L 1 B. I. OfCain and Abel. / 779 I A fe<keandbopecofinde. AsmanwasthelmageofGod, fowasthatearthlyPara- --- ~ dife an Image ofHeaven ; both the Imag"' aredefaced, both the firft Patternes arc eternal!: Ad•m was in the firfr, and ftayed not: In the fecond, is the fecond Ad•m which faid, Thi< d•JfiJ•It thou hewith mtitJ Paradife. There was that chofen Vefl'ell, and heard, and faw what could not be expreffed: by howmuch the third heaven ex, ceeds the richefreanh 1 fo much doth that Paradife, wheretowe afpire, exceed that which we have !of!. Of C_A 1 N and AB EL. B ~~Ook now (0 my foul)upon the two firfr Brethen, perhaps Twins; and wonderat their contrarydifpoGtionsand ef!ates: Ifthe priviledgesof Narure had been worth any thing, the fir£1 borne Childe lhonld not have been aReprobate. Now, that wemay afcribe all to free Grace, the elderis aMurderer, the yongera Saint;thoughgoodneiTemay be repaired in ourfelve!? yet it caMot be propagated tO ouf5: No~ m1ght Adam fee .the Ima?:e ofh1mf:fe m C•i11; for after his owne Imagebegot heh1m; AdawJ llue hJS pofiemy, Cam h1s Brother: wee are too like one another in that wherein we are unlike tO God : Even thcclearefr graine fends forth tharchaffefromwhich it was fanned ere the fowl ng : yetis this Cai11 apoffdlion, the fame Eve rhat mifiooke the fruit ofthe Garden, inifiooke alfo C thcfruirofherownebody, her hope deceived her in both; fa, many good names are ill be([owed; and our comfonableexpell:arions in earthly things donor feldome difappoint us. · Doubtlelfe, their education washoly; For A dam though in Paradife he could not be innocent, yet was agood man oor ofParadife; his ftnne and fall nowmade him circumfpeCt, and ftncc he Caw char his all: had bereaved themofthat ImageofGod, which he once had for rhcm,l1e could nor bur Jabotby all holy indeavours to repaire it inthem, that fa his caremightmake amends fur his trefpaiTe. Howplaine is it, rh•t even good breedingcannotalterde!liny? That which is crooked can none make Llraight; who would think chat Brethren and but twobrerhren,OJould nor love each other? Difperfed lovegrows weak, and fewneiTe ofobjell:s ufeth to unite affell:ions: D Ifbut two brothers be left alive of many , they tbinke that the love ofall the reft !hould furvive in them; and now the beamesoftheir affellion are fomuch the hotter, becaufe they reflell: mutually in a right line upon each other: yet behold,here are but rwo llrothers in aWorld, andone is the butcher of the other. Who can wonder at diiTenrions amongfi thouf:tndsofbrcthren, when hefees fa deodly oppofitionberwixt two, the firfi roorsofbrotherhood? who can hope to live plaufibly, and fecurely amongfi fo many Caim, when hefees one Cain the d<athofone Abet? The fame Devill that fct enmity betwixt Man andGod, fets enmity betwixt Man andMan· andyet God faid,Inoiltput enmity betrvun lhJfeedanJher feed. Omhatred ofthe Se~penr and his feed is fromGod : Their hatred ofthe holy Seed isfrom the E Serpent: Behold here at onceis oneperfon,theSeed oftheWoman and ofthe Serpent : CainJnaturollparts arc ofthe Womm ; hi! vitious qualitiesoftheSerpent: ,TheWomangave him to be abrother,the Serpent to be aman-llayer; all uncharirableneiTe, all quarrels are ofone Author : we cannot enterraine Wrath, and nor give place to the Devil!. Certainly, fa deadly an all: mufl needs bedeeply grounded. What thenwas the occaGonofthis capit•ll malice? Abets facrifice is accepted; whatwas thistoC•in? caim is rejelled what could A he/remedy this? Ohenvy,the corroGve ofall ill minds; and the root ofall defperare a/lions : the famecaufe that moved Smncorempt the firft Man to deltroy himfelfe, and his po!teriry, theCame moves thefecond Man rodefiroy the third. It !houldbavebeen Caim joy to fee his brother accepted; It lhould have beene his farrow, to fee that himfelfe bad deferved a rejell:ion, his Brothers example lhould have excited, and direll:ed him: Could A be/have flayed Gods fire from defcending
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