66

to prove a finful and corrupt Nature, muft inevitably and irrecoverably fall to the Ground.-"Which will appear more abundantly, if we take "in the Cafe of the Angels, who in Numbers "finned, and kept not their firft Eftate, though "created with a Nature fuperiour to Adam's." Again, p. 145. S. "When it is inquired, how it "comes to pafs that our Appetites and Paffions "are now fo irregular and ftrong,, as that not one "Perfon has refifted them, fo as to keep himself ઠંડ pure and innocent? If this be the Cafe, if fuch "as make the Inquiry will tell the World, how "it came to pafs that Adam's Appetites and Paf

fions were fo irregular and ftrong, that he did "not refift them, fo as to keep himself pure and “innocent, when upon their Principles he was far

દ

more able to have refifted them; I alfo will tell "them how it comes to pafs, that his Pofterity "does not refift them. Sin doth not alter its Na"ture, by its being general; and therefore how "far foever it fpreads, it must come upon all just as it came upon Adam.”

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These Things are delivered with much Affurance. But is there any Reason in fuch a Way of talking? One Thing implied in it, and the main Thing, if any Thing at all to the Purpose, is, that because an Effect's being general, does not alter the Nature of the Effect, therefore Nothing more can be argued concerning the Caufe, from its happening conftantly, and in the most steady Manner, than from its happening but once. But how con

trary is this to Reafon? If fuch a Cafe fhould happen, that a Perfon, through the deceitful Perfuafions of a pretended Friend, once takes an unwholesome and poisonous Draught, of a Liquor he had no Inclination to before; but after he has

once

Seat. IX. 5 once taken of it, he be observed to act as one that has an insatiable, incurable Thirft after more of the fame, in his conftant Practice, and Acts often repeated, and obftinately continued in as long as he lives, against all poffible Arguments and Endeavours used to diffuade him from it; and we fhould from hence argue a fixed Inclination, and begin to fufpect that this is the Nature and Operation of the Poifon, to produce fuch an Inclination, or that this ftrong Propenfity is fome Way the Confequence of the first Draught; in fuch a Cafe, could it be faid with good Reason, that a fixed Propenfity can no more be argued from his confequent conftant Practice, than from his firft Draught? Or, if we fuppofe a young Man, no otherwise than foberly inclined, and enticed by wicked Companions, fhould drink to Excefs, until he had got a Habit of exceffive Drinking, and fhould come under the Power of a greedy Appetite after strong Drink, fo that Drunkennefs fhould become a common and conftant Practice with him: And some Observer, arguing from this his general Practice, fhould fay, It muft needs be that this young Man has a fixed Inclination to that Sin; otherwife, how fhould it come to pass that he 'fhould make fuch a Trade of it?' And another, ridiculing the Weaknefs of his arguing, fhould reply, Do you tell me how it came to pafs, that

he was guilty of that Sin the first Time, without * a fixed Inclination, and I'll tell you how he is guilty of it fo generally without a fixed Inclination. Sin does not alter its Nature by being general: And therefore, how common foever it becomes, it must come at all Times by the fame Means that it came at firft.' I leave it to every one to judge, who would be chargeable with weak arguing in fuch a Cafe.

It

It is true, as was obferved before, there is no Effect without fome Caufe, Occafion, Ground, or Reason of that Effect, and fome Caufe answerable to the Effect. But certainly it will not follow from thence, that a tranfient Effect requires a permanent Cause, or a fixed Influence or Propenfity. An Effect's happening once, though the Effect may be great, yea, though it may come to pafs on the fame Occafion in many Subjects at the fame Time, will not prove any fixed Propenfity, or permanent Influence. It is true, it proves an Influence great and extensive, anfwerable to the Effect, once exerted, or once effectual; but it proves Nothing in the Caufe fixed or conftant. If a particular Tree, or a great Number of Trees ftanding together, have blafted Fruit on their Branches at a particular Season, yea if the Fruit be very much blasted, and entirely fpoiled, it is evident that fomething was the Occafion of fuch an Effect at that Time; but this alone does not prove the Nature of the Tree to be bad. But if it be observed, that those Trees, and all other Trees of the Kind, wherever planted, and in all Soils, Countries, Climates, and Seafons, and however cultivated and managed, still bear ill Fruit, from Year to Year, and in all Ages, it is a good Evidence of the evil Nature of the Tree: And if the Fruit, at all these Times, and in all these Cafes, be very bad, it proves the Nature of the Tree to be very bad. And if we argue in like Manner from what appears among Men, it is eafy to determine, whether the univerfal Sinfulness of Mankind, and their all finning immediately, as foon as capable of it, and all finning continually, and generally being of a wicked Character, at all Times, in all Ages, and all Places, and under all poffible Circumstances, against Means and Motives inexpreffibly manifold and great, and

in

Sect. IX.

in the utmost conceivable Variety, be from a permanent internal great Cause.

If the Voice of common Senfe were attended to, and heard, there would be no Occafion for Labour in multiplying Arguments, and Inftances, to fhew, that one A&t does not prove a fixed Inclination; but that conftant Practice and Pursuit does. We fee that it is in Fact agreeable to the Reafon of all Mankind, to argue fixed Principles, Tempers, and prevailing Inclinations, from res peated and continued Actions, though the Actions afe voluntary, and performed of Choice; and thus to judge of the Tempers and Inclinations of Per fons, Ages, Sexes, Tribes, and Nations. But is it the Manner of Men to conclude, that whatever they fee others once do, they have a fixed abiding Inclination to do?-Yea, there may be feveral Acts feen, and yet they not taken as good Evis dence of an established Propenfity; nay, though attended with that Circumftance, that one Act, or thofe feveral Acts, are followed with fuch conftant Practice, as afterwards evidences fixed Difpofition. As for Example; there may be feveral Instances of a Man's drinking fome fpirituous Liquor, and they' be no Sign of a fixed Inclination to that Liquor: But thefe Acts may be introductory to a fettled Habit or Propenfity, which may be made very manifest afterwards by conftant Practice.

From thefe Things it is plain, that what is alledged concerning the firft Sin of Adam, and of the Angels, without a previous fixed Difpofition to Sin, cannot in the leaft injure or weaken the Arguments, which have been brought to prove a fixed Propensity to Sin in Mankind in their prefent State. The Thing which the Permanence of the

Caufe

Cause has been argued from, is the Permanence of the Effect. And that the permanent Caufe confifts in an internal fixed Propenfity, and not any particular external Circumftances has been argued from the Effects being the fame, through a vaft Variety and Change of Circumstances. Which Things do not take Place with refpect to the first Act of Sin that Adam or the Angels were guilty of; which firft Acts, confidered in themselves, were no permanent continued Effects. And tho' a great Number of the Angels finned, and the Effect on that Account was the greater, and more extenfive; yet this Extent of the Effect is a very different Thing from that Permanence, or fettled Continuance of the Effect, which is fupposed to fhew a permanent Caufe, or fixed Influence or Propenfity. Neither was there any Trial of a vast Variety of Circumftances attending a permanent Effect, to fhew the fixed Caufe to be internal, confifting in a fettled Difpofition of Nature, in the Inftances objected. And however great the Sin of Adam, or of the Angels, was, and however great Means, Motives, and Obligations they finned against; whatever may be thence argued concerning the tranfient Cause, Occafion, or Temptation, as being very fubtil, remarkably tending to deceive and feduce, or otherwife great; yet it argues nothing of any fettled Difpofition, or fixed Caufe at all, either great or fmall; the Effect both in the Angels and our firft Parents, being in itself tranfient, and for ought appears, happening in each of them under one Syftem or Coincidence of influential Circumstances.

The general continued Wickedness of Mankind, against fuch Means and Motives, proves each of thefe Things, viz. that the Caufe is fixed, and that

the