to theE PH E S I ,A N S. beginneth there i what cloth he find there, He findeth :not only igoor~~~e ,of~ all Spiritual principles, .and fuch an •gnorance as a man IS no.~ cai)aqle ot knowmg, , Sermon he cannot know, fo fa~ththeApoflle, 1 Cor. 2. ' lh'5· heisblm9; Nowztw~•; XXIV. 11 ever heard (faith he) from the CreattorJ of the World, that any mall opettdthe.\./"'<;'J eyes of 01 u that was bor1161i11d; yet this IS the p~we that m!Ifl co(\yert a !1Ja~..J3ut 1fay that is not all there is not only an mcapamy, a bhndnefs; but ther.e IS an oppofition, and th~ flrongefl that may ~e, an~ this mufl be ~.aken aw~Y,:./: ' 1will quote but one place for It, It IS m 2 Cor. •o. 4· He defcnbeth there ( ~s · the Text doth here) the mighty f'OWCf of God in converbng Of a m.ary.'" rt?e w eapons of ot~r "'!arfare (faith he J. are mighty thr~ugh God: Mighiy"? ~hcde- 1 in lietl\ their might? That he m•ght thew th_e M•ght that IS draw,n forfh, he defcribeth the oppofition that the Underf\andmg ot a man makes again~ the ways of God; he telleth us that thereare Strong· holds, Pullmg down of Strong– holds (faith he) caf/mg dow11 t1Hagmattons, a11d tvtry htgh lhmg _that exalt' eth it fe!f agai11jl the_ k11owledg of God, a11_d brmgmg 1 wto capttvily every thought i11to the Obtdmtce of Chrifl. H~re heth the Power, the M1ght that God fl1eweth; he fpeaks ofth~t oppof1rio~ that is in the UnderHanding ofa man; as the Word ,~,~<·· reafonings 1mpheth, h•gh thoughts, a Devil to a f\rong man, He compareth the oppolition to what is in :i bclteged To~Xn; there is S.trpng, holds and there are fucb as plainly will take no quarter, they mufl dye f6; it or clfe ;hey will never yield; therefore he calleth it pu!liltg dow11 the Holds, there is no way elfe to get them, the Holy Ghofl r;'uft batt~r them.abo.uttheir ears, yield they w1ll not. They conf1fl 10 reafomngs and m Imagmauons; a bottom light cloth it. When a mancometh to turn to God, let him have never fo much knowledge,when he !hall come to turn to God in carnefl, he hath a thou– fand diflikes and .. not faocyir.gs of the ways o~ God, he hath a world of Argu– ments and Ojections, and an infinity of R.eafon10gs agamfl them. My Brethren, when a man's heart is put to it what is the ri~;ht way of worlhipping God apd'fer– ving him, .Perfonally _and otherwrfe, ther~ IS nothmg but a world of Reafonings that come m agatnfl It; and there are H1gh thougl1ts that exalt them felves · likewife. Thele muf\ all be brought into fubjection. My Brethren, when a man turns to God (I will exprefs.it to you in a Parlia– mentary Language) you mufl have this fundamental Law, this Bill pafs, this muf\ be the Predominate R.ule, the Suprtma Lex, the highefl Law that mufl guide a man's whole life, namely, That it is befl to obey Chrifl in all things, at all times, and in all conditions,whatfoever the f\ate be: This Bill mufl pafs with the confent of the whole heart. Now to advance Chrifl, to bring all , · every" high thought into captivity, into fubjection to the Obedience ofChrifi; this will ·never be without an Army, without the mighty power of God, that muf\ throw all thefe S~rong-holds dow~, our wwpons are mighty through God,faith he, they mufl be Mighty through hrm, they will never do elfe. Now do but think with your felves what an uproar there mufl needs be in the State of the Soul at the in– troducing fuch a Law as this is into a man's heart, if it be in earncf\, if he fees he muft live by it for ever. You lhall have all the three States again{\ it, both the Undtrfl~nding, Will and Affections; you lhall have big fwelling R.eafoniogs and thoughts of abfurdities: What? if this Law take place we mull all come down then, all projects, all corruptions mufl go down. My Brethren, if all the Apof\les were now alive, and lhould fet themfelves to r.erfwade one man; and befides them if God lhould fend all the Angels down lrom Heaven to the Earth to perfwade one man, they could not make this Law pafs in a man's heart, they could not perfwade him to it· it mufl be the might of God to throw down all oppofite R.eafonings. And God 'cloth this he doth come with a little Light, a bottom Light int? ~ ~an's heart, (for he ~reateth there) and letreth !urn fee that excellencl' that 1s mhimfelf and in his ways; and he cloth not fland reafomng m_uch wah h1m neither (though all Reafonings are for it) but God lettet!J 10 a L1ght, anfwereth all Objections, throweth dow11 all Strong,– bo!ds, brmgetb every though& into the obedimce of Chri(/. Paul was in h1s hq~ht, how opl'ofite was he unto God? what a world of R.eafonings had he a– gamn Clmflm IllSheart? Jefus Chrifl did bu.t tell him, I am Jejiu whom thou perjmttefl, and there was a Light fl10ne in his mind (as much as that which 010ne ro~nd
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