Of Eleelion. ~ Now indeed, this S•mo11 Magtu, having afore he profeffed Chriflianity, BooK Ill. bem l. through hts tamed Sorceries, accounted the power of God, Afls 8, 9 , ~ 10 . ifuttherewa~acertaw Maucalled Simon, which before t•me in the fame I zt;• 11[rd Sorcer)•, and 6eti.vitched the Prople of Samaria, giving out th,Jt hnnfelj waJJomtg•·eat one. To whom a/Jgave heedf-,.om the te<ljl to the s •·erurfl, I!J·i"g thu Mm1 u thegreat powrr of God. His pride became fuch, now L'Oder Chriflianity, as he 10ok upon him to be the great God himfelf; yea, and in imitation of the commonly received D~drine among Chrifli1ns , ot' the three perfons, he affirmed of him!etf, that he was both God the Fa– ther, and the Son that was Crucified at Jerttfalem, and the Holy Ghofl· and . fo, in Imitation ol the Chriflian Dodrine, he taught, that Men wer~ fa– ved by hu Grace, as being himfelf alone that God in three perfons which is a great confirmation alfo , that to be faved by Free-grace had been 'the Do– chine oft he Apoflles, But he curfedly added, befides his other Blafphemy that all were at a liberty, as himfelf, to all forts of Actions free( as the cur: f,·d Language of fome in our Age hath been ) be it Adultery, or any Action elfe, never fo wicked, there being nothing, as they have faid, in it felf evil or unlawful, nothing common, unclean; and though thefe !.tter Here: licks, in this Autumn of the Gofpel, when .!udt wrote againfi them, after .Q"'""'"" M<Igtu had broke his neck, were alhamed to own him as their Mafier ( fo lrt– ~;t":.;:•;•;:11£tu_expre0y fpeaks) yet faith he, they taught his Opinions : that is,, like """'" ~1~,;; Optmons unto the example of h11 ; v1z. T hat tt was Gods Free-grace tndeed tmwi•m d•- that laved Men ( not S1mon, they were aUumed to own that) yet fo, as that '"'· '""·lib. Grace did utterly fet them that believed, at Joofe from any thing, in ref. '·"P·Jo. ped of its being fin to them. · And the ground of this perverting fo Glorious a principle as Gods Love and Free-grace, into fo high wickednefs, is th2t Monfier ofSelf-love, which re– maining in enlightned l'roleffors wholly unmortified, and the power of it r{– maining entire, and only diretl:ed unto other new Divine Objects, but is in them fuited to a gratification unto Self: Hence Self in them drinks in and en– tertains this Grace greedily; but like as an empoifoned Plant, perverts the Rain, yea, a Sovcraign Cordial or Water, it is bedewed or watered with all, and by realon of its innate venom, turns all into Poifon like it felf; fo dnth Self-love the Grace of God, Two pnnciples there are in mans Nature, which (when a Man is once en– lightned) do end•nger him, though to a contrary way; viz. Coll[ciwa,– and--5rlf-l•vr. t. Confcieoce, not fubordinated by Faith, fets a Man into a legal way, and calls upon l. im /orflrictnds to farisfie Confcicnce, but then turns all perfor– mances into Legality. yea, even in Gofpci.-Duties, and makes them, as it were, workro( the Law. Well if that Rock comes to be difcovcrcd, and the light of Free-grace comes in upon the Soul, then Stlf.love meets there– with, which receives the new< thereof, that is, the Dochine ofFree-grace , W1th joy, but converts all of it into it felf, takes all to it felt', and Sell is the mofl difingenuous abominable Principle that ever was We daily fee and find, even amongft Men one with another, how Selfwill take all the love and kindnefs that another Man fl1ews it, and entertains all with felfilh ends, and makes for a ti me, fome returns anfwerable; But in the end proves un– t hanldull. J3ut ro God (whom to be fure, naturally we love not, no not fo much as Men do one another) to him Self. love proves a 'Devil, and will take and (wallow down all the Love and Grace that he declares and revealed to– wards Man; and not only proves unthanklull to return nothing again, but u ill in t he end turn it all into an encouragement to fin and in juries to God, and a nourilbment of Lufls, which are the darling natural Childfen of Self, and not into the fer vice of God, Deut, 19. r j, r9, zo. Left thrre 6t fl11}' amo1zgyou, /I{m or Woman, or F!lmii)•, or Triot, whofr Heart ltlrtlfth away this dayfrom the Lord our God, togo mid(erve the G•ds of thtje Natiom; ltf/there Jbould be amo11g_j•ou a Root that brartth GaOmid Wori?r.uood; a11d it come to paji \ when he hffirtth the words of this Ct~rft, th,zt he bit /I him/elf i11 his He<Irt, f.z)'lug, I jh.t!l htlvt pe.1cr, though I walk ill the imJgi11ati011 of mi1u l-k1r~~d
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