Vol 01 - Chapter 02 - Of the fall of Adam.

Chapter 02. Of the fall of Adam
1. THE fall of Adam was disobedience to God; whereby man turned himself away from GOD, towards himself, and robbed GOD of his honor, in that he himself thought to be as God. But while he was seeking thus to make himself a GOD, because he was but a thief, and a robber of the Divine honor, he was stripped of the Divine image, divested of the perfect righteousness, and spoiled of that holiness which comes from GOD; being thenceforth, as to the understanding, dark and blind; as to the will, stubborn and refractory against his Maker; and as to the powers and faculties of the whole heart and spirit, universally alienated from God.
2. Now this abomination is in all men propagated, by means of fleshly generation; hence, by inheritance, it passes into them all. The plain consequence of which is, that man is hereby become spiritually dead, and is made the child of wrath and damnation. Let not then any that are called Christians, deceive themselves; let them take heed, how they go about to lessen the transgression of Adam, as if it were no more than a trifle, the eating of an apple at worst. But rather let them assuredly believe, that the guilt of Adam, as well as of Lucifer, was, that he would be as GOD; that it was the same transgression in them both; the same most grievous, most heinous, and most detestable crime; the same wicked apostasy, the same vile treason, and the same tyrannical usurping the rights of the Divine majesty.
3. Man, when in honor, not knowing how to rest satisfied, in that he was numbered even among the sons of God; in that he came forth from the hands of the Almighty, both in body and soul, without blemish, and was one of the greatest master-pieces of beauty in the creation; and lastly, that he was not only a Son, but the darling of GOD, and his delight; would, as if all this were a little matter, needs be for scaling heaven, and nothing less would serve him, than to set up himself for God. Whereupon he conceived in his heart, an enmity and hatred against GOD, his Creator and Father, whose throne and dignity he began foolishly to affect; being disposed, had it been in his power, even utterly to ungod him, and drive him for ever out of the world. Now who could ever commit a sin more detestable than this Or what could there be thought of more abominable
4. Hence, after this, man became inwardly like unto the devil himself, bearing his express likeness in heart and mind; since both the one and the other of them, had now sinned the same sin, had committed the same high crime against the Majesty' of heaven. No longer does man carry upon him the image of GOD, but the portraiture of the devil. No longer is he the instrument of GOD and his Spirit, but the organ of the devil and his spirit, and so capable of all mariner of devilish wickedness. And thus man, losing the image that was heavenly, spiritual, and Divine, became altogether earthly,,fleshly, and brutish, yea, devilish. For the devil, that he might imprint his own image upon man, by a train of enticing words, so prevailed on him, as to let him sow in him his seed, which is called the seed of the serpent; by which seed, I chiefly understand, self-love or self-will; and the ambition of being as GOD, that is, an affectation of supremacy, or Godhead.
5. Now out of this seed there is nothing else can shoot forth, but deadly and horrible fruit. Such as is the image of SATAN, the offspring of Belial, and the children of the devil. For, just as there are in any other seed, how small soever, contained after a wonderful and hidden manner, the nature and properties of the whole plant or vegetable-the perfect standard and dimensions of its nature-the thickness, the length, the breadth thereof, and all its proportions, in miniature, as also the branches, the leaves, yea, the flower-and, in a word, the whole tree, with all the fruits thereof;-even so in this seed of the serpent, which by fleshly generation has passed into all men, there does he hid the tree of death, with all its branches, its leaves, its flowers, and the innumerable fruits of unrighteousness: and, in short, within it secretly lies the whole image of SATAN, together with all the notes, characters, and properties of that diabolical image.
6. Consider, with attention, a little infant in his mother's arms; and observe how, even from the cradle, this natural corruption does display itself; and how especially self-will and disobedience will discover themselves, by breaking forth early into act, and witnessing the root from whence they proceed. Consider him as he grows up; take notice of him step by step, and observe in the young stripling a natural selfishness, an inbred ambition, an appetite for worldly glory, a love of applause, a pursuit of petty revenge, a disposition to lying, dissimulation, and other such like qualifications. Then next after this " there comes a troop." And you may now observe in him, conceitedness, arrogancy, pride, fraud, infidelity, contempt of GOD, and of his holy Word; yea, moreover, wrath, hatred, envy, revenge, especially if outward occasions do but present themselves, to call forth into act the diabolical seed, and serve the turns of depraved nature.
7. By this means there may be seen to sprout out betimes, wantonness, unclean thoughts, and all the works of the flesh, You shall see also breaking out, as occasions present, drunkenness, rioting, and all manner of intemperance; with fickleness, humorsomeness, and delicateness; and all that may please the lust of the eye, or the pride of life: Besides, you may observe covetousness, extortion, impostures, undermining of others; all the mystery of knavery, and cozenage in trade: and, in a word, the whole troop, or rather whole army, of wickednesses, villanies and crimes, so various and manifold, as it is impossible to declare, or tell the number thereof; according to that of the prophet, "The heart of man is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it" If to these, in the last place, there be added likewise seducing and false spirits, then may you observe schisms in the church, wicked and dangerous heresies; yea, the denial of the faith, the hatred and persecution of the truth; with all kinds of corruptions in doctrine, perversions of the Scripture, and very dreadful delusions. All which are but so many fruits of the serpent's seed in man, and the very image of SATAN.
8. Learn therefore, O man, to know the sin of thy father Adam, and the original corruption of mankind Learn, if you art wise, to discern it in thyself: look into the same, not slightly or carelessly, but deeply, and as the importance of the matter deserves. For this infection is greater, this depravation deeper, this contagion more fatal than you can express with words, or even reach in thy thoughts. This corruption in thee is greater than a man can pierce into. Know thyself! and deeply consider what you art, since that apostasy of thy first father; namely, how you art transformed into the image of the devil, from the image of GOD, and so art become as an abridgment of all the devilish nature and hellish properties, being made like unto SATAN himself in all ungodliness. For, as in the image of GOD, all the Divine virtues and properties are contained, and even the' very nature of God; even so, in this image of the devil, all the diabolical vices and properties are contained, with the very nature of the devil,
9. Moreover as, before the fall, man did bear the image of the heavenly Adam; that is, was altogether heavenly, spiritual, angelical, and divine; even so, since the apostasy,, he carries about him the image of the earthly Adam; and so is inwardly, and in the ground of his being, made wholly earthly, carnal, and bestial. Lo, he has become as one of the beasts of the field! For what, O fallen man, is thy wrathfulness and to whom does it more properly belong, to a lion or to a man And as for that envy of thine, with that greediness, does not both the one and the other evidently betray in thee the nature of a dog, and of a wolf And for thy uncleanness and gluttony, do they not tell thee, that you earnest a swine within thee Nay, didst you but rightly look into thyself, you wouldst find certainly within, in thine own breast, more yet; you wouldst make a discovery there of a whole world filled with unclean and hurtful beasts; and even in the very tongue alone, that little member, according to St. James, ch. 3: 5, a lake and sea of pestilential creeping things: Isai. 13: 21, 22, Revelation 18:2, " the habitation of satyrs, and hold of every foul spirit; the cage of every unclean and hateful bird; and, in a word, u a world of iniquity," James 3:6.
10. Now, whosoever shall not correct this infernal corruption of his nature, and be renewed in CHRIST JESUS, but dies in such a state as is that of the bestial man by us now described; such a one, I say, must retain for ever this his bestial and SATANical nature, and. abide perpetually arrogant, haughty, and devilish: and when he shall have neglected the time of his purification here, he shall carry about with him perpetually, in the blackness of darkness, the image of SATAN impressed upon him for a testimony, that while he was in the world, he lived not in CHRIST, neither was renewed in him after the image of GOD, according to that, of the Revelation, ch. 21: 8, 22:15, "Without are dogs, and sorcerers, and idolaters, and whosoever loves and makes a lie."