20 Temptations to Evil, not from God. S E R M. For inftance, to reprefent the nature of men L as fo corrupted, without any perfonal fault of theirs (of which original depravity, there- fore, fuppofed to be conveyed with our very being, a man's confcience cannot accufe him) that they are under a fatal neceffity of finning, and that it is utterly impoß'ible for them to do any thing which is good. What thoughts can a man have of this, but that it is the appointed condition of his being, to be refolved ultimately into the will of his maker, juft like the fhortnefs of his under - ftanding, the imperfection of his fenfes, or even the frailty of his body ? Thefe latter fort of infirmities may very well be attribu- ted to God as the author of them, without any difhonourable imputation, but criminal weakneffes, guilt imputed, to which men were no way confenting, and fin fo infepa- rably cleaving to their nature, as to be their very conftitution, and utterly unavoidable; this, I doubt, cannot be accounted for with- out giving men fome handle to fay they are tempted of God ; nor doth the difficulty feem to be folved, and the divine purity and goodnefs upon this principle vindicated by the hypothefis of an original offence, in which no man, who was not then in being, can think he had any participation. The
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