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The Fall
186. Fall. Seeing the
beauty of the corporeal world consists chiefly in representing spiritual
beauties, and the beauties of minds are infinitely the greatest, we
therefore may conclude that God, when he created the world, showed his
own perfection and beauties far the most charmingly and clearly, in the
spiritual part of the world. But seeing spiritual beauty consists
principally in virtue and holiness, and seeing there is so little of
this beauty to be seen now in that part of the spiritual world that is
here on earth, hence we may conclude that there is a great fall and
defection in this part of the spiritual world, from its primitive beauty
and charms.
Corollary. Seeing this is so agreeable to the account that the Christian
religion gives of the matter, and seeing it is evident (from many
arguments), that God intends not to give over man as lost, but has a
merciful intention of restoring him to his primitive beauty, and seeing
we are told this, and the manner of it, in the Christian religion alone,
and seeing the account is so rational, it is a great confirmation of the
truth of the Christian religion.
It is also evident to me that the lower corporeal world has not its
primitive beauty, but that only the ruins are to be seen. Seeing this is
so exactly agreeable to the account which the Christian religion gives
of the matter, and the account of the marring of the beauty of the world
by the fall and flood being so rational, this also confirms the
Christian religion.
290. Fall. .If it be
inquired how man came to sin, seeing he had no sinful inclinations in
him except God took away his grace from him that he had been wont to
give him and so let him fall, I answer, there was no need of taking away
anything that had been given him, but he sinned under that temptation
because God did not give him more. He did not take away that grace from
him while he was perfectly innocent, which grace was his original
righteousness, but he only withheld his confirming grace, given now in
heaven, such grace as shall surmount every temptation.
291. Fall and Free Will.
See M 436. Man has not so much freedom now as he had before the fall in
this respect: now he has a will against a will, an inclination contrary
to his reason. Judgment which begets a contrary inclination, and this
latter inclination is often overcome and suppressed by the former, but
before the fall the inclination that arose from reason and judgment
never was held down by the inferior inclination, so that in that sense
he was more free, or as they speak, had more freedom of will.
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