An Expofttion of the Epifile ~Men. He had occafion to have mentioned thofe Principles that are in the Mind ~ but yet he terms thefe, Lufts, and calleth the_:n, Hl111s, or L11jls, or Dejires ; 1 the Mind, of the reafonin_g part, as the word llgmfies. Under the word [ £ujts] the Apoll:le by a Synechdoche meaneth all the in· ward ACl:s, all the Purpo(es, all the Contrivances, all the Counfels of the Heart . For what are purpo~s ? they are but the continuation of Defires; and what ar~ all the Contrivemenis and Counfels of the Hearts of Men ? they are but to ac– compli!h their Defires,and Lufl:s. Therefore the Scripture indeed doth exprefs the Corruptions in the Hearts of Men by Lufls. I could open to you the feveral Names, that are given to the Buddings of Cor– ruption in us of all forts, as the Scripture hath laid them down. As, 1. Sometime they are crrlled, the favouring of the F!efh ; as in 'J?..om. 8. 5· Thofe that are after the Flejb, Ja.vour the t_hings of the Flefb. Every Faculty hath a Pnnctple to dtfcern what IS (unable to It, ond tt doth favour that thing, and mind it. The word expreffeth the fuitablenefs that there is between a flefhly Heart and flefhly things. ' 2. It is called bn:Jvpl«, ashere, LHfls; for when the Heartdoth find a fuitable– nefs between it, and any ObjeCl:, it puts forth a defire, and a lufl: towards it. That which is in other Creatures an InfiinCl:, in Man that is reafonable, it is cal– led, a Lufl, a Defire. 3· They are called, 'l1X m<6Hf""'""• 'Paffions; and that indeed is the proper im– plication of the word. So in 'Rom. 7· 5· and in Gal. 5· to cr11cijj the Lulls of .the Flejb, it is the Paffions of the Flefh.: For God being gone, all thefe Lu!'cs be– come Paffions, become inordinate in us, they ·turn into violence : They are m<64[-U<'l1X, ( as Galw ufeth the word ) which is the Fits of the Difeafe ; for all linful Defires come by Fits, and come with violence, as the Fits do, and put Nature into a Fire, Jets on fre (as 1amu expreffeth it) the whole CoHrfe rf Nature. 4·. They are called (as here) WiUs, Wills oft~e Flejb. When they are gotten fo htgh, as they have got the confent of the Will, and then are put forth ;m 0 ACl:ion, they are called, the Wills of the Flejb. And fo much for the Names that are given to Flefh. For the thing it felf, (I fhall endeavour a little, that you may under!'cand the Nature of the Lu!'cs of the Hearts of the Sons of Men; it reacheth to all the Motions ofMan's Nature whatfoever, that is, the Defires, and there is no Faculty but hath its Defires.) To open this, I fhall do thefe three things, that fo you may fee, in what lieth the Siafulnefs of thefe Lufls : I !hall, 1. Shew you the natural State of the Soul, and the Lu!'cings thereof; for this you mu!'c know, that Lu!'cing and Lu!'c is ufed fometimes in a good fence; for it is faid, The Spirit htjleth againfl the Flejb, as well as the Flejb htjletb againfl the Spirit. So that, I fay, I fhall fhew you, fir!'c, the natural State of the Soul, and the Lu!'cs thereof, without the confideration of being good or evil. I !hall, 2. Shew you the Holinefs of all the Lu!'cs and Defires of the Heart ( wherein that lieth) in Man's fir!'c Nature, and now when he is renewed. And fo, 3· You will under!'cand the Sinfulne!S of the Heart of Man, in all its Lu!'cings, now when God is gone, now when they are become ungodly Lu!'cs. l Firfl; I fhall fpeak of the Lu!'cings of the Heart, ab!'craCl:edly confideredfrom good and evil in Man's Soul, in Man's Spirit. My Brethren, what is the Soul of Man in its natural effential Con!'citution ? It is nothing elfe, but a Chaos of Defires, (let-me fo exprefs it); it is as the firfl matter, which was void of all form, and was full of nothing, but deGres after form!, of being fill'd, and being_futisfied.. God_ created the Soul, as a. meer Stomach, to receive from other thmgs a fillmg of tt, and as we ufe to fay, tt IS an empty Stomach : And therefore the Voice of all things, and of all Mankind by Nature, it is, Who will j!Jew tn anygood? Pfal. 4· And all Faculties are like fo · <' many
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