Pedalo ; aitb This was the opinion of the 7ewifh Mafters a- bout our Saviours time,when Rabbinical Lear- ning was at the height in the Schools' of Hillel and Shammai; St. Paul a man brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, whom the Jews accoun- ted the honour of the Law, while he was in his Pharifaifm knew not concupifcence to be Sin, R om. 7.7. And they that underftood the Law no better, could underftand but little of Ori- ginal Sin.Their Circumcifion was a memento of it, and fo they underftood it, cafting the Pre- put ium thereby cut off into the duff, as a mor- fel to feed the old Serpent withal. But alas, they were uncircumcifed in heart, and upon that ac- count reckoned up among Egyptians,Edomites, Ammonites, and Moabites, uncircumcifed in flefh, Ter. 9.29. The Jewifh Rabbins fpeak of the v-rrr the evil figment in mans beart,as an implacable enemy. One man (fay they) walks with another but one hour and they become friends, but this 'evil figment is born with mau, and grows up with him all his days, andyet if it find an opportunity, will after 20, 30, 40, 50, , 6o, 70, 8o years, precipitate and call him domx headlong. But they make it a very (mall matter at firft. At firft (fay they) it is weak, as a woman, afterwards ftrong as a man ; at firft it it as a fmall thread, afterwards 'as the cable of a Ship ; at firft it is as a Viator, at laft as a Lord. And withal they made it fubjed to the power of mans free will. Concupifaence (fay they) would fain ruin thee, but thou mai(t, if thou wilt, rule over it, gen. 4. And whofoever obeys the good figment, that 215
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