The Case with Man was plainly this: When God made Man at first, he implanted in him two Kinds of Principles. There was an inferior Kind, which may be called NATURAL being the Principles of mere human Nature; such as Self-love, with those natural Appetites & Passions, which belong to the Nature of Man, in which his Love to his own Liberty, Honour and Pleasure, were exercised: These, when alone, and left to themselves, are what the Scriptures sometimes call FLESH. Besides these, there were superior Principles, that were spiritual, holy and divine summarily comprehended in divine Love; wherein consisted the spiritual Image of God, and Man's ⟨p. 318⟩Righteousness and true Holiness; which are called in Scripture the Divine Nature. These Principles may, in some Sense, be called SUPER NATURAL, *being (however concreated or connate, yet) such as are above those Principles that are essentially implied in, or necessarily resulting from, and inseparably connected with, mere human Nature; and being such as immediately depend on Man's Union and Communion with God, or Divine Communications and Influences of God's Spirit: Which tho withdrawn, and Man's Nature forsaken of these Principles, human Nature would be human Nature still; Mans Nature, as such, being entire without these Divine Principles; which the Scripture sometimes calls SPIRIT, in Contradistinction to Flesh. These superior Principles were given to possess the Throne, and maintain an absolute Dominion in the Heart: the other, to be wholly subordinate and subservient. And while Things continued thus, all Things were in excellent Order, Peace and beautiful Harmony, and in their proper and perfect State. These divine Principles thus reigning, were the Dignity, Life, Happiness, and Glory of Man's Nature.—When Man •in'd, ⟨p. 319⟩and broke God's Covenant, and fell under his Curse, these superior Principles left his Heart: for indeed God then left him; that Communion with God, on which these Principles depended, entirely ceased; the Holy Spirit, that divine Inhabitant, forsook the House. Because it would have been utterly improper in it self, and inconsistent with the Covenant & Constitution God had established, that God should still maintain Communion with Man, and continue, by his friendly, gracious vital Influences, to dwell with him and in him, after he was become a Rebel, and had incurred God's Wrath and Curse.
The Case with Man was plainly this: When God made Man at first, he implanted in him two Kinds of Principles. There was an inferiour Kind, which may be called NATURAL being the Principles of meer human Nature; such as Self-love, with those natural Appetites & Passions, which belong to the Nature of Man, in which his Love to his own Liberty, Honour and Pleasure, were exercised: These, when alone, and left to themselves, are what the Scriptures sometimes call FLESH. Besides these, there were superiour Principles, that were spiritual, holy and divine summarily comprehended in divine Love; wherein consisted the spiritual Image of God, and Man's ⟨p. 318⟩Righteousness and true Holiness; which are called in Scripture the Divine Nature. These Principles may, in some Sense, be called SUPER NATURAL, *being (however concreated or connate, yet) such as are above those Principles that are essentially implied in, or necessarily resulting from, and in•eperably connected with, meer human Nature; and being such as immediately depend on Man's Union and Communion with God, or Divine Communications and Influences of God's Spirit: Which tho withdrawn, and Man's Nature forsaken of these Principles, human Nature would be human Nature still; Mans Nature, as such, being intire without these Divine Principles; which the Scripture sometimes calls SPIRIT, in Contradistinction to Flesh. These superiour Principles were given to possess the Throne, and maintain an absolute Dominion in the Heart: the other, to be wholly subordinate and subservient. And while Things continued thus, all Things were in excellent Order, Peace and beautiful Harmony, and in their proper and perfect State. These divine Principles thus reigning, were the Dignity, Life, Happiness, and Glory of Man's Nature.—When Man •in'd, ⟨p. 319⟩and broke God's Covenant, and fell under his Curse, these superiour Principles left his Heart: for indeed God then left him; that Communion with God, on which these Principles depended, intirely ceased; the Holy Spirit, that divine Inhabitant, forsook the House. Because it would have been utterly improper in it self, and inconsistent with the Covenant & Constitution God had established, that God should still maintain Communion with Man, and continue, by his friendly, gracious vital Influences, to dwell with him and in him, after he was become a Rebel, and had incur'd God's Wrath and Curse.
- *To prevent all Cavils, the Reader is desired particularly to observe, in what Sense I here use the Words, Natural and Supernatural:—Not as Epithets of Distinction between that which is Concreated or Connate, and that which is extraordinarily introduced afterwards, besides the first State of Things, or the Order established originally, beginning when Man's Nature began;—but as distinguishing between what belongs to, or flows from, that Nature which Man has, mee•ly as Man, and those things which are above this,—by which one is denominated, not only a Man, but a truly virtuous, holy, and spiritual Man; which, tho' they began, in Adam, as soon as Humanity began, and are necessary to the Perfection and Well-being of the human Nature, yet are not essential to the Constitution of it, or necessary to it's Being: inasmuch as one may have every Thing needful to his being Man, exclusively of them.—If in thus using the Words, Natural and Supernatural, I use them in an uncommon Sense, 'tis not from any Affectation of Singularity, but for Want of other Terms, more aptly to express my Meaning.
