536 / 808
516
Ephefians,
Chap.+.
V
E
x.18.
Dog/.
All
fie
courfes
which
the
na-
turall min
can
dcvile, are
vaine.
r
Cor.1.26.
Rom.ß.y.
Pl
VERS.
18.
Dag!.
We
are by
na-
ture full
of
darkncffe.
tye
thefe things
to faith, the
ftudie
of good
life, repentance
,
but
doe
altogether
rcft
in
fuch courfes which our own carnali
reafon teacheth.
If
we
fee
this,we muft bewayle it,
for this
is
a
Heathenifh,not
a
Chri-
ftian
converfation.
And
on
the contrary, we
muft looke
to
the
word
of
God,
proving what
his
good and acceptable
will
is
,
that
our
lives
may
be a
doing
of
Gods will,
not
a fervice
to the
lufts
of
the
flefh.
2.
Obf. hence
,
That
what
f
ever
courfe
of
lift
the
navurall
man
can
devife ,
it
it but
a
vaine thing
:
For
all
the
courfes
of
life
which
their
minds
lead
them
to,,
are called vanity.
So
Solomon
Ecclefa.
3. Vani-
ty
of
vanities, all
is
vanity.
If
we were
molt
devout
in taking
upwor-
fhips, in
vaine
doe
they worJhip me :
If
they
could
follow
all kinde
of
pleal`ure,knowledge,profits,
Solomon
bath
paffed fentcnce
of theft
things, for
all
theft
things perifh, they
are
but
fhadowes,
they
profit
us
nothing
_
nay
often prove
hurtfull,
hindering
us
from true happi-
neffe
:
for worldly wifdome
and
wealth
are impediments
to
men
,
keeping
them
back from
the way
of
falvation
:
Net
many
wife
:
The
wì
fdorne
of
thefiefh
ú
enmity
againfl god.
Let
us
therefore
learnt how to
reckon
of
our coules, which
we
take
up
of
our owne minds, thinking our
felves wife
in
them
,
but
it
is
no-
thing fo;for
we
follow the winde,
we labour for the
fire,
purfue
va-
nity
that
will
not
availe
us.
VERSE
r
S.
Having
their
cogitationdarkened,
and
beingfirarigers
fromthe
lif
of
gad,.
through the
ignorance
that
is in
them,
becaufeofthe
hareineffeof
theirheart.
Now
he commeth to the
reafon, you
muff
not
walke
as
they,
for
your condition
is
much
unlike
theirs
:
Hee fetteth
not
downe theft
words, but the matter
of
them touching the Gentiles;
therefore
hee
lay
eth
dosent foute things.
i.
Their
blindneff'e.
a.
Their
eftrangement from the
life
of
God;
amplified
from
the
caufe, ignorance;
the
fountain
of
that
opened,
hardne
ffe
ofheart.
3.
Their
dedoleocy.
q..
Their
flagitious
life;
which
are things following
one ano-
ther.
Firft
then
we
fee what
we
area&
by
nature
,
though
we
had
all
naturali
knowledge
that
could
be
gotten ,
we
arefuch
whole
minds are
full of
dark
-
ne/fe.
For this
muft be marked in general!,
that
wee
by
nature
are no
better then others
,
Children
of
wrath
as
well
as
others,
Ephef
z.;.
Rom.3. There
is
no
excellency
of
the lew above the Gentile:
by
nature we
are under
the power of the Devill the Prince of
darkne!Te
,
and
are
it
all
kinde
of
darkneffe,
Yee
were
once
darkneffe,
Eph.5.
Noneunderflan-
drib,
none
feeketh
after god,
darkncffe
of
Cults
and ungodlinefie, datk-
neffe
of
condition. O
difmall cloud
!
Temporal!
Princes,
it
men
tres.
fonably
rebel! againft
them
, fhut
them
up
in
dark dungeons
where
they
are denied
outward comforts,
and
live
waiting their
fearful!
exe-
cution.
God
is a
Spirit, we
all have
rebelled
againft him
in
the
loynes
of