Head Ill. Jk[a tt unable to recot•~r himfelf. I 45 ned, raifed out of his grave ; who can do this but God llimfelf? Epb. ii. 1. 5. Nay, he mufl: be created in ,Chn jl Jefu! unto good works, Eph. ii. 10. Thefe are works' of omni,potency, and can be done by nq lefs _power. Fr;urthly, Man, in his depraved ftate, IS under an u.tte r inability to do any thing truly good, as was cleared before 't:t large: how then can he obey the gofpel ? His nature is the very revetfe of the gofpel : how ca_n he, of himfelf, lall in with that device of falvation, and accept th e offered ii"emedy? The corruption of man's nature infa llib ly cot:}~ ,clud~ his utter inability, to recover himfdf an y manner <>f way : and whofo is convinced of the one, mull nee-ds -admit the other; for they {hod and fall together. \ 'Vere all the purchafe of Chrifl: offered to the unregenerate man, for one -good thought, he cannot command -it, 2 Cor. iii. 5•· Not that tWt are fufficient oJ curjd•peJ, to think any-Jhing as :vf ourfolvu•• Were it offered on condition of a good word, ·yet, how can ye, - being evil, fpeak good t hing1 ? Matth. xii. 35~ Nay, wer e it Jeft to yourfelves, to chufe wha.t is eafiefi ; Chr i£1: himfelf tells you, John xv. 5. lVithout me ye can do n_,othing. - Laflly, The natura.) man cannot but refifi the Lord, of– fering to help him ; howbeit the refiftance is infallibly o– vercome in the ele&, by converting grace. Can the fl:ony 11eart chufe but refi!l the firoke ? There is not only an inability, but an eninity and obil:inacy in man 's wi ll · by nature. God knows, 0 nat·ural ma.n, (whether thou knowe ft it or not) that thou al/t obllinate, and thy neclr. aJ an ir on Jine•w, and th)' brow brafi, Ifa. xlviii. 4 · and cannot be ·overcome, bUt by him, who hat h broken thegateJ ~(braft • .and cut the bflri ofiron in funder. Hence is there ft< ch hard work in converting a finner. Sometimes hefeems to be c<W,I~ht ·in the net of.the gofpel; yet quickly he !lips away,..again. T he hookcatche~th hold of him; but he fl rLJggles, t ill ge tt ing fr ee of it, he makes away with a' bleedi ng wound. \Vhen)good hopes are conceived of him, by thefe that travel in birt h for llie. forming of ChriH: in him ; there is oft-times nothing brought forth but wind. Thedeceitful heart makes many a. ,fhift to avoid a Saviour, and to cheat the man of his eter – nal happinefs. Tb.us the natural man lies funk in a !1ate of fin and wxath, uttcfly unable to recover himfelf. N Of,jctr._
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