pointing Adam our public Head. It was an act of mere Sovereignty. God, as a Sovereign, had as good a right, to make Adam the public Head of his posterity, as he had to make him at all, or to place him in the garden of Eden, or to determine a single circumstance of his life. And, as a Sovereign, he had as good a right to determine that his posterity should be sinners, in consequence of his first offence, as he had, to determine their numbers, their natural abilities, their outward circumstances, and their final state. There is neither justice, nor injustice, in God's determining what the moral characters of moral agents shall be; though there may be justice, or injustice, in his conduct towards them, after their moral characters are formed. The constitution, which connected Adam's sin with the sin of his posterity, was such a constitution as God had an original and sovereign right to make. For if he had a right to bring us into existence, he had an equal right to determine how he would bring us into existence, whether as single, detached individuals, like the angels; or as naturally and constitutionally connected with our first and great Progenitor. And since God had a sovereign right to place us under such a constitution, we have no right to call it unwise, unjust, or unkind.

5. It appears from what has been said, that our first Parent laid us under no necessity of sinning. If he had transmitted to us a corrupt nature, or a sinful principle, we might have had some ground to suppose, that we were obliged to sin, by the fatal influence of his first transgression. But since that sin neither directly nor indirectly ever affected either our natural or moral faculties; it is certain, that we act as freely and voluntary in committing sin, as we could have done, according to the divine design, determined the event of our becoming sinners. But the design of God never laid any of his creatures under a necessity of sinning. God designed, that Adam should fall, and, from eternity, provided a remedy for it; but God's design laid him under no necessity of falling, nor of accepting the remedy provided. So, God's design, that we should be sinners, if he partook of the forbidden fruit, did not lay us, or any of his posterity, under a necessity of committing sin. Neither Scripture, nor reason, nor experience, teaches us, that we are constrained to hate God, or transgress his holy and righteous commands, by virtue of any guilt, pollution, or depravity, derived from Adam. We have no more right to cast the blame of our sins upon him; than he had to transfer his sin and guilt to us. He must answer for his own sins; and we must answer for ours.

6. If Adam has proved the occasion of involving all his posterity in sin; then children stand in peculiar need of a virtuous and pious education. They are all liable to sin, as soon as they become moral agents, And there is a moral certainty, if they live, that they will run into evil, and incur the divine displeasure. This is a most alarming consideration to parents. They have been the occasion of introducing them into a sinful world, where they are in the utmost danger of dishonoring God, and of destroying themselves forever. If parents would duly consider the depraved hearts of their children, they would feel very solicitous to train them up in the way they should go; and, if possible, early instil into their young and tender minds, the pure principles of religion and virtue. Nor would they neglect to lay all proper restraints upon them, to

: ence.

spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedi The law of nature requires parents to promot the temporal happiness of their children; and the lav of christianity requires them to bring them up in th nurture and admonition of the Lord. And thoug they cannot sanctify the hearts of their children; ye they can instruct their minds, restrain their outwar conduct, and commend them to Him, who is able t make them meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. If they neglect to do these things, they will si against God, and become accessary to the ruin their dear offspring. But how can they bear th thoughts of seeing their children openly vicious, an finally impenitent! It would have been better for ther never to have been born, than to live and to die in sir Their case, therefore, loudly calls for the compassion the prayers, and instructions of their parents, who ar under every tender and solemn tie, to do all in the power, to promote their temporal and eternal happ

ness.

7. This subject calls upon all impenitent sinner immediately to repent and believe the gospel. The have no excuse for their enmity and disobedience God. They have never been necessarily drawn int sin, by any corrupt nature or corrupt principle derive from Adam. They have sinned freely and volunta rily, and therefore destroyed themselves. In th guilty and perishing situation, it is their immedia duty to repent, and look up to God for pardonir mercy, through the divine Redeemer. He came seek and to save those who are lost, and stands read to receive all weary, heavy laden sinners. Let the no longer charge their misery and guilt upon Go nor upon Adam; but let them take the shame ar and voluntarily repent and believe the gospel. This is their immediate and important duty. They have no excuse for a moment's delay. Life and death are now set before them. It depends not upon the conduct of Adam, but upon their own choice, whether they shall be happy, or miserable forever. Though their sins have greatly abounded; yet if they repent and believe the gospel, the grace of God, through Jesus Christ our Lord, shall much more abound, in their eternal salvation. Amen.

SERMON XIV.

THE NATURE, EXTENT, AND INFLUENCE OF THE MORAL DEPRAVITY OF SINNERS.

ROMANS viii, 7, 8.

Because the carnal mind is enimity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God.

IT has been much disputed of late, among those who call themselves Calvinists, whether all the doings of unregenerate men are altogether sinful. There would be no difficulty in deciding this question, if those, who profess to believe the total corruption of human nature, would only agree to draw the same inference from it. But there are many, who acknowledge, that the hearts of sinners are totally depraved, and yet deny, that 'their actions are altogether criminal. It seems necessary, therefore, in order to bring this point to a fair and final decision, not only to prove, that sinners are totally depraved; but also to prove, that their total depravity extends to all their actions, and turns them into sin. And the words which I have read, naturally lead us to consider this subject in this manner. "Because the carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are in the flesh cannot please God." By the carnal mind, the Apostle means the carnal heart; for it is the heart only, which is enmity against God. And this carnal heart he represents, as corrupting all the actions which proceed from it. He lays down the total depravity of sinners as a first