mind; and we shall find unconteftible evidence of this woful bias to evil. Evidence 1. As when a man, by a violent stroke on the head, lofeth his fight, there arifeth to him a kind of falle light, whereby he perceiveth a thousand airy nothings; fo man being ftruck blind to all that is truly good, and for his eternal intereft, has a light of another fort brought into his mind; his eyes are opened, knowing evil, and fo are the words of the tempter verified. Gen. iii. 5. The words of the Prophet are plain, They are wife to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge, Jer. iv. 22. The mind of man has a natural dexterity to devife mischief; none are fo fimple, as to want skill to contrive ways to gratify their lufts, and ruin their fouls; tho' the power of every one's hand cannot reach to put their devices in execution. None needs to be taught this black art; but as weeds grow up, of their own accord, in the neglected ground, fo doth this wisdom (which is earthly, fenfual, devilish, James iii. 15.) grow up in the minds of men, by virtue of the corruption of their nature. Why fhould we be furprised with the product of corrupt wit: their cunning devices to affront heaven, to oppose and run down truth and holiness, and to gratify their own and other mens lufts? They row with the stream; no wonder they make great progress: their stock is within them, and increaseth by using of it: and the works of darkness are contrived with the greater advantage, that the mind is wholly deâitute of spiritual light, which, if it were in them, in any measure, would fo far mar the wat John iii. 9. Whofoever is born of God doth not commit fin; he does it not as by art, for his feed remainethin bin. But, on the other hand, it is a fport to a fool to do mischief: but a man of underftanding bath wisdom, Prov. x. 23. To do witty wickedness nicely (as the words import) is as a sport or a play to a fool; it comes off with him eafily; and why, but because he is a fool, and hath not wisdom; which would mar the contrivances of darkness? The more natural a thing is, it is done the more easily. Evid. 2. Let the corrupt mind have but the advantage of one's being employed in, or present at fome piece of service to God; that fo the device, if not in itself finful, yet may become finful, by its unseasonablenefs: it fhall quickly fall on fome 款 remont, my ass ftarting afide; which I AM DEC No pradince. Thus Saul, a. the prief began to confuit DETENESTI, KÖNIÐ Me the prieff's hard w DE JUR DIE an answer, and would n 2. from the Lord, 1 Sam. xi starten hath the carnal mind, ZATO, ZRTEŽEMLİK DİNem men from thei at the cand mind naturally ftri station; as if the foul 1 22 23 want, and would turn lism who are fed to the ÖHE BULBIS, İDİK into their own or is a ter minds; whereof ot a 20, a fiil auch, fo much p sa memetine evidence. For it p HEGARnid have a visible deit au maeine they changed the mor suge, kt. Rom. Tek paliers hified be the Lo bars, and images use, out o GAR-ZUBATAN an' can break down MÀ IN RI Hocile and refined Tenuta af de dirt, out of the of is darknefs, w than the unsanctified As a Marine, mcnfroes, an cut make it a detain the and al the care ertaining f spiritcal he great unruly that it get which del world gets away the heart: tho' the eyes be closed, the man fees a thousand vanities: the mind, in the mean time, is like a bird got loose out of the cage, skipping from bush to bufh; fo that, in effect, the man never comes to himself, till he be gone from the prefence of the Lord. Say not, it is impoffible to get the mind fixed. It is hard indeed, but not impoffible. Grace from the Lord can do it, Pfal cviii. 1. Agreeable objections will do it A pleasant fpeculation will arreft the minds of the inquifitive : the worldly man's mind is in little hazard of wandering, when he is contriving of business, cafting up his accounts, or telling his money: if he answer you not at firft, he tells you, he did not hear.you he was bufy; his mind was fixed. Were we admitted into the presence of a king to petition for our lives, we would be in no hazard of gazing through the chamber of prefence: But here lies the cafe, the carnal mind, employed about any fpiritual good, is out of its element, and therefore cannot fix. Evid. 5. But however hard it is to keep the mind on good thoughts, it flicks as glue to what is evil and corrupt like itfelf! 2 Pet. ii. 14. Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot ceafe from fin. Their eyes cannot ceafe from fio (fo the words are constructed) that is, their hearts and minds venting by the eyes, what is within, are like a furious beast, which cannot be held in, when once it has got out its head. Let the corrupt imagination once be let loose on its proper object; it will be found hard work to call it back again, tho' both reafon and will be for its retreat. For then it is in its own element; and to draw it off from its impurities, is as the drawing of a fish out of the water, or the renting It runs like a fire fet to a train of of a limb from a mar. powder, that refteth not till it can get no further. Evid. 6. Confider how the carnal imagination fupplies the want of real objects to the corrupt heart; that it may make finners happy, at least, in the imaginary enjoyment of their lufts. Thus the corrupt heart feeds itfelf with The God is imagination fins: the unclean perfon is filled with speculative re the Lord, pars, but is 2 to bim impuisies, full adultery: the covetous man fills his heart with the world, tho' he cannot get his hands full of it; the malicious perfon, with delight, acts his revenge within his own Breast: the envious man. within his State II, fome device or expedient, by its starting afide; which deliberation, in feason, could not produce. Thus Saul, who wift not what to do, before the priest began to confult God, is quickly determined when once the priest's hard was in : his own heart then gave him an answer, and would not allow him to wait an answer from the Lord, 1 Sam. xiv. 18, 19. Such a devilish dexterity hath the carnal mind, in devifing what may most effectually divert men from their duty to God. 2 Evid. 3. Doth not the carnal mind naturally ftrive to grafp fpiritual things in imagination; as if the foul were quite immerfed in flesh and blood, and would turn every thing into its fhape? Let men who are used to the form ing of the most abftracted notions, look into their own fouls, and they fhall find this bias in their minds; whereof the idolatry, which did of old, and ftill doth, fo much prevail in the world, is an unconteftible evidence. For it plainly difcovers, that men naturally would have a visible deity, and fee what they worship: and therefore they changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image, &c. Rom. i. 23. The reformation of these nations (bleffed be the Lord for it) hath banished idolatry, and images too, out of our churches but heart-reformation only can break down mental idolatry, and banish the more fubtile and refined image worship, and reprefentation of the deity, out of the minds of men. The world, in the time of its darkness, was never more prone to the former, than the unfanctified mind is to the latter. And hence are horrible, mcnftrous, and mifhapen thoughts of God, Chrift, the glory above, and all fpiritual things. : Evid. 4. What a difficult task is it to detain the carnal mind before the Lord! how averfe is it to the entertaining of good thoughts, and dwelling in the meditation of fpiritual things! if one be driven, at any time, to think of the great concerns of his foul, it is no harder work to hold in an unruly hungry beaf, than to hedge in the carnal mind, that it get not away to the vanities of the world again. When God is fpeaking to men by his word, or they are fpeaking to him in prayer, doth not the mind often leave them before the Lord, like fo many idols that have eyes, but fee not, and ears, but Fear not? The carcafe is laid down before God, but the world world gets away the heart: tho' the eyes be closed, the man fees a thousand vanities: the mind, in the mean time, is like a bird got loose out of the cage, skipping from bush to bufh; fo that, in effect, the man never comes to himself, till he be gone from the prefence of the Lord. Say not, it is impoffible to get the mind fixed. It is hard indeed, but not impoffible. Grace from the Lord can do it, Pfal. cviii. 1. Agreeable objections will do it A pleasant fpeculation will arreft the minds of the inquifitive : the worldly man's mind is in little hazard of wandering, when he is contriving of business, cafting up his accounts, or telling his money: if he answer you not at first, he tells you, he did not hear.you he was bufy; his mind was fixed. Were we admitted into the prefence of a king to petition for our lives, we would be in no hazard of gazing through the chamber of presence: But here lies the case, the carnal mind, employed about any fpiritual good, is out of its element, and therefore cannot fix. Evid. 5. But however hard it is to keep the mind on good thoughts, it flicks as glue to what is evil and corrupt like itfelf! 2 Pet. ii. 14. Having eyes full of adultery, and that cannot ceafe from fin. Their eyes cannot ceafe from fin (fo the words are conftructed) that is, their hearts and minds venting by the eyes, what is within, are like a furious beaft, which cannot be held in, when once it has got out its head. Let the corrupt imagination once be let loose on its proper object; it will be found hard work to call it back again, tho' both reafon and will be for its retreat. For then it is in its own element; and to draw it off from its impurities, is as the drawing of a fish out of the water, or the renting of a limb from a mar. It runs like a fire fet to a train of powder, that resteth not till it can get no further. Evid. 6. Confider how the carnal imagination fupplies the want of real objects to the corrupt heart; that it may make finners happy, at least, in the imaginary enjoyment of their lufts. Thus the corrupt heart feeds itself with imagination fins: the unclean perfon is filled with speculative impurities, having eyes full of adultery: the covetous man fills his heart with the world, tho' he cannot get his hands full of it; the malicious perfon, with delight, acts his revenge within his own Breaft; the envious man, within his D OWD |