1. Therefore first, you must be supposed such as believe the account true, which that book gives of the common state of man; That it is a state of Apostasy from God; That the Lord looking down from heaven upon the children of men, 1to see if any did understand and seek God, finds they are all gone aside, i. e. (that the return may answer to the meaning of the inquiry), gone off from him. Every one of them is gone back, 2(or revolted, as it is expressed in the parallel Psalm), There is none that doth good, 3no not one; which is quoted by the Apostle to the intent, That every mouth may be stopped, 4and the whole world ⟨p. 237⟩may become guilty before God. This is then a common case; And as the same Apostle charges it upon the Gentiles, 5that they were haters of God; so doth our Saviour as expressly on the Jews, (who no doubt thought themselves as innocent of this crime as you), That they had both seen and hated both Him and his Father. And when it is said of men, that they were by nature the children of wrath, (they to whom he writes even as others), do you think that is spoken of any lovers of God, as their present state? Or that when all by nature are children of wrath, any are by nature lovers of him, so as to love him and be under his wrath both at once? It is likely then, that against so plain evidence, while you confess your selves men, you will not deny you were sometime haters of God. Well then, is the case altered with you? It is a conviction against you, that you are of humane race, till it can be evidenced you are born from above, and are become new creatures? And what, do you find this? It is not expected, you should be able to tell the very moment when you ceased from your enmity against God, and became his friends; or give a punctual account of every turn or motion of thoughts in such a change: But it is to be supposed, the work was not done upon you in your sleep, so as that you could have no animadversion of what was doing. However, comparing what you sometime were with what you are, what difference do you observe? What were you, sometimes haters of God, and are you now ⟨p. 238⟩come to love and delight in him, without perceiving in your selves any difference? Bethink your selves, is not the temper of your spirits just such Godward as it was always wont to be, without any remarkable turn or alteration?
1. Therefore first, you must be supposed such as believe the account true, which that book gives of the common state of man; That it is a state of Apostacy from God; That the Lord looking down from heaven upon the children of men, 1to see if any did understand and seek God, finds they are all gone aside, i. e. (that the return may answer to the meaning of the inquiry), gone off from him. Every one of them is gone back, 2(or revolted, as it is expressed in the parallel Psalm), There is none that doth good, 3no not one; which is quoted by the Apostle to the intent, That every mouth may be stopped, 4and the whole world ⟨p. 237⟩may become guilty before God. This is then a common case; And as the same Apostle charges it upon the Gentiles, 5that they were haters of God; so doth our Saviour as expresly on the Jews, (who no doubt thought themselves as innocent of this crime as you), That they had both seen and hated both Him and his Father. And when it is said of men, that they were by nature the children of wrath, (they to whom he writes even as others), do you think that is spoken of any lovers of God, as their present state? Or that when all by nature are children of wrath, any are by nature lovers of him, so as to love him and be under his wrath both at once? It is likely then, that against so plain evidence, while you confess your selves men, you will not deny you were sometime haters of God. Well then, is the case altered with you? It is a conviction against you, that you are of humane race, till it can be evidenc't you are born from above, and are become new creatures? And what, do you find this? It is not expected, you should be able to tell the very moment when you ceas'd from your enmity against God, and became his friends; or give a punctual account of every turn or motion of thoughts in such a change: But it is to be supposed, the work was not done upon you in your sleep, so as that you could have no animadversion of what was doing. However, comparing what you sometime were with what you are, what difference do you observe? What were you, sometimes haters of God, and are you now ⟨p. 238⟩come to love and delight in him, without perceiving in your selves any difference? Bethink your selves, is not the temper of your spirits just such Godward as it was always wont to be, without any remarkable turn or alteration?
