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CHAP.

V.

16,17,18,

21, 22.

74. For although MAN has become a captive to that LAW OF SIN, and fallen entirely under its dominion; and notwithstanding it works in him all manner of concupiscence, and contrary to the law of light, leads him into the most secret and abominable actions; which cannot even bear the presence of an innocent child, or a fellow creature, and much less the inflexible light and purity of a just and holy God.

75. Yet this very law of sin has the effrontery to call itself the original and pure law of nature, and to vindicate its existence and lawless actions, by specious reasonings from a claim to the original command or ordinance of God, Re fruitful. The deepest deception! A very MYSTERY!

76. For unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou Psalm 1. to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant into thy mouth? seeing thou hatest instruction, and castest my words behind thee. When thou sarvest a thief, then thou consentedst with him, and hast been a partaker with adulterers.

22.

77. These things hast thou done, and I kept silence ; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself: but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thine eyes. Now consider this, ye that forget God,

lest I tear you in pieces, and there be none to deliver.

78. I planted thee a noble vine, wholly a right seed; Jer.ü.21, how then art thou turned into the degenerate plant of a strange vine unto me? For though thou wash thee with nitre, aud take thee much soap, yet is thine iniquity marked before me, saith the Lord God.

79. Thus far concerning that MYSTERY, which as a veil hath covered the INIQUITY of all nations.

CHAPTER. VI.

The principal Seat of Human Depravity.

T is granted that sin is the first cause of shame ;

cence, they were both naked, and were not ashamed. But no sooner had they transgressed, than they felt shame, and made themselves aprons of fig-leaves, to cover and hide something from each other.

2. And as they begat children in their own likeness; from thence it is decided by the practice of all nations, what part that was which they covered, and of course, where the seat of sin is.

3. But what was the matter with that part? Why did the shame' occasioned by sin, fall particularly there? If their transgression is to be considered in a literal sense, and not as represented in a figure, why did not the shame fall upon the hand that took the fruit, and the mouth that ate it?

4. But it does not appear that God took any notice of the hand, or the mouth, in pronouncing the curse which they had merited; but laid it on the same part which they covered, and of which they were ashamed.

CHAP.

VI..

16.

* See

5. And God said unto the woman, I will greatly Gen.. multiply thy sorrow, and thy conception;-thy desire (or lust*) shall be to thy husband, and he shall rule Eph.ii.3. over thee.

Also, Cruden,

Article

6. Why multiply her sorrow and her conception? Desire. Why not punish her some other way? God distributes punishments according to the nature of the crime.

7. The Israelites lusted for flesh, and their pun- Nun. xi. ishment was to have their fill of it, till it turned into 33, 34. a great plague, and they died with it between their teeth. As it is written, he gave them their own desire; xx they were not estranged from their lust.

8. Hence, from the very nature of the curse denounced upon the woman, it is easy to see wherein the offence lay: a curse of which her child-bearing daughters have had more or less sorrowful experience even to this day.

Psalma

29, 30.

CHAP.
VI.

9. And unto the serpent the Lord God said, Because thou hast done this, thou art cursed above all catGen. . tle And I will put enmity between thee and the woman, and between thy seed and her seed; it shall bruise thy head, and thou shalt bruise his heel.

14, 15.

10. Now if this serpent is to be understood literally, as a natural serpent or snake, and the seed of the woman is Jesus the Christ; when, or how, was ever the thing literally fulfilled? Where did ever Jesus bruise the head of a rattle-snake, or adder, or any thing of the kind, more than any other man?

11. The truth is, the words of God to the serpent, are to be understood in a figurative sense. And the serpent here meant, is that old serpent the Devil, and Satan, who deceiveth the nations: for he it is that Christ came to destroy.

12. But when we say, the serpent, whose head Christ was to bruise, was not a natural serpent or snake, this is not saying, that there was no natural serpent in the question. To say the figure of a thing is not the substance, is not saying there was no figure.

13. It need not be disputed that the Devil spake through the serpent, or that the subtilty of the ser pent was made use of, to charm and allure the woman, to listen to his words.

14. Neither need it be disputed, that Adam and Eve were placed on a certain beautiful spot of ground; or that the Lord caused to grow out of the ground, every tree that was good for food; and the tree of life also in the midst of the garden, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil.

15. And admitting the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, with its pleasant fruit, to have answered the serpent as a figure, to represent to the view of the woman, the desirableness of that which was forbidden, so that she was thereby beguiled; this would not make the figure the substance, nor would the substance destroy the figure.

16. But if the tree of life, and the tree of the knowledge of good and evil, here spoken of, are to be understood in a literal sense, as natural trees, then where are those trees at this time?

17. It is evident from the scriptures of truth, that

VI.

the tree of life was not destroyed, but still remains. CHAP. As it is written, Blessed are they that do his commandments, that they may have right to the tree of life. The Rev.xxii tree of life is the way of life.

18. Then, as life is represented by a tree, so is the knowledge of good and evil; and so also the serpent hath his head, and the woman her seed, in a figure.

19. It is certain, that the nature and image of the serpent is formed in fallen man; from whence Christ said, Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers! And as it is by means of certain passions or affections that man is formed, it must be among these that the serpent's head is to be found.

20. The head of any thing, is the highest or uppermost part; that which is superior to any other part. And that which forms or produces a thing, must be its superior, and proper head.

21. Therefore, as man is not literally a serpent or a snake, it cannot be literally his head that is to be bruised. But as the body is made up of different members or parts; so in these is represented that system, or body of affections, desires or propensities, by which man is led and governed.

22. And if the affections and desires of fallen man,' are low, mean and base, resembling the serpent; then it must be among these, that we are to look for the serpent's head; and this must be his highest affection; that in which he finds the most supreme delight.

23. The whole body of the serpent was formed in man by the fall; but the head of this body is not the inferior, but the superior part; and every part of the body, though of one nature, must be distinguished from the head, and are all dependant on it, and subject to it.

14.

24. Hence it is written, Mortify your members Col.iii. 5; which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, in- 8, 9. ordinate affection, evil concupiscence, and covetousness, which is idolatry. But now ye put off all these ; anger, wrath, malice, blasphemy, filthy communication out of your mouth-seeing ye have put off the old man with chap.it his deeds-in putting off the body of the sins of the flesh. 1

CHAP.

VI.

a

25. Every one knows that, anger, wrath, malice, covetousness, uncleanness, and such like, are not members of the human body; yet they are members of that body which is called, The body of the sins of the flesh. And as every body must have a head, and as these members or affections are of a low, base, serpentine nature; of course, their head must be that head of the serpent which Christ was to bruise.

26. Then as the leading part of the serpent's image, which was formed in man, can exist only in the principal, leading part of man's affections, of course, it may easily be determined where it is that the head of the serpent lies.

27. Every part of man is possessed of some sensitive quality, yet his affections are not inherent in him, but are created by means of certain objects presented to him.

28. Thus, he has a sense of seeing, hearing and feeling; but he cannot see where there is no light, he cannot hear where there is no sound, nor feel where there is nothing to feel; so neither can he love where there is nothing lovely, nor be pleased where there is nothing pleasing.

29. And although man is composed of so many capacities and organs of sense, yet they cannot be all equal; there must be a ruling sense; some one that is counted more noble, that is quicker in its motion, and affords superior enjoyment in its gratification. And as this ruling sense is capable of being moved only by some other object; so that which creates, or gives life to this sense, must also be the supreme object.

30. Then, what is there in the universe, within the comprehension of man, that has so sensible, so. quick and ravishing an operation, as a corresponding desire of the flesh in the different sexes? And in proportion as that desire is manifested by words or actions in either; so much the more is that head or chief passion quickened and inflamed.

31. As a gushing fountain is more powerful in its operations than an oozing spring; so that desire of carnal enjoyment, that mutually operates between

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