in ContriLing JVian's Redemption. I09 is in tu be Darknefi, How great U that Darl:nefs, !viat. 6. 2~. How _irregular and dan~~ gerous mull our Mo~i~ns be ? N?t only rh_e _lower part_ of the Soul ~under a dreadful Chap. 4· Diforder ; but the ~/Nrtt of the Mtnd, the dtvmej! Part, 15 depraved With Ignoranc_e a~d ·~ Error, EpiJef 4· 2 ~· The Light of Reafon is OQ[ pure; bot a~ t!lC San, \~hen. \\'lt~1 HS Beams, it fends down pejfilentia! Influences, and corrupts ~he A1r 111 the en~1ghrmn& t_r, fo the camiit! Min~ corrupts the W_holc ~an, ~y rcprefcnrmg Good as Dvtl, and_t.:v;/ as Good. The WifiJom of the Flefb "Enmtty •gamjl God. And the Aportle defcnbes the ~tare of the GeTJtile_World, Ephef. 4- u. 'l"hat thtir Vnderifa_ndmgs 1vere darkened, b~ing alzenated from tbe 1 ife of God, through the Ignorance that is m them, hecaufe of the b~mdne{i of their Hearts. The Corruption of their Manners procce~\ed from their Mmds. For all Vermes arc directed by Reafon in their Excrcifc, fo that t,f the Undcrllanding be darkened, all Vcrtuous Opera~ions ceafe. . . . . Bcfides, corrupt Man bemg without Light and L1fe, can ne1th~r d1fcern, nor feel Ius ~·~fe~~de~~1~l~:r?;~u~~7~ ~;~~~:r::::bl~t~e\~g1~;~~ty~ni8nf~a;~i~~~rst~~~~~fs11~~r;n~l~~;: fighted. More particularly, th,e E.eafons why the wnal Mind bath not a du,e f~nfe of finful C orrl.lption, are, 1. Bccaufe 'tis ntttural, and cleaves to the Principles of otir Being, fi·om the Birth and Conception, and natural things do not affect us. 2. 'Tis co~firmed by Cujfom, which is a fecond Natu~e, a ~1d harh a !lrange Power to fiupify Conjcunce, and render it infenfible. As the Htffonan obfen'ed concerning the Roman Sotdiers, that by confiant ufe their ArmJ were no mor.e a Burthen tO them than their natural Members. 1· In the trajition from the Infant-llate, to the ARe of difccroiog, Man is incapable of oblcrvin~ his .nattv6 Corrup~ion : Since at ~r!l he atls evilly, an,d is 111 c:mfi~nt Co~ver~ · fation With Smners, who bnng Vice into h1s Acquaintance; and, by makmg 1t famil iar, Jcifen the horror · and averfation from it. Bcfides, thofe corrupt and numerous Examples whcr~with he is encompall, call forth his finful Inclinations, which, as they are heightened by repeated Acts, and become more llrong and obllinate, fo lefs fenlible to him. And by this we may underlland, how irrecoverable Man is by his own Rea. fon. The jrjl ftep to our Cure is begun in the knowledg of our Difcafe, and this Difcovery is made by the Undcrfianding, _when 'tis feeing and vigilant, not when 'tis blind. A Di[cafc in the Body is perceived by the Mind ; but when the Soul is the a[. feftcd Part, an,d the rec1uttde of Reafon is loft, there is no rer~1aining Prmciple to give no· ticc of it. And as that Difeafe is moft dangerous which f}n)<es at the Li(e, apd is withcut Pain, for Pain is not the chief Evil, but fuppofes it , 'tis the Spur of Nature urging ~o~~~e~c ~~~i,~,~~e~n~~."~~;;r{%;~~i~~s'1ru¥~,d~:~i~~ii~g :,~.v~;?;,~~t~~i~0 p~~;d~~d~: yet he is infenfible of them, and from Jhence follows a <;:ardefsnefs and Contempt of the .means for Ius Recovery. . 2. The Corruption of the Will is more incurable than that of the Mind. For 'tis full not only of Impotence, but Contrariety to what is fjiritua!ly good. There a re fome weak Strirlum of Tr~th in lapjtd Man, but they die in t he Brain, and arc powcrlefs and ineffectual as to the Will, which rulhes into the Embraces of Worldly Objerlf. T his the .umverfal ExpcrJenccof Mankmd, fince the Fall, ,doth evidently prove, ;md the Account of tt rs 111 the follow1ng Confiderations. r. There is a l!rong Inclination in Man to Happincfs. This Defirc is born and brOllght up w;rb hrm, and rs common tO all that par take of the reafonable Nature. From the ~nnce to the poorell: Wretch ; from the moll koowing to rhe mcanefi in Undedlandmg, every one dcfires to .be happy: As the great Flames ~ttd the little Sparlss of Fn·e, allnaturall~ afccnd to their....)fhere, 2. The conftitutmg of any thi11g to be om Happjnefs, is tlw .firft and univcrfal Maxim, from whence all moral Confequences are dcrh'cd. JTis rhe Rule of our Defires and the End of. our .Affio'!s. A_s in n.t.tttral thing~, rhe Principles of their Produftion'ope· Jc.te a~c01:dmg to cl~e1r q_ualtry, fo m!JlOral dllng5, the End is as powerful to form th~ Soul for rts Opcrattons 111 order to tt. Ther~fore as all delire to be happy, fo they a p~l.yE1~~~f~~~sfi~ 0~~,~~ ~e;~i~;efsh~~o~af,,~';~j,i~\c."~~~~~·~1~.f~~ d~~~~~~~~~~ ~/f; a rc anfw.erable to the D;fpofillons of the Pcr[on For Felicity is the PJca[tu:e which ari- :fes .f•ow .tl.Jc bpr>~OIII~t" Agrcemcn~ be,wecn thl' Ob;e[f and .the .Appew,e ({)., No'~ Mao Jlo~r&:><o' by .lrts Ji!:~W.4 .1111d ,c9nrraclcd .C.:o.r:rupuan J> ?ikogl'ther ,4rnal, he ;o[let~ts .the ~''J''PIJ · •~·!!> ;;;,, 7{1 &- ta!JJ .!W -~· .AQft. Lib:~;~j;£ic~, Clllfe
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