An Expojition upon the And thus you fee What this Concupifcence is, and the Degrees of ir; viz. the firil: Bubblings up of evil Thoughts in our Hearts; our Complacency and Delight in them (as indeed ic is very hard, and much againft corrupt Nature\ not to love thefe Firft~ born between our Souls,) tbe Affent and Allowance of ou r Judgment, and rhe Decree and Refolurion of our Wills, each of thefe are forbidden in this Commandment . Bur iftbe Sin proceeds any further it then exceeds the Bounds and Limits of thi; Commandmenr, and falls under the Prohibition of fame of the former, which forbid the outward Aas of Sin. Thus much concerning Evil Concupifcmce in the general : Bu[ here is mention like· wife mad~ ~ffeveral panicular Obje8:s of ir) Thy Neighbour's Houft, bit Wife, bit Servants, bu Cattle: (under which are comprthen.: ed all Sorrs of his Polfdfions;) and all is included under the laft Claufe, l"v"orany Thing that it thy Neighbour's: So that to defire to take from him either his Life, or his good Name, or his Virtue, is this condemned Covetoufnefs., as well as a De fire to take from him his Temporal Poffeffions and Enjoyments. I !hall clofe up all with fame Praaical life and Improvement. Firjl, Learn bete to adorerheunlimired and b"undldSSovereignty of the Gfear God, His Authority immediately reacbeth to the ve:1y Soul and ConfCience, and lays an Obligation upon out very Thoughts and Defires, whicb no Humane Laws can do, It is bm a Folly fOr Men to intermeddle with or impote Laws upon tbat of which they can take no Cognizance: And therefore our Th0ughrs and Defires are free from theirCenfure any fanher than they difcover themfelvcs by Overr A&. But rho,. fhty ekape the Commands and Notice of Men, ye t they cannot efcape G d. He futh mt as Men fee, neicher judgeth be as il'len judge; the Secrets of all Hearts are optn and bare befOre his EJes. He: looks through our very Suuls, and there is not the leaft hint of a Thought, not the leafi Breath of a Defire, ftirring in us, but it is more difiinE\ly vifible unto him than the mofi opacous Bodies are unto tJS, The Lord J:noWeth the Thoughts of Men, that they arc Vanity, PJ31. '4· 1 r. And therefore his: law, like his Knowledge, reachi::lh umo the moll fecret Rcccfl'es of the Soul, fearc.h· etb every Corner of the Heart, judgeth and condemns thof€~ callow Lufis which Men never eipy; and if tbefe find Harbour and Shelter there, condemns thee as a Tranf· greffor, and guilty of Eterna1 Death, bow plaufible foever thy External Demeanout may he. And the!efOre, Secondly, Content not thy felfwirh an outward Conformity to the L;;~w, hut labour to approve thineHeart in Sincerity and Purity unto God, otherwife thou :m but a Pharifaical Hypocrite, and wafheft only the our fide of rhe Cup, when within thou an fl:ill full ot unclean Lufts. ' This was the corrupt DoEhine 0f the Scribes and Pharifees, that the LaWreached only to the outward Man; and ahho' weenrerrain'd and cheriCh'd wicked Defires, and evil Purpofes, in our Hearts, yet as long as they did not break fOrth imo outward Crimes they were not ro be imputed unto us; nor did God account them as Sins. And this St. Paul confdfeth of himfelf, that whilft he was tra-ined up in Phari'faical Principles he did not underfiand the inward Mori.. ohS of 1.\t!ls to be Sins. Bur alas! This is but gilding over a d1y and rotten Port; which, £hlil-' it may look beautiful to Men, yet when God comes ro examine it will ~ Sulusin· not abid: the .fiery Trial"'· Thou art as truly a Murtherer, a_ Thief, an Adul~erer,. in traftqui God's S1ghc ·lf thou doft but harbour bloody, unclean, UnjuU, Thoughts In thme ~titat ul· Heart, as thou would'fl be in Mens if thou thould'ft a8:ually kill, or fteal, or waltu~f~lli . low, in the open and profeffed AEl.s of Uncleannefs. Indeed moft Men do herein grof- ~~~ntn h..- Jy delude themfelv-es; and if they can but refrain from the outward Commiffion of s~~:J~;: grofs and fcandalous Sins, they v-ery feldom reflc~ upon their Hcart·Lufis, wh.ich like '£v 'Tii deep Ulcers rankle inwardly, and perhaps grow rncurable, when all the whtle they rql'l~icr~ may be skinn'd over with a fair and inoffenfi,,e Life. Altho' the Heart elluareand boil ~~v.up.,o.j: over with malicious, revengeful, Iafcivious, Thoughts, yet they ufually difpence with J~~ ...";;";. 0 thef.:, anrl their natural Confcience indulgetb them without Difhnbance. Bur deceive Aritt. not your fdva. God is not mocked, nor can he beimpofed upon by External Shews; Rhe. neither will he judge of thee as others do, or as thou thy felf doft: 1know it is a very ~· 14· difficult Thing tO convince Men of the great Evil tf.ar there is inliriful Thoughts ar.d Excufes, and therefore very difficult to pe::rfwade them to labour againO: them; for becaufe they are of a fmall and minute Being. therefore Men think they carry in them but ffnall Guilt) and little Danger. Every Man that bath but a Remnant of Confcien<e left him will beware of grofs and notorious Crimes, that cmy the Matk of!-!~~
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