53.3. fpeaks of fome Men, that they are altogether become filthy, the Apostle Rom. 3. 10,12,13. applies to all, in their unregenerate state. So what is fpoken of the unfenfibleness of fome Mens Confciences, may be applied to all, in their unregenerate state: for the longer they continue in that state, the fooner they grow to that degree of ftupidity, to be (as they Eph. 4. 18.) past all feeling: Confcience in their Breasts, is, as it were, in a dead fleep; it fuffers them to live in a state of fin, and go on in a way of fin, without any check, or any, that is to any purpofe regarded; like a Serpent that is charmed, and neither itings, nor bites. Gen. 37.25. And they fate down to eat bread, af ter they had caft their Brother into a pit. În this fad cafe is the Soul, in refpect of the Understanding, and the Conscience.

4

8

3. But in fome refpects, the most woful defolation of all, is made in the Will. It is true that original corruption frets like a gangrene through the whole Soul, but the poifon of it chiefly hath infected the Will. All that the Scripture fpeaks of the hardness of the heart, and of the stiff neck, and the Iron-finew, is little or nothing else, but the obftinacy, and frowardnefs, and perverfeness of the Will. Much might be faid to this But I fhall inftance only in this; that it is full of contrariety to the holy, and righte

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righteous will of God. I would, faith God, and ye would not, as he often complains in the Scripture, Matth. 23. 27. Pfal. 81. 11. This is the mifery of an unregenerate Soul: for the will of God is not only abfolutely good in it felf, but it is alfo Relatively good to every Soul, that in godly fincerity fubmits to it. Mich. 6. 8, He hath fhewed thee, O Man, what is good (good for thee) Deut.6. ·24, The Lord commanded us to do all these Statutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always. So that the Will of Man is abfolutely cross to the happiness of the whole Man, in being fo cross to the Will of God. It may truly be faid of every Man, That nothing ftands fo much in the way of his Salvation, as his own Will. Joh. 5.40, And ye will not come unto me, that ye might have life. I might farther exemplifie this, in fhewing how corrupt, and naught it is in all its operations, in choofing what it ought to loath. Prov. 21. 10, The Soul of the wicked defireth evil. Ifa. 66. 3,—their Soul delighteth in their abominations. And in loathing what it ought to choose. It is charged up. on them, Levit. 26. 43. That their Souls

abhorred the Word of God; Weir Souls

not fuf

fer it to come near their hearts, but caft it behind their backs, Pfal. 50. 17. Neither is this out of Diftemper only, as a Man when he is fick may loath the meat, which he loves when

D.3

when he is well; but out of antipathy, and inbred enmity, which may be mortified, but can never be reconciled. Nay, it is farther charged, Zech. 11.8, That their Souls abhorred God himself; though not as an univerfal good, and the giver of every good thing but as a particular good, and crofs to their lufts, and carnal interefts: When it comes to that, then they fay, as Job. 21.14. Therefore, they say to the Almighty, depart from us, for we defire not the knowledge of thy ways. Of fuch things, they are willingly ionorant 2 Pet. 3. 5. I fhall fhut up this fad difcourse with this: That the will of every unregenerate Soul, is called, The will of the Flesh, Epb.2.3. And the will of the Flesh, is the very fame with that which is called, The will of the Devil, 2 Tim. 2. 26.

Thus ye have fomething spoken, to both the branches of the first thing that was propofed for the explication of the Point.

(1.) What the Soul is in refpect of its original conftitution. This is fit to be confidered; otherwise it will be (I think) im poffible to convince a Man of the truth of the Doctrine. That of all profperities, the profperity of the Soul is the most defirable prof perity.

(2.) In what cafe it is, in its unregenerate ftate, by reason of original corruption : Otherwife, it will be as hard to convince a

Man,

Man, of the abfolute neceffity of minding, as he ought, the wellfare and profperity of his Soul. In refpect of the former, one

would think it were impoffible, that a Man believing this to be true, and that his Soul muft live with him, when he is dead, either in Eternal happiness, or Eternal mifery, fhould fuffer fuch an excellent thing to be loft, and perish through his own default. In respect of the latter, one would think it impoffible, that fuch a vile, fuch an abominable thing as fin hath made it, fhould ever come to he good, and profper. And, indeed, it is beyond the power of Men, or Angels to effect it. The recovery of a loft Soul is more pretious then fo. But to this it may be faid, as our Saviour faid to his Difciples, Mat. 19.26, With Men, it is impoffible, but all things are poffible to God.

2. I proceed to the fecond thing propofed, to fhew, wherein the profperity of the Soul confifts, and when it may be faid, to prof per?

By way of Answer to this, we must take notice, that Soul-profperity, comes under a double confideration.

1. In refpect of its Rife.

2. In refpect of its Growth.

1. In refpect of its Rife, and first Foundation. This must be confidered two ways.

(1) Either as looking, after it, upward,

without us:

(2.) Or looking after it, inwardly, with

in us.

1. If we look after it, upward, we shall find its first foundation laid in God's Eternal, Electing Love.

2. If we look after it inwardly, within us, then we fhall find, that it begins in that day, and hour, when by the word and spirit of Chrift the whole Man, both Body and Soul, is brought into a state of Fellowship, and Union with Chrift. Which is done, and not done any other way (I fpeak not of Elect Infants, dying in their infancy) then by obeying the call of Chrift, to come to him, and abide with him, and in him, refigning our felves to him, to be ruled, and faved by him, in his own way: Thus understand it.

will

1. God's Eternal love, is God's Eternal purpose, to work in the Soul, in his appointed time, that good thing, which he knows, put it into a capacity of profpering, Eph. 1.9, He made known to us the mystery of his will, according to his good pleafure, as he had purpofed in himself, ver. 11, In whom (that is, in Chrift) we have obtained an inheritance, being predeftinated according to the purpofe of him who worketh all things after the counfel of his own will. This Eternal purpofe, ye fee, to

do