Cormeto aril?for L. rot full foule, and his uncleane into a pure convcrfation. Were man fenfibleof his emptineffe of all fpirituall good, of his ob- fiinacy againft grace, of his ftrong and unchangeable bent to evil', of the defperate difrofition of his heart tofinne, of his through fubieEtion under Satan, and of the prophanc .tntipa- thy which is in his heart againft grace, and of his inability to receive it when it is proffered, he would never exalt him- felfeinto Chrifts roome, and take uponhim tobethework man of his owne converfion ; he would never continue in finne, prefuming to repent at laft,whenhe lift; doubtleffe that man never felt the power of Chrift in his converfion, that dreames of a power in himfelfe to convert and change him- felfe; Prefumptionoffelfgoodneffe invincibly argues theab- fence ofall Caving goodne{he The difcafed came eitherby their owne firength, or by the help of others toBethesda ; but when the foot was in the poole, if the Angell did not move the waters there was no healing : Man may come to the miniftery of the word by his owne ftrength, and by theperfwafionofothers ; but when he iscome,and heares the word,there is no healing unleffe Chrift worke mightily with theGofpell : For Paul planta and Apollo Waters,but Godgivetb the increafe, Is Chrift the Author and worker of fpirituall life ? Then we muff addreffe our felvesto Chrift, that Chrift may quic- ken and enliven us. Whiles we ftand aloofe otf, and continue ftrangers to Chrift, we are all dead men , dead fpiritually while we live corporally,alienated from the lifeofGod while we enjoy the life of men ; continuing {trangers t o Chrift we are all dead in finne ; and as the deadknow not any thinq,no snore doe we favingly and comfortably know any thing of God, of Chrift, of his word, or of the Spirit ofgrace ; we are in darkneffe like thedead, we are blindeand groape at the noone day as in the midnight : As the dead have no feeling of thedifeafe which killed them, of the burthenof earth cart upon them, no morehave weof the finne which wounds us, and haftens the fecond death uponus ; we are, as Saint Taut faid, paft feeling : As the deadhaveno vigor, no ftrength, no motion, no more have we any power, difpofition, or incli- V 3 nation Comming un- to Chrilt for fpirituall life perfwaded, be. iag as dead nzë without Chri!} For igno- rance. Eccl 9f Ifa 59 ro. z. VnfenGble. neffe. Eph.4, s: 3 .4Geakneffa
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