the man fick of the pally, Matth. ix. 2.) he plainly discovered, that it was his main errand into the world to cure the difeafes of the foul. I find a miracle wrought upon one that was born blind, performed in fuch a way, as feems to have been defigned to let the world fee in it, as in a glass, their cafe and cure, John ix. 6. He made clay, and anointed the eyes of the blind man, with the clay. What could more fitly reprefent the blindness of men's minds, than eyes closed up with earth? Ifa vi. 1. fout their eyes; fhut them up by anointing or cafting them with mortar, as the word would bear. And Chap. xliv. 18. he hath fhut their eyes; the word properly fignifies, he hath plaistered their eyes; as the houfe in which the leprofy had been, was to be plaistered, Lev. xiv. 42. Thus the Lord's word difcovers the design of that ftrange work; and by it fhews us, that the eyes of our underftanding are naturally fhut. Then the blind man muft go and wash off this clay in the pool of Siloam; no other water will serve this purpose. If that pool had not reprefented him, whom the Father fent into the world, to open the blind eyes, (Ifa. xlii. 7.) I think the Evangelift had not given us the interpretation of the name, which he fays, fignifies, fent, John ix. 7. And fo we may con lude, that the natural darknefs of our hinds is fuch, as there is no cure for; but from the blood and Spirit of Jefus Chrift, whofe eye-falve, only can make us fee, Rev. in. 18.

Evid. 2. Every natural man's heart and life is a mafs of darkness, diforder and confufion; how refined foever he appear in the fight of men. For we ourselves alfo, faith the apostle Paul, were fometimes foolish, difbedient, deceived, ferving divers lufts and pleafures, Tit.iii. 3. and yet at that time, which this text looks to, he was blameless, touching the righteoufnefs which is in the law, Phil, iii. 6. This is a plain evidence that the eye is evil, the whole body being full of darkness, Mat. vi. 23. The unrenewed part of mankind is rambling through the world, like fo many blind men; who will neither take a guide, nor can guide themselves; and therefore are falling over this and the other precipice, into deftruction. Some are running after their covet. oufnefs, till they be pierced through with many forrows; some sticking in the mire of fenfuality; others dashing themfelves on the rock of pride and felf-conceit; every one ftumbling on fome one ftone of ftumbling or other all of them are running themselves upon the fword-point of juftice, while they eagerly follow, whither their unmortified paffions and affections lead them; and while fome are lying alone in the way, others are coming up, and falling headlong over them. And therefore, Wo unto the (blind) world because of offences, Matth. xviii. 7. Errors in judgment fwarm in the world; because it is night, wherein all the beasts of the forreft do creep forth. All the unregenerate are utterly mistaken in the point of true happinefs; for tho' Chriftianity hath fixed that matter in point of principle; yet nothing less than overcoming grace can fix it in the practical judgAll men agree in the defire to be happy: 'but amongit unG

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State II. renewed men, touching the way to happiness, there are almost as many opinions as there are men; they being turned every one to his own way, Ifa. liii 6. They are like the blind Sodomites about Let's house, all were feeking to find the door, fome grope one part of the wall for it, fome another; but none of them could certainly fay, hè had found it and fo the natural man may fumble on any good but the chief good. Look into thine own unregenerate heart, and there thou wilt fee all turned upfide down: heaven lying under, and earth a-top, look into thy life, there thou mayft fee, how thou art playing the madinan, fhatching at fhadows, and neglecting the fubftance, eagerly flying after that which is not, and flighting that which is, and will be for ever.

Evid. 3. The natural man is always as a workman left without light; either trifling or doing inifchief. Try to catch thy heart at any time thou wilt, and thou fhall find it either weaving the Spider's web, or hatching cockatrice-eggs, (Ifa. lix. 5.) roving thro' the world, or digging into the pit; filled with vanity, or elfe with vileness, bufy doing nothing, or what is worfe then nothing. A fad fign of a dark mind.

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Evid. 4. The natural man is void of the faving knowledge of Spiritual things. He knows not what a God he has to deal with; he is unacquainted with Chrift; and knows not what fin is. greatest graceless wits are blind as moles in these things. Ay, but fome fuch can fpeak of them to good purpose: and fo might thefe Ifraelites of the temptations, figns and miracles, their eyes had feen, (Deut. xxix. 3.) to whom neverthelefs the Lord had not given an heart to perceive, and eyes to fee, and ears to hear, unto that day, ver 4. Many a man that bears the name of a Chriftian, may make Pharaoh's confeffion of faith, Exod. v. 2. I know not the Lord, neither will they let go when he commands them to part with. God is with them as a prince in difguife among his fubjects, who meets with no better treatment from them, than if they were his fellows, Pfal. 1. 21. Do they know Chrift, or fee his glory, and any beauty in him for which he is to be defired? if they did, they would not flight him as they do: a view of his glory would fo darken all created excellency, that they would take him for, and instead of all, and gladly clofe with him, as he offereth himself in the gofpel, John iv. 10. Pfal. ix. 10. Matth. xiii. 44, 45, 59. Do they know what fin is, who hug the ferpent in their bofom, hold faft deceit, and refufe to let it go? I own indeed they may have a natural knowledge of those things, as the unbelieving Jews had of Chrift, whom they faw and converfed with: but there was fpiritual glory in him, perceived by believers only, Joh i.-14. and in refpect of that glory, the (unbelieving) world knew him not, ver. 10. But the fpiritual knowledge of them they cannot have; it is above the reach of the carnal mind, 1 Cor. ii, 14. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, for they are fpiritually difcerned, He may indeed difcourfe of them; but no other

way

way than one can talk of honey or vinegar, who never tafted the sweetness of the one, nor the fournefs of the other. He has fome notions of spiritual truths, but fees not the things themselves, that are wrapt up in the words of truth, 1 Tim. i. 7. Understanding neither. what they fay, nor whereof they affirm. In a word, natural men fear, feek, confefs, they know not what. Thus may you fee man's underftanding naturally is overwhelmed with grofs darkness in fpiritual things. Thirdly, There is in the mind of man a natural bias to evil, whereby it comes to país, that whatever difficulties it finds, while occupied about things truly good, it acts with a great deal of eafe in evil; as being in that cafe, in its own element, Jer. iv. 22. The carnal mind arives heavily in the thoughts of good; but furioufly in the thoughts of evil. While holiness is before it, fetters are upon it: but when once it has got over the hedge, it is as the bird got out of the cage, and becomes a free-thinker indeed. Let us reflect a little on the apprehenfion and imagination of the carnal mind; and we fhall find unconteftible evidence of this woful bias to evil.

Evidence 1. As when a man, by a violent ftroke on the head, lofeth his fight, there ariseth to him a kind of falfe light, whereby he perceiveth a thousand airy nothings; fo man being ftruck blind to all that is truly good, and for his eternal intereft, has a light of another fort brought into his mind; his eyes are opened, knowing evil, and fo are the words of the tempter verified, Gen. iii. 5. The words of the Prophet are plain, They are wife to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge, Jer. iv. 22. The mind of man has a natural dexterity to devife mifchief: none are fo fimple, as to want fkill to contrive ways to gratify their lufts, and ruin their fouls; tho' the power of every one's hand cannot reach to put their devices in execution. None needs to be taught this black art; but as weeds grow up, of their own accord in the neglected ground, fo doth this wisdom (which is earthly, fenfual, devilish, James iii. 15) grow up in the minds of men, by virtue of the corruption of their nature. Why fhould we be furprised with the product of corrupt wits: their cunning devices to affront heaven, to oppofe and run down truth and holiness, and to gratify their own and other men's lufts? They row with the ftream; no wonder they make great progrefs: their stock is within them, and increaseth by using of it: and the works of darkness are contrived with the greater advantage, that the mind is wholly deftitute of fpiritual light, which, if it were in them, in any meature, would fo far mar the work, 1 John iii. 9. Whofoever is born of God; doth not commit fin; he does it not as by art, for his feed remaineth in him. But on the other hand, It is a fport for a fool to do mifchief: but a man of understanding hath wisdom, Prov. x. 23. To do witty wickedness nicely, as the word imports, is as a sport, or a play to a fool; it comes off with him eafily; and why, but becaufe he is a fool, and hath not wisdom; which would mar the contrivances of darknefs? The more natural a thing is, it is done the more calily.

State II, renewed men, touching the way to happiness, there are almost as many opinions as there are men; they being turned every one to his own way, Ifa. liii. 6. They are like the blind Sodomites about Let's honfe, all were feeking to find the door, fome grope one part of the wall for it, fome another; but none of them could certainly fay, hè had found it and fo the natural man may ftumble on any good but the chief good. Look into thine own unregenerate heart, and there thou wilt fee all turned upfide down: heaven lying under, and earth a-top, look into thy life, there thou mayft fee, how thou art playing the madman, fhatching at fhadows, and neglecting the fubftance, eagerly flying after that which is not, and flighting that which is, and will be for ever.

The

Evid. 3. The natural man is always as a workman left without light; either trifling or doing inifchief. Try to catch thy heart at any time thou wilt, and thou fhall find it either weaving the Spider's web, or hatching cockatrice-eggs, (Ifa. lix. 5.) roving thro' the world, or digging into the pit; filled with vanity, or elfe with vilenefs, bufy doing nothing, or what is worfe then nothing. A fad fign of a dark mind. Evid. 4. The natural man is void of the faving knowledge of /fpiritual things. He knows not what a God he has to deal with; he is unacquainted with Chrift; and knows not what fin is. greatest graceless wits are blind as moles in these things. Ay, but fome fuch can fpeak of them to good purpose: and fo might these Ifraelites of the temptations, figns and miracles, their eyes had feen, (Deut. xxix. 3.) to whom nevertheless the Lord had not given an heart to perceive, and eyes to fee, and ears to hear, unto that day, ver 4. Many a man that bears the name of a Chriftian, may make Pharaoh's confeffion of faith, Exod. v. 2. I know not the Lord, neither will they let go when he commands them to part with. God is with them as a prince in difguife among his fubjects, who meets with no better treatment from them, than if they were his fellows, Pfal. 1. 21. Do they know Chrift, or fee his glory, and any beauty in him for which he is to be defired? if they did, they would not fight him as they do: a view of his glory would fo darken all created excellency, that they would take him for, and inftead of all, and gladly clofe with him, as he offereth himself in the gospel, John iv. 10. Pfal. ix. 10. Matth. xiii. 44, 45, 59. Do they know what fin is, who hug the ferpent in their bofom, hold faft deceit, and refufe to let it go? I own indeed they may have a natural knowledge of thofe things, as the unbelieving Jews had of Chrift, whom they faw and converfed with but there was fpiritual glory in him, perceived by believers only, Joh i.-14. and in respect of that glory, the (unbelieving) world knew him not, ver. 10. But the fpiritual knowledge of them they cannot have; it is above the reach of the carnal mind, 1 Cor. ii. 14. The natural man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of God, for they are foolishness unto him: neither can he know them, for they are fpiritually difcerned, He may indeed difcourfe of them; but no other

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way than one can talk of honey or vinegar, who never tafted the sweetness of the one, nor the fournels of the other. He has fome notions of spiritual truths, but fees not the things themselves, that are wrapt up in the words of truth, 1 Tim. i. 7. Understanding neither. what they fay, nor whereof they affirm. In a word, natural men fear, feek, confefs, they know not what. Thus may you fee man's underftanding naturally is overwhelmed with grofs darkness in spiritual things. Thirdly, There is in the mind of man a natural bias to evil, whereby it comes to pafs, that whatever difficulties it finds, while occupied about things truly good, it acts with a great deal of eafe in evil; as being in that cafe, in its own element, Jer. iv. 22. The carnal mind rives heavily in the thoughts of good; but furioufly in the thoughts of evil. While holiness is before it, fetters are upon it: but when once it has got over the hedge, it is as the bird got out of the cage, and becomes a free-thinker indeed. Let us reflect a little on the apprehenfion and imagination of the carnal mind; and we fhall find unconteftible evidence of this woful bias to evil.

Evidence 1. As when a man, by a violent stroke on the head, lofeth his fight, there arifeth to him a kind of falfe light, whereby he perceiveth a thousand airy nothings; fo man being ftruck blind to all that is truly good, and for his eternal intereft, has a light of another fort brought into his mind; his eyes are opened, knowing evil, and fo are the words of the tempter verified, Gen. iii. 5. The words of the Prophet are plain, They are wife to do evil, but to do good they have no knowledge, Jer. iv. 22. The mind of man has a natural dexterity to devife mifchief: none are fo fimple, as to want fkill to contrive ways to gratify their lufts, and ruin their fouls; tho' the power of every one's hand cannot reach to put their devices in execution. None needs to be taught this black art; but as weeds grow up, of their own accord in the neglected ground, fo doth this wisdom (which is earthly, fenfual, devilish, James iii. 15) grow up in the minds of men, by virtue of the corruption of their nature. Why fhould we be furprifed with the product of corrupt wits: their cunning devices to affront heaven, to oppofe and run down truth and holiness, and to gratify their own and other men's lufts? They row with the ftream; no wonder they make great progrefs: their stock is within them, and increaseth by using of it: and the works of darkness are contrived with the greater advantage, that the mind is wholly deftitute of fpiritual light, which, if it were in them, in any meature, would fo far mar the work, 1 John iii. 9. Whofoever is born of God, doth not commit fin; he does it not as by art, for his feed-remaineth in him. But on the other hand, It is a fport for a fool to do mifchief: but a man of underftanding hath wisdom, Prov. x. 23. To do witty wickedness nicely, as the word imports, is as a sport, or a play to a fool; it comes off with him eafily; and why, but because he is a fool, and hath not wifdom; which would mar the contrivances of darknefs? The more natural a thing is, it is done the more easily.