Of EleCfion. I Reply. lt is true indeed, he fpeaks not exprelly or immediately of what ", his Decrees were; but it mull be fuppofed, according to what was faid even ~now, tbat they are the Moulders and Framers of what is in the Event. Se– condly, 'Tis true, that in the Execution or Performance .of the Decree, they became not actually the firft Fruus, but by Regeneration, whtch fuppo!ctlt them f., In; and yet thiS the ulumate End of being the fir!l Fruits,may and was notwith(\anding (according to the former Arguments) intended with the fir!l of their Creation wi th other Creatures, Now this of their bemg the fir!l Fruits, is e~inen~ly and emphatically in the Text fet lorth~ as the ultunate End of all, ~• •I ~'"'• Tothund that they m,')' 6t the firfl Frwts; wl11ch End wasfir!l deGgned conjun/1 with the De– cree of the Creation of the whole. And although in Execution or fir!l performance, they lir!l became at Re– generation, to be the fir!l Fruits ad:ually by this new Creation, and ;hat fup– pofeth the Fall afore, viewed (that is granted ) So as their;,.), or el{e .Actu– al, is the fruit thereof, yet their EJ(e 11otitio11alt, their being fuch, might be and was entended as the end of their Creation , and with the fir!l of the De: cree thereot: It is evident that the being the fir!l Fruits , is here the End of their Regnuration, and yet intended and aimed at with their Crtatio", and his good will, that was from Eternity ingaged in both: But his Decrees ofyou to be the fir!l Fruits, was the Primitive Decree, as ofthe End, and that of Re– generation , bur as of the Means to accomplifh that End.---This the Means of Executi0n , but that of being the lid\ Fruits of the Creation ; thats the End. And indeed denotes the ultimate End, even that the performance of it will be next unto Chri!ls; for 'tis to be even the fir!l Fruits of the whole Creation, as he the fir(\ born of every Creature, and fo in the Ilfue to be exalted and preferred unto the highe!l top of Glory, even above any of his Creatures, Angels or Men. And unto what a height the Priviledge and Dig– nity imported thereby w•ll am0unt to. will not be known until! the latter day be over, and that we be ellated into the Glory and Kingdom of the Father. M .•tth. 2). H• Thmj/M!J the Ki11giay to them 011 his rigbt ha•d, comt ye 6/effedof" my Fmher, i11herit the Ki11gdom preparedfor you from tht 6egrn1li1lg of" the World. And it became hrm, by whom art at!thhrgJ , to joyn the Decree of Creating the Elect (as the Subjects of that Kingdom ) and to El,{t them therewith, as their ultimate bighe(\ End, and of their lir!l Creaucn. . In Fine therefore, as to the Objection it felf, the Sum of my Anfwer, and the Scries•of the words is, that by Regeneration, which is Decreed after the Fall forefecn, our being Gods fir!l Fruits of all Creatures, which was Decreed at, and with that of the Crearion of all doth by regeneration begin to be dfetted , in a Smaller degree of fir(\ Fruits in this life, and accomplifh• . ed in Glory, And fo the contexture fairly llands thus, as ifhe had fa id, that God hatl1 Created us anew out of his Everlalling good will, thereby to bring about that which was his great and fir(\ Defign of all other, of making us the fir!l Fruits and Glory of the whole Creation, and conjunct with his Decree of Cre– ation of them, and all things elfe ; and as fuch viewed by him, when he fir!l Decreed to make them as the ultimate End, he with their Creation had or– dained them unto. 2, Let us advance the Termimu a quo, or the Objective Confideration of us, out of which Election at firfi took us: Yet higher, MunduJ nondum corrdittu, tl1e World as yet not Decreed to be Created, mull fir!l be in Gods view, ere he put forth that Decree to Croate it. For fo in every Artificer the Frame and Model of whlt he purpofeth to make, is fir(\ in his thoughts, 'ere he refol ves to make it. And by the Rule, aforefa id, viz. that Creation and Election ran as Parallel Acts, there was, and in order of Nature it mull firft be fuppofed , that thofe Elelled were fir!l in view, but as things he could both Creare and E!etl:, under the view of Etrj,iblt and Crtabte; and rho State of either things to be Created, and thefc to be Eletl:ed and Created,was but ofmur 'PoJfi/;tlitits ; To have a Being decreed them, as God pleafed , whe-
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