The law unsealed

3. The third Argument is, That men are often accessary to these sinful dreams themselves, either 1. By excess, disposing themselves to such inclinations, or 2. By a loose mind that delights in following such things throughout the day in their more reasonable meditations, and more determinate purposes; it being ordinary, that dreams follow much the constitution of the body, or the habitual strain of our practise: in which respect mens Callings, or particular Employments, will run up and down before the Fancy in their sleep, and so their sinful exercises also: or 3. By not praying to God to guard against them, and neglecting to press more after mortification for that end: or 4. By not being suitably affected with them after they are past and gone: In which cases even the School-men (who are not the most rigid and tender Casuists) will grant (all things being considered) sin to be ex consequenti in dreams; and we suppose few fall in such dreams, who may not in one circumstance or other read their accession to sin therein, and though our frame and constitution be in it self natural, yet that it should incline us sleeping or waking to any thing sinful, that is and must be from corrupt nature, seeing it clearly speaketh the inordinateness of our natural inclination.

3. The third Argument is, That men are often accessary to these sinful dreams themselves, either 1. By excess, disposing themselves to such inclinations, or 2. By a loose mind that delights in following such things throughout the day in their more reasonable meditations, and more determinate purposes; it being ordinary, that dreams follow much the constitution of the body, or the habitual strain of our practise: in which respect mens Callings, or particular Imployments, will run up and down before the Fancy in their sleep, and so their sinful exercises also: or 3. By not praying to God to guard against them, and neglecting to press more after mortification for that end: or 4. By not being suitably affected with them after they are past and gone: In which cases even the School-men (who are not the most rigid and tender Casuists) will grant (all things being considered) sin to be ex consequenti in dreams; and we suppose few fall in such dreams, who may not in one circumstance or other read their accession to sin therein, and though our frame and constitution be in it self natural, yet that it should incline us sleeping or waking to any thing sinful, that is and must be from corrupt nature, seeing it clearly speaketh the inordinateness of our natural inclination.