CO}JFERENCE IV. 501 Thirdly, it may alsobe very reasonably supposed, that God let his first human creatures know, either in some express man- ner, or by the sagacious dictates of their own reason, that they were to propagate their kind in their own likeness : And that if they continuedin a holy and a happy state, their offspring should also be propagated holy and happy. But, on the other hand, if they abused their natural powers, if they lost the favour of their Maker by sinning, against him, and;incurred his displeasure, if they forfeited the sensual and intellectual blessings they enjoyed, if they impaired their animal or their rational powersby a cri- minal abuse of them, and brought folly and misery, sickness and pain, diseases and death, into their natures ;. it is probable, T say, that God gave them some evident intimations, that they should bring forth their offspringunder these degenerate, enfeebled, and unhappy circumstances, according to the law and constitution of their natures. And we maywell suppose that such a constitution of things, and such notice of it given to the first parents of mankind, wouldbe a much more effectual motive to them to con- tinue in the practice of religion and virtue, and a more powerful guard against their indulgence of sin, than if merely their own singlehappiness or misery were to have been the consequence or effects of it. Fourthly, let us further suppose, what is sufficiently evi- dent to our daily observations and experience, that all mankind are now a degenerate, feeble, and unhappy race of ,beings, that we are become sinners in the sight of God, and exposed to his anger : It is manifest enough, that this whole world is a fallen, sinful, and rebellious province of God's dominion, and under the actual displeasure of its righteous Creator and Governor. The overspreading deluge of folly and error, iniquity and misery,' that covers the face of the earth, gives abundant ground for such a supposition, The experience of every man on earth affords a strong andmelancholy proof, that our reasoning powersare easily led away into mistake and falsehood, wretchedly bribed and biassed by prejudices, and daily over-powered by some corrupt appetites or passions, and our wills led astray to chase evil in- stead of good. Thebest of ussometimes break the laws of our Maker, by contradicting the rules of piety and virtue, which our own reason and consciences suggest tous. There is none right. eons perfectly ; no not one. Nor is there one person upon earth freefrom troubles and difficulties, and pains and sorrows, such as testify some resentments of ourMalter. Even from our infancy, our diseases, pains and sorrows begin, and it is very remarkably evident in some families, that these pains, and diseases, the gout, the foul disease, frenzy, &c. are propagated to the offspring, as they were sometimes contracted by the vices of the parents and
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