fcripture, that the ferpent, as the jews vainly dream, went on feet, or walked erect, or had other food formerly, different from what it has now: nor tą imagine, that ferpents now feed only on duft; seeing Ariftotle reckons them among the Taupaya or omnivorous. that eat all kinds of things, and teftifies, that they eat both flesh and herbs, and that of all animals, they are fond of the niceft delicacies. Duft is faid to be the ferpent's food; because, fince it creeps upon the ground, it cannot but take duft into its mouth, along with its other food. Just as David complains in his mourning, that he ate afbes like bread, Pf. 102. 9, for while he lay on his face in the afhes, he eat the bread, that was thrown to him on the ground. Moreover what is here faid of the ferpent going on the belly and eating duft, is common to many kinds of worms, as the very learned Bockart has fhewn, Hierozoic. l. 1: c. 4. But how could that be a curfe to the ferpent, which is natural to other animals, whom Satan never abufed in this manner? And then its being deteftable to man is owing to its dangerous poifon, which it alfo has in common with other beafts, who, after fin, became a horrour and dread to man. But fome ferpents are commended for their philanthropy, or love to men. See Vofius de Origin. Idololat. Lib. 6. c. 58: fome alfo are fit to be eaten, and accounted a royal dainty, ibid. c. 62. In a word it is of no great confequence to man, whether any animal goes on its feet, or on its belly; whether it feeds on herbs or flefh or duft. But certain it is, that, by this condemnation of the ferpent, God intended to comfort our first parents in their wretched eftate. To what purpose then is it to interpret the words in 'fuch a manner, as to yield very little or no comfort at all to man, who now feriously deplored his own unhappiness?

Whomthe IV. But the principal confideration is, that the Scripture fcripture expressly calls the devil, tow the ferpent, 2

Cor.

Cor. 11. 3, and Tor piv Tor arxaior the old ferpent, Rev. 12. calls the 9: and his defeat is called the bruifing him under our ferpent. feet Rom. 16. 10. And tho' we grant, that both these things were primarily and literally faid to the animal, the inftrument, which fatan fpoke by; yet it is evident from the nature of the thing, that both might and ought rather to be faid to the principal feducer. For, as Chryfoftom argues well; if the inftrument experienced fuch a degree of indignation; what punishment can we probably imagine the devil incurred?

V. Nor can it be objected, that what is faid to the A peculiar death referpent, all the days of thy life, cannot be applied to ferved fathan, who, it is evident, is an immortal and never-even for ceafing fpirit. For even fathan has a peculiar death, Satan, referved for him; namely, the judgment of the laft day in which he, together with death, will be thrown into the lake of fire and brimftone, Rev. 20. 10: The devil lives, when he works effectually in the children of disobedience, and thereby fhews himself to be тov xоoμоxpaтopa the prince of this world. He shall die, when he will no longer be able, to ufe any of his inftruments in or against the kingdom of God. Thus the Lord Jefus ftills the enemy and the avenger, Pf. 8. 2; and destroys him that had the power of death, Heb. 2. 14. The days, therefore, of the devil's life, are those antecedent to the laft judgment: which yields us an useful doctrine, as we fhall presently fee.

Whywhat

was faid to

VI. But God was pleafed to pronounce those words, (the fource of all confolation to wretched man) against the devil the devil in the prefence and hearing of man. 1ft. is for the To mortify that wicked and arrogant spirit, who was comfort constrained to hear his own condemnation, in the of man. presence of such weak feeble creatures, whom he had fo eafily brought under his power, and over whom he thought to domineer for ever. 2dly. That he might revive and charm our first parents, with the fweetest confolations, to whom not only that juft vengeance ought to be moft acceptable, which God promised to take of their enemy; but who alfo, in the condemnation

Z 4.

The fum

demnation of the devil, heard their own abfolution. 3ly. To fhew, that this fentence had the nature of a laft or unchangeable will. For, as God, by a peremptory and irrevo: able fentence, condems, without farther enquiry, the devil, when he was taken in. the very fact, which he could neither deny, nor transfer to another: fo thofe bleffings or privi leges, which are made over to the elect in this condemnation of the devil, are made over to them, by the last and immutable will of God, which does not depend on any uncertain condition.

VII. Now let us take a more diftin&t view of the of the first things, contained in this fentence. And they are Gofpel the following: I. The bleffings; or benefits promifed. promife. to man. II. The author of thofe good things. HI. Their meritorious cauft. IV. The manner of acquifition. V. The heirs. VI. The mean of acquifition

The first benefit promifed.

VIII. The evils which God pronounces against the ferpent, are fo many BENEFITS, or bleffings to man: and they are four, The first, is the curfe of the ferpent; because thou haft done this, thou art curjed above all cattle, and above every beast of the field. All beafts are fubject to deftruction: natural brute befs, made to be taken and deftroyed, 2 Pet. 2. 12. And it is

for man's fin, that beafts, as the property of man, are made more miferable; for they cannot be excluded from being a part of this world, which is not willingly fubject to vanity, Rom 8 20; and among them there are thofe, called evil beasts. But the curfe threatened against the ferpent, is fuch, as renders him infer our to, viler and more miferable than, all beasts: import ing ft. An invincible folly and mal.ce; fo that he can neither be wife nor good: worfe than a horfe on mule, which have no understanding Pf. 32. 9. 2dly. The very worst degree of vilenefs, whereby he, who impiously attempted to be equal to God, and feemed to have acquired a dominion over man, the nobleft of God's creatures, is depreffed below the beafts of burthen. 3dly. A ftate of never ending mifery.

mifery. The beafts die and perish, and never come into judgment. But the ferpent, accurfed above the beasts, cannot efcape judgment; everlasting fire is prepared for the devil and bis angels, Mat. 25. 41. It could not but be acceptable to man, to hear that fentence pronounced, by which that enemy, who had made him obnoxious, is himfelf doomed to be accurfed.

What

IX. The fecond benefit is the destruction of his Second power; expreffed by three feveral phrafes. The firft, benefit. upon thy belly shalt thou go: that is, thou shalt be con- meant by ftained to creep on the ground, nor fuffered any going on longer to fly at man, twift thyself round him, and kill his belly. him with thy envenomed embraces. Pareus fays judiciously: he himself is alfo forced to creep on bis breast; because being once thrown headlong down from beaven, he is now condemned to creep for ever on the ground amidst earthly filth, nor able any more to raife bis bead to heaven. Thus Rev. 12. 9, the judgment of the ald ferpent, the devil, by which he is now bound fast, is called his casting out into the earth; where, in a hofțile manner, be perfecutes, but cannot over power the

woman.

X. The other expreffion dust shalt thou eat, doutblefs And eatdenotes a state of the greatest degradation. For, the ing duft. ferripture-phrase, to lick the dust, is applied to conquered enemies, who lie proftrate at the conqueror's feet; Pf. 72. 6. his enemies fhall lick the duft; Micah 7. 17, they fhall lick the duft like a ferpent; Ifa. 49. 23, they fhall bow down to thee with their face towards the earth, and lick up the dust of thy feet. But there seems a much greater emphasis in these words, when the ferpent is commanded to eat duft; as alfo when it is faid Ifa. 65. 25, and dust fhall be the ferpents meat. Which, if I mistake not, fignifies in general three things. 1ft The reftraining the devil's power to earthly minded men, who are glued to the earth, and feek their good and happiness in earthly things. Thofe alone he fhall be able to devour, without

ed.

having any right over others And this tends much to the great benefit of the church. For, when the wicked are devoured by the devil, offences are removed out of the way of righteoufnefs, the church is delivered from their vexations, and fatan's kingdom diminished in this world. 2dly. As to the elect, it fignifies the reftricting the power of the devil to their bodies, which, on account of fin, is faid to be duft, and to return to duft. That body the devil will devour, that is, bring down to death, and keep under the power thereof, till the refurrection: he shall have no power over the fouls of the elect. And even that deftruction of the duftty body is of benefit to believers for, at the fame time the old man is deftroyed, who had hitherto harboured in their members. 3dly. It denotes that wicked pleasure, which the devil takes in drawing the reprobate to fin, and confequently to eternal deftruction, and in vexing the godly as much as he can. It was the meat, that is the delight, of the Lord Jefus, to do the will of him that fent him, and to turn men to God, John 4. 34. On the contrary, it is the delight of fatan to push on the wicked to evil, and to vex the beloved children of God. Which as it is the greatest wickednefs, fo alfo the highest degree of mifery.

Fagius, XI. Leaft any one fhould hifs this expofition off Parus, the ftage, as if it was new and never heard of before, &c. quot- I fhall fubjoin the comments of Fagius and Pareus. Fagius writes thus: "If we now, as we certainly ought, refer these things to that spiritual ferpent, I mean fatan, whom the Hebrews call

) wni, the old ferpent, who acted in the ferpent, a brute "animal, as in an inftrument, they fignify, that this "our old crafty enemy, who before walked, as it were

in ftate, is now thrown down and confounded; to "eat duft fignifies to confume earthly minded men, who are enflaved to their affections. Satan is a fpirit, fuch therefore must be his food; here are «fins to stay his hunger. For, as the ferpent creeps