their souls poor, miserable and naked: not because he hath not eyesalve, fine linen, and treasures of wisdom and knowledge to furnish them withal; but because men are taken up with other things, and have no mind to purchase gold tried in the fire, nor white raiment to be clothed. The forbidden fruit seems more beautiful and lovely to desire; the enemy having drawn out his mind to look after it, he turns his back upon the other. Then his eye is blinded, and his ear stopped. Then he cannot see the glory of God to surpass the beauty and glory of all things visible and invisible, nor delight in the hearing of his voice and obeying it. But his stolen water is sweet, and the forbidden fruit is pleasant to man in his blind, deaf, and dead estate, wherein he walks in the broad way, and falls into every temptation, bait, and snare of the enemy, that old serpent, who having drawn him thus far, takes him captive at his pleasure. Thus entered sin in the beginning, and thus it increaseth, and thus the enemy prevaileth.

Now no man in this estate can open that eye which was blinded through transgression, nor unstop that ear, nor save and deliver himself out of the hand of his enemy, which holds him in sore captivity. Therefore, herein is the universal love of God manifest, that he hath laid help upon one that is mighty, that is able to save to the uttermost; that he hath appointed and prepared a seed that is able to bruise the serpent's head; and that he hath sown this good and powerful seed in the hearts of all men, in the bad ground as well as in the good; and that he hath caused his light to shine in the hearts of all, though in darkness, and his rain to fall upon all, just and unjust; and to call upon all men every where; and to follow mankind, (who is run from him by transgression, and hid himself among the trees, and covered himself with the fig-tree leaves,) and to meet with him in the cool of the day; and to reason with him, reprove, correct, and chastise him, in order to do him good, if he will hearken to his voice, and turn at his* reproof, and be gathered by his arm, which is stretched out to save him: which, if he doth, he shall not miss of salvation. But if he stops his ear, hardens his heart, and continues in rebellion, and refuseth to be reconciled, his destruction is of himself, and God will be just when he judgeth.

• Correction is grievous to him that forsakes the way; and he that hateth reproof, shall die. Prov. xv. 10.

F

XI. The True Christian's Faith and Experience concerning the Doctrine of Election and Reprobation.

Election and reprobation stands in the two seeds, called, “the seed of the woman," and "the seed of the serpent ;" and all mankind are partakers of the one or of the other, as either of these two seeds grows up in them, and as they grow up in the one, or in the other; or join to the one, or to the other; and are born of the one, which is incorruptible, or of the other, which is corruptible. And this seed which is incorruptible, and hath remained pure throughout all generations, is that in which all nations are blessed,* as they come to be born of it. And this is it unto which all the promises of God are yea and amen, which were not made "unto seeds, as of many," as Paul saith, speaking of the seed of Abraham,† "but of one seed, which is Christ's; and they that are Christ's, are Abraham's seed, and heirs by promise." And the election or choice of God stands in this seed, and all the heavenly blessings, and evangelical promises come to be enjoyed and inherited by mankind through faith in this seed, through the growing up of this seed in them, and through the knowing this seed to remain in them, and become the greatest of all seeds, stopping the growth of the seed of the serpent, bruising his head, and causing his whole body to languish and die; and through the knowing this seed become so powerful in them, as to possess the gates of his enemies. With this seed, and with all that are born of it, God's election stands sure, and his covenant is kept with it for ever. Whom he loves here, he loves to the end; and all that love this seed, he will be their God, and they shall be his people. And those are the elect which can never be deceived, nor the gates of hell prevail against.

And the true Christian, who is born of this incorruptible seed, obeys Peter's exhortation, "Giving diligence to make his calling and election sure; adding to his faith, virtue; and to virtue, knowledge; and to knowledge, temperance; and to temperance, patience; and to patience, godliness; and to godliness, brotherly-kindness; and to brotherly-kindness, charity," &c.‡ (Oh! that Christendom would obey this.) And as he doth these things he shall never fall; but have an entrance ministered abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of his Lord and saviour Jesus Christ. And he lays aside "all malice, and all guile and hypocrisies, and envies, and all evil speakings," and becomes "as a new-born babe, desiring the sincere milk of the word, that he may grow more and more, and increase with the increase of God thereby, until he grows up in the promised seed, in which his calling and election stands, " unto the

Acts iii. 25.

† Gal. iii. 16. 29.

+ 2 Peter i.

unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, growing up in him in all things which is the head, even Christ." This is "the mark of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus;" and these are the marks, tokens and signs, fruits and effects, which attend and accompany all those that are born of this incorruptible seed, in which their election stands, in, through, and by which their calling and election are made sure. And the true Christian, who is thus elected, and born of this seed, hath not only the witness in himself, and the spirit of God bearing witness, and sealing to his spirit that he is a child of it; but the fruit of this seed also shows itself forth, and appears, that men may see and behold it, and glorify his Father which is in heaven.

Now, the reprobation stands in the seed of the serpent, and all that are born of it are born of flesh and blood, and of the will of man, and not of the will of God, nor by promise; and in whomsoever this seed grows up, enmity increaseth in them against the seed of the woman, against the promised seed, and all the children of it. Hence arose Cain's envy, Ishmael's mocking, and Esau's rage, and are continued in that generation or birth, down to this age. This is that birth that is born after the flesh, which always did, and doth to this day persecute him that is born after the spirit. This is he that was grown a great dragon in John's day, which "persecuted the women that brought forth (the seed) the man-child," and that "went to make war with the remnant of her seed, which kept the commandments of God, and have the testimony of Jesus." And he is the same at this day, and his wrath, enmity, and work are the same in the hearts and hands of all mankind, in whom this seed of the old serpent hath taken root, and grows up. This is the seed of the wicked that shall be cut off, and of evil doers that shall never be renowned;"* and all that are joined to it, and become children of it, are reprobate to every good word and work, and go upon their bellies, and dust is their meat, and they dwell upon the earth, where the wo is, and where the devil is come down among them, and they walk upon that ground that is cursed, and inhabit the dark corners thereof; and they hate the light, and are reprobate from the presence of God, and from the glory of his power, children of disobedience and wrath, in whom the old serpent rules, and holds them in sore captivity.† And as in this state of reprobation they abide, they are children of the devil, and his lust they do, his servants and slaves they are, and cannot cease from sin, nor enjoy the many glorious promises made to the seed of the woman, nor know the serpent's head in them bruised by it, nor the great red dragon chained; being reprobate from that faith which gives victory over him.

* Psalms xxxvii. 28. Isa. xiv. 20.

† Marks of reprobation.

But out of this estate of reprobation and deep pit of misery, wherein a great part of mankind is held,* the testimony of the true Christian, is, that God hath appointed a means of deliverance, salvation and redemption. There is a possibility of being born again of the other seed wherein the election stands. Children of disobedience and wrath may become children of God, and partake of his grace and mercy, and witness redemption from the earth, and the cursed ground with its cursed fruit burned up by the spirit of judgment and burning; and the seed of the serpent may be rooted out of the heart of man, though it hath grown there long, and filled it with its fruit; and the good seed of the kingdom may spring and grow there; and every thorn, briar, thistle and plant, which hindereth its growth, may be pulled up, which the heavenly Father hath not planted; and they that have borne the earthly image, may bear the heavenly; and those that have yielded their members servants to unrighteousness, may yield them servants to righteousness; and those that are foolish, may become wise; those that are disobedient and deceived, may become obedient and undeceived; those that "serve divers lusts and pleasures, and live in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another," may come to witness victory over, and redemption from all these things. And this true Christian's testimony is plentifully borne witness to in the holy scriptures; as Paul wrote to Titus, saying, "We ourselves were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another." These were all the fruit and effect of the evil seed; these were all fruits of the ground that is cursed: and in this estate, they were reprobate concerning the faith, and children of wrath as well as others. But, saith he, "After the kindness and love of God our saviour towards man appeared, not by works of righteousness which we have done, but according to his mercy he saved us, by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost, which be shed on us abundantly through Jesus Christ our saviour," &c. So in the kindness, love, and free mercy of God, by the washing of regeneration, (or new birth,) they become transplanted out of the old into the new, out of the seed of the serpent into the seed of the woman, out of the reprobate state into the chosen and elected state; taken out of the wild olive and planted or grafted into the "true vine, that brings forth fruit which glads the heart of God and man.” And he is ready to do the same in this age for all that love his appearance, and hearken to his voice, and obey it, and shut their ears against the voice of the serpent, which is possible to be done. They shall enjoy God's salvation, and partake of his love and kindness, which the saints enjoyed in former ages, and do in this age, and is freely ten

A possibility that the reprobate may become elect.

† Tit. iii. 3, 4.

dered to all for their everlasting good. For God hath not, as some titular Christians affirm, predestinated or fore-ordained the greatest part of mankind, (or any part,) to everlasting perdition, nor made any fixed decree, that so many and no more shall be saved, and all the rest damned, and that this decree was established before mankind was brought forth, without having respect to either good or evil that they should do.

This is a doctrine that is accursed, and contrary to the gospel or glad tidings of peace and reconciliation, and inconsistent with all the dispensations of God's love towards lost man, ever since he obeyed the voice of the serpent, and his seed grew up in him, and ever since the devil got his seat and dominion in man, all which have been in order to break his power, and to dispossess him, cast him forth, and spoil his goods, and to sweep and garnish the house, and furnish it again with heavenly goods, as it was before the devil and his goods entered, and as it was before the evil seed was sown in man's heart, and before he entered into temptation, or eat of the forbidden fruit. This hath been the end of the Lord in all his promises, appearances, and dispensations, before the law, and under the law, and in the days of the evangelical prophets, who saw and prophesied of glorious things which God would bring to pass for the universal good of mankind. For Isaiah saw that day in which the Lord with his sore, great, and strong sword, should punish Leviathan the piercing serpent, even Leviathan that crooked serpent, and slay the dragon that is in the sea.* And he saw that the abundance of the sea should be converted, and the forces of the Gentiles should come unto him, whom God hath appointed to be his salvation to the ends of the earth.† And he spake of a time, wherein the Lord would gather all nations and tongues to come and see his glory, which he had given for a light to the Gentiles, and for the glory of his people Israel, to finish transgression, and make an end of sin, and bring in everlasting righteousness; to destroy the devil and his works, to repair the breach, and to restore paths to dwell in, even paths of holiness, wherein the wayfaring man, though a fool, cannot err. This is the end or substance of all the dispensations of God; and many have been and are living witnesses of the same, and no man is exempted by any decree of God from the enjoyment of these things.

And all those babel builders and blind guides, which set up and minister this kind of doctrine, that God hath pre-ordained how many persons shall be saved, and how many damned, if people were not as ignorant and as blind as themselves, their trade would quickly be spoiled, and come to an end, and no body would employ them; for if there be a fixed decree from all eternity, how many shall be saved

In scripture phrase people are compared to the sea.

† Isa. xxxvii. 1. 60. 5.