ANNOTATIONS. CHAP. 3.

1. Why has God?.) Here we may see how sin came first amongst men. For the devil envying man’s happy state tempted Eve the weaker person, beginning with a question, thereby to allure her into conference, and by such a question as might bring her into suspicion of God’s affection towards man, saying: Why hath God commanded you, that you should not eat of every tree of Paradise? insinuating by these words, and withal internally suggesting, that God dealt hardly with them, abridging their liberty without cause. And when he had got so much of her, that she was displeased with the precept, which she showed by adding of her own (to make it seem more grievous) that they were forbidden to touch the tree, and again by reporting the punishment as doubtful, saying: Lest perhaps we die; then the tempter avouched boldly, and falsely, that they should not die, and charged God to be envious of the benefit they should get by eating of that tree, saying their eyes should be opened, and they should be as Gods, knowing good and evil. Upon which persuasion, and liking also she had to the fruit, she did take and eat, and persuaded Adam also to eat. And forthwith they saw that they would not have seen, knew evil which they had better not to have known, were ashamed, and endeavoured to cover and hide themselves. Even thus the devil deals with men ever since, assaulting the weaker persons, and weaker part, as the flesh and sensuality, and by them setteth upon the stronger and superior part, to get consent of free will, without which there is no sin; according to that famous saying of St. Augustin: Pecatum adeo est voluntarium, ut nullo modo sit peccatum, si non voluntarium. Sin is so voluntary, that in no wise it can be sin, if it be not voluntary. Wherefore it was no sin in Eve to be tempted by the serpent, which she could not avoid, nor in Adam to be tempted by Eve, but they sinned when they consented to the evil suggestions. And now in the regenerate, though concupiscence remain, which is the effect of sin past, and occasion of sin in those that yield again to temptations, yet is it not sin, but punishment of sin, and matter of exercise in the just, and if we resist, of merit: and therefore St. Paul exhorts us, to walk in the spirit, and the lusts of the flesh we shall not accomplish. And in another place showeth, that he which fights lawfully, shall be crowned.

15. She shall bruise.) Protestants will not admit this reading, ipsa conterets, she shall bruise, lest our Blessed Lady should be said any way to bruise the serpent’s head. And Kemnisius amongst others saith, that all ancient Fathers read, ipsum, not, ipsa. But he is convinced of lying by Claudius Marius Victor, lib. 1. in Gen., Alcimus Auitus lib. 3. carm. ch. 6., St. Chrysostom, hom. 17. in Genes., St. Ambrose lib de fuga saeculi cap. 7., St. Augustin, li. 2. de Genesi contra Manichaeos, cap. 18. & lib. 11. de Genesi ad literam chap. 26., St. Gregory, lib. 1. Moralium cap. 38. And after them St. Bede, Eucherius, Rabanus, Rupertus, Strabus, and Lyra upon this place, St. Bernard, ser 2. super Missus est. And many others, who read ipsa as the Latin text now hath.

But whether we read, She shall bruise, or, her seed, that is her son Christ, shall bruise the serpent’s head, we attribute no more, nor no less to Christ nor to our Lady by the one reading, than by the other: for by the text, I will put enmities between thee and the woman, between thy seed and her seed, it is clear, that this enmity and battle pertained to the woman and her seed on the one party, and to this devil, that spoke by the serpent, and all the wicked, on the other party, and that the victory should happen to mankind. Which being captive by Adam’s sin, occasioned by a woman, should be redeemed, both sexes, though in far different sort, concurring thereto. And so it is most true, that Christ by his own proper power, and his Blessed Mother by her most immediate cooperating to his Incarnation (and consequently to other Mysteries) did bruise the serpent’s head, break and vanquish his power. * As many ancient Fathers do excellently discourse: namely St. Bernard, writing upon these words in the Apocalypse ch. 12, A great sign appeared in heaven, a woman clothed with the sun: Even though (saith he) by one man and one woman we were greatly damaged, yet (God be thanked) by one man and one woman all losses are repaired, and that not without great increase of graces. For the benefit does far exceed the loss. Our merciful father giving us for a terrestrial Adam Christ our Redeemer, and for old Eve God’s own Mother. † Moreover as the same St. Bernard showeth, this blessed Virgin in singular sort bruised the serpent’s head, in that she quite vanquished all manner suggestions of the wicked serpent, never yielding to, nor taking delight in any evil moved by him.

19. Dust you are.) By these words Adam was admonished to humble himself, considering the matter whereof his body was made, and into which he should be resolved again. * Whereupon it came to be a ceremony amongst penitents, to cast ashes on their heads, as appeareth in holy Scriptures. For which cause the Church now also useth this ceremony the first day of Lent, putting ashes on her children’s heads: willing them to remember, that dust they are, and to dust they shall return, to move us by this meditation to more serious penance.

22. Lest perhaps.) Notwithstanding God’s eternal decree in disposing all things, and his omnipotence which nothing can resist, yet he produceth good, and either avoideth or disposeth of evil which he suffereth, by ordinary means, as appeareth Act. 27:31, and that because man hath free-will, with which God concurreth, and destroyeth not nor forceth, as St. Augustin teacheth.

24. Placed Cherubins.) Man being cast out of Paradise, the same is defended with double guard: with Angels, that are watchful, wise, and potent; and with fire and sword, most terrible armour to man. Whereby again we see that God useth ordinary means in his providence, as the ministry of Angels and human terror, and would neither destroy the tree, nor deprive it of the virtue to prolong life, nor bereave man of free-will, by which he might desire to return: but conserving nature in all creatures, preventeth inconveniences otherwise.

These Angels also hinder the devil, that he can not enter Paradise, lest he should take of the fruit of the tree, and give it to men to prolong their lives, and thereby draw them to his service.