according to the course of nature, is born unclean. If the root be corrupt, fo muft the branches be. Neither is the matter mended, though the parents be fanctified ones: for they are but holy in part, and that by grace, not by nature; and they beget their children as men, not as holy men. Wherefore, as the circumcised parent begets an uncircumcifed child, and after the pureft grain is fown, we reap corn with the chaff; fo the holiest parents beget unholy children, and cannot communicate their grace to them, as they do their nature; which many godly parents find true, in their fad experience.

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Thirdly, Confider the confeflion of the Pfalmift David Pfal. li. 6. Behold I was shapen in iniquity, and in fin did my mother conceive me. Here he afcends from his actual fin, to the fountain of it, namely, corrupt nature. He was a man according to God's own heart; but from the beginbing it was not fo with him. He was begotten in lawful marriage; but when the lump was fhapen in the wemb, it was a finful lump. Hence the corruption of nature is called the old man; being as old as ourselves, older than grace, even in those that are fanctified from the womb.

Fourthly, Hear our Lord's determination of the point, Jobn iii. 5. That which is born of the flesh, is flesh. Behold the univerfal corruption of mankind, all are flefh. Not that all are frail, tho' that is a fad truth too; yea, and our natural frailty is an evidence of our natural corruption; but that is not the fenfe of this text: but here is the meaning of it, all are corrupt and finful, and that naturally: hence our Lord argues here, that because they are flesh, therefore they must be born again, or elfe they cannot enter into the kingdom. of God, ver. 3, 5. And as the corruption of our nature evidenceth the abfolute neceffity of regeneration, fo the abfo. lute neceffity of regeneration plainly proves the corruption of our nature: for why fhould a man need a fecond birth, if his nature were not quite marred in the first birth? Infants must be born again, for that is an except (John iii. 3.) which admits of no exception. And therefore, they were circumcifed under the old Teftament; as having the body of the fins of the flesh, (which is conveyed to them by natural generation) to put off, Col. ii. 11. And now by the appointment of Jefus Chrift, they are to be baptized; which

fays

fays they are unclean, and that there is no falvation for them but by the washing of regeneration, and renewing of the Holy Ghost, Tit. ii. 5.

Fifthly, Man certainly is funk very low now, in comparifon of what he once was, God made him but a little lower thin the angels: but now we find him likened to the beasts that perish He hearkened to a brute; and is now become like one of them. Like Nebuchadnezzar, his portion (in 'his natural ftate) is with the beafts, minding only earthly things, Philip. iii. 19. Nay brutes, in fome fort, have the advantage of the natural man, who is funk a degree below them He is more witlefs, in what concerns him most than the ftork, or the turtle, or the crane, or the fwallow, in what is for their intereft, Jer viii. 7. He is more frupid than the ox or afs, Ifa. i 3 I find him fent to fchool, to learn of the ant or emmot, which having no guide, or leader to go before her: no overfeer or officer to compel or Air her up to work; no ruler, but may do as she lifts, being under the dominion of none; yet provideth her meat in the fummer and harvest, Prov. vi. 6, 7, 8. while the natural man has all these, and yet expofeth himself to eternal starving. Nay more than all this, the fcripture holds out the natural man, not only as wanting the good qualities of those creatures; but as a compound of the evil qualities of the worst of the creatures, in which do concenter the fierceness of the lion, the craft of the fox, the unteachableness of the wild afs, the filthinefs of the dog and fwine, the poifon of the afp, and fuch like. Truth itself calls them serpents, a generation of vipers; yea, more, even children of the devil; Mát, xxi. i. 33. John viii. 44. Surely then, man's natnre is miferably corrupted.

and

Laftly, We are by nature children of wrath, Eph. ii. 3. We are worthy of, and liable to the wrath of God; this by nature: and therefore, doubtless, we are by nature finful creatures. We are condemned before we have done good or evil; under the curfe, ere we know what it is. But will a lion rear in the foreft while he hath no prey? Amos. iii.. 4. that is, Will a holy and just God roar in his wrath against man, if he be not, by his fin made a prey for wrath? No, he will not, he cannot. Let us conclude, then, that according to the word of God man's nature is a Corrupt nature, II. If

II. If we confult experience, and obferve the cafe of the world in these things that are obvious, to any perfon, that will not fhut his eyes against clear light; we will quickly perceive fuch fruits, as difcover this root of bitterness: I fhall propofe a few things, that may serve to convince us in this point.

First, Who fees not a flood of miferies overflowing the world? and whether can a man go, where he fhall not dip his foot, if he go not over head and ears in it? Every one at home and abroad, in city and country, in palaces and cottages, is groaning under fome one thing or other, ungrateful to him. Some are oppreffed with poverty, fome chained with fick nefs and pain, fome are lamenting their lofles; none wants a crois of one fort or another. No man's condition is fo soft, but there is fome thorn of uncafinefs in it. And at length death the wages of fin, comes after thefe its harbingers, and fweeps all away. Now, what but fia has opened the fluice? There is not a complaint nor figh heard in the world, nor a tear that falls from our eye, but it is an evidence that man is fallen as a ftar from heaven; for God diftributeth forrew in his anger, Job xxi, 17. This is a plain proof of the corruption of nature: forafmuch as thofe 'that have not yet actually finned, have their share of thefe forrows; yea, and draw their first breath in the world weeping, as if they knew this world, at first fight, to be a Bochiin, the place of weepers There are graves of the finalleit, as well as of the largest fize, in the church-yard; and there are never wanting fome in the world, who like Rachel, are weeping for their children because they are not, Mat. ii 18.

Secondly, Obferve how early this corruption of nature begins to appear in young ones: Solomon obferves, that even a child is known by his doings, Prov. xx. 11. It may foon be difcerned, what way the bias of the heart lies. Do not the children of fallen Adam, before they can go alone, follow their father's footsteps? What a vaft deal of little pride, ambition, curiosity, vanity, wilfulness, and averfenefs to good appears in them: And when they creep out of infancy. there is a neceffity of ufing the rod of correction to drive away the foolishness that's bound in their heart. Prov. xxii. 15. Which thews, that if grace prevail not, the child will be a: Ishmael a wild afs man, as the word is, Gen. xvi. 13. Thirdly

Thirdly, Take a view of the manifold grofs out-breakings of fin, in the world. The wickedness of man is yet great in the earth. Behold the bitter fruits of the corruption of our nature, Hof iv. 2. By fwearing and ying, and killing and Aealing, and committing adultery, they break out (like the breaking forth of water) and blood toucheth blood. The world is filled with filthiness, and all manner of lewdnefs wickedness, and profanity. Whence is this deluge of fin on the earth, but from the breaking up of the fountain of the great deep, the heart of man; out of which proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousnefs, wickedness, &c. Mark vii. 21. 22. Ye will, it may be, thank God with a whole heart, that ye are not like thefe other men and indeed ye have better reason for it, than I fear, ye are aware of; for, as, in water, face answereth to face, fo the heart of man to man, Prov. xxvii. 19. As looking into clear water, ye fee your own face; fo looking into your heart, ye may fee other men's there and looking into other mens, in them ye may fee your own. So that the most vile and profane wretches that are in the world should serve you for a looking glass; in which you ought to difcern the corruption of your own eature: and if you do so, ye would, with a heart truly touched, thank God, and not yourfelves indeed, that ye are not as other men, in your lives; seeing the corruption of nature is the fame in you, as in them. Fourthly, Caft your eye upon thefe terrible convulfions the world is thrown into by the luft of men. Lions make not a prey of lions, nor wolves of wolves: but men are turned wolves to one another, hiting and devouring one another. Upon how flight occafions will men fheath their fwords in one another's bowels! The world is a wilderness where the cleareft fire men can carry about with them, will not fright away the wild beats that inhabit it, (and that becaufe they are men, and nat brutes) but one way or other they will be wounded. Since Cain shed the blood of Abel, the earth has been turned into a flaughter house; and the chace has been continued fince Nimrod began his hunting ; on the earth, as in the fea, the greater still devouring the leffer. When we fee the world in fuch a ferment, every one stabbing another with words or fwords, we may conclude there is an evil spirit among them. These violent heats among Adam's fons, fpeak the whole body to be dif

tem

tempered, the whole head to be fick, and the whole heart faint. They furely proceed from an inward caufe, James vi. 1. Lufts that war in our members.

Fifibly, Confider the neceffity of human laws fenced with terrors and severities; to which we may apply what the apoftle fays, 1 Tim. i 9. That the law is not made for a righteous man, but for the lawless and difobedient, for the ungodly and for finners, &c. Man was made for fociety: and God himself faid of the firft man, when he had created him, that it was not meet that he should be alone; yet the cafe is fuch now, that, in fociety, he must be hedged in with thorns. And that from hence we may the better fee the corruption of man's nature, confider, (1.) Every man naturally loves to be at full liberty himfelf; to have his own will for his law; and if he would follow bis natural inclinations, would vote himself out of the reach of all laws, divine and human. And hence fome, (the power of whofe hands has been anfwerable to the natural inclination) have indeed made themselves abfolute, and above laws; agreeable to man's monftrous defign at firft, to be as gods, Gen. iii. 5. Yet, (2.) There is no man that would willingly adventure to live in a lawless society: and therefore, even pirates and robbers have laws among themselves, tho' the whole fociety caft off all respect to law and right. Thus men discover themselves to be conscious of the corruption of nature; not daring to trust one another, but upon fecurity, (3.) How dangerous foever it is to break thro' the hedge; yet the violence of luft makes many adventure daily to run the risk. They will not only facrifice their credit and confcience, which laft is highly efteem'd in the world; but for the pleasure of a few moments, immediately fucceeded with terror, from within, they will lay themselves open to a violent death by the laws of the land wherein they live. (4.) The laws are often made to yield to mens lufts. Sometimes whole focieties run into fuch extravagancies, that like a company of prifoners, they break off their fetters, and put their guards to flight; and the voice of laws cannot be heard for the noife of arms. And feldom is there a time wherein there are not fome perfons so great and daring, that the laws dare not look their impetuous lufts in the face; which made David fay, in the cafe of Joab, who had murdered Abner, These