of the gospel, which tends to, and shall at last end in, the subversion of the devil's kingdom. Luke x. 18.

3. By the brightness of his coming into the hearts of his people, by his Spirit and grace, Luke xi. 21, 22; and of his coming to judge the world at the last day.

The saints bruise Satan's head by resisting his temptations, James iv. 7; repelling his motions, Eph. vi. 11; and quenching his fiery darts, Eph. vi. 16; which they do only and purely in the strength of Christ; Phil. iv. 13. 2 Cor. xii. 9, 10; for we are more than conquerors through him that loved us. Rom. viii. 37. 'Tis he that treads Satan under our feet. Rom. xvi. 20.

II. Thou shalt bruise his heel. If a serpent's head be trod upon, 'tis two to one that the foot that doth it, goes away with a bruise. By the heel of Christ is meant,

1. His human nature,-which the devil, by his instruments, bruised, in the sufferings of Jesus; not in his last sufferings only, though in them chiefly, but in all his sufferings from the cradle to the cross. Satan entered not only into Judas, to betray Christ, -but into Pilate, to condemn him,-and into the soldiers, to crucify him. All this was done at the

devil's instigation, with the design of hindering the redemption of mankind.

2. His saints on earth, the lower part of the mystical body of Christ, which the devil makes it his business to bruise: (1.) By temptations; when he trips up their heels in their conflicts with him, and foils them, (as he doth too often,) in their spiritual combats, making them to fall into gross acts of sin. This bruises them; breaks their bones; almost breaks their hearts. (2.) By persecutions: when he cannot stir up the saints to provoke God, he stirs up his instruments to persecute them. 'Tis the devil that shall cast some of them into prison; (Rev. ii. 10;) and many thousands of God's children has he bruised to death in all ages. But, blessed be God, while the heel is bruised on earth, the head is safe in heaven.

This was the first promise of Christ that ever was made, and though it was very dark, and hard to be understood by the saints then, (plain as it is to us now,) yet, no doubt, God did give Adam an insight into the mystery of it, and show him something concerning a Christ to come. The great goodness of God to Adam in this, is very observable. As soon as ever the wound was made, the remedy was revealed; nay, before God proceeded to pass sentence upon Adam and Eve, he here opened to them a door of hope, or I question whether they could have heard

that sentence and not have sunk down in despair.

16 Unto the woman he said, I will greatly multiply thy sorrow and thy conception in sorrow thou shalt bring forth children; and thy desire shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule over thee.

The sentence passed upon the woman is twofold:

1. That she should have sorrow in bringing forth children. The pains of child-bearing are great to a proverb,- -a scripture proverb; and they came in with sin, of which they are the sad effects. Pleasure was the temptation; pain the punishment. In this there is a mixture of mercy with wrath. 'Twas wrath that there should be sorrow; but mercy that it was to be in bringing forth children; and when the pain is over, it is quite forgotten, for joy that a man is born into the world. John xvi. 21.

2. That she should be in subjection to her husband. There was wrath that another was to rule her, but mercy that that other was her husband; not a stranger, not an enemy. Her sin was-tempting her husband; her punishment-subjection to her husband. She was (in a sense) a devil to tempt him, and now he was made (in a sense) a god to rule her.

17 And unto Adam he said, Because thou hast hearkened unto the voice of thy wife, and hast eaten of the tree, of which I commanded thee, saying, Thou shalt not eat of it: cursed is the ground for thy sake: in sorrow shalt thou eat of it all the days of thy life;

Adam sinned last, and therefore he was sentenced last. Observe that it is not said to him, as it was to the serpent, thou art cursed; (no, God hath blessings in store for Adam;) but cursed is the ground,that ground out of which he was at first made. We find one saying of the second Adam, Blessed is the womb that bare thee; Luke xi. 27; but here God doth in effect say of the first Adam, cursed is the womb that bare thee. The world was made for the sake of man, and now 'twas cursed for his sake.

18 Thorns also and thistles shall it bring forth to thee: and thou shalt eat the herb of the field.

The fruit of this curse was the bringing forth of thorns and thistles. Not but that they were created before, with the rest of the plants. But then they were in their place; no blemish, but an ornament to

the ground. Now they became troublesome to man in his tilling of it. 1

Man had hitherto had liberty to eat of the fruits of the garden; but now the herb of the field must serve. He was now turned to graze on the common.

19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread, till thou return unto the ground; for out of it wast thou taken: for dust thou art, and unto dust shalt thou return.

Had it not been for sin, it had been more easy to labour than now it is to rest. The pains came in with sin in the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread. Surely they do not deserve to eat bread that pass their days in sloth and idleness, contrary to the apostle's rule. 2 Thess. iii. 10.

Observe here also how the cup is mixed. Here's wrath, that there should be toil and sorrow; but mercy, that it is in order to eat bread; and that this is not to last always, but till thou return unto the ground. He should toil while he lived, but he should be quiet enough in the grave; there the wicked cease from troubling, and there the weary be at rest. Job iii. 17. 'Tis a mercy that, seeing our days are evil, they are but few; and that we are not to live