Of E/e8i01i. 14j --------------------------------------~~~~, CHAP. V. The lnfinite Grace of God in EleClionby a view of ihf Partwul~r Conditionr of Eleel and others compared. THefe Par~icular Condirlonsare drawn.from tbe !e~erai Sizes and De– grees ol Attual fin greater or lelfer m tbe Elett, compared wuh o– . thers pa!l by; or elfc fame other outward Circum!lances ,. wherein many of the Eled and thofc others are found fometimes the fame i feme– times again diverfe in the one and rh/other, (All with Conditions are d ifpofed of upon the forelight of the Fall) and yet all of them do in various, and fometimes contrary refpeds, in a way of comparing each Condition with the other, conduce and confpire all and each of them unto the magnifying of Gods fpecial and fuperemincntly fingular Grace of Eledion (as inde.ed 11 things ferve to do.) The particular inftanceswill thew tbe truth a_r:ic;l meaning of the Prcmife. There arc manyof them, and it may prove that r iliall lnftance but a very few. . , And yete're I come to thofeParticulars,l muft yet premife oriething further; namely, that the Eled, in comparing any of thefe Particulars , I lhall in– fiance in, many take a furvcy for the affeding of his Heart of the Conditions, not only of believers in the prefent Age , but that have been in all Ages.paft; yea, and to come; andfome way or other (as I iliall indeavourtci dm·dJ im– prove it for the adoring Gods Grace to himfelf. Look as in the lift Gen•r~l Comparative common to all Mankind thou badft the whole World of Mankirid afore thee , .in refped to the Common Condition of Sin and Mifery,: So het<;. thou haft, in forming up this new fort of Comparifon, the particular Cafes, and various Conditions of all forts of men in all Ages, and thofe as fore viewed by God when he chofe them to compare with thine own , to the <nd to Glorifle his Gracetowud1 thee in Particular the more, My warrant for our Entring this Comparative into the Condition of Perfon~ in all Ages,isfirft that palfage in 2.. Theff.>. ~c. which iliall be my prdent Text;' But Wt are6otmdto JpVt tl>,mks always to God for ; ·ou, Brethrm, /;e/ovtd of the Lord, hcatrjt God bath from tht hgitming cho{tn you to Salvat1on through SanE!i(icationof tht Spirit, and httuf of thtTruth. For that Par– ticle, [But for yott) fending us to the Verfes afore, there we find the Con– dition of others fer out, whom God had rejeded, [But] bath i:hof<n [you. J Now who were thefe others, but fuch as the Apollle foretds were yet to come, and to be a rilore corrupt Generation.than ever had been in the World before them, and that were to come many years after; Concerning whom he pro– phecies rhus. V~rf, 1· Thtrt mu{/ 6e afaDing away, and thJt MAn of fin ht. ;evealtd, tht Son of Ptrdttion; Vtrj. g, to,"' 12. Evtn him, 'IVhof' coming u ajttr the working of Satan with all powrr a11dflgns and lying W011dtrs; and with all dectivra6lrneJS of trnrigliteoufn~{j , in them that Ni'ijh ;' /Jtcau{t theyrrceivednot tht Love of the Truth, that thry might 6t faved• .Andforth~<caufeGodfhallfond them Jlrong drlujions, that thty fbotlld "-~ luve a Lu; tbat thry.all might 6t damtud, who 6rtieved.tJiJtthe Tilith; /;lit hadplta{flre in unrightrou(11e(s, And then follows that [But we are /;ound to give th~11ks for 'ou, th,,t Godbath thofrn yotr f5c.] And thi!i Man of fin, he: means, 1s Anu.Chti!l, the Pope and h,is deceiving Clergy; the whole Body of them, who for fo many Ages ilioiJid be able to .deceive the wllole World, as. thetr mulutude, thOfe deceived, are termed, Rom. 13; 3, and to ~ontinile. and prevail throughout many sod many Ages after thefc Thejfaloni,zns iliould be in their Graves·, b,eing ~t this daJ , and to make up rb7 g~ea.tei part of ~he; European World; Now thefe 'fheJJalo,,ans , th~t hved m the fir{\ pure Age of Ghriflianity, were notwith£tatlding i·n bleffiiig God for their own E"· le{ttc!l w (/bap.~··~ ~
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