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

6© The Corruption of State II.
■was to build on their Birth-privilege, as Children I
o;' Abraham, Mat. iii. 9. to glory in their Circum-
cifion, and other external Ordinances, Philip, iii. |
2, 3. And to re/? in the haw (Rom. ii. 17.) after .
they had, by their falfe Gloffes, cut it To fhort, as
they might go well near to the fulfilling of it. Mat. v.
Thus was Darknefs over the Face of the World,
when Chrift the true Light came into it; and fo is
Dirkncfs over every Soul, till He, as the Day-Star,
' arife in the Heart. The former is an Evidence of the
latter. What, but the natural Darknefs of Mens
Minds, could ftill thus wear out the Light of exter¬
nal Revelation; in a Matter upon which eternal
Happinefs did depend ? Men did not forget the
Way of preferving their Lives : But how quickly
did they iofe the Knowledge of the Way of Salva¬
tion of their Souls; which are of infinite more Weight
and Worth! When Patriarchs and Prophets teach¬
ing was ineffe&ual. Men behoved to be taught of
God himfelf; who alone c'an open the Eyes of the
Underftanding. But, that it might appear, that
the Corruption of Man’s Mind lay deeper than to
be cured by mere external Revelation; there were
but very few converted by Chriff’s preaching. Mrba
[poke as newer Man [poke, John xii. 37, 38. The
great Cure on the Genetation, remain’d to be per-r
formed, by the Spirit accompanying the preach¬
ing of the ApoJUes; who according to the Promife
(John xiv. 12.) were to do greater Iforks. And if
we look to the Miracles wrought by our blelfed
Lord, we’ll find that by applying the Remedy to
the Soul, for the Cure of bodily Diflempers, (as in
the Cafe of the Man fick of the Palfie, Mat. ix. 2.)
he plainly difeovered, that it was his main Errand
into the World to cure the Difeafes of the Soul. I