8. * To sum up all. The _natural_ man neither fears nor loves God; one _under the law_, fears; one _under grace_, loves him. The first, has no light in the things of God, but walks in utter darkness; the second sees the painful light of hell; the third, the joyous light of heaven. He that sleeps in death, has a false peace. He that is awakened has no peace at all. He that believes has true peace, the peace of God filling and ruling his heart. The heathen, baptized or unbaptized, hath a fancied liberty, which is indeed licentiousness: the _Jew_ (or one under the _Jewish_ dispensation) is in heavy, grievous bondage: the Christian enjoys the true glorious liberty of the sons of God. An unawakened child of the devil, sins willingly: One that is awakened sins unwillingly: a child of God _sinneth not_, but _keepeth himself, and the wicked one toucheth him not_. To conclude; the natural man neither conquers nor fights; the man under the law fights with sin, but cannot conquer: the man under grace fights and conquers, yea is _more than ♦conqueror, through him that loveth him_.
IV. 1. From this plain account of the three-fold state of man, the _natural_, the _legal_, and the _evangelical_, it appears, that it is not sufficient, to divide mankind, into sincere, and insincere. A man may be sincere in any of these states; not only when he has the _Spirit of adoption_, but while he has the _spirit of bondage unto fear_. Yea, while he has neither this fear, nor love. For undoubtedly there may be sincere Heathens, as well as sincere _Jews_ or Christians. This circumstance then, does by no means prove, that a man is in a state of acceptance with God.
_Examine yourselves_ therefore, not only whether ye are sincere, _but whether ye be in the faith_. Examine narrowly; for it imports you much. What is the ruling principle in your soul? Is it the love of God? Is it the fear of God? Or is it neither one nor the other? Is it not rather the love of the world? The love of pleasure? or gain, of ease, or reputation? If so, you are not come so far as a _Jew_. You are but a _Heathen_ still. Have you heaven in your heart? Have you the Spirit of adoption, ever crying, _Abba, Father_? Or do you cry unto God, as _out of the belly of hell_, overwhelmed with sorrow and fear? Or are you a stranger to this whole affair, and cannot imagine what I mean? Heathen, pull off the mask. Thou hast never put on Christ. Stand barefaced. Look up to heaven. And own before him that liveth for ever and ever, thou hast no part either among the sons or servants of God.
Whosoever thou art, dost thou commit sin, or dost thou not? If thou dost, is it willingly or unwillingly? In either case God hath told thee whose thou art, _He that committeth sin is of the devil_. If thou committest it willingly, thou art his faithful servant. He will not fail to reward thy labour. If unwillingly, still thou art his servant. God deliver thee out of his hands!
Art thou daily fighting against all sin? And daily more than conqueror? I acknowledge thee for a child of God. O stand fast in thy glorious liberty. Art thou fighting, but not conquering; striving for the mastery, but not able to attain? Then thou art not yet a believer in Christ; but follow on, and thou shalt know the Lord. Art thou not fighting at all, but leading an easy, indolent fashionable life? O how hast thou dared to name the name of Christ? Only to make it a reproach among the Heathen? Awake thou sleeper! Call upon thy God: before the deep swallow thee up.
2. Perhaps one reason why so many think of themselves more highly than they ought to think, why they do not discern what state they are in, is, because these several states of soul, are often mingled together, and in some measure meet, in one and the same person. Thus experience shews, that the legal state, or state of fear, is frequently mixt with the natural. For few men are so fast asleep in sin, but they are sometimes, more or less awakened. As the Spirit of God does not _wait for the call of man_, so at some times he _will_ be heard. He puts them in fear, so that for a season, at least, the Heathen _know themselves to be but men_. They feel the burthen of sin, and earnestly desire to flee from the wrath to come. But not long. They seldom suffer the arrows of conviction to go deep into their souls; but quickly stifle the grace of God, and return to their wallowing in the mire.