A Body of Practical Divinity

2. In that he set upon our first Parents so quickly, before they were confirmed in their Obedience. The Angels in Heaven are fully confirmed in Holiness; they are called Stars of the Morning, Job 38.7. and they are fixed Stars. But our first Parents were not confirmed in their Obedience, they were not fixed in their Orb of Holiness; Though they had a possibility of standing, they had not an impossibility of falling; they were Holy but Mutable; here was Satan's Subtlety in tempting our first Parents before they were confirmed in their Obedience.

2. In that he set upon our first Parents so quickly, before they were confirmed in their Obedience. The Angels in Heaven are fully confirm'd in Holiness; they are called Stars of the Morning, Iob 38.7. and they are fixed Stars. But our first Parents were not confirm'd in their Obedience, they were not fixed in their Orb of Holiness; Though they had a possibility of standing, they had not an impossibility of falling; they were Holy but Mutable; here was Satan's Subtilty in tempting our first Parents before they were confirm'd in their Obedience.

3. His Subtlety in tempting was, that he sets upon Eve first, 1. Because he thought she was less able to resist. Satan did break over the Hedge where it was weakest: he knew he could more easily insinuate and wind himself into her by a Temptation. An expert Solder when he is to Storm or enter a Castle, observes warily where there is a Breach, or how he may enter with more Facility: so did Satan the weaker Vessel. 2. He tempted Eve first, because he knew if once he could prevail with her, she would easily draw her Husband. Thus the Devil handed over a Temptation to Job by his Wife, Job 2.9. Curse God and die. Agrippina poisoned the Emperor Commodus with Wine in a perfumed Cup; the Cup being perfumed and given him by his Wife, it was the less suspected. Satan knew a Temptation coming to Adam from his Wife, would be more prevailing, and would be less suspected: O bitter! sometimes Relations prove Temptations: A Wife may be a Snare, when she dissuades her Husband from doing his Duty, or enticeth him to Evil: Ahab sold himself to work wickedness, whom his wife Jezebel stirred up,