Be astonished O ye heavens at this, and be ye horribly afraid, ❝be ye very desolate saith the Lord; for my people have com"mitted two evils; they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and have hewed out to themselves cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water." Were it not for the light of the gospel, the world would be filled with craftsmen forming shrines, melting graven images, spreading gold over them, and casting silver chains, to hold fast that which could not move; and the poorer sort would be selecting blocks of wood that should not rot, and all would be bowing down to the operations of their own hands, to their home made Lares and Penates, saying, "These are our Gods that will save us." This is ignorance and stupidity, which astonishes christians; but this was not the case with the dark corners of pagan barbarism only, but it is too strikingly illustrated in the whole conduct of the learned and philosophic Greece, of the enlightened and polished Rome, and the divinely instructed Judea. All the accomplishments of an ancient Egypt, renowned for erudition, could not exalt them above the worship of their Apis and Serapis, the stupid ox, the ugly adder, and even the leeks and onions of the garden. Rome, in the highest glory of her philosophers and orators, her greatest improvement in arts and sciences, paid continual homage to more than thirty thousand different gods in that one city. Do not these things exhibit stupidity, ignorance, folly and depravity, even to a prodigy? Yet our modern infidels, educated in the full blaze of gospel light, are, by the power of this very light, trimming the midnight lamp, to return us back to this Roman, Grecian and Egyptian darkness.

Do not these things demonstrate a moral corruption, and an evil propensity in the nature of man? What but some strange depravity of nature, could capacitate it for such marvelous infatuation? "They have eyes and see not, ears and hear not, neither do "they understand. They are like the horse and mule that have no "understanding. The stork in the heavens knoweth her appoint

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"ed time; and the turtle, the crane, and the swallow observe "the time of their coming, but my people know not the judgment "of the Lord."

The moral corruption of mankind still further appears, that throughout all generations, they have been wicked. Before the food, had not all flesh corrupted their way? In the four populous cities of the plain, ten righteous persons were not to be found. In the days of Abraham, the world was sunk into iniquity and idolatry. Our Lord declares in his time, few entered in at the strait gate, but multitudes crouded the broad road to destruc

tion.

Fourthly, The universal mortality of the children of men, is an irrefragable argument, that there is evil or something wrong in their nature. "By one man sin entered into the world, and death by "sin; and so death passed upon all men, for that all have sin "ned." Death is mentioned in the bible as the most tremendous calamity that can take place. Reason and the common sense of mankind indicate terrible punishment as a sure evidence of great transgression. Barbarians, when they saw a venomous viper fasten upon St. Paul's hand, instantly concluded, he must have been a heinous sinner, a murderer, that divine vengeance would not suffer to live. When God deals out the desolations upon the world, of war, famine, pestilence, &c. which strike terror into all beholders, death is the only evil idea these awful names convey. Deadly destruction is the most terrible destruction; deadly sorrow, the most extreme sorrows; deadly enemies, the most malignant enemies; and the whole combined force of the sufferings of the Son of God, could only be represented in the strong language, "that he suffered unto death." Death is a standing testimony of God's displeasure with sin. Can it be supposed that a good and righteous God, would inflict this highest token of his anger upon creatures perfectly innocent? Surely not. Yet death has reigned over all the human race, from Adam to

Moses, sparing neither sex nor age, quality nor condition. This awful calamity befals infants, who have not been guilty of actual sin, or sinned after the similitude of Adam's transgression. But by the fall, these unhappy creatures became some way participants of the offence, and, therefore, suffer in its awful consequences. This illustrates the scripture assertion, "That we are all by na❝ture children of wrath." These arguments, drawn from observation and sad experience, abundantly evince the fact, that we are originally corrupted and depraved. The existence of fact, is deemed in all cases, a sufficient demonstration of the alledged truth, therefore, in the present instance, ought to come home with irresistable force, and be deeply impressed upon the conscience of every sinner. Could men be persuaded duly to consider the character of God, the propriety and perfection of his law, and make just observations upon what they behold every day, they could no more resist the belief of the doctrine of original sin, than that they could disbelieve the sun's shining when above the horizon, where there are no intervening clouds..

Fifthly, This humiliating reality is established from innumera ble passages of holy writ. Yea, the whole scriptures, the whole plan of man's redemption begins upon this foundation. Hearken to the declarations of heaven. "The imagination of man's heart "is evil from his youth. Foolishness," that is, according to Solomon's stile, wickedness, "is bound up in the heart of a child. "What is man that he should be clean, or he that is born of a How then can man be clean, that is born of a

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woman that he should be righteous? "justified with God, and how can he be "woman. Behold, says the Psalmist, I was shapen in iniquity, "and in sin did my mother conceive me. from heaven upon the children of men, "that did understand and seek God;

The Lord looked down

to see if there were any they are all gone aside,

"they are altogether become filthy, there is none that doth good, That which is born of the flesh is flesh. In Adam

"no not one.

all die. By the offence of one, judgment came upon all te

"condemnation. By one man's disobedience many were made "sinners." There would be no end of retailing the scripture authorities in support of this doctrine, that man is originally depraved, and has a tendency and propensity in his nature to sin and wickedness.

But it is time I should close this discourse, and this must be done with a few brief reflections.

First, We learn, that if mankind are thus corrupted, and have this evil tendency in their nature to iniquity, that it is impossible justification with God can be obtained by our own righteousness. No person, by the strictest obedience to the divine law, can make reparation for the breach he hath made. We must be justified by some other righteousness than our own, or remain forever under condemnation. A glorious and all sufficient righteousness for the justification of all the children of Adam, who will repent and believe, is revealed in the gospel. "Christ "is the end of the law for righteousness. This is a faithful say❝ing, and worthy of all acceptation, that Jesus Christ came into "the world to save even the chief of sinners."

Secondly, This doctrine informs us of the great blindness, ignorance, and stupidity of many, who suppose themselves small sinners, and so in no danger of perishing, though they neither repent, bow to the scepter of Jesus, nor submit to the terms of the gospel. "There is a generation that are pure in their own eyes, and yet not washed from their iniquity. Ye will not "come unto me, says the blessed Saviour, that ye may have life. "Therefore, ye must perish in your sins." Though in Adam all have died, yet by faith in Christ, all may be made alive. "I was alive, says St. Paul, without the law once, but when "the commandment came, sin revived and I died.”

Thirdly, We are here taught the absolute necessity of being cut off from the stock of Adam, and ingrafted into a new stock,

even into Christ Jesus. For so long as we remain in the connec tion of mere children of the former, we lie under the condemnation of the law, and stand exposed to the wrath of the judge eternal. Adam was once able to have conveyed life to his posterity, but now nothing proceeds in this line only sin and death; but by the precious Redeemer, life and immortality are brought to light, and heaven is proposed to your option, and by the hand of faith we may lay hold of eternal felicity. Hearken to the persuasive voice of the tender and compassionate Saviour, "Come "unto me, all ye that are weary and heavy ladened, and I wilf (6 give you rest."

Fourthly, We here learn our true and real state by nature; the melancholy and moral state in which we are born; under the dominion of a sinful nature, and under the curse of an holy law. Well may we say, "We have an Amorite to our father, and a "Hittite to our mother;" we are born in our blood; with hearts full of alienation from God; we are born in a state of death; dead in trespasses and sins. But thanks be to God, through Jesus Christ, and by the mighty operations of the Spirit of grace, we may be born again, renewed in the spirit of our minds, made alive to holiness, and revived to eternal felicity.

Fifthly, This doctrine affords matter for the deepest humiliation and self abasement. Let us abhor ourselves, and repent in dust and ashes. Let us mourn over the depravity of our natures, and the corruption of our lives. We have all sinned and come short of the glory of God. Let those who are in a natural state, be filled with horror, and be horribly afraid. Confess your sins, and turn from all your iniquities, accept of the offers of mercy, and you shall yet live. "Let the wicked man forsake his way, "and the unrighteous man his thoughts, and turn unto the Lord "and he will have mercy on him, and to our God and he will "abundantly pardon."