QUESTION III. 289 3. By indulgence of some sinful appetite or passion, con- <trary to the dictates of reason and judgment; he weakened his reasoning powers, and gave such a loose to passion and sense after this victory that it more easilyprevailed over him in all fol- lowingVistances, as is common in his posterity even to this day : Reason opposed and beclouded by strong passion loses its clear- ness of judgment; and when it is abused and disobeyed, and counteracted by sensual powers, it grows weaker in all its exer- cises about truth and duty, and its natural and original influence to govern our actions is greatly diminished. The more frequent- ly we indulge an act of sin, the more are weblinded inour true judgment concerning the rule of duty and our violation of it; and the more sensible power does sin gain over us : Then every new temptation works with greater efficacy, and repeats its assaultswith more success : And these victories of sinover the fallen creature, must be still more easy and frequent; when he bath lost all just grounds "to expect any manner of divine aids or influences. Thus it is easy to conceive, how man by committing one sin against his conscience, and by cheating or violating his own reason, by indulging his appetites or passions to prevail over his understanding, and losing his sense of his Maker's favour, was quickly deprivedbotti of his holiness and his peace, his virtue and his happiness. His judgment and reason being weakened by his abuse of them, are more easily imposed upon for ever after, and more liable to be deceived in matters of sin and duty, and the restraints of reason and conscience being enfeebled, temptation prevails upon him continually: IX. 'l'hen sinful and miserable man going on to propagate his kind, according to the law of creation in his own image, and accordingto the constitution and covenant between God and man; . produced all his race in the same degenerate, sinful and misera- ble state, and circumstancos, whereinto he had plunged himself. Thus mankind are born with evil inclinations, and in the ruin and dishonour of their. nature without the divine favour, and without the divine image, cast out of his covenant of love, thoughtless of God, or averse to him, vain and sensual in their desires, exposed to temptations from within and from syithòut, and without any claim or just pretence to divine aid or protection. They are led away by the principles offlesh and sense from early years in opposition to the principles of reason,, and to the law of holiness : Theirjudgment is blinded. and biassed on the side of ,appetite and passion, they are often deceived, and they take delight in their delusions : Truth and duty become less natural to them, and less inviting : They wander inquest of, happiness among sensible things, and immerse themselves in vice and folly ; they grow up in sin, they rebel against their Maker, they throw themselves still more, and further out of the favour of God, by VoL. Iv, T
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