Preached at the Lady MOYER'S LECTURE. On the Corruption of Human Nature. Јов XIV. 3, 4. Dost thou open thine Eyes upon such an and bringest me into Judgment one, Who can bring a clean Thing out of an Unclean? Not one. T HESE Words contain Job's Ex-SERM.IV. poftulation with his Maker, and the Senfe of them, to use the Words of a great Writer, who clearly proves, that they have a plain Reference to the Introduction of Corruption, by the Sin of 1 SERM. IV. of the Woman, is as follows, "Why art "thou extreme to mark all my Errors ? " Is it reasonable to expect Purity in a " Man born of a Woman, who is by the "very Condition of his Birth unclean *?" The Disobedience of our first Parents involved their Posterity, and entailed a Depravity of Nature upon their Descendants: Which Depravity, though it is not a Sin in us, till the Will closes with it, and deliberately consents to it; yet is certainly finful in itself, and therefore is stiled Original Sin. For if it were not so, if the first Rise of evil Thoughts, and every Tendency and Biafs to Vice were not criminal in itself; the Consent of the Will to it could never make it fo. For the Consent of the Will cannot alter the Nature of Things. T St. Paul, Col. iii. 9, 10. says, Ye have put off the old Man with his Deeds, and have put on the new Man, which is renewed in Knowledge AFTER THE IMAGE of Him, that created him; or, as it is in another Place, Ephef. iv. 24. which after God is created in Righteousness and true Holi 1 ; * Bishop Sherlock's Second Differtation, Pag. 253. 11 } ness. ness. Now to be renewed after the Image SERM. IV. of our Creator, fignifies in the Original, to receive again, what we had once doft. Man therefore once had (in his primitive State) that Image, to which he is to be restored by the Grace of our Lord Jesus Chrift This is the Sense which Irenæus, a Father of the second Century, puts upon these Words. For he says, "What we lost in "Adam, viz. the divine Image and Like "ness, we receive again in Christ Jesus*" ▼ Adam was formed in the Image of God; and what that Image was, we learn from the foregoing Words of St. Paul, that ye put on the new Man, which, after God (after the Image of God) is created in Righteousness and true Holiness. It is plain, that we who are shapen in Wickedness, who are born with strong, Propenfions to Vice, are not created in Righteousness and true Holiness: It is plain therefore, that we are fallen from our original and primitive State of Innocence. 02:1 Far be it from me to vilify human Nature, as if it were totally bad, without any Remains and Traces of it's primitive Greatness. I own, that any Man may, through * Irenæus, Lib. 3. cap. 20. the SERM.IV. the Grace of God and his own Endeavours, ftand clear of all presumptuous Sins, and much more of all evil Habits. I own that our Paffions are innocent in themselves, though they are often wrong in their De gree, being not very seldom disproportioned to the real Value of Things; very violent and exorbitant, where they ought to be moderate, and very moderate and remiss, where there is no eminent Danger of Excefs. I grant, that, though our Nature is degenerated, yet it is not intirely inverted, fo as to have no Relish for Goodness; that we are not only capable of Wirtue, but also of great Attainments therein, we may not enly be virtuous, but even excel in Virtue. Notwithstanding, there are plain Proofs that we are fallen Creatures, from the Per verseness of our Will, and the Weakness of our Understanding. For ano Creature could come originally from God's Hand, but what was perfect in it's Kind: No rational Creature can be perfect in his Kind, in whom there is a ftrong Propenfion to Vice, that is, to what is unreasonable, and a great Irregularity of the Appetites and Affections. Had Man continued such as he was at first formed; the 4 the Balance certainly must have been, at SERM.IV. least, even, between the sensitive and ins tellectual Part in our Compofition, between our Paffions and our Reafon: But that it is not so, is plain from this; that it is not the Province of Wisdom to run into the Arms of a Temptation, and boldly to grapple with it; which when we do, we fel dom fail of being foiled in the Conflict But our Victory over Temptations is to decline a Combat with them, and a confi derable Part of the Innocency, which is in the World, may be owing to the Want of Opportunities to commit Vice. There is a Stock of Corruption in us, though sometimes unsuspected by us, which often dif covers itself, as foon as there are fuitable Objects to call it forth. Hence it is, that few or none are to be trusted with absolute Power; because an unlimited Extent of Power gives those vicious Inclinations their full Play, which before were cramped and confined within narrow Bounds. We do not diftrust ourselves; because we know not what is in ourselves. Many, who would have fald in a private Capacity, Is thy Servant a Dog, that be should do thefe Things? have done the very Things in a SOLD public |
