212 An Expojition upon tb.e diftina Precept, why not alfo Thou fhalt not ctJVtt bi.I Manfuuanr: Tbou jbtJ!t not covet his Ox, &c~ Bdldes the Order of the Words makes clearly ;~gainft them: For whereas they make Tboujhalt not cwet rhy Neighbour's Wife to be the Ninth, in the Text thofe Wcrds, Thou fhalr not covet thy Neigbbour's Houfe go before them: So that either they muft needs confers it to belong to the Tenth or elfe muft grant a moO: unintelligible Hyperbation both ofSenfe and Words; filch' as would bring in utter Confufion and Diforder amongfi thofe Laws which God cenainly pte· fcribed us in a moll Admirable Method and Dilpolition. But to !peak no more at chis: The Sin here prohibited is Concupifcence, or an unlawfullufting aiter what is-another Man's. fc1r fi nce God had in the other Commandment forbidden the ACts of Sin againft our Neighhour, he well knew that the beft Means to kec:p them from ~ommitting Sin in AEt would bt: ro keep them from d_diring it in ~ean; and theretore he who is a Spirit if!1pofeth a Law upon our Spirtts, and forbtds us to covet what before he had forbtddt:n os to perpetrate. It is true that other Precepts are Spirituallikewife, and their Authority reacherh to the Mind, and the rnoft tecret Thoughts and Imaginati ons of the Hearr. For our SJviour Mat/b. '5· accufeth him of Adultery that doth bur luft after a Woman, and him of Murder that is but attgty with his Brorher without a Caufe. And it is a moft certain Rule, that wharfoever Precept prohibits the outward A El of any Sin, prohibits likewift: the inward Propenfion and Defires of the Soul towards it. But becaufe rhefe are not plainly and literally exprefS'd in the former Commands, therefOre the infinite Wifdom of God thought it fir to add this laft Command, wherein he dorh exprtfly trraign and condemn the very firft Motions of our ~earrs cowards any finful ObjeCl. And whereas before he had commanded us not to Kill, not to Sreal, not to commit Adultery, not to Slander, and bea1 fahe Witnefs; now) in the ldft Place, for thegrea· ter Security that thefe his Laws fhould not be violated, he commands us not fo much as to harbour in out Hearts any Defire towards tbefe. So that this Temb Command· mem may well be called Vincu/utp Legis '; and it is efpecially rhe Bond tbat ftreng· t,bens and confirms the Second T•ble. For becaufe all our outward AEtions ~ake 1htit firft Rife from our inward Motions and COncupifCence, there is no fuch Way to provide for our lnnocency as to lay a Check and ReO:raint upon tbefc. Now Concupifcence is fometimes taken in Scrip!ure in a Gcod Senfe, bur more often in an Evil. There is an Honeft and Lawful Concupifcence when we defire thofe Things which are lawful, to which we have Right, and of "hich. we have Need . .There is like wife an Holy , and Pious, and aWicked , and Sinful, Concupifcence. We bave both together, Gal. S· 17. The Flrjh /ufletbagain/1 the Spirit, and rbe Spirit a· gainfi the Flejh. It is ooly concerning this finful Concopifcence that we are at prefcnt to fp:ak. Now this Evil Concupifcence is the Firll·born ofOriginal Sin, the firll Elfay and 'Exprdlion of that Corruption which barb feized on us, and on all the wretched Pofterity of Jidam. For in Original Sin, (befides the Guilr which refults from rbe lm· putation oft he Primitive Tranfgrcffion to us, and makes us liable to Eternal Death,) i:here is likevrife an univerfal Depravation of our Natures, confifling in Two Things. F'irft, In a Lo!S of thofe Spiritual Perfefl.ions wherewi th Man was endowed in his t:reatiol. And this is the defacillg of the Image of God,. which was ftamp'd upon our Nature in Knowledge, Righteoulnefs, and true Holinels ; And as a Confequent upon this, Secondly, In a violent Propenflon and Inclina tion to whatfoever is really Evil, aod contrary ro the Holy Will and Commands of God. And this is the Image of tbe Devil, into which Man by his voluntary Apoftafie and Deteaion bath transformed himfelf. Now this inonlinate Inclination of the Soul to what is ev1l and fi,Jf.l is propetly this Concupifcence forbidden io this Commandment. For the S•)ul ot Man being an aaive and bufie Creature, mull ftill be putting forth itklf in A<tions fuitil; ble to its Nature. But before the Fall Man enj oy'd Supernatural Gran\J though in a natural Way, which inabled him ro point every the lea (t Motio of his Soul towards God, and ro fix him as rhe Objefl and End of all his Aaions: But fOrfeiting this Grace by the Fall) and being l..:ft in 1he HJnds of meer Nature, all his AEl:ions now, inftead of afpiring unto G{...d, pi rch only upon the Creature. And rhis bec;omes Sin untO us, not meerly becaufe wt: alf,a and defire Created Good, (forthat is lawful,) but becaule we aflea and dch.e it in an inordinate Manner; wat is, without affeaing and defiring God. And · rhus
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