Religion & morality > Human nature in its four-fold state ... in several practical discourses

Head I. is corrupted, proven'. g 9
Fifthly, Man certainly is funk very low now, in
Comparifon of what he once was. God made him
but a little lower than the Angels; but now we find
him likened to the Beads that periih. He hcarkned
to a Brute, and is now become like one of them.
Like Nebuchadnezzar, his Portion (in his natural
State) is with the Beads, minding only earthly things,
Philip, iii. ip. Nay Brutes, in fome Sort, have the
Advantage of the natural Man, who is funk a De¬
gree below them. He is more witlefsjn what Concerns
him mod; than the Stork,ox the Turtle,oxthe Crane,
or the Swallow,in what is for their Intered, Jer. viii. 7.
He is more ftupid than the Ox or Afs, Ifa. i. 3. I
find him fent to School, to learn of the Ant or Em-
mot, which having no Guide, or Leader to go be¬
fore her; no Over Jeer, or Officer to compel or die
her up to Work; no Ruler, but may do as ihe lids,
being under the Dominion of none ; Yet provideth
her Meat in the Summer and Harveft, Prov. vi. 6, 7,
8. while the natural Man has all thefc, and yet ex-
pofeth himfelf to eternal Starving. Nay more than
all this, the Scripture holds out the natural Man,
not only as wanting the good Qualities of thofe Crea¬
tures ; but as a Compound of the evil Qualities of
the word of the Creatures, in which do concenter
the Fiercenefs of the Lion, the Craft of the Fox, the
Unteachablenefs of the wild Afs, the Filthinefs of the
Dog and Swine, the Poifon of the Afp, and fuch like.
Truth it it felf calls them Serpents, a Generation of
Vipers; yea more, even Children of the Devil, Mat.
xxiii. 33. Joh. viii. 44. Surely then, Man’s Nature
is miferably corrupted.
Ladly, IVe are by Nature Children of IVrath,
Eph. ii. 3. We are worthy of, and liable to the
Wrath of God; and this by Nature: And there-
C 4 fore.