of the shortneffe of his life, in which regard, every man is altogether vanity, Pfalm the thirty ninth. I hen in refpect of the afflictions of this life, in which refpe& he faith, Every man is vanity. And therefore they that are of Abell will fay, We are strangers and fojourners as all our Fathers were, Pfal. 39. They are fuch as though they be in, the world, yet use it as if they used it not, the firft to the Corinthians the feventh chapter: They fet not their felicitie in this world, as Cain, but reckon all things in this world vanity and vexation of spirit, and long to be restored to their heavenly Country. 1. 2. 2. Contrary works. Abell. The Wicked Secondly, As they have diverse difpofitions,fo their works are contrary: For, as the Apostle faith of 1fmael and Ifaac, Gal. 4. He that was borne after the flesh, perfecuted him that was borne after the Spirit : So did Cain perfecute Abell,as the Apoftle witneffeth,Foh.1.3.that Cain was Why Cain slew of that wicked One, and flew his Brother; And wherefore flew he him? Because his own works were evill, and his Brothers good: So as their difpofitions were diverfe, their works were contrary: So in Cain there is a refemblance of all the perfecutors and oppreffors, that have been in the world: And Abell is a pattern of all the Martyrs, that have been flain by the hand of Cain, or wounded and perfecuperfecute the ted by the tongue of Ifmael, who by mocking perfecuted Ifaac, in the fourth chapter to the Galatians. In these two is fulfilled that envy which God proclaimed between the woman and the Serpent, and between their feeds, Genefis the third and the fifteenth verfe, whe was not only of the feed of that evill one, Fofhua the first and the third verfe, that was of the Serpent: and the reason why the name of Cain is fet down in the Bible, is, to fhew the performance of that Prophefic, Genefis the third and the fifteenth verfe, and to fhew his wrath upon the Veffels of wrath, Romans the ninth and the twenty fccond, fuch as was Cain, Cham, Pharoah, and Nebuchadnezar, and all the wicked ones of his Race, for the order of their comming into the world, as Cain who was first born, was worst, and Abell the Godly by hand and tongue. laft 1. evill minde be Bretheren. laft born, was beft, fo it is with all mandkind: For as the Apostle faith, first commeth that which is naturall, and then that which is fpiritaall, the first to the Corinthians the fifteenth chapter and the tourty fixt verfe; fo first we are poffeffed with an evill minde, before we can have a good minde. Firft Cain was born, after he begat Enoch, We poffefle an and then Tubalcain, then followes Lamech, and at laft Enofh a good fore a good. man, so God faith, there is first the root of bitterness planted in our hearts, Deuteronomie the twenty ninth and the eighteenth verfe, before we can be rooted in faith well, Coloßians the first chapter, that we are firft wild olives, and must be ingrafted into the true Olive, Romans the eleventh. Nature doth not well at the firft, but is first inclined to evill, till it please God to give grace: And whereas Cain had Abell for his Brother, fo we learn that the Companions and Bretheren of all worldly poffeffions, is vanity and vexation; first, in get- Riches and ting, then in keeping, and laftly in lofing them. When we finde Greife are that in riches there are thorns and pricking cares, Luke the eighth, And in Riches that riches and grief are bretheren, then there is a way to grace, are thorns and If we fpeak of them feverally: To begin with Cain, in that which cares. Eve fpeaks of him, I have purchased a man of God. There is fomething to be commended, and alfo fomewhat to be blamed : That which deferves commendation is of two forts. First, her thankfulness and confeffion which she makes after her deliverie; for she afcribes it not to her felf, or her husband, nor to the strength of nature, that she had brought forth a Sonne, but that he came by the Children come grace of God, wherein the doth as much as God requireth to be by Gods grace done by women that come to be purified, Leviticus the twelfth our duty is where he took order, that in token of thankfulness to God, who had thankfulnesse preferved them, they should offer: And it is as much as David confef- to God. feth, Pfalme the one hundred twenty seventh, that Children and the fruit of the wombe are a bleßing that commesh from the Lord. Secondly, if it be meant that the had obteined a man for God, as fome will have it to be expounded, for thereby the declared her joy, to be chiefly in that the had a Sonne; not only to fill the earth, and to ferve for Adam when he was dead; but one that should ferve God, and magnifie his name when they were dead; whereas the called her firft fonne by a name that did fet out Gods goodness, and the fecond by a name that shewed mans vanity and miserie, that is, to be commended; for we muft confider Gods goodnefs with our in miferie conmiferie, left we be driven to despair; and when we behold Gods fider Gods goodness, we muft joyn the confideration of our miserie, left we goodnefle, and wax proud and forget our felves. But in that whereas the thought ry. fhe had that feed which God promised [hould break the Serpents head, in the third chapter of Genefis: therein he is to be blamed, for albeit her faith is to be commended,because she beleeved that promise; yet her defect of faith is to be blamed,in the 1.Epiftle to the Theß- What defe lonians the third chapter & the tenth verle, that defect was,that the of Faith is, made too much hafte for the peformance of the promise. The Prophet faith of the true faith, Qui crediderit non feftinas, in the 28. chapter and bleffing why fo contra chapter of Ifaiah: But she maketh too much hafte; for the promise is not made of the teed of the firft woman; therefore this was defea of faith to be blamed in her. That there was a reconciliation to be received, neither fhe nor any other did ever doubt; for all did look for the iced of the woman, to make this reconciliation. He is the defire of all Nations, in the second chapter of Aggai, and the eighth verfe. The heathen did all equally worship this Redeemer, Acts the feventeenth, though ignorantly. But to take Cain for Chrift, and Bar-Iefus for Fefus, is a great error. But, if he had not this conceite, yet fhe is to be blamed for the error of her hope, in that the calleth her first fon Cain, a poffeffion, as if he were the only Jewell, and the other Abell, that is Vanity, as if he were one to be despised, and of no reckoning. Wherein the shewWe judge af eththat which is our common fault, for we alwayes judge after the ter outward ap- outward pearance, bus appearance, whereas God rippeth the heart, and maketh God contrary, moft account of those things that feeme to be of leaft reckoning. This was Samuell's fault,when in choosing one to annoynt among the fons of Iffa, did judge the talleft to be the party appointed by God: Whereas it was David the least, and of meanest reckoning among them, whome he had purposed to annoynte, in the first of Samuell and the fixteenth chapter. But this joy which she had of this fon was vanum gaudium. It was a great error in her, that the accounteth him the greatest Jewell, that was of the feed of that evill one; and despiseth him that was the firft Saint, who therefore is fet down to be the firft and cheifeft of all the faithfull, in the eleventh chapter to the Hebrews, and the,fecond verse: Much more might fhe have called her first Abell, who became vanity and came to nought, who endured forrow for ever; And have called Abell a poffeffion, for that he was the beginning of all Saints: Such a one as placed his felicity in the poffeffion of the heavenly joyes. Note. the Godly in this life. Whereby we fee what reckoning is made of the faithfull in this The fate and life: Of them Chrift faith, In mundo preffuram habebunt, in the fixteckoning of teenth chapter of St. Johns Gospell; And ye shall werpe and lament, but the world shall rejoyce: Cain shall build Cities in this world but as for you, be of good comfort, for I have overcome the world. You shall for. TOW, but your forrow fhall be turned into joy; And though you be difunited bere, yet in me ge fhall have peace. These are the points to be found fault with in Eve. Fuitque |