102 rvfn Expo.ftion of the Epifl/e ~.that emphafis upon it. Other Lufl:s are Idolatry too, but they are bur outward ~~ Idolatry, this is inward, and fo the worfr of the two. And fo much now in brief for that which I thought ro !peak more concermng the fi1lfilling the defires of the flefn, and ofrhe mind. I come now ro the latttr part ofrhe verfe; - And were by Nature theChildren ofWrath,evw ·!U others. The general !cope of the Apofrle in thefe words, (that I may give you that firfl:) it is ro make a general Con~lufion concerning ~he C?trupt eftate of Man by Nature, not only m refpect ofOngmal Sm (rho that JSemmently intended) but as mvolvmg all that he fa1d before. It Js, I fay, a general Conclufion, that involvetl 1 all that he C1id btfore, with an addition ofthefe three things. I. With an addition of the lirft caufe ofthe Corruption ofall Men's Hearts and Luf'cs, they are fo by Nature, faith he. 2. With an addition ofthe Punilliment that is due to Men in this Natural Con~ clition, both in refpect oftheir Natures and their lirfl: Birth, as alfo in refpect of all their Sins which in that fl:ate they continue in, They a~e Children ofWrath. A'nd, 3· W1th an addmon, or rather a conclufion of Umverfahty: It is every Man's Cafe,faith he. He had parted it before ; fame things he had faid of the Gentiles You (you Gentiles) hath hequick.ped, who were dead injni and tre.fPajJes, wherein i~ timer paft ye waif<sd. Some things likewife he had laid of the Jews, amongi1 whom we (we Jews) alfo had our converfation :•but now, in the clofe ofall, he_p.uts them both, Jews and Gentiles, together, and were by Nature the Children ofWrath, even a< others, I C1y, it is, in the firf'c place, a general Conclufion that involveth all, not only becaufe it comes in at the !aft, and fo is as it were the total Sum, but that fame word 1\o[.,,, takes in all that went before ; And were a< well a< others by Nature thus and thus, namely, We were all by Nature dead in Sins; We are all by Nature in the f'cate of Nature, ( for fo by Nahtre is alfo taken, as I !hall thew you anon ) I'Ve all by Nature, one as well as another, walf<sd according to the courfe ofthe World, and were fubje/.l:ed to the Devil. In a word, whatfoever he had laid before of Lufts, or whatfoever a Man is by Nature, his intent is to involve it here in thefc words, and to bring down upon all, all that he had fpoken. And as it holds forth a general Conclufion, involving all that went before ; fo, fecondly, it lliews efpecially the original ground of all that Corruption that is in Men's hearts ; it is by nature, it is by birth, and it is our nature. For it is clear and plain that his !cope all along is to hold forth the caufe ofall the Corruption that is in Men: therefore he calls it the wills ofthe Jlejh, and ofthe mind. The fle{h is the caufe oflufts, luf'cs are the caufe of action, and nature is the caufe of both, of all. And therefore, In the third place, you have the Punillimenr due to men in the ftate of nature, ·yea to Men in their very fir{[ birth. They are Children ofWrath,in that ftate, for all the Luftsand Sins they commit; and, they are Children ofWrath, even in the very Womb, before they commit any actual Sin. And, lafl:ly, He fpeaks univerfally of all both Jew and Gentile, We were all by nature,&c. So you have the general fcope cleared,and the reafon ofit. I !hall now come to open the phrafes. Fir!1:, for this Phrafe [ 'BJ NatHre.] 'Pelagi111, who was again!1: Original Sin, gave this Interpretation; That [ bJ Nat11re] was meant vere & germane .tl\,eZs, v~ 'Y'"~iG>s, they were truly, really, Chil– dren ofWrath ; fo the Scholiaft hath it; and fo Cyril reads it allo. And that Inter– pretation we will not omit, although it is not the utmofl: meaning of what is here intended. For [by Nature] in Scripture is meant often-times, tnt!y, really: as for example, in Gal-4-8. Ye worfbipped thofe that by Nature were no Gods; that is,tbofe that were not truly Gods, that were Gods only in opinion, not really fo. So by beingCWdrm ofWrath by Nature, is to be really and truly fuch. But that which makes this opinion fall lliort ofthe true fence, is this : for to what end thould the Apoftle fi, y they were really and truly the Children ofWrarh ? There were none held
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