They always refift the Holy Ghost. They defire not the knowledge of his ways; and therefore bid him depart from them. The old calumny is often raised upon him, en that occafion, John x. 20. He is mad, why hear ye him? Soul-exercife raised by the spirit of bondage, is accounted by many, nothing elfe but diftraction, and melancholy fits; men thus blafpheming the Lord's work, because they themselves are beside themselves, and cannot judge of thefe matters.

Evid. 2. Confider the entertainment he meets with, when he comes to teach men outwardly by his word.

1.) His written word, the Bible, is flighted; Chrift hath left it to us, as the book of our instructions, to thow us what way we must fteer our course, if we would come to Emmanuel's land. It is a lamp to light us through a dark world to eternal light. And he hath left it upon us, to fearch it with that diligence, wherewith men dig into mines for filver and gold, John v. 39. But ah! how is this facred treafure profaned by many! They ridicule the holy word, by which they must be judged at the laft day; and will rather lofe their fouls than their jeft, dreffing up the conceit of their wanton wits in fcripture phrafes; in which they act as mad a part, as one who would dig into a mine to procure metal to melt and pour down his own and his neighbour's throat. Many exhauft their fpirits in reading romances, and their minds purfue them, as the flame doth the dry ftubble; while they have no heart for, nor relifh of the holy word, and therefore feldom take a Bible in their hands. What is agreeable to the vanity of their minds, is pleafant and taking: but what recommends holipefs to their unholy hearts, makes their fpirits dull and flat. What pleasure will they find in reading of a profane ballad, or story book, to whom the Bible is taftelefs, as the white of an egg! Many lay by their Bibles with their Sabbath-day's clothes; and whatever ufe they have for their clothes, they have none for their Bibles, till the return of the Sabbath. Alas! the duft or finery about your Bibles is a witness now, and will, at the laft day, be a witness of the enmity of your hearts against Christ, as a Prophet. Besides all this, among these who ordinarily read the fcriptures, how few are there that read it as the word of the Lord to their fouls, and keep communion with him in it. They do not make his ftatutes their counsellors, nor doth their particular cafe fend them to their Bibles. They are ftrangers to the folid comfort of the fcriptures. And if at any time they be dejected, it is fomething elfe than the word that revives them: as Ahab was cured of his fullen fit, by the fecuring of Naboth's vineyard for him. (2.) Chrift's word preached is defpifed. The entertaininent most of the world, to whom it has come, have always given it, is that which is mentioned, Matth. xxii. 5. They made light of it. And for its fake they are defpifed whom he has employed to preach it; whatever other face men put upon their contempt of the miniftry, John xv. 20. The fervant is not greater than the Lord: if they have perfecuted me, they will also perfecute you; if they have kept my fayings, they will keep

yours

yours alfo. But all these things will they do unto you for my name's fake. That Levi was the fon of the hated, feems not to have been without a mystery, which the world in all ages, hath unriddled. But tho' the earthen vesel, wherein God has put the treasure, be turned, with many, into veffels wherein there is no pleasure, yet, why is the treasure itself flighted? But flighted it is, and that with a witness this day. Lord, who hath believed our report? To whom shall we speak? Men can, without remorse, make to themfelves filent Sabbaths, one after another. And alas! when they come to ordinances, for the moft part, it is but to appear (as the word is, to be feen) before the Lord, and to tread his courts; namely, as a company of beafts would do, if they were driven into them, Ifa. i. 12. fo little reverence and awe of God appears on their fpirits. Many frand like brazen walls before the word, in whofe corrupt converfation the preaching of the word makes no breach. Nay, not a few are growing worfe and worse, under precept upon precept: and the refult of all is, They go and fall backward, and be broken, a fnared, and taken, Ifa. xxviii. 13. What tears of blood are fufficient to lament that (the gospel) the grace of God, is thus recerved in vain! We are but the voice of one cryings the Speaker is in heaven; and speaks to you from heaven by men: why do ye refufe him that speaketh? Heb. xii. 25. God has made our Mafter heir of all things, and we are sent to court a fpoufe for him. There is none fo worthy as he; none more unworthy than they to whom this match is promifed; but the prince of darkness is preferred before the Prince of Peace. A difmal darkness overclouded the world by Adam's fall, more terrible than if the fun, moon and stars had been for ever wrapt up in blackness of darkness; and there we thould have eternally lain, had not this grace of the gospel, as a fhining fun, appeared to difpel it, Tit. ii. 11. But yet we fly like night owls from it; and like the wild beafts, lay our felves down in our dens; when the fun arifeth, we are ftruck blind with the light thereof; and, as creatures of darkness, love darkness rather than light. Such is the enmity of the hearts of men against Christ, in his prophetical office.

2. The natural man is an enemy to Christ in his priestly office. He is appointed of the Father a Prieft for ever: that, by His alone facrifice and interceffion, finners may have peace with, and access to God; but Chrift crucified is a stumbling-block, and foolishness to the unrenewed part of mankind, to whom he is preached, 1 Cor. i 23. They are not for him, as the new and living way. Nor is he by the voice of the world, an High Prieft over the house of God. Corrupt nature goes quite another way to work.

Evidence 1. None of Adam's children naturally incline to receive the bleffing in borrowed robes; but would always, according to the fpider's motto, owe all to themselves; and fo climb up to heaven on a thread fpun out of their own bowels. For they defire to be under the law, Gal. iv. 24. And go about to establish their own righteoufnfs, Rom. x. 3. Man, naturally, looks on GOD as a great Master; and

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1. The tani mis an enemy to Chrift in his kingly office. e Fever has apponites the Mediator King in Zion, Pfal. ii. 6. A 4 4 to then the gulpet ces, are commanded, on their highest to by the Son, and fobmit themfelves unto him, ver. 12. But the oral vace of murkind is, Away with him; as you may fee, tr. 2, 3. They will not have him to reign over them, Luke xix. 14. EA 1. The workings of corrupt nature to wreft the govern Cet af asb. No fooner was he born, but being born a Chera, perfecuted bra, Matth. ii. And when he was crucified, slet og over his heal his accufation written, This is Jefus, the King Matth. xxv. 37. Though his kingdom be a fpiritual not world; yet they cannot allow him a kingdom

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and officers into his kingdom, not to be found in the book of the manner of his kingdom, difpofing of the external government thereof, as may beft fuit their carnal defigns. Such is the enmity of the hearts of men against Zion's KING.

Evid 2 How unwilling are men, naturally to fubmit unto, and be hedged in by the laws and difcipline of his kingdom! As a King,he is a Law-giver, (Ifa. xxxiii 22.) and has appointed an external government, difcipline and cenfors, to controul the unruly, and to keep his profeffed fubjects in order, to be exercised by officers of his own appointment, Matth. xviii. 17, 18. 1 Cor. xii. 28. 1 Tim. v. 17. Heb. xiii. 17. But these are the great eye-fores of the carnal world, who love finful liberty, and therefore cry out, Let us break their bands afinder, and cxft away their cords from us, Pfal. ii. 3. Hence this work is found to be, in a special manner, a striving against the stream of corrupt nature, which, for the most part, puts fuch a face on the church, as if there were no King in Ifrael, every one doing that which is right in his own eyes.

Evid. 3. However natural men may be brought to feign fubmiffion to the King of faints, yet lufts always retain the throne and dominion in their hearts, and they are ferving divers lufts and pleasures, Tit. ii. 3. None but these in whom Chrift is formed, do really put the erown on his head, and receive the kingdom of Chrift within them. His crown is the crown wherewith his mother crowned him in the day of his efpoufals. Who are they, whom the power of grace has not fubdued, that will allow him to set up, and to put down, in their fouls, as he will? Nay, as for others, any lord fhall fooner get the rule over them, than the Lord of glory: they kindly entertain his enemies, and will never abfolutely refign themselves to his government, till conquered in a day of power. Thus ye may fee that the natural man is an enemy to Jefus Chrift in all his offices.

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But O! how hard is it to convince men in this point! They are very loth to take with it. And in a special manner, the enmity of the heart against Christ in his priestly office, feems to be hid from the view of moft of the hearers of the gofpel. Yet there appears to be a peculiar malignity in corrupt nature against that office of his. It may be obferved, that the Socinians, thefe enemies of our bleffed Lord, allow him to be properly a Prophet and a King, but deny him to be properly a Prieft. And this is agreeable enough to the corruption of our nature; for under the covenant of works, the Lord was known as a Prophet or Teacher, and also as a King or Ruler; but not at all as a Prieft: fo man knows nothing of the mystery of Chrift, as the way to the Father, till it be revealed to him. And when it is revealed, the will rifeth up against it; for corrupt nature lies cross to the mystery of Chrift, and the great contrivance of falvation, through a crucified Saviour, revealed in the gofpel. For clearing of which weighty truth, let thefe four things be confidered.

himfelf as his fervant, that must work and win heaven as his wages. Hence, when confcience is awakened, he thinks that, to the end he may be faved, he muft anfwer the demands of the law; ferve God as well as he can, and pray for mercy wherein he comes fhort. And thus many come to duties, that never come out of them to Jefus Chrift. Evid. 2. As men, naturally, think highly of their duties, that feem to them, to be well done; fo they look for acceptance with God according as their work is done, not according to the fhare they have in the blood of Christ. Wherefore have we fafted, fay they, and thou ferft not? They'll value themfelves on their performances and attainments: yea, their very opinions in religion, (Philip. iii. 4, 5, 6, 7.) taking to themfelves, what they rob from Chrift the great High-priest.

Evid. 3. The natural man going to God, in duties, will always be found, either to go without a mediator, or with more than the only Mediator JESUS CHRIST. Nature is blind, and therefore venturous: it fets a man a-going immediately to God without Christ; to rufh into his prefence, and put their petitions n his hand, without being introduced by the Secretary of heaven, or putting their requests into his hand. So fixed is this difpofition in the unrenewed heart, that when many hearers of the gofpel are converfed with upon the point of their hopes of falvation, the name of Chrift will fcarcely be heard from their mouths. Afk them how they think to obtain the pardon of fin? they will tell you, they beg and look for mercy, because God is a merciful God; and that is all they have to confide in. Others look for mercy for Chrift's fake; but how do they know that Chrift will take their plea in hand. Why, as the Papifts have their mediators with the Mediator, fo have they. They know he cannot but do it; for they pray, confefs, mourn, and have great defires, and the like; and fo have fomething of their own to commend them unto him: they were never made poor in fpirit, and brought empty-handed to Chrift, to lay the stress of all on his atoning blood.

3. The natural man is an eneiny to Chrift in his kingly office. The Father has appointed the Mediator King in Zion, Pfal. ii. 6. And all to whom the gofpel comes, are commanded, on their highest peril, to kifs the Son, and fubmit themselves unto him, ver. 12. But the natural voice of mankind is, Away with him; as you may see, ver. 2, 3. They will not have him to reign over them, Luke xix. 14. Evidence 1. The workings of corrupt nature to wreft the government out of his hands. No fooner was he born, but being born a King, Herod perfecuted him, Matth. ii. And when he was crucified, they set up over his head his accufation written, This is Jefus, the King of the Jews, Matth. xxvii. 37. Though his kingdom be a fpiritual kingdom, and not of this world; yet they cannot allow him a kingdom within a kingdom, which acknowledgeth no other head or fupreme, but the royal Mediator. They make bold with his royal prerogatives, changing his laws, inftitutions and ordinances, modelling his worthip according to the devices of their own hearts; introducing new offices

and