hem! Some of the old Rabbi's think it was a pious wish, and that David longed for the Meffiah that was to break out there. But it seems to be a finful wifh, as both the word, which is used, Prov. xxi. 26. " He coveteth greedily all the day long," and the pointing in the original, feem to carry it. The weather was hot, and he was thirsty, and a violent fancy took him to have a drink out of the well of Bethlehem, where he had often drank in his young days. But I cannot think that ever he meant, that any body fhould go fetch it at that time, ver. 17.; but his men seeing the humour he was in, ventured. Thus luft breaks out, and guilt is contracted, many ways. The eyes fee fomething that is not ours, and the heart fays, O that it were mine! without any defign about it. Something that God has locked up from us in providence, and the heart yearns after it, faying, O that I had it! Something we hear others have got, a good gift, bargain, or match, and the heart fays, O that it had fallen to my share! and many fuch things, all without any design. They are inordinate defires and luftings, for they still imply a coveting, and a diffatisfaction in fome fort with our lot, which the holy law can never allow.

In all these cases the defire of what is not ours is a luft, a finful, inordinate motion, to what is our neighbour's.

Further, to trace this luft and lufting of the heart forbidden in this command, though it is as impoffible for me to follow it in its feveral turnings and windings, as to tell the motes that appear where the beams of the fun are fhining in a room. Befides the actual fulfilling of lufts (Eph. ii. 3.) in deeds which they drive to, which belongs to other commands, there are other things forbidden here, viz.

1. Luft in the fruit fully ripe, though not fallen off in the act; that is, when the luft is not only confented to, and refolved upon, but all the measures are laid for bringing it forth into action. As Haman's luft of revenge, when he had got the king's fealed letters for the destruction of the Jews; Jofeph's mistress' luft, when fhe caught him, and faid, Lie with This fometimes Providence blafts when come to all this ripeness, as in thofe cafes, against the perfon's will. That is before God much alike as the finful action itself. Sometimes confcience blasts it, so that the perfon fuddenly retires as from the brink of a precipice, which he was going to throw himself over. That is before God as wanting but

me.

a very little of the fin completed. And, according to the nature of the thing, it will be very bitter in penitent reflections on it.

2. Luft in the fruit unripe; that is, when it is confented to for action, but the means of fulfilling it are not deliberated upon. Thus people, in the hurry of a temptation, are carried so far, that their hearts fay within them, they will do it. Then luft hath conceived, Jam. i. 15. When it is brought this length, a little more will bring it to the birth. But though it never come farther, it leaves as much guilt on the foul, as will make a fick confcience.

3. Luft in the bloffom; that is, when though it is not confented to for action, yet it is confented to in itself, and spreads in morofe delectation, as they call it, or abiding delight in the luft. That feems to be the luft efpecially meant Matth. v. 28. "Whofoever looketh on a woman to luft after her, hath committed adultery already with her in his heart." O what guilt is contracted this way, even by the wandering of the defire, (Ecl. vi. 9.), which the perfon has no mind to gratify by action! Thus the covetous man luft. eth, and heaps up riches and wealth to himself in imagination; the proud man lufts, and heaps up honour, &c.; the revengeful, &c. And all that the luft feeds on here is but mere fancy, airy nothings, which perhaps never had, nor does the man really expect will ever have, a being. This is luft dreaming, for which a confcience will get a fearful awaken. ing; though ftupid fouls please themselves in it, that it does ill to no body, nor minds ill to them.

4. Luft in the bud; that is, the first rifings of luft, even before the confent of the will to them; the first openings of particular lufts, fometimes not regarded nor noticed, and fo neither approved nor difapproved; and fometimes checked in their very rifing, Rom. vii. 15. But however it be, they are fins here forbidden, though the Papifts will not allow them to be fo, more than Paul in his unconverted ftate: "I had known luft, except that the law had faid, Thou shalt not covet," Rom. vii. 7. Who can number those that are ftill setting up their heads in the corrupt heart, as naturally rifing from it as ftench from a dunghill, or weeds and thistles from the curfed ground? Thefe are luftings in embryo, whereof fome are formed, others not. They are happiest in this world that crufh them in the bud; but happieft of

all when they donot fomuch as bud; but it is foin heaven only, Lastly, Luft in the feed. The feed itself is the corrupt nature, original fin, of which afterwards. But here I understand particular lufts, as pride, covetoufnefs, &c. which are the spawn of the corruption of nature, the members of the old man, which the apostle calls us to mortify, Col. iii. 5. These are they from which these curfed buds immediately fprout forth. Original fin has the lufts thereof, and these are they, Rom. vi. 12. We cannot innumerate them, more than we can count the duft. But in the general,

1st, There are fleshly lufts, 1 Pet. ii. 11.; lust converfant about the body, and gratifying to the flesh, such as covetousness, uncleannefs, fenfuality, &c. In thefe the body drags the foul after it, and the foul goes out in these to gratify the body.

2dly, There are fpiritual lufts, 2 Cor. vii. 1. Eph. ii. 3. There is a filthiness of the spirit as well as of the flesh, which lies more inwardly, in the mind and will, having nothing ado with the fenfitive appetite, as pride, felfishness, &c. These are the two bands of lufts which the old man fends forth to maintain and advance the government of hell in the foul; but both forts are under a fentence of condemnation from the law of God; declared rebels to heaven, and intercommuned, not to be conversed with, harboured, or entertained, but refifted, fought against, and brought to the cross. They are in good and bad; but,

(1.) In natural men they are reigning lufts, Rom. vi. 12. They have the throne in the heart, and amongst them command all. But there is readily one among them, like Beelzebub, that is the prince of these devils, called the predominant fin, to which other lufts will bow, though they will not bow to God. As where pride is the predominant, it will make covetoufness bow; and where covetoufnefs predominates, it will make pride bow. These do not always continue their rule; but the old man can pull down one, and fet up another, as luft in youth may be fucceeded by covetousness in old age.

(2.) In the regenerate they are but indwelling lufts, Rom. vi. 12. and vii. 24. They are caft down from the throne in converfion, pursued and hunted in progreffive fanctification, and weakened, and utterly extirpated out of the kingdom at death. But their very being there is against the law, tho they be not on the throne.

*

Now, these lufts are "divers lufts," Tit. iii. 3. It is not one or two that are in the heart, but many. Their name may be legion, for they are many. The flesh, or corrupt nature, is a monster with many heads; but there is one law for them all, they muft die. Though they be all the birth of one belly, they are very diverfe; for our natural corrup tion turns itself into a thousand fhapes. But,

The qualities common to them all, whereby ye may fee more into their nature, are these. They are,

1. Ungodly lufts, Jude 18. There is nothing of God in them, no not fo much as in the devil, who is God's creature; but they are none of God's creatures, he difowns them, 1 John ii. 16. They are the creatures of a corrupt heart, generated of it, as vermin of a rotten body, by influence from hell.

2. Hellish lufts, devilifh lufts, John viii. 44. They were the devil's before they were ours, and fo it is a forry copy we have to write after. They are eminently in him; and thofe in whom they are grown to the greatest perfection, are but bunglers at the trade, to the perfection of which he has arrived. They came from him, they are pleafing to him wherever they are, and they like to be with him for ever

more.

3. They are warring and fighting lufts, Jam. iv. 1.

(1.) They war against the Spirit wherever it is, Gal. v. 17. They are enemies to grace and the Spirit of grace; and the more they prevail, the kingdom of grace is the lower in the heart. They war against the entrance of grace, and often prevail to keep it out; like fo many burreo's from hell, choaking the word that would bring it in, Mark iv. 19. They war against the actings and exercise of it, till it is often laid by as in a fwoon. And they war against the very being of it, which they would destroy if God had not faid against it.

(2.) They war against the foul, 1 Pet. ii. 11. and will ruin it, if they be not ruined. They are no other to the foul than vermin and worms to a dead corpfe, that feed on it till it be destroyed. Like a fword they pierce the foul, 1 Tim. vi. 10. ; like a fire they burn it, Rom. i. 27.; and like water they drown it, 1 Tim. vi. 9.; for they are in the heart like the devil in the fwine, that will not let the foul reft till it destroy itself.

(3.) They war amongst themselves, Jam. iv. 1. For tho

there is a sweet harmony amongst all the graces, yet lufts may be most contrary one to another. This makes the heart often like a troubled fea, and puts a man on the rack, one luft drawing him one way, and another another way. Pride will put one forward to that which covetoufness draws him back from. And the fervice of lufts must needs be difficult, in that they that serve them serve contrary mafters.

4. They are deceitful lufts, Eph. iv. 22. They are the deceivers of the foul, which, by pleafing the corrupt heart, destroy the foul; like Ezekiel's roll, fweet in the mouth, but bitter in the belly. They are a hook to the foul, covered with a taking bait; the filken cords wherewith Satan draws men into destruction.

5. They are hurtful lufts, 1 Tim. vi. 9. They are hurtful to the foul and to the body, to ourselves and others. Being the brood of hell from a corrupt nature, they cannot be harmless; and therefore where no hurt can be done, they cannot enter, Rev. xxi. ult. The foftest of them is as a brier, and sharper than a thorn hedge, and always at length pierce the foul with many forrows. They never fail to leave a fting behind them in the foul.

6. They are worldly lufts, Tit. ii. 12. They have nothing of heaven in them. They range through the world, and feed on that which it does afford; and nothing but what is carnal can please them. They partake of the nature of the serpent, for duft is their meat, and on their belly do they go.

7. They are unfatiable lufts, "greedy dogs that can never have enough," If. lvii. 10. To feed them is but to enlarge their appetite, for they cry, Give, give, like the grave and the barren womb, Eccl. i. 8. Surfeited they may be, fatisfied they can never be. They have a heavy task of it, that have them to provide for; no wonder they can get no other thing minded, as a poor woman that has a company of hungry babes ever hanging about her hand, and crying out of hunger.

Laftly, They are former lufts, 1 Pet. i. 14. Their reign is in the black ftate of nature. And indeed in all they are foremost on the throne, they have the start of grace always, being born with us, in the virtue of their caufe, the corruption of nature. And the power of them must be broken by grace' coming in on them, or we perish.