Human nature in its fourfold state ... In several practical discourses

Secondly, Corrupt nature is the very reverse of the gospel contrivance. In the gospel, God promiseth Jesus Christ as the great means of re-uniting man to himself: he has named him as the Mediator, one in whom he is well pleased, and will have none but him, Matth. xvii. 5. But nature will have none of him, Psal lxxxi. 11 God appointed the place of meeting for the reconciliation, namely, the flesh of Christ; accordingly, God was in Christ, (2 Cor. v. 29.) as the tabernacle of meeting, to make up the peace with sinners; but natural men, tho' they should die for ever, will not come thither John v. 40. And ye will not come to me, that ye might have life. In the way of the gospel, the sinner must stand before the Lord in an imp•••d righteousness: but corrupt nature is for an inherent righteousness: and therefore, so far as natural men follow after righteousness, they follow after the law of righteousness, Rom. ix 31, 32. and not after the Lord our righteousness. Nature is always for building up itself, and to have some grounds for boasting: but the great design of the gospel is to exalt grace, to depress nature, and exclude boasting, Rom. iii 27. The sum of our natural religion is, to do good from and for ourselves, John v. 44. The sum of the gospel religion is, to deny ourselves and to do good from and for Christ, Philip i. 21.

Thirdly, Every thing in nature is against believing in Jesus Christ. What beauty can the blind man discern in a crucified Saviour, for which he is to be desired? How can the will, naturally impotent, yea and averse to good, make choice of him? Well may the soul then say to him in the day of the spiritual siege, as the Jebusites said to David in another case, Except thou take away the blind and the lame, thou shalt not come in hither, 2 Sam. v. 6