the Folly of this Argument, as urg'd against ordinary Providence, muft therefore be allow'd; becaufe that Holy God, who can't do any Injustice, does certainly fuffer fuch Facts every Day; which may therefore in their own Nature be accounted for, tho' they feem at present infuperable Difficulties to our felves. Surely we ought to refolve all thefe Proceedings into his unfearchable Wisdom and inexpreffible Goodness, of which we receive every Moment of our Lives numberless, fresh and demonstrative Evidences; and which therefore, we may firmly believe, did jointly determin, that the Bleffings he intended us by this Order of things, were an over balance to all the Poffibilities of Evil arifing from it.

But do Infants alfo, because they are infected with Original Sin, deferve God's Wrath and Damnation, even tho' they die in their Infancy? For the Article faies, that Original Sin deferves God's Wrath and Damnation in every Perfon born into this World. I anfwer, That thefe Words, as full and comprehenfive as they feem to be, do notwithftanding fairly admit, if not neceffarily require, a Limitation. For the Article manifeftly speaks of those only, in whom the Flesh lufteth always contrary to the Spirit, and in whom the Cape is not fubject to the Law of God. Do but obferve the Words of the Article, and the Order of them. The Church faies, that Original Sin is the fault, &c. of every man, &c. whereby man is very far gone from Ori ginal righteousness, and is of his own nature inclin'd to evil; fo that the flesh lufteth always contrary to the fpirit. Then fhe adds immediately, And therefore in every person born into this world it deferveth God's wrath and damnation. You fee, in the Judgment of our Church, Original Sin doth therefore deferve God's

Wrath

then it w.

jeet to the

is

says,

Wrath and Damnation in every Perfon born into #4shed this World; because, by Original Sin, that Person pis, not only very far gone from Original righteousness, toflow, that and of bis own nature inclin'd to evil, but also the fle the original lufteth (in him) always contrary to the fpirit. Again, the Church fuppofes the Cafe to be fuch, that Original Sin doth actually discover it self by mischieVous Effects, in refifting the Divine Will: for the of conspeaks of it, as that which is not fubject to the law of that this God. And can thefe Phrases with any tolerable applicable Propriety be applied to thofe Infants, which have To them as it were a barely Animal Life, and die before the but in ftrational Faculties exert themselves, or feem capable of being wrought on and depraved by Orithat the ginal Sin? Can it be faid of such Infants; that their of Flesh lufteth always contrary to the Spirit, and that Hosh subject to their Luft of the Flesh is not fubject to the Law of he law of God? I think therefore that the Words of the ArGod. ticle can't be extended farther, than to thofe who The ar live fo long, as to feel the Effects of Original Sin gument working in them, and producing Evil Actions; and confequently our Church's Doctrin is only this; that Original Sin does deferve God's Wrath. these home and Damnation in every Perfon born into this the flesh World, in whom the Flesh lufteth always contrary Jace to the Spirit, and in whom the Pega Caprès is not of infants lust con-fubject to the Law of God. Nor do I fee, how we hary can interpret the Article otherwife, without doing the pit Violence to it.

does not

turn

However, if any Perfon thinks, that those very therefore, fellow, Infants, who die in their Infant State, do deferve they have God's Wrath and Damnation, upon the Account not Origi of their being infected with Original Sin; 1. Bethey caufe 'tis certainly poffible, and perhaps very prohave, bable, that Original Sin may have actually depraved does their Faculties in confequence of the Union of Body becording

If

to the article, deserve God's wrath of damnation and

and Soul, even tho' that Depravation doth not appear; 2. Because God can't but deteft even the First Seeds of Vice, and hate the Child upon the Account of it (there being now no fuppofal of Grace to renew it's Nature) and confequently cannot vouchfafe it that Enjoyment of himfelf, for which this Pollution difqualifies it; I fay, if any Man thinks thus, he may notwithstanding fubfcribe the Article very honestly. For tho' the Church faies no more, than that every one of thofe, who live long enough to discover the Fruits of Original Sin in their Actions, deferves God's Wrath and Damnation: yet she does not say, that fuch as die in their Infancy do not deserve God's Wrath and Damnation upon the Account of Original Sin. She affirms it indeed of none but such as live past their Infancy; but she does not deny it of those that die in their Infancy. And therefore he that believes it both of those that do, and those that do not, die in their Infancy, may subscribe what the Church affirms, tho' he believes more than the Church teaches or requires him to fubfcribe.

But tho' Original Sin does in its own Nature thus deferve God's Wrath and Damnation; yet fuch were the Bowels of Divine Compaffion, that God feems to have been oblig'd, by that internal Neceffity which his Goodness laid him under, to make those very Creatures the Objects of Mercy, which his bare Juftice would have continued under Punishment. Therefore did the fecond Perfon of the bleffed Trinity, who is God himself, become incarnate, to fatisfy Justice, to obtain our Pardon, to rectify our corrupted Nature by the Affiftance of Grace, and thereby restore us to Happinefs. So that 'tis no Contradiction or Inconfiftency to affirm, that tho' we deferv'd God's Wrath

and

and Damnation; yet (fuch was the tenderness of his Nature) God could not but provide Means of Salvation for us. For we deferv'd his Wrath and Damnation, only because we were Sinners; and as long as we continued fo depraved, Happiness was impoffible to us. But fince our Nature could be renew'd, and the Dominion of Sin could be rooted out (the contrivance and perfecting of which glorious Change was the Effect of Divine Wisdom) therefore we became Objects of Pity, that is (for infinite Goodness can't restrain it self) of fervent Love.

I fhall make no farther Enlargements at prefent; because any Perfon of ordinary Understanding may improve what I have briefly fuggefted.

The Third Propofition (God help us) is evidently true, as daily Experience teaches us. But fee the Eleventh Question of Turretin's Locus Nonus, Numb. 21. p. 705.

The Fourth Propofition. See the Third Paragraph of Bishop Pearfon on the Tenth Article, and the Two firft Questions of the Locus Nonus of Turretin's System.

HE condition of man after the fall of Adam is fuch,

Tthat be cannot turn and prepare himself by bisown

natural strength and good works to faith and calling upon God: wherefore we have no power to do good works pleafant and acceptable to God, without the Grace of God by Chrift preventing us, that we may have a good will, and working with us when we have that good will.

For

For the better understanding of this and fome following Articles, 'tis neceffary to observe, that the Phrafe good works may be used and taken in very different Senfes.

Those Works which have no Degree of Imperfection in them, are in their own nature strictly good, and may well bear the Severity of God's Judgment; it being impoffible for him to impute Guilt, where there is no Defect. And fuch Works as thefe, fuch strictly good Works, 'twas poffible for our first Parents to perform before their Fall: And it had been alfo poffible for us in like manner to perform ftriatly good Works, had we been preferved in our primitive Integrity,

But alas! by reafon of our Original Corruption and Depravity of Nature, 'tis become impoffible for us, in our present Circumftances, to perform any Works thus ftrictly good. For in fpite of our utmost Endevors, fome Degree of Imperfection does and will cleave even to our beft Actions; and confequently all our prefent Works are in their own. Nature, in fome Respect or Degree, ftriatly evil; according to the known Rule of the Moralifts, Bonum ex caufa integra, malum ex quolibet defectu. And therefore none of our present Works can in themfelves bear the Severity of God's Judgment, who muft needs impute Guilt, where there is notorious Defect. For in a Moral Confideration all Defect is materially finful,

But then those Perfons, who can claim a Share in our Savior's Merits by the Terms of the Gospel Covenant, that is, fuch as are juftified by Faith in him, may perform fuch Works, as are, tho' not Strictly, yet imputatively good; that is, fuch Works as God is pleased to regard, accept and reward as

good