yet Eph. 1.3.5.7 Forgiveness of Sins is there specify'd as the distinct Priviledge of Adopted Sons in these words God the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ having predestinated us unto the Adoption of Children by Jesus Christ unto himself according to the good pleasure of his Will in him we have Redemption through his Blood the Forgiveness of Sins according to the Riches of his Grace And Thirdly which is an Appendage to this same Priviledge III. To the Children of God is granted an easier Access by Prayer to the Throne of Grace for Pardon of Sins and other Mercies A Child of God upon the Score of such his Relation is permitted to have an easy Access to the Throne of Grace and is admitted to Address himself in Prayer to God as for whatever other Mercies he stands in need of so for Pardon of Sins when he has Transgrest with a full Assurance of a gracious Answer The Gentiles who serv'd no Gods but what their own Imaginations created did it after a Slavish manner for how could they be sure the Offended Deity was to be Entreated when he had Reveal'd no such thing unto ' em And so did the Jews also who serv'd the True God it was in a Servile manner too for when they had committed an Offence against the Law they were to provide their Sacrifice and bring it to the Priest and he was to Offer it for 'em whilst they stood at a distance But now the Veil of the Sanctuary being broke upon the Death of our High-Priest We have therefore the Liberty to enter into the Holiest by the Blood of Jesus by a New and Living way which he hath Consecrated for us through the Veil that is to say his Flesh And having him our High Priest over the House of God we may hence-forward draw near with a true Heart in full Assurance of Faith having our Hearts sprinkled from an evil Conscience Heb. 10.19 20 21 22. that is Every Christian provided he comes not with the guilt of any unrepented Sin upon his Conscience may himself now Offer up his own Prayers to God through Christ without the Mediation of any other Priest or Sacrifice and that with a full Assurance of being graciously heard and answer'd And that this Faith and full Assurance with which we may Approach unto God to Pray to him for the Forgiveness of Sins is our Priviledge only as we are the Sons of God by Adoption is plain from St. Paul Rom. 8.15 Ye have not received the Spirit of Bondage again unto fear as under the Law but ye have received the Spirit of Adoption whereby we cry unto God Abba Father And again Gal. 4.6 Because ye are thus made his Sons God hath sent forth the Spirit of his Son into your hearts crying Abba Father And now Lastly If there be any other very considerable Priviledge Lastly A Child of God is more surely instated in the Inheritance of Heaven than others accruing to a Child of God from such his Relation it is That God will more surely Instate him in the Inheritance of Heaven than he will do others that have no such Relation to him And indeed if Children of God then Heirs we are told Heirs of God and Joint-Heirs with Christ Rom. 8.17 But the Vastness of this will be best consider'd by us when we come to the Explication of that Third and the last of those Priviledges made over to us on God's Part in the Covenant of Grace viz. What it is Inheritor of the Kingdom of Heaven â—he infinite â—sen we â—son we â—veto praise â—d for these â—dvantages And now upon the Review of what has been said in the Exposition of this present Article In what Admiration of God's Goodness may we all of us cry out with St. John 1 Epist 3.1 Behold what manner of Love the Father hath bestow'd upon us that we should be call'd the Sons of God And what infinite Reason have we â—he infinite â—â—son we â—ve to praise â—d for these â—dvantages with St. Paul thankfully to Praise him for it Eph. 1.3.5 Blessed le the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ who hath Blessed us Christians with all Spiritual Blessings in and concerning Heavenly Places and Concerns of the World to come through Christ having Predestinated us to the Adoption and Priviledges of Children by Jesus Christ unto himself according to the good Pleasure of his Will He Adopted us to be his Children according to the good Pleasure of his Will This Priviledge that we should be his Children is Attended with very rich Advantages all which have accru'd to us not from any Merit and Desert of ours being suppos'd Enemies unto him but only from his free Goodness towards us which was pleas'd so to determine it And as it is both Great and Free we ought certainly with all possible Acknowledgments to Magnify and Extol both his infinite Condescension and Goodness and our owa unspeakable Priviledge and Dignity therein Indeed for God to be a Father by Creation and Providence as One observes tho' it be a Mercy yet it is no Priviledge for in that Sence he is Parens rerum the common Parent of all things But that God should be thy Father by Adoption that he should make thee his Son through his only Begotten Son that he should rake up Dirt and Filth as thou art and lay it in his Bosom that he should take Aliens and Strangers near unto himself and Adopt Enemies and Rebels into his Family Register their Names in the Book of Life make them Heirs of Glory Co-heirs with Jesus Christ his Eternal Son as the Apostle doth admiringly re-count it Rom. 8.17 This is Mercy and Miracle both It is indeed an invaluable Grace and Favour that we should be Adopted his Children were it only for this that he will be ready to Pardon our Sins and Infirmities and will Admit us favourably to Address our Selves and Prayers to him But this Priviledge of being his Children will farther appear to be beyond all Expression Great since if Children as the Apostle infers Rom. 8.17 then Heirs Heirs of God and Joint-Heirs with Christ If a Child of God then which Crowns all the rest of his Covenanted Mercies Inheritors of the Kingdom of Heaven which yet it is said we shall be But what and how Great that Third and Last Priviledge of the Covenant is I am in the Explication of the next Article to declare unto you THE Eighth Lecture And an Inheritour of the Kingdom of Heaven HAving hitherto spoke to the Two First Priviledges made over to us in the Covenant of Grace that thereby we are First made Members of Christ and Secondly Children of God Having both Explain'd to you the Meaning and Importance of those Two Articles and laid out to you the Vastness of those Priviledges and Advantages contain'd therein I come now in like manner to Explain to you the Third which is that we are made thereby Inheritours of the Kingdom
to leave off having any Communication or Agreement with him and any Hand in his base and ungrateful Rebellion against God so to Renounce his Works of Sin was to Disclaim Abandon or Forsake all and every Sin as being the proper Service of the Devil and in the real Meaning of it no less than a throwing off God's Authority and a dis-owning of his Power This I say was the first Meaning of the Words in the first Ages of the Church Nor are they to be Interpreted in a much different Sence at this Day For Satan has his Kingdom still in the World The Words are to be understood in much the same Sence at this day Satan having his Kingdom still in the World and even amongst Christians and the Laws of Sin which are the Laws of his Kingdom being still Obey'd by the greatest Part of Mankind and the Laws of Sin which are the Laws of that his Kingdom are Obey'd by the greatest Part of Mankind The Barbarous Nations amongst the Pagans do directly serve him at this Day and it is many a Christian's Lot who is cast amongst 'em to be forced either to Join with 'em in such Impious Service or to suffer Death with Torments for refusing And even in the Christian Pale tho' his Power is much weaken'd here since the Coming of our Saviour to what it was before yet still as Christ has his Church so Satan has his Synagogue amongst us and too many there are within the Limits of Christendom who do openly and avowedly Obey no other than the Laws of his Kingdom All your Atheists and Deists who Blaspheme God and the Christian Religion and all your Profane Swearers and Cursers whom you shall hear every Hour in the Day to Dare God as it were by their horrid Oaths and Imprecations to Damn 'em that is to send 'em to the Devil and all those who Resort to Charmers and Conjurers and Fortune-tellers as many Thousands do in this Nation All these I say are the open and profest Subjects of Satan's Kingdom And how many Lewd and Riotous Livers are there amongst us who do little else but the Works of the Devil and Obey no other Laws but those of Sin So that as you will Renounce the Devil and all his Works in that Sence wherein the Church does at present understand the Words you are with all possible care to avoid being of the Number of such Men. And I know no more that need be said at present This Renunciation for the most Part the same with Repentance to explain the Importance of the words Renounce the Devil and all his Works except it be this That if we consider such a Renunciation as the Act of One who has been heretofore a Slave to Satan and a Servant to Sin then it signifies to Forsake and Abandon the Service of Sin and the Devil formerly Liv'd in and so being a Ceasing to do Evil and a Learning to do well is the same with Repentance But if it be the Act of One of those who may be said to need no Repentance of which sort are Infants who have never committed Actual Sin then to Renounce the Devil and all his Works does mean a firm Resolution never to side with him in his Rebellion against God and as carefully as he can to avoid the committing of any Sin as being that whereby God's Rightful Authority is cast off and the Devil 's Vsurpt Dominion submitted to And so much for the Meaning of Renouncing the Devil and all his Works The Devil â—nd all his â—orks of Sin â—ust be absoâ—utely and enâ—rely Renounâ—ed because And now Lastly it remains that I should shew you how that it is necessary we should Absolutely and Entirely Renounce the Devil and all his Works As to those other Enemies to our Souls the World and our own Flesh there is some Temper to be us'd being neither of 'em are Absolutely and in themselves Evil but only by accident when the World is too intensely Belov'd and our Flesh too much Indulg'd to the Prejudice and Hurt of the Soul and therefore there are some Degrees of Affection and Regard allow'd to both them But the Devil is the Evil One and he is by way of Eminence and Singularity styl'd the Wicked One in the Holy Scripture as Matth. 13.19 There is noâ—hing but Eâ—il proceeds â—rom Satan and 1 Joh. 2.13.19 So that there 's not the least Good and nothing but Evil proceeds from him and therefore no manner of Agreement is to be made with him What Concord hath Christ with Belial 2 Cor. 6.15 Nor are we to imagine we can divide our Service betwixt God and him We cannot serve God and Mammon Matth. 6.24 So that the Devil is Absolutely and Entirely to be Renounc'd by us And Sin â—hether we â—â—nsider it in 〈◊〉 original â—ause and â—ature 〈◊〉 in its sad â—ffects and â—onsequents 〈◊〉 the utmost â—vil And so likewise must his Works of Sin Sin as Sin is entirely Evil Consider it in its Original Cause and Nature and consider it in its Effects and Consequents and there is not a worse Evil in the World than Sin View it in its Original and first Cause and it is a Brat of the Devil 's the First-born of Hell And view it again in its Nature and it is a Choosing of quite other Ends than what the Wise and Good God has Appointed us and ordain'd us for and is a Going quite cross to those Laws and Rules which he has given us And then consider it next in its sad Effects and Consequents and there is no Evil in the World to be Compar'd to it It is a Sin says One which turn'd glorious Angels into hideous Devils and tumbl'd them down from Heaven to Hell It is Sin that fill'd the the World with Woes and Plagues brought Death and Diseases and a vast and endless Summ of Miseries into it It is Sin that torments and terrifies the Conscience that kindles Hell Flames Exposes the Soul to the eternal and direful Revenges of the great God And in a word Sin is so perfectly and only Evil that the worst of Things here were they free from the Contagion and Evil of Sin would be Excellent and Amiable So that Sin also is Absolutely and Entirely to be Renounc'd by us and there is no one Sin nothing in the least of Sin that may willingly be comply'd with â—herefore no â—ne Sin nor â—ny thing the â—ast of Sin â—ust willingâ—â— be comply'd â—ith I say No One Sin nor any the least of Sin for so Poisonous a thing it is in spoiling of every thing that is Good in Man that if we shall allow our selves but in One single Sin it will utterly spoil all our other Righteousness If a man keep the whole Law and yet offend in one Point he is guilty of all Jam. 2.10 And One such single Allowance will stop God's Ears against all our Prayers If I regard Iniquity in my
of a Magistrate if such a One pretends to correct Sin or to enjoin the strict Observation of any Duty that Part of Religion is thought the worse of and slighted the more for his concerning himself about it And as a Good Name renders a Man capable of doing much Good so to have the Approbation of others to his worthy Designs puts Life and Vigour into his Contrivances for the Publick And active in Promoting it It makes him Active and Zealous in the Prosecution of 'em and gives Refreshment to his tired Thoughts and Spirits under the Fatigues of compassing ' em And to Crown all when such a One comes to Die his Death is lamented as a publick Loss or some Judgment befall'n the Age or Place which was not worthy of him His Memory is sweet and precious whereas that of the Infamous stinks worse than his very Carcass or as the Wise-man says The Memory of the Just is blessed but the Name of the Wicked shall rot Prov. 10.7 So Valuable in it self is that sort of Honour which consists in the high Esteem and Reputation of the Wise and Vertuous Part of Mankind concerning a Person occasion'd by the excellent Qualities and divine Graces shining in him or upon the account of some extraordinary Actions perform'd by him And yet for your farther Satisfaction A desire of Reputation and Credit is a thing implanted in our Natures by God that it is not only in it self a valuable Blessing but may with due Regulations be desir'd enjoy'd and carefully retain'd by us I am to tell you That God himself who is not the Author of Sin has implanted in the Nature of every Man a love of his Credit and a desire to have a Good Name amongst Wise and Vertuous Persons and this the Divine Wisdom has done that this desire of Credit and Reputation might be a Spur to excite us to Vertuous Performances and a Bridle to restrain us from lashing out into Sinful Extravagances Hence that of the Apostle Wilt thou not be afraid of the Power Do that which is Good and thou shalt have Praise of the same Rom. 13.3 And indeed Lastly It is a Duty incumbent upon all Christians And to preserve a Reputation untainted and unsuspected of Evil is a Duty enjoin'd us by his Laws to preserve their Reputation untainted and as much as possible unsuspected of Evil. So the Apostle Phil. 2.15 Be blameless ye Sons of God without Rebuke in the midst of a crooked and perverse Nation amongst whom shine ye as Lights in the world And in the 1 Thes 5.22 we are Enjoin'd to Abstain from all Appearance of Evil. Some will pretend so they can but Approve their Consciences to God they care not what Men say of ' em But besides that seldom any grow shameless and regardless of their Credit till they have lost all sence of Conscience as well as of their Honour This is at best but a very uncharitable Saying It is every Man's Duty indeed in the first place to take care of doing any thing that is in it self Evil and by which God is offended and if he cannot discharge his Conscience to him in a Good thing without incurring the Offence and and Censures of Men he must in such Case be content to approve his Actions to God only But in Charity to other Men's Souls we must also with St. Paul Act. 24.16 Exercise our selves to have always a Conscience void of offence as towards God so towards men by giving no occasion to suspect us of Evil and that because of giving no Offence Lest our liberty become a stumbling Block to them that are Weak and an occasion of falling in our Brother's way which we are Caution'd against Rom. 14.13 and 1 Cor. 8.9 Besides that if a Person be of ill Fame tho' he may not deserve it all his Speeches and Actions shall be ill Interpreted no Man regards what he says or does his Proposals shall be suspected his Counsels and Rebukes tho' wholsome and just scorn'd and despis'd the Man he speaks for the side he adheres to the Cause he defends and the Business he manages shall suffer Prejudice and speed the worse for the ill Opinion is held of him So that as the Father said Nobis necessaria est Vita nostra aliis Fama nostra Angl. de Bon. vid. Cap. 22. A Good Life is necessary to us and a Good Name necessary to our Brethren And as we must labour to have a good Conscience towards God for our own sakes so also to have a good Report amongst Men for our Neighbours So Valuable is a good Esteem in it self so desirable to be Attain'd and so carefully to be Preserv'd Nevertheless â—ven a Good Name is in â—me measure 〈◊〉 be Renounâ—ed by us â—he Temptaâ—â—ons it gives 〈◊〉 Nevertheless as useful as is the Honour and Esteem of Good Men even this is in some measure to be Renounc'd by us and the Temptations also it gives us which are not inconsiderable For the natural Desire of Honour and Credit amongst Men is apt to make us too eagerly to desire Praise making our own Glory the main End of the Good we do or at least-wise to make us desire more than is proportionable to our Deserts When possest of Reputation and Esteem we are apt to take it wholly to our selves and not to refer it to God to whom the Glory of all that is Good in us does properly belong and to make it an Instrument of our own Advancement only neglecting to use the Authority which our Credit and Reputation in the World does give us to discountenance Irreligion and to encourage Piety in the World And sometimes Persons do so much over-value their Good Name and Reputation amongst Men as to fly to undue Means of preserving it nay to prefer the Esteem of Men more than the Honour that cometh from God In all which Cases there is great occasion for that Renunciation and Self-denial with respect to that Honour which consists in an High Esteem and Reputation amongst Men. As First we must so far Renounce the Honour that â—â—ll accrue to us from our good Works as not to make our own Glory the End and Reason of any Good we do And First It behoves us so far to Renounce and Reject the Honour and Reputation that shall accrue to us from our Pious or Good Works as Not to make our own Glory the end and Reason of any Good we do We must Take heed that we do not our Alms before Men to be seen of them otherwise we shall have no Reward of our Father which is in Heaven Matth. 6.1 But on the contrary the main and chief End of all we do must be God's Glory insomuch that Whether we Eat or Drink or whatever we do we must do all to the Glory of God 1 Cor. 10.13 And indeed so far should we be from affecting the Honours and Applauses of Men upon the account of anything
Ruine you will thereby bring upon your selves and Families why you must consider that in such Case our Saviour tells us that a Man must even Hate Father and Mother and Wife and Children and Brethren and Sisters yea and his own Life also or he cannot be his Disciple and that whosoever doth not bear his Cross and come after him shall not be his Disciple Luk. 14.26 27. â—r Fourthâ— must â—reatnings 〈◊〉 Frowns â—ght us â—n it Nor Lastly must a Souldier of Jesus Christ be frighted out of the way of his Duty or Aw'd into any sinful or slavish Compliance by the Threats and Frowns of any Man living Shrink not from the Exercise of Religion and Uprightness because many about you and they perhaps Above or Richer than you are profane and lewd and utterly regardless of any thing that is Good and moreover do Discourage and Affront it For this if you should you will most certainly offend your Great Lord and Master the Lord of Heaven and Earth and who has call'd upon you not to fear a mortal Man no tho' he could Kill the Body but to be afraid of displeasing him rather who is able to destroy both Body and Soul in Hell Yea I say unto you fear him Luk. 12.4 And now Lastly I cannot call to Mind any other Temptations Lastly The evil Customs which have prevailed in the World are a powerful Temptation to Sin usual amongst wicked Men to Tempt others to Sin besides Some Evil Customs so rise amongst many That the Heathen Idolatries and those filthy Practices committed in 'em were so universally Complied with by all sorts of Men in the Pagan World was because they were Commended and Established by Publick Custom Many of their wisest Men and Philosophers had other Conceptions of God than to think it was fit to Change the Glory of God into the Similitude of an Ox that eateth Grass and thought also he ought to be Worshipt not by Fooleries and Impurities but with a chast Mind and a clean Heart And yet even those Men submitted to Common Custom and whatever they thought or spoke Privately amongst themselves they acted and spoke in Publick as the rest did And it was to the Prevalency of Custom that the Apostle imputed those Enormities of the Ephesians before their Conversion telling 'em that In time past they walked according to the Course of this World Eph. 2.2 And indeed so great is the Power of Evil Custom that it does still amongst Christians constrain Persons to do many ill Things even contrary to their Nature and Inclinations as well as Religion And when grown prevalent and common it does strangely take off the sence and fear of Hurt in the most Unchristian Practices Custom I say does still amongst Christians constrain Persons to do many ill Things even contrary to their Nature and Inclinations as well as Religion Hence among the Men of Honour as they would be thought shall many become even Self-murderers meerly in Compliance with Custom insomuch that those Persons who of all men Living have most reason to preserve their Lives having all their good Things they can ever expect in this World yet desperately spill one another's Blood in your cursed Duels It is no Inclination in these men I dare say to be so Prodigal of their dear Lives that makes 'em so desperately throw 'em away but meerly out of a Cowardly Fear they should be Branded with Disgrace for not complying with so common a Custom amongst Persons of their own Character So again among Persons of all Ranks you shall have men of no manner of Inclinations to Intemperate Drinking yet when they come to any Great Man's House where it is the barbarous and brutish Custom of Drinking Men hard Yet at such times they will not scruple to Exceed very far It is the Custom of the Place they 'll say and they were forc'd to it they could not help it And Custom also Custom takes off the Sence and Fear of Hurt in the most Vnchristian Practices when grown prevalent and common among Societies of Men will strangely take off the Sence and Fear of Hurt in the most Unchristian Practices Hence amongst Sea-men and Souldiers the most outragious Whoredoms and Adulteries and the most execrable Oaths and Curses are hardly accounted amongst the number of Sins And all the Arts of Cheating and Over-reaching nay of downright Lying and Swearing to the Soundness and Goodness of bad Commodities is little scrupled amongst some sort of Dealers the thing is grown so common And Custom it is which is so commonly Pleaded for the Omission of most necessary Duties as well as the Commission of most horrid Sins Hence do Multitudes make not the least scruple of Absenting their whole Lives from the Blessed Sacrament because it is so common amongst many to do so Thus powerful you see are the Evil Customs of the World so as almost to force Men whether they will or no to do many ill things and what is worse to seare their Consciences in the Commission of the worst Sins and in the Omission of the chiefest Duties A Christian â—ust couraâ—ously and â—gorously reâ—unce and â—ithstand the â—orce of all â—ful Customs â—hatsoever And now what must a Christian do in this Case Custom we know is a Second Nature and when it has been of a long Date Time out of Mind as the Phrase is it pleads Prescription and obtains the Force of a Law amongst Men. So that be a Custom never so contrary to Honesty Sobriety to common Sense and Reason or any the Laws of Christianity an old Custom must not be broken it is the Custom of the Place and must be kept up Such are the Sentiments of the Vulgar in this matter But you must resolve with all Courage and Stedfastness like true Souldiers of Jesus Christ to Renounce and Withstand the Force of all sinful Customs whatsoever and not to suffer your selves to be over-born thereby into any sinful Compliances When Christianity was first Preach'd amongst Men such barbarous and brutish Customs had of a long time prevail'd over the greatest Part of the Heathen World that many Practices which the meer Light of Nature would teach Men to Abandon as Sins and Wounds of Conscience Were as the Learned Dr. Hammond observes Embrac'd by whole Nations at once and continued in without any Check as innocent sinless Qualities Nature and Reason being so early engag'd and silenc'd by popular Custom and vicious Education that many knew it not to be a Sin to Steal or Rob if they were so Cunning as not to be taken others to Kill and Eat their Aged Parents conceiving that by this means they gave 'em a more Honourable Burial others to throw themselves murderously into the Flames to accompany their Dead Princes out of the World Many the like irrational Sins through some local Customs got the Reputation not only of sinless and lawful but of laudable also But all who Embrac'd Christianity as they
Sins that have their residence in the Mind only So that the whole Man as he is by Nature and all the Faculties of his Soul as well as Body as they are unregenerate and till they are sanctified by the Spirit and Grace of God come under this one Title of the Flesh But 2. The Flesh is the whole Man not as he was Created by God but as he is now in the State of Corrupted Nature 2. The whole Man not as created by God but as he is now in the State of Corrupted Nature No Humane Nature as it came out of God's Hands was of another Frame and Constitution to what it appears to be now in its Natural State and Condition God made Man upright but he sought out many Inventions Eccl. 7.24 He has found out many ways to crook and bend down towards the Earth that Upright Nature which God once gave him 3. Then the Flesh is the whole Vnregeaerate Nature of Man as it is spoil'd as to its Original Frame and Constitution and as it is inordinately converted in all the Tendences of Soul and Body and of all the Faculties and Powers thereof towards the Creature 3. As spoil'd in his Original Frame and Constitution as despoil'd of the Image of God and as inordinately tending towards the Creature In order to the more perfect Understanding of which Matter we must in the first place enquire what was the Original Frame and Constitution of Man In what the Image of God wherein he was created at first consisted And how that in all the Faculties and Powers of Soul and Body his whole Bent and Inclinations were originally Heavenward for by thus comparing the upright Nature of Man as it was at first Created with what it now is in this State of Corruption we shall be able clearly to apprehend what is meant by the Flesh the important Subject of our present Enquiry And now as to the Original Frame and Constitution of our Nature The Original Frame and Constitution of Humane Nature what wherein God made us it seems to have been this He gave Man a Faculty of Understanding whereby he could Contemplate upon and Know in an Extraordinary Measure the wonderful Nature and Perfections of his Creator his Amazing Works of Creation his Surprizing Works of Providence and thereby was able to discover the Good and Evil in any Objects that were presented to him Next he plac'd in his Bosom another wonderful Faculty called Conscience which is the practical Judgment in every Man whereby his own Mind out of that vast Treasure of useful Knowledge did dictate to him what was Good and to be Chosen what was Evil and to be refus'd by him and upon which Choice of Good and Rejecting of Evil its Office was to give its Testimony of Well-done to the Good and Faithful Servant to his unspeakable Comfort and Satisfaction Next in the Upright Nature of Man as it bore upon it the Image and Likeness of God there was plac'd a Will which of it self is a blind Faculty and chuses and refuses according to the Information of others And in the State of Innocence it was entirely complying with the Dictates of Reason and Conscience And to descend from the Rational to the Inferior and Bodily Powers It was the Divine Goodness did implant in our Natures those which we call the Passions and Affections in a Man which are principally these Admiration Love and Hatred And it was to very Excellent Purposes that these were given us The Use of Admiration was as to Things which should offer themselves to our Approbation if Good that we might put a true value upon them according to their Worth if Bad that we might despise 'em according to the Vanity and Evil we should find in ' em And as to the two other principal Passions of Love and Hatred God's Design in implanting in our hearts the former was to move and stir us up with Vigour and Activity to pursue whatever we should find good and convenient to us And the Passion of Hatred was put into our Natures that we might avoid on the contrary whatever might be found Hurtful and Offensive And it was no other than the Divine Goodness which in the Nature of Man did place certain Appetites and Lusts Every particular Man had even at his first Creation Appetites to Food and Sustenance in order to preserve his own Being in Life and Health And Cupidity or the Inclinations of the Sex to each other was in order to the Multiplication of Mankind This now was the Original Frame and Constitution of Man And in the Perfection Order and Purity of all the Faculties and Powers of Soul and Body according to this Original Frame and Constitution did the Image of God in which he was at first Created The Image of God wherein Man was at first Created what consist So long as the whole Nature of Man was perfect in all parts the Understanding quick in discerning momentous and weighty Truths the Conscience faithful in Dictating Right ways the Will entirely Obedient to the Directions of Conscience and Reason so long as the Affections were only plac'd upon worthy Objects and the Lusts and Appetites were always under the Power and Government of Right Reason so long as Man remained in this State the Image of God continued unsullied And so long as he continued thus it is plain also that the whole Bent and Inclination of the Soul was towards God The Bent and Inclination of the Soul towards God what that to him it did point in all its Motions and did fix upon him as the End of all its Actions and did love him with the intensest degrees of Affection And that even the Bodily Part was perfectly compliant with the Soul in serving it entirely and solely to that End So that thus you see what was the Original Frame and Constitution of Man In what the Image of God wherein he was created at first consisted And that in all the Faculties and Powers of Soul and Body his whole Bent and Inclinations were Heaven-ward But now in the Unregenerate Nature all this Excellent Frame and Constitution is broken This Image of God is defac'd and all the Faculties and Powers of Soul and Body instead of Inclining towards and Centring upon God and Heavenly Things tend downwards towards the Creature 1. In the Unregenerate Nature I say That Excellent Frame and Constitution wherein Man was Originally Created is now broken 1. In the Vnregenerate Nature of the Originall Frame and Constitution of Man wherein he was Created is broken So that instead of that Harmonious Subordination of the Inferior Faculties to the Superior instead of the Wills being subject to the Dictates of the Understanding and the Affections being subject to the Commands and Sovereignty of the Will and the Lusts and Appetites being Obedient to Right Reason and a well-inform'd Conscience instead of this the whole Order and Frame of Humane Nature is now