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

Head IF. off from the nat. Stock. 3 11
concerning the Faith, arifc in his Breaft : So that
his Heart is a very Hell within nim. Thus while he
is fweeping the Houfe of his Heart, not yet watered
with Gofpel Grace ; thefe Corruptions which lay
quiet betore in negle&ed Corners, fly up and down
in it like Duft. He is as one who is mending a
Dam, and while he is repairing Breaches in it, and
ftrengthening every Part .of it, a mighty Flood
comes down, overturns his Works, and drives all
away before it, as well what was newly laid, as
what was laid before. Read Row. vii. 8, 9, 10,
13. This is a Stroke which goes to the Heart:
And by it, his Hope of getting himfelf mere fit to
come to Chrift, is cut off.
Lafily, Now the Time is come, when the Man
betwixt Hope and Defpair, refblves to go to Chrift
as he is : And therefore, like a dying Man ftretch-
ing himfelf, juft before his Breath goes out, he rallies
the broken Forces of his Soul ; .tries to believe, and
in fome Sort lays hold on Jefus Chrift. And now
the Branch hangs on the old Stock, by one Angle
Tack of a natural Faith, produced by the natural
Vigour of one’s own Spirit; under a moft preffing
Neceffity, Pfai. Ixxviii, 34, 35. IVhen he fiew them,
then they fought him, and they returned and enquired
early after God. And they remembred that God
•was their Kock, and the High God their Redeemer.
Hof. viii. 2. Jfrael fhall cry unto me. My God, we
know thee. But the Lord minding to perfeft his
Work, fetches yet another Stroke, whereby the
Branch falls'quite off. The Spirit of God convin¬
cingly difeovers to the Sinner, his utter Inability to
do any Thing that’s Good : And fo he dieth, Rom.
vii. 9. That Voice powerfully ftrikes thro’ his
Soul, How can ye believe John v. 44. Thou canft
no more believe, than thou canft reach up thine
U 4 Hand