A Treatise of Original Sin

SECT. I.

Of Adam's begetting Seth in his own likeness,

M Oses in this Chapter giveth a brief and summary capitulation of the Lives and Deaths of the Patriarchs unto Noah, mentioning these heads:

1. That God made man.

2. That he made him in time.

3. After his own Image.

4. Male and Female.

5. He blessed them.

6. The imposition of the name Adam to Eve, as well as to Adam; And this he calleth, The Book of the generations of Adam, viz. His succession, with all his acts of his Life, and also his Death, otherwise Adam had no generation, but was created by God.

The Hebrew word, though sometimes it signifieth a Book or Epistle, yet in the general it is no more than a Catalogue or Rehearsal, as it is here, and so is to be interpreted in some other places, the neglect whereof hath in part made an occasion of dispute, Whether any Canonical Books be lost or no, as Numb. 21. 14. whereas the word there is not to be taken for an Historical Volume, but the Enumeration or Rehearsal of the ways of the Lord?

In the next place, he proceedeth to Seth, not but that Adam had other sons, only he mentioneth him, as the future head of human posterity upon the drowning of the world: Now concerning him, we have his name, he was called Seth. There were Heretics called Sethiani, who attributed unto him more than a man, but the holy Ghost doth antidote against that opinion, by informing of us, that he was begotten in a sinful, mortal estate.

2. Of whom he was begotten, and that is of Adam.

3. How, or in what manner? and that is, After Adams Image, in his own likeness.

Adam was created after the Image and likeness of God, that is, in a most perfect and complete resemblance; for Image and likeness do not differ, though the Schoolmen attempt to difference them, but it is an Hebraism, putting two Substantives together for aggravation sake, and it is as much here, as an Image exceeding like.

Thus Adam was made in respect of his soul qualified with holiness like God; but in the Text Seth is said to be begotten of Adam, in Adam 's Image, not in God's, that is, in a corrupt, miserable and mortal estate: For whereas Adam was by Nature a man; by Condition, the Lord and Chief, in whom human Posterity was to be reckoned of; As also in respect of corruption, now polluted having lost God's Image. Seth was after Adam 's own likeness, in all these three particulars: That he was a man like him, none can doubt; That he was like Adam, in respect of his Headship to his Posterity, is plain, because Abel was dead, and Cain with his Posterity was to be destroyed in the flood. Not that this is the whole Image or likeness here spoken of; That as Adam was the first Head of mankind, so Seth was to be of those, who should be preserved in the flood, as some would have it; For such a resemblance would have been more eminently in Noah, who in the Ark seemed to be the common Parent of mankind.

Therefore in the third place, This Image or likeness, to Adam is mentioned eppositely to that Image of God, which Adam was created in; And if you object, Why is it not as Well said of Abel or Cain, that Adam begat them after his own Image as well as Seth?

The Answer is plain, Moses in this Historical Capitulation, doth not mention all in a Family, but such who were only by a direct Line to descend to their Posterity, and to be an Head to that. Now not Abel or Cain, but Seth was appointed by God in this place; And that we might know in what manner all Generations are to descend from him, the Scripture doth here inform us, That we must not think, that Seth had from Adam the Image of God, or would propagate it to others; but now he and we are as Adam after his fall, sinful and mortal: For although the Church hath generally thought of Adam, that he did repent and was saved; for we do not read afterwards of any gross sin he committed, and God made the glorious Promise of a Savior to him, yet he did not beget Seth, as he was regenerated, but as a man; and so being fallen from that Covenant, he was first placed in, his personal grace afterwards could not be conveyed to his Posterity, as his sin, while a common Parent was. We see then, though Adam was godly, and Seth was likewise holy, yet for all that he was born without the Image of God, and in a polluted estate.

Besides therefore in this place is a seasonable mentioning of the likeness and Image Adam begat Seth in, because Moses being here to capitulate their several Generations, which doth imply their mortality, doth opportunely give the cause of it: So that Snecanin (Method. Distri. Cause. Sol. & dam. cap. 3.) his opinion, which he offereth to the learned to judge, Whether by Adam 's Image be not meant his repaired Image with the corrupted one, being now assumed unto God's favor, seemeth directly to oppose the Text, which calleth it Adam 's own Image, not God's.

SECT. II.

What Original Sin is.

SEeing therefore we have handled the Quid nominis of Original sin, what the chief Names are which the Scripture giveth unto it; We come to consider the Quid Rei, the Nature and Definition of it; And whereas some make it it consist only in the mere privation of God's Image; Others in a positive inclination unto all evil; We shall take in both; for although, as Calvin well saith, He that affirmeth Original sin to be the privation of God's Image, speaks the whole Nature of it; Yet because that doth not so fully and particularly represent the loathsomeness of it, therefore it's necessary with the Scripture, to consider both the Privative and Positive part of original sin.

I shall begin with the Privative part, That original sin is the privation of that original Righteousness, and glorious Image of God, which was at first put into us: And this the holy Ghost meaneth, when he saith, Adam begat Seth after his own likeness and Image. From whence observe,

That we are by nature without the Image of God we were created in, and this is a great part of our original sin. This truth of the loss of God's Image in us, is of very great concernment, and therefore to be improved both Doctrinally and Practically. It is the greatest loss that ever besell mankind, and oh our carnal and dull hearts, which can bewail the loss of health, of wealth, of any outward comfort, but this which is the greatest loss of all, viz. the Image of God, which we should bewail all our life time, that we are no ways sensible of!

I shall not at large in this place treat, De Imagine Dei, of the Image of God in man, I shall say only so much as will make us the better discover the Nature of original sin. And

First, We are to know, That howsoever there be hot and fervent Disputes about this Image of God, what it is, wherein it doth consist, (and according as they take it more largely or strictly, so they conclude the Image of God is lost, or not lost) yet we may by Scripture-light make it to consist in these things.

SECT. I.

F Irst, In the soul, as it is endowed with reason and understanding: For herein man did transcend all other visible creatures, that God made him with a rational soul, investing him with reason and free-will, and in this respect the Image of God is not totally lost; For though by it we have lost all our power and understanding in holy things, yet we have not lost our souls, and the natural faculties thereof; we are not made brute beasts, we are men still; Hence it is that still the reason holds, Why a man should not kill another, Gen. 9. 6. For in the image of God made he man; If there were not yet the Image of God in some respect, the reason would not be so forcible; For what weight would it carry to say, Thou shalt not kill a man, because once he had the Image of God, but now he hath lost it? God speaketh of what he will require of every man that hath slain another, and that because in the Image of God he made him: Thus Jame. 3. 9. aggravateth the sin of cursing any man, because man is made after the similitude of God; To this we may appropriate that of the Poet, confirmed ( Act. 17.) by the Apostle himself, We are his off spring: We will grant then, That the Image of God, so far as it consists in the soul, and the natural faculties, is not lost, though in regard of the actings thereof even about natural things, they are made infirm and weak.

Secondly, The Image of God did consist in that holiness and righteousness, which God did adorn the soul with: And this indeed is the most noble and principal part of God's Image, to be made like God in righteousness and holiness; Therefore Col. 3. 10. Ephes. 4, 24. we read the Image of God is said to be in righteousness and true holiness: Insomuch that many learned Divines do make this the only Image of God, though not so probably; This indeed is the principal and chief, the other is but remote and secondary, for the later abideth even in the Devils and the damned in hell; They have reason and understanding, yet they cannot do the least good action, no not for a moment, although they have so much light in them. This holiness and righteousness then in the whole man, was the chiefest resemblance of God, he being holy as God was holy, not by equality, but similitude. But alas, who is able to apprehend aright of this? Who can now tell, being plunged into all evil and sin, what it is to be altogether holy, what it is to be without any blemish or spot? Yet in such a glorious and admirable manner we were created.

Thirdly, The Image of God did not only comprehend this holiness actually dwelling in us, but a power and strength also to persevere in this holiness; for if God had been never so bountiful in one, yet if he had denied the other, he would have made us happy, that thereby we might become more miserable. But this is not to be thought of that God, who shown so much love and bounty in our first Creation; Adam therefore had the Law of God written in his heart, having strength and ability from within to withstand all temptations, and to perform any holy auty; so that we cannot instance in any holy action, which he had not power to perform Indeed to believe in Christ as a Savior, to repent of sin, he could not actually do them, because they do necessarily imply the subject sinful, and in a miserable estate and condition, but eminently and transcendently these things were in his power; yea, this power of his did extend to keep all the Commandments of God, and that without any imperfection; Insomuch that being under the Covenant of works, he might have obtained justification by them, though not meritoriousty; This glory did God at first put upon us, who now have nothing but a cursed slavery unto sin, and an utter impotency to anything that is holy: As for resisting any temptation, he had strength and ability enough to gainsay it, though it had been in many degrees more violent, than that which 〈◊〉 him: It is true, he was overcome by a temptation, and in that which might have easily been repulsed, as we would judge; but this was to show, That although he was created holy, yet he was also mutable; Though he had power to persevere, yet he had not that grace which did make him actually to persevere, as the confirmed Angels have: So that what Historians say of the Marsi in Italy, and the 〈◊〉 in Africa, That they had such a temper of body, that no Serpents could hurt them, or poison them; Such an admitable temperament was Adams soul in, that the Serpent would not have deceived them had not they given consent; For, if while we are in this corrupted estate, yet the Devil cannot force us to sin, be cannot make us sin, whether we will or no, but it is lust within us, that betrayeth all to him: No wonder then, if in that state of integrity, there was no 〈…〉 to sin, either from within or without.

Fourthly, This Image of God in the holiness of it, was not only in the mind and the will, with a clear knowledge of God, and love of him, but it did extend also to the affections, so that they were made with a regular subordination to the rule of holiness within a man. These wild horses (for our possions are no better) were then all tamed, and as much subject to man's will, as the winds and tempells were to Christ's: Anger, grief, love and desire, these did not rise or continue in our soul any longer, or otherwise, but as they were conducted by the light of God shining in the mind: This must necessarily be comprehended in that expression, Eccles. 7. when God is said to make man right, rectitude is an universal harmony and congruity of all the parts of the soul unto the rule. Austin did once wonder at that disobedience which now man finds in himself, Superat animu corperi &c. ( Confes. lib. 8. cap. 9.) The soul commands the body, and presently it obeyeth, but (saith he) Imperat sibi ipsi, it commands itself, and then there is rebellion, but it was not thus from the beginning: Therefore the Papists and Socinians they do blaspheme in some sense God our holy Maker, whale they affirm, That the repugnancy and rebellion of the sensitive appetite to the reason, ariseth from the very internal constitution of a man; And therefore the Papists they make original righteousness to be the bridle only to curb this appetite, or an antidore to prevent this infection. And as for the Socinian, he denieth, that Adam had any such righteousness at all, and therefore they say he sinned, Because his sensitive appetite did prevail against the rational: Thus they make man, even while he was in honor, and before his fall, to be like the beast that perisheth, and to have no understanding comparatively even in that place of Paradise; But this error is so dangerous, that we are not to give place to it, no not for a moment. In that holy estate the soul commanded the body, and all the affections; They did go, when he bade them go, and stood still, when they were commanded: Oh but now, in what a war, in what a confusion and distraction are we plunged? now we cannot be angry, but we sin; now we cannot grieve, or love, but we sin; Thou that deniest original sin, let the exorbitancy of thy passions, the inordinacy of thy affections convince thee: Is thy heart in thy own power? Canst thou have everything stir and move in thy soul, how, and when thou pleasest? Canst thou say in respect of thy heart, and all the stirrings of thy soul, as the Centurion did of his servants that were at his command? How is experience a mistress of us fools in this particular? Wherein doth our weakness, our sinfulness more appear than in our passions and affections? As Alexander when his flatterers exalted him as a God, he derided at it, when he saw blood come from his body. Thus when men cry up free-will, power to do what is good, deny original sin, and make us in our birth free from all evil, With what indignation mayest thou reject it, when thou seest the Chaos and confusion that is in thy soul, when thou findest not any affection moving in thee, but it overfloweth it's banks presently? Whereas original righteousness gave Adam as much power over those, as he had over all the beasts of the field; but as the ground hath now thorns and thistles instead of those pleasant herbs and plants it would have produced of its own self; Thus also man now hath all his heart and affections grown wild and luxuriant, so that Solomon's observation in other things in here made true, Servants ride on hors-back, and Princes go on foot.

Fifthly, This Image of God was partly in respect of the glory, honor and immortality God created him in. Adam was made after the Image of God, not only in holiness, but also in happiness; he was not subject to any fears or tears, nothing from within, or from without could cause pain and grief to him; Hence death, by which is meant all kind of evil and misery, was threatened unto him, as a reward of his disobedience; but Adam did not beget Seth after this Image, we are now made dust, and in a necessity of dying, which is the effect of our original sin.

Lastly, The Image of God doth consist by way of consequence in dominion and superiority. The Socinians indeed, because when it's said, God made man after his own Image, Gen. 1. 26. it's added, And let him have dominion over the beasts of the field▪ &c. make it the only thing wherein it doth consist; But we are to believe the Apostle, Ephes 4. Col. 3. expounding this Image of God more than they, who applieth it to righteousness and true holiness; yet it cannot be denied, but from this Image of God, did flow that Dominion and Sovereignty, which the woman also was created in; for though she was made in subjection to her husband, and so is called, The Image of her husband, as the husband is the Image of God, yet in respect of the creatures, so she had power over them, and they were subject to Eve as well as to Adam. Thus you see what this Image of God in a brief manner is, the next work is to amplify our loss of it.

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is taken away, both meritoriously and efficiently, meritoriously our Apostasy deserved, that God of a Father and a friend, should become a Judge and an Adversary to us; it deserved that we should be children of wrath by nauture, who were children of love by Creation; What tongue of men and Angels can express the dreadfulness of this condition, viz. of coming into the world under God's wrath and vengeance? God is not to us, what he was in the state of integrity, not that any change is in God, but in us. Again, This friendship and love of God is expelled efficiently, for fallen man hath no suitableness and fitness, no proportion or ability to have communion with God. Darkness cannot delight in light, neither bitterness in sweetness: The swine cannot love pearl and precious flowers; man corrupt cannot love or delight in the enjoyment of God; so that the guilt of sin did presently make Adam afraid of God, so as to run from him.

SECT. IV.

4. THis privation of God's Image is more than like the spoiling of a man of his clothes, or like the taking of a bridle from the horses mouth, or removing the bonds and chains a man might be in, Which when taken off, he can walk well enough. For the Popish party, though they grant, Man fallen hath much hurt by Adam, yet they make the privation of original righteousness, to be no more than the spoiling of a man of his garments; so that as a man without his clothes, is a man still, though naked, and exposed to many difficulties. Thus, they say, man still hath his naturals, though he hath lost his supernaturals; Original righteousness was like an antidote, or a bridle against the inferior parts of the soul (they say) so that what man is deprived of, is only what was supernatural and merely superadded to human nature. By these subtleties of theirs, a man's loss is made to be far less than indeed it is: Hence they do so often apply that Parable of the man going to Jericho that was wounded, and left half dead, to Adam fallen, to all mankind in him, as if we were but dangerously wounded, and not thoroughly dead: But the scope of that Parable is wholly to a different purpose; Original righteousness is not to be conceived, as a supernatural excellency bestowed upon man after his Creation, but as a concreated perfection in all the parts of his soul: So that the losing of this, is not like the losing of some accidental glory and ornaments, but even those concreated perfections in the soul are also lost. The misunderstanding of this breedeth a dangerous error, as if by original sin we only had lost these superadded ornaments, but did retain our pure naturals still, as they call it, which are indeed altogether impute, Eccl. 7. God made man right; Even as all other creatures were exceeding good: Now God had made man the more noble creature, worse than other creatures, if he had not created him with such perfect and suitable qualifications, as would enable him to obtain true blessedness, for every creature else had an implanted ability in it, to accomplish his end, and why then should God do less bountifully with man, one of the chiefest instances of his glorious workmanship? But of this I must necessarily speak more, because of the Socinian, who calls this Doctrine of original righteousness, Faetida fabula, an old stinking fable.

SECT. V.

5. ORiginal sin is a privation, not only of that righteousness which was a natural perfection due to him upon supposition of his Creation for the enjoyment of God, but also of whatsoever supernatural and gracious favor Adam had. We do not say, That Adam had nothing supernatural in him, for assisting and co-operating 〈◊〉 supernatural, as also that prophetical light he had concerning 〈…〉 God did superadd many glorious ornaments which were 〈…〉 and which he did not absolutely need as means to make him 〈…〉 , and such likewise were those consequents of holiness mentioned before, 〈◊〉 to be the Son of God, and to be the Temple of the holy Ghost; Now all these gratuita are lost as well as the naturalia, we are no more the children of God, or the Temple of God, but our souls are possessed with Satan, and he ruleth in our hearts, as in his proper possession▪ Some Divines call original righteousness the absolute Image of God, and our sonship, and filial relation to God, for Adam is called the Son of God, Luke 3. ult. the relative Image; now whether absolute or relative Image, all is lost; and therefore that assisting grace, which was then ready at hand for Adam to enjoy, that thereby he might b •• nabled to do any good action, we are naturally without: Oh then the 〈◊〉 and undone estate we are in, being without inberent grace dwelling in us, and assisting grace from God without us, without eyes, and the light of the Sun also! Who can think that God at first made us such sinful, mortal and wretched creatures? It would be much against the wisdom and goodness of God, he would then have done worse with man, than with any fly or worm.

SECT. VI.

What are the most excellent and choice parts of that Original Righteousness that we are deprived of.

BUt because the greatest part of the privative way of original corruption, is in losing that Image of God, and concreated holiness, and we have only spokan in the general of that, that we may be the more affected with it, and the loss thereof may pierce to our very hearts; Let us consider, what are the most excellent and choice parts of this original righteousness that we are deprived of, that so we may not only see our loss in the bulk, but be able to account of every particular in this, and that we have lost.

And the first particular to be insisted on, is that great dignity God put on man, making him with a Free will to do what is holy. Free-will is a great perfection, though the mutability in it, as in Adam was a negative Imperfection, this was admirable in Adam, that he had power, if he willed to do any holy action whatsoever: There was not in him any clog, any impediment to stop the exercise of this Free will; but as he had dominion over all creatures, so also over hi • whole soul; and indeed if God had not created him with this dominion over his actions, his obedience had not been so eminent, nor his disobedience so culpable▪ But this flower is withered, this Crown is fallen to the ground; Man hath now no free will, no power to do anything that is holy; He hath power to eat and drink, he hath power to do civil & moral actions, he hath power to do actions externally religious, to come to the Congregation, to hear; but for those things that are internally holy, to love God, to believe on him, to repent of sin; This the Scripture doth in many places deny to him, making him to be dead in sin, and until born again by the Spirit, unable to do any holy duty. This Raymundus (Theol. Natur. de lapsu hominis ) doth well urge, That the soul as to spiritual actions, and in reference to God, is wholly dead; so that as a dead man is not able to produce any vital actions, so neither can any natural man spiritual actions; and because man being dead is not sensible of this loss, therefore doth the same man compare him to a mad man, that knoweth not how it is with him; yea he much pursueth that similitude of wine degenerated into vinegar, saying, That as vinegar retaineth nothing of the sweetness or goodness it had when it was wine: Thus neither doth man retain anything of that light in his mind, or love in his heart, which once he had: Man (saith he) is not become of good wine bad, which though bad, retaineth some taste, and hath a little relish of the nature of wine; but he is as when Wine is degenerated into vinegar, which hath all clean contrary to what is had when once wine. This comparison he the rather urgeth, Because (saith he) man doth not, or cannot discern in himself the difference between his created condition, and his fallen, therefore he must see how it is with him in similitude by other things. We may add to this similitude another of the body of man while living, and an instrument of the soul, with itself when dead, and separated from it, that body then though formerly never so beautiful and comely, never so lively and active, now is loathsome, and hath the clean contrary qualities; Such a thing is man now fallen, if compared with his Creation.

SECT. VII.

A Second instance of a particular in this Image of God, which we have lost, is Faith and dependence upon God as a Father. As God made Adam his son in holiness, so Adam had a filial dependence and belief on him, resting alone in God's protection and preservation, and thereby was not subject to any fears, grief, or troublesome dejections of mind about his soul or body; This was an excellent pearl in that Crown of glory, which God set on man's head, but how totally is this lost? Every man by this original sin may justly go up and down trembling like a Cain, fearing that everything should not only kill him, but damn him; Yea, whence is it that the Sea is not fuller of monsters, than thy heart is of unbelieving, doubting and diffident thoughts about God? Why art thou so fearful, suspicious and despairing about God naturally? Is not this because God and thy soul are separated? Doth not thy conscience secretly suggest to thee, that God is offended with thee? Is not this a plain discovery of thy loss of God and his Image, that thou hast naturally fears and doubts within thyself? Thou thinkest of God and art troubled, as Adam when he heard God's voice, ran and hid himself; All the natural tremblings and trepidations of conscience about God, arise from this, because there is a secret persuasion thou and God art at a distance, yea a contrariety one with another.

SECT. VIII.

A Third particular is, The loss of that love to God above all things which was implanted in Adam 's heart. The moral Law being cograven in Adam, he loved God with all his soul and might, and that above all creatures, yea above himself; for seeing the debt and obligation upon Adam was to prefer God above all creatures; yea God's will, and God's glory above his own will and glory; it stood not with that integrity God made him in, to be defective in any of these; but through Adam 's apostasy now all is changed upside down; Self-love is that which predominateth in every man a man's own will, own good, own pleasure and honor, is the chiefest end aimed at; so that now God's will and honor is trampled underfoot, and all to set up our own selves, insomuch that this self-love may almost be called the original sin in a man.

SECT. IX.

FOurthly, Another particular which is lost is, That joy and delight which Adam had in God, for as he loved God above all things, so enjoying of him, he did infinitely delight and rejoice in him. Though God made the creatures for Adam 's delight; Paradise was a place of delight, yet these were but drops, God was the Ocean; Adam did then perfectly say, which David did with some imperfection, Whom have I in Heaven but thee? And whom in earth in comparison of thee? God was all things unto him. But where is this divine delight? Doth any natural man find any sweetness in holy things? Is not all our joy, a carnal, a worldly, a creature joy? Certainly our joy and delights do as much discover the loss of God's Images as anything else; whereas Adam would have daily rejoiced in God, and in the honor and glory of God, that he was magnified and exalted, we naturally are not affected with these things.

SECT. I.

T He Privative Part of Original Corruption, as it is the loss of God's Image hath been treated of, both in the general and the particulars. Now that still we may the more thoroughly possess our souls with this unspeakable loss, it is necessary to say something of God's Image, which man at first was created in: For although I said, that I would not enter into a large Tractate of it, yet something must be necessarily spoken to it; for if there be no such thing as original righteousness, then there is no such thing as original sin; if there be no such thing as light, there cannot be any such thing as darkness. The Privation doth necessarily suppose an habit; Hence the Socinians, as they wholly deny this original sin we are treating of, so do they also reject this original righteousness; calling it (as was said) Faetida fabula, an old stinking Fable, an Idea feigned in men's brains, of which there is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , not the least Title in the Scripture ( Vide Pertium Harmon. ) It behooveth us therefore the more diligently to search into this truth; For if Adam never had such glory and holiness put upon him, then we his posterity could not lose it.

To inform ourselves then herein, Let us consider,

First, That what Adam 's state of integrity was, we cannot any ways know, but by the Scripture. We have now no experience of it, nor can any Philosophy or human reason, give us any direction therein Now there are two Rocks upon which the Adversaries of this Truth do split themselves; The one is, Judging of original righteousness, or of man in his Creation, according to the principles of moral Philosophy; As if we were not to read Moses and Paul concerning this righteousness of Adam, but Plato and Aristotle; for human Philosophers, as they were wholly ignorant of original sin, supposing the soul to come into the world as an abrasa fabula, a mere blank, ready to receive good or evil, yet inclining rather to good, as Aristotle saith, so they were wholly ignorant either of man's creation, or if that were acknowledged, of any imitation or change made upon man by his Apostasy. Now this principle in effect the Socinian imbibeth: For (he saith) There is no righteousness to be conceived in Adam, but what was actual, that there was no habitual infused into him, but that he was created in a neutral and indifferent estate, neither good or bad, but to be made either of these, as his free-will should put itself forth into action. Thus you see how truly Tertullian of old said, Philosophers were the Patriarchs of Heretics; for both Papists and Secintans judge of Adams first estate, by principles of moral Philosophy.

The second Rock upon which the erroneous party in this great Truth, destroyeth themselves at, is, The judging of man in his first Creation, according to that which we feel in ourselves now, as if we should judge what wine is by the vinegar it's degenerated into, as if we should determine of a living body, according to what we see in a dead carcass; And truly we may say, that from hence ariseth all Pelagianism, Popery and Socinianism: We pass a sentence upon the state we were created in, by what we now feel in ourselves, as if God had not, or could not make us otherwise: As for instance, because we now in ourselves find the inferior appetitive part rebel in it's motions against the rational, therefore they conclude, That this was at first in Adams Creation; That this repugnancy is planted in our very constitution: Yea, a Remonstrant is not afraid to say, It was in Christ himself, because a man, (and why not then in the glorified Saints to all eternity, seeing they shall after the Resurrection consist of soul and body also? ) In this Position both Socinian, Remonstrant and Papist do positively agree, viz. That the repugnancy and rebellion, which is between the rational and sensitive part doth arise from the very constitution of man. It ariseth (saith Bellarmine) not from God, but e conditione materiae, from the condition of that matter, of which God made him; but doth not this arise because we see such a repugnancy is now in every man, because there is none that can live now upon the earth without this rebellion? therefore we conclude it was not always so. If then we would sail by these Rocks, if we would be guided into this Divine Truth, let us go out of ourselves, and out of all the traditions, which Ethical Philosophy hath delivered unto us, for that speaks only of what is acquired, not of anything infused or concreated with our natures, but rather think this Image of God is so glorious a thing, that we know not how to speak of it, or to think of it, we never had the actual enjoyment, or working of it. It is not with us, as with men, who hold a rich and plentiful estate, but are now fallen into extreme poverty, such can tell you by experience, what a plentiful life they once lived. Job could tell us what honor once he had, and the abundance he enjoyed, even when he sat scraping himself upon the dunghill, he could experimentally compare his former estate, and that together, but so cannot we. Indeed those common 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , or dictates of nature, whereby our consciences have some light to discern between good and evil, may serve for some kind of conviction, that once God did create us in a more knowing and holy estate, but what it was, and fully to conceive of it, that we cannot do. Hence

In the second place, It's a very necessary thing in all men, to be often meditating upon these two states and conditions of man, his created state, and his fallen estate, his primitive condition, and his present condition. To compare the light men, with his darkness now, his holiness then with his impurity now, his immortality then with his mortality now, his Communion with God then, and his estrangement, or contrariety now, for hereby his heart will be the more deeply humbled under his present miserable condition; Those that make them both alike, or assign a very little difference, they neither duly consider what a glorious thing God's Image was, we were created in, nor how deep and universal our pollution is: Oh how dishonorable and dblasphemous is it, to think we come out of God's hands as we are now, that at the first we had inclinations to sin, that there was a rebellion in us to what is good! What is this but to say, God made us at first the children of his wrath? Oh pray that the scales may fall from thy eyes, that thou beest not delivered up to this dangerous error, which is the broad way to perdition.

In the third place, To understand the nature of that Image of God, man was created in, you must take heed of the Socinian Position, who say, God made man merely an innocent, even as a young child, that he had not in his creation any holiness infused into him, but he was in a neutral and indifferent disposition, to be actually good or wicked, as his free-will did determine. But this is to diminish the goodness of God who made man in such a distinguishing character to all other creatures, except Angels, for Angels and men they only were created after the Image of God; That Adam was not created in such a negative frame of soul, appeareth, in that the Image of God is expressly said by Paul to consist in righteousness and true holiness; Now righteousness is more than a not being evil, it denoteth an inherent positive perfection in the soul; Hence Eccl 7. 30 God is there said, To make man righteous; The word Jashar is generally used to signify as much as holy, clean and pure. It is not therefore for us to contradict so plain Texts of Scripture; Hence the Psalmist, Psal. 8. 5. doth admire the goodness of God, and his works to man, especially in this, That he hath made him but a little lower than Angels: Oh then admire that glorious excellency God did at first put us into! We were at first made but a little lower than those glorious Angels of God; Therefore Chrysostem called Adam an earthly Angel; Now compare thy present estate with this of Adams; Art thou like an Angel? Have Angels such blindness of mind, such averseness to what is good, such rebellious and unmortified thoughts in them, as thou hast? Nay, Art thou not rather a Devil for pride, for malice, for opposition to what is good? Was it thus with us from the beginning? They therefore do most unthankfully rob God of all that glory and honor which is due to him that will affirm, That God made him in such an indifferent neutral state, neither righteous or unrighteous: Surely then God could not have looked upon all the things that were made with that approbation, They were exceeding god; For though other creatures might be good in their kind with a natural goodness, yet Adam was in his kind with a moral goodness: Neither will the Socinian evasion help, That by good there is meant convenient, beautiful and proper for its end: For let no more be granted but that, it's enough, If Adam was not created with holiness in his soul, he was not made good in their sense, that is not suitable and sit for his end; For being created to know and love God, and thereby to have a comfortable enjoyment of him, How could he do this without wisdom in his mind, and holiness in his will? And certainly we may not think, that God gave every creature a goodness in its kind, to obtain its particular end, and not adorn man, the noblest of visible creatures, for his peculiar end.

The Scripture then is clear, That man was at first made such an holy and blessed creature; Let us consider what Reasons are objected against it by the Socinian party. And

First, (say they ) Adam could not be holy till he had done some actual holiness, how could he be denominated righteous ( say they ) till he had acted something that was righteous?

But this argueth great ignorance, as if there were no righteousness, but what is acquired, as if there were no infused habits of holiness, which denominate a man so, before he doth that which is holy; Were not the Angels made holy in their Creation before they acted what was holiness? Is not Christ himself Luke 1. called the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , the holy thing, before he did actually that which was holy; yea the contrary is true, therefore did Adam that which was actually holy, because he was habitually holy: As the Tree is first good, and then the fruit good: Adam then before his fall had both original and actual holiness, but the latter was an effect of the former, and therefore he did one because he had the other.

Secondly, It is objected by them, That if Adam was made in the Image of God like him, holy as he is holy, then Adam could not sin, he would be impeceable, even as God is.

But this is a weak cavil, For though man be made holy, as God is, yet that is not by equality, but proportion only; Were not the Angels made holy, and yet for all that they sinned? He then that is essentially and infinitely holy cannot sin; yea a creature when confirmed in holiness by God cannot sin, as the elect Angels and glorified Saints; but Adam though he was made holy, yet was in a mutable and changeable estate, and therefore he might sin.

Quest. But you will say, Why did not this original Righteousness so far defend him, that he did not withstand the Devil more strongly, he seemed to have little or no grace, that was so easily ensnared by Satan, and that in such a little matter when he enjoyed so much outward felicity?

Answ. But to this we may answer, That Adam and Eve, they did not at the very first yield themselves up to the Devil, but they did repel the Devils temptations awbile; neither was it the inordinate desire of the forbidden fruit that was his first sin, but pride and unbelief; not believing the threatenings of God, and affecting to be like God, and such sins do quickly and easily penetrate into the best and noblest subjects, as you see in the Angels themselves, those sublime and admirable spiritual substances, yet how quickly did such kind of sins enter into them, and defile them all over; So that we are to look to those spiritual secret sins, which did induce Adam to eat of the forbidden fruit.

Lastly, It's objected by them, and the same Argument also is improved by Bellarmine, That man consisting of a soul, a spiritual substance, and of a body, which is a sensible corporeal substance, when these two are united in one person, it's impossible, but the spiritual part should incline one way, and the sensitive another; The rational part that desireth a spiritual good, and the sensitive part that which is sensible, and these are contrary.

But the answer is, that though these inclinations are divers, yet they are not contrary, but where sin hath made an Ataxy. As God at first ordained the will, which is appetitus rationals, to follow the understanding, so he did also our affections to follow both of them; so that there was an essential subordination of the affectionate part to the rational; even as we see the members of the body do readily move at the command of the soul, or as in perfect mixed bodies, though there be contrary qualities, yet by the temperament of that body, their contrariety is removed; and certainly, the Angels sinned, who yet had not any sensitive appetite to rebel against the rational, therefore it was not from this necessarily, that Adam did sin. Thus in Christ there was no repugnancy between grace and nature; for when he said, Father, if it be possible, let this Cup pass away; This was not an absolute desire of his human nature, but a conditional one, and still with submission; therefore he addeth, Nevertheless thy will be done; and the Saints in Heaven, when they shall have re-assumed their bodies, will not find any contrariety between the rational and sensitive appetite. And thus you see that Adam was created in this holy estate.

Lastly, This holiness and righteousness in a well explained sense, was not supernatural, but natural. The Remonstrants they make this dispute about original righteousness, inepta & absurda, absurd and foolish; Therefore they deny any infused or concreated habits also, and say, The rectitude of the faculties was enough; But the Orthodox say, Adam could not be created without such habits or principles of holiness within him, because he was created for the enjoyment of God, and therefore they call it natural, not as flowing from the principles of nature, but as a moral condition necessary to qualify him for his end, and therefore it was given to whole mankind in Adam, and would have been naturally propagated; and whereas the Remonstrants ask, To what purpose or use is such original righteousness? For if it did not necessarily and immutably determine Adams will to good, than this original righteousness, did need another, and so in infinitum; or if it did then, How came it about that Adam did sin? To this subtlety it is answered, That this original righteousness was not to determine the will of Adam necessarily, but to incline and sortifie Adams will the more strongly, and easily to do what was good; So that although it did not absolutely take away Adams mutability and liberty, yet it did heighten and raise up the faculties of his soul to what was good, yet this was not a superadded grace to Adam, as actual confirmation in holiness would have been, but a natural and due qualification preparing him for communion with God; So that the discourse about man in his pure naturals without this original righteousness, is an house that hath not so much as a sandy foundation, it being without any foundation at all, God having put his Image into man, as Phydias did his into Minerva 's shield, that none could take that out, but he must also destroy that shield: Thus the Devil could not prevail with Adam to sin, but by the loss of God's Image.

SECT. I.

W E are discovering the Nature of that Image God created us in at first, that so we may see how great our loss is.

The last particular was, The naturality and supernaturality of it in divers respects: And this is the more to be observed, because while the Orthodox oppose the Socinians, who affirm, Nothing but a natural and simple innocence in Adam, without any infused or concreated habits of holiness, or anything supernatural in him; You would think they join with the Papists, who dogmatize, That all the holiness Adam had was supernatural. Again, while the same Orthodox oppose Papists, because of this opinion, one would think they joined with the Socinians, who say, Adam had nothing in him, but what was natural, whereas the truth consists between these; and therefore original righteousness was supernatural to Adam; if you respect the principle from whence it did flow, it was immediately from God, not from principles of nature, and this opposeth the Socinian; yet if you do consider Adam the subject of this righteousness, and the end for which he was created, so it was a perfection due to him, and in that respect called natural, otherwise had not God invested man's nature with this and concreated this perfection with him, the noblest of visible creatures had been dealt worst with.

SECT. II.

YEt in the second place, Though this Image of God was natural to Adam, yet we must not say, that he had nothing supernatural, that there was nothing by way of superadded grace to him. Even as in Adam, although we deny, that he was created in pure naturals, yet we say, that Adam in some respect may be said in Paradise to live an animal life, as well as he was created immortal; Adam was made free from death, he had not any proxim or immediate cause of death, yet he was not made immortal, as the glorified Saints in Heaven shall be, for their bodies are made then spiritual, not animal, as the Apostle distinguisheth, whereas Adam 's body was in this sense animal, that it did need meat and drink, as also it was for generation, to procreate and propagate a posterity, which argued the animality of Adams body, but not the mortality of it, as the Socinians say, unless we mean such an immortality as our bodies shall have in Heaven. Thus though Adam was created immortal upon supposition of his obedience, yet that doth not exclude wholly an animal life, or natural, as the Apostle expressly saith, 1 Cor. 15▪ 46. That was not first which is spiritual, but that which is natural; Thus it is also in respect of Adams spirituals and his soul, although all that holiness which was necessary to guide him to happiness was natural, yet there were other things that might be of mere grace, and superadded favor to him; And under this we may comprehend the grace of God, which Adam needed, though qualified with original righteousness to do that which is holy; as also the reward which God would give to Adams obedience, for to be the Son of God in respect of a gracious enjoyment of God, and to have received that life promised to him, if he did obey (though here be great Disputes about it, what it would have been) yet it would not have been of merit, though of works, but of grace, for works and that grace in that state were consistent, though Evangelical grace and works do immediately oppose one another; Adam then was not without some supernatural savors.

SECT. III.

IN the third place, that which will much tend to the magnifying of this Image of God, is to consider the Integrity and universality of it; so that he was made holy and righteous all over, with light and wisdom in his mind, with all kind of holiness in his will and affections; so that Adam had both the perfection of parts, and also of degree of grace within him: One single habit was not sufficient to give perfection to all the active principles in a man, yea there were several habits in every faculty of the soul; So that original righteousness is an aggregation or collection of many habits. That Text Eccless. 7. when Adam is said to be made right, inferreth so much; for he is not right, rectu, that doth want any essential or necessary part, and the very expression of the Image of God denoteth as much; an Image consisting not in one, or some few parts, but in the harmonious composition of all; How admirable was it then to have those commands of God, Thou shalt not lust, and Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy soul, with all thy heart and strength, fulfilled perfectly and without any difficulty? If we do compare our sinful and carnal hearts with this glorious temper, that are carried out to lust inordinately all the day long, and love everything before and above God, What shame and confusion may it bring to us? But in that state of integrity, there was no part of holiness, or degree of holiness wanting. It is true, if we speak of the Image of God repaired in us: We find a godly man doing that now which Adam could not do, as to repent, and to believe in a justifying manner in Christ; for the actings of these graces were incompatible with that state, and suppose an imperfection in the Subject, and therefore even now cannot be so well called parts of the Image of God in a sanctified man; and indeed there is some difference between that Imago Creationis, and Imago Recreationis, as Bannez expresseth it, or Imago constituta, and Imago restituta, the Image of God in our Creation, and the Image of God in our Recreation or Renovation, when we are made new creatures by the Spirit of God.

Now because Adam had not justifying faith in his glorious estate, it hath occasioned that dispute, Upon what terms, or with what justice God can require of every man to believe in Christ, seeing he never gave the power to do this in Adam? Therefore the Arminians plead from hence a necessity of a new universal Covenant of grace, and this hath been an hot dispute: The Orthodox, though they easily grant, That Adam could not actually believe with justifying Faith, yet they say) this was potentially and habitually in him, he had a power and habit for many things, the acts and exercises whereof were yet inconsistent with that present estate of felicity he was created in; and certainly we may gather good and sound positions for this truth, out of some of the choicest Schoolmen; They have laid down good Rules, by which we may see, that the firmament was not more filled with innumerable stars, than Adam 's soul with all choice graces.

SECT. IV.

FIrst, Those graces (the Schoolmen call them virtues) which do not import any imperfection, these were in Adam both habitually and actually, as to love God, to be thankful to God, to delight in God; For these graces will always continue, even in Heaven itself, and therefore were no ways repugnant, but necessarily required to Adam in that state of felicity.

Secondly, Those graces which denote some kind of imperfection, which yet were not repugnant to that state he was created in, were also in Adam, both according to the habit, and also the act, such are faith and hope. By faith we do not mean, the particular act of relying on Christ, as a Mediator, but the general assenting unto everything as true, which God spake or promised unto him, and according to this faith; so also Adam had hope depending upon God, and expecting such things as God had promised. Now these graces of faith and hope, even in the general nature of them, have some imperfection, if compared with vision and fruition; Faith is opposed to vision, and hope to fruition, as the Apostle plainly argueth, 2 Cor. 5. 7. Rom. 8. 24. But this imperfection did not repugn that state Adam was created in; For although we say, Adam was made right and perfect, yet that is not to be understood absolutely, as if he were as perfect as God, nor comparatively in this sense neither, as if he could not be made more perfect, or as if he had such perfection, as the glorified Saints in Heaven shall have, but he was thus far perfect, that he wanted nothing for that state and condition God made him in.

A third Rule is, Those graces which import an imperfection repugnant to the state Adam was in; They were in him habitually, but not actually; They instance in the virtues of mercy and repentance; Besides others, we may also add, the grace of justifying Faith; So that although the Arminians judge such a position as this absurd, yet almost the common current of Schoolmen go this way; And if the grace of mercy, of liberality, of fortitude and patience were in Adam habitually, why not of justifying Faith? Neither is it any Argument at all, to say, That these habits are given for their acts, but the acts are inconsistent with that state he was made in, for these habits were bestowed by way of perfection and ornament to man's nature in the general, and the want of the habits of them would have been an imperfection: Even as Adam 's knowledge did extend to the medicinal virtue in herbs and plants, which yet could not in that state of integrity be put in practice: So that those habits, though not reducible into acts, yet were not in vain, because they were for the perfection of human nature. When therefore Adam after his fall did repent and believe in Christ, the seed of the woman promised; He did not put forth those acts from the habits of faith and repentance he was created in, as some have said; but the whole Image of God being lost, every gracious habit or act, was then supernatural to him, which before was natural Yet Suarez in his Disputations concerning the Creation of man, saith,

But I press not these things.

Now although the habit of justifying Faith and Repentance were in Adam, yet we cannot say, They were in the Angels, or in Christ, because these were in a condition that did repugn the very habit of such acts, as well as the acts themselves. Thus by these Rules we see, there is no kind of grace imaginable, but Adam 's soul was adorned with it one way or other: Oh then take up bitter lamentation, and like Rachel refuse to be comforted, because our loss is unspeakably greater than hers! There remaineth not one grace of those glorious ones mentioned, now in us: and instead of a power to anything that was good, we have an utter impotency thereunto, and a proneness unto evil.

But you may ask, How can original six be said to consist in this privation of original righteousness, seeing that seemeth to be God's act, to deprive us of it, and not ours?

To this the Answer is, That we are not to conceive of God taking away this righteousness from us, as if one man should spoil another of his garments; but man by sinning did exclude and shut it out from his soul; and having thus provoked God, then God doth not continue and vouchsafe that grace to him, which Adam had thus repelled; so that God is not as an efficient, infusing wickedness into Adam 's heart, but he denieth that holiness to him, which by sin was repelled; as if a man should shut out the light from him, and keep himself in the dark: But I have spoken more fully already to this Objection.

SECT. I.

I Shall add that there are four Reasons, why this Privation of Original Righteousness is truly and properly a sin in us. And

First, Because the soul is a Subject fit and prepared for to receive this Righteousness. This rectitude you heard, was a moral perfection necessarily required in man: The soul of a man cannot be in a neutral condition, it must either have holiness, or sin in it; As the air doth necessarily receive either light or darkness; The body is either sick or well; if then the soul be such a fit and capable subject of holiness; when it is deprived of it, it wants that which is suitable and connatural to it: Insomuch that for the soul to be without this holiness, it's against the nature of it; Why should such a spot and a blemish be in so glorious a creature? How came spots in this Sun? As Idolaters are condemned, because they turned the glory of God into the Image of a beast that eateth hay: No less is done by Adam 's Apostasy upon us all, for we who were made God's Image, are now become like beast without understanding, and yet this consideration will not debase and humble us.

Secondly, This Privation is a sin, Because it is against the Law of God which requireth habitual holiness in us. It requireth the continuance in that state, which God created us in. This Definition of original sin, that it is a Privation of that rectitude which ought to be in us, was first assigned by Anselm, and Occam thought it insufficient, unless there was added 〈◊〉 the Description, a Privation arising from the sin of another,

This is a needless subtlety, for it was original sin in Adam, yea and in Eve, though they did not derive it from one another, because they did actively communicate this unto all their Posterity. This Privation then of all glorious holiness being against the Law of God, as we have formerly shown, therefore it makes a man truly sinful.

Thirdly, It is a sin, Because Adam our Head and common Trustes once had this Righteousness; So that it is a Righteousness, which we were once actually possessed of in our Head; God did not only say, Let us make man after our Image, but he did put it into execution, he did make him after his image; So that it's a righteousness that we once had, which now we have lost.

Lastly, It is a sin, Because by Adam our Head we were deprived of it. The Apostle saith positively, Rom. 5 That by one, sin came upon all, inasmuch as all have sinned, viz. in him, and by him: Hence it is, That his losing of this Image is our losing of it, as really, as if we had actually and personally deprived ourselves of it. And thus much shall suffice for the Doctrinal part of it; but because it's good to have our affections wrought upon, as well as our judgments informed. The next work shall be to give the Aggravations of this loss, that so we may make a full improvement of this Truth.

SECT. I.

I Shall conclude this Text, with that particular Observation about it, that relateth to the privative part in original corruption; for we have abbreviated that vast and large Subject of original righteousness into a little compass, briefly informing concerning the Nature of it. For howsoever Epiphanius (as Pererius and Suarez say) thought that it was impossible for any to determine, wherein the Image of God doth consist; yet Paul doth sufficiently explain Moses in this particular; So that we need not run to those forced expositions of some, who will have man in respect of his bodily constitution to bear the Image of God. Therefore (some say)

For we have already heard, that it was righteousness and holiness in the soul, which made man to be after God's Image; So that the Image of God was not in the body, but as in sign, a sign and demonstration of that Image in the soul. It is true, Christ is the Image of God, but as he is the second Person in the Trinity in respect of the Father, but that is adequately and essentially so, we are not the image of God but in great imperfection, because we do not essentially participate of it. Christ in respect of the Divine Nature is the Image of God, but never said in Scripture to be made after it, for that would be an imperfection; yet if we speak of the human nature of Christ, we may say, that it is created after God's Image, because God filled it with holiness. Hence some ( Durat. de Imag. Dei, lib. 1. pag. 7.) expound that Ephes. 4. of putting on the new man, to be meant of Christ; Now howsoever some of the Ancients have made it very dangerous to say, Adam, and in him all mankind lost the Image of God, yet that hath its truth no further, than if we limit the Image of God to the essentials of man's soul, as endowed with intelligence and immortality; for it we take it in respect of gracious qualifications, so it cannot be denied, but that Adam was not more naked bodily in his Creation, than after his fall, his soul was made naked of all righteousness, only Adam did blush and was ashamed after his sin at his nakedness, running from God, because afraid; whereas at our soul-poverty and nakedness, we have no sad and grievous thoughts, thinking with ourselves, How shall we come in our spiritual nakedness unto the most great and holy God? That therefore we may be the more affectionately possessed in our thoughts about this loss, Let us consider the several aggravations of it.

SECT. II.

The Ends for which God made Man, lost by the loss of Original Righteousness.

FIrst, The loss of this righteousness doth deprive us of the end for which God made us: So that whereas before sin God looked on Adam, and saw he was exceeding good, after his fall he seeth him to be exceeding evil, and full of sin: Let us instance in some choice ends for which God made man in his own Image thus with righteousness and holiness. As

1. Therefore was he made thus holy, To have communion with, and enjoyment of so holy a God. When God had made all the creatures, yet he saith, There was not a meet help and comfort for him, one in his own Image and likeness; therefore he makes a woman of the same nature with him; yet still among all creatures, though we add Angels to them, there was not an adequate and sufficient object to fill his heart with delight, therefore God was his utmost end: So that although he had Paradise, a place of delight to live in; Though his state was not capable of any misery or fear from the creature, yet that which was Adam 's happiness was to enjoy God in these: Now who can bewail our loss in this respect? We are now propense to the contrary end of our Creation; we wholly descend downwards, who were made to ascend upwards; Adam found the favor of God in all the creatures: It was not this or that comfort, but God in and by them that did draw out his heart: But oh the misery and captivity we are in to self-love, to the love of the creature! Neither are we able by nature to lift up the heart above them to God in them, no more than the worm can fly like an Eagle towards Heaven: Oh groan under this, and say, My heart was not once such a lump of earth, such an heavy stone, as now I find it: There was not then any such complaints heard; Lord, I can love Paradise, I can love my wife, but I cannot love thee, but the clean contrary! I love them, because I love thee, and I could not love them, but because I love thee! This Captivity and bondage our souls are in to the creature, should make us mourn more grievously than ever the Israelites did under the Egyptians oppression: What a shame is it to have a body that looketh upward to Heaven, and a soul that looketh downward to earth? How doth the constitution of thy body agree with the condition of thy soul? Thy face is upward,

But thy soul, that is pressed down in all its propensions and affections to the creatures, and how contrary then are we to the end of our Creation, which is the enjoying of God? Adam had that which Alexander so ambitiously desired, viz. the dominion over the whole world, and yet he had as great dominion also over his own heart, so that God was all in all to him. If David, though of the corrupted posterity of Adam, but regenerated, could say, Whom have I in haven but thee, and there is none in earth in comparison of thee? How much more could Adam in that glorious state of integrity?

2. Another end in Adam 's Creation after the Image of God, was to be is the glory and praise of God's Name: For as the Angels, who also were made after God's Image, their constant work was to praise and glorify God: Thus Adam being made like another Angel, was made full of holiness, that upon the Earth, he might, as the Angels do in Heaven, sing holy, holy, holy unto the Lord: As some great Kings of the Earth, when they have built some great City or Town, they cause their Image or Picture to be set up in some eminent place, for the monument of themselves, who were such great Benefactors: Thus God, when he had made this great and glorious world, he puts man into it as his Image, that thereby his praise and goodness should be constantly declared; but since Adam his fall, all mankind is now a reproach and dishonor to God; Their thoughts, their affections, their lives, are so many dishonorable and reproachful passages against him; God doth not look upon us now as his workmanship, but as the devils; he feeth not his Image, but the Devils in us: Moses saith, that when God saw how all men had corrupted themselves, it repented him that be made man, and it grieved him at his heart, Gen. 6. 6. What a wonderful expression is this? God cannot repent or grieve at anything properly, but the Scripture speaketh thus after the manner of men, to show how exceedingly displeasing and offensive man's fall was, that it had been better he had never been created, than prove such an Apostate. It is true, God knew how to work a greater good out of sin, than sin could be an evil, but this no thank to Adam 's sin and disobedience; The good wrought thereby cometh wholly from the gracious power of God; so that Adam 's sin of itself, did disannul the end of his Creation, and brought all things into confusion. Take every man by nature, what a beast and devil is he, what an enemy to God, what an adversary to everything of God; so that whereas he was made to glorify and honor God, all his whole work and life is now to dishonor him, and reproach his holy Name: Herein then lieth the misery of this loss of the Image of God, that we are fallen from our end, we are of ourselves salt that hath lost its favourinesse, we are fit for nothing but eternal torments.

SECT. III.

The Harmony and Subordination in Mans Nature dissolved, by the loss of God's Image.

IN the second place. This loss is to be aggravated, because of the Nature of it, which is the deordination and dissolution of all that Harmony and Subordination which was in man's nature. That admirable and composed order which was in the whole man, is now wholly broken; so that the mind and will is against God, and the affections and passions against them. A three-fold Subordination there was in man.

The first, of the intellectual and rational part unto God, The mind clearly knowing him, and the will readily submitting unto him.

The second was, A regular Subordination of all the passions and affections unto the mind, so that there did not from the sensible part arise anything that was unbeseeming and contrary to the rational: Hence it was that the Scripture taketh notice of Adam and Eve in their privitive Condition, that though naked, yet they were not ashamed; There being a full purity and simplicity in their natures, whereby nothing could arise to disturb all those superior operations. At sin expresseth it well;

The third and last Subordination was of the body, both to the rational and sensitive principles; There was a preparedness in the body of Adam, as there was in Christ, whereby he did readily do the Will of God, and sound the body not obstructing or weighing of it down. Now let us consider this three-fold cord, which did bind Adam 's whole man unto that which is good, which was easily broken; and then, as when the flood-gates are open, the streams of water violently rush forth, hurrying all away: Thus it is with mankind; This order being dissolved, the whole heart of man is as unruly as the Sea; and whereas that hath its natural bounds, Hitherto it shall go, and no further; The heart of man is boundless, and hath no stops of itself, only the infinite God of Heaven he ruleth and ordereth it as he pleaseth. Consider the first breach, and mourn under that: Is it nothing to have the mind of man, which hath as many thoughts almost as there are sands upon the Sea shore, and yet not to have one of these rise in the soul with subordination to God? What a sad bondage is this, that our thoughts are no more under our command, than the flying birds in the air? Do not either sinful thoughts, or if good, come in so unseasonably upon thee, that they carry away thy soul prisoner? Oh this loss of the obedience of the mind to God's Law, in all the thoughts thereof, ought to be no mean matter of debasement! Not to find one good thought of all those Iliades, Chiliades and Myriads of thoughts which thou hast, but to have rebellion in them against God: What sad impression should it make on thee? In the will also those motion and incomplete velleities, yea acts of consent in the will, which arise in the soul, as so many swarms of flies in the air, Are not these also so many armies of lusts against God, whereas in the state of integrity, there would not have risen the least distemper?

The second breach, Is not that also as terrible and powerful? For are not all our affections and passions like so many dogs to Action, like so many Locusts and Caterpillars in Egypt, like so many flies and hornets, till by grace they are crucified? What man is there, in whom if God should let any one passion or affection have dominion over him, that it would not immediately destroy him? So that the power of original corruption is more manifested in the affections and passions, than any subject else.

Lastly, The disorder which is in the body, in respect of its instrumental serviceableness unto God can never be enough lamented; Do not pains and diseases in the body much indispose in holy things? Do not dullness, drousiness and weariness hinder a man, so that when he would religiously serve the Lord, this body will not let him? Now all this evil and misery is come upon us, because we have lost the Image of God; As God in nature doth not suffer any vocuum or redundans, so neither did he in respect of the frame of the soul at the first; There was nothing defective, and nothing excessive.

SECT. IV.

The Properties of this Loss.

THirdly, This loss by original corruption of God's Image, is exceeding great in the properties of it. For,

1. It is a spiritual loss, principally and chiefly; The loss of God's favor, of all holiness, is wholly spiritual, and did tend to make a man spiritually happy; So that if you should compare all the temporal losses that ever have been in the world, with this first and spiritual one, it would be but as the mole-hill to an high mountain: If then our eyes were opened, if we were able rightly to judge or losses, for this we should mourn more than for any evil that ever befell us or others; 〈◊〉 messengers that came with such sad tidings one upon another, is nothing to this message that we bring thee, But who will believe this report?

2. As it is a spiritual loss, so it is an universal loss. The whole world is in a lost state, by losing this Image of God; Every creature hath lost in this universal loss; The earth hath lost its fruitfulness, yea the whole Creation groaneth, and is in bondage, subject to vanity, because of this. Thus all the creatures they lose by it, yea everything in man loseth; The mind its light, the will its holiness, the affections their order, and the body its soundness and immortality; If all the creatures were turned into tongues, they would proclaim the loss of their primitive glory, and beauty, because of this sin.

3. It's not only universal, But it's the cause of all the temporal losses that we have: For death (in which is comprehended all kind of evil) came in upon the loss of this Image; So that if we are sensible of any temporal loss, How much more of this spiritual one, which is the cause and root of all? Therefore is the body pained, therefore it dieth, because this Image of God is lost, therefore do we loose parents and children, therefore is the whole world a valley of tears, because of this loss; If then any private loss be so bitter unto thee, how much more ought this to be, which putteth a sting into all?

Lastly, This loss is incurable as to any human or angelical power. The image of God is so lost, as that by our own power we are never able to recover it again: Insomuch that when God doth repair it in us, it's a new Creation, and a spiritual Resurrection; we could not further it in the least degree.

Let the Use then be, deeply to humble us, to break our hearts far this, and yet still to break them more and more. When Tamar was deflowered, she went with ashes upon her head, weeping and saying, I, whither shall I go? Oh do thou much rather mourn, and sigh, and pray! We, oh wretched we! Whither shall we go? What shall we do? Call to the Angels, they cannot help you: Cry to the mountains, they cannot hide you from God's wrath: Shall Saul seek for his lost Asses, the woman for her lost Groat, Micah for his lost gods, and wilt nor thou bitterly lament the loss of the true God, and his Image in thee?

SECT. I.

T He Privative Part of original corruption being largely discovered, we come now to the Positive Part of it: For although many of the Papists deny it, laying the whole nature of it in a mere want of original righteousness, yet not only the Protestants generally, but Aquinas and some who follow him, do plead for this Positive Part in original corruption as well as the Privative, and is therefore called Flesh, as here in the Text, and in other places lust; Of which in its due time. We are not then to conceive of this birth-sin, as a mere privation of the Image of God, but as including also therewith, a propensity and inclination to all evil.

To the discovery of this Truth, we shall find this Text pitched upon will be very subservient; and herein we are to take notice, That it is part of that famous Colloquy and Conference Christ had with Nicodemus, a Master in Israel; wherein several things in the general are briefly obserable: As

First, The Mercy that is to the Church in having this Discourse upon Record; For by Nicodemus his carnal cavillings, we see the necessity of Regeneration; our Savior is the more powerful in his asseverations, Verily, verily, I say unto you, &c. that hereby everyone may see, that though he be great, rich, wise, learned, ingenious, yet he must be born again

Secondly, We may take notice of our Savior's wisdom, that pitcheth upon this Subject rather than another to treat upon; for herein Nicodemus did grossly err, Nicodemus had learning enough, knew the Law of God and the Scriptures, but was wholly ignorant of Regeneration.

Thirdly, We therefore see, That the work of Regeneration is a mystery, even to wise and learned men; Twice or thrice, saith that great Doctor, How can this be? What poor and childish Objections doth he make against it, and all, because this is a thing spiritually discerned?

Lastly, The great cause why Nicodemus did not know what Regeneration was, or see the necessary of it, was, Because of his blindness about original sin: Had he believed how carnal and sinful everyone was born, he would presently have bewailed his condition, and said, O Lord, it is true, I am all over polluted, I find nothing of thy Spirit in me, I am all over flesh, and do therefore need thy Spirit to regenerate and quicken me! But this was the root of his destruction, from hence did arise that gross miscarriage about a new-birth, because was so senseless and unacquainted with the pollution he was born in.

So that the Text is an Argument to prove the Doctrine of Regeneration, and the necessity of it, which Nicodemus did so carnally cavil against: For although our Savior did so vehemently assert the truth of it in these expressions, twice geminated, Verily, verily, I say into thee, &c. Yet because Nicodemus still asketh, How can this be? therefore our Savior discovereth to him the root and fundamental cause of the necessity of this birth, and that not of Nicodemus only, but of every man; Therefore he speaks generally, Unless a man be borne again, &c.

The fundamental cause therefore of the necessity of Regeneration is from that universal Proposition laid down in the Text, That which is born of the flesh is flesh, which is also illustrated by the contrary, That which is born of the Spirit is spirit; The strength of the Argument lieth in this, Every thing resembleth that it is produced of; from a Serpent, there cometh a Serpent; from a Toad, a Toad; so from a Dove, a Dove; a Sheep, a Lamb; There being therefore two contrary effective principles in us, The flesh and the Spirit; The flesh, that produceth what is flesh, the Spirit, what is spirit.

In the first Proposition, we have the emphatical expression of this defilement:

1. In the Universality of the Subject of Predication, That which is born of the flesh is flesh; There's none exempted, great men, noble men; Even Kings and Emperors they are flesh of flesh.

2. There is the Universality of the Subject of Inhesion; All is flesh, that comes of flesh; so that not only the body, but the soul also is flesh in this sense; for by flesh here, as in other places, is meant, The whole man consisting of soul and body, as he is unclean and impure, and this appeareth by the opposition, which is the Spirit of God, and the effects thereof.

Another emphatical expression is, In using the abstract for the concrete, is flesh, that is fleshly, is spirit, that is, spiritual. We see then here a Proposition affirmed concerning all mankind born in a natural way, which no human Philosophy could ever inform us in, yea to which it is wholly contrary, viz. That we all by nature both in soul and body are nothing but flesh; for flesh is here put for the vicious and sinful quality that is in us, and so the mind, the intellictual and choicest parts of the soul are thus condemned, as well as the more gross and sensitive, as in time is to be shown.

This is a clear Text to prove our universal contagion by sin, yet upon what weak and poor grounds would the Remonstrants oppose it; They therefore by flesh understand, Man simply as man, flesh and blood, begotten in a fleshly and bodily manner, not as sinful and corrupted; as if our Savior's Argument had been, as what is born of man is man, so what is born of the Spirit is spiritual: But this is very unsound: For what Argument would this be to prove Regeneration? Must a man be new born merely because he is a man? Certainly had Adam continued in the state of integrity, there would have been procreation of children, yet then there would not have been a necessity of Regeneration: Our Savior therefore is giving a reason, why there must be a new birth, and that is from the sinful pollution everyone is born in: And whereas the reason they give, why by flesh cannot be meant, wholly sinful, Because (say they) then in the opposition, by Spirit, would be meant wholly spiritual, whereas the Orthodox do acknowledge a conflict with the Spirit, and the flesh abiding in every regenerate man: But to this the Answer is, That the abstract is put for the concrete, spirit for spiritual, so that the Subject in the Proposition [Born of the Spirit] Spirit is the holy Spirit of God; and the Predicate [is made spirit] Spirit is to be understood of that spiritual and heavenly nature wrought in us by him; And although he who is made thus spiritual, is not purely and absolutely so, yet the Spirit will in time subdue and wholly conquer the flesh, in which sense Gal. 5. They that are Christ's are said to have crucified the flesh with the lusts thereof; Although there be the relics and remainders of it still in the most holy.

The Text then being thus vindicated, the Observation is,

That all men born in a natural way, are not only without the Image of God, but thereby also are positively polluted, and made all over flesh and sinful.

SECT. II.

Of the use of the word Flesh in Scripture; And why Original Corruption is called by that name.

TO discover this, in the first place, It is good to take notice of the use of the word [Flesh] in Scripture; for the mis-understanding or mis-applying of it, hath brought in a world of mischief. The Papists by Flesh (I mean some of them) understanding only the brutish and sensitive part, as if sin were only resident there, and the rational part were free and pure; but this is a very great error; For besides the general use of the word Flesh in the Scripture, there is two more pertinent to our purpose.

1. Flesh is sometimes taken for that which is weak and frail, Isa. 31. Their horses are flesh and not spirit. Psal. 78. He remembered they were but flesh. And

2. It is often taken for sinfulness and corruption; Thus Gal. 5. The works of the flesh are opposite to the works of the Spirit; and men who are in the Flesh, Rom. 8. cannot please God. Gal. 3. Who having begun in the Spirit, will ye end in the flesh? To be in the flesh and in the Spirit are made two opposite beings by the Apostle; Insomuch that we may make it a sure Rule, That wheresoever flesh is opposed to the Spirit of God, or its spiritual operations, that then flesh is used for that which is evil and sinful; and thus it is in the Text. The true notion therefore of the word Flesh being retained, Let us consider, Why original sin is thus called Flesh. And

First, It is called so, Because of its opposition to what is spiritual. Whatsoever the Spirit of God revealeth to be believed, or commands to be obeyed, it is wholly contradicted by man, while abiding in the flesh. Thus the Apostle Rom. 8. The wisdom of the flesh is enmity against God; You see here is not only a mere privation of what is spiritual, but a positive enmity and frowardness against God, and therefore we do not speak enough to describe the fullness of our natural evil, when we say, that we came naked into the world without the Image of God, and his Spirit; for original sin hath a contrariety in it against God, it puts a man upon hatred of whatsoever is holy, therefore the Apostle addeth, Rom. 8. 5. It is not subject to the Law of God, neither indeed can be: Oh then that God would make our hearts more of flesh in the Prophet Ezekiel's sense, viz. tender, and melting under considerations of how much flesh is in both mind and heart in the Apostles sense! Would thyself-righteousness, thyself-love, thyself-fullness continue any longer, if thou didst thus judge and believe concerning thyself? Oh what a noisome carcass, what a loathsome monster wouldst thou be in thy own eyes, if thou didst consider the positive frowardness and opposition which is in thee to what is holy! And therefore even in the regenerate, Gal. 5. 17. The Flesh is said to lust against the spirit; Search then into thy heart, and say, From whence doth arise these gainsayings and oppositions which are in me, to what is holy: Why should not heavenly and spiritual things be as welcome, pleasing and delightful to me, as sinful and worldly objects? Is not all this, because thou art Flesh? Certainly, there is a thousand times more reason for thee to embrace spiritual objects than earthly; They have more real, excellent and enduring good in them, then all the pleasures of sin if put together, but it is because thou art flesh, that thy heart is naturally so full of enmity against whatsoever is spiritual; And although this natural enmity be increased in thee by voluntary wickedness, yet that which cleaveth to thee, as soon as thou hast a being is enough to make thee refuse the word of God, the Ministry inviting of thee, and to slight every Sermon thou hearest, or every affliction God layeth upon thee for thy sin, mourn then under this enmity, this Law of sin that rebelleth against the Spirit of God: This may sensibly and evidently teach thee, that thy natural corruption is more than a mere want of the Image of God.

Secondly, In that original corruption is called flesh, is manifested, That even the whole intellectual and sublimer parts of a man are become sinful. We see our Savior saith, That which is born of flesh is flesh, nothing is excepted; so that whereas some would have it the rational part; The mind and understanding not to be comprehended under this flesh; we say the contrary according to Scripture, That in the soul and faculties thereof there is originally sin chiefly seated There is the spring and fountain from whence issue all the streams of sin into the lower parts of the soul: Thus when the Apostle reckons up the works of the flesh, Gal. 5. 19, 20. There are Idolatry and Heresies numbered with the rest, which must needs be sins of the mind, How often doth the Scripture speak of darkness, ignorance, folly and blindness in the minds of all men by nature? Col. 2. 18. There it's called a fleshly mind; and certainly if the mind must be renewed, as the Scripture speaks, Rom. 12. 2. Col. 3. Eph. 4. 23. it necessarily followeth, that it is fleshly and sinful. Behold then, what a fountain of evil and misery springs out from us in this respect, which may overwhelm us? For though the inferior parts of the soul had been thoroughly infected with this Leprosy, yet if the superior and chief parts had not been contaminated, there would have been hopes, that those Sun-beams would have dispelled such misty clouds; but seeing that the eye is become dark, How great is our darkness, and salt itself having lost its seasoning, all must become loathsome and unprofitable? Not only thy eyes, thy ears, not only thy affections and passions of love, fear, anger, &c. which are the lower region of thy soul; but thy will, thy mind, thy conscience, these also are become flesh, and are wholly corrupted, so that in thee by nature, there remaineth no good thing at all.

SECT. III.

How carnal the Soul is in its actings about Spiritual Objects.

3. IN that it is called Flesh, there is discovered that a man in all the workings of his soul in religious things, is carnal and merely carried out wholly by the principle and instigation of flesh within him, the Image of God was so glorious and efficacious in Adam, that all his bodily and natural actions were thereby made spiritual, his flesh was spirit (as I may so say) the body and bodily affections did not move inordinately against God's will, but having a divine and holy stamp upon them, they were thereby made divine and spiritual: But since this original corruption, the clean contrary is now to be seen in us; for even the spiritual workings of the soul are thereby made carnal and fleshly, Adam 's body was made spiritual, and now our souls are made carnal: Oh the said debasing and vilifying of us that is by this means! If an Angel should become a worm, it is not so much dishonor as for righteous Adam to become an apostate sinner.

Let us take notice how our souls do put themselves forth about spiritual objects, and you shall find they are wholly carnal and fleshly in such approaches; insomuch that in their highest devotions, and religious duties they are only carnal and fleshly all the while. As

First, In the mysteries of Religion, which are revealed unto in by a supernatural light; The mind of man, because it cannot comprehend of them in a carnal, or bodily manner, much more if not by natural reason (though that be corrupt) is ready to despise and reject all; What was the reason, that Christ crucified is such a foolish Doctrine to be believed by the learned Grecian, but because it was not agreeable to natural reason? When Peter made that Confession concerning Christ, That he was the Son of the living God; Christ tells him, Flesh and blood had not revealed that to him, Mat. 16. 17. And doth not this fleshly mind still effectually move in Atheists and Heretics? Is not this the bane of Socinan persons, that they will make reason a judge of divine Mysteries, whereas that it s • lt is corrupt, and is itself to be judged by the word of God? So that the power of original sin, as it is flesh, manifests itself about all the supernatual Doctrines and Truths revealed in the Gospel. We that are Pigmies think to measure these Pyramids, we think to receive the whole Ocean in our little shell: Hence it is that Paul, 2 Cor. 8. 5, 6. will have all our imaginations, every high thought brought into captivity.

Thus you see, That whatsoever a man doth in reference to God, he is wholly carnal and fleshly in it, he is not carried out with a suitable principle of the Spirit, to that which is spiritual, and this may be discovered in many branches; it is also very useful and profitable; for hereby they shall see, that the only things which they rely upon, as religious worship of God, and the evidences of their salvation, are so far from being a true stay to them, that like thorns they will pierce their hands: If a man's spirituals be carnals, How great are his carnals? If his Religion, if his devotion, if the matters of his God, be thus altogether flashly, What will his sins and corruptions appear to be? We have already instanced in one particular, viz. The Doctrine to be believed, and declared, how carnal a man is in that. We proceed further to illustrate this necessary Truth, and therefore.

Secondly, Every natural man in his religious worship, is wholly carnal, as well as in his Doctrine to be believed. For if we consult the Scripture, and observe what was the cause of all that Idolatry and spiritual abomination, for which God did so severely punish the children of Israel, was it not from a carnal fleshly mind within? Therefore you heard, Gal. 5. Idolatry is made a work of the flesh, when they changed the glory of God into the similitude of an Ox, that eateth bay; Was not this to please the eye? And so their goodly Altars, their goodly Images, which the Prophet mentioneth, Were not all these, because of their suitableness to a carnal mind? We need not instance in Pagans or Heathens, who are wholly in darkness, without any supernatural light; But if we take notice of the Christian Church in all the successive Ages thereof, How potent and predominant have carnal principles been in all their Devotions? And is not Popery to this day a full demonstration of this Truth? So that that notable expression of our Savior, Joh. 4. 23, 24. God is a Spirit, and they that worship him, must worship him in spirit and truth; Yea, that the Father seeketh such to worship him, hath seldom had its due observation. Whereas then Campian would prove, All Monuments, all Churches, all Windows and Pictures therein, to be a demonstration of their Religion. This proveth indeed the superstition and carnality of it, not the spirituality and truth of it; and oh the dishonor done to God by this means! This fleshly wisdom in God's worship, hath been one chief cause of most of the calamities which have fallen upon it, Col. 2. 18. The Apostle attributeth the worshiping of Angels to a fleshly wisdom in men.

Thirdly, A man is naturally carnal in religious Ordinances. Because he is apt to put trust in them, to think he merits at God's hands, or maketh satisfaction for his • ispasses. This is not to be spiritual, but carnal; We have low, carnal apprehensions of God. when we think that by our righteousness, though it were ten thousand times more perfect than it is, that we are able to profit God therewith. Thus those false Teachers with their followers, they are said to make a fair show in the flesh, Gal 6. 12. and Phil. 3. 3. to have confidence in the flesh; To worship God in the Spirit, and to have no confidence in the flesh, are two opposite things; Now by flesh there is meant circumcision, and all other Church-privileges, which Paul did eminently enjoy, and while a Pharisee, he wholly rested in them, but when once the son of God was revealed to him, then he renounced all confidence in these things, judging himself to be only carnal in them; But now little was Paul, while a Pharisee, and so exactly diligent in the discharge of them, persuaded that all he did was rejected by God, that he abhorred all, that he was only carnal in those things? It is therefore of great consquence to be spiritual in the particular, for this is a secret sweet poison, that is apt to undo us; Therefore the Particular, the formal the devout man, who is ignorant of Regeneration, while he abhorreth all bodily flesh-sins, he may be highly guilty of soul flesh sins: So that there is little cause for a Pharisee to boast, saying, He was not a profane gross sinner like a Publican, he did not wallow in bodily sins of the flesh, for he was dangerously diseased with soul sins; The flesh there made him abominable in the eyes of God, for that which they did so highly exalt, it was 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 before God; What an heavy and sad deceit will this prove, when thou shall • find that wherein thou blessest thyself, and applaudest thyself in, will be thy condemnation, as Christ told the Pharisees, Moses in whom ye trust, he will condemn you? Oh that this Truth might be like a sword piercing into the secrets of your heart! How wilt thou be overwhelmed, when that which thou hopest will save thee, that will damn thee? There is a carnal Religion, there is a fleshly devotion, in which men putting their confidence, may thereby be condemned, as well as by gross profaneness: Certainly this confidence in what religious duties we perform (as some at the last day will plead, Have not we prophesied, and wrought miracles in thy Name? ) doth insensibly and incurably damn the greatest part of formal Christians, and it is very hard to make them discern or judge themselves carnal in this, To trust in the arm of flesh, they will acknowledge quickly to be a sin, but to trust, and rest in the holy duties they have performed, out of this sin no sons of Boanerges can awaken them.

Fourthly, A man is naturally carnal in all his religious performances, Because when he d • h them, it is not out of any love to God, to exalt and honor him, but out of love to himself, thinking thereby to avei • some judgment or other. It is true, we deny not but it's lawful to serve God, to be humbled for sin with respect to our own good, that we may escape temporal evil, but yet we are not to do it principally and chiefly for this, we are not to uti Deo, and frui Creaturis, to enjoy the creatures for themselves, as the utmost end, and make use of God only for our outward help, as John 6. 26. our Savior told the multitude that followed him, That they did seek him only because they did eat of the loaves and were siled: This is a fundamental principle of flesh in every man by nature not to love himself subordinately to God, but God subordinately to himself, which is a sin of a very high nature, and immediately opposing the great majesty of God; They worship God upon no other reason, then what some Heathens did sacrifice to the Devils, Tantùm ne noceant, That they might do them no hurt: I 〈◊〉 not then out of any love to God, or desire to magnify him, but wholly for their own ends; and hence it is, that they alter, and change the worship and ways of God, as they please, and as it serveth for any political interest, as you see in Jeroboam, and other wicked Kings, Whence is all this? but because they make themselves, the Alpha and Omega, Et Deus non erit Dens nisi homini placuerit; How could men thus break the statutes and ordinances of God? but because they make their own advantages, the supreme Law, as if God were for them, and they not for him: Hence it is also that the Scripture complaineth so much of men, Walking in their own Imaginations; And Jeroboam, 1 King. 12. 33. is branded for this, that he set up such a worship and Ministry, that he had devised of his own heart; This then is a sure demonstration of our fleshly minds, that in our worship and duties, we regard not divine Institutions and God's Rule, but attend only to what is subservient to our purpose: Now the foundation of all this is, because we do not look upon God as supreme, to whom all our senses should bow, but refer him and his glory to ourselves. The Apostle 2 Cor. 5. 16. speaketh of knowing Christ after the flesh, and so there is also a knowing of God after the flesh, which is, when we do not things purely and sincerely out of respect to his Name, but for our own profit and benefit: Take heed then of this fleshly frame in thy approaches to God.

Fifthly, The fleshly mind of a man is seen in his spiritual transactions between God and himself, In that he doth wholly conceive and imagine such a God, and Christ, not as the Scripture represents, but as he would have, and doth most suit with his carnal disposition. This is greatly to be observed, for because of this, though they hear never so much of God and Christ, yet because they think them to be such, as they would have a God of their own making, a Christ of their own making, therefore they never truly repent, or turn unto God; for concerning God, they conceive him as altogether merciful; They never think he is a just and holy God; They attend not to the fury and vengeance which the Scripture saith is in him against obstinate and impenitent sinners, but apprehend him to be one that loveth them, and will save them, though they go on in all rebellious ways against him; The Psalmist doth notably speak to this purpose, Psal. 50. 21. where having spoken of such hypocrites, that will come and worship God, though they retain their old lusts, and live in all impurity, he addeth, Thou thoughtest I was altogether such an one as thyself; They thought God was not provoked with such abominations, they thought God would not be angry with them, as if he were like themselves: And doth not this still continue true in most profane men? Why is it that they do not tremble under the name and thoughts of God? Why is it that they roar not out with fear, lest God should damn them? Is it not because they make a God like themselves? They love themselves, and acquit themselves, they easily think well of themselves, and therefore they think God will do so also, and thus they do likewise with Christ; They represent him to be a Savior, and a Savior only; They consider not that he died to conquer the Devil, to make us a peculiar people, zealous of good works; They attend not to the purifying and cleansing power of Christ's death from the strength and power of lusts within, as well as from the guilt and damnation by it, which being so, they can trust in Christ, and put their whole hope in Christ, although they live in all disobedience at the same time, and therefore whereas we might wonder, how profane men can live as they do? Where are their thoughts of God and Christ? Why are they not stricken with astonishment, when they hear of them? Alas, you may cease to wonder, for the Scripture God, the Scripture-Christ, in the Scriptureway they do not think of, but a God and a Christ, which is a mere Idol in their own hearts set up by themselves.

Sixthly, The fleshly mind of a man is seen in running into extremes, and so never submitting themselves to God's word, which is always the same: So that whereas in some the fleshly mind of man runneth out into superstitious and excessive ways of devotion, which God never required so in others again it acteth the clean contrary way pretending to Enthusiasts, Revelations, and strange raptures and impulses of soul, and herein they think they are the only spiritual men, and that all others are in the flesh, but strong delusions under the pretence of Revelations, Apparitions and visions have been no new thing in the Church of God; neither are we to stagger in our saith, because of these things; for the flesh excited by the Devil, may vent itself in these ecstasies and raptures, as well as in superstitions; yea which is further to be observed, a man may be altogether fleshly, while he pretends to an high spiritual way of subduing and keeping down the flesh, Col. 2. 23. Those who were puffed up in their fleshly minds about Angelworship, yet are said to have a show of humility in not sparing the body, and this we may say to those deluded Papists, who macerate and excruciate the flesh of the body, it would be better, if they did cast out at the same time, their fleshly mind.

Seventhly, A natural man in his most religious deportment, is only fleshly, Because whatsoever he doth in these things, he is furthered only by natural strength: For being without the grace of God, either in his understanding, or his will, hence it is that he can rise no higher, than natural reason, natural conscience, and natural will, doth enable him unto; and these being altogether polluted by sin, in stead of furthering, they are an hindrance and opposition to him: If therefore you ask, From what principles, and by what strength doth a natural man draw nigh to God? The answer is only by that power which he hath of himself; The grace of God which alone can elevate the soul to God, that he is wholly destitute of: And although it must be granted that there are some common principles and dictates in all about God, and moral good things, yet these are never improved any otherwise, but from carnal principles, and to carnal ends. And thus much may suffice for this branch, viz. The carnality of a man, by original sin in his most religious offices and duties.

In the last general place, Man may justly be said to be all over sinful and flesh only, Because all his care, his thoughts are only for his body and sensible things, in the mean while neglecting God, and his immortal soul. I shall conclude with this, because all else comprehended in this name, will come in at some other seasonable time. By nature we are in the flesh, we walk after it, we make provision for it; so that we willingly lose God and our souls, to save and preserve that; Who is there that will believe our Savior, saying, What will it profit a man to win the whole world, and lose his own soul? Mat. 16. 26. What complaints and accusations may the soul make against us, when the body hath said, Feed me, Cloath me, you have done it? But when the soul hath famished, and been perishing, you have not heard the cries of it: Oh men only flesh and utterly devoid of all spiritual power!

SECT. I.

H Itherto we have been informed out of this Text, what is comprehended in the word [Flesh] attributed to everyone that is in a natural way born of mankind. We now proceed to that Truth, for which it was designedly pitched upon, viz. That Original sin is not only a Privation of God's Image, but doth cannote also a Positive inclination, and an impetuous propensity to everything that is evil. For this Question is agitated between some Papists, and the Protestants; They asserting,

But the Orthodox, they say, And thus the Protestants do almost in effect say the same with Aquinas, who calleth original corruption a corrupt habit, not a mere privation, for privations are of two sorts, either simple, that imply only a privation, as blindness and death, or compounded and mixed, which besides the mere privation, do denote some material or substratum with it. Thus Aquinas compareth original sin to a sickness or disease, which doth not only signify a privation of health, but also the humors excessively overflowing, and thereby dissolving the due temperament of the body: Such a privation is original sin, a mixed, or compounded privation, that besides the absence of what righteousness is due, denoteth also a propensity and violent inclination unto that which is evil. It is true indeed, if we come punctually to examine, how the will is disobedient, and how the affections are so disorderly, we cannot resolve into anything, but this privation, the understanding is therefore darkness and erroneous, because without its primitive light; The will is crooked and perverse, because without its primitive rectitude: So that Calvin saith well, He that calls it the privation of God's Image, saith the whole nature of it, yet when we speak of the privative part of it only, we do not so fully and significantly express the dreadful pollution of it: Even as concerning vicious habits in morality, intemperance, injustice, it is not enough to say, they are the privation of those virtues, which are immediately contrary to them, but they do denote also such an inclination in a man, that thereby he is carried out to those vicious of such habits constantly, and with delight.

SECT. II.

Why Divines make Original Sin to have its Positive as well as Privative Part.

THe Reason, why our Divines make original sin to have its Positive as well as Privative part, is to obviate that error of the Papists, who supposing original righteousness to be only by way of a bridle in Adam to curb and subjugate the inferior part to the superior of the soul, when Adam lost this, they conceive mankind, hath not any further pollution upon it, but that mere loss; Insomuch that they say,

The Socinians likewise, they deny any such pollution, and make us to be born in the same condition Adam was created in (death as a punishment only accepted) merely without either sin or righteousness, like Aristotle's, Obrasa Tabula, in a neutral indifferent way. Now to confront such dangerous opinions, we say,

SECT. III.

Reasons to evince the Positive part of Original Sin.

NOw that we are to judge of it thus, will appear from Scripture, upon these grounds:

First, The names that the Scripture attributeth to it, compel us to think of it, as more than a m • er bare simple privation, for in the Text it is called Flesh, in other places Lust, the Old man, the Body of sin, which emphatical expressions are for this end to make us conceive of the deep and most real pollution it bringeth upon us: Insomuch that we are not to extenuate and diminish the nature of it, but as the scope of the Scripture is to aggravate it under the most substantial and powerful names that are, so we also are accordingly to judge of it. It is true, Illyricus out of a vehement opposition to Papists and Synergists, did wring the Scripture till blood came out of it instead of milk; for he would understand these places mentioned about original sin almost literally, as if sin were our very substance and essence, whereas if he had gone no further, then to say, that the Scripture by these names doth intend not only the mere privation of good by this original pollution, but also a positive pronenese, and a continual activity unto all evil, than he had hit the mark. The Scripture Names then are only considerable, for the holy Ghost doth not use them in vain, but thereby would startle and amaze us, that we may consider that we are without, and what evil doth abide in us.

Secondly, This is proved from Scripture-affirmation, about the state of all men. It doth not only describe man privatively, that he is without God, without Christ, but also pesitively, that he is an enemy to God, and cannot be subject to him, Rom. 3, 10, 11. to the 18. verse. The holy Apostle applying several passages out of the old Scripture to all men by nature, instanceth both in privatives and positives also; Privatives, There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh God, there is none that doth good, there is no fear of God before their eyes: But is this all? No, he addeth, Their throat is an open Sepulcher, the poison of Asps is under their lips, their feet are swift to shed blood, &c. Here you see, the nature of every man is abominable, loathsome and ready to commit the foulest sins, if he be not stopped; yea the Scripture is more oftener expressing this Positive part of original sin then the Privative, Genes. 5. Genes. 8. 21. The imagination of a man's heart is said to be only evil, and that from his youth. Eliphaz also in Job 15. saith, How abominable is man who, drinketh down iniquity like water? Thus you see the Scripture represents us in a far more loathsome vile and poisonous nature than we are apt to believe concerning ourselves. When Augustine maintained this Doctrine, Pelagius would say, This was to accuse man's nature ( Lib. 1. de Naturâ & Gratiâ. ) But this is indeed the only way to set up the grace of Christ our Physician, for the whole need not a Physicias,

It is true therefore, which the same Author saith,

Thirdly, Original sin is positive, Because the Scripture attributes positive and efficacious actions to it, which mere and bare privations are not capable of. The seventh Chapter of the Romans speaketh fully to this, what expressions, and that in allusion to military affairs, doth the Apostle use concerning this sin inhabiting in him? For verse. 23. he complaineth of this Law of sin, that it doth war against him, and bring him into captivity, which phrases denote, That this original sin is not a sluggish, idle privation, but withal it connoteth an impetuous repugnancy to anything that is holy; This also the Apostle confirmeth, Gal. 5. 17. where the flesh is said to lust against the Spirit, shall we think then, that the holy Ghost speaketh of this activity and working of sin in us, that we should apprehend no more than the absence of God's Image within us. Let us then aggravate the hainnousnesse of it, as we see the Scripture doth, and deeply humble ourselves under it: Shall it be a small thing to have such an impetuous active principle in us against what is holy? That which we should embrace and close with as the most excellent, that we fly from, and are most averse to, as if it were the greatest evil, and would be to our utter undoing.

Fourthly, If vicious habits that are acquired by customary practice of evil. are not mere and simple privations, but do also include in them a propensity to evil, then it followeth, that original sin likewise is not a mere privation; For we are to conceive of original sin, as an innate and imbred habit, as the other are acquired: Now it's plain, That all vicious moral habits, they are not a mere negation, or absence of such virtues, but do • also incline and dispose the subject to vicious actions, easily and with delight; So that we must needs attribute as much Postivenesse, if not more to original sin, then to vicious acquired habits; And the truth is, This is a closer Leprosy infecting of us, then such habits, for this we have as soon as we are born, this is twisted within our bowels; this can never be wholly shaken off, whereas accustomed sins, they are perfectly overcome by the work of Regeneration. For this is the difference between acquired habits of sin, and original corruption: In Regeneration, seeing the Image of God is put into us, which is the substance of all holy habits, the contrary habits are presently excluded, and the sins the godly afterwords commit, are not from their former habits of sin, but from the relics of original corruption, whatsoever the Remonstrants say to the contrary; But Regeneration doth not totally exclude original sin, only diminisheth the strength of it: So that this original corruption will abide in some measure in us, even while we carry this mortal body about with us: And if the Prophet made it such an impossible thing for men habituated in sin to be converted, as when he saith, If a Leopard can change his skin, then may you learn to do well, who are accustomed to do evil, Jerem. 13. 23. What then shall he said of us who are borne in evil? Customary sins are but the Leopards skin, original sin is like the Leopards nature.

Lastly, This positive inclination doth necessarily follow from the privation of this Image of God; if the due summetry and excellent Harmony which was at first in the soul be taken away, then all the faculties and powers of the soul must necessarily move sinfully and inordinately. The soul of a man is always working one way or other, if then it hath lost original righteousness, it cannot but be hurried on to what is evil; as if you take away the pillar on which a stone liethh, presently that will fall to the ground; If you spoil the strings of musical instruments, immediately they make a jar and ungrateful noise upon every moving of them: The soul of a man is a subject immediately susceptible of righteousness or corruption, and if it lose its righteousness, then by natural necessity corruption cometh in the room of it, and so when the understanding acts, it acteth sinfully, when the will moveth, it moveth sinfully; So that we may well say with Austin to the Pelagian, demanding, How this corruption could come into us, for God was good, and nature good, Quid quaeris latentem rimum, cum habes apertam jannam? Not a cranny, but a gate or door is open for this corruption to seize upon us.

SECT. IV.

Application.

BEfore we come to answer the Objections, Let us affect our hearts with it, and labor to be humbled under the consideration of this positivenesse and efficacy of it.

For first, Hereby we see, that if it be not restrained and stopped by God, we know not where we should stay in any sin; What Cain 's, what Judas 's would we not prove? Who can say, Hitherto I will go in sin, and no further, for there is a fountain within thee, that would quickly overflow all? This active root of bitterness, this four leaven within thee, would quickly make thy life, like Job 's body, full of ulcers and noisome sores: If thou art not plunged in the same mire and filth, as others are, do not say, Thou hast less of this corruption than they; Thou art borne more innocent than they, only God stops thee, as he did Balaam from doing such wickedness, as thy heart is forward enough unto; No Serpent is fuller of poison, no Toad of venom, than thou art of sin, which thou wouldst be constantly committing, were not some stop put in the way.

Secondly, In that sin is thus positive and inclining thee, thou art the more to admire the grace of God, if that work a contrary inclination and propensity in thee; If thou art brought with Paul, To delight in the Law of God in the inward man; If thy heart pants after God, as the Hart after the waters, which once delighted in sin, which once longed after nothing, but the satisfying of the flesh: Oh admire this gracious, miraculous work of God upon thy soul, who hath made thee to differ thus from thyself! The time was once, when thou rejoycedst in those sins, that are now matter of shame and trembling to thee. The time was when thy heart was affected with no other good than that of the creature; Thou didst know no other, desire no other but that, but now God hath made iron to swim, he hath made the Blackmoor white: Oh bless God for the least desires and affections, which thou hast at any time for that which is good, for this cometh not from thee; it is put into thee by the grace of God.

Lastly, Consider that this positivenesse of sin in thee, doth not only manifest itself in an impetuous inclination to all evil, but also a violent resistance of whatsoever is good: The Apostle ( Rom. 8.) calleth it, Enmity against God; and Rom. 7. he complaineth of it, as warring and fighting against the Law of his mind; And certainly this is a very great aggravation, not only to be without what is good, but to be a desperate enemy, and a violent opposer of it, both in others, as also to that which the Spirit of God by the Word would work in our own hearts, not only without the remedy, but full of enmity against it; Doth not this make our condition unspeakably wretched? Certainly, this is the highest aggravation in original sin, that we are not only unable to what is good, but we are with anger and rage carried out against it, as if good were the only evil, and sweetness the only bitterness.

SECT. I.

Cautions Premised.

T Here remain only some Objections against this Truth, but before we answer them, take notice,

First, That although we say original sin is more than a privation of that Righteousness which ought to be in man, yet We do not make it to be like some infecting corporeal quality in the body, that hereby should vitiate the soul, and as it were poison that. Lombard and some others, especially Ariminensis (Distinct. 30.) They seem to deliver their opinion so, as rejecting Anselm 's definition of original sin, making it to be want of that original righteousness which ought to be in us, and do declare it to be a morbida qualitas, some kind of pestilential and infecting quality abiding in the body, and thereby affecting the soul; As when the body is in some phrenetical and mad distempers, the soul is thereby disturbed in all its operations; so that these make the want of original righteousness to be the effect of original sin, not the nature of it, saying upon Adam 's sin, Man becoming thus defiled, God refused to continue this righteousness to him any longer. But if these Schoolmen be further questioned, How such a diseased pestilential quality should be in the body? Some say, it was from the forbidden fruit that that had such a noxious effect with it; but that is rejected, because that was made of God, and all was exceeding good: Arimine • sis therefore following as he thinketh Austin, maketh this venomous quality in a man's body to have its original, from the hissing and breath, as it were of the Serpent; he conceiveth, that by their discourse with the Serpent, there came from it such an infectious air, as might contaminate the whole body, and he saith Austin speaks of some, who from the very hissing and air from Serpents have been poisoned.

But the Protestants they do not hold it any positive quality in this sense; for this is to make the body, the first and chiefest subject of original sin, and so to convey it to the soul, whereas indeed the soul is primarily and principally the seat of original sin; We therefore reject this, as coming too near Manicheism, as if there were some evil and infectious qualities in the very nature and substance of a man.

Secondly, It must be remembered, what hath been said before, That when we come to give a particular reason why the understanding or will are propense to any evil; We can assign only a privative cause, viz. Because it wants that rectitude which would regulate it; as if a ship (it's Anselm 's comparison) were without Pilot and Governor of tacklings let loose into the whole Ocean, it would be violently hurried up and down till it be destroyed. Thus man without this Image of God would be tossed up and down by every lust, never resting till he had hurled himself into hell; yet though we cannot give anymore than a privative cause, there is also a positive propensity to all evil connoted: As in a wicked action of murder or drunkenness, if you go to give a reason, why such actions are sins; we must say from the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 that is in them, that want of order which the Law requireth; There is a privation of that rectitude the Law commands, yet those sins do imply also the material and substrate acts, as well as the obliquity: In every sin of commission, there is that which is positive as well as privative; Though the ratio formalis of the sin be a privation; and thus it is in original sin, the whole nature of it comprehends both a want of God's Image, and a constant inclination to all impiety. Though the privative be the cause of the positive Indeed Rolloc (De vocatione cap. 25. de peccat. orig. ) maketh a three-fold matter, and a three-fold form in original sin: The three-fold matter he assigneth to be a defection from God, a want of original righteousness, and a positive quality, which succeedeth in the room of holiness: To which three-fold matter he attributeth a threefold form or 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , in which the nature of sin consists. Now these material parts of original sin, are so many entities, being good in themselves, and coming from God the Author of nature, but how Apostasy and want of original righteousness can be positive entities, and good of themselves, I cannot understand, or how carentia justitiae originalis, should have the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 for its form when that itself is the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , and so a form have a form seemeth irrational to conceive.

SECT. II.

THese two things thus premised, the plain and obvious Objection is, That if original sin be positive, then it's good, and so of God, because omne ens est bonum, every being is good, and then as Austin, Omne bonum est vel Deus, vel à Deo, all good is either God himself, or of God Would it not then be blasphemy to make God the Author of it, and if it have a positive being, then certainly it must come from God the Author of all being?

But to this several Answers may be returned:

First, That though original sin should be granted to be positive, yet for all that God would not be made the Author of sin, Because as it's sin, it doth arise from man. There are some great Schoolmen, as Cajetan and others, that hold sins of commission have a positive real being, as sins; They deny that the nature of such sins lieth formally in a privation. but in a positive relative contrariety to the Law of God; and when urged with this Argument, That then such sins have their being immediately from God, as all other created beings have: They will answer, That God is indeed the efficient of every being, but not of every modus, or relative respect of that being: As for example, when a man eateth and drinketh, this eating and drinking they are from God, but then take them under this relative respect, as they are vital and formal actions of man, so they cannot be attributed to God, for then we might say, God doth eat and drink, yea in those gracious acts when we do believe and repent, God is the efficient cause of them, yet as they do formally and vitally flow from us, so they are not to be attributed to God, for God doth not repent or believe. Thus it may be said, That though God be efficiently the cause of all positive being, yet as some being hath a relative respect to the second cause working, so it cannot be attributed to God, neither is this any imperfection, but a perfection in God, because Deus non potest supplers vicem materialis, aut formalis causae: Therefore saith Curiel a positive Doctor for the positive nature of sins of Commission ( Lectur. 6. in Thom. pag. 300.)

But I need not run into this thorny thicket to hide my self from the force of this Objection.

Secondly, There are some learned Protestants, that do distinguish of ens, or being; That ens is either created, as the works of the six days, or generated, as mankind, and the animate creatures, or made as artificial things, or prepared, as Heaven and Hell, or introduced, as sin; for it's said of sin, that it's 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 ; So that upon this distinction they will say, That God is the cause of all made, and created beings, but not of introduced beings, such as sin is, because that came in by Satan's temptation, and man's disobedience. But this distinction hath scarce so much as a sandy foundation; for though it be an introduced being, yet because a being, it is a creature, and so must come from God the chief being, according to that of the Evangelist, John 1. All things were made by him, and without him was not anything made that was made: For that which is ens only by participation, must be reduced to that which is ens per essentiam. Therefore

In the third place, We must speak of original sin, as we do of vicious habits, and of actual sins; The material and substrate of them, being a good of nature is of God, but the vitiosity and obliquity that is of man, when a man moveth his tongue to curse and swear, or his hand to murder another: As they are actions they are of God, For in him we live, and move, and have our being; but as evil adhereth to them, so they are of man: Thus it is in original sin, when we say, there is a positive inclination in man's heart to all evil; The meaning is, That the understanding and will, as they are faculties, and as they do act, thus far they are of God, but as they cannot but act sinfully, and offend in every motion, so it's of Adam 's disobedience, to understand then, to think, to will, to love, these are of God, but to love what is evil and contrary to God's Word, or to love excessively and immoderately that which we are to do in subordination only, this is of ourselves.

A second Objection is, That if original sin be like a vicious habit in a man, then it cannot be transmitted unto posterity, for habits ( they say ) are personal things: No father doth communicate to his child any habits, either virtuous or vicious.

But to this it's answered, That original sin is not an acquired habit of sin, but an innate and imbred one in us; So that as if Adam had stood, original righteousness, which was like a concreated habit in man, would have been communicated to all his posterity, thus it is no wonder, if original sin, which doth so tenaciously and inwardly adhere to all natures be transmitted to everyone born in a natural way.

The last Objection is, That there is no necessity of supposing such an habitual vitiosity in a man; It's enough ( say they ) that a man be deprived of the Image of God, and when that is lost, of it's own self man's nature is prone to evil; It needs no habitual inclination to weigh him down; as if a wild beast be tied in cords and chains, lose him, untie him, and of himself he will run into wild and untamed actions.

But to answer this:

First, The Papists, they cannot consequentially to their principles say thus; For they hold,

But secondly, That is granted, This positive inclination to all evil, followeth necessarily from the removal of this Image of God from us; If the Sun be removed, then necessarily darkness doth cover the face of the soul; If the loco -motive faculty be interrupted, then there is nothing but halting and lameness: Disturb the harmony, and good temperament of the humors, and then immediately diseases and pains do surprise the whole man; It cannot therefore be avoided, that when this disorder is come upon the soul, but that our lusts break out as at a flood-gate, and we are in a spiritual deluge all over covered with the waters of sin; but then here is a positive as well as a privative.

Besides, It is not for us to be curious in giving a reason of such positive corruption in a man by nature; it is enough that God's word is so clear and full in the discovery of it, that he must needs willfully shut his eyes, that will not be convinced by the light of God's word herein: And this may suffice to dispel that darkness, which some would have covered this Truth with, and as for what knowledge about this positivenesse of original corruption is further necessary; We shall then take notice of it, when we speak of original sin, as it is called lust or concupiscence.

SECT. III.

LEt therefore the Use from the former Doctrine delivered, be, To affectus, and wound us at the very heart, that we are thus all over covered with sin, that we have not an understanding, but to sin, a will but to sin, an heart but to sin; May not this be like a two edged sword within thee? What will fire thee out of all thyself-confidence, thyself-righteousness, if this do not? What delight, what comfort canst thou take by beholding thyself, by looking on thyself thus corrupted and depraved? And the rather let this consideration go to the very bottom of thy soul. Because

First, Thy propensity and inclination is to that only which God only hateth, which God only loatheth, and hath decreed to punish with his utmost wrath to all eternity. Consider that sin is the greatest evil; All the temporal evils in the world are but the effect of it, that is the cause. Now can it ever humble thee enough to think, that the whole bent, and constant tendency of thy soul is unto that which is the most abominable in the eyes of God? Thou canst not do that which is more destructive to thy own soul, and more dishonoring unto God, then by committing sin, and yet thou canst do nothing else, thou delightest in nothing else; Thy heart will not let thee do any thing else: Look over thy whole life, take notice how many years thou hast lived, and yet if not regenerated and delivered in some measure from the power of original corruption, thou hast done nothing but sinned; Every thought hath been a sin, every motion a sin within thee, and yet sin is the greatest evil, and that alone which God hateth.

Secondly, If yet thy heart be hard, and nothing will enter, take a second nail, or wedge to drive into thee, and that is, being thus all over carried out to sin, not the least good able to rise in thy heart, that hereby the very plain Image of the Devil is drawn over thee: Hence it is, that wicked men are said to be of their Father the Devil; and he is said to rule in the hearts of the children of disobedience, Ephes. 2. What a woeful change is this, to be turned from a Son of God, to become a Devil? While Adam retained the Image of God, God abode with him, and in him, there was a near union with God, but upon his Apostasy, the Devil taketh possession of all, and so now man is in a near union with the Devil: Every man's soul is now the Devils Castle, his proper habitation; The Spirit of God is chaced away, and now thy heart is made an habitation for these Satyrs; Thy soul is become like an howling wilderness, wherein lodge all beastly lusts whatsoever; Thou that wouldst account it horrible injury to be called beast and Devil, yet thy original sin maketh thee no less.

Thirdly, This further may break thy heart, if it be not yet broken enough, that hereby thou art utterly impotent and unable to help thyself out of this lost condition; For how can a dead man help himself to live again? How can thy crooked heart be ever made straight, unless a greater power than that subdue it; If thou didst judge thy condition an hopeless one, as to all human considerations, then thou wouldest tremble, and have no rest in thyself, till God had delivered thee out of it?

Lastly, Let this also further work to thy Humiliation, that being thus positively inclined to all evil, not only proper and suitable temptations draw out thy sins, but even all holy and godly remedies appointed by God, they do increase this corruption the more, And is not that man miserable, whose very remedies make him more miserable? Doth not the Apostle complain sadly of that Law of sin in him, even in this respect, that by this means, the Law wrought in him all evil? The more holy and spiritual the Law was, the more carnal and sinful was he thereby occasioned to be: Oh then! What wilt thou do, when good things make thee evil, spiritual things make thee more carnal?

SECT. I.

W E are discovering the Nature of original sin in the Positive part of it; For although Corvinus the Remonstrant cavilleth at the Division of original sin into two parts, therein gratifying the Papists (as it were, yet we see the Scripture speaking of it fully, as having these two parts; And whereas he saith,

It's answered first, That sometimes there is a division of a common thing, as into two parts, when yet one is the effect of the other; as when malum is divided into malum culpae, and malum poena, the evil of punishment is necessarily the effect of the evil of sin. But

Secondly, Though an inclination to evil may be the effect of the privation of original righteousness, yet for all that it may be part of original sin, which is the whole consisting of both these: Even as according to some learned Divines, Remission of sin is part of Justification, although it be an effect of the imputation of Christ's Righteousness, which is also another part of our Justification.

SECT. II.

The word Lust expounded.

HAving therefore considered this Title or Name given to original sin ( viz. Flesh. ) which doth denote the Positivenesse of it: I come to a second, which shall also be the last, and that is the word lust or concupiscence, which both in the Scripture, and in the writings of several Authors is attributed to it; For which purpose the Text pitched upon is very useful.

To understand which, consider that the Apostle having asserted some things, which in an outward appearance did seem to dishonor the Law, he maketh this Objection to himself, Is the Law sin? A cause of sin, and so sin, and God the Law-giver a commander of sin; To which he answers, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , by defiance, God forbid, and in the next place giveth a reason, why the Law cannot be the cause of sin, because that doth discover and detect sin, that judgeth and damneth it, therefore it cannot be the cause of sin; and that the Law is the manifester and reprover of sin, he instanceth in himself, and his own experience, I had not known lust to be sin, except the Law had said, Thou shalt not covet.

Now ere we can understand this Text, we must answer some Questions. And

First, It's demanded, What is meant by the Law here? Some say, the Law of Nature, which is not so probable; Others, the written Law of Moses, and this is most probable by the whole context. But yet some, though they understand it of the Law of Moses, yet they do not mean any particular command, but the Law in the general, saying, the Apostle useth 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 and 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 for all one; As if the meaning were, The Law in general did not only forbid sinful actions, but also inward lust, and motions of the soul thereunto, as our Savior fully expoundeth it, Matth. 5. Others they understand this Law of a particular Commandment, viz. the tenth; and therefore Beza observeth the Article 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , by this, or by that Commandment in particular; And this seemeth most probable, because they are the very words of the tenth Commandment.

But secondly, If the Apostle allege that command, Why doth he instance only in the sin forbidden, not mentioning the objects that are specified in the command, Thy neighbors Ox or his Ass, &c?

The Answer is, that is not material, for the Apostle speaking of lusts in the heart, what latent and unknown sins they were without the light of the Law, it was enough to name the sin itself, seeing the objects about which they are conversant are of all sorts, and can hardly be numbered.

In the third place, It's doubted how the Apostle could say, that he did not know lust to be sin, but by the Law of Moses, seeing that by the very Law of nature, even Heathens have condemned inward lusts, and unjust thoughts and plots, though but in the soul, and never put into practice. Aquinas makes the meaning of it, as if Paul 's sense was, He did not know lust to be sin, as it was an offense to God, and a dishonor to him, because the Law of Moses represents the sinfulness of these lusts in a more divine and dreadful way, then the Law of nature doth. Grotius maketh the sense thus,

Beza expounds the expression comparatively, I had not known lust to be sin, viz. so evidently, so fully, so unquestionably, as I did when I understood the Law. But the general Interpretation is, That the Apostle speaketh here of his thoughts and knowledge, while he was a Pharisee, and it's plain by our Savior's correcting of pharisaical glosses about the Law, Matth. 5. That they thought the Law did only require external obedience, and whatsoever thoughts or sinful lusts men had, so that they did not break out into the practice of them, they were not guilty of sin, He did not then know lust to be sin, following the traditional exposition of his Masters, till he came to understand the Law aright.

Another Question of greater consequence is, What is meant by lust? Thou shalt not covet, for the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , though in Exod. 20. there be the same Hebrew word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 yet Deut. 5. 21. There is another Hebrew expression, which is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , which because in Hithpael, and so of a reciprocal signification, they translate fecit se concupiscere, to stir up a man's self to desire, and thereby say, such lusts are only forbidden that a man nourisheth, and yields himself up unto, but that rule is not a general one, see Prov. 23. 3. Some limit this Commandment too much, as it did only command contentation of spirit, and that we should not sinfully desire, that which others have. But the Apostle doth plainly extend it further than so. The Papists they likewise limit it too much, making only those lusts andmotions of sin, which we consent to to be forbidden, denying that those motions to evil, which arise antecedently to our reason and will, to be truly sins; hence is their Rule concerning them, Non sensus, but consensus is that which doth damn, which in a good sense, we also will acknowledge to be true. But we are not to limit Scripture, where it hath not limited itself, and therefore we conclude, That the command doth forbid a threefold concupiscence or lust.

First, That lust which is actually consented to, though not breaking forth into act, and if this were all, the Law of God would hereby be exlted above all human Laws, which reach no further than external actions, And how many are ignorant of, at least not affected, with the spiriruality of this Law in this particular? Would they dare to entertain such heart-sins as they do, could they make their souls cages of unclean, unjust and ungodly thoughts, as they do?

Secondly, The Law goeth higher, and doth not only forbid those lusts in thy heart, which thou yieldest consent unto; but all those suggestions and sudden surreptitious motions, which do suddenly arise in thy soul, though thou doest not consent to them, yea though thou doest resist them, hate them, and pray against them, for of such lusts Paul doth especially speak in this Chapter, and the Law of nature did never condemn these for sins in any Heathens, whereas the Apostle doth chiefly complain of these, and that as sins properly so called, for to be mortified and crucified, as being contrary to the holy Law of God.

Lastly, By lust is meant original sin, as being the fountain, the root of all these lusts, that hot furnace, from which those sparks of sinful motions do continually arise, and that by lust is meant at least secondarily, and by contequent original corruption is plain, because this lust is the same with the Law of the members, the Law of sin, and the sin dwelling in him. It is true, he saith, this sin he complaineth of, wrought in him all manner of concupiscence or lust. But then we must distinguish between lust habitual, and lust actual; Lust habitual is original sin, and that is the cause of lusts actual; And if you say, Why doth the Apostle call original sin lust, as if it were an actual sin? The reason is (as is further to be insisted on) because it is a fountain always running over; Its not a sluggish dull habit, but is continually venting itself forth into all poisonous and sinful acts. So that by lust forbidden in the Text is meant.

1. Lusts consented to, though not accomplished in act.

2. Lusts arising in the soul, but rejected and striven against.

Lastly, Original sin, as the root of all; In which sense the Apostle James Chap. 1. 14. calleth it likewise lust. Some learned men there are, that do not like it should be said original sin is forbidden by the Law of God, (as Molineus, Rivet. in Expos. Dec. Martinius in Exposit. Decal ) although they grant the Law doth damn it and judge it. But surely their meaning is no more, as Martinius doth expressly afterwards affirm, than that original sin is not primarily and directly forbidden, but secondarily and by consequent; As also that it is thus forbidden, that we should not obey but resist it, as Rivet. But whereas they reason, That a prohibition is not of those things that already are present in us, but of what is future or may be, that is no ways solid, because past sins and present actual sins, are truly forbidden by the Law, although the sin past cannot but be past, and the sin present cannot but be present, because quicquid est, quando est, necesse est esse. Other learned men, though they grant original sin is truly and properly forbidden by the Law of God, yet they say, It is not in this Commandment, partly because it's forbidden in every Commandment, for where any branch of sin is forbidden, there the root also is forbidden, and where pure streams of holiness are required, there also a pure fountain of holiness; Original righteousness is commanded, and that partly because this tenth Commandment doth belong to the second Table only, whereas original sin is not only the cause of evil lusts towards man, but also towards God. Now in this we shall not much disagree; For it must be granted, That seeing an holy heart is required in every particular command, it followeth, That an evil sinful heart is forbidden in every command; and for the later we grant also, That original sin is not forbidden in this last Commandment in the universal latitude and utmost extent of it, but so far as it doth break out in sinful lusts towards man.

SECT. III.

THese things being thus necessarily premised for the opening and vindication of the Text, I proceed to the Doctrine, which is

That original sin is truly and properly concupiscence or lust in a man. This name doth plainly denote more than a mere privation, for it evidently discovereth the nature of it, to be in the carrying out of the soul in all its motions sinfully, and inordinately, as also that from this as a corrupted fountain do all those poisonous streams of actual lustings in the soul flow, as Jam. 1. 14. where you have notably the rise of all actual sin described, how it cometh about that any one is enticed to do that which is wicked, he cannot accuse God or the Devil, but this lust within him: But of that famous and excellent Text, we are in time to speak. This great Truth, That original sin is Lust, or Concupiscence, doth first deserve diligent and clear illustration, and then practical amplification.

SECT. IV.

IN the first place consider, That concupiscence or lust may be taken two ways, as was formerly hinted, habitually and radically, or actually, the mother and the daughter, the root and the fruit. Now original sin is lust, not actually, but radically; It is that from which all actual lusts and desires have their immediate rise; and in this sense it is commonly called the flesh, and lusts are the sinful issue of it. Thus Gal. 5. 16. You shall not fulfill 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , The lust of the flesh. And again, They that are Christ's have crucified the flesh with the lusts thereof. So Ephes. 2. 3. here flesh and its lusts, is original sin with the immediate motions and outgoings thereof. At other times, original sin is called sin in the general, to declare the emphatical sinfulness of it, and then there are ascribed several lusts likewise to it, Rom. 6. 12. Sin must not reign in us, that we should obey the lust thereof; And Rom. 7. 8. Sin wrought in me, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 all manner of concupiscence. So that you see, there is lust the cause, and lust the effect, lust the root, and lust the branches; the former is original sin, called excellently by the Apostle Jam. 1. 15. 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , lust conceiving, implying, it is like the womb, wherein all wickedness is first conceived, and such a womb that like the grave never hath enough, we may call it the Sheol in a man. The Rabbius say well, That concupiscentia doth aedificare inferos; This lust in the several actings of it, is that which maketh hell; Though God never said▪ Increase and multiply to it, yet it filleth earth and hell, with the effects thereof.

SECT. V.

SEcondly, We are to understand, that 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 in the general, To desire in the abstract is indifferent, neither good or bad, but as diversified by the object. In the Hebrew there are these words for concupiscence 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , and that properperly signnifieth Lust, as we take it in our common-English sense, for the lusts of the body in an unclean manner, Eccles. 12. 5. the word is there used, but translated by the Septnagint 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , which hath exercised Critics; The root of the Hebrew word is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 from whence is Ebion, poor, needy, from thence some Heretics were called so, as being destitute of understanding. Another is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , which signifieth desire in the general, and is used in a good sense, Psal. 132. 13. in a bad sense Numb. 11. 4. There is also the word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , which is many times applied to the object desired, as wives, children, houses, &c. Lastly, there is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , and the Hebrews do commonly call evil concupiscence 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 : But to return to the Greek word 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 . Col. 3. 5. There is 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , Evil Concupiscence: Though the English word Lust seemeth to be ordinarily taken in an ill sense, yet Gal. 5. 17. our Translators render it, The Spirit lusteth against the flesh; Hence in the Scripture we may observe a three-fold lust or desire:

1. That which is natural flowing from the appetite of nature: Thus it is said of Lazarus, Luk. 15. 16. he did 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , desire to be satisfied with the crumbs of the rich man's table.

2. There is in the Scripture mention of a good concupiscence, or coveting, and that is, when a godly man doth earnestly desire to do or suffer the will of God: Thus Mat. 3 17. righteous men are said to desire to see those things; which were to be seen in Christ's days: So Luk. 22. 15. Christ is there said, 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , greatly and earnestly to desire to eat the Passover with them. The godly then have a holy coveting, an holy desiring after the things of God, as carnal men have lusts after their sinful objects, and therefore they ought to nourish and cherish those affectionate desires; They cannot go beyond their bounds and limits in this case, the modus is sine m • de.

But then lastly, There are evil covetings and desires, sinful lustings; In which sense we read often of the 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , The lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, 1 John 2. 16. The lust of the world, 1 John 2. 17. And men are said, To walk after their lusts, to be delivered up to their lusts; There is then a natural concupiscence, a good concupiscence, and a sinful wicked one; And this again is twofold, either when we desire such objects as are absolutely and simply sinful: Or secondly, when the objects are lawful and good, yet we desire them excessively, and for sinful, unlawful ends.

SECT. VI.

A Three-fold Appetite in Man.

THe third particular necessary for the understanding of this Doctrine, viz. That original sin is lust or concupiscence in a man, is, To take notice of a threefold appetite, Natural, Animal and Rational: Even inanimate bodies, the stone and the fire have a kind of an appetite, to descend, the one downward, the other upward. In a man there is a natural appetite of eating or drinking.

2. There is the animal or sensitive appetite, whereby the sensitive faculties do desire their suitable objects.

Lastly, There is the Rational Appetite, whereby a man is carried out to desire those good things that are judged to be so by reason: Now if we take these appetites substantially, as it were, or physically, so they are good, and the actions that flow from them are good; but then take them Ethically and Morally with that Ataxy and Inordinacy that doth cleave to them, as they are in man, and so they do become polluted, and defiled: Insomuch that a man doth sin till regenerated in all these things; his eating and drinking became sin, and all other his actions, because the principles from which they flow are all vitiated; So that whatsoever principle we have of any action, it being destitute of that original rectitude, which adhered to it; therefore it is that it moveth to every object sinfully; So that this consideration may take off that calumny which the adversaries of original sin would fasten upon the Orthodox herein, as if we made man to be nothing but opus Diaboli, the work of the Devil, as if he were not the good creature of God. Vide August. lib. 2 ^do , de nuptiis & concupiscentiâ, where the Pelagian saith, Qui original peccatum defendit perfect Manichaeus est, ne vocentur Haeretici fiunt Manichai, as also this freeth them from the aspersion of •• ccianism. though Cortzen the Jesuit saith,

but very absurdly. For we say, take these faculties of the soul, as they are naturally planted in the soul, so they are good and of God. The understanding, the will, the affections, these are in themselves good, but man having sinned away original righteousness, which would have habitually disposed them to their due objects, in a due manner, for a due end, hereby it is, that they are only for sin, which were at first only for good.

SECT. VII.

4. WHen we say, That original sin is habitual lust, we must not take lust strictly, but most largely, as it comprehends any part of the soul in its motions to their respective objects. Our English word lust is by custom almost limited to unclean desires, as if those corporal burnings were only lust: Even as the Latin word libido, though originally signifying quicquid libet, anything that pleased a man is for the most part also restrained to fleshly lusting, but we told you that the word lust 〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉 , is in the Scripture used only largely in a good sense, in a bad sense, and a neutral indifferent one. Therefore in the affections there is this lust, in the will there is this lust, yea in the understanding and fancy, which are apprehensive faculties only, there is this lust: For although Aquinas saith,

and therefore they also limit this concupiscence too much, which confiae it only to the sensitive part, the inferior region of the soul; For the more acute Papists do ingeniously confess, That Heresies, Idolatries are sins of the mind, and yet flow from this concupiscence, so that this habitual lust is diffused and extended, as far as the soul hath any power or motion: Oh but how few are there that do regard lust any further than bodily or sensible? The spiritual, the intellectual lustings of the soul are not apprehended as an heavy load or burden: So that original sin hath its upper-springs, and its nether-springs, the corporal channel, and the spiritual, in which its filth runneth down; In the gross profane man, there is original sin acting carnally and bodily; in the heretic, in the proud Scholar, there is original sin acting mentally and intellectually: So that as man doth consist of two parts, one visible, and the other invisible, so also doth original sin, as it were, consist of two ingredients, the bodily part, and the soul part, and from the soul doth this poison fall to all the inferior parts; Therefore do not only complain of sin and lust in thy material and sensitive part, but look upon the strength and chief power of it, as in thy immaterial and soul part, for in all these, this original lust, this Law of sin doth constantly dwell. The Schoolmen they call this Fomes peccati, because it doth fovere; it's like the cinders and ashes that keep alive the fire of sin within a man, and the more dangerous and damnable it is, by how much the more close and latent it is.

SECT. VIII.

A Consideration of this Concupiscence in reference to the four-fold Estate of man.

5. WE are to consider this concupiscence or concupiscibili'y ( for we speak of the principle of lusting, not actual lusting ) according to several states that man may be looked upon in: AS

First, There was his Natura instituta, his instituted nature at first, and that was right and holy; There was concupiscence and desiring of the several powers of his soul, but in a good and orderly way; It was not then as now, the Superiora did not turpiter servire inferioribus, or the inferiora contumaciter, rebel against the superior parts, as is to be shown in the next place; In Adam there was no concupiscence in this sense; The inferior parts, though they did desire a sensible object, yet it was wholly in subordination, and under the command of the superior. It's true indeed Eve did look upon the forbidden fruit, and saw it was good and pleasant, whereupon she was tempted to eat of it, but this did not arise from any original lust in her, but from the mutability of her will, being not confirmed in what was good: Even as we see the Angels before their Apostasy, had sinful desires in their will, through pride and affectation to be higher than they were, yet this did not arise from original lust in them. Although therefore both Socinians and some Papists, do acknowledge man made with such a repugnancy of the sensitive appetite to the rational; yea, the former making it to be in Christ himself, yet this is highly to dishonor God in the Creation of man: Oh happy and blessed estate, when there was such an universal harmony and due proportion in all the powers of the soul, but miserum est illud verbum snisse, may all mankind cry out in this particular.

Secondly, There is Natura infecta and destituta, infected Nature, stripped and denuded of all former holiness and excellency, and here concupiscence is not only in us, but it doth reign and predominate over the whole man; The harmony is totally dissolved, and now the choice and sublime parts of the foul, are made prostrate to the affectionate part, as loathsome and abominable, as when the Law forbiddeth to lie with a beast. Now the mind and understanding is wholly set on work to dispute and argue for the carnal part: Now the motions of the soul begin in the carnal part, and end in the intellectual, whereas in the state of integrity, the beginning and rise would first have been in the intellectual, and so have descended to the sensitive part. The motions thereof antecede all deliberation in the mind, and a rectified choice in the will; Thus the feet they guide the head, and in this little world of man, the earth moveth, and the Heavens they stand still, as some fancied in the great world; now lust is by way of a Law ruling and commanding all things: This is the unspeakable misery and bondage we are now plunged into.

Thirdly, There is Natura restituta, repaired nature by grace, which the regenerate attain unto, and these, though they have not obtained concerning lust, ne sit, yet that ne regnet in them, as Austin expresseth it, though they cannot perfectly fulfill that command ne concupiscas, yet they obey another, post concupiscentias ne • as; hence it is because of the actings and workings of original sin still in the godly, they are in a continual conflict, they cannot do anything perfectly, they feel a clog pressing them down, when they are elevating themselves, as Paul, Rom 7. doth abundantly manifest, The good he would do he cannot do. Original sin is like that Tree in Daniel, Chap. 4. 23. Though there was a watcher from Heaven coming down to cut it down, yet the stumps and root of the Tree were left with a band of iron and brass, to denote the firm and immovable abiding of it: Thus though the grace of God be still mortifying and subduing the lusts of the flesh, yet the stumps seem to be bound with brass and iron to us, we are never able in this life wholly to extinguish it.

Lastly, If you consider the perfected and glorified estate of the godly in Heaven, then there will be a full and utter extirpation of this original sin. The glorified bodies in Heaven, though naked, shall not be subject to shame and confusion, as Adam and Eve were after their fall; And among other reasons, therefore doth the Lord suffer these relics of corruption to abide in the most holy, that so we may the more ardently and zealously long after that kingdom of glory, when we shall be delivered from this sinful soul and mortal body; Then this command Thou shalt not lust, will be perfectly accomplished, whereas in this life it is a perpetual hand writing against us; The Papists indeed do confess our lusts to be against this command, but not ut praecipienti, but ut indicanti, as if God did not so much command us what we should do, as by Doctrine inform what is good and excellent in itself. Thus rather than they will be found guilty by this Law, they will make it no Law, and turn it from a precept into a mere doctrinal information: But seeing one end of the Law is to convince us, and aggravate our sinfulness, to make us see our desperate, diseased estate, that thereby we may fly to Christ, as the malefactor to the City of refuge; let it be far from us to extenuate or to lessen our sinfulness: The Pharisees of old, and all their successors in endeavoring to establish a righteousness by the Law, have split themselves on this rock, as if the Law had not holiness enough to command them, but they were able to do more than that required: But whence doth this Blind presumption arise? Even from the ignorance of the power of original siane in us.

SECT. IX.

6 FRom these things concluded on, we may see, that the Scripture giveth us a better discovery of ourselves, than ever the light of nature, or moral Philosophy could acquaint us with. Aristotle teacheth us out of his School clean contrary Doctrine to this, That we come into the world without virtue or vice: Even as Pelagius said of old, and the Schoolmen, though they hold original sin, yet most of them by cleaving to Aristole 's principles, and so leaving the Scripture have advanced nature, to the dispraise of grace: Aristotle he maketh the reason in a man, always to incline to the best things; and as for the sensitive appetite, that he divides into concupiscible and irascible, not acknowledging any corruption in these principles of human actions, viz. the mind, the will and sensitive appetite by nature, but by voluntary actions. We must therefore renounce all Heathen Schools, whether of Plato or Aristotle, when we come to be auditors of this Doctrine, yet (as in time may be shown) some of the Heathens had a confused apprehension about such a natural defilement.

SECT. X.

Why Original Sin is called Concupiscence or Lust.

THese things thus premised, to understand this Truth, viz. That original sin is habitual lust. Let us in the next place consider, why we call it so. And First, It may well be called concupiscence or lust, Because the appetitive and active powers of the soul are chief in a man, and they being corrupted and polluted, it's no wonder if the whole man be • urried headlong to hell. The Schoolmen make it a Question, Why original sin should not be called ignorantia, as well as concupiscentia? But first, We may call it ignorance also; It's ignorance and blindness in the apprehensive powers of the soul, but lust and concupiscence in the appetitive; especially the will being horribly corrupted, which is said to be the appetitus universalis, and is to all other inferior parts of the soul, as the primum mobile, to the other orbs, which carrieth all about with its motion; It's no wonder that it be called lust, as infecting and perverting the will, which is the whole of a man; for if a man know evil, yet if he do not will it, it is no sin; God himself knoweth all the sin that is committed in the world, and there is difference between Cogitatio mali, the thought about evil, and cogitatio mala, an evil thought; but the will cannot be carried out to evil, but presently it is an evil will. The understanding by knowing evil is not polluted, but the will is by willing of it, because the understanding receiveth the object intentionally into it self, and so is abstracted from its existency; but the will that goeth to the object in itself, and as it doth really exist, but this occasionally only. Original sin may well be called lust, because the acting and working parts of the soul, whereof the will is the supreme and chief, being polluted by it, the vigor and efficacy of it is most discovered by them, and this is that which makes grace so admirable and wonderful, that it can bind the strong ones of the soul, yea that it can turn sinful lustings into glorious, heavenly and holy lustings; Thus it is marvelous in the eyes of the godly.

Secondly, Original sin may well be called Lust, Because it's general to every sin; Every actual sin is a lust in some sense: So that although Aquinas (upon the Text saith,) That original sin is, Commune malum non communitate generis aut speciei, sed causalitatis, not by a community of genus, but of cause, yet in some sense we may say, that concupiscence hath a generical community, because as a genus it is included in every sin: So that if we do take notice of any sin, this is in the general nature of it, that there is a sinful desire or appetite; What is covetousness but an inordinate desire of wealth? What is ambition but an inordinate desire of honor, and so of every sin? But to be sure, it is a common sin by way of causality. The Apostle James informeth us, Chap. 1. 14. That every man, when he sinneth is tempted aside by that lust which is in him: So that all the sinful thoughts, words and actions, which all the men of the world, since Adam 's fall till the end of the world shall commit, and be guilty of, do arise from this fountain, yet how little do we affect our hearts with the heinousness and dreadfulness of it?

Lastly, It may well be called Lust, Because it is always an acting vigorous principle within us. Whatsoever we are doing, eating, drinking, working, this lust is moving in us; yea in sleep, in frantic mad men, in children and infants in some sense (as is to be shown) This lust is putting forth itself; we may as well keep the wind within our fists, as make this original lust lie still; So that by this we may evidently see, the greatest part of our evil lieth Inwardly and secretly in the soul; our actual and outward impieties, they are but the least part of that sin, which cleaveth to us; Pray therefore to know and understand this mystery more: Look upon thyself in all thy external righteousness, but as a painted Sepulcher, full of loathsome and noisome thoughts and lusts: Neither be thou afraid to look into this vile dungeon, do not turn thy eyes from seeing this monster, for this is the only way to drive thee to that full and dear esteem of the Lord Christ as a Savior, which is absolutely necessary.

SECT. I.

F Rom the Commandment in this Text, we have heard forbidden actual lust consented unto, actual lust, though not yielded unto, and original lust the mother of all, all which Austin thought was prayed against in three Petitions in the Lord's Prayer, Lust consented unto, when we pray for the forgiveness of sins committed; Lusts tempting and ensnaring, but not owned by us, when we pray not to be lead in temptation, and lastly, when we say, But deliver us from evil, that is aufer concupiscentiam ne sit, take away the very root, and fountain of all evil in us, ( Ad Marcell • num, lib. 20) Ignosce nobis ea in quibus sumus abstracti à concupiscentiâ, adjuvane abstrahamur à concupiscentiâ aufer à nobis concupiscentiam.

So that in this command we have seen the positive nature of original sin in being called concupiscence, we shall therefore from the former Discourse treating of original sin in the privative nature of it, and this later of the positive, inquire into the definition of it, what it is, for it's not enough to know that it is, and that there are such sad and bitter effects of it, but also to be assured what it is. As it is not enough for a man to be persuaded, that he is diseased, but he must search into the nature of it, what it is, if so be he would be cured. Before Austin 's time, there was not a public known definition of it: The Ancients before him thinking it enough to believe there was such a thing, and that we do daily feel the horrible effects thereof. Pighius in his Discourse of original sin, saith,

So that they grant there is such a thing, but as if Ignoti nulla cupido, so nullum odium, of an unknown thing there is no love, and also no hatred: So that if we do not know how loathsome and vile this sin is, we are never able to bewail it, and to humble ourselves under it.

There are many Descriptions of it given by several Authors, but that we may in a large and popular way comprehend all things in one Description, that is necessary to understand the full nature of it; we may take this delineation of it.

SECT. II.

ORiginal sin is an horrid depravation and defilement of the whole man, caused by the Devils temptation, and our first Parents obedience thereunto, and from them descending by propagation to all his Posterity, being stripped of God's glorious Image, whereby they are prone to all evil, and so are under the bondage of the Devil, and obnoxious to eternal wrath. It is not my purpose in making this draught of it, to attend unto the exact rules of Logic, but so to compose it, that everything considerable to give the true knowledge of it, may be comprised therein. And

First, We say, It's a depravation and defilement, which implieth the sinfulness of it, that it is truly and properly a sin; And therefore sin is truly and univocally divided into original and actual; so that they who make it only to be guilt without any inward contagion, they do wholly err from the Scripture, they say not enough. It is true, Adam 's sin in the guilt of it is imputed unto us, which made Ambrose of old say, as Austin alledgeth him against the • elagians, Morinus sum in Adamo, ejectus sum in Paradiso in Adamo &c. I am dead in Adam, I am cast out of Paradise in Adam: But we are not disputing of original imputed sin, but original inhering; Therefore original inherent sin is truly and properly a defilement upon us against the Law of God, and this sinful estate of all by nature, should be far more terrible unto us, then our miserable and mortal estate. Again, When we call it a defilement, we oppose their opinion, who make it only morbus, and not truly a sin; As also those who say, It is the substance of a man, for if so, then Christ could not have taken our nature without sin, neither could there be glorified bodies in Heaven without sin, for all these have the human nature of a man. Further we say, It's an horrid depravation: This Epithet is necessary to be added to awaken pharisaical and self-righteous persons, it being so dreadful an evil, that we are never able to go to the depth of it: Never therefore think of speak of original sin, but let thy heart tremble, and let horror and amazement take hold of thee, because of it; and this is put in the Description to obviate those opinions that make it the least of all sins. Some complain,

but enough hath been already spoken out of Scripture, to show, that neither heart can conceive, or tongue express the foulness of it. This is the general part of the Description.

Secondly, You have the Subject of it, and because the Subject thereof is twofold, of Inhesion, and of Predication. In this part, we have the Subject wherein it is, and that is totus homo, and totum hominis, the whole man, and the whole of man, there being no part free from this contagion; so that it's repletively and diffusively in all the parts of soul and body, though eminently and principally in the mind and will, and the whole heart. It's true, sin is not properly seated in the body, the eyes or hand, or in the sensitive part, yet participatively and subordinately, as they are instruments to the soul in its actings, so they are said to be sinful: Thus there are lustful eyes, cursing tongues, unclean bodies; There are sinful imaginations and fancies, because these are the organs by which the soul putteth forth its wickedness: So that the body is like a broken, spoiled instrument of music, and the soul, like an unskillful Artificer playing on it, which causeth horrid and harsh sounds for pleasant melody. But as God is every where, yet in Heaven after a more glorious and signal manifestation of himself: So on the contrary, though original sin be a Leprosy infecting the whole man, yet it's most principally in the intellectual and immaterial parts of the soul. It's horrible darkness in the mind, averseness in the will to all that is good, and contumacy in the heart to whatsoever is holy; And this part doth directly oppose all those who grant indeed original sin, but yet grant it wholly in the inferior and sensitive part, as if our reason and mind were like the Heavens of a quintessential frame in respect of any unholy contagion, whereas indeed because these eyes of the soul are dark, therefore is the whole body dark: Because the Sun, and Moon, and Stars, as it were, of this little world of man, are turned into blood, therefore every part else is also become blood, defiled and loathsome; and this is the reason, why so few do either believe, or know this natural corruption, because it benumbeth us, yea it taketh away all spiritual life, so that we cannot discern of it. The declaration of the cause of it, followeth in this description, where we have the external efficient cause, and the internal; The external was the Devil; after his all and apostasy, he endeavored, being a murderer from the beginning, to destroy man also, and accordingly he did prevail, and thus by the Devil sin came into the world; yet he is the external cause only, he could not force or compel our first parents to sin, he did only persuade and entice them; Therefore the internal cause was the freedom of their will, God created them in, whereby they might either embrace good, or choose evil, which mutability was the cause of their apostasy. It is true, the dispute is very curious, How Adam being created perfect could yield to sin? Whether did the defect arise in his will or understanding first? But seeing it's clear by Scripture, that he did sin, and we feel the woeful effect of it: Let us not busy our heads in metaphysical curiosities, although I see the soundest Authors make the beginning of his sin to be in inadvertency, for his soul being finite, while he earnestly intended to one thing, he did not attend to another, and so sin was inchoatively first in his understanding, not by error or ignorance, for Adam 's understanding was free from that, but by not attendency to all considerations and arguments, as he ought to do. Although it must be confessed, that the root and foundation of his sin, was the vertibility of his will, for as he might not sin, so also he might sin, he had then a posse peccare in him, and so a defectibility from the Rule. Thus although efficient causes use not to be put into exact definitions, neither hath sin so properly efficient, as deficient causes, yet in large descriptions, it is very useful to name them, for hereby God is wholly cleared, although he created man, and fore-knew he would fall, yea permitted him to fall, yet he was no cause of his fall; neither did God make Adam, that he might sin, as some would calumniate the Orthodox Doctrine with such consequences: Even as Austin 's adversaries said, he did Sub nomine gratiae asserere fatum, because we do not make God an idle Spectator, as it were, of Adam 's fall, or make it wholly uncertain and casual, as it were, to God, but acknowledge his permission and ordination of Adam 's evil to a better good than his evil, could be evil, therefore it is that some do so paratragediate. Take we heed then, that in the acknowledging of this Doctrine, we have no froward or foolish though • s rising against God; Adam 's destruction, and of all his posterity, was of and through himself.

The next thing considerable in the Description, is the propagating and communicating of it to all his posterity that naturally descend from our first Parents. This also is very material to open the nature of this sin, that it's by propagation Adam 's sin was not personal, as ours are, but common to the whole nature; Therefore the Apostle Rom. 5. putteth it upon one sin, or offense, and that by one man. The Pelagians were vehement opposers of this, and therefore called the Orthodox Traduciani, because they hold the traduction of this original sin, Adam being a common person, and he as our Head being in Covenant with God, when he became a Covenant-breaker, then we all forfeited all in and by him; So that it's the Covenant of God that is the foundation of communicating original sin, as far as sin can be communicated to all mankind, yet natural generation is the medium, or way of conveying it; But of this more in it's time.

It followeth in the Description, That this original sin, as it is by propagation, so to all and everyone of mankind, who were in his loins, for Christ was not properly in Adam 's loins, and so his sin could not be imputed to Christ because Adam was not in Covenant for him, otherwise not the Virgin Mary or any other is exempted from this universal pollution. So that here we have the Subjectum praedicationis, as formerly inhaesonis, that subject of whom this sin may be predicated, and that is every Infant new born, as soon as he hath a being, so soon doth he become thus all over stained and abominable; and this should make Parents have sad and serious thoughts about their children, there is that corruption planted in their souls, which no instruction, no discipline can eradicate, nay the grace of God sanctifying doth not wholly expel in this life; Although the grace of God in some Obed-Edom's and Timothies appear in them from the youth, yet these were by nature dead in sin, and children of wrath, only God's grace was very wonderfully conveyed unto them in their youth or infancy. Do not therefore think, that because thou hast a more ingenuous, civil and moral nature, that therefore original sin is not in thee, yea many times the actings, and workings of it are more mortiferous and pestilential than in gross sinners. But let us proceed to the parts, as it were essential and intrinsically constituent