let me speak to thy comfort The Seed of the Woman shall break the Serpents head that is though the Serpent had thought by his subtilty to have buried thy honour in the dust for ever and so to have destroyed the work that I had been doing Six days in one hour yet I will have him to know that my Wisdom is unsearchable and my ways past finding out that I have found a way to involve my Son in the flesh not to take upon him the Nature of Angels but the Seed of Abraham whereby hee may take away the Victory from the Grave though thou must needs dye and be like water spilt upon the ground yet I have used a means that thou shalt not be for ever expelled 2 Sam. 14.14 So know this to thy comfort and set the Serpent know this to his shame though my word be established in the Heavens that the Heavens and Earth shall pass away yet not one word of mine shall pass away unexecuted and so I shall take the words of the Lord before named 2 Sam. 14.14 and shew you why God brought in the promised Seed to intervene sin and the sentence that is though his Decree cannot be broken nor his Justice go unsatisfied but that Man must dye for that Original Sin no man or woman to be exempted but must all be banished by death But Jesus Christ was to bring life and immortality to light herein is the saying made good O Death where is thy sting O Grave where is thy Victory the sting of death is sin and the strength of sin is the Law but thanks be to God who hath given us victory through Jesus Christ our Lord This place the Apostle useth 1 Cor. 15. to prove the very thing that I am now a proving of If you should ask me whether Christ brought nothing for the Sons of Men more than a Resurrection I should answer yes many things he brought heavenly Paradisical glory for all such as would accept of it upon those conditions that he offered it Much more might be said to this Objection and Argument but my time at present is precious Arg. 2. If the Sin against the First Covenant made the Sinners liable but to the first Death then Adam and all since in his loyns were liable but to the first Death But the Sin against the first Covenant made the Sinners liable but to the first Death Ergo Adam and all his posterity stand guilty by that Sin only of the first Death To the proof of this Argument I shall give you to understand what I mean by the first Covenant and that you may see was excellent injoyments I mean excelling in Prerogative beyond all other Creatures insomuch as they were all under him and whatsoever name he gave them they shall bee called by and also had he not sinned he should have injoyed that pure earthly Paradisical injoyment which was the glory of the first Covenant from which glory hee fell by transgression of that Law or that Original Sin as you so call it First That he sinned against no other Covenant but that Covenant because there was never no Covenant made of a second Life or a second Glory not till after Adam had sinned and therefore could not sin against such a Covenant it being not made nor he in a capacity to sin against any such thing So that Sir take notice of this one thing by the way that as the Grave and the misery tending thereunto as sickness weakness and such like infirmities is that which a Creature receiveth as punishment for the sinning against that pure earthly Paradisical Covenant So the Gulf of Hell with eternal misery is the punishment of Sin committed against that second Covenant the which is a Covenant of heavenly Paradisical glory so that as the glory of the second Covenant doth surmount the glory of the first so the loss of the thing Covenanted with the punishment thereunto doth farre surmount the injoyment of the first with the punishment annexed thereunto Now to prove my Minor Proposition by a plain rext as Gen. 3.19 In the sweat of thy face shalt thou eat bread until thou returnest to the ground for out of it wast thou taken dust thou art and unto dust thou shalt return Compare this with the seventeenth verse of the same Chapter where he saith Cursed is the ground for thy sake and also telleth him that it shall bear thorns and thistles So if you take good notice what the Lord denounces as punishment to him and his seed which is only earthly and inflicted only upon the outward man no whit eternal neither inflicted upon the inward man and thus I have proved my Minor Proposition that Adams Sin was but against the first Covenant which sin lost but the injoyment of the first Life with that earthly Paradisical glory Arg. 3. If Adam in his best condition as he stood in Paradise before the Fall were but an earthly man and all his injoyments were but earthly injoyments then he could lose no more than what he had to lose which was earthly But Adam in his best condition was but an earthly man all his injoyments were but earthly injoyments Ergo all that he lost was butearthly injoyments The Minor I shall thus prove 1 Cor. 15.44 There is a Natural body and a Spiritual body so it is written the first man Adam was made a living Soul the last man Adam was made a quickning spirit verse 45. howbeit that was not first which is Spiritual but that which is Natural and after that which is Spiritual vers. 46. The first man is of the earth earthy the second man is the Lord from Heaven vers. 47. Thus you see the first man Adam was but earthly and also his injoyments as earthly as himself Obj. If it should be objected and said That the Lord made Adam an immortal Soul Ans. To which I answer that God breathed into Adam the breath of Life and so hee became a living Soul it should appear he was a dead Soul before for many times in Scripture the Mortal part of Man is called the Soul Joshua 10.28 it is proved in and so oftentimes in the ninth tenth and eleventh Chapters of Joshua and Adam and all his Posterity had such mortal Souls that had not Christ risen to have brought a Resurrection that is to say that mortal Body out of the dust we had been like the beasts that perished 1 Cor. 15.18 And so much briefly to the third Argument Arg. 4. The Fourth Argument To prove why Adams sin did not bring any of his Posterity to be liable unto the second Death If the punishment due to that Original sin of Adam in Paradise be no other than what God hath declared in the Sentence which is no other but upon the outward man then none of the Sons of Adam shall be Damned for that sin of Adam in Paradise But that punishment due to Adam in Paradise is no other than
considerable particulars shewing you that Christ and the Saints Dominion shall be alike and that they shall reign alike they being joynt Heirs of one and the same Kingdom alike only hee in all things shall have the preheminence and so I passe to the first That Christ shall have a Kingdom on earth and in Jerusalem This we may see the Angel did declare or make known unto the Virgin saying For loe thou shalt conceive in thy Wombe and bear a Son and thou shalt call his name Iesus he shall hee great and he called the Son of the most High and the Lord God shall give unto him the Throne of his Father David and hee shall reign over the House of Jacob for ever and of his Kingdom shall be no end Luke 1.31 32 33. From hence you may see that the Lord Jesus Christ shall injoy Davids Throne which was not Spiritual and in Heaven but on earth and in Ierusalem even so the Lord Jesus Christ in the same place shall reign Spiritually and Temporally over the very same people the Prophet also affirming the very same thing saith Then shall the Sun be ashamed and the Moon confounded when the Lord of Host shall reign in Mount Sion and in Jerusalem before his antients gloriously for behold the day cometh saith the Lord that I will raise up unto David a righteous branch a King shall reign and prosper and shall execute judgement and justice in the earth in his day shall Judah be saved and Israel shall dwell safely and this is the name whereby they shall call him the Lord our righteousnesse Isa. 24.23 Jer. 23.5 6. Thus you may see plainly that the Lord Jesus which is called the Son of David shall possesse the Throne of David Moreover you may see what the Prophet Micha also saith to the proof of this truth In that day saith the Lord I will assemble her that halteth and gather her that is driven out and her that I have afflicted and I will make her that halteth a remnant and her that was cast off a strong Nation and the Lord shall reign over them in Mount Sion for henseforth and for ever and there was given him Dominion and Glory and a Kingdom that all People Nations and Languages should serve him agreeing with the Psalmist which saith Yet will I set my King upon my holy Hill of Sion I will declare the Decree the Lord hath said unto me Thou art my Son this day have I begotten thee ask of me and I will give thee the Heathen for thine inheritance and the outmost parts of the earth for thy possession thou shalt break them with a rod of Iron and dash them in peeces like a Potters vessel Psal. 2.6 7 8 9. Dan. 7.14 Micha 4.6 7. For behold I create new Heavens and a new Earth and the former shall not be remembred nor come into minde but be you glad and rejoyce in the thing which I create for behold I create Jerusalem a rejoycing and her people a joy and I will rejoyce in Jerusalem and joy in my people and the voyce of weeping shall be no more heard in her nor the voyce of crying and he shall stand and feed in the strength of the Lord and in the Majesty of the name of the Lord his God and they shall abide for now shall he be great to the ends of the earth Isa. 65.17 18 19. Psal. 67.4 Jerem. 3.17 Isa. 62.7 8 9 10 11 12. These Scriptures and many more that might be added to the proof of the first Particular That the Lord Jesus Christ shall reign on the earth in Ierusalem The second thing is to prove That the Saints also shall receive a Kingdom and reign on earth Unto the proof of this I shall begin with the words of our blessed Saviour which saith Yee are they that have continued with me in my temptations I appoint unto you a Kingdom as my Father hath appointed unto me that yee may eate and drink at my Table in my Kingdom and sit upon Thrones judging the twelve Tribes of Israel Whereunto he adds also another sentence in the Apocalyps very pertinent to the proof of this saying He that overcometh and keepeth my works to the end I will give him power over the Nations and hee shall rule them with a rod of Iron and shall break them like a Potters Vessel even as I have received of my Father Luke 22.28 29 30. Revel. 2.26 27 28. From hence wee may see that as the Lord gave unto his Son Jesus a Kingdom in reference to his Sufferings and his obedience unto him even so Jesus the Christ will give his people a Kingdom in reference to their sufferings and obedience to his will and that this is to be on Eatth I shall give you a plain text even as saith the Spirit of Christ in these words And they sung a new Song saying Thou art worthy to take the Book and to open the Seals thereof because thou wast killed and hast redeemed us to God by thy bloud out of every Kindred and Tongue and People and Nation and hast made us to our God Kings and Priests and we shall reign on the earth Moreover they shall injoy that Sovereignty so long as the Sun and Moon indures for so saith the Lord by his Prophet in these words And in the days of those Kingdoms shall the God of Heaven set up a Kingdom that shall never be destroyed and this Kingdom shall not be given to another people but it shall break and destroy all these Kingdoms and it shall stand for ever and the Kingdom and Dominion and Greatness of the Kingdom under the whole Heavens shall be given to the Saints of the most High whose Kingdom is an everlasting Kingdom and all people shall serve and obey him Dan. 2.44 Cap. 7.27 28. Revel. 5.10 from these Scriptures we may see that the Saints shall injoy a Kingdom in the which they shall reign and rule the Nations with a rod of Iron so that the wicked shall be as ashes under the soals of their feet And this Kingdom also we see is to be held on earth neither can there be any other interpretations given upon these Scriptures without great abuse to the plaine meaning of the Spirit in these Scriptures If it be objected and said That these Scriptures bespeak or fore-shew the flourishing condition of the people of God while they live in this corrupt Tabernacle of flesh I shall deny and make this answer That it is the portion of the Saints nay all of them to suffer in this Life and the nigher the appearance of Jesus Christ the greater shall the suffering be so that through many tribulations they shall enter into the Kingdom of Heaven Dan. 7.21 2 Thess. 1.9 Acts 14.22 2 Tim. 3.12 Rev 6.9 10 11. and many more Scriptures I might give as to the proof of this for there shall bee such Trials for the godly that should not the days be shortened no flesh would
Vessels of honour and yet some hee made Vessels of dishonour To that I anwser It is very true that hee did make some of that Lump Vessels of honour but they were such as were pricked in their heart for their sins * and did purifie their heart through beleeving and obeying the truth and so Christ became the Author of their eternal Salvation Heb. 5.9 1 Pet. 1. vers. 22. for it was that which the Lord hath promised Souls that did purge themselves from the unbeleef in their hearts as you may see 2 Tim. 2.20 But in a great House there are not only Vessels of Gold and of Silver but also of Wood and of Earth and some to honour and some to dishonour vers. 21. if a man therefore purge himself from these he shall be a vessel unto honour sanctified and meet for the Masters use and prepared unto every good work And now I shall give you a brief review of those words that the Apostle Paul makes use of Rom. 9. they are the words of the Prophet Ieremy Jer. 18.1 to 17. and so onwards And the Word of the Lord came unto me saying Go down to the Potters house and there will I cause thee to hear my words and I went down to the Potters House and behold he wrought a work on the wheel and the vessel that he made with clay was marred in the hands of the Potter and he made another Vessel as seemed the Potter good to make it then the Word of the Lord came unto me saying O House of Israel can I not do with you as this Potter saith the Lord Behold as the clay is in the Potters hands so are yee in my hands O House of Israel At what instant I speak concerning a Nation or Kingdom to pluck up or destroy If that Nation turn from their evil I will repent of the evil I thought to do unto them but in what instant I speak concerning a Nation or Kingdom to build or to plant it if they do evil in my sight then will I repent of the good wherewith I said I would benefit them now therefore go speak to the men of Judah and inhabitants of Jerusalem saying thus saith the Lord Behold I frame evil against you and devise a device against you return every one of you from his evil way and make your ways and your doings good but they said there is no hope but we wil waâ—â—â— after our own devices c. and in vers 17. he threatens to shew them his back and not the face in the day of their Calamity the which wee may see the Lord brought upon them and yet he was just when he judged and thus you see the Apostle answereth the Objection and shews the Jews Rom. 9. what the Lord had determined concerning them and also made known by the Prophet Jeremy that hee could according to the truth of his Justice if they remained obstinate in doing evil in his sight make them a dishonourable Vessel as well as the Potter could make that Clay which was not yeelding and conformable to his hands a vessel of dishonour Thus I have shewed you the words of the Prophet and the meaning of the Apostle that he doth not stop the mouthes of those persons that say the Lord of the whole earth cannot do unrighteousness and therefore cannot Condemn the Childe and cast it into Hell for the Fathers sin neither can he Reprobate any but for their actual sin but hee stops the mouthes of those Jews and all such as they are who do question why God might finde fault although they before have given him just cause of offence Mal. 3.8 The next thing you affirm is not true wherein you said I did affirm That that fire which Saint Jude calls eternal fire was meant only consuming fire though it was consuming indeed yet I did not affirm that to bee the only meaning of it but you may remember I said by the word eternal fire was meant such a fire as was not kindled by man neither did it happen in the City by accident but it issued forth from God being not kindled by man and so was as eternal as himself for the breath of the Lord was ever a fire to his enemies Dan. 7.10 From hence it is said of him in Hebr. 11.29 Our God is a consuming fire the which fire did destroy the Natural bodies of the Sodomites and that eternal fire was not Hell as you blindly conceive but it was such fire as the Prophet commanded to come down from Heaven to destroy the Captains and their Fifties which was as eternal as that of Sodom being without kindling by man or without end and it came not out of Hell but from Heaven and so you may see it Gen. 19.24 in these words Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and sire from the Lord out of Heaven and this was for the destruction of no more but their Natural bodies for it is not Gods way to afflict the punishment of Hell before he hath tried Souls at the general Judgement which shall not be till after the Resurrection for the Sentence against the first sin and the punishment thereof which was the first death was not inflicted upon Adam till after God had legally tried him and Sir let me tell you that the very Devils are not yet in Hell but their punishment is reserved until the Day of Judgement Iude vers. 6. Matth. 8.29 Why art thou come to torment us before the time Which sheweth plainly that the punishment of reprobate Angels and reprobate Men is not yet inflicted but hath reference to time and Sir if I should ask you where Hell were what answer would you give me you would happily tell mee it was where the Wrath of God was and then I shall conclude that Hell were under your Coat for Christ saith Ioh. 3.36 That he that beleeveth not the wrath of God abideth on him for ever And truly Sir if your faith should be tried by your works as Iames saith it must be then doubtless you would be found altogether unbeleeving and if so then according to the former words of our blessed Saviour That the wrath of God abides on such so that if you do conclude Hell to bee in all places where the Wrath of God is though I do indeed conclude that there shall be a material place of Hell where the Wrath of God shall remain perpetually then Hell must of necessity be at the place aforesaid And if you do conclude it to bee on the Earth or under the Earth as some foolishly have conceived then it is most evident that the Devils are not yet in Hell for he is called the Prince of the Air and hence it comes to pass that the Devil is many times cast down by the Judgements of God so that if you have any reason to prove Hell to be yet in being then you might have some better ground to say the
what God hath declared in the Sentence Gen. 3. ergo none of the Children of Adam shal suffer in Hell for that Sin and that it was but a loss of earthly injoyments with deformities and corruption I have proved it at large Arg. 5. To prove that Sin in Paradise did not make him or any of his Posterity liable to eternal Death is as followeth That Opinion which in the extent of it will make the Devil to speak truth and God to lye is an absurd and blasphemous opinion But the Opinion that saith That that Sin of Adam in Paradise maketh all the Sons of Adam guilty and liable to eternal Death affirmeth that the Devil speaks true and the Lord lieth Ergo that Opinion is absurd and blasphemous The Major will be easily granted The Minor I shall prove for God saith Gen. 2.17 If thou eatest thou shalt surely dye but the Devil said Gen. 3. to the Woman Yee shall not dye but be like gods c. Now if this Death that the Lord said they should dye be meant punishment in Hell as you blindly conceive and yet wee see that all Adams posterity which sinned in him or are become sinners by him are not punished in Hell which you say is meant by that Death then God speaks not true in saying they shall surely dye when he intends they shall not And the Devil speaks true when hee saith they shall not dye and wee see they do not so dye if that Death which God saith they shall surely dye bee meant the second Death this is to make the Devil speak true and God a Liar O horrid Blasphemous Opinion be ashamed of it Obj. Peradventure you will say That God sent Christ to take away the guilt and punishment of that Original sin which is as false and ridicnlous as the other O blinde guide is this any more in effect than to say That God sent his Son to make the Devils words appear to be true and his own false the Devil said they should not dye God said they should Now that they might not indeed dye you say God sent his Son that they might not dye which is no less than to make God a Lyar And so much briefly to your blasphemous opinion A word or two what I say to this and that is in these words Thou shalt surely dye is only meant the death of the material Body and hence it comes to pass that as well the righteous as unrighteous dye none exempted he regards not the person of any so that it appears clearly our God is a God of truth that cleareth not the guilty and that the Devil according to the words of John is a Lyar and hath been so from the beginning Arg. 6. The last Argument is as followeth That Opinion which crosseth plain texts of Scripture in the plain meaning of them is false and erronious But that Opinion which affirmeth That all Infants as they come into the World are guilty of such a Sin as makes them liable to the second Death namely to be punished in Hel and so lye under the Wrath of God is against plain texts of Scripture in the plain meaning of them Ergo such an Opinion is absurd und erronious Only the Minor will be questioned the which I shall prove from Matth. 9.14 where Christ faith Little Children are heirs to the Kingdom of Heaven Take notice Sir these were not Beleevers sprinkled Children neither were they Baptised neither were they brought for that purpose Thus you see your Opinion speaks against plain text of Scripture Christ saith They are heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven And as for the answer of that Objection in Psal. 51.5 I refer you to the place where I have answered it in its time and place in the letter And now I shall take notice of an absurdity that will follow and so will leave as to the Arguments you do affirm in this your Opinion That all Infants that dye in their Infancy none excepted must needs be damned for you did affirm That David was guilty of that Sin that brought Damnation and if David were guilty then all Children for David in your sense was an Elect Person and yet if he had died in his Infancy he had been damned according to your expression from Psalm fifty so that upon this account all Children in their infancy stand at enmity with God and if so then shew mee what reconciliation there can be according to Scripture account without the manifestation of Repentance and Faith towards God for Christ faith Except you beleeve you shall dye in your sins John 8.24 which Children cannot do although you would blindly conclude from Matth. 18. that those little ones there were Children which cannot bee proved for though Christ did take a little one yet he took not little ones and neither are little ones capable to suffer for Christ and so consequently not capable to be offended Secondly Faith is a perswasion of the minde flowing from the understanding but Children having no understanding can have no faith so that God saith I speak not to your Children which neither know nor understand and so much for the absurdity which necessarily will follow That all Infants must be damned if that which you say be true and so I shall leave as to that particular Characters of the false Ministery THe next thing that I shall enter upon is to shew the Characters of the false and corrupted Ministery whereby they that run may read and know them by their fruits First you shall know them by their teaching for Doctrines the Commandements of men the Lord in old time did complain against such Persons as you may see Jer. 5.30 31. in these words A wonderful and horrible thing is committed in the Land the Prophets Prophesy falsly and the Priests bear rule by their means and the people love to have it so and what shall be done in the end thereof Thus you may see the Prophets of old did prophesie the vision of their own Brain and the Priests of Old they must bear rule by their means that is to say their false Divinations must go for truth and it being pleasing to the flesh the people loved to have it so So it is with the false corrupted Ministery in our days the Prophets of old or more properly antient Fathers as they so call them they in their several Councils have determined certain Articles of their own invention imposing them on mens Consciences as infallible truths when God never spake any such thing in his Word the Priests they bear rule by their means and conclude they must needs be truths it being the judgement of their reverend Fathers as Luther and Calvin and St. Austin and the like and it being grown in custom amongst the people they love to have it so like as the people of old who lusted after the Flesh-pots of Aegypt I shall only particularize a few of their Traditions and so pass the first Character
I will fill their treasure So that those that seek first the kingdom of Heaven and the righteousnesse thereof and seek it as hidden treasure that is to say above all things in the world without doubt the Lord will rise and rain everlasting righteousness upon such souls Hosea 10.12 Prov. 2.3 4 5. 1 Chron. 28.9 Mat. 9.33 So much to the first means in order to the attainment of this inheritance The second way to attain to this inheritance may be observed from the wise Merchant man who when he had found the Pearl of great price sold all that he had to gain that price so also must thou when thou seest an excellency in Jesus Christ thou must break off thy sins by righteousnesse and part with all that is near and dear unto thee for he that comes to Christ and hates not Father and Mother Wife and Children Lands and living nay and his own life cannot be his Disciple not that I mean that thou shouldst hate the person of thy Father or thy Mother or Wife or Children and the like neither did Christ mean so in that speech of his but to cast them out of their affections when they come in competition with Christ but still to honour and respect their persons though slight their counsel Luk. 14.26 27. Mat. 10.34 35 36 37 38. so that this is the second way to attain this Heavenly inheritance or Pearl of great price Thirdly as thou must forsake all and break off thy sins by righteousnesle so thou must increase in thy piety and virtues thou must not stand still but thou must add to thy Faith Virtue Knowledge Temperance Patience and Godlinesse for so an entrance shall be administred into his heavenly Kingdom 2 Pet. 1.5 6 7 8 9 10 11. so that from hence thou mayst see that the way or means to enter into that heavenly inheritance is to grow in grace not to stand still not be luke-warm not to have a name to live and be dead but to excel in virtue The fourth and lastly as thou must seek that inheritance above and before all things and as thou must forsake all things for the attainment of that precious inheritance when thou hast found it so as to part with all and break off thy sins by righteousnesse and as thou must also grow in Graces adding to thy Faith Virtue and so forth So in the fourth and last place thou must goe on and persevere till death not turn back or be weary or faint in thy mind for that is the way to inherit that glorious inheritance even that immortal crown of life and to sit down with Christ in his Throne where thou shalt abide for ever and ever 2 Tim. 4.4 5 6 7 8. Jam. 1.12 Rev. 2.10 cap. 3. v. 9. compar'd with 12. v. 2.7 cap. 21.7 And so I shall passe unto the sixth use The sixth use is a use of inducement to win thee or move thee to prise that Kingdom which is to be at the Revelation of Jesus Christ for then the Tabernacle of God shall be with men he shall dwell with them as also saith Iohn in these words I heard a great voice from Heaven saying the Tabernacle of God is with men and he will dwell with them and they shall be his people and he will be their God and God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes and there shall be no more death neither sorrow nor crying neither shall there be any more pain for the former things are passed away and the redeemed of the Lord shall come to Sion with Songs and everlasting Joy shall be unto them and the great King of the whole earth who is the Son of the most high and the great Bridegroom of the Bride shall gird himselfe and make them sit down at meat and they shall raign with him as long as the Sun and Moon endureth Luk. 12.37 Rev. 21.3 4 5. Esa. 35 10. these privileges in that kingdom shall be above Angels for not unto the Angels hath he put into subjection the world to come whereof we speak but that he hath put it into subjection to the Saints is clear as you may see from these Scriptures Psal. 149.6 7 8 9. Obedi 21. Mal. 4.3 4 5. Rev. 2.26 27. from hence we may see the great gainers Saints will be if it be so that they lose all the enjoyments of this life provided they doe but attain that inheritance 1 Tim. 4.8 cap. 6. ver. 6. 1 Cor. 3.22 But on the other hand if thou shouldest lose that inheritance and the glorious presence of that infinite glory which was so glorious that when Peter and John saw but a glimpse of it they said It is good for us to be here I say if thou shouldest loose chis enjoyment although by it thou maist gain all the friendship in the world the riches and quintessence thereof yet thou wouldest be a great loser Matt. 17.4 Mark 8.36 Christian Reader thou art not travelling to an earthly Kingdom or Inheritance but unto Mount Sion and unto the City of the living God the heavenly Ierusalem to an innumerable company of Angels to the General Assembly and Church of the first born which are written in Heaven and unto God the Judge of all things and the Spirits of Just men made perfect where thou shalt enjoy the presence of God in whose presence there is fullnesse of Joy and at his right hand pleasure for evermore Psal. 16.11 Heb. 12.22 23. The second inducement is from the Freeness of the giver of this Inheritance that whether thou art rich or poor high or low noble or ignoble thou maist attain to this Inheritance for the Lord commands his Messengers to offer it freely to every Creature Mar. 16.15 Rev. 22.17 Moreover he proclaims this his loving kindnesse by the Prophet saying Oh every one that thirsteth come ye to the waters and he that hath no mony come buy Wine without money and without price why do you lay out your money for that which is not bread and your labor for that which profits not Esay 55.1 2. From hence we may take notice of these two things First how the Lord exhibiteth himself freely to every Creature and blames such as are contented with Husks when they may have the Bread of Life freely The third Inducement or Motive to move thee or incourage thee to seek after this Inheritance is from the consideration of thy condition when the Lord is pleased to cast his eye of pity upon thee it is not at that time when thou appearest amiable or lovely by reason of thy virtues and graces which is in thee but when thou wast a deformed Creature by reason of lying in the blood of the pollution of thy Sin and it was also when no eye pittied thee neither could Angels or men do thee any good In this appeared the love of God indeed as saith the Apostle We know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ that though he were