Heaven upon earth in the serene tranquillity and calm composure, in the sweet peace…

2ly. Observe. That a man before he be purged by Christs Blood, hath his Conscience wholly defiled; Not only in part (as we said of the Believer) but wholly; before he be in Christ, and be purged by his Blood, he is like that wretched Infant described, Ezek. 16. 5. which description sets forth to the life, what these people were before God entered in Covenant with them, cast out in the open field, to the loathing of their persons, unsalted, and unswaddled, with their navels uncut, wallowing in their own blood, and having no eye to pity them; And thus are all men and women, without exception▪ before they be in Covenant with God; they are wholly in a state of irreconciliation and enmity with God; whose Law does not only condemn this and that work, or deed of theirs, but all of them as but dead works; Their very state and person is condemned; their peace, if they have any, is no solid peace, none of Gods peace, for there is no peace, nor ground of peace to the wicked, says my God, Isai. 57. Their inclination is wholly depraved and corrupted; all their Thoughts and Imaginations are evil, only evil, and continually evil, as it is Gen. 6. 5. and as that often cited emphatic word is, Tit. 1▪ 15. To him that is defiled and unbelieving there is nothing pure: Every practice of his, & the use of every thing is to him impure, and his very mind and conscience is totally defiled. And this will be yet more clear, if we consider; 1. The case that the man is in, who is not in Christ; he is without God, without hope, under his curse, and the condemnatory sentence of his Law; and can a man possibly have a clear Conscience that is under Gods curse, and hath the Sentence of his Law, standing over his head unrepealed? Therefore he is said John 3. to be condemned already, and to have the wrath of God abiding on him. 2. If we consider that a man in this condition is under the dominion of sin, he is a captive of it, and of the Devil at his will, as it is 2 Tim▪ 2. 26, So that there is scarce any motion, or temptation to sin, but he hearkens to it, and complies with it; his