the existence of all mankind, and of all the near and dear relations fo beneficial and comfortable to the life of man; and no circumstances could do that more fignificantly, than taking the woman out of a part of the man's body. Thus fhe became another felf; and this was intended as a document to all pofterity, that a wife fhould be regarded and treated as fuch. Ephef. v. 28. So ought men to love their wives, as their own bodies; he that loveth his wife, loveth himself.

Ver. 23. And [when the Lord God brought to him the woman, his wife, and informed him in what manner the was produced] Adam faid, [with much fatisfaction and joy] this is now bone of my bones, and flesh of my flesh, the dearest to me of all creatures! fhe fhall be called N Woman, becaufe fhe is taken out of w Man (a fign of Adam's property in her], ver. 24. And the Lord God faid, (Mat. xix. 4, 5.) Therefore shall a man leave his father and mother, and shall cleave unto his wife, and they two fhall be one flesh. Thus marriage was inftituted; a facred and honourable ordinance, of high diftinction, as it is very nearly connected with the dignity and happiness of the human nature.

And by making only one woman for one man, God plainly declared, that this relation ought to fubfift between two; as the Prophet well argues, Mal. ii. 14, 15. And did not he, God, make but one couple, one man and one woman, as a rule to all mankind, that fhould defcend from them? yet had he the refidue of the fpirit, and could then have created more men and women, if promifcuous converfation had been for the greater happiness of the world. And wherefore did he make but one couple? That he might feek a godly feed, on y an excellent feed; that man and wife, in chafte wedlock, in fincere and undivided affection, might propagate a pofterity to the honour and service of God. This is an argument against polygamy and divorce, confirmed by our Lord's wisdom and authority, Mat. xix. 3, 4, 5, 6. Thus mankind are brought into the world in a way fuitably to the excellency of their nature. For, confidering how weak and imperfect our infancy is, and in how great ignorance and diffolutenefs of manners we muft neceffarily grow up to manhood, without good discipline and inftruction, it is evident this world muft have been the moft wild and diforderly scene imaginable, were the race of mankind propagated in a vagrant, licentious manner, without parents to own them, and by their tender care and affection to give them a good education. The production of an intelligent being, in the most helpless and exposed circumstances, and which grows up to a due degree of understanding, no otherwise than by good culture, ought to be attended with all the proper advantages in the propagator's power. And therefore the propagation of the human fpecies, according to the true nature of things, ought to be guarded and directed by the beft exercife of reason, and not left to be done in a loose, brutal manner. God did not create man in jeft; nor fhould the ordinary generation of a man be made a matter of lewd jeft, or of lawless paffion. This is the rationale of marriage, and of modefty and fobriety.

Adam had no choice, but his defcendants have great need to exercise prudence in the choice of a relation fo important and lafting. The advice and approbation of parents is, in this cafe, one of the best rules.

And

And as marriage leffens the interefts of parents in their children, it is generally not dutiful to alienate it to another without their knowledge and confent: nor fhould parents unreasonably oppofe the lawful inclinations of their children.

Ver. 25. And they were both naked, the man and his wife, and were not ashamed, being free from fin and guilt.

ERE Eve is deceived and tempted to tranfgrefs the law of God

by fome moral agent, who could fpeak and argue, called by Mofes wh the Serpent; which, he faith, was more fubtle than any other beast of the field which the Lord God had made. But a beaft of the field, how fubtle or fagacious foever, could not speak and reason. Who then was the moral agent that deceived Eve? St. Paul, 2 Cor. xi. 3. speaks of the deceiver in the fame manner as Mofes doth; I fear, left by any means, as the Serpent beguiled Eve through bis fubtilty, fo your minds Should be corrupted from the fimplicity that is in Chrift. The Apoftie did not fuppofe the Corinthians might be corrupted by the fubtilty of an irrational creature; confequently, he did not fuppofe that Eve was beguiled by the fubtilty of an irrational creature. But St. John comes nearer to the point in Rev. xii. 9. xx. 2. where he fpeaks of the Serpent as a deceiver, and defcribes him after this manner, and the great dragon was caft out, that old Serpent; called otherwife in Scripture, the Devil and Satan, which deceiveth the whole world. A dragon is a huge overgrown ferpent. That old Serpent, means that Serpent which of old, at the beginning of the world, deceived Eve, and still was deceiving the world. (And in feveral other places of Scripture, which we shall presently have occafion to take notice of the Devil's temptation of Eve is plainly alluded to.) Therefore this Serpent, and the Devil and Satan, are fynonymous, and mean one and the fame being. Hence divines have justly concluded, that it was the Devil or Satan, an evil or ma→ lignant fpirit, which tempted Eve, in the body, or affuming the form and fhape, of a Serpent; which then might be a very beautiful as well as faga, cious animal, familiar with Adam and Eve, and much admired by them. That there are wicked and malignant fpirits, is undeniably true, from Scripture. 2 Pet. ii. 4. For if God fpared not the Angels that finned, but sigare LepH ragragwoas caft them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darknefs, to be referved unto judgment. [Or rather, caft them down into a low, wretched condition, in chains of darkness, delivered them to be referved VOL. I.

D

unto

unto judgment.] Jude 6. And the Angels which kept not their first estate, but left their own habitation, he hath referved diopas adios To Copov in everlafting chains under darkness, unto the judgment of the great day. Being caft down to hell, and delivered into chains of darkness, in St. Peter, is the fame as being referved in perpetual chains under darkness, in St. Jude; and may fignify no more than, that they are degraded from their former high and glorious ftate, and chained, or confined to, a much lower, narrower, and darker fituation, without any hope of favour, unto the day of judgment; when they, with all workers of iniquity, fhall be caft into everlasting fire, Mat. xxv. 41. Rev. xx. 10, 15. For any thing therefore advanced in thofe two places, thofe fallen angels may at prefent refide in our air, and be permitted to wander about in

the earth.

It must be observed, that there is an ambiguity in both the words, Jo Satan, and Aab the Devil. The former, Satan, fignifies any adverfary among men and good angels, as well as among evil fpirits. Num. xxii. 32. And the Angel of the Lord faid, behold, I went out to withstand thee, ny for an adverfary, a Satan. So 2 Sam. xix. 22.Ye fons of Zeruiab are adverfaries. 1 Kin. v. 4. xi. 14. 23, 25. Pfal. Ixxi. 13. cix. 20, 29. Peter was Satan, an adverfary, to our Lord, Mat. xvi. 23. And the unbelieving Jews were the Satan, or adverfaries, who hindered St. Paul's return to Theffalonica, 1 Theff. ii. 18. Aachos, Devil, fignifies an accufer, flanderer. Jch. vi. 70. and one of you, Judas, is Aaboros a Devil. 1 Tim. iii. 11. Their wives must be grave, un Aabores not Devils, i. e. accufers, flanderers. 2 Tim. iii. 3. falfe accufers, Tit. ii. 3. Thus it may be applied to any wicked perfons, who flander, accufe, and perfecute the people of God. And this ambiguity in the fenfe of those two words, D and AaCon, may render it doubtful how fome particular paflages of Scripture are to be understood.

That thofe two words are used to fignify one and the fame wicked fpirit, who, with many others his angels, or under-agents, are converfant in our world, and endeavour to draw men into fin, and do mischief among us, is very evident from Revelation. As in the cafe of our first parents, of Job, whofe children and fubftance were deftroyed, and his body afflicted with a grievous dijorder by Satan, Job i. 12, &c. ii. 6, 7 ; of our Lord, who was tempted of the Devil, or Satan, Mat. iv. 1, 3, 10. Mark i. 13. Luke iv. 2. Which temptation, under all its circumftances, can never be refolved into an allegory; much lefs can it be fuppofed to be all transacted within our Lord's own mind, as if the Devil, or Satan, was no other than the fuggeftions, or thoughts, that arose in his own heart, which is very abfurd. Nor can the following texts be naturally understood of any other than a real Devil or Satan. Mat. xiii. 39. The enemy that fowed the tares is the Devil, [and his inftruments) Mark iii. 26. How can Satan caft out Satan? Joh. viii, 44. Ye are of your father the Devil. Acts x. 38. Healing all that were oppreffed of the Devil. 2 Cor. xi. 13, 14. For fuch are falfe apostles, deceitful workers, transforming themselves into the Apostles of Chrift. And no marvel, for Satan bimfelf is transformed into an Angel of Light. Heb. ii. 14. That through death he might deftroy him that had the power of [fubjecting our first parents,

and

re

and their pofterity, to] death, that is, the Devil. 2 Tim. ii. 16. cover themselves out of the fnare of the Devil. Jam. iv. 7. Refift the Devil, and he shall flee from you. I Joh. iii. 8. He that committeth fin, is of the Devil; for the Devil finneth from the beginning [of the world, alluding to his tempting our firft parents into fin;] for this cause the Son of God was manifefted, that he might deflroy the works of the Devil. Jude 9. Yet Michael, the Archangel, when contending with the Devil, he difputed about the body of Mofes. And generally, Satan and Devil are thus to be underftood in the New Teftament, the few places before mentioned only excepted: though, where the Devil is principally intended, his inftru-> ments, or wicked agents among men, may at the fame time be connoted.

Besides Satan, or the Devil, the Scripture frequently mentions other evil fpirits, called dapona, Saspores, Demons, which we tranflate Devils. That these Dæmons, however understood in profane authors, do belong to the Devil's retinue, and may be his angels or under-agents, over whom he is chief or prince, will appear by comparing Mat. xiis 22, 24, 28. Luke x. 17, 18. xi. 15, 18. Thofe who in the Gof pels are faid to be dauontoperos poffeffed by Dæmons, in A&ts x. 38. are faid to be oppreffed of the Devil, vTO TOU Aiabohou, as they were under the power of his agents. Thus we may conceive of the Devil and his angels, Mat. xxv. 41. the Dragon and his angels, Rev. xii. 7. He is the prince and head, and thofe dæmons are his subjects. They are often fpoken of in the plural number, as being many; though Satan, or the Devil, is always in the fingular, as being but one fingle fpirit, and chief over all the reft. But, as before obferved, his angels, dr agents, may fometimes be included with him.

The characters which the Devil or Satan fuftains in Scripture, are thefe, the great Dragon, or fierce Devourer, the old Serpent, full of vil lainous fubtilty, Rev. xii. 9. The Wicked One, Mat. xiii. 38. 1 Joh. iii. 12. A Murtherer and Liar, Joh. viii. 44. Ye are of your father, the Devil, and the lufts of your father will ye do. He was a murtherer from the beginning, [in effecting the death of Adam and his pofterity; and thus he may be faid to have had the power of death, Heb. ii. 14.] and abode not in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaketh a lie, he Speaketh of his own, for he is a liar, [as he was to Eve] and the father of it. The Accufer of the Brethren, Rev. xii. 10. [See Job i. 613. ií. 1-7.] A roaring Lion, [the lion roars only when he is hungry, Pfal. xxii. 13. Ezek. xxii. 25.] feeking whom he may devour. The Prince of the World, meaning, as it is corrupt and wicked, John xii. 31. xiv. 30. xvi. 11. The Prince of the Power of the Air, the Spirit that now worketh in the Children of Disobedience, the idolatrous heathen, Ephef. ii. 2. Here the Devil is reprefented as a prince, or fovereign, at the head of a kingdom which stands in oppofition to, and is at war with, the kingdom of Chrift; who was manifefted as his antagonist, that he might destroy the works of the Devil, 1 John iii. 8.

The Dæmons are characterized as the Devil's angels, Mat. xxv. 41. As unclean Spirits, Mark v. 2, 8, 12. Luke iv. 33, 36. viii. 27, 29. Evil, wicked, Spirits, Luke viii. 2.

These vicious spirits, the Devil and his angels, when permitted, are capable of doing any mifchief to the eftate, body, or mind, 1 Sam. xvi. 14. Job i. 12, &c. ii. 6, 7. Mark iii. 23, 26. Luke xiii. 16. 1 Cor. v. 5. 1 Tim. i. 20. Nor is there any abfurdity, any thing inconfiftent with the Divine Goodnefs, in fuppofing that evil fpirits may inflict calamities and disorders upon mankind: for they are only inftruments in God's hands, under his direction and controul, as much as any other cause whatever; and fo must come under the fame rules as any other means which Providence may employ in diftreffing or deftroying human life, as ftorms, inundations, the paffions and powers of wicked men, a putrid air, vitiated humours in the body, &c. In all thefe cafes, whatever is the inftrumental, God is the appointing and directing caufe; and it would have been all one, whether he had fent a good or evil angel, or had only changed the temperature of the air, to deftroy the Ifraelites by peftilence, 2 Sam. xxiv. 15, 16; or to flay Sennacherib's army, 2 King. xix. 35. 2 Chron. xxxii. 21. In correcting or punifhing by difeafes, or other diftrefles, God may ufe what inftruments he pleases.

Thus far we may go upon this part of the fubject, and not much further. The world of fpirits lies fo far out of our fight, that we can know no more of them, than what is revealed; nor have we principles fufficient to enable us to form clear and complete notions of every thing faid concerning them even in Revelation.

66

That which most of all requires our attention, is, that the Devil delighteth in feducing mankind to fin against God, and takes every advantage, and uses every wile to effect his wicked purpose. Rev. xii. 9. The great dragon, called the Devil and Satan, deceiveth the whole world. Mat. xiii. 39. The enemy that fowed them, the tares, i. e. wicked men, is the Devil. Of which we have a specimen in his temptation of our first paJents. He concealed himself in the body, or fhape, of a Serpent, probably at that time a creature admired by Adam and Eve for its beauty and fagacity. He firft addreffed the woman, when alone, and at a diftance from her husband; and first endeavoured to weaken her fense of the obligation of the Divine Prohibition, by reprefenting it as uncertain or unreasonable, ver. 1. Yea, hath God faid, ye fhall not eat of every tree in the garden? Surely you miftake him; it can never be fo; for why should God debar you of any of the innocent and delightful fruits this gar"den yields?" The woman expofed herself to the greatest danger by deliberating with the Tempter, upon a matter which the fhould not have heard fo much as called in queftion without abhorrence. But he was not aware of his wicked defign; and therefore, in much fimplicity, gave him a full account of the law they were under, ver. 2, 3. . Which only gave him, on the other hand, an opportunity of contradicting it by a moft bold and impudent lie, ver. 4. Ye shall not furely die. Yea, he affures her, they fhould receive great advantage by eating the forbidden fruit, ver. 5. For God doth know, that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes fhall be opened; and ye shall be as Gods, knowing good and evil. To favour his affertion, he perverts the word of God, by wrefting the name God had given the tree; as if it had been called the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil, becaufe God was aware it would endow them with the moft exalted and extenfive knowledge; whereas it had its name upon a very different account..

Thus