Which further appears from the Force of Conscience in the Heathen, and from the Debates which arise among them about Right and Wrong, when either they accufe others, or defend themselves. Therefore the wicked Heathen, who do not the Things contained in the Law, fhall justly be condemned; because having, as well as the virtuous Heathen, the Work of the Law written in their Hearts, they acted contrary to the Rules of their own Nature, and the Evidence and Senfe of Truth which God hath implanted in them.

THIS is the Apostle's Argument. And it clearly proveth, that the Light of Nature, common Reason and Understanding, is a Law, a Rule of right Action to all Mankind; that all Men ought to follow it, and that, if they do not, they are answerable to God. Therefore this Text is fo far from serving the Purpose for which it is brought, that it overthrows the whole Scheme of Original Sin as taught by the Assembly of Divines.

HERE one cannot forbear obferving what ferious Regard hath been paid to the true Senfe of Scripture, and how careful Divines were to establish their Doctrine upon a just and firm Foundation in the Word of God, when they could produce a Text to prove, that Adam in Innocence had the Law of God written in his Heart, in Oppofition to the deN 4 prav'd

prav'd State of his Pofterity; which Text manifeftly and undeniably affirms, that the moft corrupt Part of his Pofterity, the very Pagans, had the Law of God written in their Hearts! The brightest Revelation, thus wretchedly applied, must be worse than the Darkness of mere Ignorance: It will not only not difcover the Truth, but vindicate the greatest Error.

THE laft Proof is taken from

Ecclef. vii. 29. Lo, this only have I found, that God hath made man upright, but they have fought out many inventions.

THE Wiseman in the Context is inquiring into the Corruption and Depravity of Mankind, of the Men and Women that lived in his Times. In this Inquiry he met with Difficulties. However, in this he was clear, and it was the only thing in which he was clear, that God had made Man, Man collectively, or Mankind, upright. God had given to Men, not only to Adam at firft, but to all Men in fucceeding Generations, Reason and Underftanding to diftinguish between Good and Evil, to choose the one, and refufe the other; Powers to know and perform the Duty he requireth of them: And therefore their Wickedness must not be afcribed to a good, just, and holy God, as if he had given them a vicious and corrupt Nature; but to them

felves,

felves, who have abufed the Goodness of God, blinded their own Minds, mifapplied their natural Powers and Appetites, by seeking out many Inventions to delude, mifguide and corrupt themselves. For obferve the Text doth not fay, God made Man upright, but our first Parents corrupted themselves and their Pofterity by feeking out ONE Invention, (for the first Tranfgreffion was the Refult of but ONE Invention.) Nor doth the Text fay, Men' are led to Wickedness by inbred, natural Corruption: But plainly, That God hath made man upright, but THEY have fought out MANY inventions. Which demonftrateth the Text refers to other Inventions befides that ONE, which our firft Parents found out, even to all the Inventions in all Ages, whereby Men have darkened their Understandings and debauch'd their Morals.

THESE two laft Texts are brought in the Affembly's larger Catechifm, to prove, that our firft Parents had the Law of God written in their Hearts, and Power to fulfil it, in Oppofition to their Pofterity, who want that Righteousness wherein they are fupposed to be created, and whofe Nature is corrupted; that is, utterly indifpofed, difabled and made oppofite to all that is fpiritually good, and wholly inclined to all Evil, and that continually. But if thofe Texts fpeak not of our first Parents, but of their Pofterity, and the most corrupt Part

of

of their Posterity too, it must be true, and a very important Truth, that by Nature we have the Law of God written in our Hearts, and Power to fulfil it as well as they; and are equally bound to be thankful to God for our Being, and to glorify him by it.

OBJECT. III. But we derive from Adam a moral Taint and Infection, whereby we have a natural Propenfity to Sin.

ANSW. That we are born into the World capable of Sin and Wickedness is true; and that our Constitution is attended with many fenfual Appetites and Paffions, which if exceffive or irregular, become finful, is alfo true; and that there is Danger, great Danger, of their becoming exceffive and irregular in a World fo corrupt and full of Temptation as ours is, is also true. But all this doth not amount to a natural Propenfity to Sin. For, I prefume, by a natural Propensity, is meant, a neceffary Inclination to Sin, or that we are neceffarily finful from the original Bent and Biafs of our natural Powers; which must be falfe. For then we fhould not be finful at all: Because that which is neceffary, or which we cannot help, is not Sin. That we are weak and liable to Temptation is the Will of God, holy and good, and for glorious Purposes to ourfelves: But if we are wicked, it must be our own Fault, and cannot proceed from

any

any Constraint, or Neceffity in our Conftitution.

FOR as to any moral Taint or Infection derived from Adam, give me leave honestly to confefs, I do not understand what can be meant by it in any Confiftency with Senfe or Truth. I do not know that we derive any thing at all from Adam, but by the Will and Operation of God, no more than the Acorn deriveth from the Oak. It is, I judge, a great, though common Fallacy, to fuppofe that fomething is infufed into the human Nature, fome Quality or other, not from the Choice of our own Minds, but like a Taint, Tincture, or Infection, altering the natural Conftitution, Faculties and Difpofitions of our Souls, abfolutely independent of ourselves, and not from the Will of God. That this Taint runs like a Stream from Generation to Generation, and is tranfmitted among ourselves from one to another, while God looks on, feeth the Thing done, and hateth and curfeth us for it. Which fuppofeth that HE hath no hand in it, (for how could he hate us for it, if it were of his own doing?) and yet, on the other hand, all Sides allow that it is what we can neither help nor hinder, and confequently cannot be cur Fault: And then how can it be a moral Taint or Corruption? Can there be any moral Corruption in us, which we neither can, nor ever could help or hinder?