Recovery, which is given us in the Text, SERM. that it is the beft, if not the only Informa- IV.

tion we have of our true State and Condition. It accounts for the two contrary Principles that are within us, and makes the whole Scheme of Religion one uniform confiftent Thing; whereas, if we lay afide this, we have no other Account of these Things. Who can pretend to account for the Original of Evil without it? That God could make nothing evil is plain, because he is a Being of infinite Perfection; every thing that he made then must be good, and accordingly we find it was fo; for he pronounc'd it to be fo, after he had made them. Well then, what Account do we give of Evil? How came That into the World? Since it could not come from God, from whence fhould it come, but from fome Deviation from his Laws?

No doubt of it, in his own Image,

when God made Man

he gave him a better Body to dwell in than what we have at prefent; for tho' it is the Soul, by which we are faid to be made in his own Image, and after his own Likeness, yet 'tis very reafonable to fuppofe that such a Soul had a Partner more fuitable to it than what it has at prefent. Such a heaven-born Mind could

not

When

SERM. not be cloath'd with the tatter'd Garments IV. of Flesh and Blood in all its prefent. Infirmities, and the innumerable Variety of Dif orders which it is now fubject to. you fee an afflicted Mortal labouring under the Preffure of fome ftubborn and incurable Disease, longing to throw off his Houfe of Clay, and to get free from the loathsome Prifon of his Body; to whom Life is the greatest Torment, and whatever can put the speedieft End to it the greateft Happinefs and Comfort; can you think fuch a one came thus from the Hands of his Maker? View him again, and fee whether this be like the first Man in his State of Innocence, in the Image and Likeness of God?

We find by Moses's Account, at least we may very rationally infer fo much, that Man had not died, had he not tranfgrefs'd; and if so, surely a Body not fubject to Death must be of a very different Make from what it is at prefent. Whence then fhould this Dropfy, that Fever, with a Multitude of other Disorders, that are perfect Health and Eafe, compar'd with the more intense Pains of fome acute Difeafes that exercife their Tyranny over this earthly Body, proceed? From natural Caufes, you'll fay. But how came Nature fo corrupted, fince it was at firft

IV.

firft pronounced good? We know, nothing SER M. can come from God but what is good. Whence then comes Evil? This can never be accounted for from Reafon; and yet till it be accounted for, there can be no fuch Thing as true Religion; for till we know from what Caufe Evil fprings, 'tis impoffible to tell how to avoid or prevent it, or find a Remedy for it. What a difmal State then must this be, to be furrounded with all forts of Evil, natural and moral, without knowing how we came by them, or how to get rid of them! But now if we take the Scripture Account of it, 'tis all eafy and natural: Man was made good and upright, but he tranfgrefs'd that Commandment, of which Death was threatened as a Penalty. Immediately the whole Frame of his Conftitution was corrupted, and thus all natural and moral Evils were first introduc'd into the World. But ftill not without a Remedy; for tho' the Evil spreads to a great Degree, yet the Good works on at the fame Tinie, and will at laft prevail and get the better of it.

All People have been forced to allow, that there is a great deal of Evil in the World; but because they could not charge it upon God, nor tell how to account for it other.

IV

SERM. wife, hence arofe a very early Opinion of two independent Principles, the one of Good, the other of Evil. But this can't be fuppos'd without implying a direct Contradiction; for two fuch Powers, equally refifting each other, could produce neither Good nor Evil.

And there is but little Reason in another Opinion, which fome have had, i. e. The Doctrine of a pre-existent State; for as that is only a Conjecture, fo whatever follows from it will amount to no more. If it be faid that God could have made Man fo upright that he should not have fallen, I say, fuppofing this could be done, and that, according to our View of Things, it would be right that it fhould be fo, yet who fhall fay, that what we think to be right, he shall think fo too? Or, who fhall ask him, What doest thou? We must take our Beings as we find them, and be content with them upon fuch Conditions as they are given I come now,

us,

Secondly, To fhew the Certainty of his Recovery, founded upon the Prophecy in the Text of the Seed of the Woman, I will put Enmity between thee and the Woman, and between thy Seed and her Seed; it fhall

bruife

IV.

bruife thy Head, and thou shalt bruife his SERM. Heel. This is the first and moft glorious Prophecy that ever was given to Man, no lefs than a Prophecy of his Redemption from that State of Death and Mifery into which he was unhappily fallen; which, tho' it gave but a small glimmering Light at first, yet is it the fame Prophecy that shined brighter and brighter in After-Ages, till it was at laft accomplish'd in a full Blaze at the Birth of the Meffiah (as on this Day) that bleffed Seed of the Woman, in whom, ace cording to the fame Word of Prophecy given afterwards to Abraham, all the Nations of the Earth were to be bleffed. And here is the Difference, among other Things, between natural and reveal'd Religion; the one is full of Fears and Doubts, the other's Fears are fwallow'd up in Hope, the Defign of Prophecy, or of Revelation, being to conyey Hopes to a Sinner.

That the Prophecy in the Text relates to the Redemption of Mankind will appear very plain, if we confider that the Defign of the Serpent was to hinder Man from being immortal, or to make him immortally miferable. For if his Defign was only to procure him a temporal Death, then he fucceeded according to his Wifh, contrary to I 2

the