The reasons of the Christian religion the first part, of godliness, proving by natural…

The sin being so heinous for a new-made Rational Creature, to believe that God was false and bad, a liar and envious, which is indeed the nature of the Devil, and to depart from his Love and Obedience for so small a matter, God did in Justice presently sentence the Offenders to punishment: yet would not so lose his new-made Creature, nor cast off Mankind, by the full execution of his deserved punishment; but he resolved to commit the Recovery and Conduct of Mankind to a Redeemer, who should better perform the work of salvation, than the first Man Adam had done the work of adhesion and obedience. This Saviour is the Eternal Wisdom and Word of God, who was in due time to assume the Nature of Man, and in the mean time to stay the stroke of Justice, and to be the invisible Law-giver and Guide of Souls, communicating such measures of mercy, light, and spirit, for their recovery, as he saw fit. (Of whom more anon): so that henceforward God did no longer Govern man as a spotless innocent Creature, by the mere Law of entire-Nature; but as a lapsed, guilty, depraved Creature, who must be pardoned, reconciled, and renewed, and have Laws and Means made suitable to his corrupted miserable state.¹ Hereupon God published the Promise of a Saviour, to be sent in due time: who should confound ⟨p. 210⟩the Devil that had accused God of falsehood, and of envying the good of man, and had by lying murdered mankind; and should overcome all his deceits and power, and rescue God's injured Honour, and the Souls of sinners, and bring them safe to the everlasting blessedness which they were made for. Thus God as man's Redeemer, (and not only as his Creator) governeth him: He taught Adam first to worship him now by Sacrifice, both in acknowledgement of the Creator, and to teach him to believe in, and expect the Redeemer, who in his assumed humanity was to become a Sacrifice for sin. This Worship by Sacrifice Adam taught his two sons, Cain and Abel; who were the early instances, types and beginnings of the two sorts of persons which thence-forward would be in the world;² viz. The holy Seed of Christ, and the wicked Seed of Satan: Cain, the elder, (as corruption now is before Regeneration) offering the fruits of his land only to his Creator; and Abel, the younger, sacrificing the firstlings of his flock (of sheep) to his Redeemer, with a purified mind;