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

Head I. the Underfianditig.
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wiic fee all turned upfide down; Heaven lying under,
and Earth a-top. Look into thy Life, there thou
mayetl fee, how thou art playing the Mad-man,
fnatching at Shadows, and neglefting the Subftance:
Eagerly flying after that Which is not, and flighting
that which is, and will be for ever.
Enjid. 3. The natural Man is always, as a Work¬
man left without Light; either trifling or doing
Mifchief. Try to catch thy Heart at any Time,
thou wilt, and thou (halt find it either weaving the
Spiders- web, or hatching Cockatrice-Eggs ('Ka. lix.
5.) roving through the World, or digging into the
Pit; filled with Vanity, or elfe with Vilenefs, bufy .
dotfr nothing, or what is worfe than nothing. A
fad Sign of a dark Mind.
Evid. 4. The natural Man is void of the faving
Knowledge of fpiritual Things. He knows not
what a God he has to do with ; he is unacquainted
with Chrift ; and knows not what Sin is. The
greateft gracelefs Wits are blind as Moles in thefe
Things. Ay, but fome fuch can fpeak of them to
good Purpofe : And fo might thefe Pfraeiites, of the
Temptations, Signs and Miracles their Eyes had
feen (Deut. xxix. 3.) to whom neverthelefs the Lord
had not given an Heart to perceive, and Eyes to fee,
and Ears to hear, unto that Day, ver. 4. Many a
Man that bears the Name of a Chriftian, may make
Pharaoh’s Confeflion- of Faith, Exod. v. 2. / know
not the Lord : Neither will they let go what he com¬
mands them to part with. God is with them,
as "‘Prince in Difguife among his Subje&s, who meets /
with no better Treatment from them, than if they
were his Fellows, Pfal. 1. 21. Do they know Chrift,
or fee his Glory, and any Beauty in him, for which
he is tc be defired ? If they did, they would not
flight