tain marks of corruption and degeneracy of nature even in children, before they are capable

of

which it is wholly deftitute, and for which it is wholly difqualified at prefent. It was, doubtless, of GoD'S mere goodness, that he created fuch a rank of beings as men at all, and having created them, it was of his mere goodness, that he endued them with fuch powers and capacities as they have. He might have made them much more imperfect than they are, and given them much more limited natural powers and capacities than they have, without any impeachment to his goodness, his justice, or any other of his perfections. But now fuppofe man created with just fuch natural and moral powers and capacities, as we find him poffeffed of, and it will be no eafy task to vindicate the wisdom, justice and goodness of GOD, if we find thefe powers and capacities, in their very firft exertions and operations, fo ftrangely perverted, and inclining to the wrong fide, which feems to be the matter of fact at prefent. To vindicate the goodness of GOD to his creature man, methinks it is neceffary that GOD fhould be fuppofed to create him, at leaft, with a liberty of indifference to good and evil; otherwife his trial could not be fair, he would not have an equal chance, but would be exposed to certain mifery, in and for that courfe of action, unto which he had the strongest natural propenfity. But now, let any impartial obferver of human nature candidly declare, whether this feems to be the prefent condition of mankind, and whether the majority of the fpecies do not appear from their early infancy, to have the ftrongeft propenfity to vice; and that, notwithstanding all the pains which are employed to counteract the workings of corrupt nature, by a virtuous and Chriftian education.

If mankind were born in equilibrio, with an equal propenfion to virtue and vice, is it not ftrange that the

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of being feduced by example. This has not been the obfervation and complaint of one fingle

the generality should not take the right turn? Efpecially when we confider, that the voice of natural confcience, the approbation of all the good and virtuous, the peace and tranquillity of a right mind, the remorse, uneafinefs and contempt which attend a wicked life, and the influence of a good education, are all on the fide of virtue. And yet, is this the cafe in fact? Do we not fee the corruption of nature break over all the mounds and barriers which virtue and religion have fet before it? And do we not fee vice and corruption predominant in the world? Now, ift, either mankind are ftill just fuch as they came from the hands of their maker at firft; and then the difficulty will be, how to reconcile this with the fcripture account of things? How to reconcile it with wisdom and goodness of GOD, and with those threatenings denounced againft fin in his revealed word? Or, fecondly, man comes now into the world in a state of degeneracy and corruption, he has derived fome taint of corruption and weakness from fome of his progenitors, which naturally inclines him to evil and indifpofes him for good: And now, this is just fuch an account of things, as the fcriptures feem all along to fuppofe, and as proves itself to be true by abundant experience. folves many difficulties in the moral world, fhews the expediency of the work of redemption, and of the means of grace and aids of the fpirit, which could not be well accounted for, or juftified upon any other fuppofition.

This

I CONFESS, indeed, that it is hard to account for the traduction or propagation of this moral corruption, by the principles of reafon. But the fact seems to be evident, and it is easy to fee which of these two opinions will be attended with the greateft difficul

ties;

fingle perfon, or age, or nation, but is common to all; all of every age, nation, fect and religion agreeing in this, that mankind are, at prefent, in a visible state of degeneracy and imperfection; that human nature bears all the characters of ruin and defolation' upon it, being a ftrange, inconfiftent, compound of dignity and meanness, ftrength and weaknefs, wifdom and folly, error and truth, virtue and vice, happiness and mifery, which plainly proves, that it is not in its natural ftate, and is far different from what it became the wifsdom and goodness of the creator at firft' to make it.

THUS ftood the univerfal opinion of mankind in this matter, but the fource and fpring of this univerfal degeneracy and corruption was wholly unknown to the gentile nations, the original tradition being either wholly loft, or fo blended with fable as to be wholly mistaken; and accordingly, we have feen how their wifeft philophers have erred in their folutions of it, not knowing the fcriptures: Mofes alone having handed down to us the only probable and authentic account of the fall of man, and the confequent deluge of fin and mifery which hath overfloved this lower world.

ties; that man is now juft what he originally was, and what GOD defigned he should be; or, that, having originally fallen from his primitive rectitude of nature, his pofterity are now enfeebled and corrupted, in confequence of their defcent from him. This is farther illuftrated above.

BUT this is not the only inftance wherein the true religion of the bible has been adulterated and perverted, by affigning to human reafon a province for which it was never qualified, and for which GOD feems never to have given it to man.

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IT is not my bufinefs, nor have I leifure at prefent, to vindicate the Mofaic hiftory of the fall. This has been done to the 'fatisfaction of all modest and fober enquirers, by much abler hands. All I would obferve here is, that if Mofes has not given us a juft account of this matter, we can no where hope to find it. And yet, that fuch an account of it is of the last importance to the very being and exercise of true religion, will appear from the following confiderations.

Ift. If the origin of moral evil be not known, we can never make a juft estimate of the evil of fin. For if man was made originally, and without any fault of his own, of a nature fo wicked and infirm, that he was naturally difpofed to evil, and indifpofed to good, to follow the bent and bias of fuch evil inclinations, will feem living according to the original defign of our nature, which cannot be thought in itself either finful or punifhable. Hence a door would be opened to all manner of vice and impiety, upon principle, and no methods taken to reftrain or fubdue thofe corrupt inclinations, which on this fuppofition, were in-wrought into the very original frame of man's conftitution.

2dly. If the fource of man's present degeneracy and corruption be not known, we fhall not know what thoughts to entertain of the wisdom, holiness, juftice and goodness of GOD.

COULD a holy GoD originally form moral creatures in fuch a degenerate ftate? Could a wife GOD form a rational creature with a nature fo contrary to the law which he gave him, and every way fo indifpofed to promote the glory of his

maker,

maker, and his own happinefs? Could a good GOD fubject his new formed creature to a train of neceffary moral and natural evils, and entail miseries of every kind upon him and his pofterity? Would we thus form and difpofe of our own pofterity, if we had the formation and disposal of them? And fhall the compaffionate father of Spirits, the father of the universe be less good and gracious to his offspring than man! Could a juft God create a nature fo full of inconfiftent and jarring principles as that of man ;— give him reason, a natural confcience and a moral fenfe, ftrongly condemning the evil and approving the good, and yet give him, at the fame time, turbulent paffions and headstrong propenfities to evil, far over-balancing these nobler faculties and better feelings of the foul, and ever prevailing against them? Could a juft and good God make man a contradiction to himself, make him his own perpetual enemy, tantalize him with a law and rule, clear enough to condemn and torment him, but utterly unable to guide and direct him? All thefe queftions will perpetually urge us, and never admit a fatisfactory answer, if mankind is not supposed to be, at prefent, in a fallen and degenerate state.

3dly. IGNORANCE of the fall of man, or a fuppofition that he is at present in no worse a condition than when he first proceeded from the hands of his maker, will render it impoffible for us to judge what cftimate GOD himself will make of fin; whether he may judge it to deserve any punishment or not; or what degree of punishment he may allot to finners: For, if the original conftitution of man's nature was