Head Il. ' 'The Explication pf the Text. ' ' ... .. having rnown the Ephtjicuu their real Hate by nature·, · to . •wit, that they were dead in fins and trefpaffes, alrogether corr~pt; he tells them in the words of the text, their rela– tive Hate, namely,, that the pit wasdiggt:d for them, v.hil~ ·· in that ll:ate of coat;ption :, bei.'lg dead in Jim, they •v.gr~ by nature children (:f wrath, eucn aJ otberJ. I t1 the words we have fom things, . 1. The mifery of a natural Crate; it is a ll: ate of~.~ at~, as well as a fiate of fin. We were, f.1.ys the Apo fll e,~c:_/Jtltirtn if <turath, bound over, and }j ,bfe to the v. rath.of ' \ b d God; under wrath in fome meafure; and, in wrath, oun over to more, even. the ful1 meafure of it in hdi, whtre the flood s ofit go over the ptifoners for ever. Thus S.rwl, in his wrath, ~djudging David to die, ( £ Sam . 'xx;· 31:) an~ D avid, in his vn'atb, paffing fentence of d~ath ag;\inft ihe man in the parable, ( 2 Sam. xii. 5.) .fay eR eh ·Of them, of· his fuppofed crimrn:tJ, , He jhailfurely die; or, as the wor~s in the fir fl: la ngu<1ge are, he if afon of deal h.\ So the F.,a tqral man is a child of Wl'atb, a {on of death. He is a _ malefaCtor dead in l<>w, lying in chains of gul.lt; a crimi· , :B'lal'held fafl: in his fett e.-s, till the ·day of execution; "Which will not fail, unlefs a pardon be obtained from his· God, wbo is his judge and party too. By that means.., indeed, children of wrath may become cbildrt'n of tl}e kingdom. The p.hrafe in the text, however cor.nm.on it is in holy language, .is very fignificant. And as it is evident, th~t the apoHie calling natural men, if:c children ()fdif· ... ibedience {ver. 2'.) ·means nwre, than that they were dif– cbedient children ; for fuch may the Lord's own d1ildrerl be: fo the children of rwrath is mo1e, · than !imply to be liable to , or under wrath. J efus Chr ifi wct!i li able to, a·nd under wrath; . but I doubt we have any warrant to fay, he was ·a child ,of wtath. . The · pbrafe feems. to intimate, that n1en a1 e, whatfoever they are in their gatural Hate, under the wrath of God; that they a1e wholly ~nder Wrath i wrath is, as it were, WOVen into t,heir very Ol• tu re, and mixeth itfelf with th.e whole of the man; who is (.if I may fo ff eak ) a very lump of w,rath, a child of hell,. as ·the iron' ,ih, the fire i3 all fire. For men naturaJIy are chil– dren o.f{~rath, come forth, fo to fpeak, out of the womb of w.i-crth ; J.vpal/'s J~o,urd wa-s lrh.e fo11 of a. night (wbirh we render
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