of Madness, or any other Disease, from SERM.IV. Father to Son: yet Man, without this Clue to unravel the Intricacies of his Nature, is a greater Mystery to himself, than the Tranfmiffion of Sin can be to him. Original Sin cannot be fo inconceivable by him, as he is by himself without it. For, pray obferve: It cannot enter into the Head of Man to conceive greater Inconfiftencies, Abfurdities, and Contrarieties; than he may find, if he looks honestly and fairly into it, in his own Heart. How many pious Refolutions he forms, which, perhaps, dye in Embryo, before they ripen into Birth; and yet how many foolish and vain Projects: His Thoughts now aspiring to, and grafping after, heavenly Happiness, and anon finking into the Dregs of Corruption! He is a ftrange Compound of Excellency and Bafenefs; of the Angel and the Brute; a motly Mixture of Knowledge and Ignorance, of Virtue and Vice, of Happiness and Mifery; the Flesh warring against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the Flesh; two fuch mortal Enernies, that they are continually jarring and oppofing each other; and yet two fuch dear Friends, that they dread a Separation from each other. SERM.IV. Let then the Difficulties of the Fall be never fo great; yet there is no getting rid of them, but at the Expence of an Abfurdity, the greatest of Absurdities, viz. that Creatures fo corrupt as we are, could be immediately formed by an infinitely perfect God, (who cannot behold Iniquity and Corruption with Pleafure) without any Contagion derived from, and transmitted to us by, our firft Parents. Let a Man look within himself, and he will find, he will feel, a Demonftration of one Part of the Scriptures, the Truth of the Fall: Or, if he cannot fee it there, he will prove by his very Blindness the Truth which he denies. But if he admits this Part of the Scriptures to be true, I cannot perceive, why he fhould demur as to the reft. For there is no Part of them which is attended with greater Difficulties. "I appeal (fays a "lively Writer) to yourself, in your own Degree of Goodness, if you could create "your own Children, whether you would "not create them in a better State, and " with lefs of Evil, than that in which you was born yourself. Therefore, only fuppofing God to have your Degree of "Goodness, he could not have created "the "the first Man, from whom your Nature SERM.V. * is derived, in the State that you are; " and therefore, fuppofing him only to be good, you have fufficient Proof; but fuppofing him to be, what he undoubt edly is, infinitely good, you have a full "Demonstration, that you are a fallen "Creature, or not in that State in which "God created you." What remains, but that we strive to recover that Happiness by thinking foberly, which our firft Parents forfeited by ambitious and afpiring Thoughts. Humility is the Valley, in which Benevolence (and every other Virtue) delights to grow. For whatever Profeffions of Benevolence proud Men may make; Pride and Benevolence are utterly inconfiftent. He, who is big with the Sentiments of his Dignity, must have an Aversion to those, who do not feem to have as exalted an Opinion of him, as he has of himself. Now, as none can think as extravagantly of a proud Man, as he thinks of himself; the Confequence is, that he must hate all Mankind, except a few Flatterers. He must be angry with those, who do not proportion their Regard to his imaginary Deferts, which it is impoffible to do. SERM.IV. For though it be no difficult Matter to dif cern how much Merit another Man really bas; it is not quite so easy to determine, how much he may imagine himself to have. Therefore no proud Person can be a benevolent and moral Man; and no humble Perfon brought up in the Chriftian and Proteftant Religion, one would be apt to think, can be a mere moral Man. For he, who is humble, will not truft in his own Righteousness, or make any proud Pretenfions to exalted Worth. The Confideration and Sense of his Unworthiness, will dispose him to accept the Offers of Salvation by Jefus Christ, and make him endeavour to fulfil the Terms of it. He, who has no high Notions of his own Merits, will be glad to be accepted by those of his bleffed Saviour. SER On the REDEMPTION. In Two SERMONS. Preached in part, at the Lady Moyer's I PETER III. 18, Chrift alfo bath once fuffered for Sins, the Just for the Unjuft, that he might bring us unto God. W HAT is faid of the great Duties SERM. V. of Morality, and the Difference between Virtue and Vice, viz. Afk your own Heart, and Nothing is fo plain: It is to mistake them costs the Pain and Time; may, with a little Variation, be applied to the fundamental Doctrines of |