thefe were fuperadded another kind of principles, which may be called moral or holy. Thefe do not belong to the foul fo as to be a neceffary refult of its exiftence; these are feparable from it without the deftruction of its being. The fum of thefe principles is a fupreme love to God, and a benevolent temper towards the whole family of mankind, a difpofition to prefer God above all, and to promote the felicity of kis fellow creatures. Thefe do not effentially pertain to the nature of man, but man may, and does exift when they are become extinct. They feem as if they depended upon the immediate communications of God, and the inhabitation of the Holy Ghoft. By thefe holy principles, an intercourfe and communion is maintained between the creature and the Creator. Where the spirit of God dwells, there is communion with God, there is holiness and a fupreme affection to him. All his natural principles, his will, paffions and appetites, are fubordinated to the will and pleasure of God; and in thefe things confifts man's fpiritual life. While these retain their power and dominion, harmony, peace, order and happiness will prevail in the foul.

In thefe principles chiefly confifts the image of God, knowledge, righteoufnefs and holinefs with which man was at first created. And in the lofs of thefe confifts fpiritual death. As foon as unhappy man had committed the prohibited deed, and difobeyed, God forfook him, the spirit relinquished his habitation, and all thefe holy principles became extinct, and all the glory and excellency of man departed from him. hence no principles remained in the foul, fave thofe which were natural, the others were utterly loft. Hence he became wholly depraved; nothing in his heart but fin and corrup tion, and nothing in his life but vice and disorder. Thus man is loft and is fpiritually dead. He is now dead in trefpaffes and fins.

This view of matters teaches precifely wherein confifts the corruption of human nature; informs us of the fource of all the immorality, wretchednefs, ruin and unhappinefs with which our guilty world is filled. This is the fountain from whence flow all the wars, fickneffes, pains,confufions, defolation and deftruction, all the outrages, robberies and murders, which abound in all lands. This is now the character of miferable man by nature, and of all revolted beings. In this way we can account for all the envy, malice, hatred, and injuries of unnumbered forms which prevail among mankind, and the wickednefs, rebellion and oppofition every where manifeited against God. There is no occafion to fuppofe bad principles infufed into the foul, to folve all the appearances of iniquity, folly, error, delufion, fuperftition and madness, every where beheld. The abfence of good principles, the withdrawment of the Spirit of God from the heart, will perfectly account for every fpecies and degree of diforder and wickedness in earth and hell. Spi ritual death therefore confifts in the lofs of the image of God, and of thofe holy principles and difpofitions in which man was originally created. But as God defigned from all eternity to difplay his Godhead and perfections in the falvation of many of the human race, there are wonderful manifeftations of retraining grace abounding to all the children of men, to Jews and Gentiles, Pagans and Chriftians; none are exempted from this influence; and this is the caufe of the little regularity, order, government, morality, friendship, fociability, peace and comfort there is in the world. This reftraining grace is of high importance while God is carrying on the falvation of his people. If God were to withhold all reftraints of his grace, this earth would become a perfect hell; the world would be full of the fame confufion, outrage and horror which reign there. Befides God beftows innumerable bleffings on mankind, even on the veffels of wrath fitted for deftruction, which by means of his reftraining, or what is often called common grace, the lives of the most reprob ate are rendered in a mea

füre comfortable. Were it not for this, none could enjoy themfelves or any of the bleflings of life. They would roam through the earth like vagabonds and feinds, utterly deftitute of every grain of comfort, and full of mifery and wretchedness.

As to eternal death it is only the continuance and completion of fpiritual death. It is not any thing different in kind, but the end and confummation of it. The leading difference is this, there is no reftraining or common grace in hell. There the natural principles and habits of fin are fuffered to operate to the utmost without limitation. A terrible and an awakened fenfe of the wrath of God is impreffed on the foul. A perfect and abfolute defpair of any change in their condition attends them. Unfpeakable anguish arifing from reflections on their neglect of former feafons and opportunities of efcaping that place of torment, gnaw like vultures upon their heart ftrings. And what unknown fprings of mifery, that hath not entered into the heart of man to conceive or imagine, remain behind, nothing but natural death can reveal.-Now when it is faid death is the wages of fin, the term must be taken in its utmost extent; and in this latitude it is clearly held forth to us in the holy fcriptures.

I haften,

Secondly, to confider what the apoftle means when he reprefents death the wages of fin.

There is an obvious allufion in this phrafe to the reward which is due by contract to a perfon for a certain work' or business performed by him. This fum or compenfation is ftiled wages, between which and the bufinefs performed there is reckoned fome proportion; fo that the wages are deemed an equivalent for the labour, time, and fkill of the performer. Hence this fum is his right according the rules of equity and

commutative justice, as well as contract between the parties, and agreeable to the laws and cuftoms of the country in which they live. When it is here faid, that death is the wages of fin, it evidently implies fuch things as the following:

First, that there is a connection between fin and death; fo that the latter is the confequence of the former, as wages are of the work done. Where the one is the other furely will exist. If there be fin, there will certainly be death; it is its unfailing offspring and production. "Sin, when it hath con"ceived, it bringeth forth death." Where fin is we may be infallibly affured according to the established course of things, that death will certainly exift. And wherever we fee death or any of its harbingers, we are perfectly fure there is fin. There is no connection between death and any thing in the universe but fin. Exclude fin, and death ceases to be. In whatever world there is no fin, death never appears.

Secondly, there is a fixed eftablishment or conftitution, which makes death the iffue of fin. When the apoftle fays, death is the wages of fin, there is an evident respect to fome prior constitution or covenant, by which this comes to pass. Where there is no law there is no tranfgreffion; fo where there is no established conftitution between fin and death, the one could not properly be affirmed to be the wages of the other. Such a constitution there is, and it is of divine origin. It is that which God made with our first parent, Adam, in his state of primitive innocence and rectitude. The contract or covenant was expreffed in fhort, clear, and definite terms-" In "the day thou eatelt thereof thou fhalt furely die." Happy for man had he given credit to this plain declaration; but, alas, the foothing flatteries of the deceiver prevailed against the clear denunciation of the God of truth. Surely God did not act arbitrarily or capriciously in forming this conflitution, and fixing the connexion of things, but agreeably to the moft

perfect wisdom and goodnefs. Hence the connection between fin and death is a law of nature. An unclouded fun does not more certainly diffuse light, than fin produces death.

Thirdly, befides death being the natural and never failing confequence of fin, it is alfo a proper punishment thereof. Some indeed have confidered natural death as a mere misfortune, containing nothing of punishment in it. Yea, fome have gone fo far as to affirm it a bleffing, and not a curfe; rather a favour to man than a token of displeasure on the part of heaven. But will any fo far contradict common feeling and common fenfe, as to fay that excruciating pains, raging fevers, and the fevereft calamities, are proofs and evidences of God's good will and favour to man? furely not. But thefe are only harbingers and attendants of death, therefore inconfiderable evils in comparison of death itself. The fact is, the one can be described and told of in bitter oomplaints; many arife from fickness and pain to relate their anguish, but none comes from the dead to inform us of the agonies of dying. This is a bourne from whence none returns.

Its proper pu

The finner has

Fourthly, this phrafe implies, that death in its utmost extent is only the juft and righteous demerit of fin. nishment, reward and compenfation, is death. earned it he has laboured for it, and fometimes his work has been very hard; he merits it, and his wages he will infallibly receive; there can be no bankruptcy in the cafe to defraud or disappoint him. The finner fhall furely die. God will deprive him of his breath, and unless he finds by special grace an intervening Mediator, he fhall fuffer the pains of the fecond death, and be abandoned to the torments of damnation forever. This is what every finner deferves, and a juft God will certainly give him his deferts. If God had unalterably decreed, that this fhould be the portion of every finner, he would have been righteous in all his ways, and holy in all his retributions.