DISCOURSE V. iP The Holiness of the Jewish and` Christian Churches considered and compared. THE Jewish nation was once the only visible church of Goa .mon men, and the Gentiles were excluded; but for near seven- teen hunched years past, the visiblechurch of God has been made up of the several'christian churches, scattered through the world, from whence unbelievers only are excluded. In what relation each of them stand to the invisible church, will appear in the followin'propositiòns and thereby we may learn the different sort of holiness, that belonged to them : I. Since the apostacy of our first parents fromGod, man- kind comes into the world under much more unhappy circum- stances, than they would have done, in a state of perfect inno- cency. There are many such vicious propensities, disorders, and corruptions in human nature, as tend to lead men astray from God, and from their own duty and happiness. In this state of depravation, before they are renewed by divine grace, they fol- low the sinful appetites and passions that work in them, they full the desires-ef theflesh andof the mind, they live in dark- ness, ignorant of God, or at least thoughtless and regardless of him, asCreatures without God in the world, creatures that appear to have none of the moral characters of his children, nor bear his holy image, nor are entitled to his favour: Theyare led and governed, not only by the course andfashion ofthis world, but, also, by the temptations of the devil, and they are ledcaptive by the prince of darkness, that evil spirit whose dominion is spread through all the earth, who is, as it were, the God of this world, and Who works powerfully, in all the sons and daughters of Adam, as they are in a state of degeneracy : Theyare childrens of disobedience, for they break the laws of their Maker wilfully, they neglect or renounce God, and set up idols in his stead ; they are idolaters to their own lusts, their pleasures, their honours or their possessions, and they are rather thechildren and imitators of Satan, than the children of God, or bornof him, or like to him : They are by nature strangers to his. covenant of mercy, have no intere.t in his salvation by his Son Jesus Christ, nor share in the spiritual and eternal blessings of the gospel; and as they dwell in this world without God, so without any solid tope of a better world. They are dead in trespasses, in sins, and know not the tray of life and peace. This is the plain,
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