One continued dream
and delusion
"There is no one who
understands." Romans 3:11
"They are darkened
in their understanding and separated from the life of
God because of the ignorance that is in them due to the
hardening of their hearts." Eph. 4:18
The natural man's apprehension of divine things is
corrupt. The understanding, that leading faculty, is
despoiled of its primitive glory, and covered over with
confusion.
Tell them how they may advance their worldly wealth, or
how they may gratify their lusts--and they will quickly
understand these things. But it is very hard to make
them know how their souls may be saved, or how their
hearts may find rest in Christ. They are very stupid and
unteachable in the matters of God. What woeful delusions
prevail over them! Do we not often see those, who in
other things are the wisest of men--yet are notorious
fools with respect to their soul's interest?
Many who are eagle-eyed in the trifles of time--yet are
like owls and bats in the light of eternal realities.
Nay, truly, the life of every
natural man is but one continued dream and
delusion, out of which he never awakes, until
either, by a divine light darted from heaven into his
soul, he comes tohimself--or, in hell he lifts up his
eyes in torment!
Sin has closed the windows of the soul; darkness covers
the whole. The prince of darkness reigns there, and
nothing but the works of darkness are framed there. We
are born spiritually blind--and cannot be restored
without a miracle of grace.
"For though your hearts were once
full of darkness, now you are full of light from the
Lord!" Eph. 5:8
Thomas
Boston, Human Nature in its Fourfold State
