There is an antipathy between the body of man and fire, so as the one is apt to destroy the other, as by grace this was stayed in the three Children that were call into the furnace, Daniel the ninth chapter. Water would naturally drown the body of man, being heavy, but by grace nature is ftayed, as when Peter walked upon the water, Matthew the fourteenth chapter. And the Lyon is a beast given to devour, being naturally hatefull, but when Daniel was caft into the Lyons den, God by his grace preferved the Prophet, so as the Lyons had no power of him, Daniel the fixt chapter. So the hatred that is in man toward the Serpent naturally did not flew it felf in the Creation as it doth now, that man js fallen from his Innocencie.

The fame is alfo verified in the invisible Serpent, if we compare fpirituall things wi h spirituall, in the first epiftle to the Corinthians, the fecond chapter: For though Adams wite were, in regard of fin, rather the mother of the dead than of the living, as the is called, in the third chapter of Genefis, and the twentieth 'verle, yet for the hope of life, which God doth offer unto us in this feed, adim calleth her not amiffe, The mother of the living, for that he was a refemblance of the Church within All that will be pertakers of Salva tion must be born anew, to lead a fpirituall life. For, in the twelfth chip crofthe Apocalyps, the Church is compared to a woman with Child, and the Devil to a Dragon perfecuring the woman, to fhew the ip rituall enmity that is between the Devill and the faithfull, between whom, Gud doth here foretell, there fhall be perpetuall hoftility.

The feed of the woman, principally, and by way of eminency, is Chrift, as St. Paul expounds it, in the third chapter to the Galatians; and the Church which is called Chrift, in the first epiftle to the Corinthians, the twelfth chapter and the twelfth verfe, doth, by the preaching of the word, conceive a fpirituall feed, and travail till the have brought forth, Galatians the fourth chapter; and the old Serpent, of whom Chrift faith, in the eighth chapter of St. John, You are of your father the Devil, hath no doubt a feed, that is, the wicked, which are his Children, which are alwaics at warre with the feed of the Church. As the feed of Serpents doth prove to be Serpents, fo, for that wicked men are the feed of the old Serpent, Chrift calls them Serpents, Matthew the twenty third chapter and becaufe Fudas was the child of the Devil, therefore Chrift calleth him a Devil, Foha the fixth chapter & the feventieth verfe. The reafon why the wicked are called Serpents, is because thev ftop their cares like Serpents, and will not hear the voyce of the charmer, Pfalm the fifty eighth; because they sharpen their tongues like Serpents, and hide Adders poyfon under their lips, Pfalm the hundred and fourtieth ; that is, blafpheme God and fpeak evil of men. So that as the Elect are the feed of the woman fpiritual; fo the wicked and reprobare are the curfed feed of the spiritual Serpent: And God pronounceth, that there fhall be perpetual hoftility between them; Rrrra

There

There is a corrupt feed, Ifaiah the first chapter and the fourth verse; The other, a holy feed, Ifaiah the fixth chapter and the thirteenth verfe. Our Saviour expounds the good feed to be the children of the kingdome, and the cockle to be the children of the world, Matthew the thirteen h chapter and the thirty eighth verfe. The Apoftle compares the children of God and the children of the Devil together, the first epiftle of John the third chapter and the tenth verie: between thele is that perpetual enmity that is here fpoken of. The fame is between the Church of God, Acts the twentieth chapter, and the Synagoue of Sathan, Apocalyps the twenty ninth chapter between the two Cities, the Citie of God, whose foundation is upon the holy hill, Pfalm the eighty feventh, and great Babylon, falm the hundred thirty feventh, and Apocalyps the eighteenth chapter between the two Camps or Tents, whereof the Prophet (peaks, that is, the Tabernacles of the God of Hoftes, and the Tents of the ungodly, Pfalm the eighty fourth. This comity is within every one of us, as Peter Speaks, Abstain from fleshly lufts, which wage warre against the foul, the first epiftle of Peter, the fecond chapter and the cleventh verse; We wrestle not with flesh and blood, but with spiritual wickednesse, Ephefians the fixth chapter, therefore he faith, The weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but spiritual and mighty through God to overthrow frong holds, the fccond epiftle to the Corinthians, the tenth chapter and the fourth verfe. And the thing that God aimeth at is, that there be not only an enmity between thefe two Cities and Camps, but that this enmity be perpetual, and tend at the leaft to the killing of finne, and to the vanquishing of Sathan. So foon as this Sentence was given, there was enmity between Cain, the feed of the Serpent, who was of the evil one, the first epiftle of John,the third chapter and the twelfth verle, and Abel, who was fpiritually begotten by the Church, of the feed of the world, Genefis the fourth chapter. Ifmael and Ifaac, the one being born after the flesh, the other after the spirit, perfecuted one another, Galatians the fourth chapter. He that was of the Serpents feed mocked and derided the feed of the woman, Genefis the twenty firft chap er and the ninth verfe. Facob and Efau, being divers feeds, the one hated the other, and vowed to kill the other, Genefis the twenty feventh chapter and the fourty firft verfe. Laftly, This enmity was practifed between the Church of God, (Apocalyps the twelfth chapter,) and the Synagogue of Sathan (Apocalyps the nineteenth chap. ter.)

Of these fpiritual Combats the Scripture hath many examples; and therefore it is called, The book of the warres of the Lord, Numbers the twenty first chapter and the fourteenth verfe. The Serpent deferved to have been utterly deftroyed; and God, who calleth things that were not as if they were, Romans the fourth chapter and the feventeenth verfe, was able to have deftroyed him, at least to have chained him up, that he might not trouble his fervants, as he will at the laft day, Apocalyps the twentieth chapter and the tenth verfe: but the Councel of God, in fuffering him ftill to practise his malice

against

against us, is for our good, that we should be ftill exercifed and kept in a warre, for, as Chrift faith, What thanks is it, Luke the, fixth chapter and thirty fecond verfe, and what praife is it to obtain eternal life, the firft epiftle of Peter the fecond chapter and the twentieth verfe, unleffe in this life we doc fomthing towards it? The Apoftle faith, No man is crowned except he ftrive aright, the second epiftle to Timothy, the second chapter and the fifth verfe: Therefore God hath appointed us an enemy, that is, the Devil, whom we muft continually fight with. If we refift his allurements by pleafure, and his terrors in oppreffing us with croffes, we fhall, at the length, be crowned with the crown of life; and then he will, according to his promise, tread down Sathan under our foot, so that he shall not trouble us any more, Romans the sixteenth chapter and the twentieth verfe. But in the mean time, he is oppofed against us by the wife Councel of God, as an enemy, that we should continually ftrive against him.

As this is a threatning to the Devil, fo it is a promise in relpect of us, and that a promile of grace, to be shewed us that are of the feed of the woman, without which grace we cannot ftrive with the Serpent, nor once conceive any defire to refift him. And therefore if we have any defire to refift the Devil and his temptations, it is not of any natural power of our felves, but the grace of Gods fpirit. working in us, who faith, I will put enmity between thy feed and the woman: Whereupon, whereas the Apostle faith, that by reason of the continual rebellion that is between the flesh and the fpirit, we cannot doe that we would, Galatians the fifth chapter and the seventeenth verle. Augustine laith, that yet we are bound to thank God that he gives us his fpirit to ftirre us up to the refifting of the flesh and the corrupt lufts thereof 5 for hereby he performs his promise which he makes in this place: And except we had the grace of his fpirit, it were impoffible for us, but that we should be at agreement with the flesh, and like well of the temptations thereof, for naturally we are given to make league with bell and death, Isaiah the twenty ninth chapter and the fifteenth verfe; to be friends with our carnal and worldly lufts, which doe ftill folicite and perfwade us to break Gods Commandement and Law. And if by the special grace of God, he work in us fome diflike of our flesh and the corruption thereof, for a time, yet this is not perpetual, and though it did continue perpetually, yet it is not enmity mortal and to the death; for we never labour to kill finne, and to mortifie the old man utterly, but all that we can doe, is to bruise his head: And many are so farre from that, that they fetch balmes and oyntments to heal his head fo foon as it is wounded. Inftead of treading him under our feet, many doe tread under their feet the Law and word of God, as Samuel fpeaks, in the first book of Samuel, the fifteenth chapter and the twenty third verle; and tread under feet the blood of the Covenant, Hebrews the tenth chapter and the twenty ninth verse, which God appoints as a means to strengthen us in this fight. By nature

Gen 3.15.

Avg 10. 1598.

we are enemies to God and to the croffe of Chrift, Philippians the third chapter and the eighteenth verle, except God vouchlafe us the benefit of this promney and make this enmity between the Devil and us. We fee this camity was fulfilled between the Devil and Chrift, that was the feed of the woman, for they lay, What have ne 10 doe with thee, Fefus? Matthew the eighth chapter and the twenty ninth verfe, and between him and the wicked Jews, which were of the Serpents feed, which faid to Chrift, Behold, a glutton and a wine drinker, a friend io Publicans and finners, Maithew the eleventh chapter and the nineteenth verle. And thus ftill the Devill and his gineration dos oppoit themselves against Chrift and the faithfull, that Lare bornanew of the immortal feed of the word, the first epistle of Peter, the first chapter and the twenty third verfe. But as for the ungod ly, the Devil doch never diflur them; for in them the strong armed manhath taken full poffeffion, fo as all that he hath is in peace, Luke the eleventh chapter and the twenty fecond verfe. And the Devil doth no fsoner hold up his hand to them, but they are ready to doc whatfoever he will. Bat he that hath not his part in this hoftility and ffiritual conflict with the Serpent, shall have no part in the promife of victory which is made to the godly.

Hoe conteret tibi caput, tu autem conteres huic calcaneum.

VN his last part of the Curfe pronounced by God upon the Serpen, there are two points, First, a proclaiming of warre: Se: Condly, a promife of Victory, the fumme whereof is, the breaking of the Serpents head, as the holy Ghoft speaks here; or, as the Apotle faich, in the fifte piltle at Fohn and the third chapter, the loofing "of the works of the Devil.

In he proclaiming of enmity we have to confider, Firft, the enmity it felt Secondly, the perfons between whom it fhall

bc..

Touching the enmity, we fhewed first, That it is kindly, that prepofterous love and amity fhould end in hatred and mortal enmity, as it fell out between the Serpene and the woman :: Secondly, That God is the author of this enmity, who faith of himfelt, I will put enmily Whereupon we gather, That as God is the ftitrer up of all affections, lo especially of that harred which is between good and evil, truth and errar, between Babel and Sion, the Tents of the godly and the wicked, as they are opposed in the eighty fourt Pfalm. And therefore, as it is Chrifts rule, That no man fhould feparate that which God hath joyned, Matthew the nineteenth chapter io where God promileth, that he will dif-joyn the wicked and the godly. ler no man feck to conjoyn them, nor make peace, when his will is, there should be mortal hatred and warre..

The perfons are the Woman and the Serpent. By the Woman

is meant not Eve, as the is the mother of them that dye, but the Church which is tignified by her, in regard whereof, fhe is called The mother of the living, Genefis the third chapter and the twentieth verfe. As alio the bodily Serpent is not meant, but the Devil,that old Serpent.

The first thing then, to be noted in the perfons, is, That as there is naturally a hatred between the Woman and the visible Serpent ; fo God threatneth this as a punishment to be laid upon the Devily That there fhall be continual warre and hatred between him and the Church.

J

Secondly, This enmity shall not be for a time, for he contents hot himself to fay, I will put enmity between thee and the Woman, but that it fhall continue between their feed, that is, it shall be hereditary, to abide till the worlds end, fo long as God hath a Church. By the feed of the Woman is understood the faithfull, that are born and begotten in the Church, which is the mother of us all, Galatian's the fourth chapter. By the Serpents feed is meant the wicked, whom Chrift calls Serpents, and a generation of Vipers, Matthew the twenty third chapter and the thirty third verte.

Thirdly, It shall be no light harred, but deadly and mortal; for it fhall proceed to grinde one another to powder. The hatred which the Church beareth towards the Devil, is such as shall break his head in peeces, as an earthen vessel w broken, so that it shall not be fit for any ufe, not fo much as to fetch fire in any peece of ut, Ifaiah the thirtieth chapter and the fourteenth verfe. Wherefore touching this former part, As it is a great punishment for a proud man to have them fet before him, whom he thinks to be farre under him, so, for as much as the Devil hold us captive at his will, the second epi Itle to Timothy and the second chapter, it is a grievous curfe which God layeth upon him, that we fhall not only be fet at liberty from him, but have the maftery over him, and trample him under our feet. Secondly, for our felves, As it is a bleffing for a man, not to be deceived of him whom he thinks to be his friend; to God vouchfafeth us a great bleffing, in that he promiseh to ftirre up in us a hatred against finne and the Devil, so that we shall not make á leagué with hell, nor an agreement with death, Ifalah the twenty eighth chapter, but shall still be at enmity with him. Contrariwife, if we make truce with the Devil, and please our selves in our finnes, then are we accurfed, and like the fool that laugheth when he is lead to the Stocks to receive correction, Proverbs the seventh chapter. Thirdly, It is a general Prophecie, That it God fer not enmity between us and the Serpent in this life, he will fet enmity between us and hinifelf in the lite to come; fo that we shall (ay, How have we hated infruition, and our hearts defpifed correction? Proverbs the fift chapter and the twelfth verfe: Sinne goeth down sweetly, but in the end it will bite like a Serpent, Proverbs the twenty third chapter and the thirty fecond verse.

Thus