Of t leClion. Bur, , bft• v• rhat hu,-he dot" m or cvmparc them limply ro the be!\ or Ftrft . ---"- -r' jrttJts o r the E u th, as our Savrour aJOrt !urn had done, (which are yet mort Chap. 4~ precious than GoJJ or 0• •mends,. whtch rh• E>rth alfo affords, . for, thev pre- ~ forv c mans Irk; bltt you cannot eat Gold or Jewels.): But unro the fir(\ F• uits· of the wholt Crear1on~ w!Jich ita ta.r widn Territory rhan 1hc:, Earth, and to . . ·u.kl·s in Ange ls and all, as dufla1 ilat11 eucndld the Cnmparifon, Grattfl De 1 Lib. 2 . ad EO~ uo1t folttm ()ftl1llfl !tdera, Vfrttm etttJm omttes .Ange!os fupergredt/ttr; 1he nifaci.J~m f.p.S, Grace ofGod fur,p1fles nnr on!} all the St~rs, but alloall t.,e Angtb; Jnd A- . qumtU hi:i r~:tf(m 1s evdlt·ve ot 1~, M t}~ optU et1 quod tl'rmJt~tJittr ad 6ctu.r~ tetermnn dtvwte ptrrtzCJp,ttJom.r, 1 hat 1~ agreat(r \\Ork v, hich is ordained for and termin:tth tn •urb a good Erernal in the parriclpH!On ot the 'Dtv 111 ; nature; qrNm q;Jvd ttrmJI/!ltur ad 6onum ft,um·te muta6JIM, than that which ~termin a ted rn the good ofa c:rang1bl~ nature. .. Now rake that Gr •ce ot'rhe Angels woicn.they had by t heir Creation, ond it was in the ttrmin:1t100 and tendency of it, tak,... it a~ it was Qy Creation only~ but a mutable, and changeable good, as was fufficiemly fe<n in tho(e that tell; and the fame might have fallen out: and would yet fall out in them that flood, had they not more than rhetr Creatron Grace. . ; If tlf< re:~re thcfe gifts be for their perfection the fir(! Fruits . of the whole Creation, then m 1re exccl!.ng io their kind than the whole Creation: Ev_m as wlwn our Lord is f•id, to be tht fir{/ frwts ofthtm th.tt flap, I Cor. r 5· 2o•. And again Verf.2l, Cbn{lthtfirflfrwts, and afterwards them that are Chqts, a< Chn11 is there fo 1\iled, in refpect oflu tranfcendent Exc~llency, in compa· rifon ol them th,ll m·e hu, fo h kewrfe are thefe tile Fir{I jrmts, (o lliltd tor the lil<e re.1fon o EminenC\· UP tot ,e rc·ll o: tile whole Creauon. Perfeqt gi.rs then thefe thefe are, and the moll perfect God can produce,and rhertfore perfect, be- - 1' caufc rhev m•ke us rhechief md top of rhe Creation: 'Dew juu VvnJSfacu zl- D1 !!_>lrtSi~ Ios prrfrfltJ!imo.r, and at lafi, the} do make us moll perfect. , . verba. There is th .s fun her in thiS limrl.tude wh1ch 7-mus uf,·tll above that which Chirill hod rmported, that he lrkens rhe proJ ucing of tilde h•< firlt lruit> to a . Fatl,er his begcmng his C 11ldren; for as, Ver(. 17 . He lldes God , Thr };Jihtr of Lights , dur r• o thefe Jiglit< ot Grace : So Ver(. , 8. he fays, Hrhrgns us, that we tmgiJi 6e the {irfl fnur •of cbe rem to"· No"' muk thl5.. Thdt pre– cious FruitS ofthe E mh, whrch <11 Eanh bnngs C.onh the Su11 IS ntver f1 1 1ed the F.1tha of them, they are but the Elf et. of11rs benign Hear wh•ch , ccompa– ny hi> light. He is termed rntJe<·d Th· F.uher oj .tllr bvfel1ghts ilhlt '"' m theHt.IVfflS; As rhe S:t~rs,rhe Mvo11, ~<.bur nnr the Farherofthe. fruitsof the Earth; Forthey no waY wear ,'is Image, his Beams, as we fee th · Stars: ~c. do thofe of the Sm1 :' Tlut God the Fuher vf l1ghtr, begets tht!e Graces in Vs, as a Father thatconv,·y> IHs lmag<'; fo thar look as hunftlf is The Fa• t·her of L1ghrs, fo thofethatarebornof. ,im, ore Lig <tin the L.nd, mu/ Lhil– drm of Light, as many Scnptures m the N<w Teltat!lent fp· ak. And thei( Graces have the perfe&ion and glory to be the Image o. thH !,gin and h" linefs that is in himfclr. So that_if ycu would hll_up this new comp nfon nl .J1mes, to the full of tt, you mufi hr(\ fancy t l i.s VJilbk Sti!J rn bring forth nor eart '•ly fruits only, as in t ile Earrh W<· fee ir do• !1, but r at even one oft..u(e fruits_ bore, and had the Image of the Stm it felt fhining, and (p •riding, wah light in their prop••rtion as it felfdoth, as if he eaufed new ~t Jrs to rife out of the Earth, infiead ofllalks, as well as 1n the Heavens we fee Srnrs are enlightned by him< And t •.is is the every eale here, Phi!, i. I). Th.uY' m1~6t bl•melr(s, a1td harmle{s, I he Sons ofGod, wahom rebnke, "'the mrnds of o crovhdtmdptr– vtr(e Natio11, amo11g wh,m~t }bme M !tghtsmtheWorld; Letthneh LightsintheF~rmammt. fardGod, Gen. ' · '4· oe;ilpH, (a, the Sep~t•agtnt, the fame word th~t is uf d here: Our Graces are fu ch 10 t11err Ongrnal, and ought to fhine as fuch in this Wodd; arid it is, as if 'P<~ul had ~&rd, Loo!< what: the Srars, and tho(e L.rghrs are m the Supenour World, tl!at )'OU are, and ought to be in this lower World, and as for exceeding ofthem Stars, as your ReaVfn/J' Fllher, the Fath r of thefe lights, dorh exce, J the ,llm, that is the.. Father of th~li: nther. And obferve .farther in that~· Pbtl. ho.l" they are t'ermcd at once both So11J ofGod, and LIGHTS, even as hete likewife th~,Y; ar~
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