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

5 to How the Branches are cut State III0
of Chrift, and is fuch an unholy and vik Creature,
he cannot, he will not, he ought not to come to
Chrift ; and that he muft cither be in better Cafe,
or elfe he’ll never believe. And hence, he now
makes his ftrongeft Efforts, to amend what was
ainifs in his Way before : He prays more earned:-
ly than ever, mourns more bitterly, drives againft
Sin, in Heart and Life, more vigoroully, and
watchethmore diligently ; if by any Means he may
at length, be fit to come to Chrift. One would
think, the Man is well humbled now: But ah!
devililh Pride lurks under the Veil of all this feem-
ing Humility. Like a kindly Branch of the old
Stock, he adheres ftill •, and will 7iot fubmit to the
Kighteoufnefs of God, Rom. x. 3. He will not come
to the Market of Free Grace, 'without Money. He
is bidden to the Marriage of the Kings Soil, where
the Bridegroom himfelf furnilheth all the Guefts
with Wedding-Garments, ftriping them of their
own : But he will not come, becaufe he wants
a Wedding-garment-, howbeit he is very bufy
making one ready. This is fad Work ; and there¬
fore he muft have a deeper Stroke , yet, elfc he is
ruined. This Stroke is reach’d him with the Ax
of the Law, in its irritating Power. Thus the
Law girding the Soul with Cords of Death, and
holding it in with the rigorous Commands of Obe¬
dience, under the Pain of the Curfe ; and God in
his holy and wife Conduft, withdrawing his re¬
ft raining Grace; Corruption is irritated, Lufts be¬
come violent; and the more they are ftriven againft,
the more they rage, like a furious Horfe check’d
with the Bit. Then do Corruptions fet up their
Heads, which he never faw in himfelf before. Here
oftimes Atheifm, Blafphemy, and in one Word,
horrible ^things concerning God, terrible thoughts
con-