be bleffed in the celeftial regions, while the other lycs putrefying in the Grave? IV. Man was made innocent and happy. It would not become the creator to form him with an averfion to himself. It would be monftrous, that the new-made Wight fhould rife up into Being with an innate difaffection to his good and bountiful Creator. Being endued with an untainted mind, how could he open his eyes, and not admire (even to astonishment) the free unmerited favour and munificence of his Maker! Having a pure heart, he muft love what was lovely, and furely, most of all, the moft amiable Being; him, that was most excellent in himself, and had fo recommended himself to his creatures love. It may rationally be fuppofed and faid, that when the maker upon the completion of the fyftem, furvey'd his works, he faw all was very good: Good, in it felf; good in its order, fituation and harmony with each other. Good in correspondence to his wisdom and will, and the defign of his glory. And fo man must be very good in his place and order. Good, in respect to the law of his creation. God made man upright. And made him happy too. He could enjoy the poffeffions that were round about him. He had a mind to contemplate, and a heart to relish the accommodations with which he was prefented. His maker did not think the common earth (though then in its pure and virgin-ftate) good enough for his reception. A garden of pleafure, he prepares for him, ftored with all the delights of the rich and fragrant Eaft. There he might enjoy himself, employ his philofophic genius, and tafte all the fweets the untarnish'd creation could afford. V. Thus Man was placed the Creator's Lieutenant here below; master of the mute animals; lord of wide and plentiful dominions. Conftituted little lower than Angels; capable of living in amity, and converfe with his Maker;and of tafting thatloving-kindness,that is better than life. Here he might (and poffibly did) enjoy the communion and entercourfe of fuperior fpirits; capable either of an immortal abode here, or of a tranf lation to an higher world, when the Creator pleas'd. What What a brave Being was man according to his original conftitution and order! Strange, that he is loth to be acquainted with himself, and to recognize his high pedigree and defcent! In other cafes, he is willing to inhance his rife and family. Noble blood in ordinary propagation, looks great. But when we are the Creator's offspring, and defcend from the fountain of honour, we cafily deny or forget it. Degeneracy of man, that would difparage himself, refuse his native excellency, and even renounce (as far as he can) his own immortality! He is afraid of being capable of a better world, and would exchange condition with the brutes. But the great God will not permit his own defigns to be fo defeated. He will not herein deny himself nor his own workmanship, nor the primitive dignity he conferr'd upon us, nor the good will that he ftill bears to us. The christian inftitution comes to aflert it, and to raise us to an higher elevation than ever we had. No religion can put an higher honour upon our nature, or pretend to advance us higher, than this does. The more any man values himself, the more he would value that revelation, that com mends his Nature and dignity, and will exalt him to the most incomparable Felicity. The Chiftian Inftitution fuppofes and acknowledges. our Apoftacy and Revolt from God, and accordingly treats us with fuitable prefcription for our recovery and cure. T II fuppofes our apoftacy, in that the design and tendency of it, is to abolish fin and guilt. It acknowledges it, in that it obliges us to make free and penitent confeffion thereof to God. It has been a puzzling inquiry of old, How fin, or moral evil fhould at first fpring up into the world, It might well be fuppofed, that God made man pure and upright and under a wife and equitable law for his con- duct duct to bliss. But here we are inform'd, That by one man (and he the first man too) fin entred into the world, and death by fin, and fo death passed npon all, inasmuch as all have finned. (a) The head of our race relinquifh'd his allegiance to his Maker, wilfully rebell'd against the Divine law and authority, forfeited the Divine favour, incurred the the threatning, and intail'd punishment on his pofterity. We fee a depraved nature is derived down through all generations. The immediate Son of the first tranfgreffor proceeded to that degree of envy and malice, that he murder'd his own brother, more righteous than himself. And so, impiety so spread and prevail'd in the world, till Divine patience would bear no longer,but gave way to Juftice, which brought in a deluge of water, and swept mankind (excepting one family) from off the face of the earth. Notwithstanding that astonishing judgment, fin ftill grew with the increase of mankind, till a cluster of cities, for their unnatural wickedness, were, by a burning fhower, turned into a vast peftilential lake. Though Divine Judgment thus pursues fin at the heels, yet the hearts of men are fet in them to do evil. Nay, though a Revelation is fent us, to inform us, that fin has entred into the heavenly Regions, and has banish'd innumerable potent inhabitants from thence, who are excluded from all hope of mercy and forgivenels, yet the awful report has little Influence upon human minds, and prevails but with very few to ftudy how to escape the like dreadful judgment and execution. By daily experience and acquaintance with the world, we find that, 1. It is an atheistical world. Notwithstanding the glaring evidence that Heaven and Earth afford us of the great God, yet men are willing in heart to deny him. If evidence constrains their minds, yet they are ready to wish there were no God. They are at enmity with his Existence. They would be eas'd of theburden of Religion and the care of Conscience. When they cannot prevent his Existence, they will live without him, as much as they can. They will not think of him, nor employ their mind in meditation on him and his glories. They ftrangely limit their eyes and thoughts to his works, that furround them; and little regard (4) Rom. v. 12. the the defign and perfections of the illuftrious Author. They care not to ftudy his Wisdom, Will, and Goodness manifefted therein, or to obferve their relations to him, and obligations to his love and bounty. They care not to retain him in their knowledge, to fear or love him, to feek his mercy and favour, or to pay the worship and acknowledgments that are most highly his due. He may juftly appeal to the vifible Creation, to bear witness against our impiety and ingratitude; Hear, O heavens! and give ear, O earth! I have nourished and brought up children; and they have rebelled against me! Look II. It is an unrighteous world. Man is a Tyrant and Opposer to his brethren. Adverfaries are ready to tell us, That the ftate of nature is a ftate of war. The ftate of vitiated nature is become fuch. The prnciples of love and righteousness are almoft extinguifh'd. Fraud and Cruelty reign in all generations. See their power and prevalence in all hiftory facred and civil. See one paffage in The Religion of Nature delineated (p. 202.) I choose to refer you to thofe authors, who have defignedly treated of the torments and questions of the ancients. into the hiftory of the chriftian church (which is generally a very fad ftory) and her martyrologies; examine the prifons of the Inquifition (the fuburbs of hell) the groans, of which thofe walls are confcious, and upon what flight occafions men are rack'd and tortured by the tormentors there. ---Indeed the history of mankind is little elfe but the history of uncomfortable and dreadful passages; and a great part of it, however things are palliated and gilded over, is fcarcely to be read by a good-natur'd man, without amazement, horror, and tears. The history of the misery of mankind, is at the fame time, the hiftory of its iniquity and unrighteoufnefs. Neither divine nor human laws can prevent the frauds, injuftice and villanies of human nature. How ordinarily do our Affizes and News-papers aver the truth of that impeachment of men, drawn up Rom. 1. 29. That they are fill'd with all un. righteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness, full of envy, murder, contention, deceit, malignity. III. It is a Self-destroying world. Men live and act, as if they hated themselves. They are averfe to the means and methods of their own safety and welfare. They ruin their own Souls, and frequently destroy their own Bodies. Sin indeed is the way to misery. They must needs be unhappy that forfake the fountain of happiness. They muft needs be miferable, that forfeit the favour and mercies of the bleffed God. They muft needs be accurfed,that provoke the jealoufie and juftice of God against their own Souls. They must needs be unquiet and restless, that affront their own light, and wound their own confcience. But whatever hardships attend mens fins, they will proceed. Whatever difeases, pains, and executions attend their lufts, they will fulfill them. Let the executioner fay, how many wilfully run themselves into his hands. Let the Physician fay, how many wilfully bring themselves down to the grave. Hell, will, at last give up its dead, and then shall it appear, how many wilfully plunged themselves into those flames. O Ifrael (O mankind!) Thou destroyeft thy felf! The great God may well complain, Te will not come to me that ye may have life! O that they were wife! that they understood this (their own peace and wel_ fare) and that they would confider their latter end! But fome exceptions (it will be faid) there are from this general exorbitancy and contagion. Well, let there be fo; or elfe there would be no fruit of that falutary inftitution, that God has fet up in the world. Befides, there are many restraints from outward impediments. There are also fome feeds of Virtue and good humour left, for the better government of the World, or it would all be in confufion. Some live in more illuminated lands, where their minds are more inform'd, and their consciences more awed. And there are fome inftances of fanctifying. grace. But the beft are far from being perfect. And God has fome. times exalted good men to eminent ftations, or left them to temptations, that they might see what was in them,and that it might appear that human nature, in the beft, refigned to any corruption, will make fearful work. And were mankind left intirely to it felf, how much worse it would be than it is, none can tell. But we fee what a world it now is, and how it groans for a Saviour and Deliverer, and how juftly God's |