42e RUIN AND RECOVERY, &C. world, pure, holy, and innocent in their original state, and yet that there should not one of them retain his image in holiness, nor be fit for his favour and the blessings of his Iov', without being born again, being new, - created, being raised from the dead, being redeemed by the blood of his own Soit, and being washed in so precious and divine a laver ? Do not all these representa- tions make it itppear highly reasonable to conclude, that evecy man is born into this world with some original contagion about him, or under some early degeneracy and guilt, and criminal imputation in the sight of God ? is it not a most incredible thing that not one among all the millions of these creatures should be fit to be made partakers of his favour, without such amazing purifications as require the blood of the Sou of God, and the almighty operations of his blessed Spirit to redeem, and to new-create them, if they were born in their original purity Do not all these things eflçctually teach us that mankind in their present generations even from their birth are not such creatures as God first made them ? But without entering into these arguments from scripture, which represent the wretch- edness of all mankind; I think we may evidently prove, in the third place, III: That far the greatest part of the world are born under some sort of degenerate and guilty circumstances by a mere sur- vey of the heathen nations with the eye of reason, and by the light of nature. A few days ago I was taking a view of the map of the world, and measuring with my eye the breadth and extent of the nations. I took a spreading survey of the vast Asiatic ern,- pires of Tartary aid China, and a great part of the kingdom of Mogul, with the multitude of islands in the Last Indies ; Í went on to survey the large brutal countries of all the southern part of Africa, with the savage nations. of the American world. I. observed the thousands or rather millions of mankindwho dwell on this globe, and walk and trifle, and live and die there under the heaviest cloud of ignorance and darkness, who know not the true God, nor the way to his favour, who are drenched in gross impieties and superstitions, who are continually guilty of national immoralities, and practise idolatry, malice and lewd- ness, fraud and falsehood, with scarce any regret or restraint. Then sighing within myself, I said, It is not many years since these were all infants, wretched helpless infants, without any knowledge of the things of God or man. The inhabitants of whole regions have been born and brought up under parents who know not the true God, nor are acquainted with the path that leads to life and happiness. Are not these unhappy children, said I, formed and born under difficulties almost unsurmounta- blè? Are they not laid almost under a moral impossibilityof
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=