"The flesh," as being propagated by carnal generation, and always opposing the Spirit, the gracious principle which we have from Adam the second. And "concupiscence," that mystic Jezebel, who brings forth the infinite variety of "fleshly, worldly," and "mental lusts which war against the soul."

Nor are St. James and St. John less severe than St. Paul upon the unconverted man. The one observes that his wisdom, the best property naturally belonging to him, "descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, and devilish;" and the other positively declares, that "the whole world lieth in wickedness," James iii, 15; 1 John v, 19.

Our Lord, whose Spirit inspired the prophets and apostles, confirms their lamentable testimony. To make us seriously consider sin, our mortal disease, he reminds us that "the whole have no need of a physi cian, but they that are sick," Luke v, 31. He declares, that "men love darkness rather than light:" that "the world hates them," and that "its works are evil," John iii, 19; xv, 18; vii, 7. He directs all to pray for the "pardon of sin," as "being evil," and "owing ten thousand talents" to their heavenly creditor, Matt. vi, 12; vii, 11; xviii, 24. And he assures us, that "the things which defile the man, come from within ;" and that "out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, adulteries, fornications, murders, thefts, covetousness, wickedness, deceit, lasciviousness, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness," Mark vii, 21; Matt. xv, 19; and, in a word, all moral evil.

Some, indeed, confine what the Scriptures say of the depravity of human hearts to the abandoned heathens and persecuting Jews; as if the professors of morality and Christianity were not concerned in the dreadful charge. But if the apostolic writings affirm that Christ "came not to call the righteous, but sinners;" that "he died for the ungodly," and that "he suffered, the just for the unjust;" it is plain that, unless he did not suffer and die for moral men and Christians, they are by nature sinners, ungodly, and unjust, as the rest of mankind, Romans v, 5; 1 Peter iii, 18.

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If this assertion seems severe, let some of the best men that ever lived decide the point; not by the experience of immoral persons, but by their own. "I abhor myself," says Job, "and repent in dust and ashes," Job xliii, 6. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity," says David, "and in sin did my mother conceive me,” Psalm li, 5. "Wo is me, for I am undone," says Isaiah, "because I am a man of unclean lips," Isa. vi, 5. "I know," says St. Paul, "that in me, that is, in my flesh, dwelleth no good thing," Rom. vii, 18. "We ourselves," says he to Titus, "were sometimes foolish, disobedient, deceived, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another," Tit. iii, 3. And speaking of himself and the Christians at Ephesus, he leaves upon record this memorable sentence, "We were, by nature, the children of wrath even as others," Eph. ii, 3. Such humbling thoughts have the best men entertained both of their natural estate, and of themselves!

But as no one is a more proper person to appeal to in this matter than this learned apostle, who, by continually conversing with Jews, heathens, and Christians in his travels, had such an opportunity of knowing mankind, let us hear him sum up the suffrages of his inspired brethren. "What then," says he, "are we better than they?" Better than the

immoral Pagaus and hypocritical Jews described in the two preceding chapters? "No, in no wise." And he proves it by observing, (1.) The universality of human corruption: "All are under sin, as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one." (2.) The extent of it in individuals, as it affects the whole man, especially his mind: "There is none that understandeth" the things of God. His affections: "There is none that seeketh after God:" and his actions: "They are all gone out of the way" of duty: "There is none that doeth good, no, not one;" for "all have their conversation in the lusts of the flesh and of the mind." (3.) The outbreakings of this corruption through all the parts of the body: "Their throat, their lips, their mouth, their feet, their eyes, and all their members, are together become unprofitable, and instruments of unrighteousness." As for their tongue, says St. James, it "is a world of iniquity, it defileth the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature, and is set on fire of hell." And lastly, its malignity and virulence: It is loathsome as "an open sepulchre," terrible as one who "runs to shed blood," and mortal as "the poison of asps."

From the whole, speaking of all mankind in their unregenerate state, he justly infers, that "destruction and misery are in their ways." And, lest the self righteous should flatter themselves that this alarming declaration doth not regard them, he adds, that "the Scripture concludes all under sin ;" that "there is no difference, for all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God;" and that "the moral law" denounces a general curse against its violators, "that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God," Rom. iii, 9-23; vi, 19; Eph. ii, 2.

If man is thus corrupt and guilty, he must be liable to condign punishment. Therefore, as the prophets and apostles agree with our Lord in their dismal descriptions of this depravity, so they harmonize with him in the alarming accounts of his danger. Till he flees to the Redeemer as a condemned malefactor, and secures an interest in the salvation provided for the lost, they represent him as on the brink of ruin.

They inform us "that the wrath of God is revealed from heaven,” not only against some atrocious crimes, but "against all unrighteousness of men," Rom. i, 18. "That every transgression and disobedience shall receive a just recompense of reward," Heb. ii, 2. That "the soul that sinneth shall die," because "the wages of sin is death,” Ezek. xviii, 4; Rom. vi, 23. They declare, that "they are cursed who do err from God's commandments:" that "cursed is the man whose heart departeth from the Lord:" that "cursed is every one who continues not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them :" that "whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, is guilty of all:" and that "as many as have sinned without law, shall also perish without law," Psalm cxix, 21; Jer. xvii, 5; Gal. iii, 10; James ii, 10; Rom. ii, 12.

They entreat us to turn, lest we should be found with "the many," in the "broad way to destruction," Ezek. xviii, 23; Matt. vii, 13. They affectionately inform us, "that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God:" that "our God is a consuming fire" to the unregenerate that "indignation and wrath, tribulation and anguish, hang over every soul of man who doeth evil:" that "the Lord shall be revealed

from heaven in flaming fire, to take vengeance on them who know him not, and obey not the Gospel :" that "the wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the people that forget God :" that "they shall be punished with eternal destruction, from the presence of the Lord, and from the glory of his power:" and that "they all shall be damned who believe not the truth, but have pleasure in unrighteousness," Heb. x, 31; xii, 29; Rom. ii, 9; 2 Thess. i, 8; ii, 12; Psalm ix, 17.

Nor does our Lord, who is both the fountain and pattern of true cha. rity, speak a different language. He bids us "fear him, who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell," Luke xii, 5. He solemnly charges us to oppose corrupt nature with the utmost resolution, lest we be "cast into hell, where the worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched," Mark ix, 43. With tenderness he informs us, that "whosoever shall say to his brother, Thou fool! shall be in danger of hell fire;" that not only the wicked, but "the unprofitable servant shall be cast into otter darkness, where will be weeping, wailing, and gnashing of teeth;" and that he himself, far from conniving at sin, will fix the doom of all impenitent sinners, by this dreadful sentence, "Depart from me, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels," Matt. v, 22; xxv, 30, 41.

II. I flatter myself that the doctrine which we are to try by the touchstone of reason, has been already sufficiently established from Scripture. Nevertheless, that the reader may have the fullest view of so momentous a subject, I shall yet present him with a recapitulation of the whole, in the words of our pious reformers, taken out of the articles, homilies, and liturgy of the Church of England.

The ninth article thus describes our depravity and danger: “Original or birth sin is the fault and corruption of the nature of every man, that naturally is engendered of the offspring of Adam; whereby man is very far gone from original righteousness, and is of his own nature inclined to evil, so that the flesh lusteth always contrary to the Spirit; and therefore, in every person born into this world, it deserveth God's wrath and damnation."

The thirty-fifth article gives sanction to the homilies in the following words:-"The book of homilies contains a good and wholesome doctrine, and therefore we judge them to be read in churches, by ministers, diligently and distinctly, that they may be understood by the people. us then see how they set forth the good and wholesome, though lamentable and humbling doctrine of our lost estate.

The title of the second homily is, "A Sermon of the Misery of Mankind, and of his Condemnation to Death Everlasting by his Sin." In the close of it, the contents are summed up in these words:-"We have heard how evil we are of ourselves; how of ourselves, and by ourselves, we have no goodness, help, or salvation; but, on the contrary, sin, dam. nation, and death everlasting."

Our Church is uniform in her woful accounts of man's misery. Hear her in the first homily for Whit-Sunday: "Man of his own nature (since the fall) is fleshly and carnal, corrupt and naught, sinful and disobedient to God, without any spark of goodness in him, without any virtuous or godly motion, only given to evil thoughts and wicked deeds." In the homily on the nativity, she speaks thus: "He (disobedient

man) was now cursed and abhorred. Instead of the image of God, he was now become the image of the devil, the bond slave of hell: altogether spotted and defiled, he seemed to be nothing else but a lump of sin; and therefore, by the just judgment of God, he was condemned to everlasting death. Thus, in Adam, all men became universally mortal, having in themselves nothing but everlasting damnation* of body and soul."

The same doctrine is delivered with the same plainness in the second part of the homily on the passion. "Adam died the death, that is, became mortal, lost the favour of God, and was cast out of paradise, being no longer a citizen of heaven, but a firebrand of hell, and a bond slave of the devil. And St. Paul bears witness, that by Adam's offence death came upon all men to condemnation,' who became plain reprobates and castaways, being perpetually damned to the everlasting pains of hell fire.”

Agreeably to this we are taught, in the second part of the homily on repentance, that " part of that virtue consists in an unfeigned acknow. ledgment of our sins to God, whom by them we have so grievously offended, that if he should deal with us according to his justice, we deserve a thousand hells, if there were so many."

The same vein of wholesome though unpleasant doctrine runs through the liturgy of our Church. She opens her service by exhorting us "not to dissemble nor cloak our manifold sins and wickedness." She acknowledges, in her confessions, that "we have erred and strayed from God's ways like lost sheep,"-that "there is no health in us," that we are "miserable sinners, miserable offenders, to whom our sins are grievous," and "the burden of them is intolerable."

She begins her baptismal office by reminding us that "all men are conceived and born in sin." She teaches in her catechism that " we are by nature born in sin, and the children of wrath." She confesses in the collect before the general thanksgiving, that "we are tied and bound with the chain of our sins," and entreats God to "let the pitifulness of his great mercy loose us :" and in her suffrages she beseeches him to ❝have mercy upon us," to "spare us," and "make speed to save us ;" a language that can suit none but condemned sinners.

Duly sensible of our extreme danger till we have secured an interest in Christ, at the grave she supplicates the "most holy God not to deliver us into the bitter pains of eternal death :" and in the litany she beseeches our Lord Jesus Christ, "by his agony and bloody sweat, by his cross and passion," to "deliver us from his wrath and everlasting damnation." Thus is our Church every where consistent with herself, and with the oracles of God, in representing us as corrupt, condemned creatures in Adam, till we are penitent, absolved believers in Jesus Christ.

* Prejudiced persons, who, instead of considering the entire system of truth, run away with a part detached from the whole, will be offended here, as if our Church "damned every body." But the candid reader will easily observe, that, instead of dooming any one to destruction, she only declares, that the Saviour finds all men in a state of condemnation and misery, where they would eternally remain, were it not for the compassionate equity of our gracious God, which does not permit him to sentence to a consciousness of eternal torments, any one of his creatures, for a sin of which they never were personally guilty; and of which, consequently, they can never have any consciousness.

The doctrine to be demonstrated in this treatise being thus fully stated, in the consentaneous words of the sacred writers, and our pious reformers, I shall close this part by an appeal to the reader's candour and common sense. If such are the sentiments of our Church, are those Churchmen reasonable, who intimate that all the maintainers of them are either her open or secret enemies? And may they rank with modest, humble Christians, who, instead of the self-abasing Scripture doctrine here laid down, boldly substitute pompous, Pharisaic descriptions of the present dignity and rectitude of human nature? Without waiting for the obvious answer, I pass to the first class of arguments on which the truth of this mortifying doctrine is established.

PART II.

As no man is bound to believe what is contrary to common sense, if the above stated doctrine appears irrational, Scriptures, articles, homilies, and liturgy, are quoted in vain. When men of parts are pressed with their authority, they start from it as an imposition on their reason, and make as honourable a retreat as they possibly can.

Some, to extricate themselves at once, set the Bible aside, as full of incredible assertions. Others, with more modesty, plead that the Scriptures have been frequently misunderstood, and are so in the present case. They put grammar, criticism, and common sense to the rack, to show that when the inspired writers say the human "heart is desperately wicked," they mean that it is extremely good; or at least like blank paper, ready to receive either the characters of virtue or vice. With respect to the testimony of our reformers, they would have you to understand that in this enlightened age we must leave their harsh, uncharitable sentiments to the old Puritans, and the present Methodists.

That such objectors may subscribe as a solemn truth what they have hitherto rejected as a dangerous error; and that humbled sinners may see the propriety of a heartfelt repentance, and the absolute need of an almighty Redeemer, they are here presented with some proofs of our depravity, taken from the astonishing severity of God's dispensations toward mankind.

AXIOM.

If we consider the SUPREME BEING as creating a world for the manifestation of his glory, the display of his perfections, and the communication of his happiness to an intelligent creature, whom he would attach to himself by the strongest ties of gratitude and love; we at once perceive, that he never could form this earth, and man, in their present disordered, deplorable condition. It is not so absurd to suppose the meridian sun productive of darkness, as to imagine that Infinite Goodness ever produced any kind or degree of evil.

Infinite Holiness and Wisdom having assisted Infinite Goodness to draw the original plan of the world, it could not but be entirely worthy of its glorious Author, absolutely free from every moral defilement and natural disorder: nor could Infinite Power possibly be at a loss to execute what the other Divine attributes had contrived. Therefore, unless VOL. III.

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