Of Eietlion. W tion, whilft yet 1term it Eldrton of Grtlct, becaufe de faElo fo it was) lies BooK I. tn t hi<; That, take the Subfiance of that Grace it felf, which EleClion bath ~chalkedout as the way of Salvation thereby; and that is it I now aloAe 2ffirm to have been neceflary; I add [ jtcurely] to · bring to Salvation botll .~ngels and Men: And my AtTertion illues in this; That not any One of his Creatures were, or ~ad been eternally and effeClually faved (that is, none of his under– !landing Rational Creatures) without fuch a Grace as EleClioo bath pitch't up– on. No; not 011e of either fort; neither Angels o~r Men, as de I aEfo, it appeared. . God, though he made Angels and Men in a !late of perfeCl: Holinefs, able to !land with the innate pondw , or poife and byas of Holinefs, joyned with that concurrence or atrifiance of Gods, that did accompany it: Yet that alli– flance being then fuited to the Laws and Dues of Creation meerly; that is look what Prefervatiorif'n that !late a Creature could challenge by the Cove~ nant of Creation, as a Due from God as his Creator, fo far forth there was an •ilifiance did accompany that Holioefs; and therefore was but fuch an alli– !\ance as was proportion\! to that prefent !late,whereby the Will ofthe Cre 1• ture had a power to coofinbe, if he would ufe that atlifiance, and thofe Crea– tion l'owers and Principles, as he ought, fo as it was every way fuch as the Creature could not, but at any time ( till the ACl: offalliog) lay, I find my felf able to fiaod if l will : But fo as the keeping ofthis holioefs with that a!Iillaoce, was committed to the Free-will of Mao , as likewife of Angels, which at the bell was a mutable llippery thing, fickle and changeable. To make infiance in the Angels, by and from the Example of whom it is that I make forth this neceffity of Elettioo for the Creature to be faved. In Jo6 4· 18, /Jehold, he puts no trufl i11 hu Servants, and the Angels he chargeth with foUy, We navethelikeioChap. 15, verf. 15. He putteth 11otrujl inhu Saims. The Angels were perfeCl:ly holy, but if he would give them no other a!Iifiaoce but what was their due from Creation, there was no trufi to be put in them, or their !landing. If tlley were holy to day, they might fin to mcrrow.JJGod but fent them of an Errand down into this World, they might fin before they camcupagain. The folly there wasthei[ muubility; aodtobe carried on unchangeably to Eternity,without the hazard and danger of Mifcarriage,was beyond the due of Creation, wh1ch was their firfi Creation Covenant they all appeared afore God in, and therefore immutably to have kept thero, had been Grace,which mu!\ flow from another Well-head and Original, than the pure Covenant of Works or of Creation; and that cm be no other than Grace, And the indifpeolible Ground, why tile Creature , by the Law and Covenant of Creation, lhould be thus dealt with as aforefaid, and fo be left ·to a mutability, is, T.hat it is only proper unto God, and that effeotially, not to be fubjeCl to Change: And it was fit this Difference betwixt God's being, and the being of the Creature ( which it had by Creation) lhould be thus !lated by the Creatr– on Law, as purely it came out of God's hand; and fo, as that if God would impart the Image of his Immutabilityof Holinefs to any,aod fix them in it, it might appear to be of Grace. This is Grace, and Grace to the Angels them– felyes. r In James 1. q. you have it, That it is God o1ll)•that u ttot tempttd Wtth er;i/' nor Ctlft be tempted. The ereature' by what from the Law of Creation they have upon the terms of Creaturelhip,may be tempted to lin;aod not ooly:fo, but fall and be loll, and then never to be able to recover it felf a gain. This being our Creation !late, God for;faw that if all of thefe his Creatures were left to the Cooduttof their Wills, a!Iified but only with thefe Creation helps, that they were in a continual hazard of fall iog, and that they would oil fall at one time or another, one after the other; he therefore made an E– leClion of Groce to put all out ofhazard in fome, and if you will not lee the truth of ir through the DoClrine, you may view it bv Experience, for it fell out ( a! to their Fall , both of Angels and of Men } Jnde tells you,there was a fir(/ Eftate in which the Angels were created, but they fell from it; snd the reft would hnve done fo too, at one time or another, (for they were all made of the fame Metal) if they had ~een left to the mutability of their Wills. lt proved
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