5. One who is in the first state of mind, without fear or love, is in scripture term’d _a natural man_. One who is under the spirit of bondage and fear is sometimes said to be _under the law_: (altho’ that expression more frequently signifies one, who is under the _Jewish_ dispensation, or who thinks himself obliged to observe all the rites and ceremonies of the _Jewish law_.) But one who has exchanged the spirit of fear for the Spirit of love, is properly said, to be _under grace_. Now because it highly imports us, to know what spirit we are of, I shall endeavour to point out distinctly, first, The state of a _natural man_, secondly, That of one who is _under the law_, and thirdly, of one who is _under grace_. I. 1. And, first, the state of a _natural man_. This the scripture represents as a state of sleep. The voice of God to him is, _Awake, thou that sleepest_. For his soul is in a deep sleep. His spiritual senses are not awake: they discern neither spiritual good nor evil. The eyes of his understanding are closed; they are sealed together, and see not. Clouds and darkness continually rest upon them; for he lies in the valley of the shadow of death. Hence having no inlets for the knowledge of spiritual things, all the avenues of his soul being shut up, he is in gross, stupid ignorance of whatever he is most concerned to know. He is utterly ignorant of God, knowing nothing concerning him as he ought to know. He is totally a stranger to the law of God, as to its true, inward, spiritual meaning. He has no conception of that evangelical holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord; nor of the happiness, which they only find, whose _life is hid with Christ in God_.