NORTHERN MEMOIRS. 9 



in him, to evade the serpent, the sin, and the 

 woman's temptation ? Into this opinion most 

 ages have crept ; and our modern assertors and 

 predicators approve on't. 



Theoph. That's a point beyond my sphere ; 

 I meddle not with why may nofs ; however, I 

 allow you a privilege and freedom of thinking 

 or saying what you please ; but then you ought 

 not to circumscribe bounds to another. How- 

 ever, this I assert, that such was the original 

 purity of Adam, in his state of innocency, that 

 his graces then shined with heavenly rays, and 

 heaven we know is all generosity. But every 

 generation since Adam has so diminished that 

 beauty and lustre, that from men we are almost 

 dwindled into morts. 



Am. Ay, but, my friend, have you well con- 

 sidered how that the formal fabrick of man's na- 

 tural body, doth represent unto us the world's 

 epitome ? Why not then by the glorious spe- 

 culation of his mind, (under a renovating and re- 

 generate state of grace,) he may represent some- 

 thing of the invisible glories ? 



Tlieoph. You come near to the point. Did 

 not the generations more and more degenerate ? 

 But this, beyond precedent, has outdone all the 

 rest ; for, by offering violence against all that's 

 good, will at last offer violence against itself; 

 and this is but just by the law of retaliation. 

 Am. Why so ? 



