This is one in a series from Jaques-Benigne Bossuet’s Elevations on the Mysteries, and specifically the Fifth Day. There is more here on the Bossuet Project.
And God said to Eve, Why did you do that? She replied: The serpent deceived me. But why did you let yourself be fooled? Did you not have all your free will and grace at the same time? Why did you listen? Conviction was easy; but God leaves the effect to the conscience of Eve; and turning towards the snake, whose pride and stubbornness did not allow him to apologize without asking why, as he had done to Adam and Eve, he told him decisively and simply: because you you did it, you will be cursed among all the animals: you will walk on your stomach, and the earth will be your food. Here are three characters of the serpent; to be in execration and horror more than all other animals; it is also the character of Satan, whom everyone curses, to walk on his stomach, to have only low thoughts, and, what amounts to the same thing, to feed on the ground, it is to say, of earthly and corporeal thoughts, since his entire task is to be our tempter, and to plunge us into flesh and blood. What follows further illustrates the character of the devil, who is forced to bear wounds behind and below. This is what God explains with these words: You will trap him with snares and bite his heel. As, therefore, the characteristics of the devil were to be represented by those of the serpent, God, who foresaw it, determined him to use this animal to speak to Eve, so that being in the image of the devil by his snares, he then represented the punishment; so that these characters, which we have just designated, are associated in parable with the serpent and in truth with the devil.
Consider for a moment how God brings down this proud spirit, swollen with his victory over mankind. Which other has won so completely? By a single stroke, the whole human race becomes the captive of this proud winner. Praise yourself for your conquests, mortal conquerors: God who has humbled the Serpent in the midst of his triumph will beat you down.
Positive Infinity 