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

HEAD III. Man's utter Inability to recover himself.

ROMANS v. 6. For when we were yet without strength, in due time Christ died for the ungodly. JOHN vi. 44. No men can come to me, except the Father, which hath sent me, draw him.

WE have now had a view of the total corruption of man's nature, and that load of wrath which lies on him, that gulf of misery he is plunged into in his natural state. But there's one part of his misery that deserves particular consideration; namely, his utter inability to recover himself, the knowledge of which is necessary for the ⟨p. 118⟩due humiliation of a sinner. What I design here is, only to propose a few things, whereby to convince the unregenerate man of this his inability; that he may see an absolute need of Christ, and of the power of his grace.

As a man that is fallen into a pit, cannot be supposed to help himself out of it, but by one of two ways; either by doing all himself alone, or taking hold of, and improving the help offered him by others: so an unconverted man cannot be supposed to help himself out of that state, but either in the way of the law, or covenant of works, by doing all himself without Christ: or else in the way of the gospel, or covenant of grace, by exerting his own strength to lay hold upon, and to make use of the help offered him by a Saviour. But alas! the unconverted man is dead in the pit, and cannot help himself, either of these ways. Not the first way: for the first text tells us, that when our Lord came to help us, we were without strength, unable to recover ourselves. We were ungodly; therefore under a burden of guilt and wrath; yet without strength, unable to stand under it: and unable to throw it off, or get from under it: so that all mankind had undoubtedly perished, had not Christ died for the ungodly, and brought help to them who could never have recovered themselves But when Christ comes, and offereth help to sinners, cannot they take it? Cannot they improve help when it comes to their hands? No, the second text tells us, they cannot: No man can come unto me, (i e. believe in me,