. so 7/g·Corruption of the Und~rfia,Jdint~ State n. l)w'o narrow fiml, beholds with fatisfuction his neighbour laid low e~10ugh; and ;every luft finds the. corrupt im::~gination a friend to it i:o time of need. And this it doth, not only ,when people.are awak,e, .but fometimes even when they .are-<d1eep; whereby it comes to. pafs, that thefe · fins are 1 • tCl:ed in dreams, -which their hearts were carried out af.rer, .while they ,were awake. l.know, fome doqueltion the fin– fulnefs of thefe things: But ca~r it be thought, they are tonfiGent with that holy nature and frame of fpirit, which was in innocent A dam, and in Je lus Chrift ,. and fhou!d be in , ever-y.man! It is th-e cot niption of natnre then, th<!t makes iirhy dreamers condemned, Jude 8 . .Schmon had experi~ ence of the exercife ofRrace in .Deep: in adream. he prayed, i~1 a dream he made the beH choice.; -both w.ere accepted of God, I King·s iii.•. 5,- E 5. And if a man may in his Deep rlo ..whar is good and acceptable to Gad, why ma-y he notal- , fo when.. afle~p, do that which is evil ancl 'difp)eafing.to Go.d? · The fame Solomon would have men aware of this : and ,prefcribes t1le beft remedy' ag2infl: it, namely; f(he la<tu u,pon· the heart, Prov. vi. 20. 2 L :·1-Vhen .thouJleepe.;1, ·(fays he ver. ' 2 2.) it Jhall keep thee )eo w wit, from fin!)iog. in thy Deep ; 'lhat ·is, from fiuful dreams~ for one'-s being kept fr-om fi.n_t (not his being kept from_affliCtion,) is.the immedia.te pro~ per _efFect of the law of God impreltupon. the bea~t, Pfq!. cx1x. u. ~Aild. thus the whole verfe is to be underfl:ood, as appears /rom verfe 23• Fot· tht commandme121)~ a lamp, and t(le /~rw is light; and reprodfi . of injlruflt01t . are the . 'UJa) of life. Now, the law is a lamp of light, as a guides in the way.. of duty,; and inltrutl:ing reproo£s from,the law, are the w~y of life; as .they keep from fin : neither do they · guide into the_. way of peace, but as they..lead into the way of dLaty ; oor. do they keep a man out of trouble, but ,as they keep him Jronl fin. And remarkable is the particular in.which So/ofl'K)n inllanceth, namely, ;he fin of uncleannef-s, to k~ep th!~{ro?Jf: the,fvil.twoman, .and .verfe 24. which is to be joined 'vith 'V~r/~ 22. indofi:ng th~. 23,.in a parenthe– fis, as fame verGohs have it. Thefe ,thingsJTiay fuffice to convince us of the natural bias;o(;the mind to evil. · Fo~~-rthly, ·Th~rfis in 'th~ carna·l mind, -an oppofttion to fpir itual truths, and :ao averfion to.tbe receiving of the~JJ. it is as little a friend to .~ivine truths, as ,it is to holinef.s._ · Tve
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=