to all by that art, which is exactly conformable to the pattern , but apply both hands, XXII. Nor is the will less corrupt; for, it, it is The will averse to all that is truly good. Job. 21. 14. There is averse fore they say unto God, depart from us; for, we desire good, not the knowledge of thy ways. And when the great things of the law are written to them, they are counted as a strange thing; as of no very great moment, and what they have no concern with. Hof. 8. 12. And. how can it be otherwise ? For fince, by reason of their blindness, they don't discern the excellency of true virtue; but on the contrary, find many things in the practice of it, which are opposite to their unruly lufts, their mind is averse to it: they hate the good, Micah 3. 2. XXIII. Secondly, it is driven on to evil, with driven ta great impetuolity: they love the evil, Micah, 3. 2, to all evil. a degree indeed, that not some, but every imagination of the heart of man; not at fome, but at all times; not in fome, but in every measure, is only evil, Gen. 6. 5. Now this is to be understood, not only of the giants in the first ages, as appears by comparing this place with Chap. 8. 21, where almost the same words are used concerning men in future periods of time. I will not again, says God, curse the ground any + Our version renders that text; that they may do evil with Borb bands earnefly... more, the law more, because, or though the imagination of man's heart subjeet to the law of God, neither indeed, can be. Irritated XXIV. Nay, zdly, the desire of evil is so great, thereo by that it is irritated by that very law of God, which of God. forbids it; and is more impetuously hurried on to things forbidden, only because they are prohibited. put in motion, and taking occasion by the commandment, 'works áll manner of concupiscence; to a pitch, that, every check being hurtful, by the commandment fin might becomie ,bxceeding sinful, Rom. 7. 8, 9, 11, 13. Chryfoston, beautiiully lays, òlev lovos imiBepwper, irla xwdvápee bean αιρεία» μάλλον της επιθυμίας ή φλόξ. When τoe luft after any thing, and are afterwards restrained; this only blows up the flame of luft to a higher degree. mifpend all their vigour on things beneath and un- daughters fin. daughters of the borse-leach, give give, Prov. 30. 15. Hence God elegantly compares the wicked to ike troubled sea, which cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt, Ifa. 57. 20. 3dly, They are obstinately bold and lustful, both against the will of God's decree and of his command; ever lusting after what is contrary to it, with that eagerness, that they can scarcely bear, that God and nature should not be subfervient to their desire, and all rules of religion not be framed and modelled to their liking. These are those tàin alapías, vile affe&tions, mentioned Rom. 1. 26. Which, tho' they do not rage with equal fury in all, yet they reside in the soul, as in a stable, and being restrained to no purpose, burst out at times with the greater fierceness. XXVI. Nor indeed, is the body itself free from the body the tyrannical dominion of sin: the members are agi- also the fortrefs of tated by such an inordinate flow of blood and spirits, that they easily carry away the mind, while it is for getful of her own dignity. And indeed, that plealure, which the members have in sin, or which they seek for by sinning, is the cause of most fins, even fpiritual fins not excepted, and of their reasoning against the law of God. This perverseness and corruption is by the Apostle called, the low in the members, that is, that power and efficacy of fin dwelling in the body, which had frequently forced it to a criminal compliance, and had warred against the law of bis mind; that is, against the law of God, infcribed on the mind by nature and grace, and in which the mind delights, and had brought him into ceptivity ; -, and having once taken hold of himri, does not let him go, Rom. 7. 23. Certainly, the members seduce and prove offensive, which Job, being afraid of, made a covenant with his eyes, that they should not look upon & maid, Job 31. 1. And David prayed, turn eway mine eyes from beholding vanity, Pf. 119. 37. And wisdom advises, 10 put a knife to thy tbroat, if thou be a man given to appetite, Prov. 23. 2. All these P plainly 14 . VOL. II. man. plain!y declare the danger, arising to religion from the members. That cor XXVII. As therefore this corruption wholly overwhy called spreads all the parts and faculties of man, it is there "fore called, man, the old But it goes by the name of the old man: ist, Recause it sprung up in Paradise itfelt, at the beginning, by the infection of the tempting serpent, and owes its original to that old dragon mentioned, Rev. 12. 9. 2dly, Because it is cotemporary with every man in particular, Pf. 51. 7. and, if not always in order of time, yet of nature, precedes inan’s gracious regeneration. 3dly, Be cause we ought to abolish, reject and abhor it, as a worthless and antiquated thing, which is wore out and disfigured by long use; just as old things pass away, that all things may become new, 2. Cor. 5. 17. To put off. XXVIII. This corruption is sometimes held forth and more under the emblem of an unseemly, filthy, and loath? some garment; and then it is said to be put off and what. laid aside by fanctification, Col. 3. 9; and Eph. 4. Sometimes under the emblem of a monstruous body, which destroys, by a horrid Naughter, every thing in man; and then it is said to be mortified, Col, 3. 5. and crucified, Gel. 5. 24. Now this putting off and mortification of the old man is nothing else but the deitruction of the dominion of sin, and the purging of corruptions : so that; ist, we be vexed at the heart, and grieved because of them; for nothing dies without pain and anguish. 2dly, That we abhor them, as we would a rotten carcafe. 3dly, That, we have them in execration, as things which have put God and man to * torment. 4thly, That we suppress oid man, 22. * The author's expression here is very strong; ut cruciarii Den et hominibus erant, and I think, he alludes to the crucihxion of Chrift, 'who is God as well as man, and who was put to the torture suppress all their motions, as far as possible, both in the soul and the body, and never suffer them to re- up of its members, that henceforth we should not XXIX. By another phrase, the godly are said to be To be dead to fin, Rom. 6. 2. The meaning of which is, dead to that as a dead body is not a fit habitation for the fin, what foul, seeing it has not those organs, and that dispolition of pares, by which the foul operates ; so believers, with respect to sin and its motions, are dead bodies, useless and motionless organs, in which it can no longer lodge, live and exert its efficacy... XXX. Not much different is that expression of And cru cified to Paul, Gal. 6. 14, in which he says, the world was the world. crucified to him, and he to the world; intimating, that he was no more delighted with the vanities of the world, than a good man would be with the rosten carcase of a malefactor, who was justly condemned to a shameful death; and on the other hand, that the world was unable to act upon, or affect him, with any greater efficacy, than objects of sense affect a dead person. XXXI. This putting-off, and this mortification New man, of the old man is always accompanied with the put, what. ting on, or vivification of the ne o man by which are denoted all those qualities, wherein the excellency of the divine image is placed. These come under the appellation, man, for the same reason, we just gave of the depraved qualities : because they overspread forture of the cross, for the fiøse of his penple: and they also are the P 2. |