in Contriving Man's Redemption. 10[ by a vicious. carelefnefs, neglecting to confider the danger, or judging that the excelle!ICy ~ of the End d1d ouHve•gh the evil of the Means, commended 1t to the W1II, and that re- ~ fol vcd to embrace it. It is evident therefore, that the Acbon wluch refulted from the dir~l~~d~s~fAt:Jetl~~~gr:;'~h~~ei~~\~~ ~~tj~'~n~i~io~~~,a~~~~t~~K E;~:;aEler that the perfan is under conllraint; fo the Del1ght that attends 1t IS a clear Ev1dence that he IS free. When the Af'Petitt is drawn by the lure of Plea fur~, ('Jam. 1 . 1 4· ) the more violent, the more voluntary is its motton. Now the reprefe~ta~Jons of the Jorbrdden. Fr".u were under the notion of Pleafure. The Woman faw the FYiat was good for food, that IS, pleafurable to the Palate, and plea{tmt to th-e Eyes, and to be dejired t~ make one rvJ(e, Gen.~· 6. That is, to increafe Knowledge, which is the pleafure ?f the Mmd, and thefe AlleElwes. d:aw her into the fnarc. Atlam with complacency recctv'd the temptatiOn, and by the mttc_ement of Satan, committed Adultery with the Creature, from whence the curfed race of Sm and Miferies proceed. . . . Suppofe the Devil had fo di!guis'd the Temptation,thatnotw!thllandmg all mcumfpetl:ion and care, .Ad~tm could not have dtfcovered tts. evil; Jn~ uwmctble_ lgnoran_ci had ~en .. dered the aftion involuntary : ~ut Ada:n.t was c,onfu.ous o.f hlS ow~ A~hon, there was ltght ~ ~~~~ ~}eu;Jio~ ~~~~=;~~c~b~ ~:~'f~~! ~ff~tt~~ 1fg~~r~~~ ~~ 1:~~~e~~gle~,r ~~etr~a~~~ of Paffion it ,ioth not excufe : The ACtion it fe!f was of that moment, and the Supreme Law.givet~ fo worthy of Reverence, that it fhould have awalcencd all the powers of his Soul to beware of that which was Rebellion again!t God, and Ruine to himfelf. Or fuppofe he had been tried by Torments, whofe extremity and continuance had vehemently opprelllus nature ; this had only le!Ten'd the Guilt, the Action had !till been voluntary: for no external Force can compel the Will to chufe any thing but under the Notion of rompttratwe Goodnefs, Job 36. 21. Now to chufe Sm rather than Pams, and to prefer Eafe before Obedience, is highly difhonourable to God, whofe Glory ought to be infinitely more valuable to us than Life, and all its endearments. And though fl1arp Pains, by difcompofing the Body, make the Soul unfit for its highefl: and nobloll Opera. tions, fo that it cannot perform the ACl:s of Vertue with delight and freedom ; yet then it may abllain from Evil. But this was not Adam's cafe: The Devll had no power over ~~~o~ a; ~~e~i~~~b'~,~~ ~\~i:~l~ 1,":r;~~7;~~J ~~ ~a~%p~~~ifafto~m~~i~jl;,'~~o~~~n ;,;:~ had llrength fufficient to repel all the Powers of Darknefs, yet he was vanquifht by the a!fault of a fingle Temptation. Now that Man fo richly furnifht with all the Perfeaions of the Mind, and the excellent Verrues of which Original Righteoufnefs was com. pos'd ; that endued with KrowJedg to forefee the incomparable Evil that would redound tO himfclf, and the unirerfal to his pollerity by his difobe<lience ; that being fo well tempered in Ius Conftitmion, that all his Appetites were fubjeCl: to Reafon; that notwithilanding thefe prefervatives, he fhould be deceived by the falfe perfwalion of an erring Mind, and overcome by Carnal Concup1fcence, as the evil effeCl:s of it will not ceafe.to the end of the World, n01' the juil wonder how it was poffible to happen: Thefe are the circumilances which derive a Crimfon-guilt to his rebellious Sin, and render it above meafure finful. · · 1 his will. more fully appear in the dreadful effeCl:s that enfued. By his difobedience he loll Ongmal Rrghteoufnefs, and made a deadly forferture of Felicity. 1. He loll Ongmal R rghteoufnefs ' for that fo depended on the humane faculties, that the actual viO!atronof the Law was prefently attended with the privation of it. Belides, the nature of hts Sm contamed an entire forfakmg of God, as envrous of his Happin.efs.. and a com·er!ion to the Creature as the fupreme Good. And whatever is delir'd as the !aft end pcrfe&ir·e of Man, virtually includes all fubordinate ends, and regulates all f!I~an~ tor obtauung 1c. So that that bemg chang'd, a umverfal change of moral qualmes m Adam nece!farily followed. In ilead of the rectitude and excellent holine!S of the Soul, fucceedcd a permanent Vicioufnefs and Corruption. Now Holinefs may be confidcred _m tl:e !lotto~ of Punty and _Beauty, or of Dommton and Liberty, in oppofition to '~'luch Sm 1s reprcfcnted ~~ Scn ~rure by foul Deformity and Servitude. . I. H" Soul degenerated from rts Punty ; the Facul ties remain'cl, but the mora.! Per' fecuans. were loll~ wl~erem the ~r.ightnefs of God's I'"!l.agc \yas ~oft confpi~uOus.· The holy Wrfdom ofhrs Vlmd, the d!VI?e Love, that fanctl nod Ills w.ll , the fpintual Power, to obey qod, were totally quench d. How IS Man diSfigur'd by his Fall! How is h~ .tJamfot!nd~ ma.n ,~fiant, fi·om the Image_ofGod into the Image of the Devil! He is defiled with the f1 lthmefs of Flefh and Spiru:; he is afhamed at the fightDf his own !Ja- )iedncfs that reproached hm1 !or Ius cnme ; but the mofl: fhameful was that of the Soul : Th;
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=