XXI.

LEt us observe the several steps and descents which Eve made in her fall, that brought with it the ruine of Mankind.

First, she enter's into a dis∣course and holdeth parlee with the Serpent at the forbidden tree, and so setteth her selfe out of God's guard.

2. She listneth to the plau∣sibleness of his pretexts, is mo∣ved with the doubts which he starteth, and giveth credit to Page  55 his false and sly insinuations, and believeth his lying sugge∣stions.

3. She looketh on the fruit with a longing eye as pleasant and desirable. The heart is soon bewitched when the eye is fas∣cinated, when the object fin∣deth easy admittance there, it soon set's the affections on fire, and the fumes from them cloude the understanding and make the will to warpe.

4. Her longing must be sa∣tisfyed; she tooke of the fruit; her hands execute the com∣mands of her perverted Will.

5. And she did eat; And what els could be expected but that when she had received the cup so willingly at the De∣vil's hand she should drinke off Page  56 the poyson? But Lastly, she gave also to her husband with her: The Devil that before was a modest begger without door, now he is entred command's the house; and she is so officious for him as to become a Tem∣pter herself, desirous to diffuse her sin beyond her personal con∣finement See by what win∣ding staires we were led down into these depths of misery we now are in.

Therefore give not place to Satan, not for a moment; re∣tire not the least step: stifle his primitive and seemingly inno∣cent motions; play not about the bait lest thou be caught unawares: Yeeld not at first lest thereby thou unwittingly part with thy strength to re∣sist Page  57 him in his following▪ ollici∣tations: If he loosen the roots of thy Faith at first the next gust of temptation may cast thee quite down. If we stop not the journey of sin by a sea∣sonable Arrest at it's first stage, the further it goeth the more stronge and numerous it grow∣eth, like a River which the far∣ther it runneth from its spring the more it enlargeth it's streā and windeneth the Channel. David walking on the Battle∣ments of his house in a loose and careless manner, gave his eye liberty, and in that free gaze it soon ran out of God's keeping, and through amorous and light glances on Bathshebah let in Adultery, and so holy David became one of the fooles Page  58 in Israel; neither rest's he there, that was a Pearle in his eye, it soone becometh bloud∣shot, and by degrees he com∣passeth a cruel, yet deliberately plotted murther. Absalon at first only entertained some ambitious thoughts, and a se∣creet desire of anticipating his future hopes and Antedating his style of King; but the swel∣ling imposteme soon ripened and brake out to his own de∣struction in Rebellion, incest and murther. One sin is the decoy to another; and though God never pronounced an, increase and multiply, on it, yet nothing is more fruitful: The giving way to it is as the pour∣ing out of water, which before might be kept within the Page  59 bounds of what contained it, but when poured forth it's course is uncontroulable, and we can∣not limit it; it is not for us to say of sin hitherto it shall goe and no farther.