The harmony of the divine attributes in the contrivance and accomplishment of man's redemption…

2. The depravation of Manners was such in the Heathen World, that if the unclean Spirits had been incarnate, and taken their residence among Men, they could not have acted worse Villainies. The whole Earth was covered with Abominations, as Egypt with the Frogs that poisoned the whole Climate. We may see a picture of their conversation in the first to the Romans. And it could not be otherwise; ⟨p. 435⟩For as the Apostle saith, Those who are drunk are drunk in the night. So when the Mind is darkened with Ignorance and Error, the Affections are corrupted, and Men give up themselves to the unfruitful works of darkness. Unnatural Crimes were committed even among the Grecians and Romans with that liberty, as if no spark of common Reason had remained in them. The most filthy Lusts had lost the fear and shame that naturally attends them. They esteemed those things to be the means to obtain Happiness, that were causes of the contrary. They placed their Sovereign Good in extreme Evil, i. e. sinful Pleasures.¹ They were encouraged to work all uncleanness with greediness, not only upon the account of present Impunity, for their Laws left almost all Vices indifferent but what disturbed the tranquillity of the State, and not only by the multitude of Examples, so that Vices by their commonness had lost their names, and were styled Virtues, nay 'twas a Crime to appear innocent among the guilty, but principally because they thought themselves secure as to a future state: For either they wholly disbelieved it, and 'tis congruous that those who think to die like Beasts, should live like Beasts;² or else by attributing to their Deities those Passions and Vices that so powerfully reigned in themselves, they were strongly persuaded no Punishment would be inflicted. For how could the gods made them Sacrifices to their Justice, who were companions with them in their Crimes? Or revenge the imitation of their own actions? This was to cast down the banks, and to let the torrent of corrupt Nature break forth in all its fury. As St. Austin observes of Homer, the father of Poetical ••ctions, that representing the ⟨p. 436⟩Murders, Thefts and Adulteries of their gods, he made those Sins divine Properties, and effectually commended them to the Heathens: Quisquis a fecisst,