I06 An Expojition of the Epiflle ·---:---:---- - s ~ birth, and while they continue in that eftate, they are Children of theWrath of ~God, and the Wrath of God abtdes upon them, as John 3· 36. Wrath is their portion from the Almtghty : And as tbey are Chtldren of theWrath of God fo of that Punifhment, which his Wrath and Indignation will inflill: eternally up~ on them, and they fl:and under the fentence of it. So that until their efl:atc be altered, God himfelf cannot do otherwife, but he mufl: out of Wrath inflil.t Punifhment upon them. And let me give you one place to open it, fee ']ob 2o. 23, & 29 compared: He memioneth there manifold Curies, that are upotYMen, over whom the Wrath of God hangeth; and fatth he, v. 23. When he if abOHt to jiUhis Bci!J, God fhall caft the fHry of his Wrath upon him, and j/Ja/1 rai1z it upon him, while he if eating: And what is the conclulion in the 29th Verfe? This is the portion ofa wic!J.!d Man from God, and the Heritage : Mark, he is a Child of Wrath, of whofe Wrath? of the Wrath of God, that abideth upon him, that hangs as a Cloud over his Head, and God will rain it upon him, while he is ca~ing; and this is his portion, it _is his due, nay, .faith he, it is the Heritage ap– pomted unto htm by God, an Hemage whtch IS gdne out by a decree from God, either from his eternal decree, as ']udtH was a Child of Perdition; or at leafl:– wife, from a Decree that goes forth out of God"s Court, out of his Word, whereby he ftandeth under the fentence of Wrath. And fo now you have the fecond Phrafe opened : .A'nd were Children of Wrath. . · · The !aft is this, Even M others. The meaning whereof in one word is this, ( only I fhall give you a parallel phrafe for it,) we Jews as well as Gentiles. So you have it, Eph. 4· 17. Walk._not as other Gentiles walk_: Or, eve>J M others, that is, even as all the refl: of Man– kind, pf what Nation foever they be, circumcifed, or uncircuD;JCifed, bond·or free; let.tbem be born in what condition foever ·they will, noble or bafe, rich or poor, high or low, we are all by Nature the Children of Wrath, we Jews as well as Gentiles. Which cloth imply thefe two Particulars : · 1. Tlie Commonnefs of this C<Jndition, that it is .the Condition of all Mankind, one as well as another, Jew as well as Gentik. · ~. "l!he equality of this Condition, Even as others, in the tame manner, in the fame deRree; others are Children or Wrath, fo are we, we Jews, even ·as the prophan~fl: Men in the.World. '- ''· So you llave the full·fcope and meaning, ( fo £,~ as the Phrafe goes ) of tllcfe wqrds : And were by nature the Children of Wrath, even as others. · r'' \ lhalfcome now to the Obfe~valicins which do arife out of thfm, which will further open and explain them. ' Jli Oblerv. '· The firlt Obfervation is founded upon that firll:•Interpretation I gave you, which was to fhew this: That that Flefh or Corruption, which was the ground of all thofe Lufl:s, which were the ground of all the Sins in Mens Lives fpoken of before ; that this Flefh, and thofeLufl:s, are Man'&Nature. So, I told you, [ by NatHre J is taken, both in Scripture, and common acceptation. h is a Saying, that Auflin quoteth out of Plato, ( tho, I ~ake it, the pl:u:e is.not now extan~ in the Works of 'Plato, becaufe it is perifhed, ) Ho1nines n.af11ra jimt nMii; that Men are evil by Nature : Neither can they ever be bronglrrt, ( taith he ) to leek:after that Righte1mfnefs, which Mankind OIJght to feek after. This was the Speech of a Heathen. It is, I fay, a Man's Nature, as he is a. Man. I Cor. 3· 3· Whilfl there are Contentions among yOH, are ye no~carnal? That is, Are you oot"Flelh? are ye not corrupt? And what f<illldws?, Do not ;-e walk_, mv7n£Tiif•; tha! is,. . ~~co~ding to. ~en ? according to y~ur kind•? acco~ding to tlnat Nature and Difpofitton that tS· m Men ? Every thmg aah•accordmg to. Its kmd; th~s to be carnal, and fubjell:ed to Lufls, is the 'Na1ure-of Man, lt is according to hiS kind. Therefore (to follow this Phrafe a little more,) irt.M;wk, 7· 20•. our "· Savtour
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