by that art, which is exactly conformable to the pattern of the infernal fpirits. Emphatical is that of Micab, on this head, Chap. 7. 3. ons 'n by ↑ both hands are upon evil, that they may do it well. They are not flothful in evil, but apply both hands, exert all their strength. And they take care to do it well, according to the rules of that fatanical art, carefully obferving all the contrivances of wickednefs: nay, they have learned to frame and contrive it with, fo much art as to impofe it on, the incautious, under the appearance of good. is averfe to all XXII. Nor is the will lefs corrupt; for, 1ft, it is The will averfe to all that is truly good. Job. 21. 14. Therefore they fay unto God, depart from us; for, we defire 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 otherwife? For fince, by reafon of their blindness, they don't difcern 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 averfe to it: they hate the good, Micah 3.2. all evil XXIII. Secondly, it is driven on to evil, with driven to great impetuofity: they love the evil, Micah, 3. 2, to a degree indeed, that not fome, 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 firft ages, as appears by comparing this place with Chap. 8. 21, where almoft the fame words are ufed concerning men in future periods of time. I will not again, lays God, curfe the ground any + Our verfion renders that text; that they may do evil with both hands carnefily. more, Irritated thereto by the law more, becaufe, or though the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth. Whereby it is intimated that evil imagination is the common blemish of all mankind. To this alfo may be referred, what Paul writes, Rom. 8. 7. To pompons σ cpne, the carnal mind the wisdom of the flesh, that which it willingly imagines, lufts after as wildom, or that action, which the carnal mind contrives, is enmity against God: for, it is not Subject to the law of God, neither indeed, can be. XXIV. Nay, 3dly, the defire of evil is fo great, that it is irritated by that very law of God, which of God. forbids it; and is more impetuoufly hurried on to things forbidden, only because they are prohibited. Without the driving or impelling force of the law, fin lies dormant and lifelefs; but when, the commandment comes, it revives, and is put in motion, and taking occafion by the commandment, works all manner of concupifcence; to a pitch, that, every check being hurtful, by the commandment fin might become exceeding finful, Rom. 7. 8, 9, 11, 13. Chryfofom, beautiully tays, ὅταν τινὸς ἐπιθυμῶμεν, ὅλα κωλυώμεθα, αιρείαν μᾶλλον της επιθυμίας ή φλόξ. When we luft after any thing, and are afterwards reftrained; this only blows up the flame of luft to a higher degree. The affec XXV. Surprising and lamentable is the depravity tions won in the affections. For, firft, when the understandderfully, ing, does not lead them on to things holy, fpiritual, perverted, and cor-heavenly and eternal, they are bafely and madly bent rupted. upon things corporal, carnal, fading and finful; and mifpend all their vigour on things beneath and unworthy a man. 2dly, In all their emotions they are furiously toffed, and not waiting for the direction of the understanding, but throwing off the reins of reafor, and having no reftraint, they rufh headlong with a blind and wicked violence, and bafely rack and wound the foul; never allowing her any reft, nor that calmnefs, which would otherwife be her peculiar happiness, but continually crying, like the daughters doughters of the borse-leach, give give, Prov. 30. 15. Hence God elegantly compares the wicked to the troubled fea, which cannot reft, whofe waters caft up mire and dirt, Ifa. 57. 20. 3dly, They are obftinately bold and luftful, both against the will of God's decree and of his command; ever lufting after what is contrary to it, with that eagerness, that they can fcarcely bear, that God and nature should not be fubfervient to their defire, and all rules of religion not be framed and modelled to their liking. These are those ràbn alices, vile affections, mentioned Rom. 1. 26. Which, tho' they do not rage with equal fury in all, yet they refide in the foul, as in a stable; and being restrained to no purpose, burft out at times with the fiercenefs. greater fortrefs of XXVI. Nor indeed, is the body itself free from The body the tyrannical dominion of fin: the members are agi- alfo the tated by fuch an inordinate flow of blood and fpirits, fin. that they easily carry away the mind, while it is forgetful of her own dignity. And indeed, that pleafure, which the members have in fin, or which they feek for by finning, is the caufe of most fins, even fpiritual fins not excepted, and of their reasoning against the law of God. This perverfenefs and corruption is by the Apoftle called, the law 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 captivity; and having once taken hold of him, does not let him go, Rom. 7. 23. Certainly, the members feduce and prove offenfive, which Job, being afraid of, made a covenant with his eyes, that they should not look upon a maid, Job 31. 1. And David prayed, turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity, Pf. 119. 37. And wisdom advifes, to put a knife to thy throat, if thou be a man given to appetite, Prov. 23. 2. All these 14. VOL. II. P plainly That cor the old man. plainly declare the danger, arifing to religion from the members. XXVII. As therefore this corruption wholly overruption, fpreads all the parts and faculties of man, it is therewhycalled "fore called, man, But it goes by the name of the old man ft, Because it fprung up in Paradife itfelf, at the beginning, by the infection of the tempting ferpent, and owes its original to that old dragon mentioned, Rev. 12. 9. 2dly, Because it is cotemporary with every man in particular, PA 51. 7. and, if not always in order of time, yet of nature, precedes man's gracious regeneration. 3dly, Becaufe we ought to abolish, reject and abhor it, as a worthless and antiquated thing, which is wore out and disfigured by long ufe; juft as old things pafs away, that all things may become new, 2 Cor, 5. 17. To put off and mortify the old man, what. 22. XXVIII. This corruption is fometimes held forth under the emblem of an unfeemly, filthy, and loath fome garment; and then it is faid to be put off and laid afide by fanctification, Col. 3.9; and Eph. 4. Sometimes under the emblem of a monftruous body, which deftroys, by a horrid flaughter, every thing in man; and then it is faid to be mortified, Col 3. 5. and crucified, Gal. 5. 24. Now this putting off and mortification of the old man is nothing elfe but the destruction of the dominion of fin, and the purging of corruptions: fo that, ift, we be vexed at the heart, and grieved because of them, for nothing dies without pain and anguifh.. 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 fupprefs * The author's expreffion here is very strong; ut cruciarii Deo et hominibus erant, and I think, he alludes to the crucifixion of Chrift, who is God as well as man, and who was put to the torture fupprefs all their motions, as far as poffible, both in the foul and the body, and never fuffer them to revive again; Rom. 6. 6. Knowing this, that our old man is crucified with him, that the body of fin might be deftroyed; not only fome actions and parts of it, but that entire compound, made up of depraved habits, thoughts, lufts, words and actions; as a body is made up of its members, that henceforth we should not Serve fin. XXIX. By another phrafe, the godly are faid 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, feeing it has not thofe organs, and that difpofition of parts, by which the foul operates; fo believers, with respect to fin and its motions, are dead bodies, useless and motionlefs organs, in which it can no longer lodge, live and exert its efficacy. cified to XXX. Not much different is that expreffion of And cruPaul, Gal. 6. 14, in which he fays, 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 rotten carcafe of a malefactor, who was juftly condemned to a fhameful death; and on the other hand, that the world was unable to act upon, or affect him, with any greater efficacy, than objects of fenfe affect a dead perfon. 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 new man by which are denoted all thofe qualities, wherein the excellency of the divine image is placed. Thefe come under the appellation, man, for the fame reason, we just gave of the depraved qualities: because they overfpread torture of the cross, for the fins of his people: and they alfo are generally brought to anguifh and pain, when their old man is arucified with him. |