QUESTION IX. 819 creatures; so the image of God signifies ; 1 Cor. ii. 7. Or per- haps in the " corporeal image, or form," that is, in that ma- jesty of stature and countenance wherein God himself appeared and conversed with Adam in the garden ; but the moral image was lost or defaced, or else it could not be said to be renewed. I think it is sufficiently evident that the blessing given to Adam in innocency, and that given to Noah after the fall, differed in such very important things that the one was consistent with the con- demnation and curse for sin, and the other was not : And conse- quently the race of man is far from standing in the love and favour of God in the same manner as Adam stood while he was innocent. , Thus in a few pages, I think I have made it appear, that the holy scriptures both in the Old and New Testament, and the Jewish church in the intermediate time, seem to give us thesame sentiments of the conveyance of sin, misery, and death from the first man Adam to all his offspring, and encourage us to receive, as divine truth, 'that same doctrine of original sin, which human reason approves as most probable. QUEST. IX.What can the light of Naturediscover concerning the proper Penalty due to the Sin of Man, or the proper Punishment inflicted on Man for Sin. First, Let it be obserged here, that we must distinguish between the natural consequences of sin, and the legal penalty appointed for it by God as a Governor. The question therefore isnot, what can the light of nature discover of the dreadful con- sequences of sin among mankind But what can it discover to be the proper penalty for sin appointed or inflicted by the Maker and Góvernor of the world.* After this ditinction we may pro - ceed to answer these enquiries according to the following pro- positions : I. The remorse or anguishof conscience is not so properly a punishment inflicted of God upon man for sin ; but it is rather anatural consequent or effect of guilt. It is an inward vexation of mind that arises when the sinner seriously considers and reflects on the provocation he has given to his almighty Maker * I know it has been said Upon some occasions, that God as the wise ere. ater and Governor of the world, has appointed such a connexion between sin and sorrow, that the natural effects or consequsnts of sin may be reckoned the appointed or legal penalties of it. And no doubt there' is no far a truth in it, as that on some occasions it may be proper to set things in this light, to chew the wisdom of providence. Butstill it must be acknowledged there is a real differ- ence between thenatural connexionof things by God as Creator, and the estab- lished or appointed laws and rules of government, made by the same God as a Ruler of theworld: And this will plainlyappear in what follows.
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