not into the seed of the Serpent, which is proved The Papists read it Ipsa, contrary to all Hebrew copies, and all circumstances of the Text. The Septuagint translates it αὐτὸς or αὐτὸ: Chrysost. Hom. 17. in Gen. hath αὐτὸς, though his Latin Interpreters hath made him say Ipsa. Iren. l. 3. advers. hæres. c. 38. seems to have read it Ipsum. Andradius def. l. 4. Comas. l. 2. c. 15. Cajetan. Steuchus. Cosmop. in Gen. c. 3. Pagnine, Ar. Montanus, Sacraboscus, Francis. Georg. tom. 1. Pathemat. probl. 15. Felisius elucidat. Gen. 17. 2, Gal. 3. 16. Decal. præc. 1. c. 49. Riber. in Hab. 1. 15 & de Tempt. l. 2. c. 2. Perer. in Dan. cap. Lindan. de opt. genere interpretandi. l. 3. pag. 126, 127 dislike the reading. See Cypr. sect. Adversus Iudæos. l. 2. c. 9. Panel Leo. Sermo 2. de Nativ. Dom. Rainold. praesat. de Idol. Rom. §. 6.by the opposition of seeds there made. For as the seed of the Serpent must be taken collectively, so also the seed of the woman, that the opposition may be fit. But by the Serpents seed are meant not only venomous beasts, but wicked men. 1 Joh. 3. 12. And the enmities fore-spoken of do pertaine to all the godly posterity of Eve, even from the beginning, so that the faithfull who lived before the manifestation of Christ in the flesh, cannot be excluded, but they must be understood under the name of the seed. Christ peculiarly was the seed of the woman, but the faithfull are comprehended under that title also; the seed of the woman is to be taken collectively, but so as it doth comprehend them only, who are not the Serpents seed, but opposite to them. Christ properly is the seed by which the Promise is to be fulfilled: the faithfull are the seed to whom the Promise is made: The Promise is made to the faithfull, and they are and shall be partakers of the Promise: but Christ only is the cause of the blessing to be communicated. Christ and the faithfull are comprehended under one kind of seed spirituall, not carnall: but Christ the principall, who in that seed doth so excell, that in him he doth bring all the seed of Abraham according to the Spirit unto unity; the faithfull are the seed also, as they shall inherit the Promise in and through Jesus Christ.
The worke of Christ the womans seed is to bruise the Serpents head: which is a phrase of speech fitted to the condition of the Serpent, which is obnoxious to this hurt, when he is compelled to creep on the ground, that his head should be crushed and bruised by the feet of men. And thereby is signified, that Christ should destroy death, and him that had the power of death, that is, the devillJoh. 12.32., Heb. 2. 14. that he should destroy the workes of the devill. 1 Joh. 3. 8. And this is true of the faithfull also by communication with Christ. Christ hath bruised the Serpents head by his owne power: but the faithfull overcome by the power of Christ. The victory is common to all the seed: but the author of victory in the seed, is he who is the Head and chiefe, and to whom as to an Head,the
