Polhill - Houston-Packer Collection BT770 .P7 1675

10 c íouo Satt%. 21 the things of God, which are the line of know- ledge to the fpiritual man endued with the fpi- rit of God ; Pofitively lays down this 7hefis, the natural man 4roxrxis úvSprewe-, the foully man, or the man that bath only a rational foul, receiveth not A O, as a full vef el is not capable of the things of the fpirit of God, for they are foolifhneßunto him, neither can he know them, becaufe they are ffiiritually difcerned ver. z'4. In this Thefts the Apoftle by the 4s9xrxós, or foully man, doth not mean a fenfual man, who hash defloured his reafon with fenfual indulgen- ces, for then lie would not have diftinguiíhed between the natural man and the fpiritual, but between the fenfual man and the rational ; nei- ther would he have difiinguifhed between the fpirit of man and the fpirit of God, but be- tween the fpirit of man or reafon drowned in fenfual pleafares, and the fpirit of man or rea- fon keeping its flation and juft authority over the fenfual appetite ; neither doth the Apoftle here mean a natural or rational man fitting in Pagan darknefs , without the Gofpel, for he faith, the natural man receiveth not the things of God, which imports an offer of the Gofpcl to him, and he receiveth them not, becaufe they ars foolifhneß.to him: which they could not be, if altogether unknown ; and (faith he) he cannot ,know them, why ? not'becaufe they are not ex- ternally propound (which is the Pagans cafe) but becaufe they are fpirituaUy &fcerned : But theApoítle here meaneth by the natural or foully man, a man of reafon, and that never forfeited C 3 by

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