' :zS ·That l'r1an'J Naturl! State ti,. fon of what he once was. God made him but a little low~r t/mn the angtls: but now we find him likened to the ~eafls. that per:ifh. He hearkened to a brute; f.Od is now become like one .of them. Like f\lebudadxezzar, his portion (in J1is oa~ural !late) is·with the bealts, mit;di'ng only earthly. t.hiu,es, Phil ip. iii. 19'. Nay brutes, in fome fort, have t~e: advantage of t·)le nat.ural man, .who is funk a degree below ' them. He is ·more witlefs, in what concergs him mo/1, than the fiork, or the turtle, or the era~~, or the fwallow, in; ?~hat is for their intei'efi, Jer. viii. 7· He is more !lupid than the ox or afa, Ija. i. 3· t ·find him fen~ to fchool, t(), learn of th~ ant or emmot, which h~ving . no guide or leader t.o g.o: before;her; no. overfeer br officer to com-pel or fiir ' li,e/-up to wo.rl(~ no ruler, but may do a£> i11elifls, being. lmdcr the dominion of none; yet provideth her meat in the– jumm(}cr and ha~vefl, Prov. vi. 6. 7 ._8. while the natural man has all (hefe, and yet expofeth himfelf to eternal fl:ar– ving. Nay, more than all this, the fcripturc:; holds out the natural man, not only as wanting the good qualities of ·, Ult)fe crcatuYes ; but as a compound of the ev.il qualities.. ef the wor(r of the creatures; in which do con~enter tht!.. fiercenefs of the lion, the craft of the fox, the unteach– ablenefs of the wild afs, the filthinefs of the dog and fwine~ . th~ poifon of the a[p, and fuch like. Truth itfelf calls, them ferji ~nts, a generation of vipe~J; yea n:ore, even, fi.hi!dren of the devil, Mat. xxiii. 33"· John viii. 44i Surely· then, man's nature is miferably corrupted. Laflly, We are by nature children ofwrath, Eph.iii. 3• '\Ve are worthy of, and liable. to the wrath of God; and~ thi·s by nature: and therefore, . doubtlef!l,. we are by na" tute finful creatures. \Ve are condemned before we ha\'e: done good or evil; under the curfe , ere 'we knowwhat it is •. .But ']J.Ji/Ja lion .r-oar in the.forejt while he hatb no prey?' ,Amosiii.4. that is, Will a.holy a l) dj~ufl: God roarinhis ; wrath againH mao, if he be not,. by his fi~, made a prey. for wrath? No, he will not, he cannot. Let us conclude, . theJJl~hat, acco.rding to the word of God, nl'an's nature : is f~rrupt nature. · I(. If we eonfult experience; and obferve the c.afe oF ·the WQ.f~.d in thefe things that are obvious to any perfon.-, < t hat ·Wh1 not !hut his e-yes a~ain{t dear, Jight ; we will' ., ·· q!>lickly:
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