in Contriving Man's Redemption. 99 thefe pretences he ruin·d Innocence it felf. For the Woman deceived by thofe fpecious ~ Alle{lives, fwallow'd the Poifon of the Serpent, and having tailed Death, fhe pcrfwaded Chap. 2. her Husband, by the fame Motives, to detpifc the Law of their Creator. Thus fin en- ·~ ter ·d, and brought Confufion into the World. For the moral Harmony of the World conofling in the )tdt Subordination of the fcveral Ranks of Bcmgs to one another, and of all ro God; when Man who was placed next to God broke the Union, his Fall brought a defpcrate Diforder into God's Government. And though the matter of the Offence fcems fmall, yet the Difobedience was infinitely great; it being the Tranfgref!ion of that Command, wh1ch was g1ven to be the Inftance and real Proof of Man's SubJeEl:1on to God. Tot am legem violavit in t!lo legalu obedienti£ pr£ccpto. Tertul The Honour and Majefty of the whole Law was violated in the Breach of that Symbolical Pmept. 'Twas a d1reS: and formal Rcbelhon, a publick Renunciation of Obedience, an uHiverlal Apoflacy from God, and Change of the ]aft End, that extingui01'd the Habit of original Righteoufnefs. Many Sms were combined in that fingle AS:. 1. Infidelity: This was the jirfl Step to Ruin. It appears by the Order of the Tem- ~tation :_ 'twas firft fa id by the De\~il, Te Jball not a~e. to weaken then· Fa1th; then, Te /'!_•ll be ltke Gods, to flatter their Ambition. The fear of Death would have controul'd the Efficacy of all his Arguments; till that reflraint was broke, he could fallen nothing upon them. This Account the Apoftle gives of the Fall, 1 Tim. 2. 14. The Woman being deceived, w.u in the Tranjgref/ion. As Obedience is the Ef!CS: of Faith, fo Difobedience of In· fidelity : And as Faith comes by hearing the Word of God, fo Infidelity by liflening to the words of the Devil. Prom the Deceptton of the Mind proceeded the Depravation of ' the Will, the lnt<mperance of the Appetite, and the DefeS:ion of the whole Man. Thus .. as the natural, fo the Jfiritual Death made its jirfi Entrance by the (f) Eye. And this . 1 f) Pnme ~~f~J. is extremely aggravated, as it implies an Accufation of God both of Envy and ~~t~o~~~;;ul ~o· 1. Of Envy; As if he had ·deni'd them the per(eS:ions becoming the Human Nature, and they might afcend to a higher Or' than that wherein they were placed, by eating the forbidden Fruit. And what greater Difparagement could there be of the Divine Goodnefs, than to fufpeS: the Deity of fuch a low and bafe Paffion, which is the fpecial CharaS:er of the Angels of Darknefs ? 2. 'Twas equally injurious to the Honour of God's Truth. For it is not ealie to conceive, that Adam, who was fo lately. the EffeS: of God's Omnipotence, fhould prefently dil!rufl it as unable to infl1S: the Punifhment threatned, but his Alfent was weakened as to the Truth of the threatening : He did not believe the danger to be !o great or certain upon his D1fobedicnce. And he that believes not God, makes him a Liar, 1 John 5· t6. An Impiety not to be thought on without Horror. And that which heightens the Affi·onr, is, that when he diflrufled the Fountain of Truth, he gave credit to the Father of Lies ; as appears by his Compliance, the real Evidence of his Faith. Now what viler contmnely. could be offered to the Creator ? 2. Prod1gious Prtde(g)' He was fcarce out of the !late of nothing, no fooner crea- (g) 7!e ted, but he afpn·'d to be as God. Not content with his Image, he affeS:ed an Equality, P"mife ofebc ~~i~~o~1~,~~~.7 ~f :~:: ~~t;::.~~~~t:,t~~bc~t:~a~e \~~h~~t 1~~p~~la~~e~~isof~~~·n~rJ~~i~~ ;?,fE~~!,:ot know all thmgs without referve. Infinite Infolence! and worthy of the moft fiery In- g~d bim "'' · · d1gnation! That Man, the Son of the Earth, forgetful of his Original, fbould ufurp the fo~~fd';~j~1~, Prerogatives which arc cifential to the Deity, and fet uphimfelfa real Idol, was a fi:rain Jmmorralitb of that Arrogancy which corrupted the Angels. =~'~;~~~~'1u. hut Jb{o/1/tt; n~bieb;&properroGod aJoiJt . . 3· Horrid Ingratit~de : He was a~pninted Heir apparent of all things; yet underva• lumg hiS prefent Pm·tlon, he entertams a ProjeEf of 1mproving his Happinefs. The ex. cellent State newly conferred up_on him, was a flrong Obligation to pay fo fmall an acknowledgment to ]115 Lord. 1 he Ufe of all the Garden was allowed to him, only a T ree excepted (h). Now 10 the m1dfl of fuch Variety and Plenty, to b~ inAam'd with ( h ) p,,.. the mtcmperate A_ppetne of th~ forb :dde~ Fruit, and to break a Command fo equal and ~~~~~~"~;euno ea lie, \Vhat was lt_ but a d~fplfing the nch Goodnefs of his great BenefaU:or ? Befides, no~ edendo ubi J\1an was endued wtth a dJvmer Spirit than the inferiour Order of Crearures : Rcafon and a/1 ~'""? r~nu ~1bcrt~ ~vcre the fpecial Prir i ledg~s of his ~ature; and, to abufe them to Rebellion, b?r';ll ,~::nbjJ~;~e J ende:s lu~1, as more unre~.fonable, io more d1fingenuous than the Creatures below him} lld obfuvlln• w]JO mAcXLbly obey the Will of God. '""'·"m b, . ;~p;;::t'1 ~~~i,. ~~~ ~:~1(:'~~; n~n:.u7/"luntati •upWrar refifl(b4t, 112t11o m1jod i11j:if!iti~ <Vio!all!m cfl~ q1141:JO f<lc ilitd poJ;: :ffr~::n~f.t 02 +T~
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