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

Head II. off from the nat. Stock. 301
ed, and many Reprobates have been flam; while
i the Wounds of neither of them have been deep e-
nough, to cut them off from their natural Stock.
But the Spirit of the Lord gives yet a deeper Stroke
to the Branch, which is to be cut oft; (hewing him,
that, as yet, he is but an out-fide Saint; and dis¬
covering to him the filthy Lufts lodged in his Heart,
which he took no notice of before, Rom. vii. 9. When
the Commandment came. Sin revi’ved, and 1 died.
Then he fees his Heart a Dunghill of heilifh Lulls;
filled with Covetoufnefs, Pride, Malice, Filthinefs,
and the like. Now afl'oon as the Door of the Cham¬
bers of his Imagery is thus opened to him, and he
fees what they do there in the Dark, his Out Jide
Religion is blown up as infufficient; and he learns
a new Leffon in Religion, namely, tfbat he is not
a "few, 'which is, one outwardly, Rom. ii. 28.
Fifthly, Upon this he goes further, even to In-
fide Religion ; fets to work more vigoroufly than
ever, mourns over the Evils of his Heart, and
ftrives to bear down the Weeds, he finds growing
in that negle&ed Garden. He labours to curb his
Pride.and Paflion, and to banifli fpeculatiye Impu¬
rities ; prays more fervently, hears attentively, and
ftrives to get his Heart aft'e&ed in every religious
Duty he performs : And thus he Comes to think
himfelf not only an Out-fide, but an In-Jide Chri-
ftian. Wonder not at this : For there's nothing
in it, beyond the Power of Nature, or what one
may attain to, under a vigorous Influence of the
Covenant of Works. Therefore another yet deep¬
er Stroke is reached. The Law chargeth home on
the Man’s Confcience, that he was a fTranfgref-
for from the IVomb-, that he came into the World
a guilty Creature: And that in the Time of his Ig¬
norance,