to the E P H E S I A N S. Saviour ChriO: faith, That wl:ich cometh o11t of the Man, that defileth the Man: For~ fro!JJ within, (faith )le ) out of the Heart of Man, proceedeth em! Tho11ghts, ~c.~ That is what cometh from the Nature of Man, from hts natural Dtfpofitton, . from the intrinCecal Principles, which his Nature and Heart is made up of, that defiles the Man. Therefore a Man is faid to Go, de proprio, of his own, as the Pevil is likewife (aid to do, in John 8. And a Man's LuO:s (as I faid before ) are called his own Lufl:s. And as what comes from within, (as all fort of Sins do) argues this to .be a Man's Nature; fo likewife what aMan takes in from without, what it is he lives m, what ts hiS Element, argues hts Nature too: As a thtrO:y man, you may know what hi~ difp?Gtion is wi~hin, by ~hat he takes in from without ; or, as tt ts Wtth a Ft!b, tt ts natural to tt to hve tn the Water, to drmk in Water: fo a ·Man is compared to a Fi!b, that cloth continually drink in Water, in Job I 5· I 6. How muoh more abo'?i':lable and filthy is Man, which drinJ:!th lniqHity like Water? And hence no':" tt ts, that M.en~re ne~er weary of Gnnmg, nay ·tho happily they may fpend thetr natural Spmts tn Gnnmg,yet thetr Lufl:s are nev~r weary. As they cannot ceafe from Sin, (as Peter faith) fo they are never weary in it ; why ? becaufe it is their Nature, it is natural to them to fin. As the Eye, becaufe it is natural to it to fee, it is never weary of feeing ; the Eye indeed may be weary thus, for want of bodily Spirits, and fo Men may be weary of Gnning; but if there could frill come Spirits to the Eye, it would never be we~ry of feeing, why ? becaufe it is natural to it to fee : And fo it is with all the Lufl:s in the Hearts of Men, it is their Nature. Hence it is, that Infants will fin without being taught. A Child left to himfelf, (faith Solomon, Prov. 2 9· I 5· ) bri»geth his Mother to fhame : Do but leave him to himfelf, and his very Nature will carry him on to it. And, 'Pfal. 58. 3· The wic%d go aftray from the Womb, JPeakjng Lies. A Child, that never heard a Lie in•his Life, never knew what a Lie was from another, yet he will tell a Lie, he will do it from himlelf, and he cloth it from the very Womb ; the Nature of Man will feek out thefe Inventions, as Ecc!efaftes bath it, chap. 7· ult. You may fee the reafon therefore, ( befides what is matter of humiliation, which I !ball mention afterwards,) why Grace, tho it be in a Man's Heart, yet doth not thriye there, further than the Holy-Ghofl: cloth in a fupernatural way accompany it; and why Sin thrives fo fafl:, the reafon is, becaufe Sin is thy Na– ture, it is that which thou hafl: as thou art a Man ; thou walkefl: as a Man whyfl: thou finnefl:. That which lEforfaid to his Mafl:er, when he came into his Gar– den, and faw fo many Weeds in it, is applicable unto this : His Mafl:er asked liim, What was the reafon that the Weeds grew up 1r, fafl:, and the Herbs thrived not ? He anfwered, The Ground is the natural Mother to the Weeds, but a Stepmother to the Herbs: So the Heart of Man is the natural Mother to Sin and Corruption, but .a Stepmother to Grace and GoodnefS; and further than it is watered from Heaven, and followed with a great deal cif care and pains, it grows not. And likewife, if it be thy Nature, walk in a continual fearfulnefs of it ; tho thou hafl: mortified a Lufl: never·fo much, yet there is a root remaining, as Job bath tt, chap. 14. 8. Tho the root thereof wax old in the Earth, and the Stock_ thereof d1e zn the Gro;md ; yet through the [cent uf W4ter, it will bud, and bring forth !Jtmghs li% a Plant : So it is with us, why ? becaufe it is Nature. Therefore fear mallthyw~ys. lwasafraid.(faith David, Pfal. 38. 17.) left my Foot fhould i!'~: And 10 v. I a. that whtch we tranllate, I was forry for my Sin, 1 find that Jt .ts, I was cautelo!H, I was fearjitl for my Sin, fearful fl:ill lefl: I lhould flip: I ~tll declare tt, and <;6nfefs it, ufe all means againfl: it, becaufe it is my Nature. And you fee the reafon alfo, why that Corruption is never got out of you, no, not ttll you die; why ? becaufe it is involved, it is blended, it is mingled Wtth your Nature; it is like the Ivy in the Wall, (it is the old comparifon that tj: Fathers ufed, but I !ball give you another) : It ii like the Lepers Houfe in ''· 14. 4;5· the Leprofy could never be got out, till Houfe and all were pulled down. It IS a· Note of tbat.Sin that dwells in us, as the Apofl:le's· Phrafe is, ~ 0 2 'f?!m.
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