by any who admit the foreknowledge of God, and believe in divine revelation. If the previous certainty that men will act wrong, and fin, renders their conduct not wrong and finful, which is indeed a contradiction; then, according to the Bible, neither Pharaoh, nor the Ifraelites, nor Judas, nor the Jews in crucifying Christ, were guilty of any fin; and others innumerable, whose actions were predicted in holy writ. Yea, according to this, there is, there can be, no fin in the universe, fince all the actions of creatures were foreknown and therefore certain from eternity. It was certain that Adam would fin before he was a finner. This did not render his tranfgreffion, no fin, or not his own fin, or in the least exculpate him for what he did: So far from this, that it neceffarily implied, that he would be a finner, and that he should be wholly anfwerable for that which was his own fin. And if the finfulness of all the pofterity of Adam was certainly connected with his finning, this does not make them finners, before they actually are finners; and when they actually become finners, they themselves are the finners, it is their own fin, and they are as blameable and guilty as if Adam had never finned, and each one were the firft finner that ever exifted. The children of Adam are not anfwerable for his fin, and it is not their fin, any farther than they approve of it, by finning as he did: In this way only they become guilty of his fin, viz. by approving of what he did, and joining with him in rebellion. And it being previously certain by divine conftitution, that all mankind would thus fin, and join with their common head in rebellion, renders it no less their own fin and crime, than if this certainty had taken place on any other ground, or in other way: Or than if there had been no certainty that they would thus all fin, were this poffible.

any

2. The moral corruption or fin of mankind, is not the less their own fin and crime, because they begin to fin

fo

fo early, and are morally depraved as foon as they exift, capable of any thing of a moral nature. It is evident from fcripture and from fact, as has been fhown, that this is true of all the children of Adam. They are finful as foon as they are capable fubjects of any thing of a moral kind, and their firft moral exercises are wrong and finful But nevertheless, it is their own depravity, and all their moral exercifes are as much their own, and this corruption and thefe exercises are as really criminal, as they could be, did they not take place fo foon; but in any fuppofeable aftertime. The time in which a perfon begins to have moral exercifes, right or wrong, whether earlier or later, does not alter the nature of thofe exercifes. If his exercifes be wrong and selfish, from the beginning of his exiftence, they are in their own nature as really wrong and finful, as if he had been holy a thoufand years, and after that had fallen into a course of the fame wrong and finful exercises and conduct. It is not neceffary, in order to a creature's being finful, that he hould first be virtuous, or free from moral corruption. The first fin of Adam would have been as really his own fin, and his own crime, had he finned fooner than he did; yea, if that had been the first act of his, and he had never had one virtuous exercife. His previous holy exercifes might be the means of rendering his fin which he afterwards committed, more criminal than otherwise it would have been; but had there been no fuch holy Exercifes previous to his fin, and his first exercises had been contrary to holiness, they would have been as much is own exercifes, and as really criminal, as was his first n, which he committed after he had been holy for a me. The plain, inconteftible reafon has been given for this, viz. That all fin confifts in the nature and quality of the exercifes which take place in a moral agent, and not in any thing which goes before, or follows after them, and which is not of the fame kind.

PART I If a person finds himself now a Ginner, and that from the heart he approves of, and chooses rebellion again! God and his laws, he is not the lefs a finner, because h has been of the fame difpofition many years, and has al ways finned, fince he has been conscious of any of hi own exercises; yea, has in fact had the fame difpofition from the beginning of his exiftence. His having finned before, and done nothing else but fin, fince he began to act, is no excufe for his finning now, and going on to fin nor does it make his present sinful exercises less his own fin, nor any of the precedent ones, than if he never had fuch exercifes more than at one time of his life. Yea according to the common fenfe of mankind, he is the more criminal, and his character is the worfe and more odious, for his being always given to wickedness, and to do evil, from a child; fo that it is natural, or in his very nature, to do evil. It has been often faid of perfons, in order to represent them very criminal, and fet their character in a bad and odious light, "Theit conduct has been always bad and mischievous, their char acter has been bad from children, they sprang from very wicked families; they are vicious by nature; and mif chievousness runs in their very blood, &c."

King David represents himself in this light, and speak of his native corruption as his own, and as an aggrava tion of all his fins, and the odioufnefs of his own char acter, in that remarkable penitential pfalm of his, "Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in fin did m mother conceive me."

It is not neceffary to determine when or how foon th children of Adam became moral agents, or what is ne ceffary to conflitute them fuch, in order to decide th point now under confideration; fince it is only afferte that the moral corruption of mankind, is not the lefs the own fin and fault, because it takes place as foon as the

• Pfalm, li

are

are capable of moral exercife, be that when it may. Many have fuppofed that none of mankind are capable of fin or moral agency, before they can diftinguifh between right and wrong, and know what the law of God requires, and what it forbids: But this wants proof, which never has been yet produced. And it appears to be contrary to Divine Revelation: For that speaks of fins committed ignorantly, and supposes a person may fin and be guilty in those exercises, and that conduct, in which he has no knowledge or consciousness that he is doing wrong. Hence it appears, that perfons may be moral agents, and fin without knowing what the law of God is, or of what nature their exercises are; and while they have no consciousness that they are wrong. And if fo, then as foon as children are capable of the leaft motion and exercife of the heart, which is contrary to the law of God, fuch motions and exercises are fin in them, and their fin, though they are ignorant of it: And of fuch finful inclinations and exercises, they may be capa ble as foon as they exift the children of Adam. It is certain no one can know it not to be fo: And this is agreeable to the representation the fcripture gives of the matter, which puts it beyond all doubt. This has been particularly confidered, page 326, &c.

3. The corruption of mankind is not the lefs their own moral depravity and fin, and they are not the lefs alpable and guilty, because it is fo deeply fixed in their hearts, and they are totally corrupt and finful.-This bfervation might be thought quite needlefs, and as only laying, that a greater degree of finfulness is not less than fmall degree; or that ten or a thousand degrees of oral corruption are not lefs than one degree; or that fin is not the lefs finful, because it is fo great. I fay, this obfervation would be needlefs and but trifling, were it not too common to believe and affert the contrary, though not in plain and exprefs terms; however unreasonable and absurd.

If

1

If one degree of finfulness, or oppofition of heart to the law of God in any perfon, be wholly his own fin, and he is juftly accountable for it, and the blame and guilt of it lies upon him; then, if he has ten, or a thoufand degrees of evil inclination and oppofition to the law. of God; this must be all ftill his own fin, and he proportionably more criminal and blameworthy. If inclination to oppofe the law of God be wrong and criminal; then it must be criminal in proportion to the ftrength of fuch inclination. And if this be the conftant reigning inclination and choice of his heart, fo as wholly to exclude every degree of oppofite inclination and choice, he is wholly finful, and criminal in proportion to the ftrength and conftancy of his evil difpofition, by which his heart is obftinately fixed and bent to do evil. This is the clear dictate of reason, and the contrary is moft abfurd, and fuppofes that the more ftrongly the heart is inclined to oppofe God and his law, the lefs criminal the män is; and that when the heart is wholly and constantly fixed in oppofition to the law of God, this oppofition of heart to God becomes wholly innocent, fo that a man cannot be justly condemned for it; whereas if he had lefs oppofition to God, and a very fmall degree of it, it would be yery odious and finful! That the greatest polfible degree of moral corruption does not excufe, but increase the odioufnefs and guilt of the man fo depraved, is hot only demonftrable by reafon; but is the dictate of common fenfe, and feelings of mankind. If a perfon appears wholly and conftantly inclined to falfhood, and to injure his neighbours; and if no means and arguments ufed with him, or motives fet before him to defift from his evil conduct, have the leaft impreffion or effect upon him, to reclaim him; but he obftinately perfills in his evil practices, we confider him not as innocent and blamelefs, becaufe his moral depravity is fo deeply fixed that he is incurable by any pollible means; but as

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