Mat~b,6, C!/ln Expojition of Chrifls ! ·v.2~,14. tarber ouerflllc the minde, ~nd vttcrly pcrucrt the regiment thereof; they cafl a miflc, and a v:ulc oucr the eye of the mindc that it can fet t}Othing in the wo.ics of rightcou{ilcffc: and rbcrcforc as we render rbe falu:nion of our: foul<;s, "'·c mull renounce our ownc naturall wills and corrupt dd\res, and flriuc to bring them imo tUbicdion vnto the word of God. Many men thinke mm:h to be croffcd of their. naturall dciircs and delights, but it is happic for the foulc, when God in his prouidcnce doth breake men of their wills: for the will Jnfubdued c<1ries the whole man headlong in– lo all diforder.This mu(\ be conodered ofrbem which hauc knovvlcdgc ""nd learning, for vnllclfc the VYill and affections be ruled by the \.\·ord, alll<nowlcdge is m:J.de fruideOC: out of aProu+:.!• l ~h~ bea'f"t (faith.~ Stdomon) come the ijfucsoflifo, · 1f lt be kept \\'tth watch :J.nd ward, :ltld orde– red by G tJds v\'ord ;. othcrwifc hence come the iili1es of death , when the raincs of the I affcChoi1~ arc let loofc afrcrthc corrupt dd1rcs I ofnature:& thcrtforc <'ISwe rcfpelt woe or ioy -, . • [o mu~t \'\'C ~aue r~gard to our wil and deftres. ~!:i~:~~fthe Th1rdly,tfthe l1glu of nature may be turned Gofrd 1nly into darkcne!Te J then may the illumination oC be p.uc ouc. theGofpel be pur our and turned in darkcncs; for the kno\\'ledg ofthe Gofpcl is not naturallJ and. then~fore not fo ckcpcly imprinted in rhr:: vndcr£hnding,vpot1 the bare kno ...dedge ofir. Experience i11cwerh this to .he ttuc,in all rhofe temporizers which begin in the fpirir, and end in the flc!h: and the author to the Hcbrcwci ~~u:r~ff;:i:~ i'hcwcs fiue degrees of apo(ladc,by which the illumination .ofthe Gofpcl is turned into dark– ncifc, Heb. 3· ll. faying, Tak,s h~ed lcafl there Ge in a-:1 of yo;~ mt cui// heart of -zmbelccfc, &c. where the firH degrcc,is confcming vnt6 finne becing dct'ciued vvith .the tcmptatiol1 of it. The fccond is, hardndfcpf heart, vpon many practifes of fi.nnc. Thirdly, the heart beeing hardened, becomcsvnbckcuing, and calls the 3 truth of the Goijlcl into gudlion. Fourthly, by vnbclccuing it becomes cui!], hauing a bafC co.nccit ofthe G ofpcl. l:iflly, this euill hCart bri1~gs a man to :1pofb.cic, and falling fi·om God, ...., hich is the ntinguil11ing of the Ji~ht of the C ofpcl. VVc therefore to prcucnt this fcarefull cllatc, ondl: cn1brace the GofJ>cl, and praCtife the counfcll there fer downc; cuen by looking carefully cucry one to his ownc heart and life,and by mutual admonition and exhor– tation one of another, vcrf. t ~.that fo the firfi Hep of this apolhcic, which is thedeceitftthuj]C offnn~,takc no place in vs. s 311 in; 8r~cc Founhly, fceing the light ofnature may be ~~t."!)t be rut out, whctbcr may not true faith, :mrl other f:1uing graces be quite lofl? A 1;jiv. There is no gr:tcc of God, but conlidcrcd in it fclfe, it llKJ.}' be loit ; for it is a creature, and fo is chan– gt·able, for norhing is vnt'hangcablc in it {clfc, but the Crc:~rour: butjn rcg:ml ofrhc promifc of God, touching the prdCruario11 of fauing grace vnto the cndc, in fuch as be in Chrifl: A hence it comes that faith, hope, and- cilaritie, \ - – cannot be lofi ; for the g~fis and calling of God ~ are wirhorlt rtpt:uttwc~ in Ch: ift, God mdo:edc 1 gauc to .Ada?tJ true an.d perfeCt grace,whereby l he might hauc flood if he would; but bccaufc I he decreed w permit the f::dl,to m:J.kc a way for his mercy in Chri!l,rhercforchc Id{ m~m in rhe 1 hand of his ownc counfcll, an<! fo he fell from 'I his created imcgritic: but now in Cbrift God .,.,,orkcs both the will and the decde, iO as hce \ whiCh cloth truly bcleeue, b U .u mo:o:t Z ion; b PfJI.1:p. which cannot b~ remoot!ed, l:nuftanderhfaft fo' \ euer: forhcisbuiltvponrhec rock!Chi'ift Itc:..ht. 16.16, {m, and fo can ncucr flll: the gates of hcl!jball l not prmaije nga~nfl him: God giucs a fCcond ! B grace vmo the firH, and by venue hcreofit be– comesvnchangcab!c, though in it fclfc confi– dcred, it might be loH. Againe, I anfwer thus; that as the light of nature is not quite put our but onc!y buried, in filCh fort as it is ..vitbout vfc, and fccmes c:·ninguifl1ed; for the grace of fairh,by rhe practife of onne may be hidde and coucrcd,foas it fball not appeare for a time:but yet it cannot be qmte pu:: out, v .. :bcre it is once 1 truly wrought. And thus much of the blindc eve, with the fi uite tbcrcof. • Now to ende this place, wee mufi rcmem– bcrrhat the {cope ofChrifi i'n thefc tl.-\'0 vedCs, is to il1cw ~hat the cuill and blinde eie of man by nature, whereby be is difablcd to difccrne C rightly ofthiilgs that differ,is the 'aufc why in fceking after trcafure,he leaucth the heaucnly, and feeketh earthly rreafure onely.And hereh)' \VC mufi be admonifl1cd to labour for this gift of difccrning, by the illun~in:uion of the fpirit in the word, as we fl1ewcd before, th:It fo the qe buing Jingle, thewhole bodie m"l bu li.~ht: that is,fo ordcred,that with pe:~Ce and comfort wee may walke on in the way of life: whereas othcrwife we walkc in d:J.rkcncifc,and feare no danger till we fall into it irrc::oucrab!y. ~ · v.2.4..Y\(o man can flrue 1 two M,ajl'uJ--: for either hee ljhall hate theone, andloue the D other; or e/fe he (haD leane-to I the one, and dejjije the other. Yeecannotftrue -qod and M a.- mon; Here Chrifi ~ecrerh with a fccond obicCH– on,vvhich the C3rnall heart of man might fr:;tme au3inll the fOrmer cOmandcmenrs,ver:f. r9- and 2~. for whereas Chrill h<td fmGiddco. rhc trca– furing vp of worldly riches, and comm:mdcd the fccki11g of hraucnly treafurc; fame man mioht flatter himfclfc with this pcrf\·v:~.fion, hee'Omilfhlftk! both, and lny vp hotb trenJitreJ for hi';fe!fe intm·th, a_ud iu l~c~tten al[o. To . this Chri!l: :wfwcrs, Ao: that ts :mpc.!Jib!:_; and\ - he --------------------------
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