Chapter 9: Of the Fall of Our First Parents

Q. You have already shewed the state of man in innocency by creation, what things are to be considered concerning the state of corruption?

The beginning thereof which was the fall of our first parents, and the consequents of that fall in respect of sin and punishment.

Q. What Scriptures do prove that Adam and Eve did fall from that state of innocency and purity wherein they were created?

A. Many, but most especially the third chapter of Genesis, Ecclesiastes 7:29, Isaiah 43:27, Romans 5:12, 18, 19, 1 Timothy 2:14.

Q. Who did fall?

A. First Eve, then Adam, and in him all mankind that proceed from Adam after the ordinary way.

Q. How did man fall?

A. By transgression and disobedience to the commandment of God, which was that they should not eat of the tree of knowledge of good and evil.

Q. Wherein was this such a great offence? for it may seem a small matter to eat an apple or other fruit forbidden.

A. This sin was not small, but very great, as comprehending in it a heap and multitude of many other heinous evils.

Q. What are some of those evils comprehended in this sin?

A. There was great unbelief to doubt of the truth of God's threatening, there was great idolatry in preferring the counsel of Satan before the commandment of God, and great blasphemy in yielding to Satan, when he said God forbade them that tree because he did envy their happiness.

Q. What evil else was there in that offence?

A. There was discontent with their estate, though it was exceeding good, abominable pride that would be like to God, and horrible unthankfulness to sin against God that had so highly advanced them.

Q. What further evil was in it?

A. There was curiosity in desiring to know more than God would have them to know; also they sinned needlessly and wilfully, that commandment being so equal and easy to have been kept.

Q. How may that appear?

A. Because man then had no inward concupiscence or corruption of nature, as we now have, that could move him to break the commandment, nor was he any way necessitated thereto through any want, having such variety and abundance of other fruits, whereof he might freely eat.

Q. What may be a last particular to show the heinousness of this first offence?

A. Man showed himself herein to be wretchedly careless of the good of his posterity, to whom in this act he was both unkind and cruel.

Q. How may that appear?

A. In that by this means he brought sin and misery upon them all (Romans 5:12, 18, 19; 1 Corinthians 15:22).

Q. Why should this sin of Adam bring the guilt of sin and misery upon all his posterity?

A. Because he stood at this time as a public person in the room of all mankind, we being all considered in him as members in the head, as children in his loins, as debtors in our surety, and as branches in our root.

Q. What was the cause of this great and lamentable offence?

A. It was not any weakness or want of power in man to stand; for being made in God's image he might have stood if he would.

Q. You think then he was not compelled and forced to sin and break the commandment?

A. God was so far from forcing him to sin that he gave him power to have obeyed, and threatened him with death in case of disobedience.

Q. But might not Satan compel him to it?

A. Satan could do nothing against him by compulsion or constraint, and therefore did only assault him by crafty and subtle persuasions.

Q. What then was the cause of this their sin?

A. The principal cause was man himself in abusing his own free will, to receive the temptation, which he might have resisted if he would (Ecclesiastes 7:29).

Q. How far was Satan a cause of that first offence?

A. Though he could not constrain man to sin without his own consent, yet he was justly to be blamed for that sin of man, in that it was through his enticements that man was drawn to it.

Q. How did he entice man to it?

A. By abusing the serpent to seduce the woman, and the help of the woman to seduce the man (Genesis 3:1, 6).

Q. What are the effects and fruits of his fall?

A. By means of this fall both the serpent and Satan became accursed, and Adam and Eve and their posterity plunged into a depth of sin and misery (Genesis 3).