Serin. LIII. in order to fu /tification and Salvation. 37S upon that defcriptionof the gentile Idolaters, Eph. 4. 18, 19. Having the un-- derflanding darken'd, being alienatedfrom the life ofGod, through the ignorance that is in them, becaufe ofthe blindnefs of their hearts; who being paft feeling, havegi- ven themfelves over to lafcivioufnefs ; towork all uncleannefs withgreedinefs. Which is indeed a defcription of Men in their Natural State, but not of all, but of fuch as by the wor(t fort of vicious praiices of the groffeft Idolatry, and molt abomi- nable lewdnefs, weredegenerated to the utmoft, fo that their Condition feemed defperate, without a miraculous and extraordinary Grace of God, which was probably afforded to many of thefe. In like manner they argue the common. Condition of Mankind, from the defcription which is given of the wickednefs of Men, before God brought the Flood upon them, Gen. 6. S. Godfaw that the wickednefsofMan was great in the Earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts ofhis heart was only evil continually. This they make the Character of all Men in their Natural State, whereas this is a defcription of an extraordinary degeneracy of Men, ftgnifying that the World was then extreamly bad, and depraved to the higheft degree for God gives this as a Reafon. why he was refolved to drown the World, and to defiroy Man from the face of the Earth, becaufe their wickednefs was grown tofo great an height. But if this were a defcription of the Natural State ofMankind, this could be no particular Reafon for bringing a Flood upon the 'World at that time, there being the fame Reafon for it, for fifteen hundred years before, and ever will be the fame Reafon to the end of the World, that is, that Men are naturally corrupted and depraved. Surely they confider the Scripture very, fuperficially, that interpret it at this rate. 'Tis too true, that the Nature of Man isfadly corrupted anddepraved ; but not fobad as byvicious prafkices and habits it may be made ; all Men are not e- qually at the fame diftance from theGrace of God ; force are nearer to the King- domofGod thanothers, and lets force and violence will ferve to refcue them from the power ofSatan, and to tranfplánt them into the Kingdom of ChrJl. The preva- lency and dominionof fin makes an unregenerate Rate, as the prevalency ofGrace puts a Man into a Regenerate Rate. An unregenerateMan is not neceffarily as bad as is poffible, nomore than it is neceffary to a regenerate Rate, that a Man be perfectly good ; fo that it is a great miftake to argue the common Condition of all Mankind, from the defcriptions that are given in the Scripture of theworst of Men ; and therefore if it were granted that irrefiflible Grace were neceffa- ry for the Converfion of(itch, it will not follow that the fame is neceffary to all. All unregenerate Men are not equally devoid of a fenfe of God, and Spiritual things ; they have many Convictions ofwhat they ought to be and do, and un- der thole Convictions are very capable ofperfwafton, which dead Men are not. The Grace of God is neceffary to the Converfion of a Sinner, but it is not necef- fary that he fhould beonly pafftve in this work. Experience tells us the contrary, that we can do fomething, that we can cooperate with theGrace of God ; and the Scripture tells us the fame, and makes it an argument and encouragement to usto workout our ownSalvation, becaufe God works inw both to will and to do of hisown goodnefs, Phil. 2.12, 13. Betides that, it is the greateft and jufteft dif- couragement in theeworld to all endeavours of Repentance and Reformation, to tell Men that they can do nothing in it. He that is lure of this, that he can do nothing in this work, is a Fool if he make any attempt to become better, becaufe he ftruggles with an impoffibility 5 and if thework will be done at all, it will be done without him, and he neithercan, nor ought to have any hand in it. But will any Metaphor bear Men out againft fopalpable an Abfurdity as this ? And yet after all, there is no force in thefe Metaphors, to prove what they aimat by them. For if to be dead in fin fignifies an utter impotency togoodnefs, then to be dead to fin muff on the contrary fignifie an impoffibilityof finning ; for juft as the unregenerateMan is dead infin, fo he that is regenerate is Paid in Scrip- ture to bedead tofin : But yet the belt of regenerate Men, notwithftanding they are dead tofist, and alive to God, do offend in many things, and too frequently fall
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