THAT is, (taking in the Context,) " Wick"edness proceedeth not from any kind of "Food received into the Body, but from the "Heart and Mind." Very good. But what hath this Text to do with Adam's Sin, or any ill Effects it hath upon us?

REFLECTIONS.

"NEITHER of thefe Texts prove that "Adam's firft Sin is the Caufe of all the "Wickedness we commit; or, which is the "fame thing, that all our Wickedness pro"ceeds from our being corrupted, or made "wicked by Adam's first Sin. And whoever "taketh them in this Senfe, manifeftly mix

eth the Forgery of his own Imagination "with the Truth of God.

"FURTHER, if all actual Tranfgreffions, "all Tranfgreffions that have been, are, or "shall be in the World, proceed from Adam's "firft Sin, then in effect Adam finned all "the Sin that hath been, is, or shall be in "the World, and he is the only guilty Per"fon that ever lived in it. For if our Sins

proceed from his, his Sin is the Cause of ours; and the Caufe of every Effect is alone "chargeable with the Effect it produceth, or " which proceedeth from it.

" AGAIN,

"AGAIN, Upon thefe Principles, all "actual Tranfgreffion, or all the Sin that "hath been, is, or fhall be in the World, proceedeth from Adam's Sin, either by ne ceffary Confequence, (as the Affembly of "Divines seem to fuppofe, in affirming, that through Adam's Sin we are utterly indif pofed to all Good, and wholly inclined to all Evil) or through the Choice of our Wills, " or partly by the one, and partly by the "other. If by neceffary Confequence in the "whole, or in part, then all the Sin that "hath been, is, or fhall be in the World, " is no Sin at all, either in the whole, or in

part for what proceedeth neceffarily, so "far as it proceedeth neceffarily, can be no "Sin for whatever is neceffary, whatever "cannot be helped, before it comes to pass, " is no Sin; because no body can be blamed "for it, or however they cannot be blamed "for it, who could no ways hinder its com"ing to pass. If you will fay that actual "Tranfgreffion proceeds from Adam's Sin, "through the Choice of our own Wills; "and that without the Choice of our Wills, "it would not proceed from Adam's Tranf

greffion; then it follows, that the Cause "of Sin is the Choice of our Wills, and not "its proceeding from Adam's first Trans "greffion; seeing, upon this Suppofition, it "would not proceed from it, did we not

K

"choofe

choose it: That is to fay, Sin proceedeth "from our owN CHOICE, as it neceffarily

muft, and not from Adam's Tranfgreffion. "And yet Men have dared to charge even "our bleffed Lord himself, who is the "TRUTH, with affirming what I take to "be a most palpable and dangerous Error, "that all the Wickednefs that hath been or "fhall be in the World, proceeds from Adam's "first Tranfgreffion. Whereas he manifeftly "faith, that all Wickedness proceedeth from our own Hearts; from our own Choice " and Inclination."

PROP. Original Sin is conveyed from our firft Parents to their Pofterity, by natural Generation, fo as all that proceed from them in that Way, are conceived and born in Sin.

;

SENSE. It is by natural Generation, by one Man's being a Parent to another, that Original Sin is continued in the World, and communicated from one Man to another and this fo furely and univerfally that every Man, (excepting the Lord Jefus Chrif, 's not only born, but even conceived in Sin, i. e. hath even then, in Conception, and by that Mean, a Nature fo corrupt, that he is thereby utterly indifpofed, difabled, and make oppofite to all that is fpiritually good, and wholly inclined to all Evil. If any thing more is meant by being conceived in Sin, I confefs I

do

do not understand it. However lefs than this cannot be intended upon the Principles we are examining.

PROOFS. Pfal. li. 5. Behold, I was shapen in iniquity, and in fin did my mother conceive me.

TRANSLATORS, I judge, have carried the Senfe of this Text quite beyond the Pfalmift's Intention. The Word 'n which we tranflate hapen, fignifieth to bring forth, or to bear, Ifa. li. 2. Look-unto Sarah binn that bare you. Prov. viii. 24. When there was no depth, nbn I was brought forth. Ver. 25.

תחוללכם

Before the hills was I brought forth. And fo here: Behold I was brought forth, or born in iniquity.

417

ויחמנה --

AGAIN; The Word iron, conceived me; properly fignifieth, warmed me. The following are all the Places in the Bible, where it is ufed as a Verb. Gen. xxx. 38. be fet the rods--- before the flocks in the gutters that they fhould conceive when they came to drink. It is applied to the fame Cafe, and tranflated conceive, ver. 39, and 41. and also Chap. xxxi. 10. Deut. xix. 6. Left the avenger of blood pursue the flayer, while his heart n is hot. 1 Kings i. 1. Now king David was old, and they covered him with clothes, DN but be gat no Heat. And then the Place before us, Pjal. li. 5. Then Ecclef. iv. 11. K 2 Again,

Again, if two lie together they have on Heat but how can one D be warm alone? Ifai. lvii. 5. on inflaming yourselves with idols, &c. Ezek. xxiv. 11. Then fet it empty upon the coals thereof, that the brass of it on may be hot.

THESE are all the Places where it is ufed in the Form of a Verb. It is often used in the Form of a Noun, and fignifies Wrath, Indignation, Fury, which is the Heat of the Mind; and fo we fay in English, he is hot, or in a great beat.

THE Original Force of the Word is to be hot; and it is applied to CONCEPTION; RESENTMENT; to WARMTH, by which the Body is nourished; to IDOLATORS in love with Idols; to the Heat of METAL. The Heat of RESENTMENT, of IDOLATORS, of METAL, are evidently foreign to the Purpose. To CONCEPTION it is no where applied, but in Gen. xxx. 38, 39, 41.-- xxxi. 10. But the Senfe it hath there will by no means fuit the Place under Confideration, [Ibi enim ad brutorum animantium coitum adhibetur. Neque enim proprie Conceptionem denotat, (quanquam in verfione manibus vulgi terenda, & publice legenda, ea vox non male ufurpatur) fed eum ardorem quo animalia ad coitum ftimulantur ; vel, fi mavis, ipfum coeundi actum. Hoc nulli attente loca ipfa confideranti dubium effe poteft. Gen, xxx. 38. Quum venirent pecudes ad