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

Head III. to recover h'mfelf) &c. sol
a Man cannot be aftive, but pajjhe only, in his
own Regeneration. The Heart is (hut againft Chrift:
Man cannot open it, only God can do it by his
Grace, Atfs xvi. 14. He is dead in Sin : He muft
be quickened, niifed out of his Grave j who can do
this but God himfelf ? Epbef. ii. 1, 5. Nay, he
muft be created in Chrift JeJits unto good Works,
Eph. ii. 10. Thefe are Works of Omnipotency,
and can be done by no lefs Power.
Fourthly, Man, in his depraved State, is under
an utter Inability to do any Thing truly good, as
was cleared before at large : How then can he obey
the Gofpel ? His Nature is the very Reqjerfe of
the Gofpel: How can he, of himfelf, fall in with that
Device of Salvation, and accept the offered Reme¬
dy ? The Corruption of Man’s Nature infallibly
concludes his utter Inabilty, to recover himfelf any
Manner of Way : And whofo is convinced of the
one, muft needs admit the other; for they ftand
and fall together. Were all the Purchale of Chrift
offered to the irregenerate Man, for one good
^thought; he cannot command it, 2 Cor. iii. 5. Not
that we are fufficient of our ■ [elves, to think any
SThmg as of our felves. Were it offered on Con¬
dition of a good Word, yet how can ye, being evil,
[peak good ‘things ? Mat. xii. 3 5. Nay, were it
left to your felves, to chufe what is eafieft ; Chrift
himfelf tells you, John xv. 5. Without me ye can do
nothing.
Laftly, The natural Man cannot but rejift the
Lord, offering to help him; howbeit that Rcfi-
ftance is infallibly overcome in the Eled, by con¬
verting Grace. Can the ftony Heart chufe but re¬
jift the Stroke ? There’s not only an Inability,
but an Enmity and Obftmaey in Man’s Will by
Na-