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VI.

male and female, is far more powerful than any other CHAP. passion in human nature.

32. Man under its influence, bears every thing before him with impetuosity. No other object that can be presented, attracts his notice while that is in view; his ears are stopped to every other sound, but the voice of his charmer; he is insensible to every other pleasure.

33. Surely then, that must be the fountain head, the governing power, that shuts the eyes, stops the ears, and stupifies the sense to all other objects of time or eternity, and swallows up the whole man in its own peculiar enjoyment.

34. And such is that feeling and affection, which is formed by the near relation and tie between the male and female; and which being corrupted by the subversion of the original law of God, converted that which in the beginning was pure and lovely, into the poison of the serpent; and the noblest affection of man, into the seat of human corruption. To which the following words of Boston, will justly apply.

State. P.

108.

35. "A disease affecting any particular member of Four-fold the body, is ill; but that which affects the whole, 106, 107, is worse. The corruption of nature is the poison of the old serpent, cast into the fountain of action; and so affects every action, every breathing of the 'soul."

36. "It is the cause of all particular lusts and actual sins in our hearts and lives. It is the spawn which the great Leviathan has left in the souls of men; from whence comes all the fry of actual sins ⚫ and abominations. It is the bitter fountain; partic'ular lusts are but rivulets running from it; which bring forth into the life a part only, and not the whole of what is within.”

37. "Now the fountain is still above the streams; so where the water is good, it is best in the foun'tain; where it is ill, it is worst there. The cor⚫ruption of nature being that which defiles all, itself 'must needs be the most abominable thing."

38. "It is virtually all sin for it is the seed of all sins, which want but the occasion to set up their heads, being in the corruption of nature, as the ef

CHAP.

VI.

'fect in the virtue of its cause. It is the cursed 'ground fit to bring forth all manner of noxious ' weeds."

39. As the whole nest of venomous creatures 'must be more dreadful than any few of them that 'come creeping forth; so the sin of thy nature, that 'mother of abominations must be worse than any 'particular lusts, that appear stirring in thy heart and "life."

40. "Look thou into thy corrupt nature, and there 'thou mayest see all and every sin in the seed and root thereof. There is a fulness of all unrighteousThere is atheism, idolatry, blasphemy, murder, adultery and whatsoever is vile. The sin of our nature is, of all sins, the most fixed and abiding -It remains with men in its full power by night and by day, at all times, fixed as with bands of iron ' and brass."

41. "Pride, envy, covetousness, and the like, are not always stirring in thee. But the proud, envious 'carnal nature is still with thee; even as the clock 'that is wrong, is not always striking wrong; but the wrong set continues with it. It is the great reigning sin (like Saul among the people) higher by far than the rest-commonly called one's predominant 'sin-which never loseth its superiority over partic'ular lusts, that live and die with it and by it."

42. "Surely then the word should be given against this sin, as against the king of Israel, Fight neither ♦ with small nor great save only with this.-For, (as the writer justly concludes) while it stands entire there is no victory."

CHAPTER VII.

The Cause of the Destruction of the Old World.

A

VII.

N account of the destruction of the old world is CHAP. very particularly stated in the sacred writings; from whence the cause may also be very clearly understood.

2. "And it came to pass, when men began to multi- Gen. vi. ply;" that is, according to the agreeable sense of mod- 1, 2. ern Divines, so called, when men began to fulfil the command or ordinance of God, Be fruitful, “and daughters were born unto them, that the sons of God (who were not corrupted by a mixed generation) saw the daughters of men, that they were fair; and they took them wives of all which they chose." For the daughters of men were under no controul, either to the law of nature or of God, for their first mother had violated both.

3. And as the first deceived woman, saw that the tree Gene was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes;" so these sons of God, "saw the daughters of men, that they were fair;" and according to their own corrupt will, they took them wives, not of some particular tribe or family, but " of all which they chose, and went in unto them, and they bare them children: the 2,5,8,13. same became mighty men, which were of old, men of renown."

4. "And the earth was corrupt before God, and filled with violence through them for all flesh had corrupted his way upon the earth. And God saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. And it repented the Lord that he had made man on the earth, and it grieved him at his heart. And the Lord said, I will destroy man, whom I have created."

5. But Noah found grace in the eyes of the Lord. And God said unto Noah, The end of all flesh is come before me; for the earth is filled with violence through them: and behold, I will destroy them with the earth." 6. Then as there must be an evident distinction

chap. vi.

VII.

CHAP. between the works of these mighty men of renown, who corrupted the earth and filled it with violence, and the works of Noah, who found grace in the eyes of the Lord; it may be proper to observe wherein that distinction lay.

26, 27.

7. The old natural creation was, from the beginning, set in order to subserve the purpose of God, in relation to a new and spiritual creation; and the old was to continue no longer than to subserve that purpose. The state of man on this earth was by no means to be his final state. Man was created from the beginning, for a more glorious and eternal purpose.

8. And therefore a line was drawn, from the beginning of the old Creation, to the beginning of the new; which for the time then present, pointed out two manner of people, and in things of a temporal nature, distinguished between the disobedient and obedient, the wicked and the righteous; showing the nature of that creation which must finally pass away, and of that which would be eternal.

9. This line may not improperly be called, a line of promise, pertaining to such as were counted righteous or perfect in their generations, and through whom as pertaining to the flesh, Jesus the Christ

came.

10. And in this line were exhibited promises, types, and figures, which pointed to the spirit and substance of the new creation; at least, to the adjusting or setting in order a new age or spiritual seed, of which Christ Jesus was in the fulness of time, the true and real beginning.

11. But until Christ appeared, there could be no real difference in the nature and disposition of any. Acxvii. For of one blood, were made all nations of men, to dwell on all the face of the earth, and God determined the times before appointed, and the bounds of their habitation; that they should seek the Lord, if haply they might feel after him and find him, though he be not far from every one of us.

12. Then as all nations of men on the face of the whole earth, were made of one blood, that they might seek the Lord and find him, it is evident that in their natural state, there is no difference; they are all

equally out of the way, and equally distant from CHAP. God.

13. To speak plainly; in their natural state, there was no difference between Cain and Abel; both were conceived in the same corrupt nature of opposition to God, and both descended from the same parents who had corrupted their blood, by their obedience to the serpent, and basely violated the law of nature. 14. In their natural state, and in their conception and birth, there was no difference between Noah, and those who were destroyed by the flood-between Abraham, and his father's house-between Lot, and the men of Sodom-between Moses, and Pharoahbetween the Israelites, and Canaanites.

VII.

. 15. All nations of men were of one blood, and that
was corrupted by the fall; nor could it be cleansed
until the times determined were accomplished.-As
it is written," I will cleanse their blood that I have not Joel.21
cleansed." And again, "I will call them my people, 25.
which were not my people."

16. But here was the difference in all ages. While the generality of the world gave themselves up to luxury and sensuality, and according to the deceitful law in their members, were corrupting themselves through the lust of uncleanness, and filling the earth with violence through ambition and the love of dominion; there were those who were chosen to maintain the belief of one true God, in order to subserve his wise purpose, and keep up the distinction between good and evil, until the true foundation of final and eternal redemption should be laid.

Rom. is.

17. Therefore, God at sundry times and in divers Heb. i. 1. manners, delivered special commands and ordinances to certain individuals, which related to their temporal œconomy, and were productive of temporal good to such as were thereunto obedient. And such as were obedient to whatever was, in any way or manner, or at any time, revealed to them in this respect, were, in every age, a repository for the faith and worship of one living and true God.

2 Pet. ii.

18. And by their obedience they found justification according to the nature of what they were taught, and 5,6,7,8,9. by which they condemned the world, who lived in cor- Heb.xi.7.

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