the seed in bondage, which is heir of the promise and the election, which hath it by grace

?

And did not Christ tell one of Jacob's stock, Nicodemus, that man must be born again, before he could see the kingdom of God, and enter into it; which made the Esau's nature in him to gaze and wonder, and made the rest of the Jews to gaze and wonder.

And therefore, doth not the apostle often say to them, 'ye gazers and wonderers,' when the seed's yoke (in which all the families of the earth are blessed,) was broken off their neck, in which the election is; and the seed was entered into persons, which brought the curse, and which made them children of wrath by nature, as well as others?

And now, all ye that are called christians, who do hold reprobation in the persons of Esau, Ishmael, Cain, Cora, and the children of Egypt, Sodom, and Babylon; and every sect in Christendom look upon themselves to be in the election, and it may be, other persons to be in the reprobation, that are not of their sect; when as the spirit and nature of all these are found in themselves, and the first birth's nature of Esau, and the rest of those whom you call reprobates, who have broken off the second birth, Jacob and his seed, (in which all nations are blessed,) his yoke off your neck. For do not you appear in the rough nature of Esau, and the murdering, man-slaying nature of Cain, and the scoffing nature of Ishmael against faithful Abel's offering, and Isaac, the seed of the promise, and Jacob, the perfect plain man, beloved of God, in whose seed all the families of the earth are blessed, as men and women, (though not the spirit of Cain, Ishmael, Esau, Babylon, Egypt, and Sodom, which is in you, and so in the reprobation, and for condemnation, and to be cast forth? for it is not to be heir with the seed of the freewomen.)

And now Jacob, the election's yoke, (the seed in which all nations are blessed,) being broken off your neck, and you at liberty with your rough, profane hands and sword, and willing and running in Cain's spirit, persecuting, murdering, and scoffing the faithful Abel's, and the heirs of the promise, and the plain smooth man, the second birth, Jacob, whom God loveth, who tarries at home with the Lord, and Jerusalem, which is above, his mother, who is in the election; whom you hate, scoff, and would kill, Esau-like. And how can this birth talk of ordination to condemnation, and reprobation, which itself is in the birth of reprobation, (and under condemnation,) and yet preacheth up reprobation and condemnation of others, when in their spirits and nature they are found in the reprobation and condemnation of Cain, Ishmael, Esau, Egypt, Sodom, and Babylon, which despises (Esau-like,) the birthright, in the grace of God in the new covenant, which hath appeared unto all men, and is sufficient to teach them, and bring their salvation; and hates the light, which is the life in Christ, the word, by whom all things were made,

which all should believe in; and denies that the gospel of salvation is preached to, and in every creature under the whole heaven, and quenches and grieves the spirit which God poureth upon all flesh, to lead and instruct them; and denies that the Lord Jesus Christ hath shed his blood, and tasted death for every man: but saith, he hath foreordained the greatest part of mankind to reprobation and condemnation.' But this is that spirit and nature that is in the reprobation, and under the condemnation, that doth so preach and teach.

So this first birth, nature, and spirit of Esau, that hath broken the second birth's yoke off their neck, hath gotten up since the time of the apostles and primitive church, and hath been at liberty in Christendom.

And this rough first birth, that hath made a profession of the New Testament in words, as the first birth did of the old, before the days of the apostles, with their rough hands and hunting spirit, and with their carnal weapons, they have maintained their church, ways, and worships, with their reprobate spirit, nature, and weapons, which are written of old for condemnation. But the second birth will arise, the seed of the promise, the election, and bring its righteous, just, pure yoke over the profane spirit and nature of rough, profane Esau, the first birth's neck, and scoffing wild Ishmael; and wrathful, murdering Cain's nature must be a vagabond, and the first birth of Egypt must be slain in you all; and the Babylon's brat of confusion, which the whore hath brought forth in you must be dashed to pieces against the living stone: and the plain, smooth, and perfect, and beloved Jacob, the seed of the promise, must be the Lord, in which all nations are blessed; and the Jew in the spirit must come forth, and serve and worship God in spirit and in truth: he that hath an ear, let him hear.

And this seed, in which all nations are blessed, doth preach, 'that all nations are blessed in it; and that that is cursed, and in the reprobation, which curses this seed; and that that seed is blessed that blesses this seed, in which the election is.

So if all nations be blessed in this seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, as men and persons, in which seed the election is, the second birth; then the reprobation and condemnation stands in the profane, rough, first birth, with all his works, and carnal weapons, and willings, and runnings, with which he maintains his will-worship. For this second birth, this seed is it, in which all nations are blessed: then this seed doth not say, that 'some nations are foreordained to condemnation,' as the condemned and reprobate seed doth say.

For it is God that doth say, 'all the families of the earth are blessed in the seed of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob.'

And without this seed they are not blessed. In this seed they are all blessed; and out of this seed they are not blessed, but are in the seed of

reprobation and condemnation, and in the unbelief; and not in the seed Christ Jesus.

And this seed, in which all nations are blessed, in which the election is before the world began, (for the reprobation and condemnation is in the evil seed since the world began,) this seed doth see how the condemnation is come upon all mankind by the fall of Adam; and how that the justification of life is come upon all men by this one seed Christ Jesus, where it is received; and how that Christ hath shed his blood, and tasted death for every man; and so makes no sects: and how he enlightens every man that cometh into the world with the life in himself, the word, by which all things were made, that they might believe in it, and have life in him.

And this seed doth see how the grace of God, which brings salvation, hath appeared unto all men to teach them that receive it, and how that all have been concluded under sin, and in unbelief, that God might have mercy upon all: and their condemnation is for not believing in this seed Christ Jesus.

And how is the blind, first birth of Esau like to see, or hold forth,' that all nations are blessed in Isaac, and all the families of the earth in Jacob; and that the grace of God, which brings salvation, hath appeared unto all, to teach them, and bring their salvation; so that all might dwell in tents, and tarry at home, and see their election in the grace, and God pours out of his spirit upon all flesh; and the seed Christ Jesus hath tasted death for every man;' scoffing Ishmael will scoff at this doctrine of the seed; and envious Cain will be wroth, and his countenance will fall, against the sacrifice of it; and profane Esau will lift up his sword and rough hands against it, and cry, God hath foreordained a great number of men to reprobation; and so would pluck them down into hell with him; when it is that spirit, nature, and first birth in themselves that is for reprobation and condemnation, for not believing in the light, and receiving the blessing that is in his seed.

Now this seed's weapons (in which all nations are blessed, which brings the justification of life upon all men, and enlightens all men, and through him God pours out of his spirit upon all men, and his grace appears unto all men, &c. and this seed hath shed his blood, and tasted death for every man,) his weapons and armour are spiritual, and they do not wrestle with flesh and blood that be in it, nor with the persons of Cain, Ishmael, Esau, Cora, Sodom, and Egypt, nor with the persons of Babylon, but with the nature and spirit of these, and the rulers of darkness in people.

For those outward carnal weapons, are the first birth of Pharaohs, Cains, Ishmaels, Esaus, Sodom, Babylon, and Egypt, and the whore, which hath whored from this seed, which are in the reprobation and

condemnation, with their carnal weapons, with which they maintain their ways, religions, and will-worships, which be in the reprobation and under condemnation.

So each seed and birth hath its weapons and armour, ways, religions, and worships, by which they maintain them, both that which is in the reprobation and condemnation, and that which is in the election, and that seed which is in the election, in which all nations and families are blessed, which brings the justification of life upon all men, in which the election is, before the world began; bruises the head of the first birth, the serpent, the world's god, with all his carnal weapons, by which the first birth maintains its religions, ways, and will-worships; I say, this seed, the first birth, the head of it is bruised by the seed Christ Jesus.

And this seed, in which all nations are blessed, doth not destroy any man's life upon the account of religion and worship; but saves men's lives, and destroys the evil seed of reprobation and condemnation. And this seed's weapons and armour are spiritual, by which spiritual weapons and armour this seed defends its religion, ways, and worship, and church, and wrestles not with flesh and blood; for his armour and weapons are spiritual.

But the first birth in the reprobation, his weapons and armour are carnal, and wrestles with flesh and blood about his religion, ways, and worship, instead of spiritual wickedness and rulers of darkness; and saith and teacheth, that God hath foreordained the greatest part of men and women for reprobation, condemnation, and hell; and that which says so is the blind, rough, profane seed in the reprobation and unbelief, and so under condemnation, and hath despised its own birthright, in the grace of God, that brings salvation, and hath appeared unto all men, who hath been willing and running in his first birth, Esau-like, I say, hath despised his birthright in the grace of God, and so doth not believe and receive the seed in which all nations are blessed; but instead of it, receive that evil seed in which his condemnation is. And that rough man of the field will hunt, wander, will, and run, and not return till he faint, and then despise his birthright for outward things and means; and so relies not in the grace of God, which appears unto all men, which men must not despise; for if they do, they will faint, and not have their strength renewed; and then they cannot be heirs of grace, nor partakers of the blessing in the seed, in which all nations are blessed; so all nations are blessed in this seed, if they will receive it; and Christ hath tasted death for them all, and so brought justification of life unto all, if they will believe it, and not condemnation, who hath enlightened all, and his grace hath appeared unto all, that they might believe, and be heirs of grace, in which the election is. And so here is God's mercy upon all, though they were concluded in unbelief in the first birth.

And Christ enlightens all with the life in himself, and saith, believe in the light; and they that do not, are condemned already :' and so they lay under the condemnation and in reprobation because of unbelief; for 'he that believeth, shall not come into condemnation.'

For was not Adam and Eve condemned for not believing in God's teaching, and obeying it? And Cain, and Cora, and the old world, and the Sodomites, who neither regarded God, nor just Lot; and the Jews, who neither regarded God nor his prophets? and so are not the christians under the same condemnation written of old, that live not unto Christ, who hath died for them, and walk not in him in whom all nations are blessed, and walk nor stand not in the grace which hath appeared unto all, which will teach and bring their salvation, as the primitive christians did, and walk not after the spirit, which God hath poured upon all men; but walk after their own spirits, and Cain's, and Esau's, and Ishmael's, and Cora's, and Sodom's, and Egypt's, and Babylon's nature and spirit, which leads them into confusion, reprobation and condemnation ; and believe not in the light, as Christ commands, with which he enlightens every man that cometh into the world, which is the life in himself; and are not they, therefore, condemned with the light which they should believe in, who have not kept in the same light, and grace, and spirit, and power as the apostles were in; so not in their habitation, nor succession, nor election; but have succeeded in the reprobation and condemnation, and therefore are blind, who have held up reprobation in persons, and not of the first birth, and seed in them.

And therefore, all men being enlightened by Christ, who hath tasted death for all men; and God's grace hath appeared unto all men, to teach, and bring their salvation; and he hath poured his spirit upon all flesh, and so his mercies are upon all; and therefore must all believe in this light, if they will be grafted into Christ Jesus, and receive the grace and the spirit, in their own hearts, at home, if they will come to the election in Christ, from whence this grace, light, truth and spirit comes; and so to know their election before the world began, and the seed in whom all nations are blessed; and the seed Christ to bruise the head of that seed of reprobation, and separation of man and woman from God, by which man and woman hath come into reprobation, and under condemnation since the world began, written of old.

So in this seed Christ Jesus, is the election and the blessing, who is the amen, the first and the last, and over all, hallelujah, blessed forever ; glory to the Lord God, amen, hallelujah.

G. F.