*Uei4.t.- þ The Spirit beginneth here to iNuſtrate his Deſcription of Faith by induRion of inflances throughout the former Ages of the Church to the time of theſe Hebrews ;and he begins with Believers in the Old World betore the Flood, Faith is the fame Divine Grace as deſcrib- ed before, only here to he confidered ys fully recerving of God"s Will in Ch11# as to Saciificing-work, and remitting ſuch affettions and operations toGrd in it as was agreeable thereunto, it Abel the younger Son of Adm, an eminent Believer, whoſe Faith orders him and his Wor- ſhip, the firſt Martyr for Religion in the World, Luke 11. 51. who ſealed the Truth of God with his Blood. He 1n the end of days, that is, the Sabbath, Gen. 4. 3, 4- brought a Bloody Sacrifice of the fat- teſt and beſt of the Flock, and offered up to the Divine Majeſty, the trucand living God, his Creator and Redeemer, to Atone him for his Sin ; having a regard to, and Faith 1n the great Sacrifice of the Seed of the Woman for him in tulneſs of Time to he offered up, and of which his was but a Type. This Sacrifice was fuller of what God re- ouired in Offerings, than Catn his elder Brothers, not, it may be, ior external price, but internal worth; Cain offered the Fruits of the Ground, ſuch as God afterwards required in the Ceremonial Law, but he was not ſenſible of the guilt and filth of Sin, and of its demerits, nor delirous to remove it in the due way and order appointed, as ap- pears by his Murdering of his Brother after ; A/el's Sacrifice was bet- ter, cxcellenter ; becauſe more fully agreeable to God's Will forgpurg- inzz and pardoning Sin, full of Self-denial and Abaſement for Sin, and Faith in Chriſt's Sacrifice. & By which Sacrifice of Faith he had Te- ſlimony that heacknowledged himſelf a Sinner, that had need of the Elozd oi Chriſt to fpriakle him, yet he was righteous by the r1zhte- ouſncis of Faith, Rom. 3. 22, 25, 26. Which 1s upon Abe!, as alljother Believers, Phil. 3. 9. And this teſtified to his Soul by God's Spirit, that he was Juſtified and SanRified, and ſo eminently riphteous, and 1: was manifeſted to others, Chriſt himſelf God-Man witneſlinz of 1t, PMatth, 23.35. 1 God himſelf witneſſed fem Heaven to the Truth of his State by accepting of his Perſon and Sacrifice, and giving a viti- ble $izn of it, fo as Cain could obſerve it, and be diſpleaſed at the Gifference God made between him and his Brother, Gen. 4. 4, 5, 7- likely it was by ſending Fire from Heaven, and conſuming Abel's Sa- crince, as he did others afterwards, Levit. 9. 24. Fudges 6. 19, 21. 1 Kinzs 16. 38. and 2 Chron. 7, 1. andby it teſtified h;m t» be righte- om. m By bus Faith, tho murdered oat of this World, and his place here knows him no more, and with a- d:G&n that he ſhould never fpeak nor be ſp>k2n of more; yet he now (peakerh, 1. e. liveth, Mat. 22. 32, and teftineth to God that ke is True, and the only True God to mike Souls happy. Ze in his example, and his Record tn Scrip- ture, beſpeaket!; all that read his Story to imitate him in his Faith and Worſhip,pins of God, and his patient Martyrdom for God, and his Goſpel-worf:ip throuh Chriit : And by his Blood he crieth for Juſtice againtt his Murderer, as Gen. 4, 19. ice Chap. 12, 24. and as
R EW S Chap. 5 - hap. Al joyned with thereſt of the Martyrs of Jeſus, impleads God's Rj-3r... : ous Vengeance to be executcd on their Bloody Perfecutors, Lul., h:
51. Revel. 6.10, 11. Byreafonof his Faith he is lpoken of throy "%
out all Generations, recorded among the excellent Sons. of Ge
and renounced in the Church to this day. Such a force hath Faith "iy eternize the Perſons of Believers in acceptance with God thro Dos Chriſt, their Wronzs, Injuries, and Blood, on GogJ's remembrane.. and their Names in Heaven and the Church below. I
5 By faith Enoch was tranflated that he thay not ſee death, and was not o found, becauſe Goq | had trantlated him : For betore his trantlation h; had this teſitmony that he pleaſed God. EY
n By the Divine Faith before deſcribed, that wiich reacheth homo to God by Chrift; Eno the ſeventh Patriarch in a deſcent (ron) , Adam of the Churches Line, Gen. 5. 21. An eminent Prophet and Boanerges, denouncing Judgment againſt the uffgcdly ones of his time, ſo 2s to awaken them to Repentance, Zude terſe 14, 15, w.; taken by God, Gen. 5. 24. The Apoſtle kceps to the Septuacin:
Tranſlation of the Text. He was miraculouſly changed in his BG, from a mortal to an immort.l. State, and this without any ſeparati1 of his Soul from it. God out of an extraordinary Grace 1nd Favour to him, diſpenſed with the commen Sentence pift on the Human Seed in 4dam, as he did many Accs after this to £/j1h, He. Died not ; All the reſt of the Fathers of the Church, Cer. s. s, 8. 27, the longeſt liver of them Died. -9 Gen. 5. 24. neither among Men, n\; in their Sepulchres, as others were, but had chanved hs Aubitation and Society. It any went to ſeek him as cr'-rs did Elhith, he os far out of their finding, 2 Kings 2.17. p Fr Grd bad taken tim t himſelf in Heaven, the place of his refidence, ::d in the very Att chanzed his Eody into a Spiritual, Powerful, Glorious and Incorru;:- tithle one, as all ours, who arc true Bciirvers {þ2!] be at Jatt. ww 15. 51, and 1 Theſſ. 4.15. and ſo miQc ft tor the place to which ls was taken, wade like an Anrvel in Perſon, and fo be with thote + Þt- rits in Company ; now did he tully fee and enioy him whom |» Faith he walked vith beneath. 9g In the time of his Lite, and wt. 'n: with God in ths jinful World, all the time of his witneſfins tc. God In it, God witn?Med hy his Work on Ins Soul to hindelf. by þi: Miniſtry and Life to the World, and by the Prophet Moſes's Record of it to all Geperations to come jn the Church once and a24jn, Go S. 22, 24. that in his walkins with God he pleaſed him, He was yr only juſtified, graciouſly accepted, and beloved of "tm, but he 111 that winch was plearin; to God, putting out in Thought, Wor? and Deed, all the Porver of Grace to at for God ; prefervins con. ſtant Converſe and Commun!on with ttm ; and had no Fellows in with the unfruitfu! Works of Darkneſs, but reproved them. By tl: he pleaſed God, and God teſtified to all the World he did fo. b» ; miraculous tranVation of him from the World to himſelf; God crc not for, nor will take to himſuch who pleaſe him not.