A treatise of Paradise. And the principall contents thereof especially of the greatnesse, situation, beautie, and other properties of that place: of the trees of life, good and euill; of the serpent, cherubin, fiery sword, mans creation, immortalitie, propagation, stature, age, knowledge, temptation, fall, and exclusion out of Paradise; and consequently of his and our originall sin: with many other difficulties touching these points. Collected out of the holy Scriptures, ancient fathers, and other both ancient and moderne writers.

CHAP. XXIX.

Whether the precept of not eating of the tree of knowledge of good and euill, was giuen aswell to Eue, as to Adam, and how that was.

THe difficultie of this question pro∣ceedeth of the diuers readings of the precept, because some with Greg. l. 35. moral. cap. 10. do read it according to the Greeke in the plurall; the He∣brue, & Caldaean, with the vulgar Latin, and English are in the singular. Gen. 21.16. and the Lord God commanded the man, saying, thou shalt eat freely of euery tree of the garden, but of the tree of knowledge of good & euill, thou shalt not eat of it, for in the day thou eatest thereof, thou shalt dye the death. Whereby wee see that this commandement was directed to the man only, not to the woman, seeing

shee as yet was not created, as is appa∣rent out of the 18 verse, the 21, 22, & 23, where the creation of Eue is de∣scribed.

Neuerthelesse it is manifest that the same commandment was extended to Eue also, for so shee answered the ser∣pent according to the vulgar edition, de ligno quod est in medio paradysi, praece∣pit nobis deus ne comederemus, but of the tree, which is in the midst of Paradise, God commanded vs, wee should not eat; wherfore though this precept was principally giuen to Adam, yet was it also to be obserued of Eue, for as they were conioyned in nature, so were they not to be separated in regard of their precept and grace.

But why then (may some say) was the name onely of Adam expressed? I an∣swer with Rupertus lib. 2. de Trinitate, & operibus eius c. 32. because the precept was principally giuen vnto him, as vpon whose obedience or breach, his, and his posterities happinesse did solely depend, not vpon Eues.