to tbe E P H E S I A N S. : 95 this thing futable, t~re wa~ts fome all:ion or other, eithe~ ofthought or outward S''-"W action, to make the·Object and the S<;ml meet. ~n_d henc~ comes that which is ~ cal)l:d, phtting a Man's hand forth to wtcked?efs, 1t ts to brmg the Heart and the Obje.ct ~ogether; and, by reafon of that actton, the Hear~ hath commumon and jJ)eafurc with what it cloth defire. So that now all the acttons whtch a man goes about they are m~erly his lufl:s·bufinefs. And what is his lulls-bufinefs, but to aim at p);afure? And how fhall pleafure be gotten, but by bringing the Object and the Heart wgethcr? and ~hat is done by action. Therefore they are fl:ill joyn'd, livi~:g in PJeaj11res, and living ip L~ffs; it is all one ; as in Jam. 5· 5· And James tiath an emphatical expreffion in that place, They ne11rijh their Hearts. The Heart is meer Stomack, and mull: have meat. Now all t~e ~bjects which a Man defiretn, are but to nourifh the Heart, meerly to keep hfe tnlt. And look as the Stomack 'bath contentment by eating, and when the meat comes down into it , fo hath the Soul by aClion. Hence now it comes to pafs, that in all a Man cloth, ·he doth act his Lufis. The expreffion that is in Gal. 5· 16. is extreme- •ty emphatical, he calls it, fidflling of.a mmu ltifls ; it is tranOated fo indeed here, •but .the words jn the Greek are different; for iJ: is """Vf"s here, and nl\i<rn1t th~re: "And what is th~eaning of nl\i""1'' it is to perfect. He fpeaks ofAction, for'.he dorh not fay, Walk in the Spirit and you fhall not have lufl:s, but, youjha/1 .,ot fuljil.them. He fpeaks ofAction therefore, and the word in the Greek is perf:11ing and /ICcomplif/Jing. Lull: is an imperfect thing; it is a motion towards plead"ure, ·but it is impqrfect. Now action cometh and perfecreth it, compleateth it, attaineth to what itwould have. So Janm expreffes it, L11{t when it conceiveth, bri11gs forth Sin : he compares the Lull: to .the conceptton, and the outward act to the bringing forth ofSin. And that"s rhe firfl: thing which fulfilling, or doing, or acting Lufl:s cloth imply; that action w.hich the Soul continually goes about, it is fome way or other to fatisfy fome lull: or other. 2. It implies, that Lull: is the Mafrer, and the heart, and the action, and all thefe are but Infl:ruments, fet on work by_the Luft that bath power to command. How p.rove you that ? By Joh. 8. 34· He that doth Sin (it is the fame word that is ufed •\lere) i< the jirvant of.Sin : and becaufe he is the fervant ofSin, he therefore doe• it, jn the fence there fpoken of, and here alfo. Saith the Apofl:le in Rom. 7. 5· the vtotions of Si11 had force; .the word is, they hademrgie, they did work effectually : "fh,erefore it iscalled, jirvi»g divers hifls and pleajitres, in Tit. 3· 3· In an unrege– ne~ateman a Lull: faith, Do thfr, and he d"th it, as the Centurion fpeaks of his fer– vants unto·Chrifl: ; fo as he cannot ceafe from Sin, 2 Pet. 2. I. What hard tasks doth Govetoufnds ( to infl:ance in that ) fet aMan about? what a Slave cloth it make aMan? He that will be rirh ( Gith he in I 1in1. 6.) foU, into temptation, a11d afo.are, imd into many foolifb and hurtful bifls, which himfelf, his own reafon tells <him to ·be fo, hurts himfelf, pines his carcafe, eats the bread of carefulnefs, rifeth Up1'atly, goes to 'Bed late, and all to get a little money more than needs. Do but ·realle Ecc(eJ 6. aod there ,you have .his defcription, what a toilfom thin!!: it is to {erye tbat"lufl:. Therefore t\1e phrafe is, Obeying Sin in the ltifls "f.it. He com– :yares Lu"ft to a Law, thelaw ofthe Members, [o he calls it, Rom. 7· 23. Yea, James compares it not only to a Law in time of Peace, but to the force ofArms in War, ._1.he.ftljl.s tbat ·war inJO/tr members, faith he, in Jam. 1. Therefore now all the mem– 'Qers and faculties tl)ey are ready Infl:ruments to pleafe lufl:s, Their foet are fUJift to fh(d Bloo~, and·they Y111l greedily after the wars of.tmrighteoufoeft. 3· 'fodolufls (asthewordhere fignifies) it noteth out an_indullry, a lludy, and carefulnets : So the word doing is taken in Scriprure, as MlljcuiTH obferves uppn ,that fpeech of Chrift, w.hen he f.1id unto Jud.u, What .thou doeft, do quicb,Jy. 'Wha.t W'15 jud.u"a doiqg .then ·? he .was plotting and contriving, he was thinking :1\ow to do the bufinds ofbetraying his Mafl:er; ,What thou art doing, do quic4fy, [o 'he.interyrets it. J,herefore in R•m.13. L4. Men are faid to take "P''""'• to take thought, .tp be car.eful to fulfil the,lulls ofthe f\efh. t~-! It noteth out.in the S<;ript\lre,phrafe, Conftancy. To do iniquity, it is oot "to.llo ap a'ct pf.ipiq\}ity, Q.ut .it is .to !TI)Ike a "trade of it. So in 1 Joh. 3· 8. doing is t~k,~q,;Whet\l~r .it,be mea!lt .of Sinning, or meant ofRighteoufnds, He thatcom– •Mfe(hSin,fai.th he: The .word in the!)riginal is the fame with that here in the 'fe,x~ 'He that doth Sin, is of.the Devt1. What ,is the meaning o( duing ·Sin here.? ' k
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