Further, Those creatures which have life in them, and have no reason in them, are on the same ground incapable of a curse, whereas it is said, that God cursed the ground, and cursed the serpent, Gen. 3.14, 17. neither the ground nor the serpent were cursed in themselves, or for their own sakes. The serpent an unreasonable creature, had not the knowledge of God, and the earth a senseless creature could not feel the power of God; therefore the curse upon those creatures, was only in order to, and as a punishment of the sin of man; The Text is express, Gen. 3.17. Cursed be the earth for thy sake; The earth there comprehends all the creatures living on the face of the earth, besides man: These are cursed for mans sake, As those creatures at the first received not a being or a blessing for themselves, but for mans good, so they receive not any evil or curse but for mans punishment: So we are to understand those places in Deut. 28. Cursed be thy basket and thy store, &c. God threatens a curse on these creatures, the fruits of the earth, &c. in order to mans disobedience: But it shall come to pass, if thou wilt not hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to do all his Commandments, &c. that all these curses shall came upon thee, and overtake thee, ver. 15. Observe, That the curse is threatened to come on them, to overtake them; When the basket was cursed, when the increase of the kine and the flocks of the sheep were cursed, man was cursed: For we may say in the letter, as David did in a figure, when the Angel of the Lord smote his people with the pestilence, (2 Sam. 24.) Alas what have these sheep done? that they should be smitten with a curse. As in pulling down the house of a Traitor, the revenge is not taken against the materials of the house, but against the Master of the house. So then for the resolution of this point, take it thus, No creature below man, is or can be accursed by God or man properly, terminately, or ultimately: That is, in it self or for it self, or from it self, but only improperly ⟨p. 333⟩and relatively, namely with respect to what man should do, hath done, or suffered. First, in reference to what man should do; so Christ cursed the fig-tree, to teach man either the duty of fruitfulness to the glory of God, or of faith in the power of God.
Further, Those creatures which have life in them, and have no reason in them, are on the same ground incapable of a curse, whereas it is said, that God cursed the ground, and cursed the serpent, Gen. 3.14, 17. neither the ground nor the serpent were cursed in themselves, or for their own sakes. The serpent an unreasonable creature, had not the knowledge of God, and the earth a senslesse creature could not feele the power of God; therefore the curse upon those creatures, was only in order to, and as a punishment of the sin of man; The Text is expresse, Gen. 3.17. Cursed be the earth for thy sake; The earth there comprehends all the creatures living on the face of the earth, besides man: These are cursed for mans sake, As those creatures at the first received not a being or a blessing for themselves, but for mans good, so they receive not any evill or curse but for mans punishment: So we are to understand those places in Deut. 28. Cursed be thy basket and thy store, &c. God threatens a curse on these creatures, the fruits of the earth, &c. in order to mans disobedience: But it shall come to passe, if thou wilt not hearken to the voice of the Lord thy God, to observe to doe all his Commandements, &c. that all these curses shall came upon thee, and overtake thee, ver. 15. Observe, That the curse is threatned to come on them, to overtake them; When the basket was curs'd, when the increase of the kine and the flocks of the sheepe were cursed, man was cursed: For we may say in the letter, as David did in a figure, when the Angell of the Lord smote his people with the pestilence, (2 Sam. 24.) Alas what have these sheepe done? that they should be smitten with a curse. As in pulling downe the house of a Traitor, the revenge is not taken against the materials of the house, but against the Master of the house. So then for the resolution of this point, take it thus, No creature below man, is or can be accursed by God or man properly, terminately, or ultimately: That is, in it selfe or for it selfe, or from it selfe, but only improperly ⟨p. 333⟩and relatively, namely with respect to what man should doe, hath done, or suffered. First, in reference to what man should doe; so Christ cursed the fig-tree, to teach man either the duty of fruitfulnesse to the glory of God, or of faith in the power of God.
