we shall not separate them; the rather, that God is able to make his own word, even in the bare repetition of it, quick and powerful, Heb. iv. 12. In the further illuftration of this head, therefore, I shall, first briefly lay before you fome of the scripture-declarations on this subject; and, fecondly, confirm them from experience, the visible flate of the world, and the testimony of our own hearts. First, Allow me to lay before you fome of the fcripturedeclarations on this fubject. And that I may avoid handling the subject fyftematically, and tediously, I join together original and actual fin. Every one who is able to understand what I fay, is concerned in both and indeed they are infeparable the one from the other. The deplorable wickedness in which the world in general is overwhelmed, hath flowed in a continued ftream from the firft fin of Adam; and the finfulness of every perfon's practice has the corruption of his nature as its fruitful fource. See the account given of the world, Gen. vi. 5. “And "God faw the wickednefs of man was great in the earth, "and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart "was only evil continually." This you may compare with Gen. viii. 21. "And the Lord faid, I will not "again curfe the ground any more for man's fake; for the imagination of man's heart is evil from his youth." See also the confeffion of David, Pfal. li. 5. “Behold, "I was shapen in iniquity; and in fin did my mother con"ceive me." In this the Pfalmift plainly and clearly teaches the original and univerfal corruption of our nature. What he afferts concerning himself, muft be equally true of all the human race; otherwise, instead of making it a proper part of his confeffion, it would be an excufe or extenuation of his fin. Nothing can more plainly fhow the force of this text, than the aukward endeavors used by fome to evade or misinterpret it. For example, how mean a fubterfuge is it, to pretend, that David declared, he was fhapen in iniquity, and conceived by his mother in fin; because he was the iffue of fome criminal commerce between his father and a maid-fervant, or between the wife of Jeffe and another man? This is plainly a profane invention, offered without any manner of proof, or the leaft infinuation in the hiftory of that great prince. Besides, it is evidently befide his purpose in the pfalın referred to, where he is confeffing his own finful nature, and not the finful deeds of his parents. If there be meaning in words, his intention is, to humble himfelf before God, not only for his adultery and murder in the matter of Uriah, but as a transgressor from the womb. To this you may add the teftimony of a greater than David, viz. our blessed Lord and Saviour himself, John iii. 6. "That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and "that which is born of the Spirit, is fpirit." For understanding the proof drawn from his text, you may observe, that though the word flesh has various fignifications in fcripture; fometimes, for example, fignifying the weaknefs of our mortal nature, unable to fupport itself, and lia. ble to a variety of changes, which muft at laft end in dif folution; yet here it evidently fignifies our nature as corrupted by fin. This appears from the oppofition of the two claufes for it is certain, that those who are regenerated, are still liable to all the weakness of mortality. It must therefore bear the fame meaning in this place as in Rom. viii. 8. "So then they that are in the flesh, cannot please God." It is with a view to this great truth that Job, who pleads with fo much warmth his general integrity, yet fays, Job xiv. 3, 4. "And doft thou open thine eyes upon fuch an one, and bringest me into judgment, "with thee? Who can bring a clean thing out of an un"clean? Not one." 66 66 : Pf. With this agree many other fcripture-declarations, fome of which I fhall mention. Pfal. xiv. 2, 3. "The Lord "looked down from heaven upon the children of men: to "fee if there were any that did understand, and feek God. "They are all gone afide, they are all together become filthy there is none that doth good, no, not one." Iviii 3. "The wicked are eftranged from the womb, they go aftray as foon as they be born, fpeaking lies." Ifaiah xlviii. 8. "Yea, thou heardst not, yea, thou knewest not, "yea, from that time that thine ear was not opened: for "I knew that thou wouldst deal very treacheroufly, and "waft called a tranfgreffor from the womb." Rom. iii. 9. 10, 11, 12. "What then? are we better than they? No, "in no wife for we have before proved both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under fin; as it is written, "There is none righteous, no not one: There is none "that understandeth, there is none that feeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together be"come unprofitable, there is none that doth good, no not "one." To thefe, I only add that clear and ftrong paffage, Eph. ii. 1, 2, 3 "And you hath he quickened who "were dead in trefpaffes and fins, wherein in time past ye "walked according to the courfe of this world, according "to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now "worketh in the children of difobedience. Among whom "alfo we all had our converfation in times paft, in the "lufts of our flesh, fulfilling the defires of the flesh, and of "the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others." In this fummary view of the declarations of fcripture upon this fubject, I have confined my felf to fuch paffages as have an afpect upon the ftate of our nature in general. And, indeed, as conclufive a proof of its being the doctrine of fcripture, may be drawn confequentially as directly. With this view, not to mention many other arguments, I beg your attention to the two following; 1. The tenor of the gospel-meffage, particularly the extent of the commiffion, and the language ufed through the whole: Mark xvi. 15. "Go ye into all the world, and preach the gofpel “to every creature." John iii. 16. "For God fo loved "the world, that he gave his only begotten Son, that who"foever believeth in him, fhould not perish, but have "everlafting life." Examine the import of this truth? Whom did the Father love? or to whom did, he fend the Saviour? To the world, and to every creature. For what end did he love them, and for what purpose did the Redeemer come? To fave them from perishing. But why were they in danger of perifhing? Doubtlefs, because they were in fin. In vain, then, do men 'exercife their ingenuity in explaining away particular paffages:This truth does not reft upon an expreffion or two, the meaning of which must be ascertained by critical fkill, but upon the whole of the gofpel. If we do not throw afide the Bible altogether, Chrift Jefus came into the world to obtain forgiveness for the guilty, to fave the miferable, and to redeem the flave. The other argument is drawn from the feals of the covenant of peace; and particularly the initiating feal, both under the Old Teftament and the New, of which infants were admitted to be partakers. If they received thefe feals before the commiffion of actual guilt, it cannot be but the nature itfelf muft be defiled; efpecially as baptifm is exprefsly called the baptism of repentance, for the remission of sins, Mark i, 4. Thus I have laid before you what the fcripture teaches us on the finfulness of our nature, including all the postcrity of Adam, without exception. I beseech you, therefore, ny beloved hearers, to confider the concern you have in it, as a part of the whole. If you have any belief of the truth of the fcriptures as the word of God, attempt not to warp or pervert them when fpeaking contrary to your fond prejudices. Defire not that minifters fhould fpeak unto you smooth things, and prophefy deceit; but receive with humility and fear the divine will, however heavy a sentence of condemnation it may carry against yourselves, viz. that you are finners by nature; that your hearts are estranged and alienated from the love of God; and that, if you die in that condition, you fhall not fee his face in mercy. I now proceed to the second branch of this head; which was, to confirm the account given in fcripture from experience, that is to fay, from the vifible ftate of the world, and the testimony of our own hearts. Let us then fee what evidence is afforded us from the visible state of the world, that all have sinned, &c. And here, my brethren, what an inftructive leffon, but at the same time what a humbling and melancholy prospect, opens to our view! There are many remarks which might be profitably made on the ftate of the world in every age, to fhew how much fin hath reigned in the hearts of men, and what desolation it hath wrought in the place of their abode. The great difficulty is, to range them in proper order, and propose them in a fimple and perfpicuous manner, that ordinary hearers may understand and profit by them. For this purpose, let us firft take a view of mankind in a public or national, and then in a private or perfonal, capacity. 1. Let us confider mankind in a public or national capacity. In this view, what is the hiftory of past ages but the history of human guilt? If, inftead of taking up with the idle and visionary hypotheses of philofophers, we only attend to what men have been in fact, we fhall be obliged to fay, with the Spirit of God, that "the imagination of "the heart of man is only evil from his youth." It is not proper here to omit, or rather it is highly neceffary to mention, the impiety and idolatry of the feveral nations of the world. Excepting the fmall number of Abraham's family, who were the election of God, and, by a peculiar difpofition of Providence, the depofitaries of his truths, every other nation upon the face of the globe, not only deferted the worship of the true God, but fell headlong in. to the most stupid and fottish idolatry. This was not peculiar to thofe nations who continued in ignorance, and whom the more improved and polifhed thought proper to diftinguish by the name of barbarians, but was at least equally true of those who were moft highly civilized. Of the wifeft nations, as well as the wifeft men, the apoftle very justly says in this epiftle, ch. i. 22, 23. “Profeffing "themselves to be wife, they became fools; and changed "the glory of the incorruptible God, into an image made "like to corruptible nian, and to birds, and four-footed beafts, and creeping things." 66 I must make even a farther obfervation, and intreat your attention to it, That the wifeft in profeffion feem to have become the greateft fools. It feems to have been designed in Providence, as a ftanding and indelible mark of the vanity of human wisdom, that thofe very nations who were most early in their application to, and most fuccefsful in their cultivation of the liberal arts, were the moft extravagant and senseless in their theological opinions, and religious rites. I mean, particularly, the Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans; worfhipping bulls and calves, fer |