him, by the sanction of the law that he had broken; yet, it will not follow, that his obligations of every kind were cancelled, so that his after-conduct could be no ways criminal. He still continued a rational creature, and ought to act a rational part. He ought still to maintain honorable thoughts of God, as a Being in himself, infinitely glorious; although he was not to look upon him any longer as his God, or a good for him to enjoy. He ought still to ascribe righteousness to his Maker; and to take blame to himself, in a silent submission to the sufferings of deserved punishment. In such instances as these, Adam might be said to be under obligations of duty, if the word duty may be applied to the actions of a rebel, in such a totally ruined state. And although Adam's eating the forbidden fruit was a transient action; yet it was of such a criminal nature as to fix everlasting blame upon him; he would have been to blame, in every moment of his miserable existence, for not having faithfully retained his original perfection and blessedness. No limited period could ever have worn off from him the fault of his apostacy.

5. Adam, by this sin, broke up that union between God and him, in which he was at first created. Whilst he remained innocent, there was a close and intimate union between God and him; and one common, undivided interest. God's interest was the glory of his great name; and the interest of man lay in glorifying and enjoying God: both having one common, undivided interest. He effectually secured his own interest, whilst he continued to glorify God. His regard for the divine glory, and for his own happiness, were inseparable in that state. Herein consisted his spiritual life. But when he became guilty, this union was broken up; spiritual death, which primarily consists in this breach of union with God, seized upon his soul. He was divided from God, and came to have a separate interest. God's glory required that man should receive the punishment

due to his offence : but man's desire of his owh happiness must make him desirous of escaping this punishment. Here then, God's glory, or man's happiness, must fail. From hence therefore, enmity and contrariety between God and man naturally takes place. For man's well-being was no longer consistent with the glory of God. This contrariety between God and man was a natural consequence of the first

6. This breach of Union between God and man, made way for the supreme love of the creature to grow and increase in the heart of man. Being divided from God, and having no more interest in him, or access to him, man was left to seek his own happiness where he could find it. He was not a self-sufficient creature: but he became happy by the enjoyment of some suitable object. The happiness of man, for which his nature was first formed, and which was originally intended for him, consisted in the enjoyment of God. But when he had cut himself off from God, his desire of happiness led him to seek it in such objects to which he could have access. Hence it came to pass, that his heart naturally went out after the creature, instead of God: which attachment to creature-enjoyments becomes more fixed and strong, by daily exercise, and long continuance.

Thus we see by what has been now said, how ruinous and destructive the first sin was to the human nature; and what evil fruits and consequences naturally and necessarily follow from it. The things which have been mentioned, are no other than the natural consequences of guilt. Hereby the human nature was thus totally ruined. But besides these

natural evil consequences, there is the wrath of God, and the execution of threatened punishment still due to man for sin; which includes the death of the body, and the suffering divine vengeance in the eternal

state.

Hitherto we have considered the effects of sin upon Adam himself. But let us continue our view, and consider how his posterity are affected with it. And if the sin of Adam is imputed to his seed, as has been shown; it will have a like depraving effect upon them, as it had upon him. It has been thought by some, a matter of special difficulty to account for the propagation of native depravity from Adam to his posterity. But if the imputation of his sin to them be allowed, depravity of nature will follow as a necessary consequence. For where the guilt of sin takes place, it divides the soul from God, and shuts it out from all access to him, and communion with him. Hereby Adam's posterity, considered merely in their connexion with him, are disabled, and cut off from that dependent, complacential resting of soul in God, which was such an essential part of the divine image; and are left only to the enjoyment of such degrees of pleasure as creatures are able to afford them, in like-manner as Adam was. Some delight and complacency in creatures, is doubtless consistent with a state of perfection. It is not to be questioned but that Adam, in his innocent state, tasted a sweetness in, and was pleased with such things as divinė goodness had provided for him to eat and drink; although he was at the same time perfect in his love of God. And so in our fallen state, our nature is capable of partaking of that pleasure which sensible ob jects are able to afford us. But as man in his innocent state, was interested in the favor of God, and enjoyed communion with him; therefore if he had duly improved this privilege, his acquaintance with God would have given him such views and tastes of the divine glory, as would have filled the heart with the love of God, and prevented the soul from going abroad after happiness. And if our first parents had maintained their innocent state till children had been born unto them; these children would have come into the world in a state of covenant love, peace and favor with God. They would have been interested

in, and favored with that communion with God, and those early manifestations of the divine glory, by which their hearts would have been possessed of the love of God, before any creature-enjoyment had become rooted in their affections. But when our first parents had cut themselves off from the love of God, and the precious privilege of communion with him; "Adam begat a son in his own likeness." And as his children were born under the guilt of his sin, by which they were disabled for that dependent, complacential resting of soul in God, which belonged to the divine image; and were cut off from communion with him, and denied those early manifestations of the divine glory, whereby their souls would have been enlivened with the love of God; they being thus divided from God, grew up in an acquaintance with the things of this world. As soon as their bodily faculties were capable of receiving impressions from sensible objects, and tasting some degrees. of pleasure in them; their hearts would naturally go out after them, as the things in the enjoyment of which, all the happiness they knew of, did consist. Whence it comes to pass, that the things of this world get deeply rooted in their hearts, even before they obtain any knowledge of God. The imputation of Adam's sin to his posterity, being allowed; it will be easy to account for all that moral depravity which is thus be come universal to mankind. For if we come into the world under the guilt of his sin, are thereby cut off from communion with God, and denied those manifestations of the divine glory which would awaken the love of God in the heart; it will naturally and necessarily foliow, that we shall be united in our affections to the enjoyment of this life which temper of mind is fitly styled enmity against God; and is such a source of sin as is sufficient to account for all that wickedness which has overspread the whole human race. There is no need to suppose any vicious taint, or corrupt principle infused in our nature, either by the righteous judgment of God, or by the force

:

of natural generation; for all the sin and wickedness of mankind will follow merely from the imputation of Adam's first sin to his posterity. What we receive in the course of natural generation, is a natural existence; or the powers and faculties which belong to our nature, by which we become beings capable to put forth natural, rational and moral exercises. And if what we receive in a course of natural generation, are only those natural faculties which render us capable of moral agency; then we shall be denominated holy, or sinful, according to the nature of such moral exercises as we put forth. If from the beginning, we were favored with communion with God, and proper manifestations of his glory to our souls, those natural faculties which render us capable of moral agency, would naturally put forth such moral exercises as would be agreeable to the perfections of God: but being shut out from communion with him by the guilt of sin, our natural faculties, of course, fall under the influence of sensible objects; and will therefore put forth such exercises as are unholy and sinful. And as we thus come into the world under the imputation of Adam's first sin, as a consequence of which, we are destitute of the divine image, and under the prevailing influence of the things of this world; therefore we have reason to confess with David, "I was shapen in iniquity; and in sin did my mother conceive me." And as our natural desire of happiness, which is a very strong and active passion, has nothing to feed upon but the creature, it will cause us, "To drink in iniquity like water.' Our natural thirst after happiness would not be sinful, provided we suitably sought after the gratification of it in the glori fication and enjoyment of God: but when the soul is turned away from him, and this thirst runs out after the enjoyment of creatures, it becomes sinful; it is the source of all that sin and wickedness which appears in our lives; and is that temper of mind which the apostle justly styles enmity against God."