WICKED MEN COMPARED TO MAD MEN. Book JV. !!. Some Men are blind ofually, either by Age, or forne Accident. Adam oefore his Fall, could fee; originally Man's Eye. fi ght was good, but Sm hath put hi>E yes out. Ill. Blind Men have not t-he comfortable Benefit of the Sun: So wicked M en re· ceive not the heavenly and fweet Beneftt of the Sun of Righteoufnefs. Though the Sun lhines never fo bright, a blind Man is never the better for it, unltfs his Eyes were opened : So though the Gofpel be preached never fo powerfully, yet wicked Men fee not, nor can they, till the Eyes of their Underlland ing are enlightened, ' IV. Blind Men f\umbk, and know not many tito1es at what they f\umhl" ; they ailo are in great Danger, without a fure Guide : So wicked Men know not wh.1t they f\:um– ble at; they Humble at God himfelf, and at Cflfllt, when they !tumble at his Trmh, . and his People: They know nut whither they go, nor the dreadful Danger they are in; they think they are in the right \'Jqy to !-leaven, and yet are in the bro<~d Way to Hell ; they are led oft-times by thofe who are as blind as themfelves; And if the Blind lead the Bli11d, they will both f all into the Ditch. V. Some Mens na' ural l31indnels harh been by the juft J udgmenr of God upon them for their Sin: So God in a Way of Judgment blinds the Eyes of f<>me Men, after common Illuminations. H.e is faid to blind their E)es, and harden. their Hearts, that is, he denies them his Grace, and withd~:aws thole con1mon Influences of it from them, fuffering Satan to take full Power of them, leaving them tO' tht\ir V\\.O !-leans Lulh, . a?d fo confequently to finallmpenirency, Job xii. +O· lfa. xliv. 18. Rom. xi. 8. D I S P A .R T Y. I. MEN \vho are naturally blind, would gladly fee ; they lamen· ·nothing more than the L ofs of their Eye-light : But ,•.icked Men are willingly blind, they love Darknefs rather than Light, and refufe the Means God is plcafed to afford them, in order to the opening their Eyes. I!. Men who are natural iy blind, do.gladly accept of a faithful and fure Guide : But wicked Men, who are fpirirually blind, refufe that Guide God directs them tQ, 'Uiz. his holy Word; they are neither thankful to God, nor good Men, . for any Help afforded them; nay, they vilify fuch as would take them by rhe Hand to fave them out of the Pit of eternal Mlfery. There is no Blindnefs l1keJpi rirual B.lindners. Coil , upon wicked Men, and entreat them never fo often and earncflly, Pray do not go that -Way, rake heed, Man, 0 take heed 1 there is a Pit before you; alas t you are going into t he Lion's Den, nay, worfe, into everlafting F ire, to Death and He 1: Yet thele blind Wretches will go on, live or die, ftnk or fwim, ..all is.one; no AJv:ce-or'vVarn- . ing will be received. 'W I'C KED MEN COMPARED TO M AD ME N. :Yea a!fo ·the H eart of the Sans .of Men is full of. Evil, and Madnefs is in their Heam wbilft they live, &c. Ecclef. ix. 3· ·When be came to himfelf, he Jaid, Hrnv, many hired Servants of my Father haw Bread maugh, and to ;pare? &c. Luke xv. 17. ( WICKED Men are fet .forth in the Scripture as Men our of their W i:s, Men dif· traCl:ed, mad Men : And truly the C hoice they make, their ACtions, and Be– -havior lhew, as if they were indeed bdiJes ti.emfelves ; they are really void of rioht , Reafon, or Men that have loft their. fpiritual Underftanding. "' P A R A L L E L ~ -I. A Mad "Man is .one that -is derrived of his natural Reafon, a Beafl:, as it were, in the Shitpe of a Man : Su all the Ungodly of the Earth have lofl: their fpi· ritual Reafon, they are M en <•f no Undedland lllg, and more fitly may be faid to be Bealis iR the Form Shape uf Men, than !uch as have loft their human Rcafon. H. .Some m.:1d Mtn .are dtfperate, and very miiChievous, care not what hurt thev ...do: 0 how detperate are .wicked Men ! Ho.w .will they fwear, curfe, and b!alpheme 3 the
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=