IOZ FP r. 2. éphefian.r,Chap.i, VE R.B. when the fight of the body is fo preciousa fenfe, when the reafon which we have as civili men, is fo beneficial!, that aman were no man did he want it ; forthis doth lift him above the order of thole inferiour creatures; how can it be but this wifdome and light muft needs bepre- cious,by whichwe fee God, Chrift, thofe things within the vale, kept in the heavens for us, by which weare above our felves, and all this world,tohave communion withGod, Chrift,Angels, fpirits perfected, which maketh us far higher above the Rateofnatural! man,thennatural man is above the beaft e Now then it being freely given , and a tli;ng ofall othersmolt behoofefull, itmull needsbe a gift ofthe rich grace ofGod. What thankefulneffe then doe we owe to God, whobathvifited us with fo precious a bleffing a Should webe through phrenzie out ofour right mindes amoneth or two, Ohhow gracioufly would we thinke Goddealt with us, to rettore usagainetoour right fenfes, aswe ufe to fpeake e But for him , when now we had through finne call our felvesinto all folly,and fpirituall lunacy,for him then to vifiteus,and by his almighty power tobring us to the underftandingofthe wife,itis fuch abieffing, for which he cannot be fufficiently praifed: Let us praife him for his goodneffe,andpraife him for his fairhfulneffe; for he did promife that the heartsof the foolifh fhould be made wife, that thofe whodid erre in heart fhouldunderftand,and loe,he bath performed it to us. We muff takeknowledge what we are by nature, men emptyoftrue underftanding. Did wifdome come from nature,and grow outof the earth, it were not a gift of Grace in Chrift Iefus ; No , the Princes of this worlds wifdome, fuch who have feemed to ranfacke all the creatures,fiom the hìgheft flar tothe loweft minerali within the bowels ofthe earth,even thefeare as devoyd oftrue wifdome,as the Affe-colts ofthe wilderneffe. Men are out of their right mindes till they comeby faith and repentance to God in Chrift Iefus : What can the foolifh- neffe of folly worke, which is in men while they areconverted Fol- ly maketh aman know nothing of thefe civil( things ; a Poole cannot tell how many twice twoare; and what dorha naturali man know of his citate by nature, of Gods Grace in Chrift a He knoweth not, nay he cannot know the thingsof God ; forhecounteth them fooiifhnefle. Secondly, a foole is unreachable, not more unlearned;thenunteacha- bie,Prov.a 5.9. Perfwadehim, fmile onhim,chafe at him, nothing will enter: fo naturali men; let God fromheaven, and Chrift by his em- baffadors befeech them to be reconciled to God ; let God threaten them with the erernall curie of his heavy wrath, nothingwill finke into them. Thirdly, a foole judgeth not aright of that civili end to which his lifefhould ferve. Wife civil! men know that they livefor the good of their Country, and their owne private ; but a foole wanteth this wifdome.And what doe all natural! men e They fcenot what is the laic end,at whichall their life fhould aime,as at a mark,viz.that through faith and obedience they may come to live bleffed everlaflingly withGod. As a foole judgeth not oftheend ro whichhe liveth, fo he maketh
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