is polluted, by fuppofing that God makes the Soul pure, but unites it to a polluted Body, (or a Body fo made, as tends to pollute the Soul;) he cries out of it as weak and infufficient, and too grofs to be admitted: For, fays he, Who infused the Soul into the Body? And if it is polluted by being infufed into the Body, Who is the Author and Caufe of its Pollution? And who created the Body, &c. ? But is not the Cafe juft the fame, as to those who fuppofe that God made the Soul pure, and places it in a polluted World, or a World tending by its natural State in which it is made, to pollute the Soul, or to have fuch an Influence upon it, that it fhall without Fail be polluted with Sin, and eternally ruined? Here, may not I also cry out, on as good Grounds as Dr. T.-Who placed the Soul here in this World? And if the World be polluted, or fo conftituted as naturally and infallibly to pollute the Soul with Sin, Who is the Cause of this Pollution? And, who created the World?

Though in the Place now cited, Dr, T. fo infifts upon it, that God must be ánfwerable for the Pollution of the Soul, if he has infufed or put the Soul into a Body that tends to pollute it; yet this is the very Thing which he himself fuppofes to be Fact, with refpect to the Soul's being created by God, in fuch a Body as it is, and in fuch a World as it is; in a Place which I have already had Occafion to obferve, where he fays, "We are "apt, in a World full of Temptation, to be "drawn into Sin by bodily Appetites." And if fo, according to his Way of Reafoning, God muft be the Author and Caufe of this Aptnefs to be drawn into Sin. Again, p. 143. we have these Words, "Who drinketh in Iniquity like Water?

« Whe

Se&t. II. S

"Who is attended with fo many fenfual Appetites, "and fo apt to indulge them ?" In thefe Words our Author in Effect fays the individual Thing that he cries out of as fo grofs, viz. The Tendency of the Body, as God has made it, to pol lute the Soul, which he has infufed into it. Thefe fenfual Appetites, which incline the Soul, or make it apt to a finful Indulgence, are either from the Body which God hath made, or otherwise a Pronenefs to finful Indulgence is immediately and originally feated in the Soul itself, which will not mend the Matter for Dr. Taylor.

I would here lastly observe, that our Author infifts upon it, p. 42. S. That this lower World where we dwell, in its present State, “Is as it

86

was, when, upon a Review, God pronounced "it, and all its Furniture, very good. And that "the present Form and Furniture of the Earth "is full of God's Riches, Mercy, and Good"nefs, and of the most evident Tokens of his "Love and Bounty to the Inhabitants." If fo, there can be no Room for fuch an Evafion of the Evidences from Fact, of the universal infallible Tendency of Man's Nature to Sin and eternal Perdition, as, that the Tendency there is to this Iffue, does not lie in Man's Nature, but in the general Conftitution and Frame of this earthly World, which God hath made to be the Habitation of Mankind.

SECT.

SECT. III.

That Propenfity, which has been proved to be in the Nature of all Mankind, must be a very evil, depraved, and pernicious Propenfity; making it manifeft, that the Soul of Man, as it is by Nature, is in a corrupt, fallen, and ruined State; which is the other Part of the Confequence, drawn from the Propofition laid down in the first

Section.

TH

HE Queftion to be confidered, in order to determine whether Man's Nature is not depraved and ruined, is not, Whether he is not inclined to perform as many good Deeds as bad ones? But, Which of these two he preponderates to, in the Frame of his Heart, and State of his Nature, a State of Innocence and Righteousness, and Favour with God; or a State of Sin, Guiltinefs, and Abborrence in the Sight of God? Perfevering finless Righteousness, or elfe the Guilt of Sin, is the Alternative, on the Decifion of which depends, (as is confeffed) according to the Nature and Truth of Things, as they are in themselves, and according to the Rule of Right, and of perfect Juftice, Man's being approved and accepted of his Maker, and eternally bleffed as good; or his being rejected, thrown away, and curfed as bad. And therefore the Determination of the Tendency of Man's Heart and Nature, with refpect to these Terms, is that which is to be looked at, in order to determine whether his Nature is good or evil, pure or corrupt, found or ruined. If fuch be Man's Nature, and State of his Heart, that he has an infallibly effectual Propenfity to the latter of thofe Terms; then it is wholly impertinent to

talk

Sect. III. S talk of the innocent and kind Actions, even of Criminals themselves, furpaffing their Crimes in Numbers, and of the prevailing Innocence, good Nature, Industry, Felicity, and Chearfulness of the greater Part of Mankind. Let never fo many Thousands, or Millions of Acts of Honefty, good Nature, &c. be supposed; yet, by the Suppofition, there is an unfailing Propenfity to fuch moral Evil, as in its dreadful Confequences infinitely out-weighs all Effects or Confequences of any fuppofed Good. Surely that Tendency, which, in Effect, is an infallible Tendency to eternal Deftruction, is an infinitely dreadful and pernicious Tendency: And that Nature and Frame of Mind, which implies fuch a Tendency, muft be an infinitely dreadful and pernicious Frame of Mind. It would be much more abfurd, to fuppofe, that fuch a State of Nature is good, or not bad, under a Notion of Men's doing more honeft and kind Things than evil ones; than to fay, the State of that Ship is good, to cross the Atlantic Ocean in, that is fuch as cannot hold together thro' the Voyage, but will infallibly founder and sink by the Way; under a Notion that it may probably go great Part of the Way before it finks, or that it will proceed and fail above Water more Hours than it will be in finking: Or, to pronounce that Road a good Road to go to fuch a Place, the greater Part of which is plain and fafe, though fome Parts of it are dangerous, and certainly fatal to them that travel in it; or to call that a good Propenfity, which is an inflexible Inclination to travel in fuch a Way.

A Propensity to that Sin which brings God's. eternal Wrath and Curfe (which has been proved to belong to the Nature of Man) is evil, not only D

as it is calamitous and forrowful, ending in great natural Evil, but as it is odious and deteftable; for by the Suppofition, it tends to that moral Evil, by which the Subject becomes odious in the Sight of God, and liable, as fuch, to be condemned, and utterly rejected, and curfed by him. This alfo makes it evident, that the State which it has been proved Mankind are in, is a corrupt State in a moral Senfe, that it is inconfiftent with the Fulfilment of the Law of God, which is the Rule of moral Rectitude and Goodness. That Tendency, which is oppofite to that which the moral Law requires and infifts upon, and prone to that which the moral Law utterly forbids, and eternally condemns the Subject for, is doubtless a corrupt Tendency, in a moral Senfe.

So that this Depravity is both odious, and alfo pernicious, fatal and deftructive, in the highest Senfe, as inevitably tending to that which implies Man's eternal Ruin; it fhews, that Man, as he is by Nature, is in a deplorable and undone State, in the highest Senfe. And this proves that Men do not come into the World perfectly innocent in the Sight of God, and without any just Exposedness to his Difpleasure. For the being by Nature in a loft and ruined State, in the highest Senfe, is not confiftent with being by Nature in a State of Favour with God.

But if any should still infift on a Notion of Men's good Deeds exceeding their bad ones, and that, seeing the Good that is in Men is more than countervails the Evil, they cannot be properly denominated evil; all Perfons and Things being most properly denominated from that which pre

vails,