Genesis 3:1-6 Now the serpent was more subtle than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said to the woman, Yes, has God said… I. IT IS DANGEROUS TO LAY OPEN OURSELVES FREELY TO PERSONS UNKNOWN, OR SUCH OF WHOM WE HAVE NO ASSURANCE. II. IT IS A DANGEROUS THING TO QUESTION OR DEBATE EVIDENT AND KNOWN TRUTHS. Principles in all sciences are exempted from dispute, much more should they be in divinity. Amongst which we may account — 1. The dictates of nature, written by the finger of God in all men's hearts, as, that there is a God (Romans 1:19, 20); that He judgeth the world (Psalm 58:11), and that in righteousness, which is a principle that Jeremy will not dispute (Jeremiah 12:1); and that consequently it shall be well with the good, and ill with the wicked at last (Ecclesiastes 12:13), as being truths, which every man's conscience within his own breast gives testimony unto. 2. Such truths as are delivered by God Himself, either recorded in His Word (as the creation of the world and that great mystery of man's redemption by Jesus Christ, etc.), or made known unto us by any special message from God. And by this assenting unto the truths of God, without questioning or admitting them into debate, (1) We seal unto His truth (John 3:33), and give him the honour of a God, to be believed upon His own testimony; whereas we believe not men upon their word without some further evidence. (2) And by the same means we provide for our safety, who having our minds full of ignorance, and by their corrupt disposition, more inclinable to embrace lies rather than truth, might be endangered by admitting known truth to debate, to be mislead by the mists of human reasonings into error, to the endangering or overthrowing of our faith. These were Eve's gross oversights in entertaining conference with Satan, a person unknown, and that about such a manifest and evident truth. III. BLASPHEMOUS AND FOUL SUGGESTIONS OUGHT NOT TO BE HEARD WITHOUT INDIGNATION AND DETESTATION. 1. To manifest our zeal for God's honour and for His truth. 2. By it we secure ourselves from a farther assault, which we easily invite when we bear such blasphemies with too much softness of spirit and patience. 3. And harden our own hearts against such wicked suggestions by abhorring the very mention of them. 4. And oftentimes terrify the suggesters themselves, or at least put them to shame. IV. WHEN GOD'S MERCIES ARE MENTIONED WE MUST WITHAL BE CAREFUL TO REMEMBER HIS NAME THAT BESTOWS THEM. 1. That by entitling God unto, and prefixing His own name before His works of mercy, wherewith men's hearts are most affected, He may be highly advanced above all things, and held out and proclaimed to the world as the fountain of all goodness, when all the good things which we enjoy, and in which we rejoice, are still laid down at His foot. 2. There is an evil disposition in men's hearts to forget God in His mercies (Deuteronomy 32:18; Psalm 106:21), and to ascribe them to themselves (Daniel 4:25). V. GOD'S MERCIES OUGHT NOT, WHEN THEY ARE SPOKEN OF, TO BE REPRESENTED IN COLD AND WEAK EXPRESSIONS. 1. Because they, having their hearts enlarged in the apprehension of them inwardly, cannot but speak as they think of them. 2. It is our duty to advance the Lord by all the means we can, that His name alone may be excellent (Psalm 148:13), and great (Malachi 1:11). Now, nothing advanceth His name more than His mercies, which therefore must be set out as the mercies of God, high, and without comparison. 3. When all is done, and we have made use of all our art and abilities, to set out God's mercies in the largest manner that we can devise, all our words come infinitely short of the full extent of those things which we desire to represent. 4. In the meantime, while we strive to set out things in the fullest measure, we warm our own hearts, and quicken our affections the more, and fill our hearts with the greater admiration of those things which exceed all our expressions. (J. White, M. A.) Parallel Verses KJV: Now the serpent was more subtil than any beast of the field which the LORD God had made. And he said unto the woman, Yea, hath God said, Ye shall not eat of every tree of the garden? |
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