why the godly are called the feed of the woman, and not the feed of the man: because as the woman was wholly indebted to a gracious prontife, that she was appointed to oppofe and fight against the ferpent, not without the defired fuccefs: fo alfo, it was not those children in general, who were to be born of her, according to the law of nature, by matrimonial commerce; but thofe only, whofe mother she was to be by the fame gracious promife, who are here accounted for her feed. For, though Eve, as fhe 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 she 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 she is, placed in oppofition to the ferpent.

XXV. The MEAN, by which the appointed heirs become actually partakers of the promised benefits, is faith in the furety, as is intimated by a twofold enigma or dark faying. 1ft, 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; fo that what the latter has done or fuffered, the former is accounted to have done or fufferd 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. vi. 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 Spirit; yet the elect also 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, believers alfo fight and overcome by his power, "And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb," Rev. xii. II.: that is, because on that very account the blood of the Lamb was shed 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 Lamb, 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 called the prince and god of this world, Eph. vi. 12. 2 Cor. iv. VOL. H.

4.)

4.).

And this is the victory, that overcometh the world, even our faith."

XXVI. It is not to be thought improbable, that fo many and so great mysteries of faith are expreffed in few words. For, the words are both very proper to fignify, and elsewhere in scripture do fignify what we have here faid, and it became the wisdom of God, to lay before the primitive church some short abridgement, which, by its well contrived brevity might comprehend the fum of the things to be believed; and then it is our duty, to form high and honourable thoughts of what God fpeaks. Neither is it unreafonable, that the whole fhould be wrapped up in fome enigmatical or obfcure expreflions. For, the bright shining light referved for noon-day, was not suitable to the first dawn of the day of grace. Moreover, God had not then defifted from appearing to our firft parents; but explained to them, by frequent inftruction 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 should carefully keep this promise of falvation, as a most valuable treasure, diligently meditate thereon, and explain it by mutual converfation to each other and to their chil dren. Some other things feem to belong to this subject, which being briefly related by Mofes, we fhall explain a little more particularly.

XXVII. Mofes, having diftinctly related, what God had faid to the ferpent, to the woman, and to Adam, fubjoins Gen. iii. 20. " and Adam called his wife's name EVE, because she was [or was conftituted] the mother of all living." It is not neceffary, we here fuppofe with fome a * proteron-hyfteron, as if this name had been given before the fall; at the fame time, when Adam called that help, which had juft been given him, Ifchah woman; for there is no reafon, why we should 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 subject with what goes before or follows makes it neceffary. But there is no such affinity here; unless we would fay, that this denomination bears* fome respect to the words of God, before narrated by Mofes, in the fense we are prefently to fhew. Nor can we prove, that the word rendered, and he called, is to be rendered in the preterpluperfect tense, and he had called; that Mofes's meaning should

* A way of speaking, when we place that after, which fhould come before.

be

be, Adam was greatly deceived, who had promised life to himfelf and his pofterity from his wife; whom he afterwards found to prove the caufe of death. For, 1ft, The following words, which explain the reafon of this denomination, are not the words of Adam, deceived 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 пn, he was, into n, he will be, and to have fomething understood as, he imagined, or the like; to this effect, Adam had called her name Eve, because he imagined, fhe would be the mother of all living, but, from the event, he learned the reverfe. But we do not take upon us fo boldly to make free with the facred text let us therefore difmifs this ungrounded newbusegov.

חזח

XXVIII. But why was fhe called Chavah, Eve? Some of the Rabbins ridiculoufly derive that name from which in Piel denotes to fignify or disclose, " because she was a great talker, according to Baal Hatturim. Fagius writes, the Jews thus exprefs it, because she was a great talker and uttered many empty words to the ferpent, till being ensnared in her talk fhe finned; and as foon as the made her husband to fin, he called her Chavah, or Eve, as we render it. But these things are repugnant to the exprefs declaration of the Holy Spirit, who gives a quite different reason for the name; for he fhews, that this name is derived from mm to live, not from n; and the jod is changed into vau, to put fome difference. between the name of the woman and of a beaft, which in Hebrew is called mn as Aben Ezra has not improperly obferved.

XXIX. No lefs ridiculous is Lyranus, who fays, that Eve in Hebrew denotes life, but fubject to penalties; most of all Peter Comeftor, author of the Scholaftic hiftory; that Adam then deploring the mifery of his pofterity, called his wife Eve, alluding to the cries of infants; the male newly born crying A, but the female E; as if we fhould 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 , that can denote anguish or penalty. But let us proceed to what is ferious.

XXX. Mofes explains the reason of the denomination in thefe words; "becaufe fhe was, or was conftituted, the mother of all living." By all living, fometimes is understood all men In general, as Pfal. cxliii. 2. And it is certain, that, except.

Adam

Adam, all that ever did, do now, or shall hereafter live, derive their origin from our mother Eve. But if this alone was inten ded, 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 feries of the Mofaic hiftory, he gave this name to his wife, not till after the fall; feeing, if we attend to natural generation only, the 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.

XXXI, It seems 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 underftand 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 she was exprefsly appointed to have that feed, who was to bruife the ferpent's head. Wherefore Adam, who by fin became the father of all who die, I Cor. xv. 22. called his wife Eve, from his faith in God's promife, believing, according to the word of God, that no man fhould have true life, but what would be derived from her. However the original of this was not in the woman herself, but in the principal feed, that was to defcend from her. This name therefore contains a confeffion of Adam's faith, and fhews, what Adam taught his children, and to what hope he formed them by the word of God: who, in the very name of his wife, as often as he repeated it, would have a lafting monument both of the promife of God and of his own hope.

XXXII. PETER MARTYR, that moft excellent interpreter of of scripture, faw and taught these things long ago; who thus comments on the place. "Adam knowing that her feed, would bruife the devil and death, juftly and with propriety, chose to call her by that name, by which this falutary promife of God might at all times occur to his mind. Now Adam had entertained hopes of life by Chrift, and when he perceived, that his wife was to be the mother of him, and of all those who were to be quickened by him, called her name Eve, because she was the mother of the living." Fagius in like manner: "we doubt not but Adam, by giving that name to his wife, had a view tọ the promise concerning the feed, that was to bruise the serpent's

head

head; by which he hoped, that his wife was to be that perfon. Wherefore he named her Chavah, which we call Eve, as if you would fay an enlivener; becaufe dead mankind was to be made alive by her offspring." See alfo Paræus and others, all agreeing in the fame thing.

XXXIII. Eve difcovered the fame hope, when, upon bringing forth her firft-born, the cried out, wp, Gen. iv. 1. which words are variously rendered by interpreters. That which we think moft agreeable, is, with Reuchlin, Pelicanus, Fagius, Forsterius, Luther, Clarius, Scindlerus and many others, to take ns, as ufual, for the fign of the accufative cafe, and the meaning be, I have gooten a MAN JEHOVAH. Remarkable is the Chaldæ paraprafe of Jonathan. "And Adam knew Eve his wife, who was taken with a longing for that angel, and conceived and bore Cain, and faid, I have gotten the man, that angel of the Lord." Certainly our pious mother continually revolving in her mind that promife of God, which was the ground of all her confolation, as foon as the bore that male child, obferved in his birth a fign or token, that the promife would be performed. She therefore joyfully exclaims, the had now obtained that promifed feed: not that the imagined Cain was that feed, but that, in his birth, the could fee the first multiplication of mankind, and, in that multiplication, an argument for her hope concerining the feed, eminently fo called, who was to arife in his appointed time. Seeing the laid hold of this with a great affurance of faith, and made it, as it were present to her mind, the now fo speaks, as if in the birth of Cain, he was actually poffeffed of that feed, which, by an argument taken from that birth, fhe expected with an affured faith. For, had fhe thought that Cain was the promised Meffiah, and Jehovah himself, fhe would have paid him, though her own fon, religious worship, and by this means incurred the guilt of a horrid idolatry; till being apprized, either by the vicious difpofition of the child, or by fome other means, the had owned her mistake. Which our pious refpect to our common parent forbids us to believe. She moreover publishes an eminent confeffion concerning the perfon of the Mefliah, whom the acknowledges to be God-man. She declares him to be man, by calling him man; at the fame time pointing out his excellence above other men: for, x Adam and h are usually distinguished, fo that the laft viz. Ifb, implies excellency; and the first, viz. Adam, meannefs. Chrift, indeed, in his humiliation, was " a worm and no man," Pf. xxii. 6. but confidered in himfelf he is "the man of the right hand of the

Lord,"