A Word From The Past On Man's Spiritual State

"Hence, the soul in its natural state is spiritually dead. Ephesians 2:1, 'And you hath he quickened, you were dead in trespasses and sins.' Colossians 2:13, 'And you, being dead in your sins... hath he quickened together with him.' That is, the soul is so entirely destitute of the first principles of holy and spiritual life that [it is] as much without it as he that is naturally dead is of the principles of natural life. The fires is all gone out. There is not one spark left. It signifies nothing to blow, except fire be brought from some other place.

"Surely physicians are, of themselves, none of them able to raise the dead. You may apply what medicines you please to a dead man, you cannot fetch him to life. You may set what food you will before him, it will not nourish him. You may represent what objects you will, he will not see. If you charm in his ears ever so wisely, he will not hear. You can do no good at all to a dead man. Nothing that you do will have influence upon him. So nothing that ministers can do if God does nothing, can have any influence at all upon the souls of sinners, their conversion or spiritual goods."

--Jonathan Edwards
from the sermon Ministers Need the Power of God.

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An excellent description of Man's spiritual state as an unregenerate creation -- spiritually dead. Man isn't a sick man needing medicine. He is a DEAD MAN needing resurrection. He can't naturally choose God on his own will. Dead men can't choose anything. They are dead.

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