Again, The great and notorious pollution of the affections doth appear, In that fight and conflict, which is between the natural conscience and them, so that no sooner doth the reason and affections of men begin to work in them, but presently there is a civil war begun in a man, his mind that inclineth one way, and his affections they carry another way: The very Heathens acknowledged this, as Aristotle in his incontinent person, and the Poet in his Medea, Video meliora, probeque deteriora sequor; yea there are some interpreters, Socinians and Papists, and Arminians, to whom also Amyraldus in this particular adjoineth himself, though disallowing their other opinions, that would have the Apostles complaint which he maketh Rom 7, to be nothing more then the contrariety of the mind and affections in an unregenerate man, especially when the mind is legally convinced, and that hath some powerful influence upon it, and among other reasons, he giveth this, that it would be very injurious to regenerating grace, as if that could or did carry a man no further, the Aristotle's incontinent person was, whereas indeed convinced of better things, but had no ⟨p. 337⟩power to follow them: But there is a two-fold conflict and combat to be acknowledged; The first a natural one, between conscience and affections; The other a spiritual one, and that is not between these several powers in the soul, but between the regenerate part in every particular, and the unregenerate, so that there is not only spiritual light against corrupt affections, but affections sanctified against unsanctified ones, they have love against love, fear against fear, hope against hope; This opposition in the regenerate man is universal, whereas this natural conflict is seated only in some particular parts of the soul: The Apostle Rom. 7, doth speak of this spiritual fight in himself as regenerate, as appeareth, because he saith, In the inward man he delighted in the Law of God, which no unregenerate man can do; and although the Apostles and some other eminent and godly men, may attain to far higher degrees of grease then others, yet it may not be thought, that there is any godly man living or did live that doth not more or less find this combat of flesh and spirit in him:
AGain, The great and notorious pollution of the affections doth appear, In that fight and conflict, which is between the natural conscience and them, so that no sooner doth the reason and affections of men begin to work in them, but presently there is a civil warre begun in a man, his mind that inclineth one way, and his affections they carry another way: The very Heathens acknowledged this, as Aristotle in his incontinent person, and the Poet in his Medea, Video meliora, probeque deteriora sequor; yea there are some interpreters, Socinians and Papists, and Arminians, to whom also Amyraldus in this particular adjoyneth himself, though disalowing their other opinions, that would have the Apostles complaint which he maketh Rom 7, to be nothing more then the contrariety of the mind and affections in an unregenerate man, especially when the mind is legally convinced, and that hath some powerfull influence upon it, and among other reasons, he giveth this, that it would be very injurious to regenerating grace, as if that could or did carry a man no further, the Aristotle's incontinent person was, wheras indeed convinced of better things, but had no ⟨p. 337⟩power to follow them: But there is a two-fold conflict and combate to be acknowledged; The first a natural one, betwen conscience and affections; The other a spiritual one, and that is not between these several powers in the soul, but between the regenerate part in every particular, and the unregenerate, so that there is not only spiritual light against corrupt affections, but affections sanctified against unsanctified ones, they have love against love, fear against fear, hope against hope; This opposition in the regenerate man is universal, whereas this natural conflict is seated only in some particular parts of the soul: The Apostle Rom. 7, doth speak of this spiritual fight in himself as regenerate, as appeareth, because he saith, In the inward man he delighted in the Law of God, which no unregenerate man can do; and although the Apostles and some other eminent and godly men, may attain to farre higher degrees of greace then others, yet it may not be thought, that there is any godly man living or did live that doth not more or less find this combate of flesh and spirit in him:
