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degrees have eafily gained upon mankind, that, by the remains of virtue and wifdom, which were in Adam, he had undertaken a new combat with the ferpent and with better fuccefs. But feeing the commencement of the enmity is afcribed to Eve, the woman, who was both weaker by nature and firft overcome, it is clearer than noon-day, that the grace of God alone is here all in all.

XXIV. 2dly. The feed of the woman. By which 2. The is fignified not all mankind but elect believers; as feed of the appears from that diftinction, by which that feed is woman. opposed to the feed of the ferpent. For it is evident, that wicked men, who are of their father the devil, John 8. 44. 1 John 3. 8, and the children of the wicked one, Mat. 13. 38, are the feed of the ferpent. The feed of the woman therefore, is the godly pofterity of Eve: namely, the children of the promife, who are counted for the feed, Rom. 9. 8. And perhaps this is the reafon, why the godly are called the feed of the woman, and not the feed of the man: because as the woman was wholly endebted to a gracious promife, that he was appointed to oppofe and fight against the ferpent, not without the defired fuccets: fo alfo, it was not thofe children in general, who were to be born of her, according to the law of nature, by matrimonial commerce; but thofe only, whofe mother fhe was to be by the fame gracious promife, who are here accounted for her feed. For, tho' Eve, as the was joined to Adam in marriage, is the natural mother of all mankind, even of thofe, who are called the feed of the ferpent. Yet the fame Eve, being, by virtue of this divine promife, fet in oppofition to the ferpent, by whom he was overcome, is the mother only of the bleffed feed, which was to proceed from her, not according to the law of nature, but in virtue of the promise of grace: this is therefore called the feed of the woman; even of that woman, who is, and in fo far as the is, placed in oppofition to the ferpent. XXV. The

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The mean of communion.

XXV. The MEAN, by which the appointed heirs become actually partakers of the promifed benefits, is faith in the furety, as is intimated by a twofold enigma or dark faying. tft, As all the heirs are called by the common name, feed; this denotes the myftical union and communion of the feed, which is fanctified, with that, which fanctifies; so that what the latter has done or fuffered, the former is accounted to have done or fuff red in him. But the band of that union is faith, by which we receive Chrift, adhere to him, and become one fpirit with him, I Cor. 6. 17. 2dly. As the bruifing the ferpent's head is afcribed to the feed which, indeed, Chrift alone does by the merit of his obedience, and the infinite efficacy of his fpirit} yet the elect alfo in Chrift, and by the power of Chrift, conquer him through faith. Chrift is the general in this combat, the feed of the woman by way of eminence, who overthrows and triumphs over the enemy: but next to Chrift, and under him, befievers alfo fight and overcome by his power, and they overcame him by the blood of the lamb, Rev. 12. 11: that is, becaufe on that very account the blood of the lamb was fhed for them. The victory, which the rest of the feed gains over the ferpent, cannot but follow upon the fhedding of the blood of the lainb, who is the feed of Eve. Moreover, that victory is obtained only by faith; whatsoever is born of God overcometh the world (confequently the devil, who is call d the prince and God of this world, Eph. 6. 12, 2 Cor. 4.4). And this is the victory, that overcometh the world, even our faith.

Why thefe XXVI. It is not to be thought improbable, that myfteries fo many and so great mysteries of faith are expreffed are briefly in few words. For, the words are both very proper and ob- to fignify, and elfewhere in fcripture do fignify what curely we have here faid,and it became the wisdom of God,to lay before the primitive church fome fhort abridgement, which, by its well contrived brevity might comprehend the fum of the things to be believed,

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and then it is our duty, to form high and honourable thoughts of what God fpeaks. Neither is it unreafo-nable, that the whole fhould be wraped up in fome enigmatical or obfcure expreffions. For, the bright fhining light referved for noon-day was not fuitable to the firft dawn of the day of grace. Moreover, God had not then defifted from appearing to our first parents; but explained to them, by frequent instruction and the gracious illumination of their mind, thofe things which belonged to faith and godlinefs. And indeed it was wholly reasonable, that above all they fhould carefully keep this promife of falvation, as a moft valuable treasure, diligently meditate thereon, and explain it by mutual converfation to each other and to their children. Some other things feem to belong to this fubject, which being briefly related by Mofes, we shall explain a little more particulary

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XXVII. Mofes, having distinctly related, what God The name had faid to the ferpent, to the woman and to Adam, of Eve fubjoins Gen. 3. 20, and Adam called his wife's name woman given the EVE, because she was [or was conftituted] the mother of after the all living. It is not neceffary, we here fuppofe with fall. fome a proteron byfteron, as if this name had been given before the fall; at the fame time, when Adam called that help, which had just been given him, nwx Ifchab woman; for, there is no reafon, why we fhould contend, that things were done at the fame time, which Mofes relates on different occafions, and after other intermediate narratives. We own, indeed, that fometimes a thing is related after, which had been done before: but this is not ufual, unless the affinity of the fubject with what goes before or follows makes it neceffary. But there is no fuch affinity here, unless we would fay, that this denomination bears fome respect to the words of God, before nar

*A way of fpeaking, when we place that after, which should come before,

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rated by Mofes, in the fenfe we are prefently to fhew. be
Nor can we prove, that the word xp, and be called,
is to be rendered in the preterpluperfect tenfe, and
be bad called; that Mofes's meaning fhould be, Adam.
was greatly deceived, who had promifed life to himni
felf and his pofterity from his wife; whom he after-n.
wards found to prove the caufe of death. For, ift
The following words, which explain the reason of
this denomination, are not the words of Adam, de la
ceived in his expectation; but of Mofes, fhewing
the truth of the matter. 2dly. If we will have them
to be the words of Adam, we ought to change n
She was, into an, he will be, and to have fomething
understood as, be imagined, or the like; to this effect
Adam had called her name Eve, because he imagined,
the would be the mother of all living, but, from the
event, he learned the reverfe. But we do not takę
upon us fo boldly to make free with the facred text
let us therefore difmifs this ungrounded

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XXVII. But why was the called n, Chavah Eve?>. Some of the Rabbins ridiculously derive that name from min, which in Piel denotes to fignify or disclose, because she was a great talker, according to Baal Hat turim. Fagius writes, the Jews thus exprefs it, becaufe She was a great talker and uttered many empty words to. the ferpent, till, being enfnared in her talk, fhe finned; and as foon as she made her husband to fin, be called her i Chavah, or Eve, as we render it. But thefe things are repugnant to the exprefs declaration of the Holy Spirit, who gives a quite different reafon for the name; for he fhews, that this name is derived from to live, not from min and the jod is changed into vau, to put fome difference between thẹ name of the woman and of a beaft, which in Hebrew is called 'n as Aben Ezra has not improperly ob ferved.

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As alfo by XXIX. No lefs ridiculous is Lyranus, who says, Lyranus that Eve in Hebrew denotes life, but fuljelt to penalties : and Co- most of all, Peter Comeftor, author of the Scholastic mestor.

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hiftory; that Adam then deploring the mifery of bis pofterity, called his wife EVE, alluding to the cries of infants; the male newly born crying A, but the female E; as if we should fay, all born of Eve will fay A or E. This perhaps might be pardonable in poor Comeftor, and in the age in which he lived: but it is highly ridiculous, that, amidst fo great a light of knowledge, Cornelius a Lapide, in his commentaries fhould not blush to call fuch trifling, by the name of pious contemplations, There is nothing in the word mn, that can denote anguish or penalty. But let us proceed to what is ferious.

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XXX. Mofes explains the reafon of the denomi- In what nation in these words; becaufe fhe was, or was con fenfe faid ftituted, the mother of all living. By all living, fome- mother of times, is understood all men in general, as P.14 3. 2. all living. And it is certain, that, except Adam, all that ever did, do now, or fhall hereafter live, derive their ori gin from our mother Eve. But if this alone was intended, here it might be afked, ift. Why Adam chofe to call his wife the mother, rather than himself the father of all living, as the natural origin of all is equally due to both? 2dly. Why, as we have fhewn from the series of the Mofaic hiftory, he gave this name to his wife, not till after the fall; feeing, if we attend to natural generation only, fhe became the parent, not fo much of the living as of the dead? 3dly, Was this a thing fo very worthy of notice, fince it was felf-evident, that all, who were to exift, were to defcend from her, who was the only woman in the world.

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XXXI. It feems therefore more advifeable, and more becoming both the faith and piety of Adam, and the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, who accurately relates thofe things, to understand by all living, both the Lord Chrift, who is the fountain of life, and the elect, who, being united to him, are quickened by his Spirit. The woman was conftituted the mother of thefe living, by the word of promife, by which the

was

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