Heid,·I. Th·e Corrupti~n- if the U~derflandiitg. 3' after all, there is a new demogfl:r'ative here, before the fen· tence is cornpleat: he fays not, The woman gave me, but, the womanfhe gave me, emphatically, as if he ~ad faid, She even fhe gave me of the tree. This much for his apology: But his coofeffion is quickly·over, in one; word (as he fpoke it) ~nd I did eat. And there is nothing h~re to point to himfelf, and as little to 'fhew what he had eaten. How na– tural is this black' art to· Adam's pofierity ? he that runs may read it. So univerfally dQ.es Sol;1'i1on's obferve hold true, Prov. x:vii. 3• 'rhe foolifhnefs of man perverteth hiJ 'Ways; and his heart fretteth again)l' the Lord, Let us • then ~all fallen Adam, 'Father; I·etus not qeny the ' rdation·, feei~;g· we bear .his image. ·' · - And n~w to fh:ut up _this point, fllfficieotly confirmed by concurring evidence from the Lord's word, our ow·n expe– rience and obfervation ; ·let us be perfuaded to bel ieve the doCtrine of the corruption of our nature, and to look. to the ' fecond Adam the .blelfed Jefus, for the application of his . preci~us blood, 'to remove the guilt of this fin; 'and fortne efficacy of his holy Spirit, to make us new creaturts, · knowing that except ·q.ue bt: 'born again, ~e cannot enter • intq ·th:_ kingdqm:ofGod. · · · ....... . ~ ·; . . ' . Ofthe 'Corruption oft,Se Underjland'ing. SE. ~ONDLY, I proceed to inquire into the corruption of nature, in the feveral parts thereof. But who can .-eom· p~e'hend it? vVho can take the exact dimenfion of it, iu its breadth, length , height, and depth? The heart i1 deceit- · ful above all things, 'and deJPtrate& wicked; . ~ho can know it? Jer. xvii. 9· Ho;wever, we may quickly per~eive as much of it, as may be matter - of deepeit humiliation, and may difcover to us the 'abfolute necd1ity of regen'era• tion. Man in his natural dlate is altogether corrupt. Both foul and body are polluted, as the ·apo·file proves at latge, Rom. iii. Io,---t8.· As for the foul, this natural corrup·- , tion has fpread itfelf through all the faculties thereof '; and is to be' found in the underHanding, the will, the affections, the confcience, and the memory. - . I. The underjlanding1 that leading faculty, is defpoiled of its primitive glory, and .covered over with confufion, l:Ve have fallen into the hands of our grand adverfary, 2s D
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