plication to themselves, in particular, by teaching and urging the holy and strict Law of God, in its Extent and Spirituality and dreadful Threatenings: Which, above all Things, tends to fearch the Hearts of Men, and to teach them their inbred exceeding Depravity; not merely as a Matter of Speculation, but by proper Conviction of Confcience; which is the only Knowledge of Original Sin, that can avail to prepare the Mind for receiv ing Christ's Redemption; as a Man's Senfe of his own Sickness prepares him to apply in good Earnest to the Physician.

And as to Chrift's being no more frequent and particular in mentioning and inculcating this Point in a doctrinal Manner, it is probable, one Reason to be given for it, is the fame that is to be given for his fpeaking no oftner of God's creating the World: Which, though fo important a Doctrine, is fcarce ever spoken of in any of Chrift's Difcourfes; and no Wonder, feeing this was a Matter which the Jews, to whom he confined his perfonal Miniftry, had all been inftructed in from their Forefathers, and never was called in Queftion among them. And there is a great deal of Reafon, from the ancient Jewish Writers, to fuppofe, that the Doctrine of Original Sin had ever been allowed in the open Profeffion of that People *:

though

*What is found in the more ancient of the Jewish Rabbies, who have wrote fince the Coming of Chrift, is an Argument of this. Many Things of this Sort are taken Notice of by Stapferus, in his Theologia Polemica before-mentioned Some of thefe Things which are there cited by him in Latin, I thall here faithfully give in English, for the Sake of the English Reader.

-So Manaffeh, concerning Human Frailty, pag. 129.-66 Gen. viii. 21, I will not any more curfe the Earth for Man's

« Sake;

though they were generally, in that corrupt Time, very far from a practical Conviction of it; and many Notions were then prevalent, efpecially among

"Sake; for the Appetite of Man is evil from his Youth; that is, "from the Time when he comes forth from his Mother's

Womb. For at the fame Time that he fucks the Breafts, "he follows his Luft; and while he is yet an Infant, he is "under the Dominion of Anger, Envy, Hatred and other "Vices to which that tender Age is obnoxious.”- • Prov. xxii. 15. Solomon fays, Foolishness is bound to the Mind of an Child. Concerning which Place R. Levi Ben Gerfom obferves thus," Foolishness as it were grows to him in his very "Beginning.' Concerning this Sin, which is common and ⚫ original to all Men, David faid, Pfal. li. 5. Behold, I was begotten in Iniquity, and in Sin did my Mother warm me. Upon which Place Eben-Ezra fays thus: Behold, becaufe of "the Concupifcence which is innate in the Heart of Man, it is faid, I am begotten in Iniquity. And the Senfe is, that there is implanted in the Heart of Man, Fetzer harang, an evil "Figment, from his Nativity."

And Manafjeb Ben Ifrael, de Fragil. pag. 2. "Behold, I was formed in Iniquity, and in Sin hath my Mother warmed me. But whether this be understood concerning the common Mother, "which was Eve, or whether David fpake only of his own "Mother, he would fignify, that Sin is as it were natural, and infeparable in this Life. For it is to be observed, that Eve "conceived after the Tranfgreffion was committed; and as many as were begotten afterwards, were not brought forth "in a Conformity to the Rule of right Reason, but in Conformity to diforderly and luftful Affections." He adds, “One "of the wife Men of the Jews, namely, R. Aha, rightly obferved, David would fignify that it is impoffible, even for "pious Men who excel in Virtue, never to commit any Sin." Job alfo afferts the fame Thing with David, Chap. xiv. 4. faying, Who will give a clean Thing from an unclean? Truly not one. Concerning which Words Aben-Ezra fays thus: "The Senfe is the fame with that, I avas begotten in Iniquity, "because Man is made out of an unclean Thing." Stapferus, Theolog. Polem. Tom. iii. p. 36, 37.

6

Id. Ibid. p. 132, &c. So Sal Farchi ad Gemaram, Cod. • Schabbath, fol. 142. p. 2. "And this is not only to be "referred to Sinners; because all the Pofterity of the first Man are in like Manner fubjected to all the Curfes pronounced on

him.")

among the Pharifees, which were indeed inconfiftent with it. And though on Account of these Prejudices they might need to have this Doctrine

explained

him." And Manaffeh Ben Ifrael, in his Preface to Human Frailty, fays, "I had a Mind to fhew by what Means it came to pass, that when the firft Father of all had loft his Righteousness, his Pofterity are begotten liable to the fame "Punishment with him." And Munfterus on the Gospel of Matthew cites the following Words, from the Book called • The Bundle of Myrrh: " The Bleffed Lord faid to the firft "Man, when he curfed him, Thorns and Thiftles fhall it bring forth to thee; and thou shalt eat the Herb of the Field. The Thing which he means, is, That because of his Sin all who fhould defcend from him, should be wicked and perverfe, like "Thorns and Thistles; according to that Word of the Lord, fpeaking to the Prophet: Thorns and Irritators are with thee, " and thou dwelleft among Scorpions. And all this is from the Serpent, who was the Devil, Sam-mael, who emitted a mor"tiferous and corruptive Poifon into Eve, and became the

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46

Cause of Death to Adam himself, when he eat the Fruit." • Remarkable is the Place quoted in Jofeph de Voisin, against Martin Raymund, p. 471. of Mafter Menachem Rakanatenfis, • Sea. Berefchit, from Midrafch Tehillim; which is cited by Hoornbekius, against the Jews, in thefe Words: " It is no "Wonder, that the Sin of Adam and Eve is written and fealed

with the King's Ring, and to be propagated to all following "Generations; becaufe on the Day that Adam was created, "all Things were finished; fo that he stood forth the Perfec<tion and Completion of the whole Workmanship of the "World: So when he finned, the whole World finned; whofe "Sin we bear and fuffer. But the Matter is not thus with "refpect to the Sins of his Pofterity."-Thus far Stapferus.

Befides thefe, as Ainfworth on Gen. viii. 21. obferves, " In "Bereshith Rabba (a Hebrew Commentary on this Place) a "Rabbin is faid to be asked, When is the evil Imagination put " into Man? And he answered, From the Hour that he is formed." And in Pool's Synopfis it is added, from Grotius," So Rabbi

Salomon interprets Gen. viii. 21. The Imagination of Man's "Heart is evil from his Youth, of its being evil from the Time "" that he is taken out of his Mother's Bowels." "Aben. "Ezra thus interprets Pfal. li. 5. I was shapen in Iniquity, and "in Sin did my Mother conceive me; that evil Concupifcençe is implanted in the Heart from Childhood, as if he were formed

46

*in

explained and applied to them, yet it is welf known, by all acquainted with their Bibles, that Chrift, for wife Reafons, fpake more fparingly and

obfcurely

"in it; and by my Mother, he understands Eve, who did not "bear Children till fhe had finned. And fo Kafvenaki says, "How tall I avoid finning? My Original is corrupt, and from "thence are thofe Sins. So Manasseh Ben Ifrael, from this "Place (Pfal. li. 5.) concludes, that not only David, but all "Mankind, ever fince Sin was introduced into the World, "do Sin from their Original. To this Purpose is the Answer " of Rabbi Hakkadofch, which there is an Account of in the Talmud. From what Time does Concupifcence rule over Man? "From the very Moment of his firft Formation, or from his Nati"dity? Anf. From his Formation."-Pool's Synopf. in Loc.

On thefe Things I obferve, there is the greatest Reason to fuppofe, that thefe old Rabbies of the Jewish Nation, who gave fuch Heed to the Tradition of the Elders, would never have received this Doctrine of Original Sin, had it not been delivered down to them from their Forefathers. For it is a Doctrine very disagreeable to those practical Principles and Notions, wherein the Religion of the unbelieving Jews most fundamentally differs from the Religion maintained among Chriftians: particularly their Notion of Juftification by their own Righteoufnefs, and Privileges as the Children of Abrabam, &c. without ftanding in Need of any Satisfaction, by the Sufferings of the Meffiah. On which Account the modern Jews do now univerfally reject the Doctrine of Original Sin, and Corruption of Nature; as Stapferas obferves. And it is not at all likely, that the ancient Jews, if no fuch Doctrine had been received by Tradition from the Fathers, would have. taken it up from the Chriftians, whom they had in fuch great Contempt and Enmity; efpecially as it is a Doctrine fo peculiarly agreeable to the Chriftian Notion of the spiritual Salvation of Jefus, and fo contrary to their carnal Notions of the Meffiah, and of his Salvation and Kingdom, and fo contrary to their Opinion of themselves; and a Doctrine, which Men in general are fo apt to be prejudiced against. And befides, thefe Rabbies do exprefly refer to the Opinion of their Forefathers; as, R. Manafjeb fays, " According to the Opinion of "the ANCIENTS, none are fubject to Death, but those which "have finned: for where there is no Sin, there is no Death." Stapfer. Tom. iii. p. 37, 38.

But

obfcurely of several of the most important Doctrines of revealed Religion, relating to the Neceffity, Grounds, Nature and Way of his Redemption,

66

But we have more direct Evidence, that the Doctrine of Original Sin was truly a received Doctrine among the ancient Jews, even before the Coming of Christ. This appears by ancient Jewish Writings, which were written before Chrift; as, in the Apocrypha, 2 Efdras iii. 21. "For the first Adam, bearing a wicked Heart, tranfgreffed, and was overcome : "and fo be all they that are born of him. Thus Infirmity was "made permanent; and the Law alfo in the Heart of the People, with the Malignity of the Root; fo that the Good departed away, and the Evil abode still."-2 Efdras iv. 30. "For the Grain of evil Seed hath been fown in the Heart of "Adam, from the Beginning; and how much Ungodliness

hath it brought up unto this Time? And how much shall "it yet bring forth, till the Time of threshing shall come ?" And Chap. vii. 46. "It had been better, not to have given

the Earth unto Adam; or elfe, when it was given him, to have "restrained him from finning; for what Profit is it, for Men "now in this prefent Time, to live in Heaviness, and after "Death, to look for Punishment? O thou Adam, what haft "thou done! For though it was thou that finned, thou art "not fallen alone, but we all that come of thee." And we read, Ecclef. xxv. 24. "Of the Woman came the Beginning of Sin, " and through her we all die."

As this Doctrine of original Corruption was conftantly maintained in the Church of God from the Beginning; fo from thence, in all Probability, as well as from the Evidence of it in univerfal Experience, it was, that the wifer Heathen maintained the like Doctrine. Particularly Plato, that great Philofopher, fo diftinguished for his Veneration of ancient Traditions, and diligent Inquiries after them. Gale, in his Court of the Gentiles, obferves as follows: " PLATO fays (Gorg. fol. 493.) I have heard from the wife Men, that we are now dead, " and that the Body is but our Sepulchre. And in his Timæus "Locrus (fol. 103.) he fays, The Caufe of Vitiofity is from our "Parents, and first Principles, rather than from ourselves. So "that we never relinquish thofe Actions, which lead us to follow thefe primitive Blemishes of our FIRST PARENTS. Plato "mentions the Corruption of the Will, and feems to disown any Free-Will to true Good; albeit he allows fome su quia, or natural Difpofitions, to civil Good, in fome great "Heroes.

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