Preached at the Lady MOYER'S LECTURE. On the Corruption of Human JOB XIV. 3, 4. Doft thou open thine Eyes upon fuch an one? and bringeft me into Judgment with thee? Who can bring a clean Thing out of an Unclean? Not one. T HESE Words contain Job's Ex- SERM.IV. poftulation with his Maker, and the Sense of them, to use the Words of a great Writer, who clearly proves, that they have a plain Reference to the Introduction of Corruption, by the Sin of SERM.IV. of the Woman, is as follows, " e Why art "thou extreme to mark all my Errors? "Is it reasonable to expect Purity in a "Man born of a Woman, who is by the very Condition of his Birth unclean *?" The Difobedience of our first Parents involved their Pofterity, and entailed a Depravity of Nature upon their Defcendants: Which Depravity, though it is not a Sin in us, till the Will clofes with it, and deliberately consents to it; yet is certainly finful in itself, and therefore is ftiled Original Sin. For if it were not fo, if the first Rife of evil Thoughts, and every Tendency and Bias to Vice were not criminal in itself; the Confent of the Will to it . could never make it fo. For the Confent of the Will cannot alter the Nature of Things. St. Paul, Col. iii. 9, 10. fays, Ye have put off the old Man with his Deeds, and bave put on the new Man, which is renewed in Knowledge AFTER THE IMAGE of Him, that created him; or, as it is in another Place, Ephef. iv. 24. which after God is created in Righteousness and true Holi Bishop Sherlock's Second Differtation, Pag. 253. ness. 3 nefs. Now to be renewed after the Image SERM.IV. of our Creator, fignifies in the Original, to eceive again, what we had once loft. Man therefore once had (in his primitive State) that Image, to which he is to be restored by the Grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift. This is the Senfe which Irenæus, a Father of the fecond Century, puts upon these Words. For he says, "What we loft in "Adam, viz. the divine Image and Like"ness, we receive again in Christ Jesus *." Adam was formed in the Image of God; and what that Image was, we learn from the foregoing Words of St. Paul, that ye put on the new Man, which, after God (after the Image of God) is created in Righ teousness and true Holinefs. It is plain, that we who are shapen in Wickedness, who are born with ftrong Propenfions to Vice, are not created in Righteousness and true Holiness: It is plain therefore, that we are fallen from our original and primitive State of Innocence. Far be it from me to vilify human Nature, as if it were totally bad, without any Remains and Traces of its primitive Great nefs. I own, that any Man may, through Irenæus, Lib. 3. cap. 20, the SERM.IV. the Grace of God and his own Endeavours, ftand clear of all presumptuous Sins, and much more of all evil Habits. I own that our Paffions are innocent in themselves, though they are often wrong in their Degree, being not very feldom difproportioned to the real Value of Things; very violent and exorbitant, where they ought to be moderate, and very moderate and remifs, where there is no imminent Danger of Excefs. I grant, that, though our Nature is degenerated, yet it is not entirely inverted, fo as to have no Relifh for Goodnefs; that we are not only capable of Virtue; but alfo of great Attainments therein; we may not only be virtuous, but even excel in Virtue. Notwithstanding, there are plain Proofs that we are fallen Creatures, from the Perverfeness of our Will, and the Weakness of our Understanding. For no Creature could come originally from God's Hand, but what was perfect in its kind: No rational Creature can be perfect in his kind, in whom there is a ftrong Propenfion to Vice, that is, to what is unreasonable, and a great Irregularity of the Appetites and Affections. Had Man continued fuch as he was at firft formed; the |