320 RUIN AND RECOVERY, &C. by his own folly and rebellion, and a painful fear and expectation of the vengeance due to such personal crimes. This can neither be transferred nor conveyed to any other person whatsoever, but is confined to the heart or conscience of the criminal : It flows from his own consciousness of his own personal offence, which consciousness can belong only to himself; and can raise those sharp inward self- reproaches in none but himself. II..Man's continuance in sin after his first crime, and the sinful inclinations and growing depravity of his heart, whether they be considered as in himself, or as communicated to his off- spring, cannot properly be inflicted by the hand of God as apenal evil, or as a legal punishment for his first sin : For though man be a sinner, God remains eternally holy, and he cannot infuse any degree of unholiness into the nature of his creatures, nor constrain them by any positive influence to continue in their diso- bedience, though they havebegun to disobey him. It follows therefore, that the continuanceöf man in a course of sin, his vicious inclinations and the depravity of his nature 'whether abiding and increasing in himself, or transmitted to his offspring, must be conceived rather as the natural effect and con- sequence of his first disobedienceto God, contrary to the laws of his reason and conscience, as I have shewn under question III. propositions VIII. IX. These are not to be esteemed as a pro- per penalty or punishment inflicted by the hand of God, his Maker or hisGovernor. Yet it must be acknowledged too, that had therenot been such a federal representation of all the race of men, in or by their first parent as their surety, wherebythe child- ren were fallen under the general sentence of condemnation to- gether with their parents; surely I thinka just andgracious God would never have suffered the-innocent children of a criminal parent to he infected and tainted with the vicious ferments of flesh and blood, and those corrupt appetites and-passions which are now ttan`lu itted to children from that first parent ; but he would have found a way to prevent that sinful contagion. See question II. propositions IV. V. VI. But now it may be fairly allowed, since children are in- volved in this general and original condemnationby the sin of their parent, the great God, as an offended Governor, lets his appointed course of nature' take its way, and communicate the natural effect of one man's sin to his offspring in the depravation of their temper, and vicious inclinations*. And it may be.fur- ,ther allowed, that man having provoked his Maker by silt, and he with his offspring lying under condemnation, they may be all left ruder the assaults of numerous temptations, and they have forfeited all manner of assistances that they might otherwise s' Sq4 the ob1ections and answers at the end of the fir st essay.
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