finally, that we are fo backward to entertain the belief of revealed truths, fo prone to terminate our thoughts on, and confine our defires within this vifible world as our portion, and to look upon our felves no other than the mortal and corruptible inhabitants of it; that this makes us selfish and fordid, proud and ambitious, false, subtle, and contentious, to the endless disturbance of mankind and our felves. That this, I fay, is the ftate of nature; that this is the corruption we labour under, all men, I think, are agreed and no wonder; for did a controverfy arife about this, there would be no need to appeal any farther for the decifion of it, than to one's own experience; this would tell every one that thus it is in fact; and reafon, if we will confult it, will tell us why it is fo: for what other than this can be the condition of man, who enters the world with a foul fo dark and deftitute of divine light, fo deeply immerfed and plunged into flesh and blood, fo tenderly and intimately affected by bodily fenfations; and with a body fo adapted and fuited to the things of this world, and fastned to it by the charms of pleasure, and the bonds of intereft, convenience and neceffity? This account of original corruption agrees very well with that St. Paul gives

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us of it, Rom. vii. and elsewhere: and with that affertion of our Lord and Master, on which he builds the neceffity of regeneration by water and the Holy Spirit, John iii. 6. That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of the Spirit, is Spirit. Having thus briefly explained what I mean in this chapter by original fin, I am next to confider these two things.

1. How far this diftemper of nature is curable.

2. Which way this cure is to be effected.

As to the firft enquiry, I would not be understood to proceed in it with a regard to all the regenerate in general, but only to the perfect; for the ftrength of original fin cannot but be very different in new converts, or babes in grace, and in fuch as are advanced to an habit of righteoufnefs. This being premifed, I think, I may on good ground refolve, that original fin in the perfect man, may be fo far reduced and maftered, as to give him but very rare and flight difturbance. This feems to me evident from the great change that must be wrought in him who is converted from a finner into a faint; If any man be in Chrift, he is a new creature: old things are paft

paft away, behold all things are become new, 2 Cor. v. 17. And it is hard to conceive this new nature, without new propensions and inclinations, not only different from, but repugnant to our former original and corrupt ones; or at least we must fuppofe this new creation fo far to have reformed and corrected the man, that original corruption has loft the strength and force which before it had. This will be more clear yet, if we observe never fo flightly, the feveral parts of this great change. First, The foul of an excellent perfon is filled with an unfeigned and habitual forrow for, and deteftation of all fin; Ibate, faith the Pfalmift, every falle way. And how inconfiftent is the ftrength and heat of corrupt propenfions, with the tears and averfions of a true penitent? how tame is the body, how pure the mind, when the man is poffeffed with a firm and holy indignation against fin, when he dissolves in the pious tenderness of a contrite fpirit! next, the foul of a good man is poffeffed with an ardent love of God, and of Jesus; with a firm belief, and a steddy hope of a bleffed eternity; with enlightened eyes he beholds the vanity of all earthly things, and admires the folidity, the weight, and duration of heavenly glory: He is rifen with Chrift, and therefore feeks thofe things that are above, where Chrift fits on the right hand of God: He bas fet his affections on things above, and

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not on things on the earth; for he is dead, and his life is hid with Chrift in God. And

must we not now fuppofe fuch a one cleanfed and purified from all corrupt affections, when the very bent of his foul is quite another way? muft we not fuppofe the force and ftrength of depraved nature, overpowered and fubdued by thefe heavenly affections? how mortified muft fuch a man be to the world and to the body? how feeble is the oppofition, that inferiour nature can raise against a mind invefted with fo abfolute and foveraign authority, and endowed with light and ftrength from above? Laftly, The perfect man has not only crucified the inordinate and finful lufts and affections of the body, but has alfo obtained a great maftery, even over the natural appetites of it; how elfe can it be that his defires and hopes are in heaven; that he waits for the Lord from thence; that he defires to be dif Jolved and to be with Chrift; and groans to be rid of the corruptible tabernacle of the body? he that is thus above the body, may certainly be concluded to be in fome degree above even the most natural appetites. He that has fet himself free in a great meafure even from his averfion to death, and in his affection at leaft very much loofered the bond, the knot, that unites foul and body, may certainly very reasonably be

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perfumed to be much more above all coveTous, ambitious, or wanton inclinations. These are the grounds, on which I attribute to the perfect man fo high a degree of freedom from original fin as I do in the propofition laid down.

2dly, But yet I do not in the leaft think, that the moft perfect man upon earth can fo extinguifh the fparks of original corruption, but that if he do not keep a watch and guard upon himself, they will gather strength and revive again: and the reafon of this is plain; because it has a foundation in our very nature. The difpute concerning the existence of original corruption in us after baptifm, or regeneration, is, methinks, a very needlefs one: for if it be about the notion we ought to entertain of it, that is, whether it be properly fin or not, this is a contention about words; for what fignifies it by what name we call this remainder of original pravity, when all grant, that the ftain and guilt of it is washed off and pardoned? But if it be about the force and efficacy of it, this indeed is a controverfy of fome moment; but a very foolish one on one fide: for to what purpofe can it be, to fay a great many fubtil and puzling things against a truth, that every man feels and experiments

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