Head I. Tht C<Jrrziption qfthe Wi!!. .63 prone a.nd bent to evil. · \Vere man's wilT naturally but in equal balance _t.Q good and evq, the one migbr _b_e embra_c ~ d with as little difficulty as the other; hut expenence tefbfi es· it is not fo. In the facred hiftory of the JjraditeJ, efpecial ly in the book 'of Jud;{~J ~ how often do we find them forfa k– ing Jehvllb,the mighty God 1 and do ting upon tl1~ idols of t·he nations·::lbout them'? ~::Jt did ever one of tbefe nations grow fond of {rrae/'s God , and fo1 f<lke rneir own id oh ? No, n6; tho' man is nat urally given to changes, it is but' from evil to evil, no t from evil ··to good, Jer. ii.. 1 o, 1 r . • Hat h a ~wtion .dangf:d theiridd1, rJ.JbiCh areJ·et 'no rods?. But m;! people hatJe chanted tbe'ir glorJ', fir that rzvhich dot,, .1201 pr~/it. Surely the' will CJ ~ man , ft<4nds not in e'qu!il balance, !.:mfhas a cafl: 'to t.he wr6ng· fi de. ' Evid. ; ; Conl1der-·ho'vf men go ordtill, in the way of fin; till they-meet with a ·lloo, and that from· another hand ·than ' . th~i'r own; .lfci :·lvii. 17. ·· I f.id me, and -be 'We7:t en .fro- - rv..·ardl)' 'i!; t l:e wa;•~fhiJ£eart. 'If G ~d withdraw his re– ·Hraini~g hand, 2nd lay the rei ns· b'n the Bnner's neck, l!e is _ in no dta1 bt what \vay ·to' choof~; for (oMerve it) the way of fin is the ~vay .of_his hen.r t ; _his heart nat.untlly. lies that way; it bath a natural ptopeo!i ty io 'fin. As-long as God fuffereth them) they waik in 'their own wayj ·Afh xiv. I 6. • The natmahnan is .fo fixe'd in his woful choice, •that there ,r~eec:ls rJO more to'-flie\v he ·is off from God 's . way, but t8 t·dJ h~ is upon hi~·. own·. · EJ;id. 4· \\7 hatever ·good impreffions ar'e m~de upon hiP.l, they do not lafi,; Tho' h is h~art he firn? as a fione, yea, har der 'than the ·n,ether mill-ll:one, in point of receiving of them ; it is otl1erwife unfla~le a·s water, and cannor keep them. I_t,work-s aga:inft the-receiving of them; and, when th ey are ·made; it 1vorks them off, and returns to its natur al ·._bias ; Hof vi. 4· Your gqodnefi iJ as a monzing ·cloud, and aJ the early d::w it giJeth away. The morning cloud pro 1 ni· feth a hearty iliower, but when the fun a'dfeth; it ev'anill1- ,. ~:h; ' the fun beat~ llpon the early dew, and it evaporates: fo the hlJfbandman's expecL:~tion is difappointed: Iuch is the goodcefs of t.he natqral man. Some fharp 3ffiH.1ion, or }Jie_rcing. conviftiol\ obligeth hini in fome fort, to turn from , · hi_s evil .c~urfe: bu_t his_ ':ill _not being renewed) religion is ihll agnntl t.h e,gh1n w1th htm, and therefore this ~oes (;ff ' .F 2 ·
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