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

74- T&tf Corruption of State II.
they believe they are Children of IVrath ? Do they
believe there is no Salvation without Regeneration •
and no Regeneration but what makes one a new
Creature? If you believe the Promifes of the Word,
why do you not embrace them, and labour to enter
into the promifed Reft ? What Sluggard would
not dig for a hid Treafure, if he really believed he
might fo obtain it ? Men will work and fweat for
a Maintenance; becaufe they believe that by fo do¬
ing they’ll get it : Yet they’ll be at no tolerable
Pains for the eternal IVeight of Glory ■, why, but be¬
caufe they do not believe the Word of Promife ?
Heb. iv. i, 2. If ye believe the jThreatmngs, how
is it that ye live in your Sins, live out of Chrift,
and yet hope for Mercy ? Do fuch believe God to
be the holy and juft One, who will by no Means
clear the Guilty ? No, no, none believe, none (or
next to none) believe what a juft God the LORD is>
and how feverely he punijhetb.
Fifthly, There is in the Mind of Man a natural
Pronenefs to Lies andFalfeheod, which make for the
Safety of Lulls, I*bey go aftray affoon as they be
born, fpeakittg Lies, Pfal. Iviii. 3. We have this
with the reft of the Corruption of our Nature, from
our firft Parents. God revealed the Truth to them ;
but through the Solicitation of the Tempter, they
firft doubted of it; then disbelieved it, and em¬
brac’d a Lje inftead of it. And for an unconteft-
able Evidence hereof, we may fee that firft Article
of the Devil’s Creed, Te Jhall not furely dye, Gen.
iii. 4. which was obtruded by him on our firft Pa¬
rents, and by them received; naturally embrac’d by
their Pofterity, and held fall, till a Light from
Heaven oblige them to quit it. It fpreads itfclf
through the Lives of natural Men; who, till their