Wife Men among the Heathen, Who, as they found by Conscious Experience That it was as little in a Man's Power to make himself Vertuous, as it was to make himself Fortunate and as they likewise thought it fuitable to the Goodnefs of God to take Care of Man's Greater Good as well as of his Lefler, so they espoused this Belief of God's affifting Men to Probity of Manners, as a Truth deducible from the first Principles of Reafon. Accordingly Plato delivers it as a Rule received from Socrates, and laid down as a Fundamental in his Morality, That Vertue was, Seia ucieg, 4 Divine Diftribution; and that Education, Precepts, Example, and Practical Diligence, were only partial Advances towards it, but that the State was got and finished by the Concurrence of God. And what can be more exprefs, and withal more venerable, than that of Seneca, when he fays, Nulla fine Deo mens bona, No Soul can be Good with out the Divine Affifiance. But But I have afferted my Point from a better Authority; and therefore thought it fit to engage no farther in this way of Proof, as being fuperfluous in a Chriftian Auditory. Having then offered This as the True Prospect of the State of Lapfed Nature; the next thing I purpose is a Vindication of this State from fuch Cavils as the Rafh, and fuch Complaints as the Weak, are apt to conceive against it. And this I intend for the Subject of the following Difcourfe. SER. SERMON II. i St. MATTH. XXVI. 35. Peter Jaid unto him,Though I fhould die I Na former Difcourse upon this Text, I offer'd the Scriptural View and Account of Lapled Nature; from whence it fully appears, that no Man is fufficient either to be or to continue Good in his own Strength. Which is a Doctrine directly ferving the Two great Ends of Religion: viz. To exalt the Glory of God; and to beat down all Pretences of Humane Pride. But But as all Truth is abusable, so we may be aware that many espouse this very Truth the more freely, only that they may the more freely form it into an Apology for careless Living. For Example, thus they argue: Our Na*ture is indisposed, perverse, and insuf'ficient to Good; therefore, How mi'ferable is our Condition, thus to be 'maimed before we were born, and 'made guilty before we knew how to 'act, and obnoxious for doing that 'which we cannot help? How unaccountably fatal was the Indiscretion of our First Parents, which gave occafion 'to this Disorder? And how unfortunate their Pofterity, to whom it is de'rived? Why did not God, with more appearance of Compaffion, redinte"grate our Nature after the Fall, and ' restore it to its Primitive Uprightness ? 'How much better had his Service been provided for by this Method, and Man more happily prevented from his "Displeasure Which Displeasure of 'his we cannot now avoid, unless it be 'by his own Act; whose Actings are not fuppofable to be at our Difcreti on. Now it is certain that all fuch kind of Arguings are profane, and tend to nothing but the Difhonour of God, and the Support and Countenance of Vice in the World: And therefore to obviate thefe Mischiefs, and to carry on my Contemplation to its proper Ufefulness, I am obliged to enquire into the Reasons Why the Wifdom and Goodness of God thought fit to leave Mankind under this prefent ftate of Weakness and Infuffici ency. From which Enquiry I fhall show, 1. That what God Chiefly intended thereby was, To oblige us more strictly to live in a perpetual Dependance upon himfelf; And, 2. That fuch a Dependance (put in Practice) will effectually cut off all possible pretences of humane Complaint. My first Business is, to enquire into the Reasons why the Wisdom and Good nefs |