Jfrnm % Sibrartf of S^quf atl|Fb by l|tttt to tljr Ilthrarg nf BT 720 ,W47 ITS Wesley, John, 1703-1791. The doctrine of original sinl THE DOCTRINE O F Original Sin: ACCORDING TO Scripture^ Reason, ^W Experience. By J O H N JV E S L E r. BRISTOL: Printed by E. Farley, in Small- Street-, M.DCC.LVII. [ iii. ]. T H £ PREFACE. I. P'MM'^Few Tears ago a Triend put into S^ Q my Ha7ids Mr, T zylox' s ^^ Do^rine W Ww'2 tf Original Si?i'y which I read car ef idly over and partly tranfcrib- ed : And have ?nany 'Times ftnce diligently con- Jidered, The Author is doubtlefs a Perfon of Senfe, nay^ of unufually Jirong Under/iandi?jgy joined with no fmall Livelinefs of Imagination^ and a good Degree of various Learning, He has likewife an admirable Command of Temper, fo that he almojl every, where fpeaks as one i?t good Humour, Add to this^ that be has afmooth and pleafijig^ yet a tnanly and nervous Stile » And all thefe Talents he exerts to the uttertnojiy on a favourite SubjeB^ in the Treatife before us : Which he has had Leifurefor many Tears y to revifey fiky correal afzd Jirengthen againji all Objections, 2 . So finifh'd a Piece furely deferves the Con- Jideration of all thofe Majlers of Reafon which h 2 the W. P R E F A C £• the J^ge has produced. And I have long hoped^ T'bat fome ofthofe would attempt tofiew^ bow far the Do6lrme there laid down is true ? And what Weight there is in the Arguments which are produced^ in Cojrfirmation of it. I know not how to believe^ ^hat all the Clergy in Eng-r land are of the fame Opinion with this Author, And certainly there are fome whom all his Skill in Greek, ajid even in Hebrew does not make afraid, I fiould rejoice hadaiiy of thefe under- takefi the T'afky who are in tnany RefpeBs better qualified for it: Particularly in this ^ T^hatthey have T'ime upon their Hands ; they have full Leifure for fuch an Employment, But fince % none elfe will^ I cannot but fpeaky thd lying under many peculiar Difadvantages. I dare not be filent ajiy longer : Necefjity is laid upon me^ to provide thofe who defire to know the T'ruthy with fome A?2tidote againfl that deadly Poifon^ which has been diffufing itfelf for feveral Years^ thro our Nation^ our Churchy and even our U- niverfities. Nay One (I hope ^ only One) Father of the Church has declared^ *' 'That he knows no Book more proper than this, to fettle the Trinciplcs of a young Clergyman.'^ Is it not ^ime then for the very Stones to cry out ? 3. For this is not a Point of [mail Impor- tance y a ^eftion that may fafely be deter mijied either % Since the writing of this, I have feen feveral Trails, which I fhall have Qccafion to take Notice of hereafter. There are likewife many excellent Remarks on this Subjed, in Mr. Herveyi Dialogues, PREFACE. V, either Way. On the contrary ^ it may be doubtedy Whether the Scheme before us^ be not far more dangerous than open Deifm itfelf It does not Jhock us like barefaced Infidelity : We feel 710 Painy andfufpedi no Evil, while it fieals like Water into our Bowels, like Oil into our Bones. 07ie who woiddbe upon his Guard in reading the Works of Dr. Middleton or Lord Bolingbroke, is quite open and miguarded in reading the fmooth, decent Writings of Mr. Taylor : One who does not oppofe, (far be it from him!) but OJily explain the Scripture-^ who does 7iot raife any Difficulties or ObjeBio7is agai7ifi the Chrifiian Revelation -y but 07ily re- moves thofe with which it had been unhappily i72CU7?iber d for fo many Centuries I 4. I SAID, " I'han open Deifm.'' For I ca7it look on this Sche7ne as any other than old Deifm in a new D'rejs : Seeing itfaps the very Foundation of all Revealed Religiony whether yewijh or Chrifiian. '* Indeed^ 7ny L — , faid an emi7ient Man to a Perfon of^ality, Ica7it fee that we have much Need of Jefus Chrift." And who might not fay, upon this Suppofitiony " / carit fee that we have much NeedofChrifii^ cnityT Nay, not any at all -, for they that are whole, have no Need of a Phyfician : And the Chrifiian Revelation fpeaks of 7iothing elfcy but the great Phyfician of our Souls : Nor can Chrifiian Philofophyy whatever be thought of the Paga7iy be 7?iore properly defined than in Plato'j A 3 Words: VI. PREFACE. Words: It is 0c^'>e7r£i« \)/u;^^?. The only true Method of healing a dijiemperd Soul. But what Need of this ^ if we are inperfedl Health? If we are not difeafed^ we do not want a Cure, If we are not fick^ why fhould we feek for a Medicine to heal our Sicknefs? What Room is there ^ to talk of our being renewed in Know- ledge or Holinefs, after the Image wherein we were created, if we never have lojl that Image! If we are as knowing and holy now^ (nay far mcrefo) than Adam was immediately after his Creation ? If therefore we take away this Foundation^ Hhat Man is by Nature foolijh and fmfid^ fallen fhort of the glorious Image of God, the Chriftian Syftem falls at once : Nor will it deferve fo honourable an Appellation^ as that of a cunningly devifed Fable. 5. In confidering this Confutation of the Chriftian Syftem, / am under fome Difficulty f?'om Mr, Taylor'i Manner of Writing, It is his Cujlom to fay the fame 'Things (fometimes in different^ fometimes in nearly the fame Words) fix or eighty perhaps twelve or fifteen 'Times ^ in different Parts of his Book, Now I have ac- cuflomed my f elf for njany Tears, to fay one and the fame Thing once only. However to comply with his Manner as far as poffible, Ifkall add at proper Intervals, ExtraBs from others, ex- pre/Jing nearly the fame Senti?nents, which I have before exprefjed in my own Words, 6. I AM PREFACE. VIK 6. I Kyifenfihky in [peaking onfo tender a Point as this muft needs be^ to thofe who believe the Chrijlian Syjleniy there is Danger of a Warmth which does no Honour to our Caufe^ nor is at all countenanced by theRevelationwhich we defend. I defire neither tojhew^ nor to feel thisy but to fpeak the Truth in Love (the on- ly Warmthy which the Gofpel allows) and to write with Calmnefsy thd not Indifference. There is likewife a Danger of defpifng our Op- ponentSy and offpeaking with an Air of Dif dain. I would gladly keep clear of this alfo-y well knowing that a Diffidence of ourfehesy is far from implying a Diffidence of our Caufe : I dijlruft myfelf not iny Argument, O that the God of the Chrijlians may be with me ! T'hat his Spirit may give 7ne Underjiandingy and ena- ble me to think ^W fpeak as the Oracles of God, without goi72g from them to the Right-hand or to the Left ! Lewisham, AW, 30, 1756. A 4 THE [9] e^ k jHf O k jw( O k jM? O kjrf <> k jm! <^ THE DoEirine of Original Sin: ACCORDING To Scripture^ Reafon^ and Experience. PART I. ^he paji and prefenf State of Mankind, 5J(^^)!(EF0RE we attempt to account for ^ B ^ any Fadl, we fhould be well afllir d ^^^w of the Fad itfelf. Firft therefore let us enquire what is the real State of Mankind ? And in the fecond Place en- deavour to account for it. I. First, I fay, let us enquire. What is the real State, with Regard to Knowledge and Virtue, wherein Mankind have been from the earlieft Times ? And what State are they in at this Day ? I. What 10 I'he Doctrine of I. I . What is the State (to begin with the former Branch of the Enquiry) with Regard to Knowledge and Virtue, wherein accord- ing to the moft authentic Accounts, Man- kind have been from the earlieft Times? We have no authentic Account of the State of Mankind in the Times antecedent to the Deluge, but in the Writings of Mofes. What then, according to thefe was the State of Mankind in thofe Times ? Mofes gives us an exadl and full Account 3 Goo ih^nfaw that the Wickcdnefs of Man nsoas greats 'and that every Imagination oftheT^hoiights of his Heart was on- ly Evil co)itimially , Gen. vi. 5, 12, 13. And this was not the Cafe of only Part of Man- kind; but allFleJh had corrupted his Way upon the Earth, . And accordingly God faid, The End of all Flefh is come \ for the Earth is filled with Violence through them. Only Noah was righteous before God, c. vii. i. Therefore only he and his Houlliold we're fpared, v/hen God brougljt the Flood upon the World of the XJngodhy and deftroyed them all from the iFace of tire fearth. " Let us examine the tnoft diftinguifhing Features in this Draught. Not barely the \Vo'rks of their Hands, or the Words of their Tongue, but every Imaginatio7i of the Tlmights •^Z* their Heart was evil. The Contagion had ipread itfelfthro' the inner Man; had tainted the Seat of their Principles, and the Source of Original Sin. ii of their Adlions. But was there not fome Mixture of Good ? No; they were only Evil. Not fo much as a httle Leaven of Piety, un- lefs in one fingle Family. But were there no lucid Intervals'? No happy Moments wherein Virtue gained the Afcendency ? None: Every Imagination, every Thought was only Evil continually T"^ 2. Such was the State of Mankind for at leaft Sixteen Hundred Years. Men were corrupting themfelves and each other, and proceeding from one Degree of Wickednefs to another, 'till they were all (fave Eight Perfons) ripe for Deftrudlion. So deplora- ble was the State of the Moral World, while the Natural was in its higheft Perfedlion, And yet it is highly probable, that the Inha- bitants of the Earth were then abundantly more numerous, than ever they have been fince, confidering the Length of their Lives, falling little fliort of a thoufand Years, and the Strength and Vigour of their Bodies, which we may ealily gather from the Time they were to continue : To fay nothing of the Fertility of the Earth, probably far greater than it is at prefent. Confequently it was then capable of fuftaining fuch a Num- ber of Inhabitants, as could not now fubfift on the Produce of it. 3. Let * Mr. Hern;ey\ Tbcronzxid Afpafio. Dial, 11. 12 I'he Doctrine of 3. Let us next take a view of the Fami-- lies of the Sons of ^02hy the Inhabitants of the Earth after the Flood. The firft re- markable Incident we read concerning them is, that while they were all of one Lmiguage^ theyfaid ojie to another^ Let us build a City and a Tcwei'y "whofe Top may reach unto Heaven^ lejl we be fcattered abroad upon the Face of the Earth, It is not eafy to determine, v/hat were the peculiar Aggravations which at- tended this Attempt. But it is certain, there was daring Wickednefs therein, which brought upon them the very Thing they feared. For Vic^LoRD by confounding their Language (not their Religious Worjlnp : Can we fuppofe God would confound this?)^^^/- tcrd them ahi^oadupon the Face of all the Earth* Now whatever Particulars in this Account may be varioufly interpreted, thus much is clear and undeniable. That all thefe, that is, all the Inhabitants of the Earth had again corrupted their TFay, the univerfal Wicked- nefs being legible in the univerfal Puniihment. 4. We have no Account of their reform- ing their Ways, of any univerfal or general Repentance, before God feparated Abraham to Himfelf, to be the Father cf his chofen People.^ Nor is there any Reafon to believe, that die reft of Mankind were improved ei- ther in Wifdom or Virtue, when 'Lot and Abraham *> Gev.xi. 4, 9, « Bid xil 1, 2, •* 1;. xi,i2^ Original Sin. i^ Ahr ahditn/eparated themfekes and Lot pitched his T'ent toward Sodom. Of thoie among whom he dwelt, it is particularly remarked, *" The Men ^ Sodom (and of all the Cities of the Plain) were wicked and Sinners before the Lord exceedingly^ fo that not even ten 7'igh^ teous Perjms could be found among them : The Confequence of which was, that 'The ^LoRD rained up07i them B7^i7nflGne and Tire from Z&LoRD out of Hean:en. 5. We have no Ground to fuppcfe, that the other Inhabitants of the Earth, (Abra- ham with his Family and Defcendants ex- cepted) had either the Knowledge or theFear of God, from that Time till Jacob went ifito Egypt. This was then as well as for feveral Ages after, the great Seat of Learning : In- fomuch that the Wifdom of the Egyptians, was celebrated even to a Proverb. And indeed for this End, (as well as " tofave much Peo^ pie alive) did God fend Jofeph into Egypt, even to inform their Princes after his Will^ and to teach their Senators Wifdom, And yet not long after his Death, as their Ki7ig hiew not Jofeph, fo his People knew not God. Yea, they fet Him at Defiance ^ they and their King provoked Him more and more, and harden d their Hearts againfl: Him, even after they hzdfeen his Wonders in Egypt, after they had grcan'd under his repeated Vengeance. They • Gen. xiii. 13. *" Ibtd. xix. 24. ^ Ihjd. 1. 20. 14 7he Doctrine df They ftill added Sin to Sin, 'till they con^ ftrained the Lord to deftroy them with an utter DeftrucSion; 'till the divided Waters re* turned and covered the Chariots and Horfemen and all the Ho ft ^/Pharaoh. 6. Nor were the other Nations who then inhabited the Earth any better than the £- ^yptia?is : The true Knowledge and fpiritual Worihip of God, being confined to the De- {cQ:nd2ini^ oi Abrahatn, ^' He had not dealt fo with other Nations ^ 7ieither had the Heathens Knowledge of his Laws, And in what State were the Ifraelites themfelves ? How did they worfliip the God of their Fathers? Why even thefe were ' a jlubborn and rebellious Genera^ tiony a Generation that fet not their Heart a^ right, ^ They kept not the Covenajit of God, and refiifed to walk in his haw, They provoked Him at the Sea^ even at the Red Sea -, the very Place where He had fo fignally delivered them. ^ They made aCalfi?i Horeb, andwor-- f'ipped the Molten Image ^ w^here they had heard the Lord but a little before, faying out of the Midft of the Fire, Thou Jhalt not make unto thyfelf any graven Image ; thoufialt not bow down to them ?ior worfiip them. And how amazing was their Behaviour during thofe whole forty Years, that they fojourn'd in the Wildernefs ? Even while He "" led them in ^ P/htm cxlvW. 20. ' Ty. Ixxvlii. 8. ^ 't,'. 10. P/*. cvi. 7. Excd, xiv. II, 12. ^ /y* cvi. 19. "» PfAxxvin. 14. Original Sin. jr in the Day-'fime nvith a Cloud, and all the Night with a Light of Fire? Such were the Knowledge and Virtue of God's pecuHar People (certainly the moft knowing and vir- tuous Nation, which was then to be found upon theFace of the Earth) 'till God brought them into the Land oti Canaan: Confidcrably more than two thoufand Years from the Cre- ation of the World. None, I prefume, will fay. There was any other Nation at that Time more know- ing and more virtuous than the Ifraelites. None can fay this while he profeffes to be- lieve, according to the fcriptural Account, That Ifrael was then under a Theocracy, under the immediate Government of God : That He converfed with their fubordinate Governor Face to Face, as a Man talketh with his Friend', and that God was daily through him conveying fuch Inftruftions to them, as they were capable of receiving. 7. Shall we turn our Eyes for a Mo- ment from the fcriptural, to the prophane Account of Mankind in the earlieft Ages ? What was the general Sentiment of the moft polite and knowing Nation, the Ro- mans^ when their Learning was in its utmoft Perfedlion? Let one, who certainly was no Bigot or Enthufiaft, fpeak for the reft. And he fpeaks home to the Point. Fuit i6 I'he Doctrine of Fuit ante Helenam midier teterrhna Belli Caufa: Jed ignotis perieru?it mortihm omnes ^os venerem incertam rapientes^ moreferarum Viribus editior ccedehat^ ut in grege taurus. Full many a War has been for Women waged E er half the World in Helen's Caufe en- gaged. But unrecorded in hiftoric Verfe Obfcurely died thofe favage Ravifhers : Who like brute Beafts the Female bore away, 'Till fome fuperior Brute re-feized the Prey. As a wild Bull, his rival Bull overthrown Claims the whole fubjedt Herd, and reigns alone. I doubt he who give? this, not as his pecu-? liar Opinion but as what was then a gene- rally received Notion, would fcarce have aU lowed even fo much as yuvenal^ Fudicitiam faturno rege moratam In terris— Challity did once, I grant, remain OnEarthj and flourifli'din old iS^/fifr;z's Reign. Unlefs one ihould fuppofe the Reign of aS*^- turn to have expired, when Adam was driven out of Paradife. I CANNOT forbear adding another Pidture, of the antient Dignity of Human Nature, drawn by the fame mafterly Hand. Before Men dwelt in Cities he fays, this ^urpe Original Sin. 27 'furpe pecuSy glandem atq-, cuhilla propter Certabaiit pugnis^ deinfujlibus, atq-, itaporro Pugnabant ar?7jis, quce pojlfabricaverat ufus. The Human Herd, unbroken and u ntaught For Acorns firft, and graflyCouches fought With Fifts, and then with Clubs, main^ tain'd the Fray, Till urg d by Hate they found a quicker Way And forg d pernicious Arms, and learnt the Art to flay. What a Difference is there between this, and the gay, florid Accounts, which many Mo- derns give of their own Species. 8. But to return to more authentic Ac- counts. At the Time when God brought the Ifraelites into Cai^aan, in what State were the reft of Mankind ? Doubtlefs in nearly the fame, with the Canaanites ; with the A- jnoritesy HitfiteSy Perizzites^ and the reft of the feven Nations. But the Wickednefi of thefe, we know, was full: They were cor- rupt in the higheft Degree. All Manner of Vice, all Ungodlinefs and Unrighteoufnefs reign'd among them without Controul. And therefore the wife and juft Governor of the World gave them to a fwift and total Deflrudtion. 9. Of Ifrael indeed we read, that they ""Jerved the Lord all the Days ^ Jofliua, and all the Days oftheElders that over-llvcd J oihm. B And ■7^/'. xxiv. 31. i8 The Doctrine j/' And yet even at that Time, they did not ferve Him alone ; they were not free from grofs Idolatry. Otherwife there had been no Need of his giving them that Exhorta- tion a little before his Death, ° Now therefore put away the Jlra?ige Gods which are among you^ the Gods which your Fathers ferued on the other Side vf the River (Jordan). What Gods thefe were, we learn by the Words oi A?noSy cited by St. Stephen, ^ O ye Hotife of Ifrael, have ye offered Sacrifices to Me, by the Space of forty Tears ? Tea, ye took up the T'abernacle of Moloch, and the Star of your God Remphan, Figures which ye made to worflnp them, lo. The Sacred Hiftory of what occurred within a fhort Space after the Death of JoJJjua, for fome hundred Years, even 'till the Time that Samuel ]\\Agt6. Ifrael, gives us a large Account of their aftonilliing Wicked- nefs, during almoft that whole Period. It is true, juft '^ when God fmote them, then they fought Hini', they returned and enqidred after God. Tet their Heart was 7iot right with Him, neither were they fledfaft in his Covenant, And wc find little Alteration among them for the better, in the fucceeding Ages : In- ibmuch that in the Reign of Ahab, about nine hundred Years before Chrijl, there were only ' ftven thou fond left in Ifrael, who had not bowed the Knee to Baal. What Manner of *> JgjI:. xxIv, 23. •» Adli vii. 42, 43. 1 PfaL Ixxvlii. 34, 37, f 1 Kiiig^ xix. 18. Original Sin. ig of Men they were for the next three hundred Years, -we may learn from the Books oiKing^ and from the Prophets: Whence it fully ap- pears that except a few fliort Intervals, they were given up to all Manner of Abomina- tions; by Reafon of which the Name of the Moft High was the more abundantly blai^ phemed among the Heathens. And this continued, 'till their open Rebellion againft God, brought upon the whole Nation of the yews (an hundred and thirty four Years after the Captivity of the Ten Tribes, and about fix hundred before Chrifi) thofe terrible and long deferved Calamities, which made them a Spedacle to all that were round about them . The Writings of Ezekiel, Daniel and yeremiah^ leave us no Room to think, that they were reformed by thofe Calamities. Nor was there any lafting Reformation in the liim^oiEzra^ or oiNehemiah znd Ma/acbi: But they were ftill, as their Forefathers had been, a fatthlefs a?id Jiuhborn Generatioji. Such were they llkewife, as we may gather from the Books oi Maccabees and JofcpbuSy to the very Time when Chrijl came into the World. 1 1. OuRbleffedLoRD has given us a large Defcription of thofe, who were then the moll: eminent for Religion. Te ' devour, fays He, Widows HoufeSy and for a Pretence wake long Prayers. Te make your Profelytes two-jold B 2 '^^^^^^ • Matt. xxHi. 14,^^. 20 I'he Doctrine of more the Children of Hell than yourfehes, Te jiegledl the weightier Matters of the Law^ J^^dg-' ment, Mercv and Faith, Ye make clean the Out fide of the Ctip^ hut within are fidl of Ex- tortion and Excefs, Te are like whited Sepul- chres^ outwardly beautiful^ but within full of dead Mens Bones^ and of all JJncleannefs, Te Serpents^ ye Generation of Vipers ^ how can ye efcape the Damnation of Hell ? And to thefe very Men, after they had murder'd that Juft One, his faithful Follower declared, ' Te fliff-necked and imcircumcifed in Heart and Ear Sy ye do always refiji the Holy Ghcjl -, as your Fa- thers didj fo do ye. And fo they continued to do, 'till the Wrath of God did indeed come upon them to the uttermoft: 'Till eleven hundred thoufand of them were deftroyed, their City and Temple levell'd with the Duft, and above ninety thoufand, fold for Slaves and fcatter'd into all Lands. 12. Such in all Generations were the li- neal Children oi Abraham^ who had fo un- fpeakable Advantages- over the reft of Man- kind : 1^0 whom pertain d the Adoption^ and the Glory ^ and the Covenants ^ and the giving of the Law^ and the Service of God, and the Pro- jnifes : Among whom therefore we may rea- fonably expedt to find the grcateft Eminence of Knowledge and Virtue. If thefe then were fo ftupidly, brutiflily ignorant, fo def- pcrately wicked 3 what can we expedl from the .* J^s vii. 51. Original Sin. 21 the Heathen World, from them who had not the Knowledge either of his Law or Pro- mifcs ? Certainly we cannot exped: to find more Goodnefs among them. But let us make a fair and impartial Enquiry : And that not among wild and barbarous Nations, but the moft civilized and refined. What then were the antient Ro7na?is ? The People whofe Virtue is fo highly extoll'd, and fo warmly commended to our Imitation ? We have their Charafter given by one who can- not deceive or be deceived, the unerring Spi- rit of God. And what Account does He give of thefe beji of Men, thefe Heroes of Antiquity? ^JVhen they knew God, fays He, at leaft as to his Eternity and Power, (both im- plied in that Appellation, which occurs more than once in their own Poet, Pater Omntpo- tenSy Almighty Father) they glorified Hifn not ^5 God, neither were thankfuL So far from it, that one of their Oracles of Wifdom, (tho' once he ftumbled on that great Truth, Nemo unquam vir magma fine affatu divino fait 'y There never was any great Man, without the AfHatus or Infpiration of God, yet almoft in the fame Breath) does not fcru- ple to afk, ^is pro Virtiite aut fapieyitid gratias Diis dedit unquam'? Who ever thank- ed God for Virtue or Wifdom ? No, why lliould he3 fince thefe are " his own Acqui- B 3 fition, * 'Rom, i. 2 1 ; &c. 22 The Doctrine of fition, the pure Refult of his own InduftryT* Accordingly another virtuous Ro?na7i has left it on Record, as an unqueffioned Maxim. Jlcec fatisejl orareyovem qucedonat ^ aufert: Det v'ttam\ dct opes: ceqiium mi animum ipfe para bo. Enough for common Benefits to pray, Which jove can either give, or take away: Long Life or Wealth his Bounty may be- llow j Wifdom and Virtue to myfelf I owe. So ' vai72 were they become in their Imagina- tions ! So were their Joclijh Hearts darkened I 13. But this was only the firft Step. They did not flop here. FrofeJJing themfelves wife^ they yet funk into fuch grofs, aftonilh- ing Folly, as to change the Glory of the in- corruptible God, (whom they might have known even from their own Writers to be Vajiam Mens agitans mclemy & magno fe corpora mifcens The all-informing Soul That fills the mighty Mafs, and moves the whole.) into an Image made like to corruptible Man^ yea, to Birds ^ to Beajis, to creeping "Things I What Wonder was it then, that after they had thus changed his Glory into an' Image ^ God gave them up to Unckannefs^ thro tl:>€ Liijis t Rom. i. 21, i^c. Original Sin. 23 Lujls of their own Hearts^ to dijlmiour their own bodies between thetnfelves? How.iuftlyj when they had changed the Truth of God in- to a Lie^ and worJJ^ipped ajidferved the Crea- ture rather than the Creator ^ did lie for this Caufe, punifliing Sin by Sin, give them up unto vile Affediions, For even the Women did change the natural life into that which is again/} Nature, Yea, the modeft honourable Ro- man Matrons, (So httlc were they afhamed!) wore their Pt^iapi openly on their Breafts. Andlikewije the Men burned in their Liiji one toward another^ Men with Men working that which is unfeemly. What an amazing Tefti- mony of this is left us on Record, even by the moft Modeft of all the i^^w^;^ Poets ! Formofum pajlor Corydon ardcbat Alexin I How does this Pattern of Heathen Chaftity avow, without either Fear or Shame, as if it were an innocent at leaft, if not laudable Paffion, their biirjiing in Liiji one toward a- nother ! And did Men of the fineft Tafte in the Nation cenfure the Song, or tlie Subjedt of it? We read nothing of this: On the contrary, the univerfal Honour and Eftcem paid to the Writer, and that by Perfons of the higheft Rank, plainly fliews that the Cafe of Corydon^ as it was not uncommon in any Part of the Roman Dominions, fo it was not conceived to be any Blemifti, eitlicr to him or his Ma/ler, but an innocent /;/- frmity. ' B 4 Mean- 24 7^^ Doctrine of Meantime how delicate an Idea of Love, had the Favourite of Rome and of the Mufes ? Hear him explaining himfclf a little more fully, on this tender point. Eheu ! quam pingui macer eft mihi tauru$ in agro ! Idem amcr exitiumejlpeccri^pecorijqmagijiro. Idem amcr ! The fame Love in the Bull and in the Man ! What Elegance of Sentiment ! Is it poflible any Thing can exceed this ? One would imagine nothing could, had not the fame chafte Poet furniih'd us with yet another Scene, more abundantly fhocking than this. Pajlphaen nivei folafur amove juvenci ! " He comforts Pafiphae with the Love of her milk-white Bull !" Nthi/ fupra ! The condoling a Woman on her unfucccfsful A- mour with a Bull, fhews a Brutality which nothing can exceed ! How juftly then does the Apoflle add, as they did not like or defire to retain God /;/ their Knowledge^ God gave them over to an undifcerning Mind, to do thofe things which are not convenient. In confe- quence of this, xh^y y^^vQ Jilled with allJJji- right ecu fnefs. Vice of every Kind, and in e- very Degree : In particular with Fornication (taking the Word in its largcft Senfe, as in- cluding every Sin of the Kind) with Wicked- nefsy Covetoiiffiefsy Malicioufnefs, with Envy, Murder^ Debate^ Deceit, Malignity : Being Haters Original Sin. 2q Haters of God, the true God, the God of Ifrael^ to whom they allow'd no Place a- mong all their Herd of Deities : Defpitefuly Proudy BoajlerSy in as eminent a Degree as ever was any Nation under Heaven : Invent- ers of evil T'hingSy in great Abundance, of Mille nocendi Artes^ both in Peace and War: Difobedient to Parents, altho' Duty to thefc is fuppofed to be infcribed on the Hearts of the moft barbarous Nations : Covenant-break- ers, even of thofe of the moft folemn Kind, thofe wherein the publick Faith was engag- ed by their fupreme Magiftrate: Which not- withftanding they made no Manner of Scru- ple of breaking, whenever they faw good : Only colouring over their Perfidioufnefs, by giving thofe Magiftrates into their Hands with whom the Covenant was made. And what was this to the Purpofe ? Is the King of France or the Republick of Holland, at Liberty to violate their moft folemn Treaties at Pleafure, provided they give up to the Kine of England, the Ambaffador or Gene- ral by whom that Treaty was made ? What would all Europe have faid of the late Czar, if inftead of punctually performing the En- gagements made with the Porte when in his Diftrefs, he had only given up the Perfons by whom he tranfaded, and immediately broke thro' them all ? There is therefore no Room to fay ^ Modo 26 ^he Doctrine of Modo Tunica fcript a fuperfint^ ■ Non minus inf amis forte Latina Fides. Perhaps, if the Carthaginian Writings were extant, Roman Faith would be as infamous as Punic, We need them not. In vain have they deftroyed the Carthagi?iian Writ- ings ; for their own fufficiently teftify of them ; and fully prove that in Perfidy, the Natives of Carthage could not excel the Se- nate and People of Rome, 14. They were as a Nation ^.taoyav Void of natural AffeBion^ even to their own Bow- nels. Witnefs the univerfal Cuftom, which obtained for feveral A^es in Rome and all its Dependencies (as it had done before thro' all the Cities of Greece) when in their higheft Repute for Wifdom and Virtue, of expofing their own new-born Children, more or fewer of them, as every Man pleafed, when he had as many as he thought good to keep, throwing them out to perifh by Cold and Hunger, unlefs fome more merciful wild Beaft fhortened their Pain, and provided them a Sepulchre. Nor do I remember a fingle Greek or Roman, of all thofe that oc- cafionally mention it , ever complaining of this diabolical Cuftom, or fixing the leaft Touch of Blame upon it. Even the tender Mother in "Terence, who had fome Compaf- fion for her helplefs Infant, does not dare to acknowledge it to her Hufband, without that Original Sin; 27 that remarkable Preface, Ut mifere fiiperfti- tiofa fumus omnes j as we Women are all miferably fuperftitious. I5i I WOULD defire thofe Gentlemen who are fo very fevere upon the Ifraelites, for kil- ling the Children of the Canaanites, at their Entrance into the Land of Canaan, to fpend a few Thoughts on this. Not to infift, That the Creator is the abfolute Lord and Propri- etor of the Lives of all his Creatures : That as fuch He may at any Time, without the leaft Injuflice, take away the Life which He has given : That He may do this, in what- foevcr Manner, and by whatever Inflru- ments He pleafes : And confequently may inflift Death on any Creature by whom He pleafes, without any Blame either to Him or them : Not to infift, I fay, on diis, or many other Things which might be offered, let us at prefent fix on this fingle Confi dera- tion. The Ifraelites deftroyed the Children for fome Weeks or Months : The Greeks and Ro7na?2S for above a thoufand Years. The one put them out of their Pain at once, doubtlefs by the fliorteft and eafieft Way. The others were not fo compaffionate as to cut their Throats, but left them to pine a- way by a lingring Death. Above all, the Hebrews deftroyed only the Children of their Enemies j the Rjomam deftroyed their own. O fair Pattern indeed ! Where ftiall we find a Pa- 28 TZ»^ Doctrine of a Parallel to this Virtue ? I read of a Mo- dern, who took up a Child, that fell from its Mother's Womb, and threw , it back into the Flames. (Pure, genuine human Nature!) Arid Reafon good : For it was the Child of an Herctick. . But what Evil, ye Worthies of antient RomCy did ye find in your ow?i Children ? I muft ftill fay, this is without a Parallel, even in the Papal Hiftory. 1 6. They were implacable ^ unmercifuL Witnefs (one or two Inftances of ten thouf- andj poor, grey-headed Hannibal (whom very probably, had we any other Accounts of him than thofe which were given by his bittereft Enemies, we fhould have reve- renced, as one of the moit amiable Men, as well as the moft Valiant of all the antient Heathens) hunted from Nation to Nation, and never quitted, till he fell by his own Hand. Witnefs the famous Suffrage, '^ De- lenda eji Carthago. Let Carthage be deftroy- ed." Why ? It v/as Imperii cemula : The Rival of the Roman Glory. Thefe were open, undeniable Evidences of the publick, national Placability sind Mercy of the Romans. Need Inftances of a more private Nature be added ? Behold then one for all : In that Glory of Rome^ that Prodigy of Virtue, the great, the celebrated Cato. Cato the Rider y when any of his Domefticks had worn them- felves Original Sin. 20 felves out in his Service, and grew decrepid with Age, conftantly turned them out to ftarve, and was much applauded for his Frugality in fo doing. But what Mercy was this ? Juft fuch as that which dwelt in Cato of Utica : Who repay 'd the Tendernefs of his Servant endeavouring to fave his Life, to prevent his tearing open his Wound, by ftriking him on the Face with fuch Vio- lence, as to fill his Mouth with Blood. Thefe are thy Gods, O Deifm ! Thefe the Patterns fo zealoufly recommended to our Imitation ! 17. And what was the real Charafter of that Hero, whom Cafo himfelf fo admir'd? Whofe Caufe he efpous'd with fuch Eager- nefs, with fuch unwearied Diligence? Of Pompey the Great '^ Surely never did any Man purchafe that Title at fo cheap a Rate! What made him Great ? The Villany of Perpennay and the Treachery of Pharnaces. Had not the one murder'd his Friend, the other rebell'd againft his Father, where had been Pompey\ Greatnefs? So this Stalking- horfe of a Party procured his Reputation in the Common-wealth. And when it was procured, how did he ufe it? Let his own Poet, J/Z^r^« fpeak. Nee Cc(zr ferre priorem^ Pompeiufve parem potuit. Nor Cefar could to a Superior look: Nor Patriot Pompey could an Equal brook? 30 ^he Doctrine of He would bear no Equal! And this a Sena- tor of i?^w^/ Nay, the grand Patron of the Republick! But what a Republican himfelfj when this Principle was the Spring of all his Defiofns and Aftions ? Indeed a lefs amiable Charader it is not eafy to find, among all the great Men of Antiquity: Ambitious, vain, haughty, furly and overbearing, be- yond the common Rate of Men. And what Virtue had he to ballance thefe Faults? I can fcarce find One, even in Lucan\ Ac- count, It does not appear that in the latter Part of his Life, he had even military Vir- tues. What Proof did he give of perfonal Courage, in all his War with Cefar? What Inflances of eminent Condudt? None at all, if we may credit his Friend, Cicero: Who complains heavily, to Atticiis, that he adled like a Madman, and would ruin the Caufe he had undertaken to defend. 1 8. Let none therefore look for Placabi^ lity or Mercy in Pompcy, But was there any Unmercifulnefs in Cefar? " Who than Jtilius hopes to rife, More brave, more generous, or more wife?" Of his Courage and Senfe there can be no Doubt. And much may he faid, with Re- gard to his Conteft with Pcmpey, even for the Juflice of his Caufe. For with him he certainly fought for Life, rather than Glory: Of which he had the ftrongeft Conviftion (tho' Original Sin. 31 (tho' he was afliamed to own it) when he palled the Ruhicoji. Nor can it be doubted, but he was often merciful. It is no Proof of the contrary, that he rode up and down his Ranks, during the Battle of Pharfalia^ and cried to thofe who were engaged with the pretty Gentlemen of Pompey^ Army, Miles y faciem feri 'y '* Soldier, iirike at the Face." For this greatly fliorten'd the Dif- pute, with thofe who were more afraid of loofing their Beauty than their Lives, and fo prevented the Effufion of much Blood. But I cannot get over (to fay nothing of the My- riads of common Gauls whom he deflroy'd) a fliort Sentence in his own Commentaries ^ Verciyigetorix per tormcnta necatus. Who was this Vercingetorix'? As brave a Man, and (confidering his Years) as great a Ge- neral as even Cefar. What was his Crime? The Love of his Parents, Wife, Children, Country, and facrificing all Things in the Defence of them. And how did Cefar treat him on this Account? He tortured him to Death. O Roma?i Mercy! Did not Bru- tus and CaJ/tus avenge Vercingetorix rather than Pompey? How well was Rome repre- fented in the Prophetical Vifion, by that Beaft, dreadful and terrible^ which had great Iron Teethy and devoured and brake in Pieces, and Jlamped muler his Feet all other King- doms! II. I. Such 32 7h Doctrine of II. I. Such is the State, with Regard to Knowledge and Virtue, wherein according to the moft authentick Accounts, Mankind was from the earheft Times, for above four thoufand Years. Such nearly did it conti- nue, during the Decline, and fince theDef- truction of the Roman Empire. But we will wave all that is paft, if it only appears, that Mankind is virtuous and wife at this Day. This then is the Point we are at prefent to confider. Are Men in general now wife and virtuous ? Our ingenious Countryman, Mr. Brere^ "Woody after his moft careful and laborious Enquiries computes, that fuppofing that Part of the Earth, which we know to be inha- bited, were divided into thirty equal Parts, nineteen of thcfc are Heathen ftill : And of the remaining eleven fix are Mahometan^ and only five Chrijiian. Let us take as fair and impartial a Survey as we can, of the Heathens firft, and then of the Mahometans and Chriftians. 2. And firft, of the Heatliens. What Manner of Men are thefe, as to Virtue and Knowledge at this Day ? 'Many of late, who ftill bear the Chriftian Name, have enter- tained very honourable Thoughts ?j^ whether in Things of an abilrufer Nature, or in the Affairs of common Life. ' And this, fo far as we can learn, fis the Condition of all, without any confiderable Difference. But in Point of Religion, rfiere is ^'V-ety ina- terial Difference,' be'tVpeteiVth(^ N^ih0 and fheSouth€tn'/;^^/^;/>.'-^9^hofe m tfceN6fth"are Idolatei^s t)f ^hiS 1oi\£fl«Ad{}. If ith^yac^' n'ot \v'orliiyp>tfi^Devil'i':^f>ea^r%%if^?f\?n(which :ja C 3 many jS I'he Doctrine of many firmly believe they do, many think incredible) certainly they worjQiip the moft vile and contemptible Idols. It were more excufable if they only turned the Glory of the incorruptible God into the Image of corruptible Man',yt^^ orofBirds^ or four -footed Beaflsy or Reptiles^ or any Creature v^hich God has made. But their Idols are more horrid and deformed, than any Thing in the vifible Creation : And their whole Worihip is at once the higheft Affront to the Divine, and Difgrace to the Human Nature. On the contrary, the Indians of our South- ern Provinces do not appear to have any Worihip at all. By the moft diligent En- quiry from thofe who had fpent many Years among them, I could never learn that any of the Indian Nations, who border on Georgia and Carolina^ have any public Worfhip, of any Kind : Nor any private. For they have no Idea of Prayer. It is not without much Difficulty that one can make any of them underftand what is meant by Prayer, And when they do, they cannot be made to ap- prehend, that God will anfwcr or even hear it. They fay *' He that fitteth in Hea- ven is too high, He is too far off to hear iisT In Confequence of which they leave Him to Himfelf and manage their Affairs without Him. Only \\\tChicafaws, of all the Indian Nations, ar^ an Exception to this. I BE- Original Sin. 35 I BELIEVE, it will be found on the (lri<^eft Enquiry, that the whole Body of Southern Indians^ as they have no Letters and no Laws, fo properly fpeaking, have no Religion at all. So that every one does what he fees good : And if it appears wrong to his Neighbour, he ufually comes upon him unawares, and Ihoots or fcalps him alive. They are like- wife all (I could never find any Exception) Gluttons, Drunkards, Thieves, Diffemblers, Liars. They are implacable y never forgiv- ing an Injury or Affront, or being fatisfied- with lefs than Blood. They are unmerciful killing all whom they take Prifoners in War, with the moft exquifite Tortures. They are' Murderers of Fathers, Murderers of Mothers, Murderers of their own Children : It being a common Thing for a Son to ihoot his Fa- ther or Mother, becaufe they are old and pafl Labour, and for a Woman either to pro- cure Abortion, or to throw her Child into the next River, becaufe flie will go to the War with her Huiband. Indeed Huibands, properly fpeaking, they have none ; for any Man leaves his Wife, lb called, at Pleafurc; who frequently in Return, cuts the Throats of all the Children flie has had by him. The Chicafaws alone feem to have fome Notion of an Intercourfe between Man and a fuperior Being. They fpeak much of their Beloved 0?ies -, with whom they fay, ^Hcy C 4 ^01^- 40 I'he Doctrine of con vcrfe both Day and Night. But their BelovedOnes teach them to eat and drink from .Morning to Night, and in a Manner from Night to Morning : For they rife at any Hour of the Night when they wake, and eat and drink as much as they can, and fleep again. Their Beloved Ones likewife ex- preilly command them, to torture and burn all their Prifoners. Their Manner of doing it is this ; They hold, lighted Canes to their Arms and Legs, and feveral Parts of their Body, for fome Time, and then for a while take tliem away. They alfo flick burning Pieces of Wood into their Flefh; in which Condition they keep them from Morning to Evening;. Such are at prefent the Know- ledge and Virtue of the Native Heathens, over another Fourth of the known World. :^ - ' 4. Iia -4^^ however, wcr are informed, thai the Cafe is widely different. For altho* the ^Heathens bordering on Europe^ the \ Thoufands and Myriads of Tartars have not tnudiito hoafl either as to Knowledge or Virtue-; and altho' the numerous little Na- tions-under the Mogul who retain their ori- ginal • Heathenifm, are nearly on a Level with them, as are the Inhabitants of the ma- ny large and populous Illands intheEaflern '. Seas :: Yet we hear high Encomiums of the Chinefe^y\v\\o are as numerous as all thefe to-gerhcr: Some late Travellers afTuring us. That Original Sin. .41 That G6/W alone, has fifty eight Millions of Inhabitants. Now thefe have been dc- fcribed as Men of the deepeft Penetration, the higheft Learning and the ftrideft Inte- grity. And fuch doubtlefs they are, at leaft with Regard to their Underftanding, if we will believe their own Proverb, " The Chi- nefe have two Eyes, the Europeans one, and 'Other Men none at all." And one Circumftance, it muft be own d, •is much in their Favour: They live fome . thoufand Miles off. So that if it were affirm'd, sThat every Ckinefe had literally three Eyes, ;it would be difficult for us to difprove it. Neverthelefs there is Room to doubt even of their Underftanding : Nay, one of the Ar- guments often brought to prove the Great- nefs, to me clearly demonftrates the Little- nefs of it; namely. The thirty thoufand Let- ters of their Alphabet. To keep an Alpha- bet of thirty hundred Letters, could never be reconciled to common Senfe: Since every Alphabet aught to be as lliort, fimple, and eafy as poffible. . No more can we reconcile to any Degree of common Senfe, their crip- ^'pling all the. Women in the Empire, by a filly fenfelefs AfFedration of fqueezing their Feet, 'till.. they bear no Proportion to their Bodies: So that the Feet of a Woman at thirty, muft ftill be as fmall, as they would .be naturally when four. Years old. But m order 42 The D0CTRINE5/* order to fee the true Meafure of their Under- ftanding in the cleareft Light, let us look not at Women or the Vulgar, but at the Nobility, the wifcft the politeft Part of the Nation. Look at the Majidarins^ the Glory of the Empire; and fee any, every one of them at his Meals, not deigning to ufe his own Hands, but having his Meat put into his Mouth, by two Servants, planted for that Purpofe, one on his Right-hand, the other on his Left ! O the deep Underftand- ing of the noble Lubber that fits in the Midft, and ""^"-Hiafy cell fidha hinmdimsr Gapes, as the young Swallow for his Food. Surely an Englijh Ploughman, or a Dutch Sailor, would have too much Senfe to endure it. If you fay. Nay, the MandarmwoulA. not endure it, but that it is aCiiftom: I an* i'wer, Undoubtedly it is -, but how came it to be a Cuflom? Such a Cuftom could not have begun, much lefs have become general, but thro' a general and marvellous Want of common Senfe. V/hat their Learning is now I know not: But notwithftanding their Eoaft of its Anti- quity, it was certainly very low and con- temptible in the laft Century, when they were fo ailoniihed at the Skill of the French Jefuits, and honoured them as almoft more than human. And v/hatever Progrefs they may Original Sin. ^^ may have made fince in the Knowledge of Aftronomy, and other curious rather than ufeful Sciences, it is certain, they are ftill utterly ignorant, of what it moft of all con- cerns them to know. They know not God, any more than the Hottcjitots : They are all Idolaters to a Man. And fo tenacious are they of their national ldolatr}% that even thofe whom the French MiHionaries called Converts, yet continued, one and all, to worfhip Confucius^ and the Souls of their Anceftors. It is true, that when this was ftrongly reprefented at Ro^ne^ by an honeft 'Dominicajt who came from thence, a Bull was iffued out and fent over into Chinas for- bidding them to do it any longer. But the good Fathers kept it private among them- felves, faying, The Chinefe were not able to bear it. Such is their Religion with Refpedl to God. But are they not eminent for all fe- cial Virtues, all that have Place between Man and Man ? Yes, according to the Ac- counts which fome have given. According to thefe, they are the Glory of Mankind, and may be a Pattern to all Europe, But have not we fome Reafon to doubt, if thefe Accounts are true ? Are Pride and Lazinefs good Ingredients of fecial Virtue ? And can all Europe equal either the Lazinefs or Pride of i^z Cljimfe Nobiiit\^ and Gentry? Who are 44 72^ Doctrine of arc either too ftately'iir too indolent, even to put "the Meat into their own Mouths? Yet they are not too proud ot too indolent to o"pprcfs,"to rob, to. defraud all that fall into their Hands: How fligrant Inftances of this may any one find, even in the Account of Lord jinfons Voyage? Exaftly agreeing with the Accounts given by all our Countrymen, who have traded in any Part of China : As well as with the Obfervation made by a late Writer, in his Gecgrafhical Grammar, "Trade and Commerce, or rather Cheating and O- ver-reaching, is the natural Bent and Genius of the Chine/e. Gain is their God: They prefer this to every Thing befides. A Stranger is in great Danger of being cheated, if he trufls to his own Judgment. And if he em- ploy a Chinefe Broker, it is well if he does not join with the Merchant to cheat the Stranger. " Their Laws oblige them to certain Rules of Civility in their Words and Actions. And they are naturally a fawning, cringing Generation : But the greateft Hypocrites on the Face of the Earth/V '- '5^! 'Such is the boafted Virtue of thole who 'are^^tyond all Degrees of Comparifon the beft and' wifeft of all the Heathens in Afttf. ' Attd'how little preferable to them ar© thofc*tlf'fe/r^/e? Rather, how miny De- greei^b^tieath them ?' Va;ft Numbers of thefe - '*' ^' are v,pjlIGINAL Sl-N. 4 J are within, the. Borders of Mufcovy. But how arnazingfy igtiorant ? ,How totally void both . of civil . and facred Wifdom ! How ihockingly favage both in their Tempers and Manners ? Their Idolatry is of the bafefi and vlleft Kind. They not only wor- fhip the Work of their own Hands, but Idols of tlie moft horrid and detellable Forms, that Men or Devils could devile. Equally favage (or more fo, if more can be) as is well-known, are the Natives of Lap^ land'y and indeed of all the Countries which have been difcovered to the North of Muf- covy or Sweden, In Truth, the Bulk of thefe Nations, feem to be confiderably more bar- barous, not only than the Men near the Cape of Good Hope^ but than many Tribes in the brute Creation. ^ , «\<.cy;> ^ vc q Thus have we feen, what is tneprefent State of the Heathens, in every Part of the^ known World. And thefe ftill rnake up, according; t^o the preceeding Calcvdation very near Two-thirds of Mankind. Let us- now^ calmly and impartially confider, WhatMan?*> ner of Men the Mahometans in general are^ 6..; . An ingenious Writer, who a few Years ago,, pul;>h{h'd a pompous Tranflation of the Krirany^ takes great Pains to give us a very favourable Opinion, both of Mahomet and his Followers. But he cannot wafh the Ethlopk, white. After all. Men who have " '^' ' ■ ' but 46 The Doctrine of but a moderate Share of Reafon, canftot but obferve in his i&r^?;;, even as polifh'd by Mr. Sale^ the nioft grofs and impious Ab- fordities. To cite Particulars is not now my Bulinefs. It may fuffice, to oblerve in gene- ral, That human Underftanding muft be debafed to an inconceivable Degree, in thofe who can fwallow fuch Abfurdities, as di- vinely revealed. And yet we know the? Mahometans not only condemn all who can- not fwallow them to everlafting Fire ; not only appropriate to themfelves the Title of Mujfulmen^ or T^rue Believers : But even a^ nathematife with the utmoft Bitternefs, and* adjudge to eternal Deftru6lion, all their Bre- thren of the Seft of Hali, all who contend for a figurative Interpretation of them. That thefe Men then have no Knov^-^ ledge or Love of God is undeniably mani- feft, not only from their grofs, horrible Notions of ^ Him, but from their not loving their Brethren. But they have not always fo weighty a Caufe, to hate and murder one another, as Difference of Opinion, Ma- hornet ans will butcher each other by Thouf* ands, without fo plaufible a Plea as this. Why is it that fuch Numbers of T^urks and Perjians^ have ftabbed one another in cool- Sood ? Truly, becaufe they differ in the Manner of drejjing their Head, The Ottoman vehemently maintains, (for he has unqueft- --.- ionable Original Sin.' ^ ionable T*radition on his Side) That a Mujfui^ man fhould wear a round Turbant, Whereav the Perfian infifts upon his Liberty otCon- fcience, and will wear it picked before. So,: for this wonderful Reafon, when a more plaufible one is wanting, they beat out each others Brains from Generation to Generation, It is not therefore ftrange, That ever fince the Religion of Maho-met appeared in the World, the Efpoufers of it, particular- ly thofe who under the Tiirkijh Emperor, have been as Wolves and Tygers to all other Nations, rending and tearing all that fell into their mercilefs Paws, and grinding them with their Iron Teeth. That numberlefs Cities are rafed from the Foundation, and only their Name remaining. That many Countries which were once as the Garden of God, are now a defolate Wildernefs; and that fo many once numerous and pow- erful Nations are vanifh'd away from the Earth ! Such was, and is at this Day the Rage, the Fury, the Revenge, of thefc De- ftroyers of Humankind ! 7. Proceed we now to the Chriftian World. But we muft not judge of Chrifti- ans in general, from thofe who are fcattered thro' the I'urkifi Dominions, the Armcniarfy^ Georgian^ Mengrelian Chriflians: Nor in- deed from any others of the Greek Commu- nion. The grofs, barbarous Ignorance, the 48 T'he Doctrine of deep, ftupid Superftition, the blind and bitter Zeal, and the endlefs Thirft after vain Janghng and Strife of Words, which have reigned for many Ages in the Greek Church, and well nigh banifh'd True Religion from among them ; make thefe fcarce worthy of the Chriftian Name, and lay an infuperable Stumbling-block before the Mahometans, 8. Perhaps thofe of the Romijh Com* munion may fay, " What Wonder, that this is the Cafe with Hereticks ? With thofe who have erred from the Catholick Faith, nay, and left the Pale of the Church?" But what is the Cafe with them, who have not left that Church, and who retain the Roman Faith ftill ? Yea, with the moft zealous of all its Patrons, .the Inhabitants of Italy ^ of Spain and Portugal'? Wherein do they ex- cel the Greek Church, except in Italiajiifm ^ Received by Tradition from their Heathen Fathers, and diffufed thro* every City and Village. They may indeed praife Cnaftity and rail at Women, as loudly as their Fore- father Juvenal. But what is the Moral of all this ? ' ' Nonne pittas melius^ quod tecum pujlo dormit ?" This, it muft be acknowledged, is the Glory of the Romifh Church. Herein it does ex- cel the Gr^eek, They excel it like wife in Deifm. Per- haps there is no Country in the World, at leaft. Original Sin. ^o le^ft in: that Part of it, which bears the Chriftian Name, wherein fo large a i'ropoi-r tion of the Men of Education, are abfolute Deifts, if not Atheifts, as Italy. And ii om hence the Plague has fpread far and wide ; thro' France in particular. So that did not temporal Motives reftrain, no fmall Part of the French Nobility and Gentry, would pay no more Regard to the Chriftian Revelation, than do the Mandarim in China, They excel ftill more in Murder, both private and publick. Inftances of the for- mer abound all over Italy^ Spain and Forin- gal. And the Frequency of (liedding Blood has taken away all that Horror which other- Wife might attend it. Take one Inftance of a thoufand. An Englifh Gentleman was feme Years ago at an Entertainment in Erefcia^ when one who was near him whifper'd a few Words in his Ear, which he did not well underftand. He aik'd his Hoft, ^*What did that Gentleman mean by thefe Words?" And was anfwer'd, " That he will murder you. And an Italian is never worfc than his Word in this. You have no Way but to be before-hand with him." This he re- jefted with Abhorrence. But his Holt, it feems, being not of fo tender a Confcicncc fent a Stranger to him in the Morning, who laid, " Sir, look out of your Window. I have done his Bufmefs. ..There he lies. isL- D You 50 The Doctrine of You will pleafe to give me my Pay." He pull'd out an Handful of Money, in great Diforder and cried, " There, take what you will." The other replied, *' Sir, I am a Man of Honour : I take only m.y Pay :" Took a fmall Piece of Silver, and retired. This was a Man of Ho?20ur among the Chriftians of the Romifi Church ! And ma- ny fuch are to be found all over Italy ^ whofe Trade it is, to cut Throats ; to ftab, for Hire, in cool Blood. They have Men of Confcience too. Such were two of the Ca- tholick Soldiers under the famous Duke of Alva, who broke into the Houfe of a poor Countryman in Flanders, butcher'd him and his Wife w^ith five or fix Children ; and af- ter they had finifh'd their Work, fat down, to enioy the Fruit of their Labour. But in the Midft of their Meal, Confcience awaked. One of them ftarted up in great Emoti- on, and cried out, '' O Lord! What have I done ? As I hope for Salvation I have eaten Flefli in Lent /" The fame Sort of Ccnfcience undoubtedly it was, which conftrained the late moji Chrif- tian King, in Defiance of the moft folemn Treaties, yea, of all Ties, divine and hu- man, moil: gracioufly to murder fo many Thoufands of his quiet, unrefifting Subjeds : To order his Dragoons, wherever they found the Proteftants worfliipping God, to fall Original Sin. 51 fall in upon them, Sword in Hand, with- out any Regard to Sex or Age. It was Cojjjaence^ no Queftion, which induced lb many oi xi^c Dukes oi Sa^-jcy, notwithilanding the Publick Faith engaged over and over, to fhed the Blood of their loyal Subjedls, the Vaudoisj like Water, to ravage their Fields and deftroy their Cities. What but Ccnfci- ence could move the good Cath clicks of a neighbouring Kingdom in the lall Century, to murder (according to their own Account) two hundred and fifteen thoufand Proteftants in fix Months ! A cofi:ly Sacrifice this! What is an Hecatomb, an hundred Oxen, to two hundred thoufand Men ? And yet what is even this to the whole Number of Victims who have been ofFer'd up in Europe fince the Beginning of the Rcfcrmatic?! ? Partly by War, partly by the Inquifition^ and a thoufand other Methods of Romip Cruel- ty ? No lefs within forty years, if the Com- putation of an eminent Writer be juft, than five and forty Millions ! Such is the Confcience, fuch the Reli- gion of a Romijld Chriftian ! Of their luQuili- tion (the Houfe of Mercy as it is mod unfor- tunately called) I ihouid give fome Account, but that it has been largely defcribed by o- thers. Yet it may not be improper to give a Specimen of that Mercy which they ihew to thofe under their Care, At the AB of D 2 Fciith, 52 ne Doctrine of Faithy fo call'd, which was celebrated fome Years ago, when Dr. Geddes was in Portugal^ a Prifoner, who had been confin'd nine Years, was brought out to Execution. Look- ing up and feeing what he had not feen for fo long a Time, the Sun in the Midft of Heaven, he cried out, " How can any who fees that glorious Creature worfhip any but the God that made it ?" The Father who attended, immediately ordered a Gag to be run thro' his Lip, that he might fpeak no more. See the Chriftians, who have received all the Advantages of Education, all the Helps of antient and modern Learning! " Nay, but we have ftill greater Helps than them : We who are reform d from the Errors of Popery : We who proteji againft all thofe novel Cor- ruptions, with which the Church of Ro?ne has polluted antient Chriftianity. The Enor- mities therefore of Popijh Countries, are not to be charged upon us : We are Protejiants^ and have nothing to do with the Vices and Villanies of Romijh Nations." 9. Have we not? Arc Pr(?^5/?^;7/ Nations nothing concerned in thofe melancholly Re- fled:ions of Mr. Cowley. " If twenty thou^ fand naked Americans were not able to reiift the Affaults of but twenty well-arm'd Spa- iiiards^ how is it poffible for one honeft Man to defend himfelf againft twenty thou* fand Original Sin. ^^ fand Knaves, who are all furnifli'd cap-.a-pe with the defenfive Arms of worldly Pru- dence, and the offenfive too of Craft and Malice? He will find no lefs Odds than this againfl: him, if he have much to do in human Affairs. Do you wonder then that a virtuous Man fhould love to be alone? It is hard for him to be otherwife. He is fo when he is among ten thoufand. Nor is it fo uncomfor- table, to be alone without any other Creature, as it is to be alone in the midft of wild Beafts. Man is to Man all Kind of Beafts, .a fawning Dog, a roaring Lion, a thieving Fox, a robbing Wolf, a diffembling Croco- dile, a treacherous Decoy, and a rapacious Vulture. The civilleft, methinks of all Na- tions, are thofe whom we account the moll: barbarous. There is fome Moderation and Good-nature in the T^Giipinamhaltiam^ who eat no Men but their Enemies : While we learned and polite and Chriilian Europeans^ like fo many Pikes and Sharps, prey upon every Thing that we can fvvallow." Are Frotejlant Nations nothing concerned in that humourous, but terrible Pidure drawn by a late eminent Hand? " He was perfedly aftonifli'd (and who would not, if it were the firft Time he had heard it?) at the Hiftorical Account I gave him of our Affairs, during the laft Ccntur>': Protcfting it was only an Heap of Confpiracies, Rebcl- P % hon$, 54 ^h^ Doctrine cf lioBS, Murders, Maflacres^ the very worft EfFeds that Avarice, Fad:ion, Hypocrify, Perfidioulncfs, Cruelty, Rage, Madnefs, Hatred, Envy, Luft, Malice and Ambition could produce.— Even in Times of Peace, How many innocent and excellent Perfons, have been condemn'd to Death or Banifh- ment, by great Minifters prad:ifmg upon the Corruption of Judges, and the Malice of Fadions? How many Villains have been exalted to the highcft Places of Truft, Power, Dignity and Profit? By what Methods have great Numbers in all Countries pro- cured Titles of Honour and vaft Eftates? Perjury, Oppreffion, Subornation, Fraud, Pandarifm were fome of the moft excufable. For many owed their Greatnefs to Sodomy or Inceft: Others, to the proftituting of their own Wives or Daughters: Others, to the betraying of their Country, or their Prince : More, to the perverting of Juftice, to deftroy the Innocent." Well might that keen Author add, '■ If a Creature pretending to Reafon, can be guilty of fuch Enormities, certainly the Corruption of that Faculty, is far worfe than Brutality itfelf " Nov/ are P^/^//7j Nations only concerned in this? Are the Frotejiant quite clear? Is there no fuch Thing among them (to take one Inftance only) as " perverting of Juf- tice," even in publick Courts of Judicature ? Can Original Sin. jj Can It not be faid in any Frotejlant Country. *' There is a Society of Men among us, bred up from their Youth in the Art of pro\'ing, according as they are paid, by Words mul- tiphed for the Purpofe, That white is black, and black is white? For Example : If my Neighbour has a Mind to my Cow, he hires a Lawyer to prove that he ought to ha\'e my Cow from me. I muft hire another, to defend my Right, it being againft all Rules of Law, that a Man fliould fpeak for him- felf. In pleading they do not dwell on the Merits of the Caufe, but upon Circumftanccs foreign thereto. For Inftance : They do not take the fhorteft Method to know, what Title my Adverfary has to my Cow : But w^hether the Cow be red or black, her Horns long or jfhort; whether the Field ilie graze in be round or fquare, and the like. After which they adjourn the Caufe from Time to Time, and in ten or twenty Years Time, come to an IlTue. This Society llkewife has a peculiar Cant and Jargon of their own, in w^hich ail their Laws are WTitten. And thefe they take fpecial Care to multiply: Whereby they have fo confounded Truth and Fahliood, Right and Wrong, that it will take twelve Years to decide. Whether the Field left me by my Anceflors for fix Generations, belong to me or to one three hundred Miles off." D 4 Is 56 The Doctrine df Is it in Popijh Countries only that it can be faid, '' It does not appear that any one Perfeftion is required toward the Procure- ment of any one Station among you: Much lefs, that Men are ennobled on Account of their Virtue; that Priefls are advanced for their Piety or Learning, Judges for their Integrity, Senators for the Love of their Country, or Counfellors for their Wifdom." 10. But there is a flill greater and more undeniable Proof, that the very Foundations of all Things, Civil and Religious, are ut- terly out of Courfe, in the Chriftian as well as the Heathen World. There is a ftill more horrid Reproach to the Chriftian Name, yea, to the Name of Man, to all Reafon and Humanity. There is War in the V/orld! War between Men! War between Chriftians ! I mean between thofe that bear the Name of Chriji^ and profefs to walk as He aljh walked. Now who can re- concile War, I will not fay to Religion, but to any Degree of Reafon or common Senfe ? But is there not a Caufe ? O yes, " The Caufcs of War (as the fame Writer obferves) are innumerable. Some of the chief are thefe: The Ambition of Princes; or the Corruption of their Minifters. Difference of Opinion ; as whether Flejfh be Breads or Bread be Flejh 'i Whether the Juice of the >4 dijo Grape Original Sin. p^ Grape be Blood ov JVi?ie? What Is the befl Colour for a Coat, whether black, white or grey; and v/hether it fliould be long or fliort? Whether narrow or wide ? Nor are there any Wars fo furious, as thofe occafion'd by fuch DiiFerence of Opinions. " Sometimes two Princes make War, to decide which of them fhall difpoflefs a Third of his Dominions. Sometimes a V/ar is commenced, becaufe another Prince is roo ftrong; fometimes becaufe he is too weak. Sometimes our Neighbours want the Thines which we have, or have the Things which we want. So wc both fight, untill they tpke Ours, or we^ take Theirs. It is a Reafon for invading a Country, if the People have been, wafted by Famine, deftroy'd by Peftilence, or embroil'd by Fadlion : Or to attack our neareft Ally, if Part of his Land would make our Dominions more round and compa(ft. " Another Caufe of making War is this. A Crew are driven by a Storm they know not where; at length they make Land and go afhore : They are enteitain'd with Kindnefs. They give the Country a new Name ; fet up a Stone or rotten Plank for a Memorial ; murder a Dozen of the Natives, and bring away a Couple by Force. ITcrc com.mences z.w^^ Right of Dominion -, Ships are fent, and the Natives driven out or de- ftroy'd. And this is done to civilize and convert a barbarous and idolatrous People." 58 The Doctrine of But whatever be the Caufe, let us calm- ly and impartially confider the Thing itfelf. Here are forty thoufand Men gathered to- gether on this Plain. What are they going to do? See, there are thirty or forty thoufand more at a little Diftance. And thefe are go- ing to (lioot them thro' the Head or Body, to ftab them, or fplit their Sculls, and fend moft of their Souls into everlafting Fire, as faft as poffibly they can. Why fo ? What Harm have they done to them ? O none at all. They do not as much as know them. But a Man, who is King oi France^ has a Qiiarrel with another Man, who is King of England, So thefe Frenchmen are to kill as many of thofe EngUJJ:}me7t as they can, to prove the King of Fra?ice is in the right. Now what an Argument is this ? What a Method of Proof? What an amazing Way of deciding Controverfies ? What mufl Man- kind be, before fuch a Thing as War could ever be known, or thought of upon Earth ? How iliocking, how inconceivable a Want muft there have been of common Under- ftanding, as well as common Humanity, before any two Governors or any two Na- ' tions in the Univerfe, could once think of fuch a Method of Decifion ? If then all Nations, Pagan, Mahometan and Chriftian, do in Fad: make this their laft Refort. What farther Proof do v/e need of the utter Degeneracy Original Sin. *g Degeneracy of all Nations, from the plain- eft Principles of Reafon and Virtue? Of the abfolute Want both of common Senfe and common Humanity, which runs thro* the whole Race of Mankind ? In how juft and ftrong a Light is this placed by the Writer cited before ? " I gave him aDefcription of Cannons, Mulkets, Pif- tols, Swords, Bayonets : Of Seiges, Attacks, Mines, Countermines, Bombardments; Of Engagements by Sea and Land : Ships funk with a thoufand Men, twenty thoufand kil- led on each Side, dying Groans, Limbs fly- ing in the Air : Smoke, Noife, tramphng to Death under Horfes Feet, Flight, Puriiiit, Vidiory : Fields ftrew'd with Carcafes left for Food to Dogs and Beafts of Prey : And farther, of plundering ftripping, ravlfliing, burning and deftroying. I alllu-ed him, I had fecn an hundred Enemies blown up at once in a Seige, and as many in a Ship, and be- held the dead Bodies drop down in Pieces from the Clouds to the great Diverfion of tlie Spedlators." Is it not aftonliliing, beyond allExpreffion, that this is the naked Truth. That within a fliort Term of Years, this has been the real Cafe, in almoft every Part of even the Chril- tian V/orld ? And mean while we gravely talk of the " Dignity of our Nature," in its prefent State ! This is really furprizing, and ini^ht 6o The Doctrine of might eafily drive even a v/ell-temper'd Man to fay, " One might bear with Men, if they would be content with thofe Vices and Fol- lies to which Nature has entitled them. I am not provoked at the Sight of a Pick- pocket, a Gamefter, a Politician, a Suborner, a Traitor, or the like. This is all according to the natural Courfe of Things. But when I behold a Lump of Deformity and Difeafes both in Body and Mind fmitten with Pride, it breaks all the Meafures of my Patience. Neither fliall I ever be able to comprehend, how fueh an Animal and fuch a Vice can tally together." And furely all our Declamations on the Strength of human Reafon, and the Emi- nence of our Virtues, are no more than the Cant and Jargon of Pride and Ignorance, fo long as there is fuch a Thing as War in the World. Men in general can never be al- lowed to be fp^fonable Creatures, 'till they know ndt-¥/ar ? "^re. So long as this Monfter ftalks un^^.-. -"d, Where is Rea- fon, Virtue, Humanity? 'Ihey are utterly ex- cluded ; they have no Place ; they are a Name, and nothing more. If even an Heathen were to give an Account of an Age, wherein Reafon and Virtue reigned, he would allow no War to have Place there- in. So Or:id of the Golden Age. Nondum Original Sin. 6i Nondiim prc^cipites civgebant Qppidafoffce: Non galece^ non enjis erat. Sine militis iifu Molliafecurce peragebant ctiagentes. Steep Ditches did not then the Towns furround, Nor glitt ring Helm, nor flaught'ring Sword was found. Nor Arms had they to wield, nor Wars to wage, But Peace and Safety crown'd the bhfsful Age. II. How far is the World at prefent from this State ? Yet when we fpeak of die Folly and Wickednefs of Mankind, may we not except our own Country, Great-Britain and Ireland? In thefe we have fuch Advan- tages, for Improvement both in Knowledge and Virtue, as fcarce any other Nation en-»- joys. We are under an excellent Conflitu- tion, which fecures both our religious and eivil Liberty. We have ReHgion taught in its primitive Purity, its genuine, native Sim- plicity. And how it profpers among us, wc may know with great Eafe and Certainty. For we depend not on Hearfay, on the Re- > port of others, or on fubtle and uncertain Reafonings, but may fee every Thing with our own Eyes, and hear it with our own Ears. Well tjien, to make all the Allowance pofli- ble, we will fuppofe Mankind in general, to be on a Level, with Regard to Knowledge and 6t The Doctrine of and Virtue, even with the Inhabitants of our fortunate lilancis : And take our Meafure of Them, from the prefent undeniable State of our own Countrymen. In order to take a thorough Survey of thefe, let us begin with the lowefl, and pro- ceed upward. The Bulk of the Natives of Ireland are to be found in or near theii little Cabins throughout the Kingdom, moft of which are their own Workmanfhip, confift- ing of four earthen Walls, cover'd with Straw or Sods, with one Opening in the Side-wall, which ferves at once for Door, Window and Chimney. Here in one Room are the Cow and Pig, the Woman with her Children, and the Mafter of the Family. Now what Knowledge have thefe rational Animals ? They know to plant and boil their Potatoes, to milk their Cow, and to put their Cloaths on and off, if they have any befides a Blan- ket. But other Knowledge they have none, unlefs in Religion. And how much do they know of this ? A little more than the Hotten- tots^ and not much. They know the Names of God and Chrijl and the Virgin Mary, They know d little of St. Patrick^ the Pope and the Prieft : How to tell their Beads, to fay ^^v Maria and Pater-nojier : To do what Penance they are bid, to hear Mafs, confefs, and pay fo vcmchfor the Pardon of their Sins, But as to the Nature of Religion, the Life of God Original Sin." 6-, God in the Soul, they know no more (I will not fay than the Prieft, but) than the lieafts of the Field. And how very little above thefe are the numerous Inhabitants of the northern Parts of Scotland^ or of the lilands which lie either on the Weft, or the North Side of that King- dom? What Knowledge have thefe? And what Religion ? Their Religion ufually lies in a iingle Point, in implicitly believing the Head of their Clan, and implicitly doino- what he bids. Meantime they are, one and all, as ignorant of rational, fcriptural Reli- gion as of Algebra : And altogether as far from the Practice, as from the Theory of it. " But it is not fo in England, The very loweft of the People are here better inftrudt- ed." I fhould be right glad to find it fo : But I doubt a fair Trial will ihew the con- trary. I am afraid we may ftill fay, of thou- fands, myriads of Peafants, Men, Women, and Children throughout our Nation " Wild as the untaught /W/V?;/s;Brood, The Chriftian Savages remain ; Strangers, yea. Enemies to G o d. They make Thee fpend thy Blood in vain." The Generality of Englifi Peafants are not only groily, ftupidly, I had almoft faid, bru- tifhly ignorant, as to all the Arts of this Life, but eminently fo, with Regard to Religion and the Life to come. Afk a Countryman, What 64 ^he Doctrine of What is Faith? What is Repentance? What is Hohnefs ? What is true Rehgion ? And he is no more able to give you an inteUigi- ble Anfwer, than if you were to aik him about the North-Eaft Paffage. Is there then any Poffibihty that they fliould pradlice, what they know nothing of ? If Rehgion is not even in their Heads, can it be in theif Hearts or Lives ? It cannot. Nor is there the leaft Savour thereof, either in their Tem- pers or Converfation. Neither in the one nor the other do they rife one Jot above the Pitch of a Turk or an Heathen. Perhaps it will be faid, " Whatever the Clowns in the Midland Counties are, the People near the Sea-Coafts are more civi- lized." Yes, great Numbers of them are, in and near all our Ports : Many thoufands there are civilized by Smuggling, The Num- bers concerned herein upon all our Coafts, are far greater than can be imagined. But what Reafon, and w^hat Religion have thefe that trample on all Laws, divine and human, by a Courfe of thieving, or receiving ftolen Goods, of plundering their King and Coun- try ? I fay. King and Country : Seeing whatever is taken from the King, is in Ef- fefl: taken from the Country, who are o- bliged to make up all Deficiencies in the Royal Revenue. Thefe are therefore gene- ral Robbers. They rob you and me, and every Original Sin. 65 every one of their Countrymen : Seeing had the King his due Cuftoms a great Part of our Taxes might be fpared. A Sjmigglcr (and in Proportion, every Seller or Buyer, of un- accuftom'd Goods) is a Thief of the firfl Order, a Highwayman or Pickpocket of the worft Sort. Let not any of thofe prate about Reafon or Relip-ion. It is an amaz- O ing Inftance of human Folly, that every Government in Europe does not drive thefe Vermin away into Lands not inhabited. We are all indebted to thofe Detachments of the Army, which have cleared fome of our Coafls of thefe publick Nufances. And indeed many of that Body have in feveral Refpedls, deferved well of their Country. Yet can we fay of the Soldiery in general, That they are Men of Reafon and Religion ? I fear not. Are not the Bulk of them void of almoft all Knowledge, divine and hu- man ? And is their Virtue more eminent than their Knowledge ? But I fparc them. May God be merciful to them ! May He be glorified by their Reformation, rather than their Deft:ru6lion ! Is there any more Knowledge or Virtue in that vaft Body of Men (fome hundred thoufands) the Englifli Sailors ? Surely no. It is not without Caufe, that a Ship has been called " a floating Hell." What Power, what Form of Religion is to be found, in E nine 66 T'he Doctrine of nine out of ten, fliall I fay ? Or ninety- nine out of an hundred, either of our Mer- chantmen or Men of War ? What do the Men in them think or know about Rehgion ? What do they praftice ? Either Sailors or Marines ? I doubt whether any Heathen Sailors, in any Country or Age, Greeks Ro- man or Barbarian^ ever came up to ours, for profound Ignorance and bare-faced, ihame- lefs, fhocking Impiety. Add to thefe, out of our renown'd Metropolis, the whole Brood of Porters, Draymen, Carmen, Hack- ney-Coachmen, and I am forry to fay. No- blemen and Gentlemen's Footmen (together making up feme thoufands) and you will have luch a Colleftion of knowing and piom Chriflians, as all Europe cannot exceed. " But all Men are not like thefe." No, 'tis Pity they iliould. And yet how little bet- ter are the Retailers of Brandy or Gin, the Inhabitants of blind Ale-houfes, the Oyfter- women, Fifli- wives, and other good Crea- tures about Billi?igfgate^ and the various Clans of Pedlers and Hawkers, that patrol thro' the Streets, or ply in Rag-fair^ and other Places of publick Refort. Thefe like- wife amount to feveral thoufands, even with- in the Bills of Mortality. And what Know- ledge have they ? What Religion are they of? What Morality do they pradice ? cc But, Original Sin. 67 " But thefe have had no Advantage of Education, many of them fcarcc bcino^able to write or read." Proceed we then to thofe who have had thefe Advantages, the Officers of the Excife and Ciijlo}ns, Are thefe in general Men of Reaibn ? Who think with Clearnefs and Connexion, and fpeak perti- nently on a given Subjedl? Are they Men of Religion ? Sober, temperate ? Fearin^"^ God and v/orking Righteoufnefs ? Having a Confcience void of Offence, toward God and toward Man ? How many do you find of this Kind among them ; Men that fear an Oath; that fear Peijury more than Death? That would die rather than negledl any Part of that Duty, which they have fworn to perform ? That would fooner be torn in Pieces, than fufter any Man, under any Pfetence, to defraud his Majefty of his juft Right ? How many of them will not be de- terred from doing their Duty, either by Fear or Favour ? Regard no Threatnings in the Execution of their Office, and accept no Bribes, called Prefcnts ? Thefe only are wife and honefl Men. Set down all the refl, as having neither Religion nor found Reafon. " But furely T^radcfmcn have." Some oi them have both : And in an eminent De- gree. Some of our Traders are an Honour to the Nation. But are the Bulk of them E 2 fo? 68 ^he Doctrine o/" fo ? Arc a vaft Majority of our Tradefmen, whether in Town or Country, I will not fay, religious, but honeft Men ? Who fhall judge whether they are or no ? Perhaps you think St. Paul is too ftridl. Let us appeal then to Cicero^ an honeft Heathen. Now v/hen he is laying down Rules of Honefly between Man and Man, he propofes two Cafes. 1. Antisthenes brings a Ship-load of Corn to Rhodes^ at a Time of great Scarcity. The Rhodians flock about him to buy. He knows that five other Ships laden with Corn, will be there To-morrow. Ought he to tell the Rhodians this, before he fells his own Corn ? Undoubtedly he ought, fays the Heathen. Otherwife he makes a Gain of their Ignorance, and fo is no better than a Thief or a Robber. 2. A Roman Nobleman comes to a Gen- tleman to buy his Houfe, who tells him, " There is another going to be built near it, which will darken the Windows," and on that Account makes a Dedudlion in the Price. Some Years after, the Gentleman buys it of him again. Afterward he fues the Nobleman, for felling it without telling him firft, That Houfes were built near, which darkened the Windows. The No- bleman pleads, " I thought he knew it.'* The Judge afks, did you tell him or not ? And Original Sin. 69 And on his owning, he did not, determines, " this is contrary to the Law, Ne quid dolo malofiaf (let nothing be done fraudulently) and fentences him immediately to pay back Part of the Price. Now, how many of our Tradej7nen come up to the Heathen Standard of Honefly ? Who is clear of Dolus malus? Such Fraud as the Roman Judge would immediately have condemned ? Which of our Country- men would not have fold his Corn or other Wares, at the higheft Price he could ? Who would have funk his own Market, by tel- ling his Cuftomers, there would be Plenty the next Day ? Perhaps fcarce one in twen- ty. That One the Heathen would have al- lowed to be an honeft Man. And eveiy one of the reft, according to his Sentence, is " no better than a Thief or a Robber." I MUST acknowledge, I once believed the Body of Englifh Merchants to be Men of the ftrid:eft Honefty and Honour. But I have lately had more Experience. Wlio- ever wrongs the Widow and Fatherlels, knows not what Honour or Honefty means. And how veiy few are there that will Icruple this ? I could relate many flagrant [nftaiices. But let one fuiiice. A Merchant dies in the full Courfe of a very exten five Eufi- nefs. y\nother agrees with his Widow, Ihat provided (lie will recommend him to her 70 'The Doctrine of late Hulband's Correfpondents, he will al- low her Yearly fuch a Proportion of the Pro- fits of the Trade. She does fo, and Articles are drawn, which fhe lodges with an emi- nent Man. This eminent Man pofitive- ly refufes to give them b^ck to her; but gives them to the other Merchant, and Jo leaves her entirely at his Mercy. The Confequence is, the other fays, There is no Profit at all. So he does not give her a Groat. Now where is the Honefty or Ho- nour, either of him who made the Agree- ment, or him who gave back the Articles to him ? That there is Honour, nay and Honefty to be found in another Body of Men, a- mong the Gentlemen of the Law, I firmly believe, vjhtthtv Attorneys, Sollicitors or Coun- feliors. But are they not thinly fpread ? Do the Generality of Attorneys and Sollicitors in Chancery, love their Neighbour as them- felves ? And do to others, what (if the Cir- cumftance were changed) they would have others do to them ? Do the Generality of Coimfellors walk by this Rule ? And by the Rules of Juftice, Mercy and Truth ? Do they ufe their utmoft Endeavours, do they take all the Care which the Nature of the Thing will allow, to be afiliired that a Caufe is juft and good, before they under- take to defend it? Do they never knowingly defend Original Sin. 71 defend a bad Caufe, and fo make themfelves Accomplices in Wrong and Oppreflion ? Do they never deliver die Poor into the Hand of his Oppreflbr, and fee that fuch as are in Neceffity have not Right ? Are they not often the Means of with-holding Bread from the Hungry, and Raiment from the Naked ? Even when it is their own, when they have a clear Right thereto, by the Law both of God and Man ? Is not this cffed:ually done in many Cafes, by protracting the Suit from Year to Year ? I have known a friendly Bill preferred in Chancery, by the Confent of all Parties : The Manager affuring them, a Decree would be procured, in two or three Months. But altho' feveral Years are now elapfed, they can fee no Land yet. Nor do I know, that we arc a Jot nearer the Con- clufion than we were the firfl: Day. Now where is the Honcfty of this ? Is it not pick- ing of Pockets, and no better ? A Lawyer who does not finiih his Client's Suit, as foon as it can be done, I cannot allow to have more Honefty (tho' he has more Prudence) than if he robb'd him on the Highway. " But whether Lawyers are or no, fure the Nobility and Gentry are all Men of Rca- fon and Religion." If you think they J^re all Men of Religion, you think very differ- ently from your Mafter : Who made no Exception of Time or Nation, when he ut- E 4 t^^'^ 72 Tthe Doctrine of ter'd that weighty Sentence, How difficultly Jhall they that have Riches enter into the King- dojn of Heaven ! And when fomc who fecm to have been of your Judgment, were greatly aftonifh'd at his Saying : Inftead of retract- ing or foftning, he adds, Verily I fay unto yoUy it is eafer for a Camel to go thro the Rye of a Needle^ than for a rich Man to enter into the Ki?igdom of God, You think differently from St. Paul, who declares, in thofe re- markable Words, verified in all Ages, Not many rich Men, not many Noble are called: And obey the heavenly Calling. So many Snares furrcund them, that it is the greateft of all Miracles, if any of them have any R,eligion at all. And if you think they are all Men of found Reafon, you do not judge by Fad: and Experience. Much Money does not imply much Senfe; neither does a good Efcate infer a good Underftanding. As a ,gay Coat may cover a bad Heart, fo a fair Peruke may adorn a weak Head. Nay a critical Judge of human Nature, avers tliat this is generally the Cafe. He lays it down as a Rule Senfus cojmnimis in ilia Fortimd rams " Common Senfe is rarely found in Men of Fortune." '' A rich Man, fays he, has LI- JDcrt^v to be a Fool. His Fortune will bear him out." Stukitiam fatiimtur opes : But "fibi Original Sin. 73 Tibi parvida res eft, " You have little Mo- ney, and therefore fliould have common Senfe." I v^ouLD not willingly fay any Thing con- cerning thofe v^hom the Providence of God has alotted for Guides to others. There arc many Thoufands of thefe in the eftablifh'd Church : Many, among DifTenters of all Denominations. We may add, fome Thou- fands of RoniJIj Priefts, fcattercd thro' Eng- land., and fw^arming in hcJi-nd. Of thcfe therefore I would only allv, '" Kvt they all moved by the Holy Gholl, to take upon them that Office and Miniftry"? If not, they do not enter by the Door into the Shccp-foJd ; they are not fent of God, Is their Eye Jingle ? Is it their fole Intention in all theirMiniflf ations, to glorify God .and to fave Souls ? Odierw ifc, the Light which is in them is Darhicfs. And if it be, how great is that Darhnefs ? Is their Heart right with God r Are their Jffe&icns Jet on T^hings above ^ not on Things of the Earth? Elfe how will they thcmfclves go one Step in the Way, wherein they are to guide others? Once more ; Are they holy in all Manner of CoJiverfation, as He who hath called them is holy? If not, with what Face can they fay to the Flock, Be ye Followers of mc, as lam of Chrift ? 12. We have new taken a curfor\^ View of the prefent State of Mankind in all Parts^ of 74 ^^^ Doctrine^ of the habitable World, and ictn in a general Way, what is their real Condition, both with Regard to Knowledge and Virtue. But be- came this is not fo pleaiing a Pidlure, as hu- man Pride is accuftom'd to draw^ and becaufe thole who are prepoffeft with high Notions of their own Beauty, will not eafily believe, That it is taken from the Life : 1 fhall en- deavour to place it in another View, that it may be certainly known, w^hether it.rcfem- i^les the Original. I fhall defire every one who is w^illing to know Mankind, to begin his Enquiry at home. Firft, let him furvey himfelf ; and then go on, Step by Step, a- mong his Neighbours. I ASK then, firft. Are you throughly pleafed wdth )w/r/t7/"? Say you, Who is not? Nay, I fay, Vv^ho is ? Do you obferve no- thing in yourfelf which you diflike ? Which you cannot cordially approve of? Do you never think too well of yourfelf? Think yourfelf wifer, better and ftronger, than you appear to be upon the Proof? Is not this Pride? And do you approve of Pride ?— Was you never angry without a Caufc ? Or farther then that Caufe required? Are you not apt to be fo ? Do you approve of this ? Do not you frequently refolve againft it ? And do not you break thofe Refolutions again and again ? Can you help breaking them ? If fo, Vv^hy do you not ? — Are not you prone to Original Sin. yr tinreafo?iahle Dejires^ either of Pleafure, Praile or Money r Do not you catch yourlelf defir- ing Things not worth a Defire : And other Things more than they delerve ? Are all your Defires proportion'd to the real, intrinfrc Value of Things ? Do not you know and feel the contrary ? Are not you continually liable to foolifid and hurtful t>efires ? And do not you frequently relapfe into them, knowing them to be fuch : Knowinc: that thev have htioiit pierced you through unth many Sor?'ows ? Have you not often refolved again ft thefe De- fires? And as often broke your Refolutions ? Can you help breaking them ? Do fo : Help it if you can : And if not, own your Help- leffnefs. Are you throughly pleafed with your own Life ? Nihibte vides quod nolis ? Do you obferve nothing there which you diflikc r 1 prefume you are not too fevere a Judge here. Neverthelefs I afk, Are you quite fatisfied, from Day to Day, with all you fay or do ? Do you fay nothing, which you afterward w^ifh you had not faid ? Do nothing, which you wiih you had not done ? Do you never fpeak any Thing contrary to Truth or Love ? Is that right ? Let your own Confcicnce de- termine. Do you never do any Thing c()!i- trary to Juftice'or Mercy ? Is that well done? You know it is not. Wliy then do you not amend ? Moves, fed nil pronmrs. You re- folvc 76 The Doctrine of folve and refolve, and do juft as you did before. Your Wife however is wifer and better than you. Nay, perhaps you do not think io, Pofiibly you laid once " I'hcu hafl no Faults^ or I no Faults can/py-y T^hou art all Beauty^ or all Blindnefs /," But you do not fay fo now : She is not with- out Faults : And you can fee them plain enough. You fee more Faults than you de- fire, both in her Temper and Behaviour. And yet you can't mend them : And fhe ei- ther can't or won't. And fhe fays the very fame oi you. Do your Parents or her's live with you ? And do not they too exercife your Patience ? Is there nothing in tlmr Temper or Behaviour that gives you Pain ? Nothing which you wifh to have alter 'd ? Are you a Parent yourfelf ? Parents in general are not apt to think too meanly of their own dear Offspring. And probably at fometimes you admire your's more than enough ; you think there are none fuch. But do you think fo, upon cool Refleffion ? Is the Behaviour of all you;* Children., of moft, of any of them, juft fuch as you would delire ? Toward yourfelf, toward each other, and toward all Men ? Are their Tempers juft fuch as you would wifli ; loving, modeft, mild and teachable ? Do you obferve no Self-will, no PalTion, no Stub- bornnefs, no Ill-nature or Surlinefs among them ? Original Sin. 77 them ? Did you not obferve more or lefs of thefe in every one of them, before they were two Years old? And have not thofe' Seeds ever fmce grown up with them, 'till dicy have brought forth a plentiful Harveft. Your Servants or Frentices are probably older than your Children. And are they wifer and better ? Of all thofe who have fuc- ceeded each other for twenty Years, how many were good Servants? How many of them did their Work imto the Lord, jmt as pleafmg Man but God? How many did the fame work, and in as exad: a Manner, be- hind your Back as before your Face? They that did not were Knaves ; they had no Re- ligion; they had no Morality. Which of them ftudied your Intereft in all Things, juft as if it had been his ovv^n? I am afraid, as long as you have lived in the World, you have feen few of thefe black Swans yet. Have you had better Succefs with the "journeymen and Labourers^ whom you occa- fionally employ? Will they do the fame Work if you are at a Diftance, which they do while you are Handing by? Can you-de- pend upon their ufing you, as they would you fliould ufe them? And will they do this, not fo much for Gain, as for Confcicnce Sake? Can you truft them as to the Price of their Labour? Will they never charge more than it is fairly worth? If you have found ' a Set 73 ^he Doctrine ^/^ a Set of fuch Workmen, pray do not con- ceal fo valuable a Treafure^ but imn:iediately advertifc the Men and their Places of Abode, for the common Benefit of your Country- men. Happy you, who have fuch as thefe about your Hcufe! And are your Neighbours as honefl and loving as they? They who live cither in the fame, or in the next Houfe: Do thefe love you as themfelves? And do to you in every Point, as they would have you do to them? Are they guilty of no untrue or unkind Sayings, no unfriendly Actions to- wards you? And are they (as far as you fee or know) in all other Refpedis, reafonable and religious Men? How many of your Neighbours anfwer this Characfler? Would it require a large Houfe to contain them ? But you have Intercourfe not with the next Neighbours only, but with fever al Tradefmeii, And all very honeft: Are they not? You may eafily make a Trial. Send a Child or a Countiyman to one of their Shops. If the Shopkeeper is an honeft Man, he will take no Advantage of the Buyer's Ignorance. If he does, he is no honefter than a Thief. And how many Tradefmen do you know who would fcruple it ? Go a little farthfer. Send to the Market for what you want. " What is the loweft Price of this?" " Five Shillings, Sir." " Can you Original Sin. 7g you take no lefs?'' " No, upon my Word. It is worth it every Penny." An Hour after he fells it for a Shilling lefs. And it is really worth no more. Yet is not this the Courfc (a few Perfons excepted) in eveiy Market , thro' the Kingdom. Is it not generally, tlio* not always, cheat that cheat can? Sell as dear as you can, and buy as cheap? And what are they who fleer by this Rule better than a Company of Newgale- Birds? Shake them all together; for there is not a Grain of Honefty among them. But are not your own 'Te?ia?iis at leafl, or your Lajtdkrd^ honeft Men? You a;e perfuaded they are. Very good: Remem- ber then an honeft Man's Word is as good as his Bond. You are preparing a Receipt or Writing for a Sum of Money, which you are going to pay or lend to this honefl Man. Writing ! What Need of that ? You do not fear he iliould die foon. You did not once think of it. But you do not care to truil: him without it; that is, you arc not fure but he is a meer Knave. What, your Landlord ? Who is a Juftice of Peace ! It may be a Judge; nay, a Member of Parliament; pof- fibly a Peer of the Realm ! And cannot you truft this Honourable (if not Right Honour- able) Man, without a paltry Receipt ? I do not afk whether he is an Whoremonger, an Adulterer, aBlafphemcr, a proud, a pallionate, a re- 8o I'he Doctrine of a revengeful Man. This it may be his nearefl Friends will allow : But do you fufpeft his Honefty too ? 13. Such is the State of the Proteflant Chrijiiaiis in Rn gland. Such their Virtue from the leaft to the greateft, if you take an impartial Survey of your Parents, Children, Servants, Labourers, Neighbours, of Tradef- men. Gentry, Nobility. What then can we expedl from Papijis ? What from Jews^ Mahometans,, Heathens ? And it may be remark'd. That this is the plain, glaring, apparent Condition of Hu- mankind. It ftrikes the Eye of the moft carelefs, inaccurate Obferver, who does not trouble himfelf with any more than their Outfide. Now it is certain, the Generality of Men do not wear their worft Side out- ward. Rather, they ftudy to appear better than they are, and to conceal what they can of their Faults. What a Figure then would they make, were we able to touch them with Ithurieh Spear? What a Profped: would there be, could v/e anticipate the Tranfac- tions of the great Day ? Could we bring to Light the hidden things of Darknefs^ and make manifeji the Thoughts and Intents of the Heart. This is the plain, naked Fadl, without any Extenuation on the one Hand or Exag- geration on the other. The prefent State of the Moral World is as confpicuous as that of Original Sin. gi of the Natural. Ovid faid no more concern- ing both near 2000 Years fince, than is evi* dently true at this Day. Of the Natural World he fays (Whether this took Place at the Fall of Man, or about the Time of the Deluge) yupiter antiqui contraxit temper a veris^ Perq-y hiemes, ^Jliifq; & incvquales autumno^^ Et breve verfpatiis exegit quatuor an?2iwu The God of Nature, and her fovereign King, Shortened the primitive perennial Spring : The Spring gave Place, no fooner come than pail, To Summer's Heat, and Winter*s chilling Blaft, And Autumn fick, irregular and uneven : While the fad Year thro* different Scafons driven Obey'd the ftern Degree of angry Heaven. And a Man may as modeftly deny, That Spring and Summer, Autumn and Winter fucceed each other, as deny one Article of the enfuing Account of the moral World. Irrupit vena pejoris in arum Omnenefas: Fugere Pudor, Verumq\ Fidefq-y In quorum fubiere locum fraudefq-, doliq\ Injidiaq-y & visy & a??Jor fceleratus babcndi: A Flood of general Wickcdncfs broke in At once, and made the Iron Age begin: F Virtue 82 'The Doctrine of •Virtue and Truth forfook the faithlefsRacc, And Fraud and Wrong fucceeded in their Place. Deceit and Violence, the dire Thirft of Gold, Luft to poiiefs, and Rage to have and hold. What Country is there now upon Earth, in Europe^ ^fidy Africa or America^ be the In- habitants Pagans^ T'urks or ChriJiianSy con- cerning which we may not fay, Vivitur ex rapto : non Iwfpes ab hcfpite hit us: Filius a?2te diem patrios inquirit in annoSy Vitlajacet Pietas ; S^ Virgo cade madentes Ultima Calejium terras Ajircea reliquit. They live by Pvapine. The unwary Gueft Is poifon'd at the inhofpitable Feait. The Son, impatient for his Father's Death, Numbers his Years, and longs to flop his Breath : Extinguiflid allRegardforGoD andMan: . And Juftice, laft of the celeftial Train, " Spurns the Earth drenclad in Blood, and flies to Heaven again. 14. Universal Mifery is at once a Con- fequence and a Proof of this univerfal Cor- ruption. Men are unhappy, (How very few are the Exceptions?) becaufe they are unholy. Culpam Pmia prernit cojnes. Pain accompa- nies and follows Sin. Why is the Earth fo full of complicated Diftrefs ? Becaufe it is full Original Sin. 83 full of complicated Wickednefs. Why are not you happy ? Other Circumftances may concur : But the main Reafon is, becaufe you are not holy. It is impoffiblc in the Nature of Things, that Wickednefs can con- lift with Happinefs. Rojnan Heathen, tell the Englijh Heathens, Nemo malusjelix : No vicious Man is happy. And if you are not guilty of any grofs outward Vice, yet you have vicious Tempers : And as long as thefc have Power in your Heart, true Peace has no Place. You are proud) you think too highly of yourfelf. You are paffionate ; often angry without Reafon. You are fclf-willed ; you )Vould have your own Will, your own Way in every Thing; that is plainly, you would rule over God and Man; you would be the Governor of the World. You are daily li- able to. unreafonable Defires : Some Things you delire that are no Way defirable : Others which ought to be avoided, yea abhorred, at leaft as they are now circumftanccd. And can a proud or a paffionate Man be happy? Oh no : Experience ihews it is impofTiblc. Can a Man be happy, who is full of Self- will ? Not unlefs he can dethrone the Moft High. Can a Man of unreafonable Dcfircs be happy ? Nay, they pierce him th'ough with many Sorrows, F 2 I H-'^^'s 84 ^he Doctrine of I HAVE not touched upon Envy, Malice, Revenge, Covetuoufnefs, and other grofs Vices. Concerning thefe it is univerfally agreed, by all thinking Men, Chriftian or Heathen, that a Man can no more be happy, while they lodge in his Bofom, than if a Vulture was gnawing his Liver. It is fup- pofed indeed, that a very fmall Part of Mankind, only the vileft of Men are liable to thefe. I know not that: But certainly this is not the Cafe with Regard to Pride, Anger, Self-will, foolifh Defires. Thofe who are accounted not bad Men, are by no Means free from thefe. And this alone, (were they liable to no other Pain) would prevent the Generality of Men, rich and poor, learned and unlearned, from ever knowing what Happinefs means. 15. You think however you could bear yourfelf pretty well; but you have fuch an Hulband or Wife, fuch Parents and Children as are intolerable f One has fuch a Tongue, the other fo perverfe a Temper ! The Lan- guage of thefe, the Carriage of thofe, is (o provoking! Otherwife you fhould be happy enough. True, if both you and they were wife and virtuous. Mean-while, neither tlie Vices of your Family, nor your own Will fuffer you to reft. Look out of your own Doors : Is there any Evil in the City^ aiid Sin hath not done it? Is there Original Sin. g^ there any Misfortune or Mifery to be named, whereof it is not either the diredt or remote Occafion ? Why is it that the Frieftd or Re- lation for whom you are fo tenderly concern- ed, is involved in fo many Troubles ? Have not you Aont your part toward making them happy ? Yes, but they will not do their own : One has no Management, no Fruga- lity, or no Induftry. Another is too fond of Pleafures. If he is not what is called fcandaJo]iijQy vicious, he loves Wine, Wo- men or Gaming. And to what does all this amount ? He might be happy 3 but Sin will not fufFer it. Perhaps you will fay. Nay, he is not in Fault, he is both frugal and diligent. But he has fallen into the Hands of thofe, who have impofed upon his Good-nature. Very well ; but ftill Sin is the Caufe of his Mis- fortunes, Only it is another's, not his own. If you enquire into the Troubles under which your Neighbour, your Acquaintance, or one you cafually talk with, labours, flill you will find the far greater Part of them arife, from fome Fault either of the Suftcrer or of others. So that ftill Sin is at the Rool of Trouble, and it is Unholinefs which caufes Unhappinefs. And this holds as well with Regard to Families, as with Regdrd to Individual^. Many Familes are miferable throngh Want. F 3 Thrv 86 The Doctrine 'of They have not the Conveniences, if the Ne- ceflaries of Life. Why have they not ? Be- caufe they will not work : Were they dili- gent they w^ould want nothing. Or if not idle, they are waftful : Tliey fquander away in a fliort Time, what might have ferved for many Years : Others indeed are diligent and frugal too ; but a treacherous Friend, or a malicious Enemy has ruin'd them : Or they groan under the Hand of the Oppreffor : Or the Extortioner has enter'd into their La- bours. You fee then, in all thefe Cafes, Want, (though in various Ways) is the Ef- fect of Sin. But is there no rich Man near? None that could relieve thefe innocent Suf- ferers, without impairing his own Fortune ? Yes, but he thinks of nothing lefs. They may rot and perifh for him. See, more Sin is implied in their Suffering. But is not the Family of that rich Man himfeif happy ? No; far from it: Perhaps farther than his poor Neighbour's. For they are not content : Their Eye is not fatisfied with Seei??g, nor their Ear with Henri ?ig, Endea- vourino; to fill their Souls with the Pleafures of Senfe and Imagination, they are only pour- ing Water into a Sieve. Is not this the Cafe with the wealthiefl: Families vou know? But it is not the whole Cafe with fome of them. There is a debauched, a jealous, or an ill- natur'd Flu (band-; A gaming, paffionate, or ^ imperious Original Sin. 87 imperious Wife ; an undutiful Son, or nn imprudent Daughter, who banifhes Happi- nefs from the Houfe. And what is all this, but Sin in various Shapes, with its fure At- tendant Mifery ? In a Town, a Corporation, a Cit}^ a Kingdom, is it not the fame Thing llill ? From whence comes that Complication of all the Miferies incident to human Nature, War ? Is if not from the Tempers which war in the Soul'? When Nation rifes up a- gainft Nation, and Kingdom againft King- dom, does it not necelTarily im.ply Pride, Ambition, covetingw^hat is another's; or En- vy, or Malice, or Revenge, on one Side, if not on both ? Still then Sin is the bale- ful Source of Afflidion. And confequcntly the Flood of Miferies, which covers the Face of the Earth, which overwhelms not only fmgle Perfons, but whole Families, Towns, Cities, Kingdoms, is a demonftrative Proot of the Overflowing of Ungodlincfs, in every Nation under Heaven. F 4 ' T H 1' [ 88 ] THE DoBrine of Original Sin^ &c. PART II. T^he Scriptural Method of accountmg for this defended, II. I. I. j^^^*^HEFa6tthen being undeniable, :n T Q^ I would afk, How is it to be is-^^jrf ^^coui^ted for ? Will you re- folve it into the Prevalence of Cujiom^ a^dfay, " Men are guided more by Example than Reafon?" It is true. They run after one another, like a Flock of Sheep (as Seneca remarked long ago) mri qudeundum eji^ fed qua itiir : Not where they ought to go, but ivhere others go, But I gain no Ground by this : I am equally at a Lofs to account for this Cuftom. How is it (fee- ing Men are reafonable Creatures, and no- thing is- fo agreeable to Rcafon as Virtue) that Original Sin. 89 that the Cuftom of all Ages and Nations is not on the Side of Virtue rather than Vice ? If you fay, This is owing to bad Education, which propagates ill Cuftorns : Town, Edu- cation has an amazing Force, far beyond what is commonly imagined. I own too, that as bad Education is found among Chrif- tians, as ever obtained among the Heathens. But I am no nearer ftill : I am not advanced an Hair's Breadth toward the Conclufion. For how am I to account for the almofl: uni- verfal Prevalence of this bad Education .^ I want to know, when this prevailed lirft ? And how came it to prevail ? How came wife and good Men (for fuch they mull: have been before bad Education commenced) not to train up their Children in Wifdom and Goodnefs ? In the Way wherein they had been brought up themfelves ? They had then no ill Prece- dent before them : How came they to make fuch a Precedent ? And how came all the Wifdom of after Ages, never to corredl that Precedent ? You muft fuppofe it to have been of antient Date. Prophane Hiftory gives us a large Account of univerfal Wickedncfs> that is, univerfal bad Education, for above two thoufand Years laft part. Sacred Hiftory adds the Account of above two thoufand more: In the very Beginning of which (more than four thoufand Years ago) all Flefh had corrupted their Ways before the LoR d ! Or, 9a 'The Doctrine (f Or, to fpeak agreeably to this Hypotheiis, were very corruptly educated. Now how is this to be accounted for, That in fo long a Tra(!l of Time, no one Nation under the Sun, has been able, by wholefome Laws or by^ any other Method, to remove this griev- ous Evil ? So that their Children being well ediicatedy the Scale might at length,— turn on the Side of Reafbn and Virtue. These are Queftions which I conceive will not eaiily be anfwered, to the Satisfac- tion of any impartial Enquirer. But to bring the Matter to a fliort Iffue. The firft Pa- rents who educated their Children in Vice and Folly, either w^ere wife and virtuous tbemfelves, or were net. If they were not,, your Vice did not proceed from Education : So the Suppolition falls to the Ground: Wickednefs was antecedent to bad Educa- tion. If they were wife and virtuous, it cannot be fuppofed, but they would teach their Children to tread in the fame Steps. In no wife therefore can we account for the prefent State of Mankind from Example or Educcitmi. 2. Let us then have Recourfe to the Oracles of God, How do they teach us to account for this Fa6l, That all Fleffj cor- ruptcd their Way before God, even in the ^;/- tedihivian World? That Mankind was little, if at all, lefs corrupt, from the Flood to the Original Sin. qi the giving of the Law by Mcfcs : That from that Thne 'till Christ came, even God's chofen People were a faitklefs and Jhihb.jni Generation^ little better, tho' certainly not worfe than the Heathens who knew not God: That when Christ came, both ')W'j and Gentiles were all under Sin\ all theiVcrld was guilty before God : That even after the Gofpel had been preach'd in all Nations, fldll the wife and virtuous iioere a little Flock -, bearing fo fmall a Proportion to the Bulk of Mankind, that it might yet be faid, l^he whole World lieth in Wickedncfs: That from that Time the Myjloy of Iniquity wrought even in the Church, 'till the Chriftians were little better than the Heathens : And, laftly, That at this Day the whole Worlds whether Pagan, Mahometan, or nominally Chriftian (little indeed is the Flock which is to be ex- cepted!) ^ig'SAn lieth in Wickednefs: Doth not kno^v the only true God ; doth not love, doth not worfhip Him as God : Hath not the Mind which was in Chrift, neither walketh as He walked: Doth not pradlice, Jufticc, Mercy and Truth, nor do to others as they would others fhould do to them : How, I fay, do the Oracles of God teach us, to ac- count for this plain Fad ? 3. They teach us. That /;/ " Adam all die : That ^y the firft Man came both natu- •^ ral " I Cor. XV. 22. compared with Gin. ii. and iii. 92 I'he Doctrine of ral a«d iplritual Death, That "^ by this (j;;^ iWiz/z iS/w altered into the Worlds and Death in Confequence of Sin : And that from him Death pajjed upon all Men^ in that all have finned, m%y\i Bu T you aver,'' That ** no Evil but Tr;7/-^ penpal Death came upon Men, in Confe- quence of Adam\ Sin." And this ygu cn» deavour to prove by confidering the chief Scriptures, which are fuppofed to relate thereto. w '\, The firft you mention is Gen, ii. 17. 'But of the Tree of the K?iowledge of Good and Evily thou PmU not cat of it : For in the Day that thou eateji thereof thou f:alt furely die, On this you obferve : " Death was to be die Confequence of his Difobedience. And the Death here threatned can be oppofed on- ly to that Life God gave Adam when he created him.''^ True : But how are you affured. That God when he created him, did not give him Jpiritualy as well as animal Life ? ^ov^ fpiritual Death is oppofed tofpi- ritual Life, And this is more than the Death of the Body. ** But this is pure Conjecflurc, without a folid Foundation. For no other Life is fpoken of before." Yes there is. The Image of God is fpoken of before. This is not ^ Rom.\. 12. * Mr. Taylor's Doftrinc of Original Sin, Part I. to whom I addrefs myfelf in what follows. What \i quoted from him, generally in his own Words, is inclofed in Comma's " ". ' p. 7. Original Sin. ^-^ therefore pure Conjedure ; but is grounded upon a folid Foundation, upon tlie plain Word of God. ^' Allowing then, that " yftJam could un- derftand it of no other Life than that which he had newly receiv'd :'* Yet would he na- turally underftand it, of the Life of God in his Soul, as well as of the Life of his Body, " In this Light therefore the Senfe of the Threatning will Hand thus: Thoujkalt furely die-y as if he had faid, I have' ycr//W thee of the Dujl of the Ground, and breathed into thy Noftrih the Breath of Lives,'' both of animal Life and of fpiritualLife'y and in both Refpcfts thou art become a living Soul, '' But if thou eateft of the forbidden Tree, thou fhalt ceafe to be a living Soul. For I will take from thee" the Lives I have given, and thou (halt die fpiritually, temporally, eter- nally. But " here is not one Word relating to Adam\ Pofterity. Tho' it be true, if he had died immediately upon hisTranfgreffion, all his Pofterity muft have been extln6t with him." It is true : Yet " not one Word" of it is exprefl. Therefore other Confequenccs of his Sin may be equally implied, tho' they are no more expreji than tliis. 4. The fecond Scripture you cite is Gen. ill. from the 7^' to the 24^" Verfe.* ^ On f Third Edition p. 8. ' p. 9, i«. 94 ^he Doctrine of On this you obferve, Here <' we have fomc Confequences of our firft Parents Sin before God judged them : Some appointed by hi^ judicial Sentence ; and fome which happen- ed after that Sentence was pronounced.'"" " Immediately upon their Tranfgref- fion, they were feized with Shame and Fear. Guilt will always be attended with Shame. And a State of Guilt is often in Scripture ex- preft by being naked, Exod, xxxii. 25; Mofes faw that the People were naked; for Aaron had made them naked to their Shame, among their Enemies^ Certainly ?iaked does not mean guilty here; but either ftript of their Ornaments (C. xxxiii. 5, 6.) or of their Swords, or their upper Garment. Ifai. xlvii. 3. '"T'hy Nakednefs Jloali be uncovered^ yea thy Shame Jhall be feen. Here alfo Naked- nefs does not mean Guilt \ but is to be taken literally, as manifeftly appears, from the Words immediately precceding, V. 2. Make bare the Leg^ uncover the T^high^ pafs over Ri- vers. KnARev. xvi. 15. Bleffed is he that watcheth and keepeth his Gar?jie?itSy left he walk naked and they fee his Shame, The plain Meaning is, left he lofe the Graces he has received, and fo be alliamed before Men and Anofcls. " Their Fear is defcribed V. 8. Adam a?id his Wife hid themfelves from the Prefence •» p. II, ' p. 12. Original Sin. n- of the Lord God among the Trees of the Gar^ den. They had no fuch Fear wlillc tJiey were innocent: But now they were afraid to ftand before their Judge.'"^ This is all you can difcern in tlie Mofaic Account, as the Confequence of our hrft Parents Sin, before God judged them. Mr. Hervey difcerns fomething more. I make no Apology for tranfcribing forae of his Words.*^ " Adam violated the Precept, and as the nervous Original exprelles it, died the Death. He before poffeft a Life incompa- rably more excellent, than that which thp Beafts enjoy. He pofTeil a Divine Life, confifting, according to the Apoffle, it Knowledge^ i?i Right eoicfnefs^ and true Holine/s, This, which was the diftingu idling Glory of his Nature, in the Day that he uit the for- bidden Fruit, was extinft. •" HisUnderftanding, originally enlight- ened with Wifdom, was clouded widi Ig- norance. His Heart, once warmed with heavenly Love, became alienated from God his Maker. His Paffions and Appetites, ra- tional and regular before, fliook off the Government of Order and Reafon. In a Word, the whole Moral Frame was un- hinged, disjointed, broken. Tjji * p. 13, * Theron and Mpafio^ Dial, 11. 96 ^he Doctrine of " The Ignorance of fallen Adam was paK pable* Witnefs that abfurd Attempt, to hide himfelf from the Eye of Omnifcience^ among the Trees of the Garden. His Averjion to the all-gracious God was equally plain. Otherwife he would never have fled from his Maker, but rather have hailed on the Wings of Dejire^ into the Place of the Di- vine Manifeftation. " A STRANGE Variety of diforderly Paf- Jtons were evidently predominant in hisBreaft. Fride \ for he refufes to acknowledge his Guilt, tho* he cannot but own the Fad. Ingratitude \ for he obliquely upbraids the Creator with his Gift, as tho' it had been a Snare rather than a Blefling ; the Woman Thou gaveji me. The Female Criminal adls the fame unhumbled Part. She neither takes Shame to herfelf, nor gives Glory to God, nor puts up a fingle Petition for Pardon. " As all thefe Difaflers enfued, upon the Breach of the Commandment, they furnifh tis with the bell Key, to open the Meaning of the Penalty annexed. They prove be- yond any Argument, That Spiritual Death and all its Confequcnces were comprized in the Extent of the Threatning." 5. However " no ^other could in Juf- tice be punifhablc for that Tranfgreffion, which was their own Ad: and Deed onlv." If *■ P- '3- OitiGiNAL Sin. (^7 If no other was juftly pimifiable, then no other was piaiijljed for that Tianfgrelfion. But all Men were pimijled for that Tranf- greffion, namely, with Death. Thereiore all Men wtvt jiiftly piinifiable for it. By Fiinijhment I mean Suffcrifig confe- quent upon Sin or Pain inflicted becaufe of Sin preceeding. Now it is plain all Man- kind y^^^r Deaths and that this Suffering is confequent upon Adanis Sin, Yea, and that this Pain is inflicfted on all Men, becaufe of his Sin. When therefore you fay, *' Death does ^ defcend to iis^ in Confequcnce oi his Tranfgreffion^" You allow the Point wc contend for^ and are very welcome to add, " Yet it is not a Puniflmjcnt for his Sin!' You allow the Thing. Call it by what Name you pleafe. But '' Pimijljmcnt ^ always connotes Guilty It always connotes Sin and Suffering. And here are both. Jdam finned: His Pofterityy/^e'r: And that, in Coniequence of his Sin. But " Sifferings are Benefits to us." Doubtlefs, but this does not hinder their be- ing Pmifhments, The Pain I fuffer as a Punifiment for my o^jon Sins, may be a Bene- fit to mci but it is a Pujiifimwit neverthe- lefs. ^ G But *■ p. 20. « p. 21, 98 ^he Doctrine of BfjT "as they " two only were guilty of the firft Sin, fo no other but they two only, could be confcious of it as their Shi" No other could be confcious of it as their Sin, in the fame Senfe as Adam and Eve were: And yet others may " charge it upon thcm- felves," in a different Senfe, fo as to judge themfelves Children of Wrath on that Ac-' count. To fum up this Point in Dr.y — 's Words: " If there be any Thing in this Argument, That Adams Pofterity could not be juftly punifhable for his Tranfgreffion, becaufc it was his perfonal Ad: and not theirs : It muft prove univerfally that it is unjuft, To punifli the Poftcrity of any Man for his per- fonal Crimes. And yet moll certain it is, that God has in other Cafes actually puniih- ed Mens Sins on their Pofterity. Thus the Pofterity of Canaan^ the Son of Ham^ is puniflf d with Slavery, for his ' Sin. Noab pronounced the Curfe under a Divine Affla- tus, and God confirmed it by his Providence. So wc do, in Fad fuffer, for Adam's Sin, and that too by the Sentence inflided on our firft Parents. We fuflfer Death in Confe- quence of their Tranfgreffion. Therefore we are, in fome Senfe, guilty of their Sin. I would afk, What is Guilt, but an Obli- gation to fuffer Punifliment for Sin ? Now fince h p. 14. i Gen, ix. 25, 2j. Original Sin. gg iince wc fuiFer the fame penal Evil, tvhich God threatened to, and inflided on yldn?n for his Sin, and lince it is allowed we lufTcr this for Adam% Sin, and that by the Sentence of God, appointing all Men to die, becaule Adam finned: Is not the Confequence evi- dent? Therefore we are all fome Way guilty oi Adams Sin.""" 6. " The Confequences ' appointed by the judicial Sentence of God, are found in that pronounced on the Serpent, or the Wo- man, or the Man. " The Serpent is curfed, V. 14, 15. And thofe Words in the 15"" Verfe, I u^ill put En?nity between thee and the Wonan^ and he- tween thy Seed and her Seed : He (fo the He- brew )yZ^^// bruife thy Head ajidthcujhalt bruife his Heel ', imply, that God would appoint his only-begotten Son, to maintain a King- dom in the World oppofite to the Kingdom oi Satan, 'till he fliould be born of a Woman, and by his Dodrine, Example, Obedience and Death, give the laft Strc^ke, by Way of moral Means, to the Powxr and Works of the "^ Devil." I DO not underftand that Exprefllon, " By Way of Moral Means.'' What I un- derftand from the whole Tenor of Scripture is, That the eternal, almighty Son of God, G 2 "^'ho k Vindication of the Doftrine of Original Sin. ' p. 15. «" p. 16. loo T'he Doctrine of whots, over al/, God, blejfed for ever ^ having reconciled us to God by his Blood, creates us anew by his Spirit, and reigns till He hath deftroy'd all the Works of the Devil. " Sentence is paft upon the Woman, V. 1 6. that fhe fliould bring forth Children with more Pain and Hazard, than otherwife fhe would have done."'' How ? With more Fain and Hazard th^n otherwife flie would have done ! Would flie otherwife had any Pain at all ? Or have brought forth Children with a77y Hazard .^ Hazard of what ? Cer- tainly, not of Death. I cannot comprehend this. "Lastly, The Sentence upon the Man, V. 17, 18, 19. firft afFeds the Earth, and then denounces Death upon himfelf." '* After Sentence ^ pronounced, God having clothed Adam and Eve^ drove them out of Paradife." Here " obferve i. a Curfe is pronounced*' on the Serpent and on the Ground ; but no Curfe upon the Woman and the Man." But a Curfe fell upon them in that very Moment, wherein they tranfgreffed the Law of God. For cur fed is every c?7.e that continiieth not in all Thi?7g3 which are contained in the Law to do them. Vainly therefore do you fubjoin, " Tho' they are fubjecSted to Sorrow, La- bour and Death, thefe are not inflicfted under the ® p. 17. p p. 18. *» p. 19. Original Sin. loi the Notion of a Curfe." Surely they are ; as the feveral Branches of that Curie, which he had aheady incurred. And which had already not only " darkened and weakened his rational Powers/' but difordered his whole Soul. " Observe 2. here is not one Word of any other Deaths but the Diffolution of the Body." Nor was it needful. He felt in himfelf that fpiritual Death, which is the Prelude of Death e'-cerlajling. " But the Words, Duji thou art, and unto Diijl then fialt return, reftrain this Death to this Dilib- lution ' alone. This Diffolution alone" is exprejl in thofe Words. But how does it ap- pear, that nothing more is i?nplied? The di- red: contrary appears from your own AlTerti- ons. For if thefe Words refer clearly to thofe, And the Lord Go'd formed Man cui^of the Duji of the Ground, and breathed into his Noflrih the Breath of Lives :' And if* the judicial Afl: of Condemnation clearly impli- eth, the depriving him of that Life which God then breathed into him :" It undenia- bly follows, That this judicial Ad implieth a Deprivation of Spiritual Life as well as Temporal: Seeing God breathed into him both one and the other, in order to his bccom- ing a living Sotd, G 3 It 5 p. 20. I02 ^he Doctrine of It remains, That the Death exprejl in the original Threatning and implied in the Sen- tence pronounced upon Man, includes all Evils which could befal his Soul and Body : Death Temporal, Spiritual and Eternal. 7. You next cite ' i Cor. xv. 2 1, 22. Since hy Man came Deaths by Man came alfo the Re- Jurrediion of the Dead, For as in Adam all die^ even fo in Chn^ JJmU all be made alive. On this you obferve i. ' " The Apoftle Is in this Chapter proving and explaining the KefiirreBion. It is this Fad: or Event, and no other ^ which he here affirms and demon- ftrates." If you mean, " The Refurreciion of the Body to that Life which it enjoyed in this World, is the only T^hing which the Apoftle fpeaks of in this Chapter," your Affertion is palpably falfe. For he fpeaks therein oithat glorious Life both of Soul and Body, which is not, cannot be enjoy'd in this World. You obferve 2. " It is undeniable, thztall Mankind die in Adam, all are mortal, in Confequence of his " Sin." 3. "It is equally clear, that by Chrift came the RefurreBion of the Dead: That in Chrift all who die in A- dam, that is, all Mankind, are made alive J* It is neither clear nor true, That St. Paid affirms this, in either of the Texts before us. For in this whole Chapter he fpeaks only of the * p. 22. * p. 23. " p. 24. Original Sin. 103 the Refurredlion of the Juft, of them that are Chrift's, V. 23. So that from hence it cannot be infer'd at all, that ^//M?;//(7W will be made alive. Admitting then, *' That the Rtfur- reBion of the Dead and being made alhe, arc Expreffions of the fame Signification," this proves nothing; fince the Apoftle affirms neither one nor the other, of any but thofe who are fallen afecp in Chrift, V. 18. It is of thefe only that he here afferts, Their Death came by the Firft, their Rcfurrc5lion^ by the Second Adam : Or, That /;/ Adam they all died, in Chrift they all are ?7iade alrce. Whatever Life they all lofl by Means of A- dam^ I'hey all recover by Means ofChri/i. " From''' this Place we cannot concKidc, that any Death came upon Mankind in Con- fequence of Adam's Sin befide that Death from which Mankind lliall be delivered at the Refurrediion." Nay, from this Place we cannot con- clude, that Mankind in general fhall be de- livered from any Death at all : Seeing it does not relate to Mankind in general, but wholly and folcly to them that are CliriftV. But from this Place we may firmly con- clude, that more than the mere Death of the Body came even upon thefe by Man^ by Adam\ Sin, feeing the Rcfurrcclion vvhicli comes to them by Man, by Chrijl, is far more G 4 tlian 104 ^be Doctrine of than the mere Removal of that Death: Therefore their dying in Adam implies far more than the bare Lofs of the bodily Life we now enjoy: Seeing their being fnade alive in Chrift implies far more, than a bare Re- covery of that Life. Yet it is true, That whatever Death came on them by one Man^ came upon all Mankind; and that in the fame Senfe where- in they died in Adam^ all Mankind died like- wife. And that all Mankind are not made alive in Chrifl:, as they are, is not God's Fault, but their own. I KNOW not therefore what you mean by faying That after Doctor f has proved this whole Chapter and confequently the two Verfes in Queftion, to relate wholly and fole- ly to the Refurred:ion of the Juft, " he leaves you in full Pofleflion of your Argu- ments. Surely if he proves this, he wrefts the whole Argument out of your H^nds. He leaves you not one Shred of it. 8. '* We come now, you fay, to the moft difficult Scripture, which fpeaks of this Point, Kom, V. 12 — 19. A^ by one Man Sin enter d into the World and Death by Sin ^ ev^enfo Death pajfed upon (ill Men, for that all havefmned. "For until the Law ^ Sin was in the World-, })ut Sin is not imputed when there is no Law, Never- Original Sin. jo- "Nevertheless Death reigjied from Adam to Mofes, eveii over them that had not fimied after the Si?mlitiide of Adam i Tranf greffiouy who is the Figure of him that was to come. But not as the 0 fence, fo alfo is the Free- gift, For if thro the Offence of One many be dead, much more the Grace of God, and the Gift by Grace, which is by one Man, Jefus Chrift, hath abounded unto many. And not as it was by One that fimied (o is the Gift, for the ftidgment was by one Offence unto Condemnafion, but the Free-gift is of jnany Offejices unto yufifcation. For if by one Maris Offence Death reigned by one, much more they who rrccived tlje Abun- dance of Grace and of the G ft of Kighteoifncfs, fJMll reign in Lfe by one Jcfus Chriih Therefore as by tIjeOffliice of ^^//r Judg- ment came upon all Men to Condemnation, even fo by the Rightecifnefs of one the Free-gift came upon all Men, unto fufiification of Life. For as by one Mans Difobedience many were made Sinners, fo by the Obedience oj one fball many be inade Righteous. On this you obferve, I. That this Paf- fage '' fpeaks ^ of temporal Death and no other." That it fpeaks of temporal Death is allowed; but not that it fpeaks of no other. How prove you this? Why thus, " He evi- dently 'f p. 26. y p. 28. io6 The Doctrine of dently ipeaks of that Death, which entered hito the JVcrld by Adairi^ Sin : That Death which is common to all Mankind^ which pajjed upon all Meriy that Death which reigned from Adam to Mofes^ that whereby the many that is all Mankind are dead!' He does fo: But how does it appear, That the Death which entered into the World by Adam's Sin^ which is common to all Mankijid^ which pajjcdupon all Men^ which reigned from Adam to Mofcs, and whereby the many\ that is, all- Mankind are dead: How, I fay, does it appear, from any or all of thefe Expreffions, That this is temporal Death only? Juft here lies the Fallacy. *' No Man, fay you, can deny, that the Apoftle is here fpeaking of that Death." True: But when you infer, '^there- fore he fpeaks of that only\' We deny the Confequence. 9. You affirm, II. " By Judgment ^ to condemnation V. 16, 18. he means the being adjudged to the fore-mentioned Death: For the Condemnation infiifted by the fudgnient of God, V. 16. is the fame Thing with beifig dead J V. i ^J' Perhaps fo; but that this is merely the Death of the Body^ ftill re- mains to be proved: As, on the other Hand, that *^ the Gift^ or Free-giff oppofed there- to, is merely Deliverance from that Death, You -^ p. 27. Original Sin. 107 You addj " In all the Scriptures there is recorded but one 'judgment to Condemnation^ one Sentence, one judicial Adl of Condem- nation, which came upon ■" all Men!' Nay, in this Senfe of the Word, there is not One: Not on^ formal Sentence^ which was explicitly 2ind judicially pronounced upon all Mafikind, That which you cite, Gen. iii. 17, 19. was not : Neither does all that Sentence in Fa(fl co?ne upon all Men. Unto Duftfialt thou return^ does come upon all, but that other Fart does not, In Sorrow f:alt thou eat of it all the Days of thy Life. This was formally pronounced^ and a(flually fulfilled upon Adam: But it is not fulfilled upon all his Pofterity. 10. You afiirm, 3. '' Thefe ^ Words in the K)"^ Verfe, As by one Mans Difobedieyice many were made Sinners, mean the fam.e as thofe in the iS'*"* As by the Offence of one Judgment came upon all Men to Condemn at ion 1^ Not exadly the iame. The being made Sin- ners is different from being judged, condemned or puniff^ed as fuch. You fubjoin, " But thefe ' Words, By the Offence of one Judg- ment came upon all Men to Condemnation, an- fwer in Senfe to thofe, V. 17. By one Mans Offence Death reigned by one. Neither is tliis exactly true. Condemnation cam.e firft; and in Confequence of that Death reigned. You add, " And by Death mofl certainly is in- tended • P- 29- " P- 3°- ^ P- 3^* io8 ^he Doctrine of tended no other than temporal Death" Moll certainly this cannot be proved. Therefore it does not follow, ** That thefe Words, By one Mans Dijobedience many were made Sin- ners^ mean no more than, by o?ie Mans Dif- obedience Mankind were made fubjedt to tem- poral Death.'* " Review, you fay, this Reafoning, and fee if you can find any Flaw in it." There are feveral, but the grand Flaw lies in the very firft Link of the Chain. You have not yet proved, That *' Death throughout thisPaffage means 07ily the Death of the Body." This Flaw is not amended by your ob- ferving, That St. P^/^/ was a Jew^ and wrote to Jews as well as Gentiles : That he often ufes Hebrew Idioms^ and that the 'Hebrew Word which fignifies to be a Sinner^ in Hip- hi I fignifies to condemit^ or make^ (i. e. declare) a Man a Sinner by a judicial Sentence : That you can (by the Help of your Concordance) produce fifteen Hebrew Texts, in which the Word is fo taken!" For if it would follow from hence, That by the Offence of one^ Judgment came upon all Men to Co?2denmationy is juft equivalent with, by one Mans Difobe- d^mce many were made Sinners: Still this does not prove, That the Death in Queftion is no other than temporal Death. But indeed it does not follow, That two Exprelfions are juft equivalent, becaufe one Hebrew ' p. 3'> 32. Original Sin. ion Hebrew Word may contain them both : Nor can it therefore be inferr'd from hence, that many were made Sinner i is juft equivalent with Judgment came upon all Men to Condcm^ nation. Rather the former Expreffion an- fwers to all have finned the latter to Death pajfed upon all Men, Sin is the Caufe of their Condemnation^ and not the fame Thing with it. You go on. " Befides^ all this, It is here expreffly affirmed, That the many are made Sinners by the Difobedience of another Man." It is exprefQy affirm'd ; and by an infpircd Apoftle. Therefore I firmly believe it, " ' But they can be made Sinners by the Difobedience of another in no other Senfe than as they arc Sufferers!' How is this proved ? We grant, the Hebrew Words for Sin and Iniquity^ are often ufed to fignify Siffering, But this does not prove that the Phrafe were made Sinners^ fignifies only, they wei'-e made Suferers, " So Chrijl was 'made Sin for us." — No : Not fo', but^as he v/as 7nade an Offering for Sin/ " He fuifered on Account of the Sins of Men, and fo he was made Sin:'' Yes, a Sin-offering. But it is never faid, He was made a Sinner : Therefore the ExprelTions are not parallel. But he need not have been made Sin at all, if we had not been tmde dinners by Adam, " And Men fuffcr on Account • P- 3^ ^ P- 34- * P- 35- no TTjc Doctrine of Account of Adam\ Sin, and fo they are made Sinntrs!' Are they made Sinners, fo only ? That remains to be proved, " It feems then confirmed beyond all dcubt. That by ojie Mans Dfobedience many were made Sinners^ meaneth only. By Adam'% Sin the many, that is, all Mankind lioere made fubjeB to Death" He that will believe it, (taking Death in the common Senfe) may. But you have not confirm'd it by one found Argument. II. You affirm, IV, " The '^ Apoftle drawls a Comparifon between Adam and Chrijl^ between what Adam did, with the Confequences of it, and what Chri/t did, with the Confequences of that. And this Comparifon is the main Thing he has in Viev/." This is true. " The ' Comparifon be- gins at the 1 2th Verfe. Wherefore as by one Man Sin entered into the World, and Death by Sin, — There he flops awhile, and brings an Argument to prove, That Death came on Mankind thro' Adants Tranfgreffion." He does fo : But not before he had finifh'd his Sentence, which literally runs thus : As by one Man Sin ejitered into the World and Death by Sin, even fo Death pajjed upon all Men, in that all had finned. The Com- parifon therefore between Adam and Chrijiy begins ** p. 36. ' p. 37> 3^- Original Sin. m begins not at the 12th but the 14th Verfe, 01 this you feem fenfible yourlelf ; when you fay, " Adam is the Pattern cf him that was to come. " Here a new Thought, ftarts in the Apoftle's Mind/' For it was not a new Thought, ftarting into his Mind hcre^ if it was the fame which he began to exprels at the 1 2th Verfe. You proceed, " The Extent of the Free^ Gift in Chriji^ anfwers to the Extent of the Confequences of -^^^;;/s Sin: Nay, abounds far beyond them. This he incidentally handles, V. 15, 16, 17, and then refumes his main Defign, V. 18, 19, half of which he had executed in the 12th Verfe." Not one Jot of it. That Verfe is a complcat Sentence, not half of one only. And the Particle therefore prefixt to the iSth Verfe fliews, that the Difcourfe goes ftrait for- ward; and that this as well as the 19th Verfe are clofely connected with the 17th, Allowing then, " That the ' Apoftle draws a Comparifon between the Difohedicnce of Adam, by which all Men are brought im- der Condemjtaticn^ and the Obedience cf Chrift, by which all Men are (in fome ^cwi^) j:fti- fed unto Life-, ftill it does not appear, cither That this Condemnation means no more than the Death of the Body, or that this 7?/'?//$- cation means no more than the RefurreBion of the Body, 12. You * p. 39- * P- 4°' 112 ^he Doctrine of 12. You affirm, V. *' The whole of the Apoftle'fe Argument ftands upon thefe two Principles, That by the Offe?2ce of one Death paffed upon all Men ; and by the Obedience of one ^ all are juftiiied." This is allowed. But I cannot allow your Interpretation of S^in is not imputed^ when there is no Law, or (as you would od- ly, and contrary to all precedent, tranflate it. Where Law is not in heiiig.) " The Sins"" of Mankind, fay you, were not im^ piitedy were not tax'd with the Forfeiture of Life, becaufe the Law which fubjeds the TranfgrefTor to Death, was not then in be- ing. For it was abrogated upon Adam's Tranfgreffion, and was not again in Force, 'till receiv'd by MofesT On this I would alk, I, Where is it written, That " the Law which fubjeded the TranfgrefTor to Death, was abrogated by Adam'i 'Tranfgref fion V I want a clear Text for this. 2. Sup^ pofe it was, how does it appear. That it was not again in Force till revived by Mofes ? 3. Did not that Law, whofo JJjeddeth Majis Bloody by Man pall his Blood be fidedy " fub- je6l the Tranfgreffor to Death ?" And was it " not in Force" ^Sxtx Adams Tranfgreffion dnd before Mofes ? 4. What do you mean by that ambiguous Expreffion, " Were not tax'd with the Forfeiture of Life ?" Your Ar- gument p. 41, Original Sin; u^ gutiieilt requires that it lliould mean, '' Wire not punifud, cr punijhable li^ith Death!' But is this true ? Were not the Sins cf the Men of Sodom and indeed the whole Antediluvian World puni(hed with Death, during that Period ? — V. Was not ever)- wil- ful, impenitent Tranfgreffor, during tliis whole Time, fubjedl to Death everlafting ? Neither can I allow that unnatural In- terpretation of thein who had not finned after the Smilitiide of hA^ms ^ranfgi'ejjion^ *' Had "not finned againftLaw, making Death the Penalty of their Sin, as Adam did." Do not the Words obvioufly mean, *' Had not finned by any adlual Sin, as Adain did r" Nay, *^ the Sodoinites and Antediluvians are no Objecftion to this." That is flrange indeed ! But how fo ? " Becaufe extraordi- nary Interpofitions come under no Rule, but the Will of God." What is that to the Purpofe ? Their Sins were adually punifh'd with Death, " during that Space, wherein yDufay, Mankind were notfubjed: to Death, for their Tranfgreffions." They icYTi' fubjec^t to Death for their Tranfgreffions : As God demonftrated by thofe extraordinary Inter- pofitions. You add, " That ^Law, Ji1:Gfo fieddfth Mans Blood, bv Man fiall his Blood be Jl:tJ. makes Death the Penalty of Murder." It H does • P' 42. • p. 43- 114 7he DocTRiisiE of doc$V and thereby overthrows your whole Ailertion. *'Noy For i. It was not enaded 'till the Year of the World 1657." Well, and if it Ka4 been enadled only the Year be- fore il'ii^^i^^ was born, it would ftill have de- ilroyed your Argument. Lut 2. " It is given as a Rule for Magiftrates in executing Juilice, and not as a Declaration of the Pe- nalty of Sin to be inflidled by God himfelf." What then ? Vvliat does it matter, whether the Penalty annext by God, were inflided by God or Man r However, I fuppofe, this Puniiliment on the Antediluvians and on Sodom and Gomorrahy was " inflided by God HimfeliV' But 3. " None of thefe were 77iade Mortal by thofe Sins." Certainly, in- fallibly true ! And yet the Cafe of any of thefe abundantly proves, That the Law was in Force from Adam to Mofes even according to vour ov/n Definition of it, " A Rule of Duty, with the Penalty of Death annext, as due to the Tranfgreffor from God." 13. You affirm VI. " The ^Confequences of Adam's Sin anfwer thofe of Chrijl\ Obe- dience ; but not exadly, Not as the OffencCy fo is the Free-gift, For if thro' the Of'ence of One many be deady much more the Grace (or Favour) ofGoTi and the Gift (the Benefits that are) by Grace ^ which is by one Man]t{\xs Chrift, hath abounded unto many, V. 15. That is, p p. 43, 44. . Origi nal Sin. 1 1 r is. He hath in Chnfl bcftowed Benefits upon Mankind, far exceeding the Coiifequences of Adams, Sin ; in erecting a New Diipcn- fation, furniili'd with a glorious Fund of Light and Truth, Means and Motives." This is true : But how fmall a Part of the Truth? What a poor, low Account of the Chriflian Difpenfation. You go on. V. 1 6. Not as if li^as by one that Jiniied^ fo is the Gift : For the yudgmnit was by ojit Offence to Condemnation ; hut the free Gift is of many Offhices unto fujUfica^ tion : " That is, The Grace of Gud in Chrif difcharges Mankind from the Confe- quen'ces of Adani^ one Offence." Does it entirely difcharge them from thefe Confe- quences ? From Sorrow, and Labour and Death ? Which you affirm'd a while ago, to be the only Confequences of it that affect his Pofterity. It '' alfo fets them quite to rights with God, both as to a Conformity to the Law and eternal Life." Is not this allowing too much : Is it well conffffent with what you faid before ? ' '' \\\ the 19th Verfe the Apoftle concludes the whole Argument: As by one Mans Difohcdi- ence many were made Sinners, fo by the Obrdt- e?2ce of one fall many be made Righteous. Were 7nade Sinners you aver means only, were made Mortal Iffo, the Counter-part, //We' H 2 Righteous ^ p. 2Q, and feq. ii6 27:^^ Doctrine of Righteous^ can only mean, made ImmortaL And that you thought fo then appears from your citing as a parallel Text, hi Chrift Jhall all be ?nade alive : Which you had be- fore aflerted to mean only, fhall be 7'aifed from the Dead, 14. " Hence' It followeth, i. That the ABOUND I NG of God's Gr^^^jandtheBleflings by that Grace, doth not refped: the Confe- fequences of Adam's Sin, hath no Reference to his Tranfgrelfion, but to the Grace of God and the Obedience of Chrift^ " The ABOUNDING of God's Grace, '* youinformus, " has Reference to the Grace of God." Moft furc. But this does not prove, That it has no Reference to the Confequences of Adam's Sin. If we gain more Bleffing by Chrifl than wfe loft by Adam it is doubtlcfs abounding Grace, But ftill it has a Reference to Adam's Tranfgreffion, and the Confe- quences of it. It is over thefe that it abounds. Therefore it has a manifeft Refpedl to them. " It followeth,' Secondly, That in the 18'^ and 1 9"" Verfes the Apoftle confiders the Effe(Sts of Chrijfs Obedience only fo far as they anfwer to and reverfe the Confequences of Ada}7js Dilbbedience ; the additiojial Bene- 'fits flovv^ing therefrom having been mention- ed apart in the 15, 16 and 17 Verfes." In thofe r r>, p. 45. ^ p. 46. Original Sin. 117 thofe Verfes the Apoftle docs undoubtedly (hew, How the Blefling by CbriJ} abounded over the Curfe by Adam, But what then ? How does this prove, That the i8th and 19th Verfes do not refpedt all the Benefits mention'd before ? Without Qneflion they do: They are a general Conclufion, not from one, but all the preceding Verfes. ^^ Again obferve, That the 'Juflijication to Life is fuch a Juftification as comes upon all Men'' It 7nay, in fome Senfe. But dees it in Fadl ? According to your Senfe of it, it comes upon none. For if it means, " The difcharging Men from the Confequences of Adam% Sin ; and if the only Confequences of that Sin are Sorrow, Labour and Death," it is manifeft, no Man upon Earth hjujlifcd to this Day. But you go on. *^ As Juftijicatio?! to Life comes upon all Men." — No : Not in the proper, fcriptural Senfe of 7///?/yf6'^//'?'7. That Term is never once in the Bible ukd for the RefiirreSlion, no more than for Heaven or Hell. It may be proper here once for all to ob- ferve, That what St. Faid fays of ahoundiiig Grace is fimply this : i. The Condemnation came by one Offence only : The Acquittal is from many Offences : 2. They who receive this fhall enjoy a far higher Blclling by Chril}. H ^ than * P- 47- iiS I'he Doctrine of than they loft by Adam, In both thefe Re- fpe(fts the Confequences of Chrijt^ Death a- bc tin d ovtv the Confequences of Adams Sin. And this whole Bkffing by Chrijl: is term'd in the i8'^ Verfe "fujiificationy in the 19'^ being made Righteous, " Further, The Phrafe, being "" made Righteous as well as being made Sinners^ is an Hebrew Way of fpeaklng." I do not allow that. Both the Phrafes y-ot^^UatrhA ^Uccioiy or a/xc'^TwA^j are pure, and good Greek, That therefore there is anv Hebraijm at all in thefe Exprellions, cannot be admitted without Proof. If then the fame Hebrew Word does fignify to ?nake righteous^ and to acquit in Judgment \ it does "not follow, that the Greek Word, here tranflated, made righteous ^ means only being acquitted. You yourfelf fay the contrary. You but now defined this very Gift, " The "Benefits that are by Grace.'* And in explaining thofe very Words, T^he Free-Gift is of many Offences unto JuJIifcationy affirmed, That is, " The Grace of God in Ckri/iy not only difcharges Mankind from the Confequences oi Ada?ns Sin, but alfo fets them quite to rights with God, both as to a Conformity to the Law, and as to eter- nal Life." And is this no more than " ac- quitting them in Judgment?" " Or revcrfmg tlie Sentence of Condemnation ?" . Through " p. 49- " P 44- Original Sin. Through this whole Pafiage it nuy i>c obferved, That the Gift, the Free-Giff, tU Gift by Grace mean one and the fame Thing, even the whole Beneiit given by the akund- ing Grace of God, through the Obedience of Chriji : Abounding both with Regard to the Fountain itfclf, and the Streams : Abun- dant Grace producing abundant BlefTings. If then thefe Verfes are ^' evidently paral- lel to thofe I Cor, xv. 2 1, 22." It follows even hence, That dfmg and being made alive ^ m the latter Paffage, do not refer to the Body only : But that dyi?ig implies, all the Evils temporal and fpiritual, which are deriv'd from Adam's, Sin ; and bei?2g made alive, all the Bleffings which are derived from Chrifi, in Time and in Eternity. Whereas therefore you add, *' It is "now evident furely beyond all Doubt, (ftrong Exprefiions!) That the Confequcnces oi A- damh Sin here fpoken of, are no other than the T>eath which comes upon all Men :" 1 mull beg Leave to reply, It is not evident at all; nay, it is tolerably evident on the con- trary, That this Death implies all Manner of Evils, to Vv'hich either the Body or Soul is liable. 15. You next re-confider the 12'^ Verfe, which you underiland thus : '' ' Death fajjed H 4 iipo^^ ^ p. 50. >■ p. 51. I20 72v Doctrine of upon al/Men, for that all have finned^ namely, in Adam, All have finned^ that is, are fub- jedled to Death through that one Offence of his." ^^'^ - You faid before, " Death pajjed upon all Men,, means, All were by a judicial Sentence made fubjecfl to Death." And here you fay, " All have fimied^ means, All have been fubjefted to Death." So the Apoftle afferts, " All were fubjed:ed to Death, becaufe all weie fubjeded to Death!" Not fo. ♦S'/;z is one Thing, Death another \ and the former is here affign'd as the Caufe of the latter. " Although the "" Criticifm on £^*^, is li- able to much Exception yet I leave that and the Hebrew Citations as they ftand : Becaufe, tho' they may caufe many Readers to admire your Learning, yet they arc not to the Point. ' ' ''Seeing^ then the Phrafe All are made Sinners hath been demonjlrated to fignify. All ' are fubjeSted to Death by a judicial Sentence: And feeing the Apoftle's whole Argument turns on this Point, That all Men die thro' the one Offence oi Adam : Who can doubt, but all have fomed^ means the fame with all are made Sinner sV I do not doubt it; but I flill deny that either Phrafe means no more than *' all are in a State of Sufferijig^ i6. In order fully to clear this important Text, I fliall here fubjoin feme of Dr. Jen- 7nngs\ Original Sin. 121 nmgis Remarks,^ " The Apoftle having treated in the preceding Chapter of the Caufe and Manner of a Sinner's "Jujlijication before God, namely thro' the Merits of Chrift, and by Faith in his Blood ; and having fpoken of the Fruits of Juftilication in the former Part of this Chapter: He proceeds in the Verfes before us, to illuftrate our Salvation by C/j/v/?, by comparing it with our Ruin by^i/^w;. He compares Adam with Chrijl^ and flie\\'s how what we loft by the one, is rcftored by the other with abundant Advantage. He makes Adam to be a Figure or T^ype oiChriJh Confidering them both as publick Perfons, reprefenting, the One all his natural De- fcendants, the other all his fpiritual Seed : The one, Adam^ all Mankind, who are all guilty before God : The other, Chrijl^ all thole "who obtain the Right eouffiefs of God, which is by Faith^ to all them that believe. '' Concerning the Confequcnces oi A- da?7t^ Sin upon his Poftcrity, we have here the following Particulars : I. That by one Man Sin cnter'd into the World ^ that the whole World is fomc Way concern'd mAdam\ Sin. And this indeed is evident, bccaufe II. Death, which is the IVages of Sin, and the very Punifliment thrcaten'd to A^ dam^^ b Vindication of the Scripture Doarinc of Original Sln^ Page 18—35. 122 I'he Doctrine of dams firft TranfgreiTion, enter d by Sin and paffed upon all Men 5 is actually inflicted on all Mankind. Upon which it is afferted in the next Words III. That all have finned: Even fo Death pajfed upon all Men^ for that all have faned. All Men then are deem'd Sinners in the Eve of God, on Account of that one Sin, of which atjone the Apoftle is here fpeaking. And - IV. Not only after, but before, and un- fit tl^ Law (given by Mofcs) Sin was in the fVcrld ', and Men were deemed Sinners and 'accordingly punifhed with Death, through rrlany Generations. Now Sin is not imputed^ where ^there is no Law : Neverthelefs Death reigned from Adam to Mofes : Plainly fliew- ihg, That all Mankind during that whole Period bad iinned in Adam and fo died, in Virtue-of the Death threaten'd to him. And Death could not then be infli6ted on Man- kind, for any adlual Sin, "becaufe it was in- tlidied on fo many Infants, vvho had neither eaten of the forbidden Fruit, nor committed any aftual Sin whatever, and therefore had notfnned in any Senfe, after the Similitude of Adam'i T'ranfgrejjion. Therefore V. It was through the Offence of one ^ that ma?iy a7'e deady V. 15. By o?ic Offence Death reigned by one^ V. 17. And feeing the Sin of Ada^n is thus punifh'd in all Men, it fol- lows VI. That Original Sin. i^ . VI. That they were all involved in thut Sentence of Condemnation, which God pais- ed upon him. The Judgjnent ivas by one iq Condemnation, V. i6. By one OJjhice Judg- ment carne upon all Men to Condemnation, V . 1 8. And fmce it is fo plain, that all Men are adually punifli'd for Adanh Sin, it mail needs follow, VII. T^ AT they ^////i;/^^/;z Adam. By one Mans Difobediejice many were 7nadc Si?i^ ners. They were fo conjiituted Sinners by Adanis linning as to become liable to the Punilhment threatened to his TranfgrcfTion. Between Adam and Chriji^ the Type and the Antitype, St. Paul draws the Paral- lel in the following Particulars. I. Both have done fomething by which many others are aftecfled, who either lofc or gain by what they did : Thro the Offence of one many are dead: By 07ie, the Gift of Grace hath abounded to many, Vcrfe 1 5. II. That which the firll Adam did, by which many /. e, all Men receive Hurt, was Sin, Offence and Difobedience : They all fuifer By one that fmncd, V. 16, By the Of- fence of one, by oiie Man s Difobedience, V. iS, 19. That which the fecond ^^/j/// did by which many, that is, all who believe, re- ceive Benefit is Righteoiifnefi and Obedience :^ By the Right eoufncfs of one, by the Obedience oj one, V. 18, 19. III. Tin 124 ^^^ Doctrine of III. The Detriment which all Men re- ceive through Adam is, That they aj'e made Sinners : That "Judgment is come upon tkem to Condemnation -, in Confequence of which, Death, the Wages of Sin, is inflidled on e- vcry one of them. The Benefit which all Believers receive through Chrijf, is Grace^ or. the Favour of God. Juftification, Righ- teoufnefsy or Sandtification,. and Eternal Life, 'flije Grace of God , aiid the Gift by Grace, hdth by _ one Man^ Jefus Chrift, abounded to many. By the Righteoifnefs of one, the Free- Gift came upon all Men (who receive it) to fuflifcation of Life, 5y the Obedience of one, many lire made righteous, V. 15, 18, 19. Thus the Apodle fliews the Parity be- tween the Effedls of Adam's Sin and of CkrifFs, Righteoufnefs. Only in two Inftances he {hews, that the Eftedl of the latter, vaft- ly exceeds the I^ifedl of the former. I. It removes many Sins, belides that one Sin oi Adam, v/hich fo affected all his Pofte- rity. If through one Ofence many be dead, much MORE /& Grace of God by Jefus Chrifl: hath abounded to many, ^he fiidgment was by one . to Condemnation', but the Free-Gift is of many Offences unto fiiftificati on, V. ] 5, 16. II. Christ raifes Believers to a far hap- pier State than that which Adam enjoyed in Paradife. Much mor£ they who receive Abim- dance Original Sin. to - ' *" ^ dance of Grace and of the Gft ofRightcoufncfs^ JI:a// REIGN inLife.byone, JefusChrifi:. V. 17." 17. Your Paraphrafe' on the Text, being only a Repetition of what you had faid over and over before, does not require any feparate Confideration. Only I muft obferve a few Miftakes which have not occurr'd before. ''" The Refurreftion is tlie firil and funda- mental Step in the Gofpel-Salvation." No: He fiall five his Veople from their Si;is -, this is the firft and fundamental Step. 2. You have very grievoufly miflaken the Meaning of four Texts in the 6'^ of St. John, J'his is the Father s Will, that of all ivhich He hath given Me, Ifoould lofe nothing, but foul draife it up again at the laf Day, V. 3 9. T^his is the Will ^Hi7n that fent Me, that every one that feeth the Son and bclieveth on Him fhouki have everlafting Life, and I 'will ralfe him up at the laft Day, V. 40. No Man can come to Me, except the Father draw him -, and I will raife him up at the laf Day, V. 44. Whofo eaieth my Fief and drinketh my Blood, hath eternal Life, and I will raife him up at the laft Day, V. 54. Now you cite aU thefc Texts, as re- lating to the general RefurreBicn. Whereas not one of them relates to it at all. They are all, Promifes made to true Believers only; and relate wholly and folely to the Rcjur- region of the Jiift* iS. It ^ P-5i— ^4- * P- ^^' 126 "The Doctrine of 1 8. Ii^ remains then, all that has been advanced to the contrary notwithftanding, That the only true and rational Way, of accounting for the general Wickednefs of Mankind, in all Ages and Nations is pointed out in thofe Words, In Adam all die. In and through their firfc Parent all his Pofterity died in a fpiritual Senfe : And they remain wholly dead in l^refpajjes a7id Sipis, 'till the fecond jidam makes diem alive. By this one Man Sin entered into the World and pajjed upon all Men, And thro' the Infection which they derive from him, all Men are and ever were by Nature, entirely alienated from the Life of God, without Hope, without God in the World, 1. Your Appendix to the iirft Part of your Book is wholly employed in anfwering two Queftions. " ^ One is. How is it coiffent with Jujiice, that all Men fozdd die by the Difobedience of one Man ? The other. How Jhall we account for all Mens rifng again, by the Obedience of another Man, Jefus Chrift ?'* You may determine the former Queftion as you pleafe, iince it does not touch the main Point in Debate. I fliall therefore take no farther Pains about it, than to make a fhort Extraft of what Dr. f — fpeaks on the Head. 2. *' 'As to the firft Queftion, Mf. T— gets rid of all Difficulty, that may arife from the * p. 65. ^ Vindication p. 36, ^. Original Sin. 127 the Confideration of God's Jufticc, by afcrih- ing it wholly to his Goodnefs, That Death pajjed upon all Men, Death, he tells us, is upon the whole a Benefit^ It is certain, that BeUevers in Chriji receive Benefit by it. But this Gentleman will have Death to be an " Original Benefit, and that to all Mankind: Meerly intended to increafe the Vanity cf all earthly Things, and to abate their Force to de- lude us. He afterward difplays the Benefit of fhortening human Life, to its prefcnt Standard : That Death being nearer to our View might be a powerfid Motive to regard kfs the Thijigs of a tranjitory World : But does the nearer View of Death, in Fad: produce this Effect ? Does not the common Obfcrva- tion of all Ages prove the contrary ? Has not Covetoufnefs been the peculiar Vice of old Age ? As Death is nearer to the View, we plainly fee, that Men have more and more Regard for the Things of a tranfitory World. We are fure therefore that Deatli is no fuch Benefit to the Generality of Men. On the contrary, it is the King of Terrors to them, the Burden of their Lives, a Bane of their Pleafures. To talk therefore of Death's being a Benefit, an Original Benefit, and that to all Mankind is to talk againll the Common Senfe and Experience of tlic whole World." (.i Tis izS The Doctrine of " Tis ftrajige Death fhould be originally given by God as a Benefit to Man, and that the fhortening of Man's Life afterward fliowld be defigned as a farther Benefit : And yet that God fhould fo often promife his peculiar People long Life as the Reward of Obedience, and threaten them with Death, as a Punifhment of Difobedience ! " But the Scripture^ he fays, affirms^ I'hat Sufferings^ are the Chajlifements of our heavenly Father^ and 'Death iii particular , But does not every Chaftifement fuppofe a Fault? Muft he not be a cruel Father, who will chaften his Children for no Fault at all ? If then God does but chaften us for Adams Sin, the Fault of it muft fome Way lie up- on us. Elfe we fuppofe God's Dealings with his Children to be unreafonable and unrighteous.'* 3. I WOULD only add two or three ob- vious Queftlons. i. Did God propofe Death as a Benefit in the Original Threatning ? 2. Did he reprefent it as a Benefit in the Sentence pronounced on Adain^ Dujl thou arty and unto Diift thoufialt return ? 3. Do the infpircd Writers fpeak of God's bringing a Flood on the World of the Ungodly y as a Bene- fit or a Funijldment\ 4. Do they mention the Deftruftion of Sodom and Gomorrah as defigned for a Benefit to them ? 5. Is it by Way of Benefit, that God declares, The Sctd that Original Sin. 129 thatfinneth^ it pall die? Certainly this Point is not defenfible. Death is properly not a Benefit, but a Puniflimcnt. 4. The " other Queftion is, How JJ:all ivc account for all Mens rijing again ^ by the Obe- dience of another Man Jelus Chrift ? " To fet this in a clear Licrht, I alk ano- ther Queftion, Wliat '' was it that gave the glorious Perfonage, embleniizcd by the Lamb (Rev.v. I, &c.) his fuperior Worthiness, vhis prevailing Interest in God, beyond all others in Pleaven and Earth ? It was his being fain ^ that is, his Obedience to God, and Good'ivill to Men : It was his conium- mate Virtue. Then art Worthy— W'hy r Be- caufe thou haft exhibited to God fuch an Inftance of Virtuey Obedience and Coodnr/L Thou haft facrificed thy Life in the Caufe of Truth, and ha/l redeemed us, by that Ad of the higheft Obedience." v 1 ■ With what extreme Warincfs-is this whole Paragraph worded? You do not care to fay diredly, " jeJusChrijl is either a littleGor, or He is no God at all." So you fay it \\\- diredly, in an Heap of fmooth, labourV!, decent Circumlocutions. Yet permit mc to afK, was '' that Act of Obedience, the ongi- naUndfole Ground," of his prevailing In- terest IN God, and of his Worthinkss, not only to open the Book, but to receive from T n 1 1 ? p. 70. ^ p- r^j 72. 130 The Doctrine of all the Armies of Heaven, the Power and the Riches, and the Wifdcm, and the Strength 3 and the Honour and the Glory, and the Blejjing ? Rev. V. 12. And is this AB the original 2ind the fo/e Ground, why a/I Men muft honour Him even as they honour the Father? Yea, and why every Creature which is in the Heaven^ and on the Earth, and wider the Earth, and on the Sea, and all that are in them, fay, T'o Him thatfitteth on the 'Throne aiid to the Lamby is the BleJJing, and the Honour and the Glory and the Power -, for ever and ever I V. 13. To Hi?n that fitteth on the Throne and to the Lamb — Does that iiiean, To the great God and the httle God ? If fo, when all Creatures in Heaven and Earth, all through- out the Univerfe, thus hojioiir Hi?n even as they honour the Father, are they not doing him too much Honour ? My Glory, faith the Lord, / will 7iot give to another. How comes it then to be given to the Lamb ? 5. You proceed, " The Worthiness of Chrift IS his confummate Virtue, Obedieiice to God, and Benevolence to his Creatures." Is this the o?ily Ground of his Worthiness to be hcnoure'd even as the Father ? Is it on this Ground alone, That all the Angels of God are to worfip H!?n f Or rather, becaufe in the Beginning, from Everlafting, He was with God ajid was God. • '' Virtue Original Sin. jji " Virtue is the only Price whidipur- cbafeth every Thing with God. True 'Vir- tue, or the right Excrcifc oFReafon is true fFort/jj and the only valuabk €072/1 deration which prevails with God." Do you then conceive this to be the exad Meaning of St. raul, when he fays, 7'e are bought with a- Price. And that wherq he ipeaks of the Church of God nxiich He ha^b piirchafed with his OTJii BiooJ, he means^ with his ow?i Virtue ? Agreeably to which, Thou haji redeemed us by thy Blood, niuft mean. By *' the right Ex'ercife of thy Reafon /" Well then mightFather Sociims fay, '' Tota redemp- tionis 7ioftra per Chriflum Metaphcra, Thc^ whole Metaphor of our Redemption by Chrift." For on this Scheme, there is nothing real in it. "- It was not the mere natural Poicrr or Strength of the Lamb, but his moft excellent Charaoferr—Slv, Do you honour the Son, cirn as you honour the Father ? If you did could vou poffibly talk of Him in this Straiii ? " However all this does not aifed the Quefdon : But it ftill remains an unlliaken Tnrh, That all Mens' dying in Alam is the Grand Caufe, why the whole JForld lieth in JVickedncfs. Newington, Jan. ib, 1757- I 2 '' ^^ • p. 73' V32 'I'he Doctrine of 1. In your Second Fart you'profefs to /^ examine the principal Paffages of Scrip- ture, which Divines have apphed, in Sup- port of the Dod:rine of Original Sin : Parti- cularly thofe ciiQ^hy the^JIJJanbly of Divines in their larger Cafcchifmr To this I never fubfcribed : But I think it is in the main, a very excellent Compofition. Which I fhall therefore chearfully endeavour to defend, fo far as r conceive it is grounded oh clear Scripture, But I would iirft obferve in general, with Dr.//—, That there are two Kind of Texts in the enfuing Collection : Some that di^ rcBly prove ^ others that properly ilhflrate the Dc(fl:rine of Orio^inal Sin. And there are fo m.any, in which it is either diredlly fpoken of, or evidently implied, that the Author might well have fpared his Obfervatlon, '^ The ^Smptnre jpeaks veryfparingly oftkeCoii- Jcqucnces of AdamV Sin upon iis^ becaufe as fhefe are freely reve?-fed to Mankind by Chrift, .'we are not fo much concerned to knew" them. The Fafl; here aflirhi'd is equally true with the Reafon aflign'd for it." 2. The Firfl Propofition in the Catechifn^ vvhicli relates to Oriinnal Sin \z this. The " Ccvenani being ?nade %dth Adam as a pullick Pi7fo?2, not fir hinfcf only^ but for his Fojierity^ (dl Mankind dejcending froni him by ordinaj'v V- r> Q- p. 87, SS. ' p 50. *"• p. 91. 92. Original Sin. j-^-^ ordinary Generation^ finned ivith him^ end fcJl with him in t}MJir(l Trayifgrefjion, A5ls xvii. 26. God hath made of one IMocd all Nations of Men. 1 believe ^Dr. y— '^ Remark here will fuffice. " ' This is quoted to prove, That all Mankind defeend from Adam. But Mr. T" — adds, T'hat isy Hath made all the Nations of the World of o?ie Species ^ endc^tved ivith the . fame Facidties. And lb they might have been, if all Men had been created fingly and feparately, jult as Adam was : But they could not then, with any Propriety of Lai:t- guage, have been faid to be cf one Blood, This Scripture therefore is very pertinently quoted to prm^e what it is brought for. That Adam was a pidjlick Perfon, including all his Pofterity^ and confeqiiently., that all Mankind defcending from him by ordinary GcJicratio?!,. finned in him, and fell ^iviih him in his frft T'ranfgrefion, the Allembly have proved very methodically and fubflantially: Firll, from Gen, ii. 16, 17, where Death is dircatncd to Adam in Cafe of his finning: Then iKomlljm. v^ 12 — 20, and I Cor. xv. 21, 22, v/htTc we are exprelly told, That all Men die /;; Adam, and that by- his Offence, judgment is come up- m all Men to Condemnation. Prop. All "" Maiddnd fvwed in him, and fell with him in that fall 'Imnfgreffion : \Miich i 3 rh.v » Vindicat!:,': p. \n^ ^'^- " P- 93» 94- 134 ^^^^ Doctrine of they prove by Gen, ii. 1 6, 17. compared with Rem, V. 12 — 20. On this you remark, " The ^Threatning, 'Thou fialt Jurely die^ is addreft to Adam per-».. fonaliy. And therefore nothing can be con- cluded thence, with Regard to Adams Po- itcrity." Is this Confequence good? Was not the Sentence ahb grounded on this Threat- ning, Unto Dujl tkoii Jhalt return^ perlbnally diicdted to him ? And is this notliing to his Fcflerity ? Nay does it not from this very Conlideration appear, That all his Pofterity were concern'd in that Threatning, becaufe they are all Partakers of the Death which was fo threaten'd to Adam ? '' Bin? we cannot gather from Rom. v. or i Cor, XV. That all Mankind Jhine din Adam, if we \^w^iZx^'^ccA Jinned as diftinguiihed from JufferingF It has been largely proved, that we can : -And that fmning muft neceffarilv be underftood there, as difdnguiflied from Jl^ring, " But the Apoftle fays. The Offence'^ of c>72^ brought Denth into the World : Whereas had all' Mankind finned in Adam when he finned, then that Offence would not have b'^cn the Offence of one ^ but of m i l l ion s /' It might be, in one Senfe, die Offence of ;;;//- lions ^ and in another, the Offence of one. p p. 94. ^ p. 95. Original Sin. i^c " It is true, Adanh Poflerity fo fell ivith him in that firjl TraiifgrelJicn, that il" tlie Thrcatninghad been immediately executed, he would have had no Foftcrity at all." The Threatning! What was the Thrcat- ning to them r Did not you afluie us, in the very laft Page, The Threatning is addrejfed to Adam perfonally, and therefore ?icthing can he concluded jrotn thence ivith Regard to Us Pc- Jierity ? And here you fay, Their very *'Exill:ence did certainly fall under the Threatning of the Law and into the Hands of the Judge to be be difpofed of as He fliould think ht." ** As He ihould think fit!" Then He might with- out any Injuftice, have deprived them of all Bleffings : Of Being itfclf, the only poffible Ground of all! And this, for the Sin of another! You clofe the Article thus. '' Wc can- not from thofc Pailagcs conclude, That Mankind by Adanis Offence, incurr'd any Evil but temporal Death /" Juit the contrar)^ has been Ihewn at large. 3. Their fecond Propofition is, The Fall brought' Mankind into a State of Sin and Mifery, To prove this, they cite Rom. v. 12. A Proof which all the Art of Man cannot evade : And Rom. iii. 23. ylllhavcfnnedy '^'^'^ J[ ^ come p. 96. 136 The Doctrine c/* come pjort of the Glory of God. " But this, you lay, means only, "Jews as well as- Gen- tiles, Men of all Nations have finnedV Nay, it is moft certain, as Dr. y— ob^ ferves, That he " means- all Men of all Nations: Orhc mearis nothing to the Piir- pofe of his Conclufion and his Inferences,' V. 19, 20, 21, 22. The Apoftle concludes .from the View he had given before of the univcrfal Corruption of Mankind, That every Month mufi ke flopped, and all the World become guilty before God, V. 19. From whence he draws two Inferences, i. T'kerefore by the Works of the Law there fall 710 Flefi bejuflifed, 2. The only Way of Juftification for all Sin- ners is, By Faith in Jefus Chrift. For there is no Diference, as to the Way of Juftifica- tion 3 for ail have fn?7ed and come fort of the Glory (fGoD, And therefore whoever they are whcni Mr. T— excludes from this j^ll (all have fnned)h.t muft likewife excufe from having any Need of Jufcification by Chrifiy . Be this as it may, it is certain, i. That jVlankind are now in a State of Sin and Suf- fcri?ig. 2. Tlvat they have been fo in all Ages, nearly from the Time that yldam fell. Nov/ if his Fall did not bri??g them into that State, I would be glad to knovv', What did? 4. TfiEiR third Propofition is, ""Sin is any Want of Confcrmity to, cr T^raifgrejjion of the ' Law '• p. 97. * Fi::di:ctici: p. 50, kc. " p. 98. Original Sin. i^f Law of doD, given as a Rule to the rcafcnaUe Creature, This, you fliy, has no immediate Relation, to our prelcat Delign.'' Ijut it had to their's: Which was to illuilrate the preceding Affertion, That the Fall of Adam brought Mankind into a State of Sin, in both thefe Senfes of the Word. 5. Their fourth Propofition is; 72r SiTifiihtefs of that State into "which Adam /c"//, coiyijh in the Guilt of Adam'j fr/i Sin, the Want of that Right eouf/iefs ^wherein he 'was cre- ated, and the Corruption of his Nature, ivhereby he is utterly indifpofed, d fabled, and made op- pofite to all that is fpiritually good, and ns.' holly inclined to Evil, and that continually, ivhich is commonly called Original Sin. and from 'which do proceed all aBual T'ranfgrcfjions, On the firft Article of this you fay, '' ^ A- dam% firft Sin was attended with Confc- quences which affed all his Poflcrity. But we could not on Account of his Sin, become obnoxious to Funifrncntr By Funifmcnt I mean, Fsoil fuftered on Account of Sin. And are wc not obnoxious to any Evil, < n Account of Adanh ? , To prove the rcil of the Propofition, they citehril, Rom. iii. 10—20. On which you remark, '' The 'Apoille is here fpcaking of Jeivs and Gentiles, not in a perfonal, but in a national Capacity. The Mouth, fa\s he, cf « D. no. ^ p. 102. 1 38 T'he Doctrine of all Sorts of People is JiOpped, and hoth Jews and Gefitiles are brought in guilty : For I have proved, That there are Tranlgreffors among the "Jcws^ as well as among tlie Gentiles!' Not at all. If he proved no more than tliis, not one Perfon would become guilty before God. Not one Mouthy of few or Gentile^ would bejloppedy by fliewing, '' There were fewijlj as well as Heathen Tranfgreffors." I PROCEED to your Obfervations. *' Obf. I. In this whole Seftion there is not one Word of Adam!' There is enough in the next Chapter but one. The Apofile firil: defcribes the Effect:, and afterward points out the Caufe. *' Obf. 2. He is here (peaking, not of all Men, but of the "jews ; of thole alone who were under the Lau\ V. 1 9, and proving from their own Wriiiings"', That there were great Corruptions, among them as well as other People." He is fpeaking of them chiefly, but not of them c?dy^ as appears from the- 9"" Verfe, We have before proved both ]qw^ ^W Gentiles, that they are all under Sin : jls it is written^ There is none righteous (neither among the feivs nor Gc7itiles) no, not one. Does this re- ined; them, in their ;?j//672^/ only, not peffo- nal Capacity } Does it prove no m.ore than, • ' ^ ** That y p. 105. Original Sin. i-^g " That there were' great Corruptions among the jews^ as well as other People ?" '' O^- 3- The Section' conlifts of feveral Quotations out of the Old Teflament } hut I. None of them, taken feparately, fpcaks of any Depravity of Nature, but of Hiihits of Wickednefs, which Men had thcmfeh'es contracted." They do fpeak of Habits which Men had contracted themfelves: But do they fpeak of thefe only ? The Way to know this is, not to ** take tYitm feparately,'' not to con- iider the precife Meaning, wherein they were Gccaiionally fpoken, by Da^cid^ Sclomc}!^ or Ifaiah : But to take them conjcintl\\ as they are here put together by the Holy Ghoft, to form the Charader of all Mankind. On one of them, "■' feparately taken," you fay, '' How could God look doivnfrom Hea- ven, to fee if there "were any that didjeek God, if He knew all Mankind were naturally dif- abled from feeking Him?" Why not, if what- ever they were hy Nature, the Grace of Gcd was more or lefs, given to all ? Though they were i.vhoHy inclined to all ^.x'Ahy Nature, yet byGma'they might recover all Goodncfs. , You aflirm, 2. ''In none^ of thefe FlnccN does God fpeak ftrldly of every Individual Jew under David or Sojonion. Very many were bad ; but Ibme were good." They were J though by Grace, not Nature. But among 140^ 2tv Doctrine of among all thofe of whom God fpeaks by.St. Pctdy there was ?io?ie good or righteous^ no^ rM one: Every Individual, whether few or Heathen^ was giii/fy before God. ■ " I. conclude^ therefore,, i. That none oftheie Texts refer to any Corruption com- mon to all Mankind." Perhaps they do not, as fooken by Davul ; but they do as fpokcn by St. PmiL " I conclude, 2. Such a gene- ral Corruption as admits of no Exception, was not neceilary to the ApoftIe*s Argu- rnent." Ablolutely neceffary : Had it not included fr^r_)' indhidtiai Perfony 710 Pe7fc72S Mciith would have been Jiopped. These Texts therefore do " dired:ly and certainly^ prove," That at the Time when the Apoftle w^rote, every individual Jew and Gentile^ (excepting only thofe who wt\:^favcd by Grace) were aU under Sin : That there was mne of them rightems^ 120^ not one-, Tione thai underfeed or that fought after God. Th is was die Faft r And Vvdio can find out a more ra- tional Vv^av of accounting for this univerfal Wickednefs, than by an univerfal Corruption of cur Nature, derived ii*om our firft Parent? 6. The next Proof is, ^Pfh. ii. i, 2, 3. And. yoii hath He quichud^ who were dead in f'rfpaffcs ojui Sins : lVkerei?2 in 'Time paft y^ 'Similze.d^ acccrdJng to the Conrfe of this JVorldy according to the Prince of the Power of the Air^ - the ' " p. 106, IC7. ^" p. loS. Original Sin". u \ the Spirit thafnow ivorketh in the Children cj ^ Difobedie?2ce : Among who?n alfo we nil hu dour Converfation i?i T'imes pq/l^ i?i the DeJJrcs cf ' our FleJ/jy fulfilling the Dejires of the tlejh and ' of the Mind', and were by Nature the Children of Wrath even as others ' I. '^ Nothing is here intimated of any ill Effedts oi Adam\ Sin upon us." No? Not if we are Children cf Wrath ky Nature f 2. •" The Ephefians wcvcGe?2tiles converted to the Faith." Yea, and Jews alfo. In this veryPaflage the Apoftle fpeaks of both: Firft, the G^;;///e', then the yt'iu>vy7j Converts. 3. "In thefe Verfes he is defcribing their wretched State, while they were in Gentile Darknefs,"— and while they v/ere in J'lvijh Darknefsj the Jews having been juft as wicked, before their Converfion, as the Hea- thens. Both the one and the other had walked 'till thenj in the Vanity of their Mind, having their JJjiderftanding darkeiid, being equally ' dead in "Trefpaffes and Sins, equally alienated^ from the Life of God, through the Blindnefs of 4heir Heart : A very lively Defcription, not fo much of a wicked Life, as of an evil Nature. . ^ . ' '' When he faith, they were dea^t m 'frefpaffes and Sins, he fpeaks of their pcrfnnal Iniquities." (True, both oUIearf and Lf'. I muft mjke fome Variation in the rert ot your * p. J 09. 142 ^he Doctrine 5/* your Paraphrafe) Wherei?iy faith he, /;/ T'imes pa/l ye^ Heathens particularly, walked -y in- wardly and outwardly, according to the Prince of the Power of the Air^ the Spirit that now, ilill, wcrkcth in the Children of Difobedience : Among whom we Jews alfo had our Converfa- ticn^ being as dead tit ^refpajfes and Sins as you. ** Therefore 5. ^ When he adds, A?td were by Nature the Children of Wrath even as others, he cannot mean, They were liable to Wrath, by that Nature which they brought into the World." Why not? This does not follow from any Thing you have faid yet. Let us fee, how you prove it now. " This Nature is no other than God's own Work. The Nature of every Man comes out of the Hands of God." The fame may be faid of thofe who are ftill dead in ^refpajjes and Si?2S. Their Origiiial Nature came from God and was no other than God's own Work. Yet the prcfent Corruption of their Nature, came not from God, and is not his Work. *' Con- fequently the Nature of every Perfon when brought into Being, is juft what God fees fit it fliould be." This is true of the Original Nature of Mankind, when it was firft brought into Being. But it is not true of our prefcjit co7Tupt Nature. This is not what God fees fit it fliould be. *' It is his Power alone that forms * p. 1 10. Original Sin. j^^ forms it." Yes, that forms us Men-, but nor, that forms xas fmful Men, '' To fay the Na- ture HE gives is the Objed: of his Wrath, is little lefs than Blafphemy." As He gave it, it is not the Objcd: of his Wrath -, but it is, as it is defiled with Sin. "■ Far was it from the Apoftle to depreciate our Nature y True, our Original Nature, But never did Man more deeply depreciate our />;v/t';//, cor- rupt Nature, '' His Intent is, to fhcw the Ephejja?is^ \hty -vjtvQ Children of Wrath, thro' the Sins in which they walked,'' Yea, and thro' the Dejires of the FkJJ: and the Mind mentioned immediately before : T'hrough the Vanity of their Mind, tliro' the BUndncfi of their Hearts, paji feeling, alienated from the Life of God, Is he " not here*^ Ipeaking of their Nature, but of the vicious Courfe of Life they had led ?" " He well underftood the Worth of the human Nature" — He did, both in its original, and in \\.^ prefcnt State — '' And elfewhere iliews, it was endow'd, even in the Heathens, with Light and Power fufficicnt to know God, and obey his Will." In what Heathens, in Europe, Ajia, Jfrica, or America, is Nature now cndow'd with this Lig-ht and Power ? I have never found it in any Heathen yet : And I have convers'd with many, of various Nations. On the contra- ry, I have found, one and all, deeply igno- rant ^ p. 11 1 . 144 ^^^' Doctrine c/' rant of the very End of their Exiftence. All of them have confirm'd what an Heathen Meeko (or Chief) told me many Years ago, *' He that fitteth in Heaven knoweth W/6)r He made Man : But we know nothing." • '' But St. Paul fays, fVben the Gentiles which have not the Law, do by Nature the T.'hings caitained in the Law, they are a Law to themfches. This fuppofes, they might have done them, by Nature, or their Jiatural P ewers,'' But how does it appear, That by Nature, here means. By their mere 7mtu- ral Powers ? It is certain, they had not the written Law. But had they no fupernatural AJjiJiance'? Is it not one God, who works in us and in them, both to will and to do ? They who by this Help do the Things contained in the Law, we grant '' are not the Objedls of God's Wrath.'' "Again, he affirms, the -Gd'/z/Z/d'i had Light lufiicient to have feen God's eternal Power and Godhead." They had -, but how does it appear. That this was the merely natural Light of their own unafjified Reafon ? If they had Affiftance from God, and did not ufe it, they were equally wlihoiit Excufe, " Nay, if their ''Nature v/as corrupt, and therefore they did not glorify God, they had a fair Excufe." True, if God had not offered them Grace, to ballancc the Corruption of Nature. "^ Ro;r.. i. iq, 20, 2T. '• p. ii^ Original Sin. 14^ Natui-c. But if he did, they are ftill -jcith- out Excufe : Becaufe they might have con- quered that Corruption, and would not. Therefore we are not " obliged to fcek any other Senfe of the Phrafe, by Nature, t-haa by the Nature we bring into the World." However you think you have found a- nother. *' By Nature may fign'fy really and truly. Thus ' St. Paul calls ^Timothy yv>?r.oy TEHi/ov, his cuim, genuine Son in the Faith : Not to fignify, he was the Child of the Apoftle ; but that he was a rr^/ Imitator of his Faith. In like Manner he calls the EpLfuins (p-Vfi rUvcx, genuine Children of Wrath : Not to fig- nify, they were related to JVrath by their natural Birth ; but by their Sin and Difobt- dience!' This is fimply begging the Qucflirn, without fo much as a Shadow of Proof. For the Greek Word in one Text is not the fame, nor any Way related to that in the other. Nor is there the leaft Rclemblance between the Apoftle's calling Timothy y his oven Sen in the Faith, and his affirming, That even thofe who are no\v faved by Grace , were by Nature Children of Wrath, To add therefore, " Not as they came under CondemJiation by the Offence ^*Adam," is only begging the Queftion once more : Tho' it is true, they had afterwards inflam'd their Account, by ^*' their own Trefpajjes and Sinsr K Vuu 5 p. 113. 146 The Doctrine of You conclude, ^^ ^ By Nature therefore may be a metaphorical Expreflion, and con- fequcntly is not intended," (May be in the Premifs, is not in the Conclufion ! A way of arguing you frequently ufe) " to fignify Nature in the proper Senfe of the Word ; but to mean. They were really and truly Chil- dren of Wrath." But where is the Proof ? 'Till this is produced, I muft ftill believe, with the Chriftian Church in all Ages, that all Men are Children of Wrath by Nature in the plain, proper Senfe of the Word. 7. The next Proof is Rom. v. 6. While we were yet without Strengthy in due Time Chrift died for the Ungodly. You anfwer, I. " The Apoftle is here fpeaking, not of Mankind in general, but of the Gentiles only^ as 'appears by the whole Thread of his Dif- courfe from the Beginning of the Epiftle;." From the Beginning of the Epiftle to the 6'^ Verfe of the v'^ Chapter, is the A- poftle fpeaking of the Gentiles only ? Other- wife it cannot appear " by the whole Thread of his Difcourie from the Beginning of the Epiftle." '* But it appears efpecially from Chap. iii. Verfe 9. What then ? Are we Jews better than they Gentiles ?" Nay, from that very Verfe, he fpeaks chiefly of the fewi* And you yourfelf a few ""Pages ago, roundly affirmed, " That he there fpoke idithe Jews only!* And •^ p. 114. * p. 115. «» p. 102, &c. Original Sin. 147 And will you affirm, That in the iv'*'' Chapter likewife *' he is fpeaking of the Gen^ tjles only ?" Is it not manifell:, That he docs not fpeak of them at all, in a confidcrablc Part of that Chapter? How then does it ap- pear, by the whole Thread of his Difcourfe fro?n the Beginning of the Epi/Ue, " That he is here fpeaking not of Mankind in general, but of the Gentiles only ?" However you boldly go on " " Having eftabliflied the Point, That the Gentiles have as good a Title to God's Favour as the Jews'' — How ? Is this the only, or the chief Point which St.PWeftabllflies in the Fourth Chapter ? Is not his main Point throughout that Chapter to prove, That both Jews and Gentiles were jujlified by Faith f Or, is he " fpeaking this, not of Mankind in general, hut of the Ge?2tiles only? He proceeds C. v. i. 'Therefore being jiiflified by Faith, we Gentiles have Peace with God/* In the fame Man- ner you thruft in the Word Gentiles, into each of the following Verfes. Had then the Gentiles only Peace with God ? You might with more Colour have inferted Jews in eve- ry Verfe. For of them chief y the Apoftlc had been fpeaking. To fay that *' he "prin- cipally fpeaks of and to the Gentiles, to the End of the Sixth Chapter," is another Af- fertion which cannot be proved. It is thcre- K 2 l<^fe « p. \\6, • p. n?' 148 T^he Doctrine of fore by no Means true, That '' he is in this Verfe Ipeaking of the Gentiles^ in Contradi- ftindion to the Jewsr ^^^^ ^^^q^^b You affirm, 2. " By the fame Argument, he here confiders the Gentiles only in a Body, as diftinguifhed from the BoJy of the Jews. For fo he docs all along in the four iirft Chapters." No, not in one of them. If he had, the Mouth of no one individual Per- fon had been flopped. On the contrary he fpeaks both here and all along of every in- dividual, that every one might believe in Him, who died for every one of the Ungodly, You affirm, 3. "In this ^ Verfe he de- fcribes the Condition of the converted Gen- tiles when in their Heathen State, in which. they were without Strength y unable to recover themfelves -, they were Ungodly^ yea SinnerSy and Enemies fo God." And were not the unconverted Jews alio Sinners ^ and Enemies to God, Vngcdly^ and without Strength to recover themielves ? Thefe four Characfters therefore are no Proof at all, " That the Gentiles only are here fpoken of.'* " Their Sin and Enmity and Ungodlinefs confifted in their wicked WorksJ' Primarily in their wicked T'empcrs. But how came all Men, ^tews and G entiles ^ to have thofc wicked T^ejnpcrSy and to walk in thofe wicked Works ? How came they all, till converted, to »• p. 118. Original Sin. 149 to be dead in Sin, and without Strength to recover from it ? Unlefs /;/ Adam a// died, in a deeper Senfe than you are willing to allow. You fum up your Argument thus: '' The ''Apoftle is not fpeaklng here, of all Man- kind's being corrupted in yliiam ; but of the Gentiles being corrupted by the Idolatry and Wickednefs into which they had plunged themfelves, and out of which they were un- able to recover themfelves, without the ex- traordinary Interpofal of Divine Grace." If this was the Cafe of the Heathens only, then the yews were not without Strength, but were able to recover themfelves from their Wickednefs, without any fuch Interpofal ! But with Regard to the Heathens I afk, I. Was this the State of all H^vz/Zy;? Nations, or of fome only ? 2. If of fome only, which were they that were not corrupted ? 3. It it was the State of all Heathen Nations, how came it to be fo ? How was it, that there was not one uncorrupted Nation on Earth P 4. How could any Heathen Nation be in this State? Without Strength? Unable to recorder thenifekes from Sin, without the extraordinary Interpofal of the Divine Grace ? Since you are clear in this. That '' ail die ' Gentiles are endow'd with Light and Power, futficient to know God, and perform Obedience to K 3 his <> p. izo. *■ p- III* 150 T'he Doctrine of his Will, by their natural Powers of Rcafon and Underftanding." If you fay, " They were once cndow'd with thefe Powers , but now they had caft them away :" I am not fatisfied ilill. What, did all Nations caft away their natural Powers of Reafon and Un- derflanding? Surely not ! But if not, how came they all to plunge themfclves into this dreadful Corruption? 8. Another Proof is, Rom. viii. 7, 8. l*he carnal Mind is Enmity againjl God : For it is not fubjeB to the Law of GoDy fieither in* deed can he. So then they that are in the Flejh^ cajinot pleafe GoD. On this you obferve, i. *' Here is not one Word of Adam^ or any Confequence of his Sin upon us.'* The whole Paflage fpeaks of that Cor- ruption of our Nature, which is the Confe- quence of Ada7n\ Sin. The plain and obvious Senfe of it is this. V. 3. W^hat the Law could not doy (in that it was weak through the Flejhy too weak to con- tend with our corrupt Nature) God hath done : Sending his own Sin^ He hath condemned that Sin which was in our Flejl:) : Hath given Sentence that it fliould be deftroyed : V. 4, 'That the Right eoufnefs of the Law might be ful- filled in us, who walk not after the Flejh^ but after the Spirit : Who are guided in all our Thoughts, Words and A(ftions, not by cor- rupt ^ Original Sin. iji nipt Nature but by the Spirit of God. V. 9, 'They that are after the Flejh — who arc flill guided by corrupt Nature, ?m?id the Thmg^ of the Flejh : Have their Thoughts and Af- fections fixt on fuch Things as gratify corrupt Nature : But they that are after the Spirit^ who are under his Guidance, 7}iind the T'hings of the Spirit : Think of, rehili, love the Things, which the Spirit hath revealed, which He moves us to, and promifes to give us. V. 6, For to be carnally niindcd^ to mijid the T'hings of the Flejh^ of our corrupt Nature, is Death : The fureMark of fpiritual Death, and the Way to Death everlafting. But to he fpiritually minded, to jm?id the Things of the Spirit, is Life : The fure Mark of fpiritual Life, and the Way to Life everlafting : And attended with the Peace of God, and Peace W//?GoD, which otherwife can have no Place: V. 7, Becaufe the carnal Mind, the Mind, Tafte, Inclination, the whole Bias of our evil Nature is Enmity agai?ill God. For it is not fubjeB to the Law of God, iieither indeed can be: Being as oppofite thereto as Hell to Hea- ven. V. 8. & then they that are in the Flejh — ftill unrenew'd by the Spirit, ilill follow- ing the Bent of corrupt Nature, cannot picafe God. Every Man now nray fee, Whether this Paflage does not ftrongly illufrate the Depravity of our Nature. ^ ^ 0. Thf 152 7he DoClTRINE of 9. The laft Proof of this Part of the Propofition' is, Gen, vi. 5. God Jaw that the Wickediiefs of Men was great in the Earthy and that every Imagination of the T'houghts of his Heart was only Evil continually. And below, V. II. T'he Earth was corrupt before God, and the Earth was filed with Violence, ^loli. "Mankind, you fay, was univerfally debauch'd into Luft and Senfuality, Rapine and Violence." And how came this univer- fal Wickednefsy if all Mankind were quite up- right by Nature ? You anfwer, '* They had corrupted themfelves : So the Text, V. 12. AllFl'jh had corrupted his Way upon the Earth!' This Expreilion does not necefTarily imply any more, than that all Flefh^ all Men were con'upted. But taking it literally, I afk, How came all Flefh to corrupt thcjnfelves? " Oh, by SeilS^ Pofterity inter-marrying with the CainitesT But how came all the Cainites to corrupt themfelves ? And all the SeihileSy to follow, not, reform them ? If the Ballance v/as even, if Nature leaned neither Way, there ought to have been as many Good as Bad flill: And the Sethites ought to have re- formed as many of the Children of Cain^ as the Cainites corrupted of the Children of Seth, How came it then. That onlv Noah was a jufl Man ? And does one good Man amidft a World of the Upgodly, prove that the " Nature • p. 122. Original Sin. j r^ "Nature of Mankind in general is not cor- rupted?" Or rather flrongly prove, that it is? It does not prove, That Nna/j himlelf was not naturally inclined to Evil^ but it does, That the World was. " 'But if the Corruption of Nature was theReafon why the old World was deflroy'd, it is a Reafon for the Deilruddon of the World at any Time." This ahm' wzs never fuppofed to be the Reafon -, but their adual Wickednefs added thereto. You add, " It may be urged, that God faid, Ge/2. viii. 21. / will not again cio'fc the Ground f 07^ Mans Sake: For the Imagination of Mans Heart is Evilfro?n bis Touth. But the Hebrew Particle ""r fometimcs fignilies althQiigb!' That does not prove, that it fio;- nifies fo here. But what if it does ? Wjiat . if the Texts be render'd, T^hd the Imagination of Ma?is Heart is E'viljrom his Touth ? Even thus render'd, it implies as ftrongly as it did before. That Mans Heart is naturally in- clin'd to Evil. The Hebrew Word," tranflated Touth, is always applied to Childhood^ or tender ylge, Ifa. vii. 16. *)P fignifies a little Child, And noi:^ of the Texts you have cited prove the contrary. Heman, the Author of tlie 8S''' Ffalm, was doubtlcfs afflioled from his Touth or Childhood. The Babylonians mentioned Jfa. xlvii. 12. may well Idc fuppofed to have ' p. 123. " p. 124. been 154 ^1^^ Doctrine of been trained up in the Way of their Fathers, from their ear lieji Chi /Socd: And the plain Meaning of feremiah^ C. iii. 24, 25. Shame hath devoured the Labour of our Fathers from cur Touth — We lie down in our Shame ; for we have fined againft the\^ov.Y> ourGoT>^ we and our Fathers fi^om our Touth ^ is, Ever fince we began to think or aft, we have gone aftray * from God. 10. The preceding Texts were brought to prove (and they do abundantly prove it) That our Nature is deeply corrupted, inclin- ed to Evil, and difinclined to all that is fpi- ritually good, fo that without fupernatural Grace, we can neither will nor do what is pleafing to God. And this eafily accounts for the Wickednefs and Mifery of Mankind, in all Ages and Nations : Whereby Experi- ence and Reafon do fo ftrongly confirm this fcriptural Doftrine of Or/g-/W/ Sin. Yet it will not " follow. That Men"" are no moral Agents!' If youafk, " Why, how are they capable of performing Duty ?" I anfwer. By Grace, though not by Nature, And a Meafure of this is given to all Men. Nor does it follow, " That we can by no Means help or hinder that Sin which is natural to us." Yes, we can. Anger, for Inftance, is natural to me ; yea, irregular, unreafonable Anger. I am naturally inclined to ^ p. 125. Original Sin. i -- to this, as I experience ev^ery Day. Yet / can help it by the Grace of God ; and do lb as long as I watch and pray. Dr. y* — anfwers this Affertion more at large, " IfStJi be natural, then it is ncccjjary^ If by Sin is meant the corrupt Bias of our Wills, that indeed is natural to us, as our Nature is corrupted by the Fall ; but not as It came originally out of the Hand of God. Therefore it is improperly compared to the Appetites of Hunger andThirft, which might be in our original Nature, Now this Bias of the Will is certainly evil and finful, and hateful to God; whether we have contradl- ed it ourfelves, or whether we derive it from Adayn makes no Difference. A proud or paffionate Temper is evil, whether a Man has contracted it himfelf, or derived it from his Parents. Therefore the Inference, If natiiraly and (in fome Senfe) necejfar\\ then no Sin^ does by no Means hold. " But if by Sin be meant finful Ac- tions, to which this corrupt Bias of the Will inclines us ; it remains to be proved, That a corrupt Bias of the Will, makes the Ac- tions necelTary, and confequently not finful. And indeed, if a corrupt Bias makes Sin to be neceffary, and confequently to be no Sin, then the more any Man is inclined to Sin, the lefs Sin he can commit : And as that corrupt * Vindication'^. 68, &C. 156 "The Doctrine of corrupt Bias grows ftronger, his adual fin- ning becomes more neceflary : And fo the Man inftead of growing more wicked grows more innocent." 11. That this Doftrine has been " long " held in the Church of Rome' is true. But fo it has in the Greek Church alfo : And fo far as we can learn, in every Church under Heaven, at leaft from the Time that God fpake by Mofes, From this Infecftion of our Nature (call it Original Sin, or what you plcafe) fpring many, if not all, a<5tual Sins. And this St. yarnes i^i, 14.) plainly intimates, even accord- ing to your Paraphrafe on his Words. " £- very Man is tempted, is overcome by Temp- tation, when he is drawn away by his own Luft, his own irregular Dejire: Where the Apoflle charges the Wickednefs of Men on its pror per Caufe, their ow7i Lufiy Very true. And irregidar De/ire is (not fo much a Fruit as a) Part of Original Sin. For to fay, " Eve *had irregidar De fires before flie finned" is a Contradiction : Since all irregular Defire is Sin. 12. Ai^ OTHER Proof, that aBual Sins fpring from original, is Matt, xv. 1 9. Out of the Heart proceed evil T'ljoughts, Murders, A- dulteries. Fornications^ T^hcftSy Falfe-witnefsy Blajphemies, "But y p. 126. " p. 127. Original Sin. i r^ " But what has this Text to do with Adam\ Sin ?" It has much to do with tlic Point it is brought to prove : Namely, 1 hat aciiial Sin proceeds from original^ evil Works from 2infvi I Heart, Do not therefore tri- umph over thefe venerable Men (as you have done again and again) becaufe a Text cited in Proof of one Claufe of a Propofition, does not prove the whole. * But " neither of thefe Texts proves, That all our Wickednefs proceeds from our being corrupted by Adani^ Sin." But tliey both prove what they were brought to prove, That all outward Wickednefs proceeds from inward Wickednefs. Thofe pious Men therefore did not " mix the Forgery of their own Imagination with the Truth of God." But " if all adualTranfgrefiions proceed from Adams Sin, then he is the only guilty Perfon that ever lived. For if his Sin is the Caufe of all ours, he alone is chargeable with them." True: If all our Tranfgrefnons /J pro- ceed from his Sin, that we cannot poflibly avoid them. But this is not the Cafe : By the Grace of God, we may cajl aicay all our ^ranfgrejmis. Therefore if we do not, they are chargeable on ourfelvcs. We fnay live : But we will die. Well, but *' on' thefe Principles, all ac- tual Sins proceed from Adams Sin, either bv » p. 128. " p. 129- ' " 158 The Doctrine of by neceflary Confequence ; or thro' our own Choice ; or partly by one, and partly by the other.'* Yes, partly by one and partly by the other. We are inclined to Evil, antecedent- ly to our own Choice. By Grace we may conquer this Inclination : Or we may chufe to follow it, and fo commit adtual Sin. 13. Their Fifth Propofition is, ^Original Sin is conveyed from ourfrjl Parents to their Pojlerity by natural Generation^ fo as all that proceed from them in that Way^ are conceived and horn in Sin. In Proof of this they urge, Pf. li. 5. ^Be- held I was Ooapen in Iniquity^ and in Sin did my Mother conceive me. On this you obferve, " The word which we tranflate (loapen^ fignifies to briyig forth or hear. So here it means. Behold I was brought forth or born in Iniquity ^ Suppose it does (which is not plain ; for you cannot infer, from its Meaning iofo?ne^ timeSy that it means fo here) what have you gained ? If David was born in Iniquity, it is little different from hting Jhapen therein. • That the Hebrew Word does not always mean to be born, but rather to be fiapen, forjned or 7nadey evidently appears from Pf xc. 2 ; where it is applied to the Formation of the Earth. And in this very Text, the feventy render it by jTAaVSw* a Word of the ) verv « p. 130. "^ p. 131, Original Sin. j ^^ very fame Import. It is therefore here very properly rendered JJmpcn : Nor can it be more exadly tranflated. But " the Word *i->!:rT properly fignlfies warmed me" You fhouldfay, literally iignifies. But it fignifies conceivdme neverthtlefs. And fo it is taken Gen.xxx, 38, 39, 41, &c. xxxi. 10. " Nay it " fignifies there the Acl of Copulation. So feveral Tranflators render it." And feveral render it otherwife. So this does not determine the Point either Way. It muft therefore be determined by the Senfe. Now for what End did "^acob put the pilled Rods before the Cattle ? That tlie Lambs might be marked as the Rods were. And when is it that Females of any Kind mark their Young ? Not in that Ad : But fometime after, when the Pectus is either forming or adlually formed. Throw a Plumb or a Pear at a Woman before Conception^ and it will not mark the Pectus at all: But it will, if thrown while fhc is coficeivijjg, or after fhe has conceived, as we fee in a thouland Inftances. This Obfervation juftifies our Tranflators in rendering the Word by con- ceiving in all thofe Places. And indeed you own, " Z)^'u/V could not apply that Word to his Mother, in die Senfe wherein you would apply it to the Cattle." You therefore affirm, ' it means here, 7i 7turfi. * p. 132, 133- ^ P- *34' i6o 7^*s Laws fince they came into the World. Perhaps the Phrale, from the Womb is once ufed figuratively, namely, fob xxxi. 1 8. But it is manifeft, that it is to be literally taken, Ifa, xlix. i. T^he Lord bath called Me from the Womby from the Bowels of my Mother hath He made Mention of my Name. For i , This whole Paffage relates to ChriJ}\ thefe Expreffions in particular. 2. This was li- terally fulfilled, when the Angel was fent while He was yet in the Womb, to order that his Name fhould ht called ]es\]S. This is not therefore barely " an hyperbolical Form of aggravating Sin;" but an humble Confcflion of a deep and weighty Truth, whereof we cannot be too fenfible. " But you have^ no Manner of Ground to conclude that it relateth to Adam\ Sin." Whether it relates to Adam's, perlbnal Sin or no, it relates to a corrupt Nature, This is the prefent Queftion ; and your pull- ing in Adam's Sin, only tends to puzzle the Reader. But how do you prove (fincc you will drag this in) that it does not relate to Adam\ Sin? Thus; " i. Li the whole Plalm there is not one Word about Adam, or the Efteds of his Sin upon us." L Here, • p. i3^» 1 62 The Doctrine of Here, as ufual, you blend the two Queftions together; the ready Way to con- found an unwary Reader. But firft, to the firft; '' In the whole Pialm, there is not one Word about Adam, Therefore it relateth not to him." Juft as well you may argue, '' In the whole Pfalm, there is not one Word about Uriah, Thereforef it relateth not to him." The fecond AiTertion, " There is not one Word of the Effed:s of his Sin," is a fair begging the Queftion. "2. The Pfalmift is here charging him- felf with his own Sin." He is; and tracing it up to the Fountain. " 3. But according to our Verfion, he does not charge hijiifelfv/ith. his Sin, hutfome other Perfon. He throws the whole Load of his Sin from off himfelf, on God who fhaped him, and his Mother who conceived him." What you fay might have had Weight, if he had offer'd this in Excufe of his Sin, or even in Extenuation of it. But does he do this? Does he in Fait " throw the whole Blame, or any Part of it from off himfelf ? " Juft the reverfe. He acknowledges and be- wails his own total Iniquity : Not to excufe^ but to abafe himfelf the more before God, for his inward as well as c/z/uw^ Wickednefs. And yet he might, in perfedl Confiftency with this when God had caufed the Bones which Original Sin. 16- which had been broken to rejoice ^ cry out, / will praifeT^hee, O God: For I am Jearjully and wonderfully ?nade: Yea, and repeat all that follows in the fame Pfalm: Which proves fo much and no more, That every Foetus in the Womb is formed by the Power and Wifdom of God. Yet does it not follow, That the Sin tranfmitted from the Parent /' muft' be attributed to God." ** But how could he with Pleafure rcfleLl upon his Formation, or praife God for it?" As I can at this Day: Tho' I know I was conceived in Sin^ 2iV\AJ]:apen in Liiquity. But where Sin abounds^ Grace does much more a- bound, I lofe lefs by Ada?n than I gain by Chriji, .^ V This alfo perfectly confifts with the fol- lowing Verfe, ^ Behold Ihou defwejl Truths or it is thy Will that we fhould have Truth in the ifiward Parts : Thou art willing to re- move all that Iniquity wherein 1 was Jl:apen, to give me a clean Hearty and renew a right Spirit within me. Aiid in the hidden Part Thou hajl made me to know Wifdom: Thou liaft Jldewn me what was Good. So that I am every Way widiout Excufe. I knew thy Will and did it not. " But if after' all you will adhere to the literal Senfe, of this Text, why do you not adhere to the literal Senfe, of tliat Text, L 2 "^his ! p. X37. * ^ 138- i P- ^38. 164 TX'^' DoCTRINEv^ T'his is my Body\ and believe liranfubjlantia^ tionV For thofe very :Reafons which you fuggefl: 5 I. Becaufe it- is groily ^^bfurd, to fuppofe that C/?r//? fpeaks of what He then held in his Hands, a^his r(?^/; tratm-al Body, But it is no Way iibfurd, to fuppofe the Pfal- mift was conceived i?i Sin. 2. Tha Senfe of ^his is my Body, may be clearly explained by other Scriptures, where the like Forms of Speech are ufed. But there arc no other Scriptures where the like Forms with this of David are ufed in any other Senfe. 3 . Tran- fubftantiation is attended with Confequences hurtful to Piety. But the Doftrine of Origi- nal Sin, and Faith grounded thereon, is the only Foundation of true Piety. 14. The next Proof is, yob-siv. 4. Who can bf^ing a clean Thi?ig out of an unclean ? Not one. On this you obfervc, " yob is here"" {peak- ing of the Weaknefs of our Nature, not with Regard to Sin, but to the Shortncfs and Affli(!l-ions of Life." Certainly, with Regard both to the one and the other. For though in the i'' and a"** Verfes, he men- tions the Shortnefs and Troubles of Life, yet even thefc are mentioned, with a manifeft Regard to Sin. This appears from the very next Verfc i'' And doji Thou open thy Eyes upon fuch a one, to punifh one already fo wretched? And ^ P- ^39* " P* H'^' Original Sin. 165 ^nd bringejl me into Judgment with 7 bee, by chaftifing mc ftill more ? It then immedi- ately follows, JVho can bring a clean "Thing out of an unclean ? Not one : It does therefore by no Means appear that " Job is here fpeak- ing only with Regard to the Shortnefs and Troubles of Life." Part of the following Verfes too run thus: V. 16, 17. Now Thou number ejl my Steps : Dojl Thou not watch over my Sin ? My I'ranfgreJIion is fealed up in a Bag, and Time foweji up mine Iniquity. Let any one judge then, Whether Job in this Chapter does not fpeak of *' the Sinfulnefs as well as the Mor- tality of human Nature." Not that he " urges" his natural Pravity as a Reafon why he lliould not be brought into Judgme7ity No more than Darid urges his being JJjapen in Wickednefs, as an Excule for that Wickednefs. Rather Jcb (as well as David) humbly acknowledges his total Sinfulnefs : ConfelTing, that he deferved the Judgment^ which yet he prays God not to inflid:. ,t 15. Another Proof is, Job xv. 14. Uljat h Man that he frotdd be clean, and he that is horn of a Woman that he jhoidd be righteous'^ On this you obferve, '' Born of a Woman fignifies no more than a Man." Often it does nots but here it is emphatical. '' The L 3 Phraic " p. 14 s. i66 The PocTRiNi: of Phrafe indeed'' includes Fr-ailty and Imper^ fediionr How can that be? Was Adam made frail and i?nperfe^? And have you forgot that every Man is now A?r/2 in as good a State as -^^^;« was made at firft r " But it is not to be underftood as the Reafon, why Man is unclean and. unrighteous." From the placing of the Words one would really judge it was : And how do you prove, it is not ? Why, "3^6/^ and his Friends ufe this JVfo;^- ner of Speech^ in other Places of this Book. "^ Shall mortal Man be 7nore jiijl than God ? Shall a Man he more pure than his Maker ?'* Nay, this is not the Manner of Speech which is in Queftion : So you are here quite wide of the Mark. '' However that is, How' can Man be jiijiified with God ? Or can he be clean that is born of a Woman V And does not this point at Original Sin ? You fay, No. For ** if fob and his Friends had known, that the Reafon of our Unclean- nefs and Imperfection was our receiving a corrupted Nature from Ada?n, they ought to have o^iven this Reafon of it." And do thev not, in the very Words before us ? You fay, ** No: They turn our Thoughts to a quite different Reafon, namely, the Uncleannefs of the bell: of Creatures in hi S .ht." This is not a different Reafon, b t f lis in with the other : And the natural Meaning of thefe Texts p'p. f42. <» Johiw. 17. «• Jolf XXV. 4. Original Sin. 167 Texts is, ' Ho'vo tan he be clean that is born of a lVo?nan, and fo conceived and born in Sin r Betjoidy even to the Moon, and it JJjineth net, compared with God ; yea, the Stan are ?iot pure in his Sight! How 7?iuch lefs Man that is a Worm ? In how much higher and finder a Senfe, is Man impure, that carries about with him his Mortality, the Teftimony of that unclean Nature which he brought with him into the World ? ^ Shall mortal Man he ""more jujl than God ! Shall a Man be more pure than his Maker ? Shall Man dare to arraign the Juftice of God? To fay, God punifhes him more than he dcferves ? Behold He puts no Trujl in his Serva?2ts, and his A?igels He chargeth icith Fol- ly, Many of thefe left their firll Eftate : E- ven their Wifdom was not to be depended on. How much lefs in them that dwell in Houfcs of Clay : Whofe Bodies, liable to Pain, Sick- nefs, Death, are ftanding Monuments of the Folly and Wicked nefs which are deep root- ed in their Souls. ""' What is Alan, that he JJ:all be ckan, and he which is born of a Woman, that he jhculd be righteous ? Behold He putteth no Trujl in his Holy Ones'y yea, the Heavens are not pure in his Sight. His holy Angels have fallen, and the higheft Creatures are not pure in Com- L 4 pari Ion • Job XXV. 4. ' Job iv. 17, &c. " p. 143- " 7'^ ^''^ I4> ^c. i68 ^he Doctrine of parifon of Him. How much more abominable and filthy y in the ftrideft Scnfe, is Man^ every Man born into the World ? Who drinketh Iniquity like Water ^ Iniquity of every Kind> fo readily, fo naturally, as being fo throughly agreeable to the Dejires of his Flejlj^ and of his Mind? You conclude the Head thus ; " "^Man in his prefent w^eak and flefhly State cannot be clean before God." Certainly, as clean as the Moon and Stars at leaft: If he be as he was firft created. He w^as made but a little lower than the Angels, Confequently he was then far higher and more pure, than thefe, or the Sun itfelf, or any other Part of the material Creation. You go on, "Why can- not a Man be clean before God ? Becaufe he is conceiv'd and born in Sin ? No fuch Thing. But becaufe if the pureft Creatures are not pure in Comparifon of God, much Icfs a Be- ing fubjed: to fo many Infirmities as a mortal Man:" Infirmities ! What then ? Do innocent Infirmities make a Man loiclean before God ? Do Labour, Pain, bodily Weaknefs, or Mor- tality,, make ns filthy and abominable f Surely not. Neither could they make a Man pure from Sin, lefs pure then the Moon and Stars. Nor can we conceive Adam as he came out of the Hands of God, to have been in any gcnfe lefs clean than thefe. All thefe Texts therefprq Original Sin. 169 therefore muft refer to that finful Impurity, which every Man brings into the World. You add, " Which is a Demonftration to me, that "Job and his Friends were whollv Strangers to this Dodrine." A Dcmonftra- tion of a pecuhar Kind ! I think neither ma- thematical, nor logical. 16. The laft Proofs is, 'John iii. 6. "That "which is born of the FlcJJj is Flejh, and that ivhich is born of the Spirit is Spirit, *' ^ Here by Flcp Mr, l^ay lor wnicxi^xnAs nothing clfe, but the mere Parts and Poivcrs of a Man : And by bei^ig born of the tlf:, the being born of a Woman^ with the Coiiflitu- tion and iiatural Pon.ve7's of a Man, Now let VIS fuppofe that human Nature is not at all corrupted, and let us try what Senfe we can make of other Scriptures, where the Word Flefo is ufed in Oppofition to Spirit^ as it is here; Rom. viii. i. 'T'here is no Condemnation to them who walk not after the Flejl:, hut after the Spirit : That is, not after the pure, un- corrupted Conftitution and Powers of Man. Again, V. 8. I'hey that are in the Flejh, cannot pleafe Gojyi That is, they that have the Parts and Powers of a Man. Again, Jfye live after the Flep ye J1:all die : That is, if ye live fuitably to the Conftitution and Powers of your Nature. Once more: How (hall we underftand the Flejlo hifteth agaijift the Spirit. and X p. 144. y Vindication Y- 78, &C. 170 The Doctrine of and the Spirit againfl the.FlcJh: {Gal. v. 17.) If FleJJ? means nothing but the Pure and un- coiTupted Powers of human Nature ? " But this Text, yohn iii. 3, is accord- ing to Mr. Tayhry fo far from implying any Corruption of our Nature, that " on the 'contrary it ft^ppofcs ive have a Nature fufcep- tihlc of the bcji Habit s^ and capable of being born of the Spirit J' And who ever denied it ? Who ever fuppofed, that fuch a Corruption of Nature, as for the prefent difables us for fpiritual Good, renders us incapable of being born of the Spirit T' *' But if natural Generation is the Mean of conveying a fmful Nature from our firft Parents to their Poflerity, then muft itfelf be a finful and unlawful Thing." I deny the Confequence. You may tranfmit to your Children a Nature tainted with Sin, and yet commit no Sin in fo doing. *' Again, we produce one another, on- ly as the Oak produces the Acorn. The proper Production of a Child is from God. 'But if God produces a FcEtus, which has finful Difpofitions, he produces thofe Difpo- fitions.'* Your Argument proves too much. It v/ould prove God to be the Author of all aEfnal (as w^ell as original) Sin. For " it is the Power of God under certain Laws and eilablifli'd Rules," which produces not only , the •^ p. 145. » p'. 146. Original Sin. jjj the pectus, but all the Motio7i in the Uni- verfe. It is his Power which fo violently expands the Air, on the Dilcharge of a Piltol or Cannon. It is the fame which produces mufcular Motion, and the Circulation of all the Juices in Man. But does he diercfore produce Adultery or Murder ? Is He the Caufe of thofe Jinful Motions ? He is the Caufeof the Motion (as He is of the Fcctus) of the 8in^ He is not. Do not fay, This is too fine a Diftinclion. Fine as it is, you muft neceffarily allow it. Other wife you make God the dired: Author of all the Sin under Heaven. To apply this more diredUy to the Point. God does produce the Foetus of Man, as He does of Trees, impowering the one and the other to propagate each af- ter its ICind. And 2. Jinful Man propagates after his Kind, another finful Man. Yet God produces^ in the Senfe above-mcntion'd, the Many but not tbe Sin. 17. Their Sixth Propofition is, T'be Fail brought upon Mankind the Lofs of Co?n??mnion, with God, ^his Difpleafu?-e afjd Curfcy fo as we are by Nature Children of Wraths Bond- Jlaves to Satan, ''and f fly liable to allPunifo' ments, in this World and that which is to come: In Proof of the firlT: Claule of this Pro- pofition, they cite Gen. iii. 8, 10, 24. On thi.. you obferve, " ^yldam and Eve by their Sin b Gen. iii. 8, 10, 24. ^ Eph. ii 2, 3. ^ 1 Tirn. ii. 26 « Gen, ii. 17.— AW. vi. 23. *" p. I47- 172 The Doctrine of Sin did forfeit Communion with God. But God did not take the Forfeiture/' Surely He did, when they were afraid and hid them- fehes from his Prefence, " But afterward they had frequent Communion with Him.'* This does not prove, they did not lofe it before. *' But their Poflerity did not. ^Abel had Communion Vvdth Him, and fo had the Patriarchs and Prophets. And fo have we at this Day. So that as we could not juftly have loft this Communion by Adam's Sin, it is true, in Fad:, that we have not loft it. We ftill have Fellowjhip with the Father ajid the Son" Could we not juftly, hy Ada?ns Sin, have loft our very Exiftence ? And if he had not exifted, could we have had Communiori with God ? *' But we have not loft it in Fad. We ftill have Fellowjhip with the Father and with the Son J' Who have ? All Men born into the V/orld ? All Jews^ and Turks^ and Heathens ? Have all that are called Chrifti- ans ? Have the Generality of Protcftants Fe//ow/Jjip with the Father a?2d the Son? What Fellowfliip ? Juft as much as Light has with Darknefs, as much as Chriji has with BcliaL The Bulk of Mankind, Chrifi- ans as well as Heathens^ Froteflajits as well as PapiJlSi are at this Day, and have been ever « p. 148. Original Sin. 17-. ever fince they were born, ivithout God," a3-fc?t, Atheijis in the WoyJd. We need not therefore lay, '' Tlieir Fel- lowfliip with God, is owing to his Mercy thro* a Pvedeemer." They have none at all : No Fellowiliip with the only true God, and with Jefus Chrift whom He hath [cut. Indeed they have no great Need of "^cjus Chrij}^ ac- cording to your Account : Seeing '* ^//that God's Grace doth for us in Chriji^ to repair what we loft in Adaniy is raifing us up at the laft Day !" You add, '' And ' therefore Communion with God, is either the fame Grace which was vouchfafed to Adam, con- tinued to us :" (To every Man born into the World, as naturally as Seeing or Hearing !) " Or, if there be any Thing extraordinary in it" (Which you judge, can hardly be al- lowed !) "It belongs to the Redundancy of Grace, which has no Relation to any Thing we loft by Adam:' That that whole Paf- fage has Relation to what we loft in yldaf}!^ has been ftiewn already. But what Con- ception you have of Communion with God, is eafily feen by this wonderful Account of it. " However this Text gives no Intima- tion, that^^^w's Pofterity'loft Communion with God for his Sin.'* It fhews that Adam did fo. And all his Pofterity has done the fame. Whence is this, unlefs from his Sin .' V. 24. p, 149. 174 "^^^ Doctrine of V. 24. So He drove out the Man : And He placed at the Eaji of the Garden 2/ Eden Che- rubmi and a flaming Swcrd^ which turned every Way^ to keep the Way of the T!ree of Life, Although God is equally prefent in every Place, yet this was a clear Token, That Man had not no v that near Commu- nion with Him, whi<.h he had enjoy 'd before his Sin. 1 8. Trop, The Fall brought upon Mankiitd GoD'i Difpleafure and Curfe, fo as we are by Nature the Children of Wrath. "The Text on which this is ' grounded "Eph, ii. 2, 3. we have confider'd before." And thofe Confiderations have been anfwer'd at large. You add, " How Mankind could h^juflly brought under God*s Difpleafure for Adani% Sin, we cannot underftand. On the contra- ry, we do underftand, it ii unjufl. And therefore, unlefs our Underftanding, or Per- ception of Truth, be f alfe, // mufl be unjufl. But Underftanding muft be the fame in all Beings, as far as they do underftand. There- fore ^ if we underftand. That // is unjufl^ God underftands it to be fo too." Plausible enough. But let us take the Argument in Pieces. ^* How Mankind could be jullly brought under G o d's Difpleafure, for Adarn^ Sin, we cannot underftand." I allow » p. 150. ^ p. 151. Original Sin. 17- allow it. I cannot underiland, that is, clearly or fully comprehend the Deep of die Divine Judgment therein : No more than I can, How the whole Brute Creadon through his Sin fhould have been made fuhjp^ toVanity^ and fhould groan together^ in Wcakncfs, in various Pain, in Death, until this Day. " On the contrary, we do undcrftand, // is unjuji!' I do not underftand, it is. It is quite beyond my Underftanding. It is a Depth which I cannot fathom. " There- fore unlefs our Underftanding, or Perception of Tmith be falfe, it mujl be imjiijir Here lies the Deceit. You fhift the Terms, and place as equivalent thofe which are not equivalent. Our Perception ofT'ruth cannot be falfe : Our Underftanding or Apprehe?ifion of Things may. '^ But Underftanding muft be the fame in all Beings." Yes in the for- mer Senfe of the Word, but not the latter. " Therefore if we underftand (apprehend) it is ufijuji, God underftands it fo too." Nay verily : As the Heavens are higher than the Earth, fo are his Thoughts higher than our Thoughts. " What a God muft He be, who can curfe his innocent Creatures, before they have a Being? Is this thy God O Chriftianr" Bold enough ! So Lord B " Is Mo/ess God your God?" He is mine : Akho' he faid, Curfed be Canaan, including his Pof- terity, 176 ^he Doctrine of terity, before they had a Being. And al- tho' He now permits Millions to come into a World, which every where bears the Marks of his Dlfpleafurc. And He permits human Souls to exift in Bodies, which are (how we know not, but the Fad: we know) conceived and born in Sin^ by Reafon whereof, all Men coming into the World are Children of Wrath. But He has provided a Saviour for them all. And this fully acquits both his Juftice and Mercy. 18. So ^^ 'Zi;^ are by Nature Bondjlanjes to Satan 2 Tim. ii. 26. ^ And that they may re- cover themfehes out of the Snare of tloe. Devil who are taken Captive at his Will. But you fay, " The Apoftle fpeaks this of the unconverted Gentiles ^ who were Slaves to Satan^ not thro' Adam^ but thro* their own Fault." Both one and the other. But how does it appear, That he fpeaks this of the Gentiles only ? Without offering at any Proof of this, you go on. " The Claufe,"" taken Captive by himy is fpoken, not of the Devil, but of the Servant of the Lord. For thus the Place fhould be render'd; That they may awake out of the Snare of the DeviU being revived by him, that is, the Servant of the Lord, tohisy that is, God's Will. Well, the Proof. *' The Word ?wy^/w fignifies to revive ; and fo here, to reftore Men i P* '52. !" P- 153- Original Sin. \jn Men to Life and Salvation. As a Proof of this Senfe of the Word you cite Z/?//[t v. lo. But this rather proves the contrary. For there it has nothing to do with re^crcing. We read in the Verfe before of the Fijhcs which they had taken: Alludin? to ^^'hich, Jcfusy^/V/ z^;2/(? Simon, From hcriceforih thou Jloalt catch Men : 'T'ake them Captrce in the Goipel Net. Altho' therefore it were al- lowed (which cannot be done) that his re- lated, not to the Word immediately pre- ceding, but to another which Hands three Verfes off, yet even this would avail nothing: Since the Senfe which you impofe upon ^wy^^ is what it will by no Means bear. You fay indeed, " It always" means to take alive or fave alive. '' It does mean, Ti? take alive. But you bring not one Autho- rity to prove, That it ever means, To favc alive. It therefore "- fuits the Devil and his Snare" admirably well: For he does not take therein thofe who are free among the Dead : But thofe who are alive in a natural, though deadm z fpiritual Senfe. "But however ' this be, they were not led Captive thro' Jdams Sin, but their own Wickednefs." They were " Bond (laves to Sata?i' (which was the Point to be p^^ved') th rough Mam$ Sin, and their own Wicked- nefs. • '^ * p. 154- • P' »5)- lyS T/jc Doctrine of " YeAj but what an Inconfiftency muft that be in the Divine Difpenfations and in the Scriptures, if it can be made appear from them. That God hath for no Fault of mirs^ but ojily for Adam's one Sin, put us all into the Hands of the Devil: When "He hath been in all Ages providing Means, to preferve or refcue Mankind from him?" What can be made appear from the Scrip- tures is this: That from Adam Sin pajjed upon all Men: That hereby all Men being by Nature dead in Sin cannot of themfelves refift the Devil: And that confequently, all who will not accept of Help from God, are taken Captive by Satan at his Will And there is no Inconiiftency between this, and any of the Divine Difpenfations. Pj'op. ANDju/ily liable to allPuniJhments in this IVof'ld^ and that which is to come. That all Men are liable to thefe for A- dam^ Sin alo7ie^ I do not affert: But they are fo, for their own outward and inward Sins, Vv'hich thro' their own Fault, fpring from the Infedion of their Nature. And this, I think may fairly be inferr'd from Rom, vi. 23. "• "the Wages of Sin is Death ^, its due Reward: Death, Temporal, Spiritual and Eternal. God grant, we may never feel it fo ! 19. You conclude this Part: "I cannot* . fee, that we have advanced one Step further, than '" p. 156. n p. 157, 158. <» p. 162. Original Sin. 179 than where we were at the Conclufion of the Firft Part, namely, That the Conie- quences of Adams Firft Sin upon us, are Labour, Sorrow and Mortality, and no other." The contrary to this having been fo largely proved, inftead of repeating thofe Proofs over again, I fl:iall clofe this Part with that beautiful Defcription of the prefent State of Man, which Mr. Her^cey gives us from Mr. Howes Living Temple, '' Only, fays he, let me hint, That it confiders the Hu- man Soul, as originally an Habitation of God thro the Spirit, " That He hath withdrawn Himfelf and left this his Temple defolate, we have many fad and plain Proofs before us. The ftateh Ruins are vifible to every Eye, and bear in their Front (yet extant) this doleful In- fcription, HereGod once dwelt. Enough appears of the admirable Strudture ot the Soul of Man, to fliew the Divine Pretence did fometime refide in it: More than enough of vicious Deformity, to proclaim He is now retired and gone. The Lamps are cxtindl, the Altar overturned; the Liglit and Love are now vanifhed, which did the one Ju.c with fo heavenly Brightnefs, the other burn with fo pious Fervor. The G.A/r;/ Oz;.*- ftick is difplaced, to make Room for d^ ^Vhrone of the Prince^of Darkneis. ^The i8o The Doctrine of Sacred Ltcenfe^ which fent up its rich Per- fumes, is exchanged for a poifonous hellifh Vapour. The comely Order of this Houfe is all turned into Confufion: The Beauties of Holinefs into noifome Impurities: The Houfe of Prayer into a Den of Thieves. Thieves of the worft Kind; for every Luft is a Thief, and every Theft is Sacrilege. The noble Powers which were defigned and dedicated to Divine Contemplation and Delight in God, are alienated to the Service of the moft defpicable Idols, and employed in the vileft Embraces: To behold and ad- mire lying Vanities, to indulge and cherifh Lufl: and Wickednefs. '' There is not now a Syjlem^ an entire Table of coherent Truths to be found, or a Frame of Holinefs, but fome fhiver'd Par- cels. And if any with great Toil and La- bour apply themfelves, to draw out here one Piece, and there another, and fet them to- gether; they ferve rather to fhew, how ex- quifite the Divine Workmanihip was in the Original Compoftion^ than to the excellent Purpofes for which the whole was at iirll defigned. Some Pieces agree, and own one another: But how foon are our Enquiries non-plus'd and fuperfcded ! How many Attempts have been made, lince that fearful *Fall and Ruin of this Fabric, to compofe again the Truths of fo many feveral Kinds into Original Sin. j8i into their diftindl Orders, and make up Frames of Science or ufeful Knowlediie? And after fo many Ages, nothing is finifli'd in any Kind. Sometimes Truths arc mil- placed; and what belongs to one Kind, is transferred to another, where it will not fitly match : Sometimes Falfhood infertcd, which fhatters or difturbs the whole Frame. And what with much fruitleft Pains is done by one Hand is dailied in Pieces by another: And it is the Work of a following Age, to fwjep away the fine fpun Cobwebs of a former. And thofc Truths which are of greateft Ufc, tho' not moll out of Sight, are leaft regarded: Their Tendency and Dcfign are overlooked, or they are fo loofencd and torn off, that they cannot be wrought in, fo as to take Hold of the Soul, but hover as faint, ineffeftual Notions, that lignify no- thing. " Its wQvy fundamental Forcers are flrakcn and disjointed, and their Order toward one another confounded and broken. So that what is judged co?iJiderable is not conjidcrd, what is recommended as k'^oeJy d.nd cligi/j/eh not loved and chofen. Yea, the Truth ^.vhuh is after Godlmefs is net fo much diibclicvcd, 2.^ hated, ov held in Unrighteoufnefs ; and ilnncs with too feeble a Light, in that malignant Darknefs, which comprehends it not. \ou come amidfl all this Confufion, into the JVI o luincd 1 82 T^ke Doctrine of ruined Palace of fome great Prince, in which you fee, here the Fragments of a noble Pil- lar, there the ihattered Pieces of fome curious Imagery, and all lying negledled and ufelefs, among Heaps of Dirt. He that invites you to take a View of the Soul of Man, gives you but fuch another Profped:, and doth but fay to you, Behold the Defolation ! All Things rude and wafle. So that ihould there be any Pretence to the Divine Prefence, it might be faid. If God be here^ why is it thus? The faded Glory, the Darknefs, the Diforder, the Impurity, the decayed State in all Refpedls of this Temple, too plainly fliew, T'he GREAT InhabiTx-int is goue T' Newington, "Jan, 21. In your Third Fart you propofe, firft, to anfwer fome Objed:ions and Queries : And then to confider the Connexion of the Doc- trine of Original Sin with other Parts of Re- ligion. '' Ohj, I. Are^ we not in worfe Moral Circumftances, than Adam was before he fell ? I anfwer," I. *' If by Moral Circiimjlances you mean, The State of Religion and Virtue, it is certain the greateft Part of Mankind, ever were and ftill are very corrupt. But this is not the Fault of their Nature, but occafioned by the Abufc " p. 168. Original Sin. iS-. Abufeoflt, in proftitutlng Reafon to Appe- tite, whereby in Procefs of Time, they have funk themfelves into the moft lamentable Degree, of Ignorance, Superftition, Idolatry, Injuflice, Debauchery." But how came this ? How came all Na- tions thus to " abufe their Nature," thus to " proftitute Reafon to Appetite?" How came they all to link into this " lamentable Igno- rance, Superftition, Idolatry, Injufticc, De- bauchery?" How came it, that Half of them, at leaf!:, if their Nature was uncorrupt, did not ufe it well ? Submit Appetite to Reafon, and rife, while the other funk ? '' Procefs of Time" does not help us out at all. P'or if it made the one Half of Mankind, more and more vicious, it ought by the fame Degrees to have made the other Half, more and more virtuous. If Men were no more inclined to one Side than the other, this mufl: abfolutcly have been the Event. Turn and wind as you pleafe, you will never be able to get over this. You will never account for this Fad, That the Bulk of Mankind have in all Ages, " proftituted their Reafon to Appetite," even 'till they funk into '' lamentable Ignorance, Superftition, Idolatry, lujullice and De- bauchery :" But by allowing their very Na- ture to be in Fault, to be more inclined to Vice than Virtue. M A '' But 184 ^he Doctrine of " But if wc have all a corrupt Nature, which as we cannot, fo God will not wholly remove in this Life, then why do we try to reform the World ?" Why ? Becaufe, whether the corrupt Nature be wholly re- moved, or no, Men may be fo far reform'd, as to ceafe from Evil^ to be renewed in the Spirit of their Mind^ and by patient Continu- ance in Well- doings to feek and find. Glory and Hojiour and Immortality. " Ianswer,"^ 2. If by Moral Circiimftances you mean, Prcvifwn and Means for fpiritual Improvefiient^ thofe given us through Chrif are far greater than Adam had before he fin- ned." To thofe \^ ho believe in Chrift they are. But above four Fifths of the World, are Mahometans or Pagans ftill. And have tjjefe, (immenfely the greater Part of Man- kind : To fay nothing of FopiJI:> Nations) greater Prcvi/ion and Means for fpiritual Im- prcvc?ncntj than Adam before he finned ? " But if 3. by 'Moral Circiimjlances you mean Moral^' (rather Natural) '^ Abilities^ or Mental Powers^' (a Confideration quite foreign to the Quefiion) '' I anfwer. The Scriptures no where compare our Faculties with Adanis, Nor know I how we can judge, but by comparing the A6tions of ^- dam in Innocence v/ith what Men have per- formed fince." Yes, •» p. I^Q. «■ p. 170. Original Sin. iSr Yes, we can judge thus. There could be no Defcd: mAdanh Undcrftanding, when he came firft out of the Hands of his Creator. But there are effential Defeds in mine and your's, and eveiy Man's whom we know — Om Apprehe?7/ion IS indiftind, omx "Judgment falfe, our Reafoning wrong, in a thoufand Inftances. So it always was : And fo it is ftill, after all the Care we can polfibly take. Therefore *' our Faculties are not as found and fit for right Adion, as Adams were be- fore he finned." " Bur any Man of common Underfiand- ing might have dnji and kept the Garden as well as he." I can neither affirm, nor deny this. For we know not hoiv he drrjjed and kept it. *' Nor doth it appear,' That in giving Names to all the Creatures, he fhewcd any extraordinary Penetration into their Natyrcs. For that the Names he gave truly expreflcd the feveral Qualities of them, is a meer Fic- tion, without any Foundation in Scripture- Hiftory, or the Names of Animals in the original Hebreiv'' This is really firange! That any Man of Learning fliould be fo hardy as to affirm this, after the numberlefs Infiances which have been prodi^ced o\^ Hebrew Names, cxprelTing the moll efifential Property of each Animal. Am) * p. 171- i86 ^he Doctrine of And is this Suppofition likewife " without any Foundation in Scripture-Hiflory ?" What is that ? Geji.n, 19. Ajid the Lord God brought every Beaji of the Fieldy and every Fowl of the Alr^ unto Adam, to fee what he would call therriy to make Proof of his Underftand- in g . And whatfoever Adam called every livi?ig Creature, that was the Name thereof. Now whether thofe Names were Hebrew or no (which jowaffeB to doubt) can it be fuppofed that God would have permitted them to ftand, if they had not fuited the Nature of each Creature ? 'Tis bold therefore to affirm. That " many of his Pofterity could have gi- ven Names to them as well as he : And that therefore this is not a Proof, that' he had any Capacity fuperior to us." You proceed, " Surely" his eating the for- bidden Fruit is no Evidence of fuperior Abi- lities." And it is no Evidence of the con- trary; " Seeing" (as you yourfelf obferve) " v/hat his fpecial Temptation was, we do not know." Therefore neither do we know. Whether any of his Pofterity could have over- come it: Much lefs, That " many of his Pofterity, have overcome Temptations more violent than his." All this is talking in the Dark, ?iot hiowmg what we fay, neither whereof we affrm. " And * p. 172. "^ p. 173. Original Sin. jSt " And ^now let any Man fee, Whether there be any Ground in Revelation, for ex- alting Adam\ Nature as Divines have done who have affirm'd that all his Faculties were eminently perfedl, and entirely fct to the Love and Obedience of his Creator. 'And yet thefe fame fuppofe him to have been guilty of the vileil Ad:, that ever was com- mitted." They fuppofe Adam to have been created holy and wife, like his Creator ; and yet capable of falling from it. They fuppofe farther, that thro' Temptations of which we cannot poffibly judge, he did fall from that State; and that hereby he brought Pain, Labour and Sorrow, on himfelf, and all his Poflerity : Together with Death, not only Temporal, but Spiritual, and (without the Grace of God) Eternal. And it mull: be confeft. That not only a few Divines, but the whole Body of Chriftians in all Ages, did fuppofe this, 'till after feventccn hundred Years a fvveet-tongued Orator arofe, not only more enlightened then filly ylJam, but than any of his wife Poflerity : And declar- ed. That the whole Suppofition was Folly, Nonfenfe, Inconfiftency and Blafphcmy ! " Obj. II. But do not the Scriptures fay, Adam was created after God's own Image ? And do his Poflerity bear that Image now r" '' The r p- ^iS' ' p- '7^' i88 The Doctrine of " The Scriptures do fay, Gen. i. 27, God created Man in his oivn Image. But what- ever that Phrafe means here, it doubtlefs means the fame, mGen. ix. 6, Whofo Jhed-- deth Mans Bloody by Man pall his Blood be JJoed: Fo7^ in the Image of God made He Man''' Certainly it has the fame Meaning in both Places : For the latter plainly refers to the former. And thus much we may fairly in- fer from hence,^ That the Image of God wherein Man was at firft created wh-ereinfo- ever it confifted was not utterly effaced in the Time of Noah. Yea, fo much of it will always remain in all Men, as will juftify the punifhing Murderers with Death. But we can in no wife infer from hence, That that entire Image of God, in which Adam was at firft created, now remains in all his Pofterity. The Words of Gen. v. 3, rendered lite- rally are, He begat in his Likenefs^ according to his Image. " Ada?n, fays Mr. Hervey^ was created in the Image of God. After his Fall the facred Iliftorian varies his Stile, and with a remarkable Peculiarity, as well as Propriety, fays, Adam begat a Son in his own Likenefs : (So it muft be tranflated accord- ing to all the Rules of Grammar, Adain be- ing the neareft Antecedent.) That every Reader may advert to this melancholy, but important y p. 177. Original Sin. i8c; important Truth, It is inforced hy a very emphatical Repetition: After his own Image, as contradiftineuifli'd from ihitlmazc of God, mentioned m the preceding Verfe : Which Expreflions arc evidently intended to denote the Difference between the State, in which Adam was created and Seth beo^otten." " The ^two following Texts are brought by the Ajfembly to fliew, What the Image of God was, in which Adam was made." Col, iii. I o. And have put en the neiv AIa?jy which is refiewedin Knovjkdge^ after the Image of Him that created him. Eph, iv. 24. VuT o?i the new Man ^ which after the Image of God is created in Rigbtc^ oufnefs and true Holinefs. ** I ANSWER, Thefe Texts are parallel. 'The old Man means a wicked Life, the ?iew* Man, a good Life; to which they were formted and created by the Gofpcl Dilpcnfa- tion. And this Jiew Man this new Life, is after the Image, that is agreeable to the Na- ture of God. As you advance no Proof of this pcrfcvft- ly new Interpretation, I leave it to ihift for itfelf. To difprove the common Interpretation you add, '' Adam could not be originally created, in Righteoufnefs and true Holinefs; becaufe flabits of Holinefs, cawiot be created, without I p. 178. * p. \''^- I go The Doctrine of without our Knowledge, Concurrence or Confent. For ^ Holinefs in its Nature im- plies the Choice and Confent of a moral Ao:ent, without which it ca?i?iot be Holinefs." What is Holinefs ? Is it not, eflentially Love ? The Love of God and of all Man- kind ? Love producing Bowels of Mercies^ Hiimhlenefs of Mind^ Meeknefs^ Gentkmcfs^ Lo?7g-fujferi?2g? And cannot God flied abroad this Love in any Soul, without his Concur- rence ? Antecedent to his Knowledge or Confent ? And fuppofing this to be done, will Love change its Nature ? Will it be no longer Holinefs ? This Argument can never be fuftained : Unlefs you would play upon the Word Habits. Love is Holinefs where- ever it exifts. And God could create either Men or Angels, endued from the very iirft Moment of their Exiftence, with whatfo- ever Degree of Love He pleafed. You " think, on the contrary, it is De- monftration. That we cannot be righteous or holy, we cannot objerve what is right, without our own free and explicit Choice." I fuppofe you mean, praBife what is right. But a Man may be righteous, before he does what is right ; holy in Heart before he is holy in Life. The confounding thefe tw^o all along, feems to be the Ground of your ftrange Imagination, That Adam " 7miji chufe »> p. 180. Original Sin. iqi chufe to be righteous, muft exercifcTlioivtht and Refledion before he could be rio-htcous." Why fo ? " Becaufe Righteoulncfs is the right Vfe and Application of our Powers." Here is your capital Miftake. No, it is not: It is the right State of our Powers. It is the right Difpoftion of our Soul, the right Tlv;/- per of our Mi?id, Take this with you, and you will no more dream. That *' God, could not create Man in Righteoufnefs and true Holinefs:" Or that '' to 'talk of wanting that Righteoufnefs in ivhich Adam ^ivas created, is to talk of nothing we want." On Ro?n, ii. 14. you obferve, " This* Text clearly proves, that Natural Reafon and I'n- derftanding, is a Rule of Adion to all Mankind, and that all Men ought to follow it. This therefore overthrows tlie whole Do6lrine of Original Sin.'' How do you prove the Confequence ? May not Men h^vc fo/ne Reafon left, whidi in /me Meafure difcerns Good from Evil, and yet be deeply fallen, and even as to their Underftanding, as well as their Will and Affc6lions ? On Eccles, vii. 29. 'God bath made Man upright, but they have found out many Inven- tions; You fay " Man here means, All Mankind ; Up- right, Endued with Powers to know and per- form c p. 181. '^ p. 183. f p. i?4' '^v 192 The Doctrine?/^ form their Duty." You offer no Proof for cither of thefe Aflertions. And without it I cannot receive them. Again, '' 'T'hey (you fay) means Mankind in general." I rather believe it means our lirft Parents, who are by Mcfes IJkewiftL comprehended under the common Name of i^ Man or rather ^"^^ Adain, So Gen, v. 2. God called their Name Adam in the Day when they were created. And in the Day that they fell, whoever reads Gen, iii. will fee they found ^ out not one, but 7nany Inventions, This Text therefore in its obvious Meaning teaches both the Original Wprightnefs, and fubfequent Fall of Man. From all thefe Texts it manifeftly appears,. I. That Man was created in the Image of God, 2. That this Image confifted not only in his rational and immortal Nature, and his Dominion over the Creatures, but alfo in Knowledge^ adlual Knowledge both of God and of his Works, in the right State of his Intellectual Powers, and in Love^ which is true Holinefs, '' Ohj, III. But do we ^ not derive from Adafn a moral T'ai?2t and InfeBion, whereby we have a Natural Fropenfity to Sin ? *' I ANSWER, We have many Natural Appetites and Paffions, which if they grow irregular, become finful. But this docs not amount f p. 186. Original Sin. io-^ amount to a Natural Propenfity to Sin." But is not Pride Sin? Is not Idolatry Sin? And is it not Idolatry, to love the Creature more than the Creator? Is not Revenge Sin? Is it not Sin, to look upon a JVoman, fo as to luft af- J^r her ? And have not all Men a Natural Propenfity to thefe Things? They have all then a Natural Fropenjlty to Sin. Neverthe- lefs this Propenfity is not necejjary^ if by ne- ceflary you mean irrefiftible. We can refill and conquer it too, by the Grace which is ever at Hand. This Fropenfiiy to Pride, to Revenge, to Idolatry (call it'Taifit^ or any Thing) can- not be pleafing to God, who yet in Facfr docs permit that it fliould defcend fi-om yldam to his latefl; Pofterity. And '' we can neither help nor hinder" its defcending to Us. In- deed we can heap up plaufible Arguments, to prove the Impoflibility of it. But ly^V/it, and the Argurricnt drops. Bring ever fo many Proofs, that there can be no fuch Thing as Motion. I move and they vaniih away. ''But Nature ^cannot be ??iorally corrupted^ but by the Choice of a moral Agent." You may play upon Words as long as you pleafc; but ftill I hold this fail:: I, (and you too, whi- ther you will own it or no) am inclincil, and was ever fince I can remember, antc- N ccdcntly e p, 187. 194 ^^^^ DOCTRINF of cedently to anv Choice of mv ov/n, to Pride, Reveiigc, Idoiatiy. If you wUi not call thefe vnox2\ Corruptions^ call themjuft what you will. Bu: the Fad: I am as well afliired of, as that I have any Memory or Under- ftanding. " But feme ^ have attempted to explain this intricate Affair/' I do not commend their Wifdom. I do not attempt to explain even how I, at this Moment, ftretch out my Hand, or move my Finger. One more of your Affertions I muft not pafs over.' " It is abfurd to fay, Infedtion is derived from Adam^ independent of the Will of God. And to fay, it is by his Will, is to make Him the Author of the Pollu- tion." We anfwer. It is not derived from Adam^ independent of the Will of God; that is, his Permiffive Will: But our allowing this, does not make Him the Author of the Pol- lution. " Ohj. IV. But do '' not the Vices of Parents often infed: their Children?" I KNOW not well, either how to affirm or deny it. ** Ohj. V. How ^ can we account for Children's beginning fo foon to fin, but by fuppofing they have a natural Propenfity to itr " I ANSWER " p. 1 88. • p. 1&9. " p. 190, 191. ^ p. 192. Original Sin. i^r " I ANSWER, who can (dl, how foon they begin r" Then they begin, when they firft fhew wrong Tempe; s : Such as pl^ain, undeniable Frowardnels, Revenge, Sch'-wjU, which is as loon as they have any ExcrCiiC of Reafon. So that the Ufe or Rcalbn a:ul the Abule, generally commence and grow up together. As foon as their Faculties ap- pear at all, they appear to be dilbrder'd : 1 he wrong State of their Powers, being caiily in- fer'd from their continual wrong Application of them. "But if Parents were wife and virtuous themfelves, and then endeavour'd to brin-j: up their Children virtuoufly, there would be lefs Wickednefs in the World." There would: But this does not reach the Point; nor, that *' undilciplin'd Children contract bad Habits." I have known wife and virtu- ous Parents, who did earneftly labour to bring up their Children virtuoufly ; and dif- ciplin'd them with all polTiblc Care, from the very firft Dawn of Reafon. Yet thcfe very Children fhewed bad Tempers, before it was poflible they fhould '' contrad had Habitsr They daily evidenced the icrong State o\ all their Faculties, both of their Undcrllanding, Will and Aftci^lions, juft contrary both to the Examples and Inftrudions of all that were round about them. Here then thefc ivrcng Tempers were not owing to " the Fault of ^ N 2 carclels 196 I'he Doctrine of carelefs or ungodly Parents : Nor could be rationally accounted for, but by fuppofing thofe Children to have a natural Propenjity to Evil It is indeed a general Rule, ""Train tip a Child in the Way he JJmild go^ and whe?i he is old he will not depart from it : And thei e is much Truth in that Oblervation, 'FocliJJjnefs is bound in the Heart of a Child-, but the Rod of CorreBion JImll drive it far from him : Th at is, prudent Correction is the moil probable Means which you can ufe to remove that Fooliflmefs. Yet this no Way contradid:s v^hat is Matter of daily Experience, That they have a 7iatural Propejifity to Evil. Nay, the latter of thefe Texts ftrongly confirms it : For if there be no fuch Propeniity, how comes Fooliflmefs (that is Wickednefs, in the Language of Solomon) to be bound in the Heart of a Child? Of every Child, of Chil- dren in general, as the Phrafe manifeftly im- ports. It is not from Education here : It is luppofed to be antecedent to Education, whether good or bad. " Oh, "Fooliflmefs means only ftrong Appetite!' Yes, ftrong Appetite to Evil. Otherwife it would not call for the Rod ofCorreclion^ or need to be driven far from him. '' Ohj. VI. Might not Adam\ Pofterity be faid, x.o fm in him^ zs Levi is faid, to ■'pay Tythes in Abraham ?" If o^ Pro'v. xxii. 6.. " V. 15. <• p. 193. p Heb. vii. 9. Original Sin. igy If the Querift means, not to prcrce a Doc- trine already proved, but only to illulirate one Expreffion by another, your Anfwer, ^ '' That it is a bold Figure," does not at all affedt him. It is fo : But ftlll it may be per- tinently cited to illuftrate a fimilai Exprellion. " Obj. VII. ' But there is a Law in our Members which wars againjl the Law of cur Minds ^ and brings us i?2to Captivity to the Law of Sin and Death. And does not this prove, That we come into the World with ffful Propenfities?'' You anfwcr, i. " ' If we come into the World with them, they are Natural : But if Natural, necefjary : And if neceffary, then no Sin." If the Confequence were good, with Re- gard to what is fo natural and necefjary^ as to be irre/ijiible, yet certainly it is not good, with Regard to thofe Propeniitics, which we may both refifl: and conquer. You anfwer, 2. " The Apolllc does not in this Chapter, fpeak of any Man as he comes into the World, but as he is afterward depraved and corrupted by his own wicked Choice." Where is the Proof? How docs it appciu-. That he does not fpeak of Men corrupted both by Choice and by Nature ? N 3 You p. 195. ' p. 199- * P- 200. 198 The Doctrine of You anfwcr, 3. " He does' not fpeak of himfelf, or any regenerate Man, but of a yew under the Power of Sin." Nay, your, Argument proves, He does not fpeak of any yew. For in Order to prove, " The Apoftle does not fpeak of himielf," you fay, '' The Perfons of whom he fpeaks, were before the Co7nmandment came^ i. e. before they came vnder the Law, once without the Law, But the Apoftle never was without the Law!* No, nor any yew. '' For he was born, and continued under the Law^ 'till he was a Chriftian!' So did all the yews^ as well as he — *' And therefore it cannot be true. That he" or any y^w w^hatever, " was without the Law^ before he came under it." So you have clearly proved, That the Apoftle does not in this Pafiage fpeak of any ^jew\t all. But why do you think, he does fpeak of yews^^ Nay of them only ? It " appears, you fay, from V. i . I fpeak to them that know the Law, For the Gentiles never were U7ider the LawT Yes, they were : All the Gentiles who were convinced of Sin^ were tmder the I -aw in the Senfe here fpoken of: Under the condemning Power of the Law written in their Hearts^ for tranfgrelTing which they were under the Wrath of God. And this whole Chapter, from the 7'" to the 24'*" Vcrfe, defcribes the State of all thofe, fews or ^ p. 200. Original Sin. i^^ or Gentiles, who Jaw -dndfeU tiic VVjckcdncfs both of their Hearts and Lives, and groaned tp be dehvered from it. Many Paifages in your Paraphrafe on the former Part of this Chapter, are liable to much Exception 5 but as they do not imme- diately touch the Point in Qucftion, I pafs on to the latter Part. V. 14. " I AM carnal, fold under Sin. ** He means a wilhng Slavery." Quite the con- trary, as appears from the very next Words: For that which I do, I allow 7iot : For what J would, I do not -, but what I hate, that I do. What I hate : Not barely, *' what my Rea- fon difapproves:" But what I really detell and abhor, yet cannot help. V. 17. Now then, it is no more I that do it, hut Sin that dwelleth in me, *' It is " my fmful Propenfities, my indulged Appetites and Paflions." True: But thofe Propenfi- ties were antecedent to that hidiilgence. "But the Apoftle cannot mean, That there is fomething in Man, which makes him fm, whether he will or no. For then it would not be Sin at all." Experience ex- plains his Meaning. I have felt in me a thoufand Times, lomcthing which made mc trangrefs God's Law, whether I would or no. Yet I dare not fay, That "tranfgrcjjion of the Law was " no Sin at all." ^ N 4 V. iS. " p. 216. ^ p. 217* 200 T'he Doctrine of V. 1 8. For I know y that in me^ that is ^ in my FlefJ\ (not my " flefhly Appetites" only, but my whole Nature while unrenewed) dfwelkth no good 'Thing, For to will indeed is prefent with me : Not barely "that natural Faculty, the Will," but an adlual Will to do Good, as evidently appears from the fol- lowing Words, But how to perform that which is goody I find not : I have the Defire, but not the Power. V. 19. For the Good that I would ^ that I defire and chufe, / do not : But the Evil which I would not y which I hate, that I do. V. 20. Now if I do that I would not ^ it is no ?nore 7, but Sin that dwelleth in me : But " the Prevalency "" of fenfual Affedions," yea finful Tempers of every* Kind, " fettled and ruling in my Heart," both by Nature and Habit. V. 21. I FIND then, that when I woidd do Good, when I chufe and earneftly defire it, I cannot : Evil is prefent with me : As it were gets in between. V. 22. For / delight in the Law ofGo-D^ after the inward Man : My Mind, my Con- fcience approves it. V. 2 3 . But //tr^ another haw in my Mem- bers which warrelh agaijili the Law i?i my Mind: " Another Principle of Adion, which fights againft my Reafon" and Confcience, and ^ p. 218. y p. 219, Original Sin. 201 and bringeth me into Captivity to the haw of Sin which is in my Members : Which " cap- tivates and inflaves me to the Principle of Wickednefs." (Strange Language vor you to ufe!) "Seated in the Lufts of the Flefli :" Seated indeed in all my Tempers, Pafllons and Appetites, which are the feveral Mem- 'bers oithe old Man, MrtV. 24. Oivretched Man that I am : Who Jhall deliver me from the Body of this Death? " He is under the Power of liich Paffions, as his own Reafon difapproves, but is too weak to conquer : And N. B. beiiig a Jew, he (lands condemn'd to eternal Death by tJie Law. How fliall fuch a wretched Je'uj be delivered from finful Lufts, and the Curfe of the Law ?" Did then none but a Jew ever cry out, under the Burden of Sin wretched Man that I am ? Are none but Jews " under the Powers of fuch Paflions, as their own Reafon difapproves, but is too weak to con- quer?" And does the Law of God *' con- demn to eternal Death," no Sinners befide Jews? Do not Chriftians alfo (in the wide Senfe of the Word) groan to be delivered from the Body of this Death? With what Truth, with\vhat Senfe can you reftrain this Paflage to a Jew any more than to a 'Turk ? I CANNOT but obfer\'^e upon the whole, The Qucftion is, " Does not Rom. vii. 23, Ihcw 202 . The Doctrine c/' fhew that wc come into the World with fin- ful Propenfities ? (This is all that is perti- nent in the Objed;ion awkwardly propofed, p. 199.) But inftead of keeping to this, you fpend above twenty Pages in proving, that this Chapter does not defcribc a rege- nerate Perfon ! It may, or it may not : But this does not touch the Queftion, " Do not Men come into the World with finful Pro- penfities ?" We have undoubtedly an additional Proof, that they do, in the Words of Jeremiah C. xvii. 9. T^he Ueart^ is deceitful above all Things^ and defperately wicked: Who can know it ? On this you defcant (one Inftance of aThoufand, of your artful Manner of declaiming, in or- der to foreftall the Readers Judgment, and deceive the Hearts of the Simple) '^ Chriftians too generally neglediing the Study of the Scripture, content themfelves with a few Scraps, which tho' wrong underftood, they make the Teft of Truth, in contradiction to the whole Tenor of Revelation. Thus this Text has been mifapplied to prove. That every Man's Heart is lb defperately wicked, that no Man can know how wicked his Heart is.'* O what Tn^ocyt^XoyU' Perfwafive- nefs of Speech ! After reading this, I was much inclined to believe, without going a ftep farther, That this Text had been " gen- erally mifunderftood." I thought, probably * p. 224. it Original Sin. 203 it has been mifapplied, and does not affert, That every Man's Heart is defperatcly wicked. But no fooner did I read over the very Verfes you cite, than the clear Light appeared again. V. 5. ^Cwfedbethe Man that trufteth in Man, {ind whofe Heart depart eth from the Lord. ThatMz;^ whom we are not to truft in, means Man in general, cannot be denied. After repeating the intermediate Verfes, you your- felf add, " He fubjoins a Reafon V. 9. which demonftrates the Error of trufting in Man : The Heart is deceitfid above all Things and defperately wicked: Who can know it? This Text therefore does not mean. Who can know his own Heart, but another's." Whe- ther it means one or both it pofitively affcrts, That the Heart of Man, of Men in general, of every Man, is defperately wicked. There- fore as to the main Point contained therein, " Chriftians ^ do not underftand it wrong," neither mifapply it at all. When I fay, '^ I feel, I have a ^wicked Heart,'' another Thing which you do not underftand, I mean this, " I feel much Pride remaining in my Heart, much Self-will, much Unbelief." Now I really believe Pride and Self-will and Unbelief, to be cf- fentially wicked Tempers. Therefore in whatever Fleart they remain, (and they re- main in yours as well as mine) That is a wicked Heart, After * p. 225. " p. 224. <= p. 225, 204 Ti??^ Doctrine of After a long Paufe, you return to the vii'*' of the Komam and affirm, " We '^can- not from any Thing in that Chapter infer. That we came into the World witii finful Difpofitions derived from Adam ; for the Apoflle fays nothing about Adam.'^ He had faid enough in the v'^ Chapter of the Caufe. Here he only delcnbes the Efted:: The State of thofe, who are now brought to the Birth : But there is not yet Strength to bring forth. " Nor can we infer from hence, That any Man fins thro* a Principle which it was never in his Power to command. For then it would be no Sin." Upon this I would only alk, are you aflured, that no Man tranf- greiTes God's Law, (whether you will call it Sin, or not) thro' a Principle which it was never in his Power to command ? At leaft not for any Time together ? Every paflio- nate Man can confute you in this. He has fad Experience of the contrary. To thofe Objedlions which you have. In fome Sort, anfwered, you fubjoin the fol- lowing Qucftions. ^leji, I. "Is not the Doftrine^ of Original Sin neceflary to account for the being of fo much Wickednefs in the World." You anfwer, '' Adam'^ Nature, it is al- lowed, was not finful, and yet he finned. Therefore this Doftrine is no more neceflary to ^ p. 229. « p. 231, Original Sin. 205 to account for the Wickednefs of the World than to account for Adams Sin/* Yes, it is. I can account for one Man*s finning, or an hundred, or even half Mankind, fuppofe they were evenly poifed between Vice and Virtue, from their own Choice, which mieht turn one Way or the other. But I cannot poffibly on this Suppofition account for the general Wickednefs of Mankind in all Ages and Nations. Again. " If *^ Men were never drawn in- to Sin any other Way, than as Adam was, namely by Temptations offer 'd from without, there might be fomething in this Anfwer. But there are numberlefs Inftances of Men finning, though no Temptation is offer'd from without. It is neceffary therefore fome other Account fhould be given of their fin- nino: than of Adam'$>, And how to account for the univerfal Spread of Sin over the whole World without one Exception, if there were no Corruption in their common Head, would be an unlurmountable Difficulty." ^ejl. II. '' How then ^ are we born into the World ?" You anfw^er, *' As void of adual Know- ledge as the Brutes ?" And can you really imagine that Text, '^ob xi. 12. Vain Mati woidd be icife (evident- ly fpoken of Man in general) tho a Man be born f Vindication i p, no. « p. 232. 2o6 T'he Doctrine of hern like a wild Afss Colt ; implies no more th;^.n, " Men are born void of adual Know- ledge ?" Do we need Infpiration to make this Difcovery, That a new-born Child has no adlual Knowledge ? Is Man compared to a wild jifsy of all Animals the moft ftupid, to teach us no more than this ? Yea, a wild Afss Colt ? Does not this intimate any Thing of Intractablenefs, Sullennefs, Stubbornnefs, Perverfenefs ? " How ^ keenly is the Com- parifon pointed? Like the Afs^ an Animal ftupid even to a Proverb : Like the Afss Colt, which muft be ftill more egregioufly ftupid than its Dam : Like the wild Afss Colt, which is not only blockifh, but ftub- born and refractory ; neither has valuable Qualities by Nature, nor will eafily receive them by Difcipline. The Image in the O- riginal is yet more ftrongly touched. The Particle like is not in the Hebt^ew, Born a wild Afss Colt ; or, as we fhould fay in Englifh^ a 7nere wild Afss Colt" Yes, " We are born with many fenfual Appetites and Paffions : But every one of thefe are i?i thenfelves good!' I grant all the Appetites and Paffions originally implanted in our Nature, were good in themfelves. But are all that now exift in us, good ? "If not, they become Evil only by Excefs or A- bufe.'* Firft, This may be doubted. I do not ^ Tberon and Afpafa^ DiaL 1 3 . Original Sin. 207 know. That Love of Piaife, of Power, of Money, become Evil otily by Abuf\ 1 am a- fraid thefe and other P??ffions which we have had from our Infancy, are Evil in themjthes. But be that as ic may, in how few do we find even the more innocent Paflions and Ap- petites, clear of Excefs or Abufe P '' But all that is wrong in them is from Habit." This cannot be allow'd as univerfally true. The littlt Chiloren of wife and pious Parents, have not yet contracted ill Habits. Yet before they can go alone, they fhew fuch Paflions, as are palpably Exceffive, if not Evil in the.- felves. But whatever they are in themfelves, here is the " grand Difficulty, of which you give us no Manner of Solution, whence comes it to pafs. That thofe Appetites and Paffions, which no Doubt were at firft kindly implant- ed in our Nature by an holy God, are now become fo exceflive or irregular, that no one Man from the Beginning of the World has fo refifted them, as to keep himfelf pure and innocent ?" " But without thefe Appetites andPalli- ons, our Nature would be defective, fluggilh orunarm'd. Nor is there anyone of them which we can at prefent fpare." We could very well fpare the Excefs and Irregularity of them all: And poflibly, fome of the Paflions themfelves, as Love of Praife, and Love of Revenge 2o8 Ti'he Doctrine of Revenge. The Love of God would more than fupply the Place of both: Neither does it fuffer us to be fuggijl:) or inaBive. Nor does calm, chriftian Fortitude leave us un-- armed againft any Danger which can occur. " But 'our Reaibn would have nothing to ftruggle with." O yes; not only all our Reafon, but all the Grace we have received, has enough to ftruggle with, even when iioe do not wreflle with FleJJo and Blood. We are ftill abundantly " exercifed" by Principalities and Powers a7id fpiritual JVickednefs in high Places, *' On the other Hand, we are born with rational Powers which grow gradually capa- ble of the moft ufeful Knowledge. And we under the Gofpel have clear Ideas of the Divine Perfe(ftions : We fee our Duty, and the moft cogent Reafons to perform it." This founds well. But will Knowledge bal- lance PaJJion ? Or are rational Powers a Counterpoife to fenfual Appetites ? Will clear Ideas deliver Men from Luft or Vani- ty ? Or feeing the Duty to love our Enemies enable ustopradiife it? What are coge?2t Reafons oppofed to Covetoufnefs or Ambition ? A Thread of Tow that has touch'd the Fire. *' But the Spirit of God is promifed for our Afliftance." Nay, but what Need of Him, upon your Scheme ? Man is fufficient for himfelf. Original Sin. 2cg himfelf. IL that glorieth on this Hypothclis, muft glory in himfelf, not in the Lord. ^lejt. III. '' How far is our'' prefent State the fame with that of Adam in Paradife r" I SUPPOSE " our Mental Capacities are the fame as Adam's^ only that fome are above, fome below his Standard. Probably there are many in the World much below Adam^ in rational Endowments. But poilihly the Force and Acutenefs of Underftandino^ was much greater, in our Sir Ifaac Newton than in Adam!' I DO not apprehend, this requires any Anfwer. He that can believe it, let him believe it. " We are next to enquire, Upon what true Grounds thofe Parts of Religion ftand, which the Schoohnen have founded upon the Dodlrine of Original Sin : Particularly the two grand Articles of Redemption and Regeneration." In what Century did the Schoolmen write.? How long before St. Augufiiney (to go no higher)? A fad Specimen this of "the Ho- nefty and Impartiality with which you deli- ver your Sentiments ! " I. Redemption. " Our Fall, Corruption and Apoftafy in Adam has been made the Reafon why the O Son ^ p. 23?. 2IO I'he Doctrine of Son of God came into the World and^^i;^ Hi mf elf a Ranjom for us." And undoubtedly it is the Reafon. Ac- cordingly the very firft Promife of the Re- deemer was given prefently after the Fall. And given with a manifeft Reference to thofe Evils which came on all Men thro' Adam^ Tranfgreffion. Nor does it appear from any Scripture, That He would have come into the World at all, had not all Men died in Adam. You yourfclf allow, "The Apoftle affirms,^ Rom. v. 1 8, 19. That by the Right eotifnefs and Obedience of Chriji^ all Men are delivered from the Condemnation and Sentence they came under thro'^^^;;2's Difobedience : And that thus far the Redemption by CZ?r//?ftands in Conneffion with Adani^ Tranfgreffion." "But the Redemption by Chrifl^ extends far beyond the Confequences of Adam's Tranfgreffion." It does. Men receive far greater Bleflings by C/6r//?, than thofe they loft by Ada?n. But this does not prove. That our Fall in Adam is not the Ground of our Redemption by Chriji, Let us once more confider the Text itfelf, V. 15. But not as the Offence^ fo is the Free- Gift, For if thro the Offence of 07ie 7nany he deady jnuch ?nore the Grace of God and the Gift by Grace y the Blcffing which flows from the mere Mercy of God, which is by one Many • p. 238, Jefus Original Sin. 211 Jefus Chrift, hath abounded unto mcmy.Y , 16. For not as it was by one that finned^ fo is the Gift : For the Judgment was by one Offence to Condemnation-, but the Free -Gift is oj in any Offences imto 'Jujlijication, In this Refpedt, Firft, the Free-Gift by Chriji^ hath abounded much more than the Lofs by Adam. And in this, Secondly, V. ij. If by one Maris Of fenceDEATu Spiritual and Temporal, lead- ing to Death Eternal reigned by one over his whole Pofterity, much more they who re- ceive the Abundance of Grace and of the Gift of Righteoufnefs^ the Free-Gift of Juftificatioa and Sandification, JJ:aIl reign in Life ever- lafting by one Jefus Chrifl. Let any one who calmly and impartially reads this Paf- fage judge, if this be not the plain, natural Meaning of it. But let us now obferve your Comment upon it. " Here the Apoftle'' afferts a Grace of God, which already hath abounded^ be- yond the Effeds o\ Ada??is Sin upon us." It has, upon them that are juftified and fandli- fied; but not upon all Mankind. — " And which has Refped, not to his o?ie Offence' — Not to that only,— '^ but alfo to the 7nany Of- fences which Men have perfonally committed. — Not to the Death which reigned by him." — Yes verily : But over and above die Removal of this, It hath alfoRefpedt '' to the O 2 Life "* X). njq 212 T^he Doctrine of Life in which they who receive the abound- ing Grace fliali reign with Him for ever/' Thus far you have proved juft nothing. But you go on, "The Death confequent' on Adam\ Sin, is reverfed by the Redemption in Chrijl, But this is not the whole End of it by far. The grand Reafon and End of Redemption is, l^he Grace of Gob y and the Gift by Graced InfalHbly it is 3 but this is not a different Thing, but precifely the fame with the Free-Gift, Confequently your whole Strudiure raifed on the Suppofition of that Difference, is a mere Caftle in the Air. But if the Gift by Grace ^ and the Free-Gift are the very fame Thing, and if the Gift by Grace is " the grand Reafon and End of Re- demption :" Then our Fall in Adam^ to which you allow the Free-Gift diredlly refers, is " the Reafon of Chrif's Coming into the World." *' But the Scriptures" of the NewTefta- ment (excepting Rom, v. 12 — 19. and 1 Cor. XV. 21, 22) always affign the adiual Wick- ednefs of Mankind, as the Reafon of Chrif% Coming into the World." They generally do affign this, their outward and inward Wickednefs. But this does not exclude the Wickednefs of their Nature, fpringing from their Fall in Adam, Rather this, which is expreffed in thofe two Places at leaft, is pre- fuppoled " P- 239. ° p. 240. Original Sin. 213 fuppofed in all Places. Particularly in the Beginning of theEpiftle to the Roma?7S, where h€ defcribes the enormous Wickednefs both of the Jews and Ge?2tiles, '' 'Tis true% he begins his Difcourfe with an Account of the adlual Tranlgreflions of the idolatrous Gen- tiles. Afterwards, C. iii. he treats of the Depravity and Corruption of all Mankind : And then proceeds, C. v. tofhew, That we are all made Sinners by Adam^ and that by his Offence 'Judgment is come upon all Men to Condemnation, The Apoftle's Method is clear and natural. He begins with that which is moft obvious, even adtual Sin ; and then proceeds to fpeak of Original Sin, as the joint Caufe of the Neceffity of Redemp- tion for all Men. But which Way can we infer, that becaufe he begins with the Men- tion of Adual Sins, in order to dcmonftrate the Neceffity of Redemption, therefore he ex- cludes Original out of the Account? Neither can we infer, That becaufe it is not exprefly mention'd in -other Texts, therefore it is not implied. " But the 'Redeemer Himfelf faith not one Word of redeeming us from the Cor- ruption of Nature derlv'd from Adam, And feeing He fpake exadly according to the Commiffion which the Father gave Him, we may fafelv conclude, it was no Part of his Commiffion to preach the Doclrlne of O 3 Original P Vindicatior, p. ii6,&c. « p. 241- " P- -42- 214- ^ke Doctrine of Original Sin." "Juft as fafely may wc conclude, that it was no Part of his Com* miflion, to teach and make known to Men, the many 'Things which he had to fay to his Apoftles before his Death, which they could not then bear, John xvi. 12, but which ac- cording to his Promife, He afterward taught them by his Spirit, and by them to the World. It makes no Difference as to the Ground of our Faith, whether a Doctrine was delivered by Chrijl himfelf or by his Apoftles: And whether it be written in any ot the four Gofpels, or of the Divine Epiftles. There is only this Difference. The Epiftles were wrote after the Refurredlion and Af- cenfion of Chrijl, Therefore after the full Commencement of the Gofpel Difpcnfation: V/hereas the Difcourfes of Ch'-ift recorded in the Gofpels, were delivered before the Gofpel Difpcnfation was properly begun. Therefore v/e are to look for the peculiar Dodrines of Chrijl^ rather in the Epiftles than in the Gofpels. However Chrijl did fpeak of this, and referred to it more than once, during his perfonal Miniftry ; particu- larly in his Difcourfe with Nicodemus, and Matt, xxiii. But it is not furprizing, that He did not fpeak fo largely, of redeeming us from Sip, original or adual, by the Price of his Blood, before that Price was adually paid, as the Apoftles did afterward. He confider'd the Littlenefs of their Knowledge, with Original Sin. 2ij with.the Violence of their Prejudices. TJicre- fore we have no Caufe to be furprized, that no more is faid on this Head in thofe Difcourfes which Chrijl delivered before his Death. But to Us He has told it plainly, and we do Ji?2d \h^ Doftrines of Original Sin and Redemption from it by Jefus Chrijl^ dillin- guijhed emphatically in almoft every Page of the infpired Epiftles." To fum up this: i. Chrijl fpeaks very fparingly of many Things, whereof his A- poflles have fpoken largely : 2. Yet He does fpeak of the Corruption of our Nature (which St. Paul exprefly tells us is derived from Adam) particularly in the xxiii' of St. Matthew and the 3 of St. 'John. 3. Where- ever He fpeaks of faving that which was lojl^ He in EfFecfl fpeaks of this : Efpeci- ally Matth. xviii. 1 1 , where He mentions little Children as loft -, which could not be by adlual Sin : 4. There was the lefs Need of our Lord's fpeaking much on this Head, becaufe it was fo fully declared in the Old Teftament, and was not queftion'd by any of thofe falfe Teachers, again ft whom he was chiefly concerned to warn his Difciples. You add, " It has' been delivered as a fundamental Truth ; That no Man will come to Chrijl, the fecond Adam who is not firft throughly convinced of the fcveral Things* he loft in the firft Adam!' This is a fun- damental Truth ^ none will come to Chrifi ^ p. 243. O 4 a^ 2i6 TZv Doctrine of as a Redeemer, 'till he is throughly con* vinc'd, he wants a Redeemer. No Man . ever will com.e to Him as a Savioiiry 'till he knowG and feels himfelf a lojl Sinner. None will come to the Phyjician^ but they that art Jick^ and are throughly fenfible of it : That are deeply convinced of their finful Tem- pers, as well as finful Words and Aftions. And thefe Tempers they well know were antecedent to their Choice, and came into the World with them. So far '' every Man who comes to Chrijl^ is firft convinced of the feveral Things he loft by Adam^' tho' he may not clearly know the Source of that Corruption which he fees and feels in his own Heart and Life. " But why does our Lord never mention Adam^ or the Corrup- tion of cur Nature thro' him ?" He does mention this Corruption, and He prefuppofes it in all his publick Difcourfes. He does not mention it largely and explicitly, for the Reafons above recited. " But the Apoftles arc 'w^holly filent on this Head, in their Ser- mons recorded in the A6fs : And in their Epiftles too." Are they wholly file?2t in their Epiilles ? This is a violent Miftake. And as to their Sermons, it may be obferved. I . That we have not one whole Sermon of any one Apoftle, recorded in the Acls -, nor, it may be, the twentieth Part of one. 2. That it * p. 243, 244. Original Sin. 217 It wgs not needful for them to prove, what none of their Hearer? denied;— No, not even the Heathens: Even thcle allowed the Cor- ruption of human Nature. Even aicAc ic- ceived it as an undeniable Fad:, " Vitiis nemo fine nafcitm !' No Man is born without Vices. Thefe acknowledged (as Seneca exprefles it) Omnia in omnibus mtia funt : iVll Vices arc in all Men. Thefe faw, There were hardly any good Men to be found upon the Face ot the Earth : And openly tefti-- fy it : Kari quippe bojii^ niimero vixfimttotidcm mot T!hebarumportc€^veldivitisojliaNili: ' The Good lie fcatter'd in this barren Soil, Few as the Gates of T'hebes, or Mouths of Nile, They had alfo among them fome faint Ac- count of the Caufe of that overflowing Cor- ruption. So Horace immediately after he had afferted the Fa6l, Audax ojnnia perpeti Gens hiimana ruit per vetitum 7iefas : Lav/lefs,and unreftrain'd the human Race Ruilies thro' all the Paths of daring Wick- ed nefs : glances at the Caufe of it, in their fabulous Manner Audax Jdpeti genus Tgnemfraude mala gentibus intulit : Pojl 2i8 The Doctrine of Poji ignem cethered domo Subdu^um^ macieSj & nova fcbriiim T'erris incubuit cohors : Semotiq-, prius tarda NeceJJitas Let hi corripuit gradum, Prometheus fiv^ provok'd the heavenly Sire, Purloining yupiters authentic Fire : Evil, from hence deriv'd, and brooding Pain, And ftrange Difcafe with all the ghaftly Train, Pour*d in upon the wretched Sons of Men : While hafty Fate quickened the lingring Pace . Of diftant Death, unveil'd the Monfter's Face, And gave into his Hands our whole de- voted Race. I OBSERVE, 3. It was neither needful nor proper, for an Apoftle in his firft Sermon to a Congregation wholly unawakened, to defcant upon Original Sin, No Man of common Senfe would do it now. Were I to preach to a certain Congregation at Nor- ivich^ I fliould not fay one Word of Adam, but endeavour to fhew them. That their Lives, and therefore their Hearts, were cor- rupt and abominable before God. You conclude this Head, " Guilt imputed is i?nagi?2a?j Guilty and fo no Objedt of Redemption^ I dare not fay fo as to my own Original Sin. 219 own particular. I pray God, of his tender Mercy, to free me from This and all other Guilt, thro the Redemption which is in jcius Chrift ! II. Regeneration. " Why "muft we be born again T' (You fubjoin the common, but, as you fuppofe, ab- furd Anfwer :) " Becaufe we are horn in Sin. Nature is averfe to all Good and inclined to all Evil. Therefoie we mull; be horn again y before we can pleafe God." In order to confute this, you affert, "Then it cannot be our Diity\ to be born again, nor confequently our Faulty if we are not; be- caufe it is not in our Power!' It is, by Grace, tho' not by Nature. By this we may all be born again. Therefore it is our Duty, and if we fall fhort herein, it is our own Fault, " But being ^ born again does really fig- nify, the gaining thofe Habits of Virtue, which make us Children of God." Then St. Paul ought to have faid, Not^r a7'e all the Children of God, hy Faith in Chrift Jefus: But, ye are all the Children of God, by gain- ing Hahits of Virtue! Nay, but according to the whole Tenor of Scripture, the being ^r;^ again Aots really fiP-nify, the being inwardly changed by the Almighty Operation of the Spirit of God : Changed from Sin to Holinefs: Renew'd in the « p. 245. * p. 246. 220 The Doctrine of the Imaec of Him that created us. And why mull we befo changed? Eecaufe %mth- cut Holinefs no Mmi Jl:all fee the Lord: And becaufe without this Change, all our En- deavours after Holinefs are ineffedlual. God hath indeed " endowed us with Vvderfand-- ingj and given us abundant Means." But our Underftanding is as infufficient for that End, as are the Outward Means, if not at- tended with Inward Power. You proceed to explain yourfelf at large. *' Chriji informs us. That except a Man be lorn again ^ he cannot fee the Kingdom of GcDy wd thereby teaches us. -I. " That God hath ""ereded a King- dom, united in and under Him, for his Glory, and Mens mutual Happinefs.'' II, " He ''will finally admit none into it,- who are not difpofed to relifli and promote the Happinefs of it." , (Both thefe Propofitions I willingly al- low) III. '^ All Wickednefs is quite contrary to the Nature and End of this Kingdom. Therefore no wicked Men can be fit Mem- bers of it. Unlefs ^ there be a full Perfua- fion, that Reverence, Love and Obedience are due to God:" (I add, and unlefs it be adlually paid Him^ otherwife that Perfuafon but increafes our Condemnation) " Unlefs his -•* p. 246. " p. 247. y p. 248. Original Sin. 221 his Favour is preferred before all other En- joyments whatfoever: Unlefs there be a De- light in the Worfhip of God, and in con- verfe with Him: Unlefs every Appetite be brought into SubjccSVlon to Reafon." (add, and Reafon to the Word of God) " How can any Man be fit to dwell with God, or to do Him Service in his Kino-dom?" IV. " It is ^one Thing to be born into God*s Creation, another to be born into his peculiar Kingdom. In order to an Admit- tance into his peculiar Kingdom, it is not enough for an intelligent Being to exift." I do not know that. Perhaps it is not poflible, for God to create an intelligent Being, with- out creating it duly fubjecfl to Himfelf, that is, A (ubjed: of his peculiar Kingdom. It is highly probable, the holy Angels were Subie6ts of his peculiar Kingdom, from the firft Moment of their Exiftence. There- fore the following peremptory Affertion, and all of the like Kind, are wholly groundlefs. *' It is abfdutcly necejfary^ before any Crea- ture can be a Subjedt of this, that it learn to employ and exercife its Powers, fuitably to the Nature of them." It is not necef- fary at all. In this Senfc furely, God 7nay do what He will wi^h his own. He may be- ftow his own Blcffings as He pleafes. h thine Eye evi/y becaiifi He is Good? The « p. 250, 251. 2 22 T'he Doctrine of The Premifes then being gone, what be- comes of the Conclufion ? " So that the be- ing bor7i into God's peculiar Kingdom, de- pends upon a right Ufe and Application of our Life and Being : And is the Privilege only of thofe wife Spirits, who attain to an Habit of true Holinefs." This ftands without any Proof at all. At beft therefore it is extremely doubtful. But it mufl appear extremely abfurd to thofe, who believe God can create Spirits, both wife and holy : That he can ftamp any Creature with what Meafure of Holinefs he fees good, at the firft Moment of its Ex- igence. The Occailon of your running into this Abfurdity feems to be, that you ftumbled at the very Threfhold. In the Text under Con- fideration our Lord mentions two Things, The New-Birth and the Kingdom of God. Thefe two your Imagination blended into on^ : In Confequence of which you run on with " born into his Kingdom" (a Phrafe never ufed by our Lord, nor any of his Apoftles) and an Heap of other crude Ex- prejjiom of the fame Kind : All betraying that Confufedncfs of 'Thought^ which alone could prevent your ufual Clearnefs of Lan- guage. Just in the fame Manner you go on. Our firft Parents in Paradife were to form their Original Sin. 223 'their Minds to an habitual Subjedlion to the Law of God, without which they could not be received into his fpiritual Kingdom." This runs upon the fame miftaken Suppofi- tion. That God could not create the?n Holy. Certainly He could and did : And from the very Moment that they were created, their Minds were in Subjed:ion to the Law of God, and they were Members of his fpiri- tual Kingdom. " B u T if Adam was originally perfect in Holinefs," (fay, perfeBly Holy, made in the Moral Lnage of God) " what Occafion was there for any farther Trial ? " That there might be Room for farther Holinefs and Happinefs: Entire Holinefs does not exclude Growth : Nor did the right State of all his Faculties intitle him to that Jidl Reward, which would have followed the Right life of them. " Upon^ the whole, Regeneration, or gaining Habits of Holinefs, takes in no Part of the Doctrine of Original Sin." But Re- generation is not " gaining Habits of Holi- nefs :" It is quite a different Thing. It is not a Natural, but a Supernatural Change; and is juft as different from the gradual " gaining Habits," as a Child's being bor7i into the World is, from his groijoiiig up into a Man. The New Birth is not (as ypu fup- pofe) f p. 252. 253. * p. 254, 224 ^'^^ Doctrine of pofe) the Progrefsy or the Whole of Sanftifi- cation, but the Begin?iing of it : As the na^ tural Birth^ is not the Whole of Life, but only the Entrance upon it. He that is hor7i cf a Womaji^ then begins to live a natural Life : He that is born of God, then begins to live a fpiritual. And if every Man born of a Woman had fpiritual Life already, he would not need to be born of God. " However," I allow the Spirit of God affiils our Endeavours. But this does not fup- pofe any natural Pravity of our Minds." Does not his quickenijig then fuppofe w^. were dead^^ His opening our Eyes^ fuppofe we were blind ? And his creating us anew imply fome- thing more than the ajfijling our Endeavours t . How very llender a Part in Sandiification will you allow to the Spirit of God ? You fcem very fearful of doing Him too much Honour, of taking from Man the Glory due to hi« Name ! Accordingly you fay, " His Aids are fo far from fuppofing the previous Inaptitude of our Minds" (to the being born again) " that onr previous Dcjire of the Spirit's AiTiftance, is the Condition of our receiving it." , But who gave us that Defire ? Is it not Goq ^'^^^-, ivorketh iji us to will^ to defire^ as well ■ ^s'. fo ^ do ? His Grace does accompany 2Lnd follow our Defires : But does it not aKo prevent y go be- iki4^t«.iW' sore P- 25 i* Original Sin. 225 fore them ? After this, we may ajk and feek farther Affiftance : And if we do, not other- wife, // is given, I CANNOT but add a few Words from Dr. Jennings, " ^ Mr. Taylor bcheves the In- fuence of the Spirit of God, to afjijl ciir fin- cere EndeavourSy is fpoken of in the Gofpcl, but never as fuppofing any natural Praviy of cur Minds, But certain it is, That Chrj/l oppofeth our being born of the Spirit^ to our being born ' of the Flefd : lljat ichich is born of the Flef:^ is FleJ]?^ and that ivhich is born of the Spirit^ is Spirit, Therefore the Influence of the Spirit in Regeneration, fup- pofeth fomething that we are horn with, which makes fuch an Influence neccfiary to our being born again. And if this be not fome natural Pravity, let our Author tell us what it is. It is plain, it is not any ill Habit afterward acquired -, for it is fome- thing that we are born with. And if to be born of the Flejh means only, to have the Parts and Powers of a Man ; and if thefe Parts and Powers, are all pure and uncorruptcd, we have no Need of any fuch Influence of the Spirit, to be fuper-added to our natural Powers. Without this, our own fncere En- deavours will fuffice, for attaining all Habits of Virtue,'' P I PRO- « Vindication, p. 125. " Johnivi. 6. 226 T'he Doctrine of I PROCEED to your Conclufion, " Is it not, 'highly rnjurious to the God of our Nature, whofe Hands have formed and fafhion'd us, to believe our Nature is originally corrupted?'* It is : But the Charge falls not on uSy hvXyou., We do not believe *^ our Nature is originally corrupted" It is you who believe this : Who^ believe our Nature to be in the fame State, moral and intellecflual, as it originally was \ Highly injurious indeed is this Supposition to the God of our Nature. Did He originally give us liich a Nature as this ? So like that of a wild jlfss Colt t Sq ftupid, fo ftubborn, {o intrad:able ! So prone to Evil ! Averfe to Good ! Did his Hands form and fafiion us' thus? No wifer or better than Men at prefent are ? If I believed this. That Men were ori- ginally what they are now ; if you could once convince me of this, I could not go fo far as to be a Deiji : I muft either be a Majiichee^ or an Afhetjl. I muft either believe. There was an evil God, or that there was no God at all. *^ But to difparage ^ our Nature is to dis- parage the Work and Gifts of God." True: But to defcribe the Corruption of our Nature as it is, is not difparaging the Work of God. For that' Corruption is not his Work, On the other J land, To . fay it is, to fay God created, us :as> corrupt aSL we are now, with ', as ' p. 256. s p. 2^7. Original Sin. 227 as weak an Underflanding and as pervcrfe a Will : This is difparaging the Work of God> and God Himfelf to fome Purpofe ! " But doth not this Dodlrine teach you to transfer your Wickednefs and Sin to a wrong Caufe ? Whereas ^ you ought to blame yourfelf alone, you lay the whole Blame upon Adam.'' I do not. I know God is willing to fave me from all Sin, both priginal and aftual. Therefore if I am not faved, I muft lay the whole Blame upon myfelf. " But what good End does this Dodlrinc promote ?" The Doftrine, That we are by Nature, dead m Sin^ and therefore Child?'e?i ofWrathy promotes Repentance, a true Know- ledge of ourfelves, and thereby leads to Faith in Chrijl, to a true Knowledge of Chriji cru- cified. And Faith worketh Love ; and by Love, all Holinefs both of Heart and Life. Confequently, this Doftrine promotes (nay and is abfolutely, indilpenfably neceflary to promote) the whole of that Religion which the Son of God lived and died to eflablifh. "We are told indeed. That it promotes Humility. But neither our Lord, nor his Apoftlcs, when inculcating Humility, fay a Word about natural Corruption. " Sup- pofing (not granting) that they did not, yet it cannot be, in the very Nature of the Tiling, P 2 that * p. 258. 228 ^he Doctrine of that any whole Nature is corrupt, fhould be humble, fliould know himfelf, without knowing that Corruption. * '** ** But ' what can be more deftru6live to Virtue, than to repr efent Sin as altogether imavoidableT' This does not follow from the Dotflrine. Corrupt as we are, thro' Almighty Grace we may avoid all Sin. But it is deftruftive of Virtue. For " if we believe we are by Nature worfe than the Brutes, wliat Wonder if we aft worfe than Brutes?" Yea, if we are fo, what Won- der if \Nt ^£t fo? And this it is abfolutcly certain Men do, whether they believe one Way or the other;^ For they who do not believe this, live ho' better than thofe that do. Therefore if " ;ffit?^enerality of Chrif- tians have been thd moft wicked, lewd, bloody and treacherous of all Mankind,'* it is not owing to this Belief. But in Truth they have not been fo 5 neither are they at this Day. The Generality of Chriftians, fo called, are perhaps but little better, yet furc- ly they are no worfe, either in Tempers or Acrion's, than the reft of Mankind. The (7enerility of yt'U'i, yea, oi Turks and P^- gam^ ixtSy^Xi as "lewd, bloody and trea- cherous" as they. ^'' ' ^ • "^i^^ ' ^'You go on. "*"''hris furpri2jfti^ ;;^Hat Ckrxfifaiis'\ (you mean»:J;hofc of tliem who •uiii hi^, ^(lit5vt"e>^Uicn4r ofifcir^ . j;)elieVc :^ P- 259- ^ P- 2^0. ^j ^ ^ ^ ^ , Original Sin. 220 believe Original Sip), '' have loft even a Senfc of the Beneficence of God, in giving them a Rational Nature." Nay, furely C6/7/- tians.l12.ve loft that Rational Nature itiblf, or tbey retain it to very little Purpofe, if " the Ge;ierality of them are the moft wick- ed, lewd, bloody and treacherous of all Mankind !" They ought '' to be humbled," for yielding to thofe evil Propenfities, which thro* the Grace of God they may conquer. And they who do conquer, ought to be con- tinually, " thanking God," for this and all his Benefits. ^.,- .f^ With great Decency you proceed, " Who can believe that to be a Revelation from God, which teacheth fo abfurd a Doc- trine ? I make no Doubt, this with other like Principles, have filled our Land with Infi- dels." However the Gentlemen who difclaim tHefe abfurd Principles, of Original Sin^ Re- demption and Regeneration^ may very eafily convert thofe Infidels : Since there is fcarce anv Room for Contention left between them. ] '^ Is not this Dodlrine hurtful to ' the Power of Godliiiefs, as it diverts Men from the heavenly and fubftantial Truths of Re- ligion?" Juft the reverfe. There is no Pof- iibility of the Power of Godlincf;. without it. The Power of Godlinefs confill>< in the Love of God and Man: This is heavenly arul fub- ftantial Religion. But no Man can poinbly « p. 261. P 3 '^""^ 230 ^ke Doctrine ^ love his Neighbour as himfelf^ 'till he loves God. And no Man can poffibly love Gop, 'till he truly believes in Chriji. And no Man truly believes in Chriji^ 'till he is deeply con- vinced of his ow^n Sinfulnefs, Guiltinefs and Helpleffnefs. But this no Man ever was, neither can be, who does not know he has a corrupt Nature. This Dodtrine therefore is the " moft proper* of all others, "to be inftilPd Into a Child :" That it is by Nature a Child of Wrath, under the Guilt and under tl:^e Power of Sin : That it can be faved from Wrath, only by the Merits, and Sufferings, and Love of the Son of God : That it can be delivered from the Power of Sin, only by the Infpira- of his Holy Spirit : But that by his Grace it may be renewed in the Image of God, perfected in Love, and made meet for Glory. But " muft'" it not lefTen the due Love of Parents to Children, to believe they are the vileft Creatures in the World ?" Far from it; if they know how God loves both them and their's, vile and flnful as they are. And it is a certain Fad:, That no Parents love their Children more tenderly, than thofc who firmly believe this Do6lrine : And that none are more careful to bring them up in the Nur^ tare a fid Admonition of the Lord. But '* how can young People remember their Creator without Horror, if He has given » p. 262, 263. them tOk'ictNAL Sin. 271 tlierri Xife under fuch "deplorable Circum- ftances ?'^ They can remember Him w^th Plcafure, with earneft Thankfulnefs, when they refled:, out of wh^t a Pit He hath iroi/gk them up : And that if Sin abounded, both by Nature and Habit, Grace did 7nuch 7?iore a- bound. '^'^^ ^ ^^^" You conclude, " Why "fhould we fubjeft our Confciences toTales and Fables, invented by Priejis and Mo?iks ?" This Fable, as you term it, of Original Sin, could not be invented by RomiJJo Priefts or Monks : Becaufe it is by many Ages older than either ; yea than Chriftianity itfelf. I HAVE now weighed, as my Leifure would permit all the Arguments advanced in your Three Parts. And this I have done with continual Prayer, That I might know the T'ruth as it is in Jefus. But ftill I fee no Ground to alter my Sentiments, touching the general Corruption of Human Nature. Nor can I find any better or any otlier Way, of accounting for that general Wickednefs, which has prevailed in all Nations, and thro' all Ages, nearly from the Beginning gf the World to this Day. Lewisham, Jiuu,zs^ ^757- -^ a£fi sH ' •'"'-p. .64. P4 PART f li^ } ^m^* ^nO ioWn^^s fqquc ltd! ffA .uv Xf Ot ^7i £\ oS J£fb [ 233 ] «i»»3»^<>r^<>]«^"*5or^o T H E^ DoBrine of Original Sin^ &c. PART IIL An Anfwe/ to Mr, Taylor i Supplement* ?^&^"^0U fubjoin to your Book a very ^ Y w!! large Supplement y in Anfwer to Dr. Iml^'SjmJ J^^^^^^S^ ^^^ Dr. Watts. All that they have advanced, I am not en- gaged to defend^ but fuch Parts only, as afFeft the Merits of the Caufc, You divide this Part of your Work into Eight Sections. The Firft treats Of Imputed Guilt. AN D here you roundly affirm, *' No' ABion is faid in Scripture to be im- puted to any Perfon, for Righteoufnefs or Condemnation, but xhc proper A^ and Deed of that Perfon." • Supplement, p. 7. ' WcRE 234 '^^'^ Doctrine of Were then the hiiquities mid Sins which )verc put upon the Scape-Goat, his o^nproper AB afidDeed? You anfwer, '* Here was no Imputation of Sin to the Goat. It was only a figurative Way of fignifying the Removal cf Guilty from the penitent IfraeliteSy by the Goat's going into the Wildernefs/* But how cguld it be a Figure of any fuch Thing if no Guilt was imputed X.0 him ? "Aaron is commanded\ to put the Lit" quities ^Ifrael upon the Scape-Goat, Lev. xvi. 21. And this Goat is faid. To bear the hiiquities of the Peopky V. 22. This was plainly ao Imputation. Yet it could not pof- fibly be an Imputation of any done by the Animal itfelf. The Effects alfo which^ took Place upon the Execution of the Ordi- dinance indicate a Tranflation of Guilt. For the Congregation was cleanfed, but the Goat was polluted. The Congregation fo cleanfcdy that their Iniquities were borne away, and to be found no more : The Goat {opollutedy that it communicated Defilerffent to the Perfon who cor.du^ted it into a Land not inhabited/' In Truth the Scape-Goat was a Figure of Him, en "icbom the Lord laid the Iniquities of us ally lia. liii. 6. He bore our Iniquity ^ V. 1 1 . He bare the Sin of niany^ V. 12. The Pro- phet ufcs three different Words in the Ori-^ ginal :' * *[k>trin and jK^aJic. Original Sin. 235 ginal : Of which the firft does properly fig- nify the meeting together*, the laft, the lifti?ig up a Weight or Burden. This Burden it was which made }r{\\nfweat m it were great Drops of Bloody falli?ig to the Ground. ^* But ''Iniquity and Sin fometimes fignify Suffer^ ings" Yes; Suffering for Sin, the EfFedt being put for the Caufe. Accordingly what we mean by, " Our Sins were imputed to Him, is, He was puniihed for them: He was wounded for our T^raiifgrefjions -, He was bruifed for our Iniquities, He who knew no Sin, but what was thus imputed, was made Sin, a Sin-OfFering, /6>r us: *'4t pleafed'^the Lord" (your own Words) *' to bruife Him, in Order to the Expiation of our Sins." ' " But with Regard to Parents and their Poftcrity, God affures us, Children /ZW/ /7^^ die for the Iniquity of their Fatfjers^ No, not eternally. I believe none ever did or ever will die eternally, merely for the Sin of our Firft Father. " But the Scripture never fpeaks^ of im- puting any Sin to any Perfon, but what is the A(5tofthat Perfon." It was but now you yourfelf obferved, That by " our Sins weren^^/'/z/W/oChrift," we mean, ^' He f of- fered for them." Our Sins then were imputed to Chrif. And yet thcfe Sins were not the Ad: of the Perfon tliat fuftcred. He did not commit 5 p. 3, .;, ** p. 10, II. ' p. 13. .14. 'Sjfi I'he DoCTlftlKE of commit the Sin which' was thus ' tniputea 'to Him. ' '■ V ^^ Bur ^* no juft ConfFitiTtioh cai^^ piVi?fffi^ t!^ Innocent r This is undoubtedly true. Thefe- fore God does not look upon Infants as in- nocent, but as involved in the Guilt of A- dam'% Sin. Otherwife Death the Punijl^menf denounced againft that Sin, could not be in- flifted upon them. " It is allow^ed the Pofterlty of Ham and Gehaziy and the Children of Dathan and Abiranty fuffered for the Sins of their Pa- rents." It is enough. You need allows no more. All the World w^ill fee. If they ^^ fered for them, then they were punijh'd for them. Yet we do not " confound Funijh-^ mentv/\^ Sufferings zs \i to ft ffery and to be pih2iJJ?edy were the fame Thing." Punifj- ment \s not barely Sufferings hwt fuffering for Sin: To fuffer and to ht puniffedy are not the fame Thing. But io fuffer for Sin, and to be puniJFd are precifely the fame. If therefore the Children of Dathan and Ahirnm ftffcredfor the Sins of their Parents, which no Man can deny, then they were punifjd for them. Confequently it is not true, That ** in the Inftances^ alledged, the Parents only w^rt punijhed by tht Sufferings of the Children." If the Children fiffered for thok-SinSy then they were pufiiffd fof ^''"^^^ them. p. i6. « p. 17, 18. ' ■'' "^^ - Original Sin. 237 them. Indeed fometimes the Parents too were punifhed, hy the Sufferings of their Children.^, which is all that your Heap of Quotations proves : And fometimes they were not. But howev,^r this were ; if the Children fufferd for. their ^i?Uy tbiey were pumped for them. ^ "'llx is not therefore '' evident,^ that in all thefe Cafes, Children are confider^d not as Criminals y involved in Guilt but as. the £;;- joyments of their Parents, who alone are punijhed by their Sufferings." On the con- trary, it is very evident, that the Children of Ca?iaan \Ntvt punij}:ed for the Sin of Hiwi^^ and that the Children oi Dot ban zndAbiram were puni(hed with Death, as '' involved in the Guilt of their Parents." " On the other Hand, the Virtues' of an Anceftor may convey great Advantages to his Pofterity. But no Man's Pofterity can be rewarded for their Anceftor's Virtue." The Point here in Difpute between Dr. Watts and you, is. Whether the Thing, concern- ing which you are agreed, Ihould be ex- preft by one Tcnn or another ? You both a- gree, (and no Man in his Senfes can dcny)^ That in all Ages, God has, gn Account ot pious Anceftors, given manyBleffjngs to their Offspring. But he thinks, Thefe BleOings fhould be term'd Rewards, (and fo do all the World : ) -* p. 18. 21. 238 T5fv Doc^tVine of World:) You fay, They (liould not. The Fa(ft is plain either Way : God does conti- nually, and did in all Ages, give niimberlefs Bleffings to the Children, on Account of the Piety of their Fathers. And it is certain,^ Blejings ghen 07i Account 6f Virtue ^ have beea hitherto term'd Rewards both by God and Man. YoiT conclude this Seftion, " Thus*" it ap-, peafs, the Diftindion between Perfohal Sin and Imputed Guilty is without any Ground in Scripture." Juft the contrary appears, name- ly, That Guilt was imputed to the Scape- Goat, to the Children of wicked Parents, and to our blefled Lord Himfelf, without any Ferfonal Sin. The Diftinftion there- fore is found and fcriptural. SECT. 11. Of the Nature and Defign of our AfliBiom and Mortality, THAT God defigm to bring Good out of thefe is certain. But does this prove, they have not the Nature of Fu- nijhments ? Did Adam himlelf fuffer any AffliBion? Any Toil or Pain ? Doubtlefs he did, long before he returned to Duft. And can we doubt, but he received Spiritual Good *' p. 22. Original Sin. 239 Good from that Pain? Yet it was 'a IPuniJh^ ment ftill: As really fuch, as if it had con-j figned him over to everlafting Punifhment. This Argument therefore is of no Weight: " God draws Good out of Punilhmcnts: Therefore they are no Punifhments at all.**^ However then the Sufferings wherein yf/iz/^'s Sin has involved his whole Pofterity, ma^*^ " try and purify us, ^ in order to future and everlafting Happinefs/* this Circumftance does not alter their Nature: They zx^Punip:-^^ ments ftill. See B\ Aph, Let " Afflidions, ''Calamities and Death itfelf, be Means of improving in Virtue," of healing or preventing Sin, this is no Man- ner of Proof, that they are not PwiiJ7:?nc7ifs. Was not God able to l^^al or prevent Sin, without either Pain or Death? Could not the Almighty have done this, as eafily, as fpeedily and as effe<5lually, without thefe as with them? Why then did He not? Why did Adams Sin bring thefe on his whole Pol- tcrity ? Why ftiould one Man fuffer for ano- ther Man's Fault? If you fay. To cure hi? own: I afk i. What NecelTity was riicre of any Suffering at all for this? If God intend- ed ofily, to cure his Sin, He could have done that without any Suffering. I afk 2, Why do Infants fuffer? What Sin have they to be cured tlieceby? Jf yoafay, '' It is to heal the *^ffi."2 3» » p. 24. 240 The Doctrine of Sin of their Parents, who fympathife, fufFer with them:" In a thoufand Inftances this has no Place: The Parents are not the bet- ter, nor any Way Hkely to be the better, for all the Sufferings of their Children. Their Sufferings therefore, yea and thofe of all Mankind which are entaiFd upon them by the Sin of Adam^ arc not the Refult of mere Mercy ^ but of 'Jujlice alfo. In other Words, they have in them the Nature of Pimijl:mejits^ even on Us and on our Chil- dren. Therefore Children themfclves are not innocent before God. They fufier, therefore they defer ve to fuffer. And here another Qoeflion arifes. What Benefit accrues to the Brute-Creation, from the Sufferings v/herein their whole Race is involv'd, thro' the Sin of the firilMan? The Fadl cannot be denied. Daily Experience attefls what we read in the Oracles of God, That the whole Creation gi'oajieth together^ and travailcth in Pain to this Day, A confi- derable Part of it groans to God, under the Wantonnefs or Cruelty of Man. Their Suf- ferings are caufed, or at leafl greatly increaf- ed, by our Luxury or Inhumanity: Nay, and by our Diverfions LWe draw E?2tertain^ mcnt from the Pain, the Death of other Crea- tures ! Not to mention feveral entire Species, which at prclent have fuch Natural Quali* ties, that we arc obliged to inflidt Pain, nay, perhaps Original Sin. 241 perhaps Death upon them, purely in our own Defence. And even thofe Species which arc out of the reach of Men, are net out of the reach of Suffering. The Lions do lack and fiiffer Hunger, tho' they are as it were Sovereigns of the Plain. Do they not acknowledge this^ when roaring for their Prey, thty feek their Meat from GdD^ And what (hall we fay of their Helplefs Prey? Is not their Lot more miferable ftill ? Now what Benefits, I fay, have thefe from tlicir Sufferings ? Are they alfo " tried and puri- fied thereby ?" Do Sufferings " correa: dicir inordinate Paffions, and difpofe their ^T■nds to fober Refledions?" Do they " give them Opportunity of exercifing Kindnels and Compaffion, in relieving each other's Dif- treffes ?" That I know not : But I know by this and a thcufand Proofs, That when Man, the Lord of the vifible Creation, re- belled againftGoD, every Part of the Crea- tion began to ftiffer on Account oj hts Sin. And to Suffering on Account of Sin ; I can give no properer Name than that of Punijh- jYient • " It was to reclaim " Offenders, that an extraordinary Power was exerciled, either immediately by our Lord Hmifelf, or by his Apoftles of inflifting bodily Diftempers, and in fome Cafes, Death itfelf." I do not Q remember 242 'the Doctrine of remember any more than one lingle Cafe^ wherein one of the Apoftles '* inflidled Death." I remember no Inftance recorded in Scripture, of their " mflifting bodily Dif- tcmpers." (The Bhndnefs inflidied on £- lymas cannot he fo term'd, without great Impropriety) And certain I am, that our Lord Himfelf, infiifted neither one nor the other. The Citations "" in the next Page prove no more than that we may reap Benefit from the Punipmients of others. But tho' either we or they reap Benefit from them, yet they are Fiinijlmients ftill. *' We do ^not here confider Death and Sufi^ering as they ftand in the Thrcatning of the Law." You are fenfible, if we did, all Mankind muft acknowledge them to be VuniJ})7nents. And this is the very Light wherein we do and muft confider them, in the prefent Queftion. We confider Death and Suffering, as they ftand in that Threat- ning, T^hou jhalt furely die. That this was denounced to all Mankind we know, be- caufe it is executed on all. Therefore con- fidering Siifferhig and Death as fo thr^atncd and exccMted^ we cannot deny, That they are Fiini figments : Punilhments not on Adcim only, but on all that in P'ad; do either y//> ov juffeni.. a-. \uC no x.i^\ici&^rgooli L - • -vonij ^^ To ° p. 26. "^ p. 27. Original Sin. 243 To fum up this Point : Altho' the Wif- dom and Mercy of God, do '' bring Good out of Evil :" Altho' God Je/Igns to extracl BleHings from Punifhments, and does it in numberlefs Inftances : Yet this does not al- ter the Nature of Things, but Pumfl:me7its are Pimijhments ftill : Still this Name pro- perly belongs to all Sicfferi?igs^ which arc injiiBed on Account of Sin : And confequent- ly, it is an evident Truth, That the whole animate Creation is punijhed for Adafns Sin. SECT III. ^he Argument taken from the Calainities and Sinfulnefs of Maiikind confidered. «c rTT^HE Subject of our prefent Enquiry J^ is threefold, i. Whether^ Mankind be under God's Difpleafure, antecedently to their aftual Sins? 2. Whether our Nature be corrupt, from the Beginning of Life? And 3. Whether thefe Propofitions can be proved from the Calamities and Sinfuhiefi of Mankind ?" Whether they can or no, they have been fully proved from Scripture. Let us now enquire. If they may not be proved from the State of the World. But you think Dr. Watts, " has here laid too great Strefs on Suppofition and Ima- Q^ gination." ^ p. 30, 31- 244 T"/:?^ Doctrine of gination."' Jn Proof of which, you cite from him the following Words : Caji we fuppofe' that the ble fed God y would place bis innocent Creatures in fiich a dangerous Habitation? Can wefuppofe^ that antong the Roots ^ and the Htrbsy and the Threes which are good for Food^ the great God woidd hA've fuffered deadly Poi- Jon to fp7-i7ig up here and there ? Would there have been any fuch Creatures in our World as Bears and T'ygers ? Can we ever imagine the great arid good God would have appointed Men to be propagated in fuch a Way^ as woidd neceffa^ rily give fuch exquifite Pain and Anguijh to the Mothers that produce them^ if they had been all accounted in his Eyes^ a Race of holy andfnlefs Beings ^-^^^^^^ .:j-.,uv. ^iir-,;. ,.v..u>iC ^;uv.:;?.; I AN^W^if?, It is mf tfae, "that tocrgreal Strefs," or any Strefs at all, is '' here laid on ?nere Suppofition and Imagination." Your catching at thofc two Words fuppofe and imagi?ie^ will by no Means prove it. For the Meaning of them is plain. " Can we fuppofey tile bleiTed God would do this?*' Is manifeftly the fame with, '* How can we reconcile it with his efTential Attributes ?'* In like Manner, " Can we ever imagine ?*' Is plainly equivalent with, *' Can we pofli- bly conceive?" So that the occafional Ufe of thcfc Words docs not infer his laying any Strefs on Suppofition and Imagination. When therefore you add, '' Our' huppofticns and Imaginations ' p. 3»- ' P- 32- Original Sin. 245 Imaginatiom are not a juft Standard by which to meafure the Divine Dilpenfations." What you fay is abfolutely true, but abfolutely foreign to the Point. 'Some of the Queftions which you your- felf alk, to expofe his, it is not {o eafy t6 anfwer, '* Would innocent Creatures have been tliruft into the World, in fo contempti- ble Circumftances ? And have been doom'd, to grow up fo flowly to Maturity and the Ufe of Reafon ? Would they when grown up have been 'conftrained to fpend fo much Time in low and fervile Labour ? Would Millions have been obliged to fpend all their Days, from early Morn 'till Evening, in hewing Stone, fawing Wood, heaving, rub- bing or beating, the Limb of an Oak, or a Bar of Iron r" I really think, they would not. I believe all this Toil, as well as the Pain and Anguifli of Women in Child-birth, is an Evidence of the Fall of Man, of the Sin of our firft Parents, and Part qf the Ptinijhment denounced and executed firil q\\ Them, and then on all, their Pofterity. You »dd, '' He "doth not confidcr this World as a State of Trial, but as if it ought to have been a Seat of Happinefs." There is no Contrariety between thefe : It might be a State of Trial, and of Happinefs too. Andvfiiclioit certainly wgs to AiUm in Para- ^f.r^^^^\ 34, 35. 246 The Doctrine of dife : Whether he was holy or no, he was undoubtedly Happy. A State of Trial therefore does not neceffary imply any Kind or Degree of natural Evil. And accordingly the Creator Himfelf aflures us, there was none originally in his Creation. For fo I read at the Conclufion of it, ^And God faw every 'Taking that He had made^ and behold^ it 'was very good, "But natural Evil may be mixt with a State of Trial. Confequently this World coidd not be built for a Seat of Happinefs." Admirable drawing of Confequences ! " It may be: Therefore it could not be otherwife." Whatever may be God Himfelf here tells us, vjhat was. And from his own Declaration it is infallibly certain, There was no Natural Evil in the World, 'till it enter'd as the Punifliment of Si7i. •' Neither doth he take a'' future State into his Reprefentation." No, nor is there ?.ny Need he fliould, when he is reprefenting tlie prefent State of the World, as a Punifi- ment oi Adam\ Sin. *' Nor doth he ^take into his Argument the Goodnefs of God.'* Not into this Aro-ument : That is of after ^ o Conlider^tion, So the Texts you have heap'd together on this Head alfo, are very good. But what do they prove ? ** He fuppofes our Sufferings to be mere runifbynentsT I fuppofe, they are Pu?iifJ:- "" Ga:.\ 31. « p. 36, y p. 37. nie?its Original Sin. 247 ments mixt with Mercy. But flill they are Funijlments : They are Evi/s itijli^ed en Ac- count of Sin, " We find in Fadl, That the bejl of Mcn^ may be made 'very unhappy y by Calamities and Oppreffions." It cannot be. The bej} of Men cannot be made unhappy by any Ca- lamities or Oppreffions whatlbever. For they have learned^ in every poffible State there- with to be content. In Spite of all Calamities, they rejoice eve?^more^ and in every Thing give • Thanks, ' " Fro'm" Punifliments inflicted on parti- cular Perfons^ he infers that all Men are un- der the Wrath of God. But to infer the State of the ivhole from the Cafe oi fo??re, is not a fair Way of arguing." No. 'Ihe Punifhments inflidled on particular Perfons prove nothing, but with Regard to thofc on whom they are inflided. If therefore fome Men only fufter and die, this proves nothing with Regard to the relt. But if //v ^ivhole of Mankind fuifer and die, then the Conclufioa reaches all Men. " He is not quite jufl, in pronouncing the prefent Form of tlie Earth, irregular, abrupt and horrid', and afking Doth it not bear flrongly on our Sight, the Ideas of Ruin and Confifion, in vafl broken Mountains, dreadful Cliffs and Precipices, immenfe' Extents of -.cafe Q^ 4 and ^ P- 39- ' F- 40' " r- 41- 248 Tf'be Doctrine cf and barren Ground. If this be the Cafe, how can che-vn^ifible l^hingt' of GoT)^ he 'clearly feenfrm ivxh. a ruined Creation?'' Perfedly well. J^' ^ccrnal Power and Godhead^ the Exirtence of a powerful zXid eternal Being, may ftill be inferred from thefe his Works, grand khd magnificent, tho' in Ruin; Con- fequently, theie leave the Atheift without Exciife. And whatever Objections he might form (as Lucretius adlually does) from thefe palpable Blcmifhes and Irregularities of the terraqueous Globe: The fcriptural Account of Natural^ flowing from Moral Evil, will eafily and perfectly folve them. All which is well confiftent with the Words of the PfalmiftV' O "" Lord, how manifold are thy TForks! In Wifdom hajl T^boii made them all: T^he Earth is full cf tloy Riches! So undoubt- edly it fe, tho' it bears fo vifible Signs of Ruin and Dcvallation,^ 1 s d i3va .! ? *^ W]- have no Authority from Scripture, to fay that the Earth, in its prefent Conjiitu^ iion^ is at all different from what it was at its firft Creation." Certainly we have, if the Scripture affirms, That God faid^ after A- dam (i n ned , Cur fed is the Ground for thy Sake ^ I' horns and'TkiJilcs Jhall it bring forth to tbee^ and,' That the Rarth ^-f^s of old, Jianding out cf the Water ^ and in the Water ^ 'till GoD deitroycd it for the Sin'ot it^ Inhabitants. ^ Yoir ' P 42. Original Sin. 249 You-:gi) on. " I cannot' agree, nat Dif- eafe^ AnguiJJ? and Deail\ have eiitered into the Bowels and Veins- of Mtdtitudes, by an innocent and fatal Mijlake, of per?iicioiis Plants and pruits of proper Food!' Why not ? Doubt- lefs Multitudes have perifh'd hereby, if we take in the Account of all Ages and Nations : Multitudes alfo have been the living Prey\ of Bears and Tygers^ Wolves and Lions : And Multitudes have had their Flcfh and Bones crujhed and churned between the faivs of Pan- thers and Leopards^ Sharks and Crocodiles. And would thefe Things have come upon Mankind, were it not on Account oiAdanis Sin? -:"' Yet you think, we have " now a ^more extenfxve Dominion over all Creatures, than ^^^^7/ had even in his Innocence : Becaufe we ■ have the Liberty of eating them; which -^- i^^w never had." This will not prove the Points. That I have the Liberty to eat a Lamby does not prove that I have Dominion over a Lion, Certainly I have not Dominion over any Creature which I can neither govern nor refifl : Yea, and if the Dread fme is on every Beajl and Fowl, this does not prove, that I have any Dominion over tliem. 1 know, on the contrary, That not only a ^Typer or a Bear, but even a Dove will not fioop to my Dominion. ' *' However ^ P- 43- • ^ 44- 250 I'he Doctrine of " However we have ^ no Authority to fay, Man himfelf was curfed, though the Ground was." Yes, we have : The Au- thority of God Himfelf, Curfedis every Man that continueth not in all the Tubings which God hath commanded. The Moment therefore that he finned Adam fell under this Curfe. And whether the T'oil and Death to which he and his Pofterity were fentenced, and the 'Pain of Child-birth be term'd Curfes or no, fure it is they are Funijlmients^ and heavy ones too, though Mercy is often mixt with Judgment. The main Argument follows, taken from the State of Mankind in general, with Re- gard to Religion. But you fay " It is impof- fible*" we fliould make a juft Eftimate of the Wickednefs of Mankind:" Yes, zn exaBly ]\\\i Eftimate of the prceife Degree of Wick- ednefs in the whole World. But it is very poflible, nay very eafy, to make an Eftimate m the grofs, with fuch a Degree of Juftnefs as fuffices for the prefent Queftion. Indeed you ^' think we carry ourCenfures of the Heathens too far." I dare not carry them fo far, as to lay. No Heathen fhall be faved. But this I fay; I never knew an Hea- then yet (and I have perfonally known many out of various Nations) who was not a Slave to fome grois Vice or other. Bad therefore as Original Sin. 251 as bad as nominal Chriflians are, 1 cannot yet place them on a Level with the Heathens: Not even with the mild, courteous, con- verfable Heathens, who border on Geo?'gia and Caroli?ia. Much lels would I lay, ** Poflibly the Heathens may be lefs ^vicious than the Chriftian World in general." If I believed this, I fliould bid adieu to Chrifti- anity, and commence Heathen without Delay, " But if we 'allow Mankind to be ever fo wicked, fuppofe there is not one upon Earth, who is truly righteous; it will not follow, That Men are naturally corrupt : For finful Action does not infer a finful Na- ture. If it does, then Adam brought a finful Nature with him into the World. But if we cannot infer from Adarn^ Sin, That his Nature was originally corrupt, neither can we infer from the Wickednefs of all Man- kind be it ever fo great, That they have a fmful Nature." The Confequence is not good. " If one Man's committing a Sin dees not prove that he was naturally inclined to Evil, then the Wickednefs of all Mankind for fix thoufand Years, will not prove that they are naturally inclined to Evil." For we may eafily ac- count for one Man's committing Sin, tho' he was not naturally inclined to Evil : But not fo eafily, for aUFIeJh corrupting tbemfilves, for ' p- ?:-'> 53- 252 Th(^' Doctrine of for the Wickednefs ajF.all Mankind, in all Ages. It is not poffible rationally to account for this, for the Generiil Wickednefs of Man- kind -y for fuch a Majority of Men thro^ all Generations being fo corrupt, but on the Suppofition of their having a corrupt Nature: Sin in One or a few Cafes, does not prove a fmful Nature : But Sin overfpreading the Earth, does. Nor is ''your Argument drawn from the Sin of the Angels, of any more Force than that drawn from the Sin oiAdam: Unlefs you can prove that as great a Majority of Angels a,5 of Men, have rebelled againft their Creator. u vitjv ^:.r/ I ."Again,. If our firft Parents felt Fear and Shame, and yet their Nature was not originally corrupt, then it will not follow, that Ours is fo, notwithftanding our uneafy and unruly FalTions/'v. Empty Sound ! Had anv one faid to Adam. '^ Your Nature was criginally corrupt, for you feel uneafy and (inruly Paffions:" Would he not readily have an fevered, But thefe began at fuch an Hour: 'Till then my Nature was without either Pain or Corruption. Apply this to any ChiUl of //ii?;;/ ; And if he can anfwcr in like Manner, " 'Till fuch an Hour no un- eafy or unruly Paffion had any Place in my Breaft:" We will then grant, thefe Paffions no more prove a corrupt Nature in the Sons than ' P- 51. 55- . . Original Sin, 253 than in their FIrft Father. But 'no^Man can anfwer thus. You and I and eVery Man muft acknowledge, that uneafy and unruly Paffions, are coeval with our Underftandin^: and Memory at leaft, if not with our very Bein^.'^ 7nii*'»o:'> ri-qn'r/r-: >^^ Again. Adam by his Sin brought Sufferings on himfelf and his Poflerity . Yet it does not follow, That his Nature was cor- rupt. Therefore, though others by their Sins bring Sufferings on themfelves and their Pofterity, it will not follow that their Nature is corrupt, or under the Difpleafure of God." Two very different Things are here Mended together. The Corruption of their Nature is one Thing, the Difpleafure of God, ano- ther. None affirms, That thofe Sufferings which Men by their Sins bring on them- felves or Poilerity, prove, That their Nature is corrupt. But do not the various Sufferings of all Mankipd, prove that they are under the Dilplealur^ of God P It is certain, no Suffering came upon Jdnm 'till lie was under the Difplenfu'x of Q^^, ".-'■ •' -^^^ --*«'A-GAtWi' If our firll Parents' by rlinr Sin brought "SufFering both on themfelves and others, and ycttheir Nature • -^^t originally corrupt, nor'tlndci rhe Di' ^e ofGoD: -Itcr^.vrlv folic v,,s Yhatf^> ^^ of thof6AX%o iufitr *|^iirc?y m'C. , ce of their Sin, is not originally corrupt, nor arc 254 "^^^ Doctrine of arc they under God's Difpleafure.** This Argument is bad every Way. For i. At the Time when Ada?n brought the Sentence of Suffering both on himfelf and others, his Nature was corrupt, and he was under the adual Difpleafure of God. But z, Suppofe it were otherwife, all you could poflibly in- fer, with Regard to his Pofterity, is, That their Suffering does not prove their Cor- ruption, or their being under the Difpleafure of God. How could you think. Their Suf- fering would prove them not corrupt? Not tinder God's Difpleafure ? Therefore neither this nor the preceding Argument, (feeing both are utterly inconclufivc) "take off any Thing that Dr. Watts has faid," touching the prefent State of the World, as a Proof of God's Difpleafure, and the natural Cor- ruption of Man. So far therefore is " his Argument from the Sinfulnefs and Mifery of Mankind from being altogether infufficient in every Part:" That it is flrong and con- clufive, any Thing you have advanced to the contrary notwithftanding. You add, " Siifermg may happen where there is 7jo Sin, as in the Cafe of Brutes and Infants: Or where there is the mofl; per- fect Innocence ; as in the Cafe of our bleffed Lord." Abfolutely true: That -ia~'. where there is no perfonal Sin, but only Sin iniputed. There was no pcrjonal Sin in our :bleffed Lord : Original Sin. 255 Lord: There can be none either in Bmtes or Infants. He fuffered therefore for the Sins of others, which were thus imputed to Him: As is tlie Sin oi Adam to Infants, who fuflFer Death through him, and in fome Senfc to the whole Creation; which was made fid) ^ jeB to Vanity\ not willingly, but on Account of his Tranfgreffion. But where there is no Sin, either Perfonal or Imputed, there can be no Suffering. " I MAY add. From the prefent State of Things a diredlly oppofite Argument may- be taken : 'From the Enjoyments and Com- forts, the good Things and Bleflings, which abound in the World. I might afk, Are thefe Creatures, fo weH provided for, under God's Dilpleafure? Are they not the Care of his Goodnefs? Does He not love them, and delight to do them Good ?" I anfwer, God does ftill give us many good Things, many Enjoyments, Comforts and Bleflings. But all thefe are given thro* the Seed of the Woman: They are all the Purchafe of his Blood. Through Him we are ftill the Care of the Divine Goodnefs, and God does dc- lignt to do us Good. But this does not at all prove, either that we have not a finful Na- ture, or that we are not, while finful, under his Difpleafure. ip. ;8-^6i. SECT. 256 Hjc Doctrine of SECT. IV, So?ne Confeque?2ce5 of the Do^rifie of Original Sin, ^' XU Y this ""Doftrine fome have been led J3 ^o maintain i. That Men have not a fufficient Power to perform their Duty. But if fo, it ceafes to be their Duty." I maintain, That Men have not this Power by Nature. But they have or may have it by Grace, Therefore it does not ceafe to be their Duty. And if they perform it not, they are without Excufe. " Hence fome maintain, 2. That" wc have no Reafon to thank our Creator for our Being." Pie that will maintain it, may. But it does by no Means follow from this Doc- trine: Since whatever we are by Nature, we may by Grace be Children of God, and Heirs of the Kingdom of Heaven. "But Unthankfulnefs is a Natural " Confequence of this Doftrine, which greatly diminifhes, if not totally excludes the Good- nefs and Mercy of God.*' St. PW thought otherwife. He imagined the total Ungodli- nefs and Impotence of our Nature, to be the very Thing which moft of all illuftrated the Goodnefs and Mercy of God. For a good Man ■"• p. 63 — 69, » P- 70 — 73. o p. 74. Original Sin. 257 Man^ fays \iQy peradve?iture one would cve?i dare to die. But God commendeth^ unlpcakably, inconceivably, beyond all human Precedent bis Love to iiSy in that while we were yet wiik- out Stre7igth Chrift died for the Ungodly, Here is the Ground, the real and the ojdy Ground for true Chrifiian Thankfulnefs. Chrifl: died for the Ungodly that were without Stre?igth: Such as is every Man by Nature. And 'till a Man has been deeply fenfiblc of it, he can never truly thank God for his Redemption : Nor confequently for his Creation, which is in the Event a Bleffing to thofe only who are created aneio in Chrift Jefus. " Hence 3. Some have poured great Con- tempt upon Human Nature: Whereas God Himfelf does not defpife Mankind, but thinks them worthy * of his higheft Regards.'* To defcribe Human Nature as deeply fallen, as far removed both from Virtue and Wifdom, does not argue that we defpife it. We know by Scripture, as well as by fad Experience, That Men are now unfpcakably foolifli and wicked. And fuch the Son of God knew them to be, when He laid down his Life for them. But this did not hinder Him from loving them, no more than it docs any of the Children of God. Yotr next confider "what Dr. Z?"!?//; obfcrvcs with Regard to Infants. Mu/iki?id, lays he, R in 258 The Doctrine of in its younger 77ars, before it is capable 0^ pros- per Moral Allien, difcovers the Pri^icipla of Liiquity and the Seeds of Sin, TVhat ycu;^' Ferments of Spite and Envy^ what native Malice ajul Rage are found in ihe little Hearts of Infant Sy and fufficiently difovered by iheif Utile Hands and Eyes^ and their wraihfiit Countenances^ even before they can /peak i 1 ou anfwer, '* Our Lord gave us different Ideas of them, when He taught his Apoftles to be- come as little Children^ Not at all. They may be imitable in fome Refpefts, and yet. have all the Tempers above deicribed. And it is certain they have; as any impartial Ob- ferver will be convinced by his ow^n Eyes. . Nor is this any Way contradidled by Str^ Paul\ Words, "^ In Wickednefs ()tax/a) he - ye Children: Untaught, unexperienced; Or by thofe of Davidy My ' Soul is even as. a li^eaned Child, . *' But we difcover in them alfo the no- ble Principles of Reafon and UnderftaLd- . ing, with feveral Tempers which are capa- ble of Improvement, whereby they may -b^. trained up in a good Way; and Numbers jn all Ages of the World have rifen to very . con fidcrable Degrees of Excellence." All this is true: But it is not at all inconfiflent , with the Account of them ^iven above : ' By which it clearly appears. That they ajrc.^ Itrongly < I Cor. xiv. 20. »■ Pfal. cxx;fi. .2.. , -i - '• i * « Original Sin. 259 f. ... V. ■ ffrongly inclined to Evil, long before any ill Habits can be contracted. SECT. V. A general Argument taken from what God has declared c oncer Jiing Mankind^ at the Rejloration of the World after the Deluge, THERE are three Paffages^ from which Divines infer the Excellency oi Adam's State and Nature above Our's : I. Gen. i. 28. And God blejjcd them a?id /aid unto thejn^ Be fruitful and rnuUiply and r epic nijh the Earth'* With this I have nothing to do; for I infer nothing from it, with Regard to the prefent Queftion. II. " Have Daninion over the Fijlo of the Sea., and over the Fo^cvl of the Air, and over every livingT'hijig that mcvetb upon the Earth. III. Gen. i. 27. Gou created Man in his own Image ^ in the Image of God created He him. From' thefe three Par»:icu- lars they deduce the Superiority of Alum's Nature above Our's. But the very fame Marks of Excellency are more exprelly pro- nounced by God upon the human Nature, when the Race of Mankind was to be pro- pagated anew from Noah and his Sons." I. Gen, ix. I. A?idGoD bleffed Noah and his Sons. With Regard to this whole Paffage R 2 I muft • p. 84. « p. 85. 26o The Doctrine of I mull oblerve, ThatGoD did not pronounce any Bl effing at all, either on him or them, 'till Noakhzd built an Altnr unto the Lord, and\i2A.off£iK.td Burnt-Offerings on the Altar. Then k vv:as that the ho^D fmelled a fweet Sa^ ^couri Accepted the Sacrifice which implied Faith in the promifed Seed, and for his Sake reftored in fomeMeaiiire theBleffing, which He had.given to Adam at his Creation. And faid^ Be fruitful and multiply^ and replenifi the Earth,— On this I need only obferve. Had Adam ftood, or had not his Fall afFeftcd his Pofterity, there would have been no Need of this : For they would have multiplied aiid replenified the Earthy in Virtue of the origin nal Bleffing;; ...,,.... i-.; ^y: .*..:. ,..: ' II. V. z,:*TiiE Fear yfpu and tBr Dread of you fiall be upon every B.eafl of the Earthy and upon emery Foivl of the Air^ and upon all that moveth upon the Earth: Into your Hi^ndi they are delivered : Every. ??ioving Thing that liveth Jhall he Meat for you^ even as the green Herb have I given you all Things, On this likewife I would obferve, What Need was there of any fuch Power over the Creatures to be given to Man, if he had not forfeited his former Power ? Had' Man remained fub- je6t to God J the Creatures would have re- piained fubjed: to him, by Virtue of God's i^rigin-alConftitution. And why was it, but behaufe A ,V TIT .^ M c ^ Original Sin. 261 .becaufe Man had loft this Power, that GoD here in fome Degree reftores it ? ;: But hence you " infer, "That all thjlt Power is reftored, yea, more than all : That we have a w/7r^extenfivc Dominion, granted to us over the Brutal World, than was ori* ginally given to Adam!' It has been com- monly thought, That Adam had full Do- minion over the Creatures, fubjeft to him by a Kind of Inftinft : Whereas we have Only fo far Power over them, that by Labour and Vigilance we may ufe or fubdue them. But how do you prove that we have a fuller Do- minion than he had ? By thofe Words, T^be Fear and the Dread of you Jhall be upon all: Into your Hands they are delroered\ even as the green Herb har:e I given you all T'hings . N a v, the Fear a?id the Dread of you JJ:all be itpon them^ does not imply any Dominion at all. A Wolf m2iy fear me, who yet does not obey me. I dread a Viper ; but I do not obey it. And thofe Words, Into your Hajids they are delivered^ are plainly equivalent with, '^i have given you all 'Things^ even as . the green Herb : Namely for Food; you may feed on any of them. So far therefore is this Text from exprefy pronouncing a jnore cxfen-- five Dominion given to Noah over the Brutal World than was originally given toroc<;' not are made) after the Similitude of Goo.* But what does all this prove? That the being created in the Image of God, '^ is more exprrfy pronounced n^on Noah and his Sons, than it was originally on AdamT* T think no Man of Senfe will fay this in cool Blood. Of " the three Particulars" then which you brought to prove the Superiority of Noah owcvAdam in Innocence, the Firfi: proves no more than that God gave to both the Elcfling of Fruitfulnefs : The Second far from proving that Noah had a more exte?7fve Do- minimi over the Brute Creation than Adam^ hardly proves that he had any Dominion over them at all : And the Third proves only this, That the Image of God wherein Man was made at iirft, is not totally loft now. TYet ]^ou fay, " Thefe three Particulars contain all the Privileges conferred on Adam at " 'JayjHs iii. 9. Orioinal Sin. 263 at firft/ i\nd every one of thefe is exprcfly repeated, and more emphatically and cxten- fively pronounced upon Man, after the judgment paffed on Adam had come upon his Pofterity." Exprejly ? More emphatical- ly? More extenfively ? Where ? I am fure not in the Bible. However you pompoufly add (ficut Tims eji Mos) " This is to me a clear and un- doubted DejnonJiratio?2y I. " That //?£» Judgfjient which came upon all Men to Condemnation ^ did no Ways alter the primaiy Relation, in which God flood to Man, and Man to God." Certainly it was alter'd thus far : God was a Condcmner^ and Man was condemned. And tho* " God is ftill the God and Father of Mankind," yet it cannot be faid, That He is fo to unre- generate Men, Men who are as yet dead in Sin and Children of Wraths '* as much" or in the fame Senfe *' as He was to Ada?n in In- nocence." Adam then was furely the Sen of God, as no other Man is, 'till /?orn of the Spirit, The Power to become the Sons of God is now given to none, 'till they Mieve on his Name, II. '' That the Love,^ Regards and Pro- vidence of God toward Mankind in general, are ftill the very lame as to Man iU his ^rft rorhiation. "^ R 4 Jlis y p. %-;. ''f- S8. 2h% T*}:>€ Doctrine y -^ His PrqviJenceis ftill 6Ver all his Works, ^ut He cannot regard or^ delight vti fir^ .Man, in the very fame Mariner wherein He Relighted in him when innocent, " III. '^ That our Nature as dinged from Noah has juft the fame Endowments, :Na- tu.al and Moral, with which Adam was created." This does not follow from'- any Thinp: that has yet been faid.' Ifkftands ^f itielf; it may. '" ~^<:^ - -'^^ ^^ri; , IV. *' That whatever came upon us V from the ^iidgmejit to Condemnation y carnc no fiarther than was confiftent with thatBleffing, ^pronoiyiced upon Noah as well as Adam^ Be fruiffid and multiply'!'' This "is undoubtedly .true. Otherwife the Human Species could ,not have been continued.' " So that the ! Condemnation winch came upon all Men cannot infer fjie ^r^if/? of God upon Mankind"-— «lt may^ notwidiftanding that they increafe ^and miiltiply :. It miij}^ if they are by Natwe ^,ChiIdreji cjf Wrath — ** but only as fubjedting ^,,us to fucn " .]Evils, as were perfedlly confiftent ^,.with his BJeffing, declared to Adarn^ as foon ^j,as he came out of his Maker's Hands" — Namely with the V>\t^\x\g, Increafe and jnuU tiply — •' And confequently! to fuch Evils as Gon might juftly have fubjeded Mankind |tOy before Adam finned" — Whether God could juftly have done this, or not, what a Confequencc * p. 89. vOriginal Sin^, 265 Confequence is this? " If God gave that Blefiing, Increafe a?id multiply y to Men in general, as vveU as He did to Adam, then Men in general are not Child^-en of Wrath W^w,r ,any more than Adam was at his Creation." _ ^ :;, t',.'^'-. eB\<^!tv" *'I'^ is no lefs evident, That when St. Paul {2.ys, By the Difobedic7ice of one, many (or all) were made 'Si7i7iC7^Sy he cannot meao, they were made Si7in€rs in any Senlc inconfift- ejit.with the Elefling, pronounced on Man ■411 Innocence." True 3 not in any Senfe in- confident with that Blefling, hicrc^fe a7id multiply. But this Blefling is no Way in- confillent with the^r being by Nature Childrcfi cfWi^ath, "", "ti- '-': " From all which I conclude, That our State with Regard to the Blefling of God, _and the Dignity and Faculties of our Nature (unlefs debafed by our own Sins) is not^ in- ferior to that in which Adam was created." Be this fo, or not, it cannot be concluded from any Thing that has gone before : But we may ftill believe, That Men in general are palkm JhorJ of the Glory of Q^od, are de- prived of that glorious Image of God, .^^vy^b^rf ifl ^lan was originally created. Jo0.73dj3jr{V/ — *'b^[\i\., .,.,... c: T? (? x S lurfv/ ,2cr! TO .?.irb '^nnh nvrrf v'T 266 The Doctrine of SECT. VI. ^^Je Notion'' ^/Adam'i being a Federal Headf or Reprejentative of Mankind confiderd. \ MY Reafon for believing he was fo irf fome Senfe is this. Chrift was the Reprejentative o{ Mankind, when God /aid en Him the Iniquities of us all^ and He was 'Wounded for our T^ranfgrefjions. But Adam was a Type or Figure ^Chrift. Therefore he was aUb in fome Senfe our Rcprefentative. In Confequence of which all died in him, as in Chrijl allfhall be made alive. But as neither R.eprefentativey nor Federal Head, are Scripture-Words, it is not worth %hile to contend for them. The Thing I mean is this : The State of all Mankind did fib far depend on Adam, that by his Fall they a^l fell into Sorrow and Pain and Death, Spiritual and Temporal. And all this is no Ways inconliftent, with either the Juffice or Goodncfr> cf God, provided all may recover through the Second Adain whatever they loft througl] the Firft, Nay, and recover it with unfpcakable Gain: Since every additional I'emptation they feel, by that Corruption of their Nature, which is antecedent to their Choice, will if conquer'd by Grace be a vv\i4;iX-> ,oqij- Means Original Sin. 267 Means of adding to that exceeding aiid etmml Weight of Glory. This fingle Confideration totally removes all Reflexions on the Divine Juflicc or Mer- cy, in making the State of all Mankind, fo dependent on the Behaviour of their common Parent. For not one Child of Man finally lofes thereby, unlefs by his own Choice. And every one who receives the Grace of God in Cbrijij will be an unfpeakable Gainer. Who then has any Reafon to complain, even of having a Nature inclined to Evil ? Seeing the more Opportunities he has of fighting, the more of conquering : And feeing the greater is the Difficulty of obtaining the Vic- tory, the brighter is tlie Crown of Gloiy. Now \i Jlda?n and Chrijl did not ftand or fall, obey and fuffer for Mankind, How can' the Death of others be the Confequence of Adanis Offence : The Life of others tlic Confequence of ChriJH Obedience. How could all Men be in any Senfe ccn/lifutcd Sin- ners by the one, or coiijUiutcd Righiecus by the other ? To explain this a little farther in Mr. Her- veys Words. '' By Federal Head or Repre- fentative^ I mean what the Apoffle teaches, when he cMs Cbri/l^ The Second Mat?,^ and the lafi Adam. The laft ? How } Not in a numerical Scnc; not in Order of Time: But in this Refpedt, That as Adam was a " I Cor. XV. 47. publick 268 ^he Doctrine of^ Perfon, and acfted in the Stead of all Man- kind, io Chriji like wife was a publick Perfon, and adled in Behalf of all his People : That 2!^ Adam was the Firft General Reprefentative of Mankind, ChriJI was the Second and the Laft : (There never was, and never will be any other :) That what they feverally did in this Capacity, was not intended to terminate in themfelves, but to affedt as many as they feverally reprefented." ^g ^^^ ,,-^^.^ '* This does not reft on a fingle Text, but 3S eftabliflied again and again in the fame Chapter. The divinely wife Apoftle, fore-* feeing the Prejudices which Men would en- tertain againft this Doftrine, as lying quite out of the Road of Reafon's Ri^fearches, has inculcated and re-inculcated this momentous Point. T^hrough the Offence of one ^ tnany are dead — the fudgriicnt was by one to Condemnatioii — By one Mans Offence Death reig?ied by one-^ By the Offence, of one ^ fudgmeiit came upon all Men to Comlcmnaiion. And that there may remain no.PofTibility of miftaking his Mean-< ing, or eluding his Argument, he adds, By one Maris Difobcdience many 'were made Shi^ 7iers: All thefe P'xpreiTions demonftrate^^^ ThatyMz;;; (as well as Chrill) was o. Repre-i. fntathe of all Mankind.: And that what) h^ did iiVthis Capacity, did not terminate iw lentea. H;j^3a rifiw 9ldBfD[a'.Ki 4 -rs.cvr After 2iFtER vehemently 'cavilling at the Terms, you yourfelf allow the Thing. You fay, " If \yh^t\vas\o{i hy the D/JoitYl/erice of one Perlbn, might afterward be recovered by the Obedience of another, then Matters would have flood upon an equal Footing:" And this is indeed the Truth. For " all that waa loft to us by Adam\ Difobedience, is fully re- covered by Chriji's Obedience:. However we denominate the Relation, in which the one or the other ftands to us." " ^'"'^ In this we agree ; but not in what fol- lows. " By 'Law in the v'^ of the Romans^ as in feveral other Places, the Apoftle does not mean barely a Rule of Duty -, but fuch a Ride, isjiih the Penalty of Death threatened to cveryTrafifgrcJfton of it. Such was the Law given by Mcfes:'' That is, '' A Rule to every Tranfgreffion of which the Penalty of Death was threatened." Not fo; there were a thoufand Tranfgreffion s of it, to which Death was not threatened. Obferve: By Death w^e now mean Temporal Death, ac-r. cording to the whole Tenor of your Argu- ment. But is it not faid, Cwfed is ei:e?y one that continiieth 7iot in all T^hings ^written in the Law to do them?" It is. But whatever this Ctirfe implied, it did not imply Temporal Death. For a Man might negleft to do m^ny T*lnngs written in the Lim\ and yet not be punifhable with Death. 270 The Doctrine of Neither can I agree with your Interpre- tation of Rom. vii. 9. I was alive without the Law once : '' Namely ^^ before the giving of the Law at Mount Si?iai. The Jew was then alive : That is, becaufe he was not then un- der the Law, he was, not flain by his Sin. His Sin was not fo imputed to him, as to fubjecl him to Death. But when the Com- mandment came, with the Penalty of Death annext ; Sin revived — acquir'd full Life and Vigour*^ — (How fo ? One would have ex- pedcd juft the contrary!) " arid I died^ that is, was a dead Man in Law, upon the firft Tranlgreilion he comm/itted." Befide many other Objedlions to this ftrange Interpretation, an obvious one is this. It fuppofes every Trapfgrefiion punirtiable with Death. But this is a palpable Miftake. Therefore all that is built on this Foundation, falls to the Ground at once. Upon the whole; whatever Objedtions may lie againll: Dr. JVattss Method of ex- plaining of it, it appears from clear Scripture and from your own Words, That Adam was the Reprcfentative of Mankind. p.*r.i6. !bM ; - ' ' \ol ^d ,. .S E C T » » sc-. r ,5x1 . That " God ' is the Maker of every Man ^^k$ comes into the World." For, It is God a- lone who gives Man Power to propagate his Species. Or rather, it is God Himfelf Vvho does the Work, by Man as an Inflrumcnt; Mail *• p. 129. ' p. 1 38* 272 TXv Doctrine of Man (as you obferved before) having no other Part in producing Man, than the Oak has in producing an Acorn. God is really the Producer of every Man, every Animal, cveiy Vegetable in the World : As He is the true Primum Mobile^ the Spring of all Mo- tion throughout the Univerfc. So far we agree. But when you fubfume, " If it is the Power of God whereby a finful Species is propagated, whereby a Jinfiil Father be- gets zjinful Son, then God is the Author of Sin ; that Sinfulnefs is chargeable upon Him /' here w? divide ; I cannot allow the Confequence : Becaufe the fame Argument would make God chargeable with a/l the fin- ful Adfmis of Men. For it is the Power of God whereby the Murderer lifts up his Arm, whereby the Adulterer perpetrates his Wick- ednefs 3 full as much as it is his Power, whereby an Acorn produces an Oak, or a Father a Son. But does it follow, That God is chargeable with the Sin? You know, it does not follow. The Power of God vulgarly term'd Nature^ afts from Age to Age, under its fixt Rules. Yet He who this Moment fupplies the Power, by which ^fnfil Atlion is committed, is not charge- able with the Sinfihefi of that Aftion. In like Manner, it is the Power of God, which from Age to Age continues the human Spe- cies i yet He whc this Moment fupplies the Power Original Sin. 273 Power whereby a fmful Nature is propa- gated (according to the iix'd Rules, efta- bhfh'd in the lower World) is not charge- able with the Sinfulnefs of that Nature. This Diflindion You muft allow, as was obfer\'ed before, or charge God with all the Sin committed under Heaven. And this General Anfwer may fuffice any fincere and modeft Enquirer, without entangling him- felf in thofe Minute Particulars, which are beyond the Reach of human Underftanding. " But does not God create the Nature of every Man that comes into the World V* He does not, in the proper Senfe of the Word create. The Scripture plainly affirms the contrary. ^On the fe^enth Day He ref.ed from all his Work which God created and made, ^T'he Works which God created ivere Enijlded from the Foundation of the JVorld, And as foon as they were finiihed, God ceafed from his V/ork^ namely from his Work of creating. He therefore now (not creates^ but) produces the Body of every Man, in the Manner as he produces the Oak ; only by fupplying the Power whereby One Crea- ture begets another, according to what we term 'T'he Laws of Nature. In an higher Senfe He is the Creator of all Souls. But how pr when. He does or did create them, I cannot tell. Neither can I give any Ac- S * count, * Qvj ii. 2, 3. » Heh, iv. 3, 10. Z74 ^^^^ Doctrine of count, How or whefi He unites them to the Body. Likewife How we are conceived m Sin, I know not : But I know, that we arc fo conceived. God hath faid it. And I know He will htjujiified in his Sayings and clear when He is judged, ''" ^^'^ ' ' It is certain, That God Is the Maker of every Man. But it is neither certain nor true, That He " makes every Man in the Womb, both Soul and Body, as immediately as He made Adam :" And that therefore " every"" Man comes out of the Hands of God, as properly as Adam didJ' To inter- pret any Scriptures as affirming this, is to make them flatly contradid: other Scriptures. God made Adam by immediate Creation: He does not fo7nake every Man, or any Man be- fide him. Adam came direBIy out of the Hands of God, without the Interve?2tion of any Creature. Does every Man thus come oiit of the Hands of God ? Do no Crea- tures now intervene ? jr cc gy^ j£ Q^^ produces the Nature of every Man in the Womb, He mufl produce it with all the Qualities, which belong to that Nature, as it is then and fo produced.*?. So, if God produces the Ail ion of ever^ jVlan in the World, he mufl produce it with all the Qualities, which belong to that Ac- don, ^s it i^jhen zndfo produced. ; "For it Original Sin. 275 is impoffible, God fliould produce our A^^z- ture^ and not produce the ^alities it has, when produced." For it is impoffible God" fhould produce an A^ion^ and yet not pror" duce the ^alities it has when produced^ " No Siibjlance can be made without fome' Quahtics. And it muft neceffarily, as foon as it is made, have thofc QuaKties which the Maker gives it, and no other." No Ac^ tim can be produced, without fome Qua- Uties. And it muft neceffarily as foon as it is produced, have thofe Quahties which the Producer s:Ives it, and no other. You fee what this Argument would prove, if it prov'd any Thing at all. We will trace it a little farther. " If God produces tlie Nature of every Man in the Womb, with all its ^alitics^ then whatever thole Qualities are, they are the Will and the Work of God." So : If God produces the ABion of every Man in the World, with all its ^alitieSy then whatever thofe Qualities are, they are the Will and the Work of God. Surely, no. God does (in the Senfe above explained) produce the ABio?i which is finfuL And yet (whether I can account Vor it, or no) the Siiifulncfs of it is not his Will or Work. He does alfo produce the Nature which \%- Jinful (He fupplies the Power by which it is produced) And yet (whether I can account for this or no) the S 2 Smfulncjs 276 "The Doctrine of Sinfiilncfs of it is not his JVill or Wofk, 1 am fure of this, as I am, That there is a God: And yet impenetrable Darknefs refts on the Subjed:. Yet I am confcious my Under- ftanding can no more fathom this Deep, than reconcile Mans Free^AA^ ^.;he^|oi^ knowledge of God. t 'k ^^.... . -^ ,^ r',.,.."i " Consequently thofc ^alities cannot be finfuiy This Confequence cannot hold in one Cafe,, unlefs it holds in both. But if it does, there can be no Sin in the Univerfe. However you go on. " 'Tis highly dif- honourable to God, to fuppofe He is dif- pleafed at us, for what He Himfelf has in- fufed intQ our Nature." It is not allowed. That He has " infufed Sin into our Nature;* No mpre then that He infufes Sin into our A5tiom:. Though it is his Power which pro- duces both our Adiions and Nature. ^ , . , ^, AM avs^are of thcDiflincflion, That Man's Free-^iU is concerned in the one Cafe, but not the other : And that on this Account, God cannot be charg d with the Sinfiilnefs of Human Actions. But this does by no Means remove die Difficulty. For i. Docs not God know what the Murderer or Adulterer is about to do ? WhatUfe he will make of that Power to aoi^ which he cannot have but from God ? ^. Does He not at the Inftant fapply him with that Power whereby the Sinful Adiion is done ? God therefore f reduces " l> 142. the Original' §*im- 277 the ABion which is f?iful It is his Work, and his PFill, (for He %Dorks nothing hut what He wills). And yet the Siiifiilnefi of the Aftion is neither his Work nor Will, "But can thofe Paflions or Propenfities ht Jinfuly which are neither caufcd nor con- fented to by me ?" I anfwer, Spite, Envy, and thofe other Paffions and Tempers which are manifeftly difcernible even in Httlc Chil- dren, 2iVQ CQiL\.?im\Y not virtuous, not Morally good, whether you term them fmful or not. And it is as certain, thefe exift, before they arc confented to, mrch ^efs caufed by thoie that feel them. " But Sin,"" if it is unavoid- able, is no Sin." Whether you term it Sin or not, it is coriiraiy to the Nature of God and aTranfgreffion of his holy and good Law. " But a Natural-Moral Evil is a Contra- didion : For if it be Natural, it cannot be Moral'* That Tempers contrary to the Na- ture and the Law of God are Natural is a Point of daily Experience. But if you do not chufe to call thefe Morally Evil, call them what you pleafe. All I aver is, That fuch Tempers dq exift in us antecedent to our Choice, '^^^^ J -- *' But ifi\\ha?fmSim of NftH* '^^occed Ifrom a corrupt Nature, they are unavoidable, and confequently no Sins at all.'* Jt?ual Sim may proceed fi;om a , CQrrqpt Nature; rmVr.^-'^ ^v..^':r.dii^ aol^ ^^noD ?.i v^mK • ^nd 278 7he Doctrine of and yet not be unavoidable. But if Aftions contrary to the Nature of God were una- voidable, it would not follow. That they were innocent. To the Queftion, How"^ comes it to pafsy that our Potions and Appetites are now Jo ir* regidar andfirong^ that not one Per/on has re- Jijled them fo as to keep himf elf pure and innocent? You anfwer by another Queftion, " How came Adam not to keep himfelf pure and innocent ? " There is no Parity between the one Cafe and the other. I can ac- count for any one Man's committing Sin, fuppoiing him to be naturally upright, as eafily as {or Adam's committing it. Any one Perfon, as well as Adam^ tho' naturally inclined to neither, might chufe either Good or Evil. And on this Suppofition, he would be as likely to chufe one as the other. But the Cafe is extremely different, if you placo '"'^i/ldam on one Side, and all Mankind on the '^bthcr. It is true, " the Nature of Sin is not alter'd by its being general.'* But the Cafe •j5 very widely alter'd. On this or that Man it irraj^ *^ come, juft as it came w^on Adaniy ^y his own Choice and Compliance with Temptation." But how comes it, That all Men v.ndcrthe Sun, fliould ^/j/*/^ Evil rather than Good ? How came all the Children of Adam, from the Beginning of the World 'till now, to comply widi Temptation ? How is " p. 14^ it. it, that in all Ages, the Scale.has turn'd the wrong Way, with Regard to every Man born into the World ? Can you fee no Difficulty in this ? And can you find any Way to folve that Difficulty, but to fay with the Pfalmift, 'We were JI:^pfn in Iniquity, and in Sin did our Mothers conceive us. SECT. VIII. Of Origijial Right eoiifnefs, " ^^Riginal' Righteousness is faid \^ to be, I'hat Moral Re5litud€, in^ivhich Adam was created. His Reafon nvas clear , and Senfa^ Appetite and PaJJion li^erc fuhjeB to it. His Judgment ivas iincojTupicd, and his Will had a coijfiant Tropenjitx to Holinefs. He had a fupreme Love to his Creator^ a Fear ofoffend- ing Him, and a Readifiejs to do his Will. \N\\^x\Ada?n finned, he loll this Moral Rec- titude, this Image of God in which he was created : In Confequencc of which all his Poflierity come into the World deftitute of that Image." In Order to remove this Miftakc, you rc- confider fome of the Texts on wliich it is grounded. CoL iii. 9, 10. Lie Jiot one to ano- ther, feeing ye have put off the old Man ivith his Deeds ; and have put on the ?ieiv Man, ichich is reneivdin Knowledge, after thehnage of Him that created him. Eph. iv. 22, 23, 24. I'hat S .4 ye ' p. 147, 148, 149. 28o l*fje D OCT K^^f^f ye put offy concerning t}yf fdrlner Cmv'erfathri^ the old Man which is corrupt^ according to the deceitful Luff Sy and be renewed in the Spirit of your Mindy and put on the nenv Man which after God is created in Righteoufnefs and true Holinefs^ '^ On this you affiirm, '''the * old and new Man here do not fignify a Courfe of Life. But the (?/^ 4:f^;z iigniiies tYiC Heathen, the new Man^ the Chrijtian Profession." This you prov^, i. From Eph, ii. 15. Chrift abolijhed the Enmity , to make (or ere-- tite) in Himfelf of twain one new Man*' Does this only mean one new Profejjon? It evidently means, one Churchy both of yews 'and Gentiles. You prove it, 2. From Col. iii. 8 — 12. where " the Apoftle tells the Colojfian Chrif- tians, That now they were obliged to put off ^^nger^ and to put on Bowels of Mercies % to admit the Chriftian Spirit into their Hearts, and to pradiife Chriftian Duties; for this Reafon, becaufe they had put off the old Man ^ and had put 072 the new. This fl:iews the new Man was fomething they might hsivc put on, and yet be defSlive in perfonal, internal Ilolinefs,— -'- True : DfeSIive (o far, as ft ill to want rribre ; move Bowels of Mercies, Meek- 72cfs, Long-fiffering. But this does not fliew. That the?i€w Man- does not mean, The Prin- ciple both of Internal and External Holinefs. The « p. 150, 151, >Original Sim.? 281 The Confcioufnefs of having received this, is a ftrong Motive both to depart from Evil, and to labour after a continual Increafc of every holy and heavenly Ten^per. There- fore here likewife, the putting off tU old and the putting on the new Many does not meaa an outward ProfeJJion, but a real, inward Change ; a Renewal of Soul in Righteoujnefs and true Hclinefs, ^ -,^^ . You prove it, 3. From Eph, iv. 22, 24. Here, you fay, *' he confiders the putting off the oldy and putting en the new Man^ as a Duty. They had done it by Profession, and therefore were oblig'd to do it effcBually!' They had done it effectually. So the whole Tenor of the Apoftles Words implies. le 'have not fo learned Chrifl : If fc be (rather, feei?ig that) ye have been taught by Him^ — I'hat ye put off the old Man — Afid be renewed in the Spirit of your Mind y and that ye put on the new Man^ which after God is created in Right eouf?iefs and true Hclincfs. The Apoflle here manifeffly fpeaks not of a Lcffon they had not learned^ but of one which God had taught them already: And d^encc exhorts them, to walk worthy of tlie Elcifing they had received, to be holy in all Manner of Converfation. But 4. ** 1 he putting' on the new Man is one Thing, and die creating him is another. He « Eph. iv. 20—24. " p. 152. 282 Tie D0(^TRINE of He muft Jirji be created, and the?2 put 2^/ c/// at the fame Time : The former Word more diredly re- ferring to God who creates, the latter to Man who is created. " But God, you fay, created the new Man^ when he eredted the Gofpel-Difpenfation : As appears from Eph. ii. 15, 19 — 22." I anfwer, i. If thofe lat- ter Verfes are explanatory of that Expreffion one new Man in the I5'\ then it docs not mean, one outward ProfeJJion^ but the one Church of living Believers in Chriji : 2. The Expreffion in the 15"" V. is not the fame with that we are now confidering. Neither is the Meaning of that and this Expreffion the fame : One new Man means one Church ^nd nothing elfc : T!he new Man means quite anofher Thing; The Work of God in every individual Believer. You fay, 5. " The old Man and the new^ and the new Maris being renewed and created^ and the renewing of the Ephejians all refer not to any Corruption of Nature but to their late ''wicked Life." What ? Does their be- ing renewed in the Spirit of their Mind ; re- fer only to their wiclced Life ? If you had not affirmed this, I fhould really wonder at your affirming quickly after, " In all ''other Places of Scripture except 2 Cor, iv. 16, Renewing relates only to a vicious Courfe of Life :' - i^. K^ » p. ISA. 'Original Sin. 2B3 Life:" Seeing you immediately confute yourfelf, by both the following Citations. ^Be not conform d to this Word^ but be ye tranf- formed by the Renewal of your Mind: Unlefs the Mind be only another ExprefTion for '' a vicious Courfe of Life." ^ We ourfckes alfo were femetimes foolijh^ dijobedient^ decei'ved^ ferving diverfe Lufls and PIcafures -, living in Malice and Envy, hateful and hating cm another. Do thefe Words imply nothing but " a vicious Courfe of Life ?'* No in- v^^ard Corruption at all ? But after that th Loving-kindnefs and Love of God cur Saviour toward Man appeared — He faved us by the Re- newing of the Holy Ghojl, — From what ? From a vicious Courfe of Life only r Nay, but from Foolijlmefs of Heart alfo, from Error, from Malice, Hatred, Envy, evil Dc- fire \ all v/hich are Liivard Corruptions, St'. Ydu add " from all this we may gather, '^That God's creating the new Man after his own Image in Righteouffiefs and true Holimfs, means his eredling the Chriftian Church with a View to promote Righteoufnefs' and Holinefs among Men. For we are GodV Worhnanfnp, created in Chrift Jcfus unto i^ood Works.'* Surely you do not cite this Verfe alfo to prove,' That the Renewing of our Mind implies no inward Change? It mull be fomething more than an outward Profcf fion, y Rom. xii. 2. \ Tit, iii. 5 — 5. * f- 155- The Doctrine of fiofiy or the Reforming a vicious Coifrlc' of Life, by Reafon of which we are faid to be Gods Workmanjldip^ created anew in Chrift Jefus. These Texts therefore do manifeftly re-^ fer to perfonal^ internal Holinefsy and clearly prove, That this is the chief Part of that Image of God, in which Man was originally created. The other Text which ^ you re-confider is Ecclef, vii. 29. God hath made Man up^ right*, but they have fought out many Invent tions. But this, you fay, does not mean. That God made Man righteous : But that he made him rights as having thofe Powers, Means and Encouragements, by a due Ufe of which he may become righteous. In or- der to prove that, This is the true Meaning of the Words, you affirm i. " That Man here is not to be underftood of Adam^ but of all Mankind/' This cannot be granted without full Proof. You affirm, 2. " This appears from the latter Part of the Sentence: Th e y fought -out ■ majiy Inventions^ Adam and 2?i'^ did ib, in and after their Fall. This therefore proves nothing. You affirm, 3^- The Word ^^^^^^''(^hich we. tranflate ^pright)^^''A^^\\ot always \vn^\y Upn^hfnefs: or- Right 'vuf^icfs '*■ But-thfeV is 'its ' prt^er Meaning as will -appear to any whb feriouffy" ^ ■- :^ --- ..- . -^.. COnfide^i^ Original Sin. 285 confidcrs the following Texts, i. Deuf, xii.\ 25. When thouJJ:alt do that which is right in\ the Sight of the Lord. It is taken in the^ very fame Senfe V. 28, C. xiii. 18. and 5cxi. 9. In all thefe Texts it undeniably implies morally Good or Righteous, 2, Deia,\ xxxii. 4. A God of 'Truth and loithcut Ini- quity ^ juf ^W right is He. Pfalm xxv. 8 : Good and upright is the Lord. 3. Pfalm xxxriit-4.. - ^he Word of the Lord is right. Hof. xiv. 9. The Ways of the Lord^^;v right. 4. Pfalm xxxii. II. Be glad a?id 7'ejoicey ye Righteous. Pfalm xxxiii. i . Rejoice in the Lord, O ye Righteous. In the very fame SeAfe it occurs in numberlefs Places. As tne:Word is therefore properly applied to GoD-Himfelf, to his Word, his Providences, and his People : In all which Cafes it mud neceffarily mean Righteous^ we cannot light- ly depart from this its proper Signification, i. But you think, there is a Neceflity of departing from it here : Becaufe " to fay, God created Adam righteous ^ is to affirm a Contradiftion,*' or what is inconfiftent with the very Nature of Righteoufnefs. For a Righteoufnefs wrought in him without his Knowledge or Confent, would have been no Righteoufnefs at all." You may call it by any Name you like better. But we muft ufe the old Name dill : As being pcrfwad- cd, That tlie Love of God, governing the « p. 161. Si:nk^, 286 T'he Doctrine of Senfes, Appetites and Paflions, however or whenever it is wrought in the Soul, is true, eflential Righteoufnefs. Nay, " Righteoufnefs is Right ABionV Indeed it is not. Here fas we faid before) is your fundamental Miftake. It is a right State of Mind^ which differ from right Ac- tion^ as the Caufe does from the Effe<3:. Righteoufnefs is properly and diredlly, a right T*e7nper or Difpojition of Mind^ or a Complex of all right Tempers. For Want of obferving this, you fay, " Adam could not aB^ before he was cre- ated. Therefore he muft exift, and uie his intelleftual Powers, before he could be righ- teous/' " But according to this Reafoningy as Dr. fennings obferve, Chrift could not be righteous at his Birth'' You anfwer, " He exifted before He was made Flefli." I re- ply. He did, as God. But the Man Chriji fcfus did not. Neither therefore did He ufe his Luelkdfiial Powers, According to your Reafoning then, the Man Chnf fefus^ could not he righteous at his Birth, The Dr. adds, " Nay^ according to this Reafoni?7g, Goo'^ could not be righteous from £- teniity; becaufe He muji exijl, before He was righteous!' You anfwer, " My Reafoning would hold even with Rcfpe<5t to God, were it true that He ever did begin to exift. But neither the Exiftence nor the Holinefs of * {). 162. God Original Sin. 287 God was prior to each other." Nay, but if his Exiftence was not prior to his Holinefs, if He did not exift before He was hoJy, your. Affertion That every Being muft exijiy before it is righteous^ is not true. iOBesides (to purfue your Rcatbnlng a httle farther) If " God did always exijl^ yet un- lefs you can prove, that He always adcd^ it will not clear your Argument. For let Him exift Millions of Ages, He could not be righ- teous^ (according to your Maxims) be tore He a^ed right. One Word more on this Article. You {ay, " MyReafoning would hold good, even with Relped: to God, were it true, that He ever did begin to exift.'* Then I afk con- cerning the Son of God, Did He ever begin to exift ? If He did not, He is the One, Eternal God: (For there cannot be Two Eternals) If He did, and your Reafuning hold good, When He began to exift, He was not righteous.. " But St. y^A/7 faith, He that doth Righ- teoiifnefs is righteonsr Yes, it appears he is, by his doing or ^^xzdii^w^gRighteoufnefs. " But where doth the Scripture Ipeak one Word of a Righteoufncfs i^ffed into us r Where it fpeaks of the Love of God (the Eflencc of Righteoufriels)y7W abroad in our Hearts, juAnd cannot God, by his Almighty Power mfufe any Good Tempers into us ? You an- 288 'The Doctrine of fwer, " No. No Being whatever can do for u^;, tliat which cannot be at all^ if it be not our even Choice^ and the Effed: oiour own Indujlry and Exercife. But all good Tem- pers are the Effc6t of our own Induftry and Exercife. Otherwife they cannot be at allT Nay then, it is certain, they cannot be at all. For neither Lowlinefs, Meeknefs, Long-fufFering, nor any other Good Tem- per, can ever be the Effeft of ;;^^' o^vn Indujlry and Exercife. But I verily believe, they may be the Efted: of God's Spirit, working in me whatfoever pleafcthHim. See Ifa. xxvi. 12. You add, " The Thing cannot exift, un- lefs WE chufe, becaufe our chtifjig to do what is right, is the very Thing which is to exift." No : The Thing which is to exift is. Aright State of Mind, And it is certain, God can give this to any Creature, at the very firft Moment of its Exiftence. Nay, it may be queftioned. Whether God can create an in- telligent Being, in any other State. '' But an Habit is gain'd by repeated Ad:s. Therefore Habits of Righteoufnefs could not be created in Man." Mere play- ing upon Words! He coiddbe^ he *ze»^i cre- ated fu]l of Love. Now, whether you call this an Habit or no, it is tlie Sum of all iliditeoufnefs. "But this Love is either under the Go- vernment of my Will, or it is not." It is. 4|f : The Original Sin. 289 The Love df God which Ad^m enjoyed, was under the Government of his Will. " But if fo, it could be righteous ' only fo far, as applied to Right JiBion in Heart and Life." Stop here. The Love of God \s Right eoiif?icJs^ the Moment it exifts in any Soul. And it muft exift, before it can be applied to Action. Accordingly it was Righteoufnefs in Adam the Moment he w^as created. And yet he had a Power either to follow the Dictates of that Love ; (in which Cafe his Righteoufnefs would have endured for ever) or to act con- trary thereto : But Z/^cV was RighttVhiiufs ftill ; though it was not irrefiftible. *^ I MIGHT add,' Ada7n^ Inclination to Sin (for he could not fin without a finfuJ Incli- nation) muft be foftrong as to overcome his (fuppofed) inbred Propcnfrty to Holinefs: And fo malignant, as to expel that Princi- ple, at once, and totally. Confcqucntly, the fuppofed Original RightcGKjmfs, was con- fiftent with a finful Propenfity, vajlly (Irojigcr and more 7nalignant than e-ver is^as or can be in any of his Po/krity : Who cannot lin a- gainft fuch Reiiftence, or with fuch dread- ful Confequences. Thus Original Righte- oufrefs in Adam proves far worfc than Origi- nal Sin in his Poderity." I HAVE fet down your Argument at large that it may^ appear in its full Strength. Now ,ii ,. i . , . T / ftfi ♦. . let ^ «* p. 164, 165. ' p. 166. 290 'The Doctrine of let us view it more clofely. " Adam could not lin, without z. fmful InclinoAionr The Sentence is ambiguous. Either it may mean '' Adam could not chiife lll^ without feme fwfid 'Temper preceding;'' And in this Senfe it is falfe : Or, he could not commit out- rcard Sin^ without iirft inclining^ that is, chufjng fo to do. 2. " This \\\sfinful Incli- nation (or Temper^ was fo ftrong, as to over- come his inbred Propenfity to Holinels.'' It was not zvi^ fmful Inclination y (in this Senfe) which overcame his Propenfity to Holinefs: But ftrong Temptation from without : How ftrong we know not ; and the Circum.ftances of it, we know not. 3. " This \\\sjmfid In- cTmation v/as fo malignant, as to expel that Principle, at once and totally.'' Not by any Jinful Inclination^ but by yielding to Temp- tation, he did lofe the Love and Image of God. But that this was totally and at once^ we have no Authority to affirm. 4. *' Conie- quently Original Righteoufnefs in Adam was confiftent with a fniful Frcpeii/iiy^ 'vajily jlronger and more jnalignant., than tver 'it-as or can be in any of his Fojierityy It v^as confiftent with nofirfidFropcnfity at all, but barely with a Power of yielding to Tempt aticn. It declined in the fame Proportion, and by* the fame Degree?, as he did acftually yitid to this. And when he had yielded entirely and Original Sin. 291 and eaten the Fruit, Original Rightcoujhcfs was no more. Therefore the 5''' Propoii- tion, " Thus Original Rightconfncfs ^rov^^ to be FAR WORSE "Ck^wOiiginal ^in,"' is Flou- rifh. What a Figure docs this fair Argu- ment make, now it is turn'd Infide out ? From all this it may appear, That the Dodlrine of Or igiiial Right coiifncfs^ (as well as that oi Original Sin) hath a firm Founda- tion in Scripture, as well as in the Attri- butes of a wife, holy and gracious God. As you do not offer any new Argument in your Conclufion, I need not I'pend any Time upon it. You fubjoin Remarks^" on Dr. Watfs Ad- ditions to his Book. Some of thefe defcrvc a ferious Confideration. I. Either the new-crcated Man Icjcd God fzipremelyy or not. If he did not ^ he was not innocent : Since the 'very Law afid Light of Nature require fuch a Lo've to God. IJ he did, he flood difpofedjor every AB of Obedience. And this is true Holinefs of Heart, You anfwer (in many Words) *' The new-created Man did not love God fu- premely. For before he could love God, the Powers of his Mind mull have 1-cen T 2 quite » p. 186. 292 The Doctrine of quite finiih'd, " and adtudly exercifed." And doubtleft die, very Moment he was created, they were qmio- Jinijljed and aBually exercifed too. For Man. was not gradually fonrid by God, as a Statue is by an human Artificer: But He /pake the Wordy and they were made -y He cornmanded and they were created. And as Light and Heat were not lubfequent to the Creation of the Sun, but began to exift with it, fo that the Moment it exifted it fhone; fo fpiritual Light and Heat, Knowledge and Love were not fubfequent to the Creation of Man : But they began to exift together with Him. The Moment he exifted, he knew and loved. / /in^mu'S' 2. If the 7iew-made Creature had not a Pro^ penfuy to love and obey God, but was in a State of mere Indifference to Good or Evily then his being put into fuch an Union with Flejl: and Bloody among a thoufand TemptationSy would have been an Over-ballance on the Side of Vice, But our Reafcn ca7i never fuppo fey That God the fVify Juji and Goody would have placed a 72ew'fnade Creature in fuch a Situation, ^-v ^ This Argument cannot be anfwered, ifft-' lefs it can be ihewe^d, either i. That in fuch a Situation, there would not have been an Over-ballance on the Side of Vice, or 2. That 10 place a new-m.ade Creature in a Situation - where there was fuch an Over-ballance, v/is- con- ■ i.^Y . T knk " Original Sin. 293 confiftent with the Wifdom, Jufllce and Goodnefs of God. y Propenfities and Temptations were ballanced, he had Freedom to chufe Evil as well as Good." He had. But this is no Anfwer to the Ar- gument, which hke the former, remains in its full Force. How could a wife, juft and good God place his Creature in fuch a State as that the Scale of Evil fliould preponde- rate ? Altho' it be allow'd he is /;; a Meafure free ftill : The other Scale does not " fly up and kick the Beam." 3. Notwithstanding a// the Cavils which have been raijedy yet if thofe two Texts [Eph. iv. 24. Col. iii. 10.) are covfuiered to- gether^ their obvious Meaning will ftrike an honejl a7id imbia[]ed Reader^ The new Man, or the Prificiple of true Religion in the Hearty is created by God after his moral Imagc^ in that Right eon fnefs and true Holinefs wlxrein Man was at firjl created, T 3 You " p. 187, 1S8. ' p. 189. 294 ^^^ Doctrine of You anfwer, " I have endeavoured to prove the contrary, and he does not offer to point out, any one Miftake in my Interpre- tations." I have pointed out more than one. 4. If theje are the Salifications with which fiich a new-made Creature fhould be endued^ and thefe the Circimiflances^ wherein from the Wifdonty fiijlice and Goodnefs of God we fooidd expeB him to be fituated: 7 hen by a care- fid Survey of what Man is now^ compared with what he JJjould he^ we may eafily deter- minCy whether Man is at prefent fiich a Crea- turc^ as the great and blejjid God made him at firfl. You anfwer, (in Abundance of Words, the Sum of which is this) " Our Circum- ftanccs, are, on the whole, far better than Adam's were. For he was under that fevere Law, ^rajifgrefs and ^ die!' He was fo: but this does not prove the Point ftlll, ballancing the fingle Difadvantage (if fuch it was ; for even that may be difputed) with the nume- rous Advantages he was pofTefs'd of, with the Hohnefs and Happinefs v/hich he en- joyed, and might have enjoyed for ever, it does by no Means appear. That the prefent Circumftances of Mankind in general are better than Adamh were. '^'^^^• 5. God did not give Noah Dominion over the Brute Creatures^ in fo a?nple a Manner as •^ p. 190, He Original Sin. 29^ He did to Adam. Fear indeed fell on the Brutes : But ibis does not fiifficiently prcferve Man from their Outrage. In the innocent State ^ no Man would have been poifo?ied or torn by Serpe?2ts or Lions as now. Youanfwer, '' The Tccond Grant runs, T^he Fear of you and the Dread of you Jl: all be upon every Beajl of the Field, and upon every Fowl of the Air, and upon all that moves on the Earth, and upon all the Fijljcs of the Sea : Lito your Hafids they are delivered. Every movingT^hing that liveth JJ:all be Meat for you: Even as the Green Herb I have given you all Thifigs. Now this Grant is more extenfive than the firft." It is, as to Fcod-, but not as to Dominion. The Liberty of Eating an Animal does not neceflarily imply any Do- minion over it at all. " But the Fear and Thread of every Beaft are the Effects of Dominion in Man, and the Subjcd:ion in Brutes." Nay, neither does Fear nccefia- rily imply I^ominion, I m^iy fear whnt has not Dominion over me, and \\'hat I am not fubjeB to. And thofe Animals may fear me, over which ncvcrthelefs I have not Dominion, neither are t\\Qy fuhjeB to mc. \fear every Viper, yea, every poilbnous Spi- der. And they fear me : Yet neither has Dominion over the other. Fear, therefore and Dread may be in an \\v^\ Degree ; and ;^ T 4 yet • J p. 191. 296 77;^ Doctrine of ^yet no Domhimi at all. *^ But they afe M \ delivered into our Hands'* Yes, for Meat ; as the very next Words explain that Ex- preffion. Whatever therefore it may " im- Eort in other Scriptures," the Meaning of it ere is plain and certain. . . - . 6. Would GOD have expofea fbe pure and innocent Works of his Hands ^ to fuch un-^ anavoidable Perils and Miferies, as arifefrom Bears^ T'ygers^ Sp'pents^ Precipices^ Volca-* 710 s, &c? ^^-^^ You Anfwer, " He did '"expofe innocent ^ Adam to a Peril and Mifcry greater than all ,^thefe put together, even to a tempting Devil." I reply, i. This did not imply any unavoid- . able Mifery at all : 2. It implied no more Peril than God faw was needful, as a TeiJ . of his Obedience. Therefore this is no pa- ' rallel Cafe. So this Argument alfo ftands ■'■unanTwered. 7. Jt has been f aid indeed y If " Adam fell into Sin though he was innocent^ then among a ^'MiJl'iqn cf Creatures every one might Jin ^ though ^%e^Mdsds piriocent as Adam. / anfwer^ There ^as'hj^wttityofthe Event: But the Improba- ^SififiWft^ytis a Million to One, I prove it thus. *^' i: MUf-on cf Creatures were made^ tn an ,e^uai''Brobability to (land or fall ; and if all the fsu^nihcrs from One to one Million- inclujively ' ' were ^ p. 191, 192. « p. 194, 195. >' Orig-inal Sin. 297 nverefit in a Ra?2k : It is plainly a Million to One J that jufi any fingle propofed Number of this Multitude Jhoidd fall. Now the T^otql Sum is one oftheje Numbers, that is, the laji of them, Confequently, it is a Million to One. againjl the Suppofition, that the whole. Number of Men JhouldfalL And this Argument will grow fill ten thoufand 'Times jlrojiger, if we fuppofe :e?i ■ thoufand Millions to have lived fince.theCr cation. Your Argument flood thus. ^' Ii wc can't infer from Ada^n^ TranfgrefTion, That his Nature was originally corrupt, neitlior can we infer from the Tranfgreifions of all Mankind, that their Nature is originally corrupt." It is anfwered. If a Million cf Great tires were made in an equal Prol ability to (iand or fall, it is a Million to On^ they fould ^ not all fall You reply, " This is, "no~ An- fwer to my Argument.'* Surely it is ; and a direct Anfwer, That one Man fnaned, does not prove he had a corrupt Nature*, Why ? Bccaufe (fuppofing him Free to chufe Good or Evil) it was as probable he ihould fin, as not, there being no Odds on one Side or the other. But that all Men (hould fin does prove they have a corrupt Nature : Becaufc it is not as probable, That^//M;; fliould fin, as that one Man fliould : The Odds agalnfl it being as 4^,]^^[llion or rather ten thoufand Millions • p. 196. 298 'Tbe Doctrine of Millions to One. Either therefore we muft allow, That Mankind are more inclined to Evil tlian to Good, or we muft maintain a Suppofition fo highly improbable, as comes very near a flat Impoffibility. And thus much you yourfelf cannot but- allow : " The Reafoning may hold good, where all Circumftances agree, to make the ProbabJlity equal with Regard to every Indivi- dual in this fuppofed Million." And how can the Prcaah'l/ty be other than egua/^ if every Individual be as wife and as good 2isAdam? But, be it equal or no, you fay, " The Cafe IS not to be eftimated by the Laws of equal Probability^ but of InfeBmi, For when Sin is once enter'd into a Body of Men, it goes on, not according to the Laws of Chance^' (is this precifely the idAnc\w\\hequal Probability?) *' but the Laws as I may fay, of Infe^ion!' But how came Sin to enter into a Body of Men? That is the very Q^ieftion. Suppofmg iirft a Body of Sinners, Sin may " alllime the Nature- of a Contagion.*' But the Difficulty lies againfl: fuppofing anv Body of Sijiners at all. You fay indeed, " One Sinner produces another, as the Serpent drew \v\Eve: The firfl: Sin and Sinner being L'ke a little Leaven which leavens the "uoholii humpy x'\ll tliis I can underftand, fuppofing our Nature is inclined to Evil. But if not, why docs not one good Man pro- duce' Original Sin. 299 duce aaother, as naturally as one Sinner pro* duces another? And why does not Ri^^h- teoufnefs fpread as faft and as wide among Mankind as Wickednels ? Why does not this Leaven leaven the "izMe Lump ^ as frequent- ly, as readily and as throughly as the other ? Thefe Laws of InfcBion^ (lo called) will therefore ftand you in no Stead. For (to bring the Matter ftill more to a Point) fuppofe Adam and Eve newly ijifeBedhy Sin : They had then none to infcB^ having no Child. Afterward they repented and found Mercy. Then Cain was born : No\7 furcly neither Adam nor Lve would ivfccl him ! Flaving fuffered {o feverely for their own Sin^ which therefore they mufi: needs guard him againft. How then came he to be a Sinner? *' Oh, by his own Choice, as Seth was righteous." Well : Afterwards both wicked Cain and good Seth^ begat Sons and Ifaughters. Now was it not juft as probable, one ihould infecl his Children widi Good- nefs, as the other with Wickednefs ? How came then Cain to tranfmit Vice any more than Seih to tranfmit Virtue : If you fay, " Setb did tranfmit Virtue : His Poflcrity was Virtuous 'till they mixt widi the vicious OfF- fpring oiCain:" I anfwer, i. How does that appear ? How do you prove. That all the Pofterity of Seth were virtuous? But 2. If thcv -J 00 The DoctMS^^^ they were, Why did not this Mixture anieiia the Vicious, rather than corrupt the Vir- tuous ? If our Nature is equally inclined to Virtue and Vice, Vice is no more contagions than Virtue. How then came it totally to prevail over Virtue, fo that all Flejh had cor- rtipted themfches before the Lord ? Contagion and Infection are nothing to the Purpofe : Seeing they might propagate Good as well as Evil. ""^^ Let us go one Step farther. Eight Per- fons only were faved from the General De- luge. We have Reafon to believe, That four, at leaft, of thefe were Perfons truly virtuous. How then came Vice to have a Majority again, among the New Inhabitants of the Earth ? Had the Nature of Man been . inclined to neither, Virtue muft certainly have had as many Votaries as Vice. Nay, fuppofe Man a Reafonable Creature, and fuppofmg Virtue to be agreeable to the highrfl Reafon, according to all the Rules of Pro- bability, the Majority of Mankind muft in eveiy Age have been on the Side of Virtue, 8. Some have rcckojid up a large Catalogue cf the In fiances of Divi?ie Goodnefs^ and would make this as evident a Proof T!hat Mankind f, fands in We Favour of God as 'all the other^^ Ifijiances are^ of an univ erf al Degeneracy of Many -and- the Anger of God . againfl. (hem. Original SiNi^ 301 Btif, 'tis enfy to reply, l!he Goodnefs of God may ificline Him to bejiow a thoiifand Bounties upon Criminals, But his Jujlice and Goodnefs ^^ill not Juffer IIim\ to infli6l Mifcty in Jucb an univerfal Manjier, 'where there has been no Sin to deferve them^ either in Barents or Children, . You anfwer, " There is more than enough Sin among Mankind, to deferve all the Suf- ferings God inflidls upon them. And the Scriptures reprefent thofc Sufferings as Difci- plinary, for Corredlion and Reformation." What, all the Sufferings of all Mankind ? This can in no wife be allow'd. Where do the Scriptures fay. That ^//Sufferings, thofe of Infants in particular, are purely Difcipli^ nary^ and intended only " for Cojrcdtion ^nd Reformation ?" Neither can this be re- conciled to Matter of Fadt. How did the Sufferings of Grecian or Roman Infants, tend to their Correction and Reformation ? Neither do they tend to the Corre6lion or Reformation of their Parents or of any otlief Perfons under Heaven. And even as to Adults : If univerfal Suffering is a Proof of univerfal Sin; and univerfal Sin could not take Place, unlefs Men were naturally prone to Evil, Then the prefent Sufferings of Mankmd are a clear and ftrong Evidence that their Nature is prone to Evil. 9. Notwithstanding all God s Brc- vijionfor the Good of Man, fill the Scripture reprefe?its 302 The Doctrine cf reprcfenfs Men^ while they are in their fallen State y as dejcitute cf God's Favour y andwith^ %ut Hope. You anfwer, *' How can^ Men be dejlitute of God s Favour^ when He has vouchfafed them a Redeemer ?" By defiitute of God s Favour y we mean, Children cf Wrath ^ Ob- jed;s of God's Difpleafure. And becaufe they were fo, the Redeemer was given, to reconcile them to God by his own Blood. But notwithftanding this, while we and they were in o\xx fallen State^ we were all Objedta of God's Difpleafure. "But how can they be without Hope^ when He hatb given them the Hope of eternal Life r* All Men who are not born again, born of G o D are without Hope at this Day. God indeed hatb given^ but they have not accepted the Hope of eternal Life, Hence the Bulk of Mankind are ftill as void of this, HcpCy as are the Beafts that perifh. And fo (the Scripture declares) are all Men by Nature, whatever Difference Grace may make. By Nature all are Children of Wrath , without Hope, without God in the World, lo. Doth that Man write thefincere Senfe of his own Mind and Confciejice, who charges the Exprefjion^ " Adam was on Trial for lu all,'' with this hiferefice^ , ". That w£. are. none p. 207. ^oi^^ of Original Sin. 303 ofm in a State ofl'rial now, but Adam aki^ was upon T^rialfor us allV' We ha^e owned ajid granted, That Men are now in a State ofTriaJ: But this is upon the Foot of a new Covenoit. You aniwer, '' what^ can be more evi- dent, than that accordicg to this Scheme jidam alone was to be upon Trial for us all, and that none of Adam^ Pofterity are upon Perfonal Trial r" Do you not fee the Ambi- guity in the Word alojie'^ Or do you lee and diffembleit? Dr. Watts fuppofcs, Th-^ii Ada7n alone, that is, T'hisfingk Ferjon was on I'rial for all Men. Does it follow from hence, that Adam alojie, that is, vo other Ferfon, w^as ever in a State of Trial ? Again : li no Ferjm hut Adam was upon- I'rial for /ill Men, Will it follow, " No Ferfon but Adam w,as upon "Trial at allT It is really hard to think, that you here '' fpeak the fincere Senfe of your own Mind and Cooicicnce.'* You go on. " He fuppofes all Mankind are ftiirunder the Origmal Covenant with Ada?n, accordirigly to which he alone was upon Trial for us all, and none of his Poficrity are upon Perfonal Trial." He does not iiippofc any Man to be fo under that Covenant, as to fuperfcde his being up- on Perfonal Trial. Yourfclf add, " I knew he owned, wc~arc upon Perfonal Trial, and x^ that " p. 209- 304 ^he Doctrine of that all Mankind are now under the Cove- nant of Grace. But how can either of thefe confift with the Scheme?" Both of them confift with it perfedtly well. i. Adam nlone ox Jingk was, in fome Senfe, on Trial for all Mankind, according to the Tenor of the old Covenant, '' Do this and live." 2. Adam fell, and hereby the Sentence of Death came on him and all his Pofterity. 3. The new Covenant was given, whereby all Man- kind were put into a State of Perfonal Trial. Yet ftill, 4. Death the Penalty of the old Covenant, came (more or lefs) on all Man- kind. Now all this is well confiftent with itfelf, as well as with the Tenor of Scripture. 1 1. Mankind is reprefented as one collec- tive Body in fever al Verfes of the Kth Chapter /o//?t' Romans. You anfwer, *' St. Paul' always diftin- giufhes between Adam^ and all Alen^ his Pcfteritv, and does not confider Adam with all Meny as one Creature." What then? This does not prove, that he does not irprefent Mankind (Adam\ Pof- terity) as one colleBive Body, 12. All that is contained i7t the Blefling given to Noah is CGnfijiejit ivith the Curfe which came on all Men hy the fir ft Sin. But that Curfe is not cmffient with the Original Blef- fing which was given to Adam. . Yov Original SiiV.- 305 'You anfwer, "The Blefling given ^ to Noah^ was the ''oery fame which was given to Adam.'* This is palpably falfe. The Bleffing which was given to Adam included I. Freedom from Pain and Death. 2. Do- minion over the whole Brute Creation. But that given to Noah did not include either. Yet you affirm, *' It is renewed to Noal\ without any Manner of Alteration, after Pain and Death were introduced into the World!'' And do Pain and Death then make 720 Manner of Alteration ? 13. The Dominion over the Brutes given to Adam was not given to Noah. You anfwer, '' Our *^ killing and feeding upon them is the higheft Inftance of Do?m' tion over them." It is no Inftance of it at all. I may ihoot a Bear and then eat hira: Yet I have no Dominion, unlefs it be over his Carcaie. P p. 212. •» p. 213. \\v6 \V5 1 *•> y-, f jn; t;j.:it:«, ^ij^-x.. .a J^iiJiJW [ 307 ] THE DoSIrine of Orkinal Sin 6cc. PART IV. ExtraBsfromJDi^, Watts ^«^ Afr. Hebdcn. Jttf^:^lML Have now confidered what is ma- fg I g] terial in your " Do^n?2e of Origi- ^"^•^J^ ^^^ A?/;?/' with the Supplement a?id Reply to Dj\ Watts. And this I purpofely did before I read the Doctor's Book. But how was I furprized on reading it, to obferve the Manner wherein you have treated it, of which I could not be a Judge before ! The Frame which he had fo beautifully and ftrongly connc(5ted, you have disjointed and broken in Pieces, and given us nothing but mangled Fragments of it, from which it is impoffible to form any Judgment of the whole. In order therefore to do Juftice to that great and good Man, as well as to his Argument, I fubjoin an Extradl of fo much of that Work as diredly affeds the main Qupftion. U 2 ' I THE ^o8 I'he Doctrine of I THE rather fabjoin this and the foUow- ihg Extrafts, for thefe two Realbnsy i. Be- caufe what has gone before being purely ar- gumentative, is dry and lefs profitable to the Generality of Readers. 2. Becaufe they contain one, uniform, connected Scheme of the great Do/r/V, as; united together, fuited to his prefent Circumftances. ^'-'-'^^ -j-^i^i " Not that we need conceive, l^an X?*5^otlTd be made fo perfedl: a Being as God could make * Ruin and Recovery of Mankind, p. i. "^ p. 2. Original Sin. 309 make him. For the Wifdom of God plain- ly defign'd to difplay itfelf in the different Ranks and Orders of his Creation. Nor is it reafonable to fuppofe, Man would be made at iirft with fuch fublime Perfedions, as he himfelf might afterwards arrive at, by a wife Improvement of his Powers. But ftill the Creature which was defigned to bear the neareft Likenefs of his Maker in this lower World, muft have Powers per- fedlly fufficient for his prefent Well-being, and a6ling in that Station wherein God had placed him. ^ All his Senfes muft be clear and ftrong, his Limbs vigorous and adive, his Body healthy in all the inward and out- ward Parts of it, and every natural Power in its proper Order. For God would furely form fuch a Creature, in a State of perfed: Eafe, without any original Malady of Na- ture, to give him Pain or Sorrow.'' Nor could there be any Tendency in his Body to Pain or Difeafe while he remained wldi- out Sin. '' And as the Pcnucrs of bis B^Jymw^ be thus perfed, fo the FaciJtirs of his SguI nuill have their FerfcHion too. " His Under jlanding mud liave that Know- ledge both of God and his Creatures, which was needful for his llappinefs. Not that he was formed with all Knowledge in Arts T TT -> and 3IQ The Doctrine of and Sciences, but with fuch as was requi*- fite to his Peace and Welfare. His Reafon mufl be clear, his Judgment uncorrupted, and his Confcience upright and fenfible, " This" leads me to fpeak of his Moral PerfeBion, A rational Creature thus rpade, mull not only be tnjiocent^ as a Tree, but muft be formed Holy, His Will muft have an inward Bias to Virtue : He muft have an Inclination td pleafe that God who made him, a fupreme Love to his Creator, a Zeal to ferve Him, and a tender Fear of offend- ing Hinir " For either the new created Man loved God fupremely, or not. If he did not, he was not innocent, fince the Law of Nature requires a fupreme Love to God. If he did he ftood ready for every Aft of Obedience : And this is true Holinefs of Heart. And in- deed v/ithout this, how could a God of Holinefs love the Work of his own Hands ? " There muft be alfo in this Creature a regular Subjection of the inferior Powers to the fuperior. Senfe and Appetite andPaffion muft be fubjeft to Reafon. The Mind muft have a Power to govern thcfe lower Facul- tiej;, that he might not offend againft the Lavv' of his Creation. *-* ^ He muft alfo have his Heart inlaid with Love tQ the Creatures, cjpecially thofe of - p. 5. ^ p. 6. Original Sin. 3 1 1 of his own Species, if he fhoiild be placed among them: And with a Principle of PIo- nefty and Truth in dealing with them. And if many of thefe Creatures were made at once, there would be no Pride, Malice or Envy, no Falfhood, no Brawls, or Con- tentions among them but all Harmony and Love. " This Univerfal Righteoufnefs, which is the Moral Image of God; is flir the nobleft Part of that Image in which Mofcs reprefents Man to have been originally created. The fame Writer affures us, That when Con furvey*d all his Works, He pronounced them very good I Agreeably to what Sohmn ^^ aflures us that God made Man upright. " *Tis true, the Natural Image of God in which Man was created, confided in his fpiritual, intelligent and immortal Nature : And his Political Image (if I may fo fpeak) in his being Lord of this lower Creation. But the chief, the Moral Part of his Image, we learn from St. Paul, to have been the Re6litude of Man's Nature : Who in his ^'Epiftle to the Epbefiam lays. That the I- mage of God, in which Man is xo he ;v- ncwd, and confequently in which he was made confifts /// Righteoujhefs and true Holinefs,^ " II. From the Juftice and Goodncls ot God we may infer, That tha' Man xs-as U 4 w»^i^^ 8 p. 7. ^ C. iv. 24. 312 TToe Doctrine of made Free with a Power- to chufe either Evil or Good, that he might be put into i State of Probation, yet he had zfull Suffici-^ ency of Powers to preferve himfelfin Love mid Obedience to bis Creator^ and to guard him- felf againft every Temptation. . < ecrlt n.i " IIL Tis highly ^ probable, from the Goodnefs of God, that fuch a Creature would be made immortal. Tis true the Great God as Sovereign Lohd of his Creatures, might take away all that He had given. But 'tis hard to fuppofe that He ever would have deftroy'd an intelligent Creature who had continued to ferve and pleafe Him. '*' Ti s alfo probable, That he was endued with Power to arrive at higher Degrees of Excellency and Happinefs, than thofe in which he was formed ^t firft, and hereby he was greatly encouraged both to watch againft every Sin, and to ufe all Zeal and Diligence in improving the Pov/ers he had received*;; duU Ui\iL\ " IV. We^ may add, That theHabitation in whichs a God of infinite Goodnefs would place fuch an innocent and holy Creature, » would be fur nijfli'd with all the NeceJJmies mid Convenie72ces of Life, and prepared for his Dcl%hi as v/ell as Safety. And fo Mofcs tells. 115^; That the firft created Pair were placed in Ede?i, a Garden of Pleafurp, and ihT a were » p. 8. " p. 9. * p. 10. Original Sin. 313 were made Lords of all therein, of all the Creatures, Animal and Vegetable, that were round about them. " Neither can we conceive that any Thing deftrudive or hurtful could be fotind in this delightful Habitadon but what Man would have fufficientNotice of with futficicnt Power to oppofe or avoid it. . ''V. ""And if this Creature had Power to propagate its Kind, the Child mufi: be inno- cent and holy, and equally capable of pcr- fevering in Virtue and Happincfs. *' Now if w^e may judge from the Wifdom, Juftice and Goodnefs of God, that diefe are the Qualifications with which fuch a new-made Creature would be endued, thefe the Circumftances in which lie would be fituated, then by a careful Survey of what Mankind, is now, we may eafily judge whether Man is now fuch a Crc^ature as the Great and bleffed God made hhn at firft? And this is the Subjecfl of the cnfuing En- quiry. QJLJ E S T I O N I. ''Is "Ma?i in hisprefent Circtrm/lanccs fuch a Creature as he. came out of the Hands oj Gon bis Creator ? Wc may derive a full Anfwer to this Enquiry from the following Confi- derations. I. This •"p. I I, "p. 12. 314 57?^ Doctrine of " I. This Earth which was defigh'd for the Habitation of Man, carries evident To- kens of Ruin and Defolation, and does not feem to be ordained in its prefent Form and Circumftances, for the Habitation of inno- cent Beings 5 but is apparently fit for the DweUing-place of Creatures who are de- generate and fallen from God. " It is granted that the Beauty and Order of this lower World, even in its prefent Conftitution, and the wonderful Texture, Compofition and Harmony of the feveral Parts of it, both in Air, Earth and Sea, do ftill illuftrioufly difplay"* the Power, Wifdom ind Goodnefs of their Creator. Yet it muft be confeft alfo, that there are glaring Proofs, of the Terrors of his Juflice and the Exe- cution of his Venf!:eance. " Is not the prefent Shape of our Earth, in its Divifions of Seas and Shores, rude and irregular, abrupt and horrid? Survey a Map of the World, and fay. Does the Form of it ftrike our Eyes with any natural Beauty and Harmony ? Rather does it not ftrongly bear on our Sight the Ideas of Ruin and Confu^ iion? Travel over the Countries of this Globe, or vifit feveral Parts ofthislfland. What various Appearances of a ruin'd World? What vaft broken Mountains hang over the Heads of Travellers r What ftupcndous -Clife - p. 13. Origin^al Sin. 315 ClifFs and Promontories rife, high and hide- ous to behold? What dreadful Precipices, which make us giddy to look down, and are ready to betray us into Deftrudion? What immenfe Extents are there in many Countries of wafte and barren Ground r What vaft and almoft impaffable Deferts?' What broad and faithleis Moraffes, which are made at once both Deaths and Graves to unwary Travellers? What huge ruinous Caverns, deep and wide, big enough to bury whole Cities r '' What refiftlefs Deluges of Water, in a Seafon of great Rains, come rolling down the Hills, bear all Things before them, and fpread fpacioiis Defolation ? What roaring and tremendous Water-falls In feveral Parts of the Globe ? What burning Mountains, iu ^whofe Caverns are Lakes of liquid Fire rea- dy to burft upon the lower Lands ? Or they are a mere Shell of Earth, covering prodigi- ous Cavities of Smoke, and Furnaces ot Flame : And feem to wait a Divine Com- mand, to break inward and burv Towns and Provinces in fiery Jluin. *' What avllive Treafures of Wind arc pent up in the Bowels o{ the Earth, ready to break out into v/ide and furpriling Milchicf ? What huge Torrents of Water rulh and roar through the I lollows of the Cilobe we tread ^ What p p. 14- " P- '5- 3i6 72v Doctrine of What dreadful Sounds and threatning Ap- pearances from the Region of Meteors in the Air ? What Clouds charged with Flame, ready to burft on the Earth ^nd difcompofe and terrify all Nature ? r\^^^^ \ " When I furvey fuch Scenes as thefe, I cannot but fay within myfelf, *' Surely this Earth, in thefe rude and broken Appearances, this unfettled and dangerous State, was de- figned as a Dwelling for fome unhappy In- habitants, who did or would tranfgrefs the Laws of their Maker, and merit' Defolation from his Hand. And He hath here ftored up his Magazines of Divine Artillery againft the Day of Punifliment.'* A *' How often have the terrible Occurrences-' of Nature in the Air, Earth and Sea, and the calamitous Incidents in feveral Countries^ given a ftrong Confirmation of this Senti-l ment ? i >o rft •^r- ,HnR?f . '' What DeflrucTtivc Storms have we and our Fathers {^tx\ even in this temperate Ifland of Great-Brit abi ? What Floods of Water and violent Explofions of Fire do we read of in the Hiftories of the World? What fliockr.. ing Convulfions of the Globe, ftretching far and wide under the affrighted Nations? What huge Diruptions of the Caverns of the Earth, with tremendous Bellowings, which have filled its Inhabitants .with Terror and Aftonifh- ' p. i6, _ q * Original Sin. 317 Aftonifhment, and made wide Devaftatlons ? Would a good and gracious Being have ori- ginally fo formed the inanimate ^ Parts of this lower World, as to produce fuch deadly Concuflions, therein, and fuch defolating Appearances, had He not defigned it for the Habitation of fuch Creatures, as He forefaw would deferve thefe Strokes of his Indig- nation ? " And thus hothMofes and StPefer fuppofe God to 'have laid up Stores of Ruin and De- ftrudlion within the Bowels of the Earth, that He might break open his "" dreadful Treafures of Flood and Fire at proper Sea- fons, to drown and to burn the World toge- ther with the iinful Inhabitants thereof. Now the great God, who appointed fuch prodigious Quantities both of Water and Fire to be referved in the Bowels of the Earth, and among the Clouds of Heaven, for fuch a forefeen Day of general Deftruc- tion, did alfo doubtlefs prepare tlie Materials of all the leiTer ''Storms and Hurricanes, Earthquakes and Floods, and Convulfioo-s of Nature; and treafured up for thefe Pur- pofes his Magazines of Wind and Flood and Fire in the Earth. And is this an Habita- tion prepared for the Refidence of pure and holy Beings P Is this fuch a peaceful Place as a kind Creator would have form'd for inno- cent • p. 17. * p. 18. " p. 19. ." p. 20. 3i8 T'he Doctrine of cent Creatures ? *Tis abfurd to imagine this of a God fo wife, fo righteous, and fo mei;- ciful ! " 2. Let us take a Survey of the Vegeta- bles which grow out of the Earth, with the Brute Animals which are found on the Sur- face of it, and we fliall find more Reafons to conclude that Man the chief Inhabitant, is not fuch as he came firft out of his Maker's Hand. *' It muft be granted here again, that the Wifdom and Goodnefs of the Creator are amazingly "" difplayed, in the Animal and the Vegetable World, beyond the utmoft Reach of our Thoughts or Praifes. But ilill we may have Leave to enquire, whether if Man had continued innocent, among the numerous Herbs and Flowers fitted for his Support and Delight, any Plants or Fruits of a malignant, mortal Nature would have grown out of the Earth, without fome plain Mark or Caution fet upon them ? " Can we fuppofe that among the Roots, Herbs and Trees good for Food, the Great God would havefuffered Mifchief, Malady and deadly Poifon, to fpring up here and there, without any fufficient Diftincflion, that Man might know how to avoid them ? This is the Cafe in our prefent World; Difeafe, Anguifh and Death, have entered into the Bowels " p. 2J. Original Sin. 319 Bowels and Veins of Multitudes, by an in- nocent and fatal Miftake of thefe pernicious Things, for proper Food. " There was indeed theTree of Knowledge in Paradife. ButMan was expreily caution'd againft it. And certainly had he continued holy, noPoifonous Plant^ would have been fufFered to grow on the Earth, without either fome Natural Mark fet upon it, or fome Divine Caution to avoid it. " Proceed to the Animal World. There are many Creatures indeed, which ferve the Ufe or Pleafure of Man. But are there not many other Sorts, which he is neither able to govern,^ nor to refift ? And by which all his Race are expofed, whenever they meet them, to Wounds and Anguifli and D^ath? ''If Man had not finned, would there have been in the World any fuch Creatures as Bears and Tygers, Wolves and Lions, ani- mated with fuch Fiercenefs and Rage, and armed with fuch deftrudive Teeth and Ta- lons? Would the innocent Children of Men, have ever been formed, to be the living Prey of thefe Devourers? Were the Life and Limbs of holy Creatures, made to become Heaps of agonizing Carnage ? Or would their FleHi and Bones have been given up to be cruihed and churned between the Jaws of Panthers and Leopards, Sharks and Cro- codiles? V p. 'Z7. * p. 2J. 320 T^he Doctrine of codiles ? Let Brutes be content to prey on their Fellow Brutes, but let Man be their Lord and Ruler. " If Man' were not falIen,would there have been (o many Tribes of the Serpent-kind, armed with deadly Venom ? Would fuch fubtle and ad:ive Mifchiefs have been made and fent to dwell in a World of Innocents ? And would the Race of all thefe Murderers and deftrudiive Animals, have been' propa- gated for fix thoufand Years, in any Pro- vince of God's Dominion, had not its rational Inhabitants been in Rebellion againft God ? ''What are the immenfe Flights ofLocufts which darken the Sky, and lay the Fields defolate ? What are the Armies of Hornets or Mufcatoes, that frequently make a plea- fant Land almoft intolerable ? If they are found in the Heats of Africky and of the Eajl and Wejl-Indies^ one would think they fhould not infeft the Folar Regions, if the Creator had not defign'd them for a Scourge to the Nations on all Sides of the Globe ? '' What'' are the innumerable Hoft of Ca- terpillars but fo many Meflengers of the An- ger of God againft a finful Race ? And fince we can neither refift nor fubdue them, we may certainly infer, that we are not now fuch Favourites of Heaven, as God at firft. mad? us. The * P H- ' P- 2S. Original Sin.** 321 The troublelbme and pernicious Tribes of Animals, both of large and fmaller Size, which are Fellow-Commoners with us on this great Globe, together with our Impo- tence to prevent or eicape their Mifchiefs, is a fufficient Proof, that we arc not in the full Favour and Love of the God that made us, and that He has quartered his Armies, his Legions among us, as Princes do in a rebel- lious Province. " It is true all thcfc are Trials for Man during his State of Probation. But a' State of Probation for innocent Man would not have included Death : Much lefs a violent and bloody, or a lingering and painful Death. Accordingly our Return to Dull: is mention'd by Mofes as a Curfe' of God for tlic Sin of Man. And when once Life is forfeited by all Mankind, then a painful Death may properly become a Part, of the further Trial of fuch Creatures, as are to rife again : And any pious Sufferers may be rewarded by a happy Refurredion. But a paintul Death could never be made a Part of the Trial of innocent Creatures, who had never forfeited Life, nor were ever legally fubjed>cd to Death. " Upon the whole therefore, fuch noxious and deftrudtive Plants and Animals, could W not • p. 26. * p. 37» 322 "The Doqxi^i^E of not be made to vex and difturb, to poifon and deftroy, a Race of innocent intellectual Beings. -j /' 3.THE'Mannef of our Entrance into Life is another Proof of univerfal Sin. Would the great and good God have appointed In- telleftual Animals, had they been finlefs, to be propagated in fuch a Way, as fhould ne- celTarily give fuch exquifite Pain and Anguifli to the Mothers w^ho bring them forth ? And if the Contagion had not been univerfal, why lliould fuch acute Pangs attend almoft every Female Parent? Are not the multi-f plied Sorrows with which the Daughters of Eve bring forth, an evident Token that they are not in their Original State of Favour* with that God who created them and pro* nounced a Blelfing upon them in their Pro^ pagation ? ^ MosES^ informs us, That God bleffedih.t firft Pair, and bid them be fruitful and muU tiply and replenijh the Earth and fubdueiti And foon after tells us, that thefe multiplied i^orroivs in Child-birth, are a Curfe from an ifij §n/:Jiu^riX3 ki offended ..^w ^sibi o^ i 1^ mom iq va-pm imu ^A'i.* The Author has been cenfured here for not dropping a Tear over the Fair Sex under their Sorrows and acute Pains; Bu.t he imagines, he has been dropping Tears in every Page, and thatm'er every Part of Mankind.** Undoubtedly he has : ' Ao4'it'^o.'-tow.unjuft, how crue) is thatCenfure?/j iJiii>i Original Sin* 323 offended God. Surely the Curfe is not as old as the Bleffing: But Sin and Sorrow came in together, and fpread a wide Curfe over the Birth of Man, which before flood mly under a Divine Benedidion. Not that the Bleffing is now quite taken away, tho* the Pains of Child-bearing are added to it. And daily Experience proves, this Curfe is not taken away by the Bleffing repeated to " ;4. Let us confider in the next Place how the Generality of Mankind are preferved in Life. Some few have their Food with- out Care or Toil : But the Millions of Hu- man Creatures, in all the Nations of the Earth, are conftrain'd to fupport a wretclicd Life by hard Labour. ^ What dreadful Rifqucs of Life or Limbs, do Multitudes run, to purchafe their neceffary Food ? What Wafte of the Hours of fweet Repofe, what long and flavifh and painftil Toils by Day, do Multitudes fuftain in order to pro- cure their daily Nourifliment ? 'Tis by the Sweat of their Brows they obtain their Bread: 'Tis by a continual exhaufting their Spirits, that many of them arc forced to relieve their own Hunger, and to feed their helplefs Off- fpring. " If we furvey the lower Ranks of Man- kind even ia England, in a Land of Free- W 2 dom ' p. 30. 324 ^he Doctrine of dom and Plenty, a Climate temperate and fertile, which abounds with Corn and FiTiits, and rich Variety of Food: Yet what a hard Shift do ten thoufand Families make to fup- port Life ? Their whole Time is devoured by Bodily Labour, and their Souls almoft eaten up with gnawing Cares, to anfwer that Queftion, What fhall I eat, and what fliall I drink ? Even in the pooreft and coarfcft Manner? But if we fend our Thoughts to the fultry 'Regions oi Africk^ the Froil: and Snows of Norway^ the Rocks and Deferts of Lapland and Northern Tar- tary^ what a frightful Thing is Human Life? How is the Rational Nature loft in Slavery, and Brutality, and incefiant Toils, and Hardfhips ? They are treated like Brutes by their Lords, and they live like Dogs and Affes, among Labours and Wants, Hunger and Wearinefs, Blows and Burthens without End, Did God appoint this for Innocents ? " Is the momentary Pleafare of Eating and Drinking a Recompence for inceffant Labour ? Does it bear any Pix)portion to the Length of Toil, Pain and Hazard, where- with the Provifions of Life are procured? M^/<'j thought not. j When he ^Ipeaks of Man's eatiTig Bread in the S^weat of bi^ Brcws^ he acknowledges this to be another lof Mthe Curfcs of God for the Sin of Man. . - . '' 'Tis ' p. 3»- ' P- 3-- OriCINAL SlNi^ 325 >.i'^- 'Tis ftrange that any Man fliould fay, ^' In this Sentence of Gov ^ noCu?'fe is pronounced " upon either Adam'i Body, Soul or Pcjierity : '' That the Sorrow of Child-bearing is not in-' ^^ fliBedas a Ciirfe : That the Labours of Life '- were increq/ed, but net asaCurfe: ThatDcafh " was7iot a Cu7'fe,'' I would fain afk what is a Curfcy if fome Natural Evil pronounced and executed upon a Perfon, or Thing, be notfo ? Efpecially when it is pronounced on Account of Sin, and by God Himfelf, as fupremc Governor and Judge? And even the Curfe on the Ground falls properly on the Perfon who tills it. " It is granted, God can turn Curfes into Bleffings. Yet thefe Evils were origi- nally pronounced and infiidled as a Curfe or Punip?nent of Sin, as it is written, curfed is every 07ie who continueth not in all T'htiigs, And that Death was defigned as a Curfe on Man for Sin is evident 5 for Chrill fufered that Curfe for us, " 5. Consider the Charadler of Man- kind in general witli Regard ' to Religion and Virtue, and it will be hard to believe they bear the Image of their Common Fa- ther in Knowledge and Holincfs. Some I grant, are renewed in his Image: But tlie Bulk of the World are of another Stamp; \V 3 and f P- 33- 326 I'he DoctrtJe of and fufficiently fhew, there is fome fatal Contagion ipread thro' this Province of God's Dominion. So St. John tells \is, that except the few who a^e born ofQoj). the tVorJdlkth kWickednefi, '^^X" l^"^^ ^ " And can we think df that grbfs ah3 ftupid Ignorance of God, which reigns thro' vaft Trafts of Afta^ Africa and America^ ^nd the thick Darknefs which buries all the Heathen Countries, "" and reduces them al? moft to Brutes: Can we think of the abo^ minable Idolatries, the lewd and cruel Rites of Worfliip which have been fpread thro' whole Nations; the impious and ridiculous Superftitions which are now praftiled among the greateft Part of the World: And yet believe the blefled God would put fuch wretched polluted Workmanfhip out of his pure Hands? ^ ' [.^"^.^f^^ '/'^ ^ " Can we furvey me 3elperate Impiety and Profanenefs, the Swearing and Curfing and wild Blafphemy, that is pracftifed, Day and Night among vail Multitudes of thofe who profefs to know the true God: Can we behold that almoft Univerfal Negledt of CroD, of his Fear, his Worfhip, and the Obedience due to Him, which is found even among them who ^xtcAltAClmJiims: And ^yet imagine, that thefe bear that Ipiage of Cjod in which they were created P^"^^^^ ^^^' :i:cf(; and inculcated with the ut- nioft Care, yet their Hearts run aftray from God. The far greateft Part of them vifibly follow the corrupt Influences of Scnfe, Ap- petite, Paflion, and manifeft very early the evil Principles of Stubbornnefs, Pride and Difobedience. ni bu:i ■ ** I. To"" give a ftill fuller ConjSrmatfon ©f this Truth, that Mankind have a corrupt Nature in them, let it be obferved, that where Perfons have not only had all poflible Helps of Education from their Parents, but have themfelves taken a religious Turn be- times, what perpetual Hindrance do they find within themfelves ? What inward Op-^ portions work in their Heart, and perhaps interrupt their Holy Courfe of Life ? What Vanity of Mind, what irregular Appetites, "what Forgetfulnefs of God, what evil Thoughts and Tendencies of Heart rife up, in Contradiffion to their beft Purpofes? Info- much that there ""is 7iot ajiijl Ma7i upon Earthy • p. 44- " P- 4S- " P' 46. %vh thro*' his whole Life doth Good ayid fin- neth not. — -; ^ - " To fum up' the" three laft Confidera* tibnsr " If the Bulk of Mankind are grolTly finful, and if every Individual without Ex- ception is adually a Sinner againft the Law of his Creator : If finful Propenfities appear even in our moft tender Years ; and every Child becomes an'adual Sinner almoft as foon as it becomes a moral Agent: Then we have juft Reafon to conclude, That there is fome Original Taint fpread thro' the whole Race of Men from their Birth. It has been Maid indeed, That " if the firft Man fell " into Sin, tho' he was innocent and perfect, ^* then among a Million of Men, every one " mi^^ht Sin, tho' he was as innocent and *^ perfect as Adam^ " I ANSWER, There is a bare Poflibllity of the Event, but the Improbability of it is in the Proportion of a Million to One. - " And I prove it thus. If a Million of Creatures were made in an equal Probability to ftand or fall : And if all the Numbers from One, to One Million inclufivcly, were fet in a Rank, 'tis a Million to one that juft any fmgle propofed Number of all thelc fliould fall by Sin. Now the total Sum is one of thefe Numbers, that is, the laft ot them. V p. ^7, 332 The Doctrine of them. Confequently it is a Million to One againil: the Suppoiition that the whole Num- ber of Men fhould fall. . *' And yet farther, if they were all made (as the Goodnefs of God feenio to require) in a greater Probability of ftanding than falling, then it is abundantly more than a * Million to One, that all fliould fm without Exception. And the Argument grows ftill ten thoufand Times ftronger, if we fup- pofe ten thoufand Millions to have lived fince the Creation. " 8. That Man is a fallen Creature, appesrs farther from hence : No Man is able by h'S prcfent natural Powers to per« form"" that Law of his Creator which is ftill written upon his Heart. ■■■ i^^i^i lu " Does not this Law reauire us tci love God with ail our Heart, to do to others as we would they iliould do to us, and to govern our Senfes, Appetites and Paflions, by the Rules of Reafon ? Does it not require that thefe Things whether they regard God, ourfelves, or Others, fliould be done per- fe<^ly, withouiDefed? Doth it not Jemand,^ that we ihould fear, honour and- truft the Great God, and obey all.his Will in a perfed:. Manncr ? Doth it not prrfcribe vconftant Juftic and are not able to help it ? " Should it be faid, '' God cannot re- " quire more than we are able to perform." You have an Anfwer in your own Bofom. For you know and feel, God docs require this, even by the Law He lias written in your Heart: Yet 2. You feel you are not able to perform it, untie or cut the Knot,> how you may. " Should it bcfaid 'again, *' God pities " and pardons feeble Creatures," I anfwer, ;[. Ac.cord- 334 "^^^ Doctrine of I. According to the Covenant of Grace, He does, but not according to the Law of Cre- ation. But 2. Did God make fome of his nobleft Creatures, fo feeble in their Original 'state, as continually to offend, and want Pardon ? Did He give them fuch a Law as fhould never, never be fulfilled by any one of them ? Would a God who adjufts the Pro- portions of all Things with the exafteft Wif- dom give a Law to his Creatures fo difpro- portionate to their Original Powers, that even in the State of their Creation, they are under a Neceflity of breaking it, and ftand in Need of daily Forgivenefs ? Does not this nngle Confideration prove, That Man is now a Degenerate Being, and not fuch as he was at firft created, by the wife, the righteous, the merciful God ! "If you* who are moil unwilling to ac- knowledge the Fall of Man, would but look into yourfelf daily, and oblerve all the finful and irregular Turns of your own Heart : How propenfc you are to Folly, in greater or lefs Inftances, how foon Appetite and PafTion oppofeReafon and Confcience ; How frequently you fall fhort of the Demand of tlie perfect Law of God : How thoughtlefs and forgetful you are of your Creator, how " ^Thimk of the Numbers that are fwal- lowed ^;p.iu tlic- mighty Waters,, by the '<*u: *. Rage » p. sr- ■' p. 5S. ^ p. 59. -,. :.. Original Sin. 337 Rage of ftormy Winds and Seas. Review the Multitudes which have been fwept away by the Peftilence, or confumed by the tedi- ous Agonies of Famine. Would Famine and Peftilence with all the Train of lingering Horrors which attend them, have ever been made for innocent Creatures, to have fwept away whole Nations of them of every Age and Sex, Men, Women and Children, with- out Diftinftion ? * ' " Think ''yet again, what Numbers of Men have been cruflied into Miferies and Death, and buried by Earthquakes ? Or have had their Bones broken, their Limbs disjointed, and their Flefh painfully batter'd by the Fall of Houfes : Perhaps buried a- live in the Rulils, of entire Towns or Vil- lages, while their Neighbours have been drowned in Multitudes, by the difmal E- ruptions of Water or deftroyed by Deluges of Liquid Fire, burfting out of the Earth. Would a God of Goodnefs and Juftice have treated innocent Creatures in this Manner ? " Carry your Thoughts to the Coun- tries of thofe Savages, where Thoufands of their conquered Enemies, or Prifoncrs of War, are offer'd in Sacrifice to their Idols, or tortured and roafted to Death by flow Fires ! Add this to all the former Miferies, and then let calm Reflexion iiy, whether X this * p. 6o> 338 The Doctrine of this World does not look like a Province half forfaken of its gracious Governor ? *' Some 'perhaps w^ill fay, It is but a fmall Part of Mankind, who are involv'ci in thefe dreadful Calamities : And they may fufFer peculiar Afflidions, for their own per- fonal Iniquities. " I ANSWER, take a juft Survey of thofe who have fuffer^d thus, and there is not the leaft Reafon to think, they were Sinners a- hove others. Do not thefe Calamities fpre^d diro' whole Countries and involve the heft and the worft of Men together ? Whole Na- tions fuffer by them at once. And indeed fuch is the Corruption of Human Nature, that wherever they come, they find none in- nocent. And it is the general Situation of Mankind, under the juft Difpleafure of God, which expofes them to fuch De- ftru6lion. '' But to proceed.'" Think of the innu- merable Common Misfortunes that attend Iluman Life ! What Multitudes perifh by thefe in one Week? And how much larger -a Number do thefe Accidents injure aad fill their Lives with Pain, tho' they are not 'brought immediately to the Grave ? Think of the Milchiefs wiiich one Part of Man- ^kirid, 'in every Place ar-e continually contriv- ing or priwSifing againft the other. Take a '■ '^^^^i i-. /^ View » p. 61. " p. 62. fC q * 'i'i .q '■ Original Sin* 3^9 View of thefe extenfive and reigning Evils, and then fay whether this World, be not a Part of the Creation of God, which bears plain Marks of its Creator's Difpleafure ? " Much is added to the Heap of human Mifcries by the Sorrows that arifc from the daily Lofs of our deareft Comforts* What Groans and Wailings of the Living furround the Pillows of dying Friends or Relations ? What "Symptoms of piercing Diftrefs attend the Remains when they are conveyed to the Grave? By fuch Loffes, the Comforts of future Life lofe their Relifh, and the Sor- rows are doubly embittered. " In the civilized Parts of the World, there is fcarce one Perfon Sick or in Pain, miferable or dying, but feveral others fuftain a confiderable Share of Mifery, by the ftrong Ties of Nature or Friendihip. This diffufes a perfonal Calamity thro' whole Families* This multiplies Human Miferies into a new and endlefs Number. Add to this, that only the Unkindnefs or Falfhood of thofe from whom we expedled the tendereft Af- fedion, but the " Anguifli which fprings from all our own utieafy and unruly PaC- lions. Bring in here all the Wrath and Refentment in the Hearts of Men, all the Envy and Malice that burn within, all the imaginary Fears, and the real Terrors of V,; X z future • p. 63. • p. 64. future Diftrefs coming Irpbn us, all the Rage and Defpair of loft Blcmngs that werie once within Qur Hopes, and all the Ferments of Animal Nature, which torment the Spirit all Day, and forbid our nightly Repofei Would Mankind be in fuch a Condition as this, if they v/ere ftill in the Favour of. their* Maker'? ' ^^'^ di^jj.- " Yes, Men may make Miferies for them- " felves, and be punifhed by them. But *' compare the Sorrows which any Man ' /' neceffarily fuffers, with the Comforts he " enjoys, and the one will ballance the other.. ^* Or if his Sorrows outweigh his Comforts, " this may be neceffary in a State of Trial : " And God will reward tlie Over-ballance *' of SufFerino;s hereafter." " " " I ANSWER, There isnoReafon to think, the far greater Part of Mankind will have any Reward hereafter : And if not, how ihall we account for this Over-ballance of Sufferings with Regard to them ? Therefore we cannot ^ neceffarily impute the fuperior Sorrows merely to your being in a State of Probation : But rather to the Difpleafure of the righteous Creator and Governor of the World." " •'': .v^^^' " ' ~' ''. '■ - i5r¥o mak^^tgi^'lfil clearer.; fmt only tliofe' wbo are grown up in the Praftice of inicj^vlity, who may ^e punifli'd for their *"'■ . own •* p. 6j. •'p. 66. Original Sin. 341 own Sins, but all Mankind in their very In- fancy bear the Tokens of God's Difpleafurc. " Before Children are capable of com- mitting Sin, they are fubjecft to a thoufand Miferies. What 'Anguifli and Pain are they frequently expofed to, even as they are com- ing into the World, and as foon as they are cnter'd into it ? What Agonies await their Birth ? What numerous and acute Maladies are ready to attack them ? What Gripes, what Convulfions, what inward Torments, which brine fome of them down to Death,- within a few Hours or Days after tliey have begun to live. And if they furvive a few Months, what Torture do they find in breeding their Teeth, and other Maladies of Infancy, which can be told only by Shrieks and Tears, and that for whole Days and Nights together. What additional Pains do they often fuftain, by the Negligence of their Mothers, or Cruelty of their Nurfes ? Whereby many of them are brought down to the Grave, either on a fudden, or by flow and painful Degrees. vjiofc " And' what fliall we fiy ofwnole Na- tions in elder Times, and fome even at this Day, who when they cannot or will not maintain them, expofe their Children in the WoodSi to be torn and dcvour'd by the next wild Beafl that paffes by? Add to this the ^m 7 common iiv.rc '^ ' p. 67. » p. 68. 34^ ^he Doctrine of common Calamities in which Infants are in* volved, by Fire, Earthquake, Peftilenqe, And there are a thousand other Accidents which attend them, whereby their Members,, theii* natural Powers, receive difmal Inju-^ ries : So that perhaps they drag on Life,, with Blindnefs, Deafnefs, Lamenefs, or Dif^ tortion of Body or Limbs. Sometimes they knguifli on to Manhood, or even old Age, under fore Calamities, which began almoft as foon as their Being and which are only- ended by Death. " ' Now as thefe Suiferings cannot be fent upon them, to correft their perfonat Sins, fo neither are they fent as a Trial of their Virtue ; for they have no Knowledge of Good or Evil. Yet we fee Multitudes of thefe little, miferable Beings. And are thefe treated as innocent Creatures ? Or rather as under fome general Curfe, involved in fome general Punifhment ? " But "may not thefe Sufferings of Chil- " dren be for the Punifhment of the Sins of ** their Parents ?" " Not with any Juftice or Equity, unlefs the Sins of the Parents are imputed to their Children. Befides, many of the Parents of thefe fuffering Children, are dead or abfent, fo as never to know it. And how in thefe Cafes can it be a Punifhment for their Pa- rents Sin, any otherwife than as it is ^ ge- • p; 69. • p. 71. Original Sii^: 343^ neral Punifliment for the Sin of jl^jfr Firft, Parent ? ,/<^ " Bui: GOD recompenfes them for thefe *^ Sufferings hereafter." Where does the,- Scripture affirm this? Befides many of them grow up to Manhood. And if they prove, wicked and are fent to Hell at laft, what; Recompence have they for their Infant- fufferings ? Or will you fay, God puniflied them before they had finned, becaufe He l;new before-hand they would fm ? Yet far- ther : What wife or good Defign can this their Punifhment anfwer, when no Creature can know what they are puniflied for, if it be not for that which affeds all Mankind ? ^ *VBuT how are fuch Miferies reigning a- " mong his Creatures confident with the " Goodnefs of God ?" PerfecT:ly well -, I£ "^we confider Mankind ^s a finful, degene- rate Part of God's Creation. 'Tis moft a- bundant Goodnefs that they have any Com- forts left, and that their Miferies are not doubled. Now the infpired Writers do conv fider Mankind as fallen from God 3 and fa his Goodnefs is evident in a thoufand In- ftances: Tho' it muft be confeft, there ara alfo a thoufand Inftances of his jufl Hatred of Sin, and his righteous Punifliments among all Nations. *' II. If we" put together all thefe Scenes of Vice and Mifery, it is evident that Crca- X 4 , ture? " P- 73' ' P- 74- 344 ^^^^ Doctrine of ture$ lyifig in fuch deplorable Circumftiance^; are not fuch as they came out of the Hands of their Creator, wha is wife, holy and good. His JVifdom, which is all Harmony and Order, would not fuffer Hinfi to frame a whole Race of Beings, undet fuch wild and innumerable Diforders, Moral .as well as Natural. His Holtjiefs would not permit Him to create Beings, with innate Principles of Iniquity : Nor his Goodnefi to produce a whole Order of Creatures, in fuch Circumftances of Pain-, Torment and ^ Death. ---t:,^. ^ ..,^:y *"' '^ ^ Could the holy and blefled Goii o- r'riginally defign and frame a whole World of intelligent Creatures, ift -fuch Circum- ftances, that eveiy one' of them coming in- to Being, according to the Laws of Nature, in a long Succeffion of Ages, in different Climates, of different Conftitutions andTenir- . per§, ^and in ten thoufand thoufand different 't Stations and Conditions of Life : That every one of them fhould break the Laws of Rea- % ion ' and more or lefs defile themfelves with .>5in ? That every one fhould offend his Ma- ^jker, 'every one become guilty in his Sight ? *^Every one expofe himfelf to God*s Difplea- ' ilire, to Pain and Mifery and Mortality, \;i\ithout on.e fmgle Exception? If Men were n3i fich Creatures as God at firft made them, "''^*^'=' " would ' p- 75. >^ ^Original Sin. 34^ would not one Man, among fo many Mil- lions, have made a right Ufe of his Reafon and Confcience, and fo have avoided Sin and Death ? Would this have been the uni- verfal Confequent of their Original Con- ftitution, as framed by the 'Hand of a wife, holy, merciful God ? What can be more abfurd to imagine then this ? Surely God made Man upright and happy : Nor could all thefe Mifchiefs have come diredlly from our Creator's Hand. Is it objeded, That " ftill the greater Part of Men have more Moral Good than Evil in them, and have more Pleafurc hV than Pain ; and therefore, on the whole, -!i Mankmd is not fuifitl and inifa'able : And x?' that even the beft Human Conftitutions, ,4\ lay fome innocent Perfons, under unavoid- jr" able Hardfhips." I anfwer * i. In order to pronounce a Man mtferahJe^ he muft have more Pain than Pleafure : But in order tci pronounce a Man a Sinner ^ there is no Need, that his Moral Evil fhould exceed his Good. If a Man had an hundred Virtues, one Vice would make him a Criminal in the Sight of God : One TranfgrefTion of the Law of his -..r Creator, would lay him under liis juft Dif- pleafure. He that keeps the whole Law> - except in one Point, affronts that Authority ^ which requires all Obedience. All Men . fiiovi^ therefore ' p. 76. • p- 11^ 546 The DocTRiJ^E ^' therefore are under . this Condemnation : They are Sinners every one of tbe?n^,,^i :.i;)Aii " As to Mifery, let it be fuppofed {xho^ by no Means granted) That there are man.y whofe Pleafures exceed their Uneafineffes ; Yet 'tis certain, there are more, whofe Pains, *'and Uneafineffes far exceed their Pleafures. j$.nd it is hard to conceive, how this fhould be, if all Men were innocent and happy by J^ature. " I ANSWER, 2. Men are not able to frame fuch Conftitutions in every Cafe, as fhall fecure Happinefs to all the Innocent. Their narrow Views of Things do not enable thera to provide againft all future Inconveniences. But it is not thus with the Creator and Go- vernor of all Things. He views at once all Poffibles and all Futures. Therefore He is well able to guard againft any Inconvenience that might befall Innocent Beings. " I answer", 3. Though the Bulk of Mankind were happy in the prefent Confti- tution of Things, this gives no Manner of Satisfaction to any one Individual, who is unhappy, without any Demerit : The Advan- tage of the Majority is noReafon at all, why any one Innocent ihould fuffer. If any one therefore, Man or Child, and much more, if Numbers of them, have more Pain than Plea- fure, they muft be involved in fome Guilt, which may give juft Occafion to their Mifery. " 12. To ' p. 78. ^ P- 79- Original Sin. 347 " 12. To inforce this, ''after the Surv^ey of ihefe Pains and Sorrows, let us confider what are the Pleafuresof the Bulk of Man- kind. Caft a Glance at the Sports of Chil^ dren, from five to fifteen Years of Age. What Toys and Fooleries arc thefe? Would a Race of wife and holy Beings, wafle fo many Years of early Life in fuch wretched Trifles ? And as for our manly Tears^ What are the greateft Part of the Delights of Men, but filly and irrational, if not grofly finful ? What are the Pleafures even of the Rich and Greats to relieve them under the common Sorrows of Life? If they be not Luxury and Intemperance, are they not Furniture and E- quipage. Finery of Drefs and gay Appearances? To ftiine'' in Silks of various Dye, and blaze in the Splendor of Gold and Jewels ? Now would wife and holy Creatures, have made this the Matter of their Joy and Pleafure, My Coat is gayer than your s^ and I have more glittering I'hings about we than you have! *' Others call for Cards or DicL\ to di- vert their Trouble, and pafs away their Time. How inexprefiively trifling are thefe Sports, if mere Diverfion be fought therein ? But it the Defign be Gain, how is the Game mingled with uneafy Fears, with the Working of various Pailions ? Which in Cafe of Difap- pointment and Lofs, often break out into Wrath and Fury. " Again, ^ p. Po. "^ p. 81. 348 77^^ Doctrine of " Again/ What Multitudes drench themfclvcs in grofs Senfualities, ais' their chief Delight ? They make a God of their Belly, till they overload Nature, and make Hafte to Difeafe and Death. They drowfi. their Cares and their Senfes together; of they bury them in fenfual Impurities. ** Others releafe themfelves from th^ Troubles of Life, by gadding abroad and mixing with impertinent Company. Sorrie delight in wanton Jefts, in foolifh Merri- ment, in mean and trifling Con verfation'';"'a^ little above the Chattering of Monkies in € Wood, or the Chirping of Crickets upon a Hearth. Nay perhaps it is their DiverfionV to rail at their Neighbours', to murder ° the * Reputation of the Abfent. ' This is their Mirth and Recreation \ thefe their Reliefs a^ainft the common Miferies of Human Life.^' '* But would a Race oi innocent Beings' fly to fuch mean and foolifli, or criminal Re-' fuges from Pain as thefe ? Would they puf- fue fuch vain or vile Delights ? Would they become Rivals to the Beafts of the Field ? Or fportthem/elves, as Devils do, in acciifing' their Fellow Creatures ? Surely if we furvey the very 'Pkafitres^ as well as the Sorrows, of the Bulk of Mankind, we may Ic am from thence, 'that we are by noMeans luch Crea^-. tiires, "as we were oriKintllv created. "**V\ "^ -40^-y '* . 13^ ^^w> :-y^f^j ^^? ^ j^EED add but.one more Proof of tne general Ruin of Human Nature. We are„ alP poffing to the Grave. Every one of us;; are fucceeding our Neighbours, into fome unknown invifible World. And we all pro- fefs to believe this. Yet how exceeding few ^re felicitous about this great and awful Fu- turity ? Though we are expofed to fo many Sins, and Miferies in this Life, and are haften- ing vifibly and hourly to the End of it, yet how. few are there that make any careful Preparation for a better State than this ? WhatMultitudes are daily running down in- to Darknefs, fpeedingtoan endlefs Duration in. an unknown Country, without any ear- neft Enquiries about their Manner of Exift- ence there ? They walk over the bufy Stage of Life, they toil and labour, or play and trifle awhile here, and then plunge into a ftrange unfeen World, where they will meet with a juft and holy God, whofe Wifdom will affign them a Place and Portion fuited to their own Charafter. Now ^ were Men indeed wife and holy, could they remain fo ignorant and thoughtlefs of that State, into which they are all hafting ? Or could a gra-^j Cious God create a Race of Beings, in fuch a ftupid Infenfibility of their eternal Interefts, fo unfuited to the Felicities of an immortal Spirit, and fo negligent of all Preparations fbrthem? " Upok \ p. 84. ' p. «^ 350 ^e Doctrine of " Upon'' this whole Survey, Reafon muft join In this mournful Confeffion, That there muft be fome fpreading Poifon which has tainted our Nature, made us fo finful and miferable, fo thoughtlefs of the Future, and unprepared for it. There muft have been fome general Revolt of Mankind, from their Creator, whereby they have ruin'd their In- nocence and Peace, and provoked the An- ger of their Maker, whereby they become expofed to fuch wretched Circumftances, even in their Infancy and Childhood, as well as when they grow to Years of ripe Undcr- ftanding. " And' methinks when I take a juft Sur- vey of this World, with all the Inhabitants of it, I can look upon it no otherwife, than as a grand and magnificent Strud:ure in Ruins : Wherein lie Millions of Rebels a- gainft their Creator, under Condemnation to Mifery and Death ; who are at the fame Time fick of a mortal Diftemper, and dif- order'd in their Minds even to Diftraftion. Hence proceed thofe numberlefs Follies and Vices which are pradiifed here; and the righteous'" Anger of an offended Gop vilible 1n ten thoufand Inftances. Yet are there Proclamations of Divine Grace, Health and Life founding among theni; though very few take any Notice theredf. Only he?e and there ^ p. 86. » p. 89. « p. 90. V - ?^"^'=^ Original Sin. 3^1 there one attends to the Call, and complies with the Propofals of Peace. His Sins are pardon'd and healed. And tho' his Body goes down to the Duft for a Seafon, his Soul is happy with God : While the Bulk of thofe Criminals, defpiiing all the Offers of Mercy, perifh in their own wilful Madnefs. " What " is the chief Temptation that leads fome Men to deny fo glaring a Truth? Is it that they cannot give fome a Satisfactory Account of fome of the Difficulties that attend it ? Nay many even of the Heathen Philo- fophers believed it, from their own Expe- rience, and their daily Survey of Mankind 5 tho' they were utterly at a Lofs, how to ac- count for it. And what if we could not aflign a fufficient and fatisfad:ory Reafon for it ? Or (hew how this fpreading Degeneracy began^ or how it came to take Place fo uni- verfally ? What if we were ftill at a Lofs to explain how all this Guilt and Mifery came upon us ? Mufl we therefore deny the Things which we fee, and hear, and feel daily ? " Can we account for all the fecret Things in the Creation of God ? And mufl we deny whatever we cannot account for ? Does any Man** refufe to believe, that the iflfinke Variety of Plants and Flowers, in all their -beauteous Colours and Forms, grow :-37=>ri:" ' out " p. 91. • P' 9-« °^ ~ 2se the Doctrine of out of the fame Earth, becaufe he does not know all the Springs of their Vegetation ? Do Men doubt of a Loadftone's drawing Iron to itfelf, becaufe they cannot find out the Way of its Operation ? Are we not fure that Food nourifhes our Bodies, and Medi- cines relieve our Pains? Yet we know not all the Ferments and Motions of thofe Atoms, by which we are relieved and nourifh'd. Why then fhould we deny that Degeneracy of our Nature, which admits of fo full and various Proof, tho' we are not able to account for every Circumftance relating to it, or to folve every Difficulty that may attend it? Q^JESTION II. VIIL How^ came Vice and Mifery to overfp?rad Man- kind in all Natiom^ and in all Ages ? '* T TEathfn Philofophers could never JJL JL anfwer this : But Chriftians may, from the Oracles of God. " These inform- us, That the firfl Man was a'' Com?non Head and Reprefentati'-je of all Mankind: And that he by finning againft his Maker, loft his ov/n llolinefs and Hap- pin-efs: And expofed himfelf and his Poitcrity (whom he naturally produc'd and whom he legally reprcfentcd) to the Difpleafure of his Maker, Original Sin. 353 Maker, and fo fpread Sin and Mifery thro' his whole Offspring. So St. Paul^ 'As by one Man Sin enter dint 0 the World and Death by Sin, even Jo Death pajfed upon all Men^ for that all have finned. All are efteemed in fome Sort guilty before God, though they did not fin after the Simi-- litude of hA2i\TiS 'TranfgreJJion, They did not commit acflual perfonal Sin againft a known Law as Adam did. " This may more fully appear from the following Particulars. " I. It is plainly taught us in Scripture, That God at firft created one Man and Wo- man called Ada?n and Eve : And from them is derived the whole Race of Mankind: God hathiJiade of one Blood, as theApoflle obferves, all Nations of Men, to dwell on all the Face of the Earth, " 2. God created Man^ at firft in a holy and happy State in his own Likenefs, and in his Favour. And God f aid ""let Us make Man in our own Image, after our own Likenefs, And that none of the Brute Creation might moleft him, but all of them be for his Service, He faid. Let them have Dominion over the Fijh and the Fowl and the Cattle — So God created Man in his own Image, And what this Image confifted in, befide his Spiritual and Y Im- ' Rom.v, \2, p. 104. •p»S9« 'p. »6o, »»C^». i. 26. 354 ^^ Doctrine of Immortal Nature, a^nd his Dominion over other Creatures, we are told by St. TauU'' where he fpeaks of the new Man^ which^ fays he, after God, that is after the Likenefs of God, is created i?! Righteoufnefs and true Ho^ linejs. So Solomon^ allures us, God made Man upright. And Mofes fays, when God had finifli'd all his Creation, God faw every Tihing that He had made ^ and behold it was very good. It was all according to his Idea and his Will, and well-pleafing in his Sight. Man the laft of his Creatures, as well as all the reft, was very good^ was holy and happy. " 3, God originally appointed t]i2XAdam when innocent ihould produce an Offspring in his own holy Image : And on the other Hand, that if he finned, he fhould propa- gate his Kind in his own finful Image. The former is allow'd. The latter may be gathered from Gen, v. i, 2, 3, 5. In the Day that God created Man ^ in the Likenefs cf God made He him — And Adam lived an himdred and thirty Tears after his Lofs of the Image of God, and begat a Son in his own Likc?2efs, after his Image ^ that is his own finful and mortal Image. " It' is not to be fuppofed, That Mofesm this brief Hiftory of the firft Generations of Men, fliould fo particularly repeat the Image ~ and Likenefs of God in which Ada7n was created « Efh.'w.zji^. "" p. 161. y p. i62» Original Sin. 355 created, unlefs he had defigned to fet the Comparlfon in a fair Light, between Adam^ begetting a Son in his own iinful and mortal ImagCy whereas he himfelf was created, in God's holy and immortal Image. " 4. ^ God was pleafed to put the Man whom He had made upon a Tryal of his Obedience for a Seafon. He placed him in a Garden of Eden (or Pleafure) and gave him a free Ufe of all the Creatures : Only forbidding him to eat of the Fruit of one Tree, 'The Tree of the K?2cwledge of Good a?id Evil. For in the Day, faid He, thai thou eateji of ity thou JJ:alt furely die. In which Threatning were doubtlefs included all E- vils : Death Spiritual, Temporal, and Eternal. " 5. As Adam was under a Law ; whofe Sanation threatned Death uponDifobedience, fo doubtlefs God favoured him with a "" Co- venant of Life, and a Promife of Life and Immortality upon his Obedience. " 6. ''Adam broke the Law of his Ma- ker, loft his Image and his Favour, forfeit- ed the Hope of Immortality, and expos'd himfelf to the Wrath of God, and all the Punifhment which he had threatned : In Confequence of which He was now painful- ly afraid of Him in whom he before delight- ed ; and fooliflily endeavoured to hide himflf from the Prefence of the Lord. ¥2 "7. Adam * p. 163. * p. 164. • y. .68. 356 ^he Doctrine of " 7. 'Adam after his Sin propagated his Kind, according to the Law of Nature: Not in the moral Image or Likenefs of God, not in Rightcoulhefs and true Holinefs: But in his own finful Likenefs, with irregular ' Paffions, corrupt Appetites and Inclinations. To this Degeneracy Job manifeftly refers in thofe Expreffions. IVhat is Man that he Jhouldbe clean, or the Son of Man that he Jhould be righteous^ Who can bring a clean "Thing out of an unclean ? Not one. And David fays the fame Thing. Behold I was Jloapen in Iniquity^ and in Sin did my Mother coficeive me, " This is not an Hyperbolical Aggrava- tion of David's early Sins, and Propenfity to Evil from his Childhood. But the Text is ftrong and plain in afferting Sin fome Way to belong to his very Conception, and to be conveyed from his Natural Parents, which is a different Idea from his Aftual Sins, or.Pro-^ penlity to Sin in his Infancy. It fhews the Caufe both of this Propenfity and of his Ac- tual Sins, which operated before he was born. So that if original Pravity be not fo conveyed and deriv'd as is here afferted, the Words are not an Exaggeration of what is, but a downright Fidfion of what is not, " 8. As ^ Adam produced his Offspring, like himfelf, deftitute of the Image of God' fo he produc'd them '^deftitute of the Favour of * p. 170. * p. 171. e p, 174. ' p. 175, Original Sin. 357 of God, under the fame Condemnation with himfelf. So Job -^ Man that is born of aWoman^ is of few Days and full of Trouble : i. e. His fhort Life, and his Troubles proceed from his very Birth ; his Propagation from finful and mortal Parents. Otherwife God would not have appointed his nobleft Creature in this World to have been born to Trouble. Yet this is the Cafe. ^ Man is born to Trouble as the Sparks fly upward. Naturally ; for it is owing to his Birth and his natural Deri- vation from a finful Stock. We are a mif- erable Race, fpringing from a corrupted and dying Root, prone to Sin and liable to Sor- rows and Sufferings. *' In' Proof of this Sentence of Condem- nation and Death coming upon all Mankind for the Sin of Adam^ we need only read from the 12^' Verfe of the v^' Chap, of St. PWs Epiftle to \ht Romans: On which I obferve, " *" I. Here Ada?n and Clmfl are fet up as diftincl: Heads or Reprefentatives, of their feveral Families. Adam was the Head of all Mankind, who became linful and mor- tal thro' his Sin : Cb?'{Ji was the Head of all Believers, who obtain Pardon and Life thro' his Righteoufnefs. To prove this Headfliip of Adam, the Apoftle fays, loitill the Law, that is, from the Creation 'till the Law of MofeSy Sin was in the World y but Sin is ?iof Y 3 imputed •Chap. xiv. I. »7^^. V. 7. ' p. 176. "p. i;;- 35? the Doctrine of imputed where there is no Law. That is^ where ' there is no Law or Conftitution of Duty or Penalty at all. Yet, faith he, Death reigned frof?t Adam to Mofes : Yet Sin was imputed and puniflied by Death, even upon all Mankind, both fmall and great, before the Law given by Mofes, The Inference is. Therefore there was fome Law or Confti- tution during all the Time from Adajn to Mofs : in Virtue of which, Sin was imputed to Mankind 5 and Death accordingly exe- cuted upon them. Now what Law or Con- ftitution could this be, befide that which faid to Adam^ as a Reprefentative of his whole Pofterity, in the Day thoufinnejl thou J! J alt die ? " 2. The Apoftle carries his Argument yet farther, Sin was imputed^ and Death reign- ed, or was executed even iipcn thcfe who had not finned after the Similitude ^AdamV Tranf greffion : Who had not broken an exprefs Command, as Adam had done. This ma- nifeftly refers to Infants : Death reign'd over them ; Death was executed upon them. And this muft be by fome Conftitution which in fome Senfe imputed Sin, to them who had not committed Aftual Sin. For without fnch a Conftitution Sin would never have been imputed, nor Death executed on Children. " Yet \ p. 178. Original Sin. 359 cc mYET 3. Death did not come upon them as a mere natural Effed: of their Fa- ther Adam\ Sin and Death \ but as a proper and legal Punifhment of Sin : For 'tis faid, His Sin brought Condemnation upon all Men." Now this is a legal Term and jfhews, That Death is not only a Natural, but a penal Evil, and comes upon Infants as Guilty and Condemned : Not for their own adtual Sins; for they had none : But for the Sin of Adam their legal Head, their appointed Re- prefentative. " In the 18'^ Verfe the Expreflion is ve- ry ftrong : By the Offence of 0?ie Judgment came upon all Men to Conde7?mation, All the Childen of Adam young and old, are co7i^ demrid for his one Offence, But farther, " 4. In the Original it is not. By the Offence of One \ but By one Offence, By the fingle Offence of Adam^ when he ftood as the Head of all his Offspring, and brought Sin and Death upon them by his Difobedience : As, in the following Verfe, By one Maiis Difobedience many were 7nade^ or conftitutcd Si?hiers, that is, became liable to Guilt and Death. And fo, in the 16"' Verfe ^«t' fingle Offence is reprefented as Condemning thro* Adafn^ and ilands in Oppofition to the jna?iy Offences which are pardon'd thro' Chrijl. *' 5. *" There is a yet farther Proof in this Chapter that Ada?n convey'd Sin and Y 4 Death » p. 179. " Verfe i8. • p. i8i. 360 ^he Doctrine of Death to his Pofterity, not merely, as a na- tural Parent, but as a Common Head and Reprefentative of all his Offspring. As Adam and Chrijl are here faid to be the two Springs of Sin and Righteoufnefs, of Death and Life to Mankind, fo the one is repre- fentcd as a Type and Figure of the other. In this very Refpcft '^Adam was a Figure or T^ype of Chriji, And for this very Reafon Chrift is ''called the fecond Man^ the laft Adam. As One was the Spring of Life, fo the other was the Spring of Death, to all his Seed or Offspring. " Now Chrijl is a Spring of Life not only as He conveys Sandlification or Holinefs to his Seed, but as He procures for them Jufti- fication and Eternal Life, by his perfonal Obedience. And fo Adam is a Spring of Death, not only as he conveys an unholy Nature to his Seed, to all Men, but as He brings Condemnation to Eternal Death upon them, by his Perfonal Difobedience. And this is the chief Thing which the Apoftle feems to have in his Eye, throughout the latter Part of this Chapter : The Convey- ance of Condemnation and Death to the Seed of Adam, of Juftification and Eternal Life to the Seed of Chiijl, by tiie Means of wliat their refpeftive Heads or Reprefenta- tives had done. '' But »• Verfe 14. « i Car, xv. 47, 4S, 49. Original Sin. 361 " ' But fome objeft, " all the Bleflings ' which God gave at firft to Adaniy confifted * in thefe three Particulars, i. The Blejjing ' of Propagation. — 2 . Dominion over the Brutes, * — 3. The Image of God. But all thefe ' three are more expreflly and emphatically * pronounced to Noah and his Sons than to ^ Adam in Paradife." " I answer/ If we review the Hiftory and Context, we fhall find the Blefling of Adam and that of Noah^ very widely differ from each other, in all the three Particulars mentioned. " I. The Blefling of Adajn relating to Propagation, was without thofe multiply'd Pains and Sorrows, which after the firft Sin, fell upon Women, in bearing Children. It was alfo a Bleffing of Suftentation or Nou- rifhment, without hard Toil and the Sweat of his Brows. It was a Blefling without a. Curfe on the Ground, to leffen or deftroy the Fruitfulnefs thereof. It was a Blefling with- out Death, without returning to Duft : V/hereas the Blefling of Noah^ did not ex- clude Death, no nor the Pains of Child- birth, nor the earning our Bread by the Sweat of our Brows. " 2. To Adam' \n2.s giW^nDomhiicn over the Brutes, To Noah it was only faid, T/> Fear ^fyou and the Dread ofyoufiall be u^on every Beafl. ' p. 183. « p. 186. « p. 187. 362 72?^ Doctrine of Beajl. But notwithftanding this Fear and Dread, yet they frequently fling Men to Death, or bite and tear them in Pieces. Whereas no fuch Calamity could ever have befallen innocent Adam or his innocent OfF- fpring. 3. The'' hnage of God in which Adam was created, confifted eminently in Righ- teoufnefs and true Holincfs* But that Part of the Image of God which remained after the Fall, and remains in all Men to this Day, is the Natural Image of God, namely the Spiritual Nature and Immortality of the Soul : Not excluding the F clitic al Image of God, or a Degree of Dominion over the Creatures ftill remaining. But the Moral Image of God, is loft and defaced : Or elfe it could not be faid to be reneuccd, '"It is then evident, that the Elefling given to Adam in Innocency, and that given to Noah after the Flood, diifcr fo widely, that the latter was coniiftent with the Condemnation or Curfe for Sin, and the former was not. Confequently Mankind does not now fland in the fame Favour of God, as Adam did while he v/as Innocent. *' Thus it appears, That the Holy Scrip- ture both in the Old and New Tcflaments, give us a plain and full Account, of the Conveyance of Sin, Mifery, and Death, from tlie firft Man to all his Offspring. \p. 18S. '-p. 189. THE Original Sin. 363 THE FIRST ESSAY. ]Do the frefent Mif cries of Man alone^ prove his Apojlacy fro?n God ? SECT. I. A General Survey of the Follies and Miferiex of Majtkind. W^iLjr^VO'N' a juft View of Human Na- ^ '' U r ture, from its Entrance into Life, V 5rtr"3« jj{ 'till it retires behind the Curtain of Death, one would be ready to fay concerning Man, *^ Is this the Creature that *' is fofuperior to the reft of the ''Inhabitants " of the Globe, as to require the peculiar " Care of the Creator in forming him ? Does '' he deferve fuch an illuftrious Defcription» *' as even the Heathen Poet has given us of '' him.'* S^ndliui • p. 359- * n. 36e# 364 57j^ Doctrine of SanBhis hisAfiimaly mentifq-, capactus Alia Deerat adhuCy & quod dominari in catera pojjet. Naius homo eji;ji've hunc divinofemlne cretum Ilk Opifex rerum mundi melioris origo Finxit in Effigiem moderantum cunEla Deorum, Pronaq-y cum JpeBent Animalia Ccetera terram Os homini fublime dedify ccelumq^ tuert Jiiffity & ere5ios adjidera toller e Vultus, A Creature of a more exalted Kindy Was wanting yet y and then was Man defgnd: Co7tfcious of T^hoiighty of more capacious Breajly For Empire fornid and ft to rule the reft. Whether with F articles of heavenly FirCy The God of Nature did his Soul infpirCy And fnoidding up a Mafs in Shape like curSy Fornid a bright Image of tlo all- ruling Powers, And while the mute Creation downward he^id I'heir Sight, a?id to their Earthy Mother tendy Man looks aloft y ajid with ereBed EyeSy Beholds his own hereditary Skies, " Now*" if Man was formed in the Image of God, certainly he was a holy and a happy Being. But what is there like Holinefs or Happinefs now found, running through this Rank ^ p. Z6i, Original Sin. 365 Rank of Creatures ? Are there any of the Brutal Kind that do not more regularly anfwer the Deiign of their Creation ? Are there any Brutes that we ever find ad:ing fo much be- low their Original Character, on the Land, in the Water, or the Air, as Mankind does all over the Earth ? Or are there any Tribes among them, through which Pain, Vexa- tion, and Mifery, are fo plentifully diftri- buted as they are among the Children of Men? " Were'' this Globe of Earth to be fur- veyed from one End to the other, by fome Spirit of a fuperior Order, it would be found fuch a Theatre of Folly and Madnefs, fuch a Maze of mingled Vice and Mifery, as would move the Compaffion of his refined Nature, to a painful Degree, were it not tempered by a clear Sight of that wife and juft Providence, which ftrongly and fweetly works in the Midft of all ; and will in the End bring Good out of all Evilj and juftify the Ways of God with Man, SECT. II. A particular^ View of the Miferies of Man. " 13 UT to wave for the prefent the Sins JL3 ^^^ Follies of Mankind, May we not infer from his Miferies alqne. That we * p. j6z, .• p. 36J. are 366 7he Doctrine of are degenerate Beings, bearing the moft evi- dent Marks of the Difpleafure of our Maker? " View the Hiftorics of Mankind, and what is almoft all Hiftory, but a Dcfcription of the Wretchedncfs of Men, under the Mif- chiefs they bring upon themfelves, and the Judgments of the Great God ? The Scenes of Happinefs and Peace are very thin fet among all the Nations : And there are rather a tranfient ^Glimpfe, here and there than any Thing folid and durable. But if we look over the Univerfe, what publick Defolations by Plague and Famine, by Storms and Earth- quakes, by Wars and Peftilence ! What fe- cret Mifchiefs reign among Men, which pierce and torture the Soul ? What fmarting Wounds and Bruifes, what Pains and Dif- eafes attack and torment the Animal Frame? " Where^ is the Family of feven or eight Perfons wherein there is not one or more afHid:ed with fome troublefome Malady, or tirefome Inconvenience ? Thefe indeed are often conceal'd by the Perfons who fuffer them, and by the Famihes where they dwell. But were they all brought together, what Hcfpttals or hifirmaries would be able to con- tain therri ? " What Toils and Hardfliips, what in- * ward Anxieties and Sorrows, Difappoint- ments and Calamities are diffused thro' every Age * p. 364. R p. 365. Original Sin* 367 Age and Country? Do not ''the Rich feel them as well as the Poor ? Are they not all teized with their own Appetites, which are never fatisfied ? And their impetuous Paffions give them no Reft. What keen Anguifh of Mind arifes from Pride, and Envy, and Re- fentment ? What Tortures does Ambition, or difappointed Love, or wild Jealoufy, infufe into their Bofoms ? Mean- while the Poor, together with Inward Vexations and corroding Maladies of the Mind, fuftain likewife endlefs Drudgeries in procuring their neceffary Subfiftence. And how many of them cannot after all, procure, even Food to cat and Raiment to put on ? " Survey Man thro' every Stage. See firft what a Figure he makes, at his Entrance into Life ? I'his Animal, fays Pliny, who is to govern the reft of the Creatures, how he lies bound Hand and Foot all in 'Tears, and begins his Life in Mifery and Puniflomefit. If we trace the Education of the Human Race, from the Cradle to mature Age, efpecially among the Poor, who are the Bulk of all Nations, the Wretchednefs of Mankind will farther appear. How are they every where dragged up' in their tender Age, through a Train of Nonfenfe, Madnefs and Miferies? What Millions of uncafy Senfations do they endure in Infancy andChildliood by Reafon of thofe prefling ^ p. j65. • p. 367, 368 ^je Doctrine of prelFing Necefiities, which for fome Years they can tell only in Cries and Groans, and which their Parents either are fo poor they cannot relieve, or fo favage and brutifh that they will not ? How wretchedly arc thefe young Generations hurried on through the Folly and Weaknefs of Childhood, 'till new Calamities arife from their own ungoverned Appetites and impetuous Paffions ? As Youth advances, the Ferments of the Blood rife higher and the Appetites and Paffions grow much ftronger, and give more abundant Vexation to the Race of Mankind, than they . do to any of the Brutal Creation. And whereas" the all- wife God, for kind Rea- fons has limited the Gratification of thefe Appetites by Rules of Virtue j perhaps thofe very Rules, through the Corruption of our Nature irritate Mankind to greater ExcefTes; " Would the Affairs' of Human Life in Infancy, Childhood and Youth, have ever been in fuch a fore and painful Situation, if Man had been fuch a Being as God at firft made him, and had continued in the Favour of his Maker ? Could Divine Wif- dom and Gcodnefs admit of thefe Scenes, were there not a Degeneracy through the whole Race, v/hich by the juft Permiffion of God, exerts itfelf fome Way or other in every Stage of Life» *' Follow * p. 3^8. » p. 170. Original Sin. 369 " Follow Mankind to the Age of publick Appearance upon the Stage of the World. And what {hall we find there, but infinite Cares, Labours and Toil, attended with fond Hopes almoft always fruflrated with endlefs CrofTes and Difappointments, thro* ten thou- fand Accidents that are every Moment flying acrofs this Mortal Stage. As for the Poor, ""how does the fultry Toil exhaufl their Lives in Summer, and what flarving Wretchednefs do they feel in Winter ? How is a mifer- able Life fuftained among all the Pains and Fatigues of Nature, with the Oppreflion, Cruelty and Scorn of the Rich. " Let us follow on the Track to the Clofe of Life. What a Scene is prefented us in Old Aore? How innumerable and how inexpreflible are the Difaflers and Sorrows, the Pains and Aches, the Groans and Wretchednefs, that meet Man on the Bor- ders of the Grave, before they plunge him into it. " And indeed is there any Perfon on Earth, high or low, without fuch DiilrefTes and Difficulties, fuch croffing Accidents and perplexing Cares, fuch painful Infirmities in fome or other Part of Life, as mufl pro- nounce Mankind upon the whole a mifera- blc Being? Whatever Scenes of Happinefs feem to attend him, in any ihining Hour, a Z dark ^ p. 37«- i^yo The Doctrine of dark Cloud foon cafls a Gloom over them and the plealing Vifion vaniihes as a Dream. " And wliat are the" boafted Pleafures which fome have fuppofed to ballance the Sorrows of Life ? Are not moft of them ow- ing in a good Degree, to fome previous Un- ealinefs? 'Tis the Pain of Hunger which makes Food fo relifliing; the Pain of Wea- rinefs, that renders Sleep fo refrefhing. And as for the BlefTings of Love and Friendihip, among Neighbours and Kindred, do they not often produce as much Vexation as Sa- tisfaction? Not indeed of themfelves; but by Reafon of the endlefs Humours and Fol- lies, Errors and Paflions of Mankind. " AoyiiN. Do " not the very Pleafures of the Body, prove the Ruin of ten thou- fand Souls? They may be ufed with Inno- cence and Wifdom: But the unruly Appe- tites and Paffions of Men, continually turn into a Curfe, what God originally deligned for a Blcfling. *' Think again how fhort and tranfient are the Pleafures of Life in Compariibn of the Pains of it? Plow vanifl:iing the fweetefl Senfations of Delight? But in miany Perfons and Families, how many are the Days, the Months, the Years, of Fatigue, or Pain, or bitter Sorrow? What Pleafure of the Ani* mal Frame is either as lading, or as intenfe as " P- 373. • p. 374' Original Sin. 371 as the Pain of the Gout or Stone? How ihiall is the Proportion of fenfible Pleafure, to that of Pain, or Trouble, or Uneaiinefs? And how far is it over-ballanccd by the Ma- ladies or Miferies, the Fears or Sorrows of the grcateft Part of Mankind ? " As for Intellectual Pleafures, how few are there in the World, who have any Ca- pacity for them ? And among thofe few, How many Differences and Contentions ? How many croffmg Objedtions, bewilder'd Enquiries, and unhappy Miftakes are ming- led with the Enjoyment? So that he who in^ creafeth Krimvledge increafeth So^roiOy faith the wifeft of Men. And upon the whole Computation, he writes on this alfo, Vmiity arid Vexatio7i of Spirit. " "^ To talk then of real Happinefs to be enjoyed in this Life (abftrafted from the Foretafte of another) is contrary to all the Common Senfe ' and Experience of every thinking Man. Without this I'afte of the Powers of the World to come^ I know ' not what wife Man, would willingly come into thefe Scenes of Mortality, or go thro' them with any Patience. - " What, to be train'd up frorn Infancy, under fo many unavoidable Follies, Preju- 'dices and wretched Delufions thro' the Power of Fleih and Senfe ? To he fujok intP fuch *s Z z grofs 'f-375- *P-376' VP. 377- 372 The Doctrine of grofs Ignorance both of our Souls, our bet- ter Selves, and of the glorious Being that made us ? To lie under fuch heavy Shades of Darknefs, " fuch a World of Miftakes and Errors, as are mingled with our little faint Glimpfes, and low Notices of God our Creator ? What to be fo far diftant from God, and to endure fuch a long Eftrange- ment from the wifeft and beft of Beings, in this foolilh and flefhly State, with fo few apd llender Communications with or from Him? " What, to feel fo many powerful and difquieting Appetites, fo many reftlefs and unruly Paffions, which want the perpetual Guard of a jealous Eye, and a ftrong Re- ftraint over them ? Otherwife they will be ever breaking out into fome new Mifchief. " What, to be ever furrounded with fuch Delights of Senfe, as are conftant Tempta- tions to Folly and Sin ? To 'have fcarce any Joys, but what we are liable to pay dear for, by an exceffive or irregular Indulgence ? Can this be a defirable State ? For any wife Being who knows what Happinefs is, to be united to fuch a diforderly Machine of Flefh and Blood, with all its uneafy and unruly Ferments ? '' Add to this another Train of inbred Miferics, which attend this Animal Frame. What wife. Spirit would willingly put on fuch Flefh and Blood as ours, with all the • p. 37«- Springs Original Sin* 373 Springs of Sicknefs and Pain, Anguifh and Difeafe in it ? What, to be liable to the racking Difquietudes of Gout arid Stone, and a thoufand other Diftempers ? To have Nature worn out by flow and long Aches and Infirmities and lie lingering many Years on the Borders of Death, before we can find a Grave ? " * Solomon feems to be much of this Mind, when after a Survey of the whole Scheme of Human Life, in its Variety of Scenes, (without the Views of Hereafter) he declares, I "" praifed the Dead who were already dead-, more than the Lhijig^ who are yet alive. And indeed it ^ appears that the Miferies of Life are fo numerous, as to over- ballance all its real Comforts, and fufficient- ly to fhew. That Mankind now lie under evident Marks of their Maker's Difpleafure as being degenerated from that State of In- nocence, wherein they were at firft created. SECT. in. Obje6lions anfwered* " TD UT it is objedled " If human Life X_y " in general is miferable, how is it, " that all Men are fo unwilling to die ?" *' I ANSWER, I. Bccaufe they fear to meet with more Mifery, in another Life than they feel in this. So our Poet : Z 3 the * p. 380. " Zcdcf. iv. 2. "^ p. 381. 374 ^^^^ Doctrine of " T'he wcariejl and ifiojl loathed worldly Life^ That Pain, Age^ Pmiry and Imprifonmenf Can lay on Nature^ 'tis a Pdradife T'o what we fear of Death. And in another Place, If by the Sleep of Death we could but end uheHeart-ache and the thoufandjjatural Shocks T'hatFlefi is Heir to, 'twere a Confummation Devoutly to be wiJlSd, 0 who woud bear T'he Opprejfors tVro??gs, the poor Mans Con-- tumely^ The Infolence of Office, and the Spurns That ^patient Merit, of tlS Unworthy takes ^ With all the long Calamities of Life y When he himfelf tnight his Qiyetus make With a bare Bodkin ? Who woud bear Jltch Burde72s, And groan andfweat under a weary Life^ But that the dreadfid Something after Death, That undifcoverd Country from whofe Border No Traveller returns, puzzles the Will, And makes us father bear tloofe Ills we have^ Thanfy to others which are all iinhiown, " If you fay, " But the Heathens knew nothing of a future Life: And yet they too, in all their Generations have been unwilHng to die. Nor would they put an End to their own Life, Were it never fo miferable." I anfwer, Moft of the Antient (as well as the Modern) * p. 3«3- > p. 384. ' P- 385. Original Sin. 375 Modern) Heathens, had fome Notions of a^ After-State 3 and fome Fears of Punilhment in another Life, for Sins committed in this. And in the politer Nations they generally fuppofed Self-murderers in particular would be punifh*d after Death. Proxtma deinde teneiit mcejli loca^ quifbs letum Infontes peperere ma?2Uy hiccmq-y perofi Projecere animas, ^cim vcllent atbcre in alto Nunc ^ paupericm & duros perferre labor es f Fata cbjia?2t: durdq-^ palus innabilis undd Alligat^ & ?20viesjlyx interfufa coercet. T'he next in Place and Pwnjhment are they Who prodigally threw their Lives away, Foolsy who repi?iing at their wretched Statey And loathing anxious Life have hurried on their Fate, With late Repentance now they would retrieve T'be Bodies they for fook^ andwiJJ: to live: All Pain and Povet'ty defire to bear^ To view the Light of Heaven , arid breathe the vital Air. But Fate forbids: The Stygian Floods oppofe, And with nine circling Streams the captive ii,r4uuSoulsinclofe. .," I ANSWER ' 2. Suppofe this Love of Life and Averfion to Death are found, even where there is no Regard to a future State, Z 4 this • p. 386. J76 ^he Doctrine of this will not prove that Mankind is happy: Lut only that the God of Nature, hath wrought this Principle into the Souls of all Men, in order to preferve the Work of his own Hands. So that Reluftancc againft dy- ing lb owing to the natural Principle of Sdf- prefcirvation, without any formed and fedate Judgment, whether it is beft to continue in this Life or no, or whether Life has more Happinefs or Mifery. " It may beobjeded, Secondly, If Brutes ' fuffer nearly the fame Miferies with Man- kind, and yet have not fmned, how can thefe Miferies prove that Man is an Aooftate Being: „.^^,,^ ^-t- - " I ANsw^ER, It is by Reafon'of Man's Apoftacy, that even Brute Animals fuffer. The whole Creation groancth together on his Ac ^n}\ Do ''" p. 4.13. *• Jo^n'uu ^,6,S. p jE/-6. ii, 10. < V. 5. *■ P-414- 380 The Doctrine of ,^^^, Do not all tlicfe Reprefentations prove, That every Man is born with fome Original Con- tagion, and under fome Criminal Imputation in the Sight of God ? Elfe would not one among all thefe Millions be fit to be made a partaker of his Favour, without fuch amaz- ing Purifications as require the Blood of the Son of God, and the Almighty Operation of his Spirit ? Do not all thefe Things fhew. That Mankind in their prefent Generations, are not fuch Creatures, as God at firft made them? H The 'fame great Truth we may learn, Thirdly, from even a flight Survey of the Heathen Nations. A few Days ago I was viewing, in the Map of the World, the vaft Afiatic Empires of ^artary and China, and a great P^rt of the Kingdom of the Moguly with the Multitude of IJlands in the Ea'}-!?!-- dies, I went on to furvey all the Sou: hern Part oi Afrit\ with the Savage Nations of America^ I obferved the Thoufands, or rather Millions who dwell on this Globe, and walk and trifle and live and die there, under the heaviell Cloud of Ignorance and Darknefs, not knowing God nor the Way to his Fa- vour ; who are drenched in grofs Impieties iind Superftitions, who are continually guilty of National Immoralities, and praftife Ido- latry, Malice and Lewdnefs, Fraud and Fallhood, Original Sin. 381 Falfliood, with fcarce any Regret or Re- ftraint. -h^KThen fighing within myfelf I faid, 'Tis not many Years fince thefewere all Infants; and they were brought' up by Parents who knew not God, nor the Path that leads to Life and Happinefs. Are not thefe unhap- py Children born under Difficulties almoft unfurmountable ? Are they not laid under al- moft an ImpofTibility, of breaking their Way of themfelves, thro' fo much thick Darknefs, to the Knowledge, the Fear and the Love of Him that made them ? Dreadful Truth indeed ! Yet, fo far as I can fee, certain and inconteftable. Such, I fear, is the Cafe of thofe of Human Race who cover at pre^ fent the far greateft Part of the Globe. " Then I ran back in my Thoughts four or five thoufand Years, and faid within my- felf. What Multitudes in every Age of the World, have been- born in thefe deplorable Circumftances ? They are inur'd from their Birth to barbarous Cuftoms and impious Practices : They have an Image of the Life of Brutes and Devils wrought in them by their early Education : They have had the Seeds of wretched Wickednefs, • fown, planted and cultivated in them, by the Sa- vage Inftrucflions of thofe that went before them. And their own Imitation of fuch horrible * p. 416- 'y?2 ^h^ Doctrine of horrible Examples has confirmed the Mif- chieF, long " before they knew or heard of the true God : If they have heard of Him to this Day. Scarce any of them have ad- mitted one thoughtful Enquiry, Whether they follow the Rules of Reafon, or whe- ther they are in the Way of Happinefs and Peace, any more than their Parents before them. As they are born in this grofs Dark- nefs, fo they grow up in the vile Idolatries, and all the fhameful Abominations of their Country, and go on to Death in the fame Courfe. Nor have they Light enough, either from without or from within, to make them aik ferioufly. Is there not a Lie m my Right Hand ? Am I not in the Way of De- Jh'u£iio7i ? '* St. Peter '*' fays indeed, Thzt in every Nation he that f caret h God andworketh Righ- teoiifnefs is accepted of Him, But if there were very few {among the Jews) who feared God, very few in thofe learned Nations of the Gentiles^ how much fewer, may we fuppole, are in thofe barbarous Countries,, which have no Knowledge, either Divine or Human ? " But "" would this have been the Cafe of thofe unhappy Nations, both of the Pa- rents andtheirChildren, in an hundred long Succeilions, had they been fuch a Race of Creatures • p. 417- " P- 419- ' P- 42<^* Original Sin. 383 Creatures, as they came out of the Hand of the Creator ? If thofe Children had been Guiltlefs in the Eye of God could this have been their Portion ? In fhort, can we fup- pofe, the wife and righteous and merciful God, would have eftablilhcd and continued fuch a Conftitution for that Propagation of Mankind which fhould naturally place fo many Millions of them fo early in fuch dif- mal Circumflances ; if there had not been fome dreadful and univerfal Degeneracy fpread over them and their Fathers, by fome original Crime, which met and feized them at the very Entrance into Life ? )«(>C)^^¥)ft^)^^¥)5(^)^^)^)^)5()^^^?0( gnol b^i nc ni «n to aoxi^ £ ilDul ntjod THE 3^4 5^^^ Doctrine of THE SECOND ESSAY. A plain 'Explication of the DoBrine ^Imputed Sin and Imputed Righteoufnefs/ " WyHW^ H 1 S Doarlne has been attend- O T w ed with many noify Controver- k)f()i(S ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ Chriftian World, let us try whether it may not be fet in fo fair and eafy a Light, as to reconcile the Sentiments of the contending Parties. " ^When a Man has broken the Law of his Country, and is puniili'd for fo doing, 'tis plain, that Sin is imputed to him-, his Wicked- nefs is upon hitn\ he beai's his Iniquity \ that is, he is reputed or accounted Guilty: He is condemned and dealt with as an Offender. " On the other Lland if an innocent Man, who is falfcly accused is acquitted by the Court, Sin is not if7iputcd to him^ but Righte- 9uf?irfs is imputed to him ; or to ufe another Phrafe, his Rigkteoujhefs is upon him. •* Or, • p. 427. >» p. 428, Original Sin. 385 ^* Or, if a Reward be given a Man for any righteous Aiflion, this righteous Adl /V imputed to him, ''Farther, If a Man has commit- ted a Crime, but the Prince pardons ' him, then he \s jujiijied from it ; and his Fault is not imputed to him, " But if a Man having committed Trea- fon, his Eftate is taken from him and his Children, then they bear the hiiquity of their Father^ and his Sin is imputed to them alfo. " If a Man lofe his Life and Eftate for Murder, and his Children thereby become Vagabonds, then the Blood of the Perfon murder'd is faid to be upon the Murderer^ and upon his Children alfo. So the Jews: His Blocd be on us and on our Children : Let us and our Children be punifh'd for it. " Or'^ if a Criminal had incur'd the Pe- nalty of Imprifonment, and the State were to permit a Friend of his to become his Sure- ty, and to be confin'd in his Room, then his Crime is faid to be imputed to his Surety^ or to be laid upon him ; he hears the Iniquity of his Friend, by fuffering for him. Mean- time the Crime for which the Surety now fuffers, is not iynputed to the real Offender. ** And fhould we fuppofe the Prince, to permit tliis Surety to exert himfelf in fome A a eminent 3S6 The Doctrine of eminent Service, to which a Reward is pro- mis'd, rnd all this in order to entitle the Criminal to the promis'd Reward, then this eminent Service may be faid to be imputed to the Criminal, that is, he is rewarded on the Account of it. So in this Cafe, both what his Friend has done and fuffer'd, is imputed to him. " If"" a Man do fome eminent Service to his Prince, and he with his Pofterity are dignified on Account of it: Then the Service perform'd by the Father is faid to he imputed to the Children alfo. " Now if among the Hiilorles of Nations we find any Thing of this Kind, do we not eafily underfland what the Writers fay ? Why then do we judge thefe Phrafes when they are found in the infpired Writers, to be fo hard to be underftood ? " But it may be alked. How can ^ the Afts of the Parent's Treafon, be imputed to his litde Child? Since thofe Ads were quite out of the Reach of an Infant, nor was it poffible for him to commit them. " Or how can the eminent Service per- formed by a Father, be imputed to his Cbild^ who is but an Infant ? " I ANSWER,^ I. Thofe Ads of Treafon or Ads of Service, are by a common Figure, faid to be imputed to the Childi'cn^ when they fuifer « p. 431. * p. 432. 6 p. 433. Original Sin. 387 luffer or enjoy the Confequences of their Fa- ther's Treafon, or eminent Service : Tho' the particular Anions of Treafon or Service, could not be praftifed by the Children. This would eafily be underftood, fliould it occur in an Human Hiftory. And why not, when it occurs in the Sacred Writings ? *' I ANSWER, 2. Sin is taken either for an AB of Difohedie7Ke to a Law, or for the legal Refiilt of fuch an Ad:; that is, Tht Guilty or LiaMenefs to Punijhfnent, Now when we fay. The Sin of a Traitor is imputed td^ his Children we do not mean, That the A51 of the Father is charged upon the Child : But that the Guilt or Liablenefs to Punifliment is fo transfer 'd to him, that he fuffers Baniih- ment or Poverty on Account of it. "In like Manner Righteoufnefs is either. Particular ABs of Obedience to a Law, or the legal Refult of thofe Adlions, that is, a Right to the Reward annext to them. " And fo when we fay, The Righteouf?2efs of him that has perform'd fome eminent Afl: of Obedience, is imputed to his Children^ we do not mean. That the particular A5i of the Father is charged on the Child, as if he had done it : But that \}s\tRight to Reward^ which is the Refult of that Ad:, is transfer'd to his Children. A a 2 Now ^ P- 434- 3S8 'The Doctrine of ** Now ' if we would but thus explain cvervText of Scripture wherein cither Imputed Sin or Imputed Right eoufnefs is mentioned, (whether in exprefs Words, or in the plain Meaning of them) we Ihould find them all eafy and intelligible. " Thus'' we may eafily underftand, how the Obedience ^'Chrift is imputed to all his Seed : And how the Difobedience o/' Adam is imputed to all his Children. " To confirm this, I would add thefc three Remarks : *' 1 . There arc feveral Hiftories in Scrip- ture, where Expreffions of the fame Import occur. '* So Gen. xxii. 16. T'It^ Seedpall pojfefs the Gate of his Enemies^ becaiife thou haft obey d my Voice. Here Abrahams Obedience^ that is, the Refultofit, is imputed to his Pofterity. *' So' Numb. XXV. 1 1. God gave to Phine- has and his Seed after hi my the Covenant of an evcrlafting Friejlhood^ becaufe he was zealous for his God, and flew the Criminals in IfraeL This was fo imputed to hisChildren^ that they alio rccciv'd the Reward of it. " Thus the Sin oi Achan was fo imputed to his Children, that they were all floned on Account of it, fojh. vii. 24. In like Man- ner the Covetoufnefs of Gehazi, was imputed tojiis Pofterity, {2 Kings v. 27) when God bv ' P- 43^ ' p. 43^. ' ? 437' Original Sin. ^389 by his Prophet"" pronounced, That the Le^ profy JJoould cleave unto him and to his Seed for ever. " 2. The Scriptures both of the Old and New Teftament, ufe the Words Sin and Ini^ quityy (both in Hebrew and Greek) to fignify not only the Criminal ABions themfelves, but alfo the Kejult and ^Confeqiiences of thofe Actions, that is, T^he Guilt or Liablenefs to Punijkment : And fometimes the Pimijl:ment itfelf, whether it fall upon the Original Cri- minal, or upon others, on his Account. *' In the fame Manner the Scriptures ufe the Word Righteotifnefsy not only for ABs of Obedience, but alfo the Refult of them, that is, Jiiftijication^ or Right to a Reward. A moderate Study of fome of thofe Texts where thefe Words are ufed, may convince us of this. " So yob xxxiii. 26. God will render to a Man his Right eoiifnefs: That is, The Reward of it. Hof. X. 12, Sow to yourfelves in Righ- teoitfnefs^ 'till the Lord come a?: d rain Righte^ oiifnefs upon you : That is, 'till Ke pour down the Rewards or Fruits of it upon you. " " I MIGHT add here, That in feveral Places of St. Paul's Epiflles, Rigbteoufncfs means yufliJicatiGn^ in the Paflive Senfe of the Word. " So Ro?n. X. 4. Chrift is the End of the Tiawfor Right eouf?iefs to every one that bdiev- A a 3 eth : 390 TT^e Doctrine of eth : That is, in order to the Juftification of Believers. Rom. x. lo. Witb the Heart Man bcUrvcfh unto Rtghteouf72efs -^ that is, fo as to obtain Juftification. G^/. ii. 21. If Rigljteouf- nefsy that is, Juftification, come by the Law, then Chrift is dead in vain. This particularly holds, where the Word >^oy{^oiMoci or impute is joined with Right ecufncfs. As Rom. iv. 3. Abraham believed God, and it was imputed to him for Right coufnefs. Rojn. iv. 5. His Faith is counted to him for Right coufnefs. It is not ai'Tt or ^Tn^' for^ or inJleadofRighteouf ncfs : But £t? ^lytccioa-vi^vu' i?i order to fiflification or Acceptance with God. *' And in other Places of Scripture, a Work^ whether Good or Evil, is put for the Reward of it. fob xxxiv. 11. T'he Work of a Man will He render unto him ; that is. The Recompence of it. So St. Paul defires Pi6/- lemon^ to impute any Wrong he had received from Orafwius to himfelf : That is, Not the Evil Aution, but the Damage he had fuftain'd. '^ Indeed when ^in or Righteoufnefs are faid to be imputed to any Man, on account of what himfelf hath done, the Words ufu- ally denote both the Good or Evil Adtions thcmfeh'cs, and the legal Refult of them. But when the Sin or Righteoufnefs of one Pcrfon is fiid to be ifuputed to another, then generally diofe Words mean only the Refult thereof, that is a Llablenefs to Punifhment on Original Sin. 391 on the one Hand, and to Reward on the other. " '^ But let us fay what we will, to con- fine the Senfe of the Imputation of Sin and Right eoiifnefs^ to the Legal Refiilt^ the Reward or Punifhment of Good or Evil Anions: Let us ever fo explicitly deny the Imputation of the A6lions themfelves to others : Still Mr. TCaylor will level almofl all -his Arguments, again ft the Imputation of the ABiom themfches^ and then triumph in having demolifhed what we never built, and refuting what we never afferted. " 3. The 'Scripture does not, tliat I re- member, any where fay in exprefs Words, That the Sin of Adam is imputed to his Chil- dren ; or, That the Sins of Believers are im- puted to Chrift 5 or, That the Righteoufnefs of Chrift is imputed to Believers. But the true Meaning of all thefe Expreffions is fuffici- ently found in feveral Places of Scripture. " ' Yet fince thefe exprefs Words and Phrafes, of the Imputation of Adam'^ Sin to us, of our Sins to Chrift, and of ChriftV Righteoufnefs to us, are not plainly written in Scripture : We fliould not impofe it on every Chriftian, to ufe thefe very Expreflions. Let every one take his Liberty, either of confin- ing himfelf to ftridlly Scriptural Language ; or of manifefting his Senfe of thefe plain A a 4 Scriptural " p. 444. -■ p. 446. ' p. 447- 3g2 ^be Doctrine of Scriptural Dodtrines, in Words and Phrafes of his own. " Buxif the Words were cxprefly written in the Bible, they could not reasonably be in- terpreted in any other Senfe, than this which I have explained by fo many Examples, both in Scripture, Hiftory and in Common Life. " I WOULD only add, If it were allowed, tliat the very ylcl of Adatii^ Difobedience was imputed to all his Pofterity; that all the fame finful Acliom which Men have com^ mltted, were imputed to Chriji^ and the very Anions which CImJl did upon Earth, were imputed to Believers: What greater Punifli- ments would the Pofterity of Adam fuffer? Or what greater Bleffings could Believers enjoy, beyond what Scripture has alTign'd, cither to Mankind^ as the Refult of the Sin r){ Adam\ or to Chrijl^ as the Refult of the Sins oi Men\ or to Believers^ as the Refult of the Righteoufnefs of Chrijl r THE Original Sin. 393 THE DoSIrine of Original Sin^ &c; i'*'){()J("*iBELiEVE every impartial Reader is ^ I ^ now able to judge. Whether Mr. ^ww^ T^aylor has folidly anfwercd Dr. Watts or no. But there is ano- ther not inconfiderable Writer whom I cannot find he has anfwered at all, tho' he has publiflied four feveral Trafts, profeffedly againfl Mr. 'Taylor : Of which he could not be ignorant becaufe they are mentioned in the *' Ruin aiid Recovery of Human Nature'' I mean, the Kqv. Mr, Samuel HMeji, Mini- fter at WWntham in Suffolk, I think it there- fore highly expedient, to fubjoin a Ihort Ab- ilradl of thefe alfo : The rather, becaufe the Tradts thcmfclves are very fcarce, having been for fome Time out of Print* EcCLEf^^, 39+ 77;^ Doctrine y EccLES. vii. 29. Lo this o?ily have I founds T'hat God made Man up7'ight > but they have fought out many .Lwcntiom. » ^j .» --> " TN ' the preceding Verfe Solomon had JL declared, How few wife and good Perlons he had found in tlie whole Courfe of his Life. But left any fhould blame the Providence of God for this, he here obferves. That thefe were not what God made Man at lirft: and that their bcin^what thev were not, was the Efted of a wretched Apoftafy from God. The Original Words ftand thus, Onhy fee thoUy I have found — *' Oiily-y This Word fets a Mark on what it is prefixt to, as a Truth of great Certainty and Importance. See^ obferve, thou. He invites every Hearer and Reader, in par- ticular, to confider what he was about to uifer. / have found, I have difcovered this certain Truth, and aflert it on the fulleft Evidence : "^fhat God made Man upright -y but they have fought out many Inventmis, " The Hebrew Word *^*;^** which we ren- der upright is properly ' oppofed to c?'ookedy irregular, perverfe. It is applied to Things, to • P- 3- ' P- 4. ' p. 5- Original Sin. 39^ to fignify their hdngjlra/g/jf, or agreeable to Rule. But it is likevvife applied both to God and Man, with the f^orJs and ^orh of both. As applied to God, the I^Fays of God, the Word oi God ^ it is join'd with Good^ Pfalm xxv. 8. with righteous, Ffahn cxix. 137. with true and good^ Neh. ix. 13, where Mention is made q{ 7'ight yiidgments^ true Laws^ good Statutes, The Zkrightnefs with which God is faid to miniflerjiidgment to the People anfwers to Rigi teoufiicjs. In a Word, God's Uprightnefs is the Moral Redi- tude of his Nature, infinitely wife, good, jufh and perfed:. The Uprigbtjiefs of Man ^ is his Conformity of Heart and Life, to the Rule he is under, which is the Law or Will of God. Accordingly we read of Upright^ nefs of Heart, Pfal xxxvi. 10. Job. xxxiii. 3. and Upright?iefs of Way or Converfaiion, Pf, xxxvii. 14. and often elfewhere. l^he upright Man throughout the Scripture, is a truly good Man, a Man of Litegrity, an holy Per- fon.' In Jcbi. i, 8. C. ii. 3. Upright h thc^ fame with, per feB (as in P/2?/. xxxvii. 37. and many other Places) and is explained by, o?ie who fear eth God and rfche%vcth Evil, In Job viii. 6. it is join'd, and is the fame with, pure. In the fame Si^nk it is taken (to mention but a few out of many Texts which might be produced) Prov. x. 29. ^he Way of the Lord . is " p. 6. 396 The Doctrine of U Stre?igtb to the Upright, but DeJlruBion Ihall be )o the Workers of Iniquity, C. xi. 3, 'The Integrity of the Upright pall guide them ; but the Pe?-ierjhiefs ofTranfgnjforsJballdeJiroy them, V. 6. 'The Righteoiijhefs of the Upright f]:all deliver them; but l^ranfgreffors fl:all be taken in their own Naught i?iefs, V. 1 1 . By the BleJJing of the Upright the City is exalted, C. XV. 8. ne Sacrifice of the Wicked is an A- boinination to- the Lord, but the Prayer of the Upright is his Delight, C. xxi. 29. A wicked Man hardneth bis Face, but as for the Upright^ He direBeth his Way, From even thefe Texts it maniteftly appears, That Upright^ nefs as applied to Man, is the very fame with Rigbttoufnefs, Holificfsy or Integrity of Heart and Converfation. *' When therefore Solomon fays, God made Man upright, the plain, undeniable Mean- ing is, God at firft form' d Man"" righteous or holy; altho' they have fought out many live?!- fi'jns. I'hey, — this refers to Adam, which is both a Singular and a Plural Noun : They^ our firfl: Parents, and with them their Pofte- rity, hu'-ce fought out 7nany Inventions, many Contrivances, to offend God and injure thcmfclvcs. Thefe many Inventions arc op- pofed to the Uprigbtnefs, the Simplicity of Heart and Integrity, with which our iirft Parent.^, and Mankind in them, were origin nally made by God^ '' The Original Sin. 397 "The Doftrine of the Text then is, That God at his Creation made Ma?! upright or righteous ; not only Rational and a Free^ Agents but holy. Therefore^ to maintain, That " Man neither was nor could be form'd " Holy, becaufc none can be holy, but in " Conlequence of his own Choice and Ea- " deavour," is bold indeed! To prove the contrary, and juftify Solomons Affertion, I offer a few plain Arguments. " L Moses in his Account of the Creation writes, And God faid^ Let Us make Man in our own Image, Now^ that Righteoufnefs or Holinefs is the principal Part of this Image of God, appears from Eph. iv. 22, 24. and CoL iii. 9, 10. On which PafHiges I obferve, I. By the old Man is not meant an heatbeniJJs Lifey or an ungodly Converfation ; but a corrupt Nature. For the Apoftle elfewherc fpeaks of our old Man, as crucifiedwith Chrift; and here diftinguilLes from it their ^crz/f^r Converfation, or fmful Adions, which he calh the Deeds of the old Man, 2. By the new Man is meant, not a 7iew Courfe of Life , (as the Socinians interpret it) but a Principle of Grace, called by St. Peter, the hidden Man of the Heart, and a divine Nature, 3. To ^put cfthe old Man (the fame as to crucify the Flejh) is to fubdue and mortify our corrupt Nature : To put on the jkw Man is to ftir up and ♦ p. 8. « p. 9. " p. 10' ^9? The Doctrine of and cultivate that gracious Principle, that New Nature. This, faith the Apoftle, is created after God, ifi Right eonfnefs and true Holi?2efs, It is created: Which cannot properly he faid, of a 7iew Coiirfe of Life ; but nia\s of a new Nature, It is created after Gor, or /;/ his Image and Likenefs m^ntiontd by Mofes. But what is it to be created after God, or in his hnage ? It is, to be created in Right eoufncfs andtriteHolinefs: (Term'dT&zoic;- ledgCy the practical Knowledge of God, CoL iii. lo) But if to be created after God, or in his Image andLikenefs, is to be created in Righ- ieoiifncfs and true IIoli7iefsy and if that Principle of Righteoufnefs and Holinefs by which we are created unto good Works, is a 72aw Man^ a diijine Nature ; it is eafy to infer, That Man was at firfl created righteous or holy, '' II. All Things, as at firft made by God, ^^rre very good. Nor indeed could He make them otherwife. Now a Rational Being is not good, unlefs his rational Powders are all devoted to God. The Goodncfs of Man, as a rational Being muft lie ' in a Devotednefs and Confecration to God. Confequently, Man was at firft thus devoted to God : Otiicrwife he was 7wt good. But this De- vorednefs to the Love and Service of God is true Righteoufnefs or Holinefs. This Righ- teoufnefs then, this Goodnefs, or Upright- ' P- I I. ' p. 12. Original Sin. 399 nefs, this regular and due State, or Difpo- fition of the Human Mind, was at firft Na- tural to Man. It was wrought into his Na^, ture, and con-created with his Rational Powers. A I'-ational Creature, as fuch, is capable of knowing, loving, ferving, living in Communion with the Moft Holy One. Adam at firft either did or did not ufe this Capacity j either he knew and loved God or he did not. If he did not, he was not very good^ no, nor good at all j if he did, he was upright, righteous, holy. " III. When God vefted Man with Do- minion over the other Creatures, how was he qualified. for exercifing thatDominion, un- lefs he had in himfelf a Principle of Love and Obedience to the Supreme Governor ? Did not God form ^ the Creatures obedient to Man, to confirm Man in his loving Obedi- ence to God ? Or did He create them, with a Difpofition to depend on and obey Man as their Lord, and not create Man with a Difpofition to obey and live dependent on the Lord of All ? But this Difpofition is Uprightnefs. Therefore God 7nade Man upright, " IV", Either Man was created with Prin- ciples of Love and Obedience, or he was cre- ated an Enemy to God. One of thefe muft be : For as all the Duty required of Man, as a rational * p. 15- 466*^ 77j>^ EfoCTRiNE of a rattoh^ Being is fummarily cbmprifecHh * Love, a fupreme Love to God, and a fubor- dihate Love to others, for his Sake: So there can be no Medium between a rational Crea- ture's loving God, and not loving, which is a Degree of Enmity to Him. Either, O Man, thou loveft God, or thou doft not: If thou doft, thou art holy or righteous : If thou doft not, thou art indifpofed to ferve Him in fuch a Manner, and with fuch a Frame of Spirit as He requires. Then thou art an ' Enemy to God, a Rebel againft his Au- thority. But God could not create Man in fuch a State, in a State of Enmity againft Himfelf It follows. That Man was created a Lover of God, that is righteous and holy. " In a Word. "" Can you prove, either that Man was not created after God, or that this does not mean being created in Righte-- oufnefs a7id ti'ue Holinefs ? Was not Man, as nil Creatures, good in his Kind ? And is a rational Creature good^ unlefs all its Powers arc devoted to God ? Was not Man duly qualified at firft to exercife Dominion over the other Creatures ? And could he be fo qualified, without a Principle of Love and Obedience to their common Lord ? Laftly, Can any Man prove, either that Man could be innocent^ if he did not love the Lord his God with all his He^rt? Or that fuch a Love » p. 14. « p. 1^. Original Sin. 401 Love to God is not Rigbteoufnefs and true Holinefs ? " " From the Doclrine of Man*s Original Rigbteoufnefs we may eaiily conclude that of Original Sin, ° For this Reafbn it is, that fome fo earneftly proteft againft Original Rigbteoufnefs, becaufe they dread looking on themfelves as iy Nature fallen Creatures and Children of Wrath, If Man was not holy at firft, he could not fall from a State of Holinefs : And confequently the firft Tranf- greffion expofed him and his Pofterity to nothing but Temporal Death. But on the other Hand, if Man was made upright it fol- lows, I. That Man when he fell loft his Original Rigbteoufnefs, and therewith his Title to God's Favour and to Communion with God. 2. That he thereby incurred, not only Temporal but Spiritual Death, He became dead in Sin and a Child of Wrath. And 3 . That all his Pofterity are born with fuch a Nature, not as Man had at firft, but as he contrafted by his Fall. Bb Gen. p. ZO, • p. 21. 402 T^be Doctrine of Gen. ii. j6, 17. ^;/^ the Lord God commanded the Ma?2, fay- /W, Of every T'ree of the Garden thou mayji freely eat : But of the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evily thoujhaltnoteatofit. For in the Day that thou edteji thereof thou Jhalt furely die, " '' /^~^ O D forbad Man to eat of this Vjr Tree, in Token of his Sovereign Authority, and for the Exercife of Man's Love'', and the Trial of his Obedience. The Words added. In the Day thou eateft thereof thou Jhalt furely die^ or literally. In dying thou flialt die^ mean, not only, Thou fait certain- ly die, but. Thou fait fuffer every Kind of Death. Thy Soul as well as thy Body fhall die. And Indeed if God made Man upright or holy : If Man at firft enjoy 'd the Life of God, inckiding Holinefs joined with BleC- fednefs : And if the miferable State of the Soul (as well as the DifTolution of the Body) is in Scripture termed Death-, it plainly fol- lows, That the Original Tlireatning includes ^ nothing I'efs, than a Lofs of Man s Original Uprightnefs » p. 126. « p. 27. ^~ - ' . ORifiiNAL Sin. 403 Uprightnefs, of his Title to God's Favour, and a Life of happy Communion with God. " The Words mean farther, T^hou ' floalt i7ijlantly die -y as foon as ever thou eateft. And io he did. For in that Inftant, his Original Righteoufnefs, Title to God's Fa- vour, ' and Communion w^ith God being loft, he was fpiritually dead, dead in Siuy his Soul was dead to God, and his Body liable to Death, Temporal and Eternal. " And as there is a Threatning of Death expreffed in thefe Words, fo a Profnife of Life is implied. The threatning Death, only in Cafe of Difobedience, implied, that otherwife he Ihould not die. And even ' fince the Fall, the Law of God promifes Life to Obedience, as well as threatens Death to Difobedience : Since the Tenor of it is, Do this and live : If thou wilt enter into Life^ keep the Comma?id?nents, " "Now a Law given by God with a Promife of Life and a Threatning of Death, confented to by Man, is evidently, a Cove-- 7ia?it, For what is a Covenant ? But a mu- tual Agreement of two or more Parties on certain Terms ? Now in this Senfe God cove?2anted with Man, and Man covenanted with God. God gave a Law, promifing Life in Cafe of Obedience, threatning Death, B b 2 in •• p. 28. • p. 29. \ p. 30. I, p. 31. 404 I'he £) o'cV R rVfi 'of in Cafe'oFDilbbcdiciTlce. And Man accept- ed cf the' Terms. Hei^e therefore was ^ d '^^^ *'*'Bu"T to guard this „againft Objeftion^, ' 'V/'M'li:'^ do not affirm, That God vifibly appeared, and formally treated with Adam^ as one Man with anothei^. Without fo for- mal'*' a Procedure, God could and douhtlefs did, fignlfy to him, on what Terms he was to expedl Life or Death. *^ 2. We do not affert, That God pro- mlfed to tranllate him to Heaven : But with- out Que ft] on he made Adam fenfible, That if he continued obedient he fliould continue happv, whether in Paradife, or fome other Rco-ion. '^^cx'^ ** 3. If "one greatly Superior will freely condefcend to treat with an Inferior, this do6s not difannul the mutual Agreement, or hinder its having the Nature of a Covenant, So God enter'd into a proper Covenant with Ahraham of old, and with his People in the Gofpel. And if fo, much more might He do fo, with Man, when .perfectly upright io- ward Goi3.^'^' iRv;vo>l ^ma. L-irx>- ""'And this Covenant was made with A- dnffi not only for htmfclf, but likewife for all' his PcJ}erity,' This appear^^^-^^"*^-»^c5 ^t\ :. -^ *H^- ' ;>ili lo JBdl Ion .noii:>i?^^ " I. From " p- 32. " p. 33- Original Sin. 405 ^.,1^^ ^From the Tenor of the Original Threat'ning, compared with the prefent State of Mankind. For it is evident, That every one of his Pofterity is born liable to Death : That the Death to which all are lia- ble, was not threat'ned, but in Cafe of Man's Jinning : That Man was not liable to Dca:h till he fmneiU and his being fo, was the Re- fult of the Threatening; and, that the Scrip- ture conftantly points at Srn as the fole Caufe of Deaths and of all Suffering, But if all Mankind, are born liable to that which was originally threat'ned only to »S/;/, then all Mankind are accounted Sinners, and as fuch are concern'd in the Originan^hrcatning^ and confequently in the Original Prowife, 2. 'From i Cor. xv. 21. /;; Adam all die. Here the Apoffle fpeaks, not of both our Parents, but of Adam fingly, (as alfo Rc?n. V.) to denote our peculiar Relation to hiin. The All mention'd are all his natural De- fcendents, who all die in or th7'o' him\^ that is, are liable to Death, on Account of their Relation to him. And it is not only '^bodily Death that is here fpoken of; for it ftands oppofed not, to a bare Revival of the Body> but to a happy and glorious Refurredion^ fuch as they that are Chrilf i Vv^ill partake of at his Second Coming. For of this Relur- reftion, not that of the Ungodlv, the Apoftlo B b 3 ' is y p. 34- "■ P- 35- 4o6 "The Doctrine g/' is fpeaking throughout this Chapter. But 'they could not die //^.Adam., if they did not in feme Stnihjin hi him, and fall with hitn: If the Covenant had not been made with him, not for himfelf only but for all his Pofterity. V\Y , 'A '^. "-- " 3. From Verfe 45 and 47 oF*tKe fame Chapter. The fojl Man, Adam, and the fccond Man, the laji Adam are here oppofed. Now why is Chrijl, notwithftanding the Millions of Men intervening between Adam and Him, and following after his Birth, called the Second Man, and the lajl Adam ? We have an Anfwer Rom, v. 12, 14, &c. where Adam is faid to be a Figure c/'Chrift: And theRefemblance between them is fhewn to lie in this, That as Sin and Death defcend from one, fo Right eoiifnefs and Life from the other. Confequently what ChriJi is with llegcrd to all his Spiritual Seed, that Adam is with Regard to all his Natural Defcen- dents, namely, a publick Perfon, a federal Head, a legal Reprcfe?itative : One with whom the Covenant was made not only for himfelf, but alfo for his whole Pofterity. ^ # *^ John Origin At Sin.~ 407 ^ v>\\'^? iitn bar .$<\^^^v. "73c ^rrnot :^!! «i)jw ^bBcn i!!^"n -roa ^voD ^Id Ik to) rJoHN iii. 5, 6.. ^^^ ^^^ Except a Man be born of Water and of the Spi" rit, he cannot enter into the Kingdom ofGoT>, T'hat which is born cf the Flejlj^ is FleJJ: : A?id that which is born of the Spirit, is Spirit, '' TN this Text we have /fX '" I. The New Birth defcribed^ '' II. The Neceffity of it infifted oil; . 5\ III. The Original Corruption of every Child of Adam obferved, as that frorn which the Neceffity of fuch a Change arifes. "I. The New Birth is here defcrrbed. Whatever this implies, the Spirit of God is the fole Author of it. He does not help a Man to regenerate himfelf, but takes the V/ork into his own Hands. A Child of God, as fuch, is 7iot born of Blood-, does not become fo by a Defcent from pious Parents. He is not ho?'n of the Will of the Flep-, Is not renew'd by the Power of his own carnal Will ; 7wrof Man, of any Man whatfoevcr, /;/// of Gob: By the fole Power of his Spirit. " In Regeneration the Holy Spirit morti- fies the old Man, corrupt Nature, and breathes a Principle of Life into the Soul : A P; inci- ple of Faith, of fmcere Love, and willing B b 4 Obedience /r8 ^he Doctrine ^ Obedience to God. He who was dead in Sirty is now dead ta Sin, and alive to Go V> ibrough Jefiis Chrift. God has createdin him a clean Heart, and renewed a right Spirit within him. He has created him unto good Works, and written his Law in his Heart. Bat if the Spirit of God is the fole Agent in the Work of Regeneration : If the Soul of Man has no Ad:ive Intereft or Concern in hh being born again: If Man was created holy, and Regeneration re-inftamps that holy Image of God on the Soul : lithe new Man is crea-ed after God /;/ Righteoufnefs and true Holinefs : If the Corruption of Nature (term'd thecldManofFleJh) is not contra<3:ed by Imitation or Cuftom, but is an inbred, hereditary Diftemper, Coeval with our Na- ture : If all truly Good Works are the Fruits of a Good Heart, a good Principal wrought in the Soul: It plainly foljows, That the Faith, Hope, Love, Fear, which diftinguiflv the Children of God fronV others, are not of the Nature of acquired, bat of infufed Habits Q\' Principles. To fay then, *' That Holi- " ncfs rniift be the EfFc(n: of a Man's own ** Choice and Endeavour, and that by a right " life of his Natural Powers, every Man may *' and mufi: atrain an Flabit of Holinefs, that ** is, be Imm again T^'AHowcvet pleafing it: mav be to Human Vanity, is contrary to* the \\ hole Tenor of Scripture. " And ^V/^^.-And all the. Scriptural Expreffions on this 'Head,, are groimded on the real Nature lof. Things. Sin is of the Nature -of Fi/lh '2kX\A Comiptio7i. It pollutes the whole Man, ^nd renders him as 2.W'iinekan Thine>- in the Sight of Gojd. When therefore the Spirit of. Gor> removes this, Fie is faid, To create a clean Hearty to purify fix Hearty to fprinkk clean Water upon us, to wapjusfrom our Fikhinefs, And. this cleanfing Efficacy is in the Text exprefl: by being bcrn of Water and of the Spirit, ^di no q 5x?K.rr Vi^i'>WHEN therefore our Lord fpeaks of being bcrn of the Spirit^ his plain Meaning is, /There is a fpiritual Cleanfing you muft partake of, mentioned in thofe Pronniies, / vMl fpr inkle clean Water upon yon and ye fall he clean ^ from all your Fill hinfs and from all your Idols will. I cleanfe you, A^ ?iew fit art alfo iJDill I groe yoUy and a new Spirit ^%pi II I put within you. Arid I will take away the flony Hearty and I will give you an Heart of Flef\ Thefe Promifes gives vis a plain Dcfcription of the Spirits regenerating Work :, A^^'ithput experiencing v^^hich, our State is rniferablc now, and v/ill be much more'fo.hercafrcr, ** II. For this Spiritual Renovado|j of the Soul, is indifpcnfably neccila! y. . Withc^ut it none can enter the Kifigdofnof /i'^i.?^7,,(£it|]cr the Kingdom, of .Grai^e Qf,.^,,(?]o(3^. ^^-j \j^ . " Except 410 The Doctrine of "I. Except a Ma7i be horn of the Spirit^ he cannot enter into the Ktjigdom f Grace : He cannot be a loyal Subjedt of ffiis Chrijl, By Nature we are Subjedts oi Satan: And fiich we muft remain, unlefs renewing Grace tranjlate us into the Kifigdom oj God'5 dear Sont " 2. Consequently, except we are horn again,, ijue cannot enter into the Kingdom of Glory. Indeed, fuppofmg he could be ad-^' mittcd there, v/hat could an unregenerate Sinner do in Heaven ? He could not pof- fibiy have any Relifli either for the Bufinefs, the Company, or the Enjoyments of that World. III. Our Lord having aflertcd the abfo- lute Neceffity of the New Birth, to fliew the Ground of this Necefiity adds 'T^hat which is h, n of the FleJIj^ is Flejh ; ajid that which is hern of the Spirit, is Spirit, Here obferve " K Our Lord oppofes Fief and Spirit to each other, which Oppofition we often meet with. Whatever therefore is meant by thefe two, they denote Things oppofite* " 2. He fpeaks here of two feveral Births^ which arc diftinclly mentioned. " 3. The former of thefe two is fpoken of, as that which renders the other fo ne- ccfiary. Recaufe that which is horn of the Fhf, IS Fhf\ therefore we muft he horn of the Spirit. Therefore this great Change muft be wrought in us, or we cannot enter into the Kingdom of God. ** 4. If -Original Sin. 411 *' 4. If the latter of thefe is made necef- fary by the former, then to be born Flep is to be born corrupt and finful. And indeed. The Word FleJJj is very frequently taken for the corrupt Principle in Man. It is al- ways fo taken when it ftands oppofed to the Spirit^ or to that inwrought Principle of Obedience, which itfelf alfo (taking the Name of its Autl^pr) is fometimes term'd Spirit, ' f , " Now in the Text, whatever or who- ever is born of a Man fince the Fall, is de- nominated FIcJIj, And that Flejh is here put, not for linlefs Frailty, but linful Cor- ruption, we learn from its being oppofed to the Spirit, Chriji was born frail, as well as we, and in this Senfe was Flejh : Yet being without Sin, he had no Need to be ior?i of the Spirit, This is not made neceflary by any linlefs Infirmities, but by a finful Na- ture only. This alone is oppofite to the Spirit : Thus therefore we muft underftand it here. '' But Mr. I'aykr fays, *' To be born of *' the Flefli is only to be naturally born of a " Woman." I anfwer, Is not Flejh oppofed to Spirit in this Vcrfe ? Is it not the Spiiit of God which is fpoken of in the latter Claufe, together widi the Principle of Gracc^, which is in every regenerate Perfon ? And -T . , V. ,^^3H^\y lite 412 The Doctrine ^/^ fite to the Spirit of God ? No certainly: But if fo, and if wherever Fk/I: is oppofed to the Spirit, it implies finful Corruption^, then it is, evident, to be born of the F/eJJj h to be the finful Offspring of finful Parents,i fo as to have Need of the renewing Influences of tl\e Holy Spirit, on that Account even, from our Birdi. " If to walk after the FleJI:^ as oppofed to ivalki)ig after the Spirit^ is to follow our fin-, ful Inclinations ; if to be in the Flefo oppofed to being in the Spirity is to be in a State of Sin 3 \l the Fief d and the Spirit are two con- traiy Principles, which counter- aft^ each others GaLy. i6, 37: Xl the Works of the Flefo and the Lifs of the Fief: are oppofed to the Spirit and the Fruit of the Spirit: Then tq be hern cf the Flefh muft fignify more than barely to be born of a Woman. Had Adam tranfmittcd a pure Nature to his Defcen- dant.^, ftjll each of them would have been born of ^ Woman : But they would have liaji iip.Neceffity of being born of the Spirit ^ or renewed by the Holy Ghoft. :i **■ Buj, what is that Corruption of Nature, which the Scripture terms Flefi^ There are two Branches of it ^ \. K Want of Original Hightcoufnefs, 2. A Natural Propenfity to Sin. I. A Want of Original Righteoufnefs. loline . was con-natural God created Man righteous: Holine 1 was OrYginal Sin. 413" con-natural to his Soul ;\ Principle ofLov^' and Obedience to God, But when he iin-^ ned, he loft this Principled And eV^fy Man' i^ now born, totally void both of theKnow- Al 01] ledge and Love of God. ^ "^**^'^v A Natural Prcpenfity to Sin is in evei^y Man. And this is infeparable from the other. If Man is born and grows up without the Knowledge or Love of God, he is born and grows up propenfe to Sin : Which includes two Things, An Averfion to what is Good, and an Inclination to what is Evil. ^''''^' " We are naturally averfe to what is good. 'The carnal Mind is Enmity againjl God. Nature does not, v/ill not, cannot fubmit to his holy, juft and good Law. Therefore they that are in the Fleflj cajvtot pleafe God. Being averfe to the Will, Law and Ways of God, they are utterly indif- pofcd for fuch an Obedience, as the Relation tween God and Man indifpenfably requires. " And as we are all naturally averfe to what ia Good, fo we are naturally inclined to what is Evil. Even young Children of themfelves run into Evil : but are with Dif- iiculty brought to prat^life what is Good. No \ fooner do they difdover Reafon, than theyl di (cover Evil, unreafonableDifpofitions. And thefe difcovering themfelves in every one, e- ven from his early Childhood, manifcf! ly "■--■ prove 414 "^^^^ Doctrine of prove the inbred and univerfal CorrubtioB of Human Nature. ^ ^ -au jd^ " But why is this Corruption termed Flep ? Not becaufe it is confined to the Body. It is the Corruption of our whole Nature, and is therefore term'd the old Md?i. Not becaufe it confifts merely in a Repugnance of the Senfual Appetites to Reafon. This is but one Branch of that Corruption : The whole of it is far more ex^*- ten five. Not becaufe it is primarily feated in the Body : It is primarily feated in the Soul. If Sin reig72S i?i our mortal Bodies^ it is becaufe the finful Soul ufes the bodily Meinbers as hijinimcnts ofXJjirighteoiifijefs, , "^l^KTy all which thofe Words, That '' which isbcr?! of Flep is Flejh^ mean, is this. " All Men being defcended of frail, and " jjiortal Parents, are like them, frail and " mortal. In Confequence of Adam% Sin, ** all his Defcendents die.'* .•,/*.^.-;^j^^.', '' I ANSWER, I. Tho' this is true, it is jiot the whole Truth » Nor is it the proper Truth of the Text : Which fpeaks of our being born of the Flejl\ as the Reafon why we muft be horn" of the Spirit. ^* 2. It is not confiftent with the Moral Perfections of GoD, fpr iinlefs Creatures to be born mortd. Death in every Senfe of the Word is the pr^oper tVages of Sin. Sin has u£ Li, S. Original Sin. ^ij has the fame caufal Influence on Death, as the Obedience of Chriji has on Eternal Life. " 3. We were not only born mortal, but Children of Wrath: We who are now regen- erate, as well as others. " 4. The Scripture afcribes both our Mortality and Corruption to our Relation to Adam, In him all die : Thro the Offence of One, many, all Mankind, are dead, liable to Death. Again : By the Difobedience of One, the fame, mariy are conflituted Sinners. There- fore when our Lord fays,- "That which is born of the Flejlo is Flejh, He means not only. That we and our Parents are mortal: But that all Mankind derive Spiritual as well as Temporal Death, from their Firft Father. .iT THE 4i6 "T^e Doctrine* of T H E SCRIPTURE DOCTRINE O F Imputed Sin and Righteoufnefs. " I: r^^^JN' is a rrmifgrejion cf the Law, S -^ fe^ ^^ ^'^^^ ^^^^ ^^ ^^^ ^^ which w ^^ W ^ rational Creature is iubjed:. Righteoufnefs is, A Fulfilment of, or Conformity to that Law. This is the proper Scriptural Senfe of the Words.'* But '^s Sin involves the Creature in Guilt, that is a Liablenefs to Puniflimcnt, the fame Words are often ufed to denote either ^in itfclf, or Guilt and Pumjl:ment. On the other Hand, Rightcoujhefs denotes not only a fulfilling of tlie Law, but alfo a Freedom Jrom Guilt, and Fuwjhm'eiit. Yea, and fometimes all the Re^.Ciirds of Riohtecufnefs. '' 'Accordingly, toiwptite Sin, is either 'to impute Siji i.'felf, ov: Guilt on the Account '~s*^fj.'. I ► p. 2. « p. '5. of Original Sin. 417 of it. To impute Sin itfelfio a Perfon, is to account hini a Tranlgreffor of the Law ; to pronounce him fuch : Or to treat him as a Tranfgreflbr. To impute Guilt to a Perfon, is to account him obnoxious to a threatned Punishment : To pronounce him fo ; or to inflid: that Punllliment. So, to i?npute Righ- temfnefs properly fo called, is to account him a FulfiUer of the Law : To pronounce him fo to be : And to treat him as righteous. And to impute Rightecufnefs as oppofed to Guilty is to account^ to pronounce^ and to treat him as guiltlefs. " Thus much is agreed. But the Point in Queftion is, " Does God impute'^ no Siji ov Righteoufnefs but what is Pe?fona/?'* Mr. Baylor pofitively aflerts, He does not. I un- dertake to prove, That He does : That He imputes Adanis Firft Sin to all Mankind, and our Sins to Chriji. " L GOD imputes Adam's Firjl Sin to all Mankind. I do not mean, That the" a5lual CommiJJion of it was imputed to any befide himfelf; (it was impoffible, itiliould). Nor is the Guilt of it imputed to any of his De- fendants, in the full Latitude of it, or in Regard to its attendant Circumftances. It conftitutcs none of them equally guilty with him. Yet both that Sin itfelf, and a Degree of Guilt on Account of it, are imputed to all his Pofterity : The Sin itfelf is imputed to * - p. 5. « p. 6. C c Them^ 4i8 The Doctrine of Them, as included in their Head. And on this Account, they are reputed guiltyy are Children of Wrath^ hable to the threatened Puniiliment. And this cannot be denied, luppofing I. Man's Original Righteoufnefs, 2. Adam\ being the Federal Head of all Mankind. " I. Man's' Original Righteoufnefs has been largely proved. Let me add only an^ Argument ad hominefn, Suppofing (not granting) that the Son of God, is no more than the firft of Creatures, either He was originally righteous^ or He was not. If He was not, then Time was, when He was not the Holy 0?2e of God ; and poffibly He never might have been fuch, no, nor righteous at ally but inflead of that, as imgodly, guilty ^ and wretched as the Devil himfelf is. For the befc Creature is (Mr. Taylor grants) al- terable for the worie, and the beft when corrupted becomes the worft. Again, If the Son of God was a mere Creature, and as fuch made without ''Righteoufnefs (which every Creature mufl be according to Mr. Taylor) then He was not, could not be at firft as Righteous, as like God as the Holy Angels are now, yea, or as any Holy Man on Earth is. But if thefe Suppcfitions arc fhockingly abfurd, if the Son of God could not have become as bad as the Devil, if He never ''p. 7. « p. 9. »• p. 10. ^ Original Sin. 419 never was unrighteous, if He was not ori- ginally Icfs holy, than Angels and Men are now : Then the Affertion, *' That Righte- " oufnefs muft be the EfFedl of a Creature's *' antecedent Choice and Endeavour," falls to the Ground. " But the Hebrew Word "Jajloer^ Mr. T'aylor fays " does not generally fignify a '' Moral Character." This is one of the numerous Critical Miftakes in this Gentle- man's Books. Of the more than 1 50 Texts in which Jajher^ or the Subftantive JoJJ:er occurs, there are very few which do not confirm our Interpretation of Ecclef. vii. 29. '' But Jafiar is applied to various Things *' not capable of Moral Adlion." It is; And what then ? Many of thofe Applications are neither for us, nor againft us. Some make ftrongly for us ; as when 'tis applied to the Words or Ways of God and Man. But the Queftion' now is, what it fignifies, when applied to God, or to Moral Agents^ and that by Way of Oppolition to a vicious Charac- ter and Condud? Is it not in the Text, be- fore us applied, to Man as a Moral Agent, and by Way of Oppofition to a corrupt Cha- rader and Condud: ? No Man can deny it. Either therefore prove, That Jafljar^ when oppofed, as here, to a corrupt Coududl and Charader, does not iignify righteous^ or ac- C c 2 know- II. ^ p. 12. 420 "T'he Doctrine %f knowledge the Truth, that God created Mah • . "To evade the Afgilftient- from TEph.W. •24. Mr. 'Taylor firft fays, " The old Man means an Iieafhe?iiJJj Life, and then fays^ " Tbe old and 72ew Man do not fignify a " Courfe of Life." What then do they fig- nify ? Why, " The old Man, fays he, relates " to the Gentile State : And the new Man is " either the Chriftian State, or the Chriftian " Church, Body, Society." But for all this, he fays again a Page or two after, " The old ''and 72ew Man, and the new Mans being " renewed, and the Renewing of the Efhe- ^^Jlans do all manifeflly refer to their Gen- ^\tile State and wicked Courfe of Life,^ from *^ which they were lately converted." '^" *' When then the Apoftle fays, {Rom,v\,6Pj Our old Man is crucified with Chrift, is it the Ce?itile State or Courfe of Life, which was fo crucified ? No : Sut the corrupt Nature, the Body of Sin, as it is term'd in the fame Verfe. And To put off the old Ma?t ' is (according to 5t. Paul) to crucify this, with its AffeBions andDe/ihL On the other Hand, lo put on the Jicw'Mdn, is to cultivate the Divine Prin- ciple, "\vlnch is form'd \n the Soul of every Dcii'e\ier/'tiy the Spirit of Ckrifi, It is this of wh^tHjt is faid,- i . It is created ; Arid' in Regard tb it we are; faid to \>t " creute/i pinio "^rt^. 1^. « p. 14. -5 ^ Oil .q *= o^! -<| • ^Original Sin. 421 goadWorh. 2. It is renew d-y for it is in- deed no other than Original Righteoufnefs reftor.ed. 3. It is after God y after his Image apd Likenefs, now ftamp'd afrefh on the Soul:.-., 4. It confifts in Righteoufnefs and Holinefsy or that Knowledge which compre- hends both. ,,,,,-> 1^ .^. " Again. 'To that Argument, " Either *' Man at firft loved God, or he was an Enemy to God," Mr. I'aylor gives only this flight, fuperficial Anfwer, " Man could not " love God before he knew Him :" With- out vouchfafing the leaft Notice of the Ar- guments which prove, that Man was not created without the Knowledge of God. Let him attend to thofe Proofs, and either honeftly yield to their Force, or if he is able, fairly confute them.^Qy^, «h/5 The Doctrine of Original Sin pre- fuppofes, " 2. Adam's being thfe Federal Head of all Mankind. Several Proofs of this having been given already, I need not produce more 'till thofe are anfwer'd. ;'.^ r ,^ ^t II. God imputes our Sim or the Guilt of them to ChriJL He confented to be re- fponfible for them, tofuffbr the Punifhment° due for them. This fufficiently appears from ^i. liii. which contains a Summary of the Scripture Doctrine upon this Head. He 'bath borne our Griefs and carried our Sorrows, • p. 15. ° p. 16. C c ,3 q « > The 422 n^e Doctrine of The ^Word Nafa (borne) fignifies, i. To take up fomewhat, as on one's Shoulders, 2. To bear or carry fomething weighty, as a Porter does a Burden 3 3. To take away: And in all thefe Senfes it is here applied to the Son of God : He carried — as a ftrong Man does an heavy Burden (the clear, indif- putable Senfe of the other Word, Sabal) our Sorrows : The Sufferings of various Kinds, which were due to our Sins. He was "^wounded for our ^ranfgreJjionSy and bruifedfor our Lii- qiiities. Wounds and Bruifes are put for the Whole of his Sufferings ; as his Death and Blood frequently are. He was wounded and bruifedj not for Sins of his own ; not merely^ to ihew God's Hatred of Sin, not chiefy, to give us a Pattern of Patience ; but for our Sins, as the proper, impulfive Caufe. Our Sins were the procuring Caufe of all his Suf- ferings. His Sufferings were the penal Effects of our Sins. ' The Chaflifement of our Peace, the Punifhment neceftary to procure it, was laid on Him, freely fubmitting there- to : And by his Stripes (a Part of his Suffer- ings again put for the Whole) we are healed: Pardon, Sandification and Final Salvation, are all purchafed and beflowed upon us. Every Chaflifement is for fonie Fault. That laid on Chrift was not for his own, but OurS; and was needful to reconcile an offended' Law- " p. 17- ' p- 18. ' p. 19. « p. 20. Original Sin. 423 X^awiGiver, and offending guilty Creatures to each other. So the Lord laid on htm the Iniquity of us all, that is, the Punifl^ment due to our Iniquity. .,^ :^ ^|;Tis true, as Mr. Taylor fays, " Sin .",^and Iniquity often fignify AjJliBi'on or Suf" '*yferingr But why ? Becaufe 'tis ufual for a Caufe to give Denomination to its EffeB, And fo the Confequences of Sin are called by the "fame Name. But this rather hurts Mr. Taylors Caufe than helps it. For Suf- ferings could with no Propriety be called Sin^ if they were not the proper Effe6ls of it. Man in Innocence was liable to no Sufcring or Sorrow : He was indeed tried ; but not by Siifferijig. All Sorrow was introduced by Sin 5 and if Man is horn to Trouble, it is be- caufe he is born in Sin. God indeed does afliB his Children for their Good-, and turns even Death into a Bleffmg. Yet as it is the Effed; of Sin, fo is it in itfelf an Enemy to all Mankind : Nor would any Man have been either tried or correded by Affliclion, had it not been for Sin. '' '" The Lord'j laying on Chrift the Ini- quity cf us all v/as eminently typified by the High-Prieft, putting all the Iniquities of IJrad on the Scape-Goat, who then carried x\\^\w away, '' But the ''Goat, (ixys Mr, Taylor, was to fuffer nothing." This. iS; .a grof's Z C c 4 Millakc. ,• p. 21. " p, Z2. ""' p. 23. " p. 24.' 424 ^/-^^ DOCTRIKE tj MiftaKe? It was 2. Sin-Offering, iy^i'S^ and as fuch was to biar upon him^ all the Iniquities of the People into the Wilder* nel's and there (as the Jewifi Dodlors una* nimoufly hold) to fufFer a violent Death, by Way of Puni/hment y indeed of the People, for their Sins put upon bim\ Yet yir. Taylor fays, *' Here was no Imputation of Sin" Noi What is the Difference between imputing Sins and putting them upon him ? This is juft of a Piece with " A Sin-Offering that fuf- " fered nothing:" A Creature *' turned '' loofe into a Land the propereft '^ for iu -*' Subfiflence," vAiA^ bearing upon him. ell the Iniquities cfGo\)s People!" ^'p^. "^o ^^'VA ' .' '' ""Thus Chrift redeemed us from the Ciirfe tf the haw being made a Curfe for us, ""Mr. I'ayhr when he wrote his late Books was not apprifcd of the ufual Scripture-Meaning of this awful Word Curfe, 'Tis often put to Signify the L egal Pwiifiment of Sin, What the Law of God threatens againft Tranfgreffors 'or the Tlircatning itfelf is frequently called 'bv this Name. What fignifies then his •trifling Obfervatlon, " That God inflifted ;;o Curfe on our fir ft Parents, G^«.iii. 16, 17, 18." That i$,v\He did not fay in fo many Words, "r Curfid mn: tkm, O Mdn;i or 'O Woman." But Ooii^turiing 4hi* Gmmd'for. Mans Sake, was xQAXf-a Giirfe prortounbed ^againft ^fo^j and what the Lord fald to the Woman was y p. 25. ^ p. 39. •p. 40. -^S -; fc^llyf^ Qfr^, ' aPenlalty kgnUy infliticd on fc. '."vFor Goo is then faid to ctirf^y \vhen He cither ^£r^ig/«?;;ii to puiliila, "or a6tuallyj^/«///,^j his Gceatures ioi'Mn. A ^tt Detd, xxvii. 15, fe..Gvx3cviiL i6.,&c^;5^;-.r'v Y n >4::>ibQ[ ^iA Ik ^risbiqai ot hi DocTR I N E o{ Ormnal Sin . "'Explained ^zW Vinpicat ed. ' •;;4si ^ T uj as we can difcovcr, was firftufed K'^^S in the Fourth Century. The firft who ufed it was either Sf, Chryfoftom^ or Hilary^ fome of whofe Word^ are thefe ; *' The Pfalmijl fays, Behold I was *' conceived in Iniquities y iti Si?is did my Mother *' conceive me,"" He acknowledges. That h^ " was born under Original Sin, and the '^ Law of Sin." Soon after Hilarys Time, St. AtigtijUne and other Chriftian Writers brought it into common Ufe.^ ^ . > ■> " The Scriptural Doctrine of Original Sin may be comprize^ in the following Pro- portions t""- . ,^:: .1 ^^:-A^^.v^ :-K r i!'!-/! vv^<« I. Man was originally made righteous^ OF holy t'^ni '^(;^T>i^^'3>^« ^js ,10 /I VA*?,^'!^'^^^? bne (;in37d 9xb xA iHaiixmn ax aull IL Th-a-'i' i<)!l?- 2. * p. 3, « p. 8. Original Sin. 429 " II. That Original Righteoufnefs was Ic^ by the Firft Sin : ,^. >, ^ " IIL THEREBY.Kan incuFd Death of every Kind : For^V^e " IV. Adam's firft Sin was the Sin of a Publick Perfo?2y onci whom God had appoint- «d to reprefent all his Defcendants : V " V. Hence all thefe are from their 'Ku^ Children of Wrath, void of all Righte- oufnefs, and propenfe to Sin of all Sorts. " I ADD, VI. This is not only a Truth agreeable to Scripture and Reafon, but a Truth of the utmoft Importance, and one to which the Churches of Chriji from the Beginning, have bore a clear Teftimony. *' L Man was originally made righteous or holy : Formed with fuch a Principle of Love andObedience to his Maker, as difpofed and enabled him to perform the whole of his Duty with Eafe and Pleafure. This has been -proved already. And this wholly overturns Mr. 'Taylors fundamental Aphorifm, * What- *' ever is Natural is Neceffary, and what is " neceffary is not finful. " For if Man was originally righteous or holy, we may argue thus. It was at firft Natural Xo Man to love and obey his Maker ; yet it was not necejfary: Neither as 7iecejfary is oppofed to voluntary or free : (For he both loved and obeyed freely and willingly) Nor, as necefary means una" W^jii!^.\.(Thisis manifeft by the Event:) ^ . No, 430 The Doctrine 5/" No, nor as neccffary is oppofed to rewardable. For had he continued to love and obey, he would have been rewarded with everlaft- in^ Happinefs. Therefore that Affertion, *' "whatever is Natural is Necejfary^' is pal- pably, glaringly falfe. Confequently, what is Natural' as well as what is acquir'd, may be Good or Evil, rewardable or punifhable. " II. Man's Original Rightcoufnels was loft by the firft Sin. Tho' he was made righteous, he was not made immutable. He was free to ftand or fall. And he foon fell and loft' at once both the Favour and Image of God. This fully appears, i. From the Account which Mofes gives of our Firft Pa- rents, Gen. iii : Where we read, (i.) T'he Eyes of them both were opened^ and they knew that they were naked: That is they were con- fcious of Guilt, and touched with a pun- gent Senfc of their Folly and Wickednefs. They began to iind their Nakednefs irkfoni. to them, and to refled: on it with finful E- motions of Soul. (2.) Immediately they were indifpolcd for Communion with God, and ftruck with fuch a Dread of Him as could not confift with true Love, V. 8. (3.) When queftion'd by God, how do they prevaricate^ inftead of confefling their Sin, and humbly imploring ForgivenefsP Which proves not only their having finned, but their *.p. 10. ^ p. 14. being Original Sin. 431 being as yet wholly impenitent. (4.) The Judgment paft upon them was d Proof of their being* Guilty in the Sight of God. Thus was Man's Original Righteoufnefs loft. Thus did he fall both from the Fa- vour and Image of God. " This appears, 2. From the Guilt which infeparably attends every Tranfgreflion of the Divine Law. I fay, every Tranfgref- fion; becaufe eveiy Sin virtually contains all Sin. For ivhofoever keepeth the whole Law and offendeth in one Pointy he is guilty of all. Every fingle Offence is a virtual Breach of all the Commands of God. There is in every particular Sin, the Principle of /^//Sin; namely, the Contempt of that Sovereign Authority, which is equally ftamp'd upon every Command. When therefore our firft Parents ate the forbidden Fruit, ^ they not only violated a particular Precept but the entire Law of God. They could not fin in one Inftance, without virtually tranfgrefling the whole Law of their Creation : Which being once done, their Title to God's Fa- vour and their Original Righteoufnefs were both loft. " This appears, 3. From the compre- henfive Nature and aggravating Circumftan- ces of the firft TranfgrefTion. For it impli':d, (i.) JJjibelief: Man did not dare to break the Divine Command, 'till he was brought ^p. 15. e p. i6. to ^32 ^e Doctrine rf to queftion' the Truth of the Divine Threat- nin g . ( 2 . ) Irreverence of God, Reverence is a Mixture of Love and Fear. And had they continued in their firfl Love and filial Fear, they could not fo foon have broken thro' the fole Command of God. (3.) /;2- gratitude. For what a Return did they here- by make to their Creator for all his Benefits ! (4.) Fride and Ambition, Affedting to be as Gods J knoidng Good and Evil (5.) ^en^ fualit)\ The Woman looked upon the Fruit with an irregular Appetite. Here the Conflicil: betwen Reafon and Senfe began. To talk of fuch a Confiidt in Man before he fell, is to reprefent him as in a Degree finful and guilty even tvhlle Innocent. For Conjiift implies Oppofiion, Aad an Oppofition oi Ap- petite to Reafon^ is nothing elfe than a Re- pugnance to the Law of God. But of this our fiiil Parents were no Way guilty, 'till their Innocence was impaired ^ 'till they were led by the Temptation of the Devil, to defire the forbidden Fruit. (6.) Robbery^ for the Fruit* was none of theirs. They had no Man- ner of Right to it. Therefore their taking it was a flat Robbery of God, v/hich cannot be Icfs criminal than robbing our Fellow- Creature?. So comprehenfive was the Na- ture, fo aggravated the Circumftances of Man's firft Tranfgrellion. III. Hereby • p. i'S ' p i^. h V ^ « I G I N A L S I N. 43 3 " ITT Hereby he irtcurr'd Death of every Kind ; fiot only Tempdral, but ahb Spiritual and EfehidL By lofingivis Original Righte- oufn€fe>»^he became not' only mortal as to bis Body, butalib fpififuaWydead, dcadfoGoD^ dead in Siji i*V(5'\i\: dl^th^t Principle, which St. Paul terms the "" Life of God, Eph. iv. i8. $t. yobn, Eternal Life- abiding in us, 'A John iii. 15. A Creature formed with a Capacity of knowing, loving, and ferving God, mufl be either dead in Sin, or alive to God. Adam in his primitive State, was alive to God ; but after he had finned, dead in Sin^ as well 2iS dead in Law^.^ /U r -^ BuTiMr. I'aylor is fure, only Temporal Death was- to be the Confequence of his DiC- obedience. " For Death is the, Lofs of " Life, and muft beunderftood accordin? to " the Nature of the Life' to which it is op- '' pofed." Moft true : And the Life to which it is here oppofed, the Life AdatH e'njoyed 'till loft by Sin, was not only Bo(UfyLife^ but that Principle of Holinefs, which th^ Scrip* ture terms I'he Life of God. It was alib a Title to Eternal Life. All this therefore he loft by Sin. And that juftly : For Death u the due Wages of Sin j Death, both Tempcw- ral, Spiritual and Eternal. * ^" " IV. Adam's firft Sin was the Sin of ft public Perfon, one whom God had appoint*- «(fi,to reprefent all his Dcfcendents. D d V ,ji This ^ p. 20. ' p. 21. 434 ^^^ Doctrine of " This alio has been proved. In one Senfe indeed ' Ada7n% Sin was not ours. It was not our Perlonal Fault, our adtualTranf- oreffion. But in another Senfe, it was ours: It was the Sin of our common Reprelenta- tive. And as fuch St. Paul fhews it is im- puted to us and all his Delcendants. Hence *' V. All thefe are from their Birth, Children cf Wrath, void of all Righteoufnels, and pi openfe to Sin of all Sorts. "In order to clear and confirm this Pro- pofition I intend, " I. To confider a Text which proves Orisfinal Sin in the full Extent of it :" " 2. To explain fome other Texts which relate either to the Guilt, or the Corruption we derive from our firft Parents: ** 3. To add fome Arguments, which Mr. T'aylor has taken no Notice of, or touched but very llighrly : " 4. To anfwer Objedlions. *' And I. To confider that Text, Eph. ii. 3. And were by Nature Children of Wrath, even as others. In the Beginning of the Chapter St. Paid puts the Ephefians in Mind, of what God had done for them. This led him to obferve, what they h^d been, before their Convcrfion to Gqd. They had been dead in Trcfpaffes and Sins, but were now quick- ened, made alive to God. They h^d walked accorAi?7g to the Prince of the Power of the Air ^ "" p 2':,> " P..26. : ^-^r^V ^, , the '^"Original Sin. 43 j; the Spirit that worketh with Energy in the Children of Difohedience. Among luch, faith the Apoftle, We all had our Converfation in Times paji^ the whole Time beibre our Con- verfion, fulfilling " the Defires of the FleJJj and of the Mind, and were by Nature Children of Wrathy even as others. On this 1 obferve »ui<<^j^ The Perfons fpoken of, are both the believing Ephefians, and the Apoftle himlelf. For he fays not, Te were, fpeaking in the fecond Perfon, as he had done Verfe i, 2: But we wejr, plainly with a Defign the more exprefly to include himfelf. Indeed had he ftill fpoken in the fecond Perfon, yet what is here affirm'd would have been true of hi my as well -as them. But for the Sake of more explicitly including himfelf, he chofe to fay, we were: You, Ephe/ians, who were oe- fcended of Heathen Parents, and /who was born in the vifible Church. " 2. The PF'^ath here fpoken of means, eitter GoD*s Difpleafure at Sinners, or the Punifhment, which He threatens and inflidls ^ for Sin. "3. Children of Wrath is an Hebraifmy and denotes Perfons worthy of, or liable to Wrath. And this implies the being Sin- ners; Seeing Sin only expofes us to God's Difpleafure and the dreadful EfFeds ot it. " 4. This Charge the Apoftle fixes on himfelf and them, as they had been beiore * p. 27. p p, 28. D d 2 their .-6 ^he Doctrine of their Convcrfion. He does not fay, we are, but ur ivcre Children of Wrath, '• '' 5. He fpeaks of hiinfelf and the convert- ed Ephefmns, as having been fo equally with others. There is an Emphafis on the Words, eve?i as others-, even as the ftubborn fews and idolatrous Heathens : Even as all who are ftill Stra?2gers and Ejiemies to Chrift. Thefe are ftill Children of Wrath. But what- ever Difference there is between us and them, we were once what they are now. '^6. He expreily fays, we were Children of Wrath even as others, by Nature, or, from our Birth. He does not fay, we became fo, by Education, or by Imitation, or by CufoM in finning. But to fhew us, when it is that we commence Sinners, by what Means we become Children of Wrath, whence it is that we are^J prone to Evil from our Infancy, and to imitate bad, rather than good Examples, he fays, we were Children of Wrath byNature; we were born fallen Creatures. We came into the World Sinners, and as fuch liable to Wrath, in Confequence of tjie Fall of our Firft Father. '' But it is affirmed, i. That " by Nature ** means by Habit or Cujlom" I anfwer, Tho' the Term Nature, with fome qualify- ing Expreffion annext, is fometimes taken for inveterate Cuftom, yet 'tis never fo taken when put fingly, without any fuch qualify- " r- 29- mg Original Sin. 437 iftg Expreffion. When therefore the Apoftle fay. abfolutely, we were Children of Wrath by Nature^ this, according to the conflant Senfe of the Words, muft mean, we were fo from our Birth. "It is affirm'd, 2. That " becaufe the " original Words ftand thus tUv^ (pJo-f. J^yrr " Children by Nature of Wrath ; therefore " Children by Nature means only, truly and " really Children of Wrath." I anfwer, The Confequence is good for nothing : For let the Words ftand how they will, it is evi- dent, that T£xva ^vii. 20 — 23. Thofe Things* "which proceed out of the Mouthy come from the Hearty and they defile the Man* For from ivi thin out of the Hearty proceed evil T'hougbfs^ Adidteries-, Murders — all thefe T^hings come from imthin^ and defile the Man, Our Lord" here teaches, that all evil Thoughts, Words and Actions of every Kind, flow out of the Heart, the Soul of Man, as being now avcrfe to all Good, ind- inclined to all " Rom, » p. 55. * p. r^^. ■"'^ 1 ■: ^Original Sin. 447 ^^ Rom. V. 12 — 19. Let the Reader pleafe to read the Vhole Paffage very carefully. The Apoftle here difcourfes of ^dam and Chrijl as two Reprefcntatives or publick Per- fons, comparing the Sin of the one, with the Righteouf?ieJs of the other. " On this I obferve, i. The G72e Man fpo- ken of throughout, is Adam^ the Commoa Head of Mankind. And to Him (not to the Devil or Eve) the Apoftle defcribes the In- troduction of Sin and Death, The Devil was the firft Sinner, and Rve feduced by him, finned before her Hufband. Yet the Apoftle faith, By one Man Sin entered into the World : T^hrd the Offence of One, many are dead : T'he Judgment was ^y One to con- demnation : Death reigned hy One. By the Offence ofQnt^ "Judgment ca?ne upon all Men\ by One Man's Difobedience many were made Si?2ners. Now why fhould the Apoftle lay all this on Adam, whofe Sin was pofterior both to the Devils and Eves : If Adafn was not appointed by God, the Federal Head of Mankind ? In Regard to which the A- poftlc points at him fingly, as the Type or Figure of Him that wns to co?ne. According to Mr. Taylors Dodlrine, he ftiould rather have faid, Bv the Devil Sin entered into the IVorld: Or, Thro* the I)i [obedience of Eve, ma'tiy were made Sinner s^. But inftead of this MO>l '' ^^ » p. 66. . . , ^48 77j^ Dqgtrij^E' 5/" he fixes'" on our firfl Father alone, as bring- ing Sin and Death on. all his Poftcrity. '' z.'TuE Sh, l^ra?ifgrcffion, Offence; Dif-^ obedience here fpokenof, was ^^^;7i's eating the forbidden Fruit. . 'Tis remarkable, that as the Apoftle throughout his Difcourie, ar-^ raigns onv Man only, fo he afcribes all the Milchief done to onefmgie Offence of that one Man. And as he then ftood in that fpecial Relation of Federal, as well as Natural Head to his Defcen dents, fo upon his committing that one Sin, this fpecial Relation ceafed, .•. '' 3. The AlU V. 12,^ 18, and the mcmyi V. 15, 19. are all the natural Defcendents of Ad(im\ equivalent with the Worldr-N:, azi which means, The Inhabitants of iti" t^^*^^ i^'^^ t'." 4. The Effeds oi.Adani^ Sin^ on his Defcendents the Apoille reduces tet-twd Hend9, Sin and Death.- By one mmt'&n en- ter d into the World ^ andi Death by Shi ; and io Death paffed on albMen^ for thatallhofoe Jinncii. Si?t fometimes. means Pimijhment ^ but not h\.Te : Sin and De^th arc here plainly diiHnguifhcd. The cbmmon Tranllation k thereffirc right, and gives us the true Mean- ing of the Words. . Death jpaffdupon dl Meniy for that' cdl kavejimmij . ti amely, in ' Of * with their iirllFathen. And this agreed with. the Coiitdkt, the Purport 'of which :is--. That &1L havcLi.jl^nncdi. and.anJeikereforje li^bfe to. tfec Doath originally thre^tin'd, is evident from ^^^ this, * P- ^7- " P 69. Original Sin. 449 this, that until the Law Sin was in the World: In the Ages that preceded the LawofMofeSy all Men were Sinners in the Sight of God. But Sin is not imputed^ where there is no Law : None can be Sinners in the Sight of God, if they are not Tranfgreffors of fome Law, for the Tranfgrefling of which they are re- puted guilty. Neverthelefs Death reigned all the Timey^^?;;/ Adam to Mofes, over all Man- kind. Now if none is liable to Death, but for Sin ; if Sin is not imputed where there is no Law ', and if notwithftandirlg this, all Man- kind in all Ages have died ; Infants thcm- felves, who cannot actually fin, not excepted: It is undeniable, that Guilt is imputed to all, for the Sin oi Adam, Why elfe are they li- able to that, which is inflifted on none but for Sin ? " This is the Purport of the Apoftles ar- guing, V. 12, 13, 14: Which having led him to mention Adani as a Figure of Chriji^ he then draws a Parallel between them. The Subftance of it is this : As thro* the Offence c/' Adam many are deady as by the Difobedience of him, many are made Sinners ; So thro' the Righteoufnefs or Obedience of Chrift, marry are made righteous. But how are many dead, or made Sinners, thro* the Difobedience of Adam ? His firft Sin fo far affedts ' all his Dcfcendents, as to conftitute them guilcy, I. E e or 4J0 1*he Doctrine of or liable to all that Death, which was con- tain'd in the Original Threatning. \<^ " But Mr. Taylor avers, "To be made M Sinmrs means only to be fubjefted to " Temporal Death." ^Jiomnii \(ikiiig . " I ANSWER, I. Whatever it means, the Difobedience of Adam had a proper, caufal Influence upon it : Juft as the Obedience of Chrijl has, upon our being made righteous. " 2. What to be made Sinners means, muft be learnt from the Oppofite to it, in the latter Part of ^ the Verfe. Now allowing the Apoftle to be his own Interpreter, being made righteous is the fame with fujiijication^ V. i6. Of this he had treated largely be- fore. And through the whole of his Dif- courfe, to be jujiified is. To be acquitted from Guilt, and accepted of God as righteous. Confequently, to be made Sinners^ is to be condemned of God y or to be Children of Wraths and that on Account of -/^J^w's Sin. " I CoR. XV. 21, 22. By Man came Death: In Adam all die^ Let the Reader pleafe to bear in Mind the whole of the two Vcrfcs and the Context. ^^ Man in the 2 1 '' Verfe is meant Adatn, The All fpoken of are all his Natural Defcendents. Thefe all die-, that is, as his Defcendents, are liable to Death, yea, to Death everlafting. That this is the Meaning appears hence: That the • . . : being ' P- 73- ' p. 74. - .-r :, . .,. .-. • ^Original Sin. 451 6ei?2g made alive, to which this Dying ftands oppofed, is not a mere Recovery of Life, but a blefled RefurrecSion to a glorious Immor- tality. Hence I obferve, i. Man was ori- ginally immortal as well as righteous. In his primitive State he was not liable to Death. 2. Death' is conftantly afcribed to Sin, as the fole and proper Caufe of it. As it was threaten'd only for Sin,' fo the Sentence was not pronounced, 'till after Man had finned. 3. All Men are Mortal from their Birth. As foon as they begin to live, they are liable to Death, the Punifliment denounced againft Sin, and Sin only. 4. This is the genuine EfFedl of the firft Sin of our firft Father. The Apoftle does not attribute it to the De- vil : Neither does he fay, in Adam a?2d Eve all die. But here alfo he mentions ^dam fingly. Him he fpeaks of as a Figure ^Chrill, V. 45, 47, 48. And here as the fole Au- thor of Death, to all his Natural Defcendents. In jiddm, or on Account of his Fall, all of Mankind, in tvtvy Age, die, Confequcntly, in him all finned. With him all fell, in his firft TranfgrefTion. That they are all born liable to the legal Punilhment of Sin, proves him the Federal as' well as Natural Head of Mankind : Whofe Sin is fo far imputed to all Men, that they are born Children of Wrath *and liable to Death. ■s^^l Ee 2 "Thus ' p. 75* • P- 76. ' p. 77- 452 "the Docmi^fe 5/" '' Tkus ha^eTdoHrider'd a large^^^umbet of Texts, which teftify of Original Sin^ ifrt- putcd and inb^ren*. Sonie are more eiprefs^ than others ; t>f which Kind are j^o^ xiv. 4-^, Pfalm li. 5. Ivi. 3. Rom:v,i2y&c, i C/o?^^!: XV. 2 2 . Eph, it ^ . That mEphe/ta72lprtkn& us with a direct Proof of the entire Do&ine. Thofe in Romans and Corinthians relate di- reftly to Origijial Sin imputed^ and are but Confequential Proofs of Original Corruption;; The reft refer particularly to this^ and are but confequential Proofs oi Original &m imputed, *' And as this Dodlrine ftands impregna- ble on the Bafis of Scripture, fo it is perfedtly agreeable to" found Reafbh ; as may appear from a few plain Arguments which confirm this Scripture Dodlrine. ^"^ ^*^^ aoiarqC) **''ii If the firft Man was by God's Ap- pointment as has been fhewn, the Federal Head of all his Defcendents ; It follows"^ that v^\itViAdam finned and fell, they all fin-' ned In him and fell with him. And if they did, they mull come into the World both guilty and unclean.' • - •;^.: - " Bi^T we had no^Hatid in Ada^jTs'Smj " and therefore cannot be guilty on Account '^ofit.".-"^-^'^-^ ^-'^ ■"-■ hr^' Thi$, We had no Hand in it,'W goolis. It means either, " We did not ac^^ '' tualiyjbm therein :" Which no one denie^Y ,aol£i'3>r to a^navo'JhO \hm ^xi I '- cfm q^ Original SiNr 453 Or, " We were wholly unconcern'd in it :' The contrary to which has been fully proved. . . " 2. Since -/f^^Vs Pofterity are born lia*^ ble to Death, which is the due fFages of Sin, it follows. That they are 6or?2 Sinners. No Art canfet afidethe Confequencc. *' 3. Either Cbn'/i is the Saviour of In- fants,orHe is not. If He is not, how is He the Saviour of all Men ? But if He is, then In- fants are Sinners. For He fuffer'd Death for Sinners only. He came to feek a?td fave only that which was loft ; to fave his People from their Sins. It follows that Infants are Sinners J that they are loft, and without Chriji are undone for ever. y>t aldr^ • rr,*:\[^> The Confequences of the contrary Opinion are ihockingly abfurd.«nu:lqn3c*. rij^j; _^^ ( I.) If Original Sin is not, either Death i^ not the Wages of Sin, or there is Pu- nifliment without Guilt: God "" puniflies innocent, guiltlefs Creatures. To fuppofe which, i^ to impute Iniquity to theMoftHoly.. *', {^p. 84. E e 3 prove 454 ^^ Doctrine of prove a Principle of Reafon planted In our Nature. In like Manner the early Difcove- ries of finful Difpofitions,* prove thofe Dif- pofitions planted therein. " (3.) If we were not ruined by the firft Adam, neither are we recovered by the fb- cond. If the Sin of Adam was not imputed to us, neither is the Righteoufnefs oi Chrift. *' (4.) If we do not derive a corrupt Na- ture from Adaniy we do not derive a new Nature from Cbrijl. .-^ - • " (5.) A Denial of Original Sm, Aot on- ly* renders Baptifm needlefs with Regard to Infants, but reprcfents a great Part of Man- kind as having no Need of Chriji^ or the Grace of the new Covenant. I now Ipeak of Infants in particular, who if not guilty before God, no more needs the Merits and Grace of the fecond Adam^ than the Brutes themfelves. "Lastly, A Denial of Original Sin, contradicts the main Defign of the Gofpel, which is to humble vain Man, and to a- fcribe to God's Free-Grace, not Man's Free^ Will, the whole of his Salvation. Nor in- deed can we let this Do' to the EfFeds of 4Jflfef7/>,FaUi^^^^ Not fd. Many Scriptures^ as tos been (hewn, plajJily :and diredly teach u^ this. Do(ftrinc. ' Jink many others delivtF that,; from Avhich it may be x^tionally a«d eafily dedtteed^i rjk^ ©RiGrKiM;.'SiN.r '457 #l>fcgr. Chn/:' (I. 3 . c; a'd.) Agairt^^ <*'T"hey *• who receive the ingrafted Word return to ?f tbe'^fttientNataie^of Man, thatty which he was made after the 'Image iifi^t Li kcnefi o/'GoD." (1; 5, :ci:-l o.) He lik^5wife fpeaks of our 15' fimiing MAdam:'' *' Ifti-dte ^rft A- f^ Jamy:^{dys he, we 'offended &ofi>^ in the :?■ ifecond- '-^.^i?/- we are reconciles" And l^i frequently, df *' Man's loiing the Image ^^ of God by the Fall, and recdveriftg it hf ^\CbfuJi"- TertuUian fays, '' Man Was in the ^:Beginning deceived, iind therefore con- ^^ demned to Death: Upon which his whole *' Ra6e became infecfled and Partaker of his U: Cpad^nnation." (De T'ejlirmnio Amines) '(jfpriarL'\^ exprefs in his Epiftle X.^Fidui, Origen:^2iySy " the Curfe oi Adam in common 4'^ to- all:'* Again, " Man by finning loft the 5^ Image and Likenefe of God," And again, 'f*^^ No one is clean from the Filth of Sin, '' even tho' he is not above a Day old." ^ . ^^^^ The whole of me, {^.ys Nazianzm^ has *' Need of being faved, fmce tlie whole of " me fell, and was condemned for the Dif- " obedience of my firft Father.'' Many more are the Teftlmonies of Ath an alius. Ba- fd, Hilary -, all prior to St. Auguliim\ And how generally fmce St. Aug ujiine this im- portant Truth has been affertcd, is well known. Plain it is therefore, That the Churches of Chrij? from the Beginning, have borne clear TeftimGny.to.it'.'-- ^ ■^^'^^"^'. ,35^ .<< To ' p. 93, ^o 45S 'The Doctrine df " To conclude, i. This is a Scriptural Dodrine. Many pi ain Texts diredly teach it. " 2. It is a Rational Dodrine, throughly confillent with the Diftates of found Re a- fon : And diis, notwithftandiiig there may, be fome Circumftanees relating thereto,. which Human Reafon cannot fathom.'' " 3. It is a Pradical Dodrine. It has the clofeft Connexion with the Life, Power and Pradice of Religion. It leads Man to the Foundation of all Chriftian Pradice, The Knowledge ofhimfelf: And hereby, to the Knowledge of Goi>, and the Knowledge of Chriji crucified. It prepares him for, and confirms him in, jufl Conceptions of the Dependence of his Salvation, on the Merits of Chriji for Juftiiication, and the Power of his Spirit for inward and outward Holinefs. It humbles the natural Pride of Man : It excludes Self-Applaufe and Boaft- ing : And points out the true and only Way, whereby we may fulfil all Righteouinefs. " 4. It is an Experimental Dodrine. The fincerc Chrifl^ian Day by Day carries the Proof of it in his own Boforn : Experi- encing that in liimfdf which is abundantly fufHcicnt to convinecJ>ini, That in him by Nature drwellvtb ziG goM "Thing ^^ but that it is God alone, ivho worketh in himyboth to will andtodo,. 6f hii goodPkafureTl [i^TnJqiiDl ,3vii LeWishaMj' Mai^sh'M^^^ tf^'jO ioimi'^ Origii^al Siisr.^ 459 - I HAVE now gone thro*, as my Leifure would permit, this whole complicated Quef- tion: And I have fpoken on each Branch of it with Plainnefs and Opennels, according to the beft Light I have at prefent. I have only a few Words more to add, and that with the fame Opennefs and Simplicity. What I have often acknowledged, I now repeat. Were it not on a Point of fo fo deep Importance, I would no more enter the Lifts with Dr. T'aylor^ than I would Hft my Hand againft a Giant. I acknowledge your Abilities of every Kind: Your natural and acquired Endowments: Your ftrong Un- derftanding, your lively and fruitful Imagi- nation, your plain and eafy, yet nervous Stile. I make no Doubt of your having ftu- died the Original Scriptures for many Years.. And I believe you have moral Endowments, which arc infinitely more valuable and more amiable than all thefe. For (if I am not greatly deceived) you bear Good-'will to all Men. And may not I add, you fear God? O WHAT might not you do, with thefe Abilities ? What would be too great for you to attempt and effed:? Of what Service might you be, not only to your own Countrymen, but to all that bear thcChriftian Name? How might you advance the Caufe of true, primi- tive, fcriptural Chriftianity? Of folid, rational Virtue? Of the deep, holy, happy, fpiritual Religion, 460 Tl^e Doctrine cf Religion, which is brought to Light by the Gofpel? How capable are you oi". recom- mending, not barely^ M?r^///y (the .Duty of Man to Man) but P/f/j',, the Duty of Man to God :^ Even, iht ^ipcrjrjlpping Him vi Spirit md. in"frutb? How well qualified, are you, to explain, in force, defend, even the deep T/^/'/v^f^/^'GoD? The Nature of the King- dom of God icifkifi us? Yea, the Interior a Rcgni Dei? (I fpeak on Suppolition of your having tbe UnBionof the Hcly One^ added to your other Qualifications) And are you, whom God has fo highly favour'd, among thofe who ferve the oppofite Caufe^ If one might transfer the Words of a Man to Him, might not one conceive him to fay, Kal c-u \k IjceVwv > His Will 1 ay Jlr eight with the Will of God. There was no Corrup- tion in his Will, no Bent or Inclination to iSvil ; for that is Sin, properly fo called ; and therefore inconfiftent with that Upright^ ;zi^, with which it is exprefly faid he was endued at his Creation. The Will of Man was then naturally inclin'd to God and Good- nels th.djmUahly, It was difpofed by its Ori- ginal Malie, to follow the Creator's Will, as th^ Shadow does the Body. It was not left Inan equal Balance to Good and Evil : For then^ he had not been upright ^ or conform to .the Law ^ which no more can allow the Crea.ture) not to be inclined to God as his End, J any more than it can allow Man to b^ %r£rW ta himlelf. ^^^S.Thirdly, His AfFedlions were regular, piire/and holy. All his Paffions, yea all his /J;2/?//i;^ Motions, and Inclinations, were fu- bordinaite to his Reafon and Will, which lay ilreight with the Will pf God. They were ajl therefore pure from all Defilement, free i^ovts.^ all Diforder or Diftemper -, be- caufe in all their Motions they were duly .^^" ' "' Ff flibjeaed 466 The Doctrine of liibj^dted'^to his clear Reafon and his holy will. He had alio an executive Power ^ an- fwerahlc to his Will : A Power to do the Good which he htew fhould be done and which he ijicl'med to do ; even to fulfil the whole Law of God. If it had not been fo, God would not have required perfed: Obedience of him. For to fay that T'he Lord gather eth where He hath notjirewed^ is but the Blafphemy of a flothful Servant. " From what has been faid it may be gathered that Man*s Original Righteoufnefs was u?iiverfal and yiatural^ yet mutable, " I. It was univcrfal, both with Refpeft to the Subjed: of it, the whole Man, and the Objed of it, the whole Law : It was dlffuled thro' the whole Man ; it was a blef- fed Leaven that leaven'd th€ whole Lump. Man was then holy in Soul, Body and Spi- rit : While the Soul remain d untainted, the Members of the Body were confecrated Veficls and Inrtruments of Righteoufnefs. A Combat between Reafon and Appetite, nay the lead Inclination to Sin, was utterly inconfillent with this IJprightnefs in which Man was created ; and has been invented to veil the Corruption of Man*s Nature, and to obfciire the Grace of God in Chrijl Jefus. And as this Righteoufnefs fpread thro* the whole Man, fo it relpedted the whole Law. There \vas nothing in the Law, but what was Original Sin. 467 was agreable to his Reafon and Will. His Soul was (hapen out, in Length and Breadth, to the Commandment^ tho' exceeding broad : So that his Original Righteoufneis was not only perfecSl in Parts but in Degrees. ** 2. As it was univerlal, fo it was natu- ral to him. He was created with it. And it was neceffary to the Perfedion of Man, as he came out of the Hand of God : Ne- ceffary to conftitute him in a State of Inte- grity. Yet " 3. It was mutable. It was a Righ- teoufnefs which might be loft, as appears from the fad Event. His Will was not in- different to Good and Evil : God fet it to- wards Good only, yet did not fo fix it, that it could not alter ; it was moveable to Evil; but by Man himfelf only. n^vi. " Thus was Man made originally righ- ieoiis^ being created in God's own Image ^ [Gen. i. 27.) which confifts in Kfiowledgey Right eoiifjiefs and Holi?2eJs [Col. iii. 10. Eph. iv. 24.) AH that God made was very goody according to their feveral Natures, Gen. i. 31. And fo Man was morally good, being made after the Image of Him who is good a?id up- right. Pf.xxv. 8.. Without this, he could not have anfwer'd the End of his Creation, which was to know, love and ferve his God. Nay, he could not be created other- wife. For he muft either have been con- F f 2 form 46S The Doctrine of form to the Law in his Powers, Principles and Inclinations, or not. If he was, he was righteous: If not, he was a Sinner y which \^ abfurd and horrible to imagine. *' And as Man W2is Holy y fo he was Happy. He was full of Peace as well as of Love. And he was the Favourite of Heaven. He bore the Image of God, who cannot but love his own Image. While he was alone in the World, he was not alone -, for he had free, full Communion with God. As yet there was nothing to turn away the Face of God from the Work of his own Hands : Seeing Sin had not as yet entei'^d, which alone could make the Breach, wn?^ i* -r ^g ** He was alfo Lord of the World, Univer- fal Emperor of the whole Earth. His Crea- tor gave liim Doininion over the Fifj of the Seay the Fowl of the Air, and every 'Thing that ?noveth on the Earth, He was God's Deputy- Governor in the lower World : And this his Dominion was an Image of God's Sovereign- ty. Tlius was Man crowned with Glory and Hmiour, having all Thingsiput under his Feet, ' '' Again; as he had ^^vitdi Traijquility in his own- Breaft, fo he had a perfeB Calm without. His Heart had nothing to reproach him with, and without, there was nothing to annoyhim. Th^r beautiful Bodies were not;^Spabl<5 of Injuries from the Air.^ They Were^li^ibje to nO Difiafcsov Pains : And I J '^ tho' \Original Sin.V 469 tho* they were not to live idle, yet 7i?/7, Wearinefs and Sweat of the BrowSy were not known in this State.^jpn "-LASTLY, He was immortal. He would never have died if he had not finned. Death was threatned only in Cafe of Sin. The per- fecfl Conftitution of his Body, which came out of God's Hand very good, and the Righ- teoufnefs of his Soul removed all inward Gaufes of Death. And God's fpecial Care of his innocent Creature fecured him againft outward Violence. Such were the Holinefs and the Happinefs of Man in his Original States anGi£ d'Aibfi ^b"^ '' But there is now a fad Alteration in in our Nature. It is now entirely corrupted. Where at firft there was nothing evil, there is now nothing good. I fliall ->iii -j .i^^. First, Prove this: ■'^ -vf^ Secondly, Reprefent this .Corruption in its feveral Parts. ^'^ nr f — ^^' Thirdly, Shew how Mans Nature comes to be thus conaipted. v^^-. First, I iliall prove that Man's Na- ture is corrupted, both by God's Word, and by Mens* Experience and Obfervation. ib^-I. For Proof from God's Word, let us confider, " I. How it takes particular Notice of fallen Adam\ communicating hitj Image to his Pofterity. Gen, v. 3. Adam begat a Son F f 3 /;/ 470 l^^he Doctrine if in his own Likcnefs^ after his Image. Com- pare this with V. I. In the Day that Go& created Man^ in the Image of Got> made He Um. Behold here, how the Image after which Man was made^ and the Image after- which he is begotten are oppofed. Man was made in the Likenefs of God ; an holy and righteous God made an holy and righteous Creature : But fallen Adam begat a Son, not in the Likenefs of God, but in his own Like- nefs : Corrupt, finful Adam begat a corrupt fintiil Son. For as the Image of God in- cluded Right con fnefs and Immortality^ fo this Image of fallen Adani^ included Corruption and Death, Mofes giving us in this Chapter the firft Bill of Mortality that ever was in the World, ulliers it in with this Obfervation, that dying Adam begat Mortals. Having fin- ned he became mortal^ according to the Threatning. And fo he begat a Son in his own Likenefs^ fffd and therefore mortal y and fo Sin and Death pajjed on alL " Le T us confider, 2. that Text: Job xWi 4. ^rho can' bring a clean 1'hi?7g out of an un- clean ? Not one. Our firft Parents were un- clean; how then can we be clean? How could our immediate Paients be clesn ? Or how rtiall our Children be fo ? The Viiclean" ncfi here mentioned is 2i finful Uncleannefs : For it is fuch as makes Man's Days fidl of Trouble, ■■•-Ax\d it \^ natural, being derived Original Sin. 471 from unclean Parents. How ca?i he be clean that is born of a Womayi ? God can b7'i?ig a clean Thing cut of an unclean ^ And did fo in the Cafe of the Man, Chrijl; but no other can. Every Perfon then that is bom according to theCourfe of Nature is born un- clean : If the Root be corrupt fo are the Branches. Neither is the Matter mended, tho' the Parents be holy. For they are fuch by Gr^^^, \\o\.\y^ Nature: And they beget their Children as Men, not as holy Men : Wherefore as the circumclfed Parent be- gets an uncircumcifed Child, fo the holicfl Parents beget unholy Children, and cannot communicate their Grace to them as they do their Nature. " 3. Hear our Lord's Determination of the Point, yohn iii. 6. That which is born of the FleJ];) is FkfJ:). Behold, the Corruption of all Mankind -, all are Fhi/h, It does not mean, all -i^xt frail (tho' that is a fad Truth too : yea, and our natural Frailty is an Evi- fience of our natural Corruption:) but, all are corrupt and jinfiily and that naturoUy. Hence our Lord argues, that becaufe they are Vlclh^ thererefore they jmtjl be born again^ or they cannot enter into the Kingdom oj Goj^, V. 3,^5) , And as the Corruption of owv Na- ture evidences the abfolute Neceflity of Re- generation, fo tlie Neceflity of Regeneration proves the Corruption of our Nature. For why fnould a Man need a /V^;/*/ Birth, if his I" \ J. Nature 47^ 7y&^ Doctrine ^jT Nature weie net ruin'd in the firji Birth ? Even Infants muft be born again j for this Rule admits of no Exception. And ther^ fore they were circumeiled under the Old Tcflament 3 as having the Body of the Sins of the Flefi (which is convey 'd to them by na^- tural Generation) the whole Old Man, to put off, (Col ii. 1 1.) And now by the Ap- pointment of Chrif^ they are to be baptifed; which fliews they are unclean, and that there is no Salvation for them, but by the Wajhing of Regeneration^ and Renewing of the Holy Ghofl. *^ 4. We are by Nature Children of Wrath. We are worthy of, and liable to the Wrath of God : And that by Nature -, and therefore doubtlefs we are by Nature fmful Creatures. We are condemned before we have done Good or Evil ; under the Curfe ere we know wliat it \?.. But will a Lion roar in the Forefi labile he hath no Prey ? Will an holy and juft God roar in his Wrath againft Man, if he he not by his Sin made a Prey for Wrath ? No I le will not, He cannot. We conclude then, that according to the Word of God, iMan's Nature is a corrupt Nature. II. If we confult Experie?2cey and ob- ferve the Cafe of the World, in the Things tliat arc obvious to any Perfon, we fhall by its Fruits cafily difcover the Root of Bitter- pci^. ;.rt;43iall inftance but in a few^fiJ r^u) '' I, Who ORicJiiTi^r. 'Sin. jf.y^ " I. Wiro fees iioC a Flood of M//Jr/Vj overflowing the Worlds Every oile at home and abroad, in City and' Country, in Palaces and Cottages, is groaning under" fofne un- pleafing Circumftahce or other. Some are oppreft with Poverty or Want, fome chaf- ten'd with Pain or Sicknefs : Some are la- menting their LoiTes -, none is without a Crofs of one Sort or another. No Man's Condition is fo foft, but there is fome Thorn of Unealinefs in it. And at length Death, the Wages of Shiy comes and fweeps all a- way. Now what but Sin has open'd the Sluice ? There is not a Complaint or Sigh heard in the World, or a Tear that falls from our Eye, but it is an Evidence, thatMan is fallen as a Star from Heaven. For God Aiftributeth Sorrows in his Anger {Job.xxi.i'j.) This is a plain Proof of the Corruption of Nature : Forafmuch as thofe that have not acflually finned, have their Share of thefe Sorrows 5 yea, and draw their firft Breath weeping. There are alfo Graves of the fmalleft as well as the largeft Size : And there are never wanting fome in the World, who like Rachel, are *wceping for their Chil- dren, becanfe fhcyare'tiot: ■■'■^' »^ ^^ :j :*^ 2. How early does this CoiVit^fiOn of Nature appear ? It is foon difcerrt'd, which Way the Bias of the Heart 'lies. Do not the Children of tallen Adamlbt^orc they can 474 '^'^^^ Doctrine of can go alone, follow their Father's Foot- flcps) What Pride, Ambition, Ciiriofity, Vanity, Wilfulncfs and Avcrfenefs to Good appears in them? And when they creep out of Infancy, there is a Neceflity of uling the Rod of CorrcBion to drive away the FooliJJ:)- fhjs that is bound in their Heart, " 3. Take a View of the Outbreaklngs of Sin in the World. The Wickednejs of Man is yet great in the Earth. Behold the bitter Fruits of corrupt Nature ! By Swearing and Lying a?id Killing and Steali?ig and committi?ig Adultery they break out (like the breaking forth of Waters) and Blood toiicheth Blood. The World is filled with all Manner of Fil- thinefs, Wickednefs and Impiety. And whence is this Deluge of Sin on the Earthy but from the breaking of the Fountains of the great Deep, the Heai^t of Man^ out of which proceed Adulteries^ Fornicatio7is^ Mur- ders^ i'hefts^ Covetou/hefs, Wickednefs, Ye may, it may be, thank God, that ye are not in thele Refpeds, like other Men, And you have Realbn ; for the Corruption of Nature, is the veiy fame in you, as in them. ■ >^>^ 4. Cast your Eye upon thofe terrible Convulfions the World is thrown into by the Wickednefs of Men. Lions prey not on Lions, nor Wolves on Wolves -, but Men bite and devour one another. Upon how ftight Occafions will Men (heath their Swards in Original Sin. 47^ in one another's Bowels ? Since Cain ilied -^/^^/'s Blood, the World has been turned into a Slaughter-Houle. And the Chafe has been continued, ever lince Nimrod be- gan his Hunting : As on the Earth, fo in the. Seas, the greater ftill devouring tlie lel- fer. Now when wc fee the World in fuch a Ferment, every one ftabbing another with Words or Swords : Thefe violent Heats a- mong the Sons of Adam^ fpeak the whole Body to be diftempered -, the ivbok Head to he/ick^ and the whole Heart faint, " 5. Consider the Necelfity of Human Laws, fenced with Terrors and Severities. Man was made for Society: And God Him- felf faid wdien He created him, it was not good for him to be alone. Yet the Cafe is fuch now, that in Society, he muft be hedged in with Thorns. And tliat from hence we may the better difcern the Corrup- tion of Man's Nature, confider -to Every Man naturally loves to be at full Liberty himlelf ; and were he to follow his Incli- nation, would vote himfelf out of the Reach ef all Laws, Divine and Human : Yet 2. No Man would willingly adventure to live in a lawlefs Society : And therefore even Pirates and Robbers have Laws among themfelvcs. Thus Men Ihew they are con- fc ious of the Corruption of Nature, not dar- ing to truft one another but upon Security. 3. How 476 1'he Doctrine of 4>?HdW dangerous foever it is to break thro' the Hed^e, yet many will do it daily. Th^p will not only facrifice their Confcience arid Credit;' 'but for the Pleafure of a few M©i mcnts, lay themfelves open to a violent Death, by the Laws of the Land wherein they live. 4. Laws are often made to yield to Man*s Lnfls. Sometimes whole Societies break off the Fetters, and the Voice of Laws can- not be heard for the Noife of Arms. And feldom there is a Time, wherein there are not fome Perfons fo great and daring, that the Laws dare not look them in the Face. 5. Obferve even the Ifraelites^ feparated to God from all the Nations of the Earth. Yet what horrible Confufions were among them, when there was no King in Ifrael ? How hard was it to reform them, when they had the beft of Magiftrates ? And how quickly did they turn alide again, when they had wicked Rulers ? It feems one grand Defign of that facred Hiftory, was to difcover the Corruption of Man's Nature. * " 6. Consider the Remains of Natural Corruption even in them that believe. Tho' Grace has enter'd. Corruption is not expel- led •, they find it with them at all Times and in all Places. If a Man have an ill Neighbour he may remove : But fliould he go into a Wildernefs, or pitch his Tent on a remote Rock in the S#a, there it will be with O R I G I N AL Sin. 477 with him. I need not ftand to prove fb clear a Point. But confider thefe few Things on this Head. i. If it be thus in the green Tree, how muft: it be in the dry ? Does fo much of the old remain even in thofe who have received a Jicw Nature ? How great then muft that Corruption be in thofe, where it is unmixed v^iXh. renewing Grace! 2. Tho* natural Corruption is no Burden to a na- tural Man, is he therefore free from it? No, no. ' Only he is dead^ and feer^ not the .finking Weight. Many a Groan is heard from a Sick-bed but never one from a Grave. J. The good Man refifts the old Nature : He ftrives to ftarve it ; vet it remains. How muft it fpread then and ftrengthen itfelf in the Soul, where it is not ftarved, but itfiy as In Unbelievers ? If the Garden of the Di- ligent ^find him full Work, in cutting off and rooting up, furcly that of the Sluggard muft nef ds_ be all grown over with T^horns, " IvSH^Lt add but one Obfervation more. That in e^^ry Man naturally the Image of fallen Adam appears : To evince wJiich, I appeal to the Confciences of all, in the fol-> lowing PartlcularSnuiKK^ ^^^li :>jiiir > ^;" I. If God by his holy Law cfr wife Providence put a Reftraint upon us, to keep us back from any Thiggi does not ^lat Kc^; ftraint whet the Edge gf pun | lay the Blame on the Serpent ? Adanis Children need not be taught this ; for before they can well fpeak, if they can t deny, they lifp out fomething to leffen their Fault, and lay the Bhime upon another. Nay fo natural i« this to Men, that in the greateft of Sins thcv will charge the Fault on God Himfelfj blai'p'ncming his Providence under the Name of Ill-luck or Misfortune^ and fo laying the Blame of tlieir Sin at Heaven's Door. Thus docs tl)e Foolijlmefs of Man pervert his Ways ; and his Jleart fretteth againft the Lord. Let' us then call Adam^ Father : Let \j^ not deny the Relation^ feeing we bear his Image. " I PROCEEP Original Sin. " I PROCEED to enquire into the Corrup- tion of Nature in the feveral Parts of it. But who can take the exad: Dimenfions of it, in its Breadth, Length, Height and Depth? T:he Heart is deceitful above all T'hingSy and defperately ^wicked : Who can know it ? How- ever we may quickly perceive fo much of it, as may fhew the abfolute NecefTity of Re- generation. Man in his natural State is al- together corrupt, thro' all the Faculties of his Soul : Corrupt in his Underftanding, his Will, his Affedlions, his Confcience and his Memory. " I. The Underftanding is defpoil'd of its primitive Glory, and covered over with Con- fufion. We are fallen into the Hands of our grand Adverfary, and are deprived of our two Eyes. Inhere is none that underjlandeth\ the very Mind and Confcience of the natural Man are defiled ov fpoiled. But to point out this Corruption of the Underftanding more particularly, let the following Things be confidered. *' First, There is a natural Weaknefs in tlie Minds of Men, with Refped: to fpiritual Things. How hard is it to teach them the common Principles of Religion, to make Truths fo plain, that they may underftand them ? Try the fame Perfons in other Things, ibeak of the Things of this World, and they 4.- Gg will y^i^ The Doctrine of will underftand quicklyi'But it is Hard to make them know, how their Souls may be faved, or how their Hearts rhay find Reft in 'Chri/i. Confider even thofe who have many Advantages above the common Run of Man- kind : Yet how fmall is their Knowledge of divine Things! What Confufion fiill re- mains in their Minds? How often are they •mired, and Jpeak as a Child^ even in the Matter of practical Truths ? It is a pitiaMe Weakncfi, that we cannot perceive the Things which God has revealed. And it muft needs be ^fmful Weaknefs\ fince the Law of God requires us to know and believe them. *' Si- coNDLY, Man's Underftanding i&na- turally overwhelmed with grofs Darknefs in fpiritual Things. Man, at the Inftigation of the Devil, attempting to break out a new Lightin his Mind, inftead of that, broke up the Doors of the bottomlefs Pit, by the Smoak whereof he was covered with Dark- nels. When God at firft made Man, his Mind was a Lamp of Light: But Sin has now turn'd it into Darknefs. Sin has clofed the Window of the Soul. It is the Land of Darknefs and the Shadow of Death, where the Light is as Darknefs. The Prince of Darknefs reigns therein, and nothing but the 'Works of Darknefs are framed there. That- you miry be the more fully convinced t>f this, .take the following Evidences of it. I. The V, Original Sin. 483 ^ f^f-K The Darknefs that was upon. the Face of the JVcrld before, and at the Time that Chriji came* When Adam by his Sin had loft his firft Light, it pleafed God to* :i?^ve^l to him the Way of Salvation, Gen, iii. 15. This was handed down by holy Men before the Flood : Yet the natural Darknefs of the Mind of Man fo prevailed, as to carry off all Senfe of true Religion from the Old World, except what remain- ed in Naafjs Family* After the Flood, as Men increafed, their natural Darknefs of Mind prevailed again, and the Light de- cayed, 'till it died out among the Gene- rality of Mankind, and was preferved only among the Pofterity of Sbem, And even with them it was near fetting, when God called Abraham from ferving other Godsy Jop, xxiv. 1 5. God gave him a more full Revelation, which he communicated to his Family 5 Gen, xviii. 19. Yet th^ natural Darknefs wore it out at length, lave that it was preferved among the Pofterity of Jacob. In Egypt that Darknefs fo prevail'd over them alfo, that a new Revelation was neceffary. And- many a dark Cloud got above that, during the Time from Mofes to Chri/K When Cbf'/ji came, nothing was to be ken in the Gentile World, buf Darknefs and cruel Habi- ■imitations. They were drowned in Superftition <^ i? .».! ;;uj :.^. ^^^ ..iii 484 'I'f^ Doctrine of and Idolatry : And whatever Wifdom was among their Philofopher$; /^^ World by ^'^ Wifdom hmo not God, but became more and' more vain in their Imaginations. Nor were the Jews much wifer : Except a few, gro{s^ Darknefs covered therri alfo. Their Tra^" ditions were muh:iplied; but the Knowledge* of thofe Things wherein the Life of Relff gion lies, was Toft. They gloried in ^c^t^* ward Ordinances, but knew nothing oP "iiscrfiippijig God in Spirit and in 1'nith, - ' ^-^ '' Now what but the natural DarktfeA^^ of Mens Minds, could ftill thus wear but the Light of exterrtd Revelation? Meil did not forget the Way- of preferving theli^' Lives : But how quickly did they forget thfe^ Way, of faving their Souls ? So that It wa^^ necelTary for God Himfelf to reveal it againR and again. Yea, and a mere External Re^- velation did not fufficc to remove this DarJ^* nefs : No> not when it was made by Chrijf' in Perfon : There needed alfo the Holy^ Ghoft fent down from Heaven. Such is th^fi natural Darknefs of our Minds, that it only"^ yields to the Blood and Spirit of C/6rj/?. - . *' 2. Every natural Man's Heart, how^^^ refined foeverhe appear, is full of Darknefs^^ Dilbrder and Confufion. The unrenewed Part of Mankind are rambling through the ' World, like fo many blind Men, who will^ neither take a Guide, nor can guide theni-i^ .•>:.:!/: i ^ ..- felves. ^..-. Originax oin, ^ . rf48c felyes, and therefore i"ipjll. o\'^r'|tSsr'sn4 the other Precipice into Ddlruftio^. »• ,^bme ar^ running after their Covetuoufnefe, , feme fticking in the Mire of Senfuality, others dafhing on the Rock of Pride : Every one ftumbling on one Stone of Stumbling or other, as their unmortified Paflions drive them. And while fome are lying along in the Way, others are coming up and falling headlong over them. Errors fwarm in the World : All the Unregenerate are utterly miflaken in the Point of true Happinefs.. All defire to be happy; but touching the Way to Happinefs, there are almoft as many Opinions as there arc Men. They are like the blind Sodomites about Lot's Houfe, all k^mgio find the Door y but in vain. Look into thine own Heart, (if thou art not born again} and thou wilt fee all turned Upfide dpwnj Heaven lying under and Earth a-top : Look into thy Life, and fee how thou art playing the Madman, eagerly flying after) that which is not^ and flighting that \^'hich/i, and will be for ever. Thus is Man's L^nder- ftanding naturally overwhelmed with grofs Darknefs in fpiritual Things. ivvs-.j; /jL^rjai *' Thirdly, There is in the Minci ofj Man a natural Bicts to Evil: Let us refie^M a htde, and we fliall find incpoteftable.JE>YiTV dence..94J^jj^ ,,, ,,.,«. J i> ^^.^J :.?I^'rn .a^vbl ^'^ 3 '^i.Mkns^ 4^6 57^^ D 6 t'±'R\y^of " I. Mens* Minds have a natural Dex- terity to do Miicliicf: None are fo fimple as to want skill for this. None needs to be taught it ; tut as Weeds without being fown, grow up of their own Accord, fo does this earthly^ Jhifual^ dci:ilijb Wifiom^ natu- rally grow up in us. '-'^ ' - ^"^ '' 2. We naturally form ^ro/} C^^/6'^///«j^/« of fpiritual Things, as if the Soul were quite imniers'd In Flefh and Blood. Let Men but look into themfclves, and they will find this Bias in their Minds : Whereof the Ido- latiy which ftill prevails fo far and wide, is an inconteftable Evidence. For it plainly fliews, Men would have a vi/ible Deity ; therefore they change the Glory of the incor- riiptihk God into an Image. Indeed the Re- fonnation of thefe Nations, has baniili'd grofs Idolatry out of our Churches. But Heart-Reformation alone can banifli Men- tal-Idolatry, fubtle and relin'd Image- Wor- Wip dut of our Minds. *' 3, How difficult is it, to detain the cai^nal Mind before the Lord ? To fix it in the Meditation of Spiritual Things ? When 'God is fpcaking to Men by his Word, or they are fpeaking to Him in Prayer, the Body remains before God, but the World fleals away the Heart. Tho' the Eyes be clofcd, riic Man fees a thouiimd Vanities, •'and the Mind roves hither a^id thither : ^"^^'■^^'^ And ><,Ol),IGINAJ- SlN^i> 487 And rnany Times the Man fcarcc ccmes to hin^felf^ till \iz 'i^^ne from t^e/Pm fence of t^eluQRjD. The.worl41y Man'$^ Mind does not v^^ander, when he is contriving Bufinefs, cafting up hi& Accounts, • or telling his. Mo- ney* If he anfwers you not at firft, he tells you, he did not hear you, he was bufy, hi^ Mind was iix*d. But the carnal Mind, em- ploy'd about fpiritual Things, is out of its Element, and therefore cannot fix. - " 4. Consider how the carnal Imiigina- tion fupplies the Want of real Objcds to the corrupt Heart. The unclean Perfon is fill'd with fpeculative Impurities, ha'viiig B^ycsfnll of Adultery. The covetous Man fills his Heart with the World, if he cannot get his Hands full of it. The malicious Perfon a(3;s his Revenge in his o>vn Breaft^ the En- vious, within his own narrow Soul, fees his Neighbour laid low enough : And io ever}' Lufl is fed by the Imagination. Thclc Things may fuffice to convince -.us^^r^f the natural Bias of the Mind to Evil Fourthly, There is in the carnal Mind an Oppofition to fpiritual T^rutbs^< d^ni .3i\\ A- verfion to the receiving thein.^rr'GoD has reveal'd to Sinners, the Way of SaViition : He /has, given h^s Wordj . But ^_vj^^, natural Men, believe it .f'f Indeed t)>ey .do^jK)t. They believe not the Promiies of tl>e W^rd : For they vyho receive them aro thereby^ made G g 4 Tiirtakcn Pariah^ pf the DivfAf'MdturSi'^^^^V^ lieve *fl(*Mhe Threi^mf^^ ttf the- Wb^ f Otherwife they could not live as they do. -I doubt not but rhoft, #-not all'bf 'ydiirw^^ arc in 'a State of Nature, 'will iiore pfead* riot guilty.' But the ve?ry Difficulty you find in alTenting to this Truth, proves the Un- belief with which I charge you. Tlas it not proceeded fo far with fonie, that it has fteel'd their Foreheads, openly to rejefl: all reveal'd Religion ? And tho' ye fet not yoiii Mouths as they do againft the Heav^nS, yet the fame bitter Root of Unbelief is- iii yolr] and reigns and will reign in you ' till* ovei'- CO ning Grace captivate your Minds to tli^ Belief of the Truth. To convince you of this " Consider i. How have you learrfd thofe Truths which you think you believe ? Is it not merely by the Benefit of youfEdtlf^ cation, and of external Revelation F'Yoli are Strangers to the inward Work of the Holy Spirit, bearing Witnefs by and w-ith the Word in your Hearts: And fo you can- not have the AjjuraJice of Faiths even^wifh Refpedl to the outward Revelation. And therefore ye are flill Unbelievers." ' It is ^written in the Prophets, And they pall be all twilight of God. Every one therefore that hath heard and learned rf the Father^- faith oiir Lord, corneih unto Me.' But ye' have ndt come to Chrift : Therefore ye have not been taught O R lO IN A h § I N^T' 489 taughfjfGoD,^ Ye have not been (otaugbfi and tl^erefpi^e ^t l^y^. aot ft^w^^'jY^J^U^^ j( ;^i,C^NsiDEB> 2. rTJbe utter Incp^fiftency ef r«|fifft-,Mens Lives with the Principles which they profefs. They profefs to believe the Scripture : But how little are they conn cern'd about what is reveard therein ? How unconcern'd are ye even about that weighty Point, whether ye be born again, or not ? Many live as they were born, and are Hke to die as they live, and yet live in Peace. Do fuch believe the Sinfulnefs of a natural State ? Do they believe they are Children of Wrath ? Do they believe there is no Salva- tion without Regeneration ? And no Rege* neration but what makes Man a new Crea- ture ? O no ! If ye did, ye could not hve in your Sins, live out of Chriji^ and yet hope for Mercy. 3 v3>{ km sto lEo bng ,r. .^*"-piFTHLY, Man IS naturally high- mine! ed. Lovvlinefs is not a Flower which grows in the Field of Nature. It is natural to Man to think highly of himfelf and what is his own. Vain Man ii^ould be wife: So he accounts himfelf, and fo he would be accounted by- others. His Way ;,is, right, becaufe it is his own--, for ev^ryM^ay of a Man ii)right in hit oivn Eyes, \ H?- is ^live mlhout the Law ; and thcrefore,his Hope is 4lrong and his Confidence firm.,; Itjs anr %s. . other pther Tower of J3abel:^ .The Wprd batter,^ it, yet it. Hands. One \yhile Breaches a,rq nvadc in it, but they are quickly repaired? At another Time, it is all made to 'ihake.^ but it IS ihll kept up: 'Till God's Spirk laife an i^c^?r/-jWe^ within the Man, which tumbles it down, and leaves not oneStone upon another. ^ " Thus much of the Corruption of the Underllanding. Call the Underftanding Jchabod\ for the Glory is departed Jrmi it. Confider this, ye that are yet in the State of Nature, and groan ye out your Cafe before the Lord, that the Sun of Righteoufnefs may arife upon you, before ye be fliut up in ^verlafting Darkncfs. What avails your worldly Wifdom ? What do all your At- tainments in Religion avail, while your Un- derftanding lies wrapt up in Darknefs and Confufion, utterly void of the Light of Life ? MvaV n. Nor is tbe Will lefs corrupted than the Underftanding. It was at firft faithfulv, and ruled with God : But now it is turn'd I'raitor againft God, and rules with and for the Devil. To open this Plague of the Heart, let the following : Things be con- fider'd. • " First, There is in the unrenewed Will an utter Lrability for what is truly good in ^e Sigbt of God. Indeed a natural Man has Original Sin.^ 491 has a Power to chufe and do what is mate^ rially good : But though he can will what is good and right, he can do nothing aright and wclL Without Mc, that is, feparate from Me, ye can do mthing ; nothing truly and Ipiratu- ally good. To evidence this, confider ■\'^^<--i.' How often do Men fee die Good they fhould chufe, and the Evil they lliould refufe : And yet their Hearts have no more Power to comply with their Light, than if they were arrelled by fome invifible Hand ? Their Confciences tell them the right Way : Yet cannot their Will be brought up to it. Elfe, how is it, that the clear Arguments on the Side of Virtue, do not bring Men over to that Side ? Although Heaven and Hell were but a may be^ even thk would determine the Will to Holinefs, could it be detcrmin'd by Reafon. Yet fo far is it from this, that Men kno%vingthe 'Judgment sfGoD^ thatthty ivho do fuch T^hings are 'worthy of Deaths not only do the fame ^ but have Pie a jure in the fu that do them. " 2. Let thofe who have been truly con- vinced of the Spirituality of the Law, fpcak and tell, if they then found themfclves able to incline their Hearts toward it. Nay, the more that Light flione into their Souls, did i:they not find their Hearts more and more wuible to comply with it P Yea, tiierc are fome who are yet in the Devil's Camp, that *^a can can tell' ft6iTi their t^(i^A^£iperienc^ let 5nty'^tH6 Mind^ cUfiot ^ivc Jyif^j^io^^ WiW'; '6?^able it to comply th^rewit|i. ^j^- •''^ ^E?:oNt>LY, There is in the unVenew a Will ^n A'-jerJhiefs to Gobd, Sin is the Na- . tural Man'^ Element : And he is as loth to part with it, as the Fiflies are to come out of the Water. He is lick; but utterly averie to the Remedy ; he lovds his Difeafe/ lb that he loaths the Phyfician. He is a CaotM-e, ^, Prilbner and a Slavey but he loves his Cqn-^^. queror, Tailor and Mafcer : He 'is fond oF his^ Fetters, Prifon and Drudgery^' arid has. '^ no Liking^ to his Liberty. For Evidence.^ of this Averfenefs to Good iii jjie Will of Man-' ' " ' ■^''^--'''- ^<(^' ' -^ eONSlI)ER;^^I^^#^fli^^i/J of Cbtltfr^i, How Wlfe^Sfe- they to Reftraint ? . Are thcv jjot ^zj Biifloch imaccujlomedjo ib^:. Yoh f -Tea, it h far eafier, to tame y bung ^ Bullocks to the Yokc^ than to bring young Children under Difcipline. Every Man may ' fee in thi!^, a$ fn aGlafs, that Maii is natu- rally Avilfl-' and wilful ; that a.ccpr(ling to Zt7/>f^rr's"-Obfervation, he ^V ^(?r7r^; 'j|/7/^ i Co/t. What can be fai'd" more?^Tj[.erk^i^e^ " Co/fy -the Colt, of 2Ln y:IJs] the Coir of ^ a "mU.- Afs r\^'WJ^ Jfsv^^^^^ Jhat'.\ fmffjrth V^^the'W^^^^ Jfl^^T. " 5. What Pain and Difficulty do Mea find, mbrmging their Hearts to, rcligioua Duties ? And what a Taik is it to tjie natural Man to abide at thern ? To leave the World but a little> and conver/e with God ? Wheri theyj are engaged in ' worldly Bufinefs or Corhpany, Time feeipas to fly ai)d is gone before they are aware. But how lieavily' does it drive, while a Prayer, a 8ermon or a Sabbath lafts ? With many the Lord's Day is the longeft Day in the Week : And therefore they muft fleep longer that Morn- irig,/and go fooner to Bed that Night, than ordinarily they do, that the Day may be made of a tolerable Length. And ftill their . Hearts fay, When "will the Sabbath be gone? . " .';. Consider how the Will of the natural Man rebels againjl the Light, Some- times he is not able to keep it out : But ha.. loves Darknefs rather than Light, The outer ^ Door of the Underflanding is broken open ,- \ but the inner Door of the Will remains fliut. 3 Corruption and Confcience then encounter ; . 'till Confcience is forced to give back : Con- vidlions are murder'd, and Truth is made and held Prifoner in Unrighteoufnefs, -^^ " 4. When the Spirit of the Lord iswork- ^ ing a deeper Work, yet what Rejijlance doea ^ the Soul make ? When he comes, he findb a xhcjlrong Man keeping the Houfe^ while the ^ Soul is faft afleep in the Devil's Arms : 'Till ^^- the 494 ^^^ Doctrine of the Lord awakens the Sinner, opens his Eyes, and ibikes him with Terror, while the Clouds are black above his Hei^d, and the Sword of Vengeance is held to his Breaft. But what Pains is he at, to put' a fair Face on a black Heart ? To fliake off his pears, or make Head agalnft tliem ? Carnal Rea- jbn fuggefts, If it be ill with him, it will be ill with many. When he is beat from this, and fees no Advantage in going to Hell with Company, he refolves to leave his Sins : But cannot think of breaking offfojoofi y there is Time enough, and he will do it afterwards. When at length he is conftrained to part with fome Sins, others are kept as Right- Hands or Right-Eyes. Nay, whenheisfo prell:, that, he mufl: needs fay before the Lord,' he is willing to part with all his Idols, yet how long will his Heart give the Lie to liis Tongue, and prevent the Execution of it ? . ^ 3iU Y- '' Thirdly, There Is in the Will of Man a natural Pronenefs to EviL Men are na- turally /'f/i/ to biick/liding from God: They hang (as the Word is) towards Backfliding. Leave the unrenewed Will to itfelf, it will chufe Sin and r-ejedt Holin^fs : And th^^t as certainly, as Water pour'd on the. Side of an Hill, will run downward an4 npt ,iip.- ward. . ■ 3^:^315 V/ ,\\^^?. Original Sin. 495 '^^^^ tVTls not the Way of Evil the>>y2 //^zy, wherein the Children of Men go ? Do not their Inclinations plainly appear on the wrong Side, while they have not Cunning to hide them ? As foon as it appears we are reafmabk Creatures, it appears we are finful Creatures. FooUjhnefs is bound in the Heart of a Child^ till the Rod of CorreBion dri'ves it from hitn. It is bound in the Heart, woven into our very Nature : Nor will the Knots Jooie; they muft be broke afunder by Strokes. Words will not do; the Rod muft be taken to drive it away. Not that the Rod of itfelf will do this : The fad Experience of many Parents teftifies the contrary. And Solomon himfelf tells you, T'ho" thou JJ:ouldji bra\' a Fool in a Mortar^ yet will not his Foolifinell depart from him. But the Rod is an Ordi- jiance of God, appointed for that End; which, like the Word, is made effectual, by the Spirit's accompanying liis own Or- dinance. • ' '' 2. How eaiily Men are led into Sin ! Perfwaded to Evil, tho* not to Good, Tliofe whom the Word cannot draw to 1 foiineft, F* Satan leads to Wickednefs at his Pleafure. To learn doing 111, is always eafy to the'un- Fenew'd Man : But to learn tQ do Good, is as difficult as for the Ethiopia?! to cha^ige his Skin, Were the Will evenly poifed between Good and Evil, one* might be embraced \\ith 496 77j^ Doctrine of with as much Eafe as the other. But Ex- perience tcfafies, it is not : Yea, the Expe- rience of all Ages. How often did the if- raelites forfake the Almighty God, and dote upon the Idols of tlie Nations. But did ever one of thofe Nations forfake their Idols,, and grow fond of the God of Ifrael? No, no. Tho' Man is naturally given to change, it is but from Evil to Evil, not from Evil to Good. Surely then the Will of Man ftands not in equal Balance, but has a Caft on the wrong Side. '' 3. Consider how Men go on ftill in the Way of Sin, till they meet with a Stop from another Hand then their own. / hid me^ and he went en frowardly in the Way of bis own Heart. If God withdraws his re- draining Hand, Man is in no Doubt which, Way to chufe. For the Way of Sin, is tJye Way of his Heart : His Heart naturally lies that Way. As long as God fuffereth them, all Nations, to ivalk in their own Way, The natural Man is fo iix'd in Evil, that there needs no more to Ihew he is off of God's Way, than to fay, he is upon his own, "- Fourthly, There is a natural Con- trariety, a direfl: Qppofitlon in the Will of Man to God Himfelf. The carnal Mind is Enmity again/l God: It is 7JGt fubjeSl to the Law of God, neither can be. e I " I HAVE Originial Sin. 497 " I HAVE a Charge againft every unre- generate Man and Woman, to be proved by the Teftimony of Scripture, and their own Gonfcience ; Namely, that whether they have the Form of Religion or no, they are Heart-enemies to God: To the Son of God, to the Spirit of God, and to the Law of God. Hear this, all ye carclefs Souls, that hve at Eafe in your natural State. " I. Ye are Enemies to God in ymir Mind, Ye are not as yet reconciled to Him. The natural Enmity is not flain, tho' perhaps it lies hid, and ye do not perceive it. Every natural Man is an Enemy to God, as he is reveal'd in his Word ; to an infinitely kol\\ juj}^ powerful and true Being. In Effedt, Men are naturally Haters of God : And if riiey could, they would certainly make Him another than what He is. " To convince you of this, let me pro-^ pofe a few Queries, (i.) How are your Hearts afFefted to the infinite Holincfs of God ? If ye are not Partakers of his HoUnefsy yc -cannot be reconciled to it. The Heathens y finding they were not like God in Holinefs, made their Gods like themfelves in Filthi- nefs 5 and thereby difcover'd what Sort of a God the natural Man would have. God is Bfi&lyi * Can an unholy Creature love his un- fpotted Holinefs ? Nay, it is the Righteous pnly that can give Thanks at the Remembrance Hh of 49^ 'The Doctrine d^ cf kis Holinefs. God is j^Light : Gaa Crea- tures of Parknefs, and that walk in Dark- nefs, rejoice therein ? Nay, fUfry one \ that doth Evil hateth the Light. For wh^t Com-: munion hatli Light with Darkiiefs ?' \(2..).v How are your Hearts afFe<3:ed to th& Juftice of God ? There is not a Man, who is wed- ded to his Sins, but would be content with the Blood of his Body, to blot that Letter out of the Name of God. Can the Malc- fadlor love his condemning Judge ? Or an nnjuftitied Sinner a juft God ? No, he can- not. And hence fince Men cannot get the Dodirinc of his Juftice blotted out of the Bible, yet it is fuch an Eye-fore to them, that they ftrive to blot it out of their Minds: They ruin themfelves by prefuming on his Mercy, Jliymg in their Hearty the Lord *wiU not do Goody neither will He do EviL (3.) How are ye afFeded to the Omnifcience and Om- niprefencc of God ? Men naturally would rather have a blind Idol, than an all-feeing God, and therefore do what they can, as Adam did, to hide themfelves frvm the F re fence.. of the Lord. They no more love an omniprcient God, than, the Thief loves to have the Judge witnefs to his evil Deeds. {4.) How- arc ye afteded to the Truth of God ? How many, Hope^thiatGor will not be true to his Word?/. There are Thoufand^ that hcariilfcb Gotland hope to be faved, YKi\r/I X •' V i\ H who Original Sin. " 499 who never experienced the new Birth, nor do at all concern themfelves in that Queftion, t whether they are born again, or not ? Our Lord's Words are plain and peremptory, Except a Man be horn aga'in^ he cannot fee the Kingdom o/Gon, What then are fuch Hopes, * but real Hopes that God will 7rcall his* Word, and that C/j/t/? will prove a falfe Prophet? (5.) How are they affedled to the Power of God ? None but new Creatures can love Him for it. Every natural Man would contribute to the building another Tower of Bak'I, to hem it in. On thefe Grounds I declare every unrenew'd Man a?i Enemy to GoD.-syH fli: :d6^i 2i Ye are Enemies to the Son of God, That Enmity to Chriji is in your Hearts, which would have made you join the Huf- baudmeny who killed the Hei?\ a)id caji him out' ofth Vineyard. Am I a Dog, ye will fay, to have fo treated my dear Saviour ? So faid JJazaely in anotlier Cafe. Yet how did he aii I Many call him Dear ; to whom their Sins are ten I'imes dearer than their Saviour. He is no otherwife dear to them, than as they abnfe his Dcadi, for the peaceable Enjoy- ment of their £ins : That they may live as they lift in this World ; and when th^y die be kept out of Hell. To convince you of diis,- I \Yill lay before you the Enmity of your H-fiartS\2gakiil -Cbrifl ia all his Offices. oxiv/ H h 2 "I. E-VERY 500 The Doctrine of " 1. Every unregenerate Man is an Ene- my to Chrift in his Prophetic O^ce. ^Fcg Evidence of this confider, p' ^ .> - ** i.The Entertainment He meets with, when He comes to teach Souls ww^r^/y hy his .S/Zr//. Men do wh^t they can ^to flop their Ears, that they rnay not hear his Vpice^ They always rcjiji the Holy Ghoji : Th^y^de- Jirc not the Knowledge of his Ways. TThe old Cahimny is thrown upon Him again, JT^/jr mad: Why hear ye Him? "The Spirit of Bondage is accounted by many mere Diftrac- tion and Melancholly : Men thus blafpheoi- ing God's Work, becaufe they themfelves are befide themfelves, and cannot iudge of thole Matters. , \ ^, ' ^ r, r .-x *' 2. Consider thp Entertainment He meets with, when He, comes to teach Men outwardly by his Word. .."^ "^- r'^-V ^'"1" ^"^ •• *' (i.) His 'Zi-77/'^^;2 Word, tae Bible, \^ flighted. Many lay by their Bibles witli their Sunday Cloaths. Alas! The Dufl a- bout your Bibles is a Witnefs of the Enmity of your Hearts againfl Chrijl as a Prophet. And of thofe who read them oftner, how few are there that read them, as the Word of the Lord to their Souls in particular, fo as to keep up Communion with God therein? Hence they are Straiigefs Ip the {oYiACoMort cfthe Scriptures : , And if a^t aijy^fime/mel; are dej^^ftcij, it ji'fbmetliihg'elle, ami not; Original Sin. 501 tne Word of GoD,.j^hich revivfs their drooping Spirits. ^, .^., .,.| ..; '' (2.) Christ's Word preached is de- i^ifed. Men can without Remorfe jnake to themfelves one filcnt. Sabbath after another. And alas, when they tj-ead his Courts how little Reverence and Awe of God appears on their Spirits! Many ftand like brazen Walls before the Word, on whom it makes no Breach at all. Nay, not a few are growing -Worfe and worfe, notwithftanding Prcctft upon Precept, What Tears of Blood are fufficient to lament this ? Remember, we are but the Voice of one crying, Tha Speaker is in Heaven. Yet ye rcfufe Him that fpeaketh, and prefer the Prince of Darknels before the Prince of Peace. A dil'mal Dark- tiefs "overfpread the World by Adams Fall, more terrible than if the Sun and:Moon had been extinguiflied. And it muft have coverd us eternally, had not the Grace oj God appeared to diipel it. But we fly from it-^ and like the wild Beads, lay ourfelves down in our Denh -S^^^'^ is the Eimiity of the Hearts of Men,' againft C/^r//? ia hi^ pro- phetic Office. * \V ■ , : CMi^I :: ; ""II. The natiVrat'Miin is ari'ipjiQ^my to CM/imhA^ PrlcAly Office, . He.i§A|j^poiute4 rif'the Father a Pj'itj} Jcr ever^.^'^^l.^^^^ Sacrifice and Interceffion ulone, Sii)p^q;s4nay h^ve Acceis to,' and Peace with' t^oD. But ^^". • I-I h 3 Chrij} •(^02 Tl^ Doctrine.^/' €hril} crucified is everna Saimbling-Block and Fooliflmefs to the unregenerate Part cf Mankind. •.iWjiiJn'ii.^> - oi ii\i^o ■ • . .' ic *' None of ^^^;;?'s Children naturally in- cline to receive the Blefllng in borrow'd Robes, but would always climb up to Hea- ven on a Thread fpun out of their own Bowels. They look on God as a great Mafter, and themfelves as his Servants, that muft work and ivijt Heaven as therr Wages, Hence when Confoience awakes, they think that, to he faved, they muft anfwer theDe- mands of the Law ; Serve God as: niiiell as they cauy and pray for Mercy wherein they come (hort. And thus many come to Du* ties, that never come out ofthejn x.oChrifi,^:^ *' Inphrd the natural Man going to Goil in Duties, will continually be found, either to go idihoiit a Mediator, or with more Me-^ diators than Ojie, Nature is blind and there^ fore venturous: It puts Men on going imme- diately to God ivithout Chrifi. Converfe with many Hearers of the Gofpel on their Hopes of Salvafion, and the Name of Chrifi will fcarcc l^ef 'heard from their Mouth. Afk tlicin, How they think to find the Pardon of Silvfl- They fay. They look for Mercy ^ E^daufe' 0OaiaiNAj.' Sjk.^ -503 ^' Why: they pray, mourn, confefs and have **^ great Dciires." Sa they have fomething of their own to recommend them to Him. They were never rtfade />d?^r in ^firit^ and brought empty-handed to God, to lay the Strtfs tf all on his atoning Blood. * wM III. The natural Man is an Enemy lo Chriji m his Kingly Office. H:rH How unwilling are natural Men to fub- mit to the Laws and Difcipline of his King- dom ! However they may be brought to fome Outward Submiffion to the King of Saints, yet Sin always retains its Throne in their Hearts, and they are fervi?7g Szrrs Lujis and Pleafures, None but thofc in whom Chrift is formed, do really put the Crown on his Head. None but thefe receive the Kingdom of ChriJl within them, and let Him fet up and put down in their Souls as He will. As for others, any Lord fliall fooner have the Rule over them tlian the Lord of Gkr\\ They, kindly entertain his Enemies, and will never ahfolutely refign themfelvcs to his Government. Tjtus you fee, the- natural Man is an Eudipiy to J^y/Vj C/^r//? in all his Oilices,: •,--': -j-.\^ ' -V . "3. Ye are: Eneffiies-lo .the Spirit of God: He is thc.S.pifit pf Holinefs. The natural ManJ« unhplyv . and lovc$ $0 be fo i and therefore rr<:»;f//5 ibe Uely Gjxjt The Work (^f th.^ S^irjt is,to ^^/;i)/;f?a' fhe JKor}d oj 7r ^ H h 4 ^in. 504 ^^ DocrrnHv: »of Sifh Righteoufnefs and: yudgmmt.:^'VB\jSi 0\ how do Men flrivc to ^\^ard oft tbefe Gori^ yiL. *^ 'LAfeiTiLY, Ye are Enemies to the Law ;<)f God. Tho* the natural Man de/ires to ^be wider ihe Law, as a Covenant of Works, 'iyet as it is a Rule of Life, he h not fubjeSl to >y\X^ neither indeed can be, - For i. Every na- ,.tural Man is wedded to fome Sin, which yhe cannot part with.v And as he cannot obrine; up his Inclinat'ons to the Law, he owonld fain bring down the Law to his In- Xclinations; And this ig a plain, Handing rpvidcnad/lof the Enmity x)f his Heart againft oitui'w ' it. it) Zvi-The Law fet home on tbe jaji^^k^nod Confcience in ks SpkkuAruyi. iiiiitatcs Cor:- ruption. It is as Gil to the Fire^. aYhich in- ftead of quenchingi makes . it flkme the more. fVif^n the Commandment c.^meSy Sin revives. What Reafon can be affigh'd for this, but the natural Enmity of the Heart againft the holy Law ? We conclude then, that the Unregenerate are Heart-Enemies to God, his Son, his Spirit, and his Law; that there is a natural Contrariety, Oppofi- tion and Enmity in the Will of Man, to ..Cod Himfclf and his holy Will. ^m^^ Fifthly, The unrenewed Will is TiV/holly perverfe, in Reference to the End of Man. Man is a merely dependent Being ; ibaving no Exiftence or Good nels, originally from himfelf : But all he has is from God, as the firfl: Caufe and Spring of alK Perfec- tion, Natural and Moral. Dependence is woven into his very Nature -, fo that ihould God withdraw from him, he would link into nothing. Since then whatever Man is, he is of' Him, furely whatever he is, he fluould be to Him : As the Waters which ceme out of the Sea, return thither again. ^And thus Man was created, lookingdiredly ito God, as his^ laft End : But failing into .r£in,Jie fell off from.Goa, anditurned into Jaimfelf. Now . this iofers, Zj .total Apoilaly : and iu)iverfal i Ct^truptidn- dnlcMun-v • For ji where ^o6 "The Doctrine ^/ where thelaftEnd is changed,, there tan be no real Gof>dnels. And this is the Cafe bf all Men iii their natural State : They leeR not God but themielves. Hence tho' ma^ ny tiiir Shreds of Morality are among theni^ yet there is none that doth Gcod^ no not one^' For tho' fome of them rim iveU, they are ftill cff'the V/ay ; they never aim at the 'right Mark. Whitherfoever they move they can^ not move beyond the Circle of Self. They feek l^hemfelvesy they a(3r for "Them/elves : Their natural, civil and religious A(5tions, from whatever Spring they come, do all run into, and meet in this dead Sea.\^ \-iii%lti ^;it\:> '* Most Men are fo far frofe , making God their End in their ?tatiiral alid civil Adions, that He is net in all tlieir Thoughts. They eat and drink for no higher End, than their own Plealure or Neceflity. Nor do the Drops of Sweetnefs God has put into the Creatures raife their Souls toward that Ocean of Delights that are in the Creator. And what are tlie natural Man's civil A&Aons^ fuch as buying, felling, working, but Fruit iohimfelf"^ Yea, Self \% the higheft End of unregenerate Men, even in their religions Adions. They perform Duties for a Name; for fome wordly Intcreft : Or, at b^ft, iti order to efcape from Hell. They feek not God at all, but for their own Intcreft: So that God is •nly the Means, and &^ their End. " Thus ^ORIGXIfAL SlN.^ 507' ". Tmjs have I given a rude Draught of Man's Will in his natural State, drawn from Scripture and our own Experience. Now fince all muft be wrong, where the Under- ftanding and Will are fo corrupt, I. ihall briefly diipatch what remains.:.^' it 'av\^ tdv va/b 'i o«^t -^n*^ "III. The AffeBic72s ^vq corrupted; whol- ly difordcr'd and diftemper'd. They are like an unruly Horfe, that cither will not receive, or violently runs away with the Ri- der. Man's Heart is naturally a Mother of Abominations : For fi-om within cut of the Heart of Men^ proceed coil 'Thoughts, A- dulterieSj Fornicatiotis^ Murders, Thefts, Co- vetoufftefs. The natural Mans Affed;ions arc wholly mifplaced -, he is a fpiritual yion- fter. His Hearts isi, where his Feet Ihould be, fix'd on Earth : His Heels are lifted up aiffainfl: Heaven, which his Heart fhould be fct on : His Face is toward Hell, his Back toward Heaven. He loves what he ihould hate^ and bates what he fliould love ; joys in what he ou2:ht to mourn for, and mourns for what he lliould i^ejoice in ; glories in his Shame, and is apamed of his Crlory ; abhors what he fliould defre, and defids what he ihould ^Noor, If his Aifecflions are let on lawful Objects, they are cidier execefjive or defeSive. Thefe Objedts haye cither too 3i-3fl:? \Wd - 9rij yln© ai aordittlc . uhT '' bad '5o8 "The V>ot-1f^^^^^-hf little of: them- or tcky^riilidl; Bat^^fj^Mtual a^hings hn\ c ul ways too littlci^^^-^ic.^^ ri^iflTX 3'jttHKKE IS a threefGldGord^agai6l!$5c'd^€ff; not eafily broken, a blind Mind, a pefverfe Will, diforder'd Affcaioiis. The Minfl fweird with Pride, fays, The Mzn fi^ou/d not ftoop y the Will oppofite to the Vlll of God, fays, He will 7Wt : And the corrlipt Affeclions, rifing againft the Lord, in De^ fence of the corrupt Will, fay, Hejhallmf: And thus we ftand out againft God, till we arc created anew by Chriji jfefusj^ ^^^^ ^? ^-^^ *' IV. 1l\\¥ Cofifcience is corrupt, arid de- filed, It cannot do its Work, but accord- ing to the Light it hath to work by. Where- fore feeing ^The natural Man difcerneth not fpi ritual Thi?igs^ his Confeience is quite ufc-^ lefs-j in that Point. It may indeed check for groiTer Sins, but fpiritual Sins it difccrns not. Thus it will fly in the Face of many-^ for.Driinkcnnefs ; who y€t have a profound Pcace^.-Ao' they live mXlnbelieJ] and are ut-^ ter Stnmgtrs' to fpiritiml Wor^JlAp and the Life of Fahbiv And the Light- of his Confeience: being fairatHandjlangmfl^iing, even in thb^ Thin-gs; which Ht does 'reach: -its Incitement^ to Duty, ^ndLStruggks againft Sin- are- very- n^jiai^aiid eafily got ovir.- ' Butnthere & -^fef a(faife Liglitijin tlie dark Mind, 'Nvhii:^ ofteil AZfcjHi|yDGd*4r'and Go^dEvik Ana fudhii uouquiioD Confeience Original Sin. 509 Gonfcience is like a blind and fiiriious Horic;' which violently runs. down all tliat comes in his Way. Indeed whenever Confcience is awakened by the Spirit of ConviiSion, it will rage and roar, and put tlie whole Man if^.a^Confternation. 7 It m-akes the ftifFHeart to tremble, and the Knees to bow; lets the Eyes a weeping, the Tongue ^ confcfTing,* But ftill it is an evil GoHfcie nee, whicli na- turally leads only to Defpair : And will do it effe was corrupt the very Ifeathens perceived: But how &;/ t'/2^^r^^ they ' could not telL But the Scripture is very plain in the Poiiit. By Que Man Sin entered into the World, By one^ Mans Difobcdience ?na?iy (all) were made Sin^ ?jers. Adam\ Sin corrupted Man's Naturc^l and leaven'd the whole Lump of Mankind/ We putrified in Adam as our Root. The Root was poifon*d, and fo the Branches were invenom'd. The Vine turned //jf Vim of Sodom, and lo the Grapes became -G/w^rj^/ GalL .Adam by.h&vSin became -not only guilty \>\xt corrupt ^kUA fo tianfmits Guilt and 3Dfi3i^:iaoJ Corrupdou CqnuptIoi>t;p his Pofterityi. By his Sin Im flripf^ed himielf of hisOrigmal Right^ouftiiefr ai^i corrupted himfelf. We were ;. in; him reprt'lhifatrcely^ as our Moral Head : Wt were in hira feminally, as our Natural Head* Hence we fell /;; him:, {^s Levi paid T^ythcs^ when in the Loins ^'Abraham) By his jyij^ obedience^ we were made Sinners ; ■:^\% firfl Sin is imputed to us. And we are left wilh?o out that Original Righteoufnefs, which be*; ing given to him as a conimon Perfon, he calt off. And this is necefiarily followed in him and us, by the Corruption of our whole Nature : Righteoufnefs and Corruption being two Contraries, one of which muft always be in. Man. And Adatn o\xv common Fa- ther being corrupt, fo are we : For: whfi MU bring a ckm.j^^^'t^g <^iit oflm mihwi l^a ^lij iu -t^'f It jemains only^ to ap^ly this Doftrin^ii And lirft, For Information. Is Man's JSTa^t tuj-€ wholly corrupted ? Then i. No Won- d^/tli^jjiGi-aye opens its devouring Moutha for us, lis fopn as th<3 Wpinb ha§ Cail: vis f(>rth. Fpf-y/^ are ail in, a ipiritual Senfe dead-boriv; Yea, m\(XJiilhy (Pjahn%yv. 3,;). nolfoni, rank and fiinking, as a rd^r^f Thing: (60 the Word: imports), Letvus: not complain of the My?'ri:J; we are expofed. to. a< ;mU'. >1-Uii'an€e, or during ouf ContijE>Utj£ aiH^^/ir^, tli^^^^prl^i,^ J]fer^,is;j^e yedooitl iljjxi that Original Sin. '^ ^iii thAhas poifortM all the Springs of earthly^ Enjoyments. It is the Corruption ofhii--^ man Nature, which brings fbrtli all tbe^ Miferies of Life, M wu -.■ ,'Av/\\^^^^',^ v/' i>«^b. Behold here as in a Glafs, the' Spriiig of all the Wicktd?iefs, Profaneneis^ and Formality in the World. Every Thing' adts agreeably to its own Nature ; and (6-' corrupt Man ad:s corruptly. You need not wonder at die Sinfulness of your own Heart and Life, nor at the Sinfulnefs and Perverfe- nefs of others. If a Man be crooked, he cannot but halt; and if the Clock be fee w^ong, how can it point the Hour right ? :Y^*-" 3* See here, why Sin is ioplcafant^ and Religion fuch a Burden lo Men : Sin is 7W- /«r^/ V Holinefs not fo. Oxen cannot feed in the Sea, nor Fifhes in the fruitful Fiold. A Swine brought into a Palace would prefer the Mire, And corrupt Nature tends ever to Impurity. .tiOiJi. i. :o i ,ii::: i>:ix rrt^ 4. Learn from hence the Nature ancji Neceffity of Regeneration. Firit, the Xa-^^ ture: It is not a partial but a tofal Change:^ Thy whole Nature is corrupted. *Therdbre^ the whole muft be renewed. All ^ThingP rt\vA become 7ieii\ If a Man who had re^^ ceived— many Wounds, were cured of alf bat^v^ne, he might ftill bleed to Death. It?* is not a Change made by human lndu(lr)V^ but by the Almighty Spirit of God. A MaA^- riuU muft 512 The Doctrine of muft be born of the Spirit. Our Nature is corrupt, and none but the God of Nature can change it. Man may pin a new Life to an old Heart; but he can never change the Heart. Secondly, tlie Neceflity: It is abfolutely neceffary in order to Salvation. Except a Man be born again ^ he cannot fee the Kingdom ^'God. No unclean Thing can en- ter the //t'li' Jerufalcm; but thou art by Nature u'holly unclean. Deceive not thyfelf : No Mercy of God, no Blood of Chrif^ will bring an unregenerate Sinner to Heaven, For God will never open a Fountain of Mer- cy, to wafli away his own Holinefs and Truth : Nor did Chriji Ihcd his precious Blood, to blot out the Truths of God. Heaven ! What would you do there, who are not born again ? An holy Head, and cor^ rupt Mcaibers ! An Head full of Treafures of Grace ; Members filFd with Treafures of Wickednefs! Ye are no Ways adapted to the Society above, more than Beafts to con- vcric with Men. Could the unrenew'd Man go to Heaven, he would go to it no other- wife, than now he comes to the Duties of Holinefs, that is, leaving his Heart behind him. ** Wf: may apply this Dodrine, Secondly, for Lamentation, Well mav we lament thv' Cafe, O ULitural Man>, for it is -the faddeft , ^ Cafe Original Sin. ^13 Cafe bhe' can be in, but of Hell. It is Time to lament for thee; for thou art dead already, dead while thou liveft. Thou carrieft about a dead Soul in a living Body; and becaufe thou art dead, canft not lament thy own Cafe. Thou haji no Good in thcc: Thy Soul is a Mafs of Darknefs, Rebellion and Vile- nefs before God. Thou canfl do no Good: Thou canft do nothing but Sin. For thou art the Servant of Sin^ and therefore free from Righteoufnefs : Thou doft not, canft not meddle with it. Thou art under the Dominion of Sin^ a Dominion where Righte- oufnefs can have no Place. Thou art a Child and a Servant of the Devil, as long as thou art in a State of Nature. But to prevent any Miftake, conlider that Satan hath two Kinds of Servants. There are fome employed, as it were, in coarfer Work. Thefe bear the Devil's Mark in their Fore- heads having no Form of Godlinefs, not fo much as performing the external Duties of Religion, but living apparently as Sons of Earth, only minding earthlyThings. Where- as others are employed in more refined Work, who carry his Mark in their "Right-handy which they can and do hide by a Form of Religion, from the View of the World. Thefe facrifice to the corrupt Af/W, as the other to the Flejh, Pride, Unbelief, Self- pleafing, and the like fpiritual Sins, prey I i on 514 The DocTRlNl 5/^ (Ml thekicorrupted, wholly corrupted Soulsi jSdiii ti^Servants of the fame Houfe, equally voiii of^l^rgteeoufnefs. Xv^* - -s:.^ Indeed how IS it poffiWethou fhouldft be able to do any Tiling good, whofe Na^ ture is wholly corrupt? Can an evil l^ree bring forth good Fruit ? Do Men gather Grapes of l^horns ? If then thy Nature be to^ tally Evil, all thou doft is ceitainly fo too. ** Hear, O Sinner, what is thy Gafe. Innumerable5/;7JCompafsthee about: Floods of Impurities overwhelm th«e. Sins of all Sorts roll up and down in tlie dead Sea of thy Soul ; where no Good can breathe, be-? caufe of the Corruption there. Thy Lips are unclean : The opening of thy Mouth is as the opening of a Grave, full of Stench and Rottennefs. Thy natural Adions are Sin : For when yB did eat^ and when ye did drink ^ did not ye eat for yourfehes and drink for your^ felves ? Z^ch, vii, 6. Thy civil Ad^ions are Sin. Prov. xxi. 4. T^he* Plowing of the Wicked is Sin, Thy religious Anions are Sin. Tl'he Sacrifice of the Wicked is an Abomination to the Lord. The Thoughts and Imaginations of thy Heart are only Evil continually. A Deed may be foon done> a Word foon fpo- kcn, a Thought pais; but ^ach of thefe is an It^m in thy Accounts. G fad Reckoning ! As maily Thoughts; Words, Aftions, ia Uiany &iiis : And. the longet^ thou liveil;- r»^^ ?J i * thy OiUGiNAL Sin. 515 thi^ Accounts fwell the more, -Should a Tear be dropt for every Sin, thine Eyes muft be Fountains of Tearf. For nothing but Sin comes from thee : Thy Heart frames no- thing but evil Imaginations : There is no- thing in thy Life, but what is framed by thy Heart : Therefore there is nothing in thy Heart or Life but Evil. " And all thy Religion, if thou haft any, is loft Labour, if thou art not born again. Truly then thy Duties are Sins. Would not the beft Wine be loathfome in a foul Veffel ? So is the Religion of an unregenerate Man. Thy Duties cannot make thy corrupt Soul holy ; but thy corrupt Heart makes them unclean. Thou waft wont to divide thy Works into two Sorts ; to count fome Good and fome EviL But thou muft count again, and put all under one Head j for God writes on them all, Only EviL iv^^v^ "}■: " And thou canft not help thylelf. What canft thou do to take away thy Sin, wlio art wholly corrupt ? Will Mud and Filth wafli out Filthinefs I And wilt thou purge out Sin by Sinning ? Job-iook a PotHierd to . fcrape himfelf, becaufe his Hands were as full of Boils as his Body. This is die Caic of thy corrupt Soul, fo long as thou art \\\ a State of Nature. Thou art poor indeed^ extremely miferable mid poor ; thou hall no Shelter, hxxi a Refuge cf Lia^ : Nq parment \ih I i 2 for 5i6 The DoCtRtNlE'>f for tliy Soul, hnx. filthy Rdgs, notKmg M nourifti it, but Hujks that cannot fatisfy; More than that, thou haft got fuch a Bruife in the Loins oi Adam^ that thou art withut Strength, unable to do any Thing. Nay; more than all this, thou canft not fo much as y^r/^ aright, but lieft helplefs, as an Infant expolcd in the open Field. " O THAT ye would believe this fad Truth. How little is it believed in the World ? Few are concerned to have their evil Lives reform'd; but fewer far, to have their evil Nature chang d. Moft Men know not what they are; as the Eye, which feeing many Things, never fees itfelf. But until ye know every one the Plague of his cwn Hx^rt, there is no Hope of your Recovery. "VA'Iiy will ye not believe the plain Teftimony of Scripture ? Alas ! That is the Nature of your Difeafe. 'Thou kno^wefl not that thou art *wr etched, and inferable and poor ajid blind and naked. Lord open their Eyes, before they lift them up in Hell, and fee what they will not fee now ! » nonqm • *' Mean Time let us have a 'pecial Eye upon the Corruption and Sin of our Nature. Vvhr.t avails it to take Notice of other Sins, while this Mother Sin is unnoticed? This is a wci(;hty Point ; in fpeaking to which I fhall ^ii:*V i; Point at feme Evidences of Men's t«;?r/(^#!?/;^'thc Sin of their Nature. : As (i.) ^yy^ - Men's ' lOi^d[eiifAL Sin.- ^jj Men s being fo confident of themfelves, as if they were ia no Danger of grofs Sins* Many would take heinoufly fuch a Caution as Chrijl gave his Apoftles, ^uke heed ojSur* f citing and Drtrnkmnefi , TheyAvouid be ready to cry oxiXy Am la Dog? \t^o\AA raife the Pride of their Heart, not their Fear and Trembling. And all this is a Proofs that they know not the Corruption of their own Nature. (2.) Untendernefs toward them that fall. Many in this Cafe caft off all Bowels of Compaffion : A plain Proof that they do not know or confider themjehcs^ left they alfo be tempted. Grace indeed does make Men zealous againft Sin, in others as well as in themfelves. But Eyes turned inward to the Corruption of Nature, clothe them with Pity and Compaffion, and fill them with Thankfulnefs, that they were not the Perfons left to be fuch- Spectacles of human Frailty. (3.) Men's venturing fo boldly on •Temptation, in Confidence of their coming off fairly. Were they fenfible of the Cor- ruption of their Nature, they would beware of entring on the Devil's Ground : As one girt about with Bags ot Gunpowder, would be loth to walk where Sparks of Fire were ilying. . J " 2. I SHALL mention a few Things, in which ye fliould have a I'pecial Eye to the (Sin of your Nature,. (:i.) In your Applica- imH tion ^i8 ^he DocTRiN;B of ticHx to Cloriji. When you are with the Phy- iician, O forget not this Difeafe. They ne- ver yet knew their Errand to Chriji^ who went not to Him for the Sin of their Nature j for his Blood to take away the Guilt, and hi? Spirit to break the Power of it. The* ye fhould lay before Him a Catalogue of Sins, which might reach from Earth to Heaven, yet if you omit this, you have for- got the beft Part of the Errand a poor Sin- ner has to the Phyfician of Souls. (2.) Have a fpecial Eye to it in your Repentance. If you would repent indeed, let the Streams lead you up to the Fountain, and mourn over your corrupt Nature, as the Caufe of all Sin, in Heart, Word and Work. Agatnjl ^beCy T'hee only have I Jinnedy and done this Evil in thy Sight, Behold I was Jhapen in Iniquity^ and in Sin did my Mother coiceive. mc, {3.) Have a fpecial Eye to it in your Mortification. Crucify the FleJIj with its Af feci ions and De fires. It is the Root of Bit- tornefs which muft be ftruck at; elfe we labour in vain. In vain do we go about to purge the Streams, if we are at no Pains a- bout th^ muddy Fountain. (4.) Ye are to eye thi3 inyour daily Walk. He that would walk uprightly, muft have one Eye upward to yefus^ChriJ}^ another inward to the Cor- ruption of his own Nature. ...m^i sj.ii ux wA ^iw>.\X i alsaly? " III. I SHALL Or r g I NAt S I w/" jl^ ^' TIL I SHALL offer fome Rcafons, why we fliauld efpecially obferve the Sin of our Nature. ■ ' ) i-nun^ :,::•:: v\Jii^ j-;\ :. .;■ *' i/BECAtT?E bf-all 5ins Whthenwft extenffDe and diffiijrce^- It goes thro' the whole Man and fpoils all. Other Sins mar parti- cular Parts of the Image of God ; but this diefaces the whole. It is the Poifon of the old Serpent caft into the Fountain, and fo infedls every Adion, every Breathing of the Soul. io oi yr ^' 2vIt is the Caufe of all particular Sins, both in our Hearts and Lives. Out of the Heart of Men proceed evil Thoughts^ Adulter rieSy and all other Abominations. It is the bitter Fountain, and particular Lufls are but Rivulets running from itj which bring forth into the Life a Part only, not the whole of what is within.^ W\Vi r^'^ \t\ V>\^ii x ij^" 3. It is virtually all Sins : Fbr it is the Seed of all, which want but the Occafion to fet up their Heads. Hence it is called a Body of Death, as confifling of the feveral Members which conrtitute that Body of Shn (Col, ii. II.) whofc Life lies in fpiritual Death. It is the curfed Ground, fit to bring forth all Manner of noxious Weeds. Never did every Sin appear in the Converfation of the vileft WretcJi that ever lived. But look into thy Nature, and thou mayft fee all and every Sin in the Root thereof. There is a J JAKE i olli Fulnefs ^20 7X^ Doctrine of Fulnefs of. all Unrighteoufnefs there : A-. theiim,' Idolatry, Adultery, Murder. Per- haps none of thefe appear to thee in thy Heart : But there is more in that unfathom- able Depth of Wickednefs than thou knoweft. " 4. The Sin of our Nature is of all Sins the moil /x/ and abiding. Sinful Ac- tions are tranfient, tho' the Guilt and Stain of them may remain. But the Corruption of Nature pafles not away. It remains in its full Power, by Night and by Day, at all Times, till Nature is -changed by convert- ing Grace. " You may obferve three Things In the corrupt Heart, (i.) There is the corrupt Nature^ the evil jB^;^/ of the Heart, whereby Men are unapt for all Good, and fitted for all Evil. (2.) There are particular Lufts or Difpofitions of that corrupt Nature, fuch as Pride, Paflion, Covetuoufnefs. (3.) There is one, of thefe ftronger than all the reft. 'the Sin which dothfo eajily be Jet us. So that the River divides into many Streams, where- of one is greater than the reft. The Cor- ruption of Nature is the River-head, which has many particular Lufts wherein it runs ; but it mainly dift)urdens itfelf into that which we call the prcdomiiiant Sin, But as in fome Rivers the main Stream runs not always in the fame Channel, fo the befctting Sin may change, as Luft in Youth may be fucceeded bv Original Sin. 521 by Covetoufnefs in Old Age. Now what ddcG it avail, to reform in other Things, while the reigning Sin retains its full Power? What if a particular Sin be gone ? If the Sin of our Nature keep the Throne, it will fct up another in its Stead : As when a Water- courfc is ftopt in one Place, it will break forth in another. Thus feme caft off their Prodigality ; but Covetoufnefs comes in its Stead. Some quit their Profanenefs ; but the fame Stream runs in the other Channel of Self-righteoufnefs. " That you may have a full View of the Sin of your Nature, I would recom- mend to you three Things, (i.) Study to know the Spirituality and Extent of the Law of God > for that is the Glafs wherein you may fee yourfelvcs. (2.) Obferve your Hearts at all Times ; but efpecially under Temptation. Temptation is a Fire that brings up the Scum of the unregenerate Heart. (3.) Go to God thro' Jefus Chriji, for Illumination by his Spirit. Say unto Kim, What I know not^ teach thou mc : And be willing to take in Light, from the Word. It is by the Word the Spirit teacheth ; but unlefs he teach, all other Teaching is to little Purpofe. You will never fee yourfc!f aright, 'till He light his Candle in your Breaft. Neither me Fulnefs and Glory of Chrtji^ nor the Corruption andVilencfs of our K k Nature/ 522 7?>^ Doctrine gJ Nature, ever were or can be righty learned, but where the Spirit oi Chrijii^ the Teacjier. *' To conclude : L■. give. P. 4J»> 1- 24* r. Mofei. Se^ySi<^Sfir'S6f'V^6^Sjr'^S>^V'^-Ser'V'S6r^St-v^ DATE DUE jL-rf*fliPWWW ^ Ctlltt T'" 5-4fl8a i b**«^i/i 1 \ hi ! n^jjpp^^W^^^ ?*ra8!r ! ^^^m ? 1 1 ^■*^ ^'••& % CAYLORD PNINTCOINU.S.A. y<. on Theological Seminary-Speer Librar 1 1012 01014 6720