Of Eleflion. ~ And fo I come to the Story I propofed : Which is the Map ofGods Decrees Bdo !( I. in the Ex~cution of them, who doth All thefe things exal:lly~ according to his \./"'V'J Eevetla!hng Purpofe about them : Whofe, hrs Works, are known to Him from the beginning. I begin from the Fall, with the Fir!t Two that were put forth into the World; Next after Clli~t, an Election brake !orth in Abet, he was ofthe Electi– on, and Ctlin was the.Fir!t-born ofthe Reft, or ('eed ofthe Serptnt. You know that God when he Preached to /!dam, and Evah, had by Prophecy divided all into two Seed•. Of the one Chri!t was to be the Head. The Seed of the Womall, (!ic. And ofthe other the S.rpent. And the Seed of the Serpn1tare not all Men as by Nature? But thofe that prove wicked, and have an Enmity agaiofl the Saints. Now I 1ohn ~· 12. Caw il faid to be of that Wicked One there began the Seed, as Election of Grace and Works here in the 6thi Verj.' make up the Fundamental Divifion. So the Covenant of Grace, and the Covenant of Works, are the Concomitants that follow thereupon. And to fhew that the Covenant ofGrace followed upon Election, and fo the other upon Works; They accordingly did work in the hearts ofthefe twofir!t Men, the Sons of /!dam; Cain betook himfelf to the Covenant of Works, as God fpeaking to the way of his heart fhews ; Ifthou dolt well, lhalt thou not be ac– cepted ? But /!bet being of the Election he betook himfelftoFairh, he dealt with Godly Faith. Heb. I 1. 4' By Faith A·bel offered unto Godamorenmt– lmt Sacrifice fha11 Cain, 6y which he obtai1ud wit1ujJ. That is, he was Righ– teous. And Faith betakes it felfto the Grace of God, or Gods fpecial Grace and Love, and is proper to the Elect. So then Abet was of the EleCl:ion of Grace. Now.• Tittts 1. Its called the Faith ofGods Eteff, And to moni– left that Cain was a Cn!t·away, He was prefently upon itcafr out ofhis Fa– ther's Family, where the Prefence of the Lord was, and never returned; but he and his People fell a building Cities. The Election obtained it, as the Phrafe is of Abet, He6r. r I . 4• and Cain and rhe Re!t were blinded. But then Serb, he through EleCl:ion, obtained it, and Election ran in that Line a– mong his Seed, and then men that were of· him, bega11 to calt ttpon the Name of tbe Lord, They were Wodbippersof God, and profe1fed themfelves to be of the Separation from Cai11 and his Po!terity : And though few of them were Elect, (as by and by) yetamong them we have feme, as in thof<fgodly Perfons, whofeCatalogue you have in that of Seth's Children, E11och, ·.Ma– thtiflllah, &c. But in procefs of time, as tile World was filtee and IIJUltiply– ed, even thofe that profelfed themfelves the Sons of God~ corrupted thetn– felves, as you fee Grn. 6. There was few of them Regenerate, they were of the company ofthe Re!t, for yo)l read in the Gm 6. ~· fpeal<ing of the Sons of God. My Spirit fhall not al':"ays frrive wii~ the Sons of Men~ For they are all but flefh. They had the Gofpel Preached, • a6 1 P<t. Ch~p. ~· By E1io'ch, &c. And Gods Spirit frrove with them, fo as:to afli!t their' Wills to Turn; but not to overcome their Wills, and·fothey rema:(ned but Flelhl Andaga"lffat Ver{ 5. ofGm. 6, AndGod Jaw that iht Wtcktdnefs of mlln was griat in the Earth, andthat every-lmaginalion ofthe'tho11ghts of bi; heart WMOit!y e– vilcontinualty; God had cafr up the accounts of. the whole World after 16oo, Years, and he brings in ·this.. General, That every imagination of•iheir thoughts was evil, and only evil, and that contlnually, Even in thefe Sons of Godly Profe£fon, who yet notwithftanding, were thereby evidently uhr.ege· nerate. For a Regenerate mans thoughts •are not only -evil, forh<~·halha world of good thoughtsand affections. And•agaln, Verf. 11.. And GodtoJileJ upon the Earth, andbeholdit ·wauorr,.pt: fo• altflefb hadcorruptedhirw/1~ t~pon the Earth. . All fleih of one and th'othe~fo~t ofGains Se~d; and Se_t/JY It is worth the enqmry mto the Ongmal Cauferoftl\1s. Wily one there •s, they were left to their Ftee-will.Cra·ce, that is, thofe ·comrn·on helps oflight df'Na~ ture, ~f. to allifr their Wills. They had the Preaching bf •E•wch. Nti!.h'a preacher ofRighteoufnefs.IAnd the Spirit ofGoM acc6mpany'ing'their Miniflry. For he did frrive with them. And Chri!l: was Preached to them. I P.et. 3• And the Spirits !tljiving mu!t be fuppofed to move aod alli!t their Wills, and rhefe
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