in Contrivirzg Man's Redemption. 105 nal propagation; Behold, I wtU fbapen in lniquitJ, and irJ Sin did 111:1 Mathir '?ncei11e, me ~ Pfal.p . 5· And partly in regard 'tis exercifed by the carnal Members Tlus Con·up-. Chap. ~· tion is a Poifon fofubtile, that It p1erces into all the Powers of the Soul ; fo contagious, '~ tha t it infeCts all the ACtions ; fo obfhnate, that only Omnipotent Grace ca11 heal it. More pa rt icularly, - 1. ' 'I is an innate Habit, not mcerly acqui(d by b~itation. !he~ root of bir~ernefs is planted in the f!uman Nature, and prod~ces_ 1ts frwrs 1t1 the vanous feafons of Ltfc. ~o "' age is fr~c from 1ts working ; Every tmagmatJon of the ThOII,r,bt~ of 1\fa,/.~· H eart are only evt!, and contimtally evil; Gen. 6. S· We fee this verified in Chlidrcn, w~t:n t_hc mofi early aEls of their Reafon, and the frji Inftances of otheit· A pprehcnfion are m Sm. If we af. cend higher, and confider Man in his Infant-ftate , the VICIOUS In~lmat1ons whtch appear in the Cradle, the violent motions of A~1ger which difl:urbs SfJcklm,ss. their endeavour to exercife a weak 1\evenge on thofe that dtfpleafc tbem, convince us that the Corruption is natttr.tl, and proceeds from an infeaed Original. 2. As 'tis Natural, fo Univerfal. ftV/Jo c~:m brinf. a clean thing o11t of an 11nclean ? Job 14. 14· That is, How can a R ighteous Per_fon be born of a Sinner ? The Anfwcr is peremptory, Not one. The Fountain was p01fon'd in .Adam, and all the Streams partake of the InfeCtion. All that are derived from him in a natural way,anc\ have a relation to him as their common Father, are fharers in this depravatioJJ. What difference foevcr there is in their Climates, Colours, and external Condi[ions of Life, yet the BJood from whence they fpring taints them all. · · l· Corrupt Nature is pregnant with the Seeds of all Sin, rl10ugh they do not 01oot forth together: And for th1s fevera l accounts may be gtvtn. 1. Though all Sms agree m their Caufe and End, yet fome are contrary in their Exercife. 2. The Human Spint_ is_n~t apw ~~~;~; ~;nruir:1~~n~~~~~t\~~~~~ at\,~h~~~~~it~~'f; ~~~.'tisl~h~;':h~ff~:e ¥~~[~~·~!: duces different Ejfifh in different Bodies, according to thofe various .Humors wh1~h are pre.. ~ominant • in them ; fo the fame Corruption of Nature works vanouJly accordmg to the dillerent Tempers of Men. For though the conception of Sin depends immediately upoJ> tl1e Soul, yetto the bringing of it forth the concurrence of the external Faculties is rcquifite. Thus a Volt~ptuary who is reftrain'd (rom the gro(s ACts of Smji1allt} by a Difeafe, or Age, may be as vicious in his Defires, as another who follows the pernicious fwing of his Ap-. petite, having a vigorous Complexion. Briefly, the variety of Circumftances by which the mward Corruption is excited and drawn forth, makes a great difference as to the open and vifib le afJs of it. Thus an ambitiou.s Perfon who ufes Clemency to accomplifh his defign, would exei'Clfe Crqelty 1f'twere necelfary to his end• . 'Tis true, fome are really more temperate, and exempted from the Tyrann1 of the Flefh than others. Cicero was more virtuous than Cattlme, and Socrates than Arijlophanes : But thefe are privileged Perfons, in whom the efficacy of Divine Providence either by forming them in the Wom.b, or in their Education, or by conducting them in their mature Age, bath correEled the maltgnity of Nature. . Ail Men have Jinn'd, and come Jbort of the Glory of God's Image; Rom. ~· 23. And that Sin breaks not forth fo outragioufly in fame as in others, ~he ref!r4mt is from. an higher Principle than common and corrupt Nature. 4· This Corruption t~ough Natural, yet it's f/ol~ntary and Culpable. 1. In fame refpeE\s 'tLS Volimtary: 1. In its Pnnciple and caufe, the Will of Adam that originally was ours. All Habits receive their Ch.<rac1er from rhofe ACts by which they are produced; and as the Difobcdience of Adam was voluntary, fo is the Depravation that fprung from it. 2. 'Tis inherent in the Will. If Adam had derived a Leprofy to all Men, 11 were ap mvoluntary Evd ; Becaufe the Difcafes of the Body are foretgn to the Soul: B~t when the Corruption ~nvades the in_ter~al Faculties, 'tis denominated from the Subjec1 wher~in ' tis fcarc_~· 3· '!ts voluntary tn l[S effects,:he n.umbe_rlefs aaual Sins proceedl~g f1om Jt: And 1t the Ads that freely flow from tlus Corrupupn are voluntary, the Prm· ctple mufl: be of the fame nature. 2 . 'J is C~t~pable. The forma/it! ?f Sin conltfl:s in its oppofi tion to the Larv accordincr to r_hc d~fi~rttor~ of 'the Apoftle,.Sm zs a tran[grd/ion of"tht Law. Now the Lmv'fequires a~ enure rpfluude m. all the Faculties. I~ condemns corrupt Inclinations, the Originals as well as th~ Ac1s of Sm. Bcfidcs, Concttpijcence was not mhaent in the H11man Nature in i~s C~·cauot~,. bm wa~ contratle? by the Fall. 1_-I:c Soul. is !h_ipt of its nati~e Righreoufnef~ p.nd Holp1ef~, and mveflcd \y1::~1 contrary Qya llt!es. 1 here 1s as great a (\!fference between the Corrupuon of the Soul m Its degenerate St~t<;., and its primillve ·Purity, as between tl1e lpathfomne[s ofa Cm.je, and the beauty of a ltving Boti:f. S;td change! ond to be l~menr· ~d with Tears qf Cpnf"fion.
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