~6 , The Corfupllon oftht Underjlani/ing. State-11. I know not the Lord, neither wit! they let go what he com- " mands them to part with. ··· God is with them~as a prince in difguife among his fubjeCl:s, wh_o meets with no b~tter treatment from them, than if they were his fellows, Pfal. L 2 I. Do they know•Chri.ll, or fee his glory, and ~·ny beauty _in him for which he i~ to be defired ?; if they did, they would not flight them as they do: a view of his glory ,would fo darken al1 created exceller;cy, that they would take him for, and infiead of all, and gladly clofe with him, as he offereth himfelf in the gofpel, John iv. ro. Pjcd.ix. 1 o. Matth. xiii. 44, 45, 46. Do they know what fin is, who hug the ferpent in their bofom,hold fafl: deceit, and refufe to let it go·? I own indeed they <mayhave a natural knowledge of t.hofe things, as the unbelieving Jews had of Chrifi, whom · , they faw and converfed with: but there was a fpiritual glory in him, perceived by believers only, John i. 1 4• and in rcfpeet of that glory, the unbelieving world knew him not. ' ver. 10. but the fpiri'tual knowledge of them they cannot have; :t is above the reach of the carnal mind, 1 Cor. ii. 14. The natural man receivelh mt the things rJ th-e Spirit of God, for they are foolifhn ,efs unto·him: mithe.r can he 1ndw ' them. for they are Jpirituall;• difcerned. He may indeed difc<;nirfe of them ; but no other way than one can talk of ~oney ' or vinegar, who never: tafied the fweetnefs of the one nor the fournefs of the other.· He has fome notions of fpiritual truths, but fees not the things themfelves, that are wrapt up in the words of truth, 1 Tim. i . 7 .. Under- - ' flanding neither what they fa)', nor t"JJhereof they a.lfirm .~· ' In a word, natural men fear, feek, confefs they know not what. Thus you may fee man's underftanding naturalJy is overwhelmed wi£h grofs darknefs in fpiritual things. rh/rdly, There is in the mind of man a n'atural bh1s to · evil, whereby it comes to pafs; that whatever·difficulties 'it :finds, while occupied about things truIy good,' it af;ts wi rh a great deal of eafe in evil~ as being in that cafe, in its own· element, Jer. iv. 22. The caJ"nal mind drives ·heavily in the thoughts of good; but-futioufly in the thoughts of evi-l. ~1hi1e holinefs is before it, fetters are upon it:_ but when one~ it has got over the hedge, ~t is as the bird got out of the cage, and becomes a free· thinker indeed . .Let us reflect a 0 ' little on the ap,prehenGon and imag,ina'tion of the ea mal · / , mind·
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